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Reviews
Faster (2010)
Pull the Trigger
Every revenge rampage should feel like this movie—completely satisfying in a single focused way.
There is almost no waiting, no pauses or moments of contemplation with the gun to the head. No, this film is about pulling the trigger.
At the same time, the plot is surprisingly well-developed slowly revealing all the character's connections and the drive behind all the mayhem. Dewayne Johnson and Billy Bob Thorton are perfect for their roles while Oliver Jackson-Cohen shines as the overachiever plagued by insecurities.
Stylized, with excellent cinematography and a killer soundtrack, the movie satisfies on almost every level.
Enjoyed every minute of it.
Haywire (2011)
An action film that doesn't work
Unlike other Soderbergh films slick with witty dialogue, quirky humor, and detailed plot lines, Haywire deprives itself of any of those qualities and drowns itself in action.
The plot, which is almost non-existent, crawls along with seemingly no purpose, and even as all the truths are revealed you find yourself bored instead of surprised. The amount of lines Gina Carano has could be written on a bar napkin.
The fighting is well done and well rehearsed, but the suspending disbelief is too much too handle in a film that tries to portray itself with any sense of realism. The amount of hand-to-hand combat in lieu of guns sets it on par with a Jackie Chan or Jean Claude Van Dam action caper.
Steven Soderbergh is one of the most talented directors out there with a host of quality films under his belt, but sadly this is not one of them.
God Bless America (2011)
Why Do You Have to Be So Mean?
Equal parts Kickass, Breaking Bad, and Falling Down, although not as good as any of those, God Bless America is the movie version of a blog rant.
Detailing all the ways in which America has deteriorated, Frank goes out to set the world straight with a good old violent rampage. He's joined by a teenage girl, who shares his wrath for the stupidity that is taking over America.
That said the best moments are not when they are bullet-spraying annoying people but when Frank goes off on a diatribe. He level-headily describes many of the failing ways in which people can simply be nicer to one another.
The other great part is the relationship between Frank and the girl Roxy. Besides feeling incredibly authentic, it helps to counteract the notion of an old man not liking a new world, and the banter is exceptionally entertaining.
The movie is incredibly violent, but if you can stomach that you will get a high dose of catharsis as you watch Frank violently plead to the world, "Why do you have to be so mean?"
Surfwise (2007)
It's All About Family
Just as the Godfather is a movie about family not crime, so is Surfwise a movie about family not surfing. And although this movie (or the vast majority of all movies) doesn't come close to the cinematic value of the Godfather, it's still one hell of good ride.
The film follows the lives of the Paskowitz family, detailing their strange upbringing that is in equal parts inspirational, radical, and debilitating. There family is so large, personalities so varied, talents so strong that it's easy to get lost between everyone yet the film manages to tie it all wonderfully together.
Full of home video footage, mixed with interviews and some lines causing me to spew whatever I was drinking in laughter and astonishment, this documentary keeps you engaged and thinking the entire time.
It's a powerful story, a mind-boggling piece of 'what if' psychology, and easily appreciated even if you are not a fan of surfing.
Midnight in Paris (2011)
To Live in Another Time
It's a movie that romanticizes Paris—extolling all it's magic and beauty—while belying the theme we always over-romanticize the world outside our realm.
It's immensely entertaining and like other Woody Allen films it's not necessarily laugh out loud funny as much as it's quietly smirking to oneself funny.
Rachel McAdams sheds her perfect, big-eyed nice girl role to play a vain, arrogant socialite while still being completely believable. Owen Wilson, who has been a screenwriter, gives a nice balance between young-boy-like-wonderment with a scared, always doubtful, realist.
The world it creates in 1920's Paris is amazing with beautiful sets, costumes, lighting, cars, and many other nice touches to make us feel like we're there.
See this movie because it's overly romantic while still picking fun at itself in the way only Woody Allen can.