Lone Survivor - 4.5/5
"You can die for your country, I want to live for mine"
Lone Survivor tells the story of the real life military mission, Operation Red Wings in 2005. The film though goes to the book that was written by the only surviving Navy SEAL from the operation, Marcus Luttrell. There is no propaganda, this isn't a recruitment film, it is simply showing the real mission brought to life and showing the heart, courage, and bravery those four SEALs showed.
In 2005, four Navy SEALs, Marcus, Murphy, Dietz, and Axelson go on a mission in Afghanistan to capture and kill a Taliban leader.When they are compromised, they hike onwards to radio in extraction only to get ambushed by many Taliban soldiers. It begins a fight of four men against a small army and shows the bravery and the Brotherhood of the SEALs.
This doesn't have any propaganda or makes you want to join the military and kill terrorists. Peter Berg presents us the true story of Operation Red Wings. He presents us with our characters and drops them in the gritty realism that is war. While the action scenes are top not h, you seem to get more out of the scenes featuring the SEALs whether it's scenes with them in between battle, or talking to one another. The feels real with the action and the brotherhood.
The acting in the film was outstanding. No flaws from anyone. They are believable in their roles. I do wish Eric Bana had more screen time, but of what he had I enjoyed him. The SEALs, including Mark Wahlberg as Marcus, Taylor Kitsch as Murphy, Emille Hirsch as Dietz, and Ben Foster as Axelson. The cast was great, though for me, Ben Foster was a scene stealer in almost everything. His final scene was heartbreaking and I almost broke down in tears.
On a technical side, this film had some pretty damn impressive sound. From the littlest of things like a tree branch moving to an explosion. Everything sounded perfect. The cinematography was good for the most part, wasn't an over usage of the shaky cam, and for the most part, action scenes were handled pretty well, though it wasn't really brought to us in a new manner.
Really enjoyed the music score too by Explosions In The Sky and Steve Jablonsky. Subtle enough, but really effective. It was also nice to see Berg favor natural war ambiance and gun fire for his action scenes instead of music score, which is something that I really detest. The use of Peter Gabriel's cover of the David Bowie song Heroes was great and emotional too.
Put aside differences, politics, and just witness how the filmmakers brought to life the real life mission, and well too. It was emotional for me, as I nearly cried at least four or five times. It was just well made, inside and out. It was a challenge to fight back those tears. I was so glad this didn't follow into the footsteps of Black Hawk Down and not allow breathing room in between the action and the story, as that would have been disappointing.
Overall, Lone Survivor is a damn good war film, and moving one about the brotherhood of the SEALs and their bravery and dedication and commitment to their country nearly ten years ago.
The Wolf Of Wall Street - 4/5
Jordan Belfort is a motherf****r. He's a disgusting, sleazy, druggie, motherf****r. Martin Scorsese's The Wolf Of Wall Street doesn't in any way glorify him. It goes and shows you the motherf****r that is Jordan Belfort, The Wolf Of Wall Street.
Without a doubt, Scorsese brings outs the very best in our leading man, Leonardo DiCaprio, who is literally magic on screen. He dazzles like a diamond as Belfort, portraying the sleazy wall street stockbroker. He is crazy, he is hilarious, he is ruthless, he is greedy, and he is (once again) a motherf****r. Belfort isn't the type of guy you want to be around. He is all about himself, and making himself richer than he already is. Remove a soul from Gordon Gekko and add in sleazy disgustingness (I know that isnt a word) and you get Jordan Belfort.
The rest of the acting is sensational! Jonah Hill is fantastic as Belfort's right hand man, Donny. With a performance like this, it only means big things for Hill and his acting career. He is exceptionally well under the guidance of Scorsese and has electric chemistry with DiCaprio. The rest of the cast includes Margot Robbie who is beautiful yet funny as Belfort's wife. Rob Reiner who is hilarious as Belfort's dad, Jon Bernthal as an associate of Belfort's, and with limited screen time, Matthew McConaughey who was pretty damn outstanding. The chest thumping scene was way more funnier than it probably should have been.
Martin Scorsese does a hell of a good job bringing this crazy, drug and booze induced world that Belfort is a product of, to life. From start to finish, everything is crazy. From Belfort snorting cocaine out of the anus of a prostitute, slow motion quaalude scenes, extreme nudity, intoxicated masturbation from Jonah Hill, and other crazy S***. Scorsese doesn't let you take a breath on his ride through New York, and his direction in this is some of the best.
Rounding off the the film are the sharp cuts from the editing by Thelma Schoonmaker and that damn good soundtrack. There is no original score present in the film, as Scorsese goes with a more music driven route. The soundtrack brings a whole 'nother life to the film and tells a damn good story with it, much like some of his previous music driven films have done. There are nice, efficient cuts through the film that make it tight (to an extent) Perfect example is the dialogue scenes,. Not once do they feel boring, then again when has a Scorsese film ever had a sense of bore to it, with such fine editing.
Though the film is outstanding and an absolute journey through the land of Holy S*** That Was Crazy, it doesn't go without its problems, which happen to be a few gripes of mine. I believe the last Scorsese film that was three hours long was Casino, and not once did that film ever feel like it was dragging its feet. With this film having an exceptional running time, an hour, maybe an hour and a half into the film, you start to feel the effects of the long run time. To think this film was at once nearly four hours long is absurd. I don't mind long films, so long as their engaging, but The Wolf Of Wall Street does tend to show more than we need, such as more sex, more drugs, and more of the favorite word "F***".
I'd have settled for at least 20-30 minutes off the film. This doesn't make it it a bad film at all, it just brings it down a notch, a big one for me. For the most part, its highly urged to see this without family, as there's no telling how they will take it. So go out and see the roller coaster of a film that is The Wolf Of Wall Street, I know I for sure will be seeing this again soon.
American Hustle - 1.5/5
"I hate plots, Christian, I'm all about characters" An actual quote from David O. Russell, the filmmaker behind American Hustle and it clearly shows since he doesn't know what film he is making. He has a general idea that is supported through the writing of a sub par script. Because of this and him favoring characters, he hopes the audience is wowed by the performances of the star studded cast then by the (weak) plot.
Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale) and Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams) are con artists in 1978 New York. When FBI Agent Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper) busts them for loan fraud, he will grant them freedom if they cooperate on an operation to bringing down corrupt officials that includes the new mayor of Camden, New Jersey, Carmine Pollito (Jeremy Renner).
As I mentioned earlier, O. Russell and his film relies on his cast and their acting more so than ever. While a supporting role from Louis C.K. and a cameo by Robert De Niro are great, the main cast isn't all that you think. Bale may look impressive to the audience with his comb over and pot belly, but like his earlier film this year Out Of The Furnace, he is reserved and while he feels like he is meant to a part of the film, his acting isn't to great. Thanks for trying! Amy Adams is much like Bale in this in terms of performance, but her breast inducing wardrobe and horrible accent don't bring any interests. Bradley Cooper is one of the better parts of the film, and Jeremy Renner was underused and needed more screen time. Jennifer Lawrence was too young for the part and her acting felt fake and forced. Looking back on the film, I honestly think it could have benefited from her not being in this.
So what exactly is American Hustle? It isn't a black comedy as there is nothing remotely funny in the film regarding the plot of characters. It isn't a character study as none of our characters are interesting enough to like or care about, and they don't go through extreme changes. It isn't a drama as it doesn't come off as compelling enough to the viewer whether it is the plot of characters. I guess it's a crime film, but even then it doesn't even feel or act like one.
While it has slick editing and an exquisitely chosen soundtrack, it is too long. The flashback scenes for Irving and Sydney didn't feel necessary and if it truly was needed it needed to be half of how long it was. There are many scenes that are not needed and are too long than they are originally are intended, so maybe the film could have benefited with a little more time on the cutting room floor.
So I ask again, did David O. Russell really know what he was making? I honestly feel like he didn't. I was hoping for a better experience than his previous film, which I shut off, but having seen nearly half of his filmography, this is nowhere near his best, and his best could possibly be The Fighter. This a weakly made film and it's original title was better suited: American Bullshit I think O. Russell was in way over his head for this film and shows. Its out of control.
Let me state that I was looking forward to this film. This review isn't me falling in line with the countless other people who started bashing it for the fact it got many Academy Award nominations. Did the bashing have an effect on me and my views on the film? Absolutely not, how I feel about this film is because of how I feel, not being supported by others bashing.
American Hustle is just weak film, nothing more, nothing less. The cons greatly outweigh the few pros in this one. On a side note, Jennifer Lawrence, don't ever sing along to "Live And Let Die" again please.
The Iceman - 2/5
The Iceman is a notorious hitman who worked for the mafia for nearly twenty years or so. He was a vicious man in which he killed over a hundred people. Before he was a hitman, before he was a porn dubber, he was a serial killer, not a lot of people know this(I'll discuss more later).
The Iceman chronicles Richard Kuklinski, whom works dubbing pornographic films in a DeMeo Crime Family operation. He comes off as your ordinary, loving family man, but he has a dark secret:He's a contract killer for the mafia. He begins doing favors for the boss of the family, Roy, until he eventually works his way up and begins doing his own freelance work and starts utilizing a method that earns him the nickname "The Iceman".
When it comes to organized crime, people are really interested in the likes of Al Capone, Whitey Bulger, John Gotti, and other notorious figures. For me, it was Richard Kuklinski. Whether you believe the over one hundred kills he has or him stabbing Jimmy Hoffa in the back of the neck and putting him in an oil drum and setting it on fire is up to you. When I mentioned that he was a serial killer, it was true, he would often kill people in the NY/NJ area for sport before becoming a hitman. He was a vicious psychotic man, and is one of the reasons im studying Criminal psychology to understand what makes men like him, and other notorious criminals and killers tick.
The film is essentially a by the books crime film and biography film. It really only tells us a fraction of who Richard Kuklinski is. While it shows the family man side of him, it also does show his ruthlessness to an extent. By that I mean they show that he was cold, but the filmmakers played it too safe in not really showing us the man he really was. When you read books and hear interviews and watch documentaries on Kuklinski, you'll know just how cold the man truly was. Our Kuklinski is nothing more than a mob movie hitman, it doesn't show him getting sloppy or evil.
This doesn't take away from Michael Shannon's performance as Kuklinski who plays him quite well and naturally exuberates the cold demeanor of Kuklinski. He his supported by a great supporting cast that includes Chris Evans, Winona Ryder, James Franco, David Schwimmer, Stephen Dorf, Robert Davi and everyone's favorite mob guy, Ray Liotta. The cast turn in wonderful performances throughout, but feel underwhelmed by the underwhelming script and are not developed enough (Chris Evans character for example).
While the performances are great, and the nature of the film is gritty, The Iceman just doesn't cut it. Like I said, it plays everything too safe, and with a character like Kuklinski, you cant just tell his story in under an hour and forty minutes. Utterly disappointed with this one.
As for 2013 films:
SEEN:
Texas Chainsaw 3D - 0 The Last Stand - 5
Movie 43 - 0 Bullet To The Head - 3.5
Stand Up Guys - 2.5 Side Effects - 4
A Good Day To Die Hard - 2 Snitch - 3.5
Dead Man Down - 4.5 Evil Dead - 1
Oblivion - 3.5 Mud - 4.5
The Lords Of Salem - 3.5 Pain & Gain - 5
Iron Man 3 - 0 Star Trek Into Darkness - 3.5
Fast & Furious 6 - 2 Behind The Candelabra - 3
The Purge - 2 Man Of Steel - 2
World War Z - 4 Pacific Rim - 4.5
Only God Forgives - 5 The Wolverine - 4.5
Elysium - 4 The World's End - 1.5
You're Next - 1 Riddick - 3
Don Jon - 4 Metallica: Through The Never 3D - 4.5
Machete Kills - 2.5/5 The Conjuring - 2
The Counselor - 4 Homefront - 3.5
Prisoners - 5 The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug - 5
Gravity - 2 Out Of The Furnace - 3.5
Ain't Them Bodies Saints - 4 Olympus Has Fallen - 2
The Family - 2 Lone Survivor - 4.5/5
The Wolf Of Wall Street - 4/5 American Hustle - 1.5/5
The Iceman - 2/5
LOOKING FORWARD TO: The final films I'm looking at for my "Best Of 2013" List. All other films from the year will be review in the regular thread.
Her - December 18th
12 Years A Slave
Captain Phillips
The Hunt
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