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Reviews
Gravity (2013)
Gravity is a Knock Out Sci-Fi Thriller
Less is more. Well okay, almost always less is more. This is true for the 2013 film, Gravity. An astronaut, a medical engineer, a handful of extras, a broke down space shuttle, and a couple of air crafts leave viewers on the edge of their seats as Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) must contrive and scheme in order to launch herself from space back to earth.
"I effing hate space," says Dr. Stone after a mess of debris forces Stone and astronaut, Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) to detach themselves from a space shuttle to escape death. Stone is pulled away from the space shuttle by gravity. Her radio, the only source of communication, cuts in and out throwing Stone into a panic attack which gobbles up her oxygen. Just when we think gravity might take over, Kowalski finds her afloat and brings her back to base.
There's no such thing as "home base" in space, especially when the space shuttle and the handful of extras are found dead. With limited oxygen, Kowalski and Stone make it to another air craft. A cord wraps around Stone's foot causing a major catastrophe. As the plot progresses in this Science Fiction thriller, the same rope that once saves Stone's life threatens it. Trying to escape a catastrophic fire, Stone cleverly rides a fire extinguisher like a heat-seeking-missile from one space craft to another. Just when you think she might be safe to return to earth, another crisis erupts. And, the climatic approach throughout Gravity lasts until the very end, when you as the viewer, realize that after watching Gravity, a vacation from life is in order.
Gravity is an epic force of nature. It's much like Danny Boyle's (2010) 127 Hours. James Franco's character, Aron Rolston, is biking through a canyon and falls victim to a boulder in the smallest possible crack in the earth. Rolston resorts to desperate measures in order to survive. Both, Gravity and 127 Hours have simplistic story lines, but are filled with action/adventure scenarios in which the audience is left with the Oh. My. God. expression. I watch with such intensity, only to be left with an exasperation of relief at the very end. When a plot is centered around a person as the protagonist and mother nature as the antagonist, 99 percent of the time mother nature wins. What happens to those who are clumped in the one percent tile?
I'll tell you...
It drives an original masterpiece into the stratosphere begging in $55.8 million opening weekend, and ranking Gravity as the number one film in the world.
The Conjuring (2013)
The Conjuring Review
Yikes! It's rare for a film to rattle me at my very existence. The Conjuring (2013) does just that. It throws me off kilter much like the nightmare that causes my heart to splitter-spatter and forces my eyeballs wide-open in broad daylight. It takes me a minute to catch my breath. I realize the nightmare that scares me awake is the one in which I find myself impregnated with my ex-boyfriend's baby. To which I realize, it is what it is--a nightmare! It's horrifying because it's so vivid it's real.
James Wan brilliantly directs Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, and Lili Taylor in the horror flick, The Conjuring. This film is based on the true story of paranormal investigators, Ed and Lorraine Warren. The Warren's are desperately called upon by Carolyn and Roger Perron to investigate their farmhouse which appears to be terrorized by an evil entity. The audience is taken on a journey similar to that of The Exorcist (1973), The Others (2001), and House at the End of the Street (2012). To my surprise; however, I am pleased with the resolution.
Wan is able to differentiate The Conjuring from The Exorcist, The Others, and House at the End of the Street by getting to the root of the problem and having an answer to the WHY scenario. In The Exorcist, the audience is creeped out by an inhumane entity that leaches itself onto a young girl forcing her to have extraordinary behaviors while The Others interrogates the residents of an old English mansion leaving its audience with the OH. MY. GOD. ARE. YOU. SERIOUS? reaction. House at the End of the Street leaves its viewers with an uneasiness of a psychopathic killer whom is predicted before the ending arises.
In each of these films a resolution has yet to be justified. If THEY (current occupants) move to another house, city, state...location, doesn't that give the enemy power and satisfaction knowing it succeeds into scaring the residents into another direction ultimately giving power to the darkness, the ghosts, essentially the protagonist? The Conjuring squashes any intention of house-hopping. 'IT attaches itself to this family like a piece of gum. Once you step on a piece of gum it's stuck wherever you go.' By facing the fear of darkness, an uneasiness births into something admirable about humanity. Not only is the existence of God in question, but the Evil that prevails within the human race.
I must add though, I'm most horrified, not by The Conjuring, but the incidence that I witness in the theater before the lights dim and the advertisements inundate the screen. And, that is, as I am patiently waiting in my cushioned seat, two young gentlemen approach the theater. Both, I say, in their early-twenties are trying to find the "perfect" seat in which they can screen the anticipation of this mind-boggling-scare-me-to-death-masterpiece. As I pretend to be amused by their indecisiveness the next thing I know one of the guys pulls something out from the crotch of his pants that he smuggles into the theater (a no-no, I might add). As he whips out this object he stares me in the eyes and says, "Summer sausage..you know how it is." He then peels it like a banana and slowly sinks his teeth into it. Now that folks is what I call horrifying!
Man of Steel (2013)
Zack Snyder's Man of Steel KABOOM
Whether you're 10 or 100-years-old then you know of the sci-fi action/adventure phenomenon, Superman. But, do you really know Superman? Director, Zack Snyder put his best foot forward in capturing the man that wears the red velvet cape in his 2013 rendition, Man of Steel. Starring Henry Cavill as Clark Kent/ Kel-El and Michael Shannon as Master of Destruction, the Fallen Angel of Planet Krypton, General Zod. Snyder takes his audience on a 2 hour and 23 minute journey into bridging the gap between Planet Krypton and Planet Earth.
Historical Context of the Man with the Red Cape 101:
Superman originated in 19th century by German Philosopher, Frederich Nietzsche. Nietzsche's interpretation of this superhuman we know as Superman was translated from the German word Ubermenslch meaning over-man or beyond-man. In creating Ubermenslch, Nietzsche's philosophical vision is to create an ideal man of integrity who would rise above evil and represent the good in human evolution.
It's not until the 20th century (1938 to be exact) that the first Superman comic strip is published. DC Comics takes a chance on Superman and fights for it's creativity in its entirety. DC Comics takes no prisoners when filing lawsuit after lawsuit to maintain and own Superman's rights. And, in 1950 Superman joins Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lateran, Captain America, Namor the Sub-Mariner, Captain Marvel, Robin, and The Flash in the superhero populous. Finally, in 1978 the first Superman film directed by Richard Donner reaches the big screen.
Superman's Powers:
It is throughout Superman's existence that the audience learns full force just exactly what Superman's powers are: (1) Living Solar Battery, which is the ability to metabolize solar energy from stars such as Earth's sun; (2) Superhuman Strength; (3) Invulnerability (immune to all forms of harm including extreme force and excruciating temperatures); (4) Healing Factor; (5) Flight Capability; (6) Superhuman Speed; (7) X- ray Vision; (8) Superhuman Intelligence; (9) Eidetic Memory; (10) Heat Vision; (11) Superhuman Breath; (12) Superhuman Healing; (13) Superhuman Vision; (14) Superhuman Hearing; (15) Master Combat
Zack Snyder's Man of Steel:
Regardless if you're a believer of creation, evolution, or that humans exists by the pure implication of technological advancements of aliens, Man of Steel, should be right up your alley because there is a little bit of everything for everyone. Snyder does Superman justice in his visionary of re-creating a masterpiece with a loaded cast. Diane Lane, Russell Crowe, Amy Adams, Christopher Meloni and Kevin Costner are few of the A-Lister's that appear in this film.
Snyder fairs well with capturing his audience's attention from the birth of Kel-El, his birth right on Planet Krypton through his transcendence to Clark Kent on Planet Earth while transforming into Superman as a vigilante whom wins the respect of the militia and Lois Lane, an award- winning journalist for the Daily Planet.
The underlying message in Man of Steel lies through the symbolism of the letter S branded on the chests of scientist, Jor-El the biological father of Clark Kent/ Kel-El. The letter S from Planet Krypton is representation of Hope. There is hope for change. Hope for two universes working together as one. A hope that one day that this solar power escalate will in fact become a reality in creating something extraordinary.
Jor-El is not only a scientific genius, but a man of wisdom as he tells Kel that he must, "keep testing his limits for strength." It is necessary for him to understand what it is like to be human in order to bridge the gap between two universes. This lesson is a lesson that humanity can resonate with. For instance, life is messy so it is essential that we humans look inside ourselves and discover the true essence of mental, emotional, and physical strength in order to conquer whatever DEMON ails us at the time.
Kudos to Snyder for his clarity in conveying an important message of superhero strength and superiority. However, Man of Steel could eliminate at least 10 to 15 minutes of the KABOOM factor. I lost count of how many battles Superman had with General Zod before the Dark Angel met his death and Planet Earth is saved by a vigilante whom is ubiquitous and can be compared to James Bond in saving a damsel in distress.
Man of Steel is quite entertaining in grasping the enormous amounts of information about the have's and have-not's of Superman. To be able to capture one man's journey in a historical context from birth to his manhood in a feature length screenplay is commendable. The epic battles of destruction isn't necessary in telling a story of strength and superiority. As with the majority superhero clichés there lies a love story. However, one of Superman's weaknesses is his dire love for Lois Lane considering he is always rescuing her from everyday reporting hazards for the Daily Planet. Perhaps a journalists quandary, one in which viewers experience with Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher in the (1993- 1997) television series, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.
12 and Holding (2005)
12 and Holding Perfect Match in Contemporary Society
It's rare to stumble on a film that exceeds any preconceived expectations; a film that pushes the envelop to its limit, and yet delivers not one, but several messages with accuracy and poise. "12 and Holding" (2005) is this type of film. Director Michael Cuesta delivers an emotional masterpiece in redemption, conviction, and forgiveness.
It all starts with a fire. A boy dies and lives are forever transformed. It's a domino effect. When change strikes it delivers forcing each character to take a journey into the unknown and face fear head on in a quest to find answers, satisfaction, and justification. All the facets that contemporary society clings to-hoping an eye for an eye won't make the whole world blind. Starving for male attention, one girl expresses her sexuality all too soon while one boy battles the opposition of being overweight, and the other comes to terms with his brother's death.
This triangular approach to drama is breath-taking, eye awaking, and shocking. In a typical mainstream film, the audience is taken on a parallel journey. The protagonist (main character) guides the viewer down a path which ultimately leads to the antagonist whom is in opposition with the protagonist, and after a much needed war on conflict a resolution arises. Now, the resolution can satisfy the audience or disappoint. The point is that the end result is justified by action. "12 and Holding," an independent film, clearly defines dysfunction in a family dynamic in which case each family has its own hosts of problems to resolve in a twisted world.
"12 and Holding" maybe an independent film, but it's distinguished as a rare film to come by. The passion in which the story is told is lucid and frantic. It's a story of deliverance. Family dysfunction does not discriminate. It comes in all shapes, sizes, ethnicity, and religions. Family dysfunction is the cornerstone that binds families together, yet bridges the gap to despair. It sparks a need for change. A need for a reality check. And a need to break down barriers that leads to forgiveness and second chances.
Intruders (2011)
Intruder Misguided
If you're a movie-goer like myself then the cover of a film opens the door to anticipation. The artistry of the cover, much like a book, makes my palms sweat, brings redness to to my cheeks as my internal thermostat anxiously awaits to take a good ride through a terrific story. As for me, I am easily turned-on by all genres, but horror's hold a special place in my heart.
The ambiance of a horror film is a precursor to fulfillment. First, I wait until it's dark outside, then I make a cozy spot on my bed by tossing this, that, the other thing on the floor or in a chair. I grab the remotes, or in my case, the buds to my headphones and turn off all the lights. With only the LED light shining from my computer, I am still in the darkness. I anxiously await for a real heart palpation as the rolling credits float across the screen.
Director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo in Intruders (2011) failed to satisfy any expectations I have for a horror film. Two children from two different generations and in different countries have countless run-ins with a faceless boogeyman, which is ultimately considered the intruder is intriguing, but it lacks the luster of leaving me with a reaction of any sort.
Intruders boarders story lines of "The Exorcist" (1973) and "The Others" (2001). I am not a huge fan of subtitles. It redirects my attention from the journey to full concentration on the written dialogue. I can read a book for that. The number one factor that keeps my intrigue in the horror genre are the twists and turns. The guessing game keeps my mind interlocked and focused. "Intruders" is predictable. Approximately 1/4 of the way through the film I guessed the parallel universes between the two children. I am left feeling stagnant as its a hideous remake of the 2010 film "Insidious." The audience is left with no resolution of the boogeyman. Since when is the boogeyman considered an intruder?
Sucker Punch (2011)
Sucker Punch to the Gut
"Sucker Punch" (2011) is a schizophrenic masterpiece. The masterminds of Sucker Punch, director Zack Snyder and writers Zack Snyder and Seve Shibuya, create a hyper-reality of a 20 year-old girl who is placed in a mental institution by her stepfather. Babydoll enters Lennox Hopsital for the Mentally Insane knowing she needs to find a way to escape in order to turn her stepfather into the authorities for her sister's death. In her alternate reality, she meets an Old Wise Man whom strategically explains how to escape the institution before she is given a lobotomy, "a surgical incision to the frontal lobe of the brain that severs one or more nerve tracts."
Set in the 1960s, this action/fantasy/adventure film grabs the viewer's attention instantly. As Babydoll enters her alternate reality, her coping mechanism to escape realism, the film aesthetically transforms Babydoll, a blonde, blue-eyed female, into a sexy animated dance character. Babydoll's Barbie stature uses her curves to distract the male administrators in the institution to gather five items that would be an integral entity to escape Lennox House for the Mentally Insane. Babydoll is able to find the confidence to put herself in font of ogling men from her envisioned dance instructor, Dr. Gorski.
Babydoll's quest risks more than her proved sanity of her sister's death. She confides in four other girls to aide in her distraction, and it's bewitching to know that in her attempt, lives are risked and tears are shedded for Babydoll's sacrifice.
The term sucker punch is relative; the meaning is different to everyone. However, Snyder's "Sucker Punch" is more expressive, elusive, and entertaining than most. Babydoll is being sucker punched first by her stepfather for covering his actions, and second by the institution for bribing Babydoll's stepfather to forge his signature to secure Babydoll's memory loss. As the audience sees Babydoll's transcendence into her alternate reality, the audience expects Babydoll to pull through. Just when the viewer's are lead into one direction believing this hyper-reality is her reality, a twist is in place when Snyder sneaks upon his audience and gives them a sucker punch into the transcendence of reality. The audience is then informed of Babydoll's sacrifice.
"Sucker Punch" failed in comparison to "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules" at the box office. "Sucker Punch" brought in $19.1 million while "Rodrick Rules" begged in $22.1. "Sucker Punch" was Snyder's worst live- action review. In part, by meshing more than one genre, action/fantasy/adventure along with drama, mental health, and gaming into one film single handedly is easy to misinterpret. The one thing that Snyder is able to convey through symbolism is the mental health status of schizophrenia.
Fear Island (2009)
Fear Island--Afraid So
Netflix is like celebrating Christmas every day. I can surf Netflix and find a satisfying film or television show to watch every night. The most recent film I took the time to see is "Fear Island." "Fear Island" (2009) is a horror/thriller film directed by Michael Storey.
Five students set out to party on a desolate island. Things go array when Jenna, the only surviving person, is interrogated by Detective Armory and Psychiatrist Jamie Chalice. It is while Jenna is being interrogated, the audience is drawn into Jenna's storytelling capabilities and is left with an uneasy feeling as to whom the mysterious killer really is.
This horror film draws my attention immediately. I'm captivated by the storyline, plot, theme, and character profiles. I am hooked. Who is the killer? If it's not Jenna then who? Because I am actively living this creepy scenario, continuously drawing conclusions, replaying the six character profiles in my head while looking for clues, makes my heart skip a beat. The music escalates to the fast-pace of a pulse, da-da, da- da, da-da. All of a sudden a snake leaps out of a cupboard, and I jump three feet off my bed. Holding my heart, I catch my breath, "Geezeee," I shout at the computer.
After gathering my sanity for a moment, my suspicions are aroused as my mind and body wants something else to be lurking behind an inanimate object. With every foot step, my heart pounds as I anticipate another melodramatic creature feverishly suspending midair wanting to gouge, claw, or bite into another character, making him or her fall suspect as a victim. I can't blink. I can't swallow. My breathing is shallow... and then the mind twist. I am lead down a path one way, then out of left field, my mind is shoved down a different path leaving me with a psychological thriller for an ending. Not a surprising ending, but the journey captivating the end result is rewarding.
The only problem I see with psychological thrillers is that by the end of the film, I am left wondering who the heck does that? And, then, one day down the line, a sociopath is suspended into reality leaving me with a comparison of the sociopath to a scenario with twisted motives in a movie much like "Fear Island."
A Shine of Rainbows (2009)
Rainbow Love
If you're looking for a feel good film, "A Shine of Rainbows" (2009) maybe right up your alley. Pop the lid off the Midol, swallow a couple of capsules, put on your stretchy sweat pants allowing room for the bloat, dig out the heating pad, lay on the couch and pull up "A Shine of Rainbows" on your Instant Queue playlist on Netflix and let the tears roll. It's a real feel-good experience. (Hopefully, your significant other won't view it as another one of your bawling shows).
Maire O'Donnell (Connie Nielson) is a happy go-lucky, colorful, free spirited woman who adopts ten-year-old Tomas from an orphanage, and takes him to her home on Corrie Island, off the coast of Ireland. Once Tomas arrives, he must learn to adapt to his surroundings on the island, learn to make friends with children his age regardless of his inability to speak without stuttering, and win the heart of Maire's husband, Alec (Aidan Quinn) in order to stay on the island. Alec silently disapproves of Tomas' timidness and stutter, which causes friction between Maire and Alec.
Maire's positive, vibrant, and warm personality teaches Tomas everything that he needs to know lies within himself--all he has to do search within. When tragedy strikes, Tomas digs deep to find solace with nature and with himself. Tomas is convinced that love exists when he experiences the beauty of an exploded rainbow and the magic that it holds.
"A Shine of Rainbows won" the Heartland Film Festival Award. The message in "A Shine of Rainbows" is powerfully intoxicating, devastatingly sad, and realistically rewarding displaying array of hope in the most tragic of circumstances. This film touches the heart inside out, leaving the viewer with a trail of tears and a deeper meaning about the magic of love.
The Punisher (2004)
The Punisher Review
"Those who do evil to others--the killers, rapists, psychos, sadists,--will come to know me. Call me...The Punisher," are Frank Castle's departing words. "The Punisher" (2004) is a film based on marvel comic book collection of The Punisher starring Thomas Jane as anti-hero, Frank Castle.
Castle is an FBI agent and U.S. Army Delta Force operator whose family is murdered at a retirement party for Castle in Puerto Rico. Castle appears undercover as an European arms dealer, Otto Kreig, whom allegedly died in a shootout with Bobby Saint while Mickey Duka is jailed . When a mob discovers Kreig isn't dead and he goes by the name of Castle, chaos erupts and a witch-hunt begins.
Castle's extended family is killed immediately as his wife and son are ran over by a truck in an attempt to escape. When Castle falls upon his dead family he becomes a different man- a man who is left alone in the world. He declares war on the mob for killing his wife and son. In preparation of leaving Puerto Rico for Tampa, Florida, Castle meets a fisherman who gives him a black t-shirt with a white face of the Punisher on it that his son originally gave him. He is told by his son that the t-shirt is to keep "evil spirits" away thus it becomes a character in the film.
This action/thriller film keeps me on my toes throughout its entirety. It has a dark and depressing tone as Castle finds redemption in assembling guns, grenades, knives, and explosives. Castle's mission is to kill everyone in the mob--significant others and children. After all, what's worse than being stabbed in the back, punched in the gut, and having a hole drilled in a your head?...Torturing your loved ones! "The Punisher" sparks many reactions from me. A few lines make me chuckle with Castle's friends of misfits, and I cringe in a couple of scenes forcing a hand over my face only to peek through my fingers. I don't want to see a knife being shoved underneath someones chin meeting the roof of his mouth only to see the blade, or watch as piercings are plucked one by one out a face in an attempt to make one of the misfits forfeit information. I can't, however, miss a beat.
The Punisher is skilled in his murderous attempts. What I find most intriguing about this film is that Castle is not an over-sized hero shot up with steroids having an extremely large chest and muscles that can pick up a 400 ton truck with his pinkie finger. He is a fit man, leading an "ordinary" life with his wife and son until he ticked off the wrong person. "The Punisher" can be viewed much like "The Godfather," an Italian Mafia, rendering drugs and weapons who has a lot of pull in his community and country causing a whirlwind of chaos to those who encounter him.
Killers, rapists, psychos, and sadists better watch out because the Punisher isn't going to have any sympathy for those who do evil things. He is a true vigilante.