Reviews

Sidney Lumet's final film, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, starts out with a robbery. Instead of the slick action like the films from the "Ocean's" series, you instead get a much more realistic portrayal of a robbery, and one that does not end well. This event serves as a catalyst for the entire rest of the film, which gets progressively darker as time goes on. Nothing goes without consequence in this film, and none of the consequences are good.

Lumet's direction is brilliant, and the cast's performances all bring something different to the film (particularly the performances of Philip Seymour Hoffman and Albert Finney.) The screenplay, from Kelly Masterson, is so dark, it may have come from the devil himself. It is arranged in a non-linear way, somewhat like "Reservoir Dogs". Current events are mixed with past events, and it allows the viewer to see how all the different stories fit together. The connected stories shows each character's inner frustrations, and builds up to an incredibly uncomfortable climax. The film itself feels like an unsafe balancing act; any wrong steps, and the whole thing falls apart. There is not a single moment of relief in the entire film, nor is there rarely a moment when the audience does not feel sympathy for any of the many characters in the film. This makes the film both a potent thriller and a destructive tragedy.

To some, the film may seems like an exercise in excessive darkness, and they may be correct. However, beneath all of this, there are characters that you can empathize with, though this makes the film all the more painful. Films like this come out so rarely because they never do well at the box office. It is impossible to recommend a film to a friend that is so dark and unsatisfying, and with so little action. The film ended up having a poor box-office run, making only 25 million against a budget of 18 million, which is a commercial failure. It is a shame that Lumet's final crime film was not as much of a success as his more famous ones.

Having not read the book on which this is based upon, I cannot affirm or deny that this is a good adaptation. However, as a standalone film, it is very good.

David Fincher always knows how to make a film with style, and this film is no exception. From the first frame of the opening sequence with Led Zeppelin playing in the background, the film feels incredibly polished, which suits its setting. The film takes place in northern Sweden, where the Daniel Craig-played main character Mikael Blomkvist investigates a series of murders that seems to be connected. However, while the murder is one of the focal points of the film, the other is the character of Lisbeth Salander, portrayed excellently by Rooney Mara. There is a certain level of coldness to the film, which is boosted by the electronic score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, who had also collaborated with Fincher in "The Social Network". The extensive score helps the film maintain a constant sense of creeping dread, while never being intrusive. The mystery itself unravels very slowly, though this is a blessing rather than a curse. Fincher's characters always managed to slowly creep up on me, and in this film, the same is true. There is a lot more depth to the film than what can be expected from any genre thriller.

One more note: The marketing behind the film was excellent. It is generally very hard to find an audience that is willing to watch a hard-R rated film based on a foreign novel. The film managed to gross over 230 million dollars worldwide.

The set-up of Insidious certainly is fascinating: a child, after going into an old attic, falls into a coma. Nobody knows what is happening. Strange things keep happening around the house. Finally, the family, distraught, calls a group of paranormal investigators to investigate the situation.

This is where the film gets truly stange, as it shifts from being a standard horror film to being a strange fictional docu-drama/horror combo. James Wan pulls out a few cheap jump scares. However, for the most part, the film stops being interesting because the screenwriter has decided to make the threat too tangible. The sense of hopelessness that pervades the first section of the film seems to vanish as the film falls into trope after trope of scares and creepy imagery. It is not a completely ineffective film, and at times is quite intense, but because the film decides to give everything away at once, it becomes very dull and tedious.

A few words of praise: Lin Shaye's performance is outstanding by horror standards and she makes her character by far the most interesting in the film. The film was also completed on a tiny one million dollar budget, which by Hollywood standards would have been unacceptable. James Wan manages to make something out of it.

Werner Herzog's "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans" is an incredibly unpredictable and bleakly comic work. Despite being very cynical, it is not at all heavy-handed, thus making it both a nerve-wracking and very funny experience. Every single step taken in this film feels like a step in the wrong direction and Nic Cage's unhinged performance truly brings the entire thing together.

The use of the word "bad" in the title is a severe understatement, as Cage's character is completely out of the territory of conventional evil. Like Abel Ferrara's similarly titled work, the film revolves around a corrupt cop becoming increasingly more desperate to save their situation. However, the antics of the titular cop in this film are darkly amusing, in contrast to the layers of tragedy in the aforementioned film. Like Scorsese's "The Wolf of Wall Street", much of the film's humor comes from excess, as shown by Cage's performance and the strange cinematography from Austrian cinematographer Peter Zeitlinger. The characters in this film are so bad that there is no room left for redemption.

The style of the film itself is also interesting. Sometimes this film is hard noir, other times is a stoner film, though the film lies in between for the most part. While the plot revolves around the murder, it feels like a large MacGuffin that enables the film to go on many tangents. However, it does not mean the case does not get closure. It just means that you get even more time with stressed-out Nic Cage. Considering that the film is two hours long, I'd say that's more than enough.

"Ocean's Eleven" is a fun film that is sure to interest all of those who like heist movies. However, for those who do not, it may be rather boring. While the heist sequence of this film is incredibly well-plotted and very quick-moving, this does not come in until about one hour into the film. Half of the movie is the exposition.

David Fincher is a director that is well-known for his work with thrillers. This is not one of those. Instead, he has created a true crime film that is both engaging and very stylish. That being said, he still manages to sneak in moments of suspense, and does so in a very masterful way. The film also manages to keep pushing you along with the details of the case without overloading you with information. Every single detail of the case mentioned in the film is deliberate and piques your interest. On top of all of this, the cast is excellent and the soundtrack is great.

"Fargo" is a film that is incredibly fun. It makes the most of its simple but very well-constructed story and turns it into one of those films that seems to fly by way too fast. It perfectly blends black comedy and drama, and its quick pace makes it a very re-watchable film.

Phantom Thread is a simple, rich film that acts as both a comedy and a quietly devastating drama while also showcasing Daniel Day Lewis' acting prowess, Paul Thomas Anderson's skilled filmmaking, and Johnny Greenwood's beautiful score.

The Last of Us Part II is a great game with an improved story and gameplay, as well as graphics that inspire awe. The character development in this game is admittedly worse than the previous installment, but the story takes such huge risks. You will either hold your breath until the end or quit the game halfway through.

The Peanuts movie is such a great movie mainly because it perfectly captures the aesthetic of Charles Schultz's legendary cartoon strip. Everything, from the humor, to the simple, clean animation, to the voice acting, is amazing. In its transition to 3D, peanuts has managed to hold onto all of its old-school aesthetics.

If Wes Anderson's style could be summarized in one film, this would be it. It is incredibly dry and clean, yet is still full of heart, wit, and humor. It is so simple, but is a film that will surely entertain adults more than it will children.

Cars 2 is like a child's dream. It is full of color, memorable characters, and beautiful scenery.

Knack II makes this game look like crap. The graphics get a 10/10 but the storytelling just does not reach the emotional heights of the much better sequel.

His videos are just stupid and biased.

20/10 Has a little something for everyone