The new Leonard DiCaprio/Tom Hardy flick, The Revenant is out this week. Right off the bat that actually means - "A person who has returned, especially supposedly from the dead."
This is a very good, very interesting, but very harsh movie that is based on "true events" dating back to the 1820's. It's a story of extreme survival, and amazing heart as a tracker is left for dead by his crew after being mauled by a grizzly bear, and being attacked by Indians whose territory the commercial hunting expedition has been breached.
DiCaprio plays the tracker, Glass who has to endure the attacks, and the extreme elements of the western United States to get back to find the man, Fitzgerald (Hardy), who left him for dead, and killed his only son in the name of money. This movie is a bit western, a bit adventure, and bit Castaway, and a bit heavy drama. And to its credit, for as long as this is, at two and a half hours it moves along nicely and is compelling.
This is a different kind of role for DiCaprio with much of this without dialogue as we follow him through his left for dead journey in no man's land. He endures about every imaginable problem one can have. But the revenge in him, to find his way back to avenge the death of his son keeps him going.
Hardy is great as our villain and plays these kind of roles very, very well. He is completely despicable as a man driven by anger and greed and wants his bounty at all costs. This is exciting, it is powerful and this is is graphically violent at times. Although not gratuitously so. As graphic as this is, it may not be for everyone. It shows very well the make up of the men that made up the early days of the unsettled American West where there was literally no law, and no order. Oscar worthy? Probably this year, but his has been a slow year for critically acclaimed movies. This may finally be DiCaprio's turn to win, as the field may be weaker than normal.
The Revenant. Very solid. Strong movie.
Saturday, January 9, 2016
Wednesday, January 6, 2016
It Happens Everywhere
Man, the Browns made a bunch of news this week, canning the coach and GM. Plus a few other moves have the area talking big time. And the old sentiment is back of, "Only the Browns, only Cleveland, only us." And yes, there has been our share of heartbreaks, but nothing in those statements could be further from the truth.
First off, I am a Browns fan, Indians and Cavs fan too. Have been all my life. I have lived what you have, and in many cases more than others. I know the pain from all the teams. I also can remember the truth that most don't want to admit about Browns and other teams.
Let's take the Cardinals, Chiefs, Panthers, Vikings, Bengals, and even the Patriots. All are in the NFL playoffs this year so they have that in common. They also have something else in common. They have all been through long, and agonizing losing era's before the pendulum swung back the other way. The Cardinals have been in 3 cities, and have won a couple of post season games in countless decades of play, now they threaten to win it all. The Bengals went through many arduous years, about as long as the Browns trying to get it right.
The rest have similar stories including the mighty Patriots. They, in the 1990's had a brutal stretch including a 1 win season, until Tom Brady showed up with the right coach. And I would even say Brady was a stroke of luck NO one saw coming, not even the Pats. The Panthers have had a 1 win season, and a two win season. Even the mighty Cowboys have had brutal stretches including a 1 win season. and THIS season was horrible for them. BTW the Browns have never had a 1 win season. - 70 years.
The difference is, it's just more satisfying for the small minds at ESPN in Connecticut to pile on a city they don't care for. Sports networks don't care for the Midwest in general, and it's more fun to take swings at a seemingly downtrodden city like Cleveland (in their minds) than give an name to a horrible loss that Peyton Manning took to the Ravens in the playoffs a few years back. Or the Steelers getting beaten by Tim Tebow - again in the playoffs. The list is endless of most NFL teams with brutal stretches and losses. Ask Seattle about last year in the Superbowl. They don't have names like The Drive, and The Fumble, for those games but they were just as, if not MORE brutal than the Browns losses.
The truth is, hard luck follows most teams for there is only 1 champion every year. The Browns will eventually get this right and contend. They all do in time. Let's remember, the Saints and Bucs did, winning a Superbowl each, and they are a combined 250 games below .500 all time. No one is excusing the Browns and this debacle that has ensued the past few years, but if history is our guide, way better days are ahead.
Just a bit of perspective. It's hard to wait, but it will happen.
First off, I am a Browns fan, Indians and Cavs fan too. Have been all my life. I have lived what you have, and in many cases more than others. I know the pain from all the teams. I also can remember the truth that most don't want to admit about Browns and other teams.
Let's take the Cardinals, Chiefs, Panthers, Vikings, Bengals, and even the Patriots. All are in the NFL playoffs this year so they have that in common. They also have something else in common. They have all been through long, and agonizing losing era's before the pendulum swung back the other way. The Cardinals have been in 3 cities, and have won a couple of post season games in countless decades of play, now they threaten to win it all. The Bengals went through many arduous years, about as long as the Browns trying to get it right.
The rest have similar stories including the mighty Patriots. They, in the 1990's had a brutal stretch including a 1 win season, until Tom Brady showed up with the right coach. And I would even say Brady was a stroke of luck NO one saw coming, not even the Pats. The Panthers have had a 1 win season, and a two win season. Even the mighty Cowboys have had brutal stretches including a 1 win season. and THIS season was horrible for them. BTW the Browns have never had a 1 win season. - 70 years.
The difference is, it's just more satisfying for the small minds at ESPN in Connecticut to pile on a city they don't care for. Sports networks don't care for the Midwest in general, and it's more fun to take swings at a seemingly downtrodden city like Cleveland (in their minds) than give an name to a horrible loss that Peyton Manning took to the Ravens in the playoffs a few years back. Or the Steelers getting beaten by Tim Tebow - again in the playoffs. The list is endless of most NFL teams with brutal stretches and losses. Ask Seattle about last year in the Superbowl. They don't have names like The Drive, and The Fumble, for those games but they were just as, if not MORE brutal than the Browns losses.
The truth is, hard luck follows most teams for there is only 1 champion every year. The Browns will eventually get this right and contend. They all do in time. Let's remember, the Saints and Bucs did, winning a Superbowl each, and they are a combined 250 games below .500 all time. No one is excusing the Browns and this debacle that has ensued the past few years, but if history is our guide, way better days are ahead.
Just a bit of perspective. It's hard to wait, but it will happen.
Sunday, January 3, 2016
MOVIE REVIEW - The Hateful Eight
Quentin Tarantino always makes you kind of wince and laugh all at the same time, and that's the same formula here in his latest flick.
This is another story that is long and drawn out like many Tarantino flicks putting you on a slow burn for much of the time. This is a western of sorts, all taking place basically in this lodge deep in the Wyoming mountains during a blizzard in the late 1800's. It's a bunch of bounty hunters, and thugs marooned in this lodge because of the extreme weather. There, it becomes a tale of greed, violence and baggage that runs deep in the minds of these men, as the Civil War is still fresh for all of them, who had a part in it from both sides.
This spends about the first half putting together a nice story, and developing some powerful characters And the last half it becomes the classic Tarantino highly and graphically violent piece that is his staple. For some, this will simply be too much as all his movie can be. But this does take on the classic Tarantino irony, and almost cartoonish feel as the violence is so over the top and so extreme.
Is this one of his best movies? Well, no. And that's a shame as it boasts a real nice cast with Kurt Russel, Samuel L. Jackson, Channing Tatum, and others. Most of his movies are a bit drawn out, and usually that's okay, but here it's belabored. It simply takes too long to get where it's going. Russel is simply terrific in this as a ruthless bounty hunter who is very complex. Jackson too is great as our principle character. Major kudos too to the incredible supporting cast who all are strong.
This movie has a nice look to it as the sets are great and the costuming is Oscar worthy. This overall is good and entertaining. If you have never seen a Tarantino flick, might be a good idea to Netflix one to see if the style is tolerable for you. I am a fan of many of his movies, but they are certainly a niche style.
The Hateful Eight. This is good, but not my favorite Tarantino flick.
This is another story that is long and drawn out like many Tarantino flicks putting you on a slow burn for much of the time. This is a western of sorts, all taking place basically in this lodge deep in the Wyoming mountains during a blizzard in the late 1800's. It's a bunch of bounty hunters, and thugs marooned in this lodge because of the extreme weather. There, it becomes a tale of greed, violence and baggage that runs deep in the minds of these men, as the Civil War is still fresh for all of them, who had a part in it from both sides.
This spends about the first half putting together a nice story, and developing some powerful characters And the last half it becomes the classic Tarantino highly and graphically violent piece that is his staple. For some, this will simply be too much as all his movie can be. But this does take on the classic Tarantino irony, and almost cartoonish feel as the violence is so over the top and so extreme.
Is this one of his best movies? Well, no. And that's a shame as it boasts a real nice cast with Kurt Russel, Samuel L. Jackson, Channing Tatum, and others. Most of his movies are a bit drawn out, and usually that's okay, but here it's belabored. It simply takes too long to get where it's going. Russel is simply terrific in this as a ruthless bounty hunter who is very complex. Jackson too is great as our principle character. Major kudos too to the incredible supporting cast who all are strong.
This movie has a nice look to it as the sets are great and the costuming is Oscar worthy. This overall is good and entertaining. If you have never seen a Tarantino flick, might be a good idea to Netflix one to see if the style is tolerable for you. I am a fan of many of his movies, but they are certainly a niche style.
The Hateful Eight. This is good, but not my favorite Tarantino flick.
Thursday, December 31, 2015
MOVIE REVIEW - New Releases
If you are headed out this weekend, here are a couple of choices for you at the movies in a nutshell.
Joy
What a great cast! If you loved Silver Linings Playbook a few years ago where all four major actors were Oscar nominated, and so was the picture, this stars and is made by the same bunch. Sadly, it's not nearly as good. Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Robert DeNiro and a great supporting cast do what they can with what they are dealt. This is based on a true story of a woman named Joy in the 1970's, and I can't tell you exactly what she did, because they have gone to great lengths to keep it quiet.
And that is the main problem here. When you watch the preview, you have no idea what this movie is about. Being honest, the story is sort of interesting, and probably worth telling. But for many this will fall short. Way short. I would think this would make a way better, well done documentary than feature dramatic film. Our principles do well here in their performance. But I will warn you, if you are going tosee Bradley Cooper, watch quick, his role is central, but very limited screen time, and really not the star of this movie playing a character that goes nowhere.
Joy. Overall disappointing.
Concussion
This star Will Smith as the doctor that helped identify the brain disorder that has been and is affecting many former NFL players. This too is based on a true story, but many liberty's have been taken to make this more dramatic.
There is really nothing wrong with this movie, the main problem is there just isn't anything great about it either. This tells a story worth telling, as this doctor takes on the NFL. It's just too darn bad this movie gets in its own way halfway through. This is way better movie when it is dealing with the main issue, but side plots slow this down to a halt at times. Plus this doesn't have the guts it should, as even the movie seems to let the NFL off the hook.
Smith is really strong here, but for me the real star of this movie is the supporting cast, including Albert Brooks, and David Morse. This movie had all the potential to be something really special, but it ends up being a decent flick, just not one of the years best.
Concussion. It's good. That's it...simply good.
Joy
What a great cast! If you loved Silver Linings Playbook a few years ago where all four major actors were Oscar nominated, and so was the picture, this stars and is made by the same bunch. Sadly, it's not nearly as good. Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Robert DeNiro and a great supporting cast do what they can with what they are dealt. This is based on a true story of a woman named Joy in the 1970's, and I can't tell you exactly what she did, because they have gone to great lengths to keep it quiet.
And that is the main problem here. When you watch the preview, you have no idea what this movie is about. Being honest, the story is sort of interesting, and probably worth telling. But for many this will fall short. Way short. I would think this would make a way better, well done documentary than feature dramatic film. Our principles do well here in their performance. But I will warn you, if you are going tosee Bradley Cooper, watch quick, his role is central, but very limited screen time, and really not the star of this movie playing a character that goes nowhere.
Joy. Overall disappointing.
Concussion
This star Will Smith as the doctor that helped identify the brain disorder that has been and is affecting many former NFL players. This too is based on a true story, but many liberty's have been taken to make this more dramatic.
There is really nothing wrong with this movie, the main problem is there just isn't anything great about it either. This tells a story worth telling, as this doctor takes on the NFL. It's just too darn bad this movie gets in its own way halfway through. This is way better movie when it is dealing with the main issue, but side plots slow this down to a halt at times. Plus this doesn't have the guts it should, as even the movie seems to let the NFL off the hook.
Smith is really strong here, but for me the real star of this movie is the supporting cast, including Albert Brooks, and David Morse. This movie had all the potential to be something really special, but it ends up being a decent flick, just not one of the years best.
Concussion. It's good. That's it...simply good.
Saturday, December 26, 2015
MOVIE REVIEW - The Big Short
What a cast and what an interesting story, but is this a good movie? The Big Short is out this week.
Steve Carell, Brad Pitt, Ryan Gosling, Christian Bale and many others are featured here in this very insightful look into the events leading up to the collapse of the housing market in 2008. All of this is based on a true story, events and real people. This is told in a very interesting fashion, as it has to be with the subject matter zooming over most of our heads. I mean, who understands this stuff? And as creative as they try to be with that, it still is hard to follow and comprehend at times.
But, all of our performances by our main actors are really stellar. The writing is superb and the character development is terrific. There are plenty of Golden Globe nods here and they are all deserved. Even though this subject matter is a snoozer for most of us, this is told well. This has a nice pace for the most part, when it could have been real easy for this to be real boring.
This really does take you deep inside the big banks and Wall Street to show you just how corrupt the whole system was leading up to the horrible events of 2008 that left so many with so little. That is eye-opening and interesting. But not as interesting as the few guys that saw it all coming and tried to warn others, but were not accepted. This is also a niche movie, as it will find a audience who are movie goers, and not the once a year fan.
The Big Short. Quite good, may be a bit overrated, but still very good.
Steve Carell, Brad Pitt, Ryan Gosling, Christian Bale and many others are featured here in this very insightful look into the events leading up to the collapse of the housing market in 2008. All of this is based on a true story, events and real people. This is told in a very interesting fashion, as it has to be with the subject matter zooming over most of our heads. I mean, who understands this stuff? And as creative as they try to be with that, it still is hard to follow and comprehend at times.
But, all of our performances by our main actors are really stellar. The writing is superb and the character development is terrific. There are plenty of Golden Globe nods here and they are all deserved. Even though this subject matter is a snoozer for most of us, this is told well. This has a nice pace for the most part, when it could have been real easy for this to be real boring.
This really does take you deep inside the big banks and Wall Street to show you just how corrupt the whole system was leading up to the horrible events of 2008 that left so many with so little. That is eye-opening and interesting. But not as interesting as the few guys that saw it all coming and tried to warn others, but were not accepted. This is also a niche movie, as it will find a audience who are movie goers, and not the once a year fan.
The Big Short. Quite good, may be a bit overrated, but still very good.
MOVIE REVIEW - Daddy's Home
The new Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg comedy, Daddy's Home is out and it's a mixed bag. Fans will love it, critics will not.
This is a look at step-parenting through the prism of comedy. It's the story of how step and biological fathers can or cannot get along, all written through and extremely exaggerated story line featuring polar opposite characters and actors. All things being honest, there are some good laughs in this, and there is an attempted heart to be grown. But in the end, this turns out to be more mean spirited than maybe it was intended.
One of the main problems here is the writing, especially the part of the very young step children. Sadly, the writers chose to make them really selfish, heartless, even borderline unlikable. This was a chance to make this movie far better. Instead of allowing simply the adults to act like children to place the laughs on them. They also extended the children to act like shameful adults that puts their behavior in the same category. This was a colossal failure of this movie. Hard to cheer for kids with dirty mouths, and disrespectful attitudes. But the temptation is just too great and easy for them not to be so. If you think about it, every really great kid in a really great movie, they act like kids and not adults. (Example Ray in Jerry McGuire, and Opie on the Andy Griffith Show.)
Ferrell and Wahlberg are decent together. They are who they are, especially Farrell. It was good to see Linda Cardinelli back on the screen, been a long time since her wonderful stint on ER. There are some funny slapstick scenes and some really clever sights gags, but overall this is simply another Farrell comedy, that looks like the last one.
Daddy's Home. Same old thing, just a new wrapper. Some laughs, but a bunch of average.
This is a look at step-parenting through the prism of comedy. It's the story of how step and biological fathers can or cannot get along, all written through and extremely exaggerated story line featuring polar opposite characters and actors. All things being honest, there are some good laughs in this, and there is an attempted heart to be grown. But in the end, this turns out to be more mean spirited than maybe it was intended.
One of the main problems here is the writing, especially the part of the very young step children. Sadly, the writers chose to make them really selfish, heartless, even borderline unlikable. This was a chance to make this movie far better. Instead of allowing simply the adults to act like children to place the laughs on them. They also extended the children to act like shameful adults that puts their behavior in the same category. This was a colossal failure of this movie. Hard to cheer for kids with dirty mouths, and disrespectful attitudes. But the temptation is just too great and easy for them not to be so. If you think about it, every really great kid in a really great movie, they act like kids and not adults. (Example Ray in Jerry McGuire, and Opie on the Andy Griffith Show.)
Ferrell and Wahlberg are decent together. They are who they are, especially Farrell. It was good to see Linda Cardinelli back on the screen, been a long time since her wonderful stint on ER. There are some funny slapstick scenes and some really clever sights gags, but overall this is simply another Farrell comedy, that looks like the last one.
Daddy's Home. Same old thing, just a new wrapper. Some laughs, but a bunch of average.
Tuesday, December 22, 2015
MOVIE REVIEW - Sisters
Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are funny people. And they are funny together with a real nice chemistry. Too bad they are way funnier than this movie.
Sisters in it's idea is a good one. Two sisters all grown up, very different than one another, each with a well developed character. They are both at a crossroads in life, and each looking for whats next. But, as it always is with these kinds of movies the perfect answer for every major decision in life is have a huge party. That always fixes the problems.
Being more than honest here. This movie is two hours long, and if you want to spend the middle 90 minutes of it watching other people party, then this is your movie. Plain and simple, that's what this is. A bunch of middle aged friends drinking themselves into a coma. Don't get me wrong, there are some funny moments in this movie. Fey, Peohler and cast are very funny at times, with some real fun pop culture references, and some slick improv. But the trouble is, the script is just not very good. These two should have held out for a better one. A way better one, or written one themselves as they did not write or direct this one.
There just isn't enough here to support two hours. This would have been way better at 90 total minutes, as this wears out its welcome at about that mark. No one can deny these two are funny, and can do great things together. But overall, it just doesn't happen here.
Sisters. Like many of Fey's choices especially in movies, a big opportunity wasted.
Sisters in it's idea is a good one. Two sisters all grown up, very different than one another, each with a well developed character. They are both at a crossroads in life, and each looking for whats next. But, as it always is with these kinds of movies the perfect answer for every major decision in life is have a huge party. That always fixes the problems.
Being more than honest here. This movie is two hours long, and if you want to spend the middle 90 minutes of it watching other people party, then this is your movie. Plain and simple, that's what this is. A bunch of middle aged friends drinking themselves into a coma. Don't get me wrong, there are some funny moments in this movie. Fey, Peohler and cast are very funny at times, with some real fun pop culture references, and some slick improv. But the trouble is, the script is just not very good. These two should have held out for a better one. A way better one, or written one themselves as they did not write or direct this one.
There just isn't enough here to support two hours. This would have been way better at 90 total minutes, as this wears out its welcome at about that mark. No one can deny these two are funny, and can do great things together. But overall, it just doesn't happen here.
Sisters. Like many of Fey's choices especially in movies, a big opportunity wasted.
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