Death Proof

Title: Death Proof
Year: 2007
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Lead: Kurt Russel, Zoe Bell
Rated: NR

A stuntman hunts down and kills beautiful girls with his "death proof" car.

Never has a director come along and redefined and owned every genre he has ever dabbled in until now. Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill, Django Unchained) can literally take any genre of cinema and make a movie that sets the bar for every future film to follow. Death Proof is no exception. Quentin takes 70's driving movies that played in grindhouses and made it a 2000's driving movie that plays and continues to play in your memory. This movie is a germ. It gets in your brain and won't let go for awhile. Everything about it is infectious; the music, dialogue, cars and stunts are all so on point that it won't let you go even after you've finished watching it. I do have to say that when watching it for the first time, it did play a little slow which really got me down, but let it go, you'll get into it and it will blow you away.

This is one of the best car movies I've ever seen, the stunts and effects are so good that you'll find yourself wanting to re-watch just the car scenes. I'm just going to say this: The car chase in this movie is the best car chase in film history. It's so ballsy and so insane that you'll be sweating the whole time. The acting is pretty incredible with lines being delivered so crisp and rhythmic that it might just be one of the better written Tarantino movies out there (a case could be made that Tarantino movies are all the best written movies around). Zoe Bell plays herself in this film, if you don't know who she is, she was the stunt double for Uma Thurman in Kill Bill, she's tough as nails, you'll see why in Death Proof. Kurt Russel is so awesome, he is scary and all kinds of crazy in this movie.

Like I said, Quentin has taken our memories of 70's "b" movies and added this one to the top of the list. Death Proof is the second half of "Grindhouse", a project by Tarantino and his best friend Robert Rodriguez. It was a double feature presentation that was meant to resemble the double features of the drive-in age. The two films were played back to back with fake trailers in between, including one for "Machete" which Rodriguez went on to actually make with Danny Trejo. The two movies even replicated the scratched film and missing reels that were ever present in grindhouses during their time. Grindhouses got their names in part because they would repeatedly "grind" film prints through the projectors 24 hours a day, damaging them beyond recognition. It's really a fun treat that adds some character to the movie and is also a great piece of work by Tarantino's late friend, and main film editor, Sally Menke. Check this film out, it's incredible. 9/10

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Title: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Year: 2011

Director: Tomas Alfredson

Lead: Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, Benedict Cumberbatch, John Hurt

Rated: R for violence, some sexuality/nudity and language

A retired British Intelligence agent is forced out of retirement to hunt down a spy within their ranks

You know when you take a test and you come across a question that is completely perplexing that you simply cannot answer; you struggle and struggle to pull the answer from deep within your brain but you just can't do it. You finish the test, turn it in and head straight for your notes; you scan and scan until you finally find the answer and when you do you sigh at how simple the answer was, you slap your head knowing that you should have known that answer. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (TTSS) is that question and the ending is the answer.

The film is so complex with so many odd continuity breaks. The story is not linear but it comes off as trying to be told in a linear form. There are bits that simply don't seem to work with the rest of the story but eventually tie back in, but never really meant enough to be told.

If that previous paragraph didn't make a lot of sense to you, then you have a fractional feeling about how I felt while watching TTSS. The story tries to be more complex than it has to be. It could have been more conveniently stitched together to withhold the complexity while still being extremely accessible to the viewer. Granted, the film is based on a book that I haven't read, so I can't give testament to whether the book is also very difficult to understand, but the movie most certainly is, and it could have been an easier story to tell. This film fortunately was so beautifully shot that it somewhat made up for its "herky jerky" storytelling method. I love symmetrical shots (Huge Wes Anderson fan) and this movie had plenty of awesomely planned out shots. The film was slightly under-saturated and smokey looking which helped me believe the period in which the film was set (cold war era). The acting was pretty stellar, Gary Oldman was solid (as always). He plays a very subdued, ex-intelligence agent that gets pulled out of retirement to hunt down a mole in the British Intelligence. He doesn't speak much but when he does, it matters. Tom Hardy and Colin Firth were very good, but I personally think that Benedict Cumberbatch stole the show. He played a character Peter Guillam who seemed to be below board at times and a little bit shady, but then at other times seemed to be a really upstanding guy really close to the head of intelligence. Needless to say, his character was a very solid representation of how confusing this film really was. Cumberbatch should get a supporting actor nomination when the Oscars roll into town.

I recommend seeing this movie if you enjoy movies like The Good Shepherd or Good Night and Good Luck. If you see it for any reason, see it for the cinematography and all the old British cars (Classic Minis!) The "R" rating is warranted, there is a pretty unsettling torture scene and some extremely graphic dead bodies shown. I expect this movie to get a few important nominations for Academy Awards including Best Actor in Gary Oldman, Best Picture, Best Director in Tomas Alfredson and probably a couple other technical awards. 7.5 out of 10

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels

Title: Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels.
Year: 1998
Director: Guy Ritchie
Lead: Jason Flemyng, Dexter Fletcher, Nick Moran, Jason Statham
Rated: Rated R for strong violence, pervasive language, sexuality and drug content.

Four friends find them selves in deep debt to a wealthy and powerful "businessman". They only have a week to come up with the money.

I have just recently discovered how awesome Guy Ritchie actually is. His style is unrivaled, and his stories are almost flawless. The way that he can bring several story lines together and create huge on-screen moments is absolutely awesome. LSTSB is a super cool British crime movie that has Guy Ritchie all over it, he has about 4 different story lines and great transitions in between them. The story itself is pretty comical; these four friends lose a bunch of money to a sex shop owner and only have a week to pay him back, so they have to come up with the money. They end up getting a break when they overhear their neighbors planning to rob a few weed growers. Long story short, the money changes hands about four times and ends up in the most unlikely persons pocket. The ending of the film was awesome, it reminded me of the Michael Caine Italian Job (If you've seen the movie, you know what I'm saying). The camera work in this movie is cool, some pretty neat shots, I especially enjoyed the shot when Eddy loses the money and is walking out of the gym all dazed. Its really awesome. I definitely recommend checking this out, its Guy's first feature, so its a perfect way to introduce yourself to his style. 7.5 out of 10

Limitless

Title: Limitless
Year: 2011
Director: Neil Burger
Lead: Bradely Cooper
Rated: Rated PG-13 for thematic material involving a drug, violence including disturbing images, sexuality and language.

A man acquires super brain power with the use of a mystery drug.

I went to see Limitless with two of my friends the other night, and I can say that I was the least excited of the three of us to see the movie. I can now say, however, that after the credits rolled, I was probably the most impressed. I expected to see a cookie cutter Hollywood thriller, but what I got was an extremely stylized, "Fight Clubesque" suspense, action film. The film started at the end (or so we thought). I'm always fascinated with this, and the use of this method was very successful. The writing for this movie was great. The story was brilliant, I did however, think to myself during the movie that there were some really unbelievable scenes, but then I was able to justify it by reminding myself that THIS WHOLE MOVIE IS FAR OUT! The style that Burger used to tell the story was really quite crazy, lots of nauseating fish-eye shots and these really blinding, never ending dolly shots that seemed like they traveled the entire distance of Manhattan. His style did seem to step on the story a little bit, but ultimately, it was simply awesome, and like I said, it reminded me a lot of Fight Club. Limitless should definitely not be passed up if you have the chance to see it. Its a pretty wholesome movie. 7.5 out of 10

The Kings Speech

Title: The Kings Speech
Year: 2010
Director: Tom Hooper
Lead: Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter, Geoffrey Rush
Rated: Rated R for some language.

King George VI must become the man his country needs.

Let me start by saying that this film should not be rated R, and every person from age 10-100 should see this movie. Its so historically relevant that I'm surprised the story was not told like this sooner. Everybody will get something out of seeing this film, and I call it a "film" out of utmost respect. This film is perfect. I say that without any level of exaggeration. It is everything I look for in a movie. It has not only a beginning, a middle, and an end, but it has a flawless level of storytelling to get from point "a" to "b". It has actors that play their parts as if they are the characters themselves. It has a vision that hardly any films have, it is absolutely beautiful to look at, and it is by far, my favorite for best picture. Lets start with cinematography, because that is what hooked me from the opening frame. It is pure brilliance, the framing is impeccable, each character and object is lined up so perfectly that you could watch this movie with no sound and be entertained. The opening speech is filmed so well that its near indescribable. Colin Firth steps up to the microphone to deliver the closing speech at the British Expo, nervously studies his enormous crowd, pauses for an irregular amount of time, begins to speak, stammers, again, and again, the crowd begins losing faith, the movie begins. Its shot so well, close up of the mic, of his mouth, shots of the radio room, of the crowd, its foggy, its tense. Later on in the film we are treated with offset framing of characters with great backgrounds. I could go on, but you get the idea, its perfect. The acting is so fantastic, I have never seen Helena Bonham Carter play a character as soft and loving as she is in this movie. The writing is also great, just the perfect balance of humor and seriousness. This is where the R rating comes from, which bums me out so much. The scene that takes this movie from PG to R is the minute or so where Colin Firth's character repeatedly blurts out every swear word in the English language while trying to break his stammer. He is prompted to do this by his speech therapist who asks if he stammers when he swears. It becomes humorously apparent to us as the viewers that he indeed, does not stammer when he swears. The "F" word is said roughly 11 times in an extremely short amount of time. If not for that vital piece of story, this movie would be PG. In closing, Tom Hooper has created a perfect movie, all things were done perfectly right. The Academy Award nominations definitely reflect his accomplishment. The Kings Speech was nominated for a remarkable 12 Academy Awards including Best Cinematography, Best Supporting Actor in Geoffrey Rush, Best Supporting Actress in Helena Bonham Carter, Best Actor in Colin Firth, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director in Tom Hooper, and Best Picture, along with some nominations in technical aspects. 10 out of 10

127 Hours

Title: 127 Hours
Year: 2010
Director: Danny Boyle
Lead: James Franco
Rated: Rated R for language and some disturbing violent content/bloody images.

What lengths would a man go to stay alive?

If you don't know the story, Its about a man named Aron Ralston who was hiking one day by himself in the canyons of Canyon Land National Park. While navigating a rather narrow canyon he loosened a heavy boulder that pinned his arm against the canyon wall. He went 127 Hours with minimal water and hardly no food before he effectively cut off his own arm with a dull pocket knife. Danny Boyle really does this story right. This movie is good, it tells Aron's harrowing story quite well, and James Franco plays his part quite well which is very necessary when he's almost the only actor on the screen. Mr. Boyle had an incredible vision when he shot this film. Every shot is well planned, including one of my favorites, when he dollies the camera from Franco stuck, all the way out into the sky, miles above the canyon. Brilliant. The script in this movie is pretty excellent, there are words when there need to be and none when silence is key and James Franco giving his video camera logs are so great, its where he really convinces us that he is truly stuck and quite panicked. My only problem was how the movie looked a little too "film school". It was almost over thought, Boyle was trying so hard it seemed like, he was successful at creating a great movie but it seemed like he felt he had to play it up a bit with lots of close ups and weird angles. So lets talk about the arm cutting scene, because it is kind of key. When Franco starts hallucinating and seeing his future kid, it gets great, without any words we know that he is doing this for life that he could have if he got out. He starts cutting, and I have to say, I WANTED to watch, it was triumphant, it was courageous, hell, it was manly. I do have to send out a thank you to Danny Boyle for not keeping the camera on the arm when he broke the bones, instead you gave me an excellent idea of shaking the camera on cue with the snapping sound. Brilliant #2. 127 Hours is a champions story. Its great. 127 Hours is nominated for 6 Academy Awards including Best Actor in James Franco and Best Picture. 8 out of 10

Black Swan

Title: Black Swan
Year: 2010
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Lead: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis
Rated: RatedR for strong sexual content, disturbing violent images, language and some drug use.

A ballet dancer becomes so enthralled with the lead part in Swan Lake that it becomes her reality.

This movie is so unsettling. Its so well put together and thought out and paced that it makes you feel so wrong. Darren definitely had an idea of what he was doing when he made this film, there is nothing out of place, every scene has a point and no shot is wasted. I do have to say that this movie does take some patience and is not for everyone. There are certain aspects that some people just won't understand and won't appreciate. The one thing that I very much disliked is the use of a tripod. I cant fully appreciate a movie if the director thinks he's too good for one. I understand the want for a movie that is shot with a hand-held camera, it literally and figuratively shakes the audience. Its literally unsettling, I get that, but lets put some stability to the camera. There are times where you don't need to shake the camera. It made me a bit motion sick in parts, I'm not exaggerating. Sickness aside, Black Swan is an excellent movie that hits every point just right. Darren Aronofsky goes out of his way to create a flawless mood of darkness in his movie. One thing that really stood out to me was the lack of color; I'm thinking hard and I cant point out very many scenes where there was a vivid color other than black, grey, or white. Anyways, Natalie Portman was absolutely excellent along with Mila Kunis. The two of them together was great, they had a certain odd chemistry when they are on screen together. Almost like they are the same person... Anyway, Black Swan has been nominated for 5 Academy Awards including Best Actress in Natalie Portman, Best Director in Darren Aronofsky, and Best Picture. 8 1/2 out of 10