Dirty Harry

This pop culture phenomenon has been hugely influential in cop and action films. This is what got Clint Eastwood into mainstream action and helped solidify his career. The movie on its own is just purely entertaining and fun. The action is at a good pace and keeps its tempo throughout the film. Eastwood is fantastic as Harry Callahan who is a cop that will break all of the rules to get justice. This film set the bar for action, adventure cop films and is especially good  because of its sick, sadistic, and evil villain. This is one of those times where I found myself actually wanting to jump into the screen and kill the villain. The movie is hugely intense and keeps its balance with keeping its intensity and still not being to dark. The series of films to follow would later become huge blockbuster successes but none of them would top the original, "Dirty Harry." "Go ahead, make my day." This is a thrill to watch.

5 out of 5 Stars

Battle Royale

This movie was incredibly awesome. It came out twelve years ago in 2000, based upon the Japanese novel of the same name that was released in 1999. If you check out this movie you will realize that it sounds a lot like "The Hunger Games." Well, in actuality "The Hunger Games" copies off of "Battle Royale." The story is set in a futuristic Japan where the adult feel threatened by the rebellions of youth. They pass a law, The Battle Royale Act, in which they take a Freshman high school class and put them on an abandoned island in which they must kill each other until there is only one person left. If there is no winner, everyone dies. The film sets up an interesting and cool concept about futuristic society and anarchy. It has a "Lord Of The Flies" feeling to it. The film is extremely violent and contains about the same level of violent content as "Kill Bill Vol. 1." The movie starts quickly and then it never lets up. You do not know who to root for because everyone is ultimately innocent in a way. We can relate to almost every single one of them. The film shows what happens with lack of order and control and puts teenagers in a survival of the fittest environment. This is one of the coolest movies to rank on my Top 100 list and it earns its spot for originality and execution. This is a movie that every guy just needs to watch. Forget the cheesy PG-13 rated, "The Hunger Games" that Hollywood is making. Watch the R rated intense, symbolic, and hectic "Battle Royale." This film is worth the time.

5 out of 5 Stars

Shame

This is probably the toughest film to watch that came out this whole year, excluding "Human Centipede 2." The film is powerful and delves deep into the emotions of a mentally tortured sex addict and his lonely sister. The film is extremely sad and depressing. It is hard to watch this story unfold although it is done to near perfection. Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan give riveting performances. It is a shame, no pun intended, that Fassbender was not nominated for an Academy Award because he is way more deserving than Demian Bichir and Gary Oldman. He is completely immersed into his destroyed character who cannot have sex romantically but only as a physical routine for pure selfishness. I wonder how people struggling with this problem feel when watching this distraught and helpless character when they are going through similar or the same difficulties. How do audiences that are filled with shame see this. Is it a wake up call? Like I said, this movie is hard to watch. It is rated NC-17, which is a rating that is very rarely given or accepted by studios. Most theaters and retail stores will not carry NC-17 rated movies and I understand why. The film at times feels like straight pornography. The sex in this film is extremely graphic. I understand that the filmmakers want to show the extremities of the character's addiction but I even thought this was too much. The sex is not erotic or attractive it is ugly and unemotional. Even though this may be the case I felt like they did not need to show so much. It goes over the top even though I see the point of it. Obviously, this film is not for everyone. It is emotionally and sexually graphic and hard to handle. The film makes you think and it leaves you depressed. The film is not for the feint of heart and I believe if you struggle with any sexual problems like addiction you should not view this film. In its portrayal of sexual addiction it only makes itself a stumbling block to those who are dealing with a sexual addiction. This movie should only be viewed by mature audiences who do not struggle with lust. I admit with hindsight, I probably should not have watched this film. It shows the disgusting struggles of sexual addiction and may be too much for some. The ending is perfect and the movie is directed seemlessly by Steve McQueen. I cannot wait to see more of his challenging films.

4.5 out of 5 Stars

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

So, this was the final film that I needed to see on my list of Best Picture nominees. It has the lowest percentage on Rotten Tomatoes out of all the Best Picture nominees. I thought it was actually pretty decent. A lot of people think that it is exploiting 9/11 and that it tries to provide catharsis when it should not but I do not feel that way. It did not seem lie anybody complained about this when the best selling book came out. I skimmed through some of the book and it seems to be a pretty faithful adaptation. The new young actor, Thomas Horn, I must admit gets very annoying and irritating. His character just tended to bother me after awhile. I can not blame this on Horn however, I feel like he does a good job. His character is just a bit of a pain. The film could be accused of trying too hard and maybe it does but it got to me at points. This is mainly because of the fantastic supporting cast. Viola Davis, Sandra Bullock, Tom Hanks, Jeffrey Wright, John Goodman, and especially Max von Sydow do a fantastic job. I had a few tears drip from my eyes at one point in the movie. It is an interesting story that is saved by its actors. Sydow deserves the nomination he has received. I guess this movie is not for everyone but I like the director Stephen Daldry even though this film does not display any of his talent. This movie earns its stars for great performances and the story written by Jonathan Safran Foer. When I say the story I mean the book, not the screenplay. If you are watching all of the Academy Award nominees do not pass this up. It is not a bad as everyone is making it out to be.

4 out of 5 Stars

Take Shelter

What stood out about “Take Shelter” for me were the incredible performances given by Michael Shannon and more importantly, Jessica Chastain. She has had such a large bulk of fantastic roles this past year and she has given her all in everything she has been in. This is her standout for the 2011 year even if she is more recognized for her hilarious job in “The Help.” I am still trying to understand exactly what this film was saying. The very end is what makes me raise the most questions. I thought the scene before the ending was great and I understood how this man had to face reality to keep his family together. I do not want to ruin anything but what does the final ending mean? Beware of spoilers to come but does this ending mean he has been right? Are these dreams no accident? Is he sort of the modern Noah? I guess I did not fully comprehend it or something and I need to find out what exactly “the storm” represents. Is it the fear of what is to come or is it all the struggles of life? I feel like this movie was very smartly made so I do not think anything is there on accident. I am still pondering the significance of the daughter being deaf because I think that was more than just something to get us to sympathize more. There is a reason for all of the little things like that. It was a very good movie experience with incredible acting and cinematography. I will definitely read more to try and understand what the different things mean but for right now this movie is a bit of a puzzle that I cannot seem to solve.

4 out of 5 Stars

Magnolia

Is this movie weird? Yes. Is this movie long? Yes. Is this movie an incredibly well written, superbly acted, craftily directed, ingenious story with hidden themes and symbolism that leads to a biblical ending, and leaves its audience completely breathless? Yes. I am crazy in love with “Magnolia.” Talk about a movie with an incredible ensemble cast that all put their best foot forward. Director Paul Thomas Anderson, who I was never a big fan of, shows his incredible talent for crafting a heavily impacting movie about people and their regrets. There are ten main characters whose lives intersect and have parallels with one another. It is so brutally tragic and fantastic. The last twenty minutes of the film contain probably one of the most surprising endings ever. The ending is not meant to be taken completely literally, it is meant to hold a message for people and be taken figuratively. I probably would not have been completely sold on it without reading and understanding that before viewing the film with the help from my fellow friend and critic, Dan Schultz. Tom Cruise leads this pack of great actors. He gives the best and most hilarious performance of his entire career. Everyone does great and the movie stays with you. This is the kind of film that requires repetitive viewings if you want to even get half of everything that is stated here. That first viewing for me was epic and I am excited to sit down and experience this film again. This movie may be somewhat heartbreaking but it is necessary. This movie contains some of the realest and saddest emotions ever captured on film.


5 out of 5 Stars

Before Sunrise & Sunset

These two films go so perfectly together I categorize it as one phenomenal piece of work. Richard Linklater, who writes and directs, based the first film off an actual real life experience of his own. The setting is a chance encounter between to people that ends up being life changing. Two people meet, fall in love, and only have one night together before they must part. The second movie is them meeting again, a full nine years later. These films are superbly acted by the two young leads, Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, but what makes these movies so good is the script. It has some of the most genuinely written conversations ever in film history. If only people in real life were this straight forward and honest with each other. Each movie is rather short, the first is about 100 minutes and the second only 80 minutes, and this makes the two combined about the length of a longer movie. “Before Sunset” is very unique because it is done in real time. There are none of these sequences in which five minutes is actually an hour and a half rather each second you watch is a second in real time. These two lovers run into each other after not seeing each other for nine years and they have only about one hour together before they have to separate. This adds an anticipation to the movie that otherwise would not have been there and makes it more to the point. The other thing great about “Before Sunset” is that the film was actually made nine years after the first with the same actors and director. The actors have changed just like their characters and they pick up right where they left off. It is done perfectly. There is a sense of hope that you are left with after each installment that helps confirm the idea that sometimes, if you are lucky, it could actually work out. If you cannot tell from what I have already written I will make myself clear that “Before Sunset” is the better of the two movies. You could watch “Before Sunset” without ever seeing the first film and it would all make sense and you would not be confused however, “Before Sunrise” establishes the relationship between these two characters and is also an incredibly written and acted film. If you do not see the first film the second will not be nearly as potent and moving. You need both films to really be completely swept away by the story. These films have become a huge influence on the romance genre since their release. You can see it in many films nowadays in how they try and repeat what was once so perfectly and beautifully executed here. Nothing ever quite measures up. If you are a romance fan you cannot miss these movies, if you are even a movie fan you should not miss these either. This is a great example of how a well written screenplay can carry a film to greatness.

5 out of 5 Stars