TheWildBear5 Reviews

Death Wish (1974)

Review - plot, actor, sequels

[10/10 · 31 August 2023]

This movie tells the story of a man who has lost everything in a snap. Paul Kersey (Charles Bronson) is living a happy life with his family, but one night everything changes. Street burglars break into his house, molest his wife and daughter, and steal most of their possessions. However, the true conflict arises when the police force seems to have no clue who the burglars are and how to find them. Kersey finds himself in a dark place where no one can help him avenge his family's pride. This is the breaking point in his life, the moment in which he decides to take all actions into his own hands.

This was a short summary of the amazing story that is presented to us by Brian Garfield (novel) and Wendell Mayes (screenplay).

Let me add a quick word about the actor Charles Bronson. His magnificent performance in this movie and the movie series is what creates the trill and suspense needed for that type of genre. He plays a big part in this film series success.

About the sequels - they tend to be less dramatic as time goes on due to the repetition of similar/identical plot, however in the action segments there is variety.

The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)

Short review - analysis, acting and directing, biography's credibility

[10/10 · 13 May 2023]

"The Pursuit of Happyness" is more or less a movie about "the meaning of life" and specifically - the life of Chris Gardner.

Analysis - The movie starts with the introduction of the main protagonist and his surrounding (family, workplace and so on). The protagonist is played by Will Smith and the protagonist's child is played by Will Smith's son - Jaden Smith. Throughout the time the main character starts losing his self-awareness and conscious mind. The pressure from the environment and his thoughts about "what is happiness" and "how to achieve it" do not let him breath, or in another words - life slowly suffocates him, cause of Gardner, not wanting to accept that life is different from his imaginations. However he does not let his ideals be crushed (mainly shown in the scenes where he runs after someone who had stolen his invention). And in the end of the movie he is awarded for his bravery ... about "the meaning of life" - the character learns that he should be happy with day to day things and not to pursuit some greater unreal form of happiness.

Acting and directing - Will and Jaden Smith's acting is spot on. Directing (Gabriele Muccino) is excellent.

Biography's credibility - The credibility of this movie is to be believed, mainly for the sole reason that in the end of the film, in the fine scene, the real Chris Gardner shows up. In my opinion if the real guy plays in a movie about him this should mean that he approved the truthfulness of the biography.

Palm Springs (2020)

Medium review - type, innovations, genre, cast, director, rating

[10/10 · 28 March 2023]

This movie is from 2020 which was not a great year for the movie industry. The plot is about character who experience one specific day over and over again. So the film's idea is nothing new.

However, as i was watching the movie without big expectations i was pleasantly surprised with the work that was put into creating this nice to watch film.

Innovations: The addition of a second individual who experience this same repeating day as you is a very good idea, because of the fact that in this types of movies when a specific day repeats like 4-5 times for the duration of the movie it tends to get a bit boring. By adding another character into the action, the story writers (Andy Siara, Max Barbakow) create dialog between the characters trapped in time and with that the story stays interesting.

Second new thing that I find amazing was the ending in which the protagonist finds a way to escape this time trap by using the benefits from this new never-dying experience (i found it quite ridicules that you can learn quantum physics like that but i guess if u have eternity and nothing else to do u could).

Cast, director, genre: This movie is listed as a comedy. It is seen that the director (Max Barbakow) and writers made this conceptually interesting movie also funny and pleasant for the viewer. There were some enjoyable laughter through out some scenes (in particular the part in which is added to the action a random person shooting with bow, for me it was hilarious).

Actors play decent their parts. J. K. Simmons is hilarious in his role. When u think of Simmons u see him as the angry, hardcore, grinder guy from Whiplash (2014), however in the movie he is this funny-looking guy which acts crazy in a comidic way. I think the director's decision to chose J. K. Simmons for this role was a success.

Disclaimer: I've rated this movie compared to other movies from 2020. And also compared to other movies with similar conception like Happy Death Day (2017) and Groundhog Day (1993).

The Collector (I) (2009)

Short review - title, idea, cast

[5/10 · 10 January 2023]

"The Collector" is an amazing movie title. And also amazing name for a killer.

However the showcase of this movie killer is rather bad. When you hear the name "Collector" u get the idea of a mentally ill person who loves to collect different things. This movie is from the horror genre so we expect the killer to collect human head, fingers, ets. This is not the case, they show us a killer who loves to put traps in a house and put people in a box. For me this is a missed opportunity for something more interesting and never seen.

The acting of the whole cast is bad.

Still there is a good amount of scary and thrilling moments. This movie is the type of movie to earn just enough money for a second part. And in my opening the second movie ("The Collection" (2012)) is a lot better than this one but more on it when i do a review on the second one.

Deja Vu (2006)

Short review - idea, actor

[10/10 · 10 January 2023]

A movie with very interesting idea.

Going back trough time and changing it and at the same time telling a thrilling story that's what this film is about.

This creative idea of a computer that can rewind time for a short span (5 days) is very inspiring. And what makes it more spectacular is that the whole movie rotates around this moment, these 5 days.

Denzel Washington is performing on a high level. He is able to express every single important emotion of his character making all scenes look natural and realistic.

"Deja Vu" is a classic movie from the 10s. There is action, drama and a great sci-fi idea.

Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

Long review - plot, time, innovations, cinematic, acting, flops

[9/10 · 29 November 2022]

Plot: "Blade Runner 2049" is the continuation of "Blade Runner" (1982). There are robots which mimic humans in almost any possible way except that they do not have well developed conscious neurological brain connections. That's why these "blade runners" exist to separate the robots from normal human beings. Blade runners provoke robots to show their true nature by asking them series of questions which insist to be answered with complex and logical sentences.

Time: The two movies are set in the further future where humans are evolved up to the point of creating super realistic human-robots. "Blade Runner 2049" is happening 50 years after the events in "Blade Runner".

Innovations: For this past 50 years robots have been upgraded constantly into better versions. Now they are stronger, with better agility and more human like (they start to create memories about their past, childhood that they had never had). This makes them even harder than before to be recognized by a normal human. However now they have a weak spot - under there right eye they have a serial number that can be found with a special device which the new army of blade runners have.

--- These new elements added to the story line are making the new movie trilling and interesting for the viewer to watch.

Cinematic: The movie cinematic and special effects are perfectly executed giving the neo-noir idea that is incorporated since the beginning of the last movie. The types of camera lenses chosen for the making of this movie are fantastic giving mystical and fictional views throughout the movie that correspond great with the main concepts of "Blade Runner".

--- In my opinion the cinematic in "Blade Runner 2049" is executed on a greater scale compared to "Blade Runner" possibly because of the always evolving movie business. Although photo shooting in 1982 cannot be compared with 2017s one i prefer the cinematic of the new film because "Blade Runner 2049" gives the pure vision about the whole movie atmosphere and "Blade Runner" has some flaws in this section (i may possible explain them in a review about "Blade Runner" (1982)).

Acting: The protagonist K (Ryan Gosling) is an anti-hero hero - the character presents the true confusion of the conscious mind making room for the ideas of connection between robot and human and their coexistence intercalating with the need of war for domination.

--- Ryan Gosling nails that part. His ability to express no emotions and at the same time inner character drama makes his character more than an action hero. K evolves throughout the movie incarnating the idea of the expanding mind which although a robot he has.

Flops: On the other side some parts of the story plot are messy and confusing at times and other parts are too long. The overall movie time should be less than 2 hours and 44 minutes. Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) character is not well developed after the changes from the last movie even though the movie is almost 3 hours long. The ending is not good - the ending action scenes are nothing interesting and the end idea is delivered in a too complicated way which is not needed.

End summary: Never the less this movie is trilling to watch with plenty of action and drama and at the same time chill and inspiring with its spectacular fictional scenes.

The Pianist (2002)

Long review - genre, motives, ideas, actor, director, oscars

[10/10 · 29 October 2022]

Biographic and historic movie. A man with a skill to play the piano well and a dictatorial regime trying to force an idea. The only thing that connects them is the fact that this man is not just a man.

Wladyslaw Szpilman (played by Adrien Brody) is a human from specific origin. His pure existence is in confrontation with the government. However his talent is inevitable presentation of his uniqueness as a human individual.

The struggle is the main motive throughout the whole film. Struggle of a human being. Struggle of a human race. Even the struggle of the person who is watching the movie.

This movie shows the darkest days in human history, the pain born from ideas of a sick man and simultaneously the rise of a new hope for a better tomorrow expressed through notes, music which can connect people. The pianist and his piano create a thing so powerful and so beautiful and this thing is the will for survival, the idea that you can write your own destiny and the pure reason to not judge someone by his cover.

Roman Polanski and Adrien Brody showed us their masterclass with the making of this movie. The Oscars for ''Best Director'' and ''Best Actor in a Leading Role'' are well deserved and on point. The director present us the whole story line with truth and emotional drama and the actor in the leading role expresses real emotions with depth to them.

Supporting actors also play very well their parts. Even there is an iconic scene where the pianist is playing the piano and the general is listening to the song. The place is cold but general's heart is warmed by the song. The acting of the general expresses nicely the exact emotions in this moment.

In addition i want to give shoutout to Ronald Harwood for the writing and the adaptation for the screenplay. He also won an Oscar for this movie which i think is well deserved.

All in all in my opinion Adrien Brody's acting and Roman Polanski's directing make this movie outstand among most of the film in this genre. This movie is a must-watch for people who want to experience a real historic event mixed with the drama born from it.

Cast Away (2000)

Long review - idea, type, flaws, pace, acting, links

[5/10 · 2 October 2022]

Typical person from the modern economic society who is involved too much at his highly-paid job that he forgets important values such as love, caring and happiness. This guy - Chuck Noland (Tom Hanks) -gets traped on a lonely island and he is slowly becoming insane. After the rescue team finds him and bring him back to his normal life, Chuck looks throgh life with a different perspective.

This movie is more or less from the "silent movie" type and its logical to be selected in this category because of the lonelyness of the island - there's no one u can talk to. There is a conversation between Chuck Noland and his imaginary friend, made from soccer ball, but this is more like a moment which emphasizes on the culmination in his conscious mind where the human nature cannot resist the complete loneliness and slowly starts to hallucinate things that he could communicate with.

I dont get the idea why this movie promotes specific delivery servieces brand where the character is working at. There should be a fake named company and the movie director can empasice on the firm's wealth by showing that the company is very big and important with highly paid positions.

In my opinion actions and ideas of the film are presented to us in a boring way and with a slow manner. There might be involved an idea about the slow passing time on a lonely island but for me the whole movie is with slow pace and the film lenght is too long for passing the idea of the movie.

Acting was ok. It showed enough actions and emotions for the viewer to get the meaning of the film.

It looks to me that the director had in mind this movie to connect with ideas and consepts from Daniel Defoe's book "Robinson Crusoe". However for me there is a long way still to be walked till they reach Defoe's classic.

Holidate (2020)

Short review - concept, leading and supporting actors

[10/10 · 24 September 2022]

New and innovative romantic holiday movie. There is the consept of ''friends with benefits'' but it's shown in a completly different way.

Two guys met at a party and came up with the idea of meeting each other every holiday (christmas, valentines, easter, etc.). The idea is that they will have someone to spend time with to not feel lonely on these days. Great idea, well executed.

Emma Roberts - perfect acting it even compensates Luke Bracey's performance which is not at the best level.

Also the performance from the supporting actors is very good and makes the whole atmosphere real and relaxed.

Mean Streets (1973)

Short review - beginning of an era

[7/10 · 24 September 2022]

"Mean Streets" - one of the first movies that Martin Scorsese had ever directed. It's the begginin of the gagsta subgenre and this movie is forming Scorsese's quintessential style of directing and writing. In his next productions we can see mastering on this concepts and improved story telling - ''Goodfellas'' (1990) and ''Casino'' (1995).

This film has casual gangsta crime style plot. It's good but not well executed. Partly it's Scorsese's fault and partly - Robert De Niro's. Robert De Niro acting is not that good - he is still too young to achive the best possible acting for his movie character.

The low movie budget downplays the cinematic. Lighting is bad however cameras and their positioning is ok, even great if we consider that the movie is from 1973.

Proof (1991)

Short review - idea, actor, budget

[8/10 · 10 September 2022]

Movie about illness. A blind guy experiencing though life becouse of the impossible to trust world.

There is album with photos. The only source to know you have seen something is to ask a person if you have seen it. The person can tell you what's on the picture but at the same time he can completely lie to you.

The idea of the movie is perfect. It shows some philosophical material about ''thuth and lies''.

Hugo Weaving in the leading role - amazing performance. The blind guy feel natural to the audiance. It's on the same level as Al Pacino's role in "Scent of a Woman".

However the budget for this movie is very low and that costs a lot of performence. Many camera angles, camera footige, lighting could be improved. And the people chosen to cast in the film do not perform on the best level. There should have been more experienced actors playing the other roles.

Midnight in Paris (2011)

Short review - ideas, director, actor, lights

[10/10 · 10 September 2022]

Movie about love, self love and love in literature. Mixed up with the sci-fi idea of travelling through time.

The movie starts with a man experiencing midlife crisis in the heart of Paris. His girlfriend (soon to be his wife) is obviously cheating on him but for his low level of confidence he is unable to see the real situation happening in front of his face. However with the progression of the movie there is starting to develop another idea greater than the problems of the personal existence. The idea of ''grass is greener''. A global problem between every generation - overbought nostalgic toughts for the past and the downgrading of your own time of existence.

The concepts of the film are unique and presented very well and at the same time quite easy to follow. The director Woody Allen is showing us a masterpiece.

Great acting from Owen Wilson - expressing characteristics and the metamorfose of his character.

The Paris streets at night are combined with effects of mystery and at the same time with ovarall calm nature. Film's lighting is on point, very well executed.

Nightcrawler (2014)

Short review - idea, actor, timeline

[10/10 · 3 September 2022]

Man with some psycho behavior shows the true and ''honest'' hard work that climbs you through the profession of cameraman.

The movie shows perfectly the line between a human with moral, who follow the ethics of his job in the media and wants to show every news real and natural, and the maniac, who chases the big headlines for the sake of money and his psychosis (for him doing his job better is like better drugs).

Jake Gyllenhaal perfectly acts to represent the desperation of his character to create more and more news materials and his apathy behavior to the surrounding human beings which at later point in the movie explain the character's will to commit murder for more and greater news material.

By moving further and further into the movie charactar's sanity becomes insanity. The transition is shown smoothly and in every act there is an idea that is explaned well.

The Machinist (2004)

Short review - genre, actor, idea, room for improvement

[8/10 · 3 September 2022]

This movie go to the section ''illness movies'' where the main character suffers from some kind of a medical condition that makes him interesting for watching.

Christian Bale - enormous weight sacrifise for the role of the anorexic guy. Great acting - shows the true confusion in the mind of his character.

There is a great build up in the movie. From a normal person casing life goals such as getting a raise in work, picking up a girlfriend to a completely insane guy with the only idea left in his soul to be locked behind bars for his own good.

In my opinion ''Shutter Island'' and ''K-PAX'' show better this type of illness and there is better explanation about the event(s) that lead to this disorder.

12 Angry Men (1957)

Short review - idea, actors, cameras

[10/10 · 3 September 2022]

One of the greatest ''one room'' movies. There is intensity troughtout the whole time.

The movie shows the true meaning of the creation of laws. The idea that everyone of them have to share the same idea for the trial to be complited is great and needed becouse as u can see the ending shows that if it is looked trough every detail of a case the side could be switched for the better.

Every actor plays perfect their role - expresses the differences between the characteristics of his character and the others (the idea that the law should be the same for everyone).

Positioning of the cameras and their angles are on point and most of the time the viewer can see the reactions of the characters in different moments.