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Solo: A Star Wars Story Review
Solo: A Star Wars Story Review
The production of Solo: A Star Wars Story was a bumpy ride. Original directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller, best known for their comedic movies, were replaced by Ron Howard and extensive reshoots had to be done. Reportedly, the production was chaotic before Howard took over. With all this in mind, I was “bracing for impact”. However, Solo: A Star Wars Story doesn’t crash and burn. Solo is an action-oriented film with a good main cast. Apart from some notable scenes, most of Lord and Miller’s vision doesn’t appear to factor into the final film.
Movie Roundup: What’s Your Favorite Jake Gyllenhaal Performance?
Movie Roundup is where I give quick impressions on a bunch of films. You might find a movie that catches your curiosity. Or maybe there’ll be a film to avoid, which means I watched a terrible movie so you wouldn’t have to! 🙂
I’m really liking Jake Gyllenhaal’s movie choices lately, especially over the last five years. Even though I generally like commercial movies, I’m glad he’s not doing stuff like the disaster flick The Day After Tomorrow or the video game based movie Prince of Persia anymore (I had little interest in watching those). In his more recent stuff, you can see he’s shifted to this whole other gear as an actor. What’s your favorite Jake Gyllenhaal performance or movie?
10 Things I Like About “Say Anything”
This post is part of MovieRob’s Genre Grandeur – High School/Teen Romance Movies. Don’t forget to check out all the great posts in this feature.
John Cusack holding a boombox outside his girlfriend’s bedroom window. It’s an iconic cinematic moment that, if you’re like me, are familiar with even if you haven’t watched 1989’s “Say Anything“. It’s been referenced and parodied so much, it’s about time I check out what the fuss is all about. Funny thing is watching that scene in context played out differently than what I expected. I’ll talk about that down below.
Say Anything reminds me a little bit of the more recent teen movie “The Spectacular Now“. The characters and their relationship feel instantly genuine. You see, Lloyd (John Cusack) doesn’t have big plans after high school. The only thing on his mind is getting a date with Diane (Ione Skye), the brainy girl who’s totally out of his league.
While Diane is the envy of other girls, her highly focused mind-set keeps her sheltered from many typical high school experiences. We can see how Lloyd and Diane influence each other in ways that they would have never experienced if they never met. Their romance is not overly sappy and the humor comes across naturally. And also like The Spectacular Now, the father figure plays a role in this coming of age story.
Without further ado, here are 10 random things I like about Say Anything. A heads up, some of these will contain spoilers. You may want to watch Say Anything first before reading further.
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013) Movie Review
This post is part of MovieRob’s Genre Grandeur – Sci-fi/Fantasy Animated Movies (non Disney/Pixar). For all the great reviews in this feature, head on over to the wonderful MovieRob.
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013)
Director: Isao Takahata
English Voice Cast: Chloë Grace Moretz, James Caan, Mary Steenburgen, Darren Criss
Director Isao Takahata may not be as well known outside of Japan as his fellow Studio Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki but he’s a masterful filmmaker in is his own right. Takahata’s first movie in 14 years is a wonderful animated fantasy drama that pulls on the heart strings.
The story is based on the oldest Japanese folklore The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter. In the beginning, an old man sees a glowing bamboo shoot in a forest. Now the bamboo is not empty or barren. The bamboo blossoms like a lotus flower revealing a tiny baby princess inside. The old man takes the princess back to his home and together with his wife raise the baby as if she were their own.
5 Reasons Why Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior Totally Rocks!
This post is part of MovieRob’s Genre Grandeur – Dystopian Movies. Be sure to check out all the reviews in this feature by heading over to MovieRob.
Before the days of smearing blue paint over his face and going commando in a kilt (hey, let’s not judge), Mel Gibson roamed the barren, post apocalyptic wasteland in a Ford Falcon. Of course, this is a reference to Gibson’s breakout role in the Mad Max movies which launched the actor into stardom. Let’s put on the breaks for a minute and take a rear view mirror look at the most popular movie in the Mad Max franchise. Here’s why 1981’s Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior is totally awesome.
Genre Grandeur: Trance (2013) Movie Review
This month’s Genre Grandeur at MovieRob is all about British Thrillers! For all the reviews from many awesome movie bloggers head on over to MovieRob. As always, I pick a movie that I’ve never previously watched. Here’s my take on Danny’s Boyle’s Trance starring James McAcoy:
Trance (2013)
Director: Danny Boyle
Cast: James McAvoy, Rosario Dawson, Vincent Cassel, Danny Sapani
The set up to some of my favorite heist movies involve thieves making clever, elaborate plans only to abandon them when everything goes terribly wrong and as a result must rely on their quick wit to pull off a job against even greater odds. 2013’s Trance is a fresh take on the premise of a heist gone wrong; it’s a savy mixture of mind-bending twists and mysteries which are revealed to be increasingly more intricate as they unfold.
The beginning to Trance’s story is relatively straightforward. An art auctioneer (James McAvoy) gets caught up with criminals (Vincent Cassel, Danny Sapani) and seeks the assistance of a hypnotherapist (Rosario Dawson) to uncover the forgotten memory of what happened when a stolen painting is lost during a heist.
One of the strengths of Trance is how hypnosis is conceptually integrated into the story. From what I’ve heard about hypnosis is that it can’t make a person do something against their will or against their moral fiber. However, it can make a person more receptive to suggestion. So it’s astute for the screenplay to play on the idea of control in the shifting power dynamics between characters and within. Not knowing whether a character’s deepest motivation is truly their own or someone else’s adds to the story’s intrigue.
Genre Grandeur: Constantine (2005) Movie Review
Constantine (2005)
Number Of Times Seen: 1 (June 8, 2014)
Director: Francis Lawrence
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Rachel Wiesz, Shia LaBeouf, Djimon Hounsou, Tilda Swinton
A good idea can be hard to kill while some bad ideas just won’t die. Based on DC/Vertigo’s horror comic book series Hellblazer, Constantine falls into the former category; a promising premise that’s been haphazardly adapted into a motion picture. Almost a decade later, Constantine gets another chance to prove its worth on-screen, this time resurrected as a television series on NBC beginning October 2014.
Co-creator Alan Moore (V for Vendetta, Watchmen) originally conceptualized John Constantine as an English streetwise magician with the looks of musician Sting. Though the resemblance to Sting was removed by DC comics, Constantine is visually recognizable by his trademark trench coat and constant chain-smoking. In the movie version, haunted with the ability to see demons and angels, Constantine committed suicide as a teenager but is resuscitated. For the mortal sin of taking his own life, Constantine is condemned to Hell after death if unforgiven.
13 Sins (2014) Movie Review
13 Sins (2014) Movie Review
Director: Daniel Stamm
Starring: Mark Webber, Devon Graye, Rutina Wesley, Ron Perlman
13 Sins is an American remake of a Thai psychological thriller/horror movie, taking elements from David Fincher’s The Game and some bits & pieces so to speak from Saw with varying degrees of success. Here is the synopsis:
A cryptic phone call sets off a dangerous game of risks for Elliot, a down-on-his luck salesman. The game promises increasing rewards for completing 13 tasks, each more sinister than the last. (Source: IMDB)
Battle Of The Movies: Captain America: The Winter Soldier vs Guardians Of The Galaxy (Spoiler Free)
Time to kick back and put on your favourite superhero pajamas! It’s the battle of Marvel Studios’ blockbusters Captain America: The Winter Soldier versus Guardians Of The Galaxy. After going head to head in several categories such as Story, Characters and Overall Awesomeness, we’ll turn the floor over to the all important people’s decision (that’s you!) for your pick for the best Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase Two movie of the year.
Story
Captain America: The Winter Soldier avoids the trappings of a mindless spectacle of fights and explosions because at its core it’s a clever espionage thriller wrapped up in superhero awesomeness. As with many great spy-genre movies, a lot of tension comes from not knowing who to trust. Trust, loyalty and betrayal are big themes which are explored on the personal and political front. Because Captain America is more grounded in the real world, it’s easier to make a connection to the broader ideas of the film, in particular to people’s trust/distrust in their government. Story wise, the rug gets pulled out from under the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a spectacular manner and it’ll have lasting implications in future movies.
Only several months after The Winter Soldier hit theatres Marvel Studios premiered Guardians Of The Galaxy. If you’re not familiar with this movie, check out Guardians Of The Galaxy: Everything You Need To Know for the synopsis and why Marvel is expanding into the cosmic universe. It’s a compliment to say that Guardians feels less like a typical comic book movie and more like a Star Wars meets Indiana Jones type of sci-fi action adventure film on steroids. The story shares a common thread with Marvel’s Avengers, it’s essentially about larger than life individuals who butt heads before coming together as a team although there’s nothing generic about Guardians. Director James Gunn’s vision is bold, lots of fun and manic. Buckle in your seatbelts because the story quickly immerses you in another galaxy, far far away, yet it’s the same universe inhabited by Captain America. Driving the story is the macguffin but what’s makes the movie entertaining are the likeable characters and how dangerous situations are subverted with humour.
Genre Grandeur: Constantine (2005) Movie Review
Hope everyone’s summer is off to a rocking start! For this month’s Genre Grandeur at movierob.wordpress.com, it’s comic book / superhero movies. If you would like to share your thoughts on a comic related movie, it’s not too late. You have until the 25th to submit your entry. So far, there’s been many great reviews including Iron Man, Dredd (2012), The Avengers, The Amazing Spider-Man, Man Of Steel and The Punisher.
There’s a whole bunch of new comic based television shows coming this fall. NBC’s Constantine is one that I’m not familiar with so I thought I’d check out the movie version for the first time.
Head on over to movierob’s site for my take on 2005’s Constantine. Thanks to Rob for being a gracious host and remember to follow his great blog!
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