Movie Review: Blaze (2018)

Biopics are fascinating. They give us a glimpse into a real life individual’s personal life, while also trying to provide a couple hours of entertainment. And striking the right balance between fact and compelling drama can be tough. But some people manage it.

Disclaimer: I know this thing is based on a true story, but I will not base my review on how perfectly accurate to the real situation it may or may not be, but I will instead judge it as a movie… which it is. Disclaimer over.

Ladies and gentlemen… “Blaze”.

The story follows the life and times of Blaze Foley (Ben Dickey), a raggedy man with a talent for music. From his humble beginnings, and through the highs and lows, including his marriage to Sybil Rosen (Alia Shawkat), we get a good glimpse into Foley’s life. And I think that the plot here is really good. There are elements that we recognize from other biopics, but the way they’re used throughout “Blaze” feels fresh, due to the gentle and nuanced writing. It creates a fascinating tale that can be as heartbreaking as it is warmly nostalgic. The deliberately slow pace might prove a bit frustrating for some, but I thought it worked very well for the story here.

The characters here are flawed, nuanced, charming, and overall feel very real. Ben Dickey plays the titular musician. A likable man with a lot of tragic flaws. Seeing his journey as a character here is really fascinating, and I really grew to care about him. And Dickey is great in the role. Alia Shawkat plays Sybil Rosen, a woman and aspiring actress/writer that Blaze has a committed relationship with. The journey she has here, which really are the ups and downs of being with Blaze, is really interesting, and makes her an interesting and sympathetic character. And Shawkat is really good in the role. We also get supporting work from people like Charlie Sexton, Josh Hamilton, Wyatt Russell, and more, all doing very well in their respective roles.

As this is a biopic about a musician, it should be expected that one would hear a lot of songs from said artist throughout. You’d be correct in that assumption, you do hear a lot of Foley’s music here… and I love it. Not only because the music is incredibly well written, but also because the way it’s implemented in the storytelling is absolutely wonderful. So yeah, the music here is great.

Based on “Living in the Woods in a Tree: Remembering Blaze Foley” (bit of a mouthful) by Sybil Rosen, this movie was written by Ethan Hawke & Sybil Rosen, with Hawke also handling directing. And the craft here is wonderful. It has a warmness to it, and a willingness to just sit down and really get to know these characters, not always feeling the need to get to the next “big event”. Like I said in the story bit, the pacing is deliberately slow, and the direction embraces that and turns it into some truly compelling stuff. And the cinematography by Steve Cosens helps kind of give it all a nostalgic storybook feeling that really adds to the experience.

This movie has been pretty well received. On Rotten Tomatoes it has a 95% positive rating and a “Fresh” certification. On Metacritic it has a score of 75/100. And on imdb.com it has a score of 6,7/10.

“Blaze” is a wonderful movie about a very interesting man. It has a really good plot, good characters, great performances, great music, and great writing/directing/cinematography. Time for my final score. *AHEM*. My final score for “Blaze” is a 9,77/10. So it gets the “SEAL OF APPROVAL!”.

My review of “Blaze” is now completed.

That was a nice experience.

Movie Review: Mr. Right (2016)

Love is hard. Some find the one, some find assholes, and some find a person who just isn’t a perfect match. Really, love as a concept is a fucking mess.

Ladies and gentlemen… “Mr. Right”.

Martha (Anna Kendrick) recently went through a really bad breakup and it has sort of messed with her head quite a bit. That’s when she meets Francis (Sam Rockwell), a kind of eccentric guy who just seems like he’s the perfect guy for her. What she doesn’t know is that Francis is a world-known hitman. So we follow their relationship evolve as Francis tries to avoid local gangsters and a ruthless agent (Tim Roth) who seems to have a connection of sorts to Francis. And look, I’m not gonna sit here and pretend like this thing is the most well written or most original plot ever… but I also don’t care, because it’s just a fun and entertaining plot. It’s just a fun and fast-paced romantic comedy/action-thriller plot. And in that way I think it works quite well.

The characters here are all interesting and entertaining. Anna Kendrick plays Martha, a young woman who’s become a bit weird after a really bad breakup. And through the movie we see her evolve a bit as a character, while still being overall fun throughout. And Kendrick is really good in the role. Sam Rockwell plays Francis, the strange man/hitman that Martha forms a relationship with. He’s charming, he’s funny, he’s badass, and just overall a really interesting character that we learn a couple things about throughout, deepening him a bit. And Rockwell is just awesome in the role. And I have to say that Kendrick and Rockwell share some really solid chemistry here, making the scenes they have together much more entertaining. Then we have Tim Roth as Hopper, a sort of agent on the hunt for Francis. We learn pretty early on that he has a connection of some kind to Francis, making his chase a bit more intriguing. And Roth is great in the role. Then we get some really solid supporting work from people like James Ransone, Anson Mount, Michael Eklund, RZA, Katie Nehra, and more. ’tis a well acted movie with fun characters.

The score for the movie was composed by Aaron Zigman and I thought it was good. It’s not mindblowing in any way, but it’s fun and exciting enough to help the movie in elevating certain moments throughout. There were also multiple licensed tracks used throughout, and they too worked quite well in their respective scenes.

This movie was directed by Paco Cabezas, and I think he did a really good job with that. While the direction in quieter moments never reaches above average, it’s in the action scenes that Cabezas direction truly comes alive. His direction for the action is fast, stylish, and just overall has a great sense of fun about it. Whether it’s a melee fight or a shootout, the action here never failed to keep me entertained. Sure, I would’ve liked the amount of cuts within certain action bits to be reduced, but it wasn’t too bad. And let’s talk about the humor in this movie, since it’s a comedy. It’s funny, I laughed. Sure, it’s not the funniest comedy ever, but it got a fairly consistent amount of chuckles and laughs from me.

This movie has gotten some mixed reception. On Rotten Tomatoes it has a 43% positive rating. On Metacritic it has a score of 52/100. And on imdb.com it has a score of 6,3/10.

Is “Mr. Right” one of the best movies ever? No. But it’s a highly enjoyable romantic comedy/action-thriller. It has a good plot, really good characters, great performances, good music, and really good directing/action/comedy. Time for my final score. *Ahem*. My final score for “Mr. Right” is a 9,53/10. Which means that it gets the “SEAL OF APPROVAL!”.

My review of “Mr. Right” is now completed.

Now you got something to watch for valentine’s next week… other than “Black Panther”.

Movie Review: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)

Ah, limited releases. I don’t like you. It’s stupid. Just let everybody get movies at the same time. Stop with the limited bullshit. I don’t like getting shit late.

Ladies and gents… “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”.

When the local police fails to find whoever killed her daughter, Mildred Hayes (Frances McDormand) aims to get their attention using three billboards located just outside of the town. And soon enough Mildred finds herself having a bit of a feud with the local police. And despite what the trailers might’ve indicated, this isn’t so much a crazy Coen-y comedy as much as it is a drama featuring bursts of dark comedy. Yes, there are parts in this movie that are of a more comedic nature, but this is for the most part a layered and emotionally charged drama. And I found myself engaged by this plot from start to finish. This is one of the few movies I’ve watched recently where I’ve felt emotionally invested. I might’ve been interesting and somewhat engaged by other movies, but none of them have been able to grab me quite as much as “Three Billboards”. It’s a fantastic plot.

The characters here are deep, interesting, engaging, entertaining, and they felt real (even amidst some of the crazier moments). Frances McDormand plays Mildred Hayes, the lady utilizing the title of the movie. She’s tough and determined, but she also has a more vulnerable side that comes froth every now and then. She feels like a fully fleshed out character and I really cared about her. And McDormand is of course fantastic in the role. Woody Harrelson plays William Willoughby, the chief of police in Ebbing, Missouri. He’s a family man who wants to find whoever killed Mildred’d daughter, but he can’t exactly do it. There’s also another aspect to the character that I won’t go into, but it does add another emotional layer to him. And Harrelson is great in the role. Then we have Sam Rockwell as Jason Dixon, a police officer. He’s a racist, bigoted, sack of fucking shit. And he does have an interesting arc in this movie that I won’t go into, but I found it quite engaging. And Rockwell is absolutely fantastic in the role. And then we get some supporting performances from people like John Hawkes, Peter Dinklage, Lucas Hedges, Kerry Condon, Abbie Cornish, Caleb Landry Jones, Zeljko Ivanek, Amanda Warren, and more. And they range from okay to great. ’tis a well acted movie.

The score for the movie was composed by Carter Burwell and it was terrific. It was dramatic, emotional, tense, and just overall well composed. It worked very well for the scenes it was used in, adding a lot to those scenes. There were also a bunch of licensed tracks used throughout, and they were all used very well in their respective scenes. This movie has some damn good music.

This movie was written and directed by Martin McDonagh, and I think he did a fantastic job on both those fronts. The movie is very well directed, with him managing to fully engage me in a scene. He even managed to get some decent tension out of a couple moments in the movie. And the writing is of course on point. It’s engaging and and fully grips ya. And let’s talk about the humor here. It’s darker than the asshole of black void. it made me cringe but it also made me laugh quite a bit. And it works very well with the drama of the movie. The balance is perfect, and McDonagh manages to get a very good flow between the two without making any of it feel jarring. And the cinematography by Ben Davis is really good, giving us some damn pretty shots.

This movie has been very well received. On Rotten Tomatoes it has a 93% positive rating and a “Fresh” certification. On Metacritic it has a score of 88/100. And on imdb.com it has a score of 8,3/10 and is ranked #129 on the “Top 250” list.

“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” is another win for Martin McDonagh, it’s absolutely fantastic. It has a fantastic plot, great characters, fantastic performances, great music, and fantastic directing/cinematography/humor. Time for my final score. *Ahem*. My final score for “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” is a 9,89/10. Which means that it gets the “SEAL OF APPROVAL!”.

My review of “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” is now completed.

Sam Rockwell better get an Oscar.

“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” trailer!

Hello there, guys. Hope you’re all having a good day! Another interesting trailer has been released… so let’s fuckin’ talk about it.

We now have our first trailer for “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” (god damn, what a mouthful!), the newest movie from writer/director Martin McDonagh. So what is this all about then? Well, it’s about a woman (Frances McDormand) who after the unsolved murder of her daughter puts up some billboards trying to get the attention of the police. And then dark crime stuff ensues. I am a big fan of McDonagh two previous movies “In Bruges” and “Seven Psychopaths”, so my expectations are quite high. So what do I think of this trailer? Yeah, it’s fun. It looks like it will be as darkly funny as his previous movies which is something I love about it. The language is as vulgar as I expected and the delivery from the acotrs is perfect. So am I looking forward to this? Hell fucking yes! “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” doesn’t have a set release date, but it’s expected to be released this year.

So what are your thoughts? Are you looking forward to “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” (Seriously, what a mouthful)? And are you a fan of any of McDonagh’s previous works. Leave any and all answers in the comments!
Have a good one and enjoy!

Movie Review: The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)

You alread know I love westerns, I have said it more times than one would like to hear about it. But those that you know I love (A.K.A. the ones I have reviewed/mentioned) are mainly your typical romanticized westerns, rather than a more serious and dramatic look at those times. So I am curious to see what I would think of a more serious and dramatic western. Where am I going with this? I am reviewing one of those today.

Ladies and gents… “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” (What a mouthful).

This is one of those plots that has a climax that is impossible to spoil. Why? Because it is in hte fucking title! Sorry, didn’t wanna be mean, let’s just talk about the plot. Ever since he was a child, Robert Ford (Casey Affleck) has idolized the outlaw Jesse James (Brad Pitt). So when he joins his game at the age of 19, he of course finds it great. But over the years he starts to become more and more bitter about Jesse and eventually kind of resents him. Which of course leads to the event in the title of the movie, the murder of Jesse James as carried out by Robert Ford. And even basically knowing how it was gonna end, I was still riveted by the story. As the nerd that I am, I knew a lot about this with the whole Ford killing James and Ford’s eventual fate, but I was still stunned how well it was presented in this movie. What I liked about the story is how it never favored anyone and made them look like the good guy or the bad guy, everyone was in a more neutral space. The plot also hit me very hard with how emotional it could get and by how shocking it could be at times. And while I won’t compare it to “American History X”, it still had the effect on me as when I first watched that movie. And I love that feeling, when a movie manages to hit you very hard in every way possible.

The characters are all very entertaining to watch, but they also feel like they could be real people. Brad Pitt is fantastic as Jesse James, giving one of the best (in my opinion) performances of his career. Casey Affleck was also pretty fucking great in the movie. But I have also never seen him give a bad performance. We also got a fantastic supporting cast, all who give great performances, let me round ’em up. Sam Shepard, Mary-Lousie Parker, Sam Rockwell, Garret Dillahunt, Paul Schneider, this is a great cast and it was used perfectly. Everybody gets time to shine and I love it.

The score for the movie was done by Nick Cave & Warren Ellis and it might be one of the best ones I have ever heard. It manages to create a sense of dramatic tension while also being very emotional. It really manages to fit into every category perfectly. It is really the definition of a perfect score that not only fits the movie it’s used in, but also turns out to be overall fantastic.

I don’t wanna disappoint you, so I’ll talk about the shootouts since this technically is a western movie. They aren’t really the types of shootouts you usually see in westerns, these are smaller and a little more quiet. But they fit very well into it all since this isn’t a big, action-packed western, but more of a drama about characters set in western times. So the movie doesn’t really need shootouts, but the (small) ones in the movie are good and fit well enough.

This movie was written and directed by Andrew Dominik and I think he succeeded in both aspects. The writing is some of the most tight and well-written I have ever experienced in a movie. And the directing is pretty fantastic. The camera movements are fantastic and you see that Dominik has a lot of skill as a director despite only having directed one movie prior to this. I also love the cinematography by Roger Deakins, it looks fantastic (as usual), I especially love the shots they have in the big and open landscapes, they are incredibly beautiful.

This movie has been well-received. On Rotten Tomatoes it has a 76% positive rating with a “Fresh” certification. On Metacritic it has a score of 68/100. Roger Ebert gave the movie 3,5/4 stars. And on imdb.com it has a score of 7,6/10. The movie was also nominated for 2 Oscars in the categories of Best Supporting Actor (Affleck) and Best Cinematography. 

“The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” is not only a mouthful of a title, but it is also a pretty amazing movie. It has a terrific & emotional story, fantastic characters & performances, fantastic music, great direction, great writing and fantastic cinematography. Time for my final score. *Bang*. My final score for “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” is a 9,90/10. It definitely deserves the one and only “SEAL OF APPROVAL!”.

“The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” is now reviewed.

The Assassination of What a Mouthful by Markus.

Movie Review: Moon (2009)

I am a huge fan of sci-fi movies. Of course it started pretty early with “Star Wars” when I was about six. And after that I have seen a whole bunch more sci-fi movies that have just made me love them even more. It especially pleases me when I find a sci-fi movie that happens to be pretty different from other ones. A pretty good example was last year’s “Interstellar”. And today we are taking a look at a pretty different sci-fi movie.

Men and women… “Moon”.

In this movie science has found a way to stop energy problems by mining gases… on the moon! And we get to follow astronaut Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) who works with mining these gases. He works there with his AI computer GERTY (Kevin Spacey, hehe… Space-y). But soon Sam’s three year contract is going out and he will get to go home to his family. But during these remaining two weeks he starts to discover some secrets he never thought he would find. And I will not say anymore as this is a plot best experienced. That’s right, I fucking loved the plot to this movie! It was deep, it was suspenseful and it threw a few pretty good curve balls.

The character of Sam Bell is troubled in a few ways and I’m not saying more about that. What I can say however is that Sam Rockwell was incredible! I have been a fan of his for quite some times now but none of his other performances I have seen have been this fantastic! So many little nuances in his performance. He also portrayed a lot of different emotions perfectly. And Kevin Spacey (Space-y… hehe) was good as this AI. When playing an artificial intelligence you don’t have to pull off many emotions and therefore it wasn’t fantastic, but it was still good. What, you expected GERTY to sound like Verbal Kint or something?

The score for the movie was done by Clint Mansell and once again he delivered. The music is atmospheric, haunting and emotional all at once. All thanks to Mansell’s fantastic composition. And the classic Mansell piano makes a triumphant return in this movie!

This movie was the directorial debut of Duncan Jones and holy shit did he make a great first impression. He has perfect control over the camera work in this movie and makes everything look great. The direction is also kind suspenseful. Fun fact: Duncan Jones is actually the son of musician David Bowie… just wanted to mention that. You know what else I can praise? The sets and visual effects. Both of those things were incredible in the movie! The sets look great and had been perfectly set up! And the visual effects were breathtaking to say the least. Sure, “Interstellar” looked a little better, but these were still pretty fucking great. And the writing in the movie was also really good, the dialogue that occasionally occured was great.

This is a pretty well-received movie. On Rotten Tomatoes it has an 89% positive rating with a “Fresh” certification. On Metacritic it has a score of 67/100. Roger Ebert gave the movie 3,5/4 stars. And on imdb.com the movie has a score of 8,0/10.

Guys… “Moon” has a fantastic plot, a fantastic performance from Sam Rockwell, a fantastic score by Clint Mansell and some of the greatest direction/visual effects/sets I have ever seen. TIme for my final score. *Cough* My final score for “Moon” is a 9,90/10. I loved everything about it and of course it gets the “SEAL OF APPROVAL!”

“Moon” is now reviewed.

Kevin Space-y… hehe…

My Favorite Scenes: Confessions of a Dangerous Mind – Can’t Help Falling in Love

Hello people! I know, I know. Two posts the same day and also pretty tight on each other, it is annoying. But I felt like I had to share this one thing. As you know, this “series” was created for me to be able to share My Favorite Scenes from movies/TV with you guys. And I just reviewed a movie with an (in my opinion) incredible scene that I just had to share. It is a scene from the 2002 biographical crime-comedy “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind” that features our main guy Chuck Barris (Sam Rockwell) looking at his life while someone at his game show/talents show sings “Can’t Help Falling in Love” by Elvis Presley (Pretty awfully if you ask me). But having the imagery in combination with the song jsut resonated with me so well that I couldn’t help falling in love with it (See what I did there?). I love this scene and I hope you do to… after you see the movie of course.
Enjoy!

Movie Review: Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002)

Biographical pictures (Or Bio-pics for you lazy folks) is one of the touchiest subjects within movies. People always complain “Ugh, that shit didn’t actually happen!” or “He wasn’t like that, you portrayed him wrong!”. I can see why people have a tendency to complain about things like that. So that is why I have chosen to look at movies from the standpoint of seeing it as a movie and judging it as a movie rather than judge it based on how exact it is to the actual events portrayed. So let’s look at a bio-pic that seems like it couldn’t have been real in any way. But in some aspects it apparently was…

Ladies and gentlemen… “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind”.

This movie is about ascent and eventual decline of game show host and alleged CIA hitman Chuck Barris (Sam Rockwell). We get to see his life from his point of view as he tries to become a big and respected guy within the media industry while also being a hitman hired by Jim Byrd (George Clooney). We also get a look into his personal life with his girlfriend/future wife Penny (Drew Barrymore). The way this story is shown is through a mix of seeing the actors do what they are paid and then at a few points we get to see interviews with some people who have actually met Chuck. And all this help conjure up a very interesting and unconventional plot. I was very entertained by the plot of this movie and I loved seeing how it unfolded in this very unconventional style.

The characters are all very colorful, realistic and amazingly written. They all feel like real people in this big web of deception and entertainment. And I am so happy to say (like most times) that Sam Rockwell gives a terrific performance in this movie. He really brings Barris to life with a lot of energy, style and humanity. I mean, he shines in the scenes where he gets to show a lot of emotion in one way or another. And I can safely say that all actors in the movie were great.

The odd thing about this movie is that there is no original score for the movie. Usually you can find at least a few tracks that a composer has created, but there is no real “original score”. On the otehr hand there are a lot of licensed tracks from the era(s) that the movie is set in (Sidenote: The movie is set during the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s). And the music used in the movie fits every scene perfectly and just helps set the mood throughout the movie. I loved listening to the music throughout.

This movie was directed by George Clooney and holy shit is it well-directed. I find it difficult to comprehend the fact that this was Clooney’s directorial debut. It is stylish and got a lot of falir and energy in it’s direction.  One example I can give where the direction combined with music and acting just shined and resonated deeply with me was a scene in the movie where Chuck was looking at his life a bit while “Can’t help falling in love with you) by Elvis was played in the background. That scene was just great. And after a little bit of research I found out one interesting thing about the real life story; Barris may or may not have made up the fact that he killed people for CIA… but I don’t care. He wrote it in his book, it made it into the movie and it made the plot a whole lot more interesting. Like I said, I judge the movie as a movie rather than judging it as a real life story. Just thought the fact could be fun to mention.

This movie was pretty well-received even if it didn’t do great at the box office. On Rotten Tomatoes the movie has a 79% positive rating with a “Fresh” certification. On Metacritic it has a score of 67/100. Roger Ebert gave the movie a score of 3,5/4 stars. And on imdb.com it has a score of 7,1/10.

“Confessions of a Dangerous Mind” has an unconventional and interesting plot with great writing, great acting, great use of music, splendid direction from George Clooney. Time for my final score. And the winner is… this one. My final score for “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind” is a 9,84/10. It of course receives the “SEAL OF APPROVAL!”

“Confessions of a Dangerous Mind” is finally reviewed.

I am usually not a guy who tries to push my opinion onto people, but I feel like my thoughts on bio-pics are the way to go. Don’t believe it’s a good idea? Go watch John Flickster explain it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rI8HFD_YVw

 

Movie Review: The Way Way Back (2013)

I am gonna be completely honest with you, summer is not really my favorite time of year. It is too warm, there are mosquitos everywhere and people expect you to throw off all your clothes for like swimming trunks or bikinis or whatever you are expected to wear. I am a guy who prefer to sit inside all day and watch movies rather than walk around outside without a shirt. Plus, it is not the best time for me since I got pollen allergy. I am more of a spring/autumn guy. But alas, I have to endure the summer every fucking year. Is there anything about the usmmer that I like? Yes… movies set during the summer. And today we are taking a look at such a movie.

Ladies and gentlemen… “The Way Way Back”!

This movie is about the story of shy 14-year old Duncan (Liam James). He and his mother Pam (Toni Collette) are going with Pam’s boyfriend Trent (Steve Carell) and his daughter Steph (Zoe Levin) to their summer house near a beach. Of course Duncan isn’t too happy about it considering he is shy and a little antisocial. But one day when he goes to the water park “Water Wizz” he meets a man named Owen (Sam Rockwell) who he quickly befriends and starts haning with every day. Hell, Owen even gives him a job at the park where he gets to meet the employees there and just have something to do all day… but neither his mom nor Trent knows about this little new occupation of this. And this is kind of what we get. We get to see Duncan interact with the people who work at the park and also see how his friendship with Owen evolves. We also get to see how Duncan’s relationship with his mom and “family” kind of bounces around. And I have to say I really liked the story of “The Way Way Back”. Sure, some things in it are very familiar and not original but that is not the idea of a thing like this. The idea of a thing like this is to take those familiar things but keep them entertaining in it’s own way. And this movie does this perfectly. The story was fun.

The characters in this movie are perfectly portrayed. Not jsut in the acting department, but also because they are very well-written. The characters are very realistic and have some really good dialogue. I also feel like all the characters are very unique and feel different from each other (in a good way). For example, Liam James plays the shy yet likeable main character in this movie, he is just a guy who you know you will like. Then we got Steve Carell who surprisingly plays a pretty convincing dick in this movie. Not saying he is completely unlikeable, he just happens to be a bit of a dick. And I can’t hold it anymore… Sam Rockwell in this movie is honestly fantastic! He was really made to play this character, just like him this character is wise-cracking and full of energy and he did it perfectly. I also think his and Liam James’ chemistry was fantastic. It is rare for me to see that kind of chemistry these days. So as you may have guessed, I liked the characters in the movie.

The music is kind of interesting because the majority of tracks you here are licensed tracks. Sure, there are a bunch of original tracks as well done by Rob Simonsen that all work, but you don’t notice them as much. And I have to admit that the licensed tracks didn’t really bother me. I actually think they worked to really sell the summer-feel of this movie. And I have to say that the tracks were pretty enjoyable. And the original score was good as well.

The camera work, while not groundbreaking, was still really good. The camera guy for this movie really knew how to frame a scene and just make the entire thing look good. I also feel like I have to touch on how this movie isn’t a straight up comedy but rather a comedy with a fair amount of dramatic bits. Sure, none of the dramatic parts made me cry, but they did actually get to me. And I have to say that at first I thought “Okay this movie is pretty okay”. But as I got further into it I really started liking it more and more.

This movie was pretty well-received by both critics and audience members alike. On Rotten Tomatoes this movie has an 85% positive rating with a “Fresh” certification. On Metacritic it has a score of 68/100. And finally on imdb.com it has a 7,4/10.

“The Way Way Back” is a movie filled with a ton of funny moments, some good drama, a ton of good performances and a lot of heart. It also has one really catchy soundtrack. So maybe it is time to hand out my final score. My Final score for “The Way Way Back” is surprisingly a 9,55/10 which grants it the “SEAL OF APPROVAL!”. I was really surprised how much I liked this.

“The Way Way Back” is now reviewed.

A summer movie in october… weird.

Movie Review: The Green Mile (1999)

Stephen King is one of those authors that writes stuff the majority of people who read it like. Personally I am a big fan of his “Dark Tower” series. Most people know King for his horror novels like “The Shining”, “It” and “The Monkey”. What some people maybe didn’t know is the fact that he also writes drama…yeah. Does “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption” sound familiar? Well if it doesn’t, then you have missed out on the thick words there and with that, something great. But today we are taking a look at another one of his dramas, in movie format.

Ladies and gentlemen, the most voted movie in my poll…”The Green Mile”!

Paul Edgecomb (Tom Hanks) is a guard on death row. More specifically he is a guard at the death row called “The Green Mile” (Roll credits). He works there with his colleagues Brutus “Brutal” Howell (David Morse), Dean Stanton (Barry Pepper), Harry Terwilliger (Jeffrey DeMunn) and Percy Wetmore (Doug Hutchison). They have a bunch of different criminals in there. But one day they get a special new addition to the group of criminals in there…a huge black man named John Coffey (Michael Clarke Duncan, R.I.P) who was arrested for the (this is not fun to say) rape and murder of two young girls. Sounds like a scary guy huh? But when he walks in he acts like the biggest softy ever (Scared of the dark, very polite and doesn’t seem like a troublemaker at all). Soon after, Paul and crew will find out that this man has a mysterious “gift”. Now that is all I can say about the plot without going into too many spoilers. Now, like most Stephen King stories, this is incredibly complex. And for you people out there who think complex only means “Mindfuck”…you’re wrong. For a story to be, all it needs are several layers…not necessarily mindfucking. And with that I have to say that “The Green Mile” succeeds with it’s multi-layered story and general well done execution. Not only is it a good story on paper, it is also really well done. But that is something director Frank Darabont is really good at (See “Shawshank Redemption”). With an original plot by Stephen King, an adapted screenplay and direction by Frank Darabont, the story comes together nicely.

The characters in this movie have more layers to them than a wedding cake. Not only are they incredibly well-written, but the actors are fantastic! I was especially impressed by Michael Clarke Duncan…that dude did a fantastic job in this movie. I was also happily surprised to see Barry Pepper in a really good role (considering he would do the worst movie I’ve ever seen one year later). One thing when it comes to the actors really surprised me. One of the inmates at the place was played by Sam Fucking Rockwell…wow. I am a big fan of his, so seeing him in this movie (pulling off a fantastic performance). You really thought he was this psycho hillbilly. So in general, characters have many layers and the actors are fantastic.

The music…oh my fucking god, the music. The soundtrack by Thomas Newman is fantastic. I am really surprised it didn’t get nominated for an Oscar. It is your typical oschestral/beautiful drama soundtrack…but that is why it is as fantastic as it is. It is your typical thing…but it is so well done that I don’t mind. It is as I always say…the idea can be as generic as it can get, as long as it is executed in a really good way.

The camera work…nothing special there. It is good, nothing more. I can also mention that this movie left me crying. If a movie can make me cry…good job you bastards (who worked on the movie), you won! Also, did I mention Sam Rockwell was in this movie? What? I did? Oh well, rather one time too much than one time too few. I was also very surprised how funny it got at a few point in the movie…good job Frank Darabont, your comedy in your drama doesn’t feel forced. Might also be good to mention that it is three hours long…so prepare.

Time for the reception of this little movie. Let’s see here…we have an 80% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes with a “Fresh” certification. Metacritic is by far the lowest with a score of 61/100 (damn). Roger Ebert gave it 3,5/4 stars, and I quote

The film is a shade over three hours long. I appreciated the extra time, which allows us to feel the passage of prison months and years.

This movie has a score of 8,5 on imdb.com and is ranked #46 on the Top 250 list (as of this review). The movie was also nominated for 4 Oscars. Best Picture, Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Michael Clarke Duncan), Best adapted screenplay, Best sound.

This movie has a lot of depth in it’s story, the actors are fantastic, the music in fantastic, the camera work is good and it has Sam Rockwell (Okay, I’m done with that now). The only thing dragging the score down a bit is the knowledge of this movie being three hours long…even though it only feels like two and a half. But it also gets a pat on the back for making me leave it with tears in my eyes. And now I am ready to give this movie my final score. “The Green Mile” gets a score of 9,72/10 which not only requires you to add it to your collection, but also gives it the “SEAL OF APPROVAL!”.

Review of “The Green Mile” is completed.

I should probably go find the book somewhere. Also, R.I.P Michael Clarke Duncan.