nathan-276 Reviews

Dismissed (2017)

Breaking down 'Dismissed'

[4/10 · 24 November 2017]

*Spoiler Free*

Music: 5.5/10

Decent score, nothing special. Amplified the film when it needed to be amplified but nothing rememberable and it certainly won't be winning any awards.

Visual Aesthetics: 5.5/10

Once again, nothing special. This film has a lower budget, couple that with the story itself, and you can't really expect it be all that aesthetically pleasing, visually speaking. Mike Testin offers some relatively cool shots in some of the more climatic sequences, but this movie could have done more.

Acting: 7.5/10

The highlight and one bright spot of the film by far. Dylan Sprouse, after being out of the acting game for years, gives a surprisingly intense and powerful performance. He was actually quite believable in an otherwise ridiculous and silly film. This movie showcases just how talented he can be. He has a bright future if he sticks with it.

Direction: 6/10

Somehow manages to make a terrible screenplay work from an entertainment level. Pieces everything together well so it's actually well paced, and moderately intense when it needs to be. He wasn't working with much so he made the most of it.

Screenplay: 1.25/10

Silly. Absolutely silly. We've seen this story 100 times before in different ways. This way was just a little simpler and dumber than most. It's the same old 'seemingly normal but unique in some way' person turns out to be a lot crazier than expected and things go down story. Predictable. Ridiculous. Laughably stupid at times. Cringeworthy lines. Character reactions and decisions that made zero sense and weren't believable in the slightest. Not much really redeemable here other than the fact that I've technically seen worse.

Overall score calculated: 5.5 + 5.5 + 7.5 + 6 + 1.25 + 1.25 (screenplay is weighted more since it's the most important piece to any film) = 27. 27/6= a final score of 4.5 out of 10. I round up or down based on whether I not I'd ever watch it again. I won't ever watch it again. So 4 it is. Peace.

The Kids Are All Right (2010)

The Kids Are All Right- 5 Category Review

[4/10 · 21 January 2015]

It is my firm belief that the overall quality of a film can be determined by its effectiveness in 5 categories: Screenplay/Plot, Directing, Acting, Cinematography/Visual/Sound Effects, and Score/Soundtrack. Too often do we ignore the greatness a film has in one aspect because of the poorness it may have in another.

I try to be as vague as I can with my reviews, to avoid spoilers of any kind, while still being informative as to what I found good and poor within a film. Here's my take on 'The Kids Are All Right'

Visual Components/Cinematography: 4/10- Nothing to write home about. No effects, though it wasn't really necessary to begin with. Nothing special in regards to the cinematography, costume, makeup, art direction or set design. For this kind of film, you'd except at least a little creativity with the cinematography and the sad part about it is that the most creative they got with it was in the opening credits.

Audio Components/Score/Soundtrack: 3.5/10- Another disappointing aspect to this film. What really enhances a lot of these great comedy dramas is the music, and it was noticeably lacking here. No one is necessarily screaming for a unique and dramatic score but dear God at least put some effort into the soundtrack.

Acting: 6.5/10- Quite clearly the highlight of the film. Everyone did a job well done, and the film really benefited particularly from the performances from Annette Bening and Mia Wasikowska. The characters felt like they had a sense of realism and depth associated with them, and this was more so due to the performances than the writing.

Screenplay/Story: 3.5/10- Wow, that's about all I can say, and not a good Wow might I add. The premise is intriguing and filled with potential but all the potential was squashed from pure laziness and illogical character interactions.

Direction: 3/10-The main point of directing is to make the most out of what you are given. Lisa Cholodenko failed here. I felt as though there was no real effort or passion put into this, and if there was then it was a failure.

Overall: 4.1/10 Considering the basic premise, cast, and overall praise this film received, it's safe to say that it is one of the most disappointing films from 2010. Want a showcase of powerful acting? Go ahead and watch this. Want a positive stimulus in any other aspect of filmmaking? Skip this one.

Man of Steel (2013)

Man of Steel- 5 Category Review

[7/10 · 15 June 2013]

It is my firm belief that the overall quality of a film can be determined by its effectiveness in 5 categories: Screenplay/Plot, Directing, Acting, Cinematography/Visual/Sound Effects, and Score/Soundtrack. Too often do we ignore the greatness a film has in one aspect because of the poorness it may have in another.

I try to be as vague as I can with my reviews, to avoid spoilers of any kind, while still being informative as to what I found good and poor within a film. Here's my take on Man of Steel.

Screenplay/Plot 7/10 It was clear from the get-go whose movie this was, this is not a Christopher Nolan film and clearly a Zack Snyder film. Action, Action, Action. The action is almost mind-numbing at points but yet it was well done and very entertaining. Nothing about the script was thought provoking or surprising, but its fluidity was superb and still a great upbringing film for the Superman. My favorite aspect of the screenplay was how General Zod was handled. You could almost sympathize with him, or at least understand why he was doing what he was doing. That's a testament to reality in a sense because pure evil does not virtually exist, if you researched some of the seemingly most sinister people in the world they almost all have relatively logical reasons to why they were doing what they were doing, I loved it.

Directing 6/10 Like I said, this a Zack Snyder film. I have yet to be blown away by this guy's directing chops, yet I have yet to be completely disappointing. There are some great shots in this film, like when Superman first appears in his suit, and some of the ending action sequences. Nothing was really special about it though. Often, because of the angles used, it was hard to see exactly what was happening. Zack also made a habit out of doing multiple zoom in shots on one thing, I found that annoying, but for the most part he did a good job.

Acting 6/10 The acting was solid. Everyone was cast well and did good for what they were given. Amy Adams often felt wooden, but I think that was more a testament to her script rather than her ability because she's usually marvelous. Same with Russell Crowe, he felt wooden and lifeless rather than strong and endearing. The stand out here was clearly Michael Shannon. He was bloody fantastic and made the movie better on his own.

Cinematography/Visual Effects/ Sound Effects 9/10 This film was stunning. It was absolutely beautiful and the effects were amazing. Judging from the budget, this really shouldn't surprise people.

Score/Soundtrack 8/10 Great score that just had Superman written all over it. Really powerful and uplifting stuff, though the main theme was slightly overused.

Overall, don't go into this film expecting vintage Nolan because you are not going to get it. Don't go into this assuming it will be just as good if not better than the Dark Knight trilogy. It just isn't, it has potential to get there considering how much better the 2nd and 3rd film of The Dark Knight trilogy was compared to the first. Go into this film expecting a solidly entertaining Superman action fest and you'll get your money's worth, regardless of what the critics may say, it was still a great movie.

Warrior (2011)

Warrior- 5 Category Review

[9/10 · 16 January 2012]

Directing 8/10- Solid directing, intriguing shots and well paced. The fight scenes were phenomenally choreographed. Acting 9.5/10- Some of the acting from the extreme minor roles was cheesy but nick nolte, edgerton and hardy gave amazing heartfelt performances. It's sad to see that nolte, in particular, is not getting more recognition for his performance, his performance was riveting. Screenplay 8/10- The screenplay was rather cliché and predictable. However, I have yet to see another sports film a better and deeper character story line. I have also yet to see a mixed martial arts film this deep and heartfelt. So it's original in those aspects. Visual Effects 7/10- Nothing crazy at all visually, but its not needed with a film like this. The fight scenes were filmed with near perfection. Sound Effects/Music 9/10- The music throughout was solid, but what really lifted the film was the ending song. It tied the scene together in such a beautiful fashion. Overall, great film that might sadly be overlooked. Amazing storyline between the characters and definitely one of the best sports films of all time.

Contraband (2012)

Contraband- 5 category review

[6/10 · 13 January 2012]

Directing 6/10- Some unique and intriguing shots, but nothing too rememberable Acting 8.5/10- The acting is the category that without a doubt, stole the show. Solid efforts from the entire cast but the film really benefited from tremendous performances from Ribisi and Landry Jones. Screenplay 4/10- The screenplay is fun no doubt and benefits from decent pacing and a few intense action sequences but the film lacks originality, stealing concepts and at times, lines. Visual effects 5/10- The visual effects were average. I can't completely fault a film for not using unnecessary visuals. Sound effects/Music 5/10- The sound effects were fine, nothing misplaced there. The music was again just OK, sometimes the music was great and mixed well with the action going on but in some the haunting/emotional scenes the music didn't make the scene 'better', which is what it should do. Overall, the film is just another forgettable action film. The film has decent enough story (though cliché), with great acting and some fun action sequences that make the film at least worth a viewing.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)

5 category review

[9/10 · 13 January 2012]

Directing 9/10- Unique and almost trippy shots, that superbly mastered an eerie sense to the film. Not Oscar worthy, but well done. Acting 10/10- Everyone in this film was fantastic, everyone. Mara, Skarsgard, and Plummer(despite lack of screen time) gave academy award nomination worthy performances, and Mara may deserve a win. Screenplay 8/10- I don't like giving films based on other materials perfect scores so an 8 is the best I can do here. Clearly it is unoriginal but with reading the book I can say they did an excellent job transferring it to the big screen. Visual Effects 7/10- Visually, the most remember-able sequence was the opening credits. Well done visuals, nothing to write home about, but solid job done. Music/Sound Effects 9/10- Sounds effects were well done and the music is Oscar worthy.