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Sunday, September 11, 2016

MOVIE REVIEW SULLY









































Tom Hanks stars in this portrait of airline pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, which depicts his successful emergency landing of an Airbus A320 on the Hudson River in January 2009. In the aftermath of this unprecedented and heroic feat, the traumatized pilot must endure second-guessing by investigators, the weight of sudden fame, and his own doubts about his actions that fateful day. Anna Gunn, Laura Linney, and Aaron Eckhart co-star. Directed by Clint Eastwood. ~ Violet LeVoit, Rovi

Director: Clint Eastwood

Cast: Tom Hanks, Laura Linney, Aaron Eckhart, Autumn Reeser, Sam Huntington.

Release Date: Sep 09, 2016

Rated PG-13 for some peril and brief strong language.

Runtime: 1 hr. 36 min.

Genres: Drama 

Review:

Sully is an impressive piece of filmmaking that showcases the type of heroism that’s rarely shown.  Clint Eastwood directs his film with a steady hand showing the dichotomy of emotions that Captain Sullenberger was going through after his miraculous landing.  Tom Hanks is perfectly cast as Sullenberger, displaying the levels of introspection and self doubt that his character was going through.  It’s a thoughtful piece of filmmaking which screams award season contention.  It’s an impressive character study that’s well acted and directed through even though there is a sense that film has been padded a bit.  It’s an odd sensation to watch an hour and a half film that feels much longer than it is.

B+

Cindy Prascik's Review of Sully

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Dearest Blog: Today it was off to Marquee Cinemas to kick off Awards Season with Sully. Spoiler level here will be mostly mild, nothing you haven't seen in a trailer or on the news. Sully is based on the true story of pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, who made an emergency water landing on the Hudson River when his plane lost both engines shortly after departing Laguardia Airport. 
 
Sully is an entertaining movie, but probably a bonafide awards contender for Tom Hanks' performance only. The true story is compelling enough, but this telling is painted with such broad strokes as to be almost comical at times. 
 
The picture is hampered by awkward dialogue and cartoonish good and bad guys. Even when Sully's decisions come into question, the movie wants to make sure you remember whose side you're *supposed* to be on. A good movie lets you make up your own mind, and a truly good movie gets you where it wants to without beating you over the head; that seems well beyond Sully. 
 
On the plus side, Hanks carries the film with his usual flair, a performance that should be good enough to land him on most of the Best Actor shortlists, especially considering the Academy really owes him one for the Captain Phillips snub. 
 
Aaron Eckhart leads a solid supporting cast full of faces you'll recognize even if you may not know the names. Anything--and I do mean anything--having to do with the flight itself is beautifully filmed, from takeoff to unexpectedly-damp touchdown. There's one glorious moment when that nose-diving aircraft seems to be coming right off the screen...made me a little wistful for 3D! Finally, the movie is smart enough to recognize the limitations of the story it has to tell, and clocks in with a very reasonable runtime. 
 
Sully runs 95 minutes and is rated PG13 for "some peril and brief strong language." Though it occasionally strays into Airplane! territory, Sully is an inspiring outing built on another stellar leading turn by Tom Hanks. 
 
Of a possible nine Weasleys, Sully gets seven and a half. 
 
Fangirl points (there are a lot of 'em this time): The USS Intrepid! Sam Huntington! Holt McCallany! Valerie Mahaffey! My beautiful New York City!! 
 
Until next time...

Sunday, August 28, 2016

Cindy Prascik's Review of Mechanic: Resurrection

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Dearest Blog: yesterday it was off to the pictures for Jason Statham's latest, Mechanic: Resurrection. 
 
Spoiler level here will be pretty mild, mostly nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers. A former assassin is forced out of retirement when the love of his life (whom he's known for all of three days) is kidnapped. 
 
Alrighty, folks, I gotta tell ya: if this isn't the dumbest movie I've ever seen, it's good and damn close. 
 
However, it's also pretty funny (usually not on purpose), so I'm not suggesting you shouldn't get out and see it while you can. I have a feeling it won't be around long. The picture kicks off with a good, old-fashioned Statham ass kicking, and smartly keeps 'em coming regularly. 
 
As spectacularly ridiculous as they often are, they're genius compared to everything in between. Jessica Alba is as vapid as she is gorgeous, offering a performance that mostly consists of vacant looks that are meant to pass as terrified (I think?). 
 
Tommy Lee Jones: WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU DOING HERE?? Continuity issues abound, most notably Alba's split lip that keeps appearing and disappearing, and good and bad guys are as broadly drawn as any Saturday-morning cartoon. 
 
The movie boasts action end to end, yet still feels a bit slow at times. Breathtaking stunts, gorgeous locations, and a rip-roaring score by Mark Isham help salvage the whole, but, sadly, this is just not a very good movie. 
 
Mechanic: Resurrection clocks in at 99 minutes and is rated R for "violence and language throughout." Mechanic: Resurrection is good for a laugh, but it probably just should have stayed dead. 
 
Of a possible nine Weasleys, Mechanic: Resurrection gets four. Until next time... 
 

Saturday, August 27, 2016

MOVIE REVIEW DON’T BREATHE







































Three friends (Dylan Minnette, Jane Levy, and Daniel Zovatto) plot to end their money woes by burglarizing the home of a blind recluse (Stephen Lang), but the heist quickly goes awry when they discover that their target is concealing a horrifying secret -- and that he isn't as harmless as they had thought. Directed by Fede Alvarez (the 2013 Evil Dead remake). ~ Jack Rodgers, Rovi
Director: Fede Alvarez 

Cast: Dylan Minnette, Jane Levy, Stephen Lang, Katia Bokor

Release Date: Aug 26, 2016

Rated R for the Language, Disturbing Content, Sexual References, Terror and Violence

Runtime: 1 hr. 28 min.

Genres: Horror, Suspense/Thriller

Review:

Don’t Breathe is the kind of stripped down thriller that doesn’t seem to get made much anymore.  The film is being sold as a horror movie but it’s really just a straight forward thriller with some slight horror tendencies.  Fede Alvarez carefully sets up his setting and delivers some genuine scares and tensions the full run of the film.  It’s an interesting piece of cinematic alchemy with large portions of the film moving along with nary a word of dialogue.  The cast does it job with the home intruders delivering a decent amount of terrified looks.  The most memorable thing about them is Jane Levy’s odd fashion choice of pantyhose with shorts and sheer top for a home invasion.  Stephen Lang is appropriately intimidating but I get the feeling he could pull that off on a bad day.  

B
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