Quick Review: Gone Baby Gone: Directed by Ben Affleck. Starring: Casey Affleck, and Morgan Freeman.3/25/2015 Gone Baby Gone is a special treat of a crime drama. It's a potboiler or what is usually a mystery that's kind of trashy,and hinges itself on twists. Think Gone Girl. That's a perfect example of how these things can be good. This is a better one. The simple thing that makes Gone Baby Gone a perfect experience is that it's not confusing,and shockingly effective. That's all you want from one of these movies. Casey Affleck stars in his brother Ben's directorial debut. He,and some others are all hired to look for a little girl who has disappeared. Affleck and the others near the beginning of the film seem to not fit in to it,but as they slowly sink into the thick atmosphere the film creates it all comes together. It of course helps that film comes with some shocking action scenes. There's an incredible sequence near the mid point of the movie where Affleck has to gun down a couple of people in a house, and then encounters a horrific image. This should be jarring,but the film plays the action as scary. This gives the scene a crazy gut punch that is both unnerving,and intense. And that's not even the biggest surprise of all. I told you these films hinge on twists, on the curtain they keep down until the pull it out from in front of you. Gone Baby Gone has a scarier twist then even that fight scene suddenly taking a thrilling warp from being a by the numbers detective movie to a critique on whether or not the right thing to do is always the best option especially when it comes to a little girl. This film is left me fascinated,and completely surprised. This is great work. I give Gone Baby Gone a 9.5 out of 10. Reviewed by Stephen Tronicek.
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Run All Night is a film that is just about perfect...for it's genre. Yes, that does in fact make a difference. This genre is the "Over 50 year old man who can kick ass" genre. Now every movie in this genre I feel loads the character development at the beginning,an doesn't spread it out. Here we have Liam Neeson playing Jimmy Conlon, a man who has killed,and regrets it. His son gets into trouble with the son of Jimmy's former partner leading to the partner's son dying. Ed Harris who plays the partner decides to go after both Jimmy and his son, and sends the police after them too. Now the characters,and situation are set up. Now what these films do is put these characters through a sequence of action set pieces not allowing them to develop much more. This becomes a problem because while the films are exciting they also become very shallow. Now the same happens with Run All Night. The film slowly becomes quite shallow,but boy does it fight like a mad dog not to. This can be attributed to a couple of things: 1. The strong set up. The set up is preposterous,but it sticks with you. It's just really fun,and gives a good reason for some great set pieces especially one that happens in the woods. 2. The actors. Jimmy is set up to have a lot of regret,and what really keeps him interesting is the fact that Neeson shows every single bit of that. Neeson has always been a really nice dramatic actor,and I was glad to see that he was able to use that in this film. There's a great scene where he talks to Ed Harris (also doing great work) in a restaurant. The men sit,and talk, flaunting their acting skills in the process. It's a nice surprise in a film like this. Joel Kinnaman plays the son,and I'm surprised to see some nuanced work out of the man who played the new Robocop (which by the way he kind of sucked at). 3. The action.There are a couple of scenes that seem a little shaky,but the action here is coherent and convincing enough to keep the film exciting even as it tapers off near the end. All of these things combined with the formula that fit's this genre creates an exciting if not fully satisfying experience. I give Run All Night an 8 out of 10. Reviewed by Stephen Tronicek. Quick Review: Divergent: Directed by Neil Burger, Starring: Shailene Woodley, and Theo James3/20/2015 I liked Divergent more the second time I watched it. It was difficult to find out why? The reason it's so difficult is the first time I saw it I thought that it was a cheap looking knockoff of The Hunger Games that had too much going on. But all those things I'm ok with now. The fact is the first time I saw it I also thought it was a lazy movie. A movie that couldn't be bothered to try and seek it's own identity,and just be something that has been done to death. I suddenly realized that this is the wrong way of looking at it. That was me being a stuck up and pretentious type of critic. Now that works sometimes,but not always. Sometimes you have to sit back and take entertainment like this for what it is,and you'll have quite a bit of fun. Divergent as most of us know is about Tris a girl who lives in a world of factions. When she takes a test,and finds out she doesn't fit into one aka "Divergent" she has to join one and disguise herself in it. There's other stuff but it's difficult to explain how it even starts,and I don't actually know quite how that story does. But these are all half measures I'm talking about here. How if your not a snooty pretentious asshole like me you'll like it. Not exactly the biggest praise ever. Well here's something that I can truly say that's good about the movie. It's exciting. This is probably more for me then for anyone else because I am close to it's target audience,but enough of it works. I think this can be attributed to some spectacular and sweeping cinematography that I didn't pay attention to the first time. Seriously while most movies opt to use shaky cam in action scenes these days Divergent doesn't. That makes it even more exciting the fact that it actually has some streamlined action scenes. The acting also passes. I say passes because while only one person is truly good the rest are fitting enough to keep the movie going even though that's it. Shailene Woodley is the best new actress we have working. The Descendants,The Fault in Our Stars, and the previously quick reviewed White Bird in a Blizzard prove that. Divergent thankfully keeps it that way. Woodley sells this movie, and it's too bad that the other actors are only serviceable. But again it works as a teen movie that's best watched if you don't take it so seriously bolstered by exciting cinematography,and one great performance. I give Divergent a 7 out of 10. Reviewed by Stephen Tronicek, Chris Kaufman's movies are always trying to explain the complex emotions that people experience. The greatest thing about his work though is the fact that he does this through creating weird experiences that trigger an emotional response from the audiance. In this case Being John Malkovich is about a puppeteer played by John Cusack who discovers a portal into the mind of John Malkovich leading his entire world to be turned upside down. It's also a film that through it's rich imagery,and wonderfully realized characters conveys a wide range of emotion. Characters have hidden desires,and hope to understand them, and in the chance to become John Malkovich suddenly are able too. I've decided to not reveal how the characters hidden thoughts and hopes rise to the surface, but it's weird. It's also very interesting. This is a film that soon becomes a love story that is surprisingly tender, and a twisting psychological mind-bender about the danger of trying to control the people around you and even yourself. That's all I really have to say without giving away what happens. There are some wondrous sequences in this film though. There's a specific chase scene through the mind of John Malkovich that is just incredible. The film's also got distinct look with sets that almost look like the false sets that a puppeteer would use to tell a story. The film will definitely not appeal to those that are looking for something simple,but for those who are looking for a deeper experience that you can dig into and interpret should experience this movie. It almost baffles me how effecting this film is,and it's an experience that flooded me with the emotions of the characters. And their depth was a wonder to behold making this truly one of the best films I have ever seen. I give Being John Malkovich a 10 out of 10. Here is yet another quick review. I want to apologize for not posting a big one in a while. However within the next few days there will be one for Cinderella,but just to hold you over here's another quick review. When you get down to it Song of the Sea tells a simple story in a simple way. It's anything but barebones though,and soon you realize that the films real strengths come in how much one can dig into the world and the characters that occupy it. Song of the Sea (released today on DVD) is about a family that lives in Ireland. Him and his sister Saoirse go on an adventure throughout the film concerning the magical being called the Selkie's. Really that's all I want to give away as far as the story goes. Again it's simple,and what really matters is the way that the characters are constructed. Because of a prior event (which I will not spoil) all of the characters seem to hold onto a slight bit of resentment toward Saoirse. The characters show this through actions they do to prevent it from overcoming them. This gives everyone a surprising amount of depth,and helps the viewer feel as all the magical stuff on screen is happening by keeping the characters interesting and firmly grounded in reality. That's not to say it doesn't get a little whimsical at times, but the reality of the characters solidifies the power of the film. Also part of this is the fact that the team of animators working on this film have done fantastic work. Song of the Sea looks like no other film I have ever seen,and it's beauty is appreciated especially in the dark and drab color palate of most modern movies. I give the Song of the Sea a 9.5 out of 10. The reason I have made this a quick review is I actually don't have a lot to say about Mockingjay Part 1. I have feeling this is because of the way it is orchestrated. The film feels like a first part stretching out a tight plot into a full 2 hours of movie. That means that the themes and story lines at play seem to not change throughout the entire movie,and really don't get resolved by the end. That doesn't mean the cast and crew don't try their absolute best to make what is here good because it most certainly is. The shift from the brutal fights of The Hunger Games to the political chess game that is Mockingjay is refreshing. The more talky script requires the actors to really go all in with Jennifer Lawrence, Julianne Moore,and the late Philip Seymour Hoffman really standing out. The action which is mostly the people of Panem revolting is really thrilling,and quite emotional when you get down too it. But again none of these story lines are really seen through by the end of the movie leaving me quite disappointed in the fact that all of this could have been a better beginning to the tightly plotted intense war drama Mockingjay could have been. But I'll take this over anything. I give The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 a 7.5 out of 10. What a pleasant surprise What We Do in the Shadows is. This is a smart comedy that is hysterical not because it’s gross out or raucous, but because of the actions of it's characters. It's characters happen to be vampires getting filmed by a documentary crew. Now that's actually all the story you really get. The entire film is about the little things that might happen to vampires that live in New Zealand. But it works because the situations are hilarious,and the characters' personalities are very amusing. The clash of personalities is incredible, and the film is actually short enough to make the entire thing not overstay it's welcome. The actors are also surprisingly charismatic. Taika Waititi is great as Viago. Viago is a French man who has now been alive for 379 years as a vampire. The way that he acts is shy,and also reasonable as well as kind. Therefore watching him attempt to kill a victim in the most humane, and clean way had me giggling through my teeth. Vladislov is an older vampire who has girlfriend issues,and a torture chamber that after he gets depressed gets put to use in a quick scene that is so distasteful yet hilarious I can hardly believe it. Then there's Deacon who is 183 years old,and is kind of aggressive leading to some fights that are extremely memorable. Lastly,there's Peter the 8,000 year old Nosferatu vampire in the basement. He's the most entertaining surprisingly bringing entertaining charisma to match everybody's through only a few growls,and hisses. Other than these few vampires there are also a wide array of awesome supporting, characters including a particularly coldhearted,and impatient assistant. At this moment I as many critics must I'm going to cop out in the middle of the review,and say simply that the problem with reviewing a comedy is the fact that all the matters in one is that it's funny. What We Do in the Shadows is hilarious,and even scary at times. But that's all I can really say about it. I was too busy laughing to notice anything else.
What We Do in the Shadows gets a 10 out of 10. Beyond the Lights is a good,but not great movie. But the reason for that is surprising. I had thought from the reviews that the film's real draw would be the script, but it's not. The script is good,but kind of sappy even as far as romantic films go. The real compelling stuff comes from the points that the film is trying to say about the pop music business in general,and just how much the actors sell the entire thing. I can imagine how this entire thing could have fallen apart without a good array of actors,but these are actors that know what they are doing. Gugu Mbatha-Raw is as always compelling,and I think that she is going to be one of the rising stars of this generation of actors. Nate Parker does formidable work,but most of the cheesy lines are given to him unfortunately, but his sincerity takes care of that for the most part. The really hitter though for me is Minnie Driver. She plays the "aggressive mother" character,and is pretty much a cold hearted b****. This mean personality really pushes certain scenes of the film to the point of being very emotional. And at it's emotional parts the film is really at it's best. I will make special mention of the music in the film which is surprisingly fine tuned. The trashy and frankly shitty pop music the film is making fun of is trashy and shitty,and the love ballads are surprisingly touching. So Beyond the Lights is not a full classic,but the actors really make it the good movie that it is. I give Beyond the Lights an 8 out of 10. I haven't seen a sci-fi movie like this in a long time. This is a film that creates a story that uses the science to support fiction that is also incredible. This is an excellent film just as good as the Spierig's last film Daybreakers. It's weird,and to some it may be confusing,but the story is very human it's own way. Plus weird,and confusing is what you get in time travel movies. The reason it really works is because of the character that the film revolves around is great. Now this character I can't discuss in a big way because this film is one I don't want to spoil. You don't even want to know about some of this stuff. Sarah Snook is fantastic in the film though allowing you to connect to the main character. This is especially important because much of the film is told by a narrator throughout most of it's run. I am surprised by the strictly "tell don't show" approach this film takes this approach, but it's not particularly a bad thing. This storytelling strategy definitely builds the universe. Also the story is good enough to survive the laziness of the way it's told,and when the film let's loose and allows the pieces to fall into place Predestination becomes insanely intense. There are some big reveals near the end of this film that slowly allow us to better understand the main character of the film. I already mentioned the greatness of Sarah Snook,and the always reliable Ethan Hawke is in full display here. This is a very nicely made film that I would recommend to anyone with any interest toward it. I give Predestination a 9 out of 10. The surprising thing about White Bird in a Blizzard is that it (or more the events of it) becomes startlingly redundant right after it ends. Oh sure there's some after thought to it. The film isn't even that bad. The performances are good,and the the story takes a big twist that executed really well I think, but the rest of the film while I cared when watching it just seems to melt away after the film ends. The reason for this is that the rest of the film other than the main story of a young girl named Kat ( Shailene Woodley) dealing with her mother having disappeared, has her discovering how sex, and relationships work. This is interesting,and even ties into the themes of the end of the film,but ultimately feels shallow. There's some fine work from Christopher Meloni,and Eva Green as far as I'm concerned at least has the charisma to carry a movie on her own. So really for the most part I liked this even if it is quite forgettable. I give White Bird in a Blizzard a 7.5 out of 10. |
AuthorI am a 17 year old film enthusiast that is happy to be sharing my opinions on this site. Archives
March 2016
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