The White Tiger

The lead actor, Adarsh Gourav, acted a tour de force. He acted with such grace, aggression, joy, pain.. and on and on. He showed all of the human emotions because his character was forced to live through so much.

The director, Rahman Bahrain, who’s made other great character driven films like 99 Homes and Man Push Cart, created a film that can resonate with audiences on many humanistic levels.

The film is a compelling, suspenseful drama about an Indian boy from a low caste family that is beaten down by the archaic and sinister system that forces him and his family to live like less than individuals, like untouchables if a thing could ever exist. Balram played masterfully by Gourav beats the odds by employing methods that are reminiscent of an American antihero cut from the same cloth as a Don Draper to build an empire. It’s also a rousing perspective into Indian life and culture, particularly in places like Delhi and Bangalore, the “Indian Silicon Valley” as it’s referred to. Rife with gripping scenes of the devastating class divides that India has, it’s also a powerful film about a country of billion people that many Americans know very little about.

It’s all of these things, and it doesn’t struggle from the pitfall that lesser movies fall into when juggling many competing elements. Bahrain has a steady hand and paced the film very well, a scene towards the end of the movie where Balram is asked for spare rupees by an older woman shows how much that his servanthood and the other factors in his life has brought about his volatile behavior. Scenes like these speak to more than just what the audience is directly shown. Indirectly, we see how the lower caste system is permitted to treat each other, poorly in this instance. 

Rajkummar Rao, who played Ashok, also had a fantastic performance. His character needed to be amiable enough for a climatic scene to have the teeth that Bahrain was likely intending that it would have. He was though, and his role required a lot of range to show how the son of the Stork could  be compassionate at times, while as wicked and underhanded at others. Priyanka Chopra as Pinky was another wonderful character that was important to the development of the story in how she helped Balram see what he possessed inside himself to live his destiny and be ‘the White Tiger’.

The 40-Year-Old Version

Tone in movies can be one of the toughest things to do right. Forty Year Old Version sets a tone that’s familiar and unfamiliar. Through the vision and acting of Radha Blank it delivers comedy that’ll resonate with people of all ages and backgrounds.

With familiar story tropes that examine friendship, family dynamics, loss, self-doubt, and career strife, Blank puts her own touch on a film that is funny and rife with much social commentary on gentrification, racial micro-aggressions, and navigating a murky world of political correctness.

Supporting performances from Peter Kim, as Archie, Radha’s theatrical agent and long time friend, Oswin Benjamin, as D, the mysterious and talented Brooklyn music producer, give the film more depth as it allows the protagonist to be a more full and balanced character. Making the climactic scene more impactful as the crowd is scanned and the audience is shown the different people in Radha’s life who are influential in her journey in life to that particular stage. Jacob Ming-Trent, as Lamont, a mouthy street dweller, maybe provides the films funniest scene, where he imparts wisdom to Radha on her big night. Reed Birney, as J. Whitman, plays a convincing and often frustrating figure in Radha’s career, that pushes her and is likely one of the catalysts in the creation of RadhamusPrime.

There’s a lot about this film that is just below the surface, meaning that Blank gives it a bit of time but doesn’t linger on it too much, just enough to provide the viewer with perspective. Like the challenges a Black female creative living in Harlem can have, which is evidenced by her constant verbal abuses on the street by Lamont or the bus drivers exchanges with her after she offers him condolences. Blank has truly accomplished something incredible with her first film, that is worthy of seeing.

Tenet

Tenet has received high praise from many critics and it certainly deserves credit for taking some high risk chances that paid off in terms of the screenplay, but not in terms of how the film is playing out at the box office. It’s unfortunate that this is Christopher Nolan’s most ambitious film because it was released during a year where people abandoned movie theaters due to the global coronavirus pandemic.


According to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, a tenet is a principle, belief, or doctrine generally held to be true, especially : one held in common by members of an organization, movement, or profession. It’s also a palindrome, a word that is the same both backwards and forwards, like racecar, mom, or even detartrated, which is a chemical term meaning to remove tartrates. It's an aptly chosen word for the title of this movie as the promotional poster evinces.


This is probably one of my favorite Nolan films because it’s his first film where a non-white actor plays a central role to the film. John David Washington, who plays the aptly named role of the Protagonist, is of course Black and his character brings a different dimension to this Nolan film than Inception, Dunkirk, or Interstellar all brought. Nolan’s screenplay is wise to utilize its Protagonist’s abilities/appearance, instead of hiding from it which is something that major Hollywood blockbusters have done before. John Boyega has been critical of Disney/Star Wars brass for their double talk/action in this regard in the past. There’s a great scene as the film is developing the Protagonist character where Washington’s acting prowess and impeccable delivery coalesce with Nolan’s intuitive script and provide some laughs that split up the rapid fire action sequences.


Criticism of the film has substantially fallen on the notion that the audience is subjected to a storyline of which the film hasn't given them enough of a reason to care about. Without giving away too much, although personally I may agree, the film's innate ability to chug along at a breakneck pace and its other qualities will likely make audiences forgot about this.

Knives Out

Meet the Thrombey's... Although pretty late to the party, I was just on time to catch this hilarious, who-done-it mystery movie before it slipped out of theaters and I was totally impressed. Having been exposed to various members of this ensemble cast at some point in their careers I was excited to see how they would be able to co-exist onscreen as an acting family unit.

The accomplished and versatile ensemble cast is one of the many reasons to see this, with Toni Collette, who left so many speechless with her performance in Hereditary, or Katherine Langford who played the vitally important role of Leah in Love Simon, to veteran actors Don Johnson, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Michael Shannon, the film seems to have the right actors to carry the story along. Most people will have seen Daniel Craig act in his many roles as James Bond over the years, but they will be in for a pleasant surprise at his ability to play a quirky detective with a southern drawl and a penchant for finding the truth, no matter where it may lead him. Audiences will too have seen Chris Evans play Captain America in his many appearances in those movies of the Marvel Cinema Universe, but they will again be perturbed and flummoxed at the impressive quality with which Evans' is able to bring his character in Knives Out, Ransom, to life.

Director Rian Johnson hosted a 23 minute video with Vanity Fair where he broke down a scene in the film, which is highly worth seeing (Before or after viewing, no spoilers!), in it he offers his insight into how the scene was setup from where the cameras were being pointed, to how it was working with all of the talent, to the behind the scenes "movie magic" that we don't get to see. It was fantastic to see how excited he was about explaining some of the minute details of what went into making Knives Out, which in turn allowed for more of his voice to come out and be evident when watching the film. He really is an exceptional director, who we should expect more big things from in the future.

Ana de Armas, who plays Marta Cabrera, has to be mentioned here, not only because she's the leading actress of the movie, but because she steals the show despite being listed third on the movie's first billed cast list. Although, she occupies a substantial amount of screen time Armas uses many subtle acting skills to bring power and depth to her role, which is important to the development of the films story.

Like the above poster shows, Knives Out is a robust, dynamic multi-genre movie that has something for everybody. I saw "multi-genre" because it's not just a drama, it has too many comedic elements to be pigeonholed into solely that category. Additionally, it's not exclusively a thriller or mystery movie, because at it's core it's truly a family "dram-edy" about a mysterious, thrilling event that happens to the family.. I won't confuse you anymore, but what I'm trying to say is that Knives Out is a great American movie with something for all audiences. See it when you have the chance.

Troop Zero

Troop Zero is a well-made family drama/comedy released on January 17, 2020 by Amazon Studios. It was released by Big Indie Pictures, Escape Artists, and Amazon. The screenplay was written by Lucy Alibar, known for Beasts of the Southern Wild, and directed by the duo of Bert & Bertie, who most recently co-directed, Dance Camp (2016).

It stars Mckenna Grace, as Christmas Flint, a social misfit with her head in the clouds. Jim Gaffigan plays the role of her father, Ramsey Flint, a local attorney, who like his daughter is also a peculiar character that often accepts payment from his clients in the form of "I-owe-you's". Viola Davis plays, Miss Rayleen, Ramsey's paralegal assistant who oftentimes acts in a motherly role to Christmas. Allison Janney is Miss Massey, a troop leader for a local troop of Birdie Scouts that has a history with Miss Rayleen. Mike Epps rounds out the cast as, Dwayne Champaign, a friend/client of Ramses, who brings humor and lightness to the role.

Troop Zero is set in rural Georgia in 1977 and Laura Fox, who designed the production of the film really did a wonderful job of teleporting the audience back to this period with colorful and rich sets filled with nostalgic items that have today become memorabilia and picturesque settings backdropped against the tall Georgia pines and Southern Live Oaks that the area is famous for. The rural south American setting adds another element to the film that doesn't really percolate to the point of becoming a pseudo-character in the movie, but I felt like the events probably couldn't happen in too many other places.

Grace's character, Christmas, is the sort of character that many love rooting for because she's a likable underdog with a bright smile and a quirky personality, and it's through this that the film's directors are able to string along a touching coming-of-age story that offers many solid supporting performances. Notably, all of the child actors perform exceptionally, either as supporting Birdie Scouts or rival scouts in the climactic competition to see who will be recorded on NASA's Golden Record. 

Troop Zero is definitely worth a watch, it'll remind you of the power of imagination, self-belief, perseverance, sacrifice, family, friendship and love.   

Ready Player One

As Ohio goes, so goes the nation? A quotation with political implications that typically accompanies primary election season, but in the realm of Ready Player One, it's all about the players involved. Notably, Steven Spielberg, 3-time Oscar winner and global box office behemoth, who's movies have grossed upwards of $9.4 billion, and Ernest Cline, the first time novelist, who's book started a bidding war back in 2010. Spielberg, the movie's director is from Cincinnati, Ohio, and Cline hails from Ashland, Ohio. But, maybe more importantly the film's setting is Columbus, Ohio in the year 2045, which perhaps provide a backdrop that isn't overtly familiar to the average American, insofar as it represents a place in people's minds of Middle American tastes and cultures that differ from those of locales closer in proximity to places like New York, Los Angeles, or Boston. 

I say all that to say that video games and video game culture create worlds on television sets and in our minds that provide a respite where many of us can and have spent hours of our lives, collecting coins, upgrading armor, slaying bosses, and whatever else that simply cannot be done in the real world. Much appreciation goes to Cline for his uncanny ability to pen a novel that touches on so many poignant moments in 1980's American culture that also connects to the modern world in what companies like Oculus are trying to do with virtual reality, to allow us to live in our video games. See Ready Player One, for its ability to bring out a lot of that nostalgia, while giving a wishful template for what modern VR headsets hope to achieve and for just being 2 hours of action, entertainment, and some laughs.   

Criticism has been lauded on this movie, which Spielberg was keen to refer to it as at a presser at Comic Con before its release, so as not to confuse it with his more high-brow fare like The Post, Lincoln, or Bridge of Spies, for its frenetic pace and its inability to create deeper connections with the incessant pop culture references and items of nostalgia that litter the movie like confetti on stadium turf after a world champion is crowned. But, for those having read Cline's book, they understand that the best apart about the novel was the hunt... Sure there was time during the novel to sort of sit back and reminisce as to why spending hours in a local arcade playing Pac-Man or some other 80's game was formative and provided life lessons that could be reflected back on thirty years later, but the coolest thing about the book was connecting the dots of an epic scavenger hunt where the stakes were so high, especially where being successful at the hunt required having knowledge of off beat stuff from popular movies to more obscure ones. It essentially gave self-proclaimed video game nerds and fan girls an opportunity to read about it what it would be like to excel at something that the whole world saw considerable value in. 

I was very impressed with how Spielberg and company were able to visualize this movie and bring it to life. My guess is that soooo much more than I'd expect in this movie is CGI, but it's not poorly done where it looks "too fake", it accompanies the actors especially well in the action scenes, particularly the opening race scene through NYC. The cast selected to play the roles was very on point with only Olivia Cooke seeming to me, to be not the most ideal pick to play Art3mis/Samantha, but they made up for this by playing up the role of Hannah John-Kamen's character, F'Nale Zandor, who pairs well with Nolan Sorrento's sinister tendencies and actions in trying to control the OASIS. Lena Waithe as Aech/Helen was a role that I was really looking forward to after I discovered that she had earned the spot, and she didn't disappoint. Although, it was disappointing that a particular story line involving her was left out of the movie. T.J. Miller as I-Rok provides a lot of high quality humor throughout the film, its a shame that they didn't give him a bit more screen time.  

    

Café Society

Café Society is an incredibly shot period piece from Woody Allen, or Monsieur Woody, as the French lovingly refer to him. It's a period piece that is set in the 1930s, in the Bronx and Hollywood. It follows the story of Bobby Dorfman after he comes out to La La Land to try to work for his uncle, hot-shot agent to the stars, Phil Stern. Jesse Eisenberg acts the role of Bobby and Steve Carell plays Phil. Jeannie Berlin and Ken Stott (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey) play minor roles as Bobby's parents, Rose and Marty. Corey Stoll (House of Cards) and Sari Lennick round out the members of the Dorfman family, playing Bobby's brother and sister, Ben & Evelyn. Cafe Society is certainly a period drama depicting the glamorous life of a Hollywood agent in the 30s, but it's also a family drama as well which portrays the life of Jewish family doing their damnedest to make it in the Bronx.

Much can be said about the ensemble of talented actors that Woody assembled for this film, particularly that all of them were able to do very well with minimal material/screen time. Anna Camp, who plays a prostitute named Candy, comes to mind when she highlights a funny scene with Eisenberg. Parker Posey is convincing and amusing, in her role as Rad Taylor. Blake Lively supplies her Hollywood looks fittingly, as Veronica, who provides quite the catch-of-a-rebound for protagonist, Bobby. But, it's (surprisingly?) Kristen Stewart, as Vonnie, who has probably the most important role in the movie, as the juggled back and forth love interest of Bobby and his uncle, Phil. She delivers a rather stellar performance, portraying the vulnerabilities of a young secretary who's pursued by her much older boss, as well as sort of a delicate feline-like toying with naivete of new-to-Hollywood Bobby. She's really quite keen.

Some criticism has been laid on Woody for not trying to venture out of his comfort zone on this latest effort, and there is some merit to that, but if you go into Cafe Society hoping to be entertained for 90 minutes by a film that is a flashback to a different time in New York City and Hollywood, with a healthy serving of humor and wonderful sets, then I don't think you'll be disappointed. Just don't expect to see the most realistic plot resolutions.

The Jungle Book

Jon Favreau has had one of the more interesting, circuitous careers in Hollywood (Outside of Tinseltown as well): From his near completion of undergraduate studies at Queens College, to a short stint working for Bear Stearns on Wall Street, the son of a Russian Jew and a Catholic of Italian & French-Canadian ancestry hasn't been one timid of "getting their feet wet" in a particular discipline. So, it should come as little surprise that his entertainment career has been rather varied, in terms of genres, types of roles he's acted in, and his involvement in projects (Essentially whether he was just an actor, an actor-producer, an actor-director, or solely a producer or director).

He's acted in everything from Friends (As Monica's boyfriend during Season 3), to the Avengers, Rudy, Cowboys & Aliens, The Break-Up, and many others. He's written films like Swingers, Couples Retreat, and Chef. He's directed films like Elf, Made, Iron Man, and most recently the Jungle Book. He's truly an artist that knows improvisation and the value of not "pigeon-holing" oneself in a competitive industry like Hollywood.

This time around Favreau parked his keester in the director's chair and left the writing duties to Justin Marks and Rudyard Kipling, with the latter providing the skeleton of the story that Marks adapted quite well. It's a story that most American children are familiar with with, but it has certainly been freshened up with the addition of cutting-edge CGI and sound mixing that definitely wasn't available during the 1960s. It's a keenly-paced movie as well, with it's producers wise to the fact that audiences would be rather varied in age range. The running time is 104 minutes, but it truly doesn't feel "too long" and I don't feel that audiences will feel as though they were "jipped" because of the under 2-hour running time.

The casting for Mowgli was very well done, with thirteen-year old Neel Sethi performing the role with an authenticity that made up for the fact that all of the other roles were voiced and done by by CGI. That's not to say that there was a problem with the CGI, or any of the voice actors, but I felt like it would've been a little bit better to see some real backdrops and actual monkeys. It seems like all the large budget movies these days are so dominated by CGI and it would be nice to see a movie not so dependent on it. But, to each his own, I guess.

The Jungle Book is definitely worth a trip to the theater though, especially as the summer box office starts to heat up with movies like Captain America: Civil War just premiering at theaters this weekend.
   

Jimi: All is by My Side

John Ridley's, Jimi: All is by My Side is an ambitious effort that depicts the life of famed musician Jimi Hendrix. The leading role is played rather masterly by André Benjamin, of the hip-hop musical duo Outkast. Imogen Poots & Hayley Atwell act out the roles of Linda Keith and Kathy Etchingham, respectively. Both turn in fantastic performances revealing the multi-layered, nuanced nature of the two women who played pivotal roles in the life of Hendrix.

The setting for Ridley's film begins in Manhattan, in 1966. Benjamin's character has a chance encounter with Poots' character, who introduces Jimi to a few people, connecting with some influential and wise music industry folk, and before not too long he is convinced to go to London, where he's told that he will set the world over there ablaze. Poots' character is highly adept at acting with solely her eyes, letting them linger in scenes and communicating so much more than could be with only words. It's no wonder that Jimi follows her advice on testing the London music scene.

But, insert Atlwell's character, who comes into the film with the attitude and the familiar wear of that of a rock n roll groupie. An emotionally, likely alcohol/drug fueled spat leads to some major emotional and career decisions and Poots' character leaves Jimi to return to the States. Atwell very capably plays a role that is underminded by the premise that the nature of a groupie entails, one of sort of sucking the life from those who have truer intentions and more wholesome habits, but the role of Kathy Etchingham is no simple one to play, and certainly not one that had little importance in Jimi Hendrix's musical influences.

Biopics can be extremely difficult to produce, even when they are about high profile people like Jimi Hendrix. Major studios will typically scoff at the idea because of a lack of commercial appeal (Steve Jobs can be an exception to this). But, this indie picture which was reportedly produced on a budget of $5 million, and received generally positive reviews, did so because it didn't attempt to "do too much". It covered only a year of Jimi's career, albeit it was a short one, but it was able to capture some of the intricacies that made Jimi the man that he was.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

After a very, very long wait the first release of the newly rebooted Star Wars franchise has arrived. The $200 million movie, comes three years after Disney purchased the rights to the franchise from LucasFilm Ltd. for $4 billion, which many industry insiders scoffed at because it seemed like an exorbitant price to pay. Now, after only approximately 20 hours since early screenings began, an analyst from Edward Jones is predicting that it will only take about 2 years for that $4 billion to be recouped.

Money-talk aside, the movie is a rather lengthy one with a running time of 135 minutes. That running time may seem lengthy to those on polar opposites of the age spectrum, which are likely to be drawn to see the movie franchise created by George Lucas in 1977. It has all the elements though to draw audiences from all age backgrounds to it, it has breathtaking sets that evoke the feeling of life on a far away planet, it has a quick-witted, intelligent sounding script that original Star Wars writer, Lawrence Kasdan, wrote. Kasdan was accompanied on writing duties by the movie's director J.J. Abrams, and Michael Arndt. The dialogue between the main characters is paced well and peppered with more humor than expected, which was certainly a pleasant surprise.

Rick Carter & Darren Gilford, the production designers, are two men that deserve more credit for this major accomplishment than they will likely receive. Carter is the Oscar-winning production designer behind Back to the Future Part II and III, Forrest Gump, Avatar, Jurassic Park, and so many more. Last year he was recipient of the Art Directors Guild's Lifetime Achievement Award. The work though that he did with his partner, Gilford, and the rest of his team on The Force Awakens was literally breathtaking (Especially on IMAX screens). From the desolate landscapes of Jakku, where the audience first meets Rey (Daisy Ridley) to the snowy forest landscape that plays host to the climactic light-saber battle, the production designing duo created a world, or multiple worlds, that each had a distinct feel which when matched with John Williams score evoked a different type of emotion that nicely tied the movie together.

Newcomers Daisy Ridley and John Boyega, play Rey and Finn who are the main characters, respectively. They do so well too, with a visible chemistry that naturally develops as the movie progresses. Adam Driver and Oscar Issac both have roles that allow their identities to be seen by the audience, but one plays a role that might surprise some, so I won't reveal it here. Andy Serkis is utterly sinister as Supreme Leader Snoke and Lupita Nyong'o is whimsical as Maz Kanata, who delivers a very powerful monologue that drives the movie forward and sets up its climax.

Reviews have been critical of the movie's formulaic nature and of it being a relative carbon copy of the original, but if one does agree with these criticisms they'll at least be happy to watch with a updated CGI and special effects. In Abrams', Kathleen Kennedy's (A producer of the film), and the rest of the teams defense when working with a movie as massive as this one, with a fan following as old and quirky, delicate care must be taken to entice them back into the theater after over thirty years since the original's release. This is probably why the screenplay seemed so similar to the first, and also why some of the familiar faces like Han Solo, Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), and Princess Leia receive so much on-screen time.    

All in all, The Force Awakens is one of the best action movies to come out this year, whether or not you consider yourself to be the type of person who likes "geeky science fiction" movies.

San Andreas

Late to the punch again on this one, and regretfully so. San Andreas certainly packs a blockbusting punch. Released during Memorial Day weekend earlier this summer, (Likely why I missed it, as I was enjoying the great outdoors that Maine has to offer) it premiered as the first major disaster movie in some time and as the natural movie one would go see after seeing Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson play a superhuman federal agent in Furious 7 the previous month.

Announced in 2011 by New Line Cinema, the movie has a plethora of writing credits from Jeremy Passmore and Andre Fabrizio, to Allan Loeb, who was brought in to polish the script, to Carlton Cuse (Lost) who re-wrote the script. One might assume that with all these writing designations and re-writes that this script was doomed from jump street, but I'm not sure if it was Cuse's re-write or somewhere prior but the final product is an often humorous script, that's paced well, includes obligatory emotional dialogue between the main players, but is also intelligent and witty.

Starring alongside Mr. Johnson are Carla Gugino and Alexandra Daddario, with the latter occupying more onscreen time, but the prior definitely showing that she is still able to hold her own. Daddario who plays the teenage daughter of Johnson and Gugino's characters, steals many a scene with her stunning expressions of shock and fear that light up in her eyes, which in turn light up the screen. Daddario certainly makes a case for being Hollywood's next femme fatale a la Angelina Jolie, as she utilizes adept survival skills scurrying for her life through earthquake ravaged San Francisco. Hugo Johnstone-Burt and Art Parkinson play a pair of British brothers, who's savvy casting adds a welcome dynamic to the movie.

The movie was shot in Australia, at Village Roadshow Studios, as well as in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Bakersfield, CA. The result is very inclusive movie that leans effectively on the differences of these locales in making them pseudo-characters in the movie. Toss in some rather stunning CGI and the imagination and gall it takes to depict the destruction of popular, major metropolitan areas like LA and SF and you get a blockbuster that is more than worthy of seeing.

Jurassic World

Being that it has been nearly two years since my last post, I thought this blog could use a current movie review.. And why not review a summer blockbuster the week that fall just officially begun!?

I may be late to the party on one of the most successful movies of the summer, but the reason is because I was waiting for a particular friend to watch it with.. Low and behold she didn't wait for me though! 

Jurassic World, Universal Studios behemoth tent-pole of a movie, plays out on the screen similar to how you would expect a movie of it's background and budget to play out. There's of course the exotic locations, massive exterior cinematographic shots with hundreds of extras, and the nostalgic nods to the film's predecessors. But, the film is essentially a reboot of the franchise started in 1993 by Steven Spielberg and Co. 

Gone are familiar faces like Jeff Goldblum, Samuel L. Jackson, Julianne Moore, Vince Vaughn, and others who joined the franchise after the success of the first installment. The reboot is in capable acting hands though with Chris Pratt (Community, Guardians of the Galaxy) and Bryce Dallas Howard (The Help), in the leading roles. They exchange pleasantries and reminisce on not so fond dating memories in a well-written, adeptly acted scene where Howard's character enlists the help of Pratt's character. 

The charm of Jurassic Park, at least for me watching as an adolescent, was experiencing the world that the film created through the eyes of its young stars. I'm sure many from my generation can attest to having nightmares from the infamous scene in the kitchen with the velociraptors. But, that novel charm is missing from this movie, instead the producer's and director, Colin Trevorrow, did what many (with deep film financing pockets) tend to do, they decided to spend voraciously on computer generated images that they believed would shock and wow audiences causing them to forget about what it is that made them love that Michael Crichton-adapted movie from the 90's. At time's this worked well enough for me, and others it did not, but ultimately it was a fun two hour ride.       

Don Jon

Joseph Gordon-Levitt has really been beating the pavement to garner publicity for his directorial debut, Don Jon, from a screenplay that he also penned. Gordon-Levitt plays the lead role of, Jon Martello, a quick-talking, ball busting, slick operating Italian twenty-something, who manages to pick up ladies like no one's business clad in only a cut-off tank. The role is one that many men will certainly be envious of, perhaps even more jealous of his co-star, Scarlett Johansson, who plays the role of, Barbara Sugarman, a voluptuous thick Jersey-accented "dime-piece" with a trunk full of attitude. Throw in Tony Danza, as his "chip off the old block" father, Glenne Headley, and Julianne Moore, and you have a supporting cast that is ripe with enriching performances and cross demographic appeal that is sure to score this movie a solid opening weekend. But, leave it to Brie Larson, who plays Gordon-Levitt's sister, Monica, to progress the plot in a significant way with her only two lines of the entire script.

Don Jon, seems a bit redundant and perverted at time's but, if you can make it past these moments you're in for a surprisingly candid movie that depicts the digressions that contemporary couples face in today's dating world. Two thumb's up to Gordon-Levitt for taking a chance with this one and striking a solid chord in the overly factory-churned out world, that has become the norm for Hollywood of late.

The Place Beyond The Pines

Place Beyond the Pines, is the latest picture from Derek Cianfrance, director of Blue Valentine. Cianfrance directed, Ryan Gosling, in both films and after seeing PBTP, I can see why Gosling wanted to be paired with the director again. It's a pretty risky film to decide to direct; following up the critical success of a movie like, Blue Valentine. But, Cianfrance who's worked with the likes of Run DMC and P. Diddy, wasn't deterred in the least. He attracted other A-list talent like, Eva Mendes, Rose Byrne, and Bradley Cooper to his well-written, well paced screenplay and the finished product is a picture that does stay with you, so to speak. It depicts how the trials and tribulations of life come to make a man, and how they can break him. It shows how fatherhood can skip a generation, but how those who hope to have the chance at it, sometimes never realize it. It's a clever picture, with great performances, and it's worth a watch.

Flight

Flight, is a harrowing dramatic picture that portrays a brief period in the life of a misguided heroic pilot, played by Denzel Washington. If you've seen the trailers and other promo for this movie, you've unfortunately seen pretty much the majority of what this movie has to offer. I have a difficult time as well, kind of callously dismissing any cinematic effort from Denzel Washington, but this one has a good bit about it, that I've already dismissed. Don't get me wrong, there is a lot of good to take from this, but perhaps my expectations from Washington, and Robert Zemeckis, the movie's director/producer, were a bit too lofty. Also too worth mentioning, Flight seems like the type of movie that doesn't give away too complete of a picture of it's intended message.

Briefly touching on a few critiques from some of Hollywood's more reputable critics, Denzel's performance is lauded as being "one of the best in his career" in terms of depicting a train-wreck of a person, wrapped in such a heroic act that it splits not only the audience, trying to figure out whether or not they should hate this guy or applaud him for being able to do what no other expert could. But, it not only casts this difficult decision on the audience as a whole, but as a moviegoer it makes you have to personally decide which side your on, as well. How can I man throw away what seemed like a solid relationship and a beautiful family away, for bottle after bottle of intoxicating spirits? Yea sure, it can be simple, easy momentary escape, but it always come with repercussions and you can't always call on a "Harling Mays'-esque" character to come and reset your battery. If there's one overall theme to take away from this effort from Zemeckis, is a completely jaded protagonist who's always gotten away with the stupid decisions he's made in the past, but on one given day, the repercussions got too be much for him, and there wasn't really anywhere to escape to. Washington's character provides for an interesting scene at the end of this one, that provides for some post-fallout commentary/discussion about the movie.. But I wont spoil it.

John Goodman's character, although afforded little camera time, does more than steal a scene, he may have also kick started the movie when it really needed a boost. Don Cheadle, is clever and dominant in his supporting role, in a major scene that really required him to be. Kelly Reilly, another actress, who's work is worthy of mention, provides Washington's character with an equally troubled counterpart upon which to massage and mold, Whip Whitaker (The character Washington portrays), into the final product which he see him as, during the deposition before, Melissa Leo's character, Ellen Block and the rest of the NTSB panel.

Flight, is a good movie, but unfortunately with the current crop of films playing, and title's like Lincoln and Skyfall, coming soon, I can't fully recommend using haste to see this one, but certainly see it, if your a Denzel fan or just really want to change your holiday travel plans.

End of Watch

End of Watch, may be the best movie to be released before we get into the more Oscar-minded releases of this fall season. In my opinion, not just the best cop movie in recent years, as one critic asserted, but probably the best police movie since Training Day. It fuses key elements of differing genres, in such a way that by the end of it, you're so enraptured by the protagonists, that the final scenes of the movie evoke a flood of emotion from moviegoers of both sexes.

David Ayer, produced this film, with a reported budget of $8 million. He's the auteur director/writer who penned, Training Day, the Fast and the Furious, Harsh Times, S.W.A.T, U-571, amongst other well reviewed films. Ayer is a master of depicting the lives of those who protect and serve. He's one of the best in Hollywood at portraying these men and women's lives with such realism, grit, and honesty. In this film, he created characters that his two stars, Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña, that audiences could easily relate to. I grew to like them both so much over the movies 109 minute running time, that the film's conclusion was very difficult for me stomach.

The supporting performances in this movie are fantastic, with my nod for best one going to, Anna Kendrick. America Ferrara gets a close second, while Natalie Martinez, rounds out a stellar cast.

End of Watch is more than worthy of the price of admission. See it before, the fall box office gets overloaded with other quality pictures.

The Bourne Legacy

The Bourne Legacy is the latest installment in the Bourne series, but it's sort of a reboot, as franchise mainstay, Matt Damon, decided he was done portraying Jason Bourne in 2011. A more than capable, Jeremy Renner, steps in for Damon, assuming the role of Aaron Cross, a highly trained "Black briar" operative. Tony Gilroy, director or 2007 Academy Award winning, Michael Clayton, helmed this movie as well as shared the writing duties with his brother, Tony.

Given the very high visibility that Matt Damon had as Jason Bourne, paired with the box office power of the previous films, this was a franchise that was going to be carefully handled through its transition phase by the studio, in this case, Universal. They chose a familiar, action/suspense movie-tested leading man, in Renner, and even added some notable actors like Edward Norton and Rachel Weisz. Both really brought exceptional performances that added considerable value to the production.

Unfortunately, there isn't too much that stuck out too me from this one, which must be a big bummer for execs at Universal, while breaking down its $125 million budget. But, following on the heels on, "The Bourne Ultimatum" was never going to be easy, although I think this movie served as a solid vehicle to transport the franchise from the Damon-era, into the Renner one. Overall, there's still a couple blockbusters in theaters that are a little bit more worthy of seeing than this one, but that's not to say it's not entertaining and worthy of the price of admission.

The Watch

The Watch isn't going to win any cinematic awards in recognition of its original screenplay, astute writing, or cinematic achievement, any time soon (Well, ever actually). Browsing a few reviews from "the elite" of the movie critics of the nation, I can see that my sentiment is shared, but I differ with how harshly a lot of them perceived this movie's shortcomings. Obviously, it's going to seem like it was haphazardly directed/written, when you have a collective of actors like you do in this one, you have to let them improvise a bit. So, my assumption is the script supervisor on this one was a bit lenient at times, while screenplay scribe team Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg were innovative in allowing the actors room to have their character's voices tailored to their specific acting styles. Akiva Schaffer, a writer of several Saturday Night Live segments and director of many shorts, helmed this movie, lending to what I think was a very loose, relaxed set.

The best way I have to describe what seeing this movie is like, would be to compare it to some of the other efforts from writing tandem Rogen/Goldberg. I'd say it's not quite as good as Pineapple Express, besides that movie had more of a cult following due to its distinct references to drug culture. The Green Hornet was based on a graphic comic book series, and such had a following of geeks and fanboys alike, but still was entertaining. The Watch does what both those movies do, it pairs funny actors together, into a scenario that at it's roots is conceptually believable. The Watch morphed well beyond the realms of "potentially believable science-fiction" around the time where a scene made famous by the trailer, involving a questionably dead alien and some final gunshots to confirm the deed. It's a very crass film and if you don't mind that, then there's a lot to enjoy about this movie.

Stiller, Vaughn, and Hill are all exceptional in their respective roles in this one, I just think that 20th Century Fox gambled a bit too big on this one, with an estimated 65+ million budget. But, the timing of the release of the movie probably also doomed it because it bowed in the Dark Knight Rises second weekend. Nevertheless, I see this movie having very long legs on television, becoming a staple for prime time and post-prime time slots, in maybe 8 months to a year or so.

The Dark Knight Rises

Typically movies mimic situations and events heavily influenced by our lives, our societal value's, and our popular culture. But, once in awhile it's the other way around, and a film makes a connection with an individual or a group who usually misconstrues its message and attempts to "bring to life" what someone had created with the sole intent of only entertaining people. Unfortunately, a major popular theme of American society includes a fascination with violence. Over my life, I've seen how sick, unstable individuals have manipulated our society's fascination into motives that have spurned them to atrocious acts like the Columbine High School and Virginia Tech University massacres. Most recently, another lunatic turned a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, into something reminiscent of a scene from the movie, the Godfather, leaving an entire community, and the rest of a nation shaking their heads again, wondering what it is that compels a human being to bring such pain to so many innocent people.

This tragedy marred the opening of this very grandiose movie but couldn't keep it from achieving what only a couple of major Hollywood blockbusters have been able to, which speaks volumes about the breadth of what essentially is a piece of moving art. A major piece of moving art, complete with its $250 million + budget, social undertones, and larger than life director, that at the end of the day shouldn't be too heavily criticized because it is one hell of an accomplishment.

I'd rather keep this more short and sweet than typical, but expectations can sometimes be unrealistic, especially when trying to fill the shoes of a movie villain, who won an Academy Award for his performance, or if a movie you released has been the subject of curiosity/discussion for almost 2 years, meanwhile grossing like a billion dollars. But, Christopher Nolan, has assembled a more than solid cast, while pacing an arduously long epic three-quel with twists and turns to its plot, that preys on the weaknesses of its characters, drawing several parallel's between the society which reveres it's masked superhero on the screen and in real life. All the while, not confusing its audience too much...

Savages

Savages is an incredibly well shot drama that centers around two marijuana dealers, Ben and Chon. They reside in gorgeous Southern California, very close to the Mexican border and the drug cartels that have been seen so often in newspaper clippings across thar region of the country. It's an Oliver Stone production, which means it's relatively heavy with social commentary.

The greatest takeaway I had after seeing, Savages, comes from it's title. A savage is defined by Merriam-Webster's dictionary, as a brutal, rude, and/or unmannerly person, typically belonging to a primitive society. It's simple to take this definition and apply it to the members of the intricate drug cartel in the movie, most notably Lado, Benicio Del Toro's character or Elena, who's played by Salma Hayek. But, the message that I think Oliver Stone, the movies director, is trying to send is that relativity, is vital to consider when observing someone who you might deem to be a "savage". Things are very different with Mexican law enforcement, underworld organizations, and there are obviously many cultural differences between societal norms and customs, than there are in United States. So, you must be framing your viewpoint/opinion around the other factors that come into play in the total equation. Of course decapitating individuals for any reason, is an extremely act, but there are a lot of gray areas, which the movie does a solid job of sort of exposing.

Unfortunately, this is not one of Mr. Stone's best efforts, which is not to say that it's not a good movie. It was probably shaved down about 15-25 minutes for running time, which cut out some scene that better established the relationship between Ben and Chon. But, I personally wanted to see more reasons behind why their business and relationship with was able to work so well.

Savages, is a cast well and does include some very noteworthy performances. One in particular that stands out, is Del Toro. He could have just been put onscreen with those dark glasses and the look, that he so often donned in the film, and he would've given people nightmares. Hayek is inspired in her role as the kingpin of the Mexican drug empire. Taylor Kitsch, who plays Chon, redeems himself or the dismal box office takes of his previous two 2012 movie efforts in this one as well. Blake Lively turns in a better performance than she did in, The Town, and John Travolta seemed very authentic as, DEA agent Dennis. Demián Bichir and Emile Hirsch have minor roles, but both do a fantastic job of making those few minutes count towards making this an even more watchable movie.

Savages, might not be a movie you'll want to catch at the theaters, especially with so many other great films vying for moviegoer attentions, but it's a cinematographer's dream, with a very well written script that'll probably have your head spinning a few times, and if you don't mind too much blood, it's a fun way to spend 2 hours.