Reviewer: Pat Brennan ***GREAT FILM*** Birdman: Or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014) Rating: 4/4 Director: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu Writers: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Nicolas Gincobone, Alexander Dinelaris, & Armando Bo Cast: Michael Keaton, Emma Stone, Edward Norton, Naomi Watts, Zach Galifianakis, & Andrea Riseborough - Birdman is one of those films that can spark and influence a new generation of filmmakers. The idea of the whole film being one long tracking shot, paves the way for a new technique and a new idea on what it means to make a film. With strong performances from Keaton, Stone and Norton; Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (along with beautiful cinematography from Emmanuel Lubezki) is able to create this world that allows the audience to move along with the characters, almost as if we are observing each situation like a fly on the wall, moving from scene to scene. The film acts as though it is a play within a play that shows the behind the scenes of what it takes to put on a production of this scale. The main theme of the film seems to be about the redemption of the main character Riggan (Keaton), and his ability to resurrect himself from being out of the spotlight for so long. By batting his alter-ego that seems to follow him everywhere, Riggan tries to not only save the play that he has been working on for so long but also save his life in the process. This film will easily be looked at as one of the more important and influential films to come out in the 21st century. ——————————————– ***GREAT FILM*** Interstellar (2014) Rating: 4/4 Director: Christopher Nolan Writers: Jonathan Nolan & Christopher Nolan Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, John Lithgow, Michael Caine, Casey Affleck, Ellen Burstyn, Mackenzie Foy, Wes Bentley, Bill Irwin - The BEST film of 2014. Actually, one of the best of all time. Directed by the great Chris Nolan, Interstellar is one of the movies that comes around once every ten years or so and changes the view of cinema. Nolan creates these worlds that seem so imaginable and authentic that it is shame his films don't get the recognition they deserve. What particularly stood out to me the most was how Coopers' (McConaughey's) children were the complete opposite of each other, but were also two different versions of himself. His daughter resembled the hope for the future and the strive towards achieving a new life for humanity, while his son resembled the working-class farmer who was deeply rooted in family values and remained stuck in the past because he is a family man and puts his family before himself. There is a scene in particular where a moment between the two children shows who they are as individuals, but I don't want to spoil anything. I may do a review on this in the future and break down some scenes but for now just please go and check out this film (and Mike's review of it) if you haven't already. Trust me it is a masterpiece. ——————————————– ***GREAT FILM*** Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) Rating: 4/4 Director: James Gunn Writers: James Gunn, Nicole Perlman Cast: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Lee Pace, John C. Reilly, Glenn Close - Easily one of Marvel's best and most surprising films to date, Guardians of the Galaxy blends together humor and intense action in the way that Marvel has come to be known for. The story revolves around Peter Quill (Pratt) and his group of outlaws who band together to stop the evil forces that are threatening to take over the galaxy. With a rising star in Chris Pratt, an excellent supporting cast and memorable soundtrack, it is hard not to love what you are watching and feel emotionally connected to each member of the group. James Gunn has certainly brought forward a different tone which blends comedy, action and drama all in one, to the Marvel Universe. It will definitely be interesting to see where he expands that tone with Guardians of the Galaxy 2. It is safe to say that not only is Guardians a must see, but you will also be continuously saying, "I am Groot" long after the film has ended. ——————————————– ***GREAT FILM*** Walk the Line (2005) Rating: 4/4 Director: James Mangold Writers: Gill Dennis & James Mangold Cast: Joaquin Pheonix, Reese Witherspoon, Ginnifer Goodwin, Robert Patrick, Dallas Roberts - Walk the Line depicts the life of one of music's most controversial artists, Johnny Cash. Joaquin Pheonix, who plays Cash, delivers probably his best performance of his career and makes it hard to separate him from the real Johnny Cash. It is clear that Pheonix took time to study Cash and his behavior in order to generate a performance that should not be forgotten. Paired along side a phenomenal performance from Reese Witherspoon, who plays June Carter Cash, they both are able to escalate the film into one of the great biopics of our generation. ——————————————– ***GREAT FILM*** Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) Rating: 4/4 Director: Matt Reeves Writers: Mark Bomback, Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver Cast: Andy Serkis, Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman, Keri Russell, Toby Kebbell, Kodi Smith-McPhee - Dawn of the Planet of the Apes continues the story of Caesar from the first film (Rise of the Planet of the Apes), but this time the world has completely changed. Government and society ceases to exist. It is Man vs Ape and in this case, it becomes hard to choose a side. Director Matt Reeves does a superb job in exploring this apocalyptic world by showing how both species, Man and Ape, interact differently within the environment. The Apes are on the rise and are slowly taking over the landscape; starting with the forest. Man seems to be hiding in the abandoned cities, seeking any hope in order to survive in a world which they are struggling. Andy Serkis, once again, shows why he is the master of motion capture and delivers an outstanding performance as Caesar. It is a shame that the Academy continues to overlook is motion capture work. I hope someday he gets his recognition. The interactions between Caesar and Jason Clarke's character, Malcolm, are what drive the film forward because they both seem to want peace between the two species. What made an impression on me about this film was the fact that it became hard to pick a side on who is right. The lines between Man and Ape become blurred and it delivers a powerful theme that sits with you after the film has ended. That theme being who are we really when it comes down to surviving? With an extremely detailed environment, an excellent cast and a theme of man interacting with nature, it is safe to say that Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is one of the best films of 2014. ——————————————– ***GREAT FILM*** Edge of Tomorrow (2014) Rating: 4/4 Director: Doug Liman Writers: Christopher McQuarrie, Jez Butterworth & John-Henry Butterworth Cast: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Brenden Gleeson, Bill Paxton - Probably one of the more overlooked films of 2014, Edge of Tomorrow is able to rise to the occasion and deliver one of the best action stories we have seen in quite some time. Tom Cruise is one of the masters of the action genre and delivers again on the thrills we have come to know from him. Liman is able to deliver a story that keeps you on the edge of your seat with non-stop action and even some comedic moments. I thought that having the day repeat over and over again would get boring and lose me, but it most certainly did not. Emily Blunt also delivers a great performance and shows how strong of a female figure she is. She becomes the centralized character of the story and keeps the audience wanting more and more of her. Although it was released in early summer and sort of forgotten about towards the end of the year, it should not be overlooked. I don't want to delve too deep into the story without giving away any of the plot, so if you have not seen this film go check it out now! ——————————————– ***GREAT FILM*** Beauty and the Beast (1991) Rating: 4/4 Directors: Gary Trousdale & Kirk Wise Writer: Lina Woolverton Cast (voice): Robby Benson, Rex Everhart, Angela Lansbury, Paige O'Hara, Jesse Corti, Jerry Orbach, David Ogden Stiers, Bradley Pierce - Arguably one of the greatest Disney animated films of all time (second to The Lion King), Beauty and the Beast shows how an animated feature film can aspire to become something that will stand the test of time. If you do not know the story by now, which I don't know how you wouldn't, it is about a Prince who becomes transformed into a Beast and has to find true love in order to break the spell, or he risks being trapped inside the Beast's body for the rest of his life. What this film draws on well are strong themes about becoming an adult. One aspect is to not judge someone by the way they look or act. Everyone is quick to judge the Beast because of his looks. Belle starts to do this, but slowly is able to break away at who the Beast is on the inside and the real person he is. She is the only one who really gives him a chance and does not judge him by the way he looks. Another theme that this film draws on, is to be an independent thinker and stand out by talking against society when you sense that something is wrong. Become an independent person and stick up for something you believe in or love; in this case it is Belle's feelings towards the Beast. Beauty and the Beast is more than just a children's film. It allows audiences of all different generations and backgrounds to be drawn into the story and relate to it in a way that they might have never noticed before. It will always be considered as one of the greatest and most influential animated films of all time. ——————————————– ***GREAT FILM*** X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) Rating: 4/4 Director: Bryan Singer Writer: Simon Kinberg Cast: Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Ellen Page, Peter Dinklage, Halle Berry, Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, Evan Peters, Josh Helman - Bryan Singer is able to create what is probably the best X-Men film to date. X-Men: Days of Future Past brings essentially all of the X-Men characters that we have seen in the films and creates an environment that blends the future within the past. We get to see McAvoy and Fassbender reprise their roles as a young Professor X and Magneto, as well as see their future selves, played by the superb Sir Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian McKellen. The story is well crafted and thought-out, which allows the audience to feel placed in the world of the characters and brings us along for a ride that does not let up. Singer does have his own "Rogue-Cut" of the film coming out soon that will provide 20 more minutes, which will bring the character of Rogue into the film. It will be interesting to see if that cut changes the feel of this film or not. For now though, X-Men: Days of Furture past lives up to the hype and provides a rich story, blended with excellent action. Bring on X-Men: Apocalypse. ——————————————– ***GREAT FILM*** Jurassic Park (1993) Rating: 4/4 Director: Steven Spielberg Writers: Michael Crichton & David Koepp Cast: Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough, Bob Peck, Martin Ferrero, Joseph Mazzello, Ariana Richards, Samuel L. Jackson, Wayne Knight - Steven Spielberg's Sci-fi/Adventure, Jurassic Park, is highly regarded as one of the defining films over the last 25 years. The story centers around a tour of a futuristic theme park, created by John Hammond (Attenborough), that inhabits cloned dinosaurs as the main attraction. When a major power outage causes the dinosaurs to escape their enclosures, everyone on the island must find a way off before they are killed. The film tackles the theme of "Man vs. Nature vs. Technology" with the idea that Man cannot just create things, or species in this case, just because they have the ability to. They cannot be too quick to judge and control those creations because Nature always finds a way, which in this case it turns around to literally bit them in the ass. Spielberg has created a world that is very realistic and allows the audience to also take a tour of the park to see how dangerous these dinosaurs can be. This is truly a film that has influenced many young filmmakers in the world today and it is a landmark of an achievement. Spielberg is a master filmmaker. ——————————————– ***GREAT FILM*** Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
Rating: 4/4 Directors: Anthony Russo & Joe Russo Writers: Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely Cast: Chris Evans, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Robert Redford, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Cobie Smulders, Frank Grillo, Emily VanCamp, Hayley Atwall, Toby Jones - Captain America: The Winter Soldier is another massive hit for the Marvel franchise. This time around Captain America (Evans) and Black Widow (Johnasson) must battle a new threat in the Winter Soldier, as S.H.I.E.L.D. starts to unravel. The Russo brothers are able to establishes themselves as intense action directors that spare no expense when trying to make everything as realistic as possible. I think what makes this film stand out amongst the other Marvel films is the tone and feel of it is just something we haven't seen with this franchise. There was a lot of grit and heart within the story which furthered developed the characters we have already known, into becoming the true leaders that we have come to love. The acting was top notch (especially Redford as Pierce) which allowed the film to flow smoothly and draw the audience in. Like Guardians of the Galaxy, Captain America: The Winter Soldier shines as one of the best and boldest entries in the Marvel universe. ——————————————–
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Pat Brennan: Recent Film grad from Temple University with a love for all aspects of film. David Fincher for life. Archives
September 2016
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