Here are a few other films that I have seen and rated. For some of the films I will write a brief sentence or so on what I thought. Reviewer: Pat Brennan Audrie & Daisy (2016) Rating: 3/4 Directors: Bonnie Cohen, Jon Shenk - Netflix's new eye-opening documentary follows two different stories of teenage sexual assault in high school. What I think the documentary does well is show the role that social media can portray when it comes to these types of cases. Even though these two teens were sexually assaulted at such a young age, it is still pretty insane to see how the communities react to the events. The documentary does try to compare the two situations of both Audrie and Daisy, but it still leaves you wanting to hear more of their stories. While I feel that the film should have been more centered around Daisy's story, I do believe that it does enough to garner a watch. ——————————————– The BFG (2016) Rating: 3/4 Director: Steven Spielberg Writer: Melissa Mathison Cast: Mark Rylance, Ruby Barnhill, Penelope Wilton, Jemaine Clement, Rebecca Hall, Rafe Spall, Bill Hadar ——————————————– Suicide Squad (2016) Rating: 2/4 Director: David Ayer Writer: David Ayer Cast: Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Viola Davis, Jared Leto, Ike Barinholtz, David Harbour, Jai Courtney, Jay Hernandez, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Cara Delevigne, Joel Kinnaman, Scott Eastwood, Adam Beach, Karen Fukuhara - Looking back on Suicide Squad I feel as though I watched two different films. The first half introduces the characters in a creative way; showing us their backstories and how they came to be. The second half takes a weird shift in tone and does not really connect with the first half at all. This may have been due to the reshoots ordered by Warner Bros. to try and lighten up the film and make it have a more comedic tone. And trust me, it is very noticeable. The editing is just not good which seemed to downplay the story and the characters actions. The performances are solid (Robbie, Smith and Leto performing great as always), but it still just wasn't enough to make this memorable. Is it great? No. Is it entertaining? Somewhat. Warner Bros just need to get their act together. ——————————————– Lady in the Water (2006)
Rating: 1.5/4 Director: M. Night Shyamalan Writer: M. Night Shyamalan Cast: Paul Giamatti, Bryce Dallas Howard, Jeffrey Wright, Bob Balaban, Sarita Choudhury, M. Night Shyamalan, Freddy Rodriguez, Bill Irwin ——————————————–
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***GREAT FILM***
Then comes D-day. Easily one of the greatest film sequences of all time and Spielberg directs the hell out of it. WWII veterans have even said that “they got everything right but the smell.” I feel like I do not need to go into too much detail here because words just wouldn't do it justice. What I love about it is at the end of this sequence, Spielberg decides to show us a montage of the dead in the most beautiful way that he can. “Yes it is. Quite a view….” Never have words meant more than in this moment. We hear Williams score come in again as we see the dead who have sacrificed everything. It is a view we will never get again and hope to never see again. I just feel it is a moment we all need and remember what those men gave their lives for. A beautiful and important moment in all of cinema.
As the film moves along we follow Captain Miller and his troops as they try and locate Private Ryan. Along the way, lives are lost within the group and the true effects of the war start to take its toll. What I think Spielberg does effectively, with help from the brilliant cinematography from Janusz Kaminski, is that he slowly starts to isolate each of the characters. Not so much that they are alone, just that he starts to break them up with both his staging and visuals. The scene after they attack a German outpost in a field is the beginning of the end for the group and Spielberg makes that very evident. After that moment, they are never the same and have slowly kind of drifted away from one another. Even though they come together to help dig the graves, the stress and toll of this mission has already reached its tipping point. Spielberg to me is one of the best at staging scenes and knowing where to move the characters. The final battle is a perfect example of this. As the battle rages on, we jump around from character to character and see that they are each separated from one another. Yes they are with other American soldiers, but those soldiers are not who they have been fighting with throughout the film. And as we come to find out, they will also die away from one another as well. And I think that I what is most important about this journey. Casualties will be lost in order for the greater good. Those that are lucky enough to survive have a chance to “earn this” or earn what is now given to them. A new life. Saving Private Ryan to me is not just a war film but really a reflection on a band of brothers. A group that sacrificed their lives so that others could live. Spielberg is able to craft a gripping and mesmerizing film that will hold up for generations to come. How this didn't win best picture is beyond me, but we can all agree that this will stand this test of time and that we will never see anything like this again. Bottom Line: What Spielberg has achieved here is nothing short of brilliant. One of the greatest directorial efforts and films of all time. Here are a few other films that I have seen and rated. For some of the films I will write a brief sentence or so on what I thought. Reviewer: Pat Brennan The Color Purple (1985) Rating: 3/4 Director: Steven Spielberg Writer: Menno Meyjes Cast: Danny Glover, Whoopi Goldberg, Margaret Avery, Oprah Winfrey, Willard E. Pugh, Akosua Busia, Deserta Jackson, Adolph Caesar ——————————————– The Blair Witch Project (1999) Rating: 3/4 Directors: Daniel Myrick, Eduardo Sanchez Writers: Daniel Myrick, Eduardo Sanchez Cast: Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, Michael C. Williams - Said to be the grandfather of found footage horror films, The Blair Witch Project was certainly a game changer in the industry at the time of its release. What I feel makes this film so effective is that the audience never actually sees the witch. We hear terrifying noises and disturbing images that only place the fear further inside of us. Not being able to see what is happening to the characters brings us to the fear of the unknown. It is scary to see what is making the noise, but it is even more frightening to not see what is making the noise. ——————————————– The Terminal (2004) Rating: 3/4 Director: Steven Spielberg Writers: Sacha Gervasi, Jeff Nathanson Cast: Tom Hanks, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Stanley Tucci, Zoe Saldana, Chi McBride, Diego Luna, Barry Shabaka Henley, Kumar Pallana - Steven Spielberg's The Terminal touches on the idea of immigration. Tom Hanks plays Victor, a man stuck in an airport with no valid passport and no country to call home. I think this film can very much relate with what is happening in the world today. Yes there is a love story aspect to it, but it touches on certain social issues that deal with identity and where one comes from. Too often we judge people by how they look or where they grew up and not actually see the person that they are. Victor falls straight into that category. At first people just think he is another person lost in a sea of many. Once we pull back the curtain and see what he represents as a human being, we get to Victor for who he truly is. ——————————————– Cafe Society (2016)
Rating: 2.5/4 Director: Woody Allen Writers: Woody Allen Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Steve Carell, Blake Lively, Sheryl Lee, Richard Portnow, Jeannie Berlin ——————————————– Here are a few other films that I have seen and rated. For some of the films I will write a brief sentence or so on what I thought. Reviewer: Pat Brennan War Horse (2011) Rating: 3.5/4 Director: Steven Spielberg Writers: Lee Hall, Richard Curtis Cast: Jeremy Irvine, Emily Watson, David Thewlis, Peter Mullan, Tom Huddleston, Niels Arestrup, Benedict Cumberbatch, Celine Buckens, Toby Kebbell - Steven Spielberg's WWI film is not merely just a war film, but rather an exploration between man and nature. Throughout the film we follow a horse named Joey as he passes through many different lives while the war rages through Europe. What Spielberg is able to do is allow Joey to be the main character of the film. Even though horses cannot speak, we get the sense that this horse has a lot to say. We see the effects that war has not only on humans, but on nature as well. War can change the landscape of not only a country, but most certainly life and Spielberg certainly succeeds in doing just that. Joey truly is a "miraculous kind of a horse". ——————————————– Pete's Dragon (2016) Rating: 3/4 Director: David Lowery Writers: David Lowery, Toby Halbrooks Cast: Bryce Dallas Howard, Robert Redford, Oakes Fegley, Oona Laurence, Wes Bentley, Karl Urban - Pete's Dragon is a solid remake of the 1977 classic Disney feature that brings back the feeling of what it was like to go to the movies as a kid again. At least that is what I felt while watching it. I think that is what Lowery was going for when he made this. A straight forward kids movie that doesn't have to take itself too seriously. I fairly enjoyed the performances and thought the relationship between Pete and his dragon Elliot can relate to say someone having a dog and feeling a strong connection towards them. Lowery is able to take an overall decent script and make it something for a whole new generation to enjoy. ——————————————– 1941 (1979) Rating: 2/4 Director: Steven Spielberg Writers: Robert Zemeckis, Bob Gale Cast: Dan Aykroyd, Ned Beatty, John Belushi, Lorraine Gary, Murray Hamilton, Christopher Lee, Tim Matheson, Treat Williams, Toshiro Mifune ——————————————– Don't Breathe (2016)
Rating: 2.5/4 Director: Fede Alvarez Writers: Fede Alvarez, Rodo Sayagues Cast: Stephen Lang, Jane Levy, Dylan Minnette, Daniel Zovatto - I have to say, I was a little disappointed in the outcome of this film. After hearing some many good things about it, I went in with high expectations and was somewhat let down. Alvarez does succeed in giving the audience the sense that these characters are unable to escape the house that they are trapped in. The performances are strong, mainly from Levy and Lang, which are able to keep the audience engaged and on the edge of their seats. I think the third act is where I started to become disconnected with the film but it is overall a decent thriller that most will probably enjoy. ——————————————–
The surrounding characters are fine in their own ways. Most notably Eckhart (playing the co-pilot Skiles) who has solid chemistry with Hanks and they both seem to work well off of each other. Linney is limited in her role as the wife of Hanks. We never really get to see her interact with anyone besides over the phone, which somewhat takes us away from her character. Not that that is a bad thing. It just limits us to what we get of her and the feelings of what her character is going through. However, this film is about Sully and how he deals with the aftermath of this event. Everyone else is just along for the ride.
What I really enjoyed about this film is that Eastwood and Komarnicki give us different scenarios of what could have happened instead of the emergency water landing. Played back through visions and dreams, we get to experience with Sully and see how he is coping with what could have happened during that testing flight. I think that is what is the most important here to analyze. Sully seems to be struggling with the idea of “did I screw up even though everyone survived?” or “did I make the right call?”. Even though everyone is safe and no lives were lost, the media storm and the FAA push Sully into thinking that he caused this. That is where this film is at its strongest and most effective. Eastwood re-teams with his longtime cinematographer, Tom Stern, to create a sense of unease and often times loneliness within the frame. Hanks often seems to be shot alone, which makes sense for his character. He at times is alone in his decision making and even though various characters have his back throughout the film, he is the one who will ultimately be judged. During the crash scene, Stern and Eastwood are able to put us in an atmosphere of a cold and slow panic. This event did happen in January and it is certainly felt when watching it. You can feel the cold and panic throughout the various passengers, who have no idea what to do as the plane slowly starts to sink into the freezing cold water. Great job on both of their ends. There were a couple of things in the film that I did have problems with though. There is the character of an Air Traffic Controller that seems to be very forced and has questionable actions that kind of come out of nowhere. The whole sequence of his character took me out of the film. I think it could have been more effective had we heard him and not seen him. Another thing that I seemed to be struggling with was that I kept wanting the film to take that extra step and it just didn’t. It does kind of end abruptly leaving you wondering if they had more scenes that were just taken out. There are weak moments in the film with dialogue and certain side characters (again with the Air Traffic Controller), which may have kept it from taking that extra step for me. The overall script often at times can seem to be very basic and predictable which can hold the audience back of seeing something great. What I am saying is that since you already know what happens, it can take away from the overall feeling of suspense of what is going to happen. Bottom Line: Is this Oscar worthy? Probably not. But, Eastwood and his team are able to able to create an overall solid film that I think most would enjoy. |
AuthorPat Brennan: Recent Film grad from Temple University with a love for all aspects of film. David Fincher for life.
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