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Black Mass (2015)
Depp is good when he's bad
When this movie came out in September (I'm writing this months later, in Nov.), it never occurred to me to pen a review. If you haven't seen this movie, catch it wherever it is showing. This is a very, very good crime movie. It's extremely brutal but it's due to how horrible a person James "Whitey" Bulger was (or still is) and why he was on the FBI most-wanted list for so many years. I can't say enough about Depp without mentioning his co-stars, as Joel Edgerton shines as the corrupted FBI agent Connolly as do everyone else in their respective roles. Depp, however, disappears not only because of excellent make up but some really kick-ass acting that makes one remember why Johnny Depp is so highly acclaimed. He goes from a nice guy to cold-blooded killer in mere seconds. Based upon the book Black Mass, from what I remember, the film does a good job with what it takes from the book. I would have liked to have seen what ended up on the cutting room floor (a scene with one of Whitey's girl friends for one) because that might have warranted a 10 instead of a 9 from me.
Last Vegas (2013)
Very funny!
This is a straight up comedy and full of great one-liners. Saw Last Vegas as a free pre-screening (full house with applause at the end)this evening and originally had just planned to wait for the DVD. Thought that it would be another half baked comedy. I was wrong. It's definitely worth the price of your large drink and tub of popcorn.
There is a message to this movie: life your life to the fullest and don't be afraid to get old. Of course, it's easy when your those four great actors. Freeman, Douglas, Kline, and De Niro give one of the best ensemble performances in a movie that I've seen in a while. Everyone plays well against each other. These guys must have enjoyed working together, because it shows. Good casting and chemistry.
Decent story and writing; some predictable moments that are elevated to another level are pulled of because some things done or said that were surprising. You'll know when you see it.
Mary Steenburgen is wonderful. Still a lovely woman and her character adds a dose of "heart" when it's needed. A terrific performance from her as well. Just the right kind of singing voice for the part.
Pacing was perfect. I didn't feel like I'd been siting in a cinema for very long. Score was well done (good job, Mark Mothersbaugh!)and enjoyed the cinematography, too. Big moments were spectacular and the little moments intimate.
If I could rate this, I'd give it a solid 9/10.
Dark Shadows (2012)
Barnabas Collins is a real vampire
Dark Shadows is one of the 5 films I have been eagerly awaiting to see this summer and was very excited when I got a pre-screening pass to see it just a day ago. (I've seen The Avengers, too, so that's already 2 out of the list.) After seeing it last night, I couldn't decide what I thought about certain elements of it until this morning. When a film stays in my head, I know it's made an impression and again, Tim and Johnny have done just that. I can "replay" most of the movie in my head. Everyone is the way you'd expect their character to be and they are all excellent in their roles. They've made a film that will appeal to a wide range of audiences. When Barnabas hypnotizes someone, you believe he's doing it. Johnny is amazing, again! The sex scenes, such as they are, imply rather than show anything, but the expressions on Barnabas' and Angelique's faces tell you a lot. The story is (ahem) fleshed out rather nicely as everything is explained in due time and you're not hit over the head with stupid jokes. There is a good balance of humor and drama and even a bit of sweetness when Barnabas is with Victoria Winters (but not the kind that is sappy). Barnabas does reveal who his to Elizabeth but how this transpires and what it leads to is interesting and not played for laughs. Michelle "gets" Elizabeth and even her false eyelashes are a nod to the original TV show actress' look. The costumes! Colleen Atwood has done it again. 'Nuf said. There are Sleepy Hollow-like elements in the use and look of the blood, the horror elements (like when he kills) and can I mention the fangs? They come out when he's about to dine. They're marvelous! I will probably see this again with some friends as I'd like to see Dark Shadows in IMAX because, heck, IMAX is wonderful. My recommendation: Go see it! 9/10
Eat Pray Love (2010)
now I want to go to Bali
From all the bad reviews, I didn't expect much. I know this is based on a book that my friends have told me I must read. I haven't, yet. The friend that I went to see this movie with has read it and thought the film was very close to the book.She also enjoyed the film very much. I thought Julia Roberts did a great job with the role of Liz. She brings a humanity to her characters that she has ever since I first saw her in Mystic Pizza many years ago. Liz (Julia) is a person that seems to have everything but inside her soul, she isn't happy. Her chemistry with the male leads is good (not so much with James Franco, not his fault and he his cute), but is best with Javier Bardem. It's quite believable when these two characters hook up. Billy Crudup is fast becoming another of my favorite actors and shows more of his versatility with this role. James Franco continues to turn in good performances and one of these days people will stop remembering him as Harry from Spider Man. An unexpected surprise (for me) was actor Richard Jenkins (Six Feet Under) who added some major heft to this already good cast. The technical aspects such as the music/orchestration, the cinematography, and costumes, are well done. I think there's a little pacing problem in the first half but picks up in the second half of the film. The scenery is beautiful and makes me want to go visit Bali.
Iron Man 2 (2010)
I hope they make an Iron Man 3
First off, I'll admit I'm not a big fan of either the comics or the first film. However, director John Faverau really did make this enjoyable for us "non-geeks" as well as the "geeks". Decent story and interactions with Tony and Pepper were enjoyable. I think the weakest writing was for the Scarlett Johnannsen character, but her acting was good in spite of that. The main attraction for me, even though I'm a fan of Robert Downey Jr., was Mickey Rourke and he did not disappoint. He's the best thing about this film when he's in a scene. Not the anyone else is a slouch, but I'm glad Mickey is back in films. I will add that I can't picture anyone else playing Tony Stark, though. Very impressed with the CGI and other special effects. I don't recall as much humor or banter between the characters in the first, but thought it was appropriate (in IM2)and kept the film's tone lighter. Best summer film so far.
Suitable for most kids over the age of 9 years old.
Action 10/10 Acting 9/10 Writing 7/10 Pacing 8/10 Soundtrack 10/10 Cinematography 9/10
Overall 9/10
Sex and the City 2 (2010)
Surprisingly funny
If you're expecting explosions or even a thought-provoking film, this isn't for you. After reading so many negative reviews all over the place, I wasn't expecting much. I also didn't like the first SATC film very much save for a few scenes here and there. So, I almost didn't go see this with my girlfriends (we're all in our 40's). I'm glad that I did. I left feeling good and not that I'd wasted my money. It was funnier and had less drama than the first by a mile. I prefer SATC when it's funny. Situations with Samantha have the most hilarity (when you're facing menopause yourself, then you'll understand) but all the ladies who lunch are fabulous. The costumes/clothes are wonderful, most of the time. Since we're in the mist of economic hard times, it's fun to watch people get all dressed up in those clothes. It's an escape from reality.
The technical aspects of the film, such as the cinematography is wonderful, and the set design was very, very nice. Some parts of the story could have been written differently; wasn't that crazy about how things were set up for Carrie meeting a certain former flame in a foreign land. My first rating was a 7, but after thinking about this another day longer, put it up to an 8/10.
Alice in Wonderland (2010)
A "trippy" trip
After reading a few negative reviews from critics, and glowing reviews from "non-critics" and critics, I found this movie to be very enjoyable for most ages, though kids under 7 might find it too scary.
Most of the actors that did voice work, such as Alan Rickman as the hookah-smoking caterpillar, Tim Spall as the Bloodhound, and Stephen Fry as the Cheshire Cat, did superb work. While the other actors did good work, these characters stood out for me. My only disappointment, and it was small, was with Matt Lucas as the Tweedles. My kids laughed at their antics, but I wasn't as amused.
Of the "real" people in Underland, I found the Red Queen, the White Queen and the Mad Hatter as the best (getting to Alice in a bit). The Knave of Hearts, played by Crispin Clover, just didn't seem to really "get" the whole idea behind the fantasy. He's not terrible, but something just seems to be missing in his performance. (Not an opinion shared by my fellow movie-watchers, though.) That brought my rating down a point. The Hatter recites a part of my favorite poem from "Alice's Adventures In Wonderland" and he does it so well, I wish he'd been able to recite the entire poem. I'm not going to tell you which one. Johnny Depp is easily the best "thing" in this film. He gets the crazieness, the strangeness of it all, though Helena, Anne and Mia (Alice) are just as good.
Alice finds that she needs to be assertive and for some, this is a feminist message. I don't know why that doesn't sit well with certain people, but it does. I thought it was a good message, not letting other people decide your destiny, especially when it feels completely wrong. This movie is worth seeing in IMAX 3D or even in 3D (seen it twice, and in both formats), though the Cheshire cat really comes "alive" in IMAX 3D. 9/10.
Public Enemies (2009)
"I like baseball, movies, fast cars, whiskey, and you. What else do you need to know?"
Public Enemies truly takes two viewings to fully appreciate. This film was my most anticipated of the year. I've followed it's making and read the book and still wasn't sure what to expect. I first saw Public Enemies at a midnight showing June 30/July 1st with 4 other people who have decidedly different film tastes. All of them liked the movie a great deal. That said, it took me 3 days to decide if I myself actually liked this film. First time out, some of the shaky cam and editing between scenes bothered me a little bit. My second viewing (with other friends) was a much more enjoyable experience. Everything was perfect, sound, editing, the whole works.
Depp really IS John Dillinger, not simply because they shared the same initials and the same pants size. (In an interview, it's revealed that he had the opportunity to try on a pair of Dillinger's pants.) From the books I'd read, I had a pre-conceived vision of how I thought Dillinger would look and act like, and was amazed the Depp fit him to a "T". Bale gets some bad press for being "wooden" or "flat" in his portrayal of Melvin Purvis, but he's being real and is believable in his role. Purvis was a by-the-book guy. The rest of the supporting cast does a stellar job and the second viewing made it easier for me to appreciate their contributions. Marion Cotillard is wonderful in her portrayal of Dillinger's girlfriend. Their on-screen chemistry is excellent. I think my favorite of all the lesser support characters is of the actor that plays his lawyer, Louis Piquett. He's very memorable in a courtroom scene where he manages to keep Dillinger from being transfered to a state pen.
The look of the film is something to get accustomed to, as not all of us are into a digital look from a digital film. I found it a fresh take on how to do a period film, not going the conventional route we so often see. The cinematography is one of those aspects that I love about films, so if it's good or bad, I'm going to take notice. Different doesn't equal bad, and I loved what Mann did with this film. Made it feel as if it happened recently, not 70 years ago.
The gun fights are in-your-face and loud. The robberies are fast paced, not drawn out. As Depp/Dillinger says, "one minute, 40 seconds...Flat!". One of my favorite parts of the film is the Little Bohemia shoot out, which is very intense. This is a very historically accurate scene which was also shot on location at the same lodge.
Most of the scenes and dialog is historically accurate, and of course, since this is not a documentary, some liberties where taken with the time line of who died when or some of the events. On a scale of historical accuracy, I'd say it's a good 7.5 to 8 out of 10. So far, it's my favorite film of the summer of 2009. 9/10 easily.
If you like your films to be dumbed down, this isn't for you.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
I actually liked this, and I'm not an X-men Fan
For a movie based upon a comic book, it's good fun. I wasn't expecting much, since most critics panned the story (what there was) but gave Jackman and Schreiber high marks for their respective acting skills, as do I. The big surprise was that this was actually good. My kids had a good time and enjoyed the action sequences and could follow the movie's plot easily. Their ages ranged from 6 to 11. Not that it was that simple, but there weren't a lot of silly complicated story sub plots to follow. Some films suffer from too many details. We learned why Wolverine is the way he is in the previous X-Men films (which take place later in the time-line of events). Fight sequences are well done, the cast does a great job with their parts, and the one-liners are funny. It's a good example of why it past the time to use mediocre actors and instead use good and capable actors in an action film. These actors, from Jackman and Schreiber to the others, brought this film up a few levels so I gave it an 7/10.
Finding Neverland (2004)
Wonderful, charming film, worthy of the addition to my DVD library
I thoroughly enjoyed this film. Depp and Winslet have nice on-screen chemistry, and are perfectly balanced, neither stealing the scene from the other. I found it amusing to note that Dustin Hoffman played in Hook as Captain Hook and that Depp has played the iconic Captain Jack Sparrow. So, here we have two actors that have played pirates (in other films) here in a story about how Peter Pan, the play, came about. Aside from that, this is a film with superb performances all around.
The story of how JM Barrie is nicely portrayed here. Winslet as the widowed mother of 4 boisterous boys is believable. The ending when she dies is not graphic or overdone. Barrie manages to bring to her home a surprise of the entire cast and scenery of Peter Pan and Neverland for her to experience, since Mrs. Davies cannot go to the play. I found myself moved to tears, but in a good way.