Diary of an Angry Film Nerd

Movie Reviews and Rants of Past and Present

[diaryofanangrynerd]

Luck Don't Live Out Here

Wind River

 Hey everyone, welcome back to my Diary. Today we are going to talk Wind River, staring Jeremy Renner (The Avengers) and Elizabeth Olsen (Captain America: Civil War), a murder mystery based on actual events. How much liberties the film took with this story is unknown to me, but I was shocked by the it. More of that to come, but first a bit of news…

Gonna start of slow with the news today; but coming as a surprise to me is the news by Deadline that Bryan Fuller and Michael Green are stepping down as showrunners of STARZ series American Gods. The website stats that no official word has coming from the cable channel, however rumors are that the two ditched the show due to budgetary reasons. Now I haven’t seen the show fully, but I have to wonder why STARZ is not going to throw everything they have at this show. With big name actors, a great storyline, and a following that only ballooned after the premiere of the show last March; I guess I would give these two anything they wanted to stay in competition with other Premium cable channels and their content.

Next up…No whitewashing for Disney this time around. The titular character from the upcoming live action remake of Disney’s Mulan has been found. Liu Yifei (The Forbidden Kingdom) has been cast as the crossdressing action heroine for one of China’s beloved tales. I am all for this because I think studios are going in the right direction with casting choices now. We are going into an age where the story is going to draw people in as much or even more than who is top billed on the poster.

Lastly…Avengers: Infinity War trailer was released yesterday. With the world set into turmoil Earth’s Mightiest Heroes must unite to take down the villainous Thanos (Josh Brolin Sicario). I wish that I can be super excited about this like a lot of other people, but I just didn’t feel it. I thought the trailer was very underwhelming and I wish they would have just released the footage shown at D23 (Yeah I ‘seen’ it…shh!). Don’t get me wrong I am still super excited to see all of these characters on screen and this story play out, but the trailer did no justice to the hype that is following this film.

Let me know if you have any thoughts on today’s news…now on to the review.

When this film showed up on the release dates for this year I was skeptical and then I saw who was writing and directing it, so then I got a little more interested. Sat down and watched Hell or High Water, then I become stoked for this movie. Wind River tells the story of Cory Lambert (Renner), a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agent and animal tracker, who comes across a young girl’s body in the middle of nowhere in the freezing climate of Wind River Indian Reservation, Wyoming. The closest federal agent to the scene is Jane Banner (Olsen), who happens to be in a training class in Las Vegas. Instructed only to determine if the death was a homicide, Banner and Lambert are swept up into a mystery that neither one will recover from.

Writer/director Taylor Sheridan (Hell or High Water) has definitely made a good name for himself by slowly introducing a newer genre to audiences around the world. The neo-western is greatly become an intriguing part of cinema, especially if they keep making films like this. I absolutely loved this movie. It was heart wrenching, surprising, and very well made. Starting with the acting, Olsen and Renner sparkle more than the snow they are running through. Renner gives a very deep performance that should not be over looked during award season. A broken man that just wants to forget his past is shoved face first into a situation that is all too familiar. Olsen also is great by giving the audience a character that may be very inexperienced but she portrays her in the most believable way and not in that dumb way a lot of filmmakers like to depict rookies. She gives Banner a strong exterior but is able to flash some of that naivety that comes with dealing different cultures like these. What amazed me with this film is the fact that Sheridan gives us such a straight forward story, but is able to make this simple story so compelling. The main investigation is something that comes right out of a Law and Order episode, but it is the character moments and the acting that give this film so much more life. I give credit to the actors for their performances, but I also give great props to Sheridan for pulling all this together is such a beautiful way.

The post script for this film is what really got me. It just amazes me that all people forget that there are people in America that are suffering a lot worse than what the majority is screaming for. The rest of my thoughts on that are for a different platform.

Please see this film, it is a great murder mystery that tugs at the heart strings and has one of the most haunting scores I have heard for a film in a long time. Renner and Olsen are awesome behind Sheridan’s chilling direction. Wind River will have you glued to the screen for its modest 2 hour runtime.

 The Verdict: Very Much Worth Your Time.

[diaryofanangrynerd]

Truth and Justice

Justice League

 So as many of you may have noticed I stepped away from my tiny excuse of a review site and put my attention into other things. I did this for a couple of reasons, many of which came down to my displeasure with Hollywood and some of the decisions that they have made toward filmmaking and the things they produced. I strongly believe that if Hollywood were run by the fans, the films that we would receive would be DRASTICALLY different. But then again, maybe it is one of those ‘be careful of what you wish for’ moments, because fans of film go into film and my generation is the one running Hollywood right now…so maybe that is why we have what we have…I don’t know. Anyway, I have decided to return because I miss all of you and I just can’t keep my opinions to myself anymore. So what better film to come back for than the return of Sup...er…the Justice League.

But first, a bit of news...Jude Law (The Young Pope, Sherlock Holmes) will be joining the cast of the upcoming Marvel heroine film Captain Marvel with Brie Larson (Free Fire, Room) in the titular role. Apparently, Law will be playing the love/mentor Doctor Walter Lawson. Okay…um sure. Not really anyone I would expect to be in a movie like this, but at this point I think everyone we have ever seen on the big screen is going to be in a superhero movie. So…it’s whatever.

Second, Netflix has extended the hiatus on their hit show House of Cards. With everything that is surrounding actor Kevin Spacey right now, is this a shock? I’m sure that Netflix is going to distance themselves as much as they can from this (rightfully so, mind you) and try to push more of their other original content. I was on Netflix yesterday and they buried this show on their original content page and have a blurred image of Spacey. So don’t count on a wrap up on Frank Underwood’s time in political office anytime soon.

Lastly, as boring as subject to me is, box office numbers are in for the holiday weekend and Pixar’s newest entry, Coco, takes the top spot with today’s reviewee Justice League coming in second. I just thought that this would be a good lead into my review.

So with the DCEU being a virtual letdown, with the exception of Wonder Woman, I was very hesitant going into this film. Anyone who knows me personally knows the great distaste I have for the film named Batman v. Superman and just the poor execution that director Zach Snyder did with it. In his defense though, Snyder did a great job with the Batman scenes but not so much with everything else. Here we are, a year and a half later and I don’t really think that anything has changed. Ugh!

The plot of this film is extremely basic, so much so to the point that most of the film is filler to where and what the ‘team’ needs to do. The hastily assemble team of The Flash (Ezra Miller Perks of Being a Wallflower), Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot, Wonder Woman), Cyborg (Ray Fisher), Aquaman (Jason Momoa Game of Thrones), and Batman (Ben Affleck Argo) have to stop the villainous Steppenwolf (Ciarán Hinds Game of Thrones) before he and his Parademons destroy the Earth. The filler of this movie is wasted on very small subplots that go NOWHERE! Aquaman is an angry drunk for some reason, Cyborg taking over the brooding from Batman because he doesn’t look like the other kids, and Batman having a crush on Wonder Woman; all of this stuff just seemed like afterthoughts to what the filmmakers really wanted to get to.

As far as acting goes, everyone is good except for Affleck and Cavill. Miller is great as comedy relief, Momoa surprised me with his take on Arthur Curry, and Gadot shines has Diana Prince. Then there is Cavill and Affleck…then tent poles to this whole party. I’m going to write all of this off as studio tampering but Affleck’s Batman seems weaker and not has menacing almost like the death of Superman made him second guess who he is and what the Batman stands for. Affleck mentions that he has a new outlook towards everything because of what Superman stood for, but they toned him down almost to the point where I thought little comic bubbles were going to pop out every time he hit someone and Burt Ward was going to show up in his Robin costume. Along with Affleck, Cavill just seemed like he was somewhere else and the reverted his characterization of Superman too far to the left and it came across cheesy. I am glad that the writers heard our complaints of BvS, but this was too much. I wish they would have gradually toned it back so that the transformation wasn’t so obvious. With the exception of the digitally removed mustache on Henry Cavill (which look horrendous btw), the effects in the film where fine, but nothing of worth noting. I thought the choice of blue lightning for The Flash was an interesting choice. As a comic book fan however, there is a giant gaping hole as far as the team goes and that is with Green Lantern. The film does give mentions of the Lantern Corps, but no real mention on where they are for this particular fight. Last thing for my complaints is why is everyone in this movie shouting out every other person’s secret identity? Minor Spoilers: In the beginning of the film, Curry does it to Batman and in the middle of the film Lois screams out “Clark” as there are a few witnesses to Superman’s reawakening and he is flying around. I guess they don’t find it as important in the film universe compared to the comic universe.

As I read back over all of this, I do want to say that the movie wasn’t total garbage. I did enjoy the action sequences, the awe of seeing some of these new characters debut was partially worth it, and I did have a decent time with this movie.  I hope that DC and Warner Bros. find their Kevin Feige (head of Marvel Studios). I think that there is so much untapped potential when it comes to this universe and with rumors of Affleck leaving and The Flash movie being Flashpoint (where the Flash goes back in time to rest the entire DC Universe), I am hopeful that this is reset and done right the next time. Wonder Woman is the exception to the mess that is DCEU because it had remnants of Richard Donner’s Superman film and as corny as this sounds, of hope for the cinematic universe. DC and Warner Bros are so far behind in the Expanded Universe cinematic game that I can’t fault them for trying to catch up. They just need to learn from their mistakes better and maybe step away from the vision that Snyder started.

As always, if you have any comments or opinions you like to share please comment below…Thanks!

 The Verdict: Wait till Blu-Ray.

[diaryofanangrynerd]

My Two Cents: Summer 2017

Thoughts About the Summer.

  So the summer has pretty much come to an end and I have come out of this movie season even more pessimistic than when I went into it. I’m not entirely sure what has happened to Summer Blockbuster season and I’m not sure when it started, but we (the audience) have been served up some highly disappointing movies. Now, have the selection all been duds? No they haven’t, but I feel that we deserve better than this.

I think the quality of product that has been given to us is part of my departure from this blog. I’m tired of being disappointed in the quality of movie that we are given and then to have to relive it is depressing. I don’t know about you, but I don’t like to think negatively all the time especially when it comes to something that I love.

Maybe my grips are not with films as a whole, but maybe the big time releases. Think about it…Wonder Woman, Spider-Man: Homecoming, and of course Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 were the tent poles of the summer. However, what about The Mummy, Transformers 5, and even Pirates of the Caribbean 5? These are movies that were marketed highly and pushed us to give them our money, but did they deserve it?

I spent most of my summer catching up on T.V shows that I have lost touch on like The Big Bang Theory and Modern Family. Not bad shows by any stretch, but shows that I have unfortunately lost touch with due to many life interruptions. Now that I don’t want to make my way to the local Cineplex, I have a whole lot of more time to catch up on these shows.

I just think with all the time and effort it takes for these studios to produce and release each one of these movies, I would expect a better product. Especially when we are basically living in another golden age of television with shows like Game of Thrones, Orange is the New Black, and This Is Us. Not completely fair to compare film to television since tv shows have time to flesh out characters and plots, but then again we have had five Transformers movies and the movies are still shit.

Am I a snob? Maybe I expect too much from Hollywood. Then again, sometimes I would love to sit in those production meetings or film pitches and yell at the top of my lungs and say NO WE DON’T NEED A BAYWATCH MOVIE or ANOTHER SAW FILM! If that makes me a snob, then bring it on. That just means that I am going to have to look extra hard for films that are going to be worth my time and your time.

[diaryofanangrynerd]

Serve in Heaven or reign in Hell?

Alien: Covenant

 Going to start the third review for the day to self-promote; you have any comments (positive or negative…I think I can handle the former) or just want to follow me around on social media just hit me up on Twitter or Facebook. Those addresses are @AngryNerdDiary and www.facebook.com/angryfilmnerd. Now that that is over we can gracefully move on to the third review of this day.

So set 10 years after the events of Prometheus, the crew of the Covenant is on a mission to terraform and colonize a new planet. However, a solar flare wreaks havoc on the vessel, damaging the ship and killing some its members including the captain himself. Reeling from this tragedy, a new captain steps into place and the crew begin to repair the ship. During the cleanup, the Covenant receives a strange transmission from an uncharted planet. Having ties to Earth soaked within the message, new captain Oram (Billy Crudup Big Fish) decides to investigate where the transmission is coming from due to its close proximity to the Covenant.  When the crew get to the newly discovered planet, things for the crew of the Covenant go from bad to extremely bad and they all try to just survive.

So since you all know that I try to be a positive person, especially when it comes to film, I am going to split this up into the good and bad columns that I have used in the past to show you my split decision when it comes to this film. I wish I didn’t have to do it this way, but I am psychologically torn in two when it comes to this movie.

The Good: Okay so this is more of an Alien film than Prometheus ever was and ever will be. Not just because of the Xenomorph, but because director Ridley Scott brings the creep factor that made the first Alien film so successful. New Ripley, or Daniels has she is properly named in the film was a nice addition to the franchise. Played by Katherine Waterston (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them), Daniels reminds the audience of what made the Ripley character so appealing from the first film, all the while adding a little more compassion to Daniels.  Speaking of characters, Danny McBride’s Tennessee Faris was an amazing addition as well. McBride is not over the top with the comedy relief and yet unlike a lot of comedic reliefs of serious films like this, he actually is extremely useful to only the characters within the movie, but to the plot itself as well. Last but certainly not least, Michael Fassbender is awesome as usual. Playing another synthetic Walter and…wait for it…David, the synthetic from the first film. Fassbender’s duality in this film is fantastic and hopefully will be praised later when award season comes around. As Walter, Fassbender is emotionless but caring at the same time. Though as David, Fassbender is on par with Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter as far as creep factor goes. Without spoiling anything, I’ll just say that I would love to see Fassbender as a villain more often.

The Bad: The bad aspects of this film are ones of logic that I don’t think that I could get over. I know there are aspects of movie going that just need to happen. Suspend reality and allow yourself to be emerged into any world at any given moment. However, sometimes I just can’t and I think it gets the best of me. First off, the transmission the Covenant receives is laced with an “ancient” Earth song by the name of “Take Me Home. Country Roads”, which happens to be sung by the late John Denver. Due to this song, the captain of this massive ship with at least 25 crew members and 2,000 colonists in hyper sleep decides to investigate the planet further. WHAT? You are the captain of a ship full of all of this expensive equipment and colonists; why not send…a PROBE?! Do we not have probes in this Alien universe? Second, why are these engineers walking around without any type of protection, like oxygen masks or hazmat suits? This is an uncharted and hidden planet, whose idea was it to walk around without trying to protect yourself or your crew? **SPOILERS** When Walter finally meets David and David begins to explain what happened, the audience clearly sees that this robot has lost it, WHY DIDN’T HE?! Walter is a “better” model; shouldn’t he be able to tell that something with David is a bit off? Speaking of not sensing something is wrong, why is Oram sticking his head into a strange egg-like form on the advice of David whom by the way was extremely upset that you just killed one of his ‘creations’? **END SPOILERS**

With every good thing about this movie, there were those annoying questions that would pop up. Like I said, I think this was more back to form for the Alien franchise and I hope they improve on this story a bit. The scenes with the Xenomorphs was nostalgic enough to look past flaws. My advice is to try to ignore the voice in your head asking these same questions and try to enjoy a decent Alien film because if you don’t you’ll have more of an Alien 3 experience and less of an Alien experience.

The Verdict: Wait for Blu-Ray

[diaryofanangrynerd]

I'll Kill Them All!

John Wick Chapter 2

 I told you there was more to come!

 Mere days after his rampage through New York City, John Wick (Keanu Reeves) just wants to go back to trying to retire. Unfortunately for John, news of his un-retirement spreads across the world and to the ears of crime lord Santino D'Antonio (Riccardo Scamarcio). D’Antonio has come to New York to envoke the rules of a ‘Marker’, a blood oath medallion that is unbreakable promise. John politely refuses due to his plans to go back into retirement, however D’Antonio is bitter and blows up his house. Forced out of retirement (again), John heads to Rome where his is tasked with killing D’Antonio’s sister with hopes of D’Antonio taking her place at the “High Table”. However there is much more to this “mission” that John doesn’t know and will violently figure out, hopefully before he ends up dead.

There are very few sequels that will live up to the original film. Aliens, The Godfather Part II, and of course The Dark Knight; all of these films built on what made the original unique and expanded on it. John Wick: Chapter 2 does just that by expanding on a world full of assassins, crime bosses, and of course the rules. The foundation laid by John Wick was that of a solid action film and the writers and director didn’t shake that foundation at all. Taking over as full time director Chad Stahelski does a marvelous job of heading the expansion of this world, all the while keeping the essence of the first film firmly intact. Reeves is back in a big way as well, never flinching as he slides back into this role like he was born for this. I will say that I did love that this film does give a little bit more vulnerability to John that he don’t see in the first film and by the end of the film that vulnerability gives John a little more character than just a mindless killer.

Listen, this review is going to be over very soon, due to the fact that I have nothing negative to say about this movie. Cliché as this all may sound, if you loved the first one than you will love the second one. The action is the centerpiece of the first one, however with this film it is more about the expansion of this assassins world along with the amazing action sequences. Definitely one sequel that will live up to the original film

The Verdict: Watch! ASAP

"

[diaryofanangrynerd]

Maybe Next Time You Can Design Me Better

Ghost in the Shell

 Hey everyone, long time no write, but I have just been gathering things to write about. That is the main reason on why I am going to start with a movie that is two months old. There are going to be a few of these reviews coming in the next day or two, so I am going to leave all of my current news for the last review. I missed you guys, but I am trying to find a way to put all of this into a podcast. The podcast idea is taking a little longer than I had hoped, but I’m still crossing my fingers and working hard to bring it to you all. Hope all my readers are crossing their fingers for it as well! So let’s start this rush of reviews off with anime adaptation Ghost in the Shell.

Major (Scarlett Johansson Captain America: Civil War) is cyber enhanced human, created to stop terrorism with the help of an elite group known as Section 9. Major is thrown into action when she discovers that someone is hacking into the minds of everyone. However, when she confronts the terrorist she learns that he may not be the villain that she assumed. He asks her to question her reality and the people she says that she trusts. Now Major is on the hunt for the truth.

So trying to adapt other media into film is still going strong, the funny thing is that I had thought that leaving Japanese anime was like an unwritten rule somewhere, but I don’t think writers Jamie Moss, William Wheeler, or Ehren Kruger really seen that rule anywhere. I mean seriously did they not see that DragonBall Z movie? I would think that was enough to know NOT to adapt anime into live action. However, I will give credit to the writers and director Rupert Sanders (Snow White and the Huntsman) for at least making this an okay movie.

The mediocrity starts with Johannson who seems to be going through the motions with this movie in terms of she is going to give enough to show that she isn’t a horrible actress, but not enough to show that she was once a BAFTA and Golden Globe nominated actress…numerous times. I appreciated that she encapsulated the wonder and confusion of who Major is, but I fear that she was hired for this as a Black Widow rip off. I’m upset that Michael Pitt was not utilized as a villain a lot more than he was. There was so much potential in that performance that he could have been very memorable, but instead we are treated to less than 10 minutes and misused character.

What I think lifted the film for total DragonBall Z disaster is the visuals and the action scenes. Very reminiscent of the anime and 1982’s Blade Runner, Ghost in the Shell is a very moody yet beautiful film. The effects are seamless which makes this world very believable. The action scenes were also entertaining. No so over the top as so many can be in this type of film, but grounded enough to give more realism to the film.

Look…I didn’t hate this film, but I was highly disappointed with it as well. There was so much potential here that given the right director and better acting from its lead, Ghost in the Shell could have been an exception to the adaptation curse. As far as “white washing” this film, I can understand both sides to this argument. Paramount wanted to start a franchise, which all production companies want to do now a days, and they wanted a face that EVERYONE was going to relate to. However, Paramount should have watched Snow White and the Huntsman, gotten a better director (maybe even writers), and taken a shot with an unknown Asian actress. Paramount is going to make their money with the stupid Transformers franchise anyway so why not take a chance?

Anyway, if you enjoy movies like The Matrix or even Blade Runner, then consider this a very distant cousin that likes to play pretend to it’s more popular cousins. Ghost in the Shell isn’t so bad that you need to write it off, but I wouldn’t waste money on it either. One day it will be on Netflix or Hulu, so enjoy it as filler until you find something better to watch.

 The Verdict: Wait for Netflix.

[diaryofanangrynerd]

The Broken Are the More Evolved

Split/Diary Entry #10

 Welcome everyone to another edition of Diary of an Angry Film Nerd! Did anyone miss me? Well I missed being in front of this computer, so I guess I, in turn, missed all of you. So in that last few days since we have spoken, a couple things have been revealed by the wonderful people of Hollywood (sarcasm sensed?) and I would love to take a quick minute to discuss these topics. First is the trailer drop for Thor: Ragnarok I will have to admit that I wasn’t overly excited to see this film, but I was going to see it. Now that I have seen this teaser I can fully admit that I am garnering more excitement to see the direction that Taika Waititi is going to take this character. Given the more light-hearted tone of the film I am ecstatic that the third go round of Thor won’t take itself so seriously. Lastly is another trailer that was dropped this week and it is that of Atomic Blonde staring Charlize Theron and James McAvoy. All I really have to say about this is wow! A little John Wick coupled with a little A Long Kiss Goodnight, but either way Theron looks badass and I am now highly excited to see this film. I will place this links of these two trailers below for your viewing pleasure, but now on to my review of M. Night Shyamalan’s latest thriller, Split.

So Split tells the story of three young women (one of which is Anya Taylor-Joy) that have been kidnapped by a man named Kevin (James McAvoy). As the story progresses we learn that Kevin has 23 separate personalities and is preparing for a 24th to awaken. Determined not to see what this latest personality is like Casey Cooke (Taylor-Joy) tries to find any way out of her prison and goes as far as trying to manipulate one of Kevin’s personalities.

Well Shyamalan has found his way back into our good graces with this intriguing thriller. Split, like it’s main character, has many layers to it that are very interesting. We have a character study of not only Kevin, but of Casey. We see a few of Kevin’s personalities and their motivation for kidnapping a couple high schoolers and on the same token we see why Casey is different from the other two. Casey is inverted and socially awkward, but becomes the hero of the story due to the psychological drama she has gone through in her life. Taylor-Joy expertly displays the layers to Casey’s psyche/character. I love the way she inserts herself as the hero by knowing something bad may happen to her and the other girls because something bad as happened to her. McAvoy is also so amazing in this film with his multiple personalities. I was most impressed with his take on Hedwig, who is a nine year old boy. The way that McAvoy displays a nine year old’s mind and actions were remarkable.

This film is classic Shyamalan, as it seems like he has come full circle with his career. The dark/ominous setting coupled with the flawed protagonist is what we have come to love about Shyamalan’s films. With that being said, I did find just a few minor grievances with the film. Gripe number one would be that I needed a little bit more explanation on the relationship Kevin has with his psychiatrist, Dr. Karen Fletcher (Betty Buckley). During the course of the film only one of Kevin’s personalities is shown conversating with her…how did this one personality seem to have sole access to the doctor? Why is he more outstanding than the others? Speaking of Kevin’s personalities, and maybe these will be saved for a sequel, but why didn’t we see a little bit more of his other personalities. We get a list of them toward the end of the film and there are some intriguing names on that list like Mr. Pritchard. Why doesn’t he have a first name? I’m not one for sequels, but I think to flush all of this out there should be.

Despite my very minor complaints of this film, I highly recommend Split to fans of thrillers and especially fans of Shyamalan’s earlier work. This film ranks up there with his better films. Let us all pray that Shyamalan is back on track because I want more from him because there was always something just a little more to Shyamalan’s films (not just the twist endings) that always captured my imagination. Thanks for reading and please feel free to contact me.

Worth Your Time

Diary of an Angry Film Nerd will return…

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfayCqL6Gmw&spfreload=10

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIUube1pSC0&t=7s

[diaryofanangrynerd]

A Disease Passing from Generation to Generation

Hell or High Water

 Welcome back everyone to another issue of Diary of an Angry Nerd! My last three reviews have garnered some positive feedback, so I am very happy about that. Please feel free to contact me about your opinion or question, I feel so honored when people message me. Makes me feel important somehow and you know we all want that. Today I check off another 2017 Best Picture nominee with surprise hit, Hell or High Water.

Hell or High Water is set in present day Western Texas and follows two brothers, Toby (Chris Pine) and Tanner (Ben Foster), who are robbing banks to gather enough money to save their recently deceased mother’s farm. Not only are they robbing banks, but robbing the same bank that is trying to foreclose on the farm. In close pursuit of the two brothers is Texas Ranger Marcus Hamilton (Jeff Bridges), who just happens to be retiring very soon.

Well as simple as that plot is, the story is a little more complex than that and I think that is why I found this film more compelling after I watched it. The film is more about family and the things you are willing to do or sacrifice to make sure that your family is taken care of. Then there is the theme of struggling farm families being swallowed up by banks. All of that is what makes this film more complex than a simple cops and robbers story.  

What’s funny is that I gripe so much about the death of the Western genre, that I have failed to see that it is just reinventing itself in ways of the Neo-Western. I think that it has resonated more on television with shows like Justified and Breaking Bad, but I see that Hollywood is coming around little by little with films like No Country for Old Men and just recently with Logan. Hell or High Water pleasantly fits into this genre beautifully. I have opened my eyes to this new type of Western and I am enjoying it immensely.

Pine and Foster are terrific in this film really capturing the brotherly love that is essential for this film. Though, I am not surprised by Foster’s performance in this film because I have been screaming for years that he is an enormously underrated actor. I will watch anything with Foster in and I always find that I am never disappointed. Pine did not so much as surprise me, but more or less impressed me with encapsulating the more submissive brother, yet the ‘brain’ of the two.

I was also captivated by the visuals that director David Mackenzie gives the audience. The presentation of a desolate Western Texas really adds to the story by immersing the audience into the brother’s world and gives reason as to why someone in a similar situation in that same area would do what these two are doing.

My only real problem with the film is the archetypical ‘sheriff’ chasing after the ‘outlaws’ during his last ride. Nothing wrong with Bridges interpretation of this type of character, but I just wanted him to have some sort of redefining moment or aspect of him that made him stand out among the rest of these characters. I fear that Ranger Hamilton could have been placed in any other Western and you wouldn’t have been able to differentiate between his character and any other one like him.

This is definitely a film for people who like Westerns and is aching for more films from the genre. Pine and Foster were magnificent and Mackenzie draws you into the dirty/poor world so masterfully that I felt like I was back home in the Southwest.

Like I said at the top of this entry, if you have any comments or questions feel free to contact me on my Twitter, Facebook, or Tumblr anytime and I will more than happily respond. Anyway…

 Worth Your Time.

[diaryofanangrynerd]

People Call Me Little

Moonlight

 Hello there and welcome to another entry to the Diary of an Angry Film Nerd. Hope everyone is doing well, especially since today I’m going to be talking about a pretty serious subject. I was going to start this edition with an apology for any offense that I might cause by my opinions about the next film I am reviewing, but then I thought…this is my opinion and I shouldn’t have to apologize for it since that seems to be the trend right now. This issue is going to cover the recent Oscar winner for Best Picture, Moonlight.

Moonlight is a film that chronicles the life of Chiron, who is played by three different actors (Trevante Rhodes, Ashton Sanders, and Alex Hibbert) representing different ages. Chiron is an African-American male, son of a drug addicted mother (Naomie Harris), and victim to his Liberty City (a low income section of Miami) surroundings. Chiron must come to terms with his environment, no real father figure, and more importantly his sexuality.

I am highly indifferent when it comes to this film because my opinion is so split that I have arguments with myself about how I really feel about this film. Let me first say that my negative opinions of this film has NOTHING to do with Chiron’s ethnicity nor his sexuality…just getting that out of the way right now. I just hate being ridiculed for having a negative opinion about film that just happens to be about race or sexuality when it could just be that I didn’t like how it was represented in a movie. Sorry I’m getting back to the point of this.

Writer/director Barry Jenkins masterfully presents this film with the way he filmed it. There are a lot of great shots of Chiron alone that told a lot of the story you can’t really explain with dialogue. There are also a few camera tricks that Jenkins infuses to the story that were very clever. For example, there is a scene where Chiron is waiting for a train and he is the only thing in the frame that is in focus, indicating that Chiron believes that he is the only one in the world at that moment. Thought that was really impressive.

This is where I become indifferent, so please hang with me. I enjoyed the performances of Harris and Oscar winner Mahershala Ali, who plays a role model for young Chiron. However, I didn’t really think they were award winning performances. Harris plays the same drug addicted figure that a lot of characters in a lot of movies struggle to love yet the audience somehow feels sympathy for. As far as Ali goes, he was in the film for less than 10 minutes and for me never really had a lasting impact. By the middle of the second act, I had forgotten that he was a part of the story. As far as the lead goes, I found that I connected more with teenaged Chiron played by Ashton Sanders. Sanders to me displayed the most emotion and struggle than any of the other actors. Young Hibbert had very little dialogue and played the quiet kid like any other young actor has or ever will and Trevante Rhodes was the less sympathetic version of Chiron. You know what I take that back, I don’t think it was Rhodes but the age representation that Rhodes is playing. I just would have thought after the conclusion of the second act and the revelations that come out of it that Chiron would be placed on a different path; however he seems to have just made the most stereotypical path that could have been displayed. I unfortunately just never connected to Chiron and in saying that it is not because I’m White or heterosexual, but because I really never felt empathy for him. As far as the story goes, I think that it needs to be told, however the way it is told through this film just seems lacking in depth.

I don’t think that my position on this movie would be any different if I watched this film before the Oscars, however I maybe did expect a little more, story-wise, seeing how it did win for Best Picture. To me Best Pictures need to be impactful like American Beauty or even last year’s winner Spotlight. I just fear that Moonlight won these awards for all the wrong reasons. My fear is that this film won due to the social uproar that has been swirling around our world recently and not because of its merits as a film. Both racial equality and homosexual equality is a very hot topic right now and because this movie involves both that is why I fear it won. IF my fears are true, than the Oscars have become more of a political arena than the actual political party races come every November.

I know it sounds like I didn’t like this film; I actually thought it was good just not great. Technically I thought it was wonderful and the supporting cast was good…I just can’t get on board with it being a Best Picture winner. This is not me saying that I thought one film deserved to win over another, but I personally think that Moonlight won due to social influence and not how good of a film as a whole it is.

 Worth Your Time (just maybe lower your Best Picture expectations)

[diaryofanangrynerd]

Gripes of a Coddled Youth

People (2016)

 Hi again everyone! I know that the separation anxiety hasn’t really set in between the two of us, but I just thought I would ingratiate you with my presence some more before I lose myself in some more films I have been adding to every streaming service you could think of. I honestly don’t know how I have a full time job with so much film I could be watching. Eh anyway, the next film that I am going to add to my diary is one that I was asked to review, which for me is pretty special because I aim to be recognized for my opinion on film and starting somewhere is always a start. The request come over my Twitter feed, which any of you can contact me that way as well, and so I graciously accepted. KONO Productions and Old Quarter Films presents People.

People is a film six seemingly unrelated stories that find their way together toward the conclusion. Each story is presented as conversations between a couple people in normal settings such as a restaurant, a car ride, and even a phone call. Topics of said conversations range from how Hollywood is ruining the true meaning of filmmaking and War politics to generation squabbles and conspiracy theories. With a short run time (84 minutes) there is really not much else I can say without spoiling the film, which you all know I loathe doing.

After viewing the film, I had this sense of déjà vu and not in the sense that I have seen this same plot run out in many different films, but in a sense where I have seen an independent film spark a career of a filmmaker. People is (sorry I know this is cliché) like watching these same conversations happen during real life. I am not going to go as far as saying that the film is brutally honest, but it does seem like writer/director Shane McGoey had something to say about a few of these topics. I enjoyed how McGoey gave two sides to both ends of the conversation (except about Hollywood, which I am sure was slightly autobiographical) and never came across as preachy. Honestly the film reminded me of Kevin Smith’s Clerks. Both films seem to be just a window into the lives of ordinary people and their opinions on life, though People never mentions Star Wars and I found that highly disappointing…just kidding. I do have to say that this film has better acting, especially from Mustafa Harris and Christine Lekas. Harris represents the autobiographical (hypothetically) filmmaker who proceeds to go on a rant about how Hollywood is destroying true filmmaking, while on the phone with some production company goons. Harris displays some true passion and extreme belief in his words which makes that monologue one the best things about this film. Lekas’ character who is a Millennial with daddy issues who we meet in a therapy session with a much older councilor. Here is where the generational debate ensues and I loved how McGoey represents this with a trip to the therapist. The therapist, who has worked hard for everything that he has accomplished, sits and listens to the young Millennial with issues that she may have created just to get attention. The reason I appreciated this segment so much is because I am from a generation stuck in the middle of both that are represented here, so I can see both sides of this conversation. During this part of the film, Lekas comes across as vulnerable, strong, and narcissistic all in one scene and I thought that was very impressive. She weaves in and out of these traits so fluidly it was hard to keep up with which one she was at any given time.

I would say that my only problem with the film is that a couple of the conversations seemed slightly dated; especially the politics about war and what love is to different people. The politics segment could have been changed to something more relevant to what is going on now, because the argument about whether the US needs to be in the Middle East or Afghanistan is a conversation that was for at least 7-8 years in the past. Maybe McGoey could have signified this segment with Immigration politics since that has been arisen in the past couple years thanks to our President. As far has the topic of what Love or even monogamy is a topic that was created by people to dignify cheating or sleeping around and the argument will never end and this scene went on too long making one character seem like a complete douche and the other weak.

I would like to say that this is a promising start for McGoey and in my opinion (of course is bias) not too bad being compared to one of the best Independent films of all time. The camera work and acting was impressive and I say that with hopes of not coming across pretentious. If you do get a chance to see this film, I do recommend it as I know that it hits iTunes on May 1st.

Worth Your Time.

[diaryofanangrynerd]

So, This Is What It Feels Like

Logan

 Well hello again faithful readers, just want to say thank you for continuing to read this and bearing with me as I try to mold this into something that I can call my own. With saying all of that I think that I am going to change it up from the overdone aesthetic that many critics form their reviews into. So going to try and write this out as if I could afford for this to be an actual podcast and my words were coming loud and clear over a very nice listening device that you may own.

Welcome to another issue of my Diary where I indulge myself in everything movies and of course some TV. I have been watching a few movies of many different genres this week, a little more than I am used to. I really didn’t know where to begin so I am just really going to begin with one of the most popular movies in the past month or so, Logan.

Logan is set in 2029 and most of mutantkind has been wiped off the planet and seem to have been forgotten. Trying to live a quiet and uneventful life is Logan (Hugh Jackman) as a limo driver, while taking care of an elderly Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) who is slowly slipping into a state of dementia. Logan’s peaceful existence is shattered when he runs into a mysterious woman begging for his help. With her is an even more mysterious middle school aged girl who doesn’t say much at all. Trying to avoid helping this woman at all costs, trouble seems to find Logan anyway and soon he is swept up into a high stakes cat and mouse game that requires him to escort this girl named Laura (Dafne Keen) to North Dakota.

Like all of my other reviews, I am still going to start off with the positives because I truly believe that people like to hear the good stuff more than the bad. With that said, I am pretty positive that 20th Century Fox and X-Men producers Simon Kinberg and Lauren Shuler Donner should just hand over the X-Franchise over to director James Mangold. He obviously knows to tell a great comic book story and bring a sense of realism to the franchise that I so desperately lacks. The X-Franchise is starting to remind me of the Batman Franchise before Christopher Nolan took over. After seeing this film, I think that Mangold would do great things to the X-Franchise if given the opportunity to reshape and maybe reboot (I hate that word) the whole franchise. Playing off the same themes of western classic Shane, Mangold’s Logan is a story about an aging cowboy “roped” in to one last fight, all the while finding his purpose again. That couldn’t have been pulled off any better than how Jackman portrays his most iconic character. Hugh Jackman has always given life to Wolverine, but nothing like this. In this film Jackman presents Logan with more depth than a weapon that loves a beautiful red head. Jackman’s interactions with Stewart are most superb about this film. Xavier here seems to be suffering from mental illness, which I know is ironic seeing what his mutant abilities are, and it is hinted throughout the film that he may be the cause of the mutant “extinction”. Because of this, Logan has this love/hate relationship with Xavier almost to the point of a child caring for an abusive father. Logan loves Xavier, but knows that he is the cause of a great loss. Stewart pulls off the sympathetic abusive father quite well because somewhere in Xavier’s mind, he knows he did something terrible but he can’t really remember what. As far as the newest member of the X-Family, Dafne Keen and her character Laura are hugely welcomed addition to the franchise. Laura turns out to be a direct clone of Logan with all the fixings (adamantium claws in both her knuckles and feet).  Keen gives us a vicious fighter and introverted pre-teen that  does an amazing job of taking what Jackman has created with Logan through nine films and yet making Laura a little more feral.

Now for my problems with Logan are twofold. First is the fact that I supported and still support Fox and Mangold’s decision to make this film a brutal R rating, there was some parts that I thought that were unnecessary and took the violence a little too far. One in particular scene is when the villainous Reavers come to capture young Laura. Holding Logan captive, the leader of the Reavers group sends a couple of unsuspecting goons to retrieve Laura from inside a building, while eating cereal no less…tisk tisk. The audience does not see the scuffle but hears the struggle. After the fight, we see young Laura walk outside backpack in one hand and a severed head in the other. I just didn’t find this needed. I think that the scene could have been just as impactful if Laura just walked out bloodstained. My second problem with this film isn’t really the films fault but the fault of all of the X-Men films. The continuity. This film doesn’t even connect to Mangold’s last Wolverine film. Logan makes references to the very first X-Men film but that is about it. Hey FOX, let’s put these films together and have them make sense!

Even with those minor problems, I found Logan to be quiet a potent film not just for the comic book genre but even for the modern western genre. In 2008 The Dark Knight elevated the comic book genre by using impactful crime film influences like that of Heat and here Mangold raises the bar for the genre yet again. If Logan is not mentioned come award season, a tragedy has befallen the world of film. Jackman and Stewart give powerful performances and Mangold conducts a brilliant orchestra of a film.

Definitely Worth Your Time.

[diaryofanangrynerd]

This Planet Doesn't Belong to Us

Kong: Skull Island

 I must admit that I was never one for big screen monster movies. I don’t know why the thought of giant monsters destroying modern cities or each other ever really appealed to me. I can respect the love of the genre, because things like this are what make movies great. Recently monsters have been making a comeback with Gareth Edwards’ (Rogue One) take on Godzilla a few years ago. So why not bring back the other movie monster synonymous with Godzilla, King Kong. Well that is exactly what Warner Bros. has done this year. I give you Kong: Skull Island.

The Story: As the Vietnam War is coming to a close, a top ranking official of a private organization, Bill Randa (John Goodman 10 Cloverfield Lane), called Monarch has convinced a U.S. Senator to allow him to lead a team of scientists to a mysterious island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Accompanying him on this expedition is former British Intelligence Officer James Conrad (Tom Hiddleston Thor), hired as a tracker; also Mason Weaver (Brie Larson Room), an anti-war photographer, and Randa’s military escort provided by Lieutenant Colonel Preston Packard (Samuel L. Jackson The Avengers) and his Sky Devils, a helicopter squad. What this expedition (and what Randa didn’t tell the rest of the crew) runs into is a 100 foot gorilla named Kong and after Kong swats down their helicopters and destroys most of their equipment, the group must now try and make it to the opposite end of Skull Island. Along with Kong, the crew must stay alive with other creatures that inhabit Skull Island.

The Good: Well I can tell you that Kong entertains. This movie could have gone horribly wrong on so many levels, but it succeeds. I am quite surprised of Kong’s success, particularly because of the odd cast and an unknown director. However director Jordan Vogt-Roberts (The Kings of Summer) galvanizes the cast, but more importantly showcases the monsters that we all have walked into the theater to see. Vogt-Roberts magnificently balance the human cast with the movie monsters and also somehow makes Kong a sympathetic character that the audience can almost identify with. The film’s comedic relief, John C. Reilly, wonderfully breaks a lot of the tension of the film without ever becoming too annoying.

The Bad: As much as I liked Reilly in this film, I can’t say that I cared too much for the other human characters. Hiddleston and Larson seemed like they were added for star power, to give audiences someone to recognize, and Goodman is a cookie-cutter misunderstood scientist going about discovering stuff the wrong way. Of course Goodman had his cookie-cutter “lackeys” and then there is Jackson. *Sigh*, I did not like his character at all. Packard became this Captain Ahab character for some obscure reason that is barely explained. Packard loses come of his men and snaps, believing that he can kill a 100 foot gorilla with very little supplies. I believe that Jackson and maybe the writers just over did it with this character because toward the middle of the movie he becomes more of a distraction to the rest of the movie.

The Verdict: Looking past the human character issues, Kong: Skull Island is an entertaining monster movie that does an amazing job of giving Kong a little more character. The special effects were seamless and impressive. Unlike 2014’s Godzilla, this film doesn’t take itself too seriously which works and makes it an enjoyable time in the theaters

Worth Your Time.

[diaryofanangrynerd]

City of Stars

La La Land

 So a few days ago I watched this next film that I am reviewing here and I haven’t gotten to putting down my thoughts about it until now. Ironically today The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences decided to release their nominations for this year’s Academy Awards and this film has 14 total nominations, which is record tying. The last film that that achieved that number was Titanic in 1997 and before that the only film to reach that many nominations was All About Eve in 1950. To think that this is only director Damien Chazelle’s second full length feature (his first was Whiplash). I think that it was fate that I give you my lowly review of La La Land.

The Story: Young Mia (Emma Stone Birdman) has moved to Hollywood in hopes of becoming a big movie star. She has gone on many auditions but for right now the closest that she has come to acting on a big studio lot is being a barista in one of their coffee shops. Sebastian (Ryan Gosling Drive) is a Jazz purist that is playing background piano in a club in the Hollywood Hills. Disgusted with playing the same background noise he decides to slip in some of his own music and ultimately gets fired from the club. On that same night Mia happens to be walking near the club and hears him playing and is awestruck by the music. Trying to compliment him, Mia starts to say how beautiful his playing was but Sebastian bumps her out of the way and hastily departs the club. Few weeks go by and Mia surprisingly runs into Sebastian at a party where he is a 80s cover band pianist. After apologies were made, the two start down a path of love and music that will change both of their lives in many different ways.

The Good: Wow, okay so where to begin with this. Let me first say that this film is everything that Hollywood used to be. The pure love story, the music, the colors, the acting…all of it is what the Golden Age of Hollywood was and should be again. I don’t really like when Hollywood or filmmakers like to ‘toot’ the horn of Hollywood and make movies about itself, but here La La Land gives us a taste of what made Hollywood grand. Gosling and Stone have so much palpable chemistry that it forces you to fall in love with both of these characters. Gosling’s Sebastian will take a little more to care for, but Gosling so perfectly shows us Sebastian’s flaws and at the same time gives us a glimmer of the white knight we want him to be. Stone’s naivety and pureness of character is quite endearing, which makes Mia so easy to root for during the film. Chazelle’s direction of this movie is so on point that it is mind-blowing that this is still only his second film. Chazelle combines so many elements into this film (jazz, musicals, romance, and drama) so beautifully. I really have to applaud his use of primary colors in this film as well. The colors pop and almost become a character all on their own. Lastly of course is the music because what is a good musical without good music. The songs are very such an amazing part of the story that they encompass every mood and thought of each of these characters. With the music as well is another way that Old Hollywood shines through with this film because it is that Jazzy/Crooner type music that fits Sebastian’s character and what type of film it is trying to be.

The Bad: This is only me nitpicking at this film, but there are points during the film where the musical aspect of the film fades and it becomes strictly a romantic drama. Then of course the film figures out that it is supposed to be a musical and then brings the singing back full force. That is nitpicking at its finest right there.

The Verdict: La La Land is one of those rare movies that come out of Hollywood that reminds us all why we love going to the movies in the first place. This movie is a feel good film that invites us to witness these two characters to follow their dreams at any cost. I will also say that I think I need to make room in my Top 10 list because I think La La Land has knock some other film out. Please see this movie at your earliest convenience, you won’t regret it.

See In Theaters ASAP

[diaryofanangrynerd]

If You Have To Blink...

Kubo and the Two Strings

 So one of the great things about working at a movie theater is that I get to see a lot of films at a very low cost. Most of my reviews are products of this perk, however I can tell you that some do slip through the cracks. Slipping through the cracks can sometimes lead to forgetting about films I missed, so when my memory is jogged I try to come back around. One film from 2016 that I was excited to see, but became a victim of slipping cracks, was an animated film from Focus Features and Lakia. From the animation company that brought us Coraline and The Boxtrolls comes a new fantasy adventure Kubo and the Two Strings.

The Story: In ancient Japan lived a small boy named Kubo (Art Parkinson San Andreas) with his mother by the sea. During the day Kubo would venture to the small village and tell grand magical tales of a warrior named Hanzo, using origami and his shamisen. Kubo’s mother stresses that he must be back to their cave home before night falls, however one day Kubo witnesses an Obon festival where the locals can communicate with their deceased relatives. Intrigued by this Kubo tries to summon his father but because it is now night his evil aunts of the night have found him and attack the little village. With his mother’s last bit of magic, she sends Kubo far away from her sisters with the protection of Monkey (Charlize Theron Mad Max: Fury Road), once a small wooden charm. Now Kubo and Monkey must take a perilous journey to find some magical armor and sword to rid the world of his evil aunts and his villainous grandfather, The Moon King (Ralph Fiennes Skyfall).

The Good: This movie was incredible…PERIOD. Kubo and the Two Strings has definitely become one of my favorite animated films, if not one of my favorite films period. Let us start with the story, this story is so rich and majestic. A story of a young boy trying to find the courage to overcome many obstacles, all the while giving audiences a good humorous family friendly film. The stop-motion animation was fantastic and so vibrant. Each place that these adventurers go has its own color scheme which gives off a different feel to the audience. The voice cast was awesome. I thought that Parkinson did an excellent job and Theron was amazing as the stern, ever protective Monkey. I think the one that stood out for me, however, was Beetle (Matthew McConaughey Sing) due to the fact that for some reason his character had more humor and heart than most of the other characters and McConaughey does a magnificent job balancing both.

The Bad: Honestly, the only bad thing I can come up with is that I am upset that I didn’t see this when I had the chance in the theater. I truly believe that this is a film that needs to be seen on a 52ft screen with surround sound. I have kicked myself three times while writing this review, asking why I didn’t see this in theaters.

The Verdict: Okay so enough kicking of myself and I am here to tell you that Kubo and the Two Strings is a wonderful family adventure that anyone can see. Little ones MIGHT be frightened by a couple scenes but there is enough in this film for everyone to enjoy. If you like Coraline or even ParaNorman this film is a must then.

Worth Your Time.

[diaryofanangrynerd]

Limb is Mightier than the Thumb

#46—It Happened One Night

 Good day to all you fine readers out there. Once again I have circled back around to my Everest of a watch list, the American Film Institute’s 100 Years…100 Movies. I swear I am going to finish this list one day and it is going to be a huge celebration in my own head! Today we are going to talk about one of the most parodied romantic comedies in cinematic history. You all my not realize it when you are watching other romantic comedies, but most these genre film use many aspects of this film. Ironically even one world famous cartoon bunny would be inspired by a character from this film. Number 46 on AFI’s Top 100 list is director Frank Capra’s (It’s A Wonderful Life) quintessential romantic comedy It Happened One Night.

Going against her father’s wishes, Ellie Andrews (Claudette Colbert Private Worlds) has eloped with fortune hunter King Westley (Jameson Thomas). Though Ellie’s father has thought of a way to keep the two apart…locking her up on his yacht in Miami until the day she dies. Feisty and determined, Ellie weasels her way out of her cabin and decides to jump overboard and swim to shore. Ellie scraps together a little money and has purchased a bus ticket from Miami to New York City to be with her husband. On the same bus is recently fired newspaper reporter Peter Warne (Clark Gable Gone with the Wind) who is looking for a scoop when Ellie, the runaway heiress, has dropped in his lap. Though during their trip together, something happens to Ellie and Peter that neither of them planned for.

There is definitely something about romantic comedies during the 1930’s and 1940’s that changes my whole view on the genre itself. Today’s romantic comedies all have the same formula and have become somewhat stale and even though I know that all romantic comedies of now have taken their cues from comedies of the 30s and 40s, I just find them more whole some. Due to social anxieties of the times, the classic romantic comedies aren’t hung up on the sex aspect of the film and focus more on the love and comedy. I’m starting to sound like my late aunt, bless her soul. She used to tell me that movies from this era used to bring out a calmer and happier feeling than movies of today; I’m starting to agree with her more and more. I did find myself really euphoric watching this film. The chemistry between the two leads was great and the simple story was very heartwarming, especially toward the end. Though the one thing that did unnerve me about this time is the pure chauvinistic aspect. A few times Gable’s character does mention that hitting Colbert would set her straight, but I looked past that as ignorance of the time period.  

I admittedly haven’t really seen any of films starring Gable, except Wind, so that image of Gable as Rhett is the only picture I have of him. Now, after watching this film, I can see why Gable was so popular during this time. Gable has such a knack for owning his characters. Gable’s Peter Warne starts off the film with such pessimism that by the end of the film he is such a different character filled with love and optimism. Same with Colbert’s character as she starts of spoiled and ill-equipped to handle the world, but she finds the true value of love through her adventures with Warne.

With this being Capra’s third film on AFI’s list, it is hard to come up with new ways to praise the wonderful director. I will say that I can truly see the boundaries that Capra tried to push with this film. Showing a little skin by both of the lead actors during a very prudish time in our history was very taboo. I can just picture Capra has one of those Tarantino type directors of the 30s and 40s that just wanted to see how far he could go before people turned away. This aspect of his filmmaking is why I have grown more respect for him as I go through my odyssey through film.

Like The Philadelphia Story a couple places above, It Happened One Night is a feel good classic movie that is perfectly placed on this list. The first film to win the ‘Big 5’ (Best Picture, Actor, Actress, Director, and Screenplay) on Oscar night, One Night encompasses what it means to fall in love and the odd places that we find love. Please take a cue from my aunt and check this out; feel good about yourself with pure hearted comedy.

Perfectly Placed. Worth Your Time.

[diaryofanangrynerd]

Ready To Get Wet, Dr. Adams?

The Shallows

 It’s funny to me on how movies can have such an emotional response to a lot of people. I mean, people in the 60’s were so afraid to go into the shower after watching Alfred Hitchcock’s masterpiece Psycho. Fifteen years later an up and coming director gave the world a movie that scared people away from beaches for quite a while. Jaws wreaked havoc on people’s psyche so much that ocean water was just as scary as a serial killer on the loose. Of course, since then Hollywood has been trying to recreate that same fright from shark movies ever since. However, everyone has always come up short and every shark movie will always be compared to one of Steven Spielberg’s most iconic films. Though you can’t blame Hollywood for trying and in 2016 Hollywood tried yet again with the Blake Lively (Age of Adaline) starrer The Shallows.

The Story: After losing her mother to some sort of disease, Nancy Adams (Lively) has decided to find herself again and get her life back on track. To do this Nancy has taken a trip to find a secluded beach in Mexico that her mother brag about constantly. Basking in the seclusion of the beach Nancy takes this opportunity to surf the incredible Mexican waves. Her intentions for her trip quickly change when she is attacked by a shark and instead of relaxation; Nancy suddenly turns to survival instead.

The Good: So in all honesty, I actually really enjoyed this film. There is a lot about this film on paper that most movie goers would scuff at, but the complete product is actually quite good. Starting with the script, it is a minimalist story that keeps razor focus on where it is going. You are given just the right amount of information to sympathize with Lively’s character and that is where Lively takes over. Lively does a wonderful job of making the most of such a simple story. Really bring the audience along with her on this survival journey.  Director Jaume Collet-Serra (Run All Night) gives us beautiful images and aerial shots of the ocean, all the while giving the audience a very intimate very of what Nancy is dealing with during the film.

The Bad: If I really had to nitpick this film, I think it would have to be the suddenness of when Nancy finally wants to try and make it back to shore. Lively spends a lot of “time” on stranded 200 yards from shore and the more time she spent out there the more the story started to become unbelievable. Then in a moment’s notice, Nancy decides she wants to live because her injuries are going to become permanent and so she needs to get back to shore as quickly as possible.

The Verdict: Overall, I think that The Shallows was a good watch and that Lively was superb holding this movie all by herself. Surely this isn’t Jaws and it won’t have the same emotional impact as that movie had in 1975, but it is a good survival film that I thought (in hind sight) is a slightly underrated movie of 2016.

Worth Your Time.

[diaryofanangrynerd]

Going Bump in the Night

The Monster (2016)

 The horror genre is one of the most expansive genres in film. With so many subgenres, audiences have found so many ways to scare themselves. I have spoken about some of the other horror subgenres with this blog, but I know that the Monster genre is one that I haven’t touched on. It is kind of ironic that I haven’t touched on this subgenre yet, especially since there have been so many great Monster movies like The Thing, Alien, and even most recently Cloverfield. During the past year I had heard rumblings of a decent Monster movie from Bryan Bertino (The Strangers), a director that I have been excited about so of course I had to see it. Distributed by A24, The Monster is a unique take on a subgenre that this reviewer poorly overlooks often.

The Story: 10 year old Lizzy (Ella Ballentine) is the product of two alcoholic parents, Kathy (Zoe Kazan What If?) and Roy (Scott Speedman Underworld). Now divorced, young Lizzy is forced to split her time between parents. On this day Lizzy is being driven to her father’s house because it is his turn to spend time with his daughter. However, during the rainy drive through a dark, backwoods road Kathy hits a wolf and spins out of control. Luckily neither Kathy nor Lizzy were hurt seriously and successfully calls for help. After waiting a while for the ambulance and the tow truck, things around Kathy and Lizzy start to not add up and soon the two girls are not the only ones on this dark road.

The Good: This is very different take on the classic monster movie due to that fact that Bertino uses flashbacks to explain the abusive backstory of Lizzy and Kathy. Intertwined with the metaphorical and physical monsters was oddly refreshing. A lot of times inner demons and how to deal with them can be just as difficult as a physical manifestation of a monster. The performances from both leading ladies were magnificent. Only remembering Kazan from a romantic comedy with Daniel Radcliffe as a sweet 20 something, it was intriguing to see her here as an alcoholic/abusive mother coming face to face with a monster in the night. Ballentine, oddly, is a lot better in the flashback scenes due to the growing up she has to do with some of them. Handling the adult situations during the flashbacks was impressive. I also have to give praise to Bertino. As I mentioned, I have been on the lookout for more films by Bertino since the highly underrated The Strangers. With this film, Bertino uses practical effects to create a more realistic world. Bertino also gives us very haunting images with the camera. There are so many great stills that can be taken from this film, with the minimalistic lighting and eerie visuals.

The Bad: So let us get the bad out of the way. Firstly and probably most important aspect of horror film fans most look for is the scare factor. This isn’t a particularly scary movie. With this part of the film, the film falls into the same formula as most monster movies. What becomes more horrifying is the abuse that Lizzy endures during the flashbacks. I gave praise to Bertino for this psychological trait of the film, but I don’t think he levels out the scares of Kathy and Lizzy’s present predicament. The only other part of the film is just one flashback. Through the some of the movie, Lizzy acts as if her father has his life together, but there is one flashback that shows him as abusive has Kathy. Due to this I have to wonder why in the world Lizzy is so adamant about going to her father’s house. The film doesn’t explain his character very well and doesn’t give merit to Lizzy’s eagerness to be with him.

The Verdict: With a very haunting atmosphere and eerie images, The Monster is a distinctive type of monster film that brings more psychological scares than actual scares. I will admit that the movie is thrilling and tense, but if you are looking for a ‘scary’ movie then this isn’t it. I loved the performances from Kazan and Ballentine, along with Bertino’s direction. The Monster is worth a watch when you want to see a horrifically beautiful film.

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