Urban crime dramas when done well end up being instant
classics i.e.: Scarface. End of Watch tires to be that Instant Classic but
doesn’t measure up. Watching this drama about young LAPD cops makes me wonder
can they be that dumb? In the movie two young
officers are marked for death after confiscating a small cache of money and
firearms from the members of a notorious cartel, during a routine traffic stop.
The cops portrayed by Jake Gyllenhaal & Michael Peña come across
as High School kids pretending to be cops and You Tubing the experience as they
go along. The script by David Ayer is rubbish and
any cop in LA that works South Central would realize the danger of the
territory they are in. Jake Gyllenhaal & Michael Peña however live
in their own bubble and are oblivious to what is happening around them even
with repeated warnings throughout the movie. They are just stupid and anyone
who thinks this movie is more than just a fantasy should go online and review
the daily murders that take place in Los Angeles that is not being reported by
mass media. This movie has some decent action scenes that are mounted with
tension but decisions made by the main characters are ludicrous.
Verdict:
Maybe there are LAPD cops as stupid as these testoserone
Supercops but I doubt it. What do you think?
The word on the street is that this movie is suppose
to be the film about Scientology but isn’t. The
story is about a Naval veteran who arrives home from war unsettled and
uncertain of his future until he is tantalized by The Cause and its leader
played by Philip Seymour Hoffman. What this
movie is really about is alcoholism plain and simple. Joaquin Phoenix plays a man that tries
to reestablish himself after the war but has became an alcoholic from his past
issues and the war. We learn about this via
his relationship with The Master who tries to cure him. The movie is very slow
and is not for everybody but if you are a fan of Director Paul Thomas Anderson
films (There Will Be Blood, Boogie Nights, and Punch Drunk Love with Adam
Sandler which I was one of the few people that liked it) you will enjoy the scenes
of two great actors in their prime. This in my opinion is what Director
Anderson does best which is bringing out the best performances from his actors.
Joaquin Phoenix does an amazing
job of transforming himself into this tortured soul. Take Ray Milland’s drunk
in the Lost Weekend, and Nicholas Cage’s alcoholism in Leaving Las Vegas and
you have (2) Oscar winners. We may have to add Phoenix even though Philip Seymour Hoffman
as The Master gives an Oscar Worthy performance as well.
Verdict:
See with someone who loves great acting. Who do you think does the better job of acting in this movie?
Before going to see
this I thought it was a “ripped from the headlines” story about Bernie Meadoff.
I was surprised to find out that this movie is a character study of a different
fictional Wall Street executive played by Richard Gere. The story is about a
troubled hedge fund magnate desperate to complete the sale of his trading
empire makes an error that forces him to turn to an unlikely person for help. The
script is well written and you are glued to your seat trying to figure out how
thing are going to end for Gere.This is a better than average thriller with
Gere giving an outstanding performance. Tim Roth and Susan Sarandon are also in
the movie and you see again (it’s been a while since they have been in a good
movie) why they are great supporting actors.
Verdict:
Gere does a masterful
acting job worthy of the elusive Oscar he has been due since 1977’s Looking For
Mr. Goodbar. He has tough competition this year with Joaquin Phoenix
in The Master, Daniel Day Lewis as Lincoln, Bill Murray as FDR in Hyde Park on Hudson, and Denzel Washington in Flight. Is Gere due an Oscar?
This is a “Bridemaids” wannabe movie with
a poor script.
The story is about when three friends are
asked to be bridesmaids at a wedding of a woman they used to ridicule back in
high school.
Where Bridesmaids was funny and original Bachelorette
is mean spirited and just not funny. Rebel Wilson, from Bridesmaids,
plays the same role she did in Bridesmaids and countless other movies she will
be in for the remainder of the year. Director and writer Leslye
Headland failed at this first attempt and hopefully we don’t have to suffer
through too many more of her movies.
Verdict:
One of the worst movies of 2012.
This movie has an “A” List cast and the story is based
on real life family.
Set in Depression-era Franklin County,
Virginia, a bootlegging gang is threatened by a new deputy and other
authorities who want a cut of their profits.
Tom Hardy is a great character actor but
here he takes on leading man status and his performance gets lost among the
other “A” List actors.
I found the movie to be a bit slow and predictable.
I also found Guy Pearce, as the nemesis, good
but not as threatening as he could have been. Gary Oldman, who played an
amazing bad guy in The Professional, is wasted in this movie and his role is
limited. Jessica Chastain and Mia Wasikowska are also wasted and their characters
are similar to various other movies.
The best and most surprising performance
comes from Shia LaBeouf. He is the only reason I would recommend this movie. He
finally shows that he can act among good actors vs. Transformers.
Verdict:
Average movie but Shia LaBeouf’s best
performance to date. What do you think?
