Movie of the Week: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

   

    Movie of the Week (1/26/14-2/1/14): I am way late this week, and to be honest with you I forgot. Yeah, I know what you're thinking, "Kurt! How could you leave us without a movie to watch for so long?" My bad, but don't fret no longer because we do have a movie to watch, like we always do. This particular film is my personal favorite of the series that is overall a very good series. But, this one adds a cast member that I'm sure most if not all of us enjoy seeing on the screen and his chemistry is perfect with his on screen son. This is Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
    The films opens with one of my favorite prologue scenes on film. We get to see a young Indiana Jones in his first encounter with a bad guy and we get to see how he got his scare and his hat. From there on we get to the main plot of the movie as Indiana searches for the Holy Grail. But, his whole reasoning as to searching for the Grail is because his father just went missing while searching for it. So, Jones races to find his father while at the same time trying to escape from and stop the Nazis from getting there first.
    Of course we all know that Harrison Ford plays Indiana Jones, or Junior as his father calls him throughout the film, and naturally he nails it. The new cast member that we have added here is Sean Connery as Henry Jones, his father. Connery also is great here as the chemistry between him and Ford is truly unforgettable as they make you laugh several times and make you think as their relationship as father and son is very important throughout. River Phoenix plays the young Indiana Jones and he was certainly entertaining during that segment. Denholm Elliott, Alison Doody, John Rhys-Davies, Julian Glover, and Michael Byrne round out the rest of the cast as they all deliver as well.
    I guess where we should start here is the exciting screenplay and story, I mean we all wanted to go out looking for the Holy Grail and the screenplay helped bring this to life. George Lucas and Menno Meyjes gave us the story but Jeffery Boam gave us the explosive screenplay that we know today. But, of course it would not be a complete Indiana Jones film without the direction of the great Steven Spielberg. He again gave us a great film with his classic direction and well shot scenes that will leave you on the edge of your seat at times. I also enjoyed his direction in the well shot comedic scenes with Ford and Connery, also the Denholm Elliott's scenes.
    The film also has good effects and for 1989 they are very good and make the film look that much better. The effects are more necessary near the end and with the great sound editing and mixing, the action scenes are perfectly put together for the screen. Of course we can't forget the memorable score that we find ourselves humming whenever we watch this film or the other ones, and John Williams made sure that we would. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is an upgrade from the film before it and keeps your attention until the very end when we find out the true meaning of the movie. The great direction, effects, screenplay, and musical score makes this one of the best Indiana Jones adventures and films of 1989.
4/4 Stars

My Favorite Top 10 Movies of 2013

    Well it is awards season now and I finally got around to making my favorite top ten movies of the year. So the films below are my pick for the best movies of 2013 that I have seen and I have seen a lot of movies. Now, that being said I was not about to see Nebraska, Philomena, Dallas Buyers Club, 12 Years A Slave, or Her because all of those were in limited release and I wasn't about to see them. However, the first chance I get to see them I will. Now, I'm going to go on and tell you all that I have seen American Hustle and you might notice that it is not in my top ten movies of the year. That is because I thought it was a little overrated, it had great acting and direction but the story didn't really go anywhere by the end and I was a little disappointed at the ending. But, I still liked it overall. So, without further ado, here are my Top Ten Movies of the Year.

  
10. Pacific Rim

    We start off the top ten with a movie that is clearly run by visual effects, but that wasn't enough to derail this picture, because sometimes it does. This film has great visual effects, but that is because it is about giant monsters coming up from under the ocean to wreak havoc on Earth. So, the high point of this film are the beautiful effects, but I also liked that the monsters came from a portal inside the Earth instead of from space, an interesting idea I thought. We also have a good cast as Charlie Hunnam and Idris Elba headline it and they both are great, Elba is the best since he controls the screen whenever he is on it. It is also nice seeing Charlie starting to branch out from his Sons of Anarchy role. So we get an action packed movie with beautiful visuals to start out our top ten, one that should have gotten at least an Oscar nomination for effects.
3.5/4 Stars

9. Iron Man 3

    Iron Man 3 was a leap from the previous film because it dug deeper into Tony Stark rather than Iron Man. After the chaos in New York he developed post traumatic stress disorder and looses it every now and then. But, with Stark suffering from that we got the best performance from Robert Downey Jr. as Stark and I was very impressed with it. We also get the best villain of the series so far, although we think we have one then it turns out to be another, a twist I wasn't very fond of, but the main villain was a very interesting one and by the end you really do hate him. We also got great visual effects, editing, and screenplay from writer/director Shane Black, who I hopes comes back for the fourth one.
3.5/4 Stars

8. Mud

    We steer away from effects here. This is one of those films that not many people know about because it wasn't in wide release or promoted will. But, don't let that stop you from going to rent because it is very good and tells a good story. This film didn't use hardly any effects because it didn't need to, it is a character driven film with an intriguing main character named Mud. Matthew McConaughey plays the mysterious Mud character who is on the run and is trying to find the woman he lost. He runs into two boys who try to help him find her and leave the area, but he is also being pursued by bad guys. Nevertheless we get a groundbreaking performance, one of a few this year, from McConaughey, a great screenplay, and great direction in a film that will leave you smiling by the end.
3.5/4 Stars

7. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

    Back to more visual effects! The film opens with a flashback and then jumps back to where the first one left off, and from there on it grabs you and doesn't let go. I'm serious now, by the time it ended I was like "that's it?" because I was that into this film. First off, it is visually brilliant with the classic Peter Jackson feel and effects. The fight scenes were also incredibly filmed and fun to watch, especially the barrel scene, spider scene, and the whole sequence with Smaug near the end. The make-up and acting was also fantastic along with the incredible sound editing and mixing. By the time it ends you will be left wanting to see the third and final one as soon as possible.
3.5/4 Stars

6. The Place Beyond the Pines

    If you like stories about bank robberies, dirty cops, and family then this film is for you. The last thing this movie is is a thriller because you're not waiting for anything big to happen or any twists. You are waiting to see where the story goes because it spans quite a few years and you want to see what the characters will do and why. It is told in three segments that all connect with all of the different characters in some way. It has a fantastic screenplay, that should have been nominated for an Oscar, and wonderful direction by Derek Cianfrance. Not to mention the cast, Bradley Cooper, Ryan Gosling, Eva Mendes, and Ray Liotta who all deliver thrilling performances.
3.5/4 Stars

5. Prisoners

    This film might be the best thriller of the year along with possibly the best screenplay of the year. The screenplay if filled with so many suspenseful twist that I lost count and by the end I was shocked beyond belief, and I loved it!! Hugh Jackman also delivers us one of his best performances ever that is Oscar worthy, but didn't get nominated, and this is pretty much his movie. Jake Gyllenhaal is also very impressive as a detective struggling hard to find the truth. Direction is also fantastic from a new and upcoming director Denis Villeneuve. This film will leave your heart pounding and your mind twirling from start to finish.
4/4 Stars

4. Star Trek Into Darkness

    If you liked the first movie by J.J. Abrams then you will love this one because it ups the ante. Not only is it visually thrilling it is will make sweat from beginning to end. With several nostalgic moments from past Star Trek films it pays perfect homage and delivers better than ever. The cast blows this out of the water, especially Benedict Cumberbatch who takes over the film whenever he is on screen. Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto aren't too bad either, especially when it comes to the fantastic emotional scenes. This may not be the best or most thrilling movie of the year, but it will leave a mark when you're done watching it.
4/4 Stars

3. Gravity

    It is very hard to act in a movie where it is just you for the majority of the time, but Sandra Bullock did just that. Yes, George Clooney was in there as well, and he was great, but Sandra had to virtually act with a green screen by herself and this is probably her best performance. Along with her we have possibly the best visuals in all of film this year along with sound mixing and that frightening score that we get in those wonderfully shot frightening scenes that will make you squeeze your arm rest to death. We can credit Alfonso Cuaron for the thrilling screenplay, the perfect direction, and the scariest filmed scenes of the year.
4/4 Stars

2. The Wolf of Wall Street

    Yeah, this might be a little long for some people to sit through, but you know what, once it ends, you cannot believe it has been 3 hours. That's right, the film is so well put together that you have no idea it has already been three hours once it is over. The editing is an instant classic, as are most Scorsese pictures, along with the serious and comedic filled screenplay that has perfect balance. Of course Martin Scorsese knows what he's doing and gave us another classic with his perfect direction. And finally, Leonardo DiCaprio was perfect as he gives us possibly his best performance, although he has so many it is close, that absolutely blew me away. Jonah Hill also shines.
4/4 Stars

1. Captain Phillips

    My favorite movie of the year is this masterpiece, Captain Phillips. We all knew this was a true story when this movie was announced and came out, but we didn't know it would turn into this breathtaking thrill ride that Paul Greengrass put to the screen. The film from start to finish will have you on the edge of your seat and you will love every minute of it. On top of the fantastic direction, the editing and screenplay is also flawless and controls the film's perfect pacing. But, Tom Hanks is absolutely perfect in this role as Richard Phillips and delivers his best performance since Cast Away. This is a film that brings suspense to the next level and should have earned Tom Hanks an Oscar, but the fact that he wasn't even nominated is an insult to him and film.
4/4 Stars

Movie of the Week: Die Hard 2

   

   
    Movie of the Week (1/19/14-1/25/14): I'm in the mood for another action flick this week so why not one that was a sequel to one of the best action movies of all time. That's right, Bruce Willis returned to his iconic role as the cop from New York who is always "At the wrong place at the wrong time." Now this might have been a step down from the first one, but it really wasn't a very big step down because it had a good director, that classic '80's action feel, and a couple of interesting twists. This is Die Hard 2: Die Harder.
    This second adventure follows John McClane in Washington D.C. at Dulles International Airport as a group of traitorous rogue U.S. military men take over the airport. There mission? To intercept an airplane carrying a terrorist general and set him free. And if they do that they all get paid a bunch of money and get to live in "paradise." But of course John McClane will do anything to stop them as they have caused planes to circle the airport until they run out of fuel. McClane's wife is on one of the planes, so that gives him some motivation to find and stop the traitors from intercepting the general and killing any innocent people.  
    Now, like I said Bruce Willis returned as John McClane and we all love watching his exploits and Bruce does another great job in a role that will always be his. Bonnie Bedelia returned as Holly McClane, in a smaller role, but still kept the feel of Die Hard alive. Reginald VelJohnson even has a short cameo that was nice to see. William Sadler plays the main antagonist as Colonel Stuart, you may know him from The Shawshank Redemption among many other films where he plays a good small character. This is one of his different roles where he plays a tough military man and can fight... good, he gives us a good performance. We also have John Amos as a military Major who comes in as relief during the chaos, and Dennis Franz as the Captain of the airport police, who can be quite annoying at times. Robert Patrick also has a brief appearance in a small role as one of the bad guys.
    The first thing that makes this a good movie is its small connections to the first movie with all of the little things that the director, not the same from the first one, put in there. You'll know them when you see them, or hear them. The director for this film, Renny Harlin, who also did Cliffhanger, gave this his own touch as it is a little more faster paced and filled with a little more over the top action. But, that's okay because it was fun and exciting to watch, let alone gory, and got to the point faster. Renny Harlin is a good director he just hasn't made any good choices since Cliffhanger in 1993 and I wish he did because he had potential.
    This movie also had very good effects when it came to the shootouts and were choreographed very well, which made them intense to watch. Another thing that made this a good, not great, sequel were the twists that we have and they have a few clues to them along the way, some easier and some not so much, but of course once they happen you are still shocked in a way. But, it was something that made the film better and brought some characters together in the end that we wouldn't have thought would come together. In the end this is a sequel with its own feel to it yet had plenty of connections to the first one, good direction, effects, and good twists that will keep you entertained.
3/4 Stars

Movie of the Week: Mystic River

   

 

    Movie of the Week (1/12/14-1/18/14): We are in awards season and the Golden Globes air tonight. So, I have chosen this wonderful, yet disturbing, film that won Sean Penn and Tim Robbins a Golden Globe and Oscar along with other nominations. Clint Eastwood directed this great film that is driven by wonderful acting and a fantastic screenplay. The story is dark and this is a film that probably only a few can watch one time because of some of the subject matter and the emotion going around, but nevertheless it is one of the best films of 2003. This is Mystic River.
    The film opens with the three main characters as kids playing hockey in the street when a mysterious car pulls up and asks them to get in. The men were posing as cops. One of them gets in and is sexual assaulted, but nothing is shown, and then he escapes. This sets his character up for the rest of the movie when the three of them are drawn back together when the daughter of one of them is killed. The movie is then one thrill ride as one of the friends is a cop and tries to figure out who killed her. The other ends up becoming suspicious about the other friend. The story is widened when other characters are revealed and are thought to have something to do with her death, including her boyfriend.
    What makes this movie fabulous to watch are the performances by the great cast. Sean Penn does the best as he plays Jimmy Markum, the father of the girl killed, who has a criminal past and suspects his past enemies as people who may have killed her. He delivers a powerhouse and frightening performance that won him Best Actor at the Golden Globes and Oscar's. Tim Robbins won Best Supporting Actor at the Golden Globes and Oscar's as Dave Boyle, an emotionally traumatized man that was sexual abused as a child and because of that he becomes a suspect as something he did the same night that girl was killed is revealed. Kevin Bacon is the third friend as he plays Sean Devine, the detective trying to find the killer. He also gives us one of his best performances as he is caught in the middle and by the end is the man who truly figures out who killed the girl. The rest of the cast is capped off by Laurence Fishburne, Laura Linny, and Marcia Gay Harden as she also delivers an Oscar nominated performance.
    The acting is the best aspect of this film, but the second is Clint Eastwood as he directed this masterpiece. He gives us another dark, chilling, yet exciting movie that will leave you thinking once it is over. Along with directing, he also scored the film and it too is great as it is used perfectly, especially during the climax, and builds the suspense throughout the film. This is a perfectly scored film. It is also wonderfully written, based on a novel as well, with the perfect pacing, dialogue, and scenes that build and come together by the suspenseful ending and everything is explained. The editing is not too shabby either, particularly during the climax as we have several things going on at once.
    By the end of this great movie not only are the characters traumatized by what has happened, but we might as well be too. This is one of those movie that leaves us in almost a state of peril by the way it all unfolds. Now, I know that sounds like a bad thing, but really we are still thinking, why did that happen? Why didn't he just tell him this? Or show him that? That is what makes this movie so great, besides the acting, it is a haunting story that is hard to watch at times, but we can't stop watching! Plus the ending is left open a little for us think what will happen to one of the main characters, and I love those type of endings. This a wonderful film that is perfectly acted, directed, written, and scored. It would have won Best Picture had it not been for Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King being released the same year.
4/4 Stars

Movie of the Week: Under Siege

   

 

    Movie of the Week (1/5/14-1/11/14): I'm back! My apologizes for not having a movie last week, I know many of you missed it! But, I'm back this week, a little late, but the playoffs last night was responsible for that. And since my team lost I think a good action film to let off some steam is a good one to have this week. I'm sure many of you had a team that lost and want to let off some steam too, this is a good one to do just that. It is also Steven Seagal's best movie and has a great supporting cast to go with it along with some intense fight scenes. This is Under Siege.
    This film is set on a battleship while terrorist take it over in order to get back at the government that did them wrong by stealing nuclear warheads to use against them. During a surprise party for the captain the bad guys land on the ship by helicopter posing as the band and they then take it over by surprise themselves along with the help of a traitor. Casey Ryback is forgotten about since he was locked in the meat locker for an earlier scuffle with the traitor, an officer on the ship, and ends up escaping. From there on Ryback becomes a one man army as he tries to stop the terrorist from doing something terrible.
    I'm sure you know that Steven Seagal is Casey Ryback and really does a good job in this role because it fits him the best. He is a cook, former Navy SEAL, and he is handy with knives, his fists, explosives, and guns, which is why Seagal is perfect for this role. His acting is still not the best, but it is certainly enjoyable to watch him in his best role. We also have Tommy Lee Jones as the leader of the terrorist, William Stranix, who has a vendetta against the government and CIA as they screwed him over. Jones gives us another great performance and did a great job in the final fight scene between him and Seagal. Gary Busey is also great as Commander Krill, he plays a character that the crew doesn't like and the audience will not like because he is the traitor and it is he who Ryback doesn't get along with. All three of these main cast members really worked well together and had good chemistry when on screen. The rest of the supporting cast also is very good.
    The writing to this might seem similar to Die Hard, and in a way it is because it is pretty much that on a ship, but we have different reasons for terrorist. So it is different in several ways and it works well, it is a well written screenplay. We also have director Andrew Davis, who would go on to direct the Oscar winning The Fugitive with Tommy Lee Jones a year later. You can tell that it has his touch to it. It has that classic action feel, which The Fugitive had as well, from the late eighties and early nineties, which means that there are not a lot of cuts in the fight scenes but are shot very well in longer than usual segments, unlike today where there is a cut every couple seconds. With his touch to the film, it makes the film much better.
    The sets for this film were also very good as they matched how the real U.S.S. Missouri looked and made the film darker, which was a good fit. The movie also sounds good and has very good sound editing and mixing. With so much going on in each particular fight scene, shootout, and dialogue scene with Stranix while he is talking to the Navy commanders is edited together very well, along with the editing of the film, all of these mix together perfectly. The score is also that classic action movie score from the eighties and nineties and it is exciting to listen too, even when there is not much going on. This is a very good intense action film, with great shootouts, fight scenes, particularly the last one, sound editing, directing, and great performances from the entire cast. Let's start the New Year off with a bang!
3/4 Stars