Posts Tagged ‘movie’

#Sabotage Review: Gore, Aesthetics, Twists

Posted: April 25, 2014 in Anarchy Journal Constitutional
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MM@C4Logo1ajclogo2by @anarchyroll
4/25/2014

Arnold Schwarzenegger in a ‘R’ rated action movie, if that doesn’t sell you on Sabotage then it’s not the movie for you.

If you remember Arnold’s prime and know what renting VHS tapes means, then you want to see this movie whether you will admit it or not.

If you are younger and first discovered Arnold as Mr. Freeze or as the Governor of California, then what may sell you on this movie is that it is easily the goriest action movie I have ever seen. Not just bullets, knives, and explosions but horror movie gore. Horror movies have exploded into a super genre in the past fifteen years, Sabotage is the action movie for the young horror film fan generation.

I was honestly surprised how much this movie didn’t phone it in. I was expecting formulaic characters, scenarios, and action scenes with a few mods here and there or the movie equivalent of the Call of Duty or Madden video game franchises. Sabotage had it’s share of formula, but for each example of formula there was at least one if not two deliberate twists in character development and plot to keep me interested.

The movie did drag in the middle on it’s way to the climax and conflict resolutions but the beginning and ending packed more than a punch to move this movie out of Average-ville. There was even a good shooter scene to stop the drag in the middle from stretching too long. I certainly didn’t see the last twist before the final scene coming, mainly because the action scene that preceded it was high octane enough to pull my mind away from guessing what was coming next, and fully into the craziness I was seeing in front of my eyes at the moment.

There is a nice mix of camera tricks, color saturation, extreme close ups, wide shots, one liners, explosions, gun fights, and a clear effort by cast and crew to get themselves and this project over. The movie appeared to me to have had a limited budget. In an past era of lower production value, this would have been a straight to video release. But there is just enough of everything that matters to warrant a nationwide theater release. There is more than enough of action and attempted innovation to warrant a recommendation to see Sabotage in my opinion.

In the era of Netflix and Redbox I certainly recommend this movie for the price one will have to pay for it as part of a bulk streaming service plan. It isn’t too long and will make for good popcorn fodder. Any fan of Arnold or of gory horror films will appreciate Sabotage. It’s not gonna change minds or change the world, it’s not meant to, it’s an AHHHNALD action movie. If it’s not a crazy epic comic book movie, then I wouldn’t want my action movie any other way.

#RoboCop Reboot Review

Posted: February 20, 2014 in Anarchy Journal Constitutional
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by @anarchyroll
2/19/2014

The 2014 reboot of the RoboCop franchise has drawn a lot of ire since it came out. Surprise surprise, science fiction fans taking entertainment more seriously than their own life’s purpose. I read so many negative reviews on Twitter and in various news publications I went to see it expecting the worst. Though it was hard to imagine that a cast of Samuel Jackson, Michael Keaton, and Gary Oldman could be in a steaming pile of shit.

It’s funny, since studying film formally I have come to be less rigid about what I deem a good or bad film as opposed to more snobby or wannabe elitist. RoboCop is not War and Peace on film, it shouldn’t be confused with Gone with the Wind. It’s a fantasy movie about a cop who becomes a half man, half robot law enforcement machine. So check the rigid criteria for modern cinema masterpiece at the door and have some fun.

I have seen the original RoboCop, probably more times than I should have. Both incarnations satirize modern culture, both attempt to have heart, both development characters, both have all you can eat buffets of gunfire. One can dislike both or prefer one over the other, but I have a hard time seeing why a person would like the 80s version and not the 2014 version.

The movie feels slightly rushed as most movies made in the last twenty years do. But there is no shortage of time spent establishing why you as an audience member should care about the plight of Detective Alex Murphy. I could have used less mushy character development, but I appreciated it being there. There was a good balance between series acting time and lets fire off a ton of bullets time. I will say that this version is less bloody/gory than in the 80s version.

There are several obvious and subtle nods to the original film. My personal favorite was one of the villains saying “I wouldn’t buy that for a dollar.” I was surprised to see Murphy’s partner Lewis go from a white woman to a black man but whatever, as a second or third tier character it wasn’t a big deal and didn’t add nor subtract anything of substance to/from the film.

I enjoyed Sam Jackson’s parody of a Fox News anchor and the satire of drone based war drum beating. Abbie Cornish is forgettable as she usually is. Gary Oldman is Gary Oldman. Michael Keaton making a rare appearance this side of 1994 plays a far less menacing villain of Omnicorp than Ronnie Cox.  I can see that being a problem for some folks. Shout out to Jay Baruchel for doing his comedic thing in a supporting role to lighten the mood.

I thought Joel Kinnaman acted his ass off for a action sci-fi film. Peter Weller left big shoes to fill as Alex Murphy. If one sees this film and doesn’t like it, Kinnaman’s acting surely won’ t be a reason why.

RoboCop is worth checking out in the theater as action movies lend themselves better to the theater experience by nature. Check it on Netflix when it makes it there if you like the original and compare the two yourself. The door is left open for sequels, and I would LOVE to see RoboCop 2 get a remake. Taking a serial killer and putting him in a bigger, better machine. I think director José Padilha could do some good work with that idea. Plus it would be hard to do worse than the RoboCop sequels and shitty SyFy channel min series’ that no one who dislikes this movie cares to remember.

#AmericanHustle & #MonumentsMen #Movie #Reviews

Posted: February 12, 2014 in Anarchy Journal Constitutional
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by @anarchyroll
2/11/2014

I have been thinking about a culture and entertainment blog. I don’t have a logo for it yet, though I do have a name. In the past, not having a logo led to me not writing/blogging which was a mistake. I am trying to not repeat the same mistakes over and over. So, since I have seen two movies in a movie theater two weeks in a row for the first time in around two years, and enjoyed both of them, I feel a blog about them is warranted. Let’s go!

American Hustle (click images to view trailers) has gotten a great deal of praise and Oscar buzz. I found many similarities between this movie and The Monuments Men. Both are based on true stories. Both have all star casts. Both are classic Hollywood cinema pieces. The Monuments Men however has been getting shit on by critics where as American Hustle is all roses.

I enjoyed both movies equally. I was more emotionally moved by The Monuments Men, probably more entertained by American Hustle. As someone who has formally studied film, I just don’t see why one is considered an Oscar front runner and the other is a one or two star POS. Both films are formulaic. Both stand on the shoulders of genre pieces that have come before them and do nothing to reinvent the wheel. Both are almost exclusively dialog based. Both have happy endings. Both are well acted, well produced, and have quality musical scores.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and personal opinion is not to be confused with law of the land. When it comes to pop culture, even very smart, educated, sophisticated people become immature, ignorant, thick headed bitches. This principle is clearly at play here. I enjoyed both  movies. Are either the best film made in 2013-2014? Maybe, depends what your fancy is. I have an equal bias between Bill Murray and Bradley Cooper, they’re both on my hero wall. Perhaps the acting in American Hustle is more intense in one on one scenes, but the ensemble piece paradigm is executed very well in Monuments Men.

I personally enjoyed a WWII movie that was low on nausea induced action scenes. I also enjoyed a movie about New York in the 70s that didn’t involve physical mountains of cocaine and heroin being ingested by the main characters. I enjoyed the historical significance of both of the real people/situations each movie is based on. Both are fresh but familiar, a unique spin on classic American movie formulas. Both are worth a watch, neither is worthy of being confused for the messiah of film and neither tries to be that despite what the lovers and haters of each might have you believe.

Neither depends on the theatre experience so enjoy them on a night in when they get to Netflix. I give them both three stars and recommend the critics of each chill the fuck out. They’re movies, not economic inequality, war, or famine. If you have the luxury of being able to go through the processes of watching a movie, be happy, and enjoy either or both of these quality flicks.

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