Dark Was the Night

I haven't done one of my bargain bin reviews in a good while, so today's movie is Dark Was the Night from 2018. I actually found this one a few months ago but hadn't gotten around to watching it until now. The film stars Marisa Tomei (who is the main reason I picked the Blu-ray up), Charlie Plummer, and Timothy Olyphant. 

The main plot of the film is that Steven Lang (played by Olyphant) is murdered one night in a parking lot after breaking up an altercation. He leaves behind a wife Margret (played by Tomei) and a teenage son Marcus (played by Plummer). In the days and weeks following the tragedy Margret falls into a deep depression and starts drinking heavily, while Marcus tries to keep moving forward. As time goes on Margret starts going to AA meetings and does her best to pick up the pieces of her broken life. Simultaneously, Marcus starts going down the opposite path and is becoming more self-destructive and isolated. 

Overall, this movie was better than I expected. I thought it was a good portrayal of how people deal with grief differently. While the film is nothing ground-breaking, and it is a bit of a sad watch, I thought it was well-written and the acting was solid. 

This one was pretty good, 3 out of 5.

Wild River

A little while back I posted a list called My Top 100 Favorite Films, and one of the movies that just missed making it was 1960's Wild River starring  Montgomery Clift, Lee Remick, and Jo Van Fleet.

Directed by Elia Kazan (who made a number of other notable films like On the Waterfront, East of Eden, Panic in the Streets and A Streetcar Named Desire) Wild River is a terrific, though often forgotten, film. The setup here is simple; It's the 1930's and Chuck Glover (played by Montgomery Clift) is and official with the Tennessee Valley Authority who has been sent to acquire the last piece of land that has to be cleared before a new hydroelectric dam can go into service. The only problem is, there is an old woman named Ella Garth (played by Jo Van Fleet) who refuses to sell her land. Additionally, there is a romance that develops over the course of the movie between Chuck and Ella's granddaughter Carol (played by Lee Remick).

Overall, I find the plot of this movie pretty interesting and where the film really shines is with it's characters and their interactions. It's well-written and the actors do a great job with the material. Sure, Ella Garth is a stubborn old woman but it is her land, it's all she knows, and she has good reason not to leave. Chuck has a job to do and the dam will not only prevent flooding that could kill people but, it will also provide the whole town with electricity. The theme of an individual's rights to property versus the role of government to provide for it's citizens is a timeless one and, I think makes this movie very rewatchable. I highly recommend Wild River if you've never seen it. 
I give it a 4.5 out of 5.

The Life and Death of Peter Sellers

Released in 2004, The Life and Death of Peter Sellers is, of course, a biopic about the actor Peter Sellers and stars Geoffrey Rush in the lead role. 

There's a lot to like about this one, but it isn't without it's flaws.

It's a bit of an uneven and oddly paced movie, spending a lot of time on Sellers' troubled marriages while breezing past whole sections of his film career in a matter of seconds. I understand the film is  really supposed to be about the man behind all of those iconic characters, but I still would've liked to see more of a balance between the troubled personal life and the career in front of the camera. Also, for a film called "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers" his actual death, and the circumstances around it, are only told to us via a brief few sentences of text at the end of the film.

On the plus side, this is a film about an interesting, complex, egotistical person so it's not hard to get into. In addition to that, the cast surrounding Geoffrey Rush consists of Emily Watson, Charlize Theron, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, and Stephen Fry, all of whom are good in their roles.

Overall, while I was pretty entertained throughout, I'm not going to give this one a real strong recommend because it's not a "must-see".

3 out of 5.

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10 Steven Spielberg Movies Everyone Should See

The latest entry in this ongoing series focuses on Steven Spielberg, one of cinema's most famous Directors. As always, rather than a "Best of" or "Top 10" this is more of an overview highlighting some of the notable movies of a person's career. Also, at the bottom of this post I'll leave a link to all of the other '10 Movies Everyone Should See' posts.


#10 Bridge of Spies (2015)

This is the 4^th pairing of Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks (the previous three films being ‘Saving Private Ryan’, ‘Catch Me If You Can’ and ‘The Terminal’) I wasn't sure about this one going in but I was pleasantly surprised. It’s a pretty outstanding Cold War, espionage movie.

#9 Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

Well acted, engaging story, great musical score, and massive success at the box-office.
This big hit (along with Jaws) helped catapult Spielberg to top of every studio's Director list.

#8 Lincoln (2012)

When you pair up an all-time great actor in Daniel Day-Lewis with an all-time Director you can even turn a film about Abe Lincoln into not only a financial success but also a multiple (2) Oscar winning film.

#7 Saving Private Ryan (1998)

There are a ton of WWII movies for anyone looking to watch one. The fact that this one often rises towards the top for a lot of people says a lot. It's a really solid film.

#6 E.T. the Extra Terrestrial (1982)

I've seen this one multiple times over the years and there's no way it should be as good as it is. Kids fly on bicycles, the alien is basically a bumbling child, none of the acting is amazing... In the hands of a lesser filmmaker this is a crappy movie, but Spielberg made it a classic.

#5 Schindler's List (1993)

This period-drama about the Holocaust won 7 Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director, and it's easily one of Spielberg's most critically acclaimed films.

#4 Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

The film that launched one of cinemas most beloved characters, Indiana Jones, still holds up pretty well. While it's not my favorite Indiana Jones movie (that distinction belongs to 1989's Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade) it's impact is undeniable.

#3 Jaws (1975)

It's one of cinema's greatest summer blockbusters and one of the only legitimately good shark movies ever made. All you have to do is say the word "Jaws" and most people will immediately think of this early Spielberg classic.

#2 Minority Report (2002)

This one also appeared on my list of '10 Tom Cruise Movies Everyone Should See' (which you can check out by clicking here) and while it's not as famous as a film like  "Jaws" or  "E.T.", I think it's a great, tension-filled movie that is definitely worth checking out if you've never seen it.

#1 Jurassic Park (1993)

Early on as I started rewatching a bunch of these films for this list, this one jumped to #1. Everything I like about different Spielberg's films come together in this one. You get adventure, memorable characters, great special effects that still hold up, and an interesting story that's easy to get fully invested in.

Have a suggestion for a '10 Movies Everyone Should See' list?

Leave it in the comments below, and if you want to check out the other other entries in this series you can find them all by clicking Here.

Tonight's Movie: Logan

I had some moderately high expectations going into this one; I had heard good things, read a couple of positive reviews, and the movie currently sits at a 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes... So, while I'm not saying the movie is terrible by any stretch of the imagination, I do think it is a bit overrated.
Also, like I often do when reviewing a new film, I'm going to avoid any plot points that may spoil the movie and, instead, offer up my overall impression of the movie.

Now, while I do love the X-Men comic book characters, I have always been pretty critical of the big screen adaptations but, the one consistent positive is Hugh Jackman. Like so many good and bad X-Men films that came before (all of which I've ranked in a previous post that you can check out by clicking here) it's hard not to love Hugh Jackman as Logan/Wolverine. It is one of the all-time best live-action/comic book character castings, and Jackman doesn't disappoint in this one. And the same can be said for most of the acting throughout, I generally enjoyed most of the performances. Patrick Stewart is pretty solid as always and the girl who plays 'X-23' was good as well.

The overall look and feel of this film is a bit different than all the previous X-Men movies; It has a somber tone and a bit of a Western feel (which I liked), and also carries an R-rating which seemed necessary to tell this particular story. It's easy to feel some superhero fatigue with as many of these comic book movies that come out now but, this one felt like something fairly fresh in a formulaic genre. There are some great action scenes but, there are also a few times when the film drags a bit and the 137min runtime could've been cut down slightly. I didn't find the film's villain all that interesting , and there is at least one character that could've been completely cut from the film without it really affecting the plot at all. The first and third act I enjoyed but, it was the middle of the film that started to run on a bit. Additionally, if you are familiar with all of the previous X-Men movies then you may end up with a few unanswered questions throughout the film.

Overall, this is a movie that I really wanted to love and, while it is enjoyable as a whole, it's far from perfect. Maybe this one is worthy of the high praise it has received thus far, but I found it to be a slightly below what I was hoping for.

I give it a 3.5 out of 5.


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80's Month Day 18: Urban Cowboy

It's John Travolta's birthday and, of course, it's also still '80's Month'. So, today's movie is the 1980 film Urban Cowboy, a movie that previously made my '10 John Travolta Movies Everyone Should See" list (Click here if you want to check out that post).

The movie stars John Travolta as 'Bud' Davis and Debra Winger as Sissy, and both are pretty solid throughout. Without going to deep into the plot, a good portion of the film takes place in a Houston country bar called Gilley's, and there is a lot of two-step and mechanical bull riding during the film's runtime. So, much of the drama revolves around Bud and Sissy's love-hate relationship, so that dynamic has to be believable for the film to work and I think it does. The two meet almost immediately after bud moves to Houston, they get married shortly after meeting, and start having problems almost as quickly. They split up, Bud starts dating a woman with a rich father and Sissy hooks up with an ex-convict... but, of course they get back together in the end.

 I find this one to be one of the most enjoyable of Travolta's early movies. I like it a bit better than Saturday Night Fever but not quite as much as Grease to give you a perspective of where I stand on movies in which he dances a good bit. I personally, also really like the music in this movie. It's not for everyone but the soundtrack features songs from Charlie Daniels Band, The Eagle, Kenny Rogers, and others.

Overall, it's an entertaining movie and I give it a 4 out of 5.


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Today's Movie: 360 (2011)

 360 is a film about several people from different backgrounds who are all simultaneously going through a complicated time. They've all reached a crossroads; a time when they need to decide which way they want to proceed in life. This is one of those films with a pretty large cast, as there are several different story lines going at once. The film jumps around form location to location a bit, going from Vienna to Paris to London to Colorado then back to Paris and Vienna. Throughout the film all of these stories become intertwined or, at the very least, loosely connected. 

In Vienna, a woman who has recently joined an escort service is given her first client, a businessman named Michael (played by Jude Law). Micheal is married to a woman named Rose (played by Rachel Weisz) who unbeknownst to him is having an affair with a man in London. That guy soon finds out that his girlfriend Laura (played by Maria Flor) has discovered the affair and left town. While on a flight out of London, Laura befriends an older man named John (played by Anthony Hopkins) who will later inspire a woman named Valentina to leave her husband... and these sort of connections keep going on and on and eventually all lead back to where the film started.

The film is well shot, and pretty well acted. The major flaw is that you have all these stories going on but, for the most part, none of them are particularly interesting. There are some good moments in the film but, the whole thing overall is a little dull and probably could've been cut down by 15-20mins.

I give this one a 2 out of 5.

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Today's Movie: What Just Happened

 

Released in 2008, What Just Happened is comedy-drama about a Hollywood Producer named Ben (played by Robert De Niro) who is going through his fair share of professional and personal problems. His latest film, 'Fiercely' (Which stars Sean Penn), is receiving a lot of push back after it's test screening because a dog is shot at the end of the film. Of course the film's director doesn't want to change the ending which causes concerns among studio executives. Ben is also having a hard time making a clean break from his ex-wife Kelly (played by Robin Wright) who is seeing a screenwriter named Scott (played by Stanley Tucci) who Ben has previously worked with. As if all that wasn't enough, the studio is threatening to cancel a film Ben is producing because Bruce Willis is unwilling to shave the thick beard that he has recently grown and his agent Dick Bell (played by John Turturro) is too scared to confront him.

For the most part the cast is pretty solid, Robert De Niro turns in a good performance but I wouldn't put it up there with some of his best. Bruce Willis, though not in the film a whole lot, provides a few laughs. Overall, the movie far from perfect and feels about 15 minutes too long with a few scenes that could've easily been cut. It's watchable but not a must-see.

I give this one a 2out of 5.

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Crazy on the Outside: Is It Really That Bad?

2010's comedy-drama Crazy on the Outside isn't a very well regarded movie, currently sitting at a whole 8% on 'Rotten Tomatoes', but is it really that bad?

Tim Allen stars in the film and I personally think it's one of his better performances. I realize that's not saying much as Allen isn't know for being in any cinematic masterpieces, but there are a few moments that are legitimately funny. Also in the film are Sigourney Weaver, Ray Liotta, J.K. Simmons, Kelsey Grammer, Jeanne Tripplehorn and Julie Bowen... So, there is a halfway decent cast that makes it worth watching.

The movie is about a recently released convict named Thomas Zelda (played by Tim Allen) who quickly realizes, as the title would suggest, that life outside of prison can be crazy. Thomas is determined to turn his life around and restart his fathers old painting business but comes across his share of obstacles along the way. His sister Viki (played by Sigourney Weaver) keeps telling little white-lies that makes things harder than they should be, his parole officer and eventual love interest Angela (played by Jeanne Tripplehorn) thinks he's just another ex-con that she can't trust, Thomas' old crime partner Gray (played by Ray Liotta) wants him to get back into what caused him to go to prison in the first place, etc. It's one of those everything that can go wrong does plots but it's not terrible. 

Overall, this one isn't as bad as it's reputation. It's not fantastic but, it's watchable and I got a few laughs out of it. 

I give this one a 2 out of 5.

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Today's Movie: Knife Fight

Knife Fight is a 2012 political-drama that had a very limited theatrical released and, in terms of acting and production quality, it's more in line with a made for TV movie than a big screen flick.

The movie centers around a political strategy team lead by Paul Turner (played by Rob Lowe) as well as the candidates he's helping to get elected. Turner acknowledges that basically all politicians are flawed, but he's a master of spinning the news stories to their advantage. Turner trying to find ways to minimize the self-inflicted damage the candidates do to themselves and their election chances was the most interesting aspect of the movie to me. His current clients include Kentucky governor (played by Eric McCormick) who had an affair with an intern, a California senator (played by David Harbour) who is being blackmailed, and an idealistic doctor (played by Carrie-Anne Moss) who is running for govenor of Califorinia dispite having virtually zero name recognition and being told repeatedly by Turner that she is a long-shot candidate. Rob Lowe is good in the film but the rest of the characters are pretty bland. 

Overall, if you like films about politics and/or are specifically interested in what happens behind the scenes of political campaigns then you'll probably like this one. I was fairly entertained but, I didn't think it was a great movie. 

I give this one a 2 out of 5.

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There Will Be Blood (2007)

Up until now I hadn't rewatched this film since originally going to see it in theaters and I had largely forgotten exactly why I liked it. I just sort of remembered it as being a good movie, but it didn't take long for it all to come back to me.

The plot is about a silver miner turned 'oil-man' named Daniel Plainview. He starts his own drilling company, but one day after striking oil, one of his workers dies in an accident and Daniel adopts the man's orphaned son.A few years later, Daniel is approached by a man named Paul, who tells him of an oil deposit under his family's property in California. Daniel quickly goes to work on acquiring all the available land and neighboring farms in the area, and soon oil drilling begins. There are a number of obstacles that get in the way, including an accident that leaves Daniel's adopted son deaf, and tension between Daniel and the small town's pastor Eli.

That's the basic setup and this is one of those films that, even if the plot doesn't sound all that interesting to you, Daniel Day-Lewis' performance alone is reason enough to check it out, because he knocks it out of the park. In addition, the cinematography is top-notch, it's well written, and I think it's a pretty compelling story. This probably isn't a movie everyone will get into but, if sounds interesting to you, I highly recommend it.

I give this one a 4.5 out of 5.

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Today's Movie: Quiz Show

Every so often there will be a movie that has been recommended to me or that I've heard is pretty good for a while, and I just never got around to checking it out. That's been the case with the 1994 film Quiz Show.

In a nutshell, the film is about a 50's game show called 'Twenty One' on NBC that is rigged in order to generate more public interest, thus increasing ratings and generating more money for the show's sponsor. Eventually when the ratings plateau, the two men who run the show Dan Enright (played by David Paymer and Albert Freedman (played by Hank Azaria) convince the recurring champion Herb Stempel (played by John Turturro) to lose on purpose, so that a good-looking, marketable guy named Charles Van Doren (played by Ralph Finnes) can be the champ. Of course after throwing the game, Stempel is bitter and he'll tell anyone who will listen that the game is rigged. It doesn't take long for a young congressional lawyer named Dick Goodwin (played by Rob Morrow) to catch wind of the possible rigging and he heads to New York to investigate. 

From there it's a lot of Van Doren feeling guilty, Stempel being angry, Goodwin trying to build a case, and Enright trying to cover it all up, but it's done in a very entertaining way. For the most part it's all well written, well directed, and well acted which is especially important because this one could have very easily been a dull, run-of-the-mill, corruption movie. I particularly liked Rob Morrow and Ralph Finnes in the film, but even some of the smaller roles like Christopher McDonald as the game show host and Martian Scorsese as the 'Geritol' executive manage to stand out.

Overall, it's a good movie. It's not one I foresee myself watching over and over, but I definitely enjoyed it. 

I give this one a 4 out of 5.

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Today's Movie: The Verdict

I've never been the biggest fan of courtroom drama films, so I had put off watching 1982's The Verdict for a while despite it being recommended to me several times.

In this one Paul Newman plays attorney Frank Galvin, a washed-up, alcoholic, ambulance-chaser who has only has only had 4 cases in the last 3 years and he's lost them all. One day a friend and former teacher Mickey Morrissey (played by Jack Warden) hands him a case that should result in a quick, easy, out of court settlement. Two well respected doctors, working for a Catholic hospital, accidentally gave a woman the wrong anesthesia during surgery leaving the woman in a permanent coma. If it were to go to trial it could look badly on the church and permanently damage the reputation of the two doctors, so they want to settle it and sweep the whole thing under the rug. However, once Galvin visits the hospital to take some photos of the woman on life support, he realizes that this may be his chance do the right thing for the first time in a long time. 

From a plot standpoint, this isn't going to offer up anything you probably haven't seen before. The church has an army of top-notch, well-respected lawyers working on their behalf and a solid case. Frank and Mickey on the other hand, have a hard time even getting a credible witness. So, it's the classic in-over-his-head attorney, fighting for justice for the common man story and it plays out mostly how you'd expect.

However, the film does largely overcome this predictable, paint-by-numbers plot with some solid writing, decent tension, and good performances throughout, particularly by Paul Newman. Overall, I thought it was a really good film, and I give it a 4 out of 5.

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Today's Movie: Hacksaw Ridge (2016)

I wasn't 100% sure what to expect going into this one. I had seen some trailers but didn't look into the movie much ahead of time. In fact, if you would've asked me a few months ago to gauge my excitement for this movie, I probably would have said something to the effect of "It looks like a typical WWII movie, but I'll probably check it out". It's safe to say that I was pleasantly surprised.

The film is based on the true story of a 'conscientious objector' named Desmond Doss (played by Andrew Garfield) who enlists in the Army because he sees it as his duty to serve despite not only refusing to kill, but to even carry a weapon. He instead becomes a medic and, armed with only courage, determination, and his faith in God, he bravely saves the lives of 75 injured soldiers. All the acting, from Andrew Garfield, to Vince Vaughn, to Sam Worthington, to Teresa Palmer is solid throughout and I found the story really compelling.

Overall, if you want to see something that is well acted, well written, well directed, inspirational, with intense battlefield scenes, and really good cinematography then you need to see Hacksaw Ridge. Unfortunately, because it's directed by Mel Gibson this one probably won't get the award recognition it deserves, but it really is a fantastic movie. Once we get to the end of the year I plan to write a "10 Best Film of 2016" list, and this one is likely to make that list.

I give this one a 5 out of 5.
Go check it out, you won't be disappointed.


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Ranking the “Rocky” Movies

Ranking the “Rocky” Movies

I put up a poll about a week ago asking which film franchise I should rank, and this is what won the poll overwhelmingly. So, here is my personal ranking of the 7 films thus far to feature Sylvester Stallone as the iconic character Rocky Balboa. Like my list ranking all of the Marvel Cinematic Universe films (which you can check out here: http://onlyinthemoviesblog.blogspot.com/2016/10/the-marvel-cinematic-universe.html) this list is a worst-to-first ranking based on a variety of factors; story, initial viewing and rewatchability and, above all, how much I personally enjoyed one film over another.

#7 Rocky V -1990

There was no internal debate here for the #7 spot, it wasn't even close. This is the only one I have a hard time sitting through. The movie isn’t any fun, Rocky’s son Robert (played by Sylvester Stallone’s real-life son Sage Stallone) is awful, and the plot just doesn’t work for me.

#6 Rocky Balboa -2006

I get what they were going for with this one, but it wasn’t as enjoyable as it could’ve been. It shot passed being just a dramatic look at where the 'Italian Stallion' is at this point in his life and went straight to depressing. Unlike Rocky V, I don't hate this one, it's just not one of my favorites.

#5 Rocky III -1982

 I have mixed feelings about it this one. There are a few game-changer moments for the franchise in this film; most notably Mickey's death, and Rocky and Apollo Creed putting their rivalry aside because Rocky has to learn to fight with the "Eye of the Tiger" in order to beat Clubber Lang (played by Mr. T). It's not the strongest movie, but there's a lot to like about it.

#4 Rocky IV -1985

Interestingly enough, the #4 film in the franchise came in at #4 in my rankings. Is this the 4^th best written or acted film? Nope. But it is a ridiculous bag of fun. They went balls to the wall with this one: it’s got a great training montage, some cheesy lines, they apologetically play up the strained relations between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, and it’s one of the most rewatchable films of the franchise.

#3 Rocky II -1979

The first sequel to the masterpiece that is 1976’s ‘Rocky’ is a satisfying continuation. A rematch between Rocky and Apollo would’ve been enough reason to watch the movie, but it's also a solid development of Rocky’s relationships with the other characters from the previous film which places this one pretty high on my list.

#2 Creed -2015

 

This film really surprised my when I saw it in the theater last year. Sylvester Stallone returns as Rocky Balboa and Michael B. Jordan joins the franchise as Adonis Creed (son of Apollo Creed). Both of these actors knock it out of the park it in this film, and it hit all the beats I was hoping it would. It’s not only one of my favorite films in this series, but also one of my favorite films to come out in the last several years.

#1 Rocky -1976

It’s one of the most iconic films in the history of American cinema. The others in the franchise have their memorable moments, but I don't think any of the other films are quite as good as the original. It's a great sports movie, it's a great drama, it won 'Best Picture', it's become the definitive underdog story... It's going to take a damn good movie to eventually knock this one out of the #1 spot.

 

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