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sethrich
Reviews
Brooklyn's Finest (2009)
Wesley Snipes stole it for me despite his small role
I wasn't quite sure what was going in the opening, yet I had a feeling what was coming. After that scene, it didn't take long for me to soon get wrapped up in each of the three New York police officers' (Cheadle, Hawke, Gere) lives. I was actually surprised it wasn't until the end that they came together at the same location, each of them with different motives for being there. Brooklyn's Finest is somewhat like three movies in one, flipping back and forth between characters' story lines.
Gere's character probably could have been removed without the movie skipping a beat, but I found myself rooting for him. He just wanted to retire and get through his last week on the job, yet stuff kept falling into his lap. Wesley Snipes stole it for me despite his small role, though. I would have liked to have seen more of him. Cheadle and Snipes as notorious figures in the drug business is a great pair. Hawke is pretty good as a crazy cop under desperation to support his family.
Shadowheart (2009)
Not your typical western, but Will Tunney is a fantastic character
Shadowheart is not your typical western and I have mixed feelings about it. If I want a true western I think I'll turn to Eastwood. Allow me to split my thoughts into pros and cons...
There are several things I don't like about Shadowheart. First of all, the movie doesn't exactly reflect the title. I think in the first minute the narration says something along the lines of "I refer to him as Shadowheart" and that's all we hear of that. You can forget about it and might as well make up your own title. I would call it Legend, which is where this takes place, a town in New Mexico set in 1865. Secondly, the beginning of the movie is boring and the child acting is borderline laughable. Obviously not all children are stars, but the acting just isn't good. Thirdly, the very end did not seem necessary. I won't say much so as not to spoil everything, but if it ended showing the yellow ribbon and nothing afterward I would have been happier. That would have been a great way to finish. Watch and you'll know exactly what I mean.
Now on to what I do like about Shadowheart. First of all, poor acting aside, this is a solid story. I enjoyed it despite dealing with the aforementioned cons. James Conners loses his father to murder as a child, he leaves town and returns an adult seeking vengeance. Would I recommend it as a western to see? No. Would I recommend it as a movie to see? Maybe. Secondly, Will Tunney is a fantastic character. He's the slimy guy everyone's afraid to mess with and he ultimately owns the town. Nobody likes him, likely even his own crew. Heck, I wanted him dead the entire movie he was that ruthless.
Bart Got a Room (2008)
Most of the characters are pretty bland, but Macy manages to shine
If Bart got a hotel room, then Danny should have one too. Danny is your typical unpopular high school senior and he's searching for a prom date. The bar has been set by not-seen-'til-the-end Bart, the class nerd, with the booking of hotel rooms, limousines, etc. Cute and studious Camille (played by Alia Shawkat from Arrested Development, a comedy I adore) has been friends with Danny for a long time and the easy thing for them to do would be to attend prom together, but that doesn't happen of course. I became frustrated with Danny's attempts to get other girls to be his date, but I also related to him – as easy as Camille would be to fall back on, at his age I'd likely want something new (perhaps even sexier) too. This is what teenagers do.
William Macy, who plays Danny's father, is one of the few bright spots. Most of the characters are pretty bland, but Macy manages to shine despite the surroundings. I really don't like the haircut he has there, but that's part of the cheap role I guess. His best moments are when he drops everything to help find a date for his son as the prom draws near. He even leaves a sexually-heated date of his own behind! Bart Got A Room is your typical high school movie, but not exactly A-list. It has its moments (my personal favorite takes place in the ice cream shop) but this type of movie has been done before, and better too.