I watched it because: my parents have a huge DVD collection. I see them (from a distance) at least once a week. Asked my dad if I could start borrowing a few movies now and then, to supplement my other sources. He has begun pulling random titles for me, with the rest of my weekly "care package." This was the first that I chose.
IMDB: 6.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 82% Audience: 59%
story: 3/5--it is a really dark movie. If you are expecting something quirky or remotely funny, your hopes will be dashed.
visuals: 3/5--pretty people acting in not-pretty ways. That being said...
acting: 4/5--standouts: John C. Reilly is a revelation as the well-meaning, unintelligent, ill-used husband Phil Last. Tim Blake Nelson's best-friend Bubba is recognizable, irritating, and a great balance of loyal and opportunistic.
intangibles: 1.5/5--the romance itself is tough to buy. Jake Gyllenhaal infuses the Holden character with zero charisma or appeal, just diffuse need. Why Jennifer Aniston's Justine would go for that (when she's drowning in others' needs in her regular life) is hard to fathom. They do not have chemistry, for all that is worth.
overall: 2.875/5
True Grit (2010) - "A stubborn teenager enlists the help of a tough U.S. Marshal to track down her father's murderer."Source: Borrowed Blu-ray from my parents' collection.
I watched it because: I have always liked Westerns, since I was a little kid watching with my dad on Sunday afternoons. I saw the original version of this ages ago, and was intrigued to see this new retooling.
IMDB: 7.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 96% Audience: 85%
story: 4.5/5
visuals: 5/5--gorgeous. Really outstanding cinematography.
acting: 4.5/5--standouts: A stellar cast from top to bottom, there is not one false note in this song. I am not usually a big fan of Jeff Bridges, but his performance as Rooster Cogburn was outstanding. Matt Damon's LaBoeuf is a lovely blend of bold Texas Ranger and subtle, uncertain man. Hallie Steinfeld absolutely deserved the Oscar for her smart, feisty, iconoclastic portrayal of Mattie Ross.
intangibles: 4.5/5--if this were not "a remake," this would have gotten so much more respect than it did. I thought it was spectacular.
Academy Award nominee:
• Best Picture
• Best Actor--Bridges
• Best Supporting Actress--Steinfeld
• Best Directing
• Best Writing, adapted screenplay
• Best Cinematography
• Best Costume Design
• Best Sound Mixing
• Best Sound Editing
• Best Art Direction
overall: 4.625/5
Source: I own the DVD
I watched it because: I'd seen some pretty heavy stuff recently and was looking for some mental and emotional down time
IMDB: 7.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 60% Audience: 86%
story: 1.5/5
visuals: 3/5
acting: 2/5--the only acting in this movie is by Luke Wilson, and even he was not doing anything challenging but only appeared so by comparison to his cohort.
intangibles: 1.5/5
overall: 2/5
Mean Guns (1997) - "100 people who have betrayed The Syndicate are gathered in a prison opening the next day. They are given weapons and 6 hours to kill each other. The [last] 3 remaining [will] share $10,000,000."Source: I own the DVD as part of a box set of action/thrillers.
I watched it because: to be frank, it was the last movie in the box set that I have not seen, and I wanted the space on that shelf for something else.
IMDB: 5.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: N/A% Audience: 53%
story: 1/5--this is a profound, insane, stupid idea for a film, and it is executed (pun intended) in a terrible way. It is difficult to describe without making faces.
visuals: 3/5--strangely hypnotic and memorable. Some of it is absolute shite, while rare bits are rendered artistically and hauntingly.
acting: 2/5--as with the visuals, most of the "acting" is clunky and dreadful, but there are a few stolen moments that I liked a lot. Ice T (Vincent Moon) is hideously bad. Christopher Lambert (Lou) is an utter lunatic, hurtling through the film like Hannibal Lector on speed. Michael Halsey (Marcus) is nuanced, more delicate and real than the rest of them together - and intensely handsome, to boot.
intangibles: 1/5--the whole idea....
overall: 1.75/5
Source: Borrowed Blu-ray from my parents' collection.
I watched it because: sometimes it really does not matter what I watch, so long as there is something to watch. And really, how bad could a film with so many quality actors really turn out to be?
IMDB: 6.3/10
Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 75% Audience: 55%
story: 3/5--this is a tough one. The "story" is real life.
visuals: 4/5--filmed on location in Connecticut
acting: 3/5--I am not a huge fan of either of the lead actors, and the supporting actor tends to default, in my mind, to one of his more memorable roles. However, this wasn't all that bad. Steve Carell's performance as Dr. Bernard Feld was sweet, smart, and understated.
intangibles: 1/5--the audience reaction to this movie was cool, and with good reason: the story is simply too realistic. It is a lot to ask of your viewers, to be entertained by a soul-deadening lack of communication, romance, and sex. I did not hate it, but also would never watch it again.
overall: 2.75/5
Captain Phillips (2013) - "The true story of Captain Richard Phillips and the 2009 hijacking by Somali pirates of the U.S.-flagged MV Maersk Alabama, the first American cargo ship to be hijacked in two hundred years."Source: Borrowed Blu-ray from my parents' collection.
I watched it because: I had vaguely thought about seeing it at the theater when it came out, but at the time I was not putting money into seeing movies by myself. I was intrigued to see how they would play the cultural aspects.
IMDB: 7.8/10
Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 93% Audience: 89%
story: 4/5--hard to argue with "based on a true story"
visuals: 4.5/5--great camera work, especially the parts that are right on the water. If you have followed my reviews for a while, you know that I often watch "the making of" (which is why I prefer hard copy movies to streaming). The work that went into filming this was pretty mind-blowing.
acting: 4/5--standouts: Michael Chernus (Shane Murphy) was a good counterpoint to all the big action going on. Max Martini (SEAL Commander) has one of those familiar faces, and especially voices, and really brought home the gravitas of the ending of the movie.
intangibles: 3/5--I thought it was really good, well made, and powerful. It scared me, in a more 'global' than immediate sense; what are we doing to each other and ourselves, that this sort of thing still needs to happen on this planet? The final real scene, of Captain Phillips being treated for injuries by a Naval corpsman, had me in tears.
Academy Award nominee:
• Best Picture
• Best Actor--Barkhad Abdi
• Best Film Editing
• Best Sound Editing
• Best Sound Mixing
• Best Writing, adapted screenplay
overall: 3.875/5
[the title quotation is by Quentin Tarantino]
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