Kevin Reviews Jack Reacher

When I first saw the trailer to this film, I expected it to be pretty bad. While it was not nearly as bad as I expected it to be, I was still disappointed with Jack Reacher.

I expected this to be a Tom-Cruise-Kicks-Ass-For-120-mins film, which would have been the worst-case scenario. The trailer didn't reveal much, but it seemed to market this film as strictly an action film. I enjoyed the bits of humor sprinkled within the film. There is also a surprising amount of depth and mystery to this film which was pleasing, however, that's about the extent of the strengths of this film.

Jack Reacher doesn't bring a whole lot to the table as far as the mystery and crime genre go. This was a fairly predictable film and I didn't find any of the characters interesting or fleshed out in the least. The title character is extremely bland and we get little to no character development. I can't help but say that Tom Cruise's talents were wasted with this film because he played a role that Nicolas Cage easily could have played just as well. The character was poorly written and Tom Cruise apparently didn't have much to work with which led to a very uninteresting and one-dimensional character. The villains weren't very interesting either, which made the drama less exciting, to put it bluntly. Fight scenes were poorly choreographed, and the final action scene was just dull.

Jack Reacher isn't a terrible action/crime film in any sense. The humor greatly cushions this very average installment, but it's not enough to push me to a recommendation. Jack Reacher is a film I've seen hundreds of times, only the T's are crossed a bit differently.

MY RATING:

2.5 out of 5

-Kevin A. Millward

Django Unchained is OFF THE CHAIN!!!

Everybody and their mom knows I was excited for this film. I watched the trailer everyday and constantly reminded my dad that "the 'D' is silent". Quentin Tarantino is such a bold and ambitious filmmaker who has changed the playing field that is film and there is not a single film of his that I dislike. Some I love more than others, but there is no such thing as a bad Tarantino film (yet). I was a little nervous going in because I was anticipating this film so much. Would it be a Tarantino "like" film, or a Tarantino "love" film?

I will start by saying this movie is very different from Tarantino's previous works. As far as I know, this is his first film that follows the traditional chronological order. Additionally, we follow Django around most of the film, similar to how we follow the Bride in the Kill Bill series. This is different from, say, Pulp Fiction or Inglourious Basterds. While I prefer the more epic storytelling style better, that didn't hold me back from loving this film. The writing in this film doesn't disappoint. It meets the high standard Tarantino has set with his previous films. There really wasn't a dull moment in this film. This film was very dark at times, from a vicious Mandingo fight (in my opinion, the most brutal scene), to a man getting ripped apart by bloodthirsty dogs. However, a very healthy dose of humor made it easier to watch. There were scenes where I couldn't believe my eyes, and there were other scenes where I was in tears from laughter, and neither side seemed to outweigh the other. Jamie Foxx was good in this, however, Christoph Waltz and Leonardo DiCaprio really stole the show. I really liked Waltz's character as a German bounty hunter better than his portrayal as "The Jew Hunter" in Inglourious Basterds. It was also clever how they stuck in the original Django in the bar scene. One actor that I wish I could have seen more of was Walton Goggins as Billy Crash. I have always said he is a great actor and I loved his character on The Shield, I just wish we got to see more of his character in this work. There were some interesting musical cues to say the least. I love the soundtrack, especially the "Django" theme. Even the hip-hop worked for such a historical setting, which was hilariously awesome, and maybe even a first for cinema. Django Unchained is anything but predictable, and I absolutely loved the last 30 minutes of the film.

I don't have a lot of complaints about this film, but I do have a few that are worth discussing. First and foremost: there are a few pacing issues in Django Unchained, most prominently near the climax of the film. Some scenes seemed a bit too long, and some were too short. However, these pacing issues weren't enough to hinder the film's flow. Secondly, I thought Quentin Tarantino's appearance in this film should have been omitted. His performance was poor, to say the least. Maybe I've watched one too many interviews with him, but I wasn't buying his fake southern accent. Pulp Fiction Tarantino: Yes. Django Unchained Tarantino: No. I guess that's what you get from a director that always has cameos in his films: either a hit or miss.

Django Unchained is one of the best films I've seen this year, if not, the best. It's right up there with Looper, and I am already anticipating Django's Blu-Ray release. Django Unchained is a bloody, brutal, hilarious, and bold film that throws us into America's dark past of slavery and adds a dash of fantasy to it to make a phenomenal Western (or Southern, as QT insists it is?). Of all of Quentin Tarantino's films, I'd say this is one that is the most straightforward and easiest to follow, which may be a good entry film for QT newbies to start at. All in all, this is a highly recommended film that I consider to be classic Tarantino.

MY RATING:

5 out of 5

-Kevin A. Millward

Chris Reviews Jack Reacher

This was one of those films that I really didn't have any expectations coming into the theater. The reviews looked OK and the trailer looked OK, and I had not read the books so I really had no idea what to expect. Was it a forgettable and terrible action film? Read below to find out.....


The Good-

This movie was a lot of fun! The first thing that stood out to me was the excellent direction from Christopher McQuarrie. He definitely created a unique tone and feel through the pacing and cinematography. This easily could have been a very bland PG-13 action film but McQuarrie did his best to make it above average. The opening sequence of a sniper shooting people in Pittsburgh felt chillingly realistic. The fight scenes had a very gritty and realistic feel to them as well that made them stand apart from traditional PG-13 action films. The story was also fairly interesting as it became much more than a simple cop thriller. All of these aspects of the film would not have been enough though, had it not been for Tom Cruise. Say what you want about his personal life but he always brings his best to every role he plays.The combination of McQuarrie and Cruise helps make this a very fun and enjoyable Action/Mystery film.  

The Bad-

My main problem with the film is how long it took for the plot to develop. It seemed like it took all the way until the last 30 minutes before we actually knew the real premise of the film and the thus the first two thirds of the movie meandered around not achieving much. Another issue I had with the film was with the rest of the cast. None of the other characters really stuck out and honestly I cant even remember their names. I also felt that Rosamund Pike was a bit awkward with her very forced American accent which distracted me every scene she was in. My final issue with the film is that it felt very much like a vanity project for Tom Cruise. The whole movie there are always woman coming on to him, characters talking about how bad ass Jack Reacher is and other things of that nature. I actually found it kind of funny but it also felt VERY cheesy.

Summary-

Jack Reacher is a very enjoyable piece of time wasting action cinema. It may not be a classic but it could be the start of a very fun and interesting action/mystery series. If you like Tom Cruise and your just wanting to watch a fun movie over the Holidays I would definitely recommend this film. (Also look out for a very awesome and funny performance from Robert Duvall!)  


MY RATING-

3.5 out of 5

-Chris "Da Franchize" Hart 

Chris Reviews The Hobbit

A week ago I attended the AMC Lord of the Rings marathon. It was a lot of fun and refreshed my memory on one of my favorite film series ever. Not only did it help me rediscover films that I loved but It also got me excited for the Hobbit release. Is the Hobbit an epic adventure on the same level as the Lord of the Rings trilogy? Read below to find out...

The Good-

I have always enjoyed the story of the Hobbit. It is much more lighthearted than  the Lord of the Rings as it was meant to be a children's story. The film is definitely able to bring to life that feeling of fun and adventure from the book. Visual effects have also drastically improved since the LOTR trilogy came out as well and thus the CGI looks more polished than its predecessors. The acting was pretty good as well and Martin Freeman nails the role of Bilbo.

The Bad-

I saw the film in IMAX 3D so that I could see the 9 minute sneak peak of Star Trek: Into Darkness (which was awesome!) but that also gave me a headache. I have never been a 3D person and for a film that is so long I had a hard time, but that's just me. The length is a bit of a problem as it does feel a bit more drawn out than it should be. I wish we could have gotten further in the story because most of my favorite parts of the Hobbit come in what will be the 2nd and 3rd films. The CGI while it looks good is a little overused, I would have preferred more practical effects for the creatures. The pacing is a little problematic as well, especially in the 1st act but it gets better as the film progresses.

Summary-

The Hobbit  unfortunately is not as great as the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. That being said it is still a pretty good movie in its own right. I think a lot of peoples issues with the film have more to do with it not meeting expectations rather than it being a poor film. The choice to split the film into 3 parts definitely feels like a money grab ploy but they have pulled it off, because I really want to see the next film now. All in all the Hobbit is a fun fantasy adventure film that is a promising start to a hopefully very good trilogy.

MY RATING-

4 out of 5

-Chris "Da Franchize" Hart

Why Pulp Fiction is My Favorite Crime Film

Crime is my favorite genre of film, and I have a lot of knowledge of the genre and its tropes. I've seen the good, the bad, and the ugly. As I get closer to reaching a recorded 500 films watched since last summer, I decided to take some time and go to a Fathom event to enjoy one of my favorite films in theaters: Pulp Fiction. In this post, I will discuss why Pulp Fiction is my favorite crime film of all time (and possibly my overall favorite) and what I got out of seeing it on the big screen.

Quentin Tarantino is a very distinguished and stylistic director. His films have a distinct attitude and visual style that you don't find in any other films. In most cases, you love him or you hate him. Either way, you have to respect the man for generating such a cult following. This following seemed to have started after the release of Pulp Fiction. I saw this in theaters on Thursday as part of a nationwide one-night screening in celebration of the Tarantino XX film collection being released, as well as in anticipation of Django Unchained. This was my third time watching Pulp Fiction, and it was by far my best experience with the film. Most of Tarantino's films require multiple viewings to fully comprehend, enjoy, and appreciate because all the films he makes are so radically different from each other. Every time I watch his films, I pick up on something new. Not only did I notice themes and comic elements I had missed before, it was really awesome to experience such an iconic and legendary film with an audience. The audience was gasping and laughing at all the right places which made for a great experience. I was also happy with the big turnout. That gives me hope that some people still appreciate great cinema.

This is among the top 3 best-written films I have ever watched. I find myself drawn into the small talk about foot massages and five dollar milkshakes, totally engaged with the characters and their conversation. Quentin Tarantino does a spectacular job keeping every single line of dialogue in this film interesting, comical, or thrilling in one way or another. As a dialogue-driven film, this film needs it and also thrives on it. As I watched this in theaters, hearing the audience laugh at certain points also made me pick up on how much comedy is in this film. The comedy is also subtle and dark, but so well written that you aren't really sure if you are supposed to laugh or not. This film challenges the audience to think and experience beyond what they are comfortable with and throw themselves into the intertwining stories of so many great characters (Butch being my favorite).

Another reason I love this film is the acting is spot-on. While I'm not normally a fan of John Travolta, he gives it his all in this film. Sam Jackson of course is hilariously awesome as always. Bruce Willis' performance was my favorite because you come to see in his movies and interviews that he is a very soft-spoken man. Seeing the hurdles he jumped to play the part of Butch was very entertaining, and I can't imagine anyone else filling the role the way he did.

Some of my favorite films do what Pulp Fiction does best: balancing many subplots and having a lot of character's stories without overshadowing the main characters. Sin City does this well, which is also among my top 3 favorite movies (and crime films). I love how we don't follow Jules and Vincent throughout the film. We see a little bit in the beginning, a little in the middle, and more of them at the end. Throughout the film, the stories of Lance, Marsellus Wallace, Mia Wallace, and Butch are followed closely. While Vincent is the main character, it isn't always obvious in the film, and I really dig that. Quentin Tarantino so expertly walks us through each story, and not always in chronological order, and it makes for a very engaging and compelling experience.

I remember watching Pulp Fiction for the first time and thinking, "That's it? This movie is overrated." Not until I watched it a second and third time did I appreciate the value of this film, not only as a well-written, well-acted film, but as a cultural phenomenon that will leave fanboys like myself quoting this film until the day that we die. Pulp Fiction is truly the crime film of the century and has influenced American cinema in countless ways. This film has been imitated countless times (Lucky Number Slevin, namely) but no other film, director, or writer has ever come close, and probably never will come close to achieving what Quentin Tarantino has with Pulp Fiction. This film is a masterpiece on so many levels and should be viewed by anyone that considers themselves a fan of crime films. This film is not for everyone, not only because of the strong adult content but because of how different this film is from anything else. However, I cannot recommend this film enough because it has completely changed the way I watch movies. I look forward to watching this again and getting even more out of it than I did on my last viewing.




-Kevin A. Millward
Two Dudes Doing Movie Reviews

Scenes of the Crime Blog-A-thon: The Lookout

As you may know after reading some of my blog posts, one of my favorite actors (if not, my number one favorite actor) of all time is Joseph Gordon-Levitt. I've read up on him and I agree with many of his thoughts about the film industry as well as what an actor should be expected to do to prepare for a role. I've been watching every film that he stars in, and recently, I watched The Lookout.

In The Lookout, JGL stars as Chris Pratt, a once promising high school athlete who faces many challenges after being involved in a car wreck. I felt a bit of a Memento vibe when watching this film, as Chris forgets a lot of things and has to rely on notes to remember them. Chris works as a janitor at a bank, which he discovers is going to be robbed. He is forced into participating in the robbery, and finds himself in more danger than he initially anticipated.

The Lookout is one of those films you can take for face value and enjoy in one viewing. This film is not deep or extremely memorable in any sense, but it is well worth watching because of Joseph Gordon-Levitt's performance and because it is an all-around good crime film. The best thing about this film is the characters, which are easy to follow and develop a sense of compassion for. You can easily empathize with JGL's character because he's a good guy that gets caught in a bad situation. This could potentially be a good character study film as well as a crime thriller.

I can see where this film could get some criticism. Chris' therapist, Janet, is in one scene in the film and we never see her again. There are subtle (and not so-subtle) hints of a romantic/physical relationship between the two of them, and this subplot never really pans out. As a whole, this is a somewhat generic crime film from the standpoint that it sticks with many of the conventions of the crime genre, and doesn't bring a whole lot of new ideas to the table.

The Lookout is a film with great characters but a story most of us crime fanatics have seen many times before. I watched this film purely to see Joseph Gordon-Levitt in a different role and to continue my studies on a phenomenal yet underrated actor that I'm sure will garner some attention for his acting and directing talents.

MY RATING:

3.5 out of 5

-Kevin A. Millward

Scenes of the Crime Blog-A-Thon: Chris Reviews Black Dynamite

I have to give credit to Kevin for exposing me to this movie. We both have discovered a love for exploitation movies and recently there have been a lot of parodies of these types of films coming out (Grindhouse and Machete for example). Of all of the parodies of these types of films I have seen this is arguably the best. 

Black Dynamite is a former CIA Agent who sets out to avenge his brothers death after he is killed by pimps and drug dealers. He cleans up the streets and in the process uncovers a ridiculous plot that leads him to Kung Fu Island and eventually the White House!


Often times movies that are intentionally bad, feel very forced but in Black Dynamite it never feels that way. It feels like the filmmakers actually loved the material they are parodying and so they are able to strike the right tone. This is a film that is filled with amazing and memorable moments. There are moments of hilarious ineptitude such as the scene where the boom mic drops down into view and Black Dynamite continues to stare at it while he is delivering his lines. There are moments of pure absurdity such as the scene where Black Dynamite and his crew put together the secret plot of the Asians on Kung Fu Island who are trying to shrink all Black Men's penises by drinking Malt Liquor. Not to mention a plethora of fun and hilarious fight scenes.

Black Dynamite is an excellent example of a Bad movie that is very good. It shows bad filmmaking but not excessively, bad acting but that is funny and dialogue that is really bad but creatively bad. This is just a fun Action/Crime/Comedy film that is a must watch for any guy that has that juvenile sense of humor that makes us love films like the Naked Gun so much. So go on to Amazon this instant and order the blu-ray for only 10 bucks because it is well worth it!

MY RATING-

4.5 out of 5

-Chris "Da Franchize" Hart

  

Scenes of the Crime Blog-A-Thon: Chris Reviews Eastern Promises

(This post is being published as part of the Scenes of the Crime Blog-A-Thon with Furiouscinema.com.)

I've recently been on a bit of David Cronenberg kick. I started with A History of Violence then moved on to Eastern Promises as it is essentially a companion film to the former. After watching some of Cronenberg's earlier films such as The Fly and Videodrome it is interesting seeing the evolution the he has made as a director. Earlier in his career he liked to analyze the physical aspects of horror and violence with less emphasis on the psychological aspect but now it seems he has flipped his focus on that subject.

Eastern Promises is an utterly fascinating film that I think will likely take me a while to fully appreciate which has been the case with most Cronenberg films. It has the feeling of a much more conventional crime film than A History of Violence but still feels very fresh and unique.

The film tells the story of a midwife (Naomi Watts) at a hospital in London who delivers a baby whose mother dies during childbirth. She finds a journal written by the mother among the woman's personal belongings but is unable to read it as it is in Russian. She finds a card on the inside that leads her to a Restaurant owned by a major Russian Mob Boss (Armin Mueller-Stahl). The film weaves the story of the midwife searching for the relatives to take care of the baby with the story of this Russian Mob family and a driver for the Mob (Viggo Mortensen) who ascends to power.

This is a brooding Crime film that really explores the Russian Mob which is an area I have not seen explored in the genre before. One such interesting aspect was the significance of tattoos in the Russian Mob as they carry the life story of these mobsters. Not only does it explore interesting subjects but it also features some great acting. Viggo (very different looking in this!) gives a clearly great performance which he was nominated for Best Actor for and I think he is really what elevates this film from being a decent Crime movie to a great one.

The other aspect of what made this film great was David Cronenberg himself. His ability to make uncomfortable to watch fight scenes and truly realistic and ugly deaths is a rare skill. Specifically the infamous Bath House scene where Viggo is completely naked and fights off 2 mobsters armed with linoleum knives. Which brings up an interesting style choice that Cronenberg makes with this movie. There are no guns in the entire film, all kills are done with straight razors and knives which adds to the discomfort. While he is making more of a psychological analysis in this film he is still able to create those visually disturbing scenes which have been a staple in his films his entire career.

I don't want to give too much away about this film because I think everyone needs to see it. There are some interesting twists that happen that if I give away definitely ruin the movie. Suffice it to say though, Eastern Promises is an amazing film. It has a hypnotically brooding tone that makes it hard to turn away and just when you start to get bored it throws a shockingly violent and disturbing scene to get you back into it. So for anyone craving a good old violent mobster movie I encourage you to watch this one right now!

MY RATING-

4 out of 5

-Chris "Da Franchize" Hart