After all of these years, Robert Redford proves time and time again that he can still act. And there is no better way to show this than being the only person on screen for the entirety of a film with minimal dialogue, while still being able to keep the audiences attention.
I'm not exaggerating when I say minimal dialogue. Unlike "Cast Away", this film has no inanimate object given to the character to keep his sanity. All there is is our man alone with his thoughts and the audience trying to get inside his mind through the filmmakers story telling.
"All Is Lost" is about a man, alone on his sailboat in the middle of the Indian Ocean (I hope I don't sound like an idiot right then). He is awoken one day by the crashing and cracking of his boat after hitting a shipping container and the water rushing in through the gigantic hole it has made.
Right away, you know that this film needs no dialogue, and that simply watching a man trying to survive is enough to help you connect with his character. With the accept ion of a letter written to his family read at the beginning of the film, every word spoken is either involuntary from being injured, or a last chance of being rescued. Yet you find yourself needing no more than what is given.
Depicted Above: Robert Redford being a badass.
The intensity of each moment surpasses any words that could be said at the time. And despite not having to memorize lines, Robert Redford's performance is as impressive as any other this year.
This movie was one of the hardest movies to watch, and for obvious reasons.
I have never seen such an intense depiction of slavery in my life. It's so incredibly horrible, you can't help but not look away. This tells the real life story of Solomon Northup, a black man who was born a free man during a pre-civil war America. A noteworthy violinist, he is conned by some trusted colleagues into leaving his home and traveling South to Washington D.C. for a performance. After the performance, they go out for a celebration where his colleagues get him drunk and he is subsequently kidnapped by slave auctioneers and sold into slavery. And being the time period that it is, no one believes him when he claims who he really is.
Chiwetel Ejiofor plays Solomon Northup in arguably his most significant role to date. Directed by Steve McQueen (No, not that Steve McQueen), together they show the brutal, terrible truth of slavery in all of the awful, cringeworthy details. Rather than cut away from inhumane acts, McQueen forces you to watch the actions taking place in long, uncut takes making you feel as emotionally, physically and mentally drained as possible without actually putting you in the characters shoes (or lack thereof).
This was, without a doubt, the most stressful
time I've ever had watching a movie
With amazing performances by the entire cast, "12 Years a Slave" has by far one of the best ensemble casts of 2013. With such big names as Michael Fassbender, Paul Dano, Benedict Cumberbatch, Garret Dillahunt, Paul Giamatti, Michael K. Williams, Scooty McNairy and very randomly, Taran Killam from "SNL", each and every actor gives a fantastic performance worthy of the recognition they're obtaining. "12 Years a Slave" is well worth a watch. But be prepared for a stomach churning story.
Matthew McConaughey has come a long way since his "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" and "Fool's Gold" Days. I'm not saying those are terrible movies… but they're pretty terrible. After the release of the former, McConaughey took an unplanned hiatus from acting. I say unplanned, because he says he didn't really make a conscious decision to do so. He simply just started turning roles down and decided his time was better spent with his family.
Somehow, this was the best decision (or coincidence) of his career. Some would argue since his return to acting with the film "The Lincoln Layer", which I have yet to see, that his filmography has become significantly higher in quality and his roles have become more deep.
This is all extremely apparent with quite possibly his best role yet, in "Dallas Buyers Club".
In the film, McConaughey plays Ron Woodroof, a bigoted rodeo-cowboy/electrician who lives every day as if it were his last. Consumed by drugs, alcohol, gambling and unprotected sex, his life takes a turn for the worse when he passes out after being injured on the job and wakes up in the hospital. The doctor's tell him that while performing some tests on his blood, they found that he was HIV positive and only had 30 days to live.
This film takes place in the 80s, when AIDS and HIV weren't as widely understood as they are today. The extreme ignorance is shown throughout the film through Woodroof and his friends who now believe that Woodroof is a homosexual and is contagious to the touch. They shun Woodroof and force him to become estranged. Through all of his tribulations, Woodroof befriends a man he would have shunned and belittled in his past life. A transexual named Rayon, played by Jared Leto.
The big thing that stands out in this film are all of the great portrayals, particularly by McConaughey and Leto, who both took extreme measures to become their roles. Both had gone through dramatic dramatic weight loss to look their parts. But I feel even without their transformations, they still would have given outstanding performance worthy of several award nods.
I could never be an actor, because I like to eat too much.
This gritty, emotional and at times, humorous film is sure to see some Awards this coming season. Specifically Leto and McConaughey. But Judging by the trailers I saw prior to seeing this, they're gonna be given a run for their money. Regardless, these two give their best performance of their careers, in my opinion. This is definitely a hidden gem.
Sometimes, writing movie reviews for free every time I see a new movie (at least 4 times a week… at least) is tiring. It becomes a chore that I feel I need a long break from so I can enjoy movies without worrying about what I'll say while watching it. And then, there comes a movie that I just have to share with everyone I know, and that kicks my review writing back into overdrive.
"Europa Report" was that movie this time.
"But, Mike--" you ask, "why did you decide to do it for a movie extremely similar to 'Gravity', but not do 'Gravity' itself? It was awesome!"
Well I'll tell you, random reader! Everyone and their Grandmother's saw "Gravity". And deservedly so. That was a fantastic film. Probably one of the best this year. And anyone who disagrees wasn't paying attention. But "Gravity" didn't need my help to bring it viewers. It has been going strong in theaters. "Europa Report", for one, is out of theaters. And two, very few people saw it. So if I can introduce even one person to it through this blog, I feel I would have done my job.
"Europa Report" isn't your average "found footage" film. It is done through the style of a documentary about a privately funded mission to land on Jupiter's moon Europa and try to find life. Unlike most films like this, it isn't in it for the cheap scares and thrills.
"Europa Report" is filled with emotion and character development that attaches you to the characters you are introduced to and makes you feel for them in every single way. And no character does a better job at this than James Corrigan played by the vastly underrated, Sharlto Copley ("District 9", "Elysium"). With the film opening with Copley's character recording a message for his family, you immediately feel his home-sickness which adds to the feeling of claustrophobia.
Seeing someone in an Astronaut suit gives me anxiety,
even when they're still inside the ship.
Contrary to the trailer, I wouldn't consider this film a horror film, but rather a Sci-Fi thriller. Nothing really horrifying happens, but there is a lot of suspense and a lot of emotion throughout. To everyone that complains that there is nothing to watch on Netflix, open your eyes. There are plenty of hidden gems like this throughout their instant-watch inventory.
In my opinion, The Cornetto Trilogy is the greatest trilogy ever created. For those of you who don't know what that is, it is a group of there movies Directed by Edgar Wright, Written by Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg and starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. The trilogy includes "Shaun of the Dead", "Hot Fuzz" and "The World's End".
...I know what you're thinking. You're thinking "Oh, man. That is the best trilogy ever created. He's right"... I know I am... No need to say it.
This movie is exactly what the trailer implies. Five friends meet up after almost 20 years and try to complete the pub crawl that they failed as teenagers. During said reunion, the five discover that the town that they grew up in has all been replaced by evil robots! Only they're not robots, because robot means slave... and stuff... you'll understand what I'm getting at when you see it.
Anyway, even after they discover their predicament, they are too drunk to do anything but continue the pub crawl... So, they drink pint after pint becoming more and more drunk as the world's end (AAAAHHHH) crawls up on them.
Because no one has a better idea!!!
This was a great send off to a great series of completely unrelated movies. It was hilarious, had a reference to Cornetto and had their amazing "shit just got emotional" scenes. And one of the many reasons why I think the Cornetto Trilogy is the best trilogy is because I don't know which one is better. They're all amazing. They're all completely different, and they're all hilarious. I seriously cannot put one in front of the other, and I can do that with most trilogies.
It kind of makes me sad that this will probably be the last one. I hope it's not, but I am not getting my hopes up. It's a great series, but all great things must come to an end. And if they're going to end it, "The World's End" is better than how most things end...
I'm looking at you "Lost", "The Sopranos" and other such let downs!!!
John Cusack as Nixon? That I'm not quite sure about. But what I am sure about is that regardless of casting choices, "The Butler" is a heart wrenching, intense film about the civil rights movement of the 60s and 70s.
Forrest Whitaker stars as the man who became a butler at the White House and his conflicts with the civil rights movement and his sons choice to take a different, more out spoken path to equality in America.
The follow up to his praised film "Precious", Lee Daniels decides to take, for lack of a better term, a more mainstream story and create a phenomenal film from it. As you watch the film, he takes you on a journey through the build up, climax and decline of the Civil Rights movement of the late twentieth century and he throws you into the scene with the characters.
Fun fact about me: When I'm tired, my eye goes all
Forest Whitaker on me.
I loved everything about this movie except one thing. The acting was fantastic. The directing was amazing. The set decorating, make up and wardrobes were spot-on. I was so deeply and emotionally involved in this movie until one scene. The Obama Propaganda scene.
Don't get me wrong, I'm very indifferent when it comes to politics. I neither love or hate President Obama. And I'm well aware that the country electing a Black President is a huge part of the plot. I just felt that they put it on far too strongly, and it seemed as though it were paid for by the Obama Presidential Campaign. I was expecting Obama to come up at the end of the movie and say "I'm Barrack Obama, and I approve this message". It took me out of the movie for a minute or two. And I hate that!
Other than that little distraction, this movie was up there with the best movies I've seen this year. With the exception of John Cusack as Nixon, the casting was spot on for all of the Presidents. And Cusack wasn't bad. It's just that after Frank Langella's portrayal of the President, anything else seems sub-par.
A lot of people wanted to see this movie to see Jennifer Aniston strip. I wanted to see it to see the white kid rap! And some RON SWANSON!!!
You can gather what "We're the Millers" is about from the trailer. It is a raunchy comedy following a drug dealer, a stripper, a homeless girl and a super dooper white kid on a major drug smuggling mission. Hilarity inn sues. Especially when Ron F***ing Swanson shows up!
Honestly, I thought this would be one of those movies where all of the funny parts are in the trailer. And apart from Nick Offerman and Will Poulter (White kid, "Son of Ranbow"), I'm not a huge fan of anyone in this movie. But it exceeded my expectations.
I'm gonna take this moment to ask a question. Do I seem like a broken record. I feel like I say the same stuff for every movie. Perhaps I just have a smaller vocabulary than previously thought, but I just don't know how else to describe these movies. Oh, well.
Anyway, this movie had me laughing throughout and even pumping my fist in celebration at some moments. Not many movies can do that.
Go see it. Or else... Nothing will happen, but still, go see it.
I just found at that Matthew Lillard from "SLC Punk" and "Scooby-Doo" directed this movie... awesome!
"Fat Kid Rules the World" begins with Troy trying to throw himself in front of a bus. But when he is saved by Marcus, his life starts to change. Marcus inspires (or forces depending on how you look at it) troy to learn how to play the drums and join a band, which gives Troy something to live for.
Once again, this is a movie I stumbled upon on Netflix instant watch, and I was not disappointed. Jacob Wysocki of Bath Boys Comedy infamy stars in the leading role. It impresses me that he can go from this...
...to movies like this and "Terri" which have more dramatic elements to them. I think he is definitely someone to look out for for years to come.
My Grade: B
Holy Crap this is based on a book?! I keep learning stuff, man!
Eventually, he learns to love these people and he finds what caused them to turn to eastern Gurus and decides to try to help them realize what he already know. That they do not need a Guru, they just need themselves.
This is a great documentary with a great message and does a great job of not bashing any personal reliefs. Rather it shows the viewer that you do not need to define yourself by your religion and your beliefs, but that you can be whoever you want to be.
If you don't have anything to do right now, go watch it. It's worth it.
I have something to confess. This time around, I was one of those idiots who got upset because someone spoiled a movie that was based on a true story... I am shame faced.
"Fruitvale Station" tells the true story of Oscar Grant's last day alive. (Don't worry, you find that out in the first two minutes.) In doing so, you see how much he is trying to change for his daughter, and how much he wants to be there for her in this unfortunate and tragic story.
In his directorial debut, Ryan Coogler has brought us one of the most well thought out and personal films any director has made. Being from the bay area, where Oscar Grant was shot and killed, I am sure he felt a strong connection to the case which inspired him to make this film. And you can tell in the final product.
One thing I appreciated about this film, it shows that the Police Officers responsible for the death of Oscar Grant did show some remorse and a little bit of shock after it all went down. They had realized they had made a mistake. It wasn't just a straight "F the Police!" movie, which get tiresome so very quickly.
I thought this was a well made movie that presented the facts and didn't try to shove topics such as "racism among the Police" and "profiling" down your throat. They were definitely present, but not in a slap to the face manner like Spike Lee would have it.
This is a heartbreaking movie that I'm sure will receive some Oscar attention this Winter.
There is a reason independent films are often better than big budget Hollywood movies. And that's because they don't have a thousand hands throwing garlic into the cake batter. Did you like that metaphor? I came up with it myself. Go me!
I'm just gonna go out and say it. Steve Carell is a major dick in this movie. Like, the worst person ever. I would punch him in the face if he were real and I saw him talking to his girlfriends kid like that. What the hell, Steve?! What the hell! I guess he did a good job if he made me hate him so much. And I love Steve Carell! So, in that case, well played good sir.
"The Way Way Back" is the directorial debut for Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, the Academy Award winning writers of "The Descendants". You may recognize them from this photo.
Nat's on the left and Jim is on the right striking his best
Angelina pose.
"The Way Way Back" is a heartfelt coming-of-age story about a teenager, named Duncan dealing with the divorce of his parents while on a vacation with his Mom and her dick of a new boyfriend... Did I mention he was a dick?
Anyway, he finds his solace and comes out of his shell when he lands a job at the local water park run by Owen, the laid back owner played by Sam Rockwell. Owen helps Duncan come out of his shell by basically forcing him to break dance with a lot of intimidating B-boy-ers... Is that a thing? Break dancing community, correct me if I'm wrong. Please! I'm terribly, terribly white and the only dances I know are the Chicken Dance and the electric sliding part of the electric slide.
What the hell?
With his new found confidence, Duncan starts hanging out with his summer neighbor's daughter, Susanna. The two of them bond over how immature their parents are acting and are basically the only sane people in the movie outside of the water park.
"The Way Way Back" is a good, heartfelt movie with a message that could help any awkward teenager. And believe me, Duncan is more awkward than most. Go see for yourself.
I've missed you. I hope you've missed me too. Let's never fight again.
"RED 2" starts off with our favorite retired agent and his new, young girlfriend shopping at Costco trying to lay low. But I think we all know how that works out. They are yet again, dragged into something they don't particularly want to be involved with. And as always, they're joined by their lovable, insane friend, whom regardless of what character he's playing, I refer to as John Malkovich from "Being John Malkovich".
Unfortunately, this time sans pig.
"RED 2" is exactly what you'd expect from a sequel to it's predecessor. It's fun, it's action packed and it's got a lot of memorable moments. However, this one didn't come with the element of pleasant surprise that the first one did. At least for me. It's a great film with a lot of funny and quotable lines, but I feel it quite do the first one justice.
But what sequel really does do the first one justice. Besides "X-Men 2". And "The Dark Knight". And "Terminator 2". And "Star Wars: Episode IV". And I would say "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers", but I consider them to be one long-ass movie.
What I'm trying to say is, if you enjoyed the first one, you'll enjoy this one...
Here's John Malkovich with a bomb strapped to his chest.
Wh-....But..... I mean.... I've heard of depressing movies, but this is just unfair.
"The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" is the story of the Holocaust through the eyes of the young son of a high-ranking German Soldier during World War II. His sheltered existence and naivety help him see a young Jewish Prisoner as a friend rather than the vermin his Father and country see him as. As he gets to understand his new friend, he has trouble wrapping his head around why the young boy is supposed to be his enemy and tries to help him on the way.
This is a heartwarming and heartbreaking movie all at the same time. The innocence of the young boys juxtaposed with the monstrosity that was the Holocaust really puts into perspective just how difficult it was for young children on both sides of the imprisonment to comprehend what was really going on. The two young actors who played the German boy and the Jewish boy did so with surprising skill and understanding of what exactly each scene was about.
This has, without a doubt, one of the most depressing endings of any movie I have ever seen. It is painfully beautiful and horrible, and had me just staring through (not at) the TV screen once the credits started rolling. I don't even... Wow. Just wow. I'm I'm writing this literally 5 minutes after watching it and I am still in shock. The beauty of innocence and the horrors of war all in one.
I seem to have a love or hate relationship with horror movies. I either love them, or I think they are the biggest piece of crap in theaters at the time. And I've noticed a pattern. Give me a slasher movie where you see the killer 1,000 times before he actually gets to the main characters and I hate it. Give me a movie where you don't see who is doing it, why they're doing it or how they're doing it and reveal a little bit of information at a time and I love it. "The Conjuring" does just that.
Now, I wouldn't consider myself a firm believer in ghosts. The best description I can think of is that I am a ghost-agnostic. A ghostnostic if you will (shut up). I have seen and heard things that could only be described by two things in my mind. One: ghosts, and two: I am schizophrenic. And knowing what my Grandfather went through as a schizophrenic, I'd prefer the former.
Now, I don't scare easily in movies. But if it's a movie about ghosts or demon possession, I will act like a little baby. If a ghost-movie followed me around for it's plot, it'd be more of a comedy.
This is the part where I scream "Aw, Hell Naw!"
and run away if it were reality.
The fact that "The Conjuring" is based on someone's actual experiences freaks me out even more. I don't even care if it's massively exaggerated, if anything even remotely like what happened in the movie happened to me, this is how I'd react:
For those of you who don't watch this show, check out Psych on Netflix!
This movie does a great job at keeping you interested. Like I said above, it's better when they slowly reveal information to you rather than tell you everything at once. That's why I don't like the Freddy Krueger or Jason movies. They're too much of an open book in the beginning.
"The Conjuring" is an intense movie that has some laughs (both intentional and unintentional) but overall is a pretty freaky and entertaining movie. Although I don't agree with the 'R' rating. It should be PG-13. The MPAA is getting softer than it already was!
South Korean films are a lot of things, but if I had to narrow them down to two, it would be f'ed up and insanely good! Perhaps that's just the films that were popular enough to be shown over seas, but that's how I see them for now. And one man stands in the forefront of the f'ed up and insanely good category. "Oldboy" director Chan-wook Park. And his first English speaking film continues with that pattern for the most part.
Wow, what? Opening a trailer with something so intense is simply perfect! There is no beating around the bush here. They are telling you exactly what this movie will be like from the very beginning. "Stoker" tells the story of a teenage girl named India, who's father dies on her 18th birthday. At the funeral, her Uncle whom she'd never met until that day shows up and stays at their house for a while. Things, while already creepy from the first shot of the movie, begin to get creepier as India's mother begins finding herself infatuated with the devilishly handsome Uncle (not on her side of course).
This is one of those movies that reward the patient viewers. While it keeps you tied in from the opening shot with it's spectacular cinematography, the story slowly reveals what is going on and is often times confusing. But it all comes full circle in the end.
I love movies that do that. I forget who said it, and a quick Google search didn't help me at all, if you know who said it, comment below, it could have been Hitchcock, but I heard a saying that went "suspense isn't about what you show the audience. Suspense is about what you don't show them". That is the perfect way to describe this movie. Throughout the entire film, it seems as if they are showing you meaningless information, but for the patient viewers that stick around, everything becomes oh so clear and oh so fantastic.
I was expecting Dr. Manhattan to appear throughout most
of the movie, but he didn't. Mind Blown!
This is definitely the kind of movie you have to watch again to see what you've missed. I've only watched it once, but I'm sure I've missed a lot of information and hints. Things that could have been hidden in the music and sound effects that I missed because I was watching it at 4 AM on very quiet with subtitles because everyone was asleep. I really need to move out of my parents house.
Everyone in this movie was so intense, and so great. Matthew Goode was especially Goode (Yeah, I did it!). He was the perfect blend of creepy and charming. But look at that face. The latter wasn't hard for him at all, was it?
My Grade right now: B+. It could go up the more times I watch it. Great movie.
Also, do yourself a favor and watch the original "Oldboy" before that stupid Spike Lee version comes out.
Giant Robots fighting giant monsters... what else could you want in an action movie?
How about Charlie Day!!!
As the trailer shows, "Pacific Rim" is about a not to distant future in which Monster Aliens begin to attack the major cities of the world. To fend them off the World Powers come together to create the Jaeger program. They begin to build giant robots piloted by two people to fist fight the monsters back to hell!!!! AWWWWWWW YEAH!!!!!
Despite it's terrible acting and cheesy dialogue (which was expected) "Pacific Rim" is an extremely entertaining movie with giant fight scenes (pun intended, sorry). This is the movie that all men wanted to see when they were kids. It just wasn't possible until now. When you see this movie, you must first connect with your inner child.
Possibly by playing a game of night crawlers with Danny Devito.
This is the kind of movie where you can't be digging for logic through out the entire thing. Seriously. Come on. It's a movie about GIANT ROBOTS FIST FIGHTING GIANT MONSTERS!!!! Why are you looking for logic in the first place! It is a movie that doesn't take itself seriously and neither should you! So STOP IT!!!! STOP IT NEW YORK MAGAZINE!!! STOP IT!!!
I had some friends who were lucky enough to work on this movie. Unfortunately, they didn't receive credits, but it must have been a hell of an experience. Also, unfortunately, this film has been receiving bad reviews. People are too cynical these days.
Starring Armie Hammer and Johnny Depp, "The Lone Ranger" is a retelling of the old TV show from the '50s. It is about an masked Texas Ranger who partners up with a Native American to fight justice. It's a pretty cut and dry plot, but Gore Verbinski makes it entertaining.
For some reason, this only has a 26% on Rotten Tomatoes. This brings me to my rant section of the blog.
I don't like Rotten Tomatoes system at all because the critics can only choose "Approve" or "don't Approve". Given them two choices will not necessarily define what they thought of the movie. Take for instance my opinion of "The Purge". Did I like it? No. Would I recommend it to a friend? No. Do I think it's better than the 38% that rotten tomatoes gives it? Yes. I think, if we're talking percentages like it's a grade, I would say it was a 52%. For a movie to be fairly critiqued and rated, you need at least a system of 1 to 5.
Anyway, I digress. This movie was quite enjoyable. That doesn't mean I thought it was good. There is a difference between enjoyabl-ity (shut up) and quality. There was a time when I would have said this movie was stupid because it wasn't deep or meaningful. But that's when I was in my movie hipster days. All hipsters and cynics are just immature people who haven't grown up enough to realize you can enjoy the stupid things from time to time. Not everything needs to be philosophical. Some things can just have action sequences that defy the laws of physics.
Now, brings me to my hypocritical point in the blog. Historical Inaccuracies! That is one thing that is unforgivable in my mind. In this movie, they sang "The Star Spangled Banner" as the national anthem in 1868. "The Star Spangled Banner" wasn't adopted as the National Anthem until 1931. It's earliest recognition as a national song was by the U.S. Navy in 1889, 21 years after this movie takes place!
Also, Johnny Depp isn't Native American... but who cares?
What does all my ranting and going off topic mean? It means people shouldn't be so critical. If you legitimately hated this movie, I understand. But to give it a low rating just because it wasn't "The Godfather" or "Gone With the Wind" is just silly. I hate how cynical this world has become.
I think it's safe to say that the reason the first "Despicable Me" was so popular was because of the minions. The hundreds of little yellow three stooges-esque guys had some of the funniest parts in the last one, and I think the studio got the message. They were a lot more prominent this time around.
In this hilarious sequel, Gru is hired by the Anti-Villain League to find out who has stolen a serum from a lab in Antarctica... actually the whole lab, not just the serum. The serum changes cute, little things into giant, coked out purple monsters! Kind of like if the Incredible Hulk and a crack-head had a child together. Gru sets up surveillance in the local mall and hunts down the villain all while trying to raise his newly adopted daughters, all the while, the minions start to disappear!
They did what to Kevin?!
As with the first one, the real selling points of this movie are the minions. Every scene they have is hilarious and even overshadows Agnes' adorableness. They sing songs on multiple occasions and there is even a cameo of Boyz 2 Minions.
It's been a while since I've seen the first one, but everything I remember about it had to do with the minions. But I can't be sure which one is better.
Honestly, they should drop the whole act with Gru and the girls and just make a movie about the minions. I'd pay to see that. And I don't have to pay.
Overall, this was a fun movie. Anyone who saw this, did you notice the "World War Z" nod towards the end? Or am I crazy?
Roland Emmerich can't seem to make an original movie. First it was "Deep Impact" being released the same year as "Armageddon", now "White House Down" is released the same year as "Olympus Has Fallen"...
OK, maybe it's only two examples, but still! And each of his movies have been worse than the other ones.
One word of advice, Roland? STAHP!!!!
OK, so we I feel as though I don't need to tell you what a movie as creatively named as "White House Down" is about, so I will just move on. The one thing that made "Olympus Has Fallen" great was that it didn't take itself too seriously. It knew it was a mindless action movie and didn't try to be anything else. "White House Down" forced political opinions in the opening 5 minutes. Granted, they are opinions that I agree with, but nothing bugs me more than a movie trying to mean more than it is.
No one is going to look at "White House Down" and think "Gee, I sure learned a lot about the War in Iraq and Afghanistan today! I'm going to volunteer at my favorite candidates campaign head quarters! Golly!" They're gonna look at the first hour of the film and say "Where the Hell are the explosions?! 'Olypmus Has Fallen' had killed like a hundreds guys by this point!". Stop trying to be something you aren't, Roland!
How can you root for someone who goes for a job interview
in the President's Secret Service with their tie tied like that. My tie looked better
at my first middle school dance! COME ON CHANNING!
In this, Jamie Foxx's character "The Leader of the Free World/The President of the United States" about a million times, presumably following it with "Woah, woah, woah". I don't know, I stopped paying attention. But, I highly doubt the President ever refers to himself as those things in any situation other than introducing himself to someone who just came out from under a rock, let alone in the privacy of his helicopter to his Press Secretary or whatever the heck Maggie Gyllenhaal was supposed to be.
There were only three things I like about this movie. Jason Clarke, Jimmi Simpson and Richard Jenkins. It just wasn't good. It does however do a great job at showing how stupid the media is.
SPOLIER! But not really, because I'm just saving you 2 hours of your life, 1 of which doesn't even have explosions in it.
If a girl is brave enough to post a video onto Youtube of her captors, DO NOT show her picture on-air when she is still in captivity... If the captors are smart enough to take over the White House, they're smart enough to be watching the news while they do so to see what's being said about them and the situation. The media is and always will be filled with idiots.
Brad Pitt went to visit an audience for the movie at the Movie Theatre I used to work at...
I have never wanted to work there again so badly in my life than that day.
Based on the book of the same name by Max Brooks (Mel Brooks' son), "World War Z" tells the story of a man who is asked by the UN to escort a Doctor around the world to find a cure for the virus. From what I've heard, this movie is nothing like the book. But since I haven't read the book, I can not say that is a good or a bad thing. This movie starts off very fast and doesn't slow down much. From within the first five minutes it has you tensing up waiting for the zombies to pop out.
As you can see, I struggle with writing reviews about OK movies, mainly because there is little that stand out. While I did enjoy it, there isn't much to write about it. It was good. Not terrible. Not great, just good. So I apologize for this being such a lack luster review. Please forgive me.
Especially Evan, James, Kristin and Devin. I love you all.
Oh, and surprisingly Matthew Fox has a very small role in the movie. I thought that that was weird.
