Category Archives: Movie Reviews

W. Review

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W. is a fantastic movie about the life and times of our infamous 43rd president, George W. Bush. The movie was actually much better than I thought it would be. I thought it would be a very liberal movie that just makes fun of Bush the whole time, but it really wasn’t. It actually told the whole story and allows you to decide for yourself whether or not Bush was a good president. Just like JFK allows us to look at the facts and decide for ourselves whether or not Kennedy was killed by just Oswald or multiple people. The movie kept your attention throughout with a few jokes thrown in.

That was the thing, jokes were just thrown in at times throughout this actual serious movie. I thought was just going to be a comedy, but it was more of a serious drama with a lot of comedic relief and I loved it. The movie had classic Oliver Stone direction, which is amazing at all times. The way he directs, he can turn the littlest thing into something exciting. The acting was fantastic by all especially Josh Brolin and Richard Dreyfuss, they were perfect for their parts, Brolin really made me think he was Bush at times and Dreyfuss was just hilarious throughout.

If your a fan of Oliver Stone you should see this movie. Its a funny drama that keeps you interested because it actually pertains to your life after the movie. It’s not a movie that’s hysterically laugh out loud funny that you thought it might be from the trailers, but it does have a lot of funny moments. What it is, is a drama that makes you think throughout and laugh at random times during. Don’t miss the chance to see this movie just because you actually like Bush. It’s not trying to change your mind, it’s just telling a story.

Grade: A

Body of Lies Review

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While watching Body of Lies, there will be a point where you will think to yourself, wow, this is a great movie. For me that point was car/helicopter chase about 20 minutes in. I agreed with that thought the second the movie ended. When watching Body of Lies, you realize that what your watching is an intricately plotted drama with a lot of entertaining action thrown into the mix. Body of Lies was a fictional story about two CIA agents attempting to end a rising terrorist group.

Roger Ferris (Dicaprio) is a rising member who knows the score, hates all the deception, but at the same time knows he has to accept it. Ed Hoffman (Crowe) is a senior member whose so full of himself that he thinks he can play god and toy with the lives of others, and sometimes does, but only “for the good of the country”. Don’t get me wrong though, Hoffman isn’t the villain of the film, he’s just a good man he sometimes does bad things. Everyone in the film is on the top of their game especially Crowe, who plays a very different character, as he plays a fat arrogant prick who you can’t stand at times.

Body of Lies is a very realistic and intelligent movie that deals with topics that are political, technological, and most of all deceptive. Body of Lies sort of reminds me of a Global version of the movie The Departed. I’m not saying this movie was as good as The Departed by any means, but what I am saying is that it’s no that far from it.

Grade: A

Appaloosa Review

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Appaloosa was a great western that makes you remember classic westerns like Unforgiven. It was a film that was simple, yet deep and all around a very entertaining western. I don’t know if the western genre should be brought back, but I do enjoy seeing a few really good westerns come out nowadays, such as The Assassination of Jesse James last year. The movie followed all the rules of any classic western, which at times meant there were no rules. The film did extremely well at bringing you to that period, while being brutul and ruthless at times, but with comic relief thrown in all around you. It’s a simple story about two best friends (Ed Harris and Viggo Mortenson) who are paid by towns to bring about their own brand of justice. The town where the story takes place is called Appaloosa and an outlaw by the name of Bragg (Jeremy Irons) needs to be taught a lesson. Are the two up to the challenge or will a love interest (Renee Zellwagger) for Harris’ character stand in the way.

Appaloosa simply and subtly tells a story of friendship, love, rivalry, and the brutality of the west. Viggo and Ed share such chemistry with each other each in a perfect part, Ed Harris plays Virgil Cole a subtle, yet tough marshall who answers to no one, and Mortenson as Everett Hitch, a loyal and caring friend whose trigger finger is just as uncanny as Cole’s. Jeremy Irons shines as a brutal murderer of Appaloosa. The movie actually opens with Irons shooting and killing three men, and doesn’t stop building tension until the unexpected resolution. If you’ve ever liked a western, you’ll like this one. 

Grade: B+

Choke Review

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This was one of the biggest disappointments I’ve had to face in film history. It wasn’t even that the movie was that bad, it was decently good, it’s just that the book was ten times better. Choke is actually by far my favorite piece of literature, while Chuck Palahniuk is by far my favorite author. The movie wasn’t nearly as good as the book and I wasn’t really expecting it to be, but it really just didn’t even come close. I had to drive a half an hour to get to a theater that was playing this movie because I was so excited, it wasn’t worth it. The movie did have two funny parts that the book didn’t have, but those parts didn’t make up for the rest. The two best gimmicks of the book weren’t in the movie and I’m talking of course about the, see also’s and the (random word) isn’t the right word, but it’s the first word that comes to mind. My favorite chapter about the origins of his sexual addiction was completely botched. The thing that bothered me most was that the ending was completely different from the books and I loved the books ending. The movies ending just comes out and tells you what the point of the movie was, while the book allows you to think and figure it out yourself through imagery and symbolism. One ray of sunshine on this cloudy day of a movie was the main character. I was skeptic as to who could pull this, anti-christ, as some might call him, off and Sam Rockwell did it perfectly. He was a lot fun to watch and I might wan to watch the movie again just to watch his performance, he was born for the role. Overall the movie just felt very independent and amatuer especially during the flashback scenes with his mom. It was fun, funny and entertaining, but the book was just so much better. Trust me, If you’re interested at all in this movie, go out and buy a copy of the book. It’s a fast and incredible read. You’ll want o immediatly read it again afterwards.

Grade: C+

Burn After Reading Review

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This is a hilariously smart movie about intertwining stupidity. Not many comedies get better than this. What you have here is a comedic complex crime story with many different characters (played expertly by every actor) that leads to hilarious conclusions. What I like about Burn After Reading is there really isn’t a main character, there’s just a lot of different, yet equally fun characters reacting to the events and characters around them. The acting was top-notch and fun, especially by John Malkovich and Brad Pitt, I smiled with each of their lines. Burn After Reading wasn’t epic, and it didn’t have much point or reason, but it was incredibly entertaining and worth every penny. Burn After Reading wasn’t No Country for Old Men and it didn’t amount to much in the end, but that’s one of the key points I received from this film. A movie doesn’t have to amount to much to have a good story, and Burn After Reading does hilariously tell a great story.

Grade: B+

Righteous Kill Review

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When I walked into Righteous Kill I was expecting two things. Entertaining acting jobs by Al Pacino and Robert De Niro and a decently good crime thriller. Well, I got the first one, but I can’t say the same for the second one. I’ve always liked Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, who hasn’t, but unlike most, I’ve always liked Al Pacino better than De Niro, probably always will. Same goes for this movie, I honestly think that Pacino is a better actor. It was entertaining to watch them work together, but they didn’t save the movie. I’ll say this, any other actors and this movie would’ve been absolutely terrible. 

So anyways, I went in expecting a crime thriller, but instead got a predictable attempt at something with a confusing plot, and terribly amateur and annoying editing that had no place in this movie. I went in expecting Departed and got an attempt to put a pair of masterful actors into the new teen rap and club scene. Instead of making the movie realistic and grisly they tried to make it a more mature teen movie. My biggest problem with the film was the fact that they tried to force what they thought would be a surprise ending on you, but any moron could pick up on it with the first 10 minutes and it just wasn’t clever at all. This is a dumb movie with brilliant actors and I hope they can work together again so they can redeem themselves from this mess of a film.

Grade: C