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Wrecked (2010)
Wrecked (2010)
Wrecked is a low budget independent film that may have exceeded expectations if given the proper opportunity.
Before watching this movie, I knew nothing about it except for the fact that Adrien Brody was the main character. I have been a big fan of Brody ever since I saw the film The Pianist (2002). He acted his heart out in that movie and I quickly came to find out that he usually does in all of his films. It’s no wonder that he received an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in The Pianist.
Wrecked is about a man (Adrien Brody) who awakes to find himself badly injured in a mangled car wreck in the middle of a densely wooded area at the base of a mountain in the middle of nowhere. He has no memory of how he got there, who he is, or who the dead passengers nearby are. He is stuck inside of the car and is forced to try to survive as he contemplates his past and how he got into his current situation.
The film was directed by Michael Greenspan and the rest of the noteworthy cast includes Caroline Dhavernas, Ryan Robbins, Adrian G. Griffiths, Adrian Holmes, and Jacob Blair.
I listed the rest of the noteworthy cast, but in reality Wrecked is a one-man show. The vast majority of the movie is Adrien Brody acting alone. The movie has some similarities to 127 Hours (2010), All is Lost (2013), The Edge (1997) and Unknown (2006).
It takes a highly talented actor to make a film like this watchable, let alone entertaining. Brody was up for the challenge and he was a superb choice for this role. The pain that his character felt in in the movie appeared genuine in every way. You feel for his character as if the events that are happening to him on screen are actually happening.
The film is pretty gruesome and intense. There is a bit of language throughout, but it all serves to make the story more realistic.
Unfortunately, I think that this movie is underrated and under watched. It didn’t get the chance that it deserved in theatres.
The movie grabs on to you in the very beginning and keeps you guessing what will happen next. It is slow at times, but that is to be expected when there is basically only one person in the film. The suspense holds your attention throughout as Adrien Brody’s character is injured in the wild and facing what the wilderness has in store for him.
I rate this movie an 8 on a scale of 1-10.
Buy, rent, or run? Buy.
If you liked Wrecked, then you will probably enjoy the following films:
127 Hours (2010)
The Edge (1997)
Unknown (2006)
Buried (2010)
Brake (2012)
“Silent Night” Movie Titles Lyrics Remix
“Silent Night” Movie Titles Lyrics Remix
First Verse:
Silent Hill (2006), Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
All is Lost (2013), All is Bright (2013)
Rounders (1998) Young Guns (1988) The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005) Mother’s Boys (1994) Child’s Play (1988)
Holy Man (1998) Love Me Tender (1956) Mild Afternoon (2011)
Sleepless in Seattle (1993) War and Peace (1956)
I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead (2003) Heavenly Creatures (1994)
Second Verse:
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001), The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
The Son of No One (2011) Friday Night Lights (2004)
Radiant City (2006) Dr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom Beam (1986)
Dawn of the Dead (2004) The Raid: Redemption (2011) Maria Full of Grace (2004)
Jesus Christ Superstar (1973), Lord of War (2005) Birth (2004)
Jesus of Montreal (1989), Lord of the Flies (1990) Birth of the Living Dead (2013)
Third Verse:
Silence of the Lambs (1991), A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
The Good Shepherd (2006) Out of Sight (1998)
Glory (1989) Love Streams (1984) Kingdom of Heaven (2005)
Oh Heavenly Dog (1980) The Host (2013) The Hallelujah Trail (1965)
The Passion of the Christ (2004) Savior (1998) Natural Born Killers (1994)
The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) Six Gun Savior (2014) Born on the Fourth of July (1989)
My wife and I started changing the lyrics to “Silent Night” to different movie titles and it started off as a joke. I decided to see how far I could take it and this was the result. I will never think of “Silent Night” the same way again. Which version will you sing this Christmas?
Now In Theatres Movie Reviews November 8th – November 14th
Now In Theatres Movie Reviews November 8th – November 14th
I have seen and reviewed 24 movies that are currently in theatres. Some of the films have been in theatres for a while now, and others are newer releases. If you are having trouble deciding what movie to see in theatres, I hope that you will consult my list for help. Movie ticket prices are pretty expensive these days, and I might be able to help save you some of your hard earned cash. My ratings will help you decide what are the best movies currently in theatres and what are the worst movies currently in theatres. Also, at the bottom of the list I have provided you with trailers of movies that are out that I have not seen yet.
Click on each title below for a trailer, poster artwork, and my full review of that movie:
Lee Daniels’ The Butler (2013)
Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)
Click on each title below for a preview and poster artwork of that movie along with my opinion of whether or not I think that film will be any good:
Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa (2013)
I hope that you find my reviews helpful. I will continue to update this list when I have seen more movies, so feel free to check back regularly. Also, I plan on making a new list each week as more films are released. Happy movie watching from www.brockingmovies.com
All is Lost (2013)
All is Lost (2013)
Usually you cannot go wrong watching a Robert Redford movie. All is Lost is like no other Redford film because he is the only person in the entire movie.
Of Course, the concept of only one person in a movie has been done a few times before. Usually movies like this one give the actor the opportunity to show what they are really made of. Movies like this are risky because one person has to literally carry the whole film on his back. In Redford’s case, it is up to him whether he sinks or swims.
All is Lost is about a lone sailor who rips a hole in his boat after crashing into a shipping container in the middle of the ocean. He is forced to use whatever he has on board to try to stay afloat in order to survive.
The film was written and directed by J.C. Chandor and as I mentioned before, Redford is the only person in the movie.
Redford has been behind the camera more often in recent years than he has been in front of the camera. All is Lost is the second film that he has been in this year. The first one was The Company You Keep (2012). Redford is now 77 years old. It is almost like he has realized that he is not getting any younger and has decided to try to go out with a bang. What better way to do this than to be the only star in a film and showcase all of your acting skills for the world to see. He did exactly that in All is Lost and in my opinion, it was his best performance since the film The Natural (1984). It may also, quite possibly, have been Redford’s best movie overall since The Natural.
All is Lost is not a feel good movie, but it is a movie that might make you feel better about life after watching it. It is definitely a film that will stick with you.
Because the film is a one-man-show, there is not a lot of talking. Not just anyone could have starred in this movie, and to me, it was more meaningful that it was Robert Redford who did. It is a hard story to tell and an even harder part to act.
I think that All is Lost is Redford’s third best movie behind The Sting (1973) and The Natural. It is hard to beat those two films, and given that they were made 29 years ago and 40 years ago, you really can’t compare them.
Fans of Redford will not be disappointed with All is Lost. I think that it is one of the best films of the year. He deserves an Academy Award nomination for best actor and the film should be nominated for best picture.
I rate this movie a 9 on a scale of 1-10.
Buy, rent, or run? Buy.
If you liked All is Lost, then you will most likely enjoy the following films:
127 Hours (2010)
Buried (2010)
Brake (2012)
Trailer for All is Lost (2013)
All is Lost (2013) (Click on the title for my full review.)
This is literally a one man show starring Robert Redford. It is written and directed by J.C. Chandor.
The film is about a lone sailer (Robert Redford) who crashes into a shipping container in the middle of the ocean and his boat starts sinking. Using every resource at hand, he tries his best to survive.
The movie looks like Cast Away (2000) except that instead of being stranded on a desert island, Redford is stuck in the middle of the ocean.
It’s a Robert Redford one man show. That is enough for me to want to see it.
The film is set to release on 10/18/13.
The Most Anticipated Movies Coming to Theatres in October 2013
The Most Anticipated Movies Coming to Theatres in October 2013
Click on each title below for a brief synopsis, trailer, movie poster and release date of each film.
Captain Phillips (2013) (Click on this link for my full review.)
The Counselor (2013) (Click on this link for my full review.)
All is Lost (2013) (Click on this link for my full review.)
The Company You Keep (2012)
The Company you Keep (2012)
The Company you keep is based off of the novel with the same name written by Neil Gordon.
The film follows a journalist (Shia LaBeouf) who discovers the true identity of a former member of The Weather Underground (Robert Redford) who is wanted in connection to a murder.
I was excited to see this movie because I often enjoy movies about investigative journalism, not to mention the cast is fully loaded with talent. Redford directs and stars alongside LaBeouf, Julie Christie, Susan Surandon, Stanley Tucci, Terrence Howard, Nick Nolte, Chris Cooper, Richard Jenkins, Brendan Gleeson, Sam Elliot, Stephen Root, Anna Kendrick, Brit Marling, and Jackie Evancho. Redford may be getting old, but he still has the star power to bring together a big A-list group of actors to make a movie.
The Weather Underground is an anti-war activist group that was around during the Vietnam War era. I had heard about this group before, but I went into the film knowing absolutely nothing about them. The movie explains what the group was all about, but given the fact that the story is based off of a novel, they sort of mix fact with fiction.
Like most films about investigative journalism, the story moves along at a slow to steady pace as the reporter tries to figure things out about the story that he is trying to tell. There is plenty of time for character development and the dialogue is well-written. Great actors tend to pop up out of the woodwork like weeds when these types of movies are made and The Company you Keep is no exception.
It was refreshing to see Robert Redford acting again. He hasn’t been in a movie since Lions for Lambs (2007). Although he has always been a tremendous actor, he really has aged. They tried to make him seem younger in the film by dying his hair and having him jogging in one scene. But, when all is said and done, the movie icon was too old for the part he was playing. This fact took a little bit away from the film.
The person that really stood out the most was Shia LaBeouf. He has strong screen presence, and when he is not doing a Transformers movie, his charisma can really take over a movie. The rest of the cast played their parts well but, LaBeouf was the glue that held the film together.
The Company you Keep was quality filmmaking with a few flaws. The flaws weren’t very noticeable until a little over halfway through the film. Redford did his best with the story that he had, but ultimately the movie was anticlimactic and it became predictable. The dialogue was great, the acting was superb, but there were few surprises along the way to make the movie stand out.
The film was worth seeing, if only to watch masters of the acting craft at work.
I rate this movie a 7 on a scale of 1-10.
Buy, rent, or run? Rent.
If you liked The Company You Keep, then you will probably enjoy the following films:
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