Ben Affleck’s (Gone Baby Gone, Live By Night) The Town was my favorite movie a few years ago. The Revenant has since replaced it, while The Shawshank Redemption will constantly vie for a top spot, but it’ll be a long time before The Town falls out of my Top 10. I’ve watched it three times (once in the theater), and I’ve enjoyed it just a little less with each viewing while appreciating it a little more with those watches. The Town also contains one of my all-time favorite scenes, the finale in Fenway Park depths.
Category Archives: Rebecca Hall
Christine (2016)
Rebecca Hall (The Gift, Everything Must Go) does what many actors and actresses have tried and failed to do…successfully portray a person with an untreated mental disorder. In this case, the mental disorder is depression. For many actresses, it is hard to put themselves in that mold if they’ve never directly that disorder. I’m not sure if Hall has ever experienced a major depressive episode in her life. Still, if she has not, she did a great job researching Christine Chubbuck and bringing this character to life in a way that makes you feel like she’s that one co-worker of yours who you know is struggling with life but doesn’t know bad it really is. Chubbuck, a reporter for Sarasota’s WXLT-TV news broadcast, made headlines when, while live on air, stated, “In keeping with Channel 40’s policy of bringing you the latest in ‘blood and guts,’ and in living color, you are going to see another first —attempted suicide” before shooting herself in the head and splattering blood against the back wall. She died later that evening in a local hospital.
Continue reading Christine (2016)
The Gift (2015)
Joel Edgerton’s (Warrior, Exodus: Gods and Kings) The Gift is easily the surprise hit of the summer. Creepy and suspenseful, this movie is a clinic on developing characters and entrenching viewers fully into the storyline. I saw the film in a probably 75% full theater, and you could hear a pin drop during the film’s quieter moments. Everyone was all-in on the story, and nobody seemed to know where it was headed because of the oohs and aahs at each new twist. Based on its 93% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, I did not doubt this movie would be good. However, I did not watch a preview beforehand (purposefully), nor did I know anything about the film other than when somebody said the night before my viewing that they heard it had a crazy twist. Therefore, before I get into my review, I would suggest stopping reading and avoiding as much reading or trailer-watching as possible about the film. Long story short, see the movie.
Continue reading The Gift (2015)
Transcendence (2014)
After months of hype, Wally Pfister’s directorial debut, Transcendence, was by its 19% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. I remember looking forward to this movie when I first heard about it. However, my hopes quickly extinguished when I saw how poorly the critics received it and how poorly it did at the box office. It grossed only $23 million domestically (although it did end up grossing $103 million worldwide, surpassing its $100 million budget barely and making it a slightly profitable movie). I thought that movie was not disappointing at all, but maybe misunderstood. It was slow (one of its significant gripes), but honestly, not any slower than Interstellar (which critics loved, made a ton of movies in the United States, and was released just a few short months earlier). I know I am in the minority when I say that, despite its limitations and shortcomings, which I will discuss, you should give the movie a chance.
Continue reading Transcendence (2014)
Iron Man 3 (2013)
So continues other comic book franchise on the big screen. The norm these days is if a movie can make $150 million domestically, sequel after sequel will continue to be made. I understand that. It makes sense. However, it doesn’t mean I have to continue supporting the franchise even if I consider the first movie in the series awesome. I usually give the series the benefit of the doubt if I like the first one. While I loved Iron Man, Iron Man 2 could have been better. There wasn’t the same kind of wow factor. It was still an ok superhero movie, but I never felt like what I watched was anything special. Such is the case with Iron Man 3. It is a very entertaining movie, but as will be the case with the almost certain Iron Man 4, Iron Man 5, etc., that unique originality feature that comes with every first movie in a series will be eliminated. So while I appreciate that attempts to make Iron Man 2, Iron Man 3, etc., entertaining movies, I won’t have much feeling other than been there/done that. I expect I will like each new film in the series a little less than the preview. That has certainly been the case thus far.
Continue reading Iron Man 3 (2013)