I watch movies every week and then write down my thoughts. Read my previous reviews!
My rating is simple, Watch It, It Depends, Skip it.
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| Creed - One of the better boxing movies. |
Written by: Ryan Coogler & Aaron Covington (screenplay); Ryan Coogler (story); Sylvester Stallone (characters)
Directed by: Ryan Coogler
Starring: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson
Rated:PG-13
Plot:
Adonis Johnson, son of Apollo Creed asks Rocky Balboa to train him.
Review:
This movie is part homage to the original Rocky and part good movie. The directing is excellent. The movie looks good and the writing provides some really good moments between characters.
Adonis lives in his father's shadow. He wants to create his own legacy, but using the Creed name is the stepping stone. If he takes on the Creed name, he is afraid of failing. The reigning boxing champion is hoping for an easy payday in fight due to the publicity, but demands Johnson use the Creed name to promote the fight.
The movie does a good job of making Rocky and Apollo Creed feel like real fighters that were in the world. Those names carry weight. People that see Rocky Balboa are starstruck. Stallone does a good job, battling health issues of his own and dealing with old age. The original Rocky came out nearly forty years ago.
Tessa Thompson is Johnson's girlfriend, a musician suffering from progressive hearing loss. She's resolved to do what she loves for as long as she can. Thompson did a great job, but I hoped for something more to resolve her story. She was promptly shelved in the last half. Compared to Adrian in the original Rocky, she has a lot more depth and is more likable.
The movie makes boxing fun and exciting, something that recent boxing movies haven't done. The most notable fight may be the one midway in what appears to be a single take.
The movie teases the Rocky theme song and we finally get to hear a clip towards the end. It's a great moment, though I would have wished for more of the song.
Verdict:
Creed takes many cues from Rocky, but manages to stand alone. It's less about the underdog for whom we want to root and more chasing your dreams and doing what makes you happy. Adonis quits his desk job to pursue boxing. Bianca is going to make music as long as she can before she loses her hearing, this is contrasted with Rocky who is battling illness in his twilight years. Nothing lasts forever. Even Apollo Creed fell.
This is a better film that anything else in theaters right now. It's definitely worth seeing.
It depends.
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| Chungking Express - Understated and unique. |
Chungking Express (1994)
Written by: Kar Wai Wong
Directed by: Kar Wai Wong
Starring: Brigitte Lin, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Tony Chiu Wai Leung
Rated:PG-13
Plot:
The movie is comprised of two stories, the first a man that falls for a drug smuggler while still heartbroken over his former girlfriend, the second, an oblivious cop regularly visits a diner where an employee has a crush on him.
Review:
This is a difficult movie to track down. It's nowhere on Netflix or any streaming site. It's also one of Quentin Tarantino's favorite films. The story is incredibly unique, as is the style. Not many movies tell a story like this, and even fewer can pull it off.
A heartbroken guy who is buying a tin of pineapple every day as he gets over a girl falls for a drug smuggler. He manages to get her back to his room, but she sleeps while he watches television. The characters, story, and style are all just different, though the music is annoying, probably (hopefully) less so in ninety-four. Each image and the composition of each frame looks really good. The separate stories have parallels, a lonely guy getting over a breakup and a lonely girl longing for a guy that just broke up with a girl. The second story is more odd than the first. The girl breaks into the guys apartment, and slowly changes and cleans it up. I don't know how he doesn't notice, but it's a weird movie like that and it works. It's artistic, and I don't mean that negatively. It's a neat movie, but not mainstream enough for the majority of viewers. It's one of those movies that film lovers would enjoy, others wont.
Verdict:
I really like this movie. It has a charm, a quirkiness that you never see in a movie. It's funny, this movie has been in my thoughts since I've watched it. I really want to watch it again. It's got great characters, great style, and good writing. After first seeing it, I thought it was competent, but my praise of the film has grown as I kept thinking about it after my first viewing.
Watch it.
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| Chef - Hunger inducing. |
Chef (2014)
Watch Chef
Written by: Jon Favreau
Directed by: Jon Favreau
Starring: Jon Favreau, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Bobby Cannavale, John Leguizamo
Rated: R
Plot:
A top rated chef is demolished by a food critic, quits his job, opens a food truck and re-prioritizes his life.
Review:
Chef is an enjoyable movie with a strong performance by Jon Favreau. It also makes me incredibly hungry. It has a good sense of direction and builds upon moments between characters. Favreau changes from a work obsessed, neglectful father to a parent that cares, that wants to build a relationship with his son and not just a business. The movie would fall into the family movie category if it wasn't for the language throughout.
The movie was scattered until the critic visit happened. We were introduced to a lot of characters that were gone from the second half of the movie. It took even longer to get to the food truck portion of the movie. That's not a big reveal, we know he'll either quit or get fired. he story is how Favreau's character changes. He becomes a better father and a better person. The movie establishes the character of the chef well from the start. We quickly realize his priorities. Being a chef is critical, and while he loves his kid, Favreau doesn't listen to him.
Favreau starts over in life with the food truck. This slows down the film and we see him interact with his son.
The use of technology in the plot and the jokes was funny, but I imagine it will date this movie in just a few years. It's amazing that Twitter has transformed how we tell stories.
The writing in this film is solid. Leguizamo rejoining Favreau was a good scene. It is worth mentioning that Favreau wrote himself into a movie where his romantic interests are Scarlett Johansson and Sophia Vergara.
The ending was incredibly quick. I liked the turn with the food critic coming back into the picture, but his life reverts back to what it was before, just better. I don't think that's enough of a difference. It ties the movie up too well. Why not keep the food truck? Why get back with his ex-wife? The movie goes from second act to end of the third act in just a few minutes. It was incredibly rushed.
Verdict:
Chef is enjoyable with great performances and a great cast. Warning, it will make you hungry. The ending is abrupt and it runs a bit long.
It depends.
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| The Stanford Prison Experiment -Is humanity a sickness? |
Watch The Stanford Prison Experiment
Written by: Tim Talbott
Directed by: Kyle Patrick Alvarez
Starring: Billy Crudup, Ezra Miller, Tye Sheridan, Gaius Charles
Rated: R
Plot:
A Stanford professor conducts an experiment on twenty-four students, placing them in the roles of guards and prisoners. The results defy all expectations.
Review:
setting looks good. capture the 70s well. good pacing at the start. needs a bit more characterization. seems a bit cardboard characters but hats part of it. i don't think the movie wants us to see the guards as human.. maybe it's just that john wayne cop is a psychopath. that has to be part of it. some just following, one trully empathetic. it's a fun look at humans how titles influence, how roles influences, how we influence others. def siding for the prisoners. the one guard who is sympathethic. pushed to far. it's engaging. music is a bit overbearing. a professor taht doesn't step in. good acting/directing. the prof giving ideas. making it worse. even the teacher is half crazy. from a science aspect it's a terrible experiment. the teacher is egging it on. affects it has even on the experimenters. humans assume the role given. guards were given complete power. power corrupts. absoluter power is kind of neat. proves the adage. should have done two experiments. one where guards don't have supreme power, have to treat prisoners nice. science aside, the movie is gripping, but it doesn't maintain the intensity. the interesting characters disappear. the focus shifts. we already know whats going on, don't need it explained to us. was there any way to reach higher or delve deeper without being preachy? i don't know. first half is top notch. keep waiting for the jump off. the students are the intriguging part. but it lags in the last half. where are the riots the banding together? i don't know what happened in real life, but would have made the movie more entertaining. how did the kids shave? should be a bit more unkempt with whats happening. teacher should face disciplinary action for this abomination. ending wasn't bad. didn't need all the back and forth with profs and the parole stuff.
Verdict:
The movie is engrossing and intriguing, laying bare the worst parts of humankind in an experiment. I was on the edge of my seat, waiting for the breaking point, rooting for some characters and despising others. I wish it had strayed from the facts just to be more entertaining as it falters a bit towards the end, but my complaints tie into the psychology of the subjects.
It depends.
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