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The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
A unique piece of art
The Grand Budapest Hotel is part of a dreamy landscape. You will meet the most interesting characters clad in the most striking outfits with personalities to match. Every shot is like a photograph, visually moving and full of depth. There are several parts of this film that appear to be shot like a play; clever titles and transition credits cause for the viewer to prepare themselves for the next act.
Every single character has an interesting role and or story. From the lobby boy to the several socialites who frequent the hotel, they all tell compelling stories. The cinematography combined with the superb acting are really what made this film the great piece of art that it is. Every shot describes the scene without using words. Camera movement follows various actors making the experience so much more magical.
No Country for Old Men (2007)
A chilling, memorable piece of cinema
Javier Bardem is wonderfully creepy as Anton Chigurh; the most sinister villain to hit the screen. Tommy Lee Jones portrays a somewhat old-timer cop who, despite his best efforts, discovers he no longer belongs in a time where criminals like Anton Chigurh roam free. Anton is so evil, Tommy Lee Jones has a hard time dealing with it head on. What he first thought to be a normal criminal investigation turned into a frightening, violent game of cat and mouse between Anton Chigurh and Llewelyn Davis. Josh Brolin who played Llewelyn, finds a large quantity of money in the desert while he's out hunting. Unfortunately for him, that pile of cash belonged to a very high profile individual who practically summons the most badass hit-man, Anton Chigurh, to recover the lost goods. This is an almost certain death wish for anyway in the crosshairs of Antoine.
Paths of Glory (1957)
Emotional, timeless, beautiful
What can I say? The film was beautiful both in picture quality and story. I'm not a huge war movie fan, but I loved this. I might also add that I've seen very few war films, maybe 10 or so, and Paths of Glory became an instant classic. I found myself losing focus ever so slightly in the beginning as it took just a little bit to gain momentum. But that's perfectly fine as it's Kubrick's style to take his time. It's worth it. Once you reach a certain point of the story you're holding on with all your strength, swimming in the trenches with the soldiers.
The deeper meanings carried throughout the film such as hypocrisy, the weaknesses of bureaucracy, and the travesty's of war are clearly depicted. After doing some further reading, I learned there is some truth to specific events that take place in the film. I'm sparing the spoilers so I don't have to tag this review as such.
If you're a war film buff, I think you'll love this movie. From the mouth of Martin Scorsese, "My friends and I were war movie buffs. We had seen nothing quite like Paths of Glory." Personally, I was so intrigued by this movie that I will make it my duty to watch more war films. I never realized how powerful they could be.
The cast is also fantastic. Each actor portraying their character with extreme accuracy, not allowing the viewer to question its authenticity for a second.
The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
Exactly what I was hoping it'd be
I'll preface this by saying before watching this movie, I had only seen one other film by Wes Anderson called Moonrise Kingdom. Although, I felt I was able to get a good impression on his style from that one film because it was s unique. With that said:
The aesthetic in the Royal Tenenbaums is different yet very plain. It's hard for me to explain it. It had an almost warm, inviting feeling to it that pulls you right into the story. They did an excellent job developing each character enough to leave room for discovery. I mean, you got a general idea of who all the characters were but throughout the film you see them start to change and at the same time being tested in which they respond in their own ways.
As I type this, I realize how hard it is for me to review this movie. All I can say is I thoroughly enjoyed it and have watched it twice since I got it not so long ago. The humor keeps you chuckling and the clever dialogue makes for conversations you wish to be part of. And be warned, you may start to fall in love with some of the characters. I know I did. Twice! But that's okay. It's perfectly normal to form relationships with fictitious characters. Right?
Overall, I rated this movie an 8 because of how excellent the story was, how well developed the characters were, and the dialogue being so sharp and witty. I may even watch this a third time during the week.
Killer's Kiss (1955)
Kubrick is gaining momentum
Irene Kane is gorgeous! What a performance. Although, she had her awkward moments in which I felt the behavior didn't match the mood which caused me to become less engaged. Jamie Smith played his role really well and sure intimidated me. Let's just say you wouldn't want to be the guy between him and his gal.
And I learned that Frank Silvera has been cast as a white character before due to the inability to really take notice when shooting in black and white. His performance was also really good. I began HATING his character because of how pathetic he made himself out to be at times. But, that was his character and eventually things took different turns that revealed more about his character than you first imagine. I'll leave that to the viewer to find out.
Overall, the story is intriguing. It was a well done film for its time. You can see a dramatic improvement in quality over Kubrick's previous film especially in the acting and sound.
Fear and Desire (1952)
Kubrick fans will appreciate it, all others might just hate it
If you watch the film as an avid Kubrick fan, you'll love it purely because of the genuine effort you know went into it. Stanley wanted so badly for this movie to be made even after he went over budget by several thousand dollars. I imagine he wanted to stop circulation of this film because in comparison to his others, it is, like he states, "a child's drawing on a fridge." But this does not diminish its value in the slightest.
In terms of personal enjoyment, I felt it was difficult to get engaged into the story and I found myself snapping in and out of concentration. I was thankful it was just over an hour long seeing as much more would have truly tested my patience. I've seen A Clockwork Orange, the Shining, and 2001: A Space Odyssey. After having seen those then watching Fear and Desire, I was blown away by how much Kubrick improved. It's clear he understood cinema on a deep level and that's why I love him. Going back to his very first feature, it's nice to see he started just like many other independent artists--creating a film they want to make with all their heart.
I don't think this film should be rated based on its quality. It's clear it's very amateur and the storyline is weak, the acting sub-par, sound quality fluctuating, the picture scratchy and inconsistent. Despite all this, I love the movie. It's the first footprint left by one of the best filmmakers this world has ever seen.
Hellraiser: Inferno (2000)
Second favorite so far
Let me start by saying I've read a few of the reviews on here and it seems there are more negative reviews than positive and it's for two main reasons: A crummy antagonist and poor acting. Some people claim they were so put-off by the main characters behavior that they couldn't get into the film. This is because he's a very, very self-indulgent person and in reality people would hate him so seeing him on screen would rustle the jimmies of many.
Personally, I thought his character was brilliant. The only thing I felt was weak was the story with his wife and sister. They are so insignificant yet they are used as a tool to torment him which I didn't understand. They try to make the main character out to be some heartless, selfish sonofagun yet he's still tender when it comes to family whom he is always away from and sleeping with other women while abusing drugs. This Hellraiser was freaky in the way that 1408 was freaky where you weren't sure what was real or not and that was very unsettling for me.
In closing, I highly recommend this movie to anyone who's into horror films. You might love it, might hate it, but there's only one way to find out!
American Psycho (2000)
White collar spotted with blood
Christian Bale... Ahhh, what an actor! And BOY does he sell his psychopathic persona in this film. It was downright chilling how cold he became and how much he despised the people around him. Something I never understood about this film, though, was figuring out exactly what started or when his homicidal thoughts began. What was the medication he was on?
I'm sure I could find answers to my questions from a quick Google search. Despite whatever reservations I had for this film, it's so brilliant in so many other ways. It's comical how Patrick Bateman turns from big time CEO of his father's company to a strung-out psychopathic killer with no hope of being helped. The film also did an excellent job portraying the ridiculously superficial America of the time (and still mostly to this day). I highly recommend this film for everyone, man and child. Okay, maybe not children because there are quite a few murder scenes as well as sex scenes.
Overall, this movie proved to be a great piece of cinema and I hope it's forever loved and appreciated by generations to come.
Prometheus (2012)
Gave me chills
I'm sensitive to films that feature humans in a highly technologically advanced world. It makes me pretty emotional since I want nothing more than our species to travel into space and possess technology capable of further adding to the well-being of humanity. Having said this, Prometheus spoke to me personally. It reminded me of the very possible reality of deep space exploration and discovering technology more advanced than our own.
I loved this movie. All the characters had their own unique quirks that made you appreciate them all the more. The only thing that disappointed me was the lack of information regarding the engineers. I wanted so bad for there to be more in that regard but I was left slightly disappointed. Nonetheless, what the film did deliver was a thrilling science fiction film bringing complex questions of our origins as a species and the potential power an engineer of species may have over all others. These Engineers are practically Gods. They are capable of creating the most complex of organisms and release them on planets and just watch from thousands, millions of light years away.
I see that Prometheus 2 is listed on IMDb and I have faith it will come to fruition.
Failure (2013)
An entertaining 4 minutes
Michael Cera and Aubrey plaza are both prime examples of young talent. They're beautiful actors with the unique talent of captivating audiences with their awkward personalities. "Failure" is no exception. In a mere 4 minutes the Man and Woman played by Michael Cera and Aubrey Plaza manage to display a wild level of confusion and awkwardness that can't really be described. I felt like I was being generous giving this short film a 7/10. In reality, the story is bleak and there's not much to hold onto. I felt like I was watching a rough draft of a pitch for a scene out of a cheesy love flick. Don't get me wrong, Cera is up there in my top favorite actors and Plaza is working her way up there as well as I'm falling in love with her talent and abilities as a young actress. Perhaps I'm missing a deeper meaning to this short, or maybe it's as simple as it appears and I'm over-analyzing it. Whatever the case may be, I highly recommend this short film to anyone partial to Michael Cera or Aubrey Plaza's work. And for those unfamiliar with them, well, this is a great example of how genuine their awkwardness appears both on screen and off.
Sin City (2005)
Gripping, surreal, fantastic
Where to begin... Well, I LOVED this movie. It was one of those films I played night after night to fall asleep to. The use of black, white, and red was so brilliant. I found myself sympathizing with several characters. It especially broke my heart to see my darling Brittany Murphy perform so perfectly knowing she's gone. R.I.P. princess.
Basin City is a stinking, rotting, malevolent cesspool of filth and darkness. There are three story lines each containing a generous amount of violence, wit, and raw human emotion. Then again, the characters of Basin City seem almost emotionally exhausted. Perhaps what I mean to say is the portrayal of humans who have hit rock bottom is spot on in this film. Each main character has a very dark past and their current mission is one of pure revenge while some may view it as retribution.
Personally, I was fully engaged in this movie from start to finish. I can almost guarantee you wont fully comprehend every aspect of this film from one viewing. This is one of those flicks that you'll find yourself going back to more than twice.
Death Proof (2007)
Excellent Grimy Film
I thoroughly enjoyed this film. It's full of beautiful women, fast, powerful cars, twisted metal, perversion, sadism, and and excellent soundtrack.
The story is pretty basic which I liked. It's the classic stalker out to kill story except this one comes with a twist. What I also appreciated was the fact that there were connections made between Death Proof and Planet terror, two films which were released together as a Grindhouse feature.
The cars and stunts were all real, no CGI. Tarantino made it clear that they performed every stunt and every sequence was genuine. The dialogue is fun but pretty basic. I thought there might have been one or two unnecessary characters that could've been removed entirely from the film and you wouldn't notice. Quentin makes a cameo, as usual. I recommend this to all Tarantino fans and those who are into car flicks, muscle cars, or grindhouse-style movies.
Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Tarantino's Masterpiece
Quentin himself considers this film to be his masterpiece, his Magnum Opus. Being written over several years' time, Tarantino manages to create an alternate Universe in which history takes a dramatic opposite turn from the reality we know.
Christoph Waltz's character, Hans Landa, is a creepy dude but he's also a genius. All throughout the movie, whenever he came on screen, I found myself tensing up worried what he was about to do next because just when you thought you knew what was going on, he was right there to smash your reality.
The Basterd's were a fantastic bunch with vibrant personalities that made them so easy to fall in love with. Some may be disgusted with themselves once they find themselves falling in love with these brutish killers. Others, like me, will feel a sense of validation by these brave men who are performing a special duty that takes a great amount of courage.
This truly is Quentin Tarantino's best film to date. Pulp Fiction will forever remain as his trademark, but Inglourious Basterds is what made him a legend.
The Great Gatsby (2013)
Just as I expected
The trailer had me hyped up for this movie more than you can imagine. I had no idea what the story of Gatsby was, nor had I read any of Fitzgerald's work save for a few pages from one of his books that I can't even remember. Visually, this film is stunning in every way. The bright colors of the city, the fireworks, and the sounds made it feel like you were there right next to Gatsby.
The love story between Daisy and Gatsby was a bit odd for my taste. Maybe odd isn't the right word but rather confusing. The characters were well developed and genuine and each had their own unique contributions to an overall exhilarating film. The creators of the film adaptation chose to use a selection of modern music which, in my opinion, fits perfectly for the newer generation. However, for those who are heavily invested in the book you may not appreciate the choice of music included in the film. I mean, it's the 1950s and they're blaring Jay-Z in one of the clubs.
Overall, I felt the movie was fantastic. Gatsby is such a wild, mysterious character. Tobey Maguire portrayed Nick Carraway as a sheepish young man. And again, I haven't read the book so I don't know how accurate the film is to the actual story. But if you're like me and enjoy movies, this is one that you're likely going to enjoy from beginning to end.
Django Unchained (2012)
Must See
I don't even know how to review this title. First of all, I absolutely loved this film. The casting was perfect. Christoph Schultz delivers another earth-shattering performance as well as his co-star Jamie Foxx. Of course, DiCaprio delivered a solid performance so realistic that, at times, it seemed all to real and could be frightening (in a good way) to some viewers.
Apparently there was controversy over Tarantino's decision to have the "N" word spoken so many times throughout the film. This baffles me as I wonder what one would expect to hear during times of slavery and severe inequality. What, you want to hide the fact that it ever happened? Are you embarrassed that this is the tragic reality of our country? Whatever the case may be, the use of the "N" word in this movie should not be a debated so much as it takes away from the more important messages of the film. Then again, Tarantino has stated that he was glad there was so much controversy over it since it caused a national dialogue about slavery different than any before.
I loved the fact that there were a few sub-plots withing the main plot. Each character was important. There was no room for tedious objects to be added nor was there any reason to given the substance of Django Unchained. The movie, like all of Tarantino's movies, is pretty dang violent. It's probably just shy of being his most violent film as I believe Inglourious Bastards to be number one. The emotion in Django Unchained is so strong it's almost palpable. I found my muscles tensing up several times. By the end of the movie I extremely moved and touched by Quentin's genius. This is truly a must-see film of the 21st century.
Shutter Island (2010)
Mind-bending thriller!
Just wow. This movie was so great I had to watch it a second time. Then a few days later a third. And every now and then I would watch it just for fun. I even went out to get the book, read it, and was able to play pictures in my head from the film at certain parts of the book. The film didn't leave much out.
Leonardo played his character, Teddy, so well that it was almost heart- breaking. Personally, it made me pretty emotional to witness everything his character goes through. Shutter Island is a tragic, dark, violent story that takes you down the rabbit hole to a deep layer of madness. The score for this movie was also brilliant. This Bitter Earth was my favorite and I encourage you to look it up. Especially the one with Dinah Washington; heartbreaking.
Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)
Perfect sequel
I wrote in my review of Kill Bill Vol. 1 that perhaps in the second film there would be an explanation as to how the Black Mamba became so skilled and what really was the root of her deep hatred and anger towards Bill. Well, in the first we can easily deduce that because Bill and his crew shot up the wedding and left Beatrix in a coma that she was more than entitled to her revenge.
I found it profound how much we learned about Budd and how unworthy he is to be part of the DVAS. Honestly, I wonder how the hell he earned his place. What was his specialty other than being a greedy smart alec? I digress. Kill Bill Vol. 2 wraps everything up near-perfectly. The Bride already has a couple names checked off on her list as we come into the second film. Budd, Elle, and Bill are all that remain and let's just say Copperhead and Cottonmouth were like the warm-up laps before the race, the real competition. Each of the remaining DVAS members have unique challenges to offer Beatrix. I don't know how to put into words how perfect this film is. From beginning to end you're wondering what's going to happen next. And everything that does happen is so well thought out and fits the characters so perfectly that it adds so much more depth and appreciation for the movie.
The ending may or not be what you're expecting. I'll just say it was both for me. It was a beautiful ending. These two films taught me a lot about honor. Obviously it's all fiction, but just like in Kill Bill Vol. 1 when Copperhead and Black Mamba are fighting in the house and the school bus pulls up, Black Mamba chooses not to fight in front of the little girl. She knew her beef was between the girls mother and that the little girl wasn't aware of how deadly and evil Copperhead truly was. That is just a very mild example of how, despite the overwhelming hatred Black Mamba harbors towards the rest of the squad, she still has the ability to be better than a mindless killing machine. Her enemies are highly-trained fighters. Each confrontation is like the beginning of a symphony and all you can do is sit back and let the melody of the swords carry you to the final heartbeat of either Beatrix or her foe.
I look forward to a possible third installment!
Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
Another Favorite from Tarantino
This was the film that got me on the trail that I've been on for a few years now. And that's understanding how Tarantino comes up with such clever dialogue and crafting villains that we both despise and cheer for. I found myself sympathizing with O-Ren. Her story was a sad one. Even more tragic that she was dragged into the whole fiasco with the Bride. If it wasn't for that O-Ren Ishii would still be ruling over the Crazy 88's. Then again, that would totally change the story and interrupt the purpose of the film.
Considering there are two Kill Bill films, I felt this one set the stage perfectly for the second. In this film, we really get to know The Bride and discover the atrocities committed against her. As an audience, we discover why she is on such a blood-thirsty rampage. You will find yourself at the edge of your seat cheering for the woman in the bright yellow track suit. Her exceptional skills with the blade are left unexplained--which should make you more curious. Do they reveal that in the second? What is her past with Bill?
Back to Kill Bill Vol. 1... Watch as the warrior within grows and the attitude goes cold towards killing. The Bride is out for blood. And she'll be damned if anyone gets in the way of her revenge.
Louie: Subway/Pamela (2011)
Personal Favorite
Wow. For those that have watched this scene already, I imagine you know where I'm coming from when I say this was one of the top opening clips of any episode to date. Then again, I didn't know there was a season 3 let alone a 4th coming out so I may change my mind down the road. But as for seasons 1 and 2, this opening sequence trumps every other opener. I mean, how brilliant was the black and white?! Great stuff. I wish he'd do more of that type of thing because it adds a whole new level of emotion and atmosphere for the viewer. I don't have much to say about the rest of the episode--My review is for the opening sequence which should be a short film in and of itself.