Spawning from one of my favourite books by one of my top authors, Hunter S. Thompson, The Rum Diary follows American journalist Paul Kemp who takes a job at a local newspaper in Puerto Rico. Johnny Depp plays Mr. Kemp and does it in slightly similar fashion to the character he played in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Fear and Loathing is based on an actual trip Hunter Thompson took to Las Vegas and the movie is sort of a mirror image of the goings on on the vacation, and the Rum Diary is loosely based on Thompson's life in Puerto Rico.
This film is certainly entertaining and it has its share of hysterical moments, but the movie never really did anything. By this I mean the director, Bruce Robinson just kept introducing new story plots you could say, before the previous story line could wrap up. It seemed as if the screenwriter just tried cramming an entire novel into a two hour production, but clearly did not have any sense of doing so clearly. If they had focused on one story plot at a time and not jump around all over the place, I would have left this movie more satisfied. Unfortunately because of this, I am only crediting this film a measly 5/10. Check out the book, it's a quick read and true to the famous Gonzo style of Hunter Thompson's writing before you feel you should watch this movie.
If you had a chance to see Rum Diary this past weekend, feel free to leave a comment about what you thought!
Here's a trailer for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, featuring Gary Oldman (JFK, Harry Potter) and Colin Firth (The King's Speech, Pride and Prejudice), amongst others, set to release in theaters early December. What do you think?
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Lucky Number Se7en
I watched Se7en a few days ago for the first time and it blew me away. Combining an all star cast with an intriguing plot line and then finishing with one of the most twisted endings I have ever seen in a film definitely makes for a great movie. The film stars Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman who play two detectives on the hunt for a serial killer who utilizes one of the Seven Deadly Sins in each of his or her murders. It's about three quarters of the way through the film that we are finally introduced to the serial killer, played by Kevin Spacey (American Beauty, Usual Suspects).
Kevin Spacey has performed a wide variety of roles in movies, but of all the films I've seen him in, this is probably the most depraved I've ever seen and he did a phenomenal job. One scene that really stood out from the rest of the movie for me was when Pitt and Freeman are driving Spacey out to where Spacey has said his "last murder has took place." This scene has about a good twenty minutes of dialogue back and forth between the three characters, and the audience gets a strong sense of the maniacal ego behind Kevin Spacey's character. The topic of conversation in this scene is Spacey reflecting on the murders and what each victim did to deserve being killed. From this, and again, we get a strong sense of the imbalance in his head.
I give this movie a solid 9 out of 10. If you're into all star casts and enjoy a completely twisted ending, check this one out for sure. Thanks.
It's a little change of pace, but this movie looks awesome:
Kevin Spacey has performed a wide variety of roles in movies, but of all the films I've seen him in, this is probably the most depraved I've ever seen and he did a phenomenal job. One scene that really stood out from the rest of the movie for me was when Pitt and Freeman are driving Spacey out to where Spacey has said his "last murder has took place." This scene has about a good twenty minutes of dialogue back and forth between the three characters, and the audience gets a strong sense of the maniacal ego behind Kevin Spacey's character. The topic of conversation in this scene is Spacey reflecting on the murders and what each victim did to deserve being killed. From this, and again, we get a strong sense of the imbalance in his head.
I give this movie a solid 9 out of 10. If you're into all star casts and enjoy a completely twisted ending, check this one out for sure. Thanks.
It's a little change of pace, but this movie looks awesome:
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Drive
Drive was featured at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) this year and the buzz spread quick. Easily one of the most interesting crime thrillers I have seen in a while, this movie was both shocking and extremely compelling.
I had not read anything about what the movie was like and only saw that it got a high rating on Rotten Tomatoes. With no expectations, I went into the movie with an open mind. I came out incredibly amused, as the film was nothing what I had expected it to be whatsoever.
Ryan Gosling plays a professional stuntman who is wanted dead after a heist gone terribly wrong. The movie begins with one of the most intense and gripping scenes I have ever seen any movie open with. I found myself on edge the whole time, anxiously awaiting for what happened next. Gosling's character is an extremely quiet, 'tough as nails' guy and this is evident in the first half hour of the movie.
Although there was not a lot of commentary in the movie, what did it for me was the artwork the director, Nicolas Winding Refn, was able to create from simple camera focuses. He focused largely on the face of Gosling, and this is evident in one scene where Gosling stares down a gentleman at the bar and doesn't blink until the scene is over.
The ending of this movie is very up in the air and I would totally understand why somebody would want to throw a large diet coke at the screen over it. I won't ruin the surprise and I'll leave it at that. This movie is nothing what I expected it to be, but easily one of my favourite movies in the past two years. 9/10, check it out.
I had not read anything about what the movie was like and only saw that it got a high rating on Rotten Tomatoes. With no expectations, I went into the movie with an open mind. I came out incredibly amused, as the film was nothing what I had expected it to be whatsoever.
Ryan Gosling plays a professional stuntman who is wanted dead after a heist gone terribly wrong. The movie begins with one of the most intense and gripping scenes I have ever seen any movie open with. I found myself on edge the whole time, anxiously awaiting for what happened next. Gosling's character is an extremely quiet, 'tough as nails' guy and this is evident in the first half hour of the movie.
Although there was not a lot of commentary in the movie, what did it for me was the artwork the director, Nicolas Winding Refn, was able to create from simple camera focuses. He focused largely on the face of Gosling, and this is evident in one scene where Gosling stares down a gentleman at the bar and doesn't blink until the scene is over.
The ending of this movie is very up in the air and I would totally understand why somebody would want to throw a large diet coke at the screen over it. I won't ruin the surprise and I'll leave it at that. This movie is nothing what I expected it to be, but easily one of my favourite movies in the past two years. 9/10, check it out.
Contagion: Germophobes Worst Nightmare
I feel as if Contagion didn't receive as much attention as it should have. Even with its cast, whom we all have a vague idea of, from what I've read and heard, many people thought it was garbage. I'm not saying that just because the cast has proved themselves capable of making good films and that this movie will likely follow suit, but I believe the acting was why I enjoyed it so much.
Contagion follows the stories of several characters and frequently jumps back and forth between their stories. Contagion, in short, is about how these characters cope with an unknown virus. The film features Matt Damon, Gwenyth Paltrow, Laurence Fishburne, Jude Law and Kate Winslet, to name a few.
This movie was creepy. It shows us how possible it is that something like this can happen by being in contact with somebody for only a few seconds. Although disturbing at some points, the movie really focuses on the possibility of something like this happening, and it seems as if it's serving as a warning to some people. What I enjoyed about it is the way the director focused on every characters' story and his ability to relate them to one another. There was certainly a lot of filler to this movie, as I believe Jude Law's character didn't serve a significant place. Writer Scott Z. Burns (Bourne Ultimatum, The Informant!) could have easily took Jude Law's story completely out of the film and it would have saved the audience at least some confusion as to what was going on. After talking with a few friends, their main displeasure was the constant switch back and forth between stories. By cutting back on the amount of activity in the film, I believe Contagion would have had a higher rating on the well known movie review sites (Rotten Tomatoes, IMDB).
7/10 for me. See this one if you have a free pass or wait until it comes out to rent.
Contagion follows the stories of several characters and frequently jumps back and forth between their stories. Contagion, in short, is about how these characters cope with an unknown virus. The film features Matt Damon, Gwenyth Paltrow, Laurence Fishburne, Jude Law and Kate Winslet, to name a few.
This movie was creepy. It shows us how possible it is that something like this can happen by being in contact with somebody for only a few seconds. Although disturbing at some points, the movie really focuses on the possibility of something like this happening, and it seems as if it's serving as a warning to some people. What I enjoyed about it is the way the director focused on every characters' story and his ability to relate them to one another. There was certainly a lot of filler to this movie, as I believe Jude Law's character didn't serve a significant place. Writer Scott Z. Burns (Bourne Ultimatum, The Informant!) could have easily took Jude Law's story completely out of the film and it would have saved the audience at least some confusion as to what was going on. After talking with a few friends, their main displeasure was the constant switch back and forth between stories. By cutting back on the amount of activity in the film, I believe Contagion would have had a higher rating on the well known movie review sites (Rotten Tomatoes, IMDB).
7/10 for me. See this one if you have a free pass or wait until it comes out to rent.
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