Blog Archives
Flash Movie Review: Lone Survivor
Before the majority of the world became wired, broadcast news provided us with a recap of noteworthy events. We would see the aftermath to a variety of events that spanned from a car accident to an earthquake. Unless there was a personal connection to the story, most of us would not feel an emotional attachment to what was being shown. When broadcasters report about traffic jams on the highways I travel to get to work, it causes a reaction in me, albeit a negative one. I guess I should consider myself lucky that I have not had a personal connection to any traumatic news stories. The only thing I can recall is when I was at friend’s house back in the 70’s; everyone became quiet when there was news about Vietnam. My friend’s older brother was sent over there during the war and the family always listened for a familiar town or place they had heard about from him. When one has a personal reference to the news it has more of an impact. With movies based on true stories, having information being told from one of the real life characters creates an accessible emotional bond to the story. Based on his best selling book, I was acquainted with this story due to seeing news clips of Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell discussing his 2005 failed operation in Afghanistan. Mark Wahlberg (Pain & Gain, Boogie Nights) portrayed Marcus in this biographical film. The rest of the team sent out with Marcus to capture or eliminate a vicious Taliban leader was Michael Murphy, played by Taylor Kitsch (Savages, Friday Night Lights-TV); Danny Dietz, played by Emile Hirsch (Killer Joe, The Girl Next Door) and Matt “Axe” Axelson, played by Ben Foster (The Messenger, Contraband). This action drama was essentially split into 2 stories. The first half of the movie showed the Navy SEALs while stationed on base. The second half was all about the mission and this is where the intensity exploded open. I have seen war films before but the fight scenes in this intense section were bloody real looking and I do mean bloody. Some of them were handled a bit heavy by slowing down the motion. I cannot call this entertaining per se; however, for an action scene it seemed to be one long continuous fight. The acting was good, though I still have an issue with Mark Wahlberg’s acting. I never forget it is Mark playing a character. This story was amazing simply because there was an individual who lived to tell it. Many scenes had violence and blood in them.
3 stars
Flash Movie Review: Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
There are some movies where the story carries the characters, while others have the characters carry the story. Films such as The Wizard of Oz or Sink the Bismarck are story driven. Movies where the character makes the story would be something like The King’s Speech or Captain Phillips. I am especially fond of cinema where the character was an actual person. Though he was before my time, I was fascinated with the film The King’s Speech about King George VI. Learning about the character’s life in visual form created an extra layer of understanding from what I already learned in history books. Now when the main character is someone of my time, I feel like I am witnessing history, that I am part of it. For some reason the idea of future generations reading about a noteworthy individual from my lifetime gives me a charge. I do not really know why; I just like the idea of being able to tell someone about events on a personal level. In regards to this biographical movie, the main character was the driving force. Luckily the main character of Nelson Mandela was impressively played by Idris Elba (Pacific Rim, RocknRolla). This dramatic picture covers Nelson’s life from childhood through his 27 years of prison to becoming President of South Africa. After my first initial recognition of Idris as a current movie and television star, I quickly forgot it and believed I was watching Nelson Mandela; that is how good Idris was in the role. My knowledge about Nelson’s 1st wife Winnie Madikizela was limited; but not only did I think the actress Naomie Harris (Skyfall, 28 Days Later) did a wonderful job portraying her, but I felt I gained an understanding of what happened to the relationship of the two. With the wonderful acting I felt the story suffered here; there was so much history to cover that some parts of it went by too quickly. Here was a case where I think making two movies would have been better. I found myself not being engaged as much when Nelson was not in the scene. It was a disappointment because I saw this film soon after Nelson’s death. With all the newscasts and special reports that came out, I was already invested in his life story. This Golden Globe nominated movie covered a lot of ground; it just did not dig deep enough for me. Several scenes included the Afrikaans and Xhosa languages with English subtitles.
2 1/2 stars
Flash Movie Review: The Wolf of Wall Street
When two people work well together they create something truly special. I have one friend who is the only person I will travel with because we compliment each other so well. When we are exploring a new city or area out of state, we usually cover everything on our to do list. If for no other reason because we both are avid walkers. For example at a national park while they read all the signage that pertains to each site, I make sure I take multiple photo shots to create a visual travelog. After we return home we can easily recreate our vacation down to the littlest of details. In film history there have been several couples who had a way of blending with each other to give us memorable moments. Some of these pairings would be Katherine Hepburn/Spencer Tracy and Myrna Loy/William Powell. A current couple that does something special when they get together on a film project is Leonardo DiCaprio (The Departed, Titanic) and director Martin Scorsese (Hugo, The Departed). In this crime comedy the two men made a spectacular film. Based on a true story Leonardo played Jordan Belfort, a New York stockbroker who was at the center of a huge securities fraud scheme back in the 1990s. With his partner Donnie Azoff, played by Jonah Hill (This is the End, Moneyball), the two built up a brokerage firm that would fund their excessive lifestyle; it did not matter if it was legal or not. I believe this was Leonardo’s best acting performance to date. Not only the emotional aspect but the physical side of his acting created a volcanic, unforgettable character. The casting of this Golden Globe nominated movie yielded several interesting choices such as Rob Reiner (The Story of Us, All in the Family-TV) playing Jordan’s father Max Belfort and Joanne Lumley (Late Bloomers, Absolutely Fabulous-TV) as Aunt Emma. For the few scenes they had, each left a lasting impression. Now I understand the movie originally clocked in over 4 hours but after some editing it was reduced to 3. This was still too long for me, since I felt the amount of sexual scenes were excessive. With that being said, Martin’s directing was pure perfection; each scene came across fully realized. Some viewers may have a hard time with the nudity and use of strong language throughout the film. Based on the track record for Leonardo and Martin, we should be in store for more movie magic in the future.
3 3/4 stars
Flash Movie Review: Carlos
I do not want to see the aftermath of a major accident. A car crash, where the vehicles are crinkled and smoking, with the flashing lights of police cars all around is nothing I want to slow down and stare at as I drive by. It is hard for me to watch the news when they show the aftermath of a terrorist attack with people strewn about like limp broken dolls. Even in movies I am not fond of seeing the scenes that show realistic bloodshed. If a character gets shot with a ray gun it does not bother me; but if it is a sawed off shotgun, I would rather not have to see the outcome. Just to let you know as a movie reviewer I never look away from a film no matter how gruesome it may be. When a movie is made about a situation that actually took place there is a distinction that has to be made. If the film is a documentary I expect to hear real facts and see actual footage. Now if the story is done as a dramatization I understand the writers may take certain liberties to enhance the story and make it more entertaining for the viewer. In the case of this biographical crime drama, I understand it may not be exact factual information and for that reason I am reviewing it as an entertainment piece not judging the acts shown or the political statement. First aired as a television miniseries, this tense thriller was about the infamous terrorist Illich Ramirez Sanchez aka Carlos the Jackal. A Venezuelan revolutionary, one of Carlos’ famous acts was the 1975 raid on the OPEC ministers during their annual meeting. Edgar Ramirez (Vantage Point, Wrath of the Titans) was incredible playing the intense, egotistical terrorist Carlos. Even when his scenes required him to speak in a different language he was seamless in the way his character interacted with a variety of foreign individuals. The length of this Golden Globe winning series was 5 hours and 33 minutes on multiple DVDs and I was never bored as I watched it. My remembrances of the actual events depicted in this drama were vague, but due to the tightly written story and excellent direction I found myself staying engaged with every scene. This was an extremely well done, provocative dramatization of a person who, whether he liked it or not, was famous with a larger than life reputation. There were several brief scenes that showed blood. English subtitles were used during the scenes that had Arabic, German, Spanish, French, Hungarian, Japanese or Russian dialog.
3 1/2 — DVD
Flash Movie Review: Saving Mr. Banks
There is a place where all the should do’s, have to do’s and suppose to do’s in life cannot infiltrate; it is in one’s memories. Some of these remembrances may be average such as a friend’s phone number or a bank account number; however, there is a special area where the cherished memories are stored. It is in this place where I keep my fondest memories that get quick access to my heart. I remember my favorite babysitter who had a way of reading a story where the characters would come to life for me. She had a quiet gentleness that I found soothing. The reason she is presently closest in my thoughts is due to this comedic drama about a nanny. This film reveals the true untold story of how Walt Disney gained the rights to create what was to become the iconic film Mary Poppins. In that place where my fondest memories reside is the memory of the first time I saw this film about the unusual nanny, Mary Poppins. Since I can perfectly recall that experience I was concerned this biographic film would taint my memories. I can honestly say it did no such thing, instead it added a new depth of color to my vivid memories. Emma Thompson (Sense and Sensibility, Pirate Radio) played the fiercely protective author of Mary Poppins, P.L. Travers. Tom Hanks (Captain Phillips, The Terminal) played Walt Disney, the creative genius who spent 20 years pursuing the author for the rights so he could keep a promise he made to his daughters. This film received a brilliant performance by Emma, who was as difficult and unyielding as anyone could be against the creator of Mickey Mouse. The scenes where she had to sit with the creative team of Don DaGadi, played by Bradley Whitford (Scent of a Woman, The West Wing-TV), and brothers Robert and Richard Sherman, played by B.J. Novak (Knocked Up, Inglorious Basterds) and Jason Schwartzman (The Darjeeling Limited, Moonrise Kingdom), provided me a wild history lesson to some of the cherished songs from the Mary Poppins movie. The one complaint I had was the use of dual story lines because I thought each story could be its own film. Though I will say I thought Colin Farrell (Total Recall, Pride and Glory) did a touching, emotional job as P.L. Travers’ father. The insertion of Mary Poppins film clips in this Golden Globe nominated movie added to the heightened amount of joy I experienced during this film. I am happy to say my childhood memory of seeing Mary Poppins now has a new coating of fondness due to this beautiful movie. Please make sure you stay through part of the credits to hear the actual recordings of P.L. Travers.
3 1/4 stars
Flash Movie Review: Kill Your Darlings
There seems to be a strong curiosity prevalent through society regarding the early years of an individual’s life, before they became noteworthy. The person does not even have to be real; just take a look at the success of the X-Men or Star Trek prequels for example. I admit I fall into this category of people who are fascinated with the younger years of a person. This is one reason why I enjoy looking at old photographs of friends and family. For a prominent person like Steve Jobs or Albert Einstein, I like to delve into that person’s childhood to see if there was some special moment that put the individual onto their life path. I do not know, but maybe my fascination has to do with examining my own life experiences to see the choices I made to get to the place I am at presently. Besides prequels, I have a fondness for movies that show a good story on the early history of famous people. With my interest in literature and poetry, this dramatic film festival nominated movie intrigued me. Based on true events the story was about the college years of some of the most renowned people of the beat generation. The time was 1944 when a murder had a connection to the poets Allen Ginsberg, played by Daniel Radcliffe (The Woman in Black, December Boys); Lucien Carr, played by Dane DeHaan (Lawless, Lincoln); Jack Kerouac, played by Jack Huston (Outlander, Boardwalk Empire-TV) and William Burroughs, played by Ben Foster (The Messenger, The Mechanic). Having only seen a few news footages of these writers, I thought the acting from Daniel, Ben and Michael C. Hall (Gamer, Dexter-TV) as David Kammerer was especially good. The movie had a dark stylized look that gave added authenticity to the story. There were a few passages that were slow for me and a couple of times I was simply confused. What kept me interested was the fact I was familiar with these writers, having read some of their works; so, some of you may not have the same interest level as mine. I would have preferred a deeper exploration of the characters because I think it would have helped the viewers who have had little exposure to these individuals. With that being said, I was entertained during a majority of the film, but was wondering how these writers would have told the story.
2 3/4 stars
Flash Movie Review: Diana
There is a reason one does not find an accountant or welder coming to the rescue in a fairy tale. Not that I am being disparaging towards those occupations, but living in a country that does not have a monarchy, I want to be saved by someone greater than myself. As a small child didn’t most of us dream of being swept away into a world of kings, queens and wizards? I know I certainly did as I imagined myself walking down long marble floored hallways, guided by faces that peered down at me from large musty portraits, as I looked for my chambers. The whole idea of royalty has a magical quality for many of us today. There is a fascination to see or hear anything that has to do with a royal member of the family. For me part of the interest has to do with the person’s lineage, their royal bloodline. Since I can only trace my family back to a few generations, the idea that these royal individuals are related to people I have read about in history books blows my mind. One of the most famous in modern times was Diana, Princess of Wales. In this dramatic movie the story focused on the last two years of her life. Naomi Watts (The Impossible, Fair Game) portrayed Princess Diana during the time she began seeing Dr. Hasnat Khan, played by Naveen Andrews (The Brave One, Lost-TV). I do not know where to begin to tell you how wrong this biographical romance was on so many levels. First there was Naomi Watts, who I have always admired. She was not a good fit for the role; she did not come across as iconic and statuesque as Diana. Part of the issue was the horrible and ridiculous script she had to try and make work. The scenes were lifeless and boring which I can only attribute to poor direction. And finally, let me talk about the specific scenes where Diana and Hasnat were by themselves. Who knows how they really acted when they were alone; but if you are making a movie about two people in love, there should be some chemistry between the two actors. There was none between Naomi and Naveen; it was the finishing touch in making a complete mess of a movie. Personally I think the film studio should have kept the fantasy and allure about Princess Diana going by not putting together this tawdry film.
1 2/3 stars
Flash Movie Review: The Fifth Estate
With a single word or phrase a story can take on a different meaning. The same holds true for a newscast or written article. When I watch or read the news I know I am getting a fragment of the whole story. It is understandable due to time constraints or limited space. Being a naturally curious person, I enjoy finding out the backstory to what was reported to the public. It could be almost anything from entertainment to science to government; hearing the details on an individual’s thought process behind what they did or created is something that has always fascinated me. In regards to this movie, I was looking forward to discovering something new on the how and why Julian Assange created the site WikiLeaks. As some of you already know, I am not here to judge if something is right or wrong, legal or not, ethical, etc.; I am reviewing the movie on its entertainment value. Benedict Cumberbatch (12 Years a Slave, Star Trek into Darkness) played the role of Julian. Daniel Bruhl (Rush, Winning Streak) played Julian’s collaborator Daniel Domscheit-Berg. Both actors did the best they could with what was given to them. For a movie that claimed it was a dramatic thriller based on real events, the script was a real mess. I was bored through a major portion, finally becoming engaged in the last third of the film. It really was a shame considering the cast also included Laura Linney (Mystic River, Hyde Park on Hudson) as Sarah Shaw and Stanley Tucci (Margin Call, The Terminal) as James Boswell. All of them were good but the way the story played out with short scenes that did not go anywhere; there was not a cohesive trail to follow. With all the controversy regarding WikiLeaks and the way it received anonymous covert data; I wished the writers would, if not enhanced, at least have allowed more time to look at an event from multiple points of view. I did not gain anything new regarding Julian, the site and more importantly I was not entertained. A story so current needed an exciting script and offer something extra to grab the attention of the viewer. If not then one should just watch the news.
1 3/4 stars
Flash Movie Review: 12 Years a Slave
I first learned about prejudice in elementary school, but it was not from school books. My first exposure had to do with religious differences. After answering a classmate’s question on what was my religion, he told me I was dirty. At the time I was confused by his comment, remembering I looked down at my hands to see if they were unclean. Shortly after I discovered other classmates were treated to the same encounter. If you were not the same religion as this boy, he believed something was wrong with you. The next form of prejudice I witnessed occurred later when a new student was enrolled into my class who was African American. There was no overt actions taken against her; however, she was shunned by several students. I did not understand why classmates would react in such a way, let alone try to figure out the reasoning behind it. My elementary school years were only a prelude to the horrors I would encounter when I entered into high school. One of the reasons I started this review by writing about the prejudices and discriminations I saw at such a young age was to prepare you for what were the most realistic depictions of them that I have ever seen in a movie. Based on Solomon Northup’s memoir, this movie should be required viewing in every school. Chiwetel Ejiofor (Children of Men, American Gangster) was unbelievable playing Solomon; a free black man with a wife and two children, living in upper state New York who was kidnapped, shipped to Louisiana and sold into slavery. Directed by Steve McQueen (Shame, Hunger), I have never experienced the range of intensity and hatred portrayed in a film about slavery like it was done in this film festival winner. Relative newcomer Lupita Nyong’o was outstanding in her role as Patsey, the slave of cotton plantation owner Edwin Epps, played by Michael Fassbender (A Dangerous Method, Prometheus). The story was amazing to watch on film; I can only imagine what Solomon Northup’s book must be like to read. Even with some actors such as Paul Dano (Prisoners, Ruby Sparks) as Tibeats and Benedict Cumberbatch (Atonement,War Horse) as Ford having brief screen time, they still made every minute count with their characters. This is a movie that needs to be seen by everyone. Now I certainly would not be considered an optimist, but forgive me if my hope is the human race would be better by witnessing the ugliness of prejudice and slavery shown in this magnificent film. There were several scenes that showed blood and violence.
4 stars
Flash Movie Review: Captain Phillips
Part of my responsibilities, in my role as a credit manager, has been the preparation of documents to present to the bank for payment from a letter of credit. A letter of credit is a legal document issued by a bank to pay another bank (usually in another country) that guarantees payment for goods we ship under specified conditions. The portion of the paperwork I enjoy reading about is the trail our shipment travels from our docks to the customer. Starting out by truck, our product may switch to rail before reaching a port of departure. Here is where it gets fun for me as the goods are loaded onto a container ship that sets sail, to travel to all parts of the world. I have learned so much about different cities and countries based on where the shipments are destined to land. All of it had seemed exciting and exotic until I saw this riveting drama based on a true story. My fanciful daydreaming about sailing to new and faraway places came to a screeching halt at the reality of what happened to Captain Richard Phillips, portrayed by Tom Hanks (Larry Crowne, The Terminal). Based on Richard Phillips’ memoir, “A Captain’s Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALS and Dangerous Days at Sea,” this movie skillfully brought the story to life. It was one thing to read articles or see newscasts about Somali pirates, but to have it shown right up in my face made this movie a more tense and dramatic film viewing experience. The story was about the 2009 hijacking on the container vessel Alabama by Somali pirates. Director Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Supremacy, Bloody Sunday) did a wonderful job in keeping the story’s pull at a constant tautness. When Tom Hanks is firing on all cylinders, as he was in this role, he shows why he is considered one of the better actors in Hollywood. Newcomers Barkhad Abdi and Markhad Abdirahman as Somali pirates Muse and Bilal were outstanding. The scene where Muse says, “Look at me, look at me; I am the captain now,” was a brilliant piece of ad libbing. For me, the movie was getting so intense I started to cry at a particularly emotional scene. If you are like me and plan on seeing all the major Academy Award nominated films before the Oscar telecast, you might as well get an early start with this outstanding movie. There were a few scenes where blood was shown.
4 stars
moviejoltz 