Reviews

There are certain movies, good and bad, that you just feel the urge to write about. After seeing Blood Simple, I now have that feeling. This, the feature film debut from the incredible Joel and Ethan Coen, is an out and out masterpiece. Some of the scenes in this film, I'll never forget. They're just so good! It oozed as much suspense as it did blood, and yet, like many other Coen classics, it contained the perfect amount of jet black humor. This is by no means an inspirational movie, but it left me with a massive smile on my face. The finale itself was one of the greatest thriller scenes I can remember, and nothing about it was a happy sight, but damn, did that movie just give me a great feeling. This is a great movie. With such a (excuse the pun) simple plot, the coens have weaved this masterclass in heart-pounding, nail-biting suspense. The entire film was amazingly directed as well. Really, really creative stuff. All the elements were in place. Leaving us with a few great shots and some upbeat Motown music, you'll know that you've seen something special. Not just an incredible debut, but a 5-star film in any case.

10 out of 10 - Masterpiece

Firstly, I must say how well deserved the Oscar for cinematography was for the film. Every shot looks incredible, from the way each shot is filmed, to the layouts of every frame. Just...stunning.

Now for the movie itself. The first 30 or so minutes were a bit of a drag, but still did well to introduce me to the major players, and the plot itself. When the Movie really started to take off, it was fantastically engrossing. I really enjoyed it. It had a rather simple plot, but had enough twists to keep it interesting. And besides, I didn't even mind the plot that much. It was just that pretty. Masterfully done.

The score in this film was held the entire way through, and quite honestly, a bit annoying. It just felt cheaply done, and didn't fit the atmosphere of the movie. It seemed done on a computer, while a studio recording of much darker tones would've been more appropriate.

This brings me to the performances. Tom Hanks is always masterful, and this was no exception. I was hoping for Paul Newman to be in this a bit more, as he played my favorite character of all time (Butch Cassidy). Nevertheless, Newman played his part very well, and clearly hasn't lost any of his talent, as many before him have. The little kid in the movie (the main one, that is) was quite annoying during the beginning, but as the ball began rolling, I didn't really mind him. Daniel Craig and Jude Law were both English dudes playing American dudes in this film. Craig was a lot better in his role, and although Law was good as a creepy guy, his accent was awful, and there wasn't anything special to say about the rest of his performance.

Anyway, there's my review. To sum up...

+Fantastic Acting performances(where it counted)

+Visually sublime

+Engrossing, Thrilling and Entertaining

-Jude Law's Accent

-Boring Introduction

-Sub-par Scoring

8/10

As the title suggests, I didn't think I would like anything besides the performances of the three main actors, but what I found was a really fun action-comedy (that was mostly comedy) that was the best movie I saw of 2013. (At this point, the only others were John Dies at the End and Gangster Squad, so don't take this no. 1 to mean too much) Pacino was hilarious, Walken was brilliant, mainly due to his voice. The big surprise for me was Arkin's acting. Although he was only really a supporting actor, he provided the best performance out of the 3. With a simple, yet interesting plot, and a fun script, Stand Up Guys is an easy 7.5 out of 10.

Broken City has many flaws, yet I was still surprisingly entertained the entire way through. Russell Crowe was the highlight of the movie, not a surprise, as he's one of the best actors of his generation. Mark Wahlberg was pretty good too, although he wasn't very likable. An election's happening, Crowe is the dirt bag of a mayor, and an election's coming up. Although it seems Crowe was supposed to be the bad guy, his opponent wasn't likable at all, and I was rooting for the corrupt mayor the entire time. The supporting cast in general wasn't spectacular, although Kyle Chandler plays his part well. The film was written averagely, the story wasn't that great, and the direction was simple, yet as I stated earlier, I had a good time.