Movie Review – Page 2 – Madness Brewing

El Sur (Movie Review)

By all accounts, El Sur is an unfinished movie. Although the key players disagree as to why, it’s abundantly clear that this movie is incomplete. It’s disjointed as parts of the story seem like they’re unintentionally missing while other parts of it are hyper-detailed. Yet Victor Erice is still able to tell an intriguing tale of a daughter growing up to realize that her father isn’t the deity that she has mythologized but a man with flaws. It takes a while for the movie to find its footing, but in the end, it’s worth the journey.

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Reckless (Movie Review)

The unfortunate thing about Reckless is you could see the foundation of a good movie behind its superficial edginess and excessive sexuality. It almost seems that director James Foley focused on trying to make the film look good rather than focus on substance. The grittiness the film tries to exude overshoots its mark. The acting doesn’t do the film any favours neither. The story is compelling, but because of all the faults of the film, it goes from something that could have been really interesting and must-watch to something that is kind of just there.

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The Hangover (Movie Review)

The Hangover could have been a problem for Warner Bros. The studio gave the film a full cinema release despite it having many of the hallmarks of a straight-to-video release: too many C-list actors with several D-list celebrity cameos. The comedy is off the wall and the general plot is kind of the stupid. Todd Phillips pulls a rabbit out of his hat because despite all these telltale signs, The Hangover is a surprisingly funny movie. It’s amusing and witty in ways it has no right to be. It can be a bit stale at times and there may be a couple of scenes that pretty much force you to roll your eyes, but the film is quite enjoyable nonetheless.

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El Norte (Movie Review)

The remarkable thing about El Norte is that while you know misfortune will continually plague the protagonists, the more invested you get. Gregory Nava tells a brilliant story about a pair of young Guatemalan refugees seeking haven in the United States (or as the know it, el norte). However, this story could be about any refugee fleeing their homeland. Although American opulence is a theme, it’s not the cornerstone. The focus of the film is the brutal journey that must be undertaken to make it across the border and dealing with life in a strange land where you have nothing and are treated like nothing.

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Captain Phillips (Movie Review)

Paul Greengrass’s movie, Captain Phillips is a remarkably interesting movie about the piracy problem affecting ship travel around the horn of Africa. Instead of creating an action movie about how a ship and its crew are rescued and persevere against a band of pirates, his movie presents a critical situation that looks at both sides point of view. The brilliance here is that he is able to humanize the pirates without creating too much empathy for their situation. The problem is that, despite the great storytelling and acting, there are some script issues and pacing problems that make this a bit of a rocky ride at times.

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12 Rounds (Movie Review)

You would think that a film created by the world’s largest professional wrestling outfit would be an elite action thrill-ride. To a certain extent, 12 Rounds succeeds. However, Renny Harlin’s movie has too many problems that prohibit it from being one of the best action films of all time. The acting is bad and the dialogue isn’t much better. At least the action doesn’t feel over the top (much) and the film is paced well enough to keep the audience on the edge of their seats for most of the experience.

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Prénom Carmen (Movie Review)

Prénom Carmen is an awful film that should have never been made. That’s a terrible statement considering that there’s a somewhat decent story and the director, Jean-Luc Godard, is a filmmaking legend. The problem is that this pile of muck comes from the mind of Godard and shows how miserable a person he is. Not only is the film a perverted mess, but it doubles-down on Godard’s tropes that make for a convoluted movie that is neither artful nor decent.

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Layer Cake (Movie Review)

Matthew Vaughn set forth to make a slick looking movie about the drug underworld and pulled it off successfully with Layer Cake. It’s not perfect but it is still an excellent movie. Despite it trying to be very hip, it doesn’t take itself too seriously and tells the story in a very entertaining way. This movie should be watched by anyone who is a fan of British films, crime dramas, or good films in general.

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Soul (Movie Review)

Movie ReviewSoul2020Starring: Jamie Foxx, Tina FeyDirected by: Pete Doctor Disney animated movies generally have a set of criteria that they’re supposed to check-off. State-of-the art animation, beautiful messages, and wonderful music are what makes Disney’s and Pixar’s animated movies unique and special. Pete Docter’s Soul checks off all those boxes, but somehow misses its mark. […]

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Broadway Danny Rose (Movie Review)

As a piece of cinematic history, it’s good, but Allen has done better; both before and after this movie. If you’re an Allen fan and you’ve yet to see this movie, you probably will enjoy it. Despite my star rating, I don’t feel comfortable recommending it.