This week I watched The Two Faces of January, Deliverance, True Romance, Automata, Frank.
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.
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| The Two Faces of January |
The Two Faces of January (2014)
Watch The Two Faces of January
Written by: Hossein Amini, Patricia Highsmith (based on the novel by)
Directed by: Hossein Amini
Starring: Viggo Mortenson, Kirsten Dunst, Oscar Isaac
Rated: PG-13
Plot:
A small time con man is an accomplice to murder when he visits a businessman on the run late at night.
Review:
Great production values make the details feel period realistic. While Mortensen and Dunst don't seem quite right for their roles, Isaac is believable. It's a fun crime caper with intrigue abounding, but it drags a bit. While it has the feel of an older movie, which is good, nothing sets it apart or makes it a must watch. A movie of this type should have more twists.
Skip it.
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| Deliverance |
Watch Deliverance
Written by: James Dickey (screenplay), James Dickey (novel), John Boorman (additional dialog, uncredited)
Directed by: John Boorman
Starring: Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty, Ronny Cox
Rated: R
Plot:
Four friends embark on a canoe trip that turns into a life or death nightmare.
Review:
It starts as a nice buddy movie in a strange country. Each character is unique. It quickly devolves into a horror movie genre. The film poses a very real question that gets overshadowed due to what incited the question. Though the incident is what helps set it apart, the characters are well developed. It's a fight to survive movie.
It depends.
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| True Romance |
True Romance (1993)
Watch True Romance
Written by: Quentin Tarantino
Directed by: Tony Scott
Starring: Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Dennis Hopper, Chrisopher Walken, Gary Oldman, Brad Pitt
Rated: R
Plot:
Comic book salesman Clarence marries prostitute Alabama, steals drugs, and is on the run to Hollywood to escape the drug's owners.
Review:
It's over the top and wild and that's what makes it intriguing. The movie is much better than the synopsis leads one to believe. The characters are all well written and well acted. Gary Oldman gives a stand out performance. It's a fun movie, combining action with romance, with the excess of the 80's. It easily could have been run of the mill, but solid writing elevates the production. The story is solid and the acting is great.
It depends.
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| Automata |
Automata (2014)
Watch Automata
Written by: Gabe Ibanez, Igor Legarreta, Javier Sanchez Donate
Directed by: Gabe Ibanez
Starring: Antonia Banderas, Dylan McDermott, Melanie Griffith
Rated: R
Plot:
In the future where Earth is a wasteland, an insurance adjustor uncovers a startling secret about the robots that perform mundane tasks for society.
Review:
It has a great vibe. It's refreshing to see sci-fi grounded on this planet that shows what life is like. It's deeper than Transcendence, which had great promise and didn't follow through.This does a better job, but the ending is lacking.
It depends.
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| Frank - Fassbender in a paper mache head. |
Frank (2014)
Watch Frank
Written by: Jon Ronson & Peter Straughan (screenplay)
Directed by: Lenny Abrahamson
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Domnhall Gleeson, Maggie Gyllenhaal
Rated: R
Plot:
Jon joins a band in which the front man wears a giant paper-mache head.
Review:
As a character in the film says, "You're just going to have to go with this." The plight of the artist may lead to someone wearing a giant head. In context it doesn't seem odd. The movie revolves around the ideas that everyone wears a mask of sorts, while needing a face that people will like. Frank wears a happy mask, while everyone around him wears a mask of despair. Life experiences do not make an artist, the skill is inherent. Michael Fassbender is standout. Many actors wouldn't star in a film in which their face is barely shown.
It depends.
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