Bronson
Post by on August 22, 2010
Director: Nicolas Winding Refn
Rating: R
Release: 2008
Language: English
Runtime: 92 minutes
Plot: The story of Charlie Bronson, Britain’s most violent prisoner
I was introduced to this movie previously via my Netflix recommendations. I believe it was a suggested 4.0 for me which is quite high and usually a sure bet for me. Then I saw Inception and was thrown back at how good this Tom Hardy guy was. Well, this Tom Hardy was the same one at the center of Bronson. Maybe Netflix did have it right.
With Bronson’s subject of a violent criminal, one cannot expect it to be on the same enjoyment level as Date Night or even Inception. However, Tom Hardy’s vision of Charlie Bronson pulls you in so easily that you can just sit back and enjoy it. His Bronson has so much charisma that you really want to continue viewing his terrible story and life. Simply put, Charlie Bronson is a great and terrible character that should simply be viewed from the farthest distance possible, unless one is inclined to limp away bloody and bruised.
One of the best scenes of the film that really showcase Tom’s talents is where he is showing his audience the events of a moment in his life. Armed with a simple tuxedo suit, black face paint, and painted nails, Tom brings to life his Bronson and a women almost simultaneously. I found myself watching these scene a few times just to see if I could enjoy it more than I already had.
I’m not going to lie. Most people will not be able to get over the violence and nudity but for those that can, you will truly find yourself entertained. Here’s hoping that Tom can appear in more films very quickly and produce more memorable characters.
The Verdict: 
Date Night
Post by on August 22, 2010
Director: Shawn Levy
Rating: PG-13
Release: 2010
Language: English
Runtime: 88 minutes
Plot: A boring married couple decide to take a no show’s dinner reservation and then the night gets bad.
Date Night comes armed with two of the top comedic names in present cinema with Tina Fey and Steve Carell. These two comedic geniuses are the Fosters who live the typical American life with 2.1 children and are pretty boring. Their weekly date nights consist of the same thing every week until the two of them try something new. Not only do they head to the city for a new restaurant, but they also choose to steal someone’s reservation at said swank restaurant. Now that’s just rude and many other characters will continue to remind them of this.
Throughout the plot, the Fosters meet new characters that are projecting their own issues back towards them. I mean, am I honestly to believe that lowly criminals that really started this whole mess are having the exact same issues that the Fosters are having as a couple? That seemed like a really, really far stretch even if it was funny.
As much as I laughed during this film, I honestly expected more. Many of the funnier scenes seemed forced or where built on what was the best of the outtakes roll. It also seemed that the outtake roll during the credits pretty much proved this.
This may not have been my first choice for the weekend movie but it did entertain me. Of course, I’m always entertained by Mark Wahlberg even if his entire performance his him without a shirt.
The Verdict:
Memento
Post by on August 16, 2010
Director: Christoper Nolan
Rating: R
Release: 2000
Language: English
Runtime: 113 minutes
Plot: A man, suffering from short-term memory loss, uses notes and tattoos to hunt for the man he thinks killed his wife.
Inception wasn’t the first mind-bending movie from Christoper Nolan. That would be Memento.
I remember when it was first released, back in 2000. I was reading a review in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution about this movie with a novel story-telling technique. Intrigued, I tried to recruit friends near and far (okay, not far) to go see to The Landmark as it was the only theatre in Atlanta showing the film.
Alas, my pitch fell on deaf ears so I waited patiently until it became a rental. At the time, in the period where we our minds we’re collectively being blown by the likes of Fight Club and The Matrix, this film really shone. The characters were pretty great, the baits were perfectly placed, and then, at the plateau, the reality that was being crafted by the Nolan brothers was shattered much to my dismay.
After partaking in a viewing of Inception, at the suggestion of some friends, we re-watched Memento.
Not surprisingly, after 10 years, the movie has aged well.
Guy Pearce plays Leonard, a man who, during the apparent rape and murder of his wife, lost his ability to recreate new memories after suffering a blow to his head trying to intervene. The story centers around his attempt to hunt down the murderer while taking keen steps to retain the information he is able to recover along the way.
His methods are systematic but imperfect. He must rely on Polaroids with scribbled notes to remind him from the simple (his car) to the complex (who he can trust) in the minutes he is able to focus on the particular thought.
The plot twist is mind-bending and unconventional. It makes you question and internally review the first three-fourths of the movie. It drives your desire to re-watch the film skyward.
While Inception has a much polished tone and feel, Memento is grittier and feels more like an indie. Both are equally as good and are perfect fits in the Nolan canon. The only question that remains is how will Mr. Nolan distort our perceptions in his next film?
The Verdict:
The Rage in Placid Lake
Post by on July 20, 2010
Director: Tony McNamara
Rating: PG-13
Release: 2003
Language: English
Runtime: 89 minutes
Plot: Placid Lake isn’t your usual rebel. He wants to work in insurance.
Placid Lake, the only, lonely child of pacifist, suburban hippies is trying to take himself seriously. Although, from the beginning, you, the viewer, are only to take the seriousness of the film with a grain of salt. The Rage in Placid Lake ends up being a enjoyable quirky coming of age tale presenting the freshly graduated Placid, disregarded by everyone except his best friend Gemma, looking to embrace the monotonous desk jockey lifestyle.
Call it a “early life crisis”. Placid gets a haircut (modeled after G. W. Bush), buys a suit, and saturates himself in the self-help section of the local library. From there, it’s on to a career in the exciting world of insurance.
Sounds boring, right? Although, it’s only 89 minutes long, the film has a nice pacing to it and presents a unique problem that sets itself from the normal social-oddball-finds-himself tale. How does one go from a life of freely flowing spirit and nonconformist Bohemia to the very much buttoned down world of economical and social “common-sense” and normalcy? This opposed to the Running With Scissors, Thumbsucker, and Rushmore styled movies makes the quandary even more unique and appealing.
Placid is played by Aussie musician Ben Lee opposite Gemma, portrayed by Rose Byrne, Placid’s genius best friend and sometimes foil. Both were pretty much perfect for the roles but I thought Garry McDonald and Miranda Richardson, as hippie-cum-basket cases stole the show in terms of character performance.
Rage in Placid Lake is a charming and sometimes sharply sardonic tale that is definitely worth 89 minutes of your time.
Click here to watch the movie in its entirety on Hulu. Or, stream it through Netflix.
The Verdict:
Inception
Post by on July 17, 2010
Director: Christopher Nolan
Rating: PG-13
Release: 2010
Language: English
Runtime: 148 minutes
Plot: Dom Cobb is a skilled thief, the absolute best in the dangerous art of extraction, stealing valuable secrets from deep within the subconscious during the dream state when the mind is at its most vulnerable. Cobb’s rare ability has made him a coveted player in this treacherous new world of corporate espionage, but it has also made him an international fugitive and cost him everything he has ever loved. — Yahoo! Movies
Let me start this review by stating that Christopher Nolan is one of my favorite current directors and I’ve enjoyed all his films minus one (Insomnia). Inception was also my most anticipated film of the summer. So as you can tell, the hype for this film was already prepared for me.
And the hype was justified as Christopher Nolan nailed this one. This may not have been Nolan’s first trip inside the human mind (Memento) but with Inception the audience is pulled inside the mind into a world that is as much a dream as it is real. With each scene you are left uncertain if you are in a dream or in reality preparing for the next dream. And that’s the real beauty of this film because he really gets the subtleties of dreams that we may talk about briefly but really never look to learn more about: How do I travel to different locations within dreams? How can so much happen within my dreams in such a small period of time? How vulnerable am I within my dream? How do I wake from a dream?
Now, Nolan cannot accomplish everything on his own and must trust the actors that he has collected for his vision. Therefore, Nolan enlists the help of the ever growing, Bat Pack (yes, I just coined that name). The Bat Pack, as you are probably already formulating in your mind, consists of Michael Caine, Christian Bale, Cillian Murphy, and Ken Watanabe. Inception contains all minus Christian Bale even though Caine’s appearance within the movie is minimal at best. Even with actors of these great talents, Nolan adds even more talent through DiCaprio, Marion Cotillard (Big Fish fame to me), Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Hardy, and Ellen Page. Inception puts DiCaprio over the top for me in terms of an actor that I must see while the real star for me overall was Marion Cotillard. Cotillard’s character of Mal, DiCaprio’s wife in the film, combines a perfect mix of beauty, love, and creepiness. Yes, I said creepiness as her character consistently put me on edge and made me feel uncomfortable and weary of the relationship she had with DiCaprio’s character but I also wanted to see the two together for the love that was keeping them attached.
For a movie that clocks in at almost 2 and a half hours, I was weary about the pace of the film, much like I’m doing now with this review. Why would I doubt it would be anything less than perfect after seeing the Dark Knight? Well, yet again I was not disappointed. From the moment the film begins, we are off and running. In the beginning I was left wanting the speed to be slowed so that I could catch my breath and really think through what I was seeing but instead I was pulled along at the appropriate pace that was needed to keep us moving towards the conclusion. At the end of the film, I reflected back to realize that I never once questioned that speed should have changed because it was too slow or too fast other than I wanted the personal time to really think through the film.
In the end, Inception is a perfect ride through the world of dreams. Nolan’s story is new, interesting, and leaves me wanting to back to the theater to see it again and again just so I can find new elements to enjoy. As well as wrapping my mind around Nolan’s brilliant uses of escher visuals, including the one found within the poster above.
The Verdict:
