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Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody (2022)
A Pretentious Portrayal Presumably Plain, Painful & Powerless
It's finally here! The long-awaited biography of Whitney Houston, spanning from her childhood to her passing. With musical biopics gaining popularity, such as Rocketman, Elvis, or Bohemian Rhapsody, this illustrious career also gets a story tailor-made for the silver screen. However, whether it turns out well is another question...
You are quickly thrust into Houston's story, from her upbringing, childhood, school years, to adolescence, and then her rapid rise until her premature mental decline took its toll. The script is nothing extraordinary; the narrative unfolds like a chronological account, resembling scrolling rapidly through a Wikipedia page. It seems as though the screenwriters clearly didn't make use of a storyboard. It moves from point A to point B without apparent reason, lacking substantiation. Things just happen, such as her 'first love' from that time, an important yet often overlooked moment in her life. It's nice that the creators paid attention to it, but the script lacks passion. Nothing seems to complement each other. She strikes up a conversation with a girl from her class, and fifteen minutes later, they are living together. After some time, a rift emerges in their relationship without clear cause. As a viewer, you become frustrated when there's no apparent rationale.
She gets discovered, signs a record deal, and a few scenes later, we see Houston decorating her massive mansion. Naomi Ackie, portraying Houston, apparently lacks depth in her character. This is, of course, partly due to the script by Anthony McCarten and the direction by Kasi Lemmons.
The music is there, but some notes and tones are missing. It's the same melody and refrain repeatedly. It feels like a skipping record, skipping many lines, and like a guitar, it seldom strikes the right chords. The film is informative but doesn't reveal anything new. The story is a continuous rehashing of superficial events. We find some solace in the moments when Houston sings, but that's almost expected.
She's a stunning woman with a powerful voice, and her performances are beautifully recreated. At times, you can taste the atmosphere as if you're truly there. Undoubtedly, the ending is the best part of the entire film. We had to wait a long time, but it all comes together. The character evolves, and the story's purpose is realized. It came from somewhere and is heading somewhere with clarity. Her gaze in the mirror when she's alone in her hotel room was emotional and a heart-wrenching scene. You can't help but empathize with her entire life. The upfront investment is minimal, so your perspective is somewhat narrow, but that doesn't make the message any less profound.
VERDICT:
The film saves the best for last, delivering emotional moments leading to a poignant conclusion. The story is cathartic, and the circle is completed. It occasionally fits well with the unconventional narrative style the writers employ. However, the lump in your throat makes it difficult to swallow. The build-up is superficial, and the underlying tone remains shallow. It never truly surfaces or reaches profound depths, which is unexpected when discussing Whitney Houston, the woman behind so much beauty. Unfortunately, the story doesn't serve as recognition or even a tribute, something it genuinely deserves. The film wants to dance but stumbles in its missteps. At times, the film feels fine, but for eternity, we'll remain attached to and immersed in the real story of Houston and her artistic, creative creations. The screen presentation doesn't earn a Higher Love, but that doesn't matter. We Will Always Love Her.
Oppenheimer (2023)
"Prometheus stole the fire from the gods and gave it to man. For this, he was chained to a rock and tortured for eternity."
The film opens with a quote from the well-known tales of Greek mythology. The story of Prometheus resonates all too well with that of Oppenheimer. Whether prophet or Prometheus, the man behind the atomic bomb will suffer like a Shakespearean tragedy.
The initial scenes of the film consist of montages depicting the workings of quantum mechanics. However, they resemble most what was transpiring in the mind of the then-young student J. Robert Oppenheimer (portrayed by Cillian Murphy). Fragments of thoughts visualized as a nightmare filled with delusions. He saw his ideas taking shape, much like the rain falling into the pond he gazed at. The water represented the world, each droplet a bomb, foreshadowing the inevitable end.
Director Christopher Nolan (known for Inception, The Dark Knight) employs extensive dialogue to unravel the story, music to give voice to the visuals, and visual spectacle to realize gritty realism. As an advocate of shooting on film (the first film recorded in original IMAX black and white scenes) and minimizing CGI, Nolan takes it a step further with this film. The entire 3-hour epic is crafted using 100% practical effects. All of this is masterfully visualized by Dutch cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema and soundtracked by Ludwig Göransson. It's reminiscent of the work of Zimmer, with whom he previously collaborated. Here too, a conscious decision was made to compose the film score independently of the visuals. This means the composer didn't see the footage but created the music solely based on the story's emotions. And it pays off.
Similar to Dunkirk, Nolan once again launches two converging strands, namely Fission & Fusion.
Fission (color) tells the story in the first person from Oppenheimer's perspective. Fusion (black and white) objectively narrates it from the viewpoint of Lewis Strauss, Oppenheimer's opponent, masterfully played by Robert Downey Jr.
The two components serving as storytelling devices have an intriguing merging effect.
Fission involves splitting a heavy, unstable core into two smaller ones, while fusion reactions combine two light cores. The literal definitions in the dictionary reveal a kind of underlying core (no pun intended) to the film's overall picture.
The film is long but never tedious. A dialogue-driven narrative can lose its way, but that doesn't happen here. The script is anything but, and Nolan keeps you on the edge of your seat in this nail-biting and intense retelling of history.
Why would a director like Nolan choose such a film? In 2020, during the filming of Tenet, he received a book from Robert Pattinson. That book was "American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer." Assisted by the authors of the book, Nolan crafts a perfect adaptation script. This is a captivating biography with a weighty message, executed flawlessly by someone in complete control of their work.
The actors also do a superb job. Apart from Murphy's expressive eyes, Emily Blunt delivers a flawless performance, particularly in the climax. Matt Damon remains quintessentially Matt Damon, a standard screen delight. Even Gary Oldman makes a small but noteworthy appearance as President Truman. And we must not overlook Tom Conti as Einstein. While awards may lose their meaning when you hand them out, this film certainly deserves recognition.
VERDICT:
Nolan has never delved so deeply into the complex moral issues surrounding his characters. Ethical responsibilities bring forth significant questions, but the answers are complemented by the tight script. This character study, a blockbuster film-noir, is insanely beautiful. Based on its intellectual depth, Nolan's "Oppenheimer" surpasses his Joker arc as the most complicated, psychologically compelling portrayal of humanity, earning it a solid A+.
Dunkirk (2017)
Dunkirk is an authentic, practical piece of art that is visually stunning and technically perfect
DESCRIPTION: "The enemy have driven the British and French armies to the sea. Trapped at Dunkirk, they await their fate. Hoping for deliverance. For a miracle."
REVIEW: The film unfolds both beautifully brilliant and intensively subjective. Known from Nolan's non-linear story lines, this approach is technically mastered by his vision of the story. The plot is stranded and told with 3 perspectives in 3 different time-frames. This element of storytelling device causes for a comprehensive, full-scale picture of the event. The filmmaker is in that way able to tell the whole evacuation in just under 2 hours runtime (his shortest film since Following (1998)). It is neat and compact. Not overdone and rely on zero exposition; I think he heard the fair share of criticism here.
So, introducing first: The soldiers waiting on the beach by the Mole, which lasts a whole week. While the horrors upon the sea wave a time of one day. The battles in the air and Farrier's plane engine run and roll for one hour. As the story progressed, the sequences synchronize while the story lines intertwine. All that backed up by a blistering and blasting score delivered, once again, by Hans Zimmer.
Fun fact: Zimmer used Nolan's own pocket watch as the ticking time sound heard in the background. It's crazy how the sound intensifies the ticking while the action- driven plot thickens. One more quite notable technical aspect, there is little to no dialogue. The director studied silent-films while prepping for the project. This, of course, means that there is a lack of character development and story insight. Though this may cause some dividedness from viewer to viewer, as getting used to this rarely seen structure. However, one should know that it doesn't matter. It's an experience where you're part of. You're invested in this whole splendid act.
From start to finish, the whole movie is actually one giant action sequence and an epic thrill-ride. And so it begins: The opening of Dunkirk, where soldiers are wandering and walking around a deserted street, papers (that read: "We Surround You") sailing through the wind, landing on soldier's helmets. When suddenly enemy fire emerges and one young soldier survived the shootout, only to find himself on the beach with (realistically supposed to be) 400.000 other soldiers looking scared into the sky seeing German planes approaching and ultimately unloading aerial bombs on the beachscape. (I still feel sorry for him not having had the chance to properly take a sh*t, but I bet he probably sh*t himself considering the circumstances he would find himself later in.)
Later down the line we find ourselves in the utterly thrilling target practice sequence where soldiers are trapped in a boat, hoping to float into the water, only to find themselves hostage by unexpected flying bullets hitting the under deck. There occurs a leak and one soldier dies immediately just after a single, innocent peek. Meanwhile, a friendly pilot was shot down out of the sky and now finds himself in a similar situation. He is trapped in his own cockpit, hostage from the heavily flowing water that's filling up inside, only minutes away from drowning, he tries to break out. It's all about building up suspense here (Hitchcock's way of filmmaking).
And, perhaps the most memorable moment in the movie, Tom Hardy saving the lives of thousands of soldiers on the beach. With his plane run out of fuel, he sails through the wind and floats in the air, opening his small cockpit window to hear and receive a roar of applauds by the people on land. In another scene, the rest of the surviving soldiers are hopping on a train at night, and later waking-up to a "new-world". Channeling back, Ferrier's plane is slowly descending, comfortably landing onto the watery beachscape. Knowing that he's gonna get captured by the German and held as a prisoner of war, he first burns down his plane, in case the enemy benefits from the technology that would only be added to their already advanced arsenal. The flickering burning flames fill up the frame as soldiers are approaching in the distance. A silent hero is being sacrificed, but "we shall never surrender". And just before cutting to black, there is a completely silent shot of that young soldier sitting in a train, wondrously- looking up. The cinema was completely silent. You could only hear that mundane sound of a newspaper. Indicating that life simply goes on.
VERDICT: Christopher Nolan has crafted another brilliant movie. Once again, he showcases his direction and writing skills powerfully as well as artfully. Zimmer's soundtrack is bombastisc. It fits perfectly into the film. The cinematography is beautifully done by Dutch cameraman Hoyte Van Hoytema (DoP, Interstellar) The acting performances also feel pure and real. (Nolan intentionally casted young and inexperienced actors, some roughly just 18 years old. This was done in order to increase a stronger sense of reality).
Personally, I love that the movie doesn't linger on cliché war-porn, forms of perfectly scripted dialogue. It neither suffers from being cheesy or unoriginal. Instead, this is in fact probably the most innovative movie you'll ever seen. It is purely practical and wholly experimental. The director really emptied his tank with this unique take on the war genre. An achievement in modern-day cinema that is an authentic and traditional piece of art.
Dunkirk can arguably be considered as one of the greatest war movies of all time. Definitely in recent memory. Time will tell how well it holds up against films such as Saving Private Ryan. But to say the least, Dunkirk is a magnificent triumph. There's nothing quite like it. It doesn't try to be something else. It is masterfully grounded in it's own perfect picture that it's painting and portraying. This is as close and real as war films get. Realistically, flawlessly executed. That's why it works time and time again.
10/10
Ex Machina (2014)
An uniquely brilliant, mind-bending movie
Man and Machine. Machine versus Man.
Ex Machina portrays the relation between man and machine uniquely, while also telling an ambiguous, thought-provoking story. However, the movie also told something important; If we (mankind) create more, and smarter machines in order for us to use them, the machines itself may use our knowledge as an advantage, and thereby use us instead.
Domhnall Gleeson plays the smart and lonely kid, Caleb, who's parents past away in a car crash, and who is utterly interested in studying technological science. While being the winner of a Internet competition, his award is to visit one of the best research facilities in the world that is owned by just one very smart, but ultimately crazy guy, Nathan (played by Oscar Isaac). He studies machine, and has created the most successful (female) A.I. in the world, named Ava (played by Alicia Vikander).
After a couple of sessions with Ava, Caleb develops a more personal relationship with her, and he eventually becomes extraordinary attracted to her. However, as explained by Nathan, due to this "manipulation" she has managed to have Caleb in her use that helps her to escape. In the end her plan finally succeeds, and the very first A.I. involves herself between humanity.
Ex Machina has a consistent story that is scientifically perfect, and creatively brilliant. It portrays man and machine powerfully, while also telling us simply that there isn't / never will be a fine line between man and machine.
Lost: The End: Part 1 (2010)
Reflecting Back 5 Years Later on a 6-Year Journey
THE IMPACT OF LOST: The TV series LOST ended it's run 5 years ago today. After long discussions (that are still going on), we still keep asking ourselves; did the ending work? However, what we do come to realize is that the finale of LOST is one of the most controversial endings in TV history, which left us debating, theorizing and speculating endlessly. With mixed opinions on it, for some it did worked, for others it didn't. But with one thing we can all agree; LOST redefined television network forever.
REVIEW: While "The End" received the most nominations than any other episode of LOST, including eight Emmy nominations, there are still many people for who the series finale didn't work. The most negativity on "The End" came due to the fact for not answering the series questions and mysteries. However, as Lindelof and Cuse discussed the ending, they not only came to an agreement that it should be spiritual, they also decided to solve a mystery they never asked: What's the meaning of life, and what happens when you die? And that's how the ending came to be.
Beside the series great story lines, LOST has also an incredible use of mysteries, and especially an extremely philosophical background. But it's ambitious use of characters that we came to love and learn about over the six years is the main reason why LOST is one of the greatest character drama TV series ever to be created. The extraordinary well written stories of the characters, and their development over the years is also what will make LOST a hardly forgotten TV series.
From the big rivalry between Jack and Locke (MiB), to the amazing "awakening" moments of the characters "finding each other". LOST succeeds in ending the story based on the characters perspective.
The finale was an incredibly, perfectly emotional driven experience. Also, the use of a new device that was brought in at the final season was something special. The Flash Sideways was created for us to see the changes and improvements the characters made in their lives because of the time they've spent on the Island. It is a place were they where living out alternate scenarios. A place that they all made together so that they could find one another.
Did the ending of LOST work? Definitely. When the very first episode of LOST aired, ("Pilot"), we saw characters from a plane crash that were stranded on an Island trying to find rescue. However, the most important thing was for them to find what they had lost, themselves and each other. And in the end, they found that.
If the characters never would have met each other, they probably never would have forgive themselves for their past doings. If they hadn't spent that time on the Island with each other, they never would have redeemed themselves and come to a level of self awakening and forgiveness.
The development of Jack over the course of the six seasons was incredible and probably the most notable one. From being a man of science to becoming a man of faith is difficult to accomplish. But, as Jack's life seemed to suffer, he decided to return to the Island. Eventually, he finally became the man who Locke was.
Jack portraying being a man of faith in the finale was astoundingly. His performance was memorable to experience. All the things he did, he did with confidence. Jack trusted that everything he does will work, and he was relying that on faith alone.
Jack succeeded to kill the MiB and to help his friends to leave the Island. He finally found purpose in his life and as he laid down in that bamboo forest and watched his friends leave safely by plane. He found satisfaction from the things he did in the end.
THE LAST IMAGE: The opening scene of the series was a man laying down in a bamboo forest; confused, broken and lost.
The ending of the series was a man laying down in a bamboo forest; satisfied, happy and found.
Also, another worthy notable observation: As Jack laid down to die, Vincent came up running towards Jack to comfort him in his last moments, and so that he wouldn't die alone.
"The End" is one of the best TV series finales ever that left me with more satisfaction than I had expect. It's incredibly hard to find a proper piece that fits perfectly into a great puzzle. But the series finale found that lost piece for LOST.
I am also very happy that the writers could end the series based on their own terms, rather than trying to please everyone. That's the most important thing when getting a groundbreaking series off the ground. They wanna tell the story they wanted to tell, and they told it very well. (Damon Lindelof's response on the criticism of the finale: "I did it for me. I liked it. I was good at it. And I was really
I was alive.")
VERDICT: LOST is a remarkable series that pays off with a memorable conclusion.
While many questions were still being left unanswered after the finale, the story of LOST still managed to come full circle and wrapped up it's 6-year journey neatly. Some fans may be unsatisfied with the conclusion that the lingering mysteries and questions were not (satisfied) resolved nor answered. But however, one thing is for sure, LOST's story is finished and has most definitely found it's closure with the ending; it had a real, definitive ending, especially to the characters arc.
"The End" accomplished to give a perfectly emotional and satisfying conclusion to the series, and made the time that we've spent on the long journey feel worthy. Most importantly, it succeeded to give a fitting resolution and a deserved closure to the characters we invested in, and for that, I feel fulfilled.
Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014)
A epic, genre-bound, classic
Kingsman: The Secret Service is a violently funny, and brilliantly heroic super-spy movie. It has the action sequences of a Bond movie, while also delivering laughter due to it's own uniquely rare touch to comedy. Director Matthew Vaughn has managed to portray the brilliantness of action and comedy combined, without coming close to the lack of creativity or the sense of dullness.
The movie is about a spy-organization that is recruiting a young, but promising kid that may be of high value to the Service, but also be of great use in preventing a global threat that suddenly has emerged. While time goes on, Kingsman faces difficult tasks, but the movie itself is keeping getting better and more crazier.
The fight scenes are just as good as the filming is. It's extraordinary mounted and well acted true out the entire runtime. Also, the story lines are excellent told and are filled with humor, tension and action that keeps the overall story fluently moving, and the movie joyful, but especially powerful.
The movie presents rare genres that goes strangely well together, but would normally be avoided in storytelling. It's like the movie tries to accomplish a difficult and compelling mission from special agent 007, and crazy enough, succeeds so due to the great use of humor.
'71 (2014)
A strong war story told trough the eyes of a strong soldier
'71 is a brilliantly compelling movie that tells the extraordinary story about British soldier, Gary Hook (played by Jack O'Connell), who becomes separated from his unit during a riot in the dangerous streets of Belfast, England, in 1971.
Gary Hook lives a hard life with his much younger brother Darren, he cares about deeply, after his parents past away. Eventually, Hook joins the British Army and leaves Darren behind. His squad of soldiers is sent to Belfast in the early years of The Troubles (the ethnonationalist conflict in Northern Ireland).
The squad goes to a violate area of Belfast where the predominantly Protestants and the predominantly Catholics, that belongs to the IRA, live side by side. The unit is sent over to provide support for the Royal Ulster Constabulary (the police force of Northern Ireland). However, the extremely violent actions the police take and their mistreatment of women and children shocked Hook.
Eventually, when the Catholic neighborhood has been alerted over the activity, the squad find themselves in a very dangerous situation. Minutes later, a soldier's gun got stolen by a boy, and Hook and another soldier pursue him. But as the situation escalated quickly, the soldiers and the police pull out, which leaves the two soldiers behind.
A brave woman tries to hold the crowd away from the soldiers, but once Hook sees the other soldier shot dead by the Nationalist Martin McCann (played by Paul Haggerty), he runs and flees, which delivered an exciting chase scene and an enormously enthralling story to follow.
Garry Hook finally returns to his barracks after spending an awful lot of time in a place where you can only survive as a soldier if you're lucky. After he leaves the army eventually, decided by the officer in command, Garry Hook is later reunited happily with his brother Darren. They begin a new life together.
'71 delivers compelling story lines that includes some nerve-wracking moments to the movie. And beside the great action and tension that it delivers, it's a really intensive and emotional movie that tells the story of the "lucky" soldier that is played by Jack O'Connell amazingly.
Unbroken (2014)
A heartbreaking story of an unbreakable character
Unbroken portrays the unbelievable true story about the life of Louis Zamperini (played by Jack O'Connell). Directed by Angelina Jolie and written by the Coen brothers, the movie is a bound character experience that is both spectacular and heartbreaking.
Zamperini participated in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany. He also served in 1941 for 4 years in the United States Army Air Corps during World War II. During that time, his near-fatal plane crash tells the story of 'Unbroken'.
After spending 47 days on a raft with his two fellow crewmen, pilot Phil (played by Domhnall Gleeson) and Mac (played by Finn Wittrock), the survivors were found and caught by the Japanese navy and sent to a prisoner-of-war camp. He and many other soldiers were held captivity until the end of the war. The unrighteous treatment was horrible and can really break a man from the inside and outside.
Unbroken delivers an astoundingly character portraying and a well consistent storyline that is both compelling and admirable to watch. It's a resourceful, impressive and an emotional movie.
American Sniper (2014)
A memorable movie by Clint Eastwood that tells the remarkable story of Chris Kyle
The true story about the most lethal sniper in U.S. history. American Sniper is an stunning movie that takes you behind the life of Chris Kyle (played by Bradley Cooper), and his enormously compelling story. The legend with 10 years of service for the United States Navy SEALs and who served four tours in the Iraq War. He has 160 confirmed kills. But one bullet can tell the story.
With director Clint Eastwood at the helm, American Sniper portrays the story of Chris Kyle great. It's both an enthralling and emotional ride for the character we invest in. Well done action scenes, pretty good storyline and, of course, notable character development.
After four tours of duty, Chris returns home to his wife, Taya Kyle (played by Sienna Miller), where he eventually finds out it's the war he can't let go of. Hearing familiar sounds references to his experiences in the war.
When Chris is back to his normal lifestyle, he paired with a organization that provide help for veterans in-need. He began life-coaching for those who are suffering from various problems and disabilities.
As Chris went on to help someone, he left his gun at home and kissed his wife and two children goodbye. Chris Kyle was killed and shot that day (February 2, 2013) by a veteran he was trying to help. A heartbreaking end to to the life that saved many soldier lives.
This very resourceful movie tells the story that has been told very well and made us remember that guy behind the scope. It's both a beautiful and memorable achievement in cinematic biography that delivered an outstanding acting performance by the man who portrayed Chris Kyle, the most lethal sniper in U.S. history.
Better Call Saul (2015)
Better Call Saul is one of the Better Spin-Off of a TV Series
From the creators of one of the most successful series ever, Breaking Bad, comes the spin-off, Better Call Saul. Which is another huge success!
The new TV series is set before the time of it's sequel (Breaking Bad) and shows the life of lawyer, Saul Goodman, leading up to the establishing of his law office. With Saul living at home with his brother, Chuck, that is suffering from electromagnetic hypersensitivity (which later revealed isn't genuine), is a hard and rough life for both.
We also came to see familiar faces along the way in Season 1. Such as, the appearances of Tuco, Nacho and especially Mike, an character with much (background) story in Better Call Saul.
With Gilligan's exceptional great way of storytelling, the first season of the prequel is a stunner. Better Call Saul will deeply remind you of Breaking Bad. With it's rare way of filming, particularly humorous scenes and even episodes were sometimes nothing really happens, but still very much character development contains, is this TV series a must watch for every Breaking Bad fan.
The first Season is great and it's additionally a utterly joyful series to watch. It hadn't a single notable flaw nor plot hole. I was never frustrated or in the "trashcan kicking" mood at any moment by the story lines Gilligan and Gould portrayed of the series characters.
Better Call Saul has the same ingredients Breaking Bad had, except it's a different, but still fantastic meal. It's a perfect spin-off of a perfect series.
Taken 3 (2014)
Taken: "The Good", Taken 2: "The Bad", Taken 3: "The Ugly"
Taken 3 delivered great action scenes (some a little too overdone), with a pretty well continuing storyline. However, it just failed in more proper plot creation and above all, the acting performances were horrible.
The ending was okay, but it just wasn't okay enough to redeem all of the damage caused. Almost everything in Taken 3 was just as Kim would put it; "predictable".
Unfortunately, let's just put Taken 2, and especially Taken 3 as a result of a unnecessary sequel.
Besides the filming location, there is nothing beautiful about the movie. It's just so that the writers didn't had enough particular set of skills to make a good movie. However, they still made a wise choice though. They have put an end to Taken, finally.
But let put all the mistakes away. Taken 3 was fun, a lot of reflection to the first movie (such as, Bryan's famous phone calls and the use of the sentence "good luck"), and besides it's predictable story, Taken 3 was still thrilling to watch.
Focus (2015)
Good, not Great
Focus has a good, but not great storyline, with surprisingly great character development.
Nicky (Will Smith) is a successful con artist who takes an amateur con artist under his wings, Jess (Margot Robbie). The two become romantically involved. But after a big score, Nicky decides to let her go. When leaving the woman he actually loves due to his own matters, there is something missing in him, which isn't money.
Three years later, when executing his last scheme. The task comes to stand under pressure when Nicky discovers that Jess is with the guy who he's trying to con. The woman from his past, now an accomplished con artist, has caused him to let the job rest.
Eventually, when both Nicky and Jess are being hold capture by Garriga (Rodrigo Santoro), Nicky's enemy. Garriga is trying to get answers out of Nicky for stealing his valuable watch by punishing Jess. Later, Owen (Gerald McRaney), a man part of the group, shoots Nicky for not giving the required information, which causes the horrified Garriga to leave. It's revealed that Owen is Nicky's father, Bucky.
Bucky drives Nicky and Jess to the hospital to treat Nicky's punctured lung. When arriving at the hospital, the father takes all of the undeserved money from his son and leaves... But how are they gonna pay the treatment? Oh, of course, Garriga's watch that Jess quickly snatched. (Yep, never loose focus).
Will Smith delivered yet again a good acting performance that made the movie certainly much better than the story itself actually presents to be.
The Imitation Game (2014)
Resourceful and Powerful
An incredible story about the true story of cracking the Enigma code during World War II.
With help from Joan Clarke (Keira Knightley) and other fellow mathematicians, Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch) comes each time closer of cracking the code from the Germans.
However, while there are 159 million million million codes that could be put into Enigma, and that the Germans change the code daily, it's almost impossible to make the impossible possible. Till' one night Turing cracked the code, which made the group able to reveal all the hidden messages from the Germans.
Unfortunately, the life of Turing hadn't a happy ending. When time has passed after the big solution, Clarke visits Turing. The smart man who he once was, is now suffering due to hormone therapy to "cure" him of his homosexuality. It was his choice to undergoes the therapy, so he could continue working on his computer, which makes him find solace. Alan Turing later died off-screen.
Beside the astounding acting performance from Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game is an unbelievable achievement in storytelling. Remarkable, and most important memorable. A must watch biography, both exciting and compelling.
Foxcatcher (2014)
Good Story, Great Acting
Starring Steve Carell (as John du Pont), Chaining Tatum (as Mark Schultz) and Mark Ruffalo (as David Schultz). Foxcatcher is a true story about wrestlers Mark Schultz and David Schultz, and their "mentor" John du Pont.
The movie Foxcatcher portrays the story that is set in the 80's very well. Great acting performances, especially by Steve Carell, a good storyline and great character development makes the movie a definitely must watch.
The Oscar worthy performance of Steve Carell is one of the top highlights of the movie. You will hate his character, but love his acting. While his performance is incredible and especially memorable, he unfortunately didn't won the Oscar for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role.
Foxcatcher literally competed with it's characters, and completed in making a good movie.
Interstellar (2014)
Electrifying, Mind Challenging, Satisfactory
An mind-bending achievement that will stand in the universe of filmmaking forever.
Everything the movie tried to accomplish, is accomplished. From the incredible visual effects to the l heartwarming story that only got warmer towards the ending. Not because we were going deeper into our solar system, but because Interstellar showed us that the most important thing that can accomplish the most things, even the impossible that go beyond our dimension, is love.
Matthew McConaughey (as pilot Cooper) goes on an interstellar expedition with explores Anne Hathaway (as Brand), Wes Bentley (as Doyle) and David Gyasi (as Romilly), in order to ensure safety for humanity. This resourceful mission is incredibly enthralling and extremely dangerous, but the consequences may be of high value for the survival of mankind.
As time flew by fast, we begin to enter the final moments of the movie, that many only can describe with a particular sentence as.., what just happened.
(However, while Interstellar may could have won more than one Oscar, it is indeed truly the Best Achievement in Visual Effects).
Interstellar is an incredible experience that brings us behind the mind of Nolan's masterpiece, and let us be involved into his complexity imagination of the wormhole.
It will go down as one of the best sci- fi movie to date, if not the best.
The Theory of Everything (2014)
The biggest and most important mystery of the universe is ♥
"There should be no boundaries to human endeavor. We are all different. However bad life may seem, there is always something you can do, and succeed at. While there's life, there is hope."
The story of the life of Jane and Stephen Hawking. This emotional driving movie is a remarkable achievement in telling a life story that stays true from beginning till' end to the incredible, Stephen Hawking. But what was the Beginning?
Because of the movie, those who didn't knew much about the scientist, now know more.
The extraordinary movie impressed it audiences with an unique touch to the story of Hawking. A well written story line that is astoundingly presented by the great acting performances. Both Eddie Redmayne (as Stephen Hawking) and Felicity Jones (as Jane Hawking) did a phenomenal job playing those persons. Yes, Eddie Redmayne really deserved the Oscar for Best Actor in an Leading Role.
Also, I found it beautiful to see the whole movie rewind in the ending. It was very unique to see the end till' the beginning, because this was a special way to end the beginning. While there is love at first side, there's love till' the end. And that's what I had with this movie.
- The Theory of Everything is the best romance movie based on a true story of 2014.
Whiplash (2014)
A Masterful Masterpiece
A young drummer Andrew (played by Miles Teller) is determined to do everything in order to achieve his goal. Becoming one of the greats. But when his dream becomes influenced by an instructor named Fletcher (played by J.K. Simmons) who isn't easy on anything and that let Andrew stand on the edge.
The story is flawlessly fluent and an achievement in every level of storytelling. And in really a short amount of time we come to learn and understand the two main characters in the movie. That's already an accomplishment in a movie which is shy of 2 hours runtime. Also, the exhilarating unexpected story is beautifully made and outstandingly exciting till' the very last seconds.
The double twisted plot ending of Whiplash is just simply amazing. At one moment you can scream at it, and thereafter it is just speechless.
Whiplash is inspiring, motivating, electrifying, emotional, a self reflection movie. A absolute triumph. A true hit with the drumstick on the drum.
The most important thing about the movie was to me, the deeper meaning behind it. If you willing to do / give everything in order to fulfill your dream, you can also suddenly lose everything at once. But never stop trying and don't ever give up, because that is the key to success.
And what better way to deliver this message than with music?
Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014)
An enthralling accomplishment in mythological, fictional or historical storytelling
Another beautifully achievement in movie making for Ridley Scott to add to his magnificent filmography.
'Exodus: Gods and Kings' is totally uncomplicated and very resourceful for those who didn't knew much about the story of Moses.
The special effects was also a stunningly incredible experience, especially in 3D.
However the first half of the movie is wordy and a bit low on action, but also writing. I find the second half of the story absolutely pretty well told and it really paid off our time we have spent on this long journey. Our much given time felt worthy and most important satisfying.
Because after two hours of watching, coming to experience the ending was so sentimental and extraordinary well done. I think you just can not get no goose bumps. It was mind blowing. It was a masterpiece to watch.
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014)
An ambitious, thought-provoking story.
DESCRIPTION OF THE STORYLINE: At his core, the movie is a rarely seen character development story about a famous Broadway actor who does his best to get appreciation and to keep his reputation by the audiences and critics.
But there's something else going on too. Birdman is the character for the show Birdman, that was created by Riggan (the actor). But it seems like Riggan have the powers of Birdman. Birdman have the gift to move objects without touching them, to fly and other things that are impossible to do. Also, Riggan hear voices of Birdman in his head that is trying to manipulate him into doing things against his will. But is Birdman really Riggan, and Riggan really Birdman?
When losing a actor due an incident (or according to Riggan: something he let happened), Michael Keaton as Riggan Thomson is desperate to find a new actor for the Broadway show. When eventually a new actor was introduced into the show, he seemed to know all the lines. However, his acting skills were of highly valuable interests for the show. As he is getting an important role in the movie, Riggan's daughter Sam (played by Emma Stone) is little for little falling in love with the new actor, Mike (Edwarn Norton).
As different circumstances and various occasions land on the path of the overall success of the show on Broadway, Riggan is slowly losing his grip and gets out of control. When smashing objects with using his 'Birdman Powers', we get an clear answer of the cause of the powers immediately after someone walks into his room. We see him using his hands as he smashes things to the wall. That delivers the logical conclusion that all this 'Birdman Powers' was in his head, it was his own imagination constantly.
As time goes on, Birdman is more and more taking over Riggan. Eventually, it even gets to the point where he imagined a whole battle in the streets of NYC and is slowly loosing gravity as he floats to the rooftop of a house. In reality, he's standing on the edge of the roof. When a man tried to help him to call somebody for him, Riggan jumped off the house and flies through the streets of NYC. When arrived at this destination, a taxi driver yells at him for not paying the ride. Again, a logical answer to an illogical happening.
When crafting to the final moments of Birdman, Riggan and his crew put on a show for the ages, according to applause of the audience after the first half. When preparing for the second half, Rigggan switches from a fake pistol (where the red plastic is clearly visible), to a real pistol with one bullet in it. As the second half is on the way, Riggan steps on stage and sets an amazingly incredible performance with lines that is an self reflection to his personality and character in the movie. After the incident he finds himself in a hospital where he actually looks like Birdman, due to the treatment of his nose. Yeah, he shot himself in the nose. Unbelievable. Finally, the actor earned a good review and is appreciated by many audiences and critics. His daughter even made a Twitter page for him!
After everything he had achieved and accomplished, he decided to open the hospital window and close (or open?)the door of The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance.
REVIEW: 'A thing is a thing not what is said of that thing.'
Nightcrawler (2014)
Nightcrawler crawls into the debate about great movies
Nightcrawler (2014):
A special kind of storyline and a certainly unique touch on successful writing. The movie is about a man who is literally broke and trying to find a way to earn money, have a good career and actually live a nice life.
As time goes on, we come to understand that this isn't just a ordinary normal man, but a man who is willing to do everything in containing success and being to become successful.
It unfold into a never seen before story of a real business man. His extremely manipulation ability provides him to not only have influence into his current situation constantly, but also to recruit him faster than normally.
It also contains humorously elements and that being attached to the overall story can really make it joyful to watch, even at boring moments.
The movie delivers the audience a rarely seen, but still special story with a overall satisfying conclusion to the storyline. The laughter balances both the tension and brainstorming in the movie. Everything that we saw was pretty well executed by the writers and it did also a phenomenal job at letting the viewers be part of the unique experience. Nothing more nothing less, it really is a one-of-a-kind movie as well as a achievement for accomplishing a storyline game changer.
Review by: Brendan Resnick.
Boyhood (2014)
Boyhood isn't just good
Boyhood (2014):
The unbelievable continues story line is really incredible to watch and the experience is appallingly joyful.
As the guy in the movie grows up, the movie itself grows too. It felt like it went uphill.
However, due to the complexity time-line in the story, it may can be confusing at sometimes. Also, you can't really attach to a situation or something, because it kept changing as time goes by in the life of the family we've been following.
In the other hand, it also is references as something completely normal if you trying to tell a story about a persons life in that many years.
It is a beautiful accomplishment in making something memorable and a unique achievement in writing and telling a story about someone's life.
Review by: Brendan Resnick.
The Drop (2014)
The Drop barely got Up
The Drop (2014):
The unusual thrilling story and some rare unnecessary scenes can be experienced as utterly joyful. However, the story line has one lack. As it trying to touch our emotions, it feels like it doesn't completely grab our heartstrings.
In my opinion, it felt like The Drop just dropped sometimes. But everything that drops, sometimes also come up. Happily the writers accomplished that.
The writers were in a world they created by themselves. Almost every scene was presented as a unnecessary contribute to the big picture. Decoration was needed to be found to make it a good meal. However, the conclusion was a overcooked meal.
The overcooking the writers decided, can however also be considered as a device that converts this movie as a special undertone in the rarely seen storyline.
Review by: Brendan Resnick.
Fury (2014)
Behind every Fury lies a Story
Fury (2014):
Fury achieves in my opinion an unbelievable achievement in not just well done action scenes, but also the emotional and both thrilling ride it took us along with.
Not only a story about war, it also delivered us a remarkable backdrop on the characters. The great character development and the incredible story we experienced really is what makes this movie a must see.
The writers really succeeded in accomplishing the ability to involve the viewers in the events that took place. The rest moments after a tough battle not only of course gave the characters rest, it also gave us some rest. It just really felt like we were part of everything.
Unfortunately some pieces of the story felt like they were put together a little messy and thereby spoiled the fluency of the story a bit.
However, this movie undoubtedly completes the mission to be part of the conversations about great war movies and really gave us everything they had. It just really felt they emptied their tank.
Review by: Brendan Resnick.
Zombieland (2009)
Chaos and Love in the Land of the Dead
Zombieland (2009):
Can this movie really be the answer to the question of what the best zombie movie is? Well, lets just put it this way. The humorous moments and some exaggerated, yet still funny scenes, made it an achievement which you don't quite expect from a movie about zombies.
The enjoyment it gave us in watching action scenes really stood out, and the overall story telling for a zombie movie was actually pretty well done.
The overall story was well delivered in a relatively short amount of time.
It felt like we were at a fair that included everything but suspension . However the lack of it did not made the roller-coaster ride unpleasant. It just sometimes made it a little bit boring.
Still, I find the movie well written and in my opinion received low expectations, but delivered high results.
Review by: Brendan Resnick.
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)
Every great story must one time come to a beginning
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014):
The beginning of the end has come to a close. The big journey we've been on has now come to a satisfying conclusion and yet an unbelievable bright beginning.
The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit saga is undoubtedly the greatest medieval fantasy ever made in movie history.
It not only sets a standard in the genre, it also delivered us a personal message. Greed can lead to unpleasant situations and events. Sometimes the things you already have, are actually the things worth fighting for.
However the beginning of the movie started out a bit slow and wordy, the second half made it worth the time.
This "one hell of a ride" may be over, but surely won't be forgotten.
Review by: Brendan Resnick.