toby-brace Reviews

13 Hours (2016)

Blew me away

[9/10 · 26 May 2016]

Holy crap. Michael Bay made a truly great movie. That alone ought to tell you something. There is no way you can deny the power of this film. Yes there were a little too many pyrotechnics for my liking, but hey, it's Michael Bay. The story is just so powerful. And raises so many emotions. Of course it is political dynamite. But it does not go there, explicitly. There is no overt statement of blame. But.... that makes it all the more powerful. Those in charge, who were certainly aware of what was happening, simply do not appear in the film. They just aren't there. As they just weren't there on that terrible night.

Very clever. That's not an accident.

The most poignant scene of the film for me, and the most damaging for you-know-who, is a simple still shot, of a squadron of F-16's sitting idle on the runway. Doing nothing.

Message received.

Beasts of No Nation (2015)

Rare event

[10/10 · 18 December 2015]

It's not often that a film induces a genuine change of heart in me, but this one did. I used to simply hate and despise the raggedy rebel armies of West Africa with their child soldiers, their cruel atrocities and apparent primitive mindless violence towards civilians in general. But this film showed me a side to them that I had never considered. I found myself feeling sorry for them, and the cynical way in which they were used. I realized that they must also have courage, and discipline, and belief in the cause. Like any fighters, they must advance into deadly danger. The lead actor is a child, yet more than holds his own with Idris Elba, a great actor by any measure. By the end I was shaken. I will not forget this film. And I will never think the same way again about the tragic and pointless wars of Africa.

Broken (IV) (2012)

don't see what is so complicated about this

[9/10 · 31 January 2015]

This is a magnificent piece of drama. Outstanding in every way. But I don't get the confusion about the message in many reviews. People have said lots of things like how it's complex and the message is hard to isolate. Well it didn't seem that way to me. The message I got was that one brutal man creates a vortex of destruction that hurts everybody around him. The father of the three girls is absolutely the source of all the grief. The fact that his girls are terrified of him, leads one of them to make a false accusation. His reaction is not to find out the truth, because, you know, teenage girls are not the most reliable witnesses. Instead he launches a savage attack on an innocent ( and helpless ) man which sets in motion a chain of events leading eventually to great tragedy. This is a guy who doesn't bother much with the truth, just violently attacks people ( twice ) on the word of his highly unreliable and conniving daughters. All the other characters have their issues, sure, but they attempt to deal with them in a civilized reasonable way. It's a dysfunctional, criminal and violent family that is the villain here.

Into the Woods (2014)

Interesting and enjoyable, some criticisms

[9/10 · 12 January 2015]

What a joke. There are people leaving reviews that clearly show they had no idea this was an adult themed musical. They thought they were going to see a children's fairy tale. How pathetic. I didn't see the original play but I might now. The music is fascinating. Full of ideas and clever word plays. The acting is great, not a single member of the cast fails. Meryl Streep is superb as the witch. Anna Kendrick is a bit miscast to be honest. She is just too modern and adult to play cinders really. But she does a magnificent job despite being forced to sing outside her normal register. She's a trouper and pulls it off. Negatives? The direction. The artistic choices. From what I've read, the second act should be much darker and a lot of it was simply cut, including several of the best songs. This explains why the ending feels weird. They tried to sanitize it. Well that's just destroying the whole meaning of the play. Stupid decision. Also, I would have liked to see a little more of the fantasy worlds evoked but never shown. The mysterious 'festival', the giants domain, the giant himself perhaps. Plus I don't see why it has to so dark and gritty. A bit of delightful forest would have counterbalanced the dark scary forest. But I enjoyed it and will see it again, to listen to the music.

Camp X-Ray (2014)

Surprising and very moving

[8/10 · 25 October 2014]

This film affected me very deeply in a way I was not expecting.

Kristen Stewart and Peyman Moaadi deliver stunning performances which take your breathe away. You really feel for this guy and Stewart has never been more convincing. I thought it would be a stretch to imagine her as a tough soldier and it is kind of surreal yet she manages to create a credible person out of the role. Her emotional distress as the contradictions of her job as camp guard begin to overwhelm her, is very powerful and a pleasure to watch.

This film totally changed my mind about Gitmo. Just because it makes you realize the awful possibility that totally innocent people may be stuck there, and that unlike any other prison in the USA, there is no way for them to appeal or for anybody to appeal on their behalf.

There must be some way to allow mistakes to be corrected. It's not right.

It's amazing to me that I never saw it that way. I just assumed that they were all hard core bad guys. But what if they aren't.

That would be a terrible fate, and this film really punches home how terrible it would be.

America: Imagine the World Without Her (2014)

Much needed balance

[10/10 · 15 October 2014]

It is amazing that there are so few intelligent statements out there defending America and what it represents.

It seems to be left to the most stupid observers to remind us what America is.

This film reminds us of the actual truth and the actual reasons why America is not a 'great Satan' but in fact the most progressive nation on Earth.

Of course all great powers cause harm, and hats off to the director Dinesh D'Souza for giving all the anti American voices plenty of room to speak.

Yet when looked at objectively, there is no honest observer who can deny that America has at least attempted to be the embodiment of freedom and opportunity for all peoples, and is unique in having actually delivered on that promise for millions upon millions.

Honestly I would have liked to see a much more comprehensive list of all the great gifts America has given to the world.

Maybe I'll do that one myself.

Good work Dinesh.

Predator (1987)

perfect

[10/10 · 26 August 2014]

It is hard to see how this action sci fi treat could possibly be improved. 17 years after it's release, and it has not dated AT ALL. It still stands out as a masterpiece of the genre. Action sci fi today should beware of being compared to this gem. I think it is the best work Arnie has ever done. Yes of course it is a simple role. Not much nuance here. But given this range to play with, he is utterly convincing. Nobody could have replaced him. He was perfect for it. If you had to pit one human being against a deadly super advanced sadistic alien hunter, who better than Arnie as a ruthless world class mercenary? Also, This is a real film, not a cartoon, despite the subject matter. The scenes in the jungle are highly atmospheric, the dialogue perfectly executed, it's all just exactly as it should be. The music, the special effects, and the battle sequences are delightfully crunchy and satisfying. Just a happy coincidence that it all came together this way I reckon. Right people, right time. It would be ruined if they tried to do it today. Oh wait, they did, and they did.

Snowpiercer (2013)

Interesting and powerful and very very violent

[5/10 · 24 August 2014]

This is not science fiction. It's really allegorical fantasy with a strong sci-fi flavor. There's no doubt it is a tour de force and very entertaining. The violence was excessive however. It could have done what it did without so much obscene gore. If you start to pick holes in the logic it quickly unravels, and that is the reason I gave it only 5 stars. Once the premise is accepted then it was bound to be a bit silly since it doesn't withstand close scrutiny. If you are prepared to let it be a rich and powerful fantasy with a well executed allegorical message then you will be carried along by the amazing direction and lavish sets and generally superb level of creativity on display. Tilda Swinton deserves an Oscar for her performance. She almost carries the film single handed and I could watch her horrible, strange and fascinating character till the cows come home. Honestly it all falls a bit flat when she is off screen. But that's what happens when one performance outshines all the others.

We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)

Excellently disturbing

[8/10 · 6 August 2014]

We need to talk about Kevin, and we refers to society as a whole. There is a kind of taboo about child psychopaths. Nobody wants to admit that they even exist. But they do. Tilda Swinton does an excellent job of portraying the dreadful paradox she is faced with. She wants to love her child, yet her rational mind is drawing the inescapable conclusion that he is a monster. What DO you do when you suspect your child is simply evil? There is no help forthcoming. The Father doesn't want to hear it. She is alone with her misgivings. It is actually very annoying that she does nothing. In that sense, she is partly complicit and the outrage and hostility towards her by the townspeople is partly justified. If you have brought a monster into the world, it is your responsibility to at least warn people. She does not. Everybody pays. It is a frightening and credible scenario. A horror movie from real life. I loved it.

Blue Ruin (2013)

Why bother

[3/10 · 17 July 2014]

This is a horrible pointless film. Yes you might enjoy it if you still haven't had your fill of human beings tearing at each other like animals and suffering terrible pain and making awful deadly mistakes. But why bother, really. Unless the film is intended as an anti-gun propaganda piece, since everybody in the film, except the main lead, is tooled up with an arsenal of deadly weapons. This is a tale of error, and bloodshed and misery. Yet it doesn't seem to have any other redeeming features. Even the lead character is a pathetic creature. He's not just incapable, he's deadly and mistaken too. Are we meant to feel empathy? Disgust? The rest of the characters are not much better. This is a very depressing film.

Noah (2014)

stunning

[1/10 · 5 July 2014]

How did this happen? What were they thinking? This is a movie set in a barren wasteland where a very disturbed man scrubs about looking for 'berries' in a black volcanic terrain overlooking a proto-industrial zone where people have apparently gone bad by building chimney stacks and roaming about in gangs raping and pillaging... no wait, that's Mad Max. er.... I have no idea. Really. I sat through to the end out of horrified fascination. Like watching a terrible car wreck taking place in front of your eyes. The biblical story has been used as a flimsy excuse for a bizarre and utterly illogical movie that seems determined to baffle the audience. I don't know the intimate details of the story of Noah but I will bet 10 bucks that this takes extreme liberties with it. Even the most obvious set pieces that we all knew would be coming were botched. The whole thing is just a monumental error. Worst I have seen in a long time.

Happy Christmas (2014)

You will love or hate it.

[8/10 · 29 June 2014]

OK it's mumblecore. You knew that before you hit the pay button. What did you expect? There is no script. It is actors improvising trying to be natural and create real drama out of pure inspiration. It's an interesting idea at least, especially for actors I imagine. You are not going to get bloody Shakespeare are you. But what you do get is a real sense of being present in the lives of the people involved. I feel like I know Joe Swanberg, or the gorgeous wife, or Lena Dunham... but most of all, and praise be to Jesus, it's like I know Anna Kendrick. She gives a superb performance of a very funny dysfunctional character with some very funny scenes and for me it was worth it just to watch her. The baby is hilarious too. It's about as entertaining as watching a real family fight going on if you are just a spectator. But hey, sometimes that is a lot of fun.

Best Man Down (2012)

surprising

[9/10 · 25 January 2014]

This is not a comedy. Whoever billed it as such is an idiot. People will be disappointed and some of the reviews I've read were very negative as a result. This is in fact a very fresh and surprising drama about people and the secrets they keep and the sometimes strange ways in which they meet and find love. I was totally surprised at the ending and I felt a definite feel good rush. It was perhaps a bit contrived, but I didn't care. I was too busy just feeling good. A great piece of film making. The acting is superb throughout, especially the young female lead. And the last time I saw the male lead was in 'Live free or die hard' where he was a likable hacker. Well he is likable here too. All round high quality human drama. Loved it.

Kick-Ass (2010)

the hard stuff

[10/10 · 30 November 2013]

I just saw this for the first time. 3 years after release. I ignored it first time round. I thought it was just more violent crap. I actually insulted the creators on public forums. I thought they were douchebags. Wannabes. I was so wrong. In fact they are artists. Lovers of all that is fresh and in your face. They know those moments that we all love, when the movie lifts you up and reminds you that this is just a game and the only thing that matters is to play with style. This is the freshest, funniest, most entertaining thing I've seen in a long time. It made me laugh out loud and shout "yeah" on several occasions. It kicked my ass. Good job guys.

Scenic Route (2013)

Stunning

[10/10 · 21 September 2013]

I had no expectations of this movie and began to think halfway in that I knew how it was going to turn out. Boy was I wrong. Past that point it became impossible not to continue to the end. I needed to know what would happen. I could never have predicted it. It left me feeling stunned. A really great piece of film making. The acting is also superb Josh Duhamel and Dan Fogler carry the whole movie on the back of their conversation and it never drags. You'll find that you can empathize and identify with much of what is said I fear. The photography of the bleak desert is also very beautiful and you really do get a spooky feeling of what it would be like to be stuck out there. But it's the ending that puts the star on top of it all. What a stroke of genius. Gives me chills thinking about it. Must see. Kevin Goetz, Michael Goetz and Kyle Killen. Three names to watch.

Rapture-Palooza (2013)

Way better than I expected

[10/10 · 9 September 2013]

OK it is very low budget. And true it would probably be best seen on a TV rather than in a theater. But it never got boring for me. Some much more expensive Hollywood comedies do. This one was consistently funny. The writing was excellent, the jokes frequent and well written. Anna Kendrick narrates and is the female lead opposite John Francis Daley. Between the two of them they are likable and have plenty of chemistry. The devil is hilarious. Managing to cover every angle of lascivious humor possible. The stoner scenes are also very funny. The final confrontation features another of my favorite comedy actors Ken Jeong doing what he does. Look, what would you prefer, a big budget special effects heavy movie with leaden dialogue and a lot of very lame jokes... or a snappy funny movie made on the cheap with some brilliant people in it. I know which I prefer. ( And it's got Anna Kendrick in it dude.... )

Veep (2012–2019)

As good as it gets

[10/10 · 28 June 2013]

This show is the very definition of smart witty comedy. Armando Iannucci seems to have a kind of backstage pass to the inner workings of our insane modern political machines and he tells it like it (probably) is with no mercy whatsoever. The jokes are fired off at machine gun pace. Every one of them dead on target. This is some of the funniest writing ever to grace a TV show. The actors are flawless in their portrayals especially Julia Louis Dreyfus who does a flustered and frustrated and harassed VP to perfection. The cruelty of her thwarted hopes and savage reversals at the hands of her President and the swarm of shark-like Senators and machiavellian functionaries is painfully funny to watch. She deserves an Emmy for it and perhaps season 2 will deliver her one. I cannot wait till 2014.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

This film blew minds

[9/10 · 27 June 2013]

There are some snarky belittling reviews on here. Namely the one by MovieAddict2013 that is stinking up the front page. I would direct the smartass who wrote it to review the rest of the films that were on offer in 1977. See how they compare. Spielberg create a magical experience that was utterly transfixing and a genuine emotional experience for the audiences who watched it. It had scenes that remain to this day iconic. It defined a whole new genre of film making. Yes it did. Of course it looks like a movie made in 1977 today. That is because it was made in 1977, jackass. It will be loved and treasured for all time.

Hulk (2003)

Underrated work of art

[9/10 · 26 June 2013]

This film demonstrates the danger that lies in making a film which does not conform to expectations of the genre. The criticisms of it were unjustified and ludicrous in equal measure. It is a beautifully crafted and highly creative piece of film making. Ang Lee really tried to make something like a moving comic book, and not some childish comic but more like the kind of adult scripted graphic novels of Frank Miller. At times it was really breathtaking how the animated and CGI effects became a kind of moving artwork. I also thought the characterization and story were way beyond what you might expect from such material, really quite credible and moving. A brilliant piece of work that was just too innovative for the simple minded viewers and snobbish uptight reviewers who trashed it.

Part of Me (2012)

Excellent documentary and fun to watch

[10/10 · 28 April 2013]

There are some very miserable spiteful reviews on here. They usually contain such revelations as 'I don't like Katy Perry's music and hated this movie'. Er... what are you doing watching a film about Katy Perry if you don't like Katy Perry's music. I know, you came to be bored and to dislike it and you succeeded. The film contains a very revealing and surprising story about a genuinely gifted songwriter breaking out of her strict religious upbringing and rising to the very highest peak that anybody could possibly wish for. She did it through shear determination and spirit. She did not get it handed to her. She was in fact jerked around by all the record companies and almost sunk until, in one memorable quote, one of the young female execs stole her music from the company and 'snuck out' with it, so that she would be free to find success at another label which had people of some imagination and vision instead of the lame egotistical dicks that she was tied to at that time. Her message is absolutely positive, absolutely empowering and liberating for young girls, and the concert footage shows just how transcendent that message becomes for them at the live shows. She is not sleazy or nasty or stupid. If I had a daughter I would strongly approve of her being a 'Katy cat'. I enjoyed every minute of this documentary. Those who hated it are most likely sad old men or jealous bitches. I reckon.

I Am Legend (2007)

Could have been so much better

[5/10 · 1 January 2013]

This is a sad example of how a great premise and some great production and some great acting can be badly let down by crappy Hollywood conventions that ruin the atmosphere and puncture the viewers suspension of disbelief. I am referring to the awful cheesy old routines that are used over and over again. Stuff that makes A VERY LOUD NOISE for no reason other than to make the viewer jump. Yes well this viewer has seen way to many of those for it to have any effect any more except to be very annoying. Then there is the fact that every 'monster' must make a roaring shrieking hissing sound like a lion crossed with a hissing serpent, even if they only have a human throat and voice box to do it with. Then the fact that every 'nail biter' is always exactly the same. 'JUST AT THE LAST MINUTE' is really a tiresome old chessnut by now. How about a little real world timing for a change? The cars that seem to be doing 300 mph and then turn on a dime, the helicopters that spin so violently they would just disintegrate in real life. The people hanging onto the skids of said helicopter! All of this just ruins any sense of realism which this movie could have exploited so much more. It is really creepy to see a deserted New York rendered so effectively. Will Smith does fine. It just is cursed with this cartoon flavor which totally ruined it for me.

Juno (2007)

Brilliant dialog painfully cute

[9/10 · 1 January 2013]

Ellen Page is the funniest and cutest heroine ever to find herself up the duff in a clever and brilliantly executed piece of faux-indie product design that leaves me chastened with respect for the artists that made it. It is endlessly entertaining, fresh and insightful, original and witty, and not one piece of exploitation in the whole flick. Maybe some people feel that a feel-good movie about an accidental pregnancy where the girl does not suffer agonizing mental pain, where there is no sad and cruel life lesson, but in fact a logical and satisfying solution which leaves everybody intact, is some kind of sell- out? I don't see it myself. I see only a dazzling display of warmth and creativity that leaves me with a big dumb grin on my face. Oh and the music is super too.

Haywire (2011)

Beautiful stylish intelligent thriller

[9/10 · 27 December 2012]

This movie is a piece of art. It is also aimed at a kind of sophisticated audience of adults who cannot watch popcorn Hollywood heroes and all the clichés that go with it, but at the same time enjoy action and characters with near-superhuman skills. It's a risky place to make a movie. You might end up pleasing nobody, but this movie is so well crafted that I could not help liking it and enjoying the ride. I had never heard of Gina Carino, but after the first fight sequence I immediately sat up and took notice. This girl can REALLY fight and it shows. She is balletic in her movement, and the blows look very real and very dangerous. The real fighting skill she possesses makes her a joy to watch. The story is spartan and has a verité and bleakness that might be depressing if the action and setting was not so luscious. It is basically a magnificent and atmospheric joy ride for grownups. I loved it.

Limitless (I) (2011)

Nice idea, crappy logic

[5/10 · 25 July 2012]

I loved the idea. I loved the cool and sexy visuals. I thought I was going to really enjoy it as it got started and we see the effects of this wonder drug. But then the wheels fell off. This guy has discovered that he can write bestseller books in a few days. He finds that he can double his money on the stock market in a matter of hours. So, what does he do? Well of course he gets into debt with the Russian mafia. What? Why the f would he do that? Ever hear of the chessboard and the grains of wheat trick? You put one the first square, then double that on the second , and again on the third. You can't get to the last square, because there isn't that much wheat in the world. Exponential growth soon leads to astronomical numbers. This guy just needs to keep doing what he is doing for a couple of weeks and he will be the richest man on Earth. In his meeting with the bigshot financier, his friend says that he has turned 12 thousand dollars into 1.2 million in ten days. OK Well if he does that for another 20 days he will have 83 trillion dollars. Why is he going cap in hand to some wall st. guy? Lastly - there is no doubt that super intelligence would have many advantages, but being a lethal street fighter would not be one of them. Fighting is about millisecond reflexes and trained reactions that have nothing to do with conscious thought. His wonder drug would not give him such abilities. So. Terrible failure of the writers to really explore an interesting idea. 5/10.

The Ides of March (2011)

Very neat and satisyfing

[9/10 · 20 July 2012]

I love political drama, but it has to be very very realistic and well written. This film is both. Although I do think it could easily have achieved what it was trying to do without adding quite so much emotional gunpowder, I imagine that Clooney wanted to be certain that the audience would be in no doubt about the mindset of the protagonist so he made absolutely sure of it. You can't blame him for using very big letters at that point. Apart from this one flaw, I think this film is near perfect. A very neat and well designed story about how the real world of high level politics will harden you and leave you cynical. Of course it helps when the cast is this great. You could watch Phillip Seymour Hoffman read the phone book and it would be interesting. Clooney holds his own in this company. The sassy intern is very enjoyable to watch too. There is one scene that is worth cutting out and keeping she is so good in it. Loved it. Will certainly watch it again.