Prisoners Excellent film, both Jake Gyllenhaal and Hugh Jackman kill it in this flick, excellent twist that I didn't see coming and Maria Bello is still smoking hot, if not criminally under used. Jackman and Gyllenhaal both have decent shots for awards, great acting all around. Worth paying for. 8/10
Saw "12 Years a Slave" today. Tough one to sit through. Wasn't a huge fan of the pacing at times. The movie packs a serious punch, though... Had to turn away from the screen a few times, and definitely teared up as well. 9/10, take points away for a hasty treatment of the denouement.
The World's End So instead of just a great Comic Duo of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, you have a wonderful comic FIVESOME as Frost and Pegg are backed up by three peerless British character actors: Paddy Consitine, Martin Freeman and the always reliable Eddie Marsan. What a great group these guys make. Earnest, hilarious, the film relies entirely on how well they work together and its done to perfection. All five characters have perfect on-screen chemistry, they make you believe they're old friends, and as they get more shitfaced as the film progresses they get more and more hilarious, especially Frost who's morph from buttoned-down businessman to maggot-drunk badass is intentionally hilarious. However, this movie is Pegg's ownership and this is a career high for him in an on-fire performance of comic virtuosity (I shrieked with laughter when he walks under the forklift arm). He never stops moving, his eyes never stop darting, his mouth constantly motoring. If there's any role I remember him for it will be this one. A shockingly downtrodden and somewhat unnecessary ending bogs it down quite a bit, but until then it's wall-to-wall fun, Edgar Wright lays on the Coen Bros.-style irony in thick and funny doses, never forgetting how shitfaced his characters keep getting as the situation worsens, making for one of the best times watching a movie this year. And love that bathroom fight scene too, Wright loves putting unlikely heroes into John Woo-type situations to make things funnier, and it works. Do not miss this one. Possibly the funniest movie of 2013. 8.5/10
Catching Fire Holy hell did they improve on the first movie. No artistic interpretation or any bullshit. They took the book and made the movie. No bullshit. They changed one or two small things to get to the point faster. Also if you don't know about this movie, just know the love story you might hear people talk about is 10% of the movie, its not Twilight. The only things that were noticed for people who have read the book. Spoiler 1. This time it was MUCH less about the other tributes. My friend who didn't read the books and saw it with me could tell that it wasn't about the fight anymore WAY sooner than they do in the books. They barely go into any of the competing tributes besides the 5-6 that are with Katniss. 2. She only kills one guy. She doesn't end up fighting with the tributes from 2 before Johanna takes out her tracker, they have Johanna attack her straight up, cut out her tracker, then run off. The third book is getting split into two movies and I'm wondering how they're going to do it. For people who have read the book, I'd say 9.5/10. For those who didn't, I'm not sure, but it has been getting great ratings.
The Hobbit 2: Judgement Day Let me preface this by saying I am a huge fan of Lord of the Rings and really, really wanted to like this movie. I thought the first Hobbit movie was ok, but needed to be about 45 minutes shorter. Desolation of Smaug is a steaming turd with a few nuggets of awesome snuck into it. The Hobbit was supposed to be two 3.5 hour movies. This movie is all the shit that was left on the cutting room floor then swept up into three hours of useless shit that should have been left for an extended edition (or in some cases, never been filmed at all). I don't know what studio executive at Warner Brothers has Peter Jackson locked in his basement dungeon or blackmail pictures of him fucking a goat, but it is clear from the opening shot that PJ wasn't making all the decisions on this film. Things he repeatedly said he would NEVER do in the LOTR movies because they are cheesy - like put location/time lapse subtitles in shots ("Bree, near the Shire" or "12 months later") - appear in the first five minutes of the film. Anyone remember watching any of the "making of" documentaries where PJ discusses an early script of LOTR in which Liv Tyler action scenes were injected into parts of the movie where she doesn't appear in the books (and he says he scraps them because they were ridiculous)? Well, they put them back in. Every scene with Legolas and the Elves feels forced and out of place. The barrel scene is transformed from an iconic Hobbit moment into this elaborate fight scene that advances the plot in no way, shape, or form other than to have Orlando Bloom and Evangeline Lilly shoot stuff with bows. Their dialogue and acting throughout the movie is terrible. That said, the added Gandalf scenes and the sequence in Smaug's lair are fucking money. They look and feel like the original trilogy and you actually give a shit about what happens. This makes up approximately 35-40 minutes of the 2 hours and 47 minute running time. My other big issue is the formatting of the movie. It is clear the priority was HFR 3D. PJ doesn't hold on any single shot for more than 4 seconds so every scene feels like it has ADD. Everything was made for the quick 4-month run in theaters with 3D systems instead of making a long-lasting movie that will be watchable at home. You can tell that outside of an HFR 3D IMAX screen this movie is going to look terrible. The original LOTR had tons of different color variation and different shots. These are all quick cuts of various shades of tan or grey. The Mirkwood and Laketown scenes were special offenders where you had to sometimes squint to make out what was going on. The over-use of GCI also makes everything harder for your brain to process since the cuts are so quick. 5/10 - Wait until it is on Blu Ray or OnDemand.
I decided to bank on this review and check it out. Jackman has a lock on the best actor Oscar this year. At least he should. This is the best work both he and Flutter-Eyes have EVER done, playing two different breeds of damaged goods. Jackman is fearless, playing dead-to-rights a parent who throws every away belief he has because saving his daughter's life is all that matters. And the extremes he goes to... Well, it gets pretty fucking nasty. The subject matter is a harsh, brutal tone and it doesn't pander to the audience at all. The actions of all in this film will no doubt stir up debates. Jackman alone would make the film worth seeing. He is ferocious and terrifyingly believable. Only the idiotic revelation on why the children were taken plus a Hollywood-style climax bog it down. Not for all tastes, but certainly a very good movie. 8/10
The Wolf of Wall Street Having known a fair amount about Jordan Belfort before the book was released, I was skeptical before seeing the movie assuming it was going to be completely glamorized. Basically a stock broker starts a pump and dump firm (buying cheap penny stocks, then pushing the company on investors to buy, then selling at a profit when the price rises) and leads a crazy sex and drug fueled lifestyle that makes Tucker Max look like a choir boy. The movie was good. Very good. It was pretty over the top in only a way Scorsese could pull off. The only other movies I've seen that have that much sexy and nudity are ones I watch alone with my pants off. Is it in the same league as Goodfellas or Taxi Driver? No. Is it a great film and a future classic in its own right? Yes. 9/10
The Wolf of Wall Street- I'd agree that it isn't close to being a classic like Good Fellas or Casino. It is a lot of fun. I don't know how close to reality it is but I have to imagine reality being a lot worse. I think the drug use and nudity get almost too slapsticky at times, showing Jonah Hill masturbating a fake penis in the middle of a party is a tad too much, not to mention the Lemon Qualude scene. The one thing I thought really missed the mark was the use of music. Scorsese has really defined how pop music can be crafted into movies to create unforgettable moments and experiences. This one tries but doesn't come close to a laundry list of films he's done before in the music department. I have a feeling this will be taken in the wrong light as American Psycho was in the college age dudebrah crowd. I can see it easily being taken as a celebration of debauchery. I don't know if a 2 hour movie can create the same cult following American Psycho did but I can imagine plenty of Wolf of Wall Street themed frat parties in the future. I said it in the Holiday thread but this movie can wane at moments because it linger way too long sometimes on drawn out ab libbed scenes. Debating how they were going to treat the midgets they hire for a company party runs about five minutes too long. Sometimes the plot gets bogged down by these extended scenes. They do however manage to make Margot Robbie into one white hot sex kitten in the movie. The scene where she teases him in their child's room is off the charts as well as the first night they hook up and she comes out nekkid. 8/10 American Hustle- I honestly think David O Russell has out Scorsese Scorsese on this pic. He doesn't have the same frenetic pace as some of Scorsese's classics but he does match him with interesting characters, solid music, and memorable relationships. I think the best part of the movie is the love triangle between Christian Bale, Amy Adams, and Bradley Cooper. I think the fact that they put this over the scam/sting operations in the movie makes it a lot better. I could honestly not tell if Amy Adams was playing either of them at some points and she fucking nails it. The jealousy showcased by all three of them is palpable to the highest degree. The sting/scam takes a back seat to this and really isn't much to write home about. How it plays out in the end won't have you leaving the theater gobsmacked or anything. Still a well crafted movie in many regards. Even though they seventies her up I thought Amy Adams was drop dead hot in the film. Two criticisms. One I don't think Jennifer Lawrence is very good in her role as Bale's over the top Staten Island (maybe Jersey?) wife. I just wasn't buying what she was selling, it seemed out of place. Melissa Leo was believable in basically the same character sans the slapstick stupidity in The Fighter. Lawrences accent is off and just unconvincing. She hits her dramatic notes when she needs to but fails at the over the top comedic character they want her to be. Secondly is Louis CK's shoehorning into the movie. While all the other actors fell right into the era of the movie Louis play Louis as seen on Louie but as the bumbling self doubting boss of Cooper. Very one note comic relief and I got tired of the running joke he and Cooper had going throughout. 9/10
Lone Survivor Wahlberg and Foster kill it in this film, I really wasn't expecting much after the last Marky Mark abortion I watched but this is definitely worth seeing. Very good film, I may be drunk but it's the worth the price of a ticket. 8/10
Lone Survivor Some of us have a wee bit of a personal connection to this, due to the Dasy Fund a few years back. Overall, it's an awesome movie. They did "Hollywood" up a few events, but in fairness they were trying to condense a lot of material in to a 2 hour movie. The majority of the movie focuses on the mission and the running gun battle, and in that respect they nailed it spot on. It was exactly as I envisioned it when I read the book. I've got to agree with Flat Rate: 8/10
The Wolf of Wall Street I agree with most of what has already been said about the movie here already...it's a really entertaining and sometimes hilarious film. It's not one of Scorsese's best, but it's worth checking out at least once. It could have been edited a bit more, but the first half of the film moves at breakneck speed. You almost have to catch your breath at certain moments. I felt like I was caught up in the coked out haze with the characters which to me was very impressive. DiCaprio delivers an awesome performance as usual, it just sucks he most likely won't win anything for this film because from what I hear, the academy is not a big fan of him. 8.5/10
Consensus on DiCaprio is that he's still viewed as a young gun by the old white men of the academy, so he won't win one until he's no longer viewed an attractive dude living the life, that parties all the time and is banging the hot chicks.
The dude does nothing but Oscar bait movies. I think he's a great actor and does well in a lot of roles. But I feel like he's trying to be like Daniel Day Lewis, only working more.
»The Wolf of Wall Street Australian actress Margot Robbie playing Naomi Lapaglia was surprisingly good. After seeing the film, I can't help but wonder what her pussy really looks and tastes like.
The Wolf of Wall Street I read the book a handful of years ago when it first came out. At the time I was bouncing from job to job after college, trying to find something I could succeed in. After reading it, I became obsessed with the lifestyle and culture in the book. I started focusing on the stock market and eventually got a job in freight brokerage. Not exactly like stock brokering, but the lifestyle and fast pace were very similar. Three years after that, I quit the brokerage and opened my own, all the while inspired by TWoWS and striving for that. The loud, aggressive, fraternity-like environment; the over-the-top excess; the drinking and drugs in the office, all of it. All of it aside from the securities fraud and money laundering, I didn't need to go to that extent. Here I sat in the theater watching Wolf and it gets to the point where his marriage to Naomi falls apart and it's like looking in a mirror. That definitely hit too close to home, yet I knew it was coming up from the book. I knew the road map, followed it as closely (legally) as possible and had received both the good and the bad from it. The movie had some funny points, but it definitely hit entirely too close to home for me. By the end of it, I was in tears seeing a life I fought for and made, only to lose my family to a fate I should've seen a mile away. It was another Scorsese classic, but I just couldn't judge it objectively. For the longest time it was my roadmap to success. Unlike Jordan, my business is still running and growing. But there are times I wonder if I sacrificed everything personally to achieve success professionally. Then other times I think no matter what I did, I'd still end up divorced at the end of the day. 8/10 A lesson to take from all of this- balance.
American Hustle was simply fantastic. The entire cast gave outstanding performances, but Christian Bale really knocked it out of the park.
The Lego Movie I have ADD and this movie was too much of a sensory overload. The story was great but the stop-motion/CGI animation was like watching a strobe light for 90 minutes. 7/10.