Gangster Squad (September 7th, 2014)
Director: Reuben Fleischer
Starring: Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, and Sean Penn
The problem that plagued this movie was not even it's own fault, it was a national tragedy occurring that threw this movie into a weird space. Being marketed with a trailer that showed a movie theater shootout, the movie was rushed to reshoot that scene after the Aurora movie theater shooting. I can't say it would have helped the movie as a narrative, but it was a very striking looking scene from the trailer. It also had to be pushed back to January, the dumping ground of Hollywood cinema, so it had a massacre accidentally linked to it and then the stigma of being released in January against it. So it was essentially destined to fail. And it did. It was torn to shreds, seemingly by people who assume that any movie set in the 40s about cops vs gangsters, it is an awards wannabe. But this movie isn't trying to be an arty movie. This is a comic booky shoot em up. No depth or deeper meaning. Everyone is playing archetypes and nothing more. Penn is really bad in the role, playing more Dick Tracy villain than archetypal gangster. Gosling also has the distinct disadvantage of sounding like a little girl, so he can never be intimidating. But the rest of the cast is fine and the movie is shot very well. And aside from a wanna be Zack Snyder speed ramping scene towards the end, the action is done very well too. Another piece of contention that critics had that is a bit bullshit is the fact that they get Mickey Cohen in this movie that goes against history. But if we can accept Tarantino killing Hitler in a movie, why is it so crazy that a movie that is just archetypes having a typical ending instead of the realistic version? It's hypocritical and helped kill a solid if unremarkable shoot em up.
Rating: 7.5/10
Rocky Balboa (August 12th, 2014)
Director: Sylvester Stallone
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Antonio Tarver, Milo Ventimiglia, and Burt Young
Now this movie had production problems in terms of contract negotiations. Tarver, actual boxer and not really good actor almost fucked the movie over by demanding more money before shooting. Now, this was a movie that Stallone had been trying to get made for years and had gotten very much into shape to shoot the fight scene, so Stallone had to do what he felt was necessary and get Tarver more money by taking a pay cut. He had to because shooting was so close, but the movie could have benefitted from not using an actual boxer, because like Rocky V, he brings nothing to the screen. Which is a shame, because his character actually has a cool story to work through on the sides of the main story. But in the end, this is Stallones movie and he gives Rocky the ending he deserves in a beautiful movie that is just dripping with mortality and loneliness. This movie comes the closest to the thematic and emotional heft of the first one, and it is even more emotional because of knowing this mans entire journey over thirty years. For fans of the series, Stallone, and/or Boxing you can't go wrong. This is a great movie that needs to be seen if you can deal with an old man fighting. I'm really glad I rewatched it this week.
Rating: 9/10
The Day The Earth Stood Still (August 12th, 2014)
Director: Scott Derrickson
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly, Jaden Smith, and Kathy Bates
I feel bad hating on this movie, because Derrickson is a good guy and good director. But also because it is a writers strike movie, having to push ahead without any opportunities to fix the problems. And unlike a movie that seems very lazy and no one cared about the problems, Derrickson puts so much effort into this that you can tell he would have done some fixing if he could have. Visually very good with some great effects and some interesting ideas that don't really come together to form a cohesive whole. It's very lackadaisical and has no one to really care about. Keanu is good, but he's just playing an emotionless alien (the only roles he's really good at). Connelly should never do blockbusters because she picks bad ones and never does anything interesting in them. Jaden Smith is god awful as the unnecessary kid that so many fucking blockbusters decide they need. Seriously, The Pursuit of Happyness wasn't that god damn good to keep casting this little prick in movies. The rest of the cast is really stacked with Bathes, Jon Hamm, John Cleese (literally for 3 minutes), Kyle Chandler, and Robert Knepper. Nothing is done with any of them and the actors can't do anything to help, because they have so little time to make an impression. It's a shame because, while having not made any classics yet, Derrickson has shown the ability to tell really interesting stories. So if we coulda fixed that, his strong directing skills could have been a damn good film. But for now we have an interesting mess that could have been more.
Rating: 6/10
Red Dawn (August 13th, 2014)
Director: Dan Bradley
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Josh Peck, Adrianne Palicki, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan
This ones problems are two fold. One, the studio faced financial problems, so the movie sat on a shelf for 2 years before being released. The second problem is that the movie was supposed to be about the Chinese invading. But to appease the Chinese, it was digitally changed to be North Korea. The first problem doesn't really affect the movie really, but it did star a pre Thor Hemsworth so his fate is kind accidentally crazy that they did it, similar to Cabin In The Woods (for those who've seen the original, he is the Swayze role). Peck is Sheen and Palicki is one of the girls (I don't remember because that movie wasn't great with characters). Now, Peck isn't very good. He doesn't have the stuff to pull off the arc of being a cowboy to being a team player, but he tries. He handles the action better, but he isn't an action star by any means. Hemsworth is awesome as the returned Marine leading the fight against the Koreans. And I may be crazy, but Palicki does the best work in the movie with the least amount to work with. It's not a surprise, because she is the only one in the cast that has shown a great amount of range on Friday Night Lights. But she is very real as the girl from Hemsworth past who has a crush, and she crushes a big scene at the end. That and she shows her chops as an action heroine. Morgan is also good playing the Powers Boothe role. Bradley gives out some good action scenes that are kinda hard hitting, but are neutered by the lack of blood and the shaky cammed to shit death scenes. This is no classic by any means, being too short and having a good lack of character depth. But it is fun. Yet the second problem rears its head and kinda of irritated me the whole time. By changing the villains to Korea, it makes no sense that any of this shit is happening. China you could believe it since they are a super power. Korea is a joke and stayed with me the whole time that these little fucks could do anything like this. If you wanna see Hemsworth or Palicki do some good action work, or watch a decent little action film this isn't the worst thing you could watch. But it is a bit of a wasted opportunity.
Rating: 7/10
Top Movies
1. Rocky Balboa
2. Gangster Squad
3. Red Dawn
4. The Day The Earth Stood Still
Top 5 Performances
1.Sylvester Stallone - Rocky Balboa
2. Josh Brolin - Gangster Squad
3. Adrianne Palicki - Red Dawn
4. Chris Hemsworth - Red Dawn
5. Keanu Reeves - The Day The Earth Stood Still
Top 5 Moments
1. Rocky's Last Visit With Adrian - Rocky Balboa
2. Rocky Keeps Fighting - Rocky Balboa
3. The Surprise Attack - Red Dawn
4. The Raid On Cohens Stronghold - Gangster Squad
5. Paulie Breaks Down - Rocky Balboa
Rocky Balboa (August 12th, 2014)
Director: Sylvester Stallone
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Antonio Tarver, Milo Ventimiglia, and Burt Young
Now this movie had production problems in terms of contract negotiations. Tarver, actual boxer and not really good actor almost fucked the movie over by demanding more money before shooting. Now, this was a movie that Stallone had been trying to get made for years and had gotten very much into shape to shoot the fight scene, so Stallone had to do what he felt was necessary and get Tarver more money by taking a pay cut. He had to because shooting was so close, but the movie could have benefitted from not using an actual boxer, because like Rocky V, he brings nothing to the screen. Which is a shame, because his character actually has a cool story to work through on the sides of the main story. But in the end, this is Stallones movie and he gives Rocky the ending he deserves in a beautiful movie that is just dripping with mortality and loneliness. This movie comes the closest to the thematic and emotional heft of the first one, and it is even more emotional because of knowing this mans entire journey over thirty years. For fans of the series, Stallone, and/or Boxing you can't go wrong. This is a great movie that needs to be seen if you can deal with an old man fighting. I'm really glad I rewatched it this week.
Director: Scott Derrickson
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly, Jaden Smith, and Kathy Bates
I feel bad hating on this movie, because Derrickson is a good guy and good director. But also because it is a writers strike movie, having to push ahead without any opportunities to fix the problems. And unlike a movie that seems very lazy and no one cared about the problems, Derrickson puts so much effort into this that you can tell he would have done some fixing if he could have. Visually very good with some great effects and some interesting ideas that don't really come together to form a cohesive whole. It's very lackadaisical and has no one to really care about. Keanu is good, but he's just playing an emotionless alien (the only roles he's really good at). Connelly should never do blockbusters because she picks bad ones and never does anything interesting in them. Jaden Smith is god awful as the unnecessary kid that so many fucking blockbusters decide they need. Seriously, The Pursuit of Happyness wasn't that god damn good to keep casting this little prick in movies. The rest of the cast is really stacked with Bathes, Jon Hamm, John Cleese (literally for 3 minutes), Kyle Chandler, and Robert Knepper. Nothing is done with any of them and the actors can't do anything to help, because they have so little time to make an impression. It's a shame because, while having not made any classics yet, Derrickson has shown the ability to tell really interesting stories. So if we coulda fixed that, his strong directing skills could have been a damn good film. But for now we have an interesting mess that could have been more.
Red Dawn (August 13th, 2014)
Director: Dan Bradley
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Josh Peck, Adrianne Palicki, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan
This ones problems are two fold. One, the studio faced financial problems, so the movie sat on a shelf for 2 years before being released. The second problem is that the movie was supposed to be about the Chinese invading. But to appease the Chinese, it was digitally changed to be North Korea. The first problem doesn't really affect the movie really, but it did star a pre Thor Hemsworth so his fate is kind accidentally crazy that they did it, similar to Cabin In The Woods (for those who've seen the original, he is the Swayze role). Peck is Sheen and Palicki is one of the girls (I don't remember because that movie wasn't great with characters). Now, Peck isn't very good. He doesn't have the stuff to pull off the arc of being a cowboy to being a team player, but he tries. He handles the action better, but he isn't an action star by any means. Hemsworth is awesome as the returned Marine leading the fight against the Koreans. And I may be crazy, but Palicki does the best work in the movie with the least amount to work with. It's not a surprise, because she is the only one in the cast that has shown a great amount of range on Friday Night Lights. But she is very real as the girl from Hemsworth past who has a crush, and she crushes a big scene at the end. That and she shows her chops as an action heroine. Morgan is also good playing the Powers Boothe role. Bradley gives out some good action scenes that are kinda hard hitting, but are neutered by the lack of blood and the shaky cammed to shit death scenes. This is no classic by any means, being too short and having a good lack of character depth. But it is fun. Yet the second problem rears its head and kinda of irritated me the whole time. By changing the villains to Korea, it makes no sense that any of this shit is happening. China you could believe it since they are a super power. Korea is a joke and stayed with me the whole time that these little fucks could do anything like this. If you wanna see Hemsworth or Palicki do some good action work, or watch a decent little action film this isn't the worst thing you could watch. But it is a bit of a wasted opportunity.
Top Movies
1. Rocky Balboa
2. Gangster Squad
3. Red Dawn
4. The Day The Earth Stood Still
Top 5 Performances
1.Sylvester Stallone - Rocky Balboa
2. Josh Brolin - Gangster Squad
3. Adrianne Palicki - Red Dawn
4. Chris Hemsworth - Red Dawn
5. Keanu Reeves - The Day The Earth Stood Still
Top 5 Moments
1. Rocky's Last Visit With Adrian - Rocky Balboa
2. Rocky Keeps Fighting - Rocky Balboa
3. The Surprise Attack - Red Dawn
4. The Raid On Cohens Stronghold - Gangster Squad
5. Paulie Breaks Down - Rocky Balboa
- Tom Lorenzo
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