asher-luberto Reviews

Concussion (2015)

Doesn't hit as hard as I hoped

[6/10 · 22 December 2015]

Concussion is a biographical picture that takes place in the early 2000's. The movie starts out by showing these players who freak out and start getting dimentia. Will Smith is a pathologist who starts doing autopsies on these players and discovers that there is a common theme, being repeated head trauma to the brain. The NFL knew about what was going on, but didn't say anything. Will Smith tries to shine light on the situation but the NFL does what it can so that the story does not leak.

This movie was a movie I had been looking forward to for a long time because I thought it was very courageous for a movie to tackle this (pun intended) especially with the NFL playoffs right around the corner. This movie certainly makes a statement, but doesn't pack the punch I was hoping to see. Now this movie is not all bad. Will Smith delivers his best performance to date, which he is already being acknowledged for a golden globes (as he should be). He is phenomenal in his role and is committed. Smith does have an accent, but after a couple minutes, you forget that there even is an accent, and you truly believe he talks the way he does. As for the other performances, they were top notch as well.

Besides the performances "Concussion" is a let down. By the end you will find yourself wanting more. There is so much more you wanted to learn about the matter at hand, that the movie drifts away from. The movie ends up being more about Will Smiths character than the football itself, which is fine, but not the movie I thought I was going to see. But it did take away from the balance of the movie.

In the end, As a quarterback I wanted Concussion to go for the endzone, but it ends up doing more of a button hook.

The Hateful Eight (2015)

Spoiler free review, Hateful Eight

[10/10 · 21 December 2015]

The Hateful Eight takes place about a decade or so after the civil war, and follows the story of John Ruth the hangman( played excellently by Kurt Russell). Where he captures a bounty worth 10,000 dollars( Daisy Domergue, played by Jenneifer Leigh) which was a large sum back in that day. On there journey to there destination they pick up mysterious passengers along the way, eventually a blizzard arrives causing there stage coach to go off course. Where they eventually end up in a cabin with more unfamiliar faces.

We have been able to see Tarantino's fixating dialogue in movies such as Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs, and basically anything he has made; but this movie does it best. What you want is what you get with this movie, another Tarantino masterpiece. I absolutely loved the Hateful Eight. Aside from Star Wars, this is going to be the most fun you have in a movie in 2015. This movie is filled with substance and feeling that was basically oozing from the screen. This movie is extremely tension filled from beginning to end. This is all made possible by Tarantino's incredible screenplay, and its no wonder its nominated for best screenplay(Golden Globes). The entire movie you question who is good and who is bad, who is on who's side,which made it a mystery for the characters and the audience. It created so much tension, that I found my self clinching my fists throughout the entire second half of the film. Another thing that adds tension to this thriller is the original score done by the the famous Ennio Morricone.

Lastly this film relies heavily on acting, since there is a lot of dialoug in this movie. And everyone does an incredible job in this movie. I would not be surprised if Jennifer Leigh is nominated for best actress, since she stole the show in this one. The Hateful Eight is another Tarantino masterpiece,this movie keeps you captivated for the entire 2 hour and 47 minute run time. If your looking for your usual Tarantino violence right off the bat, then your not going to find it here, not to say there is not plenty of violence in the second half of the movie.

In the end I loved the Hateful Eight, Tarantino fans will love it, and even people that don't like his work will love it. The screenplay, the acting, the directing, the original score all make this one of the best movies of the year(easily top 5), and one of Tarantino's best.

Pawn Sacrifice (2014)

Come follow me and I will make you a Fischer of men

[9/10 · 6 October 2015]

Pawn Sacrifice is an engaging and well made biopic that is a rich work of cinema.

This flick takes place during the cold war, where America legend Bobby Fischer finds himself in the middle of a political crisis between America and the Soviet Empire. The movie starts out by showing Bobby Fischer( played by Tobey Maguire) towards the beginning of his life, and portrays the struggles he endured which affected him later on in his life. The movie later shows him as a rising chess star and before you know it, he is an adult; and one of the best chess players in the world. He soon finds himself as a pawn in Americas Cold War, and has to take on the number one chess player in the world, Boris Spassky.

This movie is brilliantly directed (Edward Zwick), and gives you an emotional feel for Fischer, and the cinematography is excellent. The supporting cast was good, but Tobey Mcguire stole the show,giving one of the best performances of the year.

Pawn Sacrifice is an engaging and well-made biopic with solid performances.

The Visit (I) (2015)

M. Night Shalaman reVisits good film making.

[8/10 · 27 September 2015]

Shalaman goes back to his roots of filmaking, and delivers us his best film since Signs.

For the past decade Shalaman has delivered some of the worst films the industry has ever seen. He has given us films like after earth, the happening, lady in the water, and worst of all "the last airbender", which was the worst movie I have ever seen. These movies were all a disaster and quite frankly scare me.

In 2015, Shalaman delivers us an actual horror movie, that scares me for all the right reasons. The Visit is a horror/comedy that delivers the right amount of scares and laughs to make this a very good film. The acting in this film is phenomenal. The two kids do a great job, especially the boy. The boy in this film gives us the comedy aspect to the film, constantly delivering laughs. The grandparents do a great job of scaring the crap out of you, and even the mom (Kathryn Hahn) was great, despite not seeing her often in the movie. The cinematography was good, and gave the movie a surreal feel. And like all Shalaman flicks, there is a twist at the end, but this is a twist the old mind of Shalaman would have come up with, not the recent mind of Shalaman.

In conclusion, If your a horror fan looking for a gory/junmp scare flick with awful acting then this is not for you. But if your looking for a well made movie that will scare you, then this is for you.

Pixels (2015)

Good summer fun.

[7/10 · 29 July 2015]

Pixles is a action/ comedy directed by Chris Columbus, starring Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Josh Gad, Peter Dinklage, and Michelle Monaghan.

Going into this movie, I had very low expectations. Not only did the critics HATE the movie, but Adam Sandler has not been in anything good as of late. But ignore all the critics and the hate that goes along with them, and go see one of the funnest films of the summer.

The acting isn't great, its a Sandler film, you shouldn't be expecting it to be. The visual effects on the other hand, were done very well, considering the film did have an 88 million dollar budget.

This is a movie definitely worth your quarters.

Southpaw (2015)

Gyllenhaal's performance makes up for a cliché plot

[8/10 · 27 July 2015]

"Southpaw" is new in theaters this weekend, and for the film Jake Gylenhaall transformed his body to accurately resemble a light heavyweight boxing champ. His acting chops have brought him acclaim in recent years, and he once again scores a knockout.

Based as a metaphor on the rise, fall and resurrection of rapper Eminem's career, we see Jake's boxer endure a family tragedy and have to rebuild his life and boxing stardom from scratch. The movie starts (unlike most boxing movies) at the top of Billy Hope's career. When his wife is shot and killed.Billy's world doesn't just collapses, it implodes, as in no longer exists, when he's provoked into a fight by a rival and his wife (Rachel McAdams) is killed by a stray bullet. Billy, right on schedule,loses his fortune to a crooked manager (Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson), his home and custody of his 10-year-old daughter, Leila. As you can imagine this would cause lots of pain and suffering to a person, and this is where Jake Gyllenhaal shines the brightest. Jake Gyllenhaal delivers a knockout performance, he is so convincing, that the audience can actually feel his pain while watching the film. Forest Whitaker, 50 cent, and Rachel McAdams all deliver strong performances.

"Southpaw" enters the long filmography of boxing flicks, and puts up a surprisingly good fight.

Creep (I) (2014)

Creep, might just give you the creeps.

[7/10 · 23 July 2015]

I have never seen a found footage film quite like Creep. It's a combination of horror, drama, and comedy that is so tightly wound that you never know what to expect from one moment to the next. The idea is simple: Responding to a Craigslist ad that sought a videographer for a one-day job, an unassuming man named Aaron (Patrick Brice) drives to rural California to film a dying man's final video message to his wife and as-of-yet unborn child. At least, that is why he believes he is taking the job. The real reason he was hired, was for reasons unknown, until the climatic ending of the film. There are multiple reasons why I enjoyed this movie, but one stood out more than the others; and that was the acting. Mark Duplass stars as the "creep" so to speak, and his performance gives me the creeps. As for Patrick Brice, he played a very convincing victim of the events that take place. Another thing this movie does very well, it manages to maintain its mysterious and surreal feel, but at the same time actually delivers laughs. It's not a comedy, but has a black comedy feel to it. Running under 80 minutes, which is clearly not a problem for the movie. Creep is a disturbing nightmare of a film that takes twists that may feel familiar, but remains creative and is a refreshing take on the found footage genre.

Ant-Man (2015)

An elegANT movie

[8/10 · 17 July 2015]

This is the latest super hero in the marvel cinematic universe. It stars Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lily, T.I, Michael Pena.

Ant-Man," the comics-based superhero movie that's centered around one of the more arguably goofy Marvel Comics characters,and achieves its particular magic by keeping its proceedings almost as weightless as its shrunken-down hero. The foundation of the films success is its spot on casting. Paul Rudd is flawless, his character delivers laughs, but remains classy, or gritty when needed. Michael Douglas does a wonderful job, and so does Evangeline Lily. But Michael Pena steals the show. He delivers laughs upon laughs, and delivered the laughs in a timely manor.

Just Like all Marvel movies, the movie has jaw dropping effects and action sequences. But don't go over the top, like many other marvel films. In a world in which comic book movie plots have become increasingly complex and reliant on an enormous amount of pre-existing knowledge, this script is refreshingly straightforward and clear.The movie is fun and simple, and it knows it. It doesn't try to out do itself.

Ant man is an action comedy, but doesn't stick to one genre more then the other. The action and the special effects are incredible, and the jokes all hit there mark. I had more fun watching this movie than any other movie since Kingsman. And hopefully we will see more of Ant Man in years to come.

Joe Dirt 2: Beautiful Loser (2015 Video)

Yet another disappointing summer sequel

[3/10 · 16 July 2015]

I genuinely enjoyed the first Joe Dirt. It was at times funny, touching, and was actually a fairly well made movie. I cannot say the same for Joe Dirt 2. Despite this film only streaming on Crackle, it managed to get the same cast as it had before. David Spade, Christopher Walken, and stuck with the same director, Fred Wolf. Yet everything about this movie is off. The jokes fall flat, the plot is boring, the acting is horrendous. There are the occasional jokes that hit their mark, but its not enough to make up for everything else wrong with the movie. The other problem I had with the film, is that they practically copied everything from the first one. You would think that would make this film good, if you liked the first movie; but that is not the case here. The plot is almost the exact same, which makes it boring. Some of the jokes are the same, yet their jokes that were only funny the first time. And the cast is the same, which after some time into the movie, becomes redundant.

Despite its unique, unpredictable path to existence, in the end, "Joe Dirt 2: Beautiful Loser" falls victim to the regular traps of the comedy sequel.I gave this movie three stars, and thats because i only laughed three times throughout the entire film. Joe Dirt 2 may not be beautiful, but it is a loser.

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

A movie you will fall madly in love with

[10/10 · 17 May 2015]

Mad max is the most insane, yet perfectly executed movie I have ever seen.

Mad Max Fury Road is an add on to Goerge Millers Mad Max franchise. Goerge Miller also directed this film, and gave us one of the most insane, yet perfect movies...ever. The entire length of the film your eyes are glued to the screen, and your jaw is glued to the floor. The action sequences are brilliant, and over the top. This movie is practically all one action sequence. There isn't much plot, but there isn't a need for one. The action sequences are executed perfectly. The special affects were not only spectacular but also moving. Every angle, the atmosphere, the car chases, and then there is the storm. During a car chase a giant dust storm appears,and the action continues inside the storm. Lightning, explosions, and slow motion kills, make this one of the best scenes I have ever seen in a movie.

The characters are all awesome, and the acting is great. The nemesis is terrifying, and so are all the characters chasing after max. The soundtrack helped give the movie a dark and at the edge of your seat feel.

This movie is truly a milestone to the action film genre. The movie is a masterpiece. It is dark yet beautiful at the same time. Every other action movie pales in comparison to this film. This movie raises the bar for action films to come. This is a film you must see on the big screen, to truly fall madly in love with it

Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

A movie for all Ages

[9/10 · 2 May 2015]

Avengers Age of Ultron is a surprisingly sophisticated, yet delivers the action and comedy you would expect from a Marvel movie. The movie starts with an incredible action sequence with slow motion kills, explosions, and comedy. This movie delivers laughs from start to finish, which separates this avengers from the last. After a jaw dropping action sequence the avengers find themselves in their new facility (Stark Industry). Where they soon encounter Ultron. Ultron is not your average villain. He is 100% AI, and the avengers are the only thing stopping him from world domination. The way he tries to defeat the avengers is turn them against each other. At this point the movie lacks something. The movie has all the great action sequences and jokes we were hoping for; but whatever that something they were missing was, they found it. The rest of the movie has the perfect combination of character development, action, and comedy that makes this one of the best films of the year.

The Harvest (I) (2013)

surprising

[7/10 · 11 April 2015]

Giving this movie a seven may be pushing it, but the movie is actually pretty good. I saw the trailer and was interested, despite the poor reviews, and was pleasantly surprised. The acting was good, and the boy in this movies acting was excellent. This movie follows a young girl who moved to a small town with her grandparents and meets a handicap boy. His parents mysteriously do not want him around but he still meets him. She discovers secrets, but no one believes her. The movie wasn't all good, there were plenty of flaws. The genre is a horror/thriller. Yet the movie drags at times, and is in no way scary. But if you have a week night alone, and have nothing to do, this is just the movie for you.

Foxcatcher (2014)

Caught me by surprise!

[9/10 · 5 March 2015]

Foxcatcher is directed by Bennett Miller (Moneyball), and stars Channing Tatum, Steve Carrel and Mark Ruffalo. Past Tatum movies ( 21 Jump Street, white House Down, and Magic Mike) and Carrel's movies ( 41 year Old Virgin, Anchorman, and the popular TV show the office) are nothing like this one. Foxcatcher is a dark drama about two gold metal wrestlers striving to win another medal. Truthfully I haven't seen great acting from either Tatum, or Carrel, and thats why this movie caught me by surprise! Both delivered powerful and riveting performances, and I'm not the only one that thought so, The academy nominated both of them for awards, and the movie was up for best picture. This movie follows two brothers ( Mark and David Shultz). Both of their lives revolve around the sport of wrestling. They both wrestle in the olympic, David (Mark Rufalo) seems to be the more well off one of the pair. He seems to have more skill than his brother, and also have a wife and kids. Where has Tatum only has his brother, and now that his brother has to spend time with his family, he doesn't have as much time for his brother. Steve Carrel ( John du Pont) invites Mark ( Tatum) to work at the facility on his estate. And thats the basic story without revealing any spoilers. This movie is powerful and inspiring. And is one of the best films of 2014.

Nightcrawler (2014)

you have to make the money to buy the ticket.

[10/10 · 2 November 2014]

I sure am glad I spent the money to buy my ticket into this movie. This is by far the best and most intriguing movie of the year thus far. Critics are raving about this movie, and now after watching it, so am I. Jake gylenhaal delivers his most intense and thrilling movie of his career to date. He gives the movie an insane and uneasy feel. In summary Jake, tries to find a job, but no one will hire, so he goes the extra mile, to get a job as a camera man. I don't want to spoil the rest, so you will have to find the rest out when you experience this heartpounding thriller. This is a thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seats, from start to finish, but delivers laughs throughout. In conclusion, this movie is brilliant and worth the money to buy the ticket.

Are You Here (2013)

Not your everyday comedy.

[7/10 · 28 September 2014]

Are you here, is a comedy/drama about the coming of age of Zach's character. This movie is directed by Mathew Weiner(Mad Men, Sopranos), so its not your everyday laugh out loud comedy. He does a wonderful job of showing the everchanging maturity of Zach's character. This is a movie centered around drama and family. Owen Wilson delivers a few laughs, but its not the usual Owen Wilson humor. This movie is rich and fun if your going in expecting less comedy and more drama.

In conclusion, if your looking for your typical late night comedy, then this is not what your looking for. But if your looking for A touching drama that delivers a few laughs, then this is a movie well worth your time.