Cole's Film Reviews

22. Cloverfield (2006) - Matt Reeves



A group of friends venture deep into the streets of New York on a rescue mission during a rampaging monster attack. This film can be broken down very simply, great concept with terrible execution. The acting in this is awful for the most part aside from T.J. Miller who does what he can with the lines he is given and Odette Annable who I always find to be charming in these smaller roles. This film isn't all bad just a lot of it is hard to watch especially since most of it is just people running in smoke. The first 30 minutes is the bulk of the film were I actually found myself enjoying what was going on. After that though there isn't really much to salvage this besides a couple money shots here and there. To add the acting is also horrible in the scene and the motivation by the group to go find Beth is completely unbelievable. Pretty much everything that happens after the first 30 is unbelievable to be honest. The writing is also filled with jokes during the most tense times and doesn't make much sense how a logical human being could be cracking jokes when a deadly monster is lunging towards him. The ending to this film leaves so much to be desired and is just kind of a cop out. Overall, this is a waste of time and if your going in for just the concept alone don't expect much.

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It's only after we've lost everything that we're free to do anything.

23. 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) - Dan Tratchenberg



After getting in a car accident, a woman (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) is held in a shelter by two men (John Goodman and John Gallagher Jr.), who claim the outside world is affected by a widespread chemical attack. Winstead is great in this film and I think this might be the best thing I have seen from her. Goodman is kind of weak I thought and tried a little too hard to be creepy, which didn't really work for me. If your gonna go see this movie this weekend you need to know this film isn't a blockbuster, it's an indie. Another thing is this isn't a Cloverfield and in fact the parts that have to do with Cloverfield are the worst parts of the movie. The most redeeming thing about this movie is that the characters themselves are ripe and their share some great moments together. Another thing I enjoyed was how the director was able to pull tension out of these scenes. Another warning about this movie is it, for me at least, is very slow; not much happens. It's more of a character drama/thriller about figuring out what exactly is going on outside and who is telling the truth. Why this film disappoints me ultimately though is because it doesn't capitalize on the premise in the best way I thought it could. It's a great idea turned into a semi generic thriller, but still enjoyable. The last 15 minutes of this film kind of come out of nowhere as well and it's pretty bad. Overall, fun movie that had a lot of good ideas and if it wasn't shoehorned into Cloverfield could've been a lot better.

24. Frank (2014) - Lenny Abrahamson



Jon (Domnhall Gleeson), a young wanna-be musician, discovers he's bitten off more than he can chew when he joins an eccentric pop band led by the mysterious and enigmatic Frank (Micheal Fassbender). To start off this is a very strange movie, it's not for everyone, but I do think it's worth giving it a shot. It's got a quirk to it that I really enjoy and I think it largely comes from the off beat score. Domnhall is decent in this, but the true acting of this film comes from Fassbender who is great as this mysterious lead, Frank. Towards the end of the movie you really start to see what this character is like and why Fassbender probably chose to play him. The writing is good in the film, but nothing really happens throughout a large part of it and some of the characters are unlikeable, but I think that's the point. This film is meant to feel a little abrupt and disjointed, which is explained why later on in the film. This film also tries to be comedic and it didn't really work for me, but it's probably just not my type of comedy. I like the story beats of this movie a lot though because like an onion it peels back the layers till you get to the final conclusion and you realize the reveal isn't that surprising. Overall, this movie is fun and you should watch it if you enjoy quirky indies and Fassbender's acting.

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10 Cloverfield Lane is a decent little suspense film. Shame they had to tack on the "Cloverfield" name to get more $$$$ for their film.

Couldn't agree more, if it wasn't tied to Cloverfield I would have liked it so much more.

25. Batman (1989) - Tim Burton



The Dark Knight (Michael Keaton) of Gotham City begins his war on crime with his first major enemy being the clownishly homicidal Joker (Jack Nicholson). I'm kind of getting tired of everyone saying this movie sucks because Nolan's movies are better; this film is still a super fun time. Keaton is a great Batman and while he isn't the best Bruce Wayne, he still fills the role well. Nicholson is very memorable, although the performance is a tad dated, but he nails the Joker in some of the scenes, not all though. If I were to give one word to this film it would be memorable. There are so many scenes that while they are corny are still just so entertaining. Burton did a great job with this film at really making you feel the seedy underbelly of Gotham; the set design is fantastic and you can really feel his artistic passion running rampant through this entire movie. He also really understood the character of Batman and paid a lot of homage to fans with the scenes of Bruce's parents death, Joker's origin, and most importantly the Batman Symbol over the moon. The scenes that really make this film feel dated though are the TV News Broadcasts and the Art Gallery scene; it doesn't do much of anything to further the story because Vale and Joker could have just confronted at her apartment later. You also can't mention this movie without talking about the score by Danny Elfman who does a great job and adds to the memorability of it all. Another thing that kind of pushes this movie back for me is how quickly Keaton and Basinger fall in love, it's the crux of the story, but it just happens all too quickly. I do love the final scene with Joker and Vale dancing, it's kind of mimicked in Dark Knight when Rachel and Joker dance in the ballroom of Wayne's penthouse. The scene is beautifully shot and the tension is built very well with Keaton fighting the goons in the background. The final confrontation between Batman and Joker at the end is also very good and Nicholson's delivery with the jokes is spot on. The editing for the fights throughout the film adds a lot I would say as well, it's fast cuts make the fights seem much more gruff and brutal. A thing I always wondered about this ending though is why when Batman kills Joker people didn't get more angry? I don't really mind, but when it happens in Man of Steel everyone got super pissed about it. Strange. Anyways overall, this film is a classic and it still deserves to be watched in spite of the Nolan Trilogy still being better.

I am one of the few people that like the change in the connection of the Joker and Bruce Wayne. In the comics Joker doesn't kill his parents, in the film he does. It just connects the sides of good and evil a bit more. They made each other who they are, it's sympatico.

Yeah I actually like that theme in the movie a lot, I just think that Nicholson doesn't play the Joker to the best of his abilities.

26. Seven Psychopaths (2012) - Martin McDougnah



A struggling screenwriter (Colin Farrell) inadvertently becomes entangled in the Los Angeles criminal underworld after his oddball friends (Sam Rockwell and Christopher Walken) kidnap a gangster's (Woody Harrelson) beloved Shih Tzu. This movie is amazing, I love all it's weird characters and how they all intertwine in this incredible story by the same guy who gave you In Bruges (2008). McDougnah outdoes himself with this genius script that establishes a bevy of interesting scenarios to put your characters in. All sides of this production also went well because the cinematography and score are near perfect in my opinion. So many beautiful shots in these gorgeous open landscapes towards the end. Everyone was on their A game as we see one of Rockwell's best performances with his character Billy who McDougnah uses to be the character that kind of guides you through this inane plot. Harrelson also plays a great crazy mob boss who has a weird attachment to his dog, which is another central part of the story. The only one I had problems with at times was Walken, but his ending monologue is very good so I will forgive it. I'm kind of just in shock of how good this movie was. The ending is perfectly laid out and due to some of the story devices you kind of oddly see it coming, but in a really clever way. The only other problem I had with this movie is how some of the storylines end up going down with some side characters, it was just a little strange; also one thing doesn't get wrapped up in the end that bothered me. I do highly recommend this movie to anyone who hasn't seen it, expect a clear homage to Pulp Fiction that satisfies on so many levels.

27. Joe (2013) - David Gordon Green



An ex-con (Nicholas Cage), who is the unlikeliest of role models, meets a 15-year-old boy (Tye Sheridan) and is faced with the choice of redemption or ruin. Cage does one of his best performances in a long time in this movie and Tye Sheridan is just as good in this small character driven film. I really liked Cage's and Sheridan's dynamic on screen, they are just honest men doing the bets they can is this corrupt desolate population they live in. At times it is slow, but it helps you understand the lives these people live day to day, so I never really minded; it also picks up a lot in the second half. I haven't seen much from Green, other than Pineapple Express (2006) his most commercial feature and I really liked the tone he set in this film, he also had a good grasp of these characters. The writing for the most part is subtle, but it feels like it kind of got confused translating the book, even though I haven't read it I can tell some of the side plots that were probably in the book were left on the cutting room floor. A couple of scenes towards the end get a little sappy, especially the last confrontation. The other thing that kind of bothered me was the score, which was really weak and took me out of a couple scenes. Lastly, the villain seemed a little underwhelming and his whole way of getting to Joe seemed a little strange. Joe is a really enjoyable film though that if you have some time you should really checkout, especially if you want to support a smaller indie.

I really agree with this statement. I feel like if I went into the movie without any knowledge about its accompaniment with Cloverfield it would have been a much better experience.

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28. Argo (2012) - Ben Affleck



Acting under the cover of a Hollywood producer scouting a location for a science fiction film, a CIA agent (Ben Affleck) launches a dangerous operation to rescue six Americans in Tehran during the U.S. hostage crisis in Iran in 1980. I'm a huge fan of all of Ben Affleck's directorial ventures, but I wasn't as familiar with this one because I didn't remember it very much from back in 2012, I remember enjoying it a lot. So was it as good as I remembered? Yeah, but it's not that great of a movie, although it is a good oscar type film. Affleck is good, but nothing to ride home about, a lot of the other characters don't have the amount of depth for you to really care about them, but they still service the movie well. I do want to give a shout out to Scoot McNairy though because he's always in these little roles, but he is so good. I think we can all say that Affleck is better in behind of the camera than in front (reference Gigli (2003) for further evidence) and he does probably his weakest job at direction, but once again still good. I didn't feel a lot of the tension throughout the final scene as much as I did in the opening, now some of this could be due to the lack of music and also that I know they escape and it was all created for this movie. Some of it just didn't work for me. These small problems hold me back from feeling this movie deserved the best picture oscar and I also don't agree with Arkin being nominated, he does a good job, but if were being honest there isn't much of a character there. I do like a lot of the scenes of them working through all the problems especially in the first two thirds of the movie. Overall, Argo is a good drama that tells an interesting piece of American History, but it's no best picture.

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When a corrupt businessman (Christopher Walken) and the grotesque Penguin (Danny DeVito) plot to take control of Gotham City, only Batman (Micheal Keaton) can stop them, while the Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer) has her own agenda. I'm gonna be honest this film was hard to get through, it's aged pretty poorly. The script to this film really makes it feel dated along with some of the terrible green screen and CGI. The performances are there by Walken and DeVito, but you can really tell that Keaton was so done with this project and was doing anything to get out of it. He's constantly breaking character while playing Bruce, that it's kind of ridiculous he didn't just get recast (well I guess he did). Pfieffer's take on Catwoman is a little ridiculous considering she turns crazy after falling out of a high rise building and then being resuscitated by cats. It's a zany film that has it's moments, but ultimately Burton (just like nowadays) got too caught up in the production that he didn't look to see if the story was there. DeVito's Penguin was interesting, while he overacts in a couple of scenes, he is still very menacing, till the end when he tries to send a bunch of penguins to kidnap kids? Once again how did this script get made? The only thing I liked about it was some of the dark humor it puts in some of the scenes, just like in the original. Something I really enjoyed about this movie and most of Burton's films was the use of makeup on DeVito's face, it looked great and captured the essence of the Penguin perfectly. The fight scenes were lackluster and don't really go anywhere, it's mostly just people doing somersaults. The romance is once again kind of forced into the movie without being given much thought. There is a moment in the ballroom scene though were Bruce recalls something and it's a very good callback to an earlier part in the movie. A thing that I liked better in this movie than the 89 film is the way Batman's suit has been upgraded, so you see him fly which was an interesting effect. Burton's passion flows through this film, but I don't think he could save it from ultimately being a snooze.

If your a fan of Batman you probably shouldn't watch this, it's a really bad portrayal of both sides of the character.

An alien orphan is sent from his dying planet to Earth, where he grows up to become his adoptive home's first and greatest superhero (Christopher Reeves). I am blown away, I really didn't think this movie would hold up. This film has immediately jumped into my top 3 comic book films of all time.

Let's just start with this incredible cast, Marlon Brando was great casting for Jar-El as he opens the film questioning the morality of General Zod, which foreshadows Superman II. This film does world building so well in that sense and DC should learn that being subtle is the best practice when it comes to branching out your universe. Reeves comes into the picture way later after they establish the origin story and I'll be damned if he isn't the most perfecting casting for the role. He's got charm and wit as Superman and you buy his uncomfortable nature as Clark Kent. Most people would call this plot very thin as in the end it's just more of establishing characters, but I think it works well as an origin story that is expanded on in later films, also it works because they let you understand the motivations of the characters without it feeling forced. Hackman inhabits the role of Luthor as you seem him unveiling his maniacal plot to destroy Superman. My favorite scene involving Hackman is the scene with the ladder and the bookcase where he explains to them like children his complex plan, Hackman is so dialed in and you believe it for every second he's on screen. They also introduce the Daily Planet early on where we are introduced to Lois Lane played by Margot Kidder who also does a great job especially in my favorite scene of the film, the flying scene. It's so beautiful as she narrates how she truly feels about Superman and I know it's campy, but it's just so damn good and it gives you an incite to that character, showing how she truly feels.

There is so much to love and the effects still hold up to me. When Kent's crystal space ship is flying through the vast space it's so amazing to watch the effects. Krypton also looked incredible for the time, with the large sun like planet overshadowing it. These effects wouldn't hold up as well if it wasn't for the spectacular cinematography by George Unsworth, who no surprise also shot 2001: A Space Odyssey and the compositions of these beautiful landscapes are astounding to watch. When Clark is looking out at the vast sky and his mother comes up and tells him to "never forget" it's so emotional and is aided by the photography of the scene. There's not much I don't love about this film, Donner did such a great job making you feel that you were watching the birth of this hero. He pays enough homage to long time fans and also for people like me who are just film buffs wanting to see a good movie. My only really big problem with this film is sadly it's ending.

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WARNING: "major" spoilers below

When Lois Lane dies, it's tragic and once again going back to cinematography Unsworth shots combined with the editing makes it all the more effective, but when Superman just goes up and reverses it all and saves her it's such a cop out. It takes away all the tragedy and I don't know it just doesn't work for me. It occupies most of the last 20 minutes so it's a large part of the film too. I still love the last couple of moments when Superman is flying and he gives the little wink to the camera at the end. It's just cements it as a classic.

When Lois Lane dies, it's tragic and once again going back to cinematography Unsworth shots combined with the editing makes it all the more effective, but when Superman just goes up and reverses it all and saves her it's such a cop out. It takes away all the tragedy and I don't know it just doesn't work for me. It occupies most of the last 20 minutes so it's a large part of the film too. I still love the last couple of moments when Superman is flying and he gives the little wink to the camera at the end. It's just cements it as a classic.

This film is brilliant and it is a breakthrough in cinema as it is the first real superhero film and it's still one of the best ones to this day.

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