Change Your Image
schreiber-stephen
Reviews
Buried (2010)
Not much like this movie
Wow, is this movie unique. Holds your attention throughout. There are a few moments in the first half that are completely absurd. The worst parts are the phone calls to the states he makes initially. That said this movie is one of the most bleak pieces I've seen and I don't think I will ever forget some moments captured. I felt like he was in an escape "room" of sorts at times and that all of this was going to be some kind of test at the end. The phone calls sometimes felt phony (pun intended) which makes you suspect of the situation and thus care less thinking that at some point the walls are going to open up and "surprise!" this was all a test. It didn't quite go that direction and by the end I was fully invested in the desperation depicted. Good movie but had the script been punched up a bit to have the viewer buy in immediately it would've been a much better film.
Smallfoot (2018)
Meh. Some good themes but lacked a bit for me.
I enjoyed the story a bit but thought it was a bit preachy at times for a children's film. It was very predictable and ultimately just okay. Doesn't have quite the flare of a Pixar film. It was pretty obvious the direction they were going with the stones being created on a whim to keep the other yetis in check so they don't leave their bubble.
Generation Wealth (2018)
An okay documentary
I can see how this documentary took many years to make and how it is well crafted but using photos on a magnetic board as the throughline seems like a bit of a cop out so they didn't have to actually connect the stories. It was almost as if it's more of a documentary about Lauren Greenfield's life and interaction with wealthy Americans than the wealthy Americans themselves. Some good stories but ultimately it's a good movie that I probably wouldn't seek out again. By my rating scale, that's a 5. Right down the middle between good and bad. Just okay.
Leave No Trace (2018)
Good acting but a bit boring
I understand the mental health message and the struggle but the movie just felt like it kept going nowhere as the characters continue to start over. Eventually we see a similar moment from one scene with mushrooms being cooked where Tom wants to use propane and won't take no for an answer. Later we see Tom tell Will that she wants to stay in the RV while slicing mushrooms. Those scenes with mushrooms are parts that felt powerful for Tom's character and development while Will continues to be stuck and doesn't seem to go anywhere. Ultimately there wasn't much I took away from the movie while it has some good moments I just don't feel any desire to watch it again.
Black Hawk Down (2001)
"It's the men next to you and that's it."
Black Hawk Down is a film that shows a true story of a group of soldiers caught up in a fight with Somali soldiers and citizens who attack a US aircraft. This is not an anti-Somalia story as one very specific scene will help to present. This story is one that shows how a group of people can turn on a country they consider to be the enemy and how that perception of the enemy country can be perpetuated. It also shows how one small mistake in a hostile environment such as the one shown can lead to disastrous consequences.
Ridley Scott is great at action. That is no secret. He has made several great movies with some excellent action sequences. This one is one of the most tragic tales he has put on screen. There are many scenes that are hard to watch. The shots he gets on screen are incredible. Scott does a great job to direct these fine actors and puts together a gritty film that puts you in Somalia during this battle.
The actors were great but I thought Tom Sizemore was excellent. He built on his role in Saving Private Ryan to become that leader who will never stop until every last man is out of the line of fire. He put on one heck of a show. Josh Hartnett was good but he sometimes tends to lose me in the many blank faces he makes in just about every role I have ever seen him play. It does work very well in this film however.
I would recommend this film to just about anyone that likes a good action movie. I could see some people having a hard time with some of the scenes as they are hard to watch and even heartbreaking at times. This is a fitting tribute to those soldiers involved in this incident but nothing will ever be enough to make up for the lives lost.
Looper (2012)
Is that the same pocket watch from Pulp Fiction?
Attempting to pick apart this film for inconsistencies or things that do not make sense is a horrible idea. I have seen quite a bit of criticism of this film and it doesn't seem to make much sense why anyone would want to tackle any of these issues. Looper is a film that almost cannot be criticized for a number of the problems with the plot "holes" because of the time travel paradox created by just about every situation Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and old Joe (Bruce Willis) find themselves involved in as well as the slew of other characters also affecting timelines.
I think Looper is a movie that can be debated endlessly by just about anyone. When a loop isn't closed, it creates many different timelines as shown by the fact that Rian Johnson decided to put the video at the end of the film as to say "this thing isn't over and will never be over." Unfortunately, I have to mark this review as having spoilers because I have no way of being able to talk about it without giving something away.
I thought it was a neat idea to make Joseph Gordon-Levitt look like Bruce Willis but for the first part of the film I kept trying to figure out if the main character was Joseph Gordon-Levitt or not. It was wildly distracting. Aside from that, I thought it was a good attempt at making the two characters look alike.
I won't say too much more about the film because there are an awful lot of events that have consequences in time that end up being a bit strange and cannot be criticized too much because we don't even know what would happen in that version of a reality. I will say, however, that Rian Johnson did a great job in selecting and framing shots because so many shots looked excellent. A lot of the film had that gritty look that can be found in Brick. I think Johnson will be around for a while making movies that look just like this. I love this style of film making.
Pontypool (2008)
The zombification of Canada
Pontypool is one of the most unique apocalypse movies I think I have ever seen. Leave it to Canada to take something like a zombie apocalypse and make it completely different and strange. The idea behind the movie is that there is a virus affecting a small town in Ontario, Canada. This virus makes people act kind of like zombies. The virus is transmitted in a strange and unique way which is why having this movie set almost entirely in a radio station makes complete sense. After seeing the film it is even more interesting that the studio used is actually an old converted church. I won't go into too much detail about that but it is interesting to me. I assume the writer, Tony Burgess, was making a statement with that setting. The sound in this film is awesome as a large portion of Stephen McHattie's lines as the shock jock Grant Mazzy take place inside of a studio on a microphone which will always be better than the sound generated from any boom mic. McHattie might have been a radio personality in a former life because his voice is perfect for it. I can still hear him saying the very first lines of the movie
Pontypool
Pontypool
It's almost hypnotizing.
What is also interesting is the look behind the curtain of a radio station with a relatively low budget. There is a crew of 3 people: Mazzy as the radio personality, Sydney Briar (Lisa Houle) as producer and Laurel-Ann Drummond (Georgina Reilly) as engineer. There is even a line in there that reminds me of the movie I first thought of that gives the viewer a peek behind the curtain of a radio production: Private Parts. Mazzy talks about how to get loyal listeners by making people dislike him. It is almost the exact logic used by Howard Stern in real life. In Private Parts that logic is spelled out just like it is in Pontypool. There are quite a few other similarities between the two radio personalities but that is the largest one. The story of Ken from the Sunshine chopper adds quite a bit to this film. Ken is that unknown element from the outside world that we will never see because of the limited location of this film. It is laughable and even creepy at times.
Overall, Pontypool was what I might call a good somewhat low budget film. There were some elements that did not work for me but for the most part I was enthralled with the film. My wife made me turn the movie off at one point because there was one character that freaked her out a little too much. I had to finish this film later that evening which probably didn't help with my rating of it but I did enjoy Pontypool. Every character had a purpose and meaning and every dollar that went into this film seemed to do some work for it. That's what you need when stretching a budget and this movie did just that.
The Rainmaker (1997)
The Rainmaker addresses a hot button issue before it was a hot button issue
With everyone today using buzz words to talk about health care legislation, this is a novel about a health insurance company scamming policyholders by refusing claims that is adapted to a screenplay for a movie that was written and filmed years before reform was on the horizon. It is extremely forward thinking for its time.
The Rainmaker, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, wasn't a beautifully shot movie but it was executed well. This film holds up as it does not feel dated like many movies released around the same time. There are some movies you can tell when they came out and this is one of those films that ages very well as are not many outdated styles shown and the film was shot in a way that doesn't feel dated. By that, I mean that some movies released around that time had the same feel to them and this one felt much more like it was being played through a storyteller's eyes. There wasn't much flair involved in the filming but it didn't need that. Nothing was creative about the way it was shot but it worked.
The casting of this film was great as each player delivers a fantastic performance top to bottom. A perfect example of this is that Dean Stockwell is only in this film for a short period of time and he delivers quite a performance given the limited amount of time on screen. Matt Damon works as the do-good attorney in a sea of snakes. Danny DeVito is about as good as he gets in this film. Coppola could have done a bit more with the framing of the film to work with DeVito's size but that is the only problem with the performance.
The movie isn't perfect because there are quite a few issues with certain lines and regardless of how good DeVito and Voight are, there are some cheesy and predictable lines that they are forced to deliver that drag the movie down a little. The film could have done more with the given novel it had to work with but there is only so much that can be done to adapt a novel into a film. It will never be a perfect interpretation of the novel unless this film was done in the same way as The Stand or The Hobbit. You cannot please everyone and I think The Rainmaker did a good job with this story.
Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain (2001)
Without Amélie, today's films are the scurf of yesterday's
Amélie is a film that I am happy I finally stumbled on. It has a healthy rating on IMDb and is among the top rated films of everything on the site which is awesome so my expectations were fairly high. I am glad I watched the movie. There was a few times in the film that I had to replay parts because I was so enthralled by what was going on screen that I could not keep up with the subtitles as a result of me watching the film instead of reading. The color in Amélie is akin to a Wes Anderson film and maybe Anderson took away some things from this film as he didn't quite hit his stride until the same year Amélie released. It was a fantastic year for this type of quirky film.
There are many reasons to love Amélie. The major one is Audrey Tatou. She is strange but in a cute way yet frustrating way. Tatou does a fantastic job of delivering a lovable performance while playing a role that might have been designed for a different type of actress. She fit the role perfectly. Her interactions with the other characters are clever, witty and at times odd. One of the greatest parts of this movie is when she helps a blind man and explains everything she sees in a quick short way while still making it light hearted. That scene as well as many other parts of this movie forces you to think that Jean-Pierre Jeunet is light years ahead of everyone else. If this film were released today, it would most definitely receive some Oscar nominations and I believe that Tatou would win for best actress because she is that good in this role.
There is so much more to say about this film but the best thing I can say to do would be to watch for yourself. Many parts of this movie are fantastic and you should be experience all of it for the first time without explanation or too much detail as it is hard to put into words how clever and beautiful this film is. From the daydreams to the book of "family" portraits, this movie is a masterpiece.
In a World... (2013)
In A World seeking to capitalize on Don LaFontaine's death
Lake Bell's In A World... is an okay film. There are flaws but overall I enjoyed it. I got the feeling that Lake Bell wanted to make sure there was plenty of credit to Don LaFontaine for the famous In A World trailers but it did at time feel like a poor excuse to generate a storyline in the wake of his death. That being said, the scenes where they recorded the voice overs were entertaining and something you rarely see in movies. It held my attention for that fact. The directing was a bit sloppy and the story had some issues I didn't quite agree with but it was enjoyable overall. Demetri Martin was great and Lake Bell delivered in a big way while directing herself. Some of the side plots didn't need to be there and some of the characters were a bit clowny but those flaws are easily overlooked as the story is pretty good and unique. The other issue I had is that I haven't seen many a trailers with a Voice-over in quite some time. Not one trailer before this film even had a Voice-over which I paid close attention to and was hoping to have a few of them since that is what this movie is about. Strange and you would think they might have wanted to purposely made every preview start with In A World. Oh well. What do I know?
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)
One of the best low(ish) budget films of all time
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels is a trend-setting and doesn't get its proper due. Many people point to Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction as the most revolutionary films of the modern era but some might argue that Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels deserves just as much credit as these two. Quentin Tarantino and Guy Ritchie brought everyone into the modern day of what movies could be and what many now are. Guy Ritchie, unfortunately for him, didn't write as many quotable one liners as Tarantino, not to mention the heavy cockney accents found in this film as well as Snatch. In the eyes of the general public, these reasons are why Ritchie is back a couple of notches from the fame of Tarantino.
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels has what can only be described as a Guy Ritchie stamp on it. It was shot on Super 16 which gives the film a beautiful look and feel throughout. At certain times the film does feel a bit low budget but not as often as one might expect. There are points in this movie where you are in awe of how gorgeous the images are and how well crafted the framing is. There are some innovative ways Ritchie uses true slow motion in this film as well. It is important to point out that he did not shoot the slow motion parts in real time and then slow them down after. These were shot in true slow motion. You can tell the difference and it's one of the many things I love about this movie. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels had a budget of 1.3 million which does sound like a lot of money but when you look at what Ritchie ultimately ended up producing with that budget it is quite incredible. It is even more incredible when you review the cast and see just how many great actors are in this movie. All of them, from Jason Statham down did a fantastic job. There was only one or two moments where the acting wasn't the best but for the most part this movie felt like an extremely large production because of the quality of acting, the size of the cast and the many shootouts that occurred.
There is one particular shootout in this film that was outrageously gorgeous. This one scene involves a stoned out female, an enormous automatic weapon and a dose of comedy at the end. "Where the f*** did she come from?" Priceless. The slow motion in that scene is incredible and has you in awe as the spent rounds hit the floor while the hailstorm ensues. It is one of the best shootout scenes captured in any film. Unfortunately, this style of shooting has been stolen and overdone by many directors as the years have gone by. This has caused this type of filming to go stale and now hardly anyone does it anymore, unfortunately.
The other great thing about this film that is incredible is that Vinnie Jones who plays Big Chris just got out of jail on the first day of shooting this film. He was arrested for attacking a neighbor. To be able to keep Vinnie focused and have him deliver a great performance like he did shows just how good Ritchie is. It is also a great casting job as Vinnie is one of the few people that could pull that role off. He is also well known as a very tough soccer player which I am sure made the casting job a little easier as they might have wanted someone who is relatively well known for that part.
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels isn't without flaws. There are a few moments where you can tell Ritchie is trying to save on cost and in turn it produces a moment that is just a little bit strange or doesn't quite work. There are also a couple of scenes where the writing could be a bit stronger or some of the plot holes could have been filled better but for the most part it is a great film that can stand up to just about anything out there. Without Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels we would not have the clever movie Snatch which could be considered a high budget version of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels many actors return to that film and the writing style is almost exactly the same. That shouldn't come as too big of a shock considering that Ritchie did write both but it is worth noting that Snatch is another film that takes this style of directing and expands on it as Ritchie was given much more to work with. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels should be homework for any film student.
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999)
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Whitaker doesn't overcome the supporting cast
I appreciate the fact that Ghost Dog was an attempt to experience something different in a film. It combines quite a bit of cultures into one movie. I can appreciate that but I believe that the execution of this was poor, the acting was sub-par and the dialog left quite a bit to be desired.
Forest Whitaker is great in just about every role he has. This was one of the exceptions to that rule. He looked awkward doing samurai moves on a rooftop as the moves were all there but he wasn't as fluid as you might expect from someone that was supposedly training to be a samurai for so many years. Whitaker did a very strange move every time he put his gun away. It was an attempt to show him sheathing his weapon like a sword but it was distracting and awkward. Whitaker delivered a good performance but the movie as a whole just wasn't that great. He was, however, the best thing about this movie with Camille Winbush as Pearline coming in a close second.
The character of Ghost Dog is one that develops over the course of this film. Whitaker does a fine job in delivering a complex and developing character as Ghost Dog is always looking to improve himself and help those around him based on the code he lives by. As the movie progresses, you learn that the story is not so much about Ghost Dog but mostly about this code he reads. The more he reads, the more you understand his character, what the character has to do and most importantly why the character does what he does. The film progresses into a clash of codes that leads into a clash of characters. Without saying too much, this film shows what happens when one code is put against another code in the most extreme of circumstances in the large city of Jersey.
The writing was a bit strange at times and came off as trying too hard to inject humor into this otherwise dramatic action film. One of the best examples is when one of the characters is rapping in his bathroom. The scene feels a little goofy and changes the tone of the film as there are some other goofy parts between serious scenes that follow. I could not tell at times whether Jim Jarmusch wanted me to take the film seriously or not because of some of the silly lines and goofiness of the delivery of lines by the mobster bosses. Another example is when Ghost Dog shoots one character in the arm twice and that character makes a point to mention it excessively as to tell the viewer how good Ghost Dog is at shooting. This is something the viewer can figure out for themselves if the filmmaker thinks they are intelligent enough. That is a prime example of poor writing as Jarmusch clearly thinks that the audience needs to play to a less educated crowd.
Another problem I had that was fairly minor but equally as distracting was the character of Raymond. Isaach De Bankolé plays a charming character that seems quite unnecessary. It almost seemed as if Jarmusch was attempting to inject even more diversity into this already diverse film by adding this French speaking Haitian, Raymond. I liked the character but he could have spoke English and it would have worked just as well. The French was a bit odd and felt like a way to add filler. It didn't do much for me but I do understand why the character was there and why he would want to add someone like this. Again, it felt like a distraction more than anything.
Ghost Dog was a potentially awesome film that, in my opinion, lacked in execution. If it were done with better acting by the supporting roles and if the filming of the movie didn't feel so dated, this movie could have been great.
Bellflower (2011)
The Medusa of movies
Bellflower is a very good low budget film. Evan Godell wrote, directed and stars as Woodrow in this movie. The acting was a bit poor but the screenplay was excellent. This is what I would use as an example of a movie that has an excellent plot and horrible acting but completely pulls it off. Much like Medusa, the acting is hard to look at during some parts of the film but when looking at the film you see something that is incredibly beautiful that will ultimately end up harming you in some way. Bellflower is extremely dark and will get under your skin for days. From start to finish Bellflower is a visual work of art. If the acting were better, I could see this being one of the best dark films I have ever seen. Unfortunately, the acting is so bad that it is very tough to get past. This has to be one of the best low budget efforts I have ever seen and should be seen by any aspiring director. Evan Glodell's Medusa ultimately becomes the star of this film because the vehicle provides the best performance and it by far one of the most amazing works of art on wheels. Who doesn't love a car with a flame thrower for exhaust pipes?!
Blackfish (2013)
Free Tilly is not a lovable children's film from the 90's
Blackfish is a great documentary. At first, Tilikum seems like a star but quickly changes your opinion. The interviews with the trainers associated with Tilikum throughout his life to this point were excellent. There is a great story regarding Tilikum that needs to be heard. Blackfish is the tragic story of this whale and his many trainers. Unfortunately, there are no winners in this tale with the exception of those who may gain monetarily from Tilikum's life and his many performances. Tilikum's life is a sad one. Many trainers grow to love him but he has a troubled back story that leads to him acting out against people that do not do what he wants. Gabriela Cowperthwaite does an excellent job at compiling many stories together to give the viewer an idea of how killer whales live in the wild as well as in captivity. This helps the viewer develop an opinion of their own. Unfortunately, the end is where the agenda is pushed on the viewer with is the only reason why this documentary isn't perfect. I do agree with the opinions of Cowperthwaite but I don't like documentaries that push the filmmaker's opinions onto the viewers. The other issue I have is that Keiko, the enormously famous killer whale from Free Willy, was not brought up. That is a story that is also fascinating and would have made this documentary just a little bit longer instead of being a scant 83 minutes. The other thing that would do is show the other side of what might happen if a killer whale is freed. Keiko swam many miles to be around people because that what the whale is used to and wants to be around people. That makes the ultimate decision of what to do with Tilikum a bit troublesome as I'm not sure people would know what will happen if he were to be released. All of that being said, I am not sure why someone would contribute any money to any company that would put a whale through what Tilikum has been through in his lifetime. Such a shame.
Blackfish was great but it was also extremely sad and makes the viewer feel bad for these whales kept in captivity. They are sweet animals with complex personalities. Tilikum is just one of those whales that probably should not be in a tank. He is just too big and has been through a lot of trauma. Sometimes even the sweetest dog who has been through trauma nips at the owner when in distress. Don't miss out on this documentary. It's well worth the 83 minutes and it will open your eyes.
Love Actually (2003)
All star cast delivers a world class failure
Monetarily, Love Actually was a hit. Unfortunately box office numbers do not translate into a good film.
This movie was painful to get through. Love Actually is probably one of the movies I will use as an example of an ensemble cast that is trying to be something great but just doesn't seem to work with the number of characters involved in the production. The story has a weak excuse to have all of the characters connected. Each storyline could be its own movie and as a result each character isn't fully developed. It almost seems like writer and director Richard Curtis had this idea that he had to make a movie with an ensemble cast because that is in vogue at the time and as a result had to write a script as quickly as possible in order to monetize on this movement. There were parts of this movie that seemed like they didn't belong. With the large cast, the movie felt like watching something shot by someone with extreme ADHD or someone who didn't know what he was doing without a storyboard.
Watching this movie, I also got the feeling that Curtis has a sense of humor that didn't quite line up with mine and then I saw Rowan Atkinson pop up on screen and everything came into focus. I immediately had to see if Curtis had his hands on any Mr. Bean episodes and possibly the movie. Turns out he did so much of the humor in this movie made total sense to me. It's not my cup of tea but I do get it now. That said, it wasn't shocking for me to find out that this was Curtis' first film as a director. Love Actually was not good.
There were a few bright spots in this, however. Andrew Lincoln was excellent and I was surprised to see him in this cast as I am a big fan. He was the best part of this movie. Considering the cast around him, that was shocking to me but he was very good. Emma Thompson is always great and she was fantastic here. One or two of the story lines were good but for the most part they felt a little incomplete or rushed.
I hope I don't have to watch this one again as this was already the second time I watched this film and I remember leaving it with the same issues both times. What a shame. On the bright side, Love Actually has made quite a lot of cash so congrats to all those involved!
The Flaw (2011)
Scant documentary that every person should watch once
The Flaw delivers the story of the causes of the financial crisis and what may have caused it. There is bias in this documentary but it isn't as overt as most documentaries. The great thing and the reason why I believe that everyone should watch this movie is that this documentary delivers a the information of the financial crisis in a format that is easy to digest and gives great visual representation of everything that lead up to the collapse. The flaw of The Flaw is that there are some stories and story lines that are personal to one or two people instead of a whole audience. These stories, in my opinion, are David Sington's attempt to elicit an emotional connection and reaction to what happened with the financial collapse. This makes the documentary feel more personal and allows the viewer to feel more connected to the issues. That said, that is part of what I am not a huge fan of with these types of documentaries. I personally would have rather just had the information and the graphs and charts showing what happened without the personal stories so that the movie wouldn't feel so biased. This is a good documentary that is a scant 78 minutes, has good information and is easy to get through.
The Kids Are All Right (2010)
Good but might not be for your moms
I remember watching this movie about a year ago and not liking it much. I decided to watch it again before reviewing it and I am glad I did. Going into it knowing what to expect achieved a much better result for me. After watching Starbuck this movie fits very well with that one. Just like Starbuck, The Kids Are All Right was pretty good. There was some content that might keep you from making this one a date movie but for the most part there was good humor and some sweet parts as the two teenagers connect with their father. The movie was quite predictable at times but for the most part it has a good story. Mark Ruffalo and Julianne Moore are both great in their roles and Julianne Moore's relationship with Annette Bening feels about as real as it gets for any two actors. The performances are what make this movie really good as each character attempts to figure things out and what direction they would like to go in life. Each character is at a crossroad and they inch their way toward one direction over the other as the story progresses. If I had to change anything in this movie, it would be Josh Hutcherson's character's name. I get that it shows the type of person that Jules (Julianne Moore) is but at times it is distracting to the story. I liked this movie a lot this time around and I am glad I gave it a second chance.
The Man with One Red Shoe (1985)
Early Tom Hanks isn't what we are used to today
In short, The Man with One Red Shoe is not a good movie. The best part of this movie is Tom Hanks. It is funny to see how well he does with this role even though everything around him is hacky and cartoonish. There was one point in which I almost turned this movie off because I couldn't handle much more. I ended up powering through it and I am glad to say that it is finally over. The Man with One Red Shoe isn't the worst movie I have ever seen and the performance that Hanks gives bumped the movie up one star for me. If Richard Harlan Drew (Tom Hanks) were played by anyone else, it would have been a completely different result. Hanks wasn't great but he definitely made the movie more tolerable. I could see this movie being The Man Who Knew Too Little (1997) if Richard were played by Bill Murray which still wouldn't be as bad as having someone like Tim Allen or Jim Carrey go completely overboard with this role which would make this movie pretty much unwatchable. Hanks was a little strange in the role and the almost afro was a bit distracting. At some point, Hanks felt like he wasn't fully committed to the role or just not enjoying the direction given. Speaking of direction, Stan Dragoti makes this film feel as old as it is as some of the shots and sound do not hold up at all. I have seen movies that were made around the same time that do not use some of the same types of shots that totally hold up so that is the bar and Dragoti went well below that. Have I mentioned that this is not a good movie? It's not good. I don't think I need to beat this dead horse anymore. Try to avoid this one unless, like me, you are trying to complete your Tom Hanks filmography.
Elysium (2013)
It's too bad Blomkamp didn't make the screenplay as strong as a droid
Elysium is billed as a group of the earth's population overcoming a futuristic version of the caste system where the main characters on the low end of the totem pole attempt to stick it to the man. It is more than that but not much more. Max (Matt Damon) is a factory worker who works for a defense company that develops the very machines and droids that keep him and all of his peers under the thumb of the rich who live on a Halo-like contained space station which is called "Elysium." In a nutshell, Max is given a few days to live but would be fine if he was on Elysium as they have the technology to be able to heal him. This is the motivation needed to want to infiltrate Elysium. After speaking to a former "employer" who would like to steal from one of the rich on Elysium, Max is given a suit and told "we hook this into your nervous system and it'll make you strong as a droid." The movie progresses from this point. The visual effects are incredible. Neill Blomkamp does an incredible job directing films with a large amount of visual effects. He does a great job of using motion blur and shaky cameras to keep everything looking real and puts you into the action.
There are plenty of things that keep Elysium from being a great movie. The biggest problem with this movie is the character Kruger (Sharlto Copley). The character is a bit too goofy and Copley is okay but it almost seems as if Blomkamp gave him this part because of a friendship they have. I could see a number of actors that would have been better in this role and might have made the role a little less goofy. Copley is better in this role than the one he played in District 9 but not much better. He is an okay actor but probably needs to become a bit more polished before taking on another large role like this one or the one in District 9. Copley reacts to some events in a way that doesn't seem to make much sense to me and he doesn't seem as sinister as Blomkamp might have wanted that character to be. There were also some parts of Elysium that seemed to be too silly. The fact is that this is a movie about futuristic events so take that for what it is and just enjoy the movie because if you try to pick apart certain details it will just drive you crazy.
As mentioned, the visual effects were incredible. Elysium, the space station hovering around the earth, looked incredible. The droids were awesome. Everything looked about as real as it could get using the amount of visual effects Blomkamp did. Elysium was an okay movie because the writing and some of the acting was a bit weak. For example, I like William Fichtner quite a bit but I felt like his performance wasn't quite where I'm use to. Blomkamp might not get as much out of actors as he should as a director and I assume that has something to do with his desire to make everything look perfect. I was excited for this movie but unfortunately it let me down.
Margin Call (2011)
The next great director has been found!
Margin Call is compelling. As someone that works in the financial industry, this movie does a wonderful job of showing what happened prior to the financial collapse in 2008. It is, in my opinion, extremely easy to understand what each person is speaking about in regards to what has happened with their firm and what is going to happen as a result. J.C. Chandor does a great job of keeping this relatively boring topic interesting and compelling. Margin Call holds your attention throughout and leaves you wanting more. Chandor was given a crop of actors that many directors only get once in a lifetime. He made the most of it with smart dialog and strong character development. Kevin Spacey, Stanley Tucci, Zachary Quinto and Jeremy Irons were all especially good in this film. I look forward to seeing more from J.C. Chandor. It is incredible to me that he wrote and directed this movie as well as All is Lost. We all have the privilege of seeing this director begin what I believe will be a long and fantastic writing and directing career. I just hope that he would be okay taking a fantastic script and directing something that is not his own. Just writing and directing everything he does might paint himself into a corner but like I said Chandor is a unique talent so I hope the quality of his movies continues to be of this caliber.
Side Effects (2013)
Don't let Side Effects slip through the cracks – Another excellent Soderbergh feature
"It's in our best interest that you start forgetting" is a quote from Side Effects that stuck with me for a couple reasons. I don't think I will forget Side Effects anytime soon although at first glance this one was quite forgettable. Side Effects is probably the first Steven Soderbergh film since Traffic that passed me by without me noticing. It seems like if I did see previews they must have looked horrible to me which caused me to forget about it. Most of Soderbergh's movies get a top billing and to have a cast like this one has with Jude Law, Channing Tatum and Catherine Zeta-Jones you would assume that this one wouldn't pass by anyone without quite a few looks. Somehow I was unaware of this film until I was looking for a movie under 2 hours to watch in my free time. I am glad I chose Side Effects to pass my time.
Side Effects, in my opinion, is a polarizing film that will split an audience in two for ¾ of the film and bring them back together toward the end. On one side, you have the portion of viewers who enjoy bashing Big Pharma and putting the greedy doctors in their place as they are destroying the human race with pill popping and on the other side you have the group of people who support doctors as our population continues to live longer with the help of companies developing solutions to improving longevity though the use of pharmaceuticals and various treatments. I will not say what side I fall on but Side Effects, for most of the film feels like it falls into that first category but takes a dramatic turn toward the end which helps to please the other side of the crowd so that the movie doesn't feel quite so polarizing in the end.
Soderbergh starts this film off with a beautifully shot scene in which a murder has taken place. The film then rewinds at that point. Rooney Mara puts on an odd performance that can only be explained by the final few scenes. After information about Emily Taylor is revealed, the odd performance is completely forgiven and can almost be seen as incredible how well she did in making that character seem so strange and have so many scenes of what appeared to be awkwardness. Catherine Zeta-Jones did a fine job as she always seems to do but I wouldn't say this was her best performance. The best part of this film was Jude Law's performance while his character, Dr. Jonathan Banks, works to try and figure out what went wrong with his drug he prescribed to Emily. The psychological swings in Side Effects are fantastic. I would recommend this movie with a strong caution to anyone as halfway through it may get a bit tough to watch for some as there appears to be an agenda being pushed onto the audience which is not the case at all.
Anyone interested in Steven Soderbergh will like this movie as he partners up with Scott Z. Burns yet again. This writer / director tandem seems to work extremely well and this is probably their best collaborative effort of the three of their films.
Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
So much better than a 5!
I've heard some harsh criticism of David O. Russell and his direction of several movies lately. This had me expecting this movie to be a 5 but it is so much more than that. The writing and the direction are both incredible. David O. Russell had his hands on both. The David O. Russell movies I have seen so far have all been very good and I am not sure I agree with some of the criticism I have heard lately. This movie is an example of how great he is at taking something written and adapting it into a well crafted, witty screenplay. Then he translates that onto the screen and achieves a movie that I will not soon forget.
I will get the few negatives out of the way first and create a review positive / negative / positive sandwich.
The major problem I had with this movie is John Ortiz and quite frankly that isn't even close to the next worst part. Ortiz plays the character of Ronnie. Ronnie is a man who is stressed out because his wife Veronica (Julia Stiles) demands that her life be perfect and that she gets whatever she desires or he is afraid that she will leave him. Veronica's harsh character fuels Ronnie's stress to the point of needing someone to vent to so that he will not freak out in front of her. This is why Ronnie ends up venting to Pat (Bradley Cooper). Ronnie is a clown. He is distracting and tries way too hard to be funny. Ortiz's delivery of every line is quite annoying and I am not sure why David O. Russell let this Jim Carrey-esk overacting performance pollute what could have been a near perfect presentation from just about every character on screen. It may have even been highlighted as a result of him being surrounded by a group of actors nailing it in every scene. Such a shame.
The only other issue I had with the movie was some plot holes and cheesy moments but those were easily overlooked due to the strength of the acting and the story as a whole.
You can tell a good script by how information is delivered to the viewer and Silver Linings Playbook was one of those movies that everyone should see just for that aspect of it. The way they deliver information about characters and who has certain relationships with others isn't by saying "you're my dad" or "I'm your brother" but it is cleverly disguised by psychiatric evaluation in therapy of Pat. As the movie progresses, you learn more and more information about these troubled characters. Each character has their own issues and development but each character needs the other characters to be able to grow, cope with tough situations and develop further. Lastly, the comedy in this movie is dark and at times subtle but it worked so well for me as I was laughing at many of the situations each character was involved in.
I loved this movie even with its few flaws. It was great to see Chris Tucker on the big screen again as he made his triumphant return. This is a great date movie as it has sports and cheesy moments all wrapped up in one package. Just don't watch this one with a new relationship as there are some aspects that are not first date friendly.
The Last Stand (2013)
Vintage Arnold!
The formula to make a great action movie set in one of the most conservative immigration states as witnessed in The Last Stand: Austrian Sheriff and former bodybuilder? Check. Puerto Rican sidekick deputy with a catchy nickname? Check. Spanish millionaire fugitive and former amateur racer driving a Corvette C6 ZR1? Check. Swedish cold blooded killer and mobile assault bridge extraordinaire? Check. Brazilian former marine with PTSD? Check. Tennessean weapons collector and all around jacka**? Check.
All joking aside, The Last Stand is what Arnold Schwarzenegger fans have been craving for years from him. This movie had everything you wanted from Arnold: great one liners, quite a few explosions, car chase scenes, a triumphant final battle with the horrible bad guy at the end and most importantly a very large rotary-barreled machine gun.
The worst part of this movie was probably Forest Whitaker. I am a fan of Whitaker but he did a poor job in this one. Agent Bannister didn't react quite like I would anticipate someone in his position to react. On the other hand, I am not a huge fan of Johnny Knoxville but I believe he did an excellent job in his role. To be perfectly honest, you aren't watching this movie for the acting but it does bear mentioning that Knoxville was actually pretty good because he hasn't done much lately to convince me otherwise.
Some of the visual effects were incredible and I believe a lot of the credit goes to Kim Jee-Woon. This is Jee-Woon's first movie in the United States and he did not disappoint. The Good, the Bad, the Weird may be his best work and with that on his resumé he deserved this directing job. This movie was like a modern day western tale and one scene in particular with Luis Guzmán emerging from a cloud of dust was one of the best shots in this film. There was also a great scene toward the end where the two vehicles come to a crawl and the movie basks in near silence for a couple of minutes. It was like the eye of a hurricane.
In short, there was many plot holes in this film and some of the acting was okay at best but for what this movie is, it was great and I enjoyed almost every minute of it. Seeing Arnold back in his element was a joy. As Sheriff Ray Owens says "I'll be right back" and I hope you will be Arnold because not many people can do action like he can
even if the stunt doubles look nothing like you.
The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
The Talented Mr. Frank Abagnale meets the Talented Mr. Norman Bates
Anthony Minghella, director and screenplay writer of the English Patient and Cold Mountain in addition to this film, open The Talented Mr. Ripley with a bang. It starts off with such promise and is intriguing. The photography in this film is excellent and the acting is superb. Minghella certainly knows how to get the most out of his given crop of talent. The great thing about the direction of this film is that it holds up extremely well. It is not hard to get through but the story itself will leave your skin crawling which is another testament to how well each actor performs right down to the most minor of characters.
The Talented Mr. Ripley is a mix between Catch Me If You Can and Psycho. Tom Ripley (Matt Damon) seems like a normal kid who catches a break while wearing a jacket that does not belong to him. Herbert Greenleaf (James Rebhorn) offers to pay Tom to bring his son back from Europe. The amount of money offered to Tom seems like it might be more than Tom has seen in his entire life. Wearing that jacket is what starts Tom on this journey to try and be someone more interesting than himself. He is a deeply troubled character with little to no self worth. He loves everyone he meets more than himself and never wants to leave their sides. Tom eventually meets Herbert Greenleaf's son, Dickie (Jude Law). Tom, Dickie and Dickie's fiancé Marge (Gwyneth Paltrow) eventually become extremely close friends. Tom uses his talents of impersonation and desire to become anyone but himself to stay with Dickie for as long as possible. They string Herbert Greenleaf along and have him continue to funnel money to the two of them for as long as possible. Dickie eventually begins to tire of being around Tom and begins to make a new friend, Freddie Miles (Philip Seymour Hoffman). This is about the time where the movie takes a bit of a turn. The events up to this point all trigger a downward spiral as this movie begins to tear down each character and the relationships developed. The unraveling of Tom Ripley is quite substantial. Once Tom's first layer is gone, he replaces it with a layer not of his own until almost every part of Tom Ripley is gone with the exception of the cold and dark core that he cannot let anyone into.
The Talented Mr. Ripley is an excellent movie that I feel I can only watch once because it becomes very tough to get through. Anthony Minghella does a great job in putting you in the world of Tom Ripley but in doing so makes the viewing experience quite dark in certain spots. Tom is a mold waiting to be shaped into those around him and as he gathers information about other characters Anthony Minghella is painting a wonderful picture of every character in the film. Each character is extremely complex and this film would not be the same without every one of those pieces. This character study is one of the best ones as each character brings something different. Tom wants to be anyone but himself and will stop at nothing to achieve that goal and keep his idols around him. Dickie is a self centered rich kid who uses everyone he meets including his fiancé. Speaking of her, Marge wants nothing more than to have Dickie love her unconditionally. She fears that he will use her and toss her aside which may not be far from the truth. Freddie is probably the biggest wild card among the group as you don't get to learn much about Freddie other than he is on par with Dickie in terms of social status and he steals the show whenever he is on screen. Much of that might just be attributed to Philip Seymour Hoffman's incredible acting as he seems to trump everything around him whenever he is on screen.
I would suggest that everyone see this movie at least once for the acting alone as it almost appears as if Minghella would not quit until every take was excellent. Tom Ripley will leave your skin crawling for days.
Love and Other Impossible Pursuits (2009)
Subject matter that contradicts my morals yet works out to be a very good film
The characters in this story are incredibly complex. Lisa Kudrow delivers a surprisingly good performance as the bitter, angry ex wife. Natalie Portman is great as she always is. She delivers a role that is snarky, cute and even heartbreaking at times. It is difficult to feel pity for a person who caused a divorce but the combination of Natalie Portman's and Lisa Kudrow's performances makes it easier than one might expect. The Other Woman is frustrating at times as you want to jump into the movie and slap sense into a couple of people. The emotional struggles each character goes through during the course of this film is well depicted. The dysfunctional family is best depicted in William's picture of his family.
The ultimate horror of this movie has any viewer feel terrible for Natalie Portman as she was the cause for any new parent's worst nightmare. The reveal of what she did makes the way she acted throughout the movie much more understandable as it seemed to be slightly confusing that she would be so much more affected than anyone else in the film.
The composition of songs feels a little bit TV movie. The orchestrated score used for background music at times in this film feels cheesy at best.
I liked the movie but it was a bit depressing and tough to watch at times. I would recommend watching this movie to some people but not everyone. It is a tough watch as there are so many different emotions the viewer is put through. Lastly, Charlie Tahan is perfect for that role! He shines in the ice skating scene. Finally, the room gets a little bit "dusty" toward the end as Lisa Kudrow's character makes up for her actions throughout the movie. Tough scene. But this scene is immediately trumped when Emilia gives William a boat. That entire sequence is beautiful and probably the perfect way to finish this movie. Well done!