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[x007AceOfSpades]

[REC] - 2007 - 3.5/5 - Directed by Jaume Balaguero & Paco Plaza - Starring Manuela Velasco and Pablo Rosso

"There's something more to this place. Our cells don't work. Neither does the T.V. or radio. We're isolated."

 

This was recommended to me by Letterboxd's Javier back in October of last year for Halloween, and unfortunately I just didn't get around to watching it until now. There's really only a few films in the found footage genre that I really like, and I can now add Spanish horror film, [REC] to that list. [REC] follows Angela Vidal (Manuela Velasco) a television reported for a documentary series called "While You're Sleeping". With her cameraman, Pablo (Pablo Rosso) report the night shift of one of Barcelona's fire stations. What seemed like a slow night, the firehouse gets a call and heads to an apartment complex where an old woman is trapped in her apartment. With the police present they enter the apartment and find the old woman hysterical, only to turn aggressive and start attacking everyone. Shortly afterwards, the police and military begin to seal off the building, locking in the firemen, police officer(s), Angela & Pablo and the remaining tenants in the building.

 

Most found footage films follow a repetitive formula and have no sense of style. [REC] totally makes use of the camera style as a sense of dread and uses it to create tension. It's a highly atmospheric film, which is a rare thing to come by in this genre, but from beginning to end, it's intense as hell. Once we get the apartment complex, literally, the fun begins. There's always something happening which warrants in the camera still rolling, which happens to alleviate it from quickly becoming stale. These people slowly become infected with a virus and turn into mindless crazies, bordering on zombies, but more akin to something along the lines of 28 Days Later. It isn't until the ending where it's revealed everything, the infection, is the result of a demonic possession, which i applaud, because it really changes a lot of the film. Instead of being basically 28 Days Later Found footage style, we get something that takes a left turn and changes nearly everything.

 

If there's a complaint I have with REC], it's that it's very, very predictable. There's several times during the film where I told myself what was going to happen next, or guess which character was going to die next, etc. I was right, every single time. I feel this really pampered on my viewing, but because all the other elements, including the direction and action were so good, it didn't completely kill the film for me. [REC] is a very well made film in an otherwise, stale genre. It doesn't breath any new life into the genre and even reinvent it, but it manages to do something almost every film in the genre fail to do: Be terrifying.

 

"There are incredible security measures in place. We know nothing. They haven't told us a thing. We saw special forces, health inspectors wearing suits and masks, and it's not very comforting."

 

Wild - 2014 - 3/5 - Directed by Jean-Marc Vallee - starring Reese Witherspoon and Laura Dern

"If your nerve, deny you - go above your nerve. Emily Dickinson."

 

I won't lie to you so I'm going to be upfront. I wasn't a fan of Jean-Marc Vallee's previous film, Dallas Buyers Club. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it, it was just sort of average. That's sort of the same thing with his follow up film, Wild, though while I think thematically speaking, it's above Dallas Buyers Club it still suffers from Vallee's part arthouse, part conventional filmmaking that I don't think suits a film like this, and he too, bites off a bit more than he can chew. Wild is another true story film, taking place in 1995, Cheryl Strayed (Reese Witherspoon) has been through a lot. She divorced her husband of seven years, Paul (Thomas Sadoski) due to her infidelity. Her mother, Bobbi (Laura Dern) passed away, and her subsequent reckless lifestyle with strange people and lots of drugs. To cleanse herself and get on the right path, she decides to hike the Pacific Crest Trail, a journey of 1,100 miles.

 

Vallee's style isn't a turnoff for me, but I think it's not entirely all too special. I don't think it worked with Dallas Buyers Club and there's parts of it in this film where it doesn't work either. The film is at it's best, when we're following Cheryl through her hike and her survival across 1,100 miles. While the flashbacks really show us her previous life from all angles, it doesn't slow the film down, but it really loses the emotional and dramatic punch that was carried. In the beginning of the journey, especially the opening scene, Cheryl is an amateur, she has no idea what to do on such a grueling hike like this and she has no business, over the course of the hike, she gets better and through time, becomes a better person and learns to let go of things. There's no sugar coating Cheryl at all. In the beginning we like her, but it's through the flashbacks where we really find out how much of an awful person she was. However it's the hike that kept me interested in this character in her goals to conquer her problems and start life anew. I wouldn't say I was rooting for her, but that I was hoping she would learn from her mistakes and start over, and by the end it's that. While it's not a feel good/happy ending, it isn't warranted either. The ending is serviceable and does the film well.

 

Visually, Wild is perfect to look at. The film looks the best during the hiking scenes, and the real beauty and pain is brought out in this new environment for Cheryl. However the visuals to go too far in some instances, as the imagery becomes a little rapid and unnecessary. Some of which involves blending the flashbacks into the hike, which was unnecessary. It was distracting. The performances are serviceable, however it's Reese Witherspoon's performance that's easily the highlight of the film. I wouldn't call it a brilliant performance, but it's better than some of her other roles. She is good in the lead role, but it's not a masterful performance. I'm not sure why Laura Dern got an Oscar nomination, but she isn't given much to do and is flat.

 

At the end of the day, I did like Wild, though judging by my review you can say otherwise, but honestly I liked it. I think it's better Dallas Buyers Club, but still flawed. It's really just the perfect three star film. I'm sure if I was to ever re-watch this this, I would probably find more issues to gripe with. But thankfully, like Dallas Buyers Club, I have zero interest in a re-watch.

 

"I've always been someone's daughter or mother or wife. I never got to be in the driver's seat of my own life."

 

Quarantine - 2008 - 2/5 - Directed by John Erick Dowdle - starring Jennifer Carpenter and Jay Hernandez

"Tape everything, you hear me, tape everything!"

 

I figured after checking out [REC] I'd sit down and watch the American remake, Quarantine and see what the fuss is all about. The best way to look at Quarantine is like Gus Van Sant's remake of Psycho. It's nearly shot for shot, line by line the same. Quarantine wasn't god-awful, as there's some differences in the story and how some things play out, but ultimately it's really just the same film as [REC]. The plot is the same, we follow reporter Angela Vidal (Jennifer Carpenter) and cameraman, Scott (Steve Harris) as they cover a firehouse in Los Angeles, California on the night shift. What seems like a slow night, they get a call (medical emergency) about an old woman in an apartment complex. If you've seen [REC] then you know what happens, if not, just read the synopsis I wrote for [REC]. It saves me from having to write the same thing again.

 

Had Quarantine followed a different route, than I might have enjoyed this, but it didn't. There's some difference, mainly in certain scenes that have been newly added, such as this added elevator scene which was actually quite frightening. The ending is also a bit different, but I liked it. To me, what separated [REC] from being basically 28 Days Later-Found footage style was the added twist that it was all a demonic possession causing this. Here, it's changed to a mutated rabies virus. Thus, forcing this to become 28 Days Later-Found footage style. It wasn't slow or anything, and being just ten minutes longer or so, Quarantine manages to be just as fast paced as the vastly superior Spanish original film. There's however, too many parts to it that are the same as the original. I'm not fond of remakes. If you're going to do one, at least keep the spirit of the original, and deviate enough to where it's still the same name and tone, but different. We all know Hollywood loves to remake superior foreign films, but what's the point of doing so for a film that's literally 95% the same? A quick buck or two?

 

If there's a one major saving grace, it's Jennifer Carpenter, who's excellent in this. There's smaller points to it that aren't entirely bad, but in the end [REC] is again, vastly superior.

 

"They're not gonna let us out of here alive, are they?"

 

Pandorum - 2009 - 4/5 - Directed by Christian Alvart - starring Dennis Quaid and Ben Foster

"A little f****** solidarity goes a long way."

 

This was quite a surprise really. I thought this was going to be just another ordinary science fiction film, but it turns out that Pandorum is an enthralling ride from start to finish. Though it may have some flaws, it's original storyline, strong performances, and outstanding effects outweigh the few problems present. Earth has reach it's exceeding population amount, forcing humanity to search for another Earth-like planet. In the year 2174, an interstellar ark, The Elysium, is carrying 60,000 people on a 123-year journey to Tanis. The passengers and crew are in hypersleep, with a rotation set for different flight crews. One day, two crew members, Corporal Bower and Lieutenant Payton (Ben Foster and Dennis Quaid, respectively) are awakened from their hypersleep with slight memory recollection. Bower begins to suffer from a psychological illness called Pandorum, but nonetheless, proceeds forth with his mission on reinstating power. However, Bower and Payton are not alone, as the mission has gone south and there's something more terrifying on-board with them.

 

The film is at it's absolute best when it focuses on Ben Foster's character, Bower, more than Quaid's Payton. Though with Foster's side you get more of a survival-horror feel, mixed with a dark twisted cyberpunk-esque backdrop. It's not an blatant Alien rip-off, as the mental illness, Pandorum is what mixes things up. It keeps the film fresh and interesting, as you really start to question all the characters and their sanity & health. It doesn't slow down when it's focused on Quaid, but it definitely isn't as interesting as Foster's side is. It plays off like something gone wrong in the middle of a space venture, though the last half hour or so is where it gets really fun. That's where we begin to really learn about what happened on this voyage and the crew, as well as the psychosis known as Pandorum with some of the characters (not going to spoil it, though you can probably guess). Pandorum has a great balance of action and horror, while still being grounded in the realm of science fiction. There's plenty of scenes that will leave you entertained and scared. It's quite an atmospheric film.

 

If I told you the budget was only $33Million, you might call me crazy. The effects, created by Stan Winston Studio, are absolutely great. The creatures on board are all designed well and have a unique look to them. Each set piece has a great look and feel to it, despite being incredibly dark. While it is indeed a dark film, the film uses it to it's advantage and creates a visually appealing film. It's a technical or visual marvel, but it is impressive to a degree.

 

Pandorum is a great, original science fiction film to come out in recent memory. Crazy how time passes considering it's been nearly six years. Shame this didn't well and reach an audience, it's quite good.

 

"You're all that's left of us. Good luck, God bless, and godspeed."

 

Renaissance - 2008 - 3.5/5 - Directed by Christian Volckman - starring Daniel Craig and Jonathan Pryce

"First we find her, then we sleep."

Renaissance takes place in the year 2054 in the city of Paris. A woman, Ilona Tasuiev (Romola Garai) who works for Paris megacorperation, Avalon, has been kidnapped. Paris cop, Barthelemy Karas (Daniel Craig) is assigned the case of the disappearance of Ilona. With the help of her sister, Bislane (Catherine McCormack), Karas navigates through the seedy underworld of Paris, as a much more sinister and bigger plan unfolds.

 

On paper, the story is actually sort of basic. An average detective/mystery thriller with traces of noir and science fiction present. Renaissance starts out very strong but by the third act, it doesn't fall apart, it just loses it's steam. What makes Renaissance so good is it's animation style. The performances are all done through motion capture and the world of Paris, 2054 is brought to life through animation. It's entirely black and white with high contrasts and lots of shading and shadows, and it works all too well for this film. The animation allows the film to achieve a look and feel that would most likely deem too expensive for live action. It's a beauty of an animation film to watch. It has a Blade Runner feel to it and at times can feel like something out of a graphic novel. The tone in the beginning of the film is very much a whodunit with a touch of noir, all while being in a highly sophisticated sci-fi city. By the middle and end of the film, it almost becomes a sort of a conspiracy by tone, which is where it drops down a bit. Renaissance is quite an engaging animated film, with great voice work, and beautiful visuals. There's really not much else I can say other than I was very much captivated by the animation and overall style of the film. The animation alone is worth a watch.

 

"Without death, life is meaningless."

 

Chronicle - 2012 - 3.5/5 - Directed by Josh Trank - starring Dane Dehaan and Alex Russell

"I'm an apex predator"

I had a friend some years back tell me about this and saying that it was quite good, for being found footage. I never got around to seeing it until now, and I'll have to agree with him. Chronicle is a film that really makes the most of the found footage gimmick, especially for being a non-horror film and more of a science fiction/superhero film.

 

Taking place in Seattle, Washington, Chronicle follows Andrew Detmer, a senior in high school who is the subject to excessive bullying at school and verbal and physical abuse from his alcoholic father, Richard (Michael Kelly). Andrew decides one day to start videotaping his life, be it at home and at school, or just anywhere. His cousin, Matt (Alex Russell) invites him to come to a party with him to try and cheer him up and meet new people. At the party, Andrew and Matt, along with Matt's much more popular friend, Steve (Michael B. Jordan) come across a discovery in a hole which then causes them to black out. They wake up and discover they have telekinetic powers and the ability of flight. The three spend more time together and cause mischief, but Andrew begins to use these powers far more dangerously and becomes a threat to his friends, family, and those around him.

 

I've seen some people say that Chronicle would have been better if it was shot traditionally. I have to disagree, because I think it would've taken an interesting idea and just made it into a mediocre affair. The found footage style manages to the make the film a little more engaging and makes it surprisingly fun to watch. As far as superheroes go, there's obviously no capes in this, and the trio don't seem like heroes at all. With these powers they just use them to cause funny S*** to happen. Just being obnoxious teens is all, instead of thinking they can fight crime. It isn't until the third act of the film where it becomes more superhero and less found footage.

 

With the third act, the found footage style then takes a left and we start viewing the action through CCTV cameras, Camera's on helicopters, cell phones, etc, not to mention at time a small traditional filming approach. It loses the effect by switching to different styles of video and cameras, as we watch superhero action. The filmmakers probably thought it was going to be a unique way of presenting the action, but I feel it let it down a notch. The effects are rather decent, especially for being low-budget, but could've used touch ups in other spots. Chronicle uses the found footage gimmick to it's capacity and makes the most out if it with it's script, direction, and acting. Definitely a well made found footage film. Still not sure why I didn't see this sooner. Probably because of the track record I usually have with found footage films. Anyways, Chronicle is worth a watch.

 

"Can you not film us? It's kind of creepy."

[tdalton]

Tusk (2014)

Well, that was weird.

 

TUSK tells the story of a podcaster named Wallace (Justin Long) who travels to Canada to speak with the newest internet celebrity (or, more accurately, to make further fun of him on the podcast) as part of the next installment of their "Not-See Party" podcast.  The interview ends up not working out for rather morbid reasons and, through an advertisement of sorts on a bathroom bulletin board, Wallace finds himself at the home of Howard Howe (Michael Parks), who promises to tell great tales of the adventures of his life.

 

What unfolds from there is a rather strange film in which Howe, the film's antagonist, tries to turn Wallace into a Walrus, which he affectionately refers to as "Mr. Tusk".  I'll hand it to Kevin Smith, the makeup effects were rather good, especially on what I would imagine to be a smaller budget than your traditional creature feature.  Parks is the real showstopper here, though, taking the crazy that he so brilliantly performed in Kevin Smith's excellent RED STATE and turning it up several notches.  Justin Long does his usual schtick (not a bad thing) until he begins the transformation, at which point he really goes above and beyond and does a great job of maintaining some semblance of humanity while being turned into a horrendous-looking monster.

 

Also on hand are Haley Joel Osment as Wallace's best friend Teddy and Genesis Rodriguez as his girlfriend Ally.  They are both solid in support and really help carry the film in the middle when we are taken away from Howe and Wallace's situation for a long stretch to introduce Johnny Depp's strange detective character.  I liked Depp's performance and he does a good job along with Osment and Rodriguez of helping bring things to a conclusion through their investigation, but some scenes with him go on too long and feel as though they're there to make up for the fact that perhaps the main storyline was heading towards its conclusion a bit too quickly.

 

Even with some of these issues, TUSK is a rather inventive and oddly funny horror film that is one of the better entries in the genre this year.  Between this and RED STATE, Smith has shown some talent in the horror arena and I hope that he continues dabbling in it, even though comedy is his forte.  

 

I'm also rather surprised that Smith was able to get Fleetwood Mac to license the song "Tusk" for him to use in the film.  Given how seriously Lindsey Buckingham takes himself, I'm rather shocked that he would approve of the song finding its way into the film, especially in the film's over-the-top climax.  But, it does make for the perfect song to play over the finale, so good work by Smith in that department.

 

3.5/5

[DaveBond21]

Diamonds are Forever (1971)

 

This is not one of my favourites, and after a gap of about 5 years, I watched this again. It certainly ushers in the humour and car chase-based action that we saw a lot of in the 70's films. It also features the reactions of incompetent US cops, something that every 70's and early 80's action movie seemed to include when I was a kid.

 

Connery is nowhere near as intense as his portrayal of 007 as he was for Dr No and FRWL; indeed this interpretation could easily have been played by Roger Moore.

 

There are only a few good moments - the fight with Franks, the Las Vegas car chase and the explosions on the oil rig (including more good helicopter work), but the bad elements include poor Bond girls, a weak villain, too many lame scenes in the hotel & Vegas attractions, and this must be the Bond with the least attractive scenery.

 

Certainly near the bottom of my list.

[tdalton]

The Babadook (2014)
THE BABADOOK is a horror film from Australian director Jennifer Kent, starring Essie Davis as Amelia and Noah Wiseman as her son Samuel. As we meet our two protagonists, it's clear from the outset that everything is not all right with them. Amelia is a nurse who is trying desperately to raise Samuel on her own after the death of his father, but Samuel's behavior grows more and more erratic, eventually leading to him being pulled out of school.

Samuel has an obsession with his makeshift weapons that he feels will ward off the monster that he claims to be stalked by in the early going of the film. Amelia chalks it up to an overactive imagination or cries for attention, knowing that there's not actually anything really going on.

This changes when Samuel asks Amelia to read him a bedtime story, one of his own choosing. He chooses a book that he just happened to find on his bookshelf titled "Mr. Babadook". The book is a pop-up book and a rather horrifying one at that. Filled wit ghoulish images and threatening words, the story scares Samuel and unsettles Amelia, eventually leading her to burn the book in a grill in the backyard.

From here, Kent grips hold of the viewer and doesn't let go, playing with the audience's expectations of the horror genre. In the pop-up book, we get full-on visuals of the Babadook in illustrated form, leading the viewer to dread what the actual being looks like in the flesh. Those expectations are toyed with as we get glimpses here and there of the monster, each time just as chilling as the last, but never a truly good look at it. Usually this would be a problem in a film like this, but each time the monster shows up and gives us a glimpse, it's unnerving, perhaps made even more so by the viewer filling in the pieces with the knowledge already learned from the book.

But, in the end, it's really the actions of Amelia and Samuel that lend to most of the film's horror, as we see the "presence" of the Babadook drive Amelia further and further into madness, to the point that the monster becomes something of a metaphor for her own pain and demons even as it supposedly terrorizes the two of them in a physical sense as well.

Davis and Wiseman are excellent in their roles as mother and son and Kent does a phenomenal job of keeping the tension thick for the duration of the film. There are some jump scares in the film, but for the most part THE BABADOOK relies on its atmosphere and the stakes being raised for both Amelia and Samuel as its primary source of horror, and the film is all the better for it.

5/5

[tdalton]

Life After Beth (2014)
LIFE AFTER BETH is a romantic-comedy set in a sort of zombie apocalypse. Beth (Aubrey Plaza) goes hiking and we find out soon after that she's died of a snake bite she suffered on the hike. Her parents, Maury (John C. Reilly) and Geenie (Molly Shannon), along with her boyfriend Zach (Dane DeHaan) are devestated, all having things that they wished that they could have said to her. Maury and Zach bond over chess on one of the nights following the funeral, which seemingly begins to provide both characters with some kind of comfort moving forward. The next day, however, everything changes when Zach discovers that Beth is still alive or, rather, has been "resurrected".

LIFE AFTER BETH isn't really a zombie film, at least not in the traditional DAWN OF THE DEAD way of thinking about zombie films, but is rather a film about Beth and Zach and their relationship as it deteriorates all over again after seemingly having been on that path prior to Beth's death. Plaza is excellent as Beth, at first subtly displaying that things are not quite right with her before hitting the appropriate amount of over-the-top wackiness once she turns full on zombie by the end of the film. DeHaan is the audience's window into this world and he's a sympathetic character, but at times the performance feels a little one-note.

Overall, I liked LIFE AFTER BETH, but I don't feel as though it worked as well as it could have. At times it feels just a bit flat and it feels like they could have maybe done a bit more with it. The relationship at the center of the film is very well done, it's just everything on the periphery is almost a bit too caricature to help the audience fully buy into the world of the film. Still, LIFE AFTER BETH is a solid hour and a half of entertainment featuring a really good performance from Aubrey Plaza.

3/5

[DaveBond21]

Live and Let Die (1973)

 

As part of my marathon, it was time for the 8th Bond. This is the film I have probably seen the most, as it always seemed to be on TV when I was a kid in the 1980's.

 

This means there are no surprises for me. It is certainly different from all the rest.

 

I did notice the similarities between this one and Dr No - both set partially in Jamaica, death of a British agent at the beginning, Quarrel, Felix, checking the hotel room for bugs, hiding the boat.

 

It could almost be a non-Bond film; this really could be any British agent working with the Americans on a drug bust, but at the same time it features classic Bondian elements like 007 smoking a cigar while hang gliding and the bus chase!

 

Good fun but not really a typical Bond movie.

[tdalton]

The Lego Movie (2014)
THE LEGO MOVIE is an excellent animated feature from directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, featuring a terrific voice cast which includes Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Liam Neeson, Will Ferrell, and Morgan Freeman, amongst others.

The film tells the story of Emmet (Pratt), a construction worker who is about as average as average gets. He falls down a large hole at the construction site after being surprised by Wyldstyle (Banks) who is trespassing on the site, and finds a mysterious lego piece under ground known as the "Piece of Resistance". He touches it and then passes out.

By touching the "Piece of Resistance", which is a red lego piece, Emmet has fulfilled the prophesy of Vitruvius (Freeman), a wizard who predicted that someone known as "the Special" would find the Piece of Resistance, which is the only hope for stopping a super-weapon known as The Kragle, which President Business (Ferrell) plans to unleash upon the several worlds of the Lego universe to destroy everything once and for all. Emmet must find a way to convince everyone that he is in fact "the Special", something he doesn't believe himself and nobody else does either, especially Batman (Arnett, who does a superb send-up of Christian Bale's Batman).

THE LEGO MOVIE, while on the surface being something aimed at children, is a terrific film for anyone. It's very funny throughout, thanks in large part to Liam Neeson's "Bad Cop/Good Cop" and Arnett's Batman, and the film has a very good and thoughtful story running underneath of the comedy. The animation is unique and absolutely superb. The fact that THE LEGO MOVIE was not nominated for Best Animated Feature at this year's Academy Awards is a joke and, quite frankly, the Academy should be ashamed of themselves for this oversight. Heck, given the expansion of the Best Picture field to a possible 10 nominations, one could even make the argument for THE LEGO MOVIE making an appearance there, but it's exclusion from the Best Animated Feature field is appalling.

4.5/5

[DaveBond21]

The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)

 

Part of my marathon - Bond number 9.

 

This could have been quite a dark 007 movie, if the comic relief is taken away. Remove the scenes involving Sheriff Pepper, karate school girls and Nick Nack and it turns into a more serious spy film. However the plot is basically all about setting up the final dual between Bond and Scaramanga.

 

Good stunts, nice atmosphere, Roger Moore with a mean streak. It's good fun but it's not as good as the next one TSWLM - I will be watching it at the weekend.

[tdalton]

The Town that Dreaded Sundown (2014)

4/5

 

The Town that Dreaded Sundown is a sequel of sorts to the original The Town that Dreaded Sundown that was released in 1976.  The original The Town that Dreaded Sundown was loosely based on true events of a serial killer that was never caught, and took place in Texarkana, a town split in two along the Texas/Arkansas border.  In 2014's The Town that Dreaded Sundown, we find ourselves once again in Texarkana and in a cinematic world in which the original film not only exists, but is screened at the local drive-in each year as a kind of warped reminder of the tragic events brought upon Texarkana by the Phantom Killer.

 

The 2014 film begins at one of these screenings at the drive-in, where we meet Jami (Addison Timlin), who is there with one of the seemingly popular boys in the town, Corey.  She asks Corey to leave the screening because she's not enjoying the film and the two drive out to a secluded "lovers' lane", where they talk for a bit before getting more involved with each other.  It is at this point that the Phantom Killer makes his grand entrance to the story, setting off a town-wide panic after he kills Corey and lets Jami live, so long as she goes back to town in order to "make them remember".  

 

The local police investigate but another murder happens a while later, leading to Texas Ranger Morales (Anthony Anderson) to take over the investigation from the two police departments on either side of the state line.  Most of the investigating, however, ends up being done by Jami herself, who becomes determined to unmask the new Phantom Killer.

 

The Town that Dreaded Sundown is directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, who makes his feature debut with this film and he does a fantastic job.  The film is tense throughout and the Phantom Killer is always a menacing presence, even when he's not on camera.  Usually it's easy to figure out who the masked killer in these films is, but that's not the case here.  There is doubt cast, often very subtly, upon a wide range of people without it ever feeling as though it's a red-herring.   The fact that it could be literally anyone, coupled with the looming presence of the Phantom Killer that Gomez-Rejon keeps hovering over Texarkana, makes every scene that takes place after dark especially tense, even when it's rather mundane activities that are taking place such as talking outside in the driveway or getting into a car.

 

The acting is also terrific and Gomez-Rejon brings together a nice collection of actors to fill out Texarkana.  Addison Timlin is a fantastic leading lady in Jami, giving the audience a very real protagonist to pull for and is very much cut from the same cloth as other determined "final girls" like Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween or, more recently, Jocalin Donahue from Ti West's The House of the Devil.  Veteran actors Gary Cole, as a sheriff's deputy, and Edward Herrmann (in his second to last role before his unfortunate death) really help to bring Texarkana to life and make it feel like more than your typical small town that we often see invaded by a masked killer in one horror film after another.  

 

The horror genre has had a rough go of it the last few years, but 2014 has seen something of an upswing in quality for the genre.  Between The Babadook, The Sacrament, Tusk, and now The Town that Dreaded Sundown, the genre hasn't had a bad year.  Hopefully Alfonso Gomez-Rejon continues working in the genre, because this version of The Town that Dreaded Sundown is one of the best slasher films to come along in a while.

 

 

The Bag Man (2014)

3.5/5

The Bag Man is a thriller directed by David Grovic and stars John Cusack and Robert De Niro.  The film begins with Dragna (De Niro) tasking hitman Jack (Cusack) to go to a secluded motel and retrieve a bag for him in exchange for a decidedly large sum of money.  Dragna sets certain stipulations for the mission, which include requiring that Jack check into Room #13 at the motel and that he must not look inside the bag.  That last point is a very important point and is brought up time and time again throughout The Bag Man.

 

Cusack's Jack is a professional and tries not to deviate from the plan.  He's diligent about not looking int he bag, even though his curiosity builds throughout the film, and he goes above and beyond to make sure that he meets the terms of the agreement, such as bribing the hotel attendant several hundred dollars to move him to Room 13 and to reconnect his telephone line.  Still, nothing comes easy for Jack, especially when he meets Rivka (Rebecca Da Costa) who interferes, somewhat innocently, with his plans, but ultimately becomes an ally for for Jack despite his attempts to get her to leave.

 

There are a few twists and turns in The Bag Man, so saying too much more about the film might spoil the later stages of the film, but I must say that I was pleasantly surprised by this one.  I just happened to come across it on Netflix and saw that Cusack and De Niro were in it and decided to give it a shot.  It's a very well done thriller with a rather noir-ish vibe throughout while also recalling films like Cusack's own Identity and the 2007 Kate Beckinsale film Vacancy.  Cusack is great as always and De Niro does a nice job of walking a thin line between menace and camp that works quite well, even going so far as to say that it was an episode of Full House that caused him to enter a life of crime (a line that is funny and actually does work in context).  

 

Ultimately, The Bag Man is a nice surprise of a film that deserves more attention than what it's gotten so far.  It's a story that keeps the audience interest throughout and has some nice twists and turns along the way, making for an entertaining hour and a half.

[Call Billy Bob]

The Town that Dreaded Sundown (2014)

4/5

This was a great film. Plus, I always love seeing my home state get some love on film. Shots of State Line Avenue and the Texarkana Courthouse gave me that little extra thrill of seeing somewhere you've been to many times being showcased in a big production.

[x007AceOfSpades]

Fatal Attraction - 1987 - 4/5 - Directed by Adrian Lyne - starring Michael Douglas and Glenn Close

"If you ever come near my family again, I'll kill you. Do you understand?"

 

Alex Forrest (Glenn Close) is a nightmare for ever man out there. Especially a married man. Dan Gallagher (Michael Douglas) is an attorney living in Manhattan with his wife, Beth (Anne Archer) and daughter Ellen (Ellen Hamilton Latzen). When Beth and Ellen go out of town for a weekend, Dan has starts up a fling with Alex Forrest which turns into an affair. Believing it was just a small thing, Alex wont stop clinging to him. You think Alex is just a lonely, middle aged woman, and you feel sympathetic towards her. Then she slashes her wrists. Red flags go up there. She starts calling him non-stop at work and his home. Alex then begins to stalk his family and begins to torture the once simple, happy life he had.

The message behind all of this? Don't. Cheat. Especially with a crazy person.

 

Fatal Attraction is quite the film. It really is. It manages to be dramatic, erotic, and downright scary. Though Michael Douglas gives a great performance, he is easily outshined by Glenn Close in this film. Once the film picks up and she begins to bring everything he has down, that's when the fun starts. At that point, it's her show. She pulls off being a psychologically crazed woman. She's obsessed with Dan and won't stop at nothing until she has him. Even if it means hurting those around him.

 

The film does a great job of building up the suspense and initially downplaying Alex. We think she might be bi-polar, but then she turns into a crazy fucking psycho. This is all in thanks to the great script by James Dearden and the top notch direction by Adrian Lyne that take the material and these characters and handle them properly. That's what ultimately makes Fatal Attraction such a great film and a terrific thriller.

 

"You play fair with me, I'll play fair with you."

 

American Psycho - 2000 - 4.5/5 - Directed by Mary Harron - starring Christian Bale and Willem Dafoe

"You're a f****** ugly b****. I want to stab you to death, and then play around with your blood."

 

Originally, I was going to review one of the films in my top four (don't ask, I still don't know which one I was going to choose), but I decided to go with something different. I decided to review American Psycho instead, which was the better choice. American Psycho is just one of those films, that never gets old. I've seen it enough times, and it gets better with each viewing. Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) is a young, wealthy investment banker living in late 1980's Manhattan. He has a beautiful fiancee, Evelyn (Reese Witherspoon), a circle of friends. Patrick Bateman has everything he could want. Though there's a darker side to him, as Bateman leads a secret life a serial killer.

 

Did Patrick Bateman killed anyone? Yes, he did. Bateman is a yuppie, an insane one who can be pushed over to the edge pretty quickly. Such as the business card scene for example. It does a great job of examining the culture and identity. Yuppies all look the same, which is why Bateman is constantly referred to different names of other yuppies. There is no identity amongst them, they all look the same, act the same, etc. Bateman has a specific routine that he follows and never breaks it. He strives to be a standout person amongst his friends, but more importantly, amongst everyone.

 

Even after killing several people he leaves a message on his lawyer's answering machine admitting to everything. When he speaks to the lawyer, he is mistaken again. There's no identity, and has Bateman says in his closing monologue, he eludes punishment because he simply isn't real. Doesn't mean it was all a fake, it means that it was all covered it. He escaped punishment because of his status of an ego-centric yuppie. None of it was in his head. Because of his status in a society that is equally as narcissistic as Bateman, he can get away with anything.

 

Everything his all aided by a terrific performance by Christian Bale who plays Patrick Bateman very smoothly. He portrays this character with relative ease. He can come off as smug prick, that you just love to hate. Then a minute later play a complete psychopath that is hilariously evil to witness. The dialogue speaks volumes, and Bale is wonderful. Hearing him talk and how smooth he his with his words and how articulate he is just further adds to how great he really captures this character. The script is equally great with a slight satirical look on American society as well as motifs and messages throughout, that really propels the film higher through layers and depth.

 

I think it's safe to say that American Psycho is one of the finest American films to come out in the last twenty years. It's top-notch directing all throughout, with a killer leading performances from Bale, and a great script that makes a fun, twisted dark comedy.

 

"I have to return some videotapes."

 

Milius - 2013 - 3/5 - Directed by Joey Figueroa and Zak Knutson - starring John Milius.

As far as documentaries goes, Milius wasn't bad at all. I've heard about John Milius and his work, such as Conan The Barbarian, Apocalypse Now, and Red Dawn. What I Learned was some of his other work, be it director and/or writer, or just plain old script doctoring. I was under the impression that Milius was going to present an unbiased look at his career and look at both sides, however, most of it is just praise. After that, towards the end, the film does literally a 180 and practically becomes the subject of an attack on Milius and the downside of his career. All in all, Milius is still a well made documentary, an entertaining one too, though I was probably expecting more than what I got.

 

Devil's Pass - 2013 - 0/5 - Directed by Renny Harlin - starring Holly Goss and Gemma Atkinson

I saw this on Netflix, and while the star rating should've indicated that this was going to be awful, I should've stayed away. Why didn't I? I saw that it was directed by Renny Harlin. Now, I'm not a fan of Harlin, I don't like much of his filmography, and the only film from him that I absolutely love is Cliffhanger. In my opinion, He doesn't have a good track record.

Devil's Pass follows five college students from the U.S. who travel to the Ural Mountains in Russia to trace the steps of the Dyatlov Nine. The Dyatlov Nine were nine skiers who had mysteriously died on February 2nd, 1959. While the college students retrace the steps, it appears that the Dyatlov Nine may have been involved in something far more terrifying.

 

The film tries to infuse a real life incident with another incident (The Philly Experiment) along with some original, fictional incident in hopes of creating a chilling, science fiction horror film. Wrong. It's incredibly boring as nothing really happens throughout the entire film and everything that the five college students come across is purely coincidental. Instead we get an incredibly boring film that is as dull as Harlin's attempt to actually create something interesting. The only decent part of the film is of course the last twenty minutes or so of the film. However, it's too late, as by that point there's nothing worth salvaging.

 

Devil's Pass could have possibly tried to be an interesting film on the Dyatlov Pass Incident, but in the end, a bad script turns this into S*** from Renny Harlin.

 

The Punisher - 1989 - 2.5/5 - Directed by Mark Goldblatt - starring Dolph Lundgren and Louis Gossett Jr.

"Mr. P, happy hunting!"

 

I'm not really sure what propelled me to re-watch the 1989 Punisher film with Dolph Lundgren. I remember watching this ten years ago on DVD before the 2004 film came out and really liking it. Years have passed, a decade in fact, and there's no denying that this film is incredibly cheesy. There's really not much redeeming quality to it. It really just has the name of the titular character, and nothing else. It works best as a mindless 1980's action film, but as a comic book film, it's bad.

 

Dolph Lundgren plays Frank Castle or "The Punisher", a man who's family was killed in a car bomb placed by the mob. For the last five years he's been raging a one man war against organized crime. His former partner, Jake (Louis Gossett, Jr.) leads The Punisher Task Force with the police department looking to aprehand him. Meanwhile, the Yakuza and the Franco crime families are at war with each other, and Castle is in the middle looking to end both families reign of crime.

 

Lundgren's performance as Frank Castle isn't actually horrible at all. He puts in the effort and really does his, despite the script being lesser quality. As far as adaptions go, it doesn't really follow any particular story arc at all. This could've easily been an action vehicle for any action star. The only difference is the name "The Punisher" has just been slapped on the cover. Hell, Castle doesn't even have the signature skull emblem on his shirt/armor. While I'm giving this two and a half stars, it's still entertaining and ultra violent. Maybe not as extreme as say Punisher: War Zone, but the action scenes in the film are all done really well. However, as a fan of comic book character, It's just simply mediocre. I still like it, but not as much compared to the other two Punisher films.

 

"What the f*** do you call 125 murders in 5 years?" "Work in Progress."

 

The Punisher - 2004 - 3/5 - Directed by Jonathan Hensleigh - starring Thomas Jane and John Travolta

"'Si vis pacem, para bellum - If you want peace, prepare for war.'"

 

The best way to look at Jonathan Hensleigh's 2004 film, The Punisher is like Death Wish. It's a significant upgrade and reboot of the character from the 1989 Dolph Lundgren film. While it surely isn't violent, It tells a certain side of the character that is enjoyable to watch, even if the material is sparsely used and largely original.

 

Undercover for the FBI, Agent Frank Castle (Thomas Jane) and fellow agents arrest Mickey Duka (Eddie Jemison) during an arms deal that went wrong and left Duka's partner, Bobby Saint (James Carpinello) killed. Retiring from the FBI, Castle and his family are to start a new life, but not before having a family reunion in Puerto Rico. Bobby's ruthless gangster father, Howard Saint (John Travolta) pledges revenge and sends his men, and other son, John (also Carpinello) to murder Castle and his whole family. After a huge massacre, Castle is left for dead, but manages to survive. He vows to avenge the death of his family by destroying all that Saint has built and killing him.

 

The Punisher is my all time favorite comic book character. I've talked about him in several reviews and such, so I'll keep it sparse. I remember my dad keeping me home from school and taking me to the matinee showing of The Punisher on April 16th, 2004 and I had a blast. I had seen the Lundgren film before this and liked it, but this film left me in awe. Eleven years later, while I still enjoy it, I don't praise it as highly as I used to. The biggest problem lies in the script. It was smart to show his family killed, and I liked that part. However, going full Death Wish is one of the biggest problems. This Punisher film is more of a character study. A study on a man who had it all, then lost it all - tragically. We see his anger, pain, depression, all of it, and Thomas Jane does a great job as Castle. However, the Frank Castle I know wouldn't be an overly emotional, distraught man like in this film. I can see why this route was chosen to prevent the character from being just a mindless vigilante.

 

This film takes inspiration mainly from the "Welcome Back Frank" series along with "Year One". The Carbone crime family has been replaced with Howard Saint & Co and the character is now a Gulf War veteran instead of a Vietnam vet. The characters of Joan & Bumpo & and Dave are in it an all play their important roles. Hell, even the character of the Russian (Kevin Nash) is in the film. When I say the material is sparsely used, I'm talking about how much of it is really non-existent. It's really original, though using some familiar faces. While the setting is changed and such, it's still a step up from the 1989 film. Unfortunately, The film had a low budget and a lot of ideas/plans were scrapped. This is one of the reasons why it takes place in Florida and not New York, due to budgetary reasons.

 

The Punisher is more of a slow burn action film. There's a shootout or two in the film, but the biggest action scene (which lasts maybe five minutes) is saved for last. The action scenes are all done very well and highly entertaining. They aren't as bloody or say gory, as in the comic, but they are fun to watch. Hensleigh's gritty, almost western style approach, while it's interesting to look at, It really doesn't do this type of character justice. I'm not saying it's bad, but painting Frank Castle to be this lone gunman or cowboy that you're trying to make similar to something of a Sergio Leone western just doesn't work with a guy like Castle.

 

While I'm giving this three stars, It's still a very good comic film. If I was posting this back in 2004, I'd be giving this an easy five stars just over being "wowed" easily". This is one that I will enjoy, but I still won't look highly towards. I like Jane's performance, and a few other things, but for the most part, I strongly feel Punisher: War Zone is the much more superior Punisher film.

 

"Those who do evil to others - the killers, the rapists, psychos, sadists - you will come to know me well. Frank Castle is dead. Call me... The Punisher."

 

Punisher: War Zone - 2008 - 5/5 - Directed by Lexi Alexander - starring Ray Stevenson and Dominic West

"Let me put you out of my misery."

 

After several failed attempts to follow up on Jonathan Hensleigh's Punisher film, Lionsgate decided to just go ahead a reboot the character. Especially so soon, four years in between films, a trouble production, script issues, etc. It would sound as if Punisher: War Zone was destined to be a giant failure. Thanks to a creative team and a director who understands the source material and the character of The Punisher, we are subjected to finally receiving one of the finest comic book films and finest action films ever made. Even if it is violent as hell.

 

For the last five years, Frank Castle (Ray Stevenson) has a sworn a life of vigilantism and has waged a one-man war on organized crime in New York City after his family was killed in a picnic. After killing Gaitano Cesare, Castle finds Billy Russoti (Dominic West) and throws him into a glass crushing machine, which shreds his face up. After accidentally killing an undercover agent, Nick Donatelli (Romano Orzari), The FBI sends in Paul Budiansky (Colin Salmon) to join Detective Martin Soap (Dash Mihok) and the "Punisher Task Force" to bring down Castle. Meanwhile, Russoti, after having extensive work that leaves his face looking grotesque, he dons the moniker "Jigsaw" and sets out to find and kill Castle.

 

It should be noted that Punisher: War Zone is by far different in terms of style and tone when compared to the 1989 and 2004 films. While Jonathan Hensleigh tried his best at bringing the character to life, it ultimately didn't capture the true violent, sadistic nature of The Punisher. Punisher: War Zone feels a comic book turned to life, as that's the best way to look at it. Taking it's name from the "War Zone" comic series and inspiration from the Punisher MAX series, War Zone, is utterly violent like it's comic book counterpart. It's bloody, it's gory, and action packed, it's everything that made the character standout from the rest of the pack.

 

When I say this film had a troubled production in just four years, I'm not joking. What was supposed to be sequel, ended up going through so many screenplay drafts and a change of directors and style. Ultimately, Thomas Jane left as really, no progress was being made. Rebooting seemed logical, and the final team brought on board really did a fantastic job of nailing the character and his world. Of course it's much more violent, and darkly humorous than the 2004 film, that was how the comic series was in the first place; not some Death Wish/Western film. When the film starts, we're thrust right into the action, no need of showing Castle's back story. We all know the story and the legend of Frank Castle, let's see him kick some a**. The film actually utilizes it's style to it's advantage, becoming more and more like a comic book turned to life. It's a largely dark film, but the color scheme throughout is actually spot on with the MAX series and cinematographer, Steve Gainer really captures the dark, violent beauty of The Punisher. Each action scene is shot and edited with precision, presenting some of the finest action scenes in a coherent manner. Hell, even the music score is great.

 

While Thomas Jane may have looked like Tim Bradstreet's illustrations of The Punisher, Ray Stevenson is and always will be, The Punisher. He looks EXACTLY like the character should and nails this near-emotionless vigilante out for blood. Stevenson read the MAX series and did his research on the character and it translates well on screen. With Jane, I always got the feeling that this was a man out for revenge (and punishment). With Stevenson, it's a man raging a war, but at the same time crosses a line that would make you wonder if Castle is a psychopath, with his extreme methods of violence used. The rest of the casting is spot on, especially Jigsaw. Dominic West really camps it up as Jigsaw, playing the psychotic, disfigured gangster who's Castle's nemesis. Jigsaw is presented in a terrific, albeit silly light here, but you can't help but enjoy West's portrayal as the classic villain. Dash Mihok was brilliantly cast as Soap. The reluctant partner to Castle and bumbling NYPD agent. He acts almost uncannily as his comic book character, counterpart.

 

It's a shame that this tanked at the box office. A December release date was just instant death for this film, and the rights have since reverted back to Marvel Studios. Will we ever see another Punisher film like this? With the way business is handled at Marvel/Disney, no. Maybe a Netflix series like Daredevil and AKA Jessica Jones, but I doubt it. It's clear, Marvel/Disney really don't have room for such a violent character to be alongside some of their other franchises that are much more friendly with audiences. The Punisher may have a hard time connecting with audiences, but not with the true fans. I really cannot stress how much I love the character of The Punisher. While there are other comic book characters that I enjoy reading, or watching on film, The Punisher was the first comic I picked up at a comic store when I was just eight years old. It's a character that I truly love and cherish dearly. Punisher: War Zone is the perfect Punisher film for the perfect Punisher fan.

 

As for the five-star rating. Punisher: War Zone is one of finest comic book films, a guilty pleasure, and just a kick a** film. Let me enjoy it the way I, a Punisher fan is to enjoy it.

 

"No official police procedure. You wanna come along? Leave your badge at home."

 

The X-Files: Fight The Future - 1998 - 3/5 - Directed by Rob Bowman - starring David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson

"Trust no one, Mr. Mulder."

 

I have seen only a handful of episodes when it comes to FOX's television series "The X-Files". The show itself has themes that allude to alien and government conspiracy's as well as an alien colonization. The series format was largely that of a "monster-of-the-week", with the alien and government conspiracy really the being the backbone. With the feature film, The X-Files: Fight The Future, it deals with the alien and government conspiracy in a nearly two hour duration that is a great companion piece to the television series.

 

In 1998 in North Texas a young boy falls down a hole and a mysterious black oil seeps up and into his body. Meanwhile The X-Files Division at the FBI has been closed and Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully (David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, respectively) are reassigned to other projects, especially after a terrorist bomb threat goes off in Dallas, Texas. Mulder comes into contract with Kurtzweil (Martin Landau), a a paranoid doctor who claims the bomb went off to truly cover up how four other people in the Dallas building died. At the hospital morgue, Scully examines one of the victims finding traces of an alien virus found in the hole that dates back to 35,000 BC. Mulder and Scully then go on a hunt for the truth of a conspiracy of a possible alien colonization.

 

I've heard some say that it's best to watch this feature film if you've seen pretty much every episode of the show, leading up to the film. I disagree. Though I haven't seen every episode, I think Fight The Future works just as good as a stand alone film and a companion piece. Of course it'll connect stronger with those that are fans of the television series, but for those who loosely followed, or not, it's still easy to follow. To honest however, Fight The Future is more or less an extended, higher budgeted episode of the show. It could have easily debuted on FOX, but for some reason, was found best suited for cinema screens.

 

The show, of what I've seen, is actually very well done in terms of characters and storytelling. While Fight The Future isn't an extended monster-of-the-week episode, it's still good in it's own right. It plays off of the mythology of colonization and conspiracy that it had established through seasons of the show. I quite liked the conspiracy and a secret syndicate organization involved with the subject material in the film. It's not a highly entertaining film, or rather action packed. It's more suspenseful, but low-key suspense (if that makes sense). The climax of the film in Antarctica is really good however.

 

The X-Files: Fight The Future is obviously a must-see film for any fan of the series. As for casual fans, It is worth watching, especially if you're into science fiction, as the film really is engaging, despite trudging along in some scenes.

 

"Maybe we should call in a bomb threat to Houston. I think it's free beer night at the Astrodome."

 

Dog Day Afternoon - 1975 - 4/5 - Directed by Sidney Lumet - starring Al Pacino and John Cazale

"I'm a Catholic, I don't want to hurt anybody."

 

Al Pacino is by far my favorite actor of all time. While he still does his best today, nothing compares to his classic performances of the 1970's. Dog Day Afternoon is one of his finest performances from prime Pacino, and it reunites Pacino and director Sidney Lumet for another terrific film after the outstanding Serpico.

 

In the summer of 1972 in Brooklyn, New York, Sonny Wortzik (Al Pacino), Sal Naturale (John Cazale) and Stevie (Gary Springer) attempt to rob a bank. What was supposed to take no more than ten minutes, ends up going south quickly. Stevie flees the banks, leaving Sonny and Sal to rob the bank, only to discover that there's only $1,100 in the bank, as they just missed the daily cash pickup. After burning cheques in the bank, suspicious activity is alerted and soon after, 250 cops are outside and everything is being caught on tv news stations. Soon after, everything becomes strange as we find out that Sonny is a first time crook robbing a bank in hopes of gaining enough money to pay for his transsexual wife, Leon Shermer's (Chris Sarandon) operation

 

Everything that could of gone wrong with the Bank robbery, literally went wrong. When the robbery starts, you can sense that Sonny and Sal are a bit nervous, though they have their plan down. As the film and the robbery situation progresses, you then think otherwise. It turned into a media frenzy and became oddly strange and quirky as we learn more of the reasoning's behind it all and as we find out more about Sonny as the film progresses. For a crime film that has almost no action (save for the ending) it's incredibly tense. Lumet really knows when to crank it up and knows when to create exciting, tense moments, and when to infuse humor and balance everything out. He brings the most out of his actors especially in Pacino's Sonny Wortzik who really transforms and fully develops over the course of the entire film. John Cazale who plays Sal is also terrific in Dog Day Afternoon. Despite being in only five films, there's no denying how talented he was. Definitely one of the finest actors to live, even for only starring in five films.

 

Dog Day Afternoon is one of the finest American films to be released. It's forty years old, and I believe it's aged just fine. It's still as tense and entertaining is it was back in 1975, and it's still engaging and captivating.

 

"Bank robbing is a federal offense. You got me on kidnapping, armed robbery. You're gonna bury me, man!"

 

Citizenfour - 2014 - 4/5 - Directed by Laura Poitras - starring Edward Snowden and Glenn Greenwald

"You asked why I picked you. I didn't. You did."

 

One of the beautiful things about Citizenfour is how it plays out for documentary. Most documentaries are on subjects that have either happened or possibly will happened. Citizenfour details with it's subject materials what had happen and what will happen. All through real time. Everything that Edward Snowden tells to filmmaker Laura Poitras and journalist Glenn Greenwald is all captured in real time, and it's incredibly tense and moving to witness. If you followed Snowden's story closely in 2013, then this is probably not worth the time, if that's how you feel. I had known of him and his story briefly, but not to it's fullest extent as I have now watching Citizenfour. It might seem uninteresting, especially since everyone knows who Edward Snowden is now, but it's how everything unraveled and the events that followed the leaks and his public reveal as the sole man responsible that truly make this a very well made, yet provoking documentary.

 

Poitras' work here isn't to paint Snowden as a good guy or a bad guy. That's entirely up to us by the time this documentary is over. Instead, by the way the film transpires over it's nearly two and half hour run time, it lays out the facts and and explains everything to us. It's up to us to either believe that Snowden's actions are justified and respected. Or that he was wrong, and he should be punished. Personally, I think Snowden was beyond courageous for what he did. I believe his actions have made us all look at the government with suspicion in our eyes, and rightfully so. Snowden isn't doing this for fame or for any other reason. He's doing it, because he feels that one person, releasing important information like this can make a difference in time.

 

I happen to agree with him and his reasons for doing what he did.

 

While it'll be interesting to see how Oliver Stone tackles Snowden's story with Joseph Gordon-Levitt playing the lead, but I don't think it'll be anywhere near as captivating or well made as Poitras documentary.

 

"Assume your adversary is capable of one trillion guesses per second."

[DaveBond21]

The Spy who Loved Me (1977)

 

Great fun, especially the first 2/3rds of the movie and the final 10 minutes.

[tdalton]

Horns (2014)

2.5/5

 

Horns is an adaptation of a novel of the same name written by Joe Hill, who also happens to be the son of Stephen King.  I only bring this up because it seems as though Hill has gotten the same kind of luck with his film adaptations so far as his father has for the adaptations of his novels, which is to say that it's very much a mixed bag.

 

Horns tells the story of a man named Ig (Daniel Radcliffe) who is the prime, and only, suspect in the rape and murder of his longtime girlfriend Merrin (Juno Temple).  Ig maintains his innocence, wondering how anyone could think that he's killed his girlfriend since they had been close ever since they were children.  One day, Ig discovers that horns have begun to protrude from his forehead and he has gained the ability read minds and coerce people into sharing their darkest and dirtiest secrets.  After being freaked out by this development at first, Ig begins to embrace the horns and their abilities and sets out to clear his name and find out who really killed his girlfriend.

 

It's this investigation that Ig sets out on that is th main problem with Horns.  For whatever reason, it just doesn't click and is often the least interesting part of the film.  It's all very straightforward, with Ig confronting various people and using the powers on them until he gets the information he wants and then he's on to the next.  This all happens in between scenes that are much stronger.  We get some flashbacks to Ig and Merrin as younger people (played wonderfully by Mitchell Kummen and Sabrina Carpenter, respectively) and see their relationship begin to take shape.  We also see flashbacks to Ig and Merrin as a romantic couple aiming towards a lifetime together, and those scenes are excellent as well, with some terrific work being done by Radcliffe an Temple.

 

Without trying to spoil much, the investigation really suffers because it doesn't come as much of a shock as to where it ultimately ends and we find out whether or not Ig was the one who killed Merrin.  The film continues on past there and really jumps the shark towards the end, leaving the viewer kind of scratching their head a bit.

 

On the whole, Horns is something of a mess of a film.  First, there's a lot there to like.  Radcliffe is good, even if his performance has been overrated by quite a few, and Juno Temple is superb in her limited screentime.  Even with such little screen time, she stands out ahead of everyone.  The same can be said for David Morse, who can now boast that he's been in adaptations of both Hill's and King's, who is tremendous in his 2-3 scenes as Temple's character's grieving father.  When Horns is at its best, it's in the scenes that aren't really a part of the whole fantasy/horror element that is the foundation of the story.  It's those scenes between Radcliffe and Temple that are the real backbone of the film and are where the film is at its best.  Radcliffe does a fine job of carrying the film on his own shoulders, sometimes dragging the flawed script behind him towards the finish line, and he does an admirable job of that in the long stretches of Temples' absence from the film.

 

But, I think it's the somewhat simple, connect-the-dots nature of Ig's investigation that really hampers Horns and keeps it from being the terrific film that its excellent premise and standout cast promise it to be.  I've seen commentary that suggests that the film is a somewhat loose adaptation of Hill's novel, so if the film has done one thing, it's gotten me interested to read Horns, as the premise of Hill's story and the two characters at the hart of it, are quite good indeed.

 

 

 

 

[DaveBond21]

Moonraker (1979)

 

The marathon continues. Moonraker is actually pretty serious until the Gondola chase, and actually is quite serious overall if you do some simple editing to scenes - cutting out the reactions to the "Bondola", Jaws flapping his arms like wings, Jaws meeting Dolly, Drax's henchman landing in the British Airways billboard and the fight with the python.

 

Otherwise it's a really good adventure. Of course the villain's plot is as over-the-top as you can get and it's basically a remake of TSWLM but there is alot more to Moonraker than meets the eye. I also love the scenery and colour in this movie, and would actually have preferred to have seen more of the Rio carnival dancers than the space station.

 

Indeed, it is fun to imagine a Moonraker where the action never moves into outer space and there is one more action scene in Brazil before 007 dispatches Drax over a waterfall.

[tdalton]

Locke (2014)

3/5

Locke is essentially a one-man play put on film by writer/director Steven Knight, which finds Ivan Locke (Tom Hardy) driving towards his destination while talking on the phone to various people about various things.

 

If that sounds boring, then I'd have to agree.  Locke starts out very slow.  It's somewhat tedious at first, until it drops its bombshell twist on the audience a short while into the film.  At that point, Locke becomes compelling.

 

What makes Locke compelling is, firstly, Hardy's performance.  But, I would argue that it's the performances of the supporting actors that we never actually see, but only hear as voices on the phone, that make Locke as compelling as it is.

 

The biggest problem here, which keeps Locke from being the kind of masterpiece that its talent level and its premise demand, is that Ivan Locke is an intensely unlikeable character.  It's not really spoiling anything to say that the film is primarily about Locke's life beginning to crumble around him, as I believe it says as much in the various synopses of the film that are out there.  The problem is, it's really hard to feel a whole lot of sympathy for him when he completely brings it upon himself.  I get the feeling that Hardy and Knight are looking to elicit sympathy for the title character, but the only sympathy that anyone should be able to muster up would be for the people on the other end of the phone line with him.  He's touted as this great guy, but treats quite literally everyone in the film like dirt, often lording himself over them as a vastly superior being who is nothing more than a pretentious know-it-all and a do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do hypocrite.  

 

Don't get me wrong, Hardy's performance is good, and I'd lay a lot of the blame for Locke being an insufferable jerk on Knight's script, but it's the fact that it's impossible to feel a lot of sympathy for Locke that keeps the film from reaching its true potential.  There's no real moral dilemma here in terms of whether the viewer should find themselves feeling sorry for Locke or not, no moral question at the center of this story that you could argue for or against. 

 

In the end, Locke gets a 3 out of 5 from me for the performance of its star, which is very good and manages to carry the film reasonably well, the performance of its supporting cast, and the originality of the concept.  Had the material been stronger, Locke could have been a masterpiece, but that's ultimately where Locke fails.

[x007AceOfSpades]

Blackhat - 2015 - 4.5/5 - Directed by Michael Mann - starring Chris Hemsworth and Wang Leehom

"That's what you're doing. Isn't it, you son of a b****."

 

Finally, I have been able to catch Michael Mann's latest outing Blackhat. I had been quite busy and had a full plate when this initially came out on the sixteenth of January, and after it bombed at the box office, I pretty much knew my time was extremely limited to seeing this on the big screen. Well, I finally got that chance, strangely, and I'm still in awe. What have I just witnessed? Blackhat is simply outstanding, another impressive feature from such a brilliant filmmaker like Mann.

 

At a nuclear plant in Hong Kong, China, a hacker causes coolant pumps to overheat and explode. Soon after, the trade exchange in Chicago is hacked. The Chinese government teams up with the FBI and comes to the determine that the hack was done remotely. Chinese military officer, Chen Dawai (Wang Leehom) looks into the code and sees that it uses pieces that he built with his old friend, Nicholas Hathaway (Chris Hemsworth), who is currently serving thirteen years in prison for cyber crimes. The FBI agrees to Hathaway's terms and he is brought onto the investigation team to locate the cyber terrorist(s) involved, led by paramilitary, Elias Kassar (Ritchie Coster), as they travel throughout the States and Asia.

 

The timing couldn't have been more perfect. With the massive Sony hacks/leaks still looming in the air and cyber terrorism becoming increasingly more relevant, Blackhat was perfectly timed. Unfortunately, It also received the dreaded January dumping zone for films. Universal had set a January 2015 released well over a year before release, and while it was still fresh in post-production. Did they not believe in the film? That's the only case I could've seen. They must've figured it wouldn't have resonated well with viewers. It was marketed as a just an action/cyber thriller, and I couldn't tell you how many people laughed at the trailer for this when I saw John Wick.

 

Blackhat is an action film, and a very smart one at that. It plays to it's strengths very well, and never tries to come off as introverted. It's another visual feast for the eyes from Mann, but what really drew me in was the story. Blackhat could have been a tiresome, basic film, but it's story is highly intuitive and expertly told. It's not simple, despite being, and the story is always developing, and new information is swept across the screen. Despite what critics say, Blackhat really is a smart, taught thriller, and one that is perfect for this generation and time. Technology is ever changing and terrorism and warfare is always evolving to new grounds. Blackhat in my opinion, couldn't have been better.

 

There's a certain beauty to watching violence in a Michael Mann film unfold on screen. The man doesn't just know how to film the action, but rather submerse you. Mann really knows how to film a fricking shootout. I recently watched Miami Vice on Blu-Ray and that climatic shootout, still gives me goosebumps. The three major action sequences in Blackhat were probably the most intense time I've had during a movie. The muzzle flash engulfs the screen, and gunfire just takes over, all that surrounds is just chaos. The Shek O shootout was crazy and the climax was intense as hell.

 

I was really surprised from Chris Hemsworth here. Who says hackers can't be tall and muscular and are supposed to be nerdy? I thought Hemsworth was perfect as Hathaway, and it's definitely some of the finest acting I've seen from him. Hathaway is a character that is driven by emotions. Nearly every character here is driven by their emotional instinct. Hathaway finds himself drawn to Lien Chen (Tang Wei), as does she. It's easy to dismiss it and view it as a way of trying to humanize Hathaway easily. I found it to actually be refreshing and not forced, and I understand what it meant for the two of them.

 

No one does digital cinematography in my opinion, better than Michael Mann. They just have such a raw, visceral look that in my opinion only makes the experience all the more real and exciting. Mann captures each locale beautifully, and the climax, the Balinese Nyepi Day celebration is probably one of the finest shot edited scenes I've seen from Mann yet. Blackhat is stylistic as hell, and I would say it echoes some shades of Miami Vice a bit and has some fantastic compositions. The soundtrack, though comprising mainly of Ryan Amon's score from Elysium matches the film. I'd still like to hear what Harry Gregson-Williams and Atticus Ross had initially prepared, but I'm happy with the final soundtrack used.

 

I don't want to continue going on, because I'll start rambling, if I haven't already. Ultimately, I absolutely loved Blackhat. I think it's yet another impressive outing from the auteur that is Michael Mann, and through time, others will come to love it and greatly praise and appreciate it, much like Miami Vice. Michael Mann may have been away for nearly six years, but he was never gone. Does Blackhat spell the end for his career? Absolutely not. Mann definitely isn't showing any signs of slowing down or delivering a less than stellar product. He'll always be a brilliant filmmaker. One that I am proud to have met. One that I will always flock to see his work.

 

Blackhat is outstanding.

 

"It's not about money, or ones, or zeroes, or code."

 

Wild Card - 2015 - 3/5 - Directed by Simon West - starring Jason Statham and Michael Angarano

"You're not supposed to love Vegas. It's just this creeping virus people catch sometimes."

 

Looking at the poster for this, you'll be quick to assume that Simon West's Wild Card is just another action vehicle for Jason Statham. You're partially right. It's a remake of the 1986 Burt Reynolds films, Heat which is in turn based on the novel of the said name by William Goldman who wrote the screenplay for both films. Wild Card is part crime drama and part action film, with some iffy choices in direction, but all around, a solid film under Statham's belt.

 

Nick Wild (Jason Statham) is a recovering gambling addict in Las Vegas, Nevada. To support his addiction, he takes on odd jobs, such as showing around a self-made millionaire, Cyrus Kinnick (Michael Angarano) around town and serving as a bodyguard while he gambles. Nick gets himself caught up with a deadly plot of revenge after a friend, Holly (Dominik Garcia-Lorido) is attacked and raped by Danny DeMarco (Milo Ventimiglia) and his men. Nick agrees to help Holly find DeMarco, all while trying to support his addiction and eventually leave town for good.

 

I had originally been set to attend a screening of this back in February of 2014 when it was originally titled Heat. Some stuff happened, and long story short, ended up not being able to see it. Instead I ended up seeing RoboCop for a second time, because there was fucking nothing else playing. Anyways. I was under the impression this was going to be more of a crime drama film, than just a straight forward action film from Statham. That's what attracted me to it, since it's be something new for him, and would jump-start him in a different light. Unfortunately, for seasoned director and writer, Simon West and William Goldman, they don't know what to do.

 

The film works at it's best when It's focused on anything but the action scenes. When it's all about Nick Wild, and Statham's great performance, that's when it works best. It really becomes this character driven film, about a man taking odd jobs, trying to cope with his addiction, all while trying to get out of this hell known as Las Vegas. The tone of the film shifts dramatically when the action seeps in. It's entertaining, yeah, but it is incredibly silly and really unnecessary. We know Nick Wild is a badass, so why do we need to see it? It feels as if it was just shoehorned in once Statham came on board as a means of making it much more entertaining and viewable by audiences. The acting is just okay, with the only strong performances coming from Statham and Stanley Tucci, the latter of which has just a small performance. Everyone else feels just average and only there to boost Statham's performance up much more. It's well shot and edited, though the film could have toned down the usage of slow motion. There's a few fun sequences, well mainly the Blackjack scene at the casino, which I thought was great.

 

I could only imagine how Wild Card would have turned out if Brian De Palma directed this. While I did like it, I think De Palma would've done a much better job of handling the story. As for Jason Statham - I still love the guy. Not because we happen to share the same birthday (July 26th), but because he's one of the view modern action heroes that I still enjoy watching. No matter how the film looks. However, after seeing the Super Bowl ad for Furious 7, you can safely bet that I will not be spending any money on that at all. Even if Statham is in it and as the villain.

 

"I'm a licensed pilot, took karate in Tokyo, lectured economics at Yale, I can memorize the front pages of the New York Times in five minutes and repeat it back to you in five weeks."

 

Vice - 2015 - 0/5 - Directed by Bryan A. Miller - starring Thomas Jane and Bruce Willis

We have a contender for worst film of 2015, everyone. Sadly, I'm not sure if it'll be beat. Vice beat out Taken 3 for worst film of 2015, and we're only in February. I'm not really sure why I ended up seeing this. The ads on tv didn't look particularly good, but I was still interested because Thomas Jane and Bruce Willis were starring in it.

 

Vice takes place in the future where a man, Julian Michaels (Bruce Willis) has built a reality resort known as "VICE". Where you, the customer, can do anything you please, and live out your wildest fantasies in an environment with artificial humans, who think just like us. One day, Kelly (Ambyr Childers) escapes from "VICE" and enters the real words. Veteran detective, Roy (Thomas Jane) is against "VICE" and all that Julian Michael stands by and is looking for anything that he can use to take down Michaels and "VICE".

 

Vice plays out like a lazy version of Blade Runner. Ambyr Childers is the artificial inhabitant that escapes from the reality of "VICE" only to slowly discover real, human emotions. Almost like Rutger Hauers' Roy Batty, the replicant from Blade Runner. Bruce Willis is almost much like Tyrell from Blade Runner and Thomas Jane is just a lazy, half-assed Deckard. The idea isn't even intriguing, it's just half-assed, much like everything else in the film. I'm not sure why Bruce Willis is all of sudden doing straight-to-DVD. It's quite sad, but then again, would a major studio really want to pay him loads of money to deliver a lazy performance like he did in this film? I don't think so.

 

I can't think of anything else that is remotely worth mentioning about Vice, and that includes the negatives, which this film is full of. The action and the plot is terribly contrived and awfully acted. It's just another typical straight-to-DVD & On Demand film.

 

Casino - 1995 - 5/5 - Directed by Martin Scorsese - starring Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci

"You can have the money and the hammer or you can walk out of here, you can't have both."

 

Scorsese, man. No matter how many times I rewatch his films, I still always find myself drawn into them (except for The Departed, I don't think it holds up very well), and never find myself being bored, looking at the clock. Scorsese is a master of making films that just suck you in to the world presented to you and he'll keep you there. Even at three hours (nearly) long, Casino is never boring. F***, what was the last boring film Scorsese made, because I can't think of one.

 

Casino could be seen as a sort of follow-up to Scorsese's gangster masterpiece, Goodfellas, but both films are ultimately different. They are indeed based on real life incidents and inspired by real life figures in the organized crime family, but both play out differently. It's definitely safe to say that Casino is overshadowed by Goodfellas, but while I love both films, I would probaby take the former any day of the week. Why? I don't know, I really just can't put my finger on it. Probably because this is yet another stunning masterpiece, both visually and narratively speaking film from Scorsese, that this time around, he's just having a damn good time.

 

Casino is the story of organized crime in Las Vegas, Nevada and how their operations play out with the casino's and the people involved. The story of the rise and fall of Sam "Ace" Rothstein (Robert De Niro) and all the factors that led to his downfall, and eventually most of organized crime at the casino Ace ran. It's not a tale of excess and how it led to one's downfall. Ace had it all, the money, the power, a beautiful wife, connections up the wazoo. Despite being connected to the Mafia, Sam still had a job to uphold. It isn't until Nicky Santoro (Joe Pesci) and Ace's eventful wife, Ginger (Sharon Stone) come into the picture, where everything just comes crumbling down.

 

Nicky is sent to Vegas to keep an eye on Ace and make sure everything goes smooth and in other words "make sure nobody messes with him". Nicky want's a slice of the action. He knows that wile Vegas is open for the Mafia to have their fingers in on the action, a ticking time bomb like Nicky just isn't welcomed. Nicky attracts so much heat that it eventually transpires over to Ace and in the end, fucks things up. Ginger, is just a hustler. She never loved him, she only cared about the money and the lifestyle she was able to get from him. Ace knew this, even if it nearly ruined his life, but he never could hate her. By the end, everyone is either dead or just severely fucked for the rest of their lives.

 

It's this three hour epic and it just keeps on going as if time has no boundaries. While everyone delivers great performances, especially Pesci and Stone, Casino is ultimately Robert De Niro's film. It's his story, his character, and his main narration that moves the film along steadily. Casino is classic Scorsese, and probably his flashiest. Scorsese really captures the Vegas life perfectly, and behind the doors operations by the mob, as well as the brutal violence perfectly. His choice of music is also top notch as always, and helps with the scene by enhancing the mood and moving everything along perfectly. I'd also say that this is probably his best film editing wise too, the cuts, transitions, pacing, everything.

 

After rewatching this and writing about it I have finally come to a conclusion. While I do love Goodfellas, I now strongly feel that Casino is the much more superior film. Remember I love both films, I just now think that Casino has a far more greater edge over Goodfellas now. Scorsese is still the man. Always will be. Oh and the Cheater's Justice scene is probably one of my favorite scenes of all time.

 

"You hear a little girl, Frankie? Is that a little girl, Ace? Is that a little f*****' girl? What happened to the f*****' tough guy who told my friend to stick it up his f*****' a**?"

 

Samurai Cop - 1991 - 0/5 - Directed by Amir Shervan - starring Matt Hannon and Robert Z'Dar

"He got his martial arts training from the masters in Japan."

 

You truly have never seen a "so bad, it's so good" film until you sit down and watch Samurai Cop. If it wasn't for a friend, I probably wouldn't have given this the light of the day. At first I initially thought this was a sort of Maniac Cop spin-off film, as the covers for both films are eerily similar. However, this is much worse. Was Samurai Cop ever intended to be great or just S***? I have not the slightest clue. What I do know is that this movie was just a riot. In Los Angeles, The Yakuza have run rampant over the city, causing numerous crimes and all sorts of mayhem. The LAPD turn to Joe Marshall (Matt Hannon), a man known as "Samurai" to help them take down the Yakuza, led by enforcer, Yamashita (Robert Z'Dar).

 

There is no sugar coating when it comes to this film. It' is incredibly bad, and it's noticeable. The dialogue is poor, and the acting is just as poor. The story is over-the-top, it's misogynistic and racist to great depths as well. I've seen several bad films that are just that - bad. Some people say The Room is probably the epitome of "so bad, it's so good". I have to disagree, as Samurai Cop is the most fun I've had with such a horrible film. It really is hilarious to watch. Matt Hannon is probably the most ambitious and charismatic, worst actor of all time. Oh and Robert Z'Dar is the S***, even if he is dead ugly.

 

There's nothing much left to say, other than this is worth picking up on Blu-Ray. It's just an absolute blast, despite so shitty. God, this movie is so bad, it's fucking awesome. Bring on Samurai Cop 2.

 

"I feel like someone's stuck a big club up my a**. And it hurts. I gotta figure out a way to get it outta there."

[Blofeld's Cat]

Blackhat is outstanding.

Good to read. Glad someone liked it.

 

With so many average to bad reviews about I'm still looking forward to seeing it.

[x007AceOfSpades]

 

Blackhat is outstanding.

Good to read. Glad someone liked it.

 

With so many average to bad reviews about I'm still looking forward to seeing it.

 

Even putting aside my biased love for Mann aside, and it's still a great film. I honestly don't know why it's getting bad reviews.

[tdalton]

A Most Wanted Man (2014)

 

A major disappointment, as A Most Wanted Man was one of those films that I had been looking forward to seeing for a while.  I really enjoyed Corbijn's 2010 effort The American with George Clooney, which was also a slow-paced story.  The difference between the two, however, is that The American manages to hold the viewer's attention, while A Most Wanted Man manages to make The American look like a fast-paced thriller like the Bond films by comparison. 

 

A Most Wanted Man is dull, which is a shame because I was really wanting to like this one, especially with it being one of the final performances from the late Phillip Seymour Hoffman.  I get what Corbijn was going for here, as the slow-paced thriller now seems to be a genre that he enjoys workin in, but this one just didn't work as well as his previous attempt.

 

2/5

[Safari Suit]

A Walk Among the Tombstones

Above average; the problem is that this is very much my kind of thing and I was expecting to love it. There's a sub-plot where Neeson takes an urchin under his wing which has a few nice moments but feels a bit too Save the Cat! and kind of drags things down. It also suffers in comparison with Cold In July, which, while less gritty, dealt with similar material with a lot more imagination. Still, there is an adaptation of one of a series of Matt Scudder books, which I've never read, and I wouldn't mind seeing some more. At the very least I'm going to check out 8 Million Ways to Die, the other film featuring this character. But ultimately it just made me want to watch The French Connection, or something else that's a bit more of the real deal.

[x007AceOfSpades]

Apocalypse Now - 1979 - 5/5 - Directed by Francis Ford Coppola - starring Marlon Brando and Martin Sheen

"The horror... the horror..."

 

This Is The End... Beautiful Friend.

 

I'll never forget the first time I watched Apocalypse Now. I've seen several films that have left a great, lasting impression on me. I think the greatest film to do that is still Apocalypse Now. It left me speechless as chills went down my spine. Apocalypse Now is insanity captured on film, and that same insanity transpired over to me when viewing it and to this day, it still does.

 

Loosely based on Joseph Conrad's "Heart Of Darkness", It's set in 1969, during the Vietnam War, U.S. Army Captain, Benjamin Willard (Martin Sheen) has a meeting with military intelligence officers, Lt. General Corman and Colonel Lucas (G.D. Spradlin and Harrison Ford, respectively) about a covert operation. The operation is simple - Willard will travel into Cambodia to assassinate Colonel Walter E. Kurtz (Marlon Brando). A special forces soldier who went insane and commands his own tribe and his worshiped as a god. What follows is a journey that tests Willard's sanity as he goes further into darkness in his mission to terminate Kurtz's command with extreme prejudice.

 

While I believe Oliver Stone did a terrific job of capturing the innocence of war in Platoon, it doesn't amount to what Francis Ford Coppola did. Coppola captured the horrors of war and the deep, descent into the darkness of one's psychological state. Coppola captured the Vietnam War. As we already know, War isn't pretty, it isn't fun & games. It's violent place to be in. Apocalypse Now shows the Vietnam War for what it truly was: Hell. The longer the film goes on, the more we travel into the depths of Hell. The effects this hellish war has on it's participants are truly gruesome.

 

When we first hear about Kurtz, we think that he's just some Colonel gone bad. The more the film goes on, and the more we hear Willard's thoughts about him, it's as if Kurtz is being brought up to be this devilish figure of a man. A monster. He's a man who has succumbed to evilness that is Vietnam. When we are finally introduced to him, it's nothing short of brilliance. In just limited screen time, Marlon Brando gives a performance of a lifetime as Kurtz. His presence is immediately felt and his such an intimidating figure.

 

While he doesn't get top billing, I feel that this is Martin Sheen's film. Not because all we see is Willard, but because it's his character that we're drawn to - fixated on. This is probably Sheen's greatest performance, or at least that I've seen from the man. His humanity is tested as everything goes on, and Sheen delivers a hell of performance. Same goes for (extended) cameos from actors, Robert Duvall, Harrison Ford, and Dennis Hopper, especially a young Laurence Fishburne. There truly isn't a single bad performance, or even a mediocre one.

 

The opening scene itself lets you know right off the bat, that this isn't going to be a pretty film. The Doors' "The End" playing as a napalm strike hits a jungle, combined with the images of warfare and Willard alone in his hotel. Definitely a masterful opening to a film. The cinematography from Vittorio Storaro is haunting, beautiful, and vibrant. It is everything that it should be for such a dark film. It captures the utter essence of what Hell is. Not to mention the strange beauties of what it can be sometimes.

 

Coppola poured his heart and soul (literally) into the making of this film. It had such a horrible production, that it was pretty much destined to become a failure. Instead, we get a film that had so many troubles turn into cinematic art. Sets had been destroyed, the film went over-budget, Sheen had heart attack, Brando was hard to work with/around and was heavily overweight. It was every director's worst nightmare. It was a nightmare that pretty much all but killed Coppola. Coppola said that if he died making it, then George Lucas would take over. If Lucas died, then co-writer, John Milius would take over. I believe Coppola died inside making this. Either that or the insanity caught up to him.

 

In regards of which version is the best, I love both. Though the theatrical cut is vastly superior, I still enjoy Redux. Even though Redux adds in nearly fifty minutes and most of it is unnecessary scenes that really hamper on the run time, I still enjoy it. For me it further chronicles Willard's journey in hell. However, I would still recommend the theatrical cut to first time viewers, as Redux might not bode too well. Even though my first viewing of this was Redux.

 

Apocalypse Now proves that you don't need long war battles to be classified as a war film. Apocalypse Now ditches that in the first act, and begins it's journey up the river, further into madness and further into hell. Apocalypse Now is perfect embodiment of what the Vietnam War is: Hell. And for Kurtz, sometimes you stop fighting and you embrace the madness.

 

Apocalypse Now isn't just the greatest Vietnam War film ever made, it's one of the finest films in the history of cinema ever made. Nearly thirty-six years old and it still has such a powerful impact today then I'm sure it did in 1979. A beautifully made film of a harrowing and haunting, poetic tale directed by Francis Ford Coppola and (co)written by John Milius.

 

This Is The End, My Only Friend, The End.

 

"You understand, Captain, that this mission does not exist, nor will it ever exist."

 

The X-Files: I Want To Believe - 2008 - 1.5/5 - Directed by Chris Carter - starring David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson

"This isn't my life anymore, Mulder. I'm done chasing monsters in the dark."

 

Like I had mentioned previously in my review for The X-Files: Fight The Future, I've seen a handful of episodes, though I have a pretty good understanding of the series itself. The series format was largely "monster-of-the-week", but the alien and government conspiracy was mainly the biggest issue of the series. The first feature film, Fight The Future elaborates on that conspiracy in a rather decent film that was just nothing more than an expanded episode (I still liked it). The X-Files: I Want To Believe doesn't deal with the conspiracy at all in fact, choosing to go the "monster-of-the-week" approach for this film. While it begins a little promising, it ultimately ends up being very disappointing.

 

Several years after the conclusion of the series (I'm presuming), Fox Mulder and Dana Scully (David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, respectively) are living together, with Mulder in hiding from the FBI. They are contacted with helping the FBI on a case. A female FBI agent has been kidnapped with no known trail, and a former priest turned convicted pedophile, Father Joe (Billy Connolly) claims to be experiencing psychic visions of the agent and that it could potentially lead to her survival and rescue.

 

To Chris Carter, creator of the original series, I Want To Believe would be the bookend to the entire franchise. All I can say is that die-hard fans probably must've felt cheated. Hell I felt cheated. Instead, we have is an hour and a half of bore. I welcomed the idea of going the "monster-of-the-week" route, but it's as if Carter didn't know where to take it. While it does develop (surprisingly) throughout the running of the film, it's like pulling teeth waiting for the next plot advancement to move the story along.

 

Of what episodes I've seen and in the previous film, It's clear that Mulder and Scully have feelings for each other. For some reason, it's as if they have a strained relationship in this film, and it really isn't perfectly explained as to why. Everything about this film just seems off and while the concept is sort of engaging, ultimately it's laughable.

 

I think it's safe to say, this is one film I certainly won't ever revisit in the future. Even If was to watch it to fall asleep, I wouldn't want to subject myself to this again.

 

"Do you know why we live here, in this box? Because we hate each other and ourselves."

 

The Boy Next Door - 2015 - 0/5 - Directed by Rob Cohen - starring Jennifer Lopez and Ryan Guzman

"I love your mother's cookies."

 

I just recently stated that Vice was currently the worst film of 2015. Well, that didn't last long. The Boy Next Door just took it without hesitation. I know January/February is usually the month of bad films and the cinematic dumping ground, but Jesus, 2015 is off to a literal crap start. At least Blackhat was the only good thing of January.

 

The Boy Next Door follows Claire Peterson (Jennifer Lopez), an English Literature teacher who has recently separated from her husband, Garrett (John Corbett) after she catches him cheating. Living with her son, Kevin (Ian Nelson), they begin to interact with their neighbor's nephew, Noah (Ryan Guzman). Noah and Kevin become close friends, while Noah is physically drawn to Claire. One night, the two have sex, which Claire regrets, much to Noah's anger. Trying to forget what happened and move on, Noah begins to terrorize and go full Glenn Close from Fatal Attraction.

 

So there you have it, The Boy Next Door is just a lazy attempt at redoing Fatal Attraction. It's not a remake per se, but does it follow pretty much the same formula. There's obvious differences between the two films, but they do eerily follow the same path. It's as if the writer had no problem doing it this way, instead of trying to make something much more creative. Not that it would've helped the film out, because I guarantee it still would've sucked.

Everything about this sucks, everything. Especially Jennifer Lopez. God, why does she continue to get roles? I'll never know. Just like I'll never know why the character of Noah is supposed to be 20 when he clearly looks 25-30. Hell, I'm 20, and still, some people think I just walked out of high school (quite annoying, to be honest).

 

Damn, this was a horrible film. Ninety minutes of my time I will never get back. I deserve a kick in the a** for this one.

 

"I'm not following you. I live next door."

 

Trance - 2013 - 2/5 - Directed by Danny Boyle - starring James McAvoy and Vincent Cassel

"I was really good, but not good enough. And not good enough really isn't very good."

 

As much as the trailers want to suggest, Danny Boyle's Trance wants to be clever. However, by the time it ends, you can't help but feel that it was just the exact opposite of clever. It starts off with an extremely well set-up, but as the film gradually develops, it just loses you, in favor of a twist that can pretty much be seen coming. Not to mention, the twist in my opinion didn't work due to the writing being bland after the much stronger, first act.

 

Simon (James McAvoy) is an art auctioneer who has recently become involved in the theft of the Witches In The Air painting from his own auction house. The man he was working with, Franck (Vincent Cassel) doesn't know where the painting is, and tortures Simon. Simon has no memory, after receiving a blow to the head that leaves him with amnesia. Franck hires a hypnotherapist, Elizabeth (Rosario Dawson) to try and help Simon remember where he put the painting.

 

Trance is a fairly simple film, with a simple premise. Like I said in the beginning, the first half is a very well done, but after that, the film tries to be too clever for it's own good with such a basic premise that it just falls apart. Is it convoluted? Yes and no. It's such an easy plot that it's really hard to get lost, and it was a tad predictable for me, but the structure of the the film per se, is convoluted. Maybe, I'm contradicting myself here, but I think you get the gist of it.

 

Everything else is actually quite good. The acting is well, though it's not enough to win over the clunky writing and uninspiring direction, but Vincent Cassel is great here. I thought he was better than Dawson and McAvoy. Trance is a sleek looking film, with impressive visuals that really make this a perfect "style over substance" film. Other than that, Trance is just a disappointing film that falters heavily on the writing, after an otherwise impressive first act.

 

"To be yourself you have to constantly remember yourself."

[Tarl_Cabot]

John Wick

 

Big surprise! A Keanu Reeves film that kicks ass(is it 1999?). Lots of fun. Great action choreography. Simple cookie cutter plot but it has an interesting film noir element that elevates it to potential cult classic. Russian bad guys again! Oh Boy.... But it's a good time.

[x007AceOfSpades]

Simple cookie cutter plot but it has an interesting film noir element

I noticed this when I watched it again a few weeks ago. Really made me appreciate the film all the more than I already did.

[tdalton]

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

4.5/5

 

The Grand Budapest Hotel is the first Wes Anderson film that I've watched, and I really didn't know what to expect going in but decided to give it a go considering all of the rave reviews that this film has gotten both here and elsewhere.  I'm glad that I did give it a try because it was outstanding.

 

The film begins with the Author beginning to tell the tale of a visit he made to the struggling Grand Budapest Hotel in the 1960s, where he met Zero Moustafa (F. Murray Abraham), who then proceeds to tell the Author (Jude Law) the story of the Grand Budapest Hotel. 

 

We then find ourselves transported back to the 1930s where Monsieur Gustave H. (Ralph Fiennes) runs the Grand Budapest Hotel.  He's something of a ladies man, tending to the many needs of the female clientele, more specifically the elderly female clientele.  Since the story is being recounted by Zero, the flashback begins on the day that the younger Zero (Tony Revolori) has his interview for the job of Lobby Boy with Gustave H.  Zero is hired into the role and quickly becomes Gustave's right hand.  When Zero brings Gustave a newspaper showing that one of the elderly clients to which Gustave had grown close with had passed away, they travel to pay their respects and for the reading of the will, which finds Gustave being awarded a prized painting.

 

To go any further with the story would be to spoil a lot of the fun to be had down the stretch, but suffice to say that the reaction to Gustave being awarded the painting is one of disdain, which is further fanned by Gustave stealing the painting from the home, which ultimately lands him in prison.  From here we get a lot of really great cameos from some well known actors, such as Willem Dafoe, Bill Murray, Mathieu Amalric, and Owen Wilson to name a few.

 

As I would imagine is fairly typical of Wes Anderson's films from what I've heard, The Grand Budapest Hotel has a wonderfully surreal visual quality to it that really sets it apart from anything that you'll find out there.  The hotel itself has a rather odd dream-like visual quality to it, and the exterior looks almost like what one might imagine a dollhouse-like motel might look like.  It's really a stunning visual style that, as I said, really does set The Grand Budapest Hotel apart from just about anything else that I've seen recently.

 

But, in the end, it's the performances that are what make this film what it is.  At the center of the film, Ralph Fiennes is superb as Gustave H.  You generally associate Fiennes with his more serious work, such as Schindler's List and The English Patient, but he is a quite gifted comedic actor as well.  His performance is, at times, both wonderfully understated and quite absurd.  The rapport that he has with Tony Revolori's Zero is quite good and really makes up the heart of the film.  The other actors who populate the film are all outstanding as well, but it's the central performances from Fiennes and Revolori that make The Grand Budapest Hotel what it is.  The fact that Fiennes isn't nominated for Best Actor this year is, quite honestly, a major disappointment because he's more than deserving of recognition for his work here.

 

Overall, The Grand Budapest Hotel is one of the best films of 2014.  It certainly belongs among the nominees for Best Picture, as it's an exceptional film and one that will probably lead me to look up some of Wes Anderson's other films and give them a try.

[thecasinoroyale]

'The Long Good Friday' (1979)

 

One of the most popular British films of the last 50 years and showcasing a range of talent, this gritty gangster film helped launch the career of a number of actors including Bob Hoskins and Helen Mirren and featured appearances from future stars such as a 25 year old Pierce Brosnan, a pre-pubescent Dexter Fletcher and a young Kevin McNally.

 

Filmed on a low budget, this manages to depict a real sense of what London felt like towards the end of the 1970s with the story taking a look at the government, terrorist activity and the free-market economy. Wrapped up in a simple story without the need for mindless action, there is a fuse steadily burning behind the various views on society that all come together for a satisfying and thought-provoking finale.

 

One thing that struck me with this is it packs punches in all areas from the experimental synth soundtrack, the snappy dialogue and the violence. It’s a tough film without being gratuitous, and I noted that the violence is present, but it’s done tastefully and with power, without being over-the-top or sickening. All the characters are just walking the edge of love/hate them, but we manage to do neither – we just like them, regardless of their faults and motives.

 

Bob Hoskins shows what a powerhouse of a Brit he was, with this role as London gangster Harold Shand launching him into the spotlight. He delivers some fantastic lines, and really looks the part as a man with great power but who isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty when all he wants is to make the city he loves shine, rather than destroy it from within with the clichéd gangster themes of drugs, sex trafficking or gun running. It’s all about business, the most real side of gangster society that goes on even today, where business is done aboard yachts floating down the River Thames hosting champagne parties, informers are strung up in a slaughterhouse to get information from them, and where bars and clubs provide the setting for deals and rendezvous.

 

With great support from a very alluring and likeable Helen Mirren, the imposing figure of P.H. Moriarty and a cast of future British stars who play their parts in a very restrained but powerful way that come across real, rather than clichéd, it delivers a great story set in a remarkable city that explores the dark side of business and the involvement of terrorist parties and the law who have fingers in many pies where it all comes down to who pays the most and who offers a biggest slice of profit.

[tdalton]

The Captive (2014)

4/5

 

The Captive is a thriller from director Atom Egoyan and stars Ryan Reynolds, Mireille Enos, Rosario Dawson, and Scott Speedman.  The film concerns the abduction of Cassandra (played by Peyton Kennedy in flashback and Alexia Fast in the present) from the backseat of her father's truck in the parking lot of a truck stop.  Initial suspicion falls on her father Matthew, played by Ryan Reynolds, who gives a superb performance.  Nothing comes of the investigation into Matthew, and the film never leads you to believe that he did it, other than to preserve lingering hostilities between Matthew and one of the detective assigned to the case, Jeffrey (Scott Speedman).

 

Normally, casting aside a potential villain in a kidnap thriller would do the film in question a disservice, robbing the audience of a character upon which to cast suspicion.  That's not a problem in The Captive because the audience knows from the outset who abducted Cassandra.  We get our villain on display from the very beginning, in the form of Kevin Durand's Mika, whos motivations for abducting and subsequently keeping Cassandra in captivity apparently have changed over time. 

 

When we join the world in which The Captive takes place, Mika is currently in the phase where he enjoys watching Cassandra's parents, most notably her mother Tina (Mireille Enos), fall apart.  He accomplishes this through surveillance cameras and leaves various trinkets in one of the rooms in which Tina cleans in her duties as a housekeeper.  Both he and Cassandra watch on computer monitors as Tina falls apart at each new discovery.  She and Matthew have split as she puts the blame for Cassandra's abduction squarely on his shoulders and he stays vigilant, if only to keep himself from falling apart, in trying to find his daughter.

 

There's no way to discuss The Captive beyond that without spoiling a lot about the film's plot, but there are several good plotlines running through the film.  Ryan Reynolds is far and away the standout of the film, and his moments in the film are when The Captive is at its best.  I don't think it would be a stretch to say that this is a career-defining performance for Reynolds.  Enos' plotline is almost as good, and certainly more heartbreaking as she very capably portrays a woman caught up in events that are completely beyond her control.  Then you have the plot strand that follows the detective working the case, the aforementioned Jeffrey and Nicole (Rosario Dawson).  Dawson is the level-headed center of The Captive, calmly helping the overall story to move forward without the desperation, paranoia, or anger that engulfs the other characters.  It's a solid performance from Dawson.

 

The only plot strand that really borders on being a potential weakness for The Captive is that of the kidnapper himself.  Durand's Mika is, as other critics have noted and I can't find a better way of describing it, a rather effete villain, even at times bordering on an almost Snidley Whiplash type of villain.  He never goes that far over the top, but you get that sense from him, possibly when he's not on screen he's in the background twirling his moustache.

 

The critics have generally savaged The Captive and while I can see where they are coming from in some instances, I generally don't agree.  I found the film to be a very engaging thriller, which is really all that I want from this kind of a film.  It had me watching intently, trying to figure out where it was going to go next, which is an achievement for a kidnap film that reveals the identity of the kidnapper and the fate of the abducted at the very beginning of the film. 

[tdalton]

Chef (2014)

5/5

 

SPOILERS

Chef is a film written, directed, produced by and starring Jon Favreau that finds its central character, Chef Carl Casper (Favreau) seemingly at the end of his rope at his current restaurant of employment.  He won't admit as much, but he's clearly unhappy.  On the day in which the audience joins his life, we find out that renowned food critic Ramsey Michel (Oliver Platt) is coming to the restaurant that night for dinner.  Casper aims to please the critic, opting to be creative and put new items on the menu, but is told not to at the last minute by the restaurant's owner, played by Dustin Hoffman.

 

This leads to a poor review from the critic, who savages Casper's work in his review.  Feeling hurt, Casper is taught by his son Percy (Emjay Anthony) how to use Twitter.  This leads to Casper making the mistake of sending a nasty tweet back to the critic, thinking the response was a private message between the two, and the whole situation goes viral by the next morning.  Long story, short, this ultimately leads to a confrontation between Casper and the critic in the restaurant that results in Casper losing his job.

 

This is all really just set up to the rest of the film, although the set up does really take quite a bit of time in Chef.  Ultimately, Chef is about finding redemption in one's passions, as we find Casper stripped of everything that he loves and faced with having to start from the ground up to rebuild it.  The rebuilding, though, is the heart of the film and its most endearing quality.  Prior to losing his job, it's clear that Casper has allowed his life to fall into shambles, even though he's a well known chef with seemingly everything going for him.  His marriage to Inez (Sofia Vergara) has been over for a while, even though the two of them remain friends.  His son is basically an after thought to him, always taking a backseat to his work.  At the behest of his ex-wife, Casper finally agrees to take her other ex-husband (a rather funny cameo by Robert Downey Jr.) up on his offer to run a food truck.

 

It's the food truck that proves to be his salvation, as he uses it to grow closer to his son and to fall in love with food again.  The scenes aboard the food truck, between Favreau, Anthony, and John Leguizamo (who plays Casper's close friend) are terrific, adding something of a twist to the usual road trip format that we often see in films.  Those scenes are touching, as we see Casper realizing what's important and rediscovering his passion.  

 

Chef is also about our relationship with technology, oddly enough.  The first half of the film deals with how technology completely destroys Casper's life, leaving him unemployed and without much direction in his life.  As we move through the film, we see the opposite effect that technology can have, with Percy helping his father grow his business beyond what he thought possible thanks to the very tools that Casper had used to destroy it.  

 

The only potential drawbacks I can think of with regards to Chef are that the ending is a bit sappy and abrupt, but I think they just get by with it thanks to all of the goodwill the film had built up prior to that point.  Also, I would have welcomed more of the film being devoted to Casper's time on the road with the food truck.  Those scenes truly were a highlight.  But, everything else about Chef is excellent.  I can't remember Favreau being better as an actor, and he's surrounded himself with an excellent supporting cast (Anthony, Vergera, and Leguizamo are superb) and the actors he gets to cameo (Hoffman, Scarlett Johansson, Downey Jr.) are fun to watch and, oddly enough, don't stick out like sore thumbs like you might imagine they would.  

 

For my money, Chef is one of the best films I've seen this year.  True, it's not particularly groundbreaking and there's not much in the way of any profound conflict that needs to be solved, but it's a wonderful film nonetheless that is funny and endearing and is just simply an entertaining ride from beginning to end.

[tdalton]

Honeymoon (2014)

4/5

 

Honeymoon marks the directorial debut of Leigh Janiak and stars Rose Leslie and Harry Treadaway.  The film finds newlyweds Bea (Leslie) and Paul (Treadaway) embarking on their honeymoon in a secluded cabin in the woods that belongs to Bea's father.  The cabin is part of a community that surrounds a rather large lake, but there is considerable privacy for each of the cabins lending to a sense of isolation for our characters as they begin their honeymoon.

 

Their honeymoon begins just as you would expect, but things begin to take a turn following a failed attempt to visit the local restaurant, which results in Bea and Paul meeting an old friend of Bea's from her childhood and his wife, who acts very peculiarly.  Later, Paul awakens to find Bea missing from the cabin and he runs around, frantically searching for her before finding her standing in the middle of the woods.  From here, things begin to fall apart for the two.

 

Honeymoon owes a lot to horror films such as Invasion of the Body Snatchers or, more recently, Contracted, although it takes its subject matter much more seriously than the latter.  The performances of Rose Leslie and Harry Treadaway are the heart and soul of Honeymoon, and they're terrific.  If you didn't know better, you'd honestly think that they were a married couple embarking on their honeymoon, their chemistry is that strong, and that helps pull the viewer into the world of the film.  It also helps that Janiak wisely lends much of the beginning of the film to setting up their relationship. Honeymoon isn't a long film, but it takes its time getting to its conclusion, and never relies on jump scares to get under the skin of the audience.  The film is just a creepy ride that starts out very innocently and then just continues to become more and more creepy until the sense of dread that hangs over it becomes almost suffocating towards the end.  The special effects are almost nonexistent, relying instead on the performances of the leads to show the couples' descent into the madness that is forced upon them.

 

With all of the remakes/reboots/reimaginings that have been a staple of the horror genre over the past few years, it's refreshing to see a low-key, mostly original take on the genre that manages to be everything you could hope it would be without all of the CGI trickery or trading in on an established franchise name.  The stars of Honeymoon are its two terrific leads, Janiak's terrific direction, and a strong (yet simple) story that provide the terror for the audience rather than having to have something jump out of the shadows to the sound of loud music to elicit a reaction.

[DaveBond21]

For Your Eyes Only (1981) and Octopussy (1983)

 

I love FYEO and once again it was excellent. There are some really nice shots in this and Glen actually does try to emulate Peter Hunt in OHMSS and succeeds to a certain extent. There is a quite serious tone to this with only a few silly scenes.

 

With Octopussy, there is still an excellent serious spy plot but there is an increase in silliness - in particular the 7 animals Bond faces within 90 seconds in India, the camel reacting to the tuktuk chase, and the fact that Q thinks his ridiculous inventions are more important than a nuclear bomb going off in Germany.

 

Sadly, after I finished watching it, I heard that Louis Jordan had died.

[tdalton]

Nightcrawler (2014)

4/5

 

Jake Gyllenhaal is the driving force behind Nightcrawler.  In his role as Louis Bloom, a thief turned morally bankrupt cameraman, Gyllenhall turns in what might be the best performance of his career, creating a compelling psychopath of a character that dominates every frame of the film.

 

Nightcrawler follows Bloom from his humble beginnings as a thief who sells stolen supplies to a construction yard.  When he tries to gain real employment with the company, he's turned away, saying that they don't hire thieves.  On his way home, Louis passes a wreck and pulls over, finding himself fascinated by the camera crew that shows up to film.  He decides to give this a try for himself.

 

Louis becomes very good at what he does, catching the eye of news director Nina Romina (Rene Russo).  This is the beginning of a fruitful partnership for Louis, as he quickly earns enough money to rise above his humble beginnings, going from a raggedy old car to a brand new red sports car with the latest in police scanning and navigational technology.  His rise up the ladder doesn't change his approach to things, however.  He treats his sole employee, Rick (Riz Ahmed) like dirt, paying him next to nothing while rakes in the money, all while putting Rick in a line of work that is, at best, reprehensible.  His approach with Nina is much the same.

 

Nightcrawler is a film full of despicable and desperate characters, yet it still manages to be quite compelling.  Rick is really the only character that is particularly sympathetic, which allows him to be the audience's window into the madness.  Russo's Nina is desperate to keep her job, as her channel's news is bringing up the rear in the ratings, at least until Louis comes along.  Their alliance is an uneasy one at best, and Russo does a fine job of bringing that across.  

 

Nightcrawler is a very good film, one of the best of 2014.  If it has a flaw, it's that it drags a bit at times during its middle third, but on the whole it's a compelling film.  I also think that it could have benefited from a larger role for Detective Fronteiri (Michael Hyatt), whose storyline could have been beefed up a bit to raise the stakes at certain points during the film.  Still, Nightcrawler is a very good film and one of the best films released in 2014.