Movie of the Week: The Social Network

   

    Movie of the Week (3/30/14-4/5/14): Many of you clicked on a link from Facebook to see this review, well without the story in our movie of the week this week, we would not have a Facebook. You already know the movie of the week, but without Mark Zuckerberg and his story Facebook would never exist. So, that is what we have here, a story of a young man who appeared to have made enemies out of his friends because he wanted something all to himself in, The Social Network.  
    Social Networking, it's what most people do everyday now, we have Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and the grand daddy of them all, Facebook. Now, Facebook might not have been the first social networking site, but it took it and made it bigger and better. That is what we see in this movie. It all starts in a Harvard dorm room when Zuckerberg gets angry at his ex-girlfriend. He blogs for hours over how he feels about her, gossip, which is what he see a lot today on Facebook. With some inspiration of twins, he takes this and begins building a site for people to get to know each each other on campus. It soon makes its way all the way to California where a man named Sean Parker wants to take it to a whole new level.
    The cast in this movie is very young with barely any veteran actors, but that didn't stop them from doing the best jobs of their lives so far. First, we have Jesse Eisenberg, who plays Mark Zuxkerberg, and he knocks it out of the park with this role. It is really hard to ever see him doing a role as good as this one again, plus he was perfect for it. As great as he was, I think my favorite performance in this film was that of Justin Timberlake, who played Sean Parker. He delivers his several monologue scenes with perfection and so much energy that I couldn't believe it was him in this role. I wish he would do more roles like this one because he was extraordinary. Armie Hammer was great too as he played the Winklevoss twins, along with Andrew Garfield, who had great character development as Eduardo Saverin.
    As great as the young cast was, they probably couldn't have done it without a veteran director in the drama genre, David Fincher. Fincher directed this film with ease and gave it his trademarked dark and eerie feeling in a place where you wouldn't thought had been in a world where Facebook was created. Where he shines is directing this young cast to performances of their lifetimes and makes it feel like a dark place where all this started. But, we couldn't have had that without the wonderful screenplay by another drama veteran, Aaron Sorkin, who put together such a great flowing film with the perfectly timed flashback or forward scenes to make this film complete. Whenever a flashback or forward occurs, it doesn't disrupted the flow of the film, in fact it adds to it. This might be the best screenplay, so far, for Aaron Sorkin.
    Since this is a drama film with a lot of dialogue, it really isn't in much need of a score throughout the majority of the picture. However, when they do use the musical score, it is used perfectly and with the score being a somber type score or a light intense score at times, it gives the film that perfect feel. We can think Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross for that short, but wonderful and breathtaking piano score. One last thing that makes this movie one of the best in 2010 was the cinematography. There are no big beautiful outdoor scenes that make this film look great, but instead it is how they used smaller sets to make it look great and give it that very realistic feel. This is a dark film in a world where you wouldn't think it would be thanks to the extraordinary direction, spot on cast, groundbreaking screenplay, simple but effective score, and beautifully done cinematography. All of those things make it the third best movie of 2010, but still stars across the board.
4/4 Stars

Movie of the Week: Pure Country

   

    Movie of the Week (3/23/14-3/29/14): I'm not sure if many of you all knew this, but back in 1992 the King of Country released himself a movie about country music. That's right George Strait filmed a movie, now as great as a musician that he is, we definitely knew that the movie would have a great soundtrack. As for King George himself, well we'll get to that in a few. This movie that he made was what you would call a "feel good" movie because it was about his character trying to find his true country roots again. And we get to watch him go to some very nice classic country places to do it in, Pure Country.
    Dusty Chandler is a huge country star with shows that will blow you away...and that's the problem. Somewhere along the line of his career Dusty lost sight of his country roots and the classic country concert. He ends up feeling lost in himself and then one day decides to up and leave to find it. He walks down the highway to his old stomping grounds, where everything started for him. He goes back to his grandmothers house where his first guitar is still hanging on her wall, to an old dance hall, and to a ranch where he ends up finding love and his true country roots.
    Pretty much the only person most people will know is George Strait, who plays Dusty Chandler, although a young Kyle Chandler, who plays Buddy Jackson, best known for his role in the T.V. show Friday Night Lights is also in this film. And that being said he is probably the best actor in this film. Yes, even better than George Strait, and don't get me wrong, George is one of my favorite country singers and he is probably the best all time, but the man just isn't a very good actor. His monotone voice is what hurts him the most and his lack of emotion in many scenes hurts the film. His best emotion, shockingly, comes when he is singing his songs. There is also Isabel Glasser, who plays the love interest, and she is very good in some of the scenes, particularly the end scene.
    Now, this film doesn't have a lot going for it, although it does have some well shot concert scenes and some well put together emotional scenes when Dusty is going down memory lane. The director, Christopher Cain, just didn't have what it took to make this a better looking movie than it is or how it was shot at times. I understand that he was probably trying to keep a classic feel to the film, and it worked, but at times I felt that he could have done more with some scenes to give them an extra push. The only scenes that seemed to have that extra push were the concert scenes, although even the climax scene could have had a little more emotion with the way it was shot.
    Now, I'm not saying this is a bad movie because it certainly is not, there are plenty other worse movies out there. This is a good movie because it is a good story and is a "feel good" movie that will make you smile in the end. Also, this movie has one of the best soundtracks ever for a film, with songs like "Heartland," "When Did You Stop Loving Me," "Baby Your Baby," "Overnight Male," Last in Love," and of course "I Cross My Heart," this is a movie that could be told straight from the songs that were written just for the movie. So, with a good moving story, mediocre direction, a mediocre performance from George Strait, and an awesome soundtrack to help move the film along, this will leave you tapping your feet throughout and smiling at the end, but being happy that George Strait just sticks to singing those classics.
2.5/4 Stars

Movie of the Week: Hoosiers

    

    Movie of the Week (3/16/13-3/22/14): Well, there is no doubt about it that I am very late this week, my apologies to those of you in dying need of a movie to watch this week. But, we still have something to watch even if it is late. With the NCAA Basketball Tournament starting this week I thought it was right to have a basketball movie this week. That being said this was much harder than I thought because there are not very many good basketball movies out there. So, I simply narrowed it down to probably the best basketball movie of all time, Hoosiers. 

    First of all it is not about Indiana University, thank God, it is about an Indiana high school giving a coach who has had a rough past a second chance at doing what he knows best, coaching. He takes over a high school basketball team that is not very good and turns them into winners. In the process he gives the town drunk a second chance at coaching because he sees something in him. It is a true story set in 1954 with some changes to history but it is still a very good true underdog story. 

    There is really not much of a cast here, most people today would only know two of them and they are Gene Hackman and Dennis Hopper. We have Barbara Hershey in a very good supporting role, but not very many people know who she is, but nevertheless she still does a very good job. But, we have Gene Hackman, as Coach Norman Dale, who is great here and delivers us another fine "Gene Hackman" performance. We also have Dennis Hopper as Shooter, the town drunk who also gets a second chance, and he too is phenomenal as he went on to be nominated of an Oscar. You can tell that he prepared for his role very well as he convinced the audience that he was truly the town drunk who struggled at getting his life together. 

    There are a few things that make this a good film, the first is the direction. This was directed by David Anspaugh, the same guy who directed Rudy, and he gave this film the classic feel to it as he used very little effects and classical camera work. That being said the cinematography is great here as it sets the perfect mood of the Midwest and the feel of high school basketball in the 1950's. The score here is also very moving and inspiring. We can thank Jerry Goldsmith for that because he knew exactly how to score this film, he was nominated for an Oscar as well, and give it the final boost of inspiration it needed. He was also the man that gave us the Rudy score. What this film is really about is second chances and that the underdog can really win and in the end it will inspire you and leave a smile on your face.

3/4 Stars.

Movie of the Week: Tombstone

   

    Movie of the Week (3/10/14-3/15/14): Most of us know the legend of Wyatt Earp and how he was a legendary lawmen and that we was never grazed by a single bullet. You probably also know that there have been several movies made about his life. Some you know and some you don't. The two most popular are Wyatt Earp, which had Kevin Costner in the role, and this film here, Tombstone, which had Kurt Russell embracing the role of Wyatt Earp. Now the funny thing is, is that these two films came out in back to back years and were being filmed on different lots right next to each other. Most people like this film more, but that is probably because it is pretty much and action movie where Wyatt Earp is more of a biography and action movie mixed. I like them both, but when it comes to accuracy, neither one is very accurate.
    Tombstone is not a biography film about Wyatt Earp, it is more so just about what happens when the Earp brothers arrive in Tombstone, Arizona. If you want more details on his life, you can watch Wyatt Earp, which is a very good and underrated film. Now, this film here focuses more on the Earp brothers' feud with a group called "The Cowboys," who didn't where red sashes by the way, and how all of the lawlessness leads up to the shootout at the O.K. Corral and afterwards. And, just so we are clear, the shootout didn't actually happen at the O.K. Corral, it happened just down the street in an empty lot, but the name stuck. Also, Virgil and Morgan Earp were not shot just after the shootout. The shootout occurred on October 26, 1881, Virgil was shot on December 28th and Morgan was shot and killed on March 18, 1882.
    However, Kurt Russell plays Wyatt Earp in this movie and he is my favorite actor to play Earp, even over Kevin Costner, because he looks the most like him. He also did a great job, there are several scenes where he displays wonderful emotion and outrage that just fuel the film. Val Kilmer plays Doc Holliday and he too gives us a powerful performance, possibly his best, plus his chemistry with Russell is great. Sam Elliott plays the older Earp brother, Virgil, and does a great job with his commanding deep voice. We have Bill Paxton as Morgan Earp, Powers Boothe as Curly Bill Brocius, Michael Biehn as Johnny Ringo, Stephen Lang as Ike Clanton, Thomas Haden Church as Billy Clanton, Michael Rooker as Sherman McMasters, and even Charlton Heston has a nice cameo. So, as you can see we have a wonderful veteran cast here and I have no complaints.
    What made this film good was that it was written well, though not accurate, but it kept the audience stuck to the screen. It had great mix of drama and action throughout as Wyatt begins to fall for Josephine yet trying to balance it with all of the death happening around him. Although, in real life it was much more spaced out and did not happen as quickly as it did in the movie, but it was done right to keep the audience involved. That was also helped by the the director, George P. Cosmatos, who stepped in at the last minute. I say that because he was known for directing action films, which is why this is more of an action picture with less drama like most westerns have. But, you still like his style a little, even if it might have been a bit much for a film like this at times.
    Nevertheless it was shot very well and looks great throughout, especially during the shootouts. That being said the editing also takes over during the shootouts and was done very well, particularly during the O.K. Corral shootout. We also have a very intense and fast paced score here, which is rare for a western, but it works since the film is more of an action film anyways. Now, this is a good movie and a good western, it is not a great movie or great western, I can think of several off the top of my head that are better. Plus, the several goofs that are clearly visible along with the historical inaccuracies also helps it stay at good movie status instead of higher. But, there are enough high points like the great cast, the well shot shootouts, and good direction, since it is an action movie, that it has enough to keep you drawn in from start to finish.
3/4 Stars  

Movie of the Week: Crimson Tide

   

    Movie of the Week (3/2/14-3/8/14): There are many submarine movies out there that keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. But, of course that is why they were made, to put several men in life threatening situations in a very small and claustrophobic space. Some of those movies have other ships or submarines shooting back at them or dropping depth charges on them. But this film here took a different approach to it as we have fighting and mutiny, allegedly that is, aboard the USS Alabama in, Crimson Tide.
    On the brink of nuclear war a young officer boards the USS Alabama for the first time as the nuclear submarine is sent out to help with the situation. On board the ship on the journey, the crew get to know each other and their new X.O. But, the new X.O. doesn't become too fond of the Captain after he orders a drill to take place without warning, something happens and the X.O. and Captain begin going down hill. Soon the sub receives an order to fire a nuclear warhead, but their communications equipment becomes damaged, therefore they can't confirm the order. So, the Captain insist on firing anyway, but the new X.O. does not agree which then begins a mutiny and an intense ride of crew vs. crew.
    This movie does have a great cast and is probably one of the most testosterone filled movies ever! We have Denzel Washington as Lt. Commander Ron Hunter as the man the leads the mutiny, Gene Hackman in an outstanding role as Captain Frank Ramsey, Matt Craven as Lt. Roy Zimmer, George Dzundza as Chief of the Boat, Viggo Mortensen as Lt. Peter Ince, the late James Gandolfini as Lt. Bobby Dougherty, Michael Milhoan as Chief of Watch Hunsicker, Danny Nucci as Petty Officer First Class Danny Rivetti, and Steve Zahn as William Barns. There you have it, a lot of great actors here along with a few not well known actors who are very good at playing small character roles.
    Probably the best thing about this movie is the editing. As soon as they get on the submarine the editing becomes a major part of the film, it had to be used carefully as they filmed scenes in a very tight set and the editing gave it much more intensity. The movie also sounds great, but of course it has too with everything going on and the intense editing gave it a huge edge. The sound editing was very good as well, I mean from the minute the crew goes against each other the movie was edited wonderfully with the sound and all the commotion that is taking place. Both sound editing and picture editing are top notch here.
    This is probably director Tony Scott's best movie because of the close attention he paid to the specifics of the film and how he shot it. This film has great detail to it and Scott himself even shot many of the scenes while in tight places and directing at the same time. He particularly did a great job with the actors as well, especially Gene Hackman, who was outstanding here and I think that had a lot to with Tony Scott. We also have a great and intense score here from Hans Zimmer, it adds to the film and the intensity of the plot perfectly. This is a powerfully acted, well directed, wonderfully edited, and perfectly scored film that might leave you sweating as much as the actors are during the movie. However, I felt it could have been a little longer with a little more story from outside after everything is over added in.
3/4 Stars

My Oscar Predictions... And who I want to win!

My Predictions

Best Visual Effects- Gravity

Best Adapted Screenplay- 12 Years a Slave

Best Original Screenplay- Her

Best Sound Editing- Captain Phillips

Best Sound Mixing- Gravity

Best Original Song- "Let it Go" from Frozen

Best Production Design- 12 Years a Slave

Best Makeup and Hairstyling- Dallas Buyers Club

Best Original Score- Gravity

Best Film Editing- Gravity

Best Cinematography- Gravity

Best Costume Design- 12 Years a Slave

Best Directing- Alfonso Cuaron

Best Animated Film- Frozen

Best Actress in a Supporting Role- Jennifer Lawrence

Best Actor in a Supporting Role- Jared Leto

Best Actress in a Leading Role- Cate Blanchett

Best Actor in a Leading Role- Matthew McConaughey

Best Picture of the Year- 12 Years a Slave

Who I Want to Win

Best Visual Effects- Gravity

Best Adapted Screenplay- The Wolf of Wall Street

Best Original Screenplay- Her

Best Sound Editing- Captain Phillips

Best Sound Mixing- Captain Phillips

Best Original Song- "Let it Go" from Frozen

Best Production Design- 12 Years a Slave

Best Makeup and Hairstyling- Dallas Buyers Club

Best Original Score- Gravity

Best Film Editing- Captain Phillips

Best Cinematography- Prisoners

Best Costume Design- American Hustle

Best Directing- Martin Scorsese

Best Animated Film- Frozen

Best Actress in a Supporting Role- Jennifer Lawrence

Best Actor in a Supporting Role- Jonah Hill

Best Actress in a Leading Role- Sandra Bullock

Best Actor in a Leading Role- Leonardo DiCaprio

Best Picture of the Year- Captain Phillips