The Good:Incredible, tour-de-force performance from Mickey Rourke. Rourke is "The Ram" and this is his comeback, and what a glorious comeback it is. The film's strongest point, apart from the acting, is the excellent characterization. The stellar cast and the documentary-style camera work certainly help, but these characters are written and developed in such a way that it feels like you're watching real people. You can't help but empathize with every single one of them, especially the titular Randy "The Ram." The film spends most of its time showing that Randy is one really nice dude. You never see him get angry. You never see him have bad intentions. But, you see, life is a cruel *****, and both time and happiness have conspired against him. The man basically has nothing and no one. Weathered and weary, he struggles to hold on to what he knows best -- his sole passion, wrestling. Then, out of nowhere, he suffers a heart attack, has a bypass, and is told that he can no longer wrestle. The one thing he had left, the one thing he was good at, the one thing he has always loved, taken away from him just like that. ****ing hell. Now, he's old and lonely, so he attempts to find a connection with an aging stripper (wonderfully portrayed by Marisa Tomei), as well as mend the broken bond with his estranged daughter (played by Evan Rachel Wood), all while trying to carry over the same enthusiasm he had for his old job into his new one at the supermarket deli counter. But, unfortunately for Randy, this ain't a fairy tale, and the shit doesn't stop there. It all concludes with a great ambiguous ending, which, upon reflection, was really the best way to go. Throw in "The Boss" singing the fittingly poignant eponymous theme song, and you have yourselves one ****ing fine film.
The Bad:The handheld cinematography works for the most part, but Aronofsky and DP Maryse Alberti fall a bit too much in love with back-to-the-camera shots. And while Aronofsky's visual stylings are noticeably absent, his lack of subtlety is still apparent (although not as much as in his other works, such as Requiem for a Dream).
The Bottom Line:Like all great sport movies, you don't need to be a fan of wrestling to appreciate this film. All you'll need is a heart (and maybe a box of Kleenex). Recommended.
Just watched this film, and it's superb. Liked it even more than Sherlock Jr. The chase scene, in particular, is brilliant and is worth the price of admission alone. Highly recommended.
Last edited by GentleGiant; 09-10-2013 at 07:31 PM.
5/5 - Intolerance (1916) - I was very impressed with this. The size of the sets, the thousands of extras, the costumes, crazy things like a live bear around actors with only one person holding a noose around it's neck. Just a jaw dropping movie with 4 interesting stories.
4/5 - The Birds (1963) - Drags a bit at points, and the ending is disappointing, but the visual effects are good and it does get intense.
4/5 - Vertigo (1958) - I was very disappointed in this film after getting hyped to watch it after all the critical acclaim it receives. The character having vertigo had very little to do with the actual plot, the film could have worked just fine without it. It was about 20 minutes too long. One character didnt even have to be in the movie. I almost want to give it a 3/5 but the actors were too good.
5/5 - Intolerance (1916) - I was very impressed with this. The size of the sets, the thousands of extras, the costumes, crazy things like a live bear around actors with only one person holding a noose around it's neck. Just a jaw dropping movie with 4 interesting stories.
4/5 - The Birds (1963) - Drags a bit at points, and the ending is disappointing, but the visual effects are good and it does get intense.
4/5 - Vertigo (1958) - I was very disappointed in this film after getting hyped to watch it after all the critical acclaim it receives. The character having vertigo had very little to do with the actual plot, the film could have worked just fine without it. It was about 20 minutes too long. One character didnt even have to be in the movie. I almost want to give it a 3/5 but the actors were too good.
4/5 - Vertigo (1958) - I was very disappointed in this film after getting hyped to watch it after all the critical acclaim it receives. The character having vertigo had very little to do with the actual plot, the film could have worked just fine without it. It was about 20 minutes too long. One character didnt even have to be in the movie. I almost want to give it a 3/5 but the actors were too good.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Foggy
If I remember right, vertigo may not have been a direct impact on the plot, but didn't the main character suffer from it all the time? Wasn't that trait exploited at some point? I seem to remember it was there enough.
The Good:Fine performances from Andre Gregory and Wallace Shawn. Superb screenplay. Engrossing. Profound. Thought-provoking. Life-changing. Hearing Wallace Shawn (The Princess Bride) utter "Inconceivable!" Additional Production Services by: Troma Entertainment. Production Manager: Lloyd Kaufman. WTF.
The Bad:The first third can be a bit challenging and it may come off as pretentious, but try to stick with the movie through the end. You won't regret it.
The Bottom Line:My Dinner with Andre is one of those films that you just have to see before you die not because it's a flawless masterpiece, which it isn't, but because of what it has to say. You can't watch this in its entirety and not have it affect how you view things thereafter in some way. Who knew watching two guys just talk and talk and talk over dinner for nearly two hours could be so fascinating? Recommended.
Not to be confused with Terrence Malick's The New World. This is the 2013 Korean film.
Short Review: Seems like this film garnered plenty of positive reviews and acclaim, so I figure you can't go wrong with a Korean crime drama.
Problem is, this film gets so heavy with the drama, it never really engaged me as much as I would have wanted. The film is long and it drags. It's dry and very little stands out. Sure, the big parking garage fight scene is cool, and characters have their moments now and then, but the film overall never felt like it moved much.
On the plus side, it is a great quality movie with really great photography, great acting, and a decent enough story with decent characters.
I'd probably dig it more if I was in the most absolutely perfect mood for this, but on a casual basis, I found this movie a bit of a chore.
3.5/5 (Entertainment: Marginal | Story: Good | Film: Good)
The Good:Fantastic cast. Sporadically amusing. Dianna Agron being all sexy and badass. GoodFellas.
The Bad:Somewhat inconsistent tone. Jokes mostly fall flat. Dull at some points. Contains one of the most ridiculous contrivances I've seen in a while. Anticlimactic ending.
The Bottom Line:Armed with a high-caliber cast and a brilliant premise, The Family, sadly, is a missed opportunity. But as bad a slump as Besson is in, it's pretty tough to completely **** things up when you have the likes of De Niro, Pfeiffer, and Jones in your movie.
Just got back from How Riddick Got His Groove Back.
It's the incredible, inspiring, heart-warming story about how a man adopts a little puppy and goes running off into the praries. Then he invites some friends over, and they all have a nice little tea party.
any one willing to give thier point of view about the g.i. joe retaliation?
It was cartoonish, generic, stupid, and lacking in all depth and dimensionality. The story is as overblown as it is ridiculous and unlikely. No real characters to root for. Sloppy cutting of scenes, just one thing slammed against another.
I gave it a 3/5 and bought the Walmart Steelbook and film score. Because, if nothing else, it is good guilty-pleasure territory, and Henry Jackman's score is pure awesomeness.
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A Movie A Day: Day 505
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