mittens-and-matches Reviews

Brawl in Cell Block 99 (2017)

Overrated...but maybe I'm missing the point

[4/10 · 18 October 2017]

I saw a lot of critics referring to this movie as in the classic grindhouse style. Its a term I'm not really familiar with so I looked it up. Urban dictionary says it refers to a movie that "sacrifices the traditional film-making concepts such as good acting, character development, production values, creative directing and an understandable plot outline in favor for sex, gore, nudity, violence and other shocking themes."

Maybe if I grew up watching a lot of B movies in this style there would be some nostalgic appreciation I would have. However, I didn't, and I typically like movies with good acting, character development, production value, and understandable plot outlines. Sacrificing all that for some sweet action and nudity? Cool. I do enjoy indulging in well made action movies, like the Bourne trilogy, but the action/gore in this one wasn't very exciting for me either. As someone with some experience in martial arts and boxing I found the fight scenes ridiculous. Maybe the fight scenes were intentionally ridiculous but I much prefer realistic fight scenes. Overall, not my cup of tea.

That being said I really enjoyed the opening 10 minutes of the film. The scene when he comes home after work is great.

Life (I) (2017)

Enjoyable genre flick/remake of "Alien"

[5/10 · 22 March 2017]

I went into the pre-screening of "Life" with minimal expectations. Without giving away any spoilers I'll just say that if you have seen the movie "Alien" the plot is not much different. In fact its practically a remake.

That being said "Life" is still enjoyable. The movie balances Sci-Fi, Horror, and Thriller elements throughout. There are definitely a few "gross-out" scenes that could make you a bit squeamish. Also, its a bit of a one note show. After the initial opening scenes the movie turns tense and keeps this note of tension throughout the remainder of the flick.

Being a photographer I really enjoyed the special effects and cinematography. Space movies in general always look great on the big screen and this one does not disappoint.

Also, the acting is generally quite good. Ryan Reynolds provides a bit of comedy and both Jake Gyllenhaal and Rebecca Ferguson turn in nice performances.

Overall, "Life" doesn't break new ground but as entertainment that sticks to the tried and true Hollywood framework it does a pretty good job of keeping you in it's grips.

The Finest Hours (2016)

A very straight forward rescue tale.

[7/10 · 25 May 2016]

You might enjoy watching this movie if you are in the mood for an adventure/rescue movie with some romance set in a 1950's feel era.

This is a very simple movie, you won't find any surprising plot twists, but it does a lot of things right. The acting is good. The cinematography, costumes, and setting are all interesting to look at. I'm always fascinated by stories of rogue waves and the power of the sea. Some of the open water scenes in this movie with massive waves are really exciting and probably the highlight of the movie.

As another reviewer mentioned there are basically three different story lines that the movie bounces back and forth between. The romantic story line is definitely the weakest and the other two do not feel especially interwoven.

Overall, I would recommend it as entertainment but would caution against any expectation of greatness.

The Bourne Legacy (2012)

kinda wish this movie wasn't made

[3/10 · 11 December 2012]

The first three Bourne movies have to be my favorite non-superhero action trilogy. Associating this one with the Bourne name kinda cheapens the franchise for me.

The first 30 mins or so of the movie feels like a we are watching "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego" only its "Where in the World is Jason Bourne". We see traces of him (ie his name etched in wood) but rather then add some sense of mystery or intrigue it only seems to highlight what the movie is lacking...Jason Bourne.

A lot of the same actors are here and I must say its an incredible cast. Edward Norton, Jeremy Renner, Rachel Weisz are new and really I couldn't ask for better additions. Jeremy Renner I loved in The Hurt Locker and Edward Norton is one of my all time favorite actors. However, it doesn't seem that Tony Gilroy, who has written the screenplays for all the Bourne movies but takes his first crack at directing one here, really know how to coax the best performances out of his actors. Especially at the beginning I couldn't help but feel the ever so subtle sense that I was watching actors act. Even the actors that played the same role in the previous titles seemed just a little more 1 dimensional then before. Jeremy Renner is the exception though. His performance is great and pretty much caries the movie.

Overall, the plot felt a bit contrived as though it was created to milk some more money out of the Bourne name. There are some really cool chase scenes and some good action once the movie gets going. If you just want to see action this movie does it really well. Having been in Manila at the time this movie was being filmed there and being offered the chance to be an extra it was pretty cool to recognize several areas.

Prometheus (I) (2012)

shoots itself in the foot

[7/10 · 16 October 2012]

Well, in typical Hollywood fashion, someone throws a lot of money, talent, and brilliance into a movie and then shoots itself in the foot with a crippling bad choice of script--full of unbelievable characters and plot developments.

I don't blame Ridley Scott for his directing, which is great, just for signing on to do the movie with the story the way it is. Similarly the actors all do fine and even in Michael Fassbender's case a great job its just that the majority of time they are stuck uttering lines and performing actions that are not congruent with common sense or common notions of how scientists act and a scientific expedition might unfold. Yeah, if you are 13 and you don't know how a geologist acts in the real world or how a scientific expedition really might operate I forgive you. But whoever wrote this movie is not 13 and damn them. I don't mind suspending belief at certain points but don't tell me the guy who acts like a grunt in the army is the captain of a 3 trillion dollar expedition, the scientist who heads the mission disobeys protocol (protocol being one of the MOST important things to scientists) and removes his helmet in an alien environment just because he feels like it, the geologist and supposed expert map maker is ironically the only one who gets lost and acts like the complete d-bag who hangs out at the local pub all day saying stupid sh*t that makes you think his IQ is that of a high school drop out, and the list goes on.

I actually enjoyed this movie but am just upset that its such a gorgeous eye fest but not the whole package. Funny thing is I wouldn't not recommend it to a friend. Its still a beautiful but flawed movie.

Thor (2011)

kind of a good bad movie

[5/10 · 1 October 2012]

This movie feels like another attempt to capitalize on the super-hero movie craze. After the first 10 minutes of watching it I was sure it was destined to be a 4 out of 10 star movie. The acting was mediocre, the plot and dialog rather uninspired, and the movie definitely seemed to be falling down the Hollywood trap of overly relying on special effects to sell itself as entertainment.

However, then something happened. Humor. (not really spoilers ahead but just a little divulging of why the movie is funny 20 minutes in).

Thor lands on earth and he starts walking around acting like a god without the power of one. This part of the movie is comic genius. Of course it ends and the movie goes back to being a little above mediocre super hero flick but for awhile there it broke my expectations in a good way. In fact, its a shame that other parts of this movie were not done better. With a more inspired script, bad guy, acting, etc...this could have been a fun winner like Iron Man. Maybe not something powerful like the Batman trilogy but at least solid entertainment. Instead it just hints at its potential while keeping you entertained enough that you'll finish the movie.

Detachment (2011)

Overrated

[4/10 · 5 September 2012]

First lets start off with the good:

• Cast: Wow, great cast...Adrian Brody, Christina Hendricks, Bryan Cranston, James Caan, Lucy Liu.

• Acting: I generally like Adrian Brody. He is perfectly cast for this part. Generally there is nothing to complain about regarding any of the acting in the movie. Very well done.

• Dialogue: Good dialogue is important. Especially for a movie like this which is entirely character driven. Adrian gives some nice moving speeches and James Caan has some quite witty humorous lines. Overall, the dialogue is good.

• Vision: The creators of the movie were trying to create a movie that showed the reality of hopelessness in struggling urban school environments. I understand the 'detachment' they are trying to convey and applaud them for trying not to dress it up to much with a Hollywood tale. However, there are some problems with the execution of the vision which leads me to...

The bad:

• Script: If a strong script is important to you: avoid this movie. The story relies on sucking you in to the emotional performances of the characters to create its meaning.

• Poor directing/Tries to hard: Unfortunately, many of the scenes are a little over the top. In its attempt to make us feel we witness scene after scene of extreme behavior. The chance to connect with the subtle emotions of real life drama are lost and we are caught up in a melodrama. The movie tries hard to make you "FEEL" something. Its a little like a sales pitch for sadness. I found myself getting annoyed at certain moments like I was in a live showing of Dave Letterman and the audience 'laugh' sign pops up to tell you what to do only here its this is your cue to "feel this _____ emotion".

Overall, I found myself feeling like Rick Groen of the globe summed this movie up the best saying: "Ultimately, Detachment invites us to feel precisely what it warns against, detached." I enjoy curling up with a tub of ice cream and feeling depressed about life as much as the next person. However, I need my movies to be the whole package if they are going to take me there. Here about halfway through I found myself wanting to skip ahead some scenes because they were boring me. Indeed I felt a little detached.

Want to watch something that deals with similar subject matter yet doesn't overdress it? Watch HBO's series "The Wire" with a 9.5 rating on IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0306414/

Gone Baby Gone (2007)

stop, baby, stop with the _____, baby, _____ summary lines ;)

[7/10 · 15 August 2012]

I enjoyed this movie a lot. Great acting, well crafted dialog, etc, etc... I think where it doesn't hold up as well is in the believability of the end. The thing is that by the time you get to the end you are already emotionally engaged in the characters and events and so the plot twist is easier to swallow. However, when you look at the facts on paper or even just stop to think about the end a little critically the believability falls apart. Police chief risks his career, free life, and everything else to try and save a girl from a bad home situation by adopting her via kidnapping. I wish people's hearts were this big in real life but they aren't (and police chiefs aren't this dumb to think that they can abduct a girl, plaster her face over the news, and their police friends will come over to visit not ask any questions, and they can just enroll the girl in school under a new name without anyone noticing). Of course, it raises an interesting question of 'what the right thing to do' is when you see a child in a bad situation but its not a real world option being chosen so it pretty much disqualifies itself from asking the question in anything other than a utopian fantasy land. Maybe it sounds like I'm hating on this movie. I'm not. I wouldn't change the ending plot twist. It was still fun to watch with it. However, I'm not going to give it 10 stars either I think 8/10 is fair considering it succeeds on many fronts and surpassed my expectations. A 3 or 3.5 star film. Recommended!

Limitless (I) (2011)

If only the screen writers had taken NZT this would have been 10 stars

[7/10 · 22 July 2012]

I one hundred percent agree with peoples critique of the plot holes and shortcomings of this movie. With the right screenplay this could have been a revelation to sci-fi like The Matrix. I can only imagine what this movie would have looked like if Christopher Nolan (director of Inception and Momento) and the guys from Primer had gotten hold of this idea and ran with it.

However, with that being said this movie is still very enjoyable entertainment. The acting is good, the story (despite what it could have been) is clever, witty, and engaging, and the movie is fast paced and never boring. I would recommend it to both people who like mind-bending movies and mainstream audiences alike. It has broad appeal.

Of course in my head I'm already dreaming up what I would have done differently with the script. However, with a movie trying to explore and in the process live up to the 'limitless' potential of the human brain in some ways it sets itself up to fall short of an infinitely high stick of measure.

Vanilla Sky (2001)

Pretty good but fails to live up to the original

[4/10 · 14 July 2012]

Most people are probably not aware that this is a remake of the movie "Abre Los Ojos". Its not inspired by "Abre Los Ojos" it literally is a remake following the plot and original scenes nearly exactly. I am lucky to have read several reviews of Vanilla Sky suggesting to watch the original (which is in Spanish) before Vanilla Sky. I can only agree.

In Vanilla Sky Tom Cruise delivers a nice performance. In fact, his performance (aside from a couple things he does in here that are just bizarre) along with the script are what carry the film. However, Eduardo Noriega, the original actor, delivers a better performance. Penelope Cruz actually plays the same character in both movies. However, she is better in the original for a few reasons. One, she gives a more nuanced performance and comes across better in her native tongue, two, she has better chemistry on screen with Eduardo, and three, her character makes more sense playing opposite the rival girl in the original than opposite Cameron Diaz who is a little too charismatic and beautiful to be playing the role of second best.

The original also never lapses into mediocrity. However, here there are a number of scenes where the acting or some of the secondary characters wanes. The ending in Vanilla Sky also was shot in a way that unfortunately cheapens and takes away some of the impact of the original script (I don't want to say more and spoil it).

In short, I found Vanilla Sky to be an interesting watch especially as I was able to compare it to Abre Los Ojos in every scene. It is understandable that producers would want to bring the story and script of Abre Los Ojos to a more mainstream audience, as it is brilliant, and therefore make Vanilla Sky. However, as often happens with remakes this one lacks the power of the original and I can only really recommend to you to see the original first.

Heat (1995)

a modern classic

[10/10 · 12 July 2012]

Heat is nothing short of a classic.

It has the character development of a drama, the suspense of a thriller, and the firepower of an action movie. It also shows a portrait of the human condition that is rarely found in a Hollywood blockbuster.

Watching Robert De Niro and Al Pacino on screen together is magic. Both men are perfectly cast and give stellar performances.

The action in Heat is awe inspiring. While most action movies think it is necessary to overdo the action in an attempt to wow the audience Heat's ultra-realistic approach to action and violence truly get my heart pounding.

For those that haven't seen it before be warned: it is a long movie. But don't worry you are in for a treat. Sit back and give this piece of art your full attention.

District 9 (2009)

average sci-fi flick

[7/10 · 12 July 2012]

The most noteworthy thing about District 9 is the way in which the movie was filmed. The movie opens up with the feel of a documentary complete with interviews and somewhat shaky in the field footage. This combined with some CGI aliens create a very novel experience. I have never seen another movie that brings together sci-fi content and documentary style and for that I must tip my hat to District 9. Something about the documentary style makes you stop and think for a minute, "Wow, what if Aliens really did land on Earth?"

Now, that aside the unfortunate part about District 9 is it has a very weak and rather uninspired plot. There are no great plot twists. Its actually a pretty conventional story adapted to fit the context of this movie.

If you are a big lover of content and great story lines you may want to skip this one for that reason. However, if the look and feel of a movie is more important to you District 9 may just be your thing. For me I'm a little disappointed that it didn't have both.

Timecrimes (2007)

great time travel movie indeed

[8/10 · 11 July 2012]

The DVD copy of the movie I rented had a different cover than on IMDb which, along with the translated name "Time Crimes", made it look like this was some kind of slasher movie. Terribly misleading as this is a very thoughtfully constructed time-travel movie that plays with your head in a similar way to movies like Inception, Memento, and Primer although it borrows nothing in particular from the style or content these movies. Its quite an original piece.

One of my favorite things about this movie is its attention to detail. The first time I watched it there was a scene were I felt like one of the actors reaction to learning this guy had traveled through time wasn't very believable. It looked like he was acting to be surprised. It wasn't until later I realized that in fact he was pretending to be surprised and so his reaction was completely legitimate.

Another thing I really like about this movie is it starts with a rather bizarre series of events that don't make any sense and gradually over the course of the movie you become aware of how they came to be. After awhile the whole movie becomes fairly complicated and probably introduces just as many questions and it does answers. However, it doesn't leave you feeling unresolved but instead makes you think and wonder about the possibilities.

One of the most surprising things about this movie is that it managers to pull of the time travel thing convincingly while using literally no special effects. I think this actually adds to the believability and realism of the movie. The actors too come across as very unassuming average people who are dealing with extraordinary situations. This along with the meticulously constructed script make for a great sci-fi classic.

Moon (2009)

an excellent indie film

[10/10 · 11 July 2012]

This was one of those movies that I kept thinking about for days after watching it.

Where moon succeeds so spectacularly is in creating an understated but very believable environment which the story grows out of. Its a little slow starting off but in some ways this actually adds to the realism as you can appreciate just how bored this guy must be being up on the moon all by himself.

The cinematography is a real highlight. The filmmakers manage to capture something of the sheer grandeur and awe that being on the final frontier must feel like. There are lots of shots pulled far away and above the action that give the viewer a real sense of wide open space and context. What a treat this movie would be to see at the IMAX and if it had been in 3D.

Sam Rockwell delivers an undeniably excellent performance. He really caries the film. From watching the making of documentary it was his performance that sold Kevin Spacey to get involved in the project and become the voice of Gurty. Kevin Spacey as Gurty is also perfectly cast because Kevin has that always even keeled detached quality to his voice that is perfect for representing an Artificial Intelligence.

Nothing in this movie is in your face. Even the plot twists aren't designed to shock you so much as make you think. Its more of a slow burner that is best watched when you aren't looking for some cheap entertainment and have the time and patience to discover this guys world. Obviously since I gave it 10 stars I think its worth it.

Oldboy (2003)

brilliant!

[10/10 · 11 July 2012]

Please don't watch this movie with the English over-dubbed. It ruins the acting of the original actors.

That said this movie is a masterpiece. I was looking for movies like Momento, The Usual Suspects, Inception, Primer, etc that had interesting plot twists and premises and this happened to be on a list. I didn't much care for the description on the back of the movie but Ebert giving it 4 stars convinced me to watch it.

The acting, especially by the main character, is astoundingly good. Thankfully the script is equally intriguing and, as the pieces start to fall into place, yields some "ah-ha" moments to the baffling premise.

This movie warrants re-watching. Some of the subject matter is a little more extreme then normally what Hollywood would allow (though not in terms of gore). Its definitely not a good date movie. I would recommend watching it when you are alone or with friends and in an open-minded and patient frame of mind willing to put a little effort into the viewing experience. If you are just looking for some quick entertainment, laughs, or something you don't have to pay complete attention to save this for later. There is actually quite a bit of funny stuff in here but is very much dark comedy material.

The Hunger Games (2012)

going to keep this short and sweet

[6/10 · 10 July 2012]

The movie reminds me of the Running Man with Arnold Schwarzenegger from the 80s or 90s only this time staring teenagers. Having not read the book I can only say that the movie sets up its premise in a matter that is not quite believable. Unfortunately by the end I found that I was not much more attached to the characters than I was at the beginning.

Bottom line: the acting is decent, the story somewhat predictable, the concept fairly novel to the mainstream audience (which seems to account for its success), and the movie is aimed at a teenage audience (who I believe would enjoy this more then me at my ripe old age of 28).

I'm pretty surprised the movie was rated so highly by both critics and people here on IMDb.

The Man from Earth (2007)

Lots of hype on IMDb but bad acting

[1/10 · 4 May 2012]

Well, I figured it had to be good with a 8 point rating on IMDb, as well as winning San Diego's Comic Con film festival and best screen play in Rhode Island Int'l film fest. I love thoughtful, deep, well crafted and scripted movies.

So I plugged it in and I'm sorry to say but the reviews of this movie have to be rigged. The acting in this movie is beyond terrible. Go watch the trailer on youtube and decide for yourself if it looks appealing. The trailer acting is actually 10 times better than the acting in the movie itself.

On a positive note the concept of the movie is actually somewhat intriguing. Unfortunately, the plot feel very contrived.

If you ended up on this page because you are a sci-fi fan like me and were looking for good sci-fi movies to enjoy my advice would be do a little more research on the film before committing to watching it.

Jacob's Ladder (I) (1990)

has not aged well...

[21 April 2012]

Well my review will probably be hated on by die hard Jacob's Ladder fans. So let me spare you guys the need to click unhelpful on my review by telling you just don't read it and skip ahead to someone else's (you can even click helpful because I warned you not to read it ;-).

Now that thats out of the way here are my two cents. I rented this movie because I like movies that play with your mind, make you guess about reality, and you have to "put together". If you look at most of the critical reviews on here most of them say something like "this movie is confusing" or "I can't understand it". I like movies that are difficult and in terms of the premise I have no problem with this one. For me I found both the acting and dialog to be less than exciting. Most of the rave reviews on here say that the main actors performance was great. I don't know if its that I'm watching this in 2012 and so much has changed but I just don't see it. Neither is terrible but the dialog is not sharp or witty just passable and the acting doesn't draw me in and at worst its not completely believable as in one scene where his girlfriend throws away and burns some of his childhood and past photos because he tears up a little over a shot of his dead son and she says in justification of her actions, "I don't like things that make you cry". Who does that? Whose girlfriend acts like that?

Anyway, there are lots of other heady twisted movies out there that have come out in the last 20 years that not only play with your mind but in my opinion have stellar acting and supporting dialog. If you are looking to watch this movie my advice is to go in without any expectations. I had high expectations after reading some reviews on here and I was disappointed. However, this may just be your cup of tea. If not let me take this time to recommend an awesome indie sci-fi film in this same rubber reality genre that I just saw. It is "Moon" starring Sam Rockwell, has superb acting, effects, and story. In my opinion while Jacobs Ladder may have helped spearhead this genre movies like Moon have made it somewhat obsolete.

Inception (2010)

Brilliant

[10/10 · 16 April 2012]

Oddly enough the first time I saw inception was at the IMAX and I thought it was pretty good but not necessarily Nolan's best work. Then several months ago I watched it on my laptop and realized it was a brilliant and his best work to date. The movie works on many levels psychologically, philosophically, and though I agree with one reviewer that emotionally there may not be enough character development to leave you feeling a strong emotional connection to the characters at the end I think that can be forgiven based on 'what else' the movie leaves you with. Not all movies are designed to evoke the same response and this one accomplishes its intent beautifully. A work of art.