Flimmaker's reviews

Scream 4:

Hot big breasted girls trying to get away from the slasher. That sounds like a horror film to me! The first Scream started a series of satires about the genre that have a certain wit to them being that the characters are somewhat aware. It's humor is also subtle though the amount of violence is interesting. Scream 4 adds to the series using the same satire format. This time it makes fun of remakes.

On the fifteenth anniversary of the original Woodsboro murders, high school students Jenny Randall (Aimee Teegarden) and Marnie Cooper (Britt Robertson) are attacked and brutally killed by a new Ghostface.

The following day, Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) returns to Woodsboro to promote her new book with her publicist Rebecca Walters (Alison Brie). Sidney becomes a suspect in the murders after evidence is found in her rental car, and she must stay in town until the murders are solved. Her cousin, Jill (Emma Roberts), who is dealing with the betrayal of her ex-boyfriend, Trevor Sheldon (Nico Tortorella) gets a threatening phone call from Ghostface, as does her friend Olivia Morris (Marielle Jaffe). Jill and Olivia, alongside their friend Kirby Reed (Hayden Panettiere), are questioned about their calls by Dewey Riley (David Arquette), who is now the sheriff of the town, and one of his deputies, Judy Hicks (Marley Shelton). Meanwhile, Dewey's now-wife, Gale Weathers-Riley (Courteney Cox), is struggling with writer's block.

Sidney stays with her aunt Kate Roberts (Mary McDonnell). Later that night, Olivia, who lives next door to Jill, is attacked and murdered by Ghostface as Jill and Kirby watch in horror while Sidney was interrupted by a scream while reading her book. Sidney and Jill were injured in their attempt to save Olivia, and are taken to the hospital, where her publicist Rebecca is murdered in the parking garage. Gale, trying to solve the murders, enlists the help of two high school movie geeks, Charlie Walker (Rory Culkin) and Robbie Mercer (Erik Knudsen), who explain that the killer is using the rules of movie remakes to murder. Charlie concludes that the killer will likely strike at a party being held that night.

Gale goes to the party to investigate, but is attacked and injured by Ghostface, who flees as Dewey arrives. He takes her to the hospital, and shortly afterwards, at Jill's house, policemen Anthony Perkins (Anthony Anderson) and Ross Hoss (Adam Brody) are found dead. Sidney discovers that Jill has left and gone to Kirby's house, and goes down to tell Kate, but the killer arrives and chases them, where Kate is killed. After Deputy Judy Hicks arrives, Sidney rushes to Kirby's house to save Jill on her own.


Jill, Kirby, Charlie, Robbie and Trevor are at Kirby's house when Ghostface appears and murders a drunken Robbie. Sidney arrives at the house. Kirby is forced to answer horror movie trivia to save Charlie, who is tied up outside. Sidney goes upstairs to find Jill, promising to return to Kirby. Kirby answers Ghostface's questions, and, believing she has won the game, goes outside to untie Charlie, but he stabs her in the stomach and reveals himself as Ghostface. Sidney is confronted by Charlie and a second Ghostface, who is unmasked as Jill. She explains that she wants the attention Sidney got, and that the pair want to become famous for surviving the murders, intending to frame Trevor as Ghostface; she then pulls Trevor out of a closet and executes him with a shot to the head. Jill then betrays Charlie and kills him too, to pin him as Trevor's accomplice, making her the sole survivor. Jill stabs Sidney in the stomach twice and mutilates herself to make it seem as if Trevor attacked her, while Dewey, Judy, and the rest of the police stumble upon the carnage.

Scream 4 maintains the comedy the first one did. And exploits cliches similar to the first one. The funny thing is there are people like Sidney Prescott in real life. People who go through crazy and horrific experiences. And they get famous off of it too. It isn't that person's fault. America will allow anyone to get famous or in some people's cases infamous. Sidney became that person in a way. Neve Campbell just is great at playing Sidney. Never makes her act like the victim. But the strong heroine.

The relationship between Dewey and Gale is also interesting to watch. They have been married for ten years so one could imagine their marriage would have gotten stale. Perhaps the reason it was done so well because in real life David Arquette and Courtney Cox were splitting. Sad to think about and makes it kind of sad to watch. But it might have added to the performances. Emma Robert's performance was a nice one. She is a regular teenage out shine by her cousin. But turns out to sick and the one behind it all. It is a rather good twist and she did a good job taking care of it. She has talent.

This movie's take on remakes in hilarious. It appears this genre in particular is hit the most with those. It openly jokes about the cliches of remakes and doesn't care if you are laughing at it or with it. Some people might find that bad. I find that bold.

Scream 4 could be the last of the Scream 4. Would make sense. What else could they explore? And it would be awkward for Arquette and Cox to work with each other. But Scream 4 stays true to the series is a nice addition and perhaps finale.

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Going 18600 miles per second.

The Brothers Grimm:


The Brothers Grimm created many of the most beloved fairy tales of all time. So I wonder who's idea was it to create a film like this about them? The Brothers Grimm is an imaginative film that rhythm. It good aspects to it that work, but it put together all wrong.

Will and Jake Grimm (Matt Damon and Heath Ledger) arrive in French-occupied Germany during the late 18th century. They go to Karlstadt to rid the town of a witch's ghost. After killing the "ghost", it is revealed that the Brothers Grimm have actually set up a fake witch to trick the town. Afterwards, as they are celebrating, Italian torturer Cavaldi (Peter Stormare) takes them to the French General Delatombe (Johnathan Pryce). Delatombe forces them to solve a mystery: the girls of the small village of Marbaden are disappearing and the villagers are convinced that supernatural beings are responsible. The Grimms are charged with finding who is responsible and they soon discover that it is the work of a real supernatural force: a beautiful, yet dangerous 500-year-old Thuringian queen stealing young girls to restore her own beauty. Will and Jake have a complicated relationship, since Jake is the smaller, younger, more sensitive one that Will feels he needs to protect. Will is often very hard on Jake (dating all the way back to their childhood, when Jake spent their money that was to be used for medicine for their dying sister on "magic beans") and orders him around. Will is somewhat of a womanizer and wants to make money, while Jake is more interested in fairy tales and adventures. Jake feels that Will doesn't care about or believe in him, but Will is just frustrated about the way Jake acts so spontaneously, therefore making it hard for Will to protect him.

Long ago, King Childeric I came to the forest to build a city while the queen experimented with black magic to gain eternal life. A plague swept through the land and she hid in her tower, while her husband and everyone below her perished. Her spell granted her immortal life, but not the youth and beauty to go along with it. Her youthful appearance now only exists in her mirror, the source of her life, as an illusion and nothing more. She needs to drink the blood of twelve young girls to regain her beauty; ten have already been reported missing. The queen is working an enchantment to regain her beauty with the aid of her werewolf huntsman and his magic axe, crow familiars, and various creatures in the forest. The Grimms, with the help of Cavaldi and Angelika (Lena Headey), a knowing huntress from the village, intend to destroy The Mirror Queen. After another girl goes missing, Cavaldi takes the Grimms and Angelika back to Delatombe. Because they have failed, Cavaldi is ordered to kill both the Grimms, but after convincing Delatombe that the magic in the forest is actually caused by German rebels, he sends them back. While Cavaldi stays behind with Angelika in the village, the brothers attempt to get into the tower. Jake succeeds and discovers the queen and the power of her mirror. Meanwhile, another girl named Sasha is captured despite Angelika and Cavaldi's efforts to save her.

Jake rides into the forest alone after a spat with Will, who follows him. After mistaking a dummy that is smashed into the tower for Jake, Will realizes that Jake needs him to believe in him, and assists Jake in climbing up the tower. On the roof of the tower, Jake notices twelve crypts in which the twelve victims must lie. When Sasha's body comes up from a well, the werewolf takes her to a tomb. After rescuing Sasha and taking the werewolf's magic axe, the Grimms return to the village. Delatombe captures the brothers and believes them to be frauds. French soldiers begin burning down the forest and Cavaldi represses his sympathy to the brothers, but they are eventually saved by Angelika. The werewolf is revealed to be Angelika's father, who is under the Queen's spell. It turns out that he is only able to keep on living due to an enchanted spike that is lodged into his chest and without such, the spell is broken. Angelika is drowned by her father, becoming the 12th victim. The Brothers reach the tower while the Queen breathes an ice wind which puts out the forest fire. Delatombe notices that the Grimms have escaped and goes after them with Cavaldi. When Cavaldi refuses to kill the Grimms, Delatombe shoots him, but is later impaled by Will.

The goal is in the right place for this movie. But the thing is, it doesn't mesh. Like I stated it lacks rhythm. It is chasing itself the whole time on the screen without any real plot. The movie has a decent style. But it lacks meaning. And it may have a story that we don't really care about.

The performances by Matt Damon and the late Heath Ledger were great. Each took to their characters and tried their best. But they simply didn't have much to work with. The chemistry was there between these two. You can look and feel like they were actually brothers. Embracing roles like these are hard to do. Yet they were able to embrace them very well. They let themselves go into another world.

The Brother Grimm is a film that could have been so much more. It could have been fun to watch. But it tried to be more a comedy and it's plot is rather misguided. I bet the Brothers Grimm actual lives were more interesting to watch than this.

Scream 4 was definitely a fitting finale to the series, despite having a pretty weak ending (the twist was unexpected, but the resolution overall was subpar).

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"George, this is a little too much for me. Escaped convicts, fugitive sex... I've got a cockfight to focus on."

Senna: and a half

Senna is a documentary about the great Formula One driver Ayrton Senna life's a ultimate death. It isn't like most documentaries that show a bunch of people talking about the person and then clips. It is comprised of video of his life with voice bits of other people. Even if you are not a race fan you will enjoy it. I am a huge racing enthusiast. I want to be in big time auto racing. Watching Senna I felt like I got to look at one of the greatest drivers who ever lived and how he approached things. How faith driven he was. And how many people he helped.

Ayrton Senna was on March 21st 1960 in a privileged family in Brazil. He fell in love with racing at a young age and his parents got him a go kart. He raced and raced, he paid extra attention in school so he could mess around with his go kart after school instead of studying. In 1981 he moved to England to race single seater cars. He won championships in Formula Ford 1600. But he didn't believe he would actually continue racing in motorsports. But right before he left England, Senna was offered to move up a class to Formula 2000 for ten thousand pounds. He continued to win more championships moved up to British Formula Three and won a championship.

When Senna actually got a chance to go race in Formula One, it was for a small team called Toleman. In only his second race he finished sixth with muscle spasms. His talent was evident at the start. It didn't matter what car he was in. He was just that damn good that he was going to succeed. His best finish in his first year was a second. In his second season he teamed up with Lotus. This was the year that he won his first career grand prix. He showed once again what he was able to do with a lesser car. He was destined for great things.

He spent two seasons at Lotus (1985 and 1986) won two races in both seasons and placed fourth in points in both seasons. Everyone knew if he had a top car that the skies were the limit for him. Then McLaren came knocking. This is the team that he experience the majority of his success with. He won three championships there, 35 races and never finished worse than fourth in points. But it wasn't smooth sailing. He and his teammate Alain Prost had issues. They butted heads often. There was once situation that cost Senna the championships. Second to last race of the season, Senna must win to win the championship over Prost. The two go into a corner, make contact and crashed. Prost was done form the race, Senna continued , pitted and won the race. Prost protested to the fellow French president which ruled that Senna got back on track illegally. He took the win away from him which gave the championship to Prost and suspended Senna for six months. This was huge blow to Senna. Rather than give up, he stuck to it.

His last season with McLaren was interesting. He won and finished second in points. But he wanted to win championships. He was a perfectionist. He didn't want to settle for second. He finished second to his now friend Alian Prost in points that year who retired and he took over his ride. Which new rule changes, they struggled off the bat, he never finished another race in his career when that season started. That season a driver died and the sport was getting more and more dangerous. Then came the race where he had his fatal crash. The actual video footage was shown and what a horrific crash it was. He had died at 34 years of age.

He had read the bible that day to comfort himself with the dangers in the sport after his doctor suggested that he should retire. He read that God's best gift is himself. The only way to be 100% with God is to die. It was like he knew he was going to die. And he was okay with that. He accepted it. It is interesting to think about. He knew his morality well being he was a racecar driver. And was a devout Catholic. He never lost sight of that.

It is also documented how much he gave to people. How big of a heart he had. How generous he was. He was hero in his country of Brazil. Everyone loved him. And for good reason. He didn't forget where he was from and took care of them. There really isn't anyone like that in any sport today. It was amazing.

Ayrton Senna was one of the greatest race car drivers to ever walk the earth. He just had flat out raw talent. He knew how to drive a racecar and on the edge. Even if the cars weren't there, he found a way. There are not many drivers who's skills come close to his. He was truly touched by God.

Senna is a documentary that does a great job telling us about Senna's life. It is inspiring and in the end sad. Not just for race fans. But any movie watcher.

Following:


Every great director has to start from somewhere. This is where Christopher Nolan started from. Following. A cool and memorizing neo noir film that set him up to make the movie that was his first real big success (Memento).

A struggling, unemployed young writer ( Jermey Theobald credited as "The Young Man") takes to following strangers around the streets of London, ostensibly to find inspiration for his first novel. Initially, he sets strict rules for himself regarding whom he should follow and for how long, but soon discards them as he focuses on a well-groomed, handsome man in a dark suit. The man in the suit, having noticed he is being followed, quickly confronts the Young Man and introduces himself as "Cobb" (Alex Haw). Cobb reveals that he is a serial burglar and invites The Young Man to accompany him on various burglaries. The material gains from these crimes seem to be of secondary importance to Cobb, who takes pleasure in rifling through the personal items in his targets' flats, and doing things such as drinking their wine. He explains that his true passion is using the shock of robbery and violation of property to make his victims re-examine their lives. He sums up his attitude thus: "You take it away, and show them what they had."

The young man is thrilled by Cobb's lifestyle. He attempts break-ins of his own, as Cobb encourages and guides him. At Cobb's suggestion, he alters his appearance, cutting his hair short and wearing a dark suit. The young man assumes the name "Daniel Lloyd" based on the credit card Cobb gives to him and begins to pursue a relationship with a blonde woman (Lucy Russell) whose flat he and Cobb burglarized. The blonde turns out to be the girlfriend of a small-time gangster (known only as the "Bald Guy") whom she broke up with after he murdered a man in her flat. Soon, the blonde confides that the Bald Guy is blackmailing her with incriminating photographs. The Young Man breaks into the Bald Guy's safe, but is caught in the act by an unidentified man. The Young Man bludgeons the man with a claw hammer and flees with the Bald Guy's money and photos. Upon returning to his flat, he finds that the photos are innocuous modeling shots.

Confronting the blonde, the Young Man learns that she and Cobb have been working together to manipulate him into mimicking Cobb's burglary methods. Cobb had recently discovered a murdered woman's body during one of his burglaries, and is attempting to deflect suspicion from himself by making it appear as though multiple burglars share his MO.

Following showcases early what Nolan is all about. He used some of the plot devices that he uses here in Memento, Batman Begins, and The Prestige. It was like his test film. A test film happened to be very good. He also wrote it all himself. The writing like in a lot of Nolan's films is top notch. The dialogue means something. It is engaging. It is intriguing.

Following has some nice performances. Jeremy Theobald gives a solid performance as the young man. He is reserved and interesting. He keeps the character in his comfort zone the whole film. Never really losing focus after following Cobb.

For a first film it is rather good. For a film period it is rather good. And now Nolan is this big time blockbuster celebrity. Any chance he will make a film like Following again?

Scarface:


Scareface is a riveting film about a man who went from being a Cuban rebel/ political refugee to a huge drug lord. This 1983 film written by Oliver Stone and directed by Brian DePalma is a remake of the 1932 film. They put their own spin on it and released it at a time when Italian mafia films were all the rage. And they show that the Italians were not alone in this game.

In 1980, Tony Montana (Al Pacino), a Cuban refugee, arrives in Miami, Florida during the Mariel boatlift. He and his best friend, Manny Ribera (Steven Bauer), along with friends/associates Angel (Pepe Serna) and Chi-Chi (Ángel Salazar), are sent to a refugee camp named Freedomtown. They are promised release and green cards when Manny makes a deal with wealthy Jewish Cuban drug dealer Frank Lopez (Robert Loggia) for killing a former Cuban government official named Emilio Rebenga, who murdered Lopez's brother long ago. Tony kills Rebenga during a riot in Freedomtown. Following the assassination and their release, they languish in a small Cuban sandwich shop across from a popular nightclub while they await more work from Lopez. Insulted by the small job originally offered by Frank's henchman Omar Suarez (F. Murray Abraham), they gain a job for $5,000 to buy cocaine from Colombian dealers led by a drug lord named Hector The Toad. The deal quickly goes bad, with Hector dismembering Angel with a chainsaw in order to get the money without delivering the cocaine. Before they can do the same to Tony, Manny and Chi-Chi storm the apartment and kill the Colombians. Hector tries to flee but is killed by Tony in the street. Suspecting a set-up by Omar, Tony and Manny insist on taking the money (which Tony had instructed Manny to leave in the car until he and no one else came to retrieve it) and cocaine (that they took while leaving the bloodbath) to Frank personally. Frank likes their style and hires Tony and Manny to work for him. This is when Tony first meets and develops a romantic interest in Frank's girlfriend, Elvira Hancock (Michelle Pfeiffer). Frank then extends a job offer to Tony and Manny and asks them to accompany him to dinner at a club like the one they recently worked across from. It's there that they are introduced to the drug commandments, which are to "never underestimate the other guy's greed" and to "never get high on your own supply".

Months later, Tony visits his mother, Georgina (Míriam Colón), and younger sister, Gina (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), of whom he is fiercely protective. Gina is excited to see him again, but his mother is disgusted by his life of crime and throws him out. Manny, who is waiting in the car, comments about Gina's beauty, but Tony angrily warns Manny to stay away from her.

Frank sends Tony and Omar to Bolivia to make a transaction with cocaine kingpin Alejandro Sosa (Paul Shenar). The tension between Tony and Omar peaks when Tony agrees to take more of a shipment than they had been authorized to. Omar agrees to head back home to talk with Frank personally, while Tony is asked to stay behind with Sosa, to "keep him on ice". After Omar's departure, Sosa discloses to Tony that Omar is a police informant who caused some of their known associates to be incarcerated. Tony's gaze is directed upwards, to witness Omar being pushed and hanged from a helicopter. When asked if the rest of Frank's organization can be trusted, a disgusted Tony states that he never liked or trusted Omar, but vouches for Frank. Sosa and Tony part ways with a business understanding, but not before Sosa warns Tony never to betray him. Upon returning to Miami, Frank is infuriated not only with Omar's demise, but the much larger deal Tony struck that Frank is afraid he cannot deliver on. When Tony offers to do whatever is necessary to come up with the money owed, Frank questions his loyalty and methods, then comments that the Sosa deal is "stalled". Tony then establishes his own operations and informs Elvira of his intentions to marry and have children with her.

Soon afterward, Tony openly pursues Elvira and gets into a tiff with Frank, in which the shifted balance of power is shown by Tony's remaining in the club Frank introduced him to instead of leaving as instructed. Next, Tony is shaken down by corrupt Miami detective Mel Bernstein (Harris Yulin), who proposes to "tax" Tony on his transactions in return for police protection and information. Gina has taken Tony's advice and gotten out to have some fun with a low-level drug dealer. Tony follows them to a restroom stall, where Gina is snorting cocaine. Tony throws the man out of the bathroom and slaps Gina after she angrily confronts him about trying to be a brother this many years later. Manny, sympathizing with Gina, takes her home. Gina reveals her attraction to Manny, but he wards her off, fearful of Tony's wrath should he catch them together. Back at the club, Tony is attacked and wounded by two gunmen but manages to escape, killing both of them in the process. He calls Manny to inform him of the attempted hit and instructs his men to call Frank's office at a specific time with the message, "He got away". When they enter Frank's office, they catch him off-guard since Tony is merely wounded and not dead. Frank accuses the Diaz brothers of the hit and is promising to avenge Tony when the pre-arranged phone call comes in. Tony then reveals that he knows Frank sent both Bernstein (who is in the office as well) and the hitmen. Frank begs for his life, offering $10 million in cash and even Elvira. Manny shoots him dead on Tony's order before Tony then kills Bernstein, who tries to save his own life by offering to clean up Frank's murder. On his way out, Tony hires Ernie. Now having vanquished his last enemy, Tony retrieves Elvira as well, having taken all that once was Frank's.

The business with Sosa grows, Tony marries Elvira, opens a beauty parlor for Gina, and attains all he has wanted since his arrival. Yet over time, Tony's idyllic life begins to crack: Elvira's already strong cocaine use intensifies from loneliness, the banker who launders his money is demanding more to do so, and Tony starts to take credit for all of his and Manny's success since they arrived, leaving their once strong brotherly relationship broken. Tony is eventually charged with money laundering and tax evasion after police stage a sting operation that he insisted on handling over his friend. He is arrested and makes bail, but his lawyer explains there will be a huge fine and up to three years in jail, which Tony said he would never return to.

Scarface is in part anchored by what is just another amazing and effortless performance by one of, if not the greatest character actor ever Al Pacino. Pacino evokes everything about this character and embodies everything this character is. He does it so well that we can see what a disgusting person he is. Yet also see another side of him. Pacino's greatest strength is how he can turn into a character in each of this films. When we watch Scarface, we don't think of him. We think of Tony Montana. That is magic.

DePalma and Stone in this movie created an amazing assortment of individuals who all have something interesting about them. This isn't a crime film. It is a film about the criminals behind the crimes. How they were at the start. How they got started. What it was like when they got started. And what it did to them. It is really some amazing character study.

Tony Montana is a man who maybe wasn't evil. But confused. He did what he thought was right at first by killing communists. He did what he thought was okay by selling cocaine. He did it so he could make money. He shows basically what big time drug lords think. They don't see and think that they are doing anything wrong. They do it because they don't see that.

Scarface is a classic. One of the best films that I have ever see and one of my favorites. Just everything about it is great. The Mafia was huge around these time periods. And it was art imitating life at it's best. The violence is crazy which is why it received what was then an X rating (now NC-17). But it a wonderful piece of filmmaking and if you are old enough I'd recommend you to watch it ASAP.

The Exorcist:


When you go back and look at horror films there is a few that stand out as the ones that changed the game. The revolutionary ones so to speak. Like Nightmare on Elm Street. The Exorcist is one of those films. Some even consider this one of the films in that genre that can be actually scary. That could be much true.

At an archaeological dig in Northern Iraq, archaeologist Father Lankester Merrin (Max von Sydow) visits a site where a silver Roman Catholic medallion along with a small stone amulet resembling a grimacing, bestial creature are found buried together. In the first of the two exorcisms in the film, Merrin battles the demon, Pazuzu.

Meanwhile, Father Damien Karras (Jason Miller), a young priest at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, begins to doubt his faith while dealing with his mother's illness. A friend, Father Joe Dyer (William O'Malley), tries to advise and console him.

While making a film near her temporary residence in Georgetown, actress Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn) notices dramatic and dangerous changes in the behavior of her 12-year-old daughter, Regan (Linda Blair). Chris initially believes Regan's changes are related to puberty; however, doctors suspect a lesion on her temporal lobe. Regan endures a series of unpleasant medical tests. When X-rays show nothing out of the ordinary, a doctor advises that Regan be taken to a psychiatrist, whom she assaults. Paranormal occurrences continue, including a violently shaking bed, strange noises, and unexplained movements.

A film director, Burke Dennings (Jack MacGowran), visiting the MacNeil home is violently killed, possibly by the young girl. A police lieutenant named Kinderman (Lee J. Cobb) investigates. Chris is brutally attacked by her daughter, left with facial bruises.

When all medical explanations are exhausted, doctors recommend an exorcism. In desperation, Chris consults Karras, who is both a priest and a psychiatrist. During a period in which Karras observes Regan, she constantly refers to herself as the Devil. Karras initially believes her to be merely suffering from psychosis, until he records her speaking in a strange language which turns out to be English spoken backwards, and he is later shown Regan's abdomen where the words "help me" rise in relief in the form of Regan's handwriting. Despite his doubts, Karras decides to request permission from the Church to conduct an exorcism.

Merrin, an experienced exorcist, is summoned to Georgetown to assist. He and Karras try to drive the spirit from Regan. The demon threatens and taunts both priests, both physically and verbally (including the demon using the voice of Father Karras' mother). Merrin requests that he and Karras take a break, whereby he administers to himself the viaticum, a sign of his impending doom at the hands of the demon. Merrin excuses the younger priest and begins the exorcism, once more on his own.

The Exorcist uses something that gets to us and is down right terrifying. It is scary to think about having the devil come inside you and being possessed. In this film it showcases that very well. It's doesn't get cartoony with it. It gets down right creepy with it. And that is why it works so well.

The technical achievements in this film speak for itself. Especially for 1973. It is just stunning to watch the young girl's head turn backwards. It is for sure a woah moment and a yikes moment at the same time. The scariness of this movie isn't played up. It just happens naturally. They don't slap you with it. It just happens.

The Exorcist has stood the test of time and is considered one of the greatest horror films of all time and one of the greatest films of all time period. And rightly so. It is that standard of what horror films should be, what they should evoke, and a technical achievemtn.

Total Recall: and a half (1990)

Total Recall is a classic Arnold Schwarzengger film. He is a likeable actor for whatever reason. He a classic action hero. He was able back then to get involved in these revolutionary films. Total Recall is a wonderful film with great visual achievements. It has such a complex and interesting story it goes right up with a lot of science fiction movies.

In 2084, Douglas Quaid (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is a construction worker on Earth, who is having troubling dreams about Mars and a mysterious woman there. His wife Lori (Sharon Stone) is dismissive, pointing out how life on Earth is perfect compared to the ongoing conflicts between rival factions on colonized Mars, in part due to actions by the governor of Mars, Vilos Cohaagen (Ronny Cox), with rumors that an alien artifact has been located in the mines on the planet. Despite warnings from his co-workers, Quaid visits "Rekall", a company that uses memory implants to give its clients experiences of fabulous vacations. Quaid opts for a trip to Mars (a program entitled "Blue Sky On Mars") including an optional espionage facet. As he is put under but before the technicians can implant the memories, Quaid violently reacts, claiming they have blown his cover. The company re-sedates him, wipes his memory of the visit to Rekall, and sends him home in an automated taxi. Waking up at home, Quaid is soon cornered and attacked by his coworkers, forcing him to kill them to escape. Lori also turns against Quaid, claiming that their marriage is a fake created by memory implants. Quaid leaves her and escapes into the city before armed thugs arrive, led by Richter (Michael Ironside), Lori's real husband and Cohaagen's subordinate.

Quaid is contacted by an unknown man that warns him he is being tracked, and leaves him with a suitcase. Quaid takes refuge in an abandoned building and investigates the suitcase, which contains money, gadgets, and a video. The video is of himself, apparently called "Hauser"; Hauser explains that he used to work for Cohaagen but has learned something about the artifact, and underwent the memory wipe to protect himself. The video instructs Quaid on removing the tracking device, and then to get himself to Mars and meet "Kuato". Quaid makes his way to Mars and follows clues left by Hauser to a bar in Venusville, the colony's red light district populated by a number of people who are mutants due to poor shielding from radiation. There, he meets Melina (Ticotin), the woman from his dreams and Hauser's former lover. She refuses to have anything to do with him, believing that Quaid is still working for Cohaagen.

Returning to his hotel, Quaid encounters Lori and Rekall's President, Dr. Edgemar. Edgemar insists Quaid is living out the implanted memories, and offers Quaid a pill that would wake him from the dream. Quaid is about to take the pill when he sees Edgemar sweating in fear, and kills him instead. Richter's forces capture Quaid, but Melina arrives to rescue him, with Quaid killing Lori in the process. The two race back to the Venusville bar, and with Benny, their taxi driver, escape into tunnels hidden behind the bar. Unable to locate Quaid, Cohaagen isolates and shuts down the ventilation to Venusville, slowly suffocating its citizens. Quaid, Melina, and Benny are taken to a resistance base, and Quaid is introduced to Kuato, a deformed humanoid conjoined to his brother's stomach. Kuato reads Quaid's mind and learns that the artifact is a reactor that, once activated, will create a breathable atmosphere for Mars. Suddenly, Cohaagen's forces burst in, led there by Benny, and kill most of the resistance, including Kuato; Kuato, in his final words, instructs Quaid to start the reactor.

Total Recall doesn't take itself too seriously. And that is the genius of that. It lets the story flow and with that allows the complexity of it to come out. The narrative is so interesting that your never looking away. The twist and turns happen just about perfectly and work so well.

The special effects are astounding. This is why it won a special achievement academy award. For 1990 it is rather amazing. Arnold is a big key to this film. He plays it straight and that adds a little humor to it. He uses his charisma to his advantage and delivers a nice subtle performance. I don't think there was anyone else more perfect for the role than Arnold. He made it believable.

Total Recall is now a classic. There is a remake for this movie that came out a week ago. Doesn't look nearly as good as this one. I will watch it one day to compare. But why a remake? This a classic. This one is enough for me.

Hope Springs:


A relationship is work. Especially a marriage. Especially one where you have been married for 31 years and has gone kind of stale. And that is what Hope Springs does. It takes a situation that many people have and face, and somehow accurately shows it on screen. This is a good movie. Not a great one. But good. It is lead by it's performances of the two stars Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones. Steve Carell is also solid in his role.

Kay and Arnold Soames (Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones) have had a 31 year old marriage as I previously stated. But they don't have sex. They don't really talk to each other. They have dinner and make small talk, Arnold will fall asleep watching the golf channel. Kay will wake him up and the two will go to bed in their separate bedrooms. Kay wants her marriage back. But she doesn't know how. But then while in a book store she stumbles on a book about marriage by Dr. Bernie Feld (Steve Carell). She reads it and watches a video of him talking about his week long session on marriage.

Here Kay sees her chance to revitalize their marriage. She tells Arnold about the trip. But he isn't interested. He just wants things to stay the same. Change can be a scary thing and take us out of our comfort zone. She has bought tickets anyway and she will be going with or without him. He comes at the last minute. When the arrive the first few days are somewhat rough. Arnold obviously doesn't want to be there. And Kay is just trying to make things work. While Dr. Feld is the calm person throughout trying his best to help the couple.

Things that happen in this film feel so real. I won't spoil them, but just little things and everyday things give it that nice feel. Meryl Streep scares me every time I see her act. She is scary good. She goes into a role and just disappears in it. She always does with every character she plays. That is why she has been nominated for 17 academy awards. And that is why I think she will also get nominated for her performance in this movie.

Tommy Lee Jones usually doesn't take on roles like this. Not that it matters. He too delivers an academy award performance. He is able to play a man who has settled and is stuck. A man who is kind of lost. And he does it oh so well. He and Streep have amazing chemistry. You really do believe they have been married for 31 years.

Hope Spring is a nice and somewhat safe comedy with a modest goal. And it reaches that goal. This is a great example of character acting as you will ever see. If Streep and Jones don't get nominated for the academy awards for this then that will be a shame.

The Godfather Part Three: and a half


The Godfather Part Three is supposed to be the conclusion of the legendary film series. But it isn't. According to Francis Ford Coppola. He and the creator of the Godfather Mario Puzo wanted it to be called "The Death of Michael Corleone". But of course Paramount said no. Coppola says it is more like an epilogue. Either way it is a pretty great movie. It fits into the series rather well. While also being different.

In 1979, Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) is nearing 60 and wracked with guilt for his ruthless rise to power, especially ordering the murder of his brother Fredo. By now, he has mostly retired from the Mafia, leaving the Corleone family's criminal interests in the hands of enforcer Joey Zasa (Joe Mantegna), and is using his tremendous wealth and power to restore his reputation via numerous acts of charity. Michael and Kay (Diane Keaton) have been divorced since 1960, and Michael gave her custody of their children, Anthony (Franc D'Ambrosio) and Mary (Sofia Coppola).

At a ceremony in St. Patrick's Old Cathedral, Michael is named a Commander of the Order of St. Sebastian. At a party following the ceremony, Anthony tells his father that he is going to drop out of law school to pursue a career as an opera singer. Kay supports his choice, but Michael disagrees, wishing that his son would either finish law school or join the family business, but Anthony refuses to have anything to do with his father's "legacy". Michael and Kay have an uneasy reunion, in which Kay tells him that Anthony knows the truth about Fredo's death.

Meanwhile, Vincent Mancini (Andy Garcia), the illegitimate son of Michael's late brother Sonny, shows up at the party. He is embroiled in a feud with Zasa, who has involved the Corleone family in major drug trafficking and turned Little Italy into a slum. Michael's sister Connie (Talia Shire) arranges a "sit-down" between Vincent and Zasa in Michael's study. The discussion erupts into a fight, in which Vincent bites Zasa in the ear. That night Vincent has a one-night stand with a journalist named Grace Hamilton (Bridget Fonda). Two men armed with knives and a gun break in and try to kill him. Vincent kills them both, but not before learning that Zasa sent them. Michael is troubled by Vincent's fiery temper, but is nonetheless impressed by his loyalty, and agrees to take his nephew under his wing.

Meanwhile, Michael busies himself with the biggest deal of his career: He has recently bought up enough stock in International Immobiliare, an international real estate holding company known as "the world's biggest landlord", to become its largest single shareholder, with six seats on the company's 13-member board of directors. He now makes a tender offer to buy the Vatican's 25% interest in the company, which will give him controlling interest. Knowing that Archbishop Gilday (Donal Donnelly), who serves as head of the Vatican Bank, has run up a massive deficit, he negotiates a deal to pay $600 million to the Bank in exchange for the shares. The deal is quickly approved by Immobiliare's board. However, it must be ratified in Rome by Pope Paul VI, who is gravely ill. Without his word, the deal is in limbo.

Don Altobello (Eli Wallach), an elderly New York Mafia boss and old friend of the Corleones (as well as Connie's godfather), soon visits Michael, telling him that his old partners on the Commission want in on the Immobiliare deal. Michael, however, is adamant that the deal shall be untainted by Mafia involvement. A meeting is arranged, and Michael appeases most of the Mafia bosses with payoffs from the sale of his Las Vegas holdings. Zasa, however, gets nothing and declares that Michael is his enemy and storms out. Altobello tells Michael that he will try to reason with Zasa and follows close behind. Minutes later, a helicopter hovers outside the conference room and sprays it with submachine gun fire. Most of the other mob bosses are killed, but Michael, Vincent, and Michael's bodyguard, Al Neri (Richard Bright), escape. Back at his penthouse in New York, Vincent tells Michael that those mob bosses who escaped the massacre made deals with Zasa. Michael knows that Zasa was not the mastermind of the massacre due to Zasa's being "muscle" and not having the cunning to organize such a scheme. Vincent wants to kill Zasa, but Michael refuses. As he considers how to respond to the situation, he suffers a diabetic stroke and is hospitalized, but not before realizing Altobello is the traitor.

As Michael recuperates, Vincent begins a romantic relationship with Mary and plots revenge against Zasa. Neri and Connie give Vincent permission to act. During a street festival hosted by Zasa's Italian American civil rights group, Vincent's men gun down Zasa's bodyguards. Vincent, disguised as a policeman on horseback, shoots Zasa dead. When Michael discovers this, he berates Vincent for his rashness. Michael also insists that Vincent end his relationship with Mary, because Vincent's involvement in the family's criminal enterprises puts her life in jeopardy.

The family takes a vacation to Sicily in preparation for Anthony's operatic debut in Palermo. They stay at the villa of Corleone family friend Don Tommasino (Vittorio Duse). Michael tells Vincent to speak with Altobello and tell him that he is planning to leave the Corleone family. Altobello supports the idea of Vincent's switching his allegiance, and introduces him to Don Licio Lucchesi (Enzo Robutti), a powerful Italian political figure and Immobiliare's chairman. Michael realizes that the Immobiliare deal is an elaborate conspiracy among Lucchesi, Archbishop Gilday, and Vatican accountant Frederick Keinszig (Helmut Berger) to swindle him out of his money, and visits Cardinal Lamberto (Raf Vallone), the man favored to become the next Pope, to speak about the deal. Lamberto convinces Michael to make his first confession in 30 years, in which he tearfully admits to ordering Fredo's murder. Lamberto tells Michael that he deserves to suffer for his sins, but that his life could still be redeemed.

Shortly after the meeting between Vincent and Lucchesi, Altobello travels to the small village of Montelepre, where he hires Mosca (Mario Donatone), a veteran hitman, to assassinate Michael. A few days later, Mosca and his son Lupe, disguised as priests, attempt to kidnap Don Tommasino and force him to allow them entry to his villa. Tommasino refuses, and Mosca kills him. While touring Sicily with Kay, who has arrived for Anthony’s operatic debut, Michael asks for her forgiveness. As they both admit that they still love each other, Michael receives word that Tommasino is dead. At Tommassino's funeral, Michael swears over his old friend's coffin to sin no more.

The Godfather Part Three has just about all the elements the first two had. Just not the perfection. But how many films have that kind of perfection? The fact that it gets this close is an accomplishment. It says how great a director Francis Ford Coppola is. And how great at writing Coppola is and Puzo was. It maintains that tone the films before held and never strays from them. Which makes it so important to see the first two before you see this one. It is nearly impossible to watch this movie without seeing the first two. There are movies in trilogies that you can just hop on too. But this isn't it.

But no worries. It is still just fine. I enjoyed it very much. Seeing Michael Corleone grow old. Him now old and bitter. He wanted to legitimize his family. But instead he became the thing he didn't want to become: his father. And that annoys the hell out of him. How they weave the real life events of the pope dying were done very well. It was amazing. They somehow got it in there without making it seem fake. Maybe I am saying this because I wasn't even born when this movie came out. But I was impressed.

Al Pacino once again is great. He grows with Michael. He feels what Michael feels. It is as stunning as usual. Amazing as usual. I was rather impressed with Andy Gracia's performance. He came the closest you could to being like how Al Pacino was as a young Michael Corleone. He has a calm demeanor. But he has fire in his belly. This balancing act is done really well. And it is hard to do. Sofia Coppola's performance was criticized. And I have to say it wasn't that bad. Maybe it was criticized because Winona Ryder was supposed to be in the role until having some personal issues. Ryder is a great actress and would have been amazing in the role. But Sofia does a solid job. She brings a certain feel to the character, is beautiful, and it works.

The Godfather Part Three isn't the masterpiece the first two films were. But so what? It is a great movie. I enjoyed every bit of it. The acting and story were great. It is a proper ending to the greatest film series of all time.

Scream Two:


After Scream there was Scream 2. And Scream is in a lot of ways similar to it's predecessor. But also in a lot of ways different. The satire of slasher thriller keeps it's wits, and even brings in more emotion than usual. A horror movie with a little heart? I didn't think that was possible. But it happens with this movie.

While attending a preview of the film Stab, a film within a film based on the Woodsboro murders depicted in Scream, college student Phil Stevens (Omar Epps) and his girlfriend Maureen Evans (Jada Pinkett), are both killed by Ghostface, though the onlookers at the theater witness Maureen's death and believe it to be a publicity stunt until she dies before them. The following day, the news media, which includes local journalist Debbie Salt (Laurie Metcalf), descends on Windsor College where Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) now studies, alongside fellow Woodsboro survivor Randy (Jamie Kennedy), her boyfriend Derek (Jerry O'Connell), classmate Mickey (Timothy Olyphant), and best friend Hallie (Elise Neal). Sidney, who receives prank calls, is oblivious to the killings while nervous and paranoid of the release of Cotton Weary (Liev Schreiber).

Two other Woodsboro survivors arrive: officer Dewey Riley (David Arquette) to help Sidney, and reporter Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) to cover the case and make Sidney talk to Cotton Weary - who is attempting to gain fame from his exoneration for the murder of Sidney's mother. Sidney unwillingly goes to a party with Hallie; at a sorority house, Ghostface murders fellow student Cici (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and again targets Sidney and her friends, as he crashes the party and attempts to murder Derek, though Dewey appears causing the killer to flee.



Scream Two is as good if not better than Scream. It makes fun of the classic horror genre so well. Here it is all about sequels. And what they say about sequels are oh so true. And they instead decide to go a different route. I guess Wes Craven has Scream to kind of voice his thoughts on the genre that he works in very much and very well. The comedy is always subtle. And the violence is really gory.


The violence was done better in this one. The scenes where there was violence looked more well done, more calculated and more daring. It was really engaging to watch some of these go down in all honesty. The blood wasn't excessive like in the first one. But it was enough to get the point across like the first one manged to do.



Neve Campbell is always the charmer. She gives Sidney this vulnerability. Yet she gives her this strength. The ability to rise above. She makes Sidney more than a one dimensional character. I think her acting is underrated in these movies. She always gives a nice performance.


Scream Two will please fans of this series. It has everything the first one had a more. The story is more developed even. It isn't just a good horror movie. It is a good movie period.

Sideways:


Sideways is one of the best human comedies to come out in the last ten years. It is funny and sweet. Somehow it is charming. I don't know how but it is. Alexander Payne has gone through many different story lines in films that he has created. Each one of them have worked so well because of his amazing attention to detail. He could be the most underrated director out there.

Miles Raymond (Paul Giamatti) is an unsuccessful writer, a wine-aficionado, and a depressed middle school English teacher living in San Diego, who takes his soon-to-be-married actor friend and college roommate, Jack Cole (Thomas Haden Church), on a road trip through Santa Ynez Valley wine country. Miles wants to relax and live well. However, Jack wants one last sexual fling.

In the wine country, the men encounter Maya (Virginia Madsen), a waitress at Miles's favorite restaurant, The Hitching Post, and her friend, Stephanie (Sandra Oh), an employee at a local winery. They arrange a double date without revealing that Jack is to be married. Jack has an affair with Stephanie while Miles tries to connect with Maya.

What happens in these seven days adds up to how great this movie truly is. How funny it is and surprisingly touching it is. Paul Giamatti is just a great character actor. He plays a man who hasn't gotten as much out of life that he had hope to get. He is somewhat a failure. Failed marriage and can't get a book published. He is able to really make Miles this everyday guy who is facing everyday problems. This character is so easy to relate to. Who hasn't felt this way before? Who hasn't felt like the world is crashing down on them? And how he behaves drunk is very interesting. I haven't seen it done quite like that before.

Thomas Haden Church also does well as Jack. He plays a guy who is this modest success. And he is finally settling down. But now he wants to live a little. That is totally understandable. Not good. But we get it. Church walks this fine line. His character does bad things. But his character isn't necessarily a bad guy. Church is able to make this guy likeable to the audience. We even feel bad for him a few times during the movie. He just wants to experience things and get it out of the way before tying to the knot. In the end we must ask ourselves if given the same situation, would we do the same?

Alexander Payne is a great writer and director. The writing is excellent. Things are said that I feel a real person would said. Things happen that I feel like would actually happen. He doesn't stretch anything to get laughs. We laugh only when we see something happen that has happened to us before or feel like it could happen. There is his gift. He is excellent at creating everyday characters. When I watched this movie I thought of Election a little and the Descendants. And that Payne creates these real life characters that go through real life things. He does the ultimate human stories.

Sideways is a movie that will make you laugh. Maybe even tear up. It is moving and a joy to watch. The acting is great, everything is great. Not a lot of movies like this these days. But when they do come out, aren't they a treat?

Cinderella Man: and a half


Cinderella Man is a boxing film based on a true story about James J. Braddock rise to success and fame. It is an inspiring movie directed by Ron Howard. Howard who holds the skills to take real life events (Apollo 13 and A Beautiful Mind) and make them very entertaining. There have been many boxing movies made that are meant to inspire people with some amazing stories. This story goes right up there.


James J. Braddock (Russell Crowe) is an Irish-American boxer from New Jersey, formerly a light heavyweight contender, who is forced to give up boxing after breaking his hand in the ring. This is both a relief and an upset to his wife, Mae (Renee Zellweger): she cannot bring herself to watch the violence of his chosen profession, yet knows they will have no good income without his boxing.

As the United States enters the Great Depression, Braddock does manual labor as a longshoreman to support his family, even after badly breaking his hand. Unfortunately, he cannot get work every day. Thanks to a last-minute cancellation by another boxer, Braddock's longtime manager and friend, Joe Gould (Paul Giamatti), offers him a chance to fill in for just this one night and make a little money. The fight is against the number-two contender in the world, Corn Griffin (Art Binkowski).

Braddock, however, stuns the boxing experts and fans with a third-round knockout of his formidable opponent. He believes that while his right hand was broken, he became more proficient with his left hand, improving his in-ring ability. Against his wife's wishes, Braddock takes up Gould's offer to return to the ring. Mae resents this attempt by Gould to profit from her husband's dangerous livelihood, until she discovers that Gould and his wife also have been devastated by hard times.

With a shot at the heavyweight championship held by Max Baer(Craig Bierko) a possibility, Braddock continues to win. Out of a sense of pride, he uses a portion of his prize money to pay back money to the government given to him while unemployed. When his rags to riches story gets out, the sportswriter Damon Runyon dubs him "The Cinderella Man", and before long Braddock comes to represent the hopes and aspirations of the American public struggling with the Depression.

A title fight against Baer comes his way. Braddock is a 10-to-1 underdog. Mae is terrified because Baer, the champ, is a vicious man who reportedly has killed at least two men in the ring. He is so destructive that the fight's promoter, James Johnston, forces both Braddock and Gould to watch a film of Baer in action, just so he can maintain later that he warned them what Braddock was up against.

Braddock demonstrates no fear. The arrogant Baer attempts to intimidate him, even taunting Mae in public that her man might not survive. When he says this, she becomes so angry that she throws a drink at him. She cannot bring herself to attend the fight at the Madison Square Garden Bowl or even to listen to it on the radio.

On June 13, 1935, in one of the biggest achievements in boxing history, Braddock defeats the seemingly invincible Baer to become the heavyweight champion of the world.

Cinderella Man uses it's strong source in it's script to it's advantage. It doesn't really stray away to create fictitious drama. It takes the story that is already riveting and shows it as art. It is super well done. It feels very authentic too. James J. Braddock had an amazing rise to fame. He worked hard to get to where he went and never game up. He was the blue collar worked who realized the American dream.

Russell Crowe is an excellent actor. Each role he has he takes on by the horns. Here he takes this real life figure again. And he plays him so wonderfully. He really shows what this man must have been going through professionally and personally. He makes it easy for us to understand and root for the guy. Renee Zellweger's performance is also note worthy. She is perfect as Braddock's worrisome. But supportive wife. And Paul Giamatti is such a great character actor. Each role he takes he makes a difference between all of them. He is a very underrated actor.

Cinderella Man is a great boxing movie. It reminds me of the fighter in a lot of ways (or should I say the fighter reminds me of Cinderella Man?). It's story is pure, and very touching. We as people just love seeing success stories. Rags to riches. And this is one for the record books.

I'm not a fan of Godfather Part 3 at all. It is a stain on the legacy of Coppola, Puzo, Pacino, Brando, De Niro and everyone else involved. The conclusion is poorly shot, the ending is lackluster and although Garcia and Pacino deliver as usual, the rest of the cast is average at best, weak and wooden at the worst of times (Michael's son )

Barney's Version: and a half

As we grow older we begin to look back and reflect on our lives. Even me. And I am about to turn 20. We look back and see events that we regret, caused heart ache and ones that made us happy at that moment in time. It is simply human nature. That is who we are. In Barney's version we get to watch a man do just that. And oh how interesting is it. Barney's version is a movie that shows a man who has grown to an old age and has lived an interesting life. Full of events that have all the things I mentioned.

Barney Panofsky (Paul Giamatti) is living with his best friend Boogie (Scott Speedman) in Rome. He marries the mentally disturbed and unfaithful Clara Charnofsky (Rachelle Lefevre) after she tells him she is pregnant with his child. Barney later finds out the child is not his, and he demands they separate. Clara commits suicide, and a devastated Barney decides to return home to Montreal.

Barney soon gets a job back home and meets what becomes his nameless second wife (Minnie Driver), the daughter of a wealthy Jewish family. At their lavish wedding, Barney meets Miriam Grant (Rosamund Pike), and immediately falls in love. He tells Miriam his feelings for her that night but she rejects him. Despite his marriage, Barney sends Miriam flowers and gifts. Barney later picks up Boogie, who is in the middle of detox therapy, for a few days at Barney's lake house. He eventually finds Boogie sleeping with his wife. Barney is at first overjoyed that he has an excuse to divorce her and pursue Miriam, but questions Boogie's integrity. The two argue, firing rounds from Barney's gun into the air before Barney collapses onto his dock and passes out, and a drunk Boogie falls back into the lake. When Barney awakens, it appears that he has shot Boogie. An abusive detective (Mark Addy) tries to beat a confession out of Barney until Barney's father, Izzy (Dustin Hoffman), intervenes. Barney is let go when they cannot find a body. Barney continues to believe that Boogie ran away and throughout the movie waits for him to reappear.

With his divorce finalized, Barney asks Miriam out on a date. He travels to New York City to meet her, and they finally begin a relationship. They marry and have two children as Barney gets a job producing a television series. Izzy later dies in a brothel, causing Barney to laugh and cry and call his father a "King". Barney and Miriam live happily until, on another vacation to the lake house, Barney meets Blair (Bruce Greenwood), who is trying to get a job in Miriam's line of work. Both Blair and Miriam travel to the city to try and use Miriam's contacts. Barney gets drunk at a bar and ends up sleeping with a former actress on his show. Miriam finds out about her husband's infidelity and the two divorce. Miriam later marries Blair, which contributes to Barney's mental deterioration.

Barney's Version is a funny yet sad movie. It seems like Paul Giamatti likes to do those types of films. In this we see once again the funny moments come from situations that happening during the course of the film. Though I would say there are far more dramatic moments in this one. It doesn't have the self pity that Barney has. It just tells us a story of this normal man who has made some normal mistakes and is living his life the way he is because of it. And his mind failing on him at the same time.

Paul Giamatti takes Barney and plays a guy who is much older than him and a guy who is much younger than him. The amazing thing is that he makes it believable each and every time we see this. We believe he is the age that is shown. It is great work. Dustin Hoffman was also great in his small role as Barney's dad. He comes in and steals the scenes he is in. Barney's Version isn't about Barney having regrets and wanting to it up. It is about Barney having these regrets and knowing there is nothing he can do about it other than try to get his wife back.

Barney's Version is a movie that went under the radar in 2010. Shame too. It is a great movie. Great performances and great writing. It takes a subject that everyone as they age deals with and shows it quite nicely.

Boys Don't Cry:

Love is an interesting thing. It can be very awesome and beautiful. Love can also be blind. It can also be tragic. Things happen that seems forbidden and lead to bad things. That just happens. And as in society we can't seem to accept things or people for what and who they really are. Boy Don't Cry is a film based on the real life tragedy about Brandon Teena.

Brandon Teena (Hilary Swank) is a young female-to-male non-operative transgender man, whose birth name was Teena Renae Brandon. When Brandon is discovered to be anatomically female by the brother of a woman he once dated, he becomes the target of physical threats. Not long after, he is involved in a bar fight and is evicted from his cousin's trailer. Brandon moves to Falls City, Nebraska where he cultivates friendships with ex-convicts John Lotter (Peter Sarsgaard) and Tom Nissen (Brendan Sexton III), and their friends Candace (Alicia Goranson) and Lana Tisdel (Chloë Sevigny). Brandon becomes romantically involved with Lana, who is unaware of his biological sex and troubled past. The two make plans to move to Memphis, where Brandon will manage Lana in a karaoke career.

Brandon is detained for charges that arose prior to his relocation and placed in the women's section of the Falls City prison. Lana bails Brandon out. After Lana asks why Brandon was in a women's prison, Brandon lies to her, saying he was born a hermaphrodite and will soon receive a sex change. Lana declares her love for Brandon, "no matter what he is." Tom and John become suspicious after they read a newspaper article about Brandon that refers to him by his birth name, Teena Brandon. Tom and John force Brandon to remove his pants, revealing his genitals. They try to make Lana look, but she shields her eyes and turns away. After this confrontation Tom and John chase Brandon to an isolated location, where they beat and rape him. Afterward, they take Brandon to Nissen's house. Though injured, Brandon escapes through a bathroom window. Having been threatened by his assailants and told not to report the attack to the police, a distressed Brandon is nonetheless convinced by Lana to file a report.

One evening, John and Tom get drunk, and decide to kill Brandon. Despite Lana's attempts to stop them, John and Tom drive to Candace's remote house where they find Brandon, who has been hiding in a shed on Candace's property. John shoots Brandon under the chin, and Tom shoots Candace in the head while Lana fights them and screams for them to stop. John stabs Brandon's lifeless body and Tom attempts to shoot Lana, but is stopped by John. John and Tom flee the scene, while Lana lies with Brandon's dead body.

Boys Don't Cry is one of the films that has actually made me cry (no pun intended). It could have been just one of those movies. But instead shows a free spirited person who got into the wrong situation and sadly sees her demise. We get to watch Brandon go through life trying to be they way she wants to be. And that is a male. This is tough clearly. Homosexuals have a hard enough time being accepted by society. But I would imagine that transgenders have it worse. Much worse.

This movie reminds me of Romeo and Juliet ad even Brokeback Mountain. It is forbidden love. Love is when we love someone without caring about their flaws. When we love someone we love the illusion that they have created. Here Brandon and Lana's love is forbidden. And they are in the country of all places. Which makes it even worse. But they really do love each other. But they can't really do what they want once word gets out. It is tragic. What makes it even more tragic is that it is true.

Hilary Swank puts on an amazing performance of course. She is a great actress and a fine woman. She transforms herself into Brandon and looking at a picture of the real Brandon it is seamless. I was truly touched by her performance. She became a guy for a month to prepare for this role. That is some amazing dedication. She put herself in Brandon's shoes somewhat trying to see and feel what she must have saw and felt. She doesn't try to make Brandon look like a sad person. But like an optimistic person who hopes she can fit in. But ultimately can't.

Boy Don't Cry is another example of art imitating life. The story is sad and one that shows how society can be towards people who are different. It is so brave and so daring. It doesn't do things for entertainment. It shows some really raw things. That to me makes makes this movie so great. Hopefully people have learned from this. It is another example why film can be so much more than entertainment.

Million Dollar Baby:

It seems like a lot of boxing movies kind of end the same way. Small and modest beginnings. Then a rise to fame, a big fight, then a triumphant win. A lot of these are real stories. Some not. Million Dollar Baby is based on a short story. And it is like Raging Bull in the sense that it is different. That is it's greatest strength. Clint Eastwood takes this story and turns it into some great. I would even call it a masterpiece. It is a masterpiece plain and simple. It it heartfelt and moving. All done so smoothly.

Frankie Dunn (Clint Eastwood) owns a boxing gym and is a trainer for "Big" Willie Little (Mike Colter). Willie is a great fighter and seems ready to go fight for a title. But Dunn wants him to wait. Dunn wants him to have two or three more fights. But Willie signs with a manger named Mickey Mack (Bruce MacVittie). He says that Mickey has the connections to get him what he needs and that leaves Frankie without a fighter.

During all this Eddie "Scrap Iron" Dupris (Morgan Freeman) a former fighter himself who after getting blind in one eye is now a janitor has taken notice on a female fighter. Her name is Margaret "Maggie" Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank). She is a southern waitress who lives in a trailer and saves all of her money. She has big dreams. She aspires to be a fighter. And she wants Frankie to train her. But Frankie doesn't want to train a girl. But after seeing her enough at the gym and seeing her improve, he agrees, but will only teach her from behind the scenes and will get her another manger.

Frankie starts training Maggie. It is clear that Maggie is just a really good boxer. She is a natural. In her first fight after she has some trouble Frankie finally decides to commit to her fulltime and not let someone else mange her. She wins that fight. She gets so good that no one will fight her because she knocks people out in the first round. She has to get moved up. And she does and she still is very good at that.

Meanwhile Maggie and Frankie begin to develop a relationship. Frankie's daughter won't speak to him. And Maggie's dad is gone. They are sort of filling a void for each other. And they get closer. Frankie had been a closed kind of guy before. Now we get to see a side of him that we haven't previously seen.

Million Dollar Baby is a movie that has this story line and then before you know it, you get slammed. I won't say what it is. But it is something else. And even more character development occurs. The screenplay is amazing. Timing is perfect, the lines are great. There are some genuine funny scenes in this movie. And some touching scenes in this movie as well.

Clint Eastwood just knows how to create some great films. He is a great director and great director. Here he brings this short story and turns it from one art form into another. And does it masterfully. He is able to get right to us where we feel the most and make it last. He really gets down human behavior too. I was impressed. These characters just feel like real people. He is among those directors that has that ability. And it is a special one. His performance was underrated too. He plays this man who has been in boxing his own life. He has known nothing else. And his belief system has been the same for a while. Then he meets the female boxer and it changes him forever.

Hilary Swank. What can you say more about her? It is like she doesn't act. She just is. She is right up there with the Meryl Streeps and Kate Winlets. She is one of the best actresses out there and she shows that once again with this role. She is Maggie. She embodies who enthusiasm and spirit. While getting int he correct shape and look to make us believe it is her. It is an astounding transformation once again. She is really just phenomenal.

Morgan Freeman is great as usual. He is also the narrator here and his voice is obviously perfect for that. He is able to shine and make us care about this character, though the story is really about Maggie and Frankie's relationship. He has his own situation and living with it. And he doesn't try to out shine anyone. He just uses the space provided to him and excels at it like always.

Million Dollar Baby is about how people can come into our lives and change us forever. It is something that is cool in a way. But if taken away from us can be painful. People do pop up in our lives once in a while. And they make an impact. Ad we remember them for the rest of our lives.

I put this movie close to Raging Bull. One of the best movies that featured boxing in my life. Thought like Raging Bull it really isn't about boxing. It is about something bigger. It was the movie of 2004 and a masterpiece. And that is a fact.

Armageddon:


You know what Armageddon is? The first 151 minute trailer. For real. What is this? Why is a movie like this made? Why? What is the point? And why was am I watching this? What am I doing with my life? That is precious time that I will never get back. I could have done something productive. Something else other than this. Michael Bay is the same guy who directed the Rock a great movie. I guess he just wants to direct these loud nonsensical films.

The film opens by describing (narrated by Charlton Heston) the extinction of the dinosaurs by a 6-mile wide asteroid hitting the Earth 65 million years ago. In the present day, a massive meteor shower destroys the Space Shuttle Atlantis and bombards New York City, the East Coast and Finland. NASA discovers that a Texas-sized asteroid will collide with Earth in 18 days, creating another extinction event. NASA scientists, led by Dan Truman (Billy Bob Thornton) plan to bury a nuclear device deep inside the asteroid that, when detonated, will split the asteroid in two, driving them apart so that they both fly safely past the Earth. NASA contacts Harry Stamper (Bruce Willis), considered the best deep-sea oil driller in the world, for assistance and advice. Harry returns to NASA along with his daughter Grace (Liv Tyler) to keep her away from her new boyfriend, one of Harry's young and rambunctious drillers, A. J. Frost (Ben Affleck). Harry and Grace learn about the asteroid and Harry explains he will need his team, including A. J., to carry out the mission. Once they have been rounded up and the situation is explained, they agree to help, but only after their list of unusual rewards and demands are met.

As NASA puts Harry and his crew through a short and rigorous astronaut training program, Harry and his team re-outfit the mobile drillers, named the "Armadillos", that will be used on the asteroid. When a large fragment from the asteroid wipes out Shanghai, NASA is forced to reveal its plans to the world and launches two military space shuttles (U.S.A.F X-71s), named Freedom and Independence. Once in orbit, the shuttles dock with the Russian space station Mir manned by Lev Andropov (Peter Stormare) to refuel. A fire breaks out during the transfer and the station is evacuated just before it explodes, with Lev and A. J. making a narrow escape on Independence. The shuttles slingshot around the Moon in order to land on the backside of the asteroid. Traveling through the asteroid's debris field Independence's hull is punctured and crashes onto the rock. Grace, watching from NASA headquarters, is distraught by A. J.'s apparent death.

Freedom lands safely, but misses the target area by 26 miles, so the team must now drill through an area of iron ferrite rather than the planned softer stone. When they fall significantly behind schedule and communications are about to fail, the military initiates "Secondary Protocol"; to remote detonate the nuclear weapon on the asteroid's surface, which apparently will not have any effect. While Truman delays the military at Mission Control, Harry persuades the shuttle commander to disarm the bomb so they can complete the drilling.

Distracted by "Rockhound" (Steve Buscemi), who is having a mental breakdown, the Freedom crew loses their "Armadillo" when it strikes a gas pocket and is blown into space. World panic ensues as the mission is assumed lost, just as another meteorite destroys Paris. Suddenly, A. J., Lev and "Bear" (Michael Clarke Duncan), having survived the Independence crash, arrive in their "Armadillo" in time to complete the drilling.



This one of my least favorite movies. I mean really. It is an assault on every sense we have except for smell and feel. It is an assault on our brains to and our intelligence. It tries to just be entertaining by being this big show. But instead it is just stupid and annoying. It is a big mess really.


The action scenes seem just there to fill in between the useless dialogue. There is romance in there is makes me go "are you serious?". That goes back to me saying that it just wants t be entertaining. Okay so there is romance. But the way it was done couldn't have been done more cornier. It was ridiculous. The cast is talented. So I must wonder if they thought what they were doing was good or they all just wanted a paycheck? Because who thinks this is good?


I wouldn't let my worse enemy see this movie. That is how bad it is. It fails on every level. And the ending is rather stupid. And the whole movie is predictable. It is an embarrassment cinema.

Postcards from the Edge:


Celebrities who are drug addicts. There have been many. What is new there? What is interesting is watch how a celebrity goes from a drug addict to a recovering drug addict and the obstacles they face. Postcards from the Edge somewhat shows that. It is more for laughs and a good story though than the recovery process.

Actress Suzanne Vale (Meryl Streep) is a recovering drug addict trying to pick up the pieces of her acting career and get on with her life after being discharged from a rehab center she entered to kick a cocaine-acid-Percodan habit. When she is ready to return to work her agent advises her the studio's insurance policy will cover her only if she lives with a "responsible" individual such as her mother Doris Mann (Shirley MacLaine) who was the reigning musical comedy star of the 1950s and '60s. Suzanne loathes to return to the woman she struggled to escape from for years after growing up in her shadow. The situation is not helped by the fact that Doris is loud, competitive, manipulative, self-absorbed and given to offering her daughter unsolicited advice with insinuating value judgments while treating her like a child.

Unaware that producer Jack Faulkner (Dennis Quaid) is the one who drove her to the hospital during her last overdose, Suzanne agrees to go out with him. During the course of a passionate first date, he professes intense and eternal love for her and she believes every word is true. She learns from Evelyn Ames (Annette Bening), a bit player in her latest film, that Jack is sleeping with Evelyn as well. Still dressed in the costume she wears as a uniformed cop in the schlock movie, Suzanne drives to Jack's house and confronts him. As their argument escalates, Jack implies that Suzanne was much more interesting when she was trying to function while under the influence.

At home, Suzanne learns from Doris that Suzanne's sleazy business manager Marty Wiener has absconded with all her money. This leads to a verbal brawl between the two women, and Suzanne storms out to go to a looping session. There the paternalistic director Lowell Korshack (Gene Hackman) tells her he has more work for her as long as she remains clean and sober.

Postcards from the Edge has excellent writing. It is very funny. The jokes here are subtle. But they kind of just come jumping right at you. It has heart as well. We feel a bit for Suzanne. She is struggling to stop using drugs and have as normal a life as someone in Hollywood can. She isn't a bad person. Just a person who has made mistakes and is trying to learn from them. She is trying to find direction a bit.

The acting is top notch. Another amazing performance by Meryl Streep that nabbed her one of her 17 academy award nominations. She doesn't act. He reacts. She lives. She just is. She becomes Suzanne. Take away the issues and Suzanne is a talented actress much like Meryl is. And it is funny how Meryl is the standard for good acting and if an actress does bad one day and does good the next sometimes the director will refer to the person becoming Meryl Streep. That is how good she is.

What this movie lacks is really digging into the recovery process. It kind of glosses over that. It doesn't want to be a drama really. And this would add a real dramatic element. It wants to stay as light as it can dealing with a subject like this. It does. But that is kind of a shame. They could have shown more rehab scenes and more A.A scenes. I think there would have been even more great moments with Meryl and it would have just added to the movie. It is more about talk and it does make us wonder how Streep and McLaine are like their characters Carrie and Debbie Reynolds.

Postcards from the edge is funny and has too many great performances for the lack of attention to the recovery process not to be a good movie. I enjoyed it quite a bit. But it could have been great if it had went there. Only if it did.

Nice reviews on Million Dollar Baby and Armageddon.
Agree with your ratings too.

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