drenstere Reviews

What Breaks the Ice (2020)

A movie begging for a sequel...

[6/10 · 15 April 2024]

...for most of the right reasons, anyway. Strong casting of the leads, neither of whom I'd heard of but both had a chemistry with each other that built throughout the flick. Supporting cast wasn't bad. Wasn't really notable either but did the job. As far as rich-girl/poor-girl and tourist/townie angles this one tackles both in a believable way, and for the first half of the film things are assembled in a believable manner. Things start to go off the rails after that, and your suspension of disbelief will be tested. Where I think there is value to be milked is the depth of both lead characters and their idiosyncrasies. This is a story about lives crossing at an (in)opportune moment, so what if later in their (now) adult lives they meet again, and perhaps they have to deal with the things they know about each other?

Pawn (I) (2013)

Not a preposterous movie. Mostly.

[7/10 · 15 April 2024]

Lots of good names in the cast of this surprisingly low-budget caper. Neatly positioned story with some spots where you'll just have to shrug and say "whatever", but for the most part a good watch. Some of the writing is a bit simple and could have used a once-over, but it's not too bad. Chiklis as the cockney-ed thug is surprisingly believable, and I wanted Common to have better dialogue to go off of but he seemed really hampered by the script. This should have been a decent spot for him to ad-lib. The cast is full of that-guys-and-girls so you'll be entertained far more than the box office receipts would lead you to believe. A few weak performances with the bit players and extras but not terrible. Also, Ray Liotta. He can add a star by himself.

Room (I) (2015)

Brie Larson's best performance.

[10/10 · 11 April 2024]

The chemistry between Brie Larson's 'Ma' and newcomer Jacob Tremblay's 'Jack' is powerfully adamantine, as is the strength of the slowly unraveling fantasy world bound by the walls of their 10x10 prison. The bonds between the two characters were so palpable, you could feel the full range of their emotions as one struggles with the nightmare she has lived for seven torturous years while simultaneously crafting a protective shell around her child, and the desperation and growing angst as she tries to reset the very definitions she had to conjure for her son while enduring the brunt of his rejections of her notions. Larsons' ability to depict that desperate strength and later show the collapse of her depleting soul provides the spilled fuel on the lake that Tremblay sets ablaze when he refuses to let her give up. They both take some time to embrace and enjoy the glow of this fire they set as the healing process for the leads can commence. Solid performances by John Bridgers, Amanda Brugel and Cas Anvar with outstanding interplay by Joan Allen, William H. Macy and Tom McCamus, with Wendy Crewson earning the most punchable face award for her cameo. Really solid film that I wish I'd found sooner.

Rift (II) (2022)

A caricature of a bad B movie.

[2/10 · 10 March 2024]

Super secret undercover agent bests an elite arms dealer with his cover identity, then immediately goes on national TV to blow his cover immediately following the arrest... ...and the movie just gets worse from there.

Every spot seems to be an SNL-rendition of a scene from a crime thriller. I kept wondering if this was a Wayans Brothers shadow project and the curtain would pull back to reveal the zaniness for the last reel. Alas.

It's not so much that the cast is bad; rather, they never really had a chance to be successful here. The direction is bad, the writing is worse, the concept is contrived and while there are some decent outdoor camera moments happening in this flick they can't save the rest of it.

The Sum of All Fears (2002)

Those that know nothing of Clancy will enjoy it...

[4/10 · 10 December 2023]

...those that have read the source material will be insulted. It would have been better if Clancy (who also EPd this movie) had adapted some other story in place of this. He's a great storyteller; it would have worked. Instead Clancy cashes in on one more film in hopes it will reboot the franchise. (It did...sort of) It will be a great difficulty for those that know the book to deal with the incongruence of events and characters that are somehow set prior to the events of the previous movies, not to mention the changing of the villains completely. To call this a retcon would be an insult. The only thing saving this movie is the cast buying into their roles and putting effort into it, commensurate to their skill, although Affleck's Ryan is a far departure from anything resembling what is depicted in the book.

Heels (2021–2023)

An absolutely riveting genre drama...

[10/10 · 1 October 2023]

...that hopefully won't be a true casualty of the SAG-AFTRA strike. Following shooting and entering post-production, the actors and other workers were forbidden from plugging the second season of this show; they couldn't even mention it in public at all. No promotional materials, banners, nothing. The only reason I got it at all was because my DVR was already set to record the show when the new season (2) was released, and as I do when I get a show, I get all the episodes and binge-watch on my off-time. Friday night: Season one (again) then Saturday night with season two. I then went to see when production work was going to begin with season three and got the bad news (for now). Doesn't change my opinion of the show at all. All members of the cast and crew should be proud of the job they've done here. Absolutely riveting drama. Like, turn off the phone riveting. All kinds of nods to historical happenings within the wrestling business, and stuffed full of immense pockets of humanity itself (along with a very real overarching plot-line that is constantly revisited in the parental advisory) all tell an incredibly dense story that has an excellent chance to appeal to audiences well outside the genre. I usually cap pieces that I know might be limited by the genre, despite how good they were, but not this one. This one needs to be bingewatched in two days, then honored by calling STARZ and asking them what the hell is wrong with their suits that they'd cancel it. Unless STARZ wants to be another AMC that is, and in that case screw them. This show is too good for them anyway. I hope to see Heels Season Three on some network someday or perhaps on Amazon or Netflix of they want to put in a chunk of change on a sure thing.

Edit: I encourage the reviewers who gave this show a low rating to watch both seasons if they didn't understand something, the plot wasn't moving along fast for them or somehow something wasn't accurate in their eyes.

Facts: some A-list wrestling talent contributed to both storyline and on-screen to make this a great series. This series was stymied by the strike and gag orders which were beyond their control. My genuine opinions are above this paragraph and my summation below: this show is EXCELLENT. I don't give such praise likely.

You're Killing Me (2023)

You too can survive a femoral arterial wound without medical treatment...

[4/10 · 17 September 2023]

That, and about a truckload of other implausible happenings (but plausible to the typical B-movie writing sphere) fuel this movie's run to a roller coaster finish. I will say the low key delivering of this as a teen drama will lure you in before it all goes to hell in almost the worst way possible, so bravo for that.

Set aside the campy writing for a second and take the time to appreciate the cast. Jayson W. Smith, Dermot Mulroney and Anne Heche all play bit roles that could have been microwaved from central casting, but are instead legitimized by their performances. Brice Heller is believable as the rich-kid psychopath (bit of a throwback in mannerisms to Wahlberg's 'Fear' instead of Bale's 'American Psycho') and while Miller and Peebles aren't incredibly strong in this flick, the performances they render working off each other really have you rooting for their demise and survival at different spots in the movie. Deusner seems to channel a bit of Joaquin Phoenix's Joker with some success. Overall, not terrible acting or production work. Gore is there and prominent, and no skimping on effects work. The real victim is the script that somehow survived the chopping block much like our female lead, just so we could get to the point where we ask ourselves how she (and the audience) made it to this point.

The Rules of Attraction (2002)

A tremendous tragedy of decadence

[8/10 · 2 September 2023]

Great adaptation of the book, although I wonder how the marketing peons ever thought this was ever anything but the darkest of 'comedies'. Even the write-ups fail to mention the powerful pivot-characters that tie the entire plot together. James VanDerBeek provides some legit reality as an all-too-believably self-destructive 'protagonist' whose behavioral connective issues lead to him spiraling throughout the story and the conflict within the love 'triangle' feed the ongoing incidences within the plot. It is noteworthy that any scenes within the book could have been plugged in to the movie in the fashion that the director treated this movie and it would have worked: they were very similar to the collage of events during a 'limitless' drug trip.

Young Adult (2011)

Reitman, Cody and the absolutely believable story about a dumpster fire.

[8/10 · 14 July 2023]

Young Adult is not something that will get remembered as heartwarming, touching, funny, award-winning or even a repeat-watch in your library. What places this flick in the contender's pile of good is the authenticity of the characters, setting and situations, and how they can resonate with the viewer. Whether you're the one who left, or the one who stayed, you fit somewhere in this story, even as a bit part on the fringes of this set of chapters that highlight the return of the prodigal Dumpster Fire Princess to her rural origin story home, and the struggles she has coming to grips with the dichotomy of her perspective and reality. The schism is there, waiting to be embraced with her head as the playground (in some cases, literally). Catch this movie once, like a visit to your recent class reunion, and marvel at the main character's dainty representation of a bull in a china shop, before it and her move on to the land of the archivist, fondly noted, but likely never to be seen again.

Wild Card (2015)

A darkened hero at the edge of a cliff

[6/10 · 3 July 2023]

Somehow Statham is a solidly legitimate rendition of Nick in Goldman's 'Heat'. While by '85, Goldman had lost some of his fastball for longform in his quest to be a legendary screenwriter, Heat was still a good read. Statham captures the polite volatility of the Protagonist pretty well in this movie adaptation and, while some interactions are throwaway to the overall plot, Nick, and his chaotic spiraling to escape himself, can be seen as a patient with many counselors (he knows half the town) who doesn't really come to grips with his diagnosis or treatment until an increasingly violent rollercoaster of a run in his hometown comes to a cathartic conclusion.

The movie treatment of the text is as lean as Statham himself, holding fast to a single perspective and moving the plot along, if in a stumbling and chaotic manner. Statham himself is in phenomenal shape, and puts together some incredibly efficient fight sequences to make up for the times where the diaglogue falls flat.

Angarano's Cyrus plays a believable counter that almost comes across as a guide or muse to Nick's polite rampage through his day-to-day. You'll find yourself wanting a different ending in a way, or at least I did. The remaining cast is a tapestry of utility that allows plot to move without being cumbersome (or, unfortunately, notable). Hope Davis actually captures a dealer's persona pretty well. Ventimoglia's DeMarco is suitably sleazy-tough and very punchable. The rest of the cast rounded out is a solid roster of really good names (just about anything with Tucci and I'm already in) that get their short shift minutes, move the ball and head back to the bench. In a movie like this that works pretty well actually, since this is a one-man's-journey-to-wellness kinda flick, with a fractured asskicker as our patient. The only thing keeping this from a higher rating from me is that it kinda seems like the stumbling success was a happy accident. I'll take it. Your mileage may vary.

The Counselor (2013)

Idealism vs Reality. Love or hate it.

[5/10 · 1 June 2023]

...Idealists should probably take this one off the session list. The betrayal is obvious from the beginning and the scope is overly final and bloody, with some nice foreshadowing in spots to go with the unnecessary. The rest is just devastated grief and anguish. That there is no Layer Cake ending for the ultimate villainess is probably the most lost opportunity. I can think of a dozen ways it could have ended for her, all of them bad or worrisome and paranoid, and factored with scenes like settling up with her banker (a mutual friend of her now dead husband...almost an obligatory endgame foil) in grim detail make me think the writer didn't consider this enough. Or maybe he did and just wanted to stomp on the audience one more time.

Maggie (I) (2015)

Extremely deep and underrated performances

[9/10 · 20 April 2023]

If you come into this expecting Arnie's take on a Romero zombie classic, you're going to be disappointed.

If you watch this as a drama/tragedy and are ready to take in some pretty underrated and deep performances by the leads, then you'll be okay. Actually you probably won't, as you'll either sympathize with a father who has to make a horrible decision, the daughter who sentenced herself to a horrible death, or both, and all the while the movie marches towards the inevitable.

I didn't think Arnie capable of such a deep performance, and he truly surprised me.

Ms. Breslin turns in an incredible performance, and like many of her serious films can cultivate sadness or sympathy at will, and in a period of her career in which she was dabbling more and more with her musical talents (jury may still be out) this film easily got missed. Go back and watch it. Just bring the kleenex.

Grinders (2011)

A starkly realistic viewpoint of the game and life around it.

[7/10 · 21 October 2022]

Not-so-obvious tidbit about this doc is that it's told from the perspectives of the director and writer husband-n-wife team. No spoilers, other than it makes the accounts an memorializations seem more real. The glamour is given in small doses from Negreanu but from the lens of every-peeps looking to make it to that level. Why not, though? The more over-the-top poker streams get with wacky characters the more the grinder needs to be illustrated, even if it's in a somewhat clunky format. I liked it, despite the bleakness, mostly because every person in the poker scenes seemed like a relatable archetype of someone I'd met in my own travels as a player. We'll call it a realistic snapshot, mostly good but flawed and leave it at that.

The Limits of Control (2009)

Either brilliant or utter garbage. Take your pick.

[5/10 · 22 February 2022]

Almost zero script. I'd be curious to see the storyboarding as well, as that would have provided the detail needed for this one. Or not. The art direction and framing of every single scene is well done (that is, if you've come into this flick with the correct attitude...ie not reading any promotional materials on this whatsoever...to me, this 'mis-selling' of the product is the most egregious. When I evaluate a musical composition, where it's coming from and who made it are important. Something coming from Santa Cecilia would get a differing approach than something from Irvine. That was my mistake. So now, four and a half hours invested, I realize the edges of the picture that Jarmusch intended to paint here. Metaphor exists, albeit quite simplistically. Decent one-offs with some well-known names. The biggest difference: because of the minimalism, there won't be an endlessly layered way of consuming this film, each and every time you view it, the way there'd be if the complexity were too great for one sitting. That will ultimately keep many viewers from bothering to watch it, or finish it.

Becky (II) (2020)

One-stop shopping for pint-sized psychopathic goodness

[9/10 · 17 February 2022]

Kevin James as an evil guy? Yes!

Robert Maillet as a fleshed out gray character? Yes!

An actress named Lulu? Yep!

...AND her character is a disturbed badass? YES!!

Conflict? Reconciliation? Lots of gore? At least one puppy survives?

YES!

Does it give Home Alone a polite nod while kicking it squarely in the crotch with steel-toed glimmer boots?

YES!!!

Some intentionally hanging plot points by design?

YES!!!!!!!

(Hold on...need a cigarette...that was a bit emotional) (Okay...back now)

If you're still reading this review and are intrigued, watch this movie.

If you're looking for an expressively overwhelming performance by a young female lead, definitely watch this movie.

If you enjoy movies that end with the viewer contemplating any number of possible post-movie plot progressions, Watch This Movie!!!

Ambition (II) (2019)

You'll hate yourself if it makes sense.

[5/10 · 24 August 2021]

The acting of the leads is decent, with little else in the way of help, either because of the poor writing or mediocrity of the cast.

The actual story though will hit you hard if you're in that niche of competitive musicianship that can feel the stresses of the main character and understand not only her plight for success, but the lengths she goes to continue the aberration that is her life. That a lot of her live passages were played with incorrect (but contextual to the character, correct) technique is a low-key stroke of genius and hints to how unglued she is.

I think the idea behind this film is very sound and it's well deserving another shot. The new producer can even pull a Sam Raimi and cast Ms. Hughes again and I wouldn't mind all that much. Gotta have a better writing of the screenplay though.

Run This Town (2019)

Irrelevant pessimism masquerading as a historical biopic.

[2/10 · 16 August 2021]

If, somehow, you wanted to take the story of Rob Ford, distill it through about twenty different filters, tell it partially and poorly through the eyes of a hapless protagonist, have this character get completely pummeled by his opposite number and then make it appear as though a Kubrick-esque death occurred before the editing process could be completed, you would almost be able to get the picture of a mediocre film of maybe 4.5 stars or so.

This film falls way short of even that bar. It's a pessimistic (and certainly stereotypical) essay of millennials set against a historical backdrop that ends up doing no angle justice. Maybe there is a better cut of this from the massive amounts of footage available or maybe it's just this incomplete. In retrospect it almost feels like a film-school assignment of 'fix this and make it work' that the fictitious student would then have to tackle. My problem is I've seen quite a few film school projects and group-edits and this film falls short of even those attempts.

Hunted (2012)

Worth a watch, even though there's only one season.

[8/10 · 29 May 2017]

Solid cast, solid writing. Some plot holes, some instances where suspension of disbelief cannot be maintained, but this series deserved continuation at any rate. The layers of the plot will keep you entertained, and Melissa George is very credible in her role, showing agility with choreography and dexterity with the different weapons she uses, in conjunction with nailing multiple dialogue types. I kept wanting Stephen Dillane to say, "That will be all, Mr. Muir." for some reason. *spoiler* He doesn't.

Blood: The Last Vampire (2009)

I wish this were better

[3/10 · 12 March 2017]

Not bad acting from individual members of the cast. Choreography wasn't terrible, with some scenes that looked pretty decent, especially from the leads. Folks not familiar with the original anime series will think the writing is clumsy, but possibly acceptable. Folks familiar with the story canon will probably not like this movie at all. I won't spoil it for you if you want to watch. (I had to see it for myself to know for sure) Again, no spoilers, but the ending sucked mightily. If you're hanging on for dear life with your hand on the DVR delete button, hoping to be saved by the ending, don't bother. There are plenty of choices in the series that follow canon without insulting your intelligence.

Into the Forest (2015)

Good cast, bad writing

[4/10 · 10 October 2016]

(I intentionally tried my best to avoid spoilers, but please let me know if I didn't) I would have lost a bet if someone told me Ellen Page and Evan Rachel Wood were in a flick that sucked, but here you go. Good performances for both, some great emotion, but the whole of the writing suffers from plausibility problems, almost like a freshman film student didn't have a mentor review her work before final submission. It affects really basic things that are glaring. Set aside the narrative on the human condition, etc. for a moment. That can be massaged by the writer to match her message as she sees fit (some of the messages are not all that great, but I'm a guy), but what is obviously lacking in the story is the amount of technical consult work that must be done to ensure any viewer that has a slight idea of how things work doesn't turn away from the film before the conclusion. Perhaps I'm not part of the target audience? Unclear. Is it ready for the 2am slot of the lifetime network? Sure, why not? Every other medium will probably leave the viewer wondering if this same story could have been told with a lot more attention to detail. I mostly can't stand remakes, but I would welcome another crack at this.