skitz1015 Reviews

White House Down (2013)

Not as good as Olympus, but entertaining nonetheless.

[25 June 2013]

There have been mixed reviews but I think this is worth the movie ticket. Unfortunate for White House Down, but Olympus Has Fallen was just released three months ago so it's hard not to compare.

Different villains and motives but similar… everything else. Yeah, actually pretty much everything else. A couple things that I liked: WHD tries to send an over message regarding how utterly reeeeediculous the media can be. There was brief mention of some race issues and biases, in particular how there are people and groups out that would like to harm others solely based on their ethnicity. *gasp* Whaaaat? You mean racism still exists? It was a shallow attempt at really touching a serious issue, but nonetheless, an attempt.

Another thing working in WHD's favor: it's funny. Jamie Foxx and Channing Tatum are just funny; they can't help it. Downside to the comedy: it can be difficult to take the movie seriously. It's more explosions and one-liners than deep character development and plot (OHF would be more of the latter). But generally, couldn't have cast a better pair to pull off what was desired for these roles. One other downside, it was a hair too long. I could have been done at plot twist number 2 or 3 or…. well, you get the point.

Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

Zero Dark is Slow and Steady

[7/10 · 10 January 2013]

My first inclination watching this movie was to tell people to wait for it to come out on DVD or play on TV. But I did go ahead and write a full review so here goes...

If I would have left the theater in the first hour and then written this review, I would tell you to skip the movie. Seriously. For the first 50 minutes, take a cat nap. I literally did for about 5 minutes and didn't miss a thing. Save a couple of mild, yet still uncomfortable, torture....excuse me, "information extraction" scenes, the first almost hour of this movie is a snooze. We don't even get any character development until after that first hour.

The rest of the movie though reveals why that painfully slow build-up was beneficial. The movie does pick up but keep in mind that this movie will not be a flashy, violent thunderstorm. It's supposed allure is that it's a slow and steady, long (2 hrs 37 mins long to be exact) rain storm. The last hour was unexpectedly gripping (compared to the beginning at least) and you're left feeling satisfied, now understanding the pace and heaviness. If you believe the Osama Bin Laden (referred to as UBL for Usama Bin Laden) search and destroy story in the first place, it's a fascinating look at what really went into finding him. If you're skeptical, which I think is healthy, it's still an interesting look at what tactics our great U S of A uses and how terrorist cells often work. There are quite a few unrealistic elements about CIA operations thrown in though. Sometimes I found myself wondering, "Really? THAT'S what they want us to believe the CIA would do?"

A little caveat for you, war itself is not pretty. But this isn't the bloody, front lines side of war (though there's quite a bit of blood in the final scenes). This is the CIA side of war, the counter- terrorism side (whom some may argue is ALSO terrorism, but I won't get into all of that). It's uncomfortable to watch a human being purposefully hurt or slowly physically destroyed, no matter for what reason, even though the scenes shown (all within the first hour) were VERY mild, IMO, compared to what's probably really going on in those concrete rooms. I used utilitarianism to justify it in my mind. But if the visual of the aforementioned will bother you, do not go see this movie. If you can get through that first hour, there's no more after that. The rest of the movie is pretty much the wild goose chase to find UBL. And again, I mean "wild" only figuratively because this is a subdued movie.

So in conclusion, be PATIENT with this one, do not expect a purely factual documentary, take on the heaviness and seriousness of the actors (particularly the lead actress Jessica Chastain, who did a great job conveying the weight of this world on her shoulders), and you will leave satisfied.

Safe House (2012)

Safe House Sticks To The Formula, And It Works

[8/10 · 7 February 2012]

A sign of a good CIA-operative-gone-rogue movie is that you never know who to trust until the end. And said movie is still good even if it doesn't stray far from the usual formula. Safe House sticks to the tried and true plot structure of this sort of movie, complete with that "wait, who's the bad guy?" twist and a super secret file that someone is killing to get their hands on, but it's engaging and both Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds are perfect in their roles. Very believable and you'll feel loyalty for them both. Oh and there's a romantic side story but it's almost, if not completely, irrelevant. I believe it's just supposed to give Reynolds' character some depth. You know, so we care about him.

Anyway, gun fights aplenty and fantastic car chase (and crash) scenes will distract the audience from a few nonsensical plot holes. And just when I thought there was a lull in the excitement, about an hour fifteen in, crazed gunmen burst into the scene and startled me out of my lazy blinks and wandering mind right back into the action. The ending was satisfying, despite a couple more plot holes and a corny line or two. Overall, a go-see. Action/suspense seekers won't be disappointed.

The Woman in Black (2012)

Every Scary Movie Trick Possible. Yawn.

[5/10 · 2 February 2012]

If you're a fan of horror flicks, this movie will eventually annoy and bore you. It's like the directors or whatever movie-powers-that-be just decided to throw every possible haunted house scary movie trick into this movie, pretty much all into one or two major haunting scenes, and then called it a day. Shadows that move? Check. Wild flying bird or rogue grounds-keeper rushing into the shot unexpectedly to induce audience screams? Check. Appearing and disappearing figures in the distance? Objects moving on their own, bumps in the night, sinister screams from the great beyond? Check check check. And YAWN. There was also not an original aspect of this plot, the "what's the point?" behind this woman in black. Not a one. It's going to be exactly what you suspect.

Now with all that said, there are a few (stress, FEW) things the movie handles pretty well. There's a LOT of darkness and silence in this movie which enhances the goosebumps of anticipation. That's good. Also the way the movie began and ended was satisfactory. You think you know what's going to happen at the end and you do. But when you REALLY get to the end, you're like "oh, well that was unexpected and kinda cool." But that's it. Just kinda cool, not even pretty cool and definitely not really cool.

Plenty of people left the theater declaring how awesome this was and how it's about time someone made a "good scary movie". Those same people also screamed at EVERYTHING all the way through. So I suppose that means if you scare easily, you'll like it. Otherwise, wait for redbox or something.

AustinInWonderland.tumblr.com @AustinFlowers

Big Miracle (2012)

More Than Just A Whale Movie!

[29 January 2012]

I thought this was going to be a movie about whales trapped under some ice. It was way more than that! It was the whales, yes. But it was also about the media and the politics, domestic and international, that got them out. It was a behind the scenes glimpse into how three gray whales fit into the Reagan administration, Greenpeace, the oiling industry, cooperation with native Eskimos in Alaska and America's relations with Russia, at that time, the Soviet Union. Yes, it's all of that. But not overdone and with a steady, engaging pace. Of course, we all root for the whales and can't wait to see how it all ends. But the journey of this movie is just as fulfilling as the ending. Very family friendly but also a gem for adults, given the political puzzle pieces that all have to fit together that will surely go over the little ones' heads. No one was really a stand- out for me in this, actor/actress-wise but that's OK. A little romance, a little comedy, a lot of feel-good. It was just a great movie.

The Vow (2012)

Unexpectedly Good, Worth The Money

[8/10 · 29 January 2012]

Basically, if you're a romantic drama type, you'll love this movie. I'm NOT a romantic drama type, and I still enjoyed it immensely. The shining star, no pun intended, for me was Channing Tatum. He added so much subtle, and sometimes not-so-subtle, comedy to the movie. The ending was also not expected but I was satisfied with it. That said though, I could have easily watched another 30 minutes of this. No one was ready for it to end and that's a good sign. The plot is what it is, being based on a true story and all. It felt like the screenwriters and director wanted to stay close to the actual events and it worked. I would have paid for this and been happy. Romance drama fans will be pleased. Non romance drama fans will be pleased.