John Wick Review

Finally got to see John Wick

SPOILER FREE

I've been hearing a lot of people say that this is hands down Keanu Reeve's best film he's made since the Matrix. While that is definitely true, I also try to remind people that really isn't saying much when you look at what came in between those two films. Reeves is not exactly well known for his choosing of good scripts, nor for his acting abilities. He doesn't have very much range, and often ruins good roles with his lack of emotion. The only movie where he ever truly delivered a good performance and showed possible acting chops is The Devils Advocate, though when you're working next to someone like Al Pacino, there isn't really much room for you to mess around. The best films he did are roles that suit his personality such as Speed, The Devils Advocate, Bram Stokers Dracula, Bill and Ted, The Matrix, and now John Wick.  So how did John Wick turn out?

It was pretty good. It was no Matrix or Speed but the film works well as a brutal yet enjoyable revenge film. The plot for John Wick places Reeves as an ex-hitman who comes out of retirement to track down the gangsters who took everything from him. What may sound like a generic revenge plot of you kill my love, i'm coming for your ass, works surprisingly well because of the way it's been handled by the filmmakers. This is the perfect role for Reeves to play because he doesn't need to do any kind of advanced acting, and can just slip into the role and wow audiences with some impressive fight scenes and handling of weapons. None of this is unfamiliar to Reeves, so he's able to do what he does best here. He is backed by some strong supporting players such as John Lequizamo (he makes anything better than what it was going to end up being), the always dependable yet creepy William Dafoe, and legendary actor Ian McShane. The tagline for this movie is a warning to the brutality of John Wick's character stating: Don't send him off. And for good reason. The filmmakers are able to sell the point that John Wick is a man whose feared by crooks because of the storm of bodies he leaves behind him and his skills as a hitman. The film is fast paced with a running time of only 90 minutes, making it thrilling and stylish. There's just something about the action and the way it's shot that holds your interest. It's been a long time since Reeves took this kind of role, and it's a good feeling to see him return to this form. Has his acting improved since The Matrix trilogy finished? Not really but the script and story of the film works around that, making him feel comfortable in the part.

Overall John Wick works because of the likeable presence of Keanu Reeves in the part giving us a feeling of nostalgia, while also providing good amounts of thrills, stylistic directing, and excitement. This film works as a good old fashioned revenge movie, and never tries to stray from that concept. It is a fun movie and a good way to kill 90 minutes. There will most likely be a sequel. Not bad, I liked it a little more than Equalizer.
                                                                                                                                            8/10

Interstellar Review

Finally got to see Interstellar

SPOILER FREE

I am quite mystified towards the divisive reception this movie's been receiving from both critics and audiences. From the critics, it holds a 74 percent on rottentomatoes, yet imdb has it number 11 on their top 250 at a 9.0/10. After viewing the movie in theaters, I keep asking myself on what did the critics see that bothered them so much to give the movie a lower than expected score. My only conclusion that I could come to is Christopher Nolan has released a complexed but incredible visionary film, that will receive a much deeper appreciation as time goes on. Movie history will be kind to Interstellar in the years to come, and there's no denying the film has left an impression on many audiences and reviewers. So what did I think of Interstellar personally?

I loved it. It was three hours well spent in the theater and really felt like I went on a space adventure with these characters. The plot of the film has Matthew McConaughey playing an ex-engineer who becomes an astronaut, leading an interstellar journey going through a wormhole to discover a new home for the human race, while also rescuing the Lazarus crew who left Earth previously and is surviving in the new discovered galaxy with the Endurance spaceship crew. The acting was fantastic from McConaughey, Jessica Chastain, and Anne Hathaway especially. These three performers really brought their A game to the film and really made you feel the emotions their characters were going through. Of all of Christopher Nolan's movies, this one carried with it the most heart of them all. McConaughey was amazing here as Cooper. I really emphatized with his characters decision to leave everything on Earth behind and go on this incredible space journey. It makes you think about what you would do if you were in that situation. Would you turn down an opportunity like that if someone like Michael Caine approached you about the adventure of a lifetime to find other planets that can inhibit life? It's great to see Michael Caine working with Nolan again on another film, it's almost like the two use each other as a form of good luck charm. Caine does great here as usual and gets a little more screen time than he received in Inception and maybe Dark Knight Rises. One still cannot get over his heartfelt performance as Alfred in that movie. I feel he was robbed of an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor right there. Anne Hathaway was incredible in this film, which dare I say is her second best work behind her key supporting role in Les Miserables. She plays a woman whose going through the same level of emotions as what McConaughey's character is experiencing, yet she is keen on fulfilling the missions objective. She's remarkable here and has some great moments, especially near the end. Jessica Chastain does a great job as McConaughey's older daughter Murph,who waits and waits for her father to return someday, while things on Earth begin to develop pertaining to their mission. Ellen Burstyn plays the older version of Chastain's character, and really nails home the emotion with the few scenes she has. The woman continues to blow me away ever since I saw her performance in Requiem for a Dream. She nearly brought me to tears in that movie and does something similar here. No spoilers. It's great to have supporting actors like John Lithgow, Matt Damon, and Topher Grace backing up the strong lead actors, and do admirable work with the little screen time they have. Even David Oyelowo shines in his scene with Cooper near the beginning.

From the standpoint of writing, directing, and visuals, Nolan once again proves to people his remarkable skills as a director, writer, as well as a visionary. Nolan really came to work with this one in the directing department, giving the film lots of heart and a grand epic scale of direction. The acting he gets out of his key players and emotion is incredible. It shows the admiration that both his actors and himself have for each other and the understanding of what both sides look for when working together. The script by Chris and Jonathan Nolan gives heavy doses of elaboration on the physics of the space trip, but also takes a lot of time to develop all the characters properly. For some, the movie may run at a bit of a slow pace, but that's totally justified because there is a lot of things that need to be setup in order for the second half of the movie to be considered believable. Nolan often gets criticized for elaborating too much on plot elements but he does that for good reason. He's leading you down the path that he intends to take you with the film, but also making you think about the whole process along the way. As for the visual effects, if you thought Inception was amazing, this movie blows that one out of the water in the visual department. Going through wormholes and landing on other distant but unstable planets is incredible and should not be seen on anything less than IMAX. There is a reason Nolan intended for this to be seen on the biggest screen possible, and his request should not be ignored. The sound and music are both incredible with Hans Zimmer abandoning the old drum routine and going for something more bold and creative here. Whereas the script may get some criticism for not being coherent enough to grasp, the visual and technical aspect of the film will receive high to unanimous praise from almost everyone.

Overall, Interstellar is a theater experience that should be experienced by everyone whose a fan of this directors work and who has a genuine thirst for great filmmaking and adventure. It may be a film that divides people on how they feel about it afterwards because of the advanced storyline and themes it presents, but there's no denying that Nolan is making a stamp for himself as becoming one of the greatest visionary filmmakers to ever grace the big screen. Interstellar is one of the years best films and here's hoping it will get numerous Oscar nominations in both technical and critical departments such as Best Picture, Director, and Screenplay. Nolan does it again, can't wait for his next one.

                                                                                                                                                 9/10

The Coolest Moments Of Tom Cruise's Career

Tonight's marathon is dedicated to the great actor named Tom Cruise. This evening, we explore some of his greatest works of art as a performer starting from the movie that made them famous up until their finest hour. For Tom Cruise, our timeline begins in the year 1986 when Top Gun premiered, making him an instant movie star. Starting with Top Gun, the night builds up until it peaks with The Last Samurai. We have on our menu for this evening:

              Top Gun 1986, Minority Report 2002, Collateral 2004, and The Last Samurai 2003

If there was only more time, I would add Rain Man to the list. That's another great one from Cruise that deserves recognition. It's time will come. For me, Top Gun represents the birth of Cruise as a movie star and the proper introduction for him in tonight's marathon. He's done other notable roles in movies like Taps, Outsiders, and Risky Business. Everyone can debate on which movie made Cruise a mega star but if I had to put money on it, I would say Top Gun is what introduced the world to this actor. The movie has gone onto becoming an action movie classic and romantic drama. The plot for Top Gun puts Cruise in a Navy elite fighter weapons school, where students compete to be the best in the class. While on his mission to become the best in the class, he falls for a civilian instructor and learns a few things from her that aren't taught in the classroom. Cruise is backed by a strong supporting cast among the likes of Val Kilmer, Kelly McGillis, Anthony Edwards, Tom Skerritt, and Michael Ironside. The film is iconic from its impressive visual effects, to it's two lead stars, to cheesy but iconic lines in the script such as "Take me to bed tomorrow or lose me forever," or "You can be my wingman anytime." Top Gun is the ideal summer blockbuster and drama with a powerful message about friendship. The second film for Tom Cruise night is Minority Report directed by legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg. This is Cruises first pairing up with Spielberg and the end result is a spectacular science fiction thriller. The plot of Minority Report puts Cruise in the future as an officer for a special police unit that's able to arrest murderers before they commit their crimes. The twist in the plot is Cruise himself is implicated in a future crime and is sought after by the police. Backing Cruise in this venture is a Max Von Sydow and Colin Ferrall. Minority Report is exciting, thrilling, suspenseful, and essential towards getting the best of Cruise in tonight's lineup. It only gets better with the next installment titled Collateral. Whereas the first two had Cruise as a heroic and likeable character, he plays a villain in Michael Mann's dark thriller. Collateral has him playing an engaging contract killer who takes hostage a cab driver played brilliantly by Jamie Foxx. During their cab ride, Cruise makes his rounds doing hit to hit throughout different sectors of Los Angeles. Becoming more obvious that Jamie Foxx's character knows he is not going to be spared, he must find a way to save himself and the final victim. Collateral represents a different change of pace for Cruise and makes him thrilling to witness playing a darker role. The final film of the night has Cruise giving probably the defining performance of his career. He is utterly amazing in this one and to this day, still makes no sense why he didn't receive an Oscar nomination for his role in The Last Samurai. Director Edward Zwick has a skill for getting actors in is films to turn in performances that appear to be the best they ever did on their resumes. For Tom Cruise, this is probably his finest hour. Last Samurai places him in the role of an American military advisor who embraces the Japanese Samurai culture he was hired to destroy after being injured in battle. It may seem like this story has already been done before in Kevin Costner's Dances With The Wolves, and James Cameron's Avatar, but it's the different style that each filmmaker brings to the story that makes them good or great. Edward Zwick gives you a world that sucks you right into it at the beginning and doesn't let go, even in the final moments. This film is literally incredible in it's presentation, costume design and art-set decoration. The music score by Hans Zimmer is among the finest work he's ever done. There is no better way to end this marathon than with this brilliant film.

Spy Movies Then And Now. 1990s/2000s Part 1

Tonight's marathon is the beginning of a three week venture into the comparing and contrasting of spy movies from the late 20th century to the early 21st. We begin as early as 1990 and moving forward with seeing the evolution of some of the most iconic spy genres and films ever made. We have on our menu for this evening:

      Mission Impossible 1996, True Lies 1994, Goldeneye 1995, and Tomorrow Never Dies 1997

This is a strong beginning that's gonna lead to bigger and better marathons for this particular genre. The 90's was a lot different in their portrayal of spy films compared to the one's that are made today. That has a lot to deal with the idea that terrorism was viewed as somewhat of a cartoon-ish joke before the events of September 11th, then it became more of a serious tone. Spy films are now darker, grittier, more violent, and has villains that you can actually see when turning on the news. Times have changed and so has the whole realm of making spy films. The first movie of the night is Mission Impossible. This is Tom Cruise's first entry into the spy genre, and the beginning of what would become the biggest franchise of his acting career. Mission Impossible is about an American agent named Ethan Hunt, who comes under false suspicion of disloyalty. He must discover and expose the traitor spy without his organizations help. Mission Impossible is a slick, well directed, and exciting first entry into a franchise that gets progressively better, with the exception of the second film. The best one in my humble opinion is the third one.

The next installment in the marathon is James Cameron's True Lies starring Arnold Schwarzeneggar, Jamie Lee Curtis, and knockout supporting roles from Tom Arnold, Bill Paxton, and Tia Carrere. This was Cameron's final film before he set out to make the global box office phenomenons, Titanic and Avatar. The plot of True Lies is also spy oriented. The plot is about a secret agent named Harry Tasker who travels the globe hunting terrorists, but ultimately has his life turned upside down when he suspects that his wife might be having an affair with a used car salesman. True Lies is one of the greatest action movies ever made because it balances action, romance, and comedy so perfectly. Not to mention has knockout performances from Arnold Schwarzeneggar, Tom Arnold, Jamie Lee Curtis and Bill Paxton. This was also the last R rated film that James Cameron made in his career.

The next film after this is Goldeneye, the seventeenth spy adventure film in the popular James Bond series, and the first one to star Pierce Brosnan. Of all the Pierce Brosnan films made, this one was hands down the best, with each film afterwards experiencing a slow downhill. In this film, James Bond teams up with a lone survivor of a destroyed Russian research center to stop the hijacking of a nuclear space weapon by a fellow agent, who was believed to be dead. Of the four Pierce Brosnan films, this one developed the character the most and showed him in his appropriate nature.

The last one is a by the numbers, yet fun installment. Tomorrow Never Dies deals with James Bond on a mission to stop a media moguls evil plan to start a war between China and the UK in order to obtain tomorrows news today. In retrospect, the first two James Bond films are better than the other two.

This is a strong start to a promising month of some epic spy and heist films.

The Giver Review

Finally got to see The Giver

SPOILER FREE

Watching this one gave me flashbacks to The Island because of it's similarities in storyline and structure. The whole issue if proximity brought up concerning the two characters interacting with each other in this film was a dead giveaway for me. I liked The Island quite a bit so that could be both a good and bad thing for this film going into it. By that I mean, perhaps I kinda liked it because The Island rubs off on this one and not judging it as a separate stand alone film. Whatever the reason is, I didn't think this one sucked completely but it wasn't very good.

The Giver is a decent book turned movie adaptation that carried with it promise, but also doesn't utilize certain key characters the way it properly should. For example, Jeff Bridges and Meryl Streep are great acting talents but have little screentime to make a significant impact on the audience. Not to mention Jeff Bridges feels like he's sleepwalking through this one. Katie Holmes does the best she can with how little material the script gives her. Shes not really that great of an actress but her personality makes her likeable. The plot of this movie sounds very promising but it's execution never lived up to it's full potential. Here is the synopsis: A young boy is chosen by an old man to learn about the true pain and pleasure of the real world, while being in a perfect community without any war, pain, suffering, disease, or choice. Right off the bat, this one screams The Island with the latter taking place in a Utopian facility, except the twist to that one is the people inside the facility are clones, and their body parts are being harvested for their real counterparts. The Giver has a strong storyline that required it to have great care taken with it's execution onto the big screen. Visually, the film is stunning and appears to get the tone and setting of the film down just right. The problems that arise are within it's script, which holds back the movie from really tackling some of the promising ideas and concepts that the story and it's acclaimed novel present. One feels watching this that it could've had a much greater impact if they had stronger material to work with. Characters that seem interesting such as the ones mentioned above are not present enough in the film to make you care about them ultimately. The lead character Jonas played by Brenton Thwaites does a decent job of playing the young boy whose being taught about the real consequences of living in the real world. Odeya Rush does as decent job as well playing Fiona, the girl who befriends and helps Jonas cope with the realization that his whole community is fake.

The Giver is not a bad movie but it's not that good of a film. This movie really had potential to stand alongside The Hunger Games and Divergent with such a promising storyline. It also could've been a nice contrast to the ideas and concepts of The Island, since that one dealt with reality to the lead characters becoming total fiction. This ones not a thumbs down but its not a thumbs up either. It's somewhere in the middle simply because the screenplay held this one back a great deal. It's worth watching if you're a fan of the book, but it's not going to be a film that you will think about much once it's over.
                                                                                                                                                 6.5/10
                                                                                                                                                    

Sin City: A Dame To Kill For Review

Finally got to see Sin City: A Dame To Kill For

SPOILER FREE

It's been years since the first Sin City was viewed, so I don't have a fresh memory of that one in my brain. I do remember from the experience of watching it that I enjoyed it quite a bit. I also knew that going into this sequel, it had no way of possibly topping that film due to the lack of involvement with Michael Clarke Duncan and Brittany Murphy, two fantastic performers who passed away too soon before their time. Their losses are felt here, and the replacement of Michael Clarke Duncan for his character isn't bad by any means, but it just isn't the same. So the question on everyone's minds is did Sin City 2 live up to the expectations bestowed upon it by fans that it would be as good as the first movie or better? I would have to say quite simply....no.

Sin City 2 may seem like a good movie when you first watch it but afterwards when you really begin to think about it, it really wasn't much of a good movie. It's more like pure smoke and mirrors. A piece of cake may look really good on the outside, but when you actually try a slice, it's taste is underwhelming. That's exactly the way to characterize Sin City 2. It's underwhelming both as a sequel and a movie. I am still confused as to why this film took so long to come out in theaters? A sequel should take no more than 3 to 4 years after the previous film to be released, that's if the filmmakers want it to have quality. Anything past that then you either have to be a James Cameron or Spielberg level of filmmaking to get a sequel out that actually has substance. This one doesn't have any. The best actors in the film hands down are Joseph Gordon Levitt and Eva Green, but the script doesn't give their characters much to do besides be there and blend into the slick black and white crime ridden atmosphere that this movie does so well. The first movie introduced this style of background and it works just as good here. The supporting cast such as Mickey Rourke, Jessica Alba, Bruce Willis, Rosario Dawson, and Josh Brolin do the best with what their roles gives them. Whereas in the first film the multiple storyline's were compelling for the most part, the sequel has subplots that often come off as being pointless and more cynical than the previous film. You don't really care much about whats going on in this film, and the feeling you do get after watching it is pure emptiness. This really could've been a sequel worth waiting 10 years for almost if it had a stronger script. If anything, it feels like a bad parody of the first film with no real hook to draw you in. In other words, it's lifeless.

One simply will never understand why they waited so long to make this movie. Time was not on the filmmakers side with this one, because by waiting so long they lost some key actors who could've helped to bring a more familiar and sincere tone to this movie. This film lacks a heart, and because of that lack of one, it never really gets off the ground. It feels much smaller in scope than the first one instead of branching out and that is a real shame. Sorry Robert Rodriguez but not this time.

                                                                                                                                                    5/10

Fury Review

Finally got to see the movie Fury today....

SPOILERS FREE

If Lone Survivor could be called the realistic war movie set in modern day, then this is probably the most realistic and graphic World War ll film since Saving Private Ryan. What it sets out to do is not to portray it's lead characters as true heroes, they are far from it. But what it does set out to do is to show people the intensity and exhaustion American soldiers had in one of the final epic battles of World War ll against the Germans. Fury is brutal and doesn't hold back in its representation of war. It is powered by the strong performances of two key actors. Brad Pitt as Sargeant Wardaddy and Logan Lerman as Norman Ellison, both playing two men who not only fight against the Nazis but have opposing views on how to handle the situation morally. Brad Pitt plays a more serious role in this movie than he did in Inglorious Bastards, he is actually very powerful here. The supporting cast of Michael Pena, Jon Bernthal, Shia Labeouf, and Jason Isaacs all prove to be very effective and help drive home the realism of the story. The plot of the film sets the timeline in April 1945, when Nazi Germany was on the brink of losing the war.  As the allies make their final push in the European Theater, Sargeant Wardaddy, commanding a Sherman tank with his crew of five, go on a deadly mission behind enemy lines. During the process, they receive a rookie soldier named Ellison, as a replacement for their original gunner. The rookie proves to be inexperienced in combat, and is looked down upon by the troops.  The Sargeant and his men face overwhelming odds in their attempts to strike the core of Nazi Germany. The rookie in this film is the key character, because he allows the audience to see how the war has taken toll on the soldiers. They are unhappy, tired, exhausted, and in some ways lost the meaning of right and wrong. They may be heroes to their peers, but the audience see's them as being very flawed individuals that are hardly deserving of the title. One of the film's most powerful moments is when Wardaddy and Ellison invade the home of a German woman and her daughter. The two men lock down their apartment and have a simple conversation with the two girls as they are treated to their hospitality. Ellison ends up playing the piano and the girl sings during his playing, making them build an emotional connection towards each other. It shows a moment of pure innocence in all the battle and chaos, and the idea that romance in war can happen unexpectedly. The audience also grows to like Ellison as a character fondly, because he embodies the traits of not just a great soldier, but a true human being. The violence is graphic and brutal where it needs to be, with the majority of the action taking place in the allies tank. In the days where Hollywood performs massive acts of censorship, it's good to see filmmakers out there who don't hold back in the action department in their quest to tell a good story.

Fury is well-acted, well written, expertly directed, and carries with it a great message about war. It also provides a more personal insight into the mentality of the soldiers during this era. David Ayer creates a dark and gloomy atmosphere that fits the tone of the film perfectly. Each character is fleshed out beautifully in Ayer's screenplay. The audience gets just enough information and interaction with the crew to get acquainted with them and their personalities. You either like or dislike them with no middle ground. It's battle scenes are stunning and the film carries with it a raw depiction of the horrors of war. If there's any flaws that this film has, maybe it's that it could've shown more of these men leading up to the climatic final battle. Like let's see them performing more good deeds and the neverending war taking it's toll on their morale so the audience can better understand their actions in the film. These are not great men by any means, but their actions in the finale of the film make them redeemable and to a certain extent, heroic. The movie makes a great point by stating that just because one is on the allied side,doesn't necessarily mean they are a good person. Fury gets two big thumbs up and a recommendation of being a must see film. Here's hoping it will make it on the top 10 Best Picture list at this year's academy awards. Gone Girl has some competition now apparently. Brad Pitt and director David Ayer hit one out of the ballpark with this film. Bravo
                                                                                                                                               8.5/10