In Bruges Review

Hype:  I really know absolutely nothing about the movie In Bruges.  Well that's not exactly true, I do know it stars Colin Farrell and it has gotten really good reviews.  The plot has something to do with hitman, not exactly sure how though.  I am a little hesitant about this film though because of Colin.  At one point Colin was one of my favorite actors.  Why?  I have no idea, his movies have never really been that great.  That's why when I saw this movie get some good reviews, I was shocked.  I never thought Colin would be in a well received film.  Let's see if this movie lives up to the reviews I have seen.

Initial Review:  In Bruges stars Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson.  Colin character, Ray, has killed a little boy and he and his partner, Ken, played by Brendan, are in Bruges hiding.  They must wait in a hotel room until their boss calls them and gives them their next instructions.  Ray absolutely hates being in Bruges, but Ken wants to sightsee and explore the historical elements.  Ray's view of Bruges changes when he sees Chloe, a local drug dealer.  As time passes Ray begins to fall for Chloe and starts to enjoy his time in Bruges.  Soon Ken gets the phone call from their boss Harry, played by Ralph Fiennes.  Harry instructs end up setting off a punch of crazy events with the locals in Bruge.  The locals include Chloe's crazy ex-boyfriend, the hotel manager, tourists and a dwarf actor.

In Bruges was really a joy to watch.  It reminded me a lot of Snatch and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.  It was funny and dark at the same time.  I was expecting a serious drama about the lives of hitman, instead it was surprisingly funny.  It was really good to see Colin in this role.  He usually plays this touch macho man, but in this movie he is a man that is trouble by the events of killing a little boy.  You can really see and feel how this event has changed his life and wants to forget about it.  I enjoyed seeing the more human, emotional side of Colin, I hope this is a sign of the things to come from him.  Then you have Brendan Gleeson, whom I have only seen in a couple movies, and his character is almost the complete opposite of Colin's character.  He understands that things happen when being a hitman and that they should just enjoy their time in Bruges.  I felt that Colin and Brendan really worked well together, they seemed to have a lot of chemistry when they shared the same scenes.

If you like movies that are funny, but not slapstick funny, and dark at times, In Bruges is a film that you will enjoy.  The comedy strikes at the right moments and knows when to stop.  Colin Farrell is absolutely a joy to watch and shows he can be a good actor.  In Bruges is a movie that I highly recommend.  It's not a movie that got a lot of publicity when it came out, I don't even think it came out to a theater where I live, but it deserves all the praise the critics have given it.  In Bruges should be put high on your Netflix list, you will enjoy every minute of it.

Control Review

Hype:  Control is a movie about the lead singer of the band Joy Division.  I have never listened to Joy Division, but I really like bands that have been heavly influenced by them.  The only thing I really know about them is that they were popular in the 80's and the lead singer commited suicide.  From what I've read this movie is supposed to be real good, all the reviews for it have been excellent.

Initial Review:  The movie Control is the story of Ian Curtis, the lead singer of the post-punk band Joy Division.  Ian is played by Sam Riley.  Control starts out when Ian is 17 years old and first meets his future wife, Deborah (played by Samantha Morton).  After they are married, Ian meets this band that is not happy about their singer so Ian decides he should be their new singer.  The band ends up recording an EP and come up with the name Joy Division.  The band performs live on this television and after that sign a record deal.

As the band starts to grow in popularity Ian and Deborah's marriage starts to suffer.  After one of Joy Division's concerts Ian meets a journalist named Annik and immediately falls for her.  Ian continues to see Annik behind his pregnant wife's back.  Deborah ends up finding out about this affair, but stays with Ian.

During one of Joy Division's concert's Ian suffers from an epileptic seizure and is dragged off the stage.  At the time there wasn't really treatment for epilepsy, it was just trial and error with a bunch of meds.  Ian continues to suffer through these seizures.  The seizures begin to put a lot of pressure on Ian and the band.

As Ian's world continues to collapse with the affair and seizures, he starts to get more and more depressed.  Ian even tries to kill himself via alcohol poisoning.  Ian's wife is able to get him to the hospital in time for the doctors to pump his stomach.  Ian had left a note for his wife telling her that the fighting would now be over.  After this suicide attempt Ian's life doesn't change for the better.  Deborah ends up asking for a divorce and Ian moves back into his parent's home.

I was really surprised with this movie.  The way Control was done, it doesn't matter if you have never heard of Joy Division or are a die-hard fan.  Control is about Ian's life and how the pressures of the world around him lead him to commit suicide.  Even if he wasn't in the band, the story would still be great.  

Sam Riley was amazing in this movie.  Sam really got into the role of Ian and made you believe you was depressed and suicidal.  His stage presence was amazing.  You could really believe Sam was a rockstar.  After seeing Sam in this movie I am really looking forward to seeing him in other films.

Control was a great film.  It was really interesting to learn about the lead singer of Joy Division and to see how they came and went so quickly.  If you are a fan of Joy Division, I have a feeling you will love this movie.  If you just love movies that deal with the dark sides of life you will enjoy this movie.  Not many people know of Control, but it is a movie that you should totally check out.

Batman - Gotham Knight Review

Hype:  Batman - Gotham Knight is six short animated stories involving Batman.  Each story is done by a different animator.  The stories are supposed to take place between the movies Batman Begins and The Dark Knight.  Being a fan of Batman I have a feeling this movie is a must see.  I am really excited to see The Dark Knight and Batman Begins is one of my favorite films of all-time, this will hopefully hold me over until next Friday.

Initial Review:  Batman - Gotham Knight was very interesting.  It's hard to review a movie that is actually six separate stories.  At first I didn't think the stories would tie together in an way, but once you see all six you can see how they relate.  What I enjoy most about this was seeing the growth of Batman and being able to learn more about his past.  In one of the short stories you learn how Bruce Wayne learned to withstand pain.  In another short you see more of the villain Scarecrow, who appeared in Batman Begins.  You get to learn what he has been up to since.

Out of all the stories the first one, call Have I Got A Story For You, was my favorite.  This short is about this group of kids that are hanging out and telling stories about their encounter with Batman.  This first kid acts like Batman is this shadow, mist-like object that disappears into the ground to get around criminals.  The second kid says Batman is actually a giant bat that flies around town attacking criminals.  The third and final kid says Batman is a robot that can fly and has all sorts of weapons.  What I enjoy about this one is that they did a great job showing how kids tend to exaggerate when telling stories.

Being a fan of Batman I really enjoyed Batman - Gotham Knight.  If you are someone that isn't a fan you may have a tough time with it.  Being just over an hour long and made up of six stories, the stories tend to come and go real quickly.  Batman - Gotham Knight is a must see for Batman fans and does a nice job satisfying those that are looking forward to The Dark Knight.  I wouldn't recommend it for those that aren't that into Batman, but if you love Batman, see this right away.

GoodFellas Review

Hype:  GoodFellas is considered one of the best mob movies of all time.  With Martin Scorsese directing and staring Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta and Joe Pesci, I can see how it has the potential to be a great film.  I have seen bits and pieces of this movie, but I have yet to see the whole thing.  I really look forward to seeing this film.

Initial Review:  GoodFellas tells the story of Henry Hill, played by Ray Liotta, and how he became one of the biggest gangsters in Brooklyn.  Henry started working for the mob at the age of 15.  The mob at Henry doing small deliveries at first.  Soon one of the top dogs in the mob, Jimmy Conway (played by Robert De Niro), looks after Henry and teaches him everything he knows.  Jimmy doesn't just train Henry, he also trains Tommy DeVito, played by Joe Pesci.

As Henry and Tommy learn more and more about how the mob functions, they start becoming top dogs around town.  They get exclusive access to local clubs and restaurants.  Henry goes on a double date with Tommy and meets his future wife, Karen.  At first Henry and Karen don't hit it off.  In fact Henry stands her up, but her feisty attitude attracts Henry even more to her.  Karen is a little hesitant at first to Henry's actions.  She doesn't fully agree with what he does for a living.  Over time though, Karen realizes that the life of a gangster's wife isn't that bad.

Henry was the level headed one of the bunch, whereas Tommy was a hot head with a very short temper.  One time while at the bar, an old friend of Tommy's starts messing around with him, so Tommy loses it and beats the man to death.  Tommy even shot a young man twice for having an attitude towards him.

The movie GoodFellas does an outstanding job of showing what the life of a gangster is like.  You get to see the family side of the mob.  The different families are always hanging out, going on vacations , and celebrating birthdays together.  They look out for each other, when someone needs something, the mob finds a way to get it done.  GoodFellas also shows how the mob can destroy a family.  Henry ends up cheating on Karen, forcing Karen to threaten leaving Henry, but he is always able to talk her out of it.  Throughout the film, you can see how Karen at times hates being a gangsters wife.  She gets worried when Henry doesn't come home at night.  This movie also shows how if you get in too deep and double cross your own mob or other mobs, your life ends up being taken away.

GoodFellas was a joy to watch.  You could really believe Ray Liotta as a guy who would thrive in the mob setting.  And it isn't really a surprise that Robert De Niro shines as a gangster.  Scorsese did a wonderful job shooting this film.  He didn't make the death scenes just a bang-bang, blood bath, he slowed them down and gave them artistic look.  You really feel like you are in all the places the mob goes.  GoodFellas has gained a lot of critical praise throughout the past couple of years, in fact it is in AFI's Top 100 Films of All Time.  GoodFellas is a must see, especially if you are a fan of the Godfather series.  I highly recommend GoodFellas, it is a must see, must own film.

Repeat Viewings: N/A

Dead Man Walking Review

Hype:  I have been wanting to see Dead Man Walking for a few years now.  Sean Penn is an actor I really enjoy and have heard great things about what he did in this film.  Susan Sarandon has done some amazing work in the past and she was able to win an Academy Award for what she did in this film.  I am really looking forward to seeing this film.

Initial Review:  Powerful.  That's how I would describe Dead Man Walking if I could only use one word.  Dead Man Walking stars Susan Sarandon has Sister Helen, a nun who is asked by Matthew Poncelet, played by Sean Penn, to help with his final appeal before being put to death.  Matthew was found guilty of murdering a teenage couple and his execution date is quickly approaching.  Sister Helen was hesitant at first since she is not used to meeting with convicted criminals.

Sister Helen tells Matthew that she would try her best to help him.  She contacts a lawyer who assists in the appeal process and tries to delay the execution date.  As Sister Helen helps Matthew, she gets to know his family and the family of the teens he murdered.  Sister Helen faces a lot of criticism from the victims family.  They have a hard time understanding how a nun could support for a murder.  Once Sister Helen realizes the appeal process isn't going Matthews way, she tries to get Matthew to confess what he has done and for him to seek salvation.

This movie poses a few important questions.  Is the death penalty correct punishment for a crime?  Can someone go to heaven if they have committed a horrible crime?  Dead Man Walking tries to answer these questions by looking at both sides of each, but doesn't fully answer them, leaving the audience to decide for themselves.

I found Susan Sarandon's performance to be incredible.  She totally deserved the Academy Award for Best Actress.  Sean Penn was also amazing and deserved all the recognition he received.  The scenes where Susan was speaking with Sean through the glass wall in prison where emotional and you could tell both actors were really into their roles.  The ending of Dead Man Walking was intense and emotional.  I really felt for the characters and could really sense the pain and struggle they were going through.

Dead Man Walking is an amazing film, that makes the audience think.  Sean Penn and Susan Sarandon give amazing performances.  This movie needs to be watched by everyone.  If you have not seen Dead Man Walking, you must put it at the top of your Netflix list and run out to your local rental store and rent it right away.

Repeat Viewings: N/A

Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) Review

Hype:  I actually don't know much about the movie Mutiny on the Bounty.  I do know that it is considered a classic.  I also know that it won Best Picture at the 1935 Academy Awards.  Since this film is considered a classic, it is one in which I feel I need to watch.  I have no expectations for it, so let's see how it is.

Initial Review:  The Mutiny on the Bounty stars Clark Gable, Charles Laughton and Franchot Tone.  Charles Laughton plays Captain William Bligh who is in charge of the ship the Bounty.  Bligh doesn't treat the crew of the Bounty well at all.  He often flogs (whips) his crew just to prove his power.  Clark Gable plays Fletcher Christian who takes offense to the way Bligh treats the crew.  Franchot Tone stars as Byam who becomes close friends with Christian.

Christian becomes so fed up with the way Bligh treats the crew that he decides he needs to get Bligh off the ship.  Christian and a few of the deck hands get together and drive Bligh and his followers off the ship and force them to survive on a small boat.  Byam doesn't fully agree with Christians actions but stays on the ship.  Christian takes the Bounty back to Tahiti, where he and Byam both met the loves of their lives.  Christian ends up taking his wife and child back aboard the Bounty to avoid another British ship that is headed for Tahiti.  Byam decides to stay on shore and risk going back to Britain.  Bligh actually ends up being on that ship and takes Byam captive and places him on trial for mutiny.

Overall I thought Mutiny on the Bounty was a great film.  I haven't seen a film with Clark Gable before and I was really impressed.  I can see why so many people enjoy his films.  It was really easy to dislike Charles Laughton character, Captain Bligh.  Just by looking at him you could tell he was an evil man who only cared about himself and let the power go to his head.  You really get to know the characters.  You learn to hate Bligh and like Christian and Byam.  The special effects for this film are incredible considering it was made in the thirties.  The storm scenes on the ships deck looked a lot more believable than those shown in films today, like in the Pirate of the Caribbean movies.  You could really see the actors pain and struggles as they fight against the rain.  This film is definitely worth the Academy Award for Best Picture.  The Mutiny on the Bounty is truly a great film and one that everyone should see.

Repeat Viewings: N/A

Persepolis Review

Hype:  Persepolis is a movie that I have been waiting a while to see.  What first drew me to this film is the artistic style of the animation.  Then I found out it was a foreign film and I wanted to see it even more.  I was also able to find out that Persepolis is actually a graphic novel, that was written by the main character.  In fact Persepolis is actually based on the writers life.  I'm not completely sure what the plot is, but the reviews for Persepolis have been amazing and I really look forward to seeing it.

Initial Review:  Persepolis is the story of a young girl, Marjane Satrapi (Marji for short), who grows up in Iran during the Iranian Revolution.  Growing up Marji becomes more and more obsessed with the government.  Soon the Islamic Fundamentalist come into power and place the citizens under strict rules.  Some of the things the citizens are restricted to are: no parties, the types of clothing they can wear, and the music they can listen to.  Of course Marji wants nothing to do with this and wears a jacket over her school uniform that deals with punk rock and buys music on the black market.  Marji's family worries about her so they send her to Austria .

While in Austria, Marji struggles with life and finding a way to fit in.  She ends up making new friends, falls in and out of love and actually ends up homeless because she gets cheated on.  Marji ends up going back to Iran when she almost dies of bronchitis while living on the streets.  While back in Iran, she still is not happy with the government.  Marji ends up marrying this guy she started dating, against her mothers wishes.  After about a year of marriage, Marji decides she no longer loves him.  After the divorce Marji ends up once again leaving the country, this time for good.

The movie Persepolis has a lot going on during it.  A lot of the scenes are short and come and go very quickly.   There were a few scenes that I really enjoyed.  Like at the beginning when Marji and her friends put nails in between their fingers, Wolverine-style, and chase after a school mate just because he is the child of a government official.  Another fun scene is when Marji breaks out into "Eye of the Tiger" and just starts singing and dancing.

Persepolis isn't for everyone.  It's a movie that I enjoyed watching and am glad I got to see, but it's not one I'm going to watch multiple times.  Persepolis moves pretty slow for only being an hour and a half long, I think this is because of the short scenes.  If you are interested in learning about Iran and it's history during the 80's and 90's than this is a film for you.  I can see why all the critics enjoyed it, but Persepolis is definitely not a movie that will keep you on the edge of your seat.  Overall I was satisfied with Persepolis and would recommend at least renting it.

Repeat Viewings: N/A

Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance Review

Hype:  Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance is a South Korean film that is part of director Park Chan-wook's Vengeance Trilogy.  This film is the first one of the series.  I have seen the second one, Oldboy, and absolutely loved it.  Even though I have seen a the second film of the trilogy I have no idea what this one is about.  The only reason the films are part of the trilogy are because of their themes, the characters are not related in anyway.  I'm not expecting Sympathy of Mr. Vengeance to be as good as Oldboy, but I hope it's still entertaining to watch.

Initial Review:  Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance is the story of Ryu, who is a deaf-mute.  Ryu's sister desperately needs a kidney transplant.  Problem is it doesn't look like his sister will be getting a kidney anytime soon so Ryu decides to try and get a kidney on the black market.  That ends up going horribly wrong, Ryu gets his money and his own kidney taken from him.  Ryu and his friend, Yeong-mi, decide to kidnap the daughter of Ryu's former bosses friend and hold her for ransom.  This ends up succeeding except for the fact that Ryu's sister finds out and commits suicide.  While Ryu is burying his sister's body, the girl they kidnapped, Yu-sun, falls into a river and drowns.  Yu-sun's dad, Dong-jin, is called to the crime scene and decides to seek revenge.

Now is where things get crazy.  Ryu seeks out the people that took his kidney.  He is able to find the trio that did that too him and he kills them.  Dong-jin seeks out Ryu and Yeong-mi.  Dong-jin finds Yeong-mi and tortures her to get information on Ryu's location.  Ryu finds out about this torture and seeks revenge on Dong-jin.

As you can probably tell, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, is all about getting revenge.  I personally found the story to be pretty intriguing at first.  But as the story kept going things started getting a little disturbing.  After seeing Oldboy, I thought this movie would be a little graphic, but I wasn't expecting this.  I felt that the scenes involving Yu-sun dying were a bit over the top.  I really didn't need to see the body of a dead little girl so many times.  It got so bad I was on the verge of turning the movie off.  The scenes with Ryu killing the people that took his kidney were also over the top.

Aside from the disturbing images, I felt that Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance was gorgeously filmed.  There are many scenes where I was just blown away from the cinematography.  The scenes near the river were just incredible.

I loved Oldboy, but it did take some time to recover from it.   Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance is a film that I want to love, even like, but I don't think I can.  The death scenes were too intense and unnecessary.  If you feel like you can handle disturbing images, then see this film.  But if you get offended with fairly graphic scenes then I recommend not seeing this movie.

Repeat Viewings: N/A

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Review

Hype:  Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is one of the most hyped movies of the 2008 summer.  This is expected since it is an Indiana Jones film which is a hugely popular franchise.  All of the big names from the previous Indy films are back, Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones, George Lucas as writer and Steven Spielberg as director.  The first 3 films of the Indy series are extremely entertaining and a joy to watch (some will disagree when it comes to The Temple of Doom).  The reviews for Crystal Skull so far are decent (sitting at 77% on RottenTomatoes).  Let's see if this Indy can hold up against the rest of the series.

Initial Review:  Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull puts Indiana up against the Soviet Union, who are after these crystal skulls that have this mystical power.  Along the journey, Indiana meets up with Mutt Williams, played by Shia LaBeouf, who tells Indy he needs to save Harold Oxley and Mutt's mom, Marion Ravenwood.  For those who have seen the first Indy movie (Raiders of the Lost Ark) will recognize the name Marion for she was the female lead in that one as well.  Oxley was in South America looking for the crystal skulls and he was suddenly kidnapped.  Mutt and Indy head to South America where they, of course, run into the Soviets and also find Oxley and Marion.  Indy and the gang are able to escape from the Soviets and find where the crystal skulls are.

This wouldn't be an Indiana film if Harrison Ford did not have some crazy escape scenes.  The problem with Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls is that most, if not all, of the escapes were pretty lame.  In one of the first escapes Indy hides in a refrigerator and survives a nuclear blast.  I mean come on, how does that fit with the other Indy escapes?  Another escape, probably the best one, involves Mutt and Indy starting a Greasers vs. Jocks fight in a local diner that allows them to get away from the KGB.  During a jungle chase.  Mutt and the leader of the Soviets, Irina Spalko (played by Cate Blanchett), have a sword fight across two vehicles and Mutt actually gets hit in his man-region by bushes.  Mutt actually ends up getting stuck in a tree and this monkey finds and helps him.  Why does the monkey help him?  Because they have the same haircut.  You won't find stuff this ridiculous in the other Indy films, well maybe the Temple of Doom.  None of these scenes had me sitting at the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next.  Instead I was sitting in my chair laughing at how ridiculous they were.

There were many instances while watching The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull where I actually wanted to walk out.  That doesn't happen to me with movies.  I felt like this movie lacked the Indiana charm that can be found in the first three.  I really hope that this is the last of the Indy films or that it follows the pattern of the first three: biblical artifact, some random artifact, biblical artifact.  That would make Indy 5 have some biblical artifact that would hopefully help make it feel less silly and more enjoyable.

I didn't have too high of expectations for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, but I didn't expect it to be as bad as it was.  I don't recommend it at all.  If you want to see a movie wait until The Dark Knight or see Iron Man again.

Repeat Viewings: N/A

Donnie Darko Review

Hype:  Donnie Darko stars Jake Gyllenhaal as a teenage who sees a large bunny with a metallic face, that's about all I know about the plot of this film.  Other than that I know that it has a huge cult following and has gained in popularity throughout the past couple of years.  I am actually really looking forward to seeing this movie.  I hope it lives up to the expectations I have for it.

Initial Review:  For me it is really hard to fully explain what Donnie Darko is about.  Donnie is a teenage boy that sees a rabbit that causes him to do strange tasks.  Along the way he meets and falls for Gretchen Ross, played by Jena Malone.  Donnie's family is forced out of their house after a plane's engine drops into Donnie's room.  Donnie survives this crash because Frank, Donnie's imaginary friend in a man-sized rabbit costume had told Donnie to go for a walk.  While on this walk Frank tells Donnie that there are just over 28 days until the end of the world.

Frank's instructions don't stop after that night.  Frank tells Donnie to flood his high school, read a controversial book about time travel, and to burn down the house of a motivational speaker that Donnie constantly butts heads with.

Donnie Darko has an all-star cast that includes Drew Barrymore, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Patrick Swayze, Noah Wyle, and a young Seth Rogan.  I really enjoyed Patrick Swayze's character, the motivational speaker whose house Donnie burns down.  I was really impressed with Jake Gyllenhaal and the way he acted while sleep walking and while under hypnosis when he was at the psychiatrist.  I feel that Jake was a perfect fit for the role of Donnie, he just looks like a guy a regular teenage boy that pulls off the depressed look really well.

I found this movie to be very original and a joy to watch.  I never knew what was going to happen next and was pleased with all the surprises.  I really enjoyed all the characters and thought all the actors did a great job.  It was really fun seeing a young Seth Rogan, who plays a bully that picks on Gretchen.  I highly recommend this movie.  If you are looking for a movie that is original, slightly depressing, and overall just a joy to watch, Donnie Darko is the movie for you.

Repeat Viewings: N/A