Set backstage at three iconic product launches and ending in 1998 with the
unveiling of the iMac, Steve Jobs takes us behind the scenes of the digital
revolution to paint an intimate portrait of the brilliant man at its epicenter.
Director: Danny Boyle
Cast: Michael Fassbender, Seth Rogen, Katherine
Waterston, Kate Winslet, Jeff Daniels
Release Date: Oct
09, 2015
Rated R for Language
Runtime: 2 hr. 1 min.
Genres: Drama
Review:
Danny Boyle’s electric biopic of Apple’s cofounder and
CEO crackles at a steady pace throughout.Aaron Sorkin’s script is excellent as expected with Michael Fassbender
and Kate Winslet excelling at the requisite walk and talk throughout the film.Boyle’s direction and his filming techniques,
he uses 3 different film stocks for each section, keeps the dialogue heavy film
moving at an impressive pace.It rarely
lags, an impressive feat for a 2 hour film that doesn’t have much going on
outside of a series of conversations.Fassbender disappears into his role especially as the film moves into
the final act.He’s magnetic for the
entire run time.Kate Winslet delivers
equally impressive work in a supporting role with Jeff Daniels and Seth Rogen
making the most of their limited screen time.Daniels and Rogen both get excellent exchanges with Fassbender that you
just have to sit back and appreciate the level of talent on display.Steve Jobs is sure to litter the awards
docket with Fassbender leading the charge with a best actor nomination.
Dearest Blog: With awards season in full swing, the weekend once again features too many desirable cinema options and too little time. My schedule allowed for just two of the four new releases playing at my theatre, so I chose the two everybody knew I would.
Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers.
First on the docket: The Last Witch Hunter.
Vin Diesel protects humanity from big bad witches. No, seriously, that's it.
The Last Witch Hunter combines Hobbity-looking historical battles with an uneasy present-day truce between witches and humans. There'd be no movie if said truce didn't quite hold, so it won't be much of a spoiler to reveal that witches are, in fact, hunted here. Diesel goes from looking like a caveman to looking like an undertaker (or The Undertaker), and I am unsurprisingly giddy about all of it.
The Last Witch Hunter is too dark at times to really see much of anything, but the effects are pretty solid and overall it's got a cool gothic look that's well suited to the subject matter. Action sequences are well executed and keep the picture moving, amid a backstory that's a bit of a shambles and more than the movie needs.
There's a good deal of humor, both intentional and as a result of some spectacular overacting. Female lead Rose Leslie has come a long way since she just wanted to learn to type on Downton Abbey, and I lost count of how many times I muttered, "You know nothing, Jon Snow," under my breath when she was onscreen.
She's not bad by any means, there's just nothing about the role or the performance to make anyone forget what she's done before. Michael Caine and Elijah Wood are both underused, but certainly up to what little is required of them. The movie is nicely-paced and smart enough not to wear out its welcome.
Not an awards hopeful by any stretch of the imagination, The Last Witch Hunter earns its October release with Halloween-appropriate subject matter, but, if you're looking for real scares, you'll need to look elsewhere.
The Last Witch Hunter runs 106 minutes and is rated PG13 for "sequences of fantasy violence and frightening images."
It's undeniably hokey, but The Last Witch Hunter is also great fun.
Of a possible nine Weasleys, The Last Witch Hunter gets six.
(Yes, that's one more than Mississippi Grind. So sue me.)
Next on my agenda: one of my most anticipated 2015 titles, Steve Jobs.
Long before people started queuing up for days to get the newest iPhone, Steve Jobs was a meanie who actually failed at stuff.
When a movie like Steve Jobs is released, the loudest initial reaction is almost always from those complaining about exaggerations and inaccuracies in the portrayal. No doubt this film contains a fair few of both, but, even if it were two hours of total fiction, Steve Jobs is a great, GREAT movie.
Starting with the obvious: Aaron Sorkin has once again penned a masterful script, full of the smart, rapid-fire dialogue that is his trademark. Michael Fassbender is remarkable, completely disappearing into his role as the future electronics juggernaut. The handsome Fassbender even bears an uncanny resemblance to Jobs at times, especially in his later years.
Kate Winslet is no less stunning as Jobs' long-suffering right hand, Joanna Hoffman, seemingly the only person able to derail the locomotive of Jobs' ambition when sanity requires it. Jeff Daniels, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Seth Rogen round out the award-worthy supporting cast.
Steve Jobs can be a difficult film to watch, as Jobs browbeats staff and friends, and alienates the few people who actually care for him. Winslet is especially heartbreaking as she lobbies Jobs to do right by his daughter. For an entirely action-less picture, Steve Jobs keeps an extraordinary pace and never once feels dull or too long.
Like the Social Network before it, Steve Jobs paints its subject as quite the jerk, but, if lack of social graces is the cost of foresight like Jobs' (or Zuckerberg's), for my money, it's worth it every time. Daryl Dixon may survive alright without the products of such genius, but I daresay the rest of us wouldn't even be interested in trying.
Steve Jobs clocks in at 122 minutes and is rated R for language.
I cried at the end of Steve Jobs, not because it was happy and not because it was sad, but because it was just that great.
Of a possible nine Weasleys, Steve Jobs gets eight and a half.
Dearest Blog: Yesterday it was off to the pictures for a promising pair, Sicario and The Martian.
Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers.
First on my agenda: Sicario.
A tactical specialist for the FBI is recruited for a multi-agency operation targeting a drug kingpin.
Dear Reader(s), I was a HUGE fan of the TV series The Bridge, so when I started seeing trailers for Sicario, I thought, "The Bridge on the big screen, with a li'l Josh Brolin stirred in for good measure? SIGN ME UP!" The movie does have its twists, but it definitely includes all the "law vs. cartel" aspects you'd expect, too.
To wit: It will surprise exactly no one that a film about running down a cartel boss is not for the faint-hearted. Sicario is brutal, and it does not flinch in its presentation of violence and gore, though torture is mercifully more implied than explicitly shown. It's all about ugliness, with the occasional surprisingly pretty moment. In a world of dirt and shacks, suddenly there's a silhouette framed against a stunning sunset, a frame of breathtaking beauty. Emily Blunt is fantastic in the lead, a competent, confident woman who lands in a situation she doesn't fully understand and can't control. For the second time in as many weeks, Josh Brolin turns up as a vaguely obnoxious guy that you'll kinda like anyway, and Benicio Del Toro all-but steals the show. The proceedings are accompanied by a menacing, magnificent score (composed by Johann Johannsson) that perfectly enhances the movie's tense tone. There are many moving pieces in Sicario, but, at almost an even two hours, it never feels muddled, slow, or long.
Sicario clocks in at 121 minutes, and is rated R for "strong violence, grisly images, and language."
I anticipated greatness from Sicario, and I'm pleased to report it exceeded my expectations.
Of a possible nine Weasleys, Sicario gets eight.
Next up: Ridley Scott's The Martian.
A space mishap leaves a presumed-dead astronaut alive and alone on Mars.
Box office reports indicate that, if you went to the movies this weekend, you probably saw The Martian. And you loved it, didn't you? Seems everyone did. Well, almost everyone...
First, the positives: The Martian is a great story, and very well acted. A strong supporting cast is uniformly solid, but it's essentially up to Matt Damon to ensure you aren't rooting against astronaut Mark Watney's rescue. Damon does a fine job; he's believably smart, funny, and likable, yet also beautifully plays those moments of despair bound to beset a person in his situation. It's worth noting that, for all the movie's meant to be taken seriously, it does not hesitate to get a shirtless Matt Damon onscreen as early and as often as possible. There's a shortage of Sebastian Stan (would you even believe I wrote this if I didn't say it?), but it's nice to see Stan, an excellent actor in his own right, in something worth watching. I'm a long-standing Stan Fan, but outside Marvel projects, I'm pretty sure he hasn't done a decent movie or show since the short-lived NBC series Kings. The Martian's effects are big and sweeping, not in the same universe (see what I did there?) as the visual magnificence of Interstellar, but certainly worth seeing on the big screen. It's played for laughs, but there's also a proper disco-stompin' soundtrack that'll leave you humming ABBA's Waterloo for the next week or so.
The negatives? Despite all that, The Martian is pretty boring for pretty frequent and pretty significant stretches. You've no reason to care whether anyone outside of Watney lives or dies. The off-Mars sequences at NASA are actually far more interesting and entertaining than the movie's galactic bread and butter. If we're being honest, I looked at the clock a LOT and was fidgetingly anxious to wrap it up before the movie's halfway point.
The Martian runs an excessive 141 minutes, and is rated PG13 for "some strong language, injury images, and brief nudity."
It's a good movie, maybe even a great movie, but on the heels of Sicario,
During a manned mission to Mars, Astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is
presumed dead after a fierce storm and left behind by his crew. But Watney has
survived and finds himself stranded and alone on the hostile planet. With only
meager supplies, he must draw upon his ingenuity, wit and spirit to subsist and
find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive. Millions of miles away, NASA
and a team of international scientists work tirelessly to bring “the Martian”
home, while his crewmates concurrently plot a daring, if not impossible, rescue
mission. As these stories of incredible bravery unfold, the world comes
together to root for Watney’s safe return. Based on a best-selling novel, and
helmed by master director Ridley Scott, THE MARTIAN features a star studded
cast that includes Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Kate Mara, Michael Pena,
Jeff Daniels, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Donald Glover.
Director: Ridley Scott
Cast: Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Jeff
Daniels, Michael Peña.
Release Date: Oct
02, 2015
Rated PG-13 for Injury Images, Brief Nudity and Some
Strong Language
Runtime: 2 hr. 22 min.
Genres: Action/Adventure
Review:
Ridley Scott’s The Martian is a welcome return to form
for the acclaimed director.The film is
a visually stunning and thoroughly engaging story of survival.It’s an impressive achievement since it the
type of film that focuses on a single character.The story can be described as a mixture of
Castaway and Gravity sans manufactured sentimentality.The man at the center of the film is Matt
Damon’s Mark Watney.Damon’s performance
is impressive because it steers clear of the typical tropes we’ve seen
previously, keeping the performance rational and fresh.Damon dominates the first half of the film
and it’s to the film’s benefit.The
story starts to falter just a bit when it loses focus on Damon and starts
throwing a myriad of supporting characters some of which are more distracting
than interesting…..Kristin Wiig & Donald Glover immediately come to
mind.I would have preferred more
characterization on Watney’s crew which gets the short end of the stick.Minor quibbles aside; The Martian is a
thoroughly enjoyable survival story which earns the most of its 2 hours plus
run time.
Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels reprise their signature roles
as Lloyd and Harry in the sequel to the smash hit that took the physical comedy
and kicked it in the nuts: Dumb and Dumber To. The original film’s directors, Peter
and Bobby Farrelly, take Lloyd and Harry on a road trip to find a child Harry
never knew he had and the responsibility neither should ever, ever be given
Director: Peter Farrelly, Bobby Farrelly
Cast: Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels, Kathleen Turner, Rob Riggle,
Laurie Holden
Release Date: Nov
14, 2014
Rated: PG-13 for Language, Crude and Sexual Humor,
Partial Nudity and Some Drug References
Runtime: 1 hr. 50 min.
Genres: Comedy
Review:
The easiest way to start this review is to just get the bad
out of the way first.Dumb and Dumber To
is way too long, forced on multiple occasions and it’s plot is an unabashed
retread of the original.Going into this
sequel, you have certain expectations, the main one being that you want to
laugh.So does it make you laugh, on
certain moments it does, quite a bit.There are parts where you are doing some serious belly laughing but it’s
never maintained and film just stays around way too long for it’s own good.It’s been a long while since the Farrlly
Brothers had a solid film but even at their best their movies were spotty.To their credit Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels
are game for the proceedings even if you can tell they are trying to find the
characters again during certain parts of the film.It’s great when they find it and make you
laugh at the idiocy on display, I just wish it was more consistent.
