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Trailer for Bad Words (2013)
Bad Words (2013)
Almost always funny man Jason Bateman is at it again. This time, he doesn’t only star in this new film, but he also makes his feature film directorial debut. He has had some directing experience with TV shows, but Bad Words is the first movie that he has directed.
The film is a comedy about a kid who loses a spelling bee. When he grows up and becomes a man, he (Jason Bateman) finds a flaw in the system and enters the spelling bee as an adult in order to try to win.
The rest of the noteworthy cast includes Kathryn Hahn, Allison Janney, Rachael Harris, Ben Falcone, Judith Hoag, Philip Baker Hall, and Beth Grant.
As the title suggests, I think we’re in for some foul-mouthed humor which Bateman is becoming known for. The movie will probably be pretty funny.
Bad Words is set to release on 03/28/14.
Getaway (2013)
Getaway (2013)
I was very skeptical about whether or not I would like Getaway before watching it. I normally enjoy Ethan Hawke’s films, and recently he has made some good choices, i.e. Sinister (2012) and The Purge (2013). However, Getaway appeared a little sketchy to me. I held off seeing the movie in theatres because I was very unsure about it, but I had to at least give it a chance on DVD.
The film is about an ex-racecar driver (Ethan Hawke) whose wife has been kidnapped. In order to try to get her back, he is forced by the kidnappers to drive and do whatever he is told while leaving a trail of destruction and evading cops all over the city. He is given missions with time limits attached. Along the way, he gets caught up with a young woman whose car he was required to steal. The two of them are in for a wild ride that will hopefully help him get his wife back.
The movie was directed by Courtney Solomon and the rest of the noteworthy cast includes Jon Voight, Selena Gomez, Rebecca Budig, Paul Freeman, and Bruce Payne.
The film gets your attention immediately. It sort of has a Taken (2008) meets The Transporter (2002) feel to it, at first, but that quickly diminishes. The high-speed car chases start out flashy and exciting set to the tone of dramatic car chase music. Eventually the whole movie turns into one big car chase that will not end soon enough.
Getaway is actually pretty decent until the appearance of Selena Gomez. Her character enters and the movie slams on the breaks and crashes. Gomez brought nothing to her role in the film except for very poor acting skills and utter annoyance. I found myself quickly hoping that her character would just die off. However, I’m not even sure if her poor performance was her fault. Everything about the character that she played seemed unbelievable. The writers really dropped the ball when they came up with her part in the story. This sort of had a snowball effect.
The whole movie spun out of control. It stopped being fun and entertaining. Instead it just felt tacky and fake. The car chases were nothing new and the story stopped making sense. Things became too far out and predictable. Even though he still was, it felt like Hawke was no longer in the driver’s seat. There was nothing that he could do to steer the film into the right direction.
I thought that Getaway would at least be a fun ride to get distracted on for a little while. Instead, I wanted to get off before the ride was over.
I rate this movie a 4 on a scale of 1-10.
Buy, rent, or run? Run.
Trailer for 3 Days to Kill (2014)
3 Days to Kill (2014)
Kevin Costner has not been the lead in a solid movie since Mr. Brooks (2007). He has been doing one thing each year ever since. But for 2014, Costner has 5 films either waiting to be released or in the works. 3 Days to Kill appears to be the most promising of the 5 films and could likely be his comeback movie.
The film is about a Secret Service agent (Kevin Costner) who is dying. He has been trying to spend more time with his daughter and wife, but he is offered an experimental drug that just might save his life. In exchange for the drug, he has 3 days to complete one last job.
The movie was written by Luc Besson and Adi Hasak and directed by McG. The rest of the noteworthy cast includes Amber Heard, Connie Nielsen, Hailee Steinfeld, Scott Burn, Richard Sammel, and Eriq Ebouaney.
The film appears like it might have some similarities to Taken (2008). Costner’s character is trying to spend time with his family while at the same time on a mission and cracking skulls.
The movie is set to release on 02/21/14.
The Lords of Salem (2012)
The Lords of Salem (2012)
Given that this is a Rob Zombie movie, I sort of knew what I was getting myself into. I like some of his music, but I like even less of his movies. He has a tendency to be too extreme in his films and often in his music as well. It’s almost as if he is trying too hard to prove to the world that he is demonic. His movies are usually filled with obscene violence and or torture for no apparent reason at all. He likes to be crazy because well, maybe he is crazy. However, I did enjoy his remake of Halloween (2007). My wife likes horror movies, so I thought I would give this one a shot. From a film critic’s perspective, I’ll review almost anything.
The Lords of Salem is about Heidi (Sheri Moon Zombie), a local radio DJ who receives a record in the mail that is labeled: “A gift from the Lords.” The record is played on the air and the radio station calls the band The Lords of Salem because they are in Salem, Massachusetts. The music triggers violent and evil flashbacks of witches trying to summon up the Devil in the town hundreds of years before. It seems as if the Lords of Salem are back for revenge, or maybe Heidi is just going crazy.
The movie was written and directed by Rob Zombie and the rest of the noteworthy cast includes Bruce Davison, Jeff Daniel Phillips, Judy Geeson, Meg Foster, Patricia Quinn, Ken Foree, Dee Wallace, and Maria Conchita Alonso.
The Lords of Salem was pretty much what I expected it to be. It’s just another Rob Zombie movie where he tries way too hard to be vile and disgusting. Once again, Rob Zombie has his wife, Sheri Moon Zombie star in the film. She is in like all of his movies.
I gave this movie a chance, but I wanted to turn it off about halfway through. There is a lot of grotesque nudity and mindless violence. At times, the story is all over the place and it takes a while to get to the point. Zombie pushes the envelope simply for the sake of trying to be evil, as if that is enough to be entertaining.
The movie is a slow, laughable, pointless waste of time and after a while feels like watching and hearing nails on a chalkboard. It was stupid and way over the top to the point of boredom. I kept asking myself, why am I watching this movie? The only answer that I could come up with was to warn you about it.
I rate this movie a 1 on a scale of 1-10.
Buy, rent, or run? Run.
Trailer For Transcendence (2014)
Transcendence (2014)
It did not take long for me to learn that if Johnny Depp is in a movie, then that movie is pretty much bound to be good. Although the story is a bit far-fetched, I will give Transcendence the benefit of the doubt.
The film is about a dying scientist (Johnny Depp) who manages to download his body and mind into a super computer. The transformation causes him to become extremely powerful and dangerous.
The movie was directed by Wally Pfister and the rest of the noteworthy cast includes Kate Mara, Rebecca Hall, Morgan Freeman, Cillian Murphy, Paul Bettany, Cole Hauser, Clifton Collins Jr., Falk Hentschel, and Wallace Langham.
Johnny Depp is my favorite actor. I’ll definitely have to see this one!
The film is set to release on 04/18/14.
Miller’s Crossing (1990)
Miller’s Crossing (1990)
The Coen brothers (Joel Coen and Ethan Coen) really started to get noticed after writing and directing Fargo (1996). The popularity of the indie writers and directors continued to increase with each movie that they made together. However, when most people look back on the Coen brothers’ career as filmmakers, they usually don’t look further back than Fargo. Miller’s Crossing seems to fall between the cracks.
I was 4 years old when this movie was released, but I watched it for the first time when I was 13 years old. It was the first Coen brothers’ movie that I had seen and it was the beginning of a new friendship.
Miller’s Crossing is a gangster film about Tom Regan (Gabriel Byrne), a heavy gambler and trusted confidant to two rival mob bosses during the 1920s. Regan finds himself caught in the middle of a power struggle and all out gangland war while trying to manipulate both sides against each other.
The movie was written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen and the rest of the noteworthy cast includes Albert Finney, Jon Polito, John Turturro, Marcia Gay Harden, Steve Buscemi, J.E. Freeman, Mike Starr, Olek Krupa, and Michael Jeter.
The film is an excellent homage to the James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart gangster movies of old. The writing and directing is flawless. The Coen brothers resurrected the 1920s gangster era all the way down to the soda bottles, pocket watches, fedora hats, tommy guns, rotary phones, pinky rings, dirty coppers, smoking jackets, robes, stogies, custom three piece suits, and of course, the model T. The costumes and set designs were perfect.
The movie has an R rating, but I don’t think that rating would live up to today’s standards. There is hardly any swearing, and the sex is insinuated. There is violence, but it is not extremely graphic. One scene shows a girl topless, but she is wearing nipple tassels. As far as I’m concerned, that’s frontal side-boob. I don’t think that alone is enough to garner an R rating. In other words, the movie is basically PG-13.
My oldest brother once pointed out to me how the Coen brothers love having big guys sitting behind desks arguing or yelling at people sitting across from them. He was right. Watch almost any Coen brothers’ movie and you will get just that. I think the reason behind this is that usually the dialogue in their movies is so very well-written. An office setting is a good place to get the point across. People tend to pay more attention to you if you are behind a podium or desk, especially if you are yelling or arguing a point. Just look at Barack Obama, or Hitler. Don’t get me wrong, both men are opposites, but both men could definitely deliver a speech. As bad as Hitler was, people eat up what he said like it was candy. They did the same for Obama. Well thought out dialogue delivered to an audience with explosive vigor while standing behind a podium or desk is enough to get people to listen. It certainly has worked for the Coen brothers and Miller’s Crossing is a classic example of that.
The Coen brothers were lucky enough early on to be able to get great actors to act in their movies. This is harder to do for independent filmmakers. Miller’s Crossing is one of my favorite Gabriel Byrne films. He gives a slick performance and it must have been contagious because in my opinion, this is Albert Finney’s best movie. Marcia Gay Harden easily transforms into a 1920s dame and does a likable job. This is the first movie that I really liked John Turturro in. Jon Polito gives his best performance channeling the likes of Edward G. Robinson. Steve Buscemi spits his dialogue like a pro. It was as if J.E. Freeman was plucked right out of a 1920s gangster movie. He played his role that well. These actors have all worn many different hats. This one fit them all like it was tailor made just for them.
Like fine wine, Miller’s Crossing gets better with age. If you are a Coen brothers fan already, you will most likely enjoy this movie. It is one of my favorite Coen brothers’ movies. It’s a classy gangster film.
I rate this movie a 9 on a scale of 1-10.
Buy, rent, or run? Buy.
Teaser Trailer for Interstellar (2014)
Interstellar (2014)
Christopher Nolan is one of those directors that only directs superb movies. He has yet to really strike out. Interstellar appears like it will follow his pattern of greatness.
The film is about explorers who discover a wormhole that allows them to travel very long distances through space.
The description doesn’t sound very special, but the film is written by Christopher Nolan and his brother Jonathan Nolan. Christopher Nolan directs and the noteworthy cast includes Matthew McConaughey, Casey Affleck, Wes Bentley, Michael Caine, John Lithgow, Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Bill Irwin, David Oyelowo, Topher Grace, and Ellen Burstyn.
I will pretty much guarantee that Interstellar will be awesome. It has a great cast and excellent writers and director. It’s just too bad that we have to wait almost a year until it releases.
The film is set to release on 11/07/14.
Out of the Furnace (2013)
Out of the Furnace (2013)
There are certain movies that appear to be destined for greatness and Out of the Furnace looked like one of them.
Christian Bale is one of the most versatile actors of our time. I’ve been a fan of his ever since I watched Newsies (1992) for the first when I was a little kid. Bale has become such a great actor that I eagerly await all of his new movies. Out of the Furnace especially sparked my interest after I learned how many other big names are in the cast.
Russell Baze (Christian Bale) goes looking for his younger brother, Rodney, (Casey Affleck) after he goes missing. Russell will stop at nothing to get his brother back and release his own form of justice on whoever is responsible for taking him.
The film was directed by Scott Cooper and the rest of the noteworthy cast includes Woody Harrelson, Willem Dafoe, Forest Whitaker, Zoe Saldana, Sam Shepard, and Tom Bower.
As the title suggests, the movie is rough and only gets more severe. It’s out of the furnace and into the fire. The title did, in fact, suit the film quite well. The movie was injected with pain and anger. Eventually the intensity boiled over and the film sizzled. Out of the Furnace stirs up the emotions and lights them on fire. It’s easily the most powerful movie of the year.
Christian Bale does not cease to impress. Nobody could have done a better job in his role, and the only thing better than Bale’s performance was the fact that the rest of the film was filled to the brim with extraordinary talent working alongside him. The entire cast was firing on all cylinders.
This movie is not for anyone with a weak stomach. The violence is brutal and the language is harsh. The filmmakers’ gloves came off in order to make a film so sharp that the jagged edges will cut into your mind and all sorts of emotions will come leaking out. Out of the Furnace will stick with you long after it ends.
The movie deserves to be nominated for an Academy Award in just about every category available. It gets my vote for Best Picture of the Year and Bale deserves the Best Actor award, hands down.
I rate this movie a 9 on a scale of 1-10.
Buy, rent, or run? Buy.
If you liked Out of the Furnace, then you will probably enjoy the following films:
The Internship (2013)
The Internship (2013)
The Internship pairs Vince Vaughn with Owen Wilson again for the first time since Wedding Crashers (2005). Why is this relevant? It is relevant because Wedding Crashers grossed over $285,000,000 worldwide and was a huge success and a hilarious movie. Filmmakers hoped that Vaughn and Wilson together again in the same film would help them to repeat their previous success. It has already been 8 years since the release of Wedding Crashers.
I think that a movie like The Internship would have been a much bigger hit if it had been made 5 or 6 years ago when the main characters were still in their prime. As it turns out, The Internship lost money.
My gut feeling before watching this movie was that it was going to be a big disappointment. It looked funny, but not very.
The film is a comedy about two best friends (Vaughn and Wilson) who lose their jobs as salesman. They manage to get internship positions at Google, but they are forced to compete against younger, much more qualified computer nerds for a chance at employment.
The movie was written by Vince Vaughn and Jared Stern and directed by Shawn Levy. The rest of the noteworthy cast includes Rose Byrne, Aasif Mandvi, Max Minghella, John Goodman, Josh Gad, Rob Riggle, Will Ferrell, B.J. Novak, Gary Anthony Williams, and Tiya Sircar.
Vaughn and Wilson showed a similar comedic chemistry to what they had in Wedding Crashers, except that they were not as funny as they could have been.
I think that the PG-13 rating was what ruined this movie. Wilson and Vaughn do better in movies where they are allowed to get away with more craziness and crudeness. Vaughn is fast-talking and witty and he is a lot funnier and thrives when his dialogue is not limited. Wilson responds to Vaughn’s wittiness with his own charm, but if Vaughn is not allowed to be funny then it makes their banter incomplete. The filmmakers tried too hard to reach a wider audience with the PG-13 rating, but ultimately this sacrificed too many laughs and the result was bone dry humor.
The movie is very formulaic. It is very predictable. It’s funny, but mostly stupid funny. Some of the dialogue is clever, but some is also pretty cheesy. Sometimes it’s wholesome and sometimes it’s cheap. The Internship is entertaining enough as long as your expectations aren’t too high.
The film was a cross between Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004) and Old School (2003) without the raunchiness and the big laughs. It’s a good time that you don’t have to think about too much. For Vaughn and Wilson, this movie is a step down and a step back from the comedies that we are used to seeing them in.
I rate this movie a 6 on a scale of 1-10.
Buy, rent, or run? Rent.
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)
As I mentioned in my review of The Hunger Games (2012), I told my friend that I would see The Hunger Games: Catching Fire with him, even though I was not very interested in either of the films. I’m not going to watch a sequel to a film without first watching the original, so I watched The Hunger Games at home before going out to the theatre. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed The Hunger Games, and this made me excited to see the sequel. I would certainly not recommend watching The Hunger Games: Catching Fire without first watching The Hunger Games. It is pretty much essential to watch the movies in order.
I would advise against reading the rest of this review if you have not yet seen The Hunger Games.
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire picks up where the first film left off. Through an act of defiance, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) were the winners of the 74th annual Hunger Games. Their public defiance was enough for the government to want to make an example out of them by punishing them in hopes of preventing a revolution.
The film was directed by Francis Lawrence and the rest of the noteworthy cast includes Donald Sutherland, Woody Harrelson, Stanley Tucci, Elizabeth Banks, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Lenny Kravitz, Liam Hemsworth, Jeffrey Wright, Amanda Plummer, Jena Malone, and Toby Jones.
Like most sequels, I expected this movie to be a step down from the first film. My expectations were wrong once again. It’s a rare thing that a sequel is better than its predecessor, but this is exactly the case with The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. It’s as if the filmmakers ironed out all of the kinks from the first movie in order to make the sequel.
Everything that I liked and disliked about The Hunger Games was improved upon in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. It was another welcomed surprise. The acting was more passionate, the special effects were sharper, the story was more interesting, and the quality of the film as a whole was just plain better.
Fans of The Hunger Games will undoubtedly like The Hunger Games: Catching Fire even more. The film is a higher caliber and therefore delivers a stronger potency.
I rate this movie a 9 on a scale of 1-10.
Buy, rent, or run? Buy.
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