wademasquerade Reviews

R.I.P.D. (2013)

Formulaic Romp Through the Afterlife

[7/10 · 22 July 2013]

I'll start off by saying that I did enjoy this movie, and it kept me entertained throughout. I was not quite sure what to expect from this movie as I hadn't seen any trailers beforehand, only the seemingly poor ratings it was receiving. I don't agree with those low ratings.

As predictable in it's story as it may seem, it was well executed anyways. Jeff Bridges is there in all of his campy western glory, and Ryan Reynolds plays the stereotypical polar opposite of his partner. The best way that I would be able to describe this movie to people is a "buddy cop film set in the afterlife", because that's very much what it is. This is where it seems to be formulaic to me. You see so many movies nowadays about two partners who are greatly different from each other (i.e Cop Out, The Other Guys, etc.).

I saw this film in 3D and it was done well. Nothing to write home about, but it was a satisfying 3D experience. Maybe I had simply been desensitized to the format, having just seen the 3D Jurassic Park revamp. Still, however, it had all those cool "look at how close the gun is!" moments nonetheless.

In short: Nothing you haven't really seen before. Just your average buddy cop movie, aside from the interesting afterlife element that's been put into it. I'd wait for the Blu-Ray.

Drive (I) (2011)

Breathtaking

[10/10 · 21 November 2012]

I honestly haven't a clue of where to even start with this film. It has the dark, yet heartwarming story of classic noir films with the modern bite and 80's synth soundtrack of tried-and-true action flicks. This is one of those movies that will literally give you goosebumps, and that allows you to connect with the characters on a tremendous level. The characters in this film do not have the two dimensional, dull delivery that is usually expected from a film of this genre. Every emotion, every word of dialogue, every gesture is delivered with a genuine authenticity that is nothing short of impressive, which is all credited to the exceptional acting displayed in Drive.

Ryan Gosling's role as the "Driver" is one that will be remembered for years to come. His often somber and often mute presence is very chilling albeit showing his courage and emotional strength. He delivers more emotion in his few lines than some actors can do in an entire movie. The taboo romance that brews between him and the "damsel in distress" character Irene (portrayed by Carey Mulligan) is both heartwarming as well as heartbreaking.

The traditional "bad guy" roles, played by Ron Perlman (Nino) and Albert Brooks (Bernie Rose) are those that you would expect in a mobster film such as The Godfather or Goodfellas. Their strong, but not too campy, portrayals of mobsters are a nod to the aforementioned films.

The score for this film, composed by Cliff Martinez (whose other works include Wicker Park and Gray's Anatomy), is a stirring, ambient work of art. With nods to 80's eurosynth pop and electronica, it fits well to the overall tone of the film, which is also accompanied by similar styled songs such as "Real Hero" by College and "Nightcall" by Kavinsky, the former of which being the "theme song" of the film in a way.

Drive, being an adaptation of James Sallis' novel of the same title, is a powerful, riveting, exceptional piece of art. It may seem far fetched to some to call a movie art, but believe you me, this is art. From the moment the end credits were rolling, it has been my absolute favorite movie. Truly impressive.

World's Greatest Dad (I) (2009)

An unexpected, yet brilliant film.

[9/10 · 17 September 2012]

Browsing through Netflix, I came across this movie, and from the summary I assumed it was a dark comedy flick in the same vein as other classics such as "Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter is Dead" or "Weekend at Bernie's". While it had that certain quality to it, this movie was far more powerful than just that. This movie had a message to it that crosses over into reality with such force that it wouldn't be unheard of for something like this to have happened.

Robin Williams put forth a tremendous acting performance. This is definitely much different of a movie than what is the usual on his list of projects. However, he adapts perfectly to the quirky, often eyebrow- raising nature of this film. His emotion throughout is very convincing and feels surprisingly genuine.

This movie also puts forth the ever present message that we as people, are very hypocritical at times. I heard a phrase once that went something like "No one cares unless you're pretty or dying." and I feel like that fits quite well with this movie.