Movies – Page 8 – Cinesnark

Holiday Movie Review Mash-up

Here we go with capsule reviews of a bunch of stuff coming out just in time to distract you from dealing with your families during the holidays.

American Hustle

I enjoyed American Hustle way more than I did The Fighter and Silver Linings Playbook. In some ways, it feels like those movies were just warm-ups for this one, from culling the right mix of actors to perform in his ensemble to nailing the proper tone and style to match his story. But he got the recipe right and American Hustle is hugely entertaining. It’s heavy on the Scorsese influences, definitely not a copycat or even really an homage so much as a love letter to Scorsese’s heyday of crime films, all covered over in a shiny, post-modern gloss. The 1970’s details are terrific and provide a lot of funny sight gags just because irony, but there is also some wear and tear and grime for authenticity. The story is actually pretty straight forward, about criminals who get caught and have to try to, essentially, talk their way out of trouble. It’s all greed and politics and corruption, which is really one of the oldest stories in the book. But it’s fun to watch and this group of very talented actors (Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Renner, Jennifer Lawrence) are all on top of their game.Continue reading “Holiday Movie Review Mash-up”

The Hobbit Part II: Completely pointless, but hey, cool dragon, bro

This is one of those reviews where I totally know every counter-argument you will throw at me, so let me begin by laying down one, single ground rule. To wit: If your rebuttal involves the words “in the books”, don’t bother. We’re not here to talk about JRR Tolkien’s books, we’re here to talk about the movies Peter Jackson is adapting from those books. I’ve already heard a bunch of “in the books” arguments attempting to defend The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, and, as the meme says, I ain’t got time for that shit. I’m not talking about the books. I’m talking about this movie. So let’s talk about this movie and why it has one of the worst endings ever and also why I think Peter Jackson might be losing his fucking mind.Continue reading “The Hobbit Part II: Completely pointless, but hey, cool dragon, bro”

Out of the Furnace: Familiar thriller anchored by a brilliant Bale

We’ve become inured to Christian Bale’s chameleonic take on acting. From drastic weight fluctuations to elaborate prosthetic comb-overs to his in/famous “Batman voice”, Bale is a guy who goes all out for the sake of a character. So I feel it is really saying something when I tell you that his performance as Russell Baze, a barely-hanging-on blue-collar worker from the steel belt, is easily one of the best of his career to date—arguably the best. There is no body change, no funny voice, no elaborate make-up. There is just Bale, preternaturally still, playing a guy made of hopelessness and broken dreams. Out of the Furnace itself is a solid, if predictable, revenge thriller, but Bale’s performance elevates it to something more lyrical and moving than that.Continue reading “Out of the Furnace: Familiar thriller anchored by a brilliant Bale”

Frozen: A feminist fairytale for everyone

Disney has long been accused of brainwashing young girls into having unrealistic expectations about love, romance, boys and their likelihood of one day becoming a princess (and/or mermaid—I really wanted to be a mermaid when I was a kid). I don’t think that Disney, as a corporation or in the form of its cultural founder, Walt himself, ever intended to maliciously message young girls into becoming emotionally crippled women because of fairytales. Even with their aggressive marketing machine turning every animated character into a Halloween costume, Barbie doll and live-action play set, I believe in Disney’s spirit, which is one of innocence and the simple, un-cynical joy of childhood. (Walt Disney’s weird fixation on childhood and its recreation is a subject for another time.) In and of itself, that spirit is not a bad thing.Continue reading “Frozen: A feminist fairytale for everyone”

Catching Fire: A Franchise Betterment Program

The Hunger Games wasn’t terrible. When I reviewed it last year, I liked it well enough, though I did note that 1) it was too long and/or poorly paced and 2) director Gary Ross was more of a hindrance than a help. Well, the sequel, Catching Fire, fixed both of those problems. Ross is out and though the movie still clocks in at two hours, twenty minutes-plus, the pacing is so much better that it isn’t a grind to sit through. Replacing Ross this time out is Francis Lawrence (Water for Elephants, I Am Legend), and screenwriters Simon Beaufoy (127 Hours, Slumdog Millionaire) and Michael Arndt (Toy Story 3). The original cast is all back, headed up by America’s pretend girlfriend, Jennifer Lawrence, along with a few new, and very welcome, additions.Continue reading “Catching Fire: A Franchise Betterment Program”

All Is Lost: Also confirming that we all die alone

Last month, I very much enjoyed Gravity. It’s visually arresting, anchored by Sandra Bullock’s best performance, featured Chairman George, and was an effective, if literal, thriller. It’s also a great narrative representation of my personal philosophy that everything is meaningless, there’s no point to anything, and we all die alone. Gravity alleviated the inherent bleakness of that sentiment, though, by giving us hope that, in the end, there can be hope, if for no other reason than we wake up and decide to be hopeful that day. Well, late last week I caught a screening of writer/director JC Chandor’s follow up to Margin Call, a lost-at-sea story starring Robert Redford called All Is Lost. Here are two facts that sum up the experience of watching All Is Lost: 1) The only things that make me cry are Hallmark commercials during the holidays and that one sappy Budweiser commercial where the horse remembers his trainer, and 2) I wept my way through All Is Lost.Continue reading “All Is Lost: Also confirming that we all die alone”

Finally, let’s talk about 12 Years a Slave

I’ve been wrestling with this review for several weeks. I wanted to get it just right. 12 Years a Slave is, simply, one of the best films I have ever seen, and it deserves the extra attention. Directed by Steve McQueen (Hunger, Shame) rapidly becoming one of the most compelling filmmakers working, and starring Chiwetel Ejiofor (no longer “that guy from Love Actually”), Michael Fassbender, Alfre Woodard and Brad Pitt, plus a who’s-who of actors including Benedict Cumberbatch, Sarah Paulson, Garret Dillahunt, Paul Dano, Paul Giamatti, Scoot McNairy and relative newcomers Quvenzhane Wallis and Adepero Oduye, and a break-out performance by Lupita Nyong’o, 12 Years is a movie in which the smallest roles are occupied by tremendous actors. The result is a compellingly real recreation of the worst of American history; like Schindler’s List making the horrors of the Holocaust tangible, 12 Years a Slave brings slavery to awful, crushing life.Continue reading “Finally, let’s talk about 12 Years a Slave”