I wish Jason Patric (Downloading Nancy, Sleepers) would have landed a leading role on a gritty premium cable detective show (think of a darker True Detective that spanned multiple seasons with the same cast). His two best roles are that of an undercover narcotics officer willing to bend the law for the greater good. The first is the underrated Narc, a 2002 film that paired him opposite Ray Liotta. Eleven years earlier, Lili Fini Zanuck’s Rush further defined him as one of the most talented up-and-coming actors, following leading roles in movies like The Lost Boys, The Beast, and After Dark, My Sweet.
Category Archives: Sam Elliot
A Star Is Born (2018)
Boy, did I want to love this movie. Bradley Cooper’s debut directorial performance was so close to perfect and yet so far away at the same time. I have so much admiration for his vision and ambition for this movie that I want to give it credit even in the areas it struggled with. Watching it through the lens of a moviegoer looking for an escape rather than that of a wannabe movie critic would have allowed me to see past some of its many errors. Ultimately, however, this film was far too flawed to be a legitimate contender for Best Picture or Best Director, despite what many seem to be already predicting. I will touch on all of the good and all of the bad in what will be one of my more thorough reviews. From a personal standpoint, this movie will stick with me for a long time, and it will be a movie that I purchase on DVD in the future. It’s a movie that I will continue to admire for decades to come. It is also a movie that I will continue to have those “What If” questions about. The difference between A Star Is Born, and many other movies that I have “What If” questions about is I don’t necessarily have a band-aid fix on what Cooper could have done to improve his film. Instead, I have some general thoughts and ideas. But these thoughts and ideas are more easily said than done, and I completely understand that. Oh, and this review is full of spoilers without warning. Therefore, let this be your warning as you read my review.
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The Hero (2017)
When I randomly clicked “add to queue” when Netflix prompted me with this and five or six other movies based on a movie I did want to see, I really don’t remember anything strikingly vivid about the description other than reading it was a man who turned to drugs to deal with his pain. It was enough to earn a yes-click from me. I don’t even think the description had any of the actors’ names in it. So when the disc showed up in the mail, I tossed it to the side for a few days while watching other movies in my queue and some of my favorite shows. Then, on a lazy Sunday afternoon, I decided to give the movie a chance. I never thought it would be one that I would write about. In all honesty, I probably only review about 30-35% of the movies that I see. I require myself to review the ones that I think will be up for Oscar nominations and then pick and choose the other ones. I would say that more frequently than not, I avoid reviewing the big blockbusters. Director Brett Haley’s (I’ll See You in My Dreams, Hearts Beat Loud) 2017 The Hero was neither an Oscar contender nor a big blockbuster. And it was a movie that we’ve seen on screen many times (including two times a decade ago that earned their lead actors Oscar nominations) which would be another reason for me not to review it as I’m big on originality. But this movie kept me interested and invested in the characters while keeping me away from my phone, computer, or other distractions. When a movie can do that, I’ll often give it the benefit of the doubt and give it a review.
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