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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| Bridge of Spies -A well executed movie. |
Watch Bridge of Spies
Written by: Matt Charman (written by) and Ethan Coen & Joel Coen (written by)
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Alan Alda, Amy Ryan
Rated: PG-13
Plot:
James Donovan (Tom Hanks) is tasked with defending Russian spy Rudolph Abel (Mark Rylance), which later puts him in the position to negotiate a prisoner exchange between Russia and the U.S.
Verdict:
This is a well made movie with excellent dialog and characters. The subject is interesting, but the writing elevates the film.
Watch it.
Review:
You know going in this is a spy movie, and it starts with intrigue and people being followed. There's even a note hidden in a nickel.
All of the details fall into place. The production looks great with the sets and furniture achieving period accuracy. Slick editing transitions the scenes, focusing on similar movements like children rising for the pledge and the courtroom rising for the judge.
Donovan's first scene displays how skilled and particular he is as a lawyer. It's the script more than Hanks, but Hanks always sells it well. I'm sure a lot of the dialog is the Coen brothers.
Donovan is roped into defending a Soviet spy. He realizes he'll be reviled, but he has no choice.
Donovan questions why Abel isn't more worried about the consequences faced. Abel responds with a reoccurring phrase, "Would it help?" Abel is surprising cool throughout the proceedings.
As Donovan is riding in the train car, fellow passengers eye him with disgust because he represents a spy, recognizing him from the newspaper. What he's doing isn't easy. You get the public's blood thirst, but you also understand that Donovan does his job and does it right. People don't see a human being they see an evil Russian.
His opposition are cowards, even shooting at his house. Justice and impartiality are only warranted when it's for yourself or someone you know. People could care less for justice if they assume guilt or deign it for peace or the good of the nation.
The stakes become dynamic when a spy plane flown by an American is captured by the Soviets. Donovan is drafted to facilitate the exchange of Abel for the American. He plays both sides, trying to save as many lives as possible.
The dialog and the occurence of Abel's phrase, "Does it matter." highlights what propels this movie. The characters are well developed.
Seeing this on the heels of In the Heart of the Sea, the script is the difference. This has strong characters and dialog, both sorely lacking from In the Heart of the Sea. A movie won't excel on big set pieces alone. There has to be a human connection.
Rylance excels in an understated role. I don't recall seeing him in anything else, so I have no basis for comparison. It's not as innovative or attention grabbing as some of the top movies from 2015, but it is a solid and safe movie that's well made.
The movie has a few call backs to the beginning that are fantastic. Donovan goes from scored to vindicated. It's all about perception. You have to live knowing what you did.
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| In the Heart of the Sea - Watch out for that whale! |
Watch In the Heart of the Sea
Written by: Charles Leavitt (screenplay, story) and Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver (story), Nathaniel Philbrick (book)
Directed by: Ron Howard
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Cillian Murphy, Brendan Gleeson
Rated: PG-13
Plot:
The movie of the story that inspired the novel Moby Dick. A giant whale sinks a whaling ship.
Verdict:
It relies on spectacle and fails to provide a compelling story or characters. We know the tale of Moby Dick, and this movie needs to provide something more than that. Unfortunately it does not. It lacks a unifying theme. It's a trope filled movie that just goes through the motions.
Skip it.
Review:
In the Heart of the Sea proves how crucial the script is in a movie production. A good director like Howard can't fix the underlying problems. The structure of the movie with Melville interviewing the last living crew member from the ship Essex grounds the movie in reality but brings the action and tension to a screeching halt.
The story of Moby Dick has been told, retold, and parodied. This is the real account of what happened before Melville fictionalized it and added the intriguing character of Captain Ahab. It's as bland as it sounds. I was surprised at the CGI effects. They weren't bad, but there were more than a few times the CGI was noticeable. This is after just having watched A Perfect Storm which is fifteen years older and still looks really good. I expected better effects from a Ron Howard blockbuster.
The movie is framed with Melville tracking down the last living passenger, the cabin boy now an old man, who he coaxes to reveal this story of the whale for the first time. It sets up plenty of drama. Chris Hemsworth is the first mate Chase, who was promised captain, but because he's poor loses the job to the rich and affluent George Pollard. Of course Pollard is incompetent, and Chase is asked to help him out. As cliche as that sounds, I hoped we would delve into the characters and create intriguing people. That doesn't happen. The characters are all one note. It had opportunity with two characters that are complete opposites, but it doesn't capitalize. The captain is obviously insecure, and the movie makes him obnoxious instead of balancing him.
The movie continually cuts back to Melville and Dickerson. Their dialog is unnecessary and Dickerson's voice over adds nothing.
The movie picks up when we're finally introduced to Moby Dick, well the inspiration for Moby Dick. The whale is huge and smart, leaving the crew stranded in the ocean after it sinks their battleship... I mean whaling ship.
The movie takes a giant leap in logic when one of the crewman points a gun at Chase, blames him for their current situation and demands Chase admit he is scared. With a movie like this, Chase is too cool to admit such a thing.
Stranded in row boats and on the brink of death, the crew spots a tiny island. Moby Dick has been following them and attacks them again. The remaining men are now stranded on a deserted island. We get the lone acceptable voice over when Dickerson recounts what they had to do to stay alive, but it still could have been executed better.
When the crew finally makes it back to the states, an inquisition is made into what happened. Chase is told to lie and say the ship ran aground. No one would believe a great white whale sunk the ship. Chase is too proud to lie, even for a big payoff. Pollard follows Chase's lead, tells the truth and goes back out to sea to chase the white whale.
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| The Shawshank Redemption - Simply incredible |
Watch The Shawshank Redemption
Written by: Stephen King (short story "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption"), Frank Darabont (screenplay)
Directed by: Frank Darabont
Starring: Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Bob Gunton, Clancy Brown
Rated: R
Plot:
Andy Dufresne is imprisoned for murder. In prison he struggles, triumphs, and even makes a few friends, but Andy is patient, smart, and has lots of time.
Verdict:
It's a great movie. The writing is very good, every scene leading to the climax, building the world and characters for a specific reason. This is less a prison break movie and more an examination into what a life sentence does to a person, how it institutionalizes. It's also a story about two friends Dufresne (Tim Robbins) and Red (Morgan Freeman).
Dufresne is a convicted murderer, who through sheer will accomplishes great feats even in prison. He ultimately experiences the ultimate triumph for a man in prison.
This is simply incredible and a movie that everyone needs to watch (or watch again). The music, cinematography, and acting is great, with everything working in tandem.
Watch it.
Review:
I've seen this movie a few times many years ago, but with it newly added to Netflix I decided to revisit it.
This is based on a Stephen King story. Who knew hee can do more than just horror?
The opening is very good, combining the alleged crime and trial into one scene. It provides enough to let you know what's going on, but not enough to slow the movie. You wonder, did Dufresne do it or is he innocent as he claims. In six minute we know Dufresne's story. It's deft film making with no fat, no fluff. We cut to Redding and learn his story in less than a minute.
The voice over works in this, and that can be hard to accomplish, not to mention it's done by Morgan Freeman. With a voice over the dialog needs to add to the scene, like music. So many movies use voice over to tell us what we already see on screen or as a shortcut for what's too difficult or expensive to film. This is how it's done.
The inmates bet on which new 'fish' will break down crying first. It's heartless, but they're in a heartless place. Jail is lonely and difficult.
Dufresne's first comeuppance is when he has the gall to tell Chief Correctional Officer Hadley how to avoid taxes and then asks for beers for his coworkers. It's a stellar moment, and even the root of that is a desire to feel normal if even for a brief instant. Dufresne is a quiet character who never sings his own praises. The inmates regale everyone with his tales.
I hadn't previously realized he didn't get the rock hammer to break out. It was roughly two years later that he discovered how soft the walls were and decided to tunnel through.
An elderly inmate, Brooks, provides a fantastic vignette. He's freed from prison but still trapped in prison. It bolsters the theme of what prison does to someone and the fate that awaits inmates.
This story builds and keeps getting bigger. The writing is incredible with many quotable lines like, "I had to come to prison to become a crook."
Dufresne had to find a way to pass the time in prison. He shaped rocks, built a library, and helped inmates get GED's.
There's a lot of subtlety in the uniforms and makeup that convey the passage of time. It's easy to miss because it's so subtle. Skip from the last few scenes in jail to some of the first.
I also noticed the sewer line dumps directly into the river. I would hate to be downstream of that jail.
It brings so many things together at the end. Every moment in this movie led to the climax. Freeman's voice over towards the end is moving. Andy Dufresne lives on in stories, but he's still missed. Dufresne's revenge was so complete, and at the point where most movies roll the credits, this movie keeps going, developing an incredible conclusion.
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| Hotel Transylvania 2 -It's good enough. |
Watch Hotel Transylvania 2
Written by: Robert Smigel, Adam Sandler
Directed by: Genndy Tartakovsky
Starring: Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, Kevin James, David Spade, Steve Buscemi
Rated: PG
Plot:
Dracula is hoping his half human, half monster grandson inherits his vampire genes.
Verdict:
I don't have the benefit of having seen the first one. This one isn't bad. It has it's funny moments, but it relies on common monster tropes and gags. It's not bad, but it isn't trying to do anything original, and the ending is easy to predict. It's a movie that doesn't ask much, but will keep you entertained.
It depends.
Review:
This movie takes queues from Meet the Parents. There is a monster-human pair up and concern over how humans and monsters alike will react.
Dracula is a cool parent so he's okay with it. His concern is whether his grandson will inherit his vampire genes. The parents are considering moving to California to raise the child around humans since they think he has no powers as he doesn't have fangs yet.
Dracula talks the parents into letting him babysit while they check out California. Dracula's plan is to force the vampire genes to show on a wild romp with his grandson and monster buddies.
It takes full advantage of monster stereotype, which isn't a bad thing. You can guess how it will end from the beginning, but it does have some funny parts. Kids will like it, but there are better animated movies out there.
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| Regression - I feel like my mental capacity has regressed. |
Watch Regression
Written by: Alejandro Amenábar
Directed by: Alejandro Amenábar
Starring: Ethan Hawke, David Thewlis, Emma Watson
Rated: R
Plot:
In this psychological horror Bruce Kenner (Ethan Hawke) investigates a man who sexually abused his daughter, but he has no recollection of the event.
Verdict:
The movie starts off with a great, creepy mood. It's unnerving and wild. You don't know what's going on, and it seems like it could be a town wide conspiracy. While the policing is simplified, it's forgivable. The third act is unforgivable, pulling the rug out from under you in a conclusion that contradicts what you've seen. The ending to this movie is not just bad, it will make you angry for wasting your time.
Skip it.
Review:
I didn't know where this was going. I wondered if Ethan Hawke's character was deranged and imagining things, if it was a town wide cult committing crimes for the greater good, or if there was a supernatural element. I got none of those things. The end of the movie pulls a 'Got you.' out of a thin air. It 'got me' because it intentionally misled me and misrepresented events.
A father turns himself in for a crime he doesn't commit. It could be part of a cult, and police officer is implicated in the crime.
The police work didn't feel real because everything came so easy to Kenner. Everyone tells him exactly what he wants to hear.
Is this a dream or is he deranged? I expected Kenner to be implicated or attacked. I assumed somehow the cult would ensure his arrest. Or is it a dream, a manifestation of his obsession with the case? The movie makes you doubt what's real.
The movie has a great mood with the underlying tension. You never quite know if things are real or a dream in the movie's setting. Then it shifts to super natural horror movie. What's going on?
The movie gets confusing. Are there people following him or not? This complication made me concerned for the ending. How can they wrap this up well when it's going in so many directions?
Then they drop the answer. It was mass hysteria. Everything was in everyone's imagination, BUT that doesn't explain elements we saw off screen that characters didn't see. It's a sham.
Kenner solves the case by determining the original claim of abuse was a lie. What trickery is going on here? This excuse of a resolution can't explain this movie, at least not satisfactorily. This is a cheap knock off of Primal Fear (1996). This movie lied to me and leveraged that for a twist ending. That isn't a twist ending, it's a pile of garbage.
The message is that regression therapy is bad and mass hysteria makes sane people bonkers crazy. If a movie has to break the contract between viewers and the film, it will happily add viewers to a list of casualties. It's one thing for this to happen in a movie that's terrible, but even worse when the movie wasn't that bad until the end. How did we get this ending? This ending retroactively makes the entire movie terrible.
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