Russ reviews...

My name is Russ and I review stuff

[russreviews]

Predestination (Movie) 8.5/10

Ok, I watched this movie last night, and I was quite surprised at how it kind of blew my hair back. First of all, I was glad that it didn’t really give us too much information on time-travel. This allowed us more time to get lost in the (quite likeable) characters and story. I always like Ethan Hawke. I feel like he would be a cool guy to be friends with. But really, the star of the show was relative newcomer Sarah Snook. Great acting. Absolutely fantastic. With great characters, and at times, a very touching story, this movie had a great affect on me. These two things were enough to get the film above and 8/10. So what brought it up to an 8.5 was the very cool twists and development. “A snake eating its tail forever”.....yup that about says it. I guess the reason it doesn’t get a higher score is because the movie was effectively just about two people and one incident. I think it would have been cool to throw in a few more crime preventions and maybe a little more humour. But overall considering the subject and the way the Spierig brothers executed it, I must say that this movie is worth a look and does a fine job of keeping you focused until the very last scene. I haven’t written a review for what is likely almost two years and this one got me back into the game. Check it out.

[russreviews]

White Chicks (Movie) 8.4/10

I fucking love this movie. Don't watch this movie by yourself though. It is not a movie of good quality. It is stupid. If you like movies like Scary Movie then you will like this too. Keenen Ivory Wayans directed this hilarious piece of shit and a couple of his brothers star in it. Marlon and Shawn to be exact. Anyway this movie has some hilarious lines and memorable scenes. Also they just plain look fuckin ridiculous. But if you think about how Superman is not recognized when he puts on a pair of glasses, then by that standard, this shit is utterly believable. Anyway, all I can say is if you like Scary Movie, then you have to check this out. Watch is with someone else who liked Scary Movie and you guys will shit. Terry Crews probably steals the movie. Almost. Maybe. You decide. 8.4/10

[russreviews]

Now You See Me (Movie) 5.9/10

This movie was had such a good cast, yet it was a festering turd anyway. Fuck. I am not going to name all the actors and make this a long review. I will say that each character was a little bit shit. Woody Harrelson was cool at the beginning where he is conning the guy for a couple hundred bucks, but the rest of the movie was fucking lame. Even the music sounded like Tony Robbins was gonna come out from behind a curtain and start slangin' tips on how to save money and think glass half full kind of shit. What a waste of some fantastic talent. This movie was all smoke and mirrors, style, style, style, shitty dialogue and a bunch of half-assed dialled in performances. And the ending. Fuck. My. Life. I got this movie in the 5 for 5 dollars deal at my local Blockbuster Video, and I want a refund. To the people who brought us this piece of shit, go fuck yourselves. 5.9/10

[russreviews]

The Constant Gardener (Movie) 6.3/10

I really did not enjoy this movie. The reviews were quite good but I was not impressed. Very stylistic and colourful, but too many annoying bits and hard-to-believe character changes. This looked like a commercial made by the Kenyan government to help tourism. But then sometimes it definitely didn't look like that...but anyway, Ralph Fiennes was very good as usual although I was bothered by his weak Justin, turning into a determined strong Justin. I couldn't buy the transition. Another thing that got on my nerves was Rachel Weisz. She is like the poor man's Kate Winslet. Her character was annoying as fuck. Danny Huston is seldom good in anything he does and this was not really any different. I couldn't forgive his attempt at an English accent. Too many little confusing bits and too many anti-climaxes. Even the ending seemed a bit dull. My favourite part was the scene where Bill Nighy and Fiennes were talking in the restaurant. Hilarious because of Nighy but I don't know if it was really meant to be. He is too funny and stood out (in a good way and bad) like a sore thumb for this film that really just took it self too seriously. Another film that probably should have stayed a book. 6.3/10

[russreviews]

The Devil's Playground (Movie) 8.0/10

This is the 1976 Australian film. There are a couple different films of the same name. I was worried that we would encounter paedophile themes in this film, but was happily surprised that it was more about the desire in us all and the challenges many Christians face to suppress it. I liked the scene where one of the "brothers" goes to the public swimming pool. Great scene that made you anxious and aroused at the same time. Anyway, if you find the Catholic Boys School thing interesting, then this is definitely quite good. Sometimes the pacing was a bit slow, but for a relatively unknown little Australian film from the mid seventies, I was willing to let it go. The characters were pretty good, but probably could have used a little more development for a few of them, but otherwise this is a good little film. 8.0/10

[russreviews]

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (Movie) 8.1/10

The special effects in this were fucking unreal. Well actually, they appeared very real. So never mind. Anyway, this movie was quite good. CGI was some of the best I have seen, but I actually liked the first one better (Rise of the Planet of the Apes). This one, I found, took place outside too much. And it was very predictable. I liked Caesar, but Koba was even better. The part where Koba acted Goofy with the two humans was fucking awesome (I am trying not to give away what happened). But I will say that it was some of the best tension I have seen on screen. Up there with some of Tarantino's best tension scenes. You knew what was gonna happen, you just didn't know when or how. Very good. The rest of the movie was sometimes boring and even though a lot of the critics thought it was "big scale" I actually found it to be very small scale. It seemed to be shot mostly in a forest. Gary Oldman seemed a bit unnecessary. He is a great actor, but I felt mixed feelings for his role. I also found the ending to be a tad dull. Very expected and a bit drawn out. Jason Clarke did a solid job as our lead human but at the end of the day, Andy Serkis and Toby Kebbell were the stars of the show. You could watch this for the CGi alone. 8.1/10

[russreviews]

We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks (Movie) 8.4/10

This is a documentary based on Julian Assange and WikiLeaks. I think this was well done overall and kind of showed us that neither side is really right or wrong. On one hand, people should know if a lot of unethical shit is happening around the world, but then that information could hurt people that would otherwise be safe. Assange seems to want to become some kind of anti-government leader. His ego and strong dislike of authority and the abuse of power seem to drive him. But then, once you become as famous as he has become, it would be difficult to make decisions that didn't affect, potentially, millions of people. So information is good, but it can also have people killed. A very controversial topic indeed. Anyway, I really found it sad that Bradley (Chelsea) Manning got fucked over by Adrian Lamo. It seems unfortunate. But there ya go. Anyway, it is hard to review documentaries but overall I would say that this was well done, and the pacing was solid. If you like documentaries and find this subject matter interesting, then this is probably a must see. It paints neither the world governments nor Jullian Assange as right or wrong/good or bad. A relevant film. 8.4/10

[russreviews]

Super 8 (Movie) 7.7/10

The fat kid had some hilarious lines. This alone kept this movie above a 7/10 for me. Riley Griffiths. Very natural. We all knew/know a kid like that. Joel Courtney was a good little leading man but Griffiths stole the show for me. Anyway, this movie seemed to want to be a Spielberg film, and it almost was. It had lots of charm and well cast little actors, but it was just a bit too sloppy. I really liked how the kids were trying to shoot a movie throughout most of the film, and the romance between Joel Courtney and Elle Fanning was touching. I didn't really like how his dad was a dick to him and everybody else. He didn't really seem to have much acting ability (Kyle Chandler). I find it interesting that he has gotten so much work in Hollywood lately, but he is a handsome man, so I guess that works in his favour. Don't get me wrong, he seems like a nice guy, but I just don't think he is great with character stuff. He may be a better leading man, someone the audience can look through, instead of at. He always plays the straight edged cop. Boring...anyway. In the end I felt that the monster wasn't really that interesting or cool (when we did get to look at it) and the whole thing with the army wasn't developed very well. And to be honest, I just felt like this was a kids movie. The first half was pretty good, but it just kind of petered out when it passed the 40 minute mark. Charismatic kids acting with some funny little lines, but overall, a bit dull with dated-looking CGI. A bit of family fun, if you're into that. 7.7/10

[russreviews]

The Damned United (Movie) 8.2/10

This movie was almost like Billy Elliot but for soccer (football). Very charming little gem of a film from Tom Hooper (Les Mis and The King's Speech). This movie had a great script and was thoroughly enjoyable almost entirely because of Michael Sheen and Timothy Spall and the fantastic chemistry they shared. This film may not be ideal for someone who doesn't like football (or sports movies) but it comes close. I personally think that Timothy Spall is one of the top actors around at the moment and I wouldn't be surprised if he received some solid recognition for this in the near future. The movie was a touch predictable (it is based on a true story of which I didn't know), and this is the reason for it not receiving a higher grade. If bio-pics with punchy scripts and top shelf acting, check this one out. 8.2/10

[russreviews]

The Dark Knight Rises (Movie) 9.4/10

This was my favourite of the three. I know there were some big plot holes, but I didn't care. I had fun with this one and have now watched around 4 or 5 times. I fucking love it every time. I look forward to many scenes. I loved Bane. I loved Batman. I loved Gordon. And yes, I even loved Catwoman! Fuck all the haters this movie was a blast! I love the funny little lines where Batman is like, "so that's what that feels like" when he turns his head and Catwoman is gone. I love when she jumps into his car and calls his "Bat" a car and he says "this isn't a car". I fuckin' loved that shit! I loved the into with Bane. I loved Bane's voice. It was creepy and cool and loud (although in the cinema it was very hard to understand). I loved the Bane and Batman's first fight. I loved when Bane talks about the dark and how "the shadows deceive you because they belong to me" or whatever the fuck it was, but it was awesome. And when he says "I wondered what would break first, your spirit or your body"...and then he fucking picks him up and breaks his back on his knee....haha, loved it. The soundtrack, like usual, is great. Couldn't have been better. I loved the scene where he has to try to get himself out of the shithole prison. Fucking great! So I loved the movie- BUT- the things that prevented it from getting a higher grade....first of all, I never really liked the lame voice that Bale uses when he is Batman, it sounds sort of stupid, but in this movie he uses it when talking to people who know his identity. I thought, what the fuck? Why would he do that? But I guess the film makers thought he should keep it consistent while in costume. Stupid. But fuck it. I also thought that Marion Cotillard, just like in Inception, was annoying as fuck. And her death at the end was just very bad. It is really lame the way she dies. The death itself may very well be the worst death I have ever seen. Garbage acting. I also didn't like how Bane started crying near the end when she was talking about how nice he was to her and all that shit. Bane was so smart and aggressive and just down-right bad-ass in this and when he became a little bitch it didn't suit me- or the movie. It would have been better if Miranda Tate wasn't even in it at all. It should have just been Bane kicking ass and taking names. Hmmm, what else didn't I like....not much else. I liked how we were tricked into thinking he died. I liked how Blake's real name was Robin, that shit was perfect. I thought it was sad about Alfred, but I guess they patched that shit up with Wayne leaving his inheritance to Alfred and then seeing him at the cafe. I liked Catwoman. She was very different, and I usually find Anne Hathaway annoying as fuck after a few minutes, but she was darker in this and thus more tolerable and even likeable. She did a great job. So there ya go, this was my favourite of the three. Fun, smart and cool. And Bane was great! 9.4/10

[russreviews]

The Dark Knight (Movie) 8.3/10

Ok, now I will start by saying that this movie was a very good movie and the Joker was close to being one of the best performances I have ever seen on screen. But- I felt the rest of the movie was not that strong and was shadowed by Ledger's performance. The movie still gets an 8.3 so it is still a classic, but I will mention a few things that disappoint me every time I watch it. I have seen it now around 6 times, maybe 5 times. Oh, but I want to mention that the Imax-shot prologue was one of the best I have seen (the bank heist). Ok, now, I didn't like Maggie Gyllenhaal in this. I didn't like Katie Holmes, but I didn't like Gyllenhaal either. She seemed out of place and a bit over the top. Everybody else seemed very settled into their roles but she did not. Which brings me to my next problem. I felt that Aaron Eckhart was also kind of shit, particularly at the end when he became "Two-Face". He was good as Harvey Dent, but I felt he didn't really know how to make the transformation into Two-Face. Which brings me to my next point. I felt that Dent was too whiny about Rachel dying. Dent was very virtuous as the "White Knight of Gotham" and then because his girlfriend, who didn't even really make it clear she loved him, was killed by the Joker. Not only did he blame everybody for this but he decided to flip a coin to determine the fate of the people he held at gunpoint. I felt that, even though this is part of the story in the comic books, Nolan and Goyer should have found a way to make it more believable that he would actually do this. His transformation from a great DA to a angry fuck-wit was kind of stupid. I don't believe that he would flip a coin and then kill people. And then he says that the "coin decides" but why pull the gun in the first place. I felt this was a weak ending for a very good movie. Another issue I had was that Lucius Fox thought that Wayne was unethical for listening into the phones of the people of Gotham and that he would quit his job if this continued. This is lame. Wayne had a very good reason to do this and if he hadn't, maybe millions of people would have died. I don't think Fox would have been so lame about the whole thing, his character was pretty cool and would have understood Wayne's motivation for doing so. I thought it was annoying how the Joker didn't die. He just hung there and then we never heard  of or saw him again. I guess they didn't know Ledger would die before the film was released and thought it may be cool to have him in the sequel. Too bad, because I needed a stronger end to the Joker. Oh, and finally, I found the movie to take itself too seriously; a few funny bits to ease the tension would have been great. The movie was draining and heavy. Still fucking awesome with great performances but aside from Heath Ledger's performance, I think this is probably Nolan's most overrated film (on imdb). Joker summed up my feelings for the grave nature of this movie- "..why so serious"? 8.3/10

[russreviews]

Batman Begins (Movie) 8.8/10

This movie is quite good. The stuff at the beginning where Wayne is learning from the League of Shadows is fucking great. Most of the acting is very good, but I found Katie Holmes annoying. For some reason she just seemed out-gunned. The reason this film doesn't score a higher grade (aside from Katie Holmes) is because of the end scene on the train. I felt it was too clichéd. The final fight where they exchange banter about how both thinks he is right about his own point of view; all this while the train is about to crash and the tracks are running out. This aside, Batman Begins is my second favourite of the trilogy. I love the score, this is our introduction to it and Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard do a very memorable and impressive job of getting our skin to tingle as we watch the story unfold. I FUCKING LOVE THE MUSIC! Anyway, the film is definitely a classic and is only slightly let down by its murky ending and Katie Holmes' involvement. Ben Affleck has his work cut out for him if he wants to take on Bale's brooding Batman. 8.8/10 

[russreviews]

Jack Reacher (Movie) 6.6/10

I watched this for a second time a few nights back. Definitely a bit of a turd. And what a shit ending! For those of you who don't or haven't read a Lee Child book, in which Jack Reacher is the main character, you may think that Tom Cruise is great. I like Tom Cruise as an actor, and he did a great job trying to play Reacher. He did the best he could with what he had/has. The real Jack Reacher is 6' 5" with fair slightly thinning hair, weighing in at anywhere from 210 to 250 pounds (depending on the particular book). This is 95-114kg for those of you in the UK or Australia. Tom Cruise is dark-haired standing around 5' 7", weighing in at around 147 pounds (66kg). So people who have read the books will immediately see no resemblance between the two. All this aside, and what you have here is a relatively shitty action movie with a terrible ending. The bad guys were lame and the acting was lame. Rosamund Pike sounded ridiculous trying to rid herself of her London accent. Almost as bad as Bale's Batman voice, although probably not as threatening to the larynx. Jai Courtney was not intimidating or tough. And he sounded like Chris from Family Guy (Seth Green). Shit actor- sorry, that sounds mean but it was true of this film. Werner Herzog was the main bad guy and was very shit. I like him better as a director (Grizzly Man was legit although it was a documentary). The plot ingredients were cool at times and there was a scene shot in a bathroom where some guys are trying to kill Reacher, which was probably the best scene in the film. But these cool plot bits would be even better in the book (One Shot) as they usually are when the adaptations are made. Even the car chase was boring and too long (although it was a bit creative). I am a big fan of the Reacher books and feel like Jim Grant (Lee Child- author) would not have been impressed with the result. But as I said earlier, if you take all the stuff out that we know from the books, then the movie was a pretty big piece of shit with a few good lines and even fewer cool scenes. Do yourself a favour: Read the fucking books! All of them! 6.6/10 

[russreviews]

The Soloist (Movie) 5.5/10

A musical piece of excrement. Downey Jr and Foxx dialled in there performances here big time. And I can't even really see any other character than Iron Man or Tony Stark when Robert Downey Jr opens his mouth. He just seemed like a watered down Tony Stark in this. He seemed more diverse before he took a big bite of the success (Marvel) cookie, but then I guess everybody (Cate Blanchett) seems a bit one dimensional when they have had some success. Jamie Foxx sort of gets on my nerves as an actor, but in this he is particularly great at it (not acting- bothering me). None of the characters have any back story that I care about and there is nothing particularly likeable about either of them. Catherine Keener, who I used to enjoy watching, just seems like Catherine Keener. The wife who is a bit pissed off. Sadly she is typecast to this now. Used to be a good actor. Now boring and very predictable. The only thing that saved this movie from an even 5/10 (my lowest grade- lower than 5 just seems too mean) is because I actually like Beethoven and hearing the music sprayed hideously throughout this steaming piece of shit was actually kind of nice sometimes. It meant I didn't have to hear or sometimes see Jamie Foxx trying to be Rain Man. 5.5/10

[russreviews]

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (Movie) 7.1/10

Tinker, tailor, soldier, spy, horse, cat, monkey, wait, dog, cat? Chicken? Vagina? Fuck it, this movie was confusing. I saw it in the cinema when it came out. I wanted to feel sophisticated and perceptive, but I just felt like walking out or hopping into a giant blender. I watched it again a few nights ago with the Subtitles on and it turns out first impressions are almost always right, and this time, they were right. What a boring turd. And yeah, I know I am giving it 7.1 so it can't be that bad you say. It wasn't as cut your fuckin' dick off but only when it is fully erect so you can stab your eyes out with it, boring as Robin Hood, but it wasn't exactly Crank: High Voltage either (Crank: High Voltage wasn't a good movie and I only reference it for its non-boring visuals). Bottom line, Tinker Tailor was better with the subtitles but still hard to follow and a bit "too cool for school". I haven't read the book of the same name by John le Carre but I didn't even feel that Gary Oldman was fun to watch as Smiley. I know Smiley is probably meant to be old and wooden (or subtle as I am sure the author would rather I say), but who the fuck wants to watch and old guy with no emotion and a moustache for over two hours? Clearly, not me. The action was not enough and the attitudes of the characters was too much. It was almost style over substance if style were composed of copious wide shots with grainy pastels of green and beige. It had a great cast, William Hurt, Colin Firth, Gary Oldman, Tom Hardy, Mark Strong, Toby Jones, David Dencik, Ciaran Hinds, Kathy Burke, and Benedict Cumberbatch. He has a cool voice. So does Mark Strong. Anyway, in the end you don't even really feel like the bad guy is bad and the whole thing just feels like it should have stayed a book. There are moments of good dialogue and some solid performances, but in the end the movie was just boring. 7.1/10  

[russreviews]

12 Angry Men (Movie) 9.8/10

Sidney Lumet made a fantastic film here. This is my second viewing of this black and white classic and I can say that I enjoyed it just as much, if not more than the first time. Henry Fonda is, of course, excellent, but I find myself liking the rest of the ensemble cast. The whole cast works almost perfectly. The only reason this movie doesn't get a ten out of ten is because I found the actors repeating certain movements and lines a bit too often. They would stand up and move back or yell, "now just a minute" or something to that affect too often. I found nothing else to be annoying. Nothing. For a black and white movie made in 1957, I don't think we could ask for anything better. It was very well paced and the dialogue crackled along purposefully. At just under 100 minutes long, the movie never felt like it was dragging or becoming repetitive. I really liked "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead" which, I think, may have been Lumet's last film. I will do a separate review for that film, but 12 Angry Men is fucking nearly perfect. It just takes place (more or less) in one room, with very long takes. Sounds like a tall order to try to make a film of the above seem interesting/entertaining. Lumet (and his cast) succeed. Kudos to the writer, Reginald Rose too, fucking brilliant. 9.8/10

[russreviews]

Winter's Bone (Movie) 8.3/10

This was solid. Lawrence did a fantastic job and if you watch Hunger Games, it's just this but newer with a higher budget- and a more developed story and without John Hawkes. John Hawkes is fucking awesome by the way. Very diverse actor and he will be known very soon. Up there with Daniel Day-Lewis in my opinion but anyway. Winter's Bone is a very basic story with some very good acting and some creepy bits thrown in. It was actually quite a heavy movie and having seen it twice now, I can say that the first time it was quite hard to watch without looking through your fingers. The second time, it is easier and because of this you notice more subtle stuff. I wouldn't really want to watch it a third time, but I definitely recommend watching it at least once. This movie was an actor's dream; lots of close ups and some very strong dialogue. As a viewer, the story was a bit simple but everything was executed well enough to be higher than and 8/10. And it was John Hawkes and Jennifer Lawrence who got it there. 8.3/10