Nightcrawler

Every once in a while you just have a feeling about a movie. That even if no one else likes it or sees it you will love it and preach it's qualities to anyone who will listen. I have at least one of these pet projects every single year. Rush, Prisoners, Lawless...etc. I love these movies, some of them have become my favorite movies of all time. The second I finished watching the trailer for Nightcrawler for the first time, I predicted that this would be my movie this year. My instincts were right.




Louis Bloom knows how to get things done. He has a game plan that is focused and is willing to overcome any obstacles that stand between him and personal growth. He may have started as a scrounger, stealing metal from where ever he could and selling it. But his fast talking and driven personality will help him succeed in his new profession: Nightcrawling. Nightcrawlers drive around the city filming the bloody and shocking crimes and accidents that happen so people can be satisfied in their fascination with violence during the morning news. Louis's lack of conscience and willingness to do what ever is necessary for that one money shot is the exact thing that a news station that is struggling in the ratings needs. But everything has a price.

Everyone's favorite word when describing this movie and Jake Gyllenhaal's amazing performance is "Creepy." And while I hate to be repetitive it really is the best word for it. The examination of a society's obsession with rubbernecking and glorification of violence couldn't come at a more relevant time. (The irony that the Saw re-release was playing a few theaters down was not lost on me.) As an aspiring director I caught myself at times evaluating and praising Louis's footage instead of being shocked at what he was filming. Nightcrawler is an extremely captivating, relevant, and realistic movie that transcends familiar tropes and becomes a modern instant classic.  A+

St. Vincent

The main reason this movie interested me was not it's actors. I have no problem with Bill Murray he just never was fantastic to me either and I am actively not a fan of Melissa McCarthy. The story of a first time director/writer bringing together these Hollywood heavy hitters and one complete newbie in a starring role captured my attention. It's a dream of mine to be in his shoes one day so spending ten bucks to see his passion project was completely worth it....and the fact that the movie was great didn't hurt things either. 

Vincent is no saint. He has a problems with drinking, gambling, prostitutes, and generally being nice to people. The only person he cares about is his wife who is suffering from Alzheimer's Disease. One day though he gets new neighbors, and while the crusty Vietnam vet wants nothing to do with them at first, financial hardships force him to offer to babysit the single moms young son while she works in the evening. The pairing of this crusty geezer and innocent child might seem like a bad idea at first, but they begin to learn from each other what it means to grow up. 

St. Vincent is very much like it's titular character: flawed but with a heart of gold. Bill Murray and newcomer Jaeden Lieberher absolutely steal this movie. It's a classic coming of age tale about a young person being paired with an old person and neither wanting much to do with the other but it feels fresh and new. Call me a pushover or a softy but the speech at the end delivered by the young Oliver as to why Vincent is his Saint brought me to tears. And that doesn't happen often.  A 

23 Blast

I hardly knew anything about 23 Blast when I walked into the theater. I hadn't even looked up a trailer. All I knew is that is was about a kid who played football and went blind and that is was being pretty much destroyed by critics. But I never really care what the critics say, heck I'm the guy that like The Lone Ranger and hated American Hustle. But this is one case where they might have a point.

Travis Freeman knows who he is. He's the star High School running back who's dating the beautiful head cheerleader and has big plans for his life. He'd like it if his best friend since childhood would feel the same but he's more interested in drinking, partying, and goofing off. But one infection changes his life, taking his eyesight and leaving him blind literally overnight. Travis understandably has trouble understanding the plan in this but with a little help from his friends, coach, and pastor, he may come to grasp it yet. 

As good as this story sounds, and it is good, this is not the movie it deserves. It's positive story and message lost its impact on me as I had to sit through poor dialogue delivered by poorer actors. There are a few exceptions.... The main characters best friend and a girl who eventually becomes more to him both are worth mentioning, the always stellar Stephen Lang does not disappoint...but they're about the only ones who don't. Plagued by the problems that have now become cliche of Christian films the movie is all heart and no quality...which granted, the audience it's aimed at will happily accept. But this is the type of movie that made me want to make movies in the first place: There is no excuse for sacrificing production quality for quality family entertainment. I expect better.  C- 

John Wick

I hadn't heard the name John Wick until about a month ago when I first saw the trailer. It looked like a decent popcorn flick with the very underused Keanu Reeves. I wasn't sure if I'd even go see it. Last week my theater rewards card gave me a free ticket and I was looking for a movie to burn it on. I was reminded of John Wick when I saw some very positive reviews on it. Now that I've seen it I realize I would've gladly paid to see this movie.



John Wick is a sad, simple man. He used to be a fearsome hit man known as The Boogeyman for the mob but found a chance to get out of that violent life and live his happily ever after with the love of his life. But she got sick and died. She knew John would need something to love after she was gone and gave him a puppy. But John's flashy car catches the eye of a psychotic punk who kills his dog and steals his car. John Wick was happy to kick back and retire...now he's going to kick backs and retire other people.

John Wick is not Citizen Kane. But in knows that and never tries to be. It's story might not be the most complex or compelling but it doesn't have to be. Watching Keanu Reeves punch, kick, shoot and slice his way through mobster after mobster with the grace and coolness of a feline dancer is more than enough to keep engaged. The snarky one liners are hilarious and the supporting cast is unbelievably talented. This is the directorial debut of two Hollywood stunt men and their familiarity with action shows in every fight scene. John Wick is a beautifully shot, adrenaline pumping, shoot em' up that while it's never intelligent, it is always very entertaining. Hopefully this is the first installment in a series because I want to see more of John Wick.   A

Fury

Movies about World War Two are a dime a dozen...or a Dirty Dozen. But... Movies that center around a tank crew and take place mostly in the tank? Not as popular. Fury decides to break that trend. This movie was barely on my radar until Brad Pitt signed on and it became one of the only movies ever to use a real Tiger Tank (and the last operational Tiger) in its production. When trailers were revealed it became less of a might see and more of a must see.

Fury picks up in April, 1945 near the end of the Great War. A tank crew who have been fighting together from Africa to Germany has just lost one of their comrade and is sent a greenhorn typist as a replacement. Someone who has never even seen the inside of a tank. He's never seen action let alone kill somebody. His skill set is typing 60 words per minute which is pretty useless on the front lines. "Just wait till you see it..." warns one tank member, "What a man can do to another man." And see it he does... The hell that is war. The animalistic nature men adopt when faced with war. There are no heroes here, only soldiers. 

Audiences are showed the hell that is war along with the greenhorn Norman. Unlike Brad Pitts other WWII movie, war and violence are not glorified here. There is nothing cool about stabbing another human being in the face or watching your comrades burn alive. "Ideals are peaceful, History is violent." Says Wardaddy. Fury perfectly captures that without reveling in it. And despite an ending that I thought copped-out, Fury holds up as one of the greatest war movies of recent years.  A 

The Judge

If you judged this movie based just on it's actors, you would have to rule that this movie is guilty of potential greatness. If you examined or cross-examined the directors pedigree you might begin to have doubts. But I am here to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that The Judge doesn't just court greatness, it becomes it. (Also I am loving these law puns...I'm sure I'll be guilty of a few more..)

Hank Palmer is something of a cliched jerk. The cold, calculating, big-shot lawyer that couldn't care less that all his clients are guilty, he just cares about getting another win. Then he gets a wake up call in the form of his mother dying. "Is grandpa Palmer dead too?" His daughter asks. "No, He's dead to me." he replies. It's too bad then that he has to return to the podunk town in Indiana that he hates and board with his estranged father who he hates. He is going to try to get in for the funeral and get out as soon as possible. But an alleged accident involving his father changes his plans and he finds himself in the unexpected place of fighting in his fathers corner. 

I see no reason in delaying a verdict: I found the Judge an amazing and thoroughly enjoyable film. While the court room drama is compelling it's the family relationship drama that is truly captivating. Robert Downey Jr. and Robert Duvall are both great on their own but put them in a room together and you have a tour de force. No objections here. A 

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

So confession...I went to see this movie basically just to ask for a ticket and use the full title in every conversation I could. That said, the title does not lend itself well for writing so from here on out, it will be referred to as Alexander Etc. So basically, I had low expectations. I was looking for something new to watch while I ate an unhealthy theater supper. But low expectations are made to be exceeded. 

If the title didn't clue you in, Alexander doesn't have the best of days. His days actually suck. His family however have everything going right. His Dad just landed a big interview as a video game designer, His mom could become the Vice President of the company if her book launch goes well, his older brother is about to get his driving permit and go to prom with the hottest girl in school, and His older sister is starring in the school play. Even his baby brother is saying his first word! Alexander meanwhile is accidentally starting fires in his school lab, waking up with gum in his hair, and getting photo-shopped into embarrassing photos. His birthday party is getting hijacked by the most popular kid in school. His family doesn't really understand... He just wishes they could...that they know what it means to have a terrible...horrible....well, you know. 

Alexander Etc. is a pretty rare movie in today's world. It's a live action, family comedy. And despite it's title, it really isn't that bad of a movie. It's zany and ridiculous but it's sweet intentions makes it more than watchable...it makes it actually enjoyable. A great cameo by Dick Van Dyke seals the deal. This is a family movie you should watch.  B+

Dracula Untold

I love Dracula. I love the book, the classic Bela Lugosi movie, basically the whole mythology of vampires. I hate anything that messes with the classic mythology. (So pretty much Twilight, True Blood, and anything dealing with vampires that came out in the last ten years. [One exception is The Strain]) I don't mind origin stories as long as they're done right. So it's accurate to say I was excited about the possibilities of Dracula Untold but nervous about the execution of the story.


Vlad The Impaler never wanted to be known as such. But when forced into the Turkish army as a boy he quickly learned the importance of brutality. "People don't flee before a man, they flee before a monster." He says, justifying murdering and impaling a village so that other villages surrender without a fight. But now he just wants to settle down with his wife in son in Castle Dracula. To live out his life as a peaceful Transylvanian prince. Unfortunately, the Turkish Sultan is at war again... and demands 1,000 Transylvanian boys, including Vlads own son, to fuel his war machine. Vlad knows he can't take on the Turkish empire as a man...not even as the infamous Impaler, He must seek something more...something evil lurking in the dark caves on the neighboring mountains. He must seek to become a true Monster.

Dracula...Untold... Look at that title. Half good, half bad. Dracula...That's all you need. The menacing evil, the promise of a classic monster story. Untold...A cheap 21st Century update. The promise of something plastic pretending to be something epic. The whole movie is like that: Flashes of greatness overshadowed by permeating blandness. Frankenstein is sympathetic. The Wolfman is sympathetic. Dracula was never meant to be sympathetic. He is pure evil whose goal is to drink men and steal their souls for the Devil. This is Vlad the Impaler as a family man. Dracula who is heroic. Basically a fang-less vampire: It looks cool but doesn't have any bite. Too bad because there are moments that are awesome. CGI could lend itself well to Dracula. Vampire vision, Bat-transforming, and Impaling the Vampire looked amazing. But the great action/horror moments are not complimented by the tepid storytelling.  C+

Gone Girl

I never got around to reading Gone Girl. I had heard the praise, I just was to lazy to check it out of the library. Then when I heard a movie would be made that sealed the deal: I would wait for it to hit the theaters. Then David Fincher signed on to direct. Yes, the David Fincher of Se7en, Zodiac, The Social Network, and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. Now Gone Girl became less of a passing fancy and more of a must see.

"There are three sides to every story; Yours, Mine, and the Truth." ~ Robert Evans

This quote sums up this movie perfectly. One persons heaven is another ones hell. Nick and Amy Dunn are two such people. Stuck in a once passionate marriage that has now grown stale. Then one morning Amy disappears...except all the evidence points to her being disappeared unwillingly. Nick becomes suspect number one and their marriage suddenly falls under the scrutiny of the entire nation. When one character reminds another of the old saying; "The simplest answer is often the correct one." the character reports; "I've never actually found that to be true." It certainly isn't true for this movie. There's just as many twists and turns as you would expect from a David Fincher movie.
But... If you're a fan of David Fincher or have read the book you may know this movie isn't for the faint of heart or weak of stomach. While not especially end to end gore the scenes with violence are extremely gory. Oftentimes the violence coincides with sex which makes it all the more disturbing. It's a twisted movie no matter how you slice it; even with the amazing story and great acting. If content doesn't get to you, then you will definitely find a great movie. A