Film views from Sarge

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Legend in my own mind
I wasn't a huge fan of Lebowski at first but I like it more and more with each subsequent watch.
I think I appreciated it more this time but still, some bits have me all
__________________
"I don't want to be a product of my environment, I want my environment to be a product of me" (Frank Costello)



Legend in my own mind


Broken City (2013)

This film sounded promising, and although I expected it to be a bit predictable, I thought I would give it a go.
I like Wahlberg in this kind of role and the synopsis sounded good.

This film had a lot of potential and in there somewhere is a good story. The problem was in the telling of that story. Somewhere along the way it disappeared up it's own backside.

It's a film about government corruption, betrayal, and greed. It had so much potential but it seemed like when a kid starts to write a story for homework and then realises it's getting late so rushes the ending and loses the attention to detail.

It is a decent enough watch on a rainy day when you just want to lie on the sofa.

What I liked
As I said, I generally like Wahlberg in these kind of roles and he did what he does.
The first half of the film was good, in setting the scene, building tension and mystery.
The idea of the film is a good one. It's been done before but it still had potential

What could be better
The second half od the film: It's like they put all of their effort into the first half that they couldn't be bothered with the second half. It just got cheesy and cliched.
Russel Crowes appearance. An orange politician with stupid hair - So unrealistic

Overall, it wasn't bad but it failed to full deliver on it's early promise




Legend in my own mind


Spy Game (2001)

This was a re-watch, but like so many that I am currently re-watching, I can't remember much about them from the first time.

It is a film about the CIA and their operatives and the politics that occur within that environment.
It stars Robert Redford and Brad Pitt as CIA operatives.
It looks at the issues of 'the greater good' and what needs to be sacrificed to ensure that it is attained and the moral challenges that brings.

The film is a bit of a cat and mouse caper or rather Cats and Mice caper which at time seems like a highs stakes game of poker between the characters,

There is not a lot here that I haven't seen before but for the most part it is done well.
It is a film that you need to focus on and follow the dialogue, as there are often little nudges to things that have caught the characters eye, or some extra significance to glances, or words that they say.

At times, I feel as though it may have tried to be too smart for it's own good an almost ran the risk of tying itself in knots.
It does however stay the right side of that line and overall I enjoyed it.

What I liked
I though Redford and Pitt were quality, as I expected.
It was a good mix of political and tactical scenes and 'action'.
I found it to be largely believable and there was not many things that had me thinking "No way, would that happen'.

What could be better
By nature, it was at times quite slow and laboured and I was willing something to happen.
In a couple of the flashback scenes Redford seems to look older than he does in the present

It wasn't a bad film at all, and I am convinced that I will remember much more about it this time.




Legend in my own mind

The Challenger (2015)



Where to start with this.

It is like a weird Rocky tribute.

Seriously, there are lines lifted straight from Rocky and used in this film.

It was like a bad reboot. So many blatant copies of the Rocky films, there was even a picture of the great Mr Balboa in one of the scenes.

Kent Moran has watched Rocky and 'wrote' directed and starred in his own version of it.

The acting was woeful and overall it just wasn't very good.

Things that I liked
Michael Clarke Duncan was ok

Things that could be better
Everything else




Legend in my own mind


Black Mass (2015)

This is a biographical crime film that focuses on the criminal career of James 'Whitey' Bulger and the 'Winter hill gang' in Boston.

I really enjoyed this film. It was done really well, developed the characters well and gave an insight into most of them.
It could however have been a great film. The film is based on a book entitled 'The unholy alliance between the FBI and Bulger'. Therefore that is where the majority of the film is focused.


Depp as James 'Whitey' Bulger

The film is well shot and I was engaged from start to finish. It is always a bit easier for me to become engrossed when i know that these things actually happened. When I know that it takes away the temptation to say "that could never happen"


Joel Edgerton as FBI agent John Connolly

What I liked
The cast - This film does boast a superb cast with the likes of Johnny Depp, Benedict Cumberbatch, Joel Edgerton, Dakota Johnson, Kevin Bacon, Jesse Plemons, Peter Sarsgaard, Corey Stoll to name some of them.

Depp's performance - Johnny Depp is a highly talented and versatile actor and this is probably my favourite performance of his. From the first scene he is in, he is chilling and unsettling. He exudes evil and violence without saying or doing anything. It reminded me of Hopkins' Lecter in the way that I fully believed that the character was sinister with an evil lurking inside, before they had done anything to lead me to that conclusion. It really is a stunning performance from Depp.

I also like the fact that the film backed it's story. It almost seemed understated at times and it didn't go in for any gimics. It reminded me of an episode of the Sopranos in the way that it was shot and in the pace of it.

What could be better
It was a bit choppy. The story has so many strands, with so many players but it fails to fully pull the strands together to create one incredible story. There are plots strands involving Bulger's relationship with his gang, his enemies, his brother, The FBI, other agencies and others, going on throughout the film but it doesn't always take enough time with each and it doesn't seem to flow as well as it could.

Other films. The film is a true story and has that advantage over other films that are similar but some of the other films that are 'fictional' or semi fictional seem to do it slightly better. Films like 'The Departed', 'Goodfellas' etc flow better and seem just a little bit better.
I think that in part is that they seem to focus more on the violence of the protagonists. This film does show that violence without question but doesn't seem to want to highlight it.

As I said in the 'Things I liked' section, the films seemed a bit like an episode of 'The Sopranos' that was also a bit of a problem. Part of me wishes that it was an episode, as there was so much of the story that was untold that I wanted to be told. The relationships between many of the main characters was fundamental to the film but it was kind of mentioned but I felt there was some context lacking. I would have liked it to have focused on this a bit more. That is one of the areas where I think Scorsese get's it right in 'The Departed.

Overall
I really enjoyed this, and it feels like one of those films that you seem to be more impressed with the more that you think about it.
Depp was incredible and like all good biopics it has me opening 'Google' as soon as it has finished.
It is a good film but with a bit more it could have been great.






Legend in my own mind
I liked Broken City more than most, although I acknowledge it's not very good and was a huge flop. It reminded me of a cheesy 80's movie.
Aspects of it were really good. Was just let down by some ridiculousness.



Legend in my own mind


Serpico 1973

Another one that I hadn't seen before, due to it being made a number of years before I was born.

The film is the true story of Frank Serpico, a New York city cop that shows great integrity by standing up for his principles in the face of overwhelming opposition from his superiors an colleagues, alienating himself in the process.

The performance from Al Pacino in this film is superb. I expected it because he is such a talented actor. I had not heard much about this film before watching it though, and therefore not heard anything about his performance in this. In all honesty, I think it is one of my favourite Pacino performances.

The rest of the cast was quite mixed in their performances, with some being really believable, and others quite wooden.

Overall, it was a well made film that made it easy to feel the tension of the situation and the conflict, both internal and external of the main characters.
Well worth a watch but the standout factor is the performance of Pacino.




Legend in my own mind

RoboCop 1987


This is one of my favourite films ever that narrowly misses out on my top 10.
I watch it every year on my Birthday and it is probably in my most watched films ever, and most likely the one I quote more than any other.


Dead or Alive you are going with him

It is a superb action film with so much excellent stuff within it, and an absolute showcase of how to used blood squibs in a film.

I like the vision of the future that it had, and unlike some other films it has not been made to look stupid by the reality as time has gone on.

Clarence Boddicker is right up there with Hans Gruber in the bad guy 'Hall of fame' for me.
So nasty, so many quotable lines and a character that is easy to dislike.


Kurtwood Smith as Clarence Boddicker

Will have to do a proper review for this film sometime, but for now I will just tell you to go an watch it.
If you haven't seen it, then watch it, If you have seen it, then watch it again and if you have seen it but don't like it then we can't be friends.




Legend in my own mind


Get out (2017)

I did not know an awful lot about this film before I watched it today.
I had seen the trailer approximately 3454271781 times on TV and on previous cinema visits.
From the trailer, I wasn't really that interested, as I made my assumptions about the plot and wasn't sure If I wanted to watch it.

I had heard some positive reviews about it without hearing any more of the actual plot and thought that I would give it a whirl.

The film has a lot of themes woven into it but ultimately is a story of a young couple that are in an inter racial relationship and the young man is going to meet his girlfriends family for the first time. He is cautious about how he will be received.

The situation develops over the weekend and things get a bit weird, even more so than you would expect when meeting your girlfriends parents for the first time.

Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) getting to know his potential Mother in law over a nice cup of tea

What I liked about it

There was a lot of creativity in the film. I had worked out a lot of the plot from the trailer before I went to see the film, in that I figured out what would happen, but the hows and whys of it were very cleverly done in my opinion. There were some aspects that kept me guessing throughout.
I thought that there was a nice build up of tension through the film and at times it seemed quite sinister. This was offset by some comedic dialogue, from one character in particular. This was a bit of a risk as it could have potentially undermined the tension of the film, but I think it served to make it more real. People in life aren't always serious, and we all have that friend who is a bit of a joker.
I thought the casting was very good and the characters were all well acted with some potentially difficult aspects of characters acted really well.
There was decent pace to the film and I never felt bored or that they were 'filling time' in order to stall the conclusions. I was always engaged with what was happening on the screen.

Off to meet the girlfriends parents. How bad can it be?

What could have been better

I am smarter than the average bear, but I wouldn't suggest that I am a genius, yet I figured out most of the plot from the trailer, so would think that many others do too.
I am not sure if it was a predictable plot or that the trailer just showed too much.
That was the main thing that could be better. I can't think of many other things right now.

Overall

Overall, it was a decent, different style kind of thriller/psychological thriller type thing, with some lighthearted moments. I am glad that I watched it and it I left feeling content.
Good acting, good story, decent characters and all with a welcome quirkiness, yet an underlying unease at the potential reality of it all. It's one of those films that I feel I may appreciate more as time goes on. I am even now doubting if my rating is too low. I have given other films the same rating that I have enjoyed less. I think expectation has a lot to do with it. My rating of this film might well change over the coming days and weeks, but I will leave it as it is right now


This is how shocked I was at how much I enjoyed it






You can't win an argument just by being right!
My kind of review. Nicely done, champ.



Legend in my own mind


RoboCop 2014

After watching the original on Tuesday I watched this again to see if my original disdain for the film was justified.

It was

This is dreadful.

I even tried to watch it as a stand alone film. That was difficult because some of the names and aspects of the story are the same.

Everything that makes the original so good is lacking from this film.

I can find few endearing qualities about it. He looks ok. Some of the CGI is good and Michael Kenneth Williams is a decent addition.

Should never have been made and then when they did, it should have been better.




Legend in my own mind


Reasonable doubt 2014

Superb idea for a film. The concept and the twists in the plot could have made an excellent film but it just seemed to miss what seemed like a slam dunk.

The film could have been so much more. The acting was ok and the cinematography wasn't too bad but it was nowhere near the film that it could or should have been.

The film was a bit cheesy. It crossed the line of what is believable a few times and there were too many cliches in there. With a bit more courage it could have been a tremendous thriller.

Overall it was forgettable.




I think Dominic Cooper as co-headliner would be enough to keep me uninterested anyway, and as much as I like Sam Jackson, he's in a lot of crap movies.



Must be doin sumthin right

Spy Game (2001)

This was a re-watch, but like so many that I am currently re-watching, I can't remember much about them from the first time.
I rewatched this semi-recently too. Maybe the admittedly unique flashback conceit sounded ok on paper, but it made it one of the most weirdly unpleasant watches for me. Something like that could've worked with a tv mini-series or something but for a film it felt laborious. Also I agree with you, the ages of both actors made it an extra stretch



Legend in my own mind
I rewatched this semi-recently too. Maybe the admittedly unique flashback conceit sounded ok on paper, but it made it one of the most weirdly unpleasant watches for me. Something like that could've worked with a tv mini-series or something but for a film it felt laborious. Also I agree with you, the ages of both actors made it an extra stretch
It was sad really. It could have been great. Hindsight is a wonderful thing



Legend in my own mind


Ghostbusters (2016)

I haven't watched this until now as like with RoboCop previously, I just wanted to deny it's existence.

I knew the day would come where I would have to watch it, if only to know that my disdain was justified.

Again, as with RoboCop this film should not have been made. Some films could do with a 'reboot' or remake or alternative expression. Some have been justified in my opinion. Total Recall, Dredd, Casino Royale, I have watched without wanting to throw my TV out of the window.
There are others but I don't really want to get into the whole 'What is a remake' and what is a 'different story' argument.

The point is Ghostbusters (1984) was successful enough, has a huge fan base, and despite ageing effects, has largely stood the test of time. It couldn't have really been improved upon.

Anyway, I watched it expecting to hate it...

I didn't hate it.

Don't get me wrong, I strongly dislike almost everything about this film. I resented it soiling the memory of one of my favourite films and one that is so iconic.

but...

It wasn't the worst film I have ever seen.

It was bad, oh it was bad.

If the original had never been made then I may feel differently, but it was and I don't.

What I liked

Some of the dialogue raised a smile maybe even a stifled chuckle in on place.

The cameos from Bill Murray, Dan Ackroyd, Annie Potts, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver, Stay Puft, Zuul, Slimer and a tribute to Harold Ramis

It made me want to watch the original

What could be better

Everything else


Summary

Pointless





Legend in my own mind


Gone girl 2014

Fantastic film making and rubbish film making mixed together.

A film about a chap (B.Affleck) who's wife goes missing and all evidence points to him.

It is a very clever and tense thriller up to a point, but ends up disappearing up it's own backside and never really reaches a destination.

Pike was absolutely superb in this film. Her Character was properly twisted and sinister but in a stylish and sexy way.

I thought that the acting was good and the idea for the film incredible, but it seems like the writer got drunk during patches of writing the script.

Not a bad film, but the over riding feeling is one of disappointment.




Legend in my own mind


LIFE (2017)

Another film where having watched the trailer, I felt as though I had gotten most of the plot.

This is a film about a multi national research crew in space that are tasked with obtaining some samples from Mars and analysing it for life forms.
I, as I am sure you may well have too, have seen more than 5 films with a similar theme.
I was wondering what it is that would be different about this film from the others.

I am still wondering...

Don't get me wrong, there is a lot to love about this film. A lot of it is very very well done.



Jake has that horrible feeling that he has forgotten something. "Did I leave the iron on?"


What I liked

I liked most things about this film. The acting was really really good. There are some quality actors in this and they all did well. I was uncertain of the mix before I watched it but they did work well together and I found them really good.
I thought that the characters were good due to good writing and good acting as mentioned. The characters were all quite distinct in personality and really quite believable.
It's hard to single anyone out but each actor played to their strengths to give the characters integrity.
The effects were really good. As with 'Passengers' I really felt that I was observing people on board a space station. Nothing seemed fake or out of place, although maybe others that make it their mission to find such faults will raise something. I found it entirely believable and the CGI throughout was good without being over bearing.
The pace of the film was good too. The rise and fall in tension levels was good without it ever really letting me relax fully.
The film was well shot, I always knew what was going on without some crazy shaky cam shots that you often get in space films when things are less than calm. Some good shots of space and earth, that we have recently became accustomed to in space based films.
As I said plenty of good things about this film.


Ryan now trying to remember if Jake left the iron on

What could be better

For all that was good about this film, there is almost nothing about it that is original. It is a space based cliche. This film has been done a few times before and has more or less been previously perfected.
People could argue one point for originality in this film, but even with that point, I saw it coming.
I really wish that they had added something different because everything else was in place.


Where the action happens

Overall

Overall, I enjoyed this film, it had me hooked, I felt the tension, I felt like I was there, but ultimately I felt like I had been there many times before. A solid effort and well worth a watch but just don't expect to come out saying "That was really unique".