Silver Linings Playbook

Silver Linings Playbook Review:

Silver Linings Playbook is the latest film from director David O. Russell, famous for making such films as The Fighter and Three Kings. It tells the story of Pat Solitano, played by Bradley Cooper, a man with bipolar disorder recently released from a 8 month stay in a mental hospital. It also tells the story of Tiffany, played by Jennifer Lawrence whose husband recently passed away and is grieving and also somewhat crazy. When these two people meet it makes for an awesome love story that is hands down one of the finest films of 2012.

Performances: Bradley Cooper is a misunderstood actor. He is well known for his rash comedic roles in the Hangover and the Hangover Part II, and I never really considered him to be an actor of any note. However, his turn in the 2010 thriller Limitless (which is a brilliant movie), really makes him out to be a promising new actor. He finally proves his worth in this film, where in my opinion he delivers a standout performance that not only deserves to be nominated, but also possibly win best actor. Jennifer Lawrence is equally brilliant in her role as Tiffany, she conveys the sadness of the character while also being quite emotional but also funny. I believe that she will win best actress this year. Robert De Niro is also better than I have seen him in several years, and Jacki Weaver as the mother is great. Chris Tucker isn’t bad at all as a pal of Cooper.

Plot: The plot of this film is typical, but it easily rises above the clichés and delivers something unique and interesting. It starts off with Bradley Cooper being released from the hospital, and it shows him becoming more normal until the end where he has fallen in love with her and become a normal man. The middle of the film involves a bet with De Niro where Cooper and Lawrence must make a 5 in a dance competition so that he can start his restaurant, and it is mostly them training with Cooper and Lawrence having awesome chemistry. At the end of the film you are completely rooting for them to get together as a couple and to find happiness in themselves, which luckily they do, and they regain some of the composure that they always wanted to have.

Entertainment: The main entertainment factor in this movie is the relationship between Cooper and Lawrence. They are both shown as being disturbed people with many emotional and mental problems, and they both bring it. Together they are an awesome couple, and the entire movie you want for them to become a couple. I haven’t felt this way about a movie couple for a long time. The only other couple from this year that I truly liked were the children from Moonrise Kingdom, and that was the first and only movie for both of those actors. Cooper and Lawrence make it seem like they were made for each other and it is a great thing that most of the movie is based off of their relationship. However, De NIro is also touching in his role as the Philadelphia Eagles obsessed father who just wants to regain some of the time he lost with his son when he was younger.

Overall: Silver Linings Playbook is one of the best films of the year. It easily rises above the clichés of it’s genre in order to bring something new and interesting. Each member of the cast brings along an awesome performance, especially the two leads, and the directing style Is awesome. This movie makes you want to both work out and become educated, and in doing so become a better person. I really liked this movie, and I would put it easily in the top five films of 2012.

Overall Grade: A

Fight Club

Edward Norton Week

August 18, 2012

Fight Club Review:

Fight Club is one of my favorite movies of all time. It changed my life when I first saw it, in 8^th grade. I went over to my friend’s house and we watched it together, I had no idea what to expect. What I saw was a stellar movie with a great cast, a terrific script, and one of the best directors working right now. Fight Club is the story of a boring man who meets a man with several radical and crazy ideas, and what happens in their friendship is crazy, with a plot twist that actually works quite well.

Performances: The main character of fight club is the unnamed narrator played by Edward Norton. He is a boring man who suffers from insomnia and works at a boring desk job in the corporate world. He starts going to cancer support group meetings because it gives him the thrill that he is lacking in his life. When he first meets Brad Pitt later in the movie they are on an airplane, and you just know that the two are going to start working together. Pitt gives Norton his business card when they land, and when Norton returns to his apartment, he finds that he is gone, blown out by an explosion. He calls Brad Pitt, and they start living together. Pitt’s character Tyler Durden, one of the greatest characters in all of cinema history and an absolute badass, hates the corporate world and lives the thrill in life that Norton wants. Together they start a small fight club that starts to become huge, until several thousand men have joined. Then the mayhem starts, and it gets out of control. Late in the movie, you find out that Norton and Pitt are the same person the entire time, and that Pitt was just Norton living out the thrilling fantasies that he wants in his life, and it works very well. Also in this movie is Helena Bonham Carter, playing Marla Singer, a girl that gets dragged into the club when she starts sleeping with Pitt. She is great in it as well, but isn’t as famous a character as Edward Norton or Tyler Durden.

Plot: Fight Clubs plot is defined by the script, one of the greatest ever written. It has some awesome lines and awesome character development as well. When you find out the twist in the end, it is utterly believable based off of what you already know about Durden and the narrator. It’s a movie that starts off huge, then goes small and builds up to the ending again, which defines everything about the movie. In the end, Durden decides to blow up several office buildings so he can get rid of all the IRS has on him. Norton shoots himself through the cheek in order to stop him, making himself think that he is shooting through the head. It’s a really confusing ending however, and you don’t really know who won out in the end, Pitt or Norton. The entire movie is building towards this scene, will the grounded side of Norton’s psyche win or will the crazy part win. The way that they play it is so crazy with Norton and Carter embracing in front of the window watching the buildings being blown up. It’s fantastic.

Entertainment: The movie is full of fight scenes that are great. Plus the script is fantastic. The special effects in this movie are great. There is one scene where Norton is telling us how much he would want the plane to crash right then, and they actually show the plane crashing in a dream sequence, it’s crazy. The only time that I have seen better cinematography is in movies like Inception and Children of Men. The script is really the stand out in this movie however, it is well written, and some of the lines are actually quite funny. It really makes it a blast to watch.

Overall: Fight Club is one of my favorite movies ever, and you could easily make the argrument that it is one of the best movies ever made. The chemistry between Pitt and Norton is intoxicating, and the interactions between Norton and Carter are good as well. It has a terrific plot twist that works well, and it leaves the ending open for anyone’s interpretation. The only movies I’ve seen that are this creative are movies like Memento and Inglorious Basterds, both terrific movies in their own right. Overall, Fight Club is a great movie, and one that deserves a place in my favorite movies of all time.

His Name was Robert Paulson!

Overall Grade: A   

The Bourne Legacy

Edward Norton Week

August 16, 2012

The Bourne Legacy:

The Bourne Legacy is the somewhat reboot, somewhat sequel to the Bourne trilogy, and is also Edward Norton’s latest movie. It starts Jeremy Renner as the replacement for Matt Damon, and sometimes seem like a pointless attempt to capitalize on the first three movies success. However, this is still a great action movie, and the dialogue in this movie is much better than the dialogue in the other movies.

Performances: Jeremy Renner plays Aaron Cross, a CIA assassin with ties to Jason Bourne and the Treadstone and Black Briar programs. Jeremy Renner is a great actor, evidenced by his Oscar nominations for both Best Actor in the Hurt Locker and Best Supporting Actor for The Town. He is also an action star involved in two of the biggest movie series right now. That being said however, he still can’t pull off all of the action scenes as well as Matt Damon could, and that is because he isn’t giving as much time to develop as a character. This could be contradicted by giving the point that we had three movies with Jason Bourne, but only one movie so far with Aaron Cross. This is a valid point, and based off that Aaron Cross does seem to be a really great character. Edward Norton plays the villain, a CIA officer trying to clean up the mess with the whole Jason Bourne affair, and in order to do that he wants to kill all of the agents working for his program. He isn’t given as much screen time as he should be, but he still seems to be a great villain with the added grace of Edward Norton.

Plot: This movie has two big action sequences. The first happens when Renner is trying to save Rachel Weis’ doctor character from assassins sent by Norton, and the second occurs when they are trying to escape from a treadstone type assassin sent by the CIA to kill them. They are both stand out action sequences, and rival scenes from both Supremacy and Ultimatum. However, the rest of the movie seems to be a lot of talking and discussing about what the CIA have done to Renner, by turning him into the perfect assassin by giving him “chems”. These pills play a huge part in the plot, and most times seem to be just a stupid macguffin. However, whenever the film stops talking and just gets into the action, it becomes truly great. I really like the interaction between Renner and Weisz though, and also Norton plays a good villain when it comes to his interactions with Aaron Cross, he was better than any of the original trilogy villains. The only thing that I think they should have added to the plot would be an ending scene showing a figure on laptop, looking up Cross. Than they show you his front and it’s Jason Bourne, in hiding, and he just flashes a nice smile. This would have been the perfect way to set up a sequel with both Cross and Bourne in it, which I think is the best way to go with inevitable sequel that will be made.

Entertainment: Both of the action scenes in this movie are great, they are better than any action scene in Identity, but the scenes in Supremacy and Ultimatum may just beat them out. However, they work really really well for the movie, and it makes the movie easy to watch. The rest of the film seems to be only talking and running, and there never seems to be just enough action going on the for the regular film goers to enjoy. I really enjoy the interaction between Renner and Weisz however. Rachel Weisz is the best female lead in any of the Bourne films, she seems to actually be doing things instead of just having to be saved by Cross. Also, I really enjoy the scenes with Norton, and this is one of his better movie roles, but he is still pretty forgettable.

Overall: The Bourne Legacy is a good action movie, with both action scenes and scenes with chemistry between the leads. However, it never seems to be better than Supremacy and Ultimatum, because Jason Bourne is absent. That is only because we aren’t given enough time with Cross. He isn’t as developed as much as he should be. This is a problem for the movie, but I’m sure with the sequel they can make it better. They need to include Bourne in the next film though, that would make it one hundred percent better. Overall, the Bourne Legacy is a good movie, but the lead is never as good as the lead in the first three movies, and the absence of any major mention of Jason Bourne’s whereabouts is a problem. This could be a good angle to play out in the next movie, and I’m sure that with more time developing Cross he can become just as good a lead as Jason Bourne is.

Overall Grade: B-   

Red Dragon

Edward Norton Week

                               

  August 15, 2011

Red Dragon:

Hannibal Lector is one of the most important characters in all of cinema. There have been 5 movies total made about him, 3 starring Sir Anthony Hopkins, 1 starring Brian Cox, and 1 prequel movie Hannibal Rising. Red Dragon was the third and final film to be made with Anthony Hopkins, and it is actually a prequel to Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal. The movie also stars Edward Norton as Will Graham, an FBI agent investigating a serial killer by the name of the Tooth Fairy, played by Ralph Fiennes. It is actually one of the best films made about the Hannibal character.

Performances: Edward Norton is great as Will Graham; however the character is supposed to be almost close to being psychopathic which doesn’t show in his performance. However, Norton still plays the character well, and you can tell that he doesn’t want to have to deal with all of the horrible things that he takes care of and investigates. Anthony Hopkins is again terrific as Hannibal, the role of his career, and he is actually extremely scary in this one and you can tell that he is a psychopathic cannibal, unlike in Silence of the Lambs, where he seems much more like an antihero. Ralph Fiennes is also great as the Red Dragon, and he brings a level of innocence but also a level of brutality in this performance. Overall though, the best performance would have to be Norton, because when he is collaborating he doesn’t take crap from him, unlike Jodie Foster.

Plot: The movie opens with a scene where a young Will Graham discovers that Dr. Hannibal Lector is actually the cannibal that they have been looking for. He catches him and then retires, overall a good prologue for the movie. When Graham is hired to look into the Tooth Fairy case, he is not immediately happy, but when he is convinced it seems that he really does want to catch this killer. The best scenes in this film are still the scenes with Lector, because you can really tell that Anthony Hopkins is loving this role so much. They bring so much to the story, and you can actually tell the trouble that they go through to get to him. I would say one of the better scenes in the picture is when Ralph Fiennes kidnaps Philip Seymour Hoffman’s asshole reporter character, because it actually does seem quite scary what he is going through. A major problem that I have with the plot of this movie, however, is that it seems to have two endings, one where the Tooth Fairy seems to have killed himself, and another where he comes back and attacks Edward Norton’s family. Also, I don’t like the way that Edward Norton was talking to his son in that scene, because that just seems hurtful. But I also understand that he was doing it so that the Red Dragon would release him.

Entertainment: This movie is quite thrilling. Ralph Fiennes plays the deranged killer quite well, and the way that Edward Norton attempts to find him by using Lector is quite smart. I think probably the stand out scene in this movie is when the FBI goes through such lengths to get the letter that the Red Dragon sent to Lector, and also the fact that Lector gave him Graham’s address is quite scary. It just seems like Lector can actually find ways to get you from within his cell, that’s pretty creepy. I think the scariest scene in this film is when Hoffman is kidnapped by the Tooth Fairy, because Fiennes actually makes it seem like it hates this character with everything he has. It’s pretty damn scary. Overall this movie is actually quite entertaining, but some parts of the plot can get muddled.

Overall: This movie is great. It has three terrific main actors: Norton, Hopkins, and Fiennes, plus a good supporting cast. It is actually quite a scary movie, and some parts are hard to watch, especially the kidnapping scene. The only problem that I have with this movie is that some parts can get quite muddled and mixed up, especially the scenes with Fiennes’ girlfriend. Her character doesn’t make as much sense as it could of, however you can still tell that he is going through problems when he wants to save her. Also, the part with the family at the end didn’t work as well as it could have. I sometimes wish that they had left that out and just ended with the fire in the house and maybe one more scene with Lector. Overall though, this film was great with awesome performances and a pretty good plot and also some scary scenes that make for a really good viewing experience.

Overall Grade: B+

Primal Fear

Edward Norton Week

August 14, 2012

Primal Fear:

Primal Fear is one of the films that I hear brought up whenever I hear about how good an actor Edward Norton is. It always comes down to Primal Fear, American History X, and Fight Club. I started off the week with Primal Fear, and I’ll be finishing it with American History X.

Performances: Edward Norton gives a great performance as Aaron Stampler,  the innocent altar boy who supposedly killed the priest, and his alter ego Roy who is truly a monster. The film is known as the debut of Edward Norton and that is not a bad description because it really showcases just how good an actor he can be. Richard Gere is alright in this movie but nothing special, and the only moments that he really shines are the moments where he is talking with Edward Norton’s character. Laura Linney is ok as well in her role as the court appointed judge taking the side against Stampler, and it also has a pre-Lost Terry O’ Quinn playing the DA of Chicago. Edward Norton is really the shining point of this movie. 

Plot: In Primal Fear, Richard Gere plays a lawyer who takes on the case of Aaron Stampler, played by Edward Norton. Stampler is said to have stabbed a Archbishop over seventy times in the chest, and to have cut off his fingers. As Gere investigates further into Stampler’s case, he discovers that Aaron is a textbook case of multiple personality disorder, and that his other side Roy, killed the Archbishop. He can’t bring this out in court however because it is during the middle of a case. So near the end of the trial he puts Stampler on the witness stand and has him become Roy, proving his apparent innocence and winning him the case. It isn’t until after that Gere has a talk with Aaron, and he discovers that there never was an Aaron, and only a Roy. My problem with this movie is not the parts with Edward Norton, who is really good in the role. My problem is that every other part doesn’t work as well with the character. The fact that the Archbishop made him make a porno movie isn’t worked in as well as it possibly could have been. And, also, some of the parts where they described the corruption of the church just seemed out of place. However, the twist is worked in very well near the end.

Entertainment: The plot twist in the end is worked in well, they actually have Stampler applaud Gere for figuring out the case. The last scene is downright creepy and brilliant, as well as the fact that Norton will be released out into the open after only a month of hospitalization. That works out well. The investigation scenes aren’t bad either, and the courtroom scenes are ok. But some of the scenes from Law and Order work just as well and sometimes even better. This is just a stereotypical courtroom movie outside of Norton’s chilling performance. Also, the music in this movie just seemed kind of out of place, considering how dark the rest of the movie is. The French singer is very annoying.

Overall: Overall this movie is alright, it’s nothing special, but Norton’s performance is truly the best part of this movie. He saves it from being boring, but there is never enough of him on screen and always too much of Gere’s boring lawyer character. Norton’s character Aaron isn’t that good, he is wimpy and has an annoying southern stutter, but his character Roy is chilling and you can tell that he would make a great murderer. Also, I think that after seeing Fight Club the whole split personality doesn’t work as well as it could have, but the twist that he really doesn’t have multiple personality disorder makes it so much better. Outside of Norton however, this film can be boring and repetitive, and I really can’t see why it is considered such a good film. In fact, I would have hated this movie if it wasn’t for Norton’s performance. It just didn’t seem to have a gripping enough story or a good enough script for anyone but the suspect. Overall, Primal Fear is an overrated film that wouldn’t be considered as good if it wasn’t for Edward Norton, but Norton does put forth a great performance. Sadly however, parts of his performance can still be quite over the top and annoying, so it isn’t his best that I have seen.

Overall Grade: C

Edward Norton Week

This week I am going to be posting a review each day for a Edward Norton movie that I have watched. I am going to start with his first role in Primal Fear, and finish with his most applauded role in American History X. Edward Norton is truly a great actor, and I can't wait to review each of his movies.

Breaking Bad "Dead Freight"

August 12, 2012

Breaking Bad “Dead Freight” Review:

Man oh man was this a good episode. The setup was fantastic, the opening scene was great, the train sequence was thrilling and suspenseful, and the twist at the end was truly horrifying. I think that this is probably the stand out episode so far of the fifth season.

Performances: In this episode, Walt Mike and Jesse start it out by talking to Lydia about the tracking device. Walt says that Mike can kill her after he finds out that she put a hit out on him, and Jesse is truly horrified, being the audience’s true way into the group. Probably one of the best scenes of the entire episode comes when Walt it talking to Lydia about their kids and you can tell that Walt may end up siding with her over Mike in the end. That would be awesome because then Jesse would have to side between Walt and Mike. I think Mike might tell Jesse that Walt poisoned Brock and lied to him, and a true drug war would start between the two groups. Later on in the episode, Mike becomes the voice of reason yet again when he tells Walt to stop what he’s doing and get the hoses out of the train, and yet again Walt refuses. I was yelling at my TV in anger over that, Walt is really starting to act pretty stupid.

Plot: The episode starts off with a teaser of a young boy on a dirt bike in the countryside. You can see that he’s wearing a helmet, either because he’s worried about his safety or he has loving parents who do. The boy is probably about 12, and he is the face of innocence in this episode. This scene seems out of place however when we are launched into the real plot. The group wants Lydia to give them methylamine, and she tells them that they can have as much as they could possibly want if they steal it from a train. The only problem is that they will have to kill off the conductor and engineer to do so. This causes tension because Walt is fine with killing them but Mike refuses. However, Jesse figures out the perfect way to do it, and it really is a great plan. Near the end of the episode, the train sequence begins, and the resulting scene is one of the best of the show and probably one of the best scenes on TV ever. It truly is the most suspenseful heist scene ever. There is also a subplot with Walter Jr. rebelling again, and you start to think that he might end up siding with Hank over Walt in the end. At the end, after the train sequence is pulled off, you think that everything may have worked out for our heroes for the first time ever, but then you hear the familiar sound of a dirt bike. You see the small boy from the opening teaser, and my heart started raging. They waved at him, and I actually had hope, then Jesse Plemons’ hand moved to his gun, and the boy is killed. This is horrible, tragic, and most of all needed. And it truly makes for great TV. I know I’m dying to see Mike’s reaction to the young boy’s death.

Entertainment: I’m going to talk about the train sequence here. This is one of the best heist sequences ever filmed, on TV and in movies. The plan is great, it seems like it actually would work. You just have to think about how long it took the writers to come up with that. I wonder if it took them a while. I mean for me to come up with something like that it would take a least six months. The sequence is so great because it just so suspenseful. You want the characters to pull it off, even though you know what they are planning to do with the stuff is bad. It goes fine for the first five minutes or so, then the other car movies in and shit gets real. You start to wonder if someone will die when Jesse is under the train and Todd is on top when it starts to move. Then they both get out and they win. I was laughing along with them when they pulled it off.  I was happy for them. I thought that it would have just been that, and it would have been just another episode of Breaking Bad, which is not a bad thing, but it’s just another episode. Then the boy showed up and the episode went from being great to being fantastic, and I know that this is going to be one of the best episodes of the series when it ends.

Overall: This episode is the standout of the fifth season so far. The train robbery sequence is fantastic, and you want the characters to be able to pull it off. You’re just worried about what they will do with the stuff when they have it. The scene with Lydia isn’t bad either, and neither is the subplot with Walter Jr. and Hank and Marie. This episode actually had me yelling at my TV in suspense, worried that the team will fail. But they pull it off, and it actually works. And for a minute you think that’s how it will end, and then the boy shows up, and the teaser starts to make sense, and he is shot. And then you know that this is one of the best episodes of Breaking Bad so far, and that this could start to spell out the end of Walter White as we know it. It’s a great ending, and a terrific storyline, along with probably one of the greatest heist scenes ever put to film, in both TV and movies. Overall, this was a fantastic masterpiece of an episode.

Grade: A+