Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (March 30th, 2014)
Director: Frank Oz
Starring: Michael Caine, Steve Martin and Glenne Headly
Sometimes, you just wanna laugh. Simply put, that was the sole reason I picked this movie on this day. Two actors I dig, one of whom not known for comedies (Caine) in an interesting sounding premise. Caine is a master con man, conning rich women out of money with his seductive charms. But when he runs into low level con, as played by Martin, a rivalry sparks up. They make a contest to see who is best, being who could get 50 grand out of a woman of their choosing first. They decide on Headly, and a good time ensues. What's surprising about this movie is that our main guys are not good men. Caine has some honor, but these are thieves who don't mind ripping people off and using whatever means they can to win. So, the fact they we like these guys and don't think too much about the shitty things they are doing is all on the shoulders of Martin and Caine. They are both bringing their A games, Caine being as charming as he has ever been and Martin just being that typical Martin asshole. The movie is funny, but it could have been a little funnier. Maybe go a little darker with the humor, since the movie is kinda dark to begin with. The movie isn't bad by any means, with an ending that doesn't cop out on the goal. It's a fun ending that twists the movie on its head. It's one of Martins better efforts and it's nice to see Caine unwind. But there's always gonna be something missing. It coulda been funnier. Either way, I'm not upset I watched it.
Rating: 8/10
Lord of War (March 31st, 2014)
Director: Andrew Nicchol
Starring: Nicholas Cage, Jared Leto, Bridget Moynahan, and Ethan Hawke
Now, this is a movie that took me completely by surprise. I heard good things, that it was one of Cages last good movies before becoming a walking internet meme. But I didn't expect to see a movie this damn good, nor did I expect a movie that is a biopic the likes of Goodfellas or The Wolf Of Wall Street wherein the main character is such a piece of shit but we are in his POV so things don't seem so awful until they get really awful. Cage is fantastic as Yuri Orlov, a Ukranian born American raised gun runner. We watch as he goes from a young kid to the biggest illegal gun runner in the world. He brings his young brother Vitaly along (Leto in an early showing of the talent that would get him an Oscar). The movie is a blackly comic look at the completely amoral landscape of gun running, at men who know they are selling weapons to depots and warlords who are going to murder innocents by the droves. And the whole time, Yuri doesn't care because he distances himself from it. It's when he starts to see the devastation that he begins to have crisis of conscience. But the beauty of the movie is, he doesn't stop. He knows he's an amoral scumbag, so he doesn't alter a thing. He ruins everything else in his life to stay the best in a certain field, the field in this case being illegal. The cast is good at rounding the world out, but this is the Cage show. The only thing that holds this back is Nicchol is not as polished a director as something as big and bold and unique as this needed. It could have used a Scorsese or a PTA to smooth over some of the rough edges and elevate it to classic. But as it stands, this is still a great fucking movie that will take you by surprise, a movie that doesn't pull any punches and reminds us why it's so sad that Cage can't do anything good anymore.
Rating: 9/10
Director: Andrew Nicchol
Starring: Nicholas Cage, Jared Leto, Bridget Moynahan, and Ethan Hawke
Now, this is a movie that took me completely by surprise. I heard good things, that it was one of Cages last good movies before becoming a walking internet meme. But I didn't expect to see a movie this damn good, nor did I expect a movie that is a biopic the likes of Goodfellas or The Wolf Of Wall Street wherein the main character is such a piece of shit but we are in his POV so things don't seem so awful until they get really awful. Cage is fantastic as Yuri Orlov, a Ukranian born American raised gun runner. We watch as he goes from a young kid to the biggest illegal gun runner in the world. He brings his young brother Vitaly along (Leto in an early showing of the talent that would get him an Oscar). The movie is a blackly comic look at the completely amoral landscape of gun running, at men who know they are selling weapons to depots and warlords who are going to murder innocents by the droves. And the whole time, Yuri doesn't care because he distances himself from it. It's when he starts to see the devastation that he begins to have crisis of conscience. But the beauty of the movie is, he doesn't stop. He knows he's an amoral scumbag, so he doesn't alter a thing. He ruins everything else in his life to stay the best in a certain field, the field in this case being illegal. The cast is good at rounding the world out, but this is the Cage show. The only thing that holds this back is Nicchol is not as polished a director as something as big and bold and unique as this needed. It could have used a Scorsese or a PTA to smooth over some of the rough edges and elevate it to classic. But as it stands, this is still a great fucking movie that will take you by surprise, a movie that doesn't pull any punches and reminds us why it's so sad that Cage can't do anything good anymore.
Director: David Ayer
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sam Worthington, Olivia Williams, and Mireille Enos
A movie made by David Ayer and starring Arnold could have gone two ways. A really good look at the lives of a certain kind of cop (Training Day, End of Watch) or an enjoyable if pretty stupid action movie (Street Kings, Harsh Times). But apparently this movie decided to make a third option and go for both, while adding in the wrinkle of being a movie about Arnolds career in a way. It's almost the Unforgiven of his career, not so much in quality but in themes. But where Unforgiven was Clint doing a summation of his mythic western figures, this is Arnold looking back at the human badasses who mowed down anyone in his path to get to his goals. So kind of a mixture of Unforgiven and Gran Torino. Here he plays "Breacher", the head of a DEA undercover squad that is the best in the business. But the only problem is they have been at it so long and are so good, they have started to think and act like the men they chase. They are violently and crass and very macho. It's a constant dick measuring contest, with Enos somehow beating almost everyone else, including the giant husk of a man Joe Manganiello. But Arnold out machos everyone, with the same charisma he had in his eyes back in the heyday of movies like Commando and Predator. Except the facade comes down when he is alone, as the weight and consequences of all the violence in his life weigh him down. But he isn't a good man for the most part. He is just as violent and deranged in his own way as everyone else. Things go south in the beginning when this group steals ten million dollars from a cartel. But when the cash goes missing and bodies start dropping, tensions arise. Is it the cartel or a member of the crew? That carries the movie throughout. Now, the movie is unbelievably violent and dirty. If one can't handle that sort of stuff, stay away. The violence is brutal, in your face and not fun to watch. The language is coarse throughout, which added with the violence and macho posturing sells the world we are watching. David Ayer brings some good directorial skills to the table, but here his writing isn't as strong as it's been in most of his prior films. Some of the plot is muddled and character motivations aren't always clear. We really only know Arnold and Williams throughout. And from the crew, the only three that stand out are Manganiello, Worthington and Enos. I barely remembered that Terrence Howard was in the movie on the team, and he has an Oscar nomination. This is due to the mystery as to what is going on, but it still hurts the movie a bit. But for the most part, the acting is really good. Worthington has never been this natural and good before, giving me some hope for him in the future. But the standout might be Enos, who has never been this loose and wild before in projects like The Killing and World War Z. But while the movie is a bit sloppy, it comes down to Arnold. And he delivers. Arnold gives his best performance since True Lies. And by the end of the movie, he gets one of the most iconic scenes in his career, a "Deserves got nothing to do with it" moment. So while the movie gets stuck in some parts, it delivers if you are a fan of Arnold. I'd be ok if this was his last movie. This, or a third Conan movie with him as the old king from the end of the first movie.
8.5/10 As An Arnold Movie
The King Of Comedy (April 2nd, 2014)
Director: Martin Scorsese
Starring: Robert DeNiro, Diahnne Abbott, Sandra Bernhard, and Jerry Lewis
The 80s was a weird time for Scorsese. After peaking with Raging Bull in 1980, he didn't so much flounder or anything as he just didn't hit the highs of his big hits. Aside from the controversy for The Last Temptation of Christ, he made moderate movies that aren't usually talked about in talks about him. That's a shame, because this was in that time and it is a very unique movie. Frequent collaborator DeNiro plays aspiring stand up comedian Rupert Pupkin who helps Jerry Lewis' popular talk show host Jerry Langford, then uses the opportunity to badger him for a chance to prove himself. What follows is a look at the life of this madman, a flip side to Travis Bickle. Where Travis was really intense and off putting, Rupert is like an overgrown child that doesn't understand what the hell he's doing. And as a whole the movie itself works as a flip side to Taxi Driver, the black comedy version of that movie without the ultra violence. DeNiro is his usually brilliant self, making Rupert this absolute creepy sumbitch without falling into the Travis Bickle side of things, making Rupert seem incapable of violence. The two women in the movie are ok, just kinda there. Bernhard has more to do as Langfords stalker, but she really isn't very good enough to do anything but look crazy and yell. Abbott is just there to give Rupert an unreciprocating love interest, kinda like Cybill Shepherd in Taxi Driver. But Jerry Lewis is great as Langford, a man who is funny but is just over the constant badgering he gets from the public. He is constantly hounded and just wants to be left alone, but you can see the guy who used to enjoy it and why he became so big. Lewis is kind of a marvel in the movie, and it's a shame that DeNiro and him don't share more scenes together. The movie has its oddly funny moments, moments where Rupert just ignores social norms or is having elaborate conversations with himself. But for me, this felt like a dry run to what would become Taxi Driver. It's weird, because Casino feels like the dry run to Goodfellas, yet both movies came out after the other two. To me, the movie felt a little unpolished compared to his earlier movies. You would think coming off Raging Bull, he could get a decent sized budget to make exactly what he wanted to. But no, and you can see the rough edges on the movie. Or maybe not. Maybe it's just me. But where Taxi Driver was rough, that was on purpose. I don't feel any of the film making was hindered. But here, something seemed off. Maybe almost dying and putting everything he had into Bull took something out of him. But either way, I still really dug the movie. I just had to put that on the table. A revisit down the road is def in the cards, with hopefully a greater appreciation coming with it.
Director: Anthony and Joe Russo
Starring: Chris Evans, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johannson, Sebastian Stan, and Robert Redford
I'm not a Captain America guy. Don't get me wrong, I like the star spangled boy scout just fine. I read his comics and the avengers books he's in. But in all of comics, let alone Marvel, he isn't a highlight for me. And his first movie was the worst of Marvels phase one, which is odd to think about when the much maligned Iron Man 2 and the forgotten Incredible Hulk and the looking back mediocre Thor came out in that phase. All this is saying that this movie, while looking awesome, didn't get me too excited before it's release. But upon seeing it, the movie is now an instant comic book classic. And while I think Iron Man 3 is the best solo movie of Marvel, this gives it a run for it's money. Based in part of The Winter Solider storyline from a decade or so ago, the movie is just a rollicking good time. Half conspiracy thriller from the 70s and half bombastic action movie, Marvel just throws everything they can to make Captain relevant. Evans finally grows into the role, getting something to actually do after having nothing interesting in the first movie and being overshadowed by everyone else in The Avengers. Sam Jackson gets to show why Fury is the baddest dude in the room, while Johannson continues at doing better than needed work as Black Widow. But the true coup is somehow getting noted blockbuster hater Robert Redford into this. By getting a man who not only hates the kind of movie it is, but specialized in 70s thrillers of the same ilk, and get him to actually perform is the biggest achievement they have done yet. The move visually feels like an ancestor of those movies, while feeling like a blockbuster when it needs to. The Russos do an admirable job here by setting it apart from the other Marvel movies while keeping it reasonably within the same universe. They also handle the action well enough, with no background in it at all from prior work. Mainly coming from tv, they do a great job. Almost as well as the more qualified Alan Taylor from Thor 2/Game of Thrones. And while the action was big and bombastic, it didn't work for me as much as the last 3 Marvel movies prior to this (Iron Man 3, Thor 2, The Avengers). I think to me it went a little bit too big for me for only three people to take part in, especially when things get really hard in a world where a Norse God and a green rage monster exist to call for backup. It's the same problem comics fall into sometimes. The world is so big, why is nobody else helping an enhanced human to stop a plot to take over the world? Iron Man couldn't because this takes place at the same time as three, but Thor and Hulk exist. Not to mention/spoil a big name drop in the movie. And honestly, I just saw The Raid 2. It's not fair to judge a PG13 action movie to the R rated masterpiece. But I have seen the promised land, where action is shot well and hits hard. In my mind I know Caps action was good. But compared to The Raid and Marvels other entries, it seemed a little off. I'll chalk it up to The Raid afterglow. This is still a great fucking movie. For many this will be the best solo movie, but Iron Man 3 is mine for three reasons. One, Shane Black is a leagues better filmmaker than the Russos. Two, I enjoyed Stark's development and PTSD from the events of The Avengers. Thirdly, and maybe most importantly, is that Iron Man 3 threw me for a fucking loop. I did not see some of that shit coming and I gotta give major props to Black for doing that in a comic book movie these days. Cap is fairly predictable. Enjoying nonetheless, but predictable. I'm rambling, mainly because I can talk about comic books/comic book movies all day. In the end, this is a fantastic action movie that solidifies Marvel as a force to be reckoned with, with a big improvement on the Cap series and a status quo changing outcome to be seen in The Avengers 2.
Crazy Heart (April 5th, 2014)
Director: Scott Cooper
Starring: Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Colin Farrell, and Robert Duvall
I don't have much to say about this movie. I know that's a bit silly to say for a budding writer, but it's true. This movie is all about Jeff Bridges. If you like him, you'll like the movie. If not, well theres a whole universe of other movies to watch. Jeff plays Bad Blake, a washed up alcoholic country singer struggling with life. This movie is just about him dealing with his loser ways and trying to get his career back on track. This isn't a big movie, no over the top nonsense. It's a slice of life, blue collar movie. Colin Farrell shows up for a bit to prove yet again he's better than the early 2000s made him seem. Since it's a low key, indie sort of movie Maggie Gyllenhaal shows up as the love interest obviously. And what Southern set movie is worth a damn if Robert Duvall doesn't appear as the coolest motherfucker in the room without even trying. This is a solidly average movie all around, getting Bridges a much delayed Oscar. He was really good, but he deserved it for The Big Lebowski and True Grit a year later. But either way, it's not an offensive movie so nobody will get mad watching it. I dug it, I'm glad I saw it and I'm glad I own it.
- Tom Lorenzo
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