I apologize, my followers. I am having a difficult job right now balancing my movie-watching, school, work, family, my social life, and my blog. I have been watching plenty of movies over the past few weeks or month (however long it has been). I will try and update it once a week again. I hope to see more movies in theatres for the rest of the year. I plan to see Unstoppable, next Harry Potter 7 (you will get brief reviews for the past 6, but not too long), Narnia 3, Tron: Legacy, and True Grit. I also hope to watch The Tourist and The King's Speech during this time, but I don't know. If you have not seen the trailers for these movies, I highly recommend you go to YouTube and watch them. I also have a few movies that are on DVD that I will post. I still havent done my Zombieland or Resident evil reviews. I also will do a review on Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2, Fight Club, The Early Years of Matt Damon (Rounders, Talented Mr Ripley, Legend of Bagger Vance, and Good Will Hunting), No Country For Old Men, Seven Years in Tibet, and Ridley Scott- The Best of the 80s, 90s, and 00s.
So I humbly ask for you pardon and if you will be so kind, spread the word about my movie blog if you enjoy my insights. And I plan to do better for the next few weeks.
Yours truly,
RJ Engle
Saturday, November 20, 2010
The Next Three Days: 3 stars
Do not let the marketing fool you: The Next Three Days is not an action film. It is more of a suspense movie with romantic and action interludes. Paul Haggis, the director of this movie, does a better job than most directors do nowadays with mixing the tear-jerking parts with the heart-racing parts with the suspense. Where the movie lacks, Crowe and Banks make up for.
This film has to start off slow. It hits the viewers with a big scene and then leaves us wanting more. We do not get much more in the terms of vengeful, prison-breaking moments until the end. The whole film is about this man willing to do anything for the woman he loves. Russell Crowe was perfect in this role, but the movie wasn’t perfect for Crowe. The long drawn out scenes were only bearable because of these two actors and no other reason.
Other problems for The Next Three Days were the other two, so called, “main” actors. Liam Neeson and Olivia Wilde, both usually good (and are in this), but their screen time is so limited that the viewer leaves feeling used. I thought, “Cool! Russell Crowe and Liam Neeson and Olivia Wilde in an action film! I’m in!” But it is wrong on both accounts. With barely five minutes of screen time, I do not even understand why they bothered with this film.
Do not get me wrong, I am stating the bad things about this film, but there is still plenty of heart in this movie and many moments to look forward to at the last thirty minutes of the movies. I think a more appropriate title for the movie would be The Next Thirty Minutes. The movie is also shot very well, complimenting the story telling and the performances. I say see it if you are a Russell Crowe fan, or just wait for it to come on DVD.
This film has to start off slow. It hits the viewers with a big scene and then leaves us wanting more. We do not get much more in the terms of vengeful, prison-breaking moments until the end. The whole film is about this man willing to do anything for the woman he loves. Russell Crowe was perfect in this role, but the movie wasn’t perfect for Crowe. The long drawn out scenes were only bearable because of these two actors and no other reason.
Other problems for The Next Three Days were the other two, so called, “main” actors. Liam Neeson and Olivia Wilde, both usually good (and are in this), but their screen time is so limited that the viewer leaves feeling used. I thought, “Cool! Russell Crowe and Liam Neeson and Olivia Wilde in an action film! I’m in!” But it is wrong on both accounts. With barely five minutes of screen time, I do not even understand why they bothered with this film.
Do not get me wrong, I am stating the bad things about this film, but there is still plenty of heart in this movie and many moments to look forward to at the last thirty minutes of the movies. I think a more appropriate title for the movie would be The Next Thirty Minutes. The movie is also shot very well, complimenting the story telling and the performances. I say see it if you are a Russell Crowe fan, or just wait for it to come on DVD.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Kenneth Branagh: What Can't This Man Do?
Kenneth Branagh is one of those classic, old school directors. He makes a movie not for the sake of money, but for the sake of making a great movie. And he has never once gone out of his way to receive recognition for his work. He even declined the OBE (Officer of the British Empire, or being knighted). In everything that he has done, he has done an amazing job with many of his films, but, like all directors and actors, there are some bad ones.
As an actor, he has captivated my mind for many years. I was first introduced to him in my 9th grade stagecraft class with Henry V. Although we did not watch the full length film, we did watch a clip and saw what he could do with his movies. Then the next semester came along and I watched Much Ado About Nothing in my drama class. There I witnessed the full majesty of Mr. Branagh’s acting ability. Ever since then, I have continued to try and watch his other films. However, the majority of his greatest performances are ones where he did not direct the movie. Recently, a movie called Pirate Radio was released with an outstanding cast, but the movie itself was horrible. I could not watch the full movie because it was too sexually explicit, but I did get a chance to see Branagh’s scenes which are some of the most appropriate and best. He was, pardon the expression, laugh-out-loud funny. I couldn’t stay in my seat. Then there is Wild, Wild West, the 1999 action flick starring Kevin Kline and Will Smith. Again, nowhere near a good movie, but Branagh was so good. Other performances that he has done that he did not also direct was the 2001 and 2009 British mini-series called Conspiracy and Wallander, Othello, and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
And as a director, he has done some amazing movie. He continues to use several close friends of his in movies throughout the ‘90s. His wife Emma Thompson, friends Imelda Staunton, Richard Briers, Phyllida Law, Robin Williams, and Ian Holm have all been in multiple films of his. He also uses Patrick Doyle, one of his closest friends from college, as his composer. Patrick Doyle always composes beautiful or haunting music for every one of his films. Tim Harvey has been his production (or set) designer for ever film except for his latest, Thor. There are some problems, however, with a few of his movies. Peter’s Friends was not as good as it should be, with such a stellar cast as it does (Branagh, Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry, Imelda Staunton, and Emma Thompson) but the script made it very sexually explicit which it didn’t need to be. But some of his greatest directing films have been recent. As You Like It, with Kevin Kline, Alfred Molina, and Bryce Dallas Howard, was one of his best Shakespeare adaptations. Sleuth (Michael Caine and Jude Law) was a brilliant game of cat-and-mouse with only two roles, Caine and Law. However, like Pirate Radio and Peter’s Friends, it gets a little too risqué. This isn’t to say his earlier works are bad, they are not. His adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein was the closest representation of the book (but still no cigar). It did have some great performances by Helena Bonham Carter and Robert De Niro. And his Henry V, Hamlet, and Much Ado About Nothing were all excellent, but also had problems as well.
The see it: Frankenstein, Hamlet, Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like, Wallander, Conspiracy, and Henry V.
The don’t see it: Pirate Radio, Peter’s Friends, Sleuth, Wild, Wild West, and Othello.
Next time: Zombie time, with the Resident Evil series and Zombieland
As an actor, he has captivated my mind for many years. I was first introduced to him in my 9th grade stagecraft class with Henry V. Although we did not watch the full length film, we did watch a clip and saw what he could do with his movies. Then the next semester came along and I watched Much Ado About Nothing in my drama class. There I witnessed the full majesty of Mr. Branagh’s acting ability. Ever since then, I have continued to try and watch his other films. However, the majority of his greatest performances are ones where he did not direct the movie. Recently, a movie called Pirate Radio was released with an outstanding cast, but the movie itself was horrible. I could not watch the full movie because it was too sexually explicit, but I did get a chance to see Branagh’s scenes which are some of the most appropriate and best. He was, pardon the expression, laugh-out-loud funny. I couldn’t stay in my seat. Then there is Wild, Wild West, the 1999 action flick starring Kevin Kline and Will Smith. Again, nowhere near a good movie, but Branagh was so good. Other performances that he has done that he did not also direct was the 2001 and 2009 British mini-series called Conspiracy and Wallander, Othello, and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
And as a director, he has done some amazing movie. He continues to use several close friends of his in movies throughout the ‘90s. His wife Emma Thompson, friends Imelda Staunton, Richard Briers, Phyllida Law, Robin Williams, and Ian Holm have all been in multiple films of his. He also uses Patrick Doyle, one of his closest friends from college, as his composer. Patrick Doyle always composes beautiful or haunting music for every one of his films. Tim Harvey has been his production (or set) designer for ever film except for his latest, Thor. There are some problems, however, with a few of his movies. Peter’s Friends was not as good as it should be, with such a stellar cast as it does (Branagh, Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry, Imelda Staunton, and Emma Thompson) but the script made it very sexually explicit which it didn’t need to be. But some of his greatest directing films have been recent. As You Like It, with Kevin Kline, Alfred Molina, and Bryce Dallas Howard, was one of his best Shakespeare adaptations. Sleuth (Michael Caine and Jude Law) was a brilliant game of cat-and-mouse with only two roles, Caine and Law. However, like Pirate Radio and Peter’s Friends, it gets a little too risqué. This isn’t to say his earlier works are bad, they are not. His adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein was the closest representation of the book (but still no cigar). It did have some great performances by Helena Bonham Carter and Robert De Niro. And his Henry V, Hamlet, and Much Ado About Nothing were all excellent, but also had problems as well.
The see it: Frankenstein, Hamlet, Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like, Wallander, Conspiracy, and Henry V.
The don’t see it: Pirate Radio, Peter’s Friends, Sleuth, Wild, Wild West, and Othello.
Next time: Zombie time, with the Resident Evil series and Zombieland
A Night on The Town was Not That Great: 2 stars
Ben Affleck gives us another movie to look down on. With only one good movie under his belt, Gone Baby Gone, I was hoping that The Town would be another, but sadly it wasn’t meant to be.
The problems with The Town are mostly with the acting and the screenplay. Mr. Affleck himself co-wrote the screenplay and directed this film, so the problems are laid down onto his shoulders. Critics have been giving The Town great reviews, but here is one reviewer who will not fall to Ben’s feet.
Blake Lively was one of the worst things about this movie. I stand by the opinion that she is one of the worst actresses I have seen, dead or alive. Jessica Alba or Biel could have pulled off this role better than she did. She looked and sounded more like an Italian gangster than a Boston slut (pardon the word choice, although she act that last part a little too much). A fake Boston accent and throwing your hands randomly in the air does not make you a good actress. And then there is Mad Men actor Jon Hamm who plays a cut and dry FBI agent with no background and no point other than to be there. Jeremy Renner is nowhere near as good as he was in The Hurt Locker. His fake accent hurt my ears and completely incomprehensible whenever he was on screen. And Ben Affleck was just being Ben Affleck.
The only two good actors, Rebecca hall and Chris Cooper, could not hold up the movie on their own. Chris Cooper was underused and Rebecca Hall was the only sign of light whenever Affleck was on screen.
The technical aspect wasn’t any better. The cinematography of a film is supposed to help build on the emotion of the actor’s performances and maybe add more. That’s what a talented director of photography would do. For this movie, they just pointed the camera straight at the actors and expected us to be moved by their own performances. The music is also there to help build the mood and give us as an audience more emotion. Harry Gregson-Williams, Hans Zimmer’s most adept protégé, did not do that great of a job with this film. It was a mellowed down score for a mellowed down movie. And when the action sequences came, it was a convoluted mesh of strings and electronic sounds. And the script, as I said, was horrible. There were so many stalk characters. The only interesting character was Ben Affleck’s and Rebecca Hall’s. However, Ben’s character is very contracting: he wants to move on with his life and wants to change, and yet he keeps partying with the boys and sleeps around with all of these girls (we actually see one of the nights). It just seems off to me that if you want to become a moral man and get rid of this life, you would just get out immediately and not just keep having sex and getting hammered.
The cold cut case is just to avoid this movie. Don’t see it. Whatever you pay for it won’t be worth it.
The problems with The Town are mostly with the acting and the screenplay. Mr. Affleck himself co-wrote the screenplay and directed this film, so the problems are laid down onto his shoulders. Critics have been giving The Town great reviews, but here is one reviewer who will not fall to Ben’s feet.
Blake Lively was one of the worst things about this movie. I stand by the opinion that she is one of the worst actresses I have seen, dead or alive. Jessica Alba or Biel could have pulled off this role better than she did. She looked and sounded more like an Italian gangster than a Boston slut (pardon the word choice, although she act that last part a little too much). A fake Boston accent and throwing your hands randomly in the air does not make you a good actress. And then there is Mad Men actor Jon Hamm who plays a cut and dry FBI agent with no background and no point other than to be there. Jeremy Renner is nowhere near as good as he was in The Hurt Locker. His fake accent hurt my ears and completely incomprehensible whenever he was on screen. And Ben Affleck was just being Ben Affleck.
The only two good actors, Rebecca hall and Chris Cooper, could not hold up the movie on their own. Chris Cooper was underused and Rebecca Hall was the only sign of light whenever Affleck was on screen.
The technical aspect wasn’t any better. The cinematography of a film is supposed to help build on the emotion of the actor’s performances and maybe add more. That’s what a talented director of photography would do. For this movie, they just pointed the camera straight at the actors and expected us to be moved by their own performances. The music is also there to help build the mood and give us as an audience more emotion. Harry Gregson-Williams, Hans Zimmer’s most adept protégé, did not do that great of a job with this film. It was a mellowed down score for a mellowed down movie. And when the action sequences came, it was a convoluted mesh of strings and electronic sounds. And the script, as I said, was horrible. There were so many stalk characters. The only interesting character was Ben Affleck’s and Rebecca Hall’s. However, Ben’s character is very contracting: he wants to move on with his life and wants to change, and yet he keeps partying with the boys and sleeps around with all of these girls (we actually see one of the nights). It just seems off to me that if you want to become a moral man and get rid of this life, you would just get out immediately and not just keep having sex and getting hammered.
The cold cut case is just to avoid this movie. Don’t see it. Whatever you pay for it won’t be worth it.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
The Expendables
It has been a little while since I have done a full movie review. I hope to get back on track.
Sylvester Stallone is not the greatest actor nor director. In fact no one in this movie are good actors. But this movie still made me happy.
Like The A-Team, The Expendables was a blow 'em up movie without much plot and a lot of predictability. But the action was so great and the fighting sequences were so well rehearsed and thought out, that it really didn't matter. Many of the stunts were superb, especially one that involves Stallone and his knife and a person's head. Another great few moments in the fighting were when Jason Statham would chuck his throwing knives into someone's face or heart.
Again, as I said before, there is not much in the way of story, but there is a lot in the way of stunts. if you like these kind of movies, I would say this is a must see. If you don't, then I would say avoid it.
Next time I will be reviewing The Town, The Resident evil movies, and the start of my actor and director profiles.
Sylvester Stallone is not the greatest actor nor director. In fact no one in this movie are good actors. But this movie still made me happy.
Like The A-Team, The Expendables was a blow 'em up movie without much plot and a lot of predictability. But the action was so great and the fighting sequences were so well rehearsed and thought out, that it really didn't matter. Many of the stunts were superb, especially one that involves Stallone and his knife and a person's head. Another great few moments in the fighting were when Jason Statham would chuck his throwing knives into someone's face or heart.
Again, as I said before, there is not much in the way of story, but there is a lot in the way of stunts. if you like these kind of movies, I would say this is a must see. If you don't, then I would say avoid it.
Next time I will be reviewing The Town, The Resident evil movies, and the start of my actor and director profiles.
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