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Reviews
The Dry (2020)
Just like the title...
Like the title says...Very DRY. Very boring plot. Protagonist whom you start to loathe within the first 8 minutes past opening credits. Predictable. Slow. Drawn out. I can't think of any it's words that come to mind. Oh...let's not forget flashbacks within a flashback.
2 hours of my life now gone, and I'll never get that time back. If you want to see something a little more interesting...go outside and watch grass grow...that will be a lot more entertaining than this stupid movie.
Ray Donovan: The Movie (2022)
Spoiler alert
Fist off...
They tied to bed an excellent series by cramming it all in an hour and a half.
Second....they must think very little of the fans of this show, and that we must all have amnesia!! Micky went to prison back in the day for his dealings with the O'Sullivans. The series finales wants us to now believe that Ray set him up on a murder rap. Sad, stupid and un-interesting ending to what was a truly great show. Way to go, Showtime!
Yellowstone: Half the Money (2021)
Same plot...different season
Ok...I started out really liking this show. But the plot of this story is just the same as the beginning of season 1...people coming after Dutton and his land, Beth is pissed at the world and wants to kill Jamie. Oh, and let's not forget to take a few moments for fun-lovin moments of "good ol' boy" time in the bunkhouse playin cards at the table and drinking coors beer. Plus...the commercials!!! 1 hour show is more like 34 minutes after all the Ram pickup truck commercials.
Coming 2 America (2021)
Waste of time
I got about 17 minutes into this move when I could t take anymore/..sequels are bad. Sequels 32 years later are even worse. End of story
I Care a Lot (2020)
Complete waste of time
I have never actually hated a movie before. I hate every aspect of this film. I hope every actor in this film sees their acting careers fall miserably into the toilet
The Call of the Wild (2020)
Waste of time
Harrison Fors must have really needed a payday. Not a remake...not even close to Jack London. CGI dog. Horrible. I'm sick to my stomach that I spent 10 bucks:
War Horse (2011)
John Ford film in the era of Spielberg.
This is an emotional, feel good family flick, made to pull at heartstrings. The story, about a bond between a horse and a boy, starts out taking place in the British countryside, just prior to World War I. The bond between the horse and a boy named Albert Narrcott (Jeremy Irvine) starts out right at the very beginning of the film when he witnesses the horse being born on a neighboring farm. A few years later, The horse comes to auction. Albert's father, Ted (Peter Mullan) purchases the horse at the auction for far more than what he can afford. Ted, a well meaning drunkard sees something in the horse that no one else sees. Ted's intention of using the horse to plow his farm makes him the town laughing stock. Ted brings the horse home much to the dismay of his wife, Rose (Emma Watson.) Rose is worried that the horse will never learn how to work a plow, and demands that the horse be returned. Albert steps in and is steadfast that he can train the horse to plow the field; mother yields to her son. The landlord of the farm shows up and threatens to take the land away if Ted cannot produce a crop. Albert then proceeds to raise the horse (naming him Joey), teaching him to come when whistled for (important part of the story) and eventually teaches him how to take to the plow. Together Albert and Joey prove everybody wrong when they plow the field, saving it from being repossessed by the landlord.
World War I breaks out, and the horse is sold by Ted to the British Army (as a lot of horses were in those days.) Albert is heartbroken when he loses his beloved horse, vowing that they will be reunited one day. The narrative of the story is then told through Joey's eyes, so to speak. Joey embarks on many adventures in the war, going to work for both the British and German Armies, and even happens upon a French girl and her grandfather in the process. Meanwhile, Albert is now of age and has joined the British Army. Joey becomes injured in the war and is rescued by a British and German Soldier who call a temporary truce to save him. The British Soldier takes Joey back to base to have his wounds cared for. One doesn't have to be a fortune teller to see what is going to happen next....in regards to weather or not Albert and Joey will be reunited.
This film is about 60 years too late for its time. Back in the 1940s, cinema was highly censored. Films depicting war were censored so as to not "frighten the masses" to true nature of the horrors of war. Steven Spielberg has seemed to take a page right out of a John Ford movie when he directed this movie. The scenes on the farm in the British countryside almost appear as though they were filmed on a set, like films were made in the Golden Era. The score emphasizes on happy, feel good sounds of birds singing in the air, tied in with music meant to tug on one's emotions. When the The sequences of the Battle of Somme come, it is late in the film and they barely touch on the brutality of that actual event.
When Spielberg directed "Saving Private Ryan" (1998) he was not bound by the censorship laws of yesteryear's. That film depicted how brutally ugly war can be and the battle sequences held no punches on the the blood and guts. "War Horse" seems to hide that WWI was a brutally ugly war, choosing instead to make the audience feel happy when in fact war should have the opposite effect. Horses WERE in fact used in WWI, but I doubt if there was "feel good" story behind any of them.
While everyone likes to be inspired, which this film does by tugging at heartstrings, today's society is not living with blinders on like Joey the War Horse. Today's audience is not naive to the real horrors of war as Hollywood of the 1940s thought they were back then. Spielberg chose to take the safe route of making the audience feel good, instead of showing them what the real WWI was like.
Im shocked that his picture is getting so much Oscar buzz. The acting is good, and the well cast. I will give Spielberg and his crew credit for cinematography, art direction, and musical score. But best picture? Maybe if you put this film a time machine and ship it back to 1945...
Drive (2011)
Gosling is the new "Man with No Name?"
Going only by the name of "Driver," no one really knows who he is or where he comes from. He has no family, and lives alone in an L.A. Apartment. Driver (Ryan Gosling) is a man who has little to say. In fact, in the first five minutes of the film, Driver has minimal lines of dialogue. He is a contract get away driver for stick-up men, a Hollywood stunt man, and also works for a low-level scum bag/crime boss, named Shannon (Bryan Cranston) as his mechanic. Shannon also sets Driver up to go to work for local gangsters with mafia ties. Driver becomes friends with and develops feelings for his neighbor, Irene (Carey Mulligan.) He then decides to help Irene's husband get out of debt from a prison gang, and then the several sub-plots of the story soon tie together and connect to Driver.
Gosling delivers with the coolness of Steve McQueen or a young Ryan O'Neal. What makes Gosling's character appealing is that what he lacks in dialogue, he makes up for in his actions; he shows who his character is by his actions and not words. Almost reminiscent of Clint Eastwood's "Man With No Name," his portrayal of his character leaves it up to the audience to guess what his background is. Gosling's interaction with Carey Mulligan also lacks a lot of dialogue, but they make up for it in their on-camera chemistry and body language. Also starring Albert Brooks and Ron Perlman, the casting ensemble of this film mesh together perfectly.
The action starts from the get-go with a high speed chase scene done with excellent cinematography by veteran cameraman Newton Sigel. Director Nicolas Refn shot the film entirely on location in Los Angeles, getting the most out of production value from modern day L.A. With action-packed chase scenes equal to "Bullit" (1968) and "Vanishing Point" (1971) this high-speed adrenaline rush of a film is a must see.
Warrior (2011)
Rocky comes to mixed-martial arts
Brendan and Tommy Conlon are two estranged brothers of an alcoholic father, both whom have cut ties with. The younger brother, Tommy (Tom Hardy) who is AWOL from the Marine Corps, returns home to his father. Tommy, deeply resentful of his father (Nick Nolte) and brother, begrudgingly seeks his father's help to train for an upcoming MMA Tournament. He makes it clear to his father that he wants nothing to do with him, other than to train him just like he did when he was an up-and coming high school wrestling champion. Tommy has a lot of skeletons buried deep in his closet, all of which slowly start to come out as the film progresses.
Brendan (Joel Edgerton) is an ex-MMA fighter who is now a family man with a wife, two kids, and surmounting bills to pay. Brendan works as a physics teacher and fights in underground MMA clubs to make ends meet. Brendan finds out about an upcoming MMA Tournament with a five million dollar purse attached to it and decides compete. At his age, everyone thinks it's a bad idea, especially his wife (Jennifer Morrison.) What the two brothers don't realize is that fate will lead them to deal with their past in the ring. The tournament will also force them to come to terms with the relationship with their father.
In recent history, other than "Rocky" (1976) and "The Fighter" (2010), there hasn't been too many good films about boxing with a solid, emotional storyline behind them. "Warrior" is the exception. Action-packed fight scenes and an emotional story line make this an Oscar worthy film. Powerhouse performances by both Hardy and Edgerton make the audience engage in and truly feel what the actors are trying to portray in their roles.
At age 71, a gritty faced, gravely voiced, tough as nails Nolte has delivered the best work of his career. This film would not have been what it was with anyone else playing the role of Paddy Conlon. I would be surprised if a Supporting Role Oscar nod didn't come his way.
Circumstance (2011)
Forbidden love in a forbidden country.
Teenage love is not easy. It is even more difficult if that love is between two members of the same sex. Throw that mix into a country where homosexual relationships can be punishable by death, and you have the makings of a good story. Atafeh (Boosheri) lives in a family of wealth and privilege with her mother, father and brother, Mehran. (Reza Sixo Safai.) Shireen (Kazemy) comes from the other side of the tracks, so to speak. She lives with her Aunt and Uncle after being orphaned by her parents who were killed by the government for their immoral ways. Atahfeh and Shireen are two teenage school girls. The pair who are best friends, soon discover that they are in love. The girls are also rebellious to Iran's strict religious and socialist ways. They are big into Tehran's underground nightclub scene, and are friends with people who are self-liberated. Mehran, who was a former drug addict, has become a radical Muslim and informant for the Morality Police. He has planted cameras all over the house to spy on his family. Mehran derives a plan with the Morality Police to marry Shireen after she an Atafeh are arrested by the morality police for partying at a night club. The pair discovers that their circumstances in life are forced upon them and beyond their control. They both dream of running away to Dubai where they would be free to live their lives the way they wanted to. The story had a good plot-line; forbidden love, oppression of women, and teenage rebellion in a patriarchal country
but the narrative seemed to just graze over those subjects as a whole, when it could have gone more in depth with each of them. The sub-plot of Shireen's home life was minimal at best. Atafeh's mother can tell that her daughter's relationship with Shireen is more than friendship, but that part of the story never fully develops either. The plot seemed to move slowly at times, and with a bit of a soap opera pace, but it was good enough to keep my interest in the film. Maryam Keshavarz, in her feature film debut, does however show the impact of Iran's strict religious culture on the two girls. The viewer does get the impression of what could happen to the pair if their true relationship is discovered. The performances of the young actresses, both in their theatrical debut, do a good job in making their relationship believable.
Winner of the Audience Award at the 2011 Sundance film festival, this foreign film is worth the 107 minutes it takes to watch.
Rampart (2011)
corrupt cop on path of self destruction
"Rampart," starring Woody Harrleson and Robin Wright-Penn is set in Los Angles in 1999, right at the height of the notorious scandal that rocked the LAPD where numerous officers were implicated in cases of police brutality and misconduct. One fact is crystal clear; Officer Brown is on a path of self destruction from the very start of the film.
Harrelson, in the leading role, plays the the character of Veteran LAPD Officer Dave Brown. Brown is street-hardened, old school cop who is both hated and loved by his peers on the job. His old school ways of thinking are becoming the sort of thing that the LAPD is no longer in a position to tolerate, as it is being exposed in numerous cases of police misconduct. Brown is racist and a bigot who thinks that he can do no wrong and feels that his conduct is a justifiable means to take criminals off the streets. Living with his two ex-wives (who happen to be sisters) and his two daughters, the viewer sees how Harrleson's character destroys his personal relationships piece by piece. His personal life crumbles even more with his tumultuous relationship a lawyer (Penn.) Officer Brown is suddenly thrust into the misconduct spotlight when a video camera catches him beating a person who just crashed into him while driving in his police cruiser.
Harrison's performance is strong and gritty, but the film lacks overall momentum. The narrative of the story seems to be all over the place. The numerous sub plots seem like they are going to connect at some point or another, but never do. The film has several notable appearances of famous actors (Steve Buscemi, Sigourney Weaver, Ice Cube, even Ned Beatty) but their characters never seem to materialize to their true potential. Director Owen Moverman, who also directed Harrleson in "The Messenger," really hits the mark with Harrleson's character, but failed to take the film any farther than that. If you are looking to watch the very talented skills of Woody Harrleson, then you will get your money's worth...but not if you are looking to watch a good police drama.
Moneyball (2011)
David and Goliath plays out in the sport of Baseball
Moneyball, starring Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill is a sports film that is more about the struggle of "rich -vs- poor than it is about the actual game itself. Pitt plays the lead character, Billy Beane who as the Oakland A's General Manager changed the way the game is played forever back in the 2002 season. After having his best free agent players swooned with big money by the Yankee organization, Beane is forced to re- build his team by using mathematical statistics introduced to him by Paul Brand (Jonah Hill.) The film emphasizes on Beane's struggle with the sport with occasional flashbacks to his past experience as a player in the big leagues in the 1980s. The narration of the film seems to dictate that his past history with the sport is one of the driving forces on how he manages the Oakland A's. The relationship with his ex-wife and daughter also play a key factor in his decision making process.
Pitt's performance is solid and charismatic and on track with his streak of solid work throughout the last few years (Inglourious Basterds,The Tree of Life.) Jonah Hill has stepped out from behind his usual comedy character role's to show that he has what it takes to be a serious actor.) Other co-starring roles are on key throughout the film; Phillip Seymour Hoffman as Team Manager Art Howe being one of them.
One does not need to be a sports fanatic to enjoy this film. Moneyball is a film based on a baseball team, but it goes beyond being a film about a baseball team and more about one man's vision and determination to change the system of how the game is played.