jakeanderson1206 Reviews

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)

Gone, but not forgotten

[9/10 · 17 January 2016]

How do you even begin to describe a movie like this?

The fact that this movie is a true story only serves to benefit it. Most biopic films are held back by the reins of reality, like they're obligated to stick to the real-life formula. However, for this film, it works. It wears the inevitability of its history and its title like a badge of honor. It serves to be the journey, and it arrives at the destination with confidence. It knows that the audience knows what's going to happen, hell its based off of an American legend in the form of Jesse James, but its the last 25 minutes that holds the weight of the film. It still happened, but it relies on the fact that we don't know the fate of poor Robert Ford.

Technically speaking, this film is an absolute marvel. Cinematographer Roger Deakins puts forth some of his absolute best work, even making his own lenses for parts of the film. The landscapes are large and barren, making the characters inside them seem mythic. Notably, that of Jesse James. Every performance in this film is pitch perfect, but Brad Pitt as Jesse James may be one of the best casting decisions in recent memory. Jesse James is a legend, but he is no God. He's a volatile, paranoid, angry man, who shows moments of being kind, funny, fatherly, and overall shows a glimpse of a good man. But he's a human being. A deeply flawed man who murdered people.

But everyone loves him. And people to this day still do.

The film is a critique about the way we see fame. Or infamy. The titular Jesse James is a man impossible to form a solid opinion on. Robert Ford on the other hand is different. He's just a kid, that idolizes Jesse more than anyone. But he discovers that his legendary hero, is nothing more than a man. The film chronicles the last year of Jesse's life with his gang, and ends with Ford shooting him, and the rest of Ford's life.

The rest is something you have to experience. This movie has one issue, its a half an hour too long, and that would've been solved if Dominik was able to give his directors cut. I can say the last 25 minutes of this movie hit me like a sledgehammer. The score, the camera-work, the acting, even the story, it all feels so incredibly mythic, but the kicker is, that its real. Its a film that paints an accurate portrait of what we know. And by the end, made me never look at this story, history, or fame, ever again.

The Hateful Eight (2015)

Tarantino delivers something old and something new - In a great way

[10/10 · 21 December 2015]

Quentin Tarantino is a film fan's filmmaker. He does what he does for no other reason than that he can, or that he wants to.

Hateful Eight proves this and runs with it, and passes with flying colors.

The best way I can describe the film is that its a combination of John Carpenter's 'The Thing' (not JUST because of Morricone's score or Kurt Russel) and 'Clue'. What we get is a film entirely about one stagecoach, one room, and the people that occupy it.

The characters in the film are the Tarantino fair of being colorful and non- conventional, and of course, a ton of fun to watch. The acting and performances help as well, this is one of the best casts to grace a film this year. Kurt Russell is fantastic, Samuel Jackson delivers his best performance since Pulp Fiction, Tim Roth does a fine job, but the stand outs (other than Jackson who is near Oscar worthy) are Jennifer Jason Leigh and Walton Goggins, who I wasn't expecting to hold a candle to the veterans of the cast. Goggins especially finally gets a film role where he can truly shine and will no doubt get him more well-deserved work.

The story and characters seem to intertwine in ways you do expect and don't expect simultaneously. The direction and cinematography is spot on, as several hints and many different details allude to various character actions and motivations - and thats just on first viewing. QT proves he can work his film devices to the fullest potential since Pulp Fiction. And Morricone's score, as always, is beautiful, with even a nod to the score of 'The Thing' in the film.

As far as problems or issues with structure, its all on how you enjoy these films. If you don't like Tarantino films, this film won't change your mind. It does fall into the conventional criticism that Tarantino doesn't really make films, he makes a collection of masterfully made scenes that may or may not hold together. Not to mention you can absolutely describe this film as various other film's by QT (even though thats evident in all his work, but this film feels like Reservoir Dogs meets Django Unchained with a twinge of Inglorious Basterds.) But here's the thing - Hateful Eight holds up together. It's fun, its dark, its dramatic, its hilarious, it's Hollywood filmmaking at its most charismatic and confident.

I look forward to your Ninth, Tarantino.

Memento (2000)

Innovation meets Excellence in Nolan's daring first film

[10/10 · 17 November 2015]

(I am primarily reviewing this right now because I heard the film rights of 'Memento' have been bought and a remake is in production. In summation, there is no need to remake that which is perfect.)

Christopher Nolan is a director that has become far too popular for his own good. After making the landmark film 'The Dark Knight' he essentially doomed the rest of his career to be compared to this film. He became so popular that hating him seems to be 'the cool thing to do' now because whenever something is popular, it inevitably gets backlash.

I would like to take you back to 2000. Forget everything you know about this director, his work, and Hollywood. I am a fan of Nolan but disregard this as I write this review, because anyone who likes his work is flagged as being a 'fanboy/fangirl' and the sheer amount of stupidity that it takes to assume that I would like a film because of whoever's name is on it is so incredibly vapid and idiotic that I might have an aneurysm.

So anyway, Memento is about as close to 'perfection' as you can get.

The less is said about the film's plot the better, if you haven't been alerted as to this movie's ending you should stop reading this and watch the film right now. Cherish the element of surprise. In a nutshell, it is about a man who cannot form short-term memories. He is also attempting to solve his wife's murder, and has a very... unique way of keeping track of everything that he can't remember. The story shows him going through various locations and people that may or may not be leading him the right direction, as well as helping some people with their own issues. Also, the story is played in reverse chronological order AND chronological order, Black and White scenes are in order, color scenes are reversed.

This simple and ingenious idea not only lets us see this story in a unique way, but lets us see it in the way the protagonist sees it. Its confusing, its difficult to decipher, but thats the point, we feel the same way he does. We understand him. But like him, as the mystery of the film unravels, the mystery that IS the film unravels as well.

From a technical point of view the film is incredible. Interesting to see how talented Nolan was with a camera even back then, the shots are beautifully composed, the editing is absolutely phenomenal at conveying both the confusion and the understanding that you and the protagonist go though, and the acting is stellar. Guy Pearce is phenomenal, having to change his emotions and overall state on the fly in every scene is impressive, but the sheer skill he has of reading his more expository lines with such confidence makes me wonder why I don't see him in films more often. I can't decide whether or not this or LA Confidential is his best performance. Carrie Anne Moss also does a phenomenal job, and every other actor, while briefly in the film, plays their part very well, as set-pieces that we go through to uncover the mystery.

The amount of detail and film devices Nolan employs is borderline absurd. Not only do you want to watch the film over and over to understand the chronology, but also the MEANING of everything. There are so many things in the dialogue, the shots, the foreground and background, that allude to elements of the plot, Nolan rewards those who look carefully.

Memento, as a film, is a wonderful experience and an absolute required for any fan of mysteries, as well as good cinema in general. While I love the vast majority of his work, I still believe Memento is his 'best' film. It did something daring to make an already captivating and heartbreaking story more interesting, and the best part is, the way he does it is purely through film. This movie could not have been accomplished in any other medium. Had anyone else made it, it simply wouldn't have been as good.

This, Hollywood, is why this film should not be remade. Even if the remake is good, it would be ultimately redundant. You can't fix what ain't broken, and Memento ain't broken.

Donnie Darko (2001)

A Mad World Indeed

[10/10 · 15 December 2014]

Donnie Darko, is, without a doubt, my favorite film, and in my humble opinion, the absolute best film ever made. While the effectiveness of something like this is entirely subjective, I believe the appeal, message, and quality, are universal.

Donnie Darko is a teenager whose way too angsty and moody for his own good. He's temperamental, volatile, and kind of a prick. He's a guy with some 'emotional problems', a therapist, and some pills. However, he isn't the typical angsty teen, he's a teenager who has visions (or 'daylight hallucinations') of a man in a large bunny suit who tells him the world is going to end.

And thats where I'm going to stop. Upon first viewing, its best that you don't know a single thing about it going in. Watching this movie and being able to appreciate it is more akin to an experience rather than a viewing, an all-consuming, all-engulfing, journey into immersion. As you follow Donnie down the 'rabbit hole' (Ha ha) you might just change your outlook on basically... anything really. It is one of those movies, a film like Fight Club, Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind, American Beauty, Eraserhead, and K-PAX that makes you do a bit of self critiquing once you finish it. You sort of re-evaluate yourself and your opinion and knowledge on the world. Its an absorbing and haunting movie that by the end, had me in tears, and the best part is I can't even say why. Its such a transcendent film, its a damn shame Richard Kelley hasn't made another decent film since.

Bottom line, whether you'll love it or hate it (Its a polarizing flick), Donnie Darko is easily in the my list of top 5 movies you HAVE to see before you die.

Spider-Man 2 (2004)

I don't get it.

[4/10 · 6 December 2014]

I really tried to appreciate the vibe Raimi was going for, the writing, the acting, the special effects, etc. But I can't. As a guy who considers himself an amateur film critic, I cannot sand this movie. I liked it as a child, but as a guy whose almost out of high school (There goes my credibility) this a movie that I hate even more each time I watch it.

Lets start with what I like. The effects are a FAR improvement from the first film. It still looks pretty good honestly, has aged very well. The cinematography is decent, and the action, most of the time, is very satisfying and well done. And the vibe, while I don't personally care for the cheesiness of it, is nailed well. I don't like it, but Raimi did what he wanted. And while I don't like how he's written at all, Alfred Molina is the best actor in the entire trilogy. He just needed a better script.

Now lets go for what I dislike. Main issue: Tobey Mcguire. I can't stand him. There are very few movies I watch where he doesn't instantly incite a fury of anger inside me due to his complete lack of emotion or semblance of acting ability. He's an actor with no charisma, playing a character that is known for having charisma. Yes, Peter Parker is a nerd, he's awkward, but he's not a moron who whispers all his lines, underacts, and has the single worst crying face of any actor in Hollywood. I CANNOT buy him as any incarnation of Spiderman. I have read the comics and watched the cartoon. Every incarnation of spider man has been better, and when your main hero is being poorly played, thats a huge problem for a comic book film to have. And don't give me the excuse that he's doing it all on purpose, not acting on purpose is still not acting, it feels annoying. I want Spiderman to be like Spiderman, courageous, intelligent, quick-witted, and likable. (And yes nerdy.) Mcguire is none of these things. You can't even say he's smart or nerdy because of Raimi's 'Tell don't show' style of filmmaking. We never see him APPLY his brain, and i never buy its him inside the suit.

Other main issue: Kirsten Dunst. I thought it was impossible to underact Tobey, but somehow, Ms. Dunst did it. She actually reads her lines like she doesn't want to be there. Not to mention as far as writing and character goes, she is, by far, the WORST superhero love interest ever. She never helps, she is never independent, she is never caring, she always plays Peter at an angle, she gets kidnapped more than Princess Peach. She is legitimately the OG Bella Swan, but in the end of the awful Twilight movies, she was a vampire and did some cool stuff, Dunst gets kidnapped, screams, and continuously puts Peter in-between a rock and a hard place. He has no reason to like her. Their chemistry is non-existent. It is honestly painful to watch them together. Its painful to watch her at all.

Alfred Molina is a fantastic actor in a bad role. Doc Oc sounds ambitious, starts off pretty well in fact. however his motivations and moral fluctuations make him illogical. If you introduce a smart character, keep him smart. By the time he becomes a villain, he makes so many logical errors it makes him seem like a different person. He looks for Peter Parker and needs to talk to him, so what does he do? Throw a damn car at him! Why? Why are you attempting to kill the person you want to find?? I'm not nitpicking, I have so many genuine questions about choices these idiotic characters constantly make! Why does Octavius steal money to buy the parts he needs... rather than just STEALING WHAT HE NEEDS? Why does he have a sudden hatred for spider man? He knows he's doing something wrong, which is supposed to make him sympathetic, yet he acts like a tool and somehow feels justified in trying to kill Peter? He has no character arc! The plot just says 'Uhhhh, the arms make him crazy, so he's crazy, but you still like him because he constantly monologues about how he's trying to fulfill his dream!' NO! Not to mention, why in the blue hell did he design the arms with artificial intelligence if he was only going to use them to move things? That doesn't make any sense! Why? Its a genuine question! every time I have a legit question about a character decision the reasoning is 'The script told them to, so they did'

And the whole 'losing powers' thing. Why? I'm supposed to suspend my disbelief, its a comic book movie, but why are stupid things constantly happening? Just because you establish a universe where strange things happen doesn't excuse idiotic writing. Why does peter suddenly lose his powers? He's jealous and loves MJ, yeah whatever. She gives him no reason to, but whatever. So, his powers go away when he's sad? The whole second act is a drag because it focuses on this plot point that feels like it comes out of NOWHERE. Not a SINGLE character in this entire franchise has a consistent motivation or tries to logically solve their problems. TL;DR My point is this. Sam Raimi can direct. He cannot write. This movie, I feel, is grossly overrated. Why? It has obvious issues that are ignored by both Raimi, and the fan base of these films. They act like everything is intentional and if you criticize it that 'You just don't get it' or 'You clearly have bad taste'. No. My bias towards movies is that I think about them, and the second you start thinking about this movie, for me, it made it unwatchable.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)

Not perfect, but doesn't deserve the sheer amount of hatred

[4/10 · 15 August 2014]

Alright, I know I'm not the populist opinion here, so I'll go ahead and say what I think and try to articulate why I think this movie is probably the best Spider-man movie to date.

First off, I don't like the Raimi films, I tried my absolute best to tolerate the ridiculous cheese, underacting (McGuire and Dunst) and overacting (Pretty much everyone else) the hoaky writing, the plot holes, the weird character motivations, but I couldn't. I feel that everyone who compares the new Amazing flicks to the Raimi trilogy misses the point of a reboot, its not supposed to be like the old movies, that's the idea.

First off, its undeniable that Garfield far outshines McGuire as an actor, and as Spider-man. Not only that, but even without the comparison, he manages to play a likable and natural High-Schooler (Despite the fact that he looks like he's in college) Emma Stone, well, she almost makes the movie. Marc Webb can definitely write chemistry between characters well, and with Gwen and Peter, it really shines. I genuinely cared about the romance in both movies, which I could not say for the old films.

The other actors are all solid, Jamie Foxx is a great actor, and while his part is not original, it is entertaining and well acted. Props also to Dane Dehaan, who is a great actor and a fantastic Harry Osbourne.

Is this movie the mess of a plot everyone says it is? Not really. I was never confused or befuddled by the absurdity of the plot or situation at hand. However, the only thing I can honestly fault on the film can be Sony's marketing. Putting the Rhino in the trailers was idiotic considering he's in two scenes, and yes, the film feels like its fulfilling a quota of things to do with its plot, but here's the catch: its entertaining. The characters are fun to watch, the story keeps true to the Ultimate Spiderman mythos, and it genuinely makes you care for everyone you are supposed to care for. This, in my opinion is the best Spiderman movie we've had, its enjoyable, exciting, heartfelt, and a very well-written film, but Sony's meddling is very evident.