"The Guard" with Brendan Gleeson and Don Cheadle (2011)

When Irish police Sergeant Gerry Boyle, played by Brendan Gleeson, is teamed with FBI agent Wendell Everett in an investigation of a drug smuggling ring, neither man is sure of what he has gotten into. With Sgt. Boyle displaying every stereotypical trait of a bigoted Irishman; and Agent Everett being overly sensitive to racism; the investigation quickly morphs into high gear as it alternates between a very good plot line and some politically incorrect humor.

Sergeant Boyle is the type who loves confrontation, lives with his dying mother and has a penchant for prostitutes. He could care less about the International drug smugglers. Paired with the very professional and uptight FBI Agent produces some very funny moments as the two learn to accept the fact that they have been thrown together. For better, or worse, the two begin to know each other a bit better as they tray their best to identify and ensnare all the players in this rapid fire comedy.

This film was the Official Selection at both the Sundance and Los Angeles Film Festivals for 2011. Director Michael McDonagh keeps the film on pace, delivering one of the most unusual comedies since “Saving Grace.”

 Pearl Harbor - Too Much Negotiation

This is the USS West Virginia on the morning of December 7, 1941. Negotiations for peace with Japan were underway in New York with the Japanese at the time of the attack. Remember this as you read today’s newspaper; sometimes there can be too much negotiating. The attack on Pearl Harbor is proof of the old adage that “the only thing new is the history we don’t know.”