Category Archives: Movie Reviews

The Fighter Review

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The Fighter was a pretty great film that brought you on an emotional ride to say the least. It was a film that I didn’t have much interest in because I’m not a huge fan of sports movies for the most part. The film kept getting hyped, as did Christian Bale’s performance so I felt the need to get out there and see for myself. The Fighter certainly got it right in the way that it focused not only on the main character’s triumphs in the ring, but also his intensely dramatic family life due to a mother who fails to let go of her children and his brother who can’t seem to stop screwing up.

So, yes, The Fighter did offer a little bit more than the average boxing movie, but at the end of the day. Its really nothing I haven’t seen before. The Fighter really just offered the same underdog story that’s been trampled over thousands of time. Don’t get me wrong, it was done well, but it’s definitely been done better in the past. Some might argue that its different because this movie delved into his personal life as well. It certainly did, but that’s also nothing new. That being said, The Fighter as I said before was a pretty great film. It just wasn’t amazing.

One thing that was amazing about it was Christian Bale’s performance. I’ve always been a Christian Bale fan, but his performance in this blew me away. He was phenomenal. Without a doubt, this is one of the greatest performances he’s ever given. The rest of the cast did a bang up job as well. I was never a big Wahlberg fan, but he did pretty decent and the supporting characters all held their own and very well for that matter. Christian Bale was the real treat though.

There were particular moments in this film where you were very moved on an emotional level by what was going on, on screen. Some would include the main character getting beaten by the cops for attempting to help his brother or when his sisters come to attack his “MTV” girlfriend. The parts that didn’t really move me were the actual fights. I was moved by the outcome and what was occurring during the fights, but not by the way the fights were shot.

A movie such as this one should capitalize on its fights, and shooting one should be an art form all its own. Just look at Scorsese’s work in Raging Bull. Thirty-years-old and those boxing matches are still just as breathtaking today. The fights in The Fighter however, were a bit dull. I want to feel more involved in a boxing movie and with this one I wasn’t really given that chance. I felt like the director was aiming to show the fights as if they were on T.V. and it didn’t work for me.

All and all, I could truly understand why people might fall in love with this film based on its content. Its just not the most enjoying thing for me to watch especially since I can be enjoyed in the same way with better movies. However, I don’t want people to get the wrong idea. I’m not trying to trash The Fighter. It was a good movie, it just wasn’t spectacular.

Grade: B

True Grit Review

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True Grit was a film that I walked out a bit disappointed with to say the least. It was a film I saw at the midnight premiere and walked out a bit downtrodden because what I saw wasn’t the movie I expected to see at all. Looking back over True Grit I began to do what all of the Coen Brother’s movies force me to do. I began to think. In my pondering over the past few days after seeing what was for me the most anticipated movie of the year, I realized yes, True Grit wasn’t the movie I was expecting to see, it was better.

Before delving deep into that conundrum and my review I’d like to state that I’ve never seen the original True Grit nor have I read the original book. I went in completely blind and will review this movie based on the movie it was not how well it followed the book or original John Wayne movie. That being said, True Grit, like almost all Coen Bros. films, was a masterpiece. I just didn’t quite realize it at first.

Now when I said, I went in expecting something different, that obviously begs the question, what did I expect? What I thought True Grit would be, was some kind of guns blazing, dark look into the west. A movie that would kind of mirror the themes of No Country for Old Men, but in the west. A western that might even surpass my favorite western, Unforgiven. What True Grit was, was actually one of the most light-hearted of the Coen Bros. films and on top of that, one of the most light hearted westerns I’ve seen.

Sure there was some gunplay, but for the most part, it was dialogue driven. It was a film that cared not about its action, but its story. We get to know these characters well and join them on their journey of “retribution”. Maybe True Grit isn’t the greatest western or all time and maybe its not the most enjoying, but it is undoubtedly the most real. Its not a western that’s looking to tell of a journey through the west complete with different villains, escapades and epic showdowns. It’s a film that makes you feel as if you’re right there on a horse having a whiskey with good ol’ “Rooster” Cogburn.

It was a film written and directed as well as a movie can get. I can’t expect much else from my favorite filmmakers in existence. Jeff Bridges was downright brilliant in what might just be my favorite role of his. The main character though was newcomer Hailee Steinfeld, there’s nothing profound about her performance that I’m sure you haven’t read anywhere else suffice it to say, from what I was reading, I expected a lot and she blew me away.

Early I stated that it was “better” than what I was expecting it to be. I’d like to jump into that comment a little more. I explained that what I expected was kind of a combination of my favorite western, Unforgiven and my favorite Coen Bros. film, No Country for Old Men. That’s a lot to expect out of a film. No I’m not saying that True Grit is “better” than either of those films. I am merely saying that it’s “better” that True Grit was the movie that it was.

I realized in my pondering that I don’t want True Grit to be No Country for Old Men because if I want to watch No Country for Old Men, I’ll just watch No Country for Old Men and I realized that no western will ever come out that will be better than Unforgiven. Of course better movies might come out, but no other western will because Unforgiven is a brilliant commentary on the entire idea of the west and the western genre. That being said, True Grit isn’t No Country for Old Men and its not Unforgiven, its just True Grit and what True Grit was, was a masterpiece.

Grade: A+

Black Swan Review

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Black Swan isn’t something that you can simply call a movie. It’s an emotionally draining experience on all accounts and in that way it is brilliant. There have been many movies that in the past had pushed the envelope on visual and idealistic levels and no I’m not gonna say that Black Swan did it best or was the most “wacked out”, but I will say that I’ve truthfully never seen a movie that pushes the envelope so beautifully.

Something film critics enjoy saying is “I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen” or “it was impossible to blink”, implying that the images and story at hand were so moving that you didn’t want to miss a thing, that’s exactly the case with the film Black Swan. It tells an original story we’ve never seen before in an intense and visceral way. The exact story that Black Swan was attempting to convey was told and told flawlessly. I can’t ask for anything else from a filmmaker.

Black Swan is the story of Nina Sayers, a ballerina who is chosen to play The Swan Queen in a new rendition of the “classic” ballet Swan Lake. The role takes its toll on Nina and a rivalry emerges between sweet Nina and another reckless ballerina in the troupe. Black Swan isn’t a story that should be told in writing though because the way this story is told on film, even the greatest writer couldn’t give it justice.

Natalie Portman is absolutely breathtaking as the main character that requires a pitch-perfect performance. This is the role that she will be remembered for. Kunis was actually surprisingly good as Portman’s rival. Sure she wasn’t amazing, but she definitely was able to find her own stride. All the performers did their jobs and did them well, but at the end of the day, its truly Portman’s movie. She’s the one who deserves praise and she deserves a lot of it.

Now I’ll say it again, Black Swan tells a story we’ve never seen before and it tells it flawlessly. There are a lot of movies out there that are told flawlessly and its your job to develop an opinion on which stories you get the most enjoyment out of watching. What I’m saying is that Black Swan isn’t for everyone and even though it was flawless, it might not be one of your favorite movies because of the content or it might be the greatest you’ve ever seen. That’s up for you to decide though.

Grade: A

127 Hours Review

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I haven’t seen all of his movies, but I’ve always been a huge Danny Boyle fan. Slumdog Millionaire was his Oscar winning feel-good film, 28 Days Later was undoubtedly the best zombie movie ever (if you consider it a zombie movie) and Trainspotting is one of my favorite movies ever made. With 127 Hours, Danny Boyle releases yet another masterpiece.

Like all Danny Boyle films, everything is there, the music, the characters, the writing, the wit, the fun, but its amplified in every aspect. 127 hours is a full-fledged experience. Rarely was I ever as emotionally engrossed in a film than I was with Aron Ralston’s inspirational story. It was a film that literally needed to be made perfectly for it to work, I’m sure Danny Boyle knew it would be difficult going in, but he took the challenge and succeeded admirably.

The film is based on a took entitled “Between a Rock and a Hard Place”, which tells the unbelievable true tale of outdoors-loving, climber Aron Ralston being stuck in a canyon between the canyon wall and an immovable boulder. What takes place is inspirational, to say the least, and absolutely breathtaking.

Obviously, 127 hours is basically a one man show, so not only do you need great directing to keep the audience interested watching one person for basically an entire movie, but you also need a moving performance and James Franco gave nothing short of that. Hearing at first that the role would be played by Franco I was actually a bit weary. He’s good, but I’ve never seen him in a role of this caliber. He never let up once, he was amazing and now I truly couldn’t see anyone else in the role.

All and all, 127 hours is truly a must-see. I seriously can’t see any reason why someone wouldn’t like it, that’s how good it is. Even if you feel you’ll get queasy during some of the undoubtedly brutal parts, you could just close your eyes or something. Everyone owes it to themselves to experience this masterpiece.

Grade: A+

Saw 3D (and Saw series) Review

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In my review for what is supposed to be the final film in the Saw franchise, I’d like discuss not only Saw 3D, but the series as a whole. Lets first begin with Saw 3D. My biggest complaint regarding this film is its title and use of 3D. First off, I’d like to establish my hatred for the idea of 3D in general. This really isn’t the right place to discuss it, but 3D is unneeded, pointless, it doesn’t make a movie better and it never will so just stop. James Cameron is an awful person who makes terrible movies. Anyways, lets talk Saw.

Okay, go ahead and make your movie 3D, I’ll be a little frustrated, but I’m not gonna complain much. What I will complain about is the way the filmmakers felt it necessary to attach “3D” to the title as if thats what’s going to make me want to watch this movie. Because it makes me happy to have the feeling that I can reach out and touch someone’s severed spleen. I’m being sarcastic if you couldn’t tell. 3D didn’t add anything to this movie. Call it Saw VII because that’s what it is. Now, lets just chat about the actual movie.

Saw 3D was awful. It was absolutely atrocious. It was a movie filled with a corny plot, dreadful dialogue, terrible acting and dull direction. To tell you the truth, going in, I didn’t expect anything else. I knew whole-heartedly going in that what I was about to see was going to be a terrible movie. This statement begs the question: Why did I go see it at all then? Well, before I delve into that question, I’d like to give you my ranking of the Saw series (from least to greatest):

7. Saw II

6. Saw V

5. Saw VI

4. Saw IV

3. Saw III

2. Saw 3D

1. Saw

I feel the same way about Saw 3D that I do about the entire series. Its absolutely awful filmmaking on almost all accounts, but I can’t fight my feelings on the series any longer. I love the Saw movies. The Saw series is our generation’s Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street or Halloween and I consider myself lucky cause, you know what, Saw’s better.

Don’t get me wrong. All those crappy slasher movie series, from Halloween to Scream are a blast, but I get more enjoyment out of the Saw movies. The Saw movies actually take their multiple killings and attempt to put a complex story and meaning behind them, sure it was corny and impossible, but it was a series that was fun to watch. It was interesting to see what would happen next. And I’m not talking about the traps, I’m talking about the plot of the entire seires that came to a great close in Saw 3D. Saw 3D made everthing make sense in a Saw sort of way and brought everything full circle and in that way it was pretty awesome. At the end, it was obviously corny and in no way could ever happen realistically, but that didn’t stop my heart from pounding and my lips from smiling.

So there you go, the Saw series is awful, but I’m not ashamed to say that I love it. I’m finding it very difficult to grade this movie, because even though I love it I can’t hide the fact that it was a terrible movie. So here’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to grade Saw 3D from the stand point of a lover of movies and a critic, but I will say this. The Saw series is essentially the ultimate guilty pleasure for me and that’s by far the best way I can put it.

Grade: D+ (with much love)

The Social Network Review

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The Social Network is a movie I’ve been anticipating since it was announced. I had never read the book, but was always a bit interested in the concept then when I heard that David Fincher was directing the movie, I just couldn’t wait. Everything in my heart told me that The Social Network was going to be a fantastic film. I had no doubts and what I got was nothing less than that. The Social Network was a spectacular film.

David Fincher has been the director of such amazing films as SE7EN, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Zodiac, Fight Club etc. I can honestly say without a doubt in my mind that after Fight Club, The Social Network is the greatest film he’s made. When looking back on his career, Fight Club and The Social Network will be the movies he’s remembered for.

The Social Network is the masterpiece that the world needed. It fully encapsulates the idea of “Next Generation” like no other film has ever been able to. Its a film that doesn’t have action or violence. It doesn’t have a good guy and a bad guy. Its just a story about humans and their nature. A story that was necessary and extremely entertaining because it was told brilliantly.

Movie reviews have been floating around the internet on this movie and being the lover of movies I am, I couldn’t help but take a glimpse over a few of them. It seems that a good majority agrees with each other on this films brilliance, but there are many with complaints. Some have problems with its depiction of Mark Zuckerberg as a villain, while others don’t care for the fact that bits of the story aren’t true.

First off, if I wanted the truth on the matter I’d go out and read a newspaper. If I were that interested, I would find the truth. A movie theater isn’t a classroom, its purpose isn’t to inform us or teach us anything. A film’s purpose is to tell the greatest story that can, while expressing their own ideas and morals. The film wasn’t a documentary and if you’re expecting one, don’t see the movie. A film takes us on adventures that we would’ve other wise not been able to enjoy; such as life as a bug, traveling through middle-earth or in this case, the rise of one of the most notable business empires of our generation.

Also, I never once looked at the character Mark Zuckerberg, that the film established and called him a villain. He was just a person. He did do some bad things, but don’t we all. Mark Zuckerberg wasn’t a hero or a villain. He was just Mark Zuckerberg. And that’s what made the film so beautiful was its breathtaking realism. Overall, The Social Network is just a masterpiece, pure and simple.

Grade: A+