speteman Reviews

Safe House (2012)

An intense up-close and personal look at field operations in the CIA

[8/10 · 19 February 2012]

(I am keeping this review a bit abstract because I find seeing movies with very little information removes having expectations.)

As to the plot, it is not really that complex -- there is a basic objective for the main character, portrayed by Ryan Reynolds, that he strives to achieve the entire movie. Along the way, he encounters some very old and recycled obstacles. Despite that, I enjoyed this movie quite a bit. Here's why:

1. The story was told from a different angle than most other spy/intelligence thrillers. It uses safe houses as a primary backdrop which is interesting and fresh. The movie doesn't focus on catching spies, but rather what happens after they are caught.

2. The acting was very intense, close, personal and extremely believable. I have never seen an spy movie played as emotionally, and as intensely as Reynolds and Washington do. Many movies tend to glamorize the agents in some way, either by giving them super-human abilities or foresight to avoid danger, but this movie plays it straight up. I feel this is exactly what it would like to be in their situation. Several of the fight scenes were gritty, brutal, and exhausting as men grapple for their lives. I was taken back to the mano-a-mano fight scene in Saving Private Ryan towards the end of the movie, or the locker room fight scene in A History of Violence with Viggo Mortensen.

3. The scenes were shot usually very close up. There is no hiding from the cameras for the actors, and they do brilliantly. Even in car chase scenes, you feel as if you are in the moment.

At the end, you get treated to a movie that is well-paced and emotionally taxing. You feel as if you experienced the journey with the characters. This is exactly what I want from a movie.

As to criticisms, the recycling of predictable plot mechanisms like questionable motives of superiors at CIA headquarters, an attempt at suspense related to who the puppet master is, etc., are bearable because they only last for short periods during the movie while the main story unfolds.

Denzel renews my respect for him as a very strong actor, able to play a very complex character, albeit in a very subdued way. Ryan Reynolds raises a notch for me in his very respectable performance.

Don McKay (2009)

Really solid film noir, dark comedy!

[8/10 · 12 July 2010]

If you read the few reviews on here that bashed the movie, you will believe it was pointless. They missed it entirely. I can only say that this was a very enjoyable tale start to end, and well worth watching particularly for anyone who enjoys a slow build to a finale. I am always looking for an original story and original telling of it, and highly recommend this nice little gem that you will not regret seeing.

Don McKay is a suspense crime thriller that you will want to watch a second time because the reveal at the end makes you re-examine the entire movie. I give this 8 out 10 stars because the movie did get a little bit into the unbelievable realm when the puzzle started to unravel, but the final payoff is so filled with revelation that you forgive that.

The first half of the movie was paced and shown in a very similar style to Shutter Island, and I felt was extremely well done. (However, if you don't like a slow build and pacing that takes it's time, then you probably won't like this movie.) I personally started to believe that this little movie could have gone for a major ending of epic proportions -- it was that well done in my opinion. But, Act Two did keep the movie on a smaller scale and got a bit quirky in parts, which was a disappointment. However, it was all worth it as you finally understand what was going on the entire time in the final minutes. It keeps you guessing the entire time, and even when you do guess right, which I had done, the ending still took it to a whole new level that I did not expect. Total surprise.

I will also add that I was laughing out loud during several sequences of the movie. The dark humor was really good.

Acting was excellent, although I say that after understanding the whole situation at the end. During the movie I felt it was more like average, but that ending puts it all in a new light.

Cinematography, score, and sets were excellent, felt just right for the tone and added a nice reinforcing effect on the movie.

Kung Fu Panda (2008)

Awesome movie full of bodacity

[10/10 · 16 June 2008]

This movie works well for kids, teens, and adults. My family went to this for Father's Day and two 40ish-year-olds, 19 year old, 18 year old, and 15 year old all thoroughly enjoyed it, laughing out loud numerous times throughout the movie.

It was a mix of old kung fu movie nostalgia, The Matrix fight scene choreography, awesome animation, and the humor of Jack Black. A winning combination and I hope they do a sequel because I could have watched this all day.

The movie has a great story that keeps you you in anticipation, is paced very well, and while you know how this movie will end it is still surprising and pays off in a big way.

Jumper (2008)

It's as if during editing they decided to make a sequel

[3/10 · 15 June 2008]

I give this film a 3 for the visual effects, which are good and fun to watch, but the rest of it is pointless.

IF they had decided to actually make a story out of it after the 1 hour and 20 minutes of exposition, maybe it would have been good. But, someone in charge of making money decided that they would end the movie right as it should be taking off... presumably so that they can have a sequel. The movie did not tie up ANY loose end; all it did was leave them all hanging.

They have a chance to make a franchise out of this because the hero is really an anti-hero, looking out only for himself, and that is unique. It's too bad they didn't include chapter one of the story as part of this movie, just a lengthy introduction to the situation, history, and characters. That at least would have made it a good movie.

Gone Baby Gone (2007)

Excellent; treats tough subject matter in a non-disturbing manner

[10/10 · 17 February 2008]

First off, I read the book by Dennis Lehane. I wondered how well the movie would stand up to the book (like Peter Jackson so famously has done with Lord of the Rings), and I was very pleasantly surprised. There were a few minor changes made by Affleck but they worked very well for the screen.

What I was most struck by in the movie was how REAL the people were. The acting was completely transparent. I also appreciated how the movie dealt with a very disturbing subject matter, child abduction. I was expecting to sit through disturbing parts of the movie where children were involved, but the movie mostly implied what could happen without going there, thankfully.

It was a fantastic movie, with a complex plot but not one that was confusing. Acting was superb by all. Cinematography showed me what I wanted to see at any given moment. Direction, pacing, editing all great.

I highly recommend this movie.

Fool's Gold (I) (2008)

Nice break from winter blue's

[5/10 · 17 February 2008]

My expectations for this movie were very low going in, and I would say that the movie met them. I expected a fun, exotic, exciting adventure, which the movie delivered upon. It is a fairly predictable movie, but always fun to watch Mathew McConaughey play the guy who hasn't grown up along with Kate Hudson playing the lady who wishes he would. Their chemistry is great, and isn't that all you really expect from a movie like this, regardless of plot?

The only thing that didn't fit in the movie was a couple of overly bloody scenes (on an absolute basis the blood was very minor, but the fact that they showed up at all was surprising.)

Not the best movie you will ever see, but will certainly give you a break from all this extreme winter weather we have been having.

There Will Be Blood (2007)

I was disappointed

[6/10 · 10 February 2008]

Maybe rack it up to all the hype, but this movie didn't meet my expectations. Agreed that DDL's acting was superb, and Paul Dano and Dillon Freasier also turned in really convincing performances.

You should expect to sit through 2 1/2 hours of a character study, which is what I was expecting. But, I thought this study could have been done better than it was. Two specific examples: 1) there were things that Daniel Plainview SAID were part of his personality, but I would have liked to see more supporting situations in the movie to prove them; and 2) I felt PTA could have given the audience more insight into WHY Plainview was the way he was.

If you liked The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, you will like this movie. The pacing was similar, and you lazily follow the characters through subtle developments over a long time. I really appreciated what PTA was trying to do with this, but I think it could have been done even better than it was.

A minor aside, I was a bit distracted by the soundtrack that often sounded like a clip from the TV show "Lost".

Children of Men (2006)

Mesmerizing -- an absolute must see, a truly original masterpiece!

[10/10 · 31 March 2007]

Note: I have intentionally left out any commentary on specifics of the plot or message of the movie, as I would strongly recommend you see this with as little preconceived impressions as possible.

It's hard to put this movie into any one category: an epic drama, an action-packed, fast-paced thriller, a character-driven 'emoticoaster', a documentary on the human and societal condition. It really is all of these wrapped neatly into a crisp, tight story that leaves no inch of film to waste. It is by far one of the most intriguing movies I have watched in some time and kept me thinking for some time after it ended.

The film brings all critical elements together to lose the audience in its reality, making you believe you are almost watching a documentary of a place and society that exists in our world today. The sets served as a believable canvas on which the story was told. In numerous scenes the background of the film was as important as the immediate action, often revealing subtle, reinforcing details that provide more context to the story.

I was equally aware of how unobtrusive the camera work was to the film, always putting the audience right where they needed to be to get the full scope of any scene. I often felt like I was in the movie as a passive participant because it was so engrossingly filmed. Some parts of the film were admittedly graphic, but done so in a way that added materially to the condition of the characters and their plight. I truly appreciated how in touch I felt with everything going on, and credit the camera direction with that.

The soundtrack was great: lifting your spirits and dropping them low; amplifying the emotions of a moment and also cunningly removing itself at times of suspense. This was very well done.

The acting by all involved was superior. Clive Owen gave mightily to Theo, revealing a character who adapted as more information was learned by him throughout the movie. Owen transformed Theo from complete apathy and despair to a hero of sorts fighting for the future of the world. Julianne Moore played a minor role, but was excellent as always. Michael Caine was truly enjoyable to watch as a post-modern hippie. He added much needed levity and humor to give the audience some rest. Claire-Hope Ashity was very convincing as the unexpected vessel of worldwide hope, balancing well her personal motherly tendencies with her obligation to the human race. There were several of other very interesting and fun characters as well, all necessary threads in the overall fabric of the film.

I was not initially aware the film was based on a novel, but I was blown away by the originality of the story. It was entirely believably and thoroughly examined the implications of the twist that the human race has found itself in. Even in the most gloomy of circumstances with the fate of the human race hanging in the balance, the script did well to show that in the end, we are all just humans; with the same faults that we have in the real world -- competing interests, greed, power, a deteriorating moral value system, and so on.

Add to all of that excellent direction and you have a film that is epic in scale and scope; tackles deep moral and ethical issues in society; provides some of the most suspenseful and realistic action/war fighting sequences I have ever seen; gracefully analyzes the emotional spectrum that people in a hopeless world could exhibit; and masterfully follows the story of a small group of people making their way through that world to restore hope. The movie was edited with straight-forward story telling but packed with tremendous amounts of information at every turn. In 1 hour 50 minutes, I felt the movie still could have been much longer, but was amazed how effectively it tackled all of its subject matter so succinctly. The result is a movie that is very raw, gritty, and powerful, opening your mind up to what our world could come to in any number of varying paths. A must see, and definitely near the top of my all time favorite list.

A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints (2006)

Interesting film-making, great acting, OK storyline

[7/10 · 11 March 2007]

What I enjoyed most about the movie was the interesting ways in which the director edited the film. It seemed that every 10 minutes or so, the viewer was treated to yet another new way to tell a story. The result was an often choppy pace, but it was done in a way that was very engaging and was easy to follow.

The acting was superb by all, and you felt genuine bonds between the unique characters. My only complaint here was that Robert Downey Jr. didn't seem to fit his part, though he acted well. It was a relatively minor role so didn't have an overall impact on the film.

I have never been to New York, but the movie was very insightful as to what it was like growing up there, both on the streets and at home.

An enjoyable movie that is fun to watch.