Review: "Righteous Kill" (2010)

I don't want to take long. I think most of our aging stars in Hollywood have sold themselves to stinky piles of feces. Al Pacino and Robert De Niro are just 2 of those sell outs. De Niro pumps out what feels like 5 films a year, and none of them worth breathing on. Meet the Parents, Meet the Fockers, Meet Meet Meet! It is weird to think his last interesting outing was via Tarantino in "Jackie Brown" (1997) 13 years ago. As for Al Pacino, the same amount of films are being pumped out, and slightly more in recent film ended up on a decent shelf, "Insomnia" (2002) being the latest... just a touch under a decade. Before that was also 13 years ago, in "Donnie Brasco" (1997).

Sold film souls = Unforgiving.

I could keep going, but the conversation would touch on familiar topics regarding the whole of Hollywood. Legends tainting their legendary status... its sad really.

Review: Paul Greengrass's "Green Zone" (2010)

Paul Greengrass is the director who brought to us both of the 'Bourne' sequels, and "United 93". This director, based on all the films he has worked on, seems to love making modern war era films. "United 93" was a patriotic film, without too many distorted messages. "United 93" was easy to watch and understand why that film felt needed to be made. "Green Zone" on the other hand, played directly to the hands of America's liberal society. Big bad fascist Republican run war programs vs. the peaceful, go green Democrats.

America should know by now everything wrong with the world can all be traced to the Republican party, and if not, be enlightened... or rather... obscure, misled, delude, confuse, confound, bewilder the truths with beautiful lies. You slap on an American flag on the shoulder of a soldier, and let him fight for the Democratic flag of the U.S. and all is well.

This film has no idea how dumb it is. Even the liberal society knows where to throw this film. If there is a person who finds the film's content of any interest, they must be blind, deaf, and have no taste for film.

The film has no point, perhaps it would have been better fitting to have been directed by Michael Moore and be set on the shelf with other lame documentaries. This movie makes truly good war films look that much better. The film has no moment of wit, or surprise. The film feels like everyone behind the camera fell asleep and left the camera rolling as unguided actors do nothing.

If at all possible, you will want to skip this film, for sure.

"Green Zone"

4 / 10

Review: David Fincher's "The Social Network" (2010)

David Fincher, the man behind the camera, was also behind the camera for "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", "Zodiac", "Fight Club", and "Seven". Fincher has talent, for sure. Fincher owns a certain style of filming as well, one which is dark. Dark is the perfect word to describe his style, but feels weird leaving it at just that, but I have to stick to what feels right.

"The Social Network" was absent the darkness found in just about all the rest of Fincher's films. The film is about the world's most popular internet network, Facebook. How the company was founded isn't nearly as interesting as who it was founded by. Jesse Eisenberg elevated himself in this film. He made Mark Zuckerberg one of the most interesting human being on the planet.

The whole cast of the film really surprised me, Justin Timberlake being the biggest surprise of the film for me. Timberlake worked his way to becoming a force on the screen in this film.

The film was yet another film, well executed, well performed. The timing of the film couldn't have been better, as the relevance of the content is at its peak, and even from a business perspective, had to have aided in its immediate and near future successes.

The dialog in the film was amazing, so much wit in every word. The soundtrack, cinematography, just about everything in the film works together to create a great run at 'Best Picture'. If you see the film, you will be sad when it ends.

"The Social Network"

9 / 10

Review: James Gray's "Two Lovers" (2008)

James Gray doesn't have much in terms of films in his filmography. Previous to this film, he helmed "We Own the Night" also staring Joaquin Phoenix, was really a bomb and a half. The one thing that can be pulled from that project was Joaquin, and James did pull him into his next project. If James Gray did anything right, if he saw or learned anything in his film career leading to this point, it was to hang onto the golden nugget named Joaquin.

Joaquin Phoenix just may have played one of my favorite character studies in "Two Lovers". I fell for the character at every turn, by the force of great acting. I feel like I abuse terms like "one of the greatest" in terms of actors, but truly, Joaquin has a range of talent that very few, perhaps a number in the single digits, possess.

Joaquin Phoenix in this role was successful in everything it tried to be. In my immediate memory, there is no actor which can bring the amount of sorrow, true grief to the big screen like he can. No tear is more real than his. If I had a say in the path of an undergraduate actor, I would emphasize studying Mr. Phoenix's work. I believe if one could possibly observe and take from Joaquin at all, they could be great.

This role alone shot Joaquin into the sky for me. Before this role, there was the one great performance in "Gladiator", where he carried the only real drama of the whole film. Then there was "Signs", roles like this are often misused, but great actors are capable of making great things out of not so great roles, as did he in "Signs". After "Signs" was questionably his best role to date, "Walk the Line". He played Johnny Cash, a person I didn't really know much about, and learned the first few bites in this portrayal. When I say the film, I had nothing to compare it to, nothing to judge it's accuracy, but all I saw was something worth watching.

"Two Lovers" is easily Joaquin's best performance to date. If for no other reason to see the film, you should see it for the performance. The story is one of those that can go either way in Hollywood, depending on who's eye is capturing or performing it. In this case, it just happened to fall in the right hands. This story could not have been portrayed any better by the performances in the film. The cinematography, every shot, was done so well, it made me interested every moment of the film.

I was never very interested in Gwyneth Paltrow, but in this role, I wouldn't mind seeing her in roles calling for similar drama.

This movie should be seen by performance lovers. If you want a great story, its not here, but you do get however a very well executed story. I would love to hear someone's quarrels with this film, because I would engage and argue. We all have preferences, and that is really the only possibility of a hinderer in the film. Other than that, one thing I don't like to see, is that a single actor actually carries the whole success of the film. If you remove Joaquin, you get a very average, at best film. But, as the film is, it is a great execution.

"Two Lovers"

8 / 10

Review: Ben Affleck's "The Town" (2010)

Ben Affleck is turning out to be quite an amazing director. I think amazing is the right word because judging from his acting ability, it wouldn't seem like that greatness was within. That felt like punching someone in the face and then handing them a band-aid, but its the truth.

Big Ben started strong in his directorial debut in "Gone Baby Gone". He made the Boston culture interesting then, and kept the interest up in "The Town". Both of his films happen to have great performances wrapped around interesting stories, but most of all, it is the execution of the film as a whole which leaves the biggest impact.

Ben is able to peer through a lens and see good things, which is becoming more and more rare as more and more blind men take the seat of director.

The pace of the film is steady all the way through, steady on its fully developing into fully developed characters, which flows perfectly with the pace of the story. Everything peaks exactly when it needs to. Affleck still showed which brother he was in a few scenes, and even in the ending a bit, but still, Ben is on the right path in directing.

Every bullet shot in the film felt like some of the most real action sequences in all film. Every echo was perfect, every trace was stellar, every hole was just right, and every drop of blood couldn't have been better. There are very few successful bank robbing films, or even bank robbing scenes, but this one could possibly contend for the genre's top spot.

I believe people will begin making a harder push for Ben behind the camera than in front. But in this outing, it appeared that he had some ability for both. He blends the right amount of humor with drama, so we don't feel like we don't or can't believe it, and gives us characters with enough personality traits to draw similarities and distinctions from ourselves as we make connections.

At the pace Ben is moving, perhaps in 10 or so years we could be chanting his name like we currently do for Mr. Chris Nolan? I don't think it would be hard to envision another handful of successful outings for Affleck, and that is all that is needed to be considered a more than good director.

"The Town"

8 / 10