Drive (2011)

Posted on by Dave

Haven’t had a lot of chances to see movies in the theaters lately, but I was lucky enough to see this new Ryan Gosling flick everybody is raving about. So is Drive all the rage? Simply put, yes. It was a very well made and acted film that continued to prove Gosling rise to stardom and it did so in a fresh and entertaining way.

Gosling plays a man who is a stunt driver and mechanic by day and has not so legitimate driving jobs at night. As he settles into a new apartment he begins to get involved with his neighbor (Carey Mulligan) as she struggles to raise a child while her husband is in jail. Although this leaves room for the normal cliches, the film decides to take a more interesting turn.

20110917-022849.jpg

The main difference in this film and other crime/action/thrillers is the way it is completely confident in it’s unique self. Just when you would expect Gosling to have some great one liner or perfectly placed genius line, you get silence or a simple nod from the star. He plays the part perfectly and adds to the no nonsense feel of the film. The soundtrack is certainly not the one you would expect either, with it’s sappy pop driven tunes, but somehow it works flawlessly. Gosling probably has five lines the whole movie and still brings the point across even without saying a single word.

The directing of the film, by Nicolas Winding Refn (Bronson and Valhalla Rising which I shall review soon), is its strongest feature complimenting the acting. The movie is calm and lulls you into this quiet person’s two sided life. Just when you think that the whole film will be that way it takes you for a drive; sorry, but it is true. If you are looking for a film to get you excited about movies again then this may be it. It has the action, the drama, and the well made feel put together, but most importantly the people who made it were not afraid to do their own thing and create a style that is all it’s own.

The Skinny Version

Raw Score: 901,331
Sharon Movie? No

Gangster No. 1 (2000)

Posted on by Dave

I haven’t seen much aside from A Clockwork Orange that really made me like Malcolm McDowell and actually that one didn’t really make me like him anyway. So I am not sure why I even gave this movie a try. I guess that I was hoping for a movie that could really give me that Goodfellas, Godfather, or Scarface fix. This is not a movie that you can even compare to Goodfellas or the Godfather, but I would compare it to Scarface. Unfortunately for director Paul McGuigan I would say this movie was about like Scarface except without the talent or decent scripting. In fact it had little in the way of actual memorable moments or lines as well.

Paul Bettany has been in many better movies since this one and has proven that he has talent as well, so it is hard to figure out exactly what makes McDowell and Bettany seem so horrible in this one. It must have just been the poor script and directing. This movie is not particularly fun to watch and has little in the way of redeeming qualities to make it worth a watch. Another odd thing about it is the fact that it look as though it was made about 40 years ago, but it was made in 2000. Terrible cinematography and directing plagues the entire movie.

If you are looking for your gangster flick on Netflix streaming, then you can go ahead and cross this one off of your list. It keeps coming up as a suggestion for me even after I have rated it a 2 out of 5 star. Avoid this one please; I hated it.

Score: 445,298

Movie Review – Blue Valentine (2010)

Posted on by Dave

Blue Valentine is certainly not the movie you are looking for when you are feeling a little down about your A/C not working and need a good romantic comedy to cheer you up.  It is quite the opposite in fact.  This is not to say that it is not a good movie, it is, but just be sure that you are ready for a downer.


Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams star in this dark drama/romance which sets out to tell you how wonderful and sad life can be all at the same time.  By use of often oddly placed flash backs the question “how did we get here?” is answered.  The previews made it seem like most of the movie would be light and quirky when in fact it is mostly dark and depressing.  The moments in flash backs where we get to see the two meeting and getting to know each other are given in between two sad displays of reality.  It works and feels real for the most part, but coming into the movie expecting the funny, light, and quirky moments to be forefront was almost devastating.

So what does the movie have to offer that would really make it worth the watch?  Well, for one, the acting is very good.  Gosling and Williams both put on a powerful performance which is often spot on with reality.  We see two characters that have drawn apart slowly as they have progressed in life and sadly it seems so possible for these characters to exist like this.  At first it is hard to find your bearings as far as when and where you are in the story, but as the film moves along it slowly starts to make sense how it all comes together.  This slow progression also dampens the spirit.  It is a powerful drama with good acting, writing, and directing that is well worth a watch as long as you are in the right mood for it.

The Skinny Version

Raw Score: 762,912
Sharon Movie? No

Movie Review – The Good, the Bad, the Weird (2008)

Posted on by Dave

The Good, the Bad, the Weird is a Korean western set circa WWII which takes playful comedy and action combined to make an entertaining movie that is well worth the watch. Jee-woon Kim does a great job of writing and directing here and is now on my list of directors to look out for. It seems that he has directed a good amount of other films which all rank well on imdb. Of course that does not always mean much, but judging from this film I would definitely consider giving the rest of his films a look.

So how is it that the movie can be so light hearted while still being an action/thriller? It is partially due to The Weird/Yoon Tae-goo played by Kang-ho Song. His character is entertaining right from the beginning and this helps set the mood. He is the guy who is always in the wrong place at the wrong time, but he just won’t die. His facial expressions alone would be enough to carry comedy throughout the film, but his character also does plenty of off the wall stuff to make things interesting. You have The Bad and The Good as well, but they are not as entertaining and some of their punch is most likely lost in translation.

It is always different watching a foreign film that combines action and comedy the way this one does because some of the elements which seem like jokes may actually be serious moments. That just adds to keeping the english speaking viewer on their toes though. That and you have to adjust to reading the subtitles while watching the action. Overall, The Good, the Bad, the Weird more than lived up to my expectations, which honestly were not that high, and delivered plenty of reasons to watch. If subtitles do not bother you or you happen to be fluent in Korean, Mandarin, and Japanese, then you should really give this one a watch. Should be sure to entertain and if not, well, sorry about your luck.

The Skinny Version

Raw Score: 783,928
Sharon Movie? Yes

Movie Review – The Green Hornet (2011)

Posted on by Dave

Michel Gondry directed The Science of Sleep, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and …The Green Hornet. The first question you would have to ask after watching The Green Hornet is “what happened?” Ok, so Gondry has directed many other things and many of which probably are not as brilliant as the first two movies mentioned above, but the problem here probably also stems from the fact that Gondry did not write The Green Hornet. Seth Rogen, who also stars, is the main contributor here and we have actually come to expect more from him as well. So what is it that really makes The Green Hornet such a mediocre film?

First, the acting is not really that great. Seth Rogen is exactly like you would expect; not that this is a bad thing necessarily, but it is uninspired acting at best. Jay Chou, who plays the super power wielding sidekick Kato, relies completely on Rogen to run the jokes and drama even. Cameron Diaz has done better and it seems has only been placed in this film so that they can put her name on the poster. The worst acting, or hopefully worst scripting, is done with the villain Chudnofsky played by Christoph Waltz. The lines are poor for his character, but his part is also not directed well. It almost seems childish. Aside from the acting and somewhat week plot, the movie has plenty of entertainment to make it worth a watch. The action sequences are interesting, even if a bit ridiculous at times, and some of the cinematography and special effects are quite interesting.

That just about sums it up. When looking for a movie about a super hero who is just barely a super hero which has action and special effects you can feel confident that The Green Hornet will deliver. When looking for a strong super hero and a plot, steer clear of this one. Seth Rogen’s writing appears to be getting worse and his acting is actually on the verge of irritating. Much like Will Farrell, Rogen is a one act wonder who is good at what he does, but if you are tired of it then you will not like him here.

The Skinny Version

Raw Score: 690,121
Sharon Movie? No

Movie Review – The Mechanic (2011)

Posted on by Dave

Jason Statham has shied away from quality films lately, but at least you can count on him killing a lot of people and blowing stuff up. That is really all you get here with The Mechanic. That is not to say that there is not a plot, but it is buried and underdeveloped. Instead of focusing on boring stuff like a good story or well defined characters, the director has decided that the most important thing is action. Odd since really this movie has less action and thrills than a lot of other movies with much better plot lines.

So we get to watch Jason Statham and Ben Foster kill a bunch of people and try to learn how to cope with their odd relationship. Donald Sutherland is always good, but with his age his part does not have a huge impact on this action based film. The movie starts with such fanfare and then lulls the audience into this slow pathetic “story telling” section. The problem is, there is not much story to tell and what is told is not really interesting. Then you are left with plenty of questions about what motivates the characters to do what they do.

Possibly the biggest flaw with the film is the ending which undeniably proves that the main character cares for no one but himself. Maybe that gives it away for some, but you really don’t need to watch this movie expecting anything great. If you are looking for a movie with some action and killing and are not looking for much else then this one is worth a look, but keep the expectations low. Jason Statham has yet to prove himself as a serious lead, but he plays the ruthless unstoppable killer well.

The Skinny Version

Raw Score: 601,887
Sharon Movie? No

Movie Review – Limitless (2011)

Posted on by Dave

Reading the little summary of Limitless got me fairly interested in the film, but after taking the dive into this movie I feel a bit cheated. Maybe it is that I read the summary too quickly or maybe after thousands of movies and only a handful of books my reading comprehension is really starting to suffer, but it seemed like the movie was going to be about a super hero or at least someone with super powers. In a sense I guess the main character has a new found ability, but certainly not what I would call a super power. He essentially becomes a drug addict that happens to be addicted to a drug that makes him smarter. Ok, so I am supposed to be rooting for a drug addict that gets really smart and instead of helping people decides to be completely self indulgent.

Aside from the plot not being a very strong story, it actually destroyed any chance of having good character development. Yes, we could have gotten character development, but since he is not a likable character it does not really matter if his story is developed. Top that off with second rate acting, sorry Bradley Cooper, and you are left with a movie that had potential and yet fell flat on its face. Lets not forget that Robert De Niro decided to take this one on as a supporting role; does he take any movie these days. This is certainly not his worst, but it is far from his best also. I do not think he is even trying anymore.

Limitless is a decently entertaining movie with an interesting premiss, but after getting halfway through the film I would be surprised if you are still excited about it. The twists and turns make the movie a little more exciting than if everything had been straight forward, but it also leaves you with a lot of unanswered questions. Bradley Cooper is still not ready for a starring role, but maybe after a few more movies of this quality he will be ready for something a little more powerful. Check it out if you like the idea of drugs that make you smarter.

The Skinny Version

Raw Score: 671,872
Sharon Movie? No

 

Movie Review – Stay (2005)

Posted on by Dave

Stay almost presents itself as more of a thriller than a psychological thriller, but as it turns out this movie was trippier than most psychological thrillers out there. About half way through the movie, it was quite apparent that anything could happen and even happen again; which for me is definitely a good thing. So set aside your standard plot lines and straight forward directing and take a dive into chaos in Stay.

Aside from the obvious advantages Stay has by being in the psychological thriller genre, it actually has a cast that can handle the roles. Ewan McGregor is always one of my favorites and he does a great job here. His role calls for a very confused look a lot of the time and whether good or bad, Ewan is a natural for the confused face. Naomi Watts does not usually impress me that much, but she did well enough in here role. Possibly the film could have been better if they had replaced that part with a stronger actress. Ryan Gosling can be seen as an up and coming star and this file helps to prove that. He is not there yet, but hopefully in some of his new movies he will truly prove his talent. Then there is Janeane Garofalo, who can barely be considered an actress, but her character was quite obnoxious which surely the intent was. Overall, the only real weak link was Garofalo, but the role is small and not as important so it is really ok.

The directing was good, but there are plenty of moments that could really be done by a director of any experience level. The way the movie builds on the chaos slowly as the movie progresses is really how it establishes that intensity towards the end. Most of this tension was built in the editing room. Not that this is a bad thing, but when it is more apparent that the feel of the movie has been created from the get go it is actually more impressive from a directing stand point. Sometimes, even the actors do not seem to react to the confusion how you would expect.

If you are looking for a movie that is sure to get your mind tangled at least for a little while then this is a good one to pick up. With good performances from Gosling and McGregor you will also have enough good acting to please in that department. Even though the directing could have been a little more deliberate in its attempt to confuse the audience, the overall affect remains intact. As long as you can ignore those moments where the editor surely took liberties, you will have good time.

The Skinny Version

Raw Score: 720,123
Sharon Movie? No

Movie Review – The King’s Speech (2010)

Posted on by Dave

Colin Firth is finally getting the recognition (and roles) that he deserves. There have been so many movies that have not only degraded his talent, but are actually painful to watch knowing that he can do so much more. The King’s Speech is definitely a well hyped movie that gave Firth the chance he needed to shine. A Single Man which came out just a year earlier was a very good movie as well and proved his talent, but it did not go main stream enough most likely due to its subject matter. Luckily, The King’s Speech is a movie that lives up to the hype and is a historical drama that most people should be able to enjoy. It is not as dry as most movies you probably think about when you hear historical drama and that is possibly the biggest advantage it has.

Geoffrey Rush was great as Lionel Logue, the man who gave King George VI speech lessons. He was convincing and added the much needed comedic flair to the film. Helena Bonham Carter did well as Queen Elizabeth, but nothing to over the top or out of the ordinary for her. One of the biggest surprises for me was Guy Pearce as King Edward VIII; I honestly had no idea that he was in the film until he appeared on screen. He really fits the part so it seems natural to have him there. The only complaint about the above performances may be that Rush and Pearce may exaggerate their characters a little too much at times, but this is something that was obviously intentional to add a little more to the film. Then there is Colin Firth, who as we know did a fantastic job as King George VI. His effort to recreate the voice of King George VI is astounding. I actually watched the movie not really knowing anything about how his voice should sound and then later watched a few youtube videos of King George VI. Watching or listening to some of the real King George VI speeches is definitely recommended either before or after watching this film. Although the voice talent took the cake as far as impressive acting, Firth did also deliver in the rest of his acting.

Acting was the main attraction for The King’s Speech and rightfully so in a historical drama, but it was also the directing that was able to make this such a great film. The film has comedy at the right time and drama at the right time. You really feel for King George VI when he is speaking in public and yet you are able to laugh later when Lionel Logue makes fun of it. Although The King’s Speech may not be a film for everyone, it is a great film that any true movie lover should be able to recognize as such. This is not a movie you should miss.

The Skinny Version

Raw Score: 903,775
Sharon Movie? Yes

Movie Review – Battle:Los Angeles (2011)

Posted on by Dave

Another potentially great film wasted with poor directing and average acting.  The plot of Battle:Los Angeles although rather unoriginal, had left the makers an opportunity to really pull out all of the stops. Instead, we get a movie that never really makes you care about the characters and never gets you close enough to the aliens to really get interested in their abilities or interests. Aaron Eckhart is not a top dollar actor and so you would not expect that much of him really, but there have been better roles for him in the past and so the directing Eckhart in particular was disappointing.

If you are going to go out and make a movie that does not have a lot of big names, or at least one, then you should definitely have your A game in directing. If they had a good enough actor like Tom Hanks for example, it would not have been a problem because he would have delivered regardless of poor directing. Michelle Rodriguez is another example of an actress that is good at what she does, but really requires some solid directing and story line to pull through. Without the acting taken into consideration though, the movie was not particularly entertaining. Sure, there were plenty of explosions and fighting, but when someone died it was hard to care. Even when a civilian dies trying to save the day it is not really that sad. The back story which is supposed to get our emotions going and present the conflict between the characters is not developed enough either. Aaron Eckhart’s character has been a marine for a long time and his last mission resulted in a loss of all of his men. The other soldiers feel that he is a poor leader because he is the only one that survived. But what really happened? What was the situation that he got into that would result in him being the only one to survive. At one point it is almost like they make reference to it because he says “not again” as if talking about his last mission. The connection is just not there and so it feels more like they were just not able to come up with a situation that would have resulted in the other soldiers feeling the way that they do so why not rely on the the movie goer to just think of something on their own. Call me unimaginative, but we really needed a complete back story there. That is really what the entire movie is riding on. It would have been better if none of that had been a part of the movie and they just focused on the aliens more.

The real problem aside for these obvious plot and acting shortcomings is the fact that there are no real shocking moments. Even when they show the aliens coming out of the water and attacking unsuspecting people on the beach it does not really seem that shocking; partly because we already knew all that was coming when we saw the preview. Then to top that off, the director seems to have so little interest in the aliens that we hardly even get a decent look at one of them and never really know what they are trying to do other than kill everyone for the resources on the planet. So how did this director get the budget to make this movie? His previous work was Texas Chainsaw Massarce: The Beginning? Wow, really. So because he did a Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake/sequel/prequel whatever, which was not that good by the way, we are going to give him 70 million to make an alien attack war movie. Ok, I might have to take a pass on his next film. There was just so much potential.

The Skinny Version

Raw Score: 615,211
Sharon Movie? No