Author: Irwin

The Call

Bill I’s Review – 3.5 out of 5

The Call is a terrific suspenseful thriller starring Hallie Berry as a 911 operator, super-competent, cool under pressure, but wracked with guilt and anxiety when she fails to save a desparate caller, and when she ignores her own advice not to develop an emotional connection with the callers. I won’t give away any of the plot, because the less you know the more you will enjoy it. I was skeptical that this simplistic scenario would hold my interest, but it certainly did, reminiscent of other movies such as Speed, The Taking of Pelham 1-2-3 and Phone Booth, where the protaganist, typicaly an ordinary citizen doing his job, has a limited amount of time to resolve a life threatening situation. Good, time tested formula, well done here. Hallie is excellent in a non-glamourous role

Halle Berry-The-Call-DivaWhispers

Zero Dark Thirty

Bill I’s Review – 4.5 out of 5

Best review of the topic I’ve read is this article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bruce-hoffman/zero-dark-thirty-terrorism_b_2421874.html

It’s a fantastic film, fact based combined with the best film-making from Kathryn Bigelow. The acting is superb, doesn’t ever seem like acting, just seems real. I loved Argo, but comparing the scenes from each film where the protagonists try to work their cars through angry mobs in Pakistan or Iraq, and you will see that Zero Dark Thirty takes it to another level, of realism, of feeling the threat, or what it must have been like. The subject of torture (“enhanced interrogation techniques”) is controversial but to me appears very well portrayed: the US did it, it wasn’t pretty, wasn’t effective in most cases, and damaged our reputation. It wasn’t the key to unlocking where Bin Laden was, and if you pay attention this film shows that. It yielded pieces of information, but it took sleuthing, bribery, technology and persistence to finally track him down. The capture exercise by the Navy Seals is a mini-movie in itself, one of the best, and I assume realistic, I’ve ever seen. The CIA is portrayed as comprised of some heroic, dedicated, career professionals who make it through (or don’t, in some tragic circumstances) the hell that is terror central. The CIA is also shown as home to some career bureaucrats, who are more concerned about their careers, showing some “wins” even if it means taking down low value targets, while not taking undue risks, more than succeeding at getting Bin Laden. But, Spoiler Alert…we got him!!!

Bill C’s Review – 4.5 out of 5

I agree with Bill that this is an exceptional film. It draws us right in with actual, heartbreaking recordings of people in the WTC and responding to the tragedy. The film then does an amazing job of netting out a 10-year search into a well-told 2.5 hour movie.

I think part of the reason I liked this movie so much was that these events are so fresh in my mind. The events of—and since—9/11 had such a real and emotional impact on all of us. I think the strong emotions of the Iranian hostage crisis contributed to my strong feelings about Argo also.

As Bill points out, the search and successful mission was totally dependent on the sacrifice and dedication of many Americans. The film does a great job of showing how success came more from ferreting out the lies from captives and painstaking attention to detail and mundane detective work.  While this sounds boring, as presented in the movie, it is not.

Jessica Chastain and her supporting cast are excellent. She deserves her best actress Oscar nomination. I am surprised that Kathryn Bigelow was not nominated as Best Director. She won the Oscar a few years ago for The Hurt Locker (which I highly recommend).

Unless you will be turned off by the torture and violence, you should definitely see this film.

IMDB

Rotten Tomatoes

 

 

Parental Guidance

Bill I’s Review – 2.5 out of 5

I expected very little from this predictable comedy, but it exceeded my expectations in several places, including an excellent chemistry by Billy Crystal and Bette Midler and the grandparents trying to bond with their grandkids for a long weekend. The kids are unique and of course clash immediately, then one by one they develop that special relationship that can only come with wacky romps in the rain and mud, and some old fashioned parenting advice.

Guilt Trip

Bill I’s Review – 2 out of 5

It pains me to say this, but Seth Rogan is totally uninteresting and fairly lame in this predictable road trip movie, while Barbra Streisand, as Seth’s doting mom, is sympathetic and mildly interesting. There’s some enjoyable moments, and a nice ending, but this is the type of movie you watch when it’s on TV and there’s nothing else on.

Not Fade Away

Bill I’s Review – 2.5 out of 5

A coming of age film set in ’60s New Jersey, heavily reliant upon a rock’n roll backdrop and focused on a young Springsteen wannabe, I expected this film to be influenced by, and reminiscent of, American Graffiti, Almost Famous and The Sopranos (it’s written by David Chase) with a terrific soundtrack (produced by Steven van Zandt from the E Street Band, the producer of the Underground Garage station on SiriusXM, and of course Silvio on The Sopranos). It did not live up to my expectations, although it kept my interest and had some realistic portrayals, led by the under-acting John Magaro as the drummer/singer/lonely loser and by Bella Heathcote as his beautiful muse (here:

who, when she first spoke, made me think she was raised in another country (she is Australian). James Gandolfini, as the boy’s blue collar dad, does his Tony Soprano at home portrayal to perfection (David Chase must love to script scenes where Gandolfini digs into a plate of food while talking). The music didn’t blow me away, and the boy and his buddies actually don’t seem obsessed with doing whatever it takes to be the next Bon Jovi, while they stumble into opportunities, both music-wise and relationship-wise. There’s no deep friendships that you think will be the next Clarence Clemens and Bruce. Maybe Springsteen’s dad was like this, but the main message seems to be that you won’t fade away if you keep at it. There’s a side story about Bella’s offbeat sister that surprisingly dead ends unhappily. So, it’s a decent movie, but didn’t inspire me like Cameron Crowe did in Almost Famous, or even other niche films like Garden State. If you want to see a current film that does this perfectly, go see The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

 

Django Unchained

Bill I’s Review – 4 out of 5

This is a unique film: quintessential Tarantino with gushing blood, provocative speeches from compelling characters, tongue in cheek humor, homages to spaghetti westerns, and incredible scenes of in your face violence, combined with a revenge fantasy cum morality tale that delves into life during slavery that you won’t see portrayed in too many places in film today or ever. I cringed during the bloody scenes of the worst type of brutality, and my first instinct is to reject such tastelessness, but then I think am I seeing scenes that would have never happened, or was this the unpleasant reality that no one likes to think about happened right here in the US? The current movie, Lincoln, is focused on passing legislation that banned slavery, but it never shows the reality that slavery entails. Django Unchained shows it in a way I’ve never seen. We all know that families were broken up by auctions, but have we internalized the implications of how awful that was? We’ve heard that slaves were treated like chattel, worse than dogs, but seeing it depicted here is something again that I have rarely seen in popular culture. We’ve read about the Uncle Toms, the “house” n***s, the “field” n***s, the “master” who treats his surrogate father who effectively brought him up like a, well, a slave. But watch Samuel L. Jackson’s ultimate Uncle Tom, wielding power over the plantation, watch Leo Dicaprio as the plantation master toying with his “mandingo” wrestlers as he goads them to fight to the death, watch the brutal treatment of the slaves who try to run away…just unforgettable scenes and portrayals. Christoph Waltz, who was terrific in Inglorius Basterds as the Nazi Colonel, is superb here as the cold hearted, sly bounty hunter. Jamie Foxx is a revelation as the newly freed slave who partners with the bounty hunter to find then free his wife, from whom he was forcible separated. I don’t know if any Tarantino film can be considered a serious treatise of an issue such as slavery,  but if you want to watch an engrossing story which depicts the brutality of our not-too-distant past, check out this film.

Bill C’s Review – 4 out of 5

Whether or not to see this movie should be a relatively easy decision.  If you like Tarantino movies you should go.  If you don’t you should stay away at all costs.

As Bill says it has all of the elements of a Tarantino film.  In some ways the violence exceeds some of his earlier films.  There is the usual violence for Tarantino – the over the top shoot outs, explosions, etc and then there’s the slavery inspired violence which unfortunately may not be over the top.

The dialogue is good although not quite as good as Pulp Fiction or Reservoir Dogs.

The movies is very entertaining and despite it’s over 2.5 hour length the movie flies by.  Tarantino gets great performances from Foxx, Waltz, DiCaprio, Jackson and others.  There are also a ton of people making cameos or in smaller roles – Don Johnson, Jonah Hill, Bruce Dern, Franco Nero (from the original ‘Django’ movie), Russ (West Side Story!) and Amber Tamblyn, Tarantino (I love his final scene) and others.

While at times this took a serious look at slavery and how slaves were treated it was also very funny.  At times it reminded me of Blazing Saddles with it’s use of the ‘n’ word and with a scene with the KKK that could easily have been in that movie

For those seeing this movie in Austin you should see it at an Alamo Drafthouse and get their in time to see the pre-show.  It has some clips from some of the films that Tarantino is paying homage to and is also entertaining.  But I’m sure it would take a lot longer to go through all the movies he refers to and it would be interesting to know all that he refers to

IMDB

Rotten Tomatoes

 

Lincoln

Bill I’s Review – 4 out of 5

Daniel Day-Lewis (or is it Daniel-Day Lewis?) is a tour-de-force in this Oscar-worthy performance confirming with me he’s one our the top actors in films today. He is Lincoln, and while I was prepared for a slow first hour (thanks to Howard Stern’s assessment) I was never bored. Spielberg directed this with incredible attention to period detail that fascinated, from the way Lincoln traveled around Washington (a driver who carried a rifle was his only protection while his neighbors didn’t give him a second glance), to his office (constituents were given 1 on 1 audience to plead their case, no matter how minor), to the internal political wranglings, reminiscent of today’s situation where a newly re-elected president tries to pass major legislation (in 1865 it was the 13th amendment banning slavery) while the opposing party controls the House of Representatives. Tommie Lee Jones is terrific as the fervent single-issue abolitionist, as is Hal Holbrook as the slick power broker who must be catered to. While keeping the story suspenseful (we know the outcome!) and entertaining, we learn how politicking was done, how Abe conducted his business, how his “crazy” wife (excellent Sallie Field) pushed him to be more relentless in winning his political battle, how the House was more like British Parliament is today with people shouting down and insulting each other. Most importantly, you get a glimpse of how brutal the Civil War was, with the hand-to-hand bayonetting and fighting to the death, and what a battlefield looks like afterwards. It’s hard to believe that Americans fought each other like this only 4-5 generations ago. You see how the southern states wanted to negotiate peace as though they were a sovereign nation, while the North treated them like individual rebels from within the one nation. I recommend this for all audiences.

Bill C’s Review 4 out of 5

Bill has not left me much to say. What makes this movie so worthwhile is Day-Lewis’ performance, the realistic view of what the U.S. was like in the mid-1800s, and how our government worked so long ago.

IMDB

Rotten Tomatoes

 

Flight

Bill I’s Review – 3 out of 5

I would rate Denzel higher, as he is the movie, other than the remarkable flight crash (no spoiler!) scene at the outset. I cringed during this ultra-realistic flight crash, and will try to forget it by the time I take my next flight. This movie is more enjoyable than Leaving Las Vegas where it was just painful to watch Nicholas Cage drink himself to death. Flight has a predictable story arc, where Denzel needs to hit rock bottom as an alcoholic (flight pilot!), but he makes it captivating while the focus is on the post-flight investigation (was he drunk!), and his union rep and lawyer try to help him clear the charges. One side note: is anyone else bothered as I am by Denzel’s tooth situation? He’s always working his mouth, and it’s distracting to me, then the big teeth sometimes seem to get in his way when talking. Denzel will probably get an Oscar nomination, because he takes the ultimate sacrifice of any Hollywood actor trying to show he’s a great actor: he lets loose with a flabby body, and loses any six pack abs he may have chiseled (with trainer, cook and whatever supplements are needed) in prior action films. His character here is conveyed by his body, and expressions as much as his dialogue. Let’s see Tom Cruise match that!

Silver Linings Playbook

Bill I’s Review – 3.5 out of 5

Very well done, thanks to superb casting of Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Deniro. The story is straightforward – manic guy meets cute depressed girl, while his parents try to keep him centered and calm – but it’s elevated by the great chemistry, the captivating Lawrence

amid not terrible sub-plots: dance contest and dad Deniro is rabid Philadelphia Eagles fan who bets the farm. I really enjoyed it, especially the couple of moments where one of the leads gets upset in their own intense way. Not a depressing movie, and in fact, an uplifting message (no spoiler since it’s in the trailer).

Bill C’s Review – 4 out of 5

I also liked this movie.

In addition to good performances by Lawrence, Cooper and De Niro, I also enjoyed Jacki Weaver (Cooper’s mother), John Ortiz (Cooper’s long time friend) and Chris Tucker (Cooper’s friend from the mental institution). This was Tucker’s first screen appearance in 5 years. To drive home the point that lots of people have issues in our hyperactive world, all of the characters in this movie have their own problems to deal with.

As Bill points out, Russell made some interesting plot points as director, but the very end gets pretty formulaic for a romantic comedy. I felt the final little bit of advice from De Niro (also shown in the previews) was unnecessary, but overall I really enjoyed and recommend this movie.

IMDB

Rotten tomatoes

Skyfall

Bill I’s Review – 4 out of 5

Roger Ebert called this a film that reinvigorates Bond, and I totally agree. From the beginning scene it made me smile, with a fresh car/motorcycle chase scene – on top of Istanbul roofs, through the markets, on top of a train! I would think after all these years, and the Bourne movies, that chase scenes could not be new, but Sam Mendes, the director, out does all expectations. Judi Dench has a big role as M, and she knocks it out of the park. Daniel Craig is perfect, starting out as a burnout, and then coming back to save the day. Most Bond movies are known for the distinctiveness and quirks of their villains, and here Javier Bardem comes up with a doozy. I won’t explain what he’s obsessed with, but it’s believable with a cool back story (I have a bone to pick with that, mainly the fact that he’s clearly not English-born, wondering how he could have gained the position he once had). And there’s fresh blood with a young computer geek as Q and Ralph Feinnes as M’s beaurocratic boss, Mallory. The female counterparts are great as well, with Berenice Marlohe as the femme fatale

and Naomie Harris as Bond’s sharpshooting colleague Eve

The story slows down towards the end, before building up to a fiery and in my mind perfect ending.

Bill C’s Review – 2.5 out of 5

I didn’t like Skyfall as much as Bill.   The opening set piece was great.  Delving into Bond’s backstory a little was good.  The Bond girls were good (although they seem to play less of a role than in old Bond movies).  I thought Daniel Craig and Javier  Bardem were good.  Although while I liked Bardem’s acting I thought this was one of the weaker Bond super villains since his goal was not world domination.

I did have problems with parts of the plot and script.    While I happily suspend disbelief (as required for these types of moves) about their ability to survive the action sequences (including riding motorcycles at full speed on roofs, jumping on to a moving train, driving the wrong way at full speed through traffic, not getting hit when automatic weapons are being fired at you, somehow picking out the door the master criminal went through, etc.  I cannot silently sit by when they  imply that MI6 is as  incompetent as this move makes them out to be.  I’ve seen too many Bond movies for that! (See spoiler alert section for one example).

As for the script, at one point  M gave a speech about how the threats the world faces today are different and we need to be vigilant.  Doe anyone not know this?

Ah, I just figured out the other thing that was gnawing at me.  The plot of the old grizzled crimefighter being burned out, shirking his duties and dropping off the grid for a while before coming back  to action seemed like something I had just seen.  Batman!!

Despite the major  bitching and moaning it is still a Bond movie and the action is good so if you’re into this type of movie you should think about going.

SPOILER ALERT ON: Do not read anymore if yo have not seen the movie! Clearly, I’ve been working for IBM too long.  When MI6 recovers the computer of a master computer hacker  who has already hacked the MI6 computers  you would expect them to  treat that computer with extreme care.  Instead I watch in disbelief as  the new young whipper snapper Q  connects it to the MI6 computer network without a care in the world!! With what appears to be multiple ethernet cables!!  I’ll take the experienced old Q any day (if he hadn’t died) over the new  arrogant, know it all one.
SPOILER ALERT OFF.

 IMDB

Rotten Tomatoes