I watch movies every week and then write down my thoughts. Read my previous reviews!
My rating is simple, Watch It, It Depends, Skip it.
| Fargo - There is no minimum standard to be a criminal, ya darn tootin'. |
Fargo (1996)
Watch Fargo
Written by: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Directed by: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen (uncredited)
Starring: William H. Macy, Frances McDormand, Steve Buscemi
Rated: R
Plot:
A crime falls apart due to persistent police work and inept criminals.
Review:
While I've watched it before, it's one of those movies I wanted to see again as it had been so long. The movie has a great start that sets the tone. One of the best parts may be the setting, acting as an independent character. From the snow to the accents, it's very charming and unique. The dialog is well written, it's a great story, and the actors are superb.
Watch it.
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| Arlington Road - Jeff Bridges uncovers a terrorist plot. |
Watch Arlington Road
Written by: Ehren Kruger
Directed by: Mark Pellington
Starring: Jeff Bridges, Tim Robbins, Joan Cusack
Rated: R
Plot:
A man suspects his neighbor is a terrorist.
Review:
This has one of the craziest starts to a movie I've ever seen. It's a great thriller, that keeps you on the edge of your seat. It's presented in a way that really makes you connect. I don't know how plausible it is, but it really makes you look at domestic terrorism. We find one man quickly to give us peace, but is it really just one man behind the plot? The ending is a bit telegraphed but the implications are staggering.
Watch it.
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| The Ringer - Johnny Knoxville scams the Special Olympics. |
Watch The Ringer
Written by: Ricky Blitt
Directed by: Barry W. Blaustein
Starring: Johnny Knoxville, Katherine Heigl, Brian Cox
Rated: PG-13
Plot:
Johnny Knoxville rigs the Special Olympics by posing as a contestant.
Review:
This movie could have been utterly terrible. It's not bad, but it isn't a standout either. It's a bit hokey relying on shock value. A unique premise, only goes so far. At it's core, it's still making fun of the mentally handicapped. It's not outright offensive, but the humor is too pointed.
Skip it.
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| Return of the Dragon - Come for Bruce Lee, stay for the fights. |
Watch The Return of the Dragon
Written by: Bruce Lee (screenplay)
Directed by: Bruce Lee
Starring: Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris
Rated: R
Plot:
Bruce Lee defends a restaurant from gangsters.
Review:
My first Bruce Lee film, I'm ashamed to admit. It has an incredibly slow start, I keep hoping he will start fighting. There isn't much story, and it's a hilarious dub, but it does include some great Bruce Lee fight sequences. It's not bad if you only watch the fight scenes. Everything else is quite cheesy.
Skip it.
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| Return of the Dragon - Really, just watch the fights. |
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| Transcendence - Ashes to A.I. |
Watch Transcendence
Written by: Jack Paglen
Directed by: Wally Pfister
Starring: Johnny Depp, Rebecca Hall, Morgan Freeman
Rated: PG-13
Plot:
In his quest for artificial intelligence, a doctor uploads his consciousness to a computer.
Plot:
It's a great looking movie, with amazing lighting. The first scene is the future and then we flashback, a pet peeve of mine, but it isn't that offensive. There are many cute shots that obscure the story. How made long angle, light bleed shots can we have? Every other shot is a fade out or in to focus. It had potential to really explore some neat issures, but glosses over too much. It's a movie that suffers from too big of a budget. The story gets too expansive and it suffers because of it. A lot of wasted potential without the payoff.
Skip it.
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| Breathe In - Misdirected passions ruin all. |
Breath In
Written by: Drake Doremus, Ben York Jones
Directed by: Drake Doremus
Starring: Guy Pearce, Felicity Jones, Mackenzie Davis, Amy Ryan
Rated: R
Plot:
A foreign exchange student disrupts the dynamics of her host family.
Review
Guy Pearce picks great roles, be it leading or supporting. I hoped it would continue, and this movie proves it does. The film has an amazing ambiance, setting an interesting dynamic of strangers in the same house. There is a fair amount of foreshadowing and undertones, but the metered story is paced perfectly. It's a movie people will call slow and uneventful, but it has such a nuance to it, distinctly real. The penultimate sequence where each story comes together is well done, creating a better ending Watch it.
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| Invasion of the Body Snatchers - They aren't who you think. |
Watch Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Written by: Daniel Mainwaring (screenplay, )Jack Finney (Collier's magazine serial), Richard Collins (uncredited)
Directed by: Don Siegel
Starring: Kevin McCarthy, Dana Wynter, Larry Gates
Rated: --
Plot:
The population of a small town is being replaced by emotionless aliens.
Review:
Often imitated, never duplicated. It's much more subtle than current movies, but that is to be expected. It's a great thriller, a film where you have to put yourself into the minds of the characters. What helps is it's relatively and comparatively grounded. The first and last scene were added at the request of the studio, though there really was no need for them.
Watch it.
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| Bad Boys - The forgotten Detroit Pistons team of the early '90s. |
Watch 30 for 30: Bad Boys
Written by: Aaron Cohen, Zak Levitt
Directed by: Zak Leviit
Starring: Kid Rock, Mike Abdenour, Mark Aguirre
Rated: --
Plot:
A look at the Detroit Pistons of the late '80s and early '90s.
Review:
The ESPN documentaries are typically pretty good, even if you aren't a sports fan.
It's an interesting look at Dennis Rodman and his evolution, which is a sidebar to the main point. You don't hear much about a team that went from worst to first, lost among the golden age of basketball, the Celtics, Lakers, and Bulls. It lacks the focus and sensationalism to rank it among the better ESPN documentaries. Their rise and fall is still an intriguing story.
It depends.
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| Philadelphia - Tom Hanks fights for justice. |
Watch Philadelphia
Written by: Ron Nyswaner
Directed by: Jonathan Demme
Starring: Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington
Rated: PG-13
Plot:
Lawyer Andrew Beckett (Tom Hanks) is fired from his job for having AIDS, and hires an attorney (Denzel Washington)for a wrongful dismissal suit.
Review:
A heavy story, no doubt. Hanks plays the part well, going the distance to look the part. It's a compelling story. I can only begin to imagining the impact it had when first released. As an aside, how could Denzel ever lose a case? His charisma is off the charts. I appreciate the movie depicts Denzel as someone who despite his personal beliefs, still upholds morals and laws. It's a rite of passage movie, culturally relevant and a sign of the times. The ending is highly effective.
Watch it.
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