Category: Movie Reviews

CHEF: The Best I’ve Seen in 2014

June 8, 2014June 8, 2014 · Leave a comment ·

Ladies and gentlemen, I watch a lot of movies and I try to be blunt and brutal in my critique. Jon Favreau’s latest, CHEF, was a masterpiece and the finest slice of cinema I have digested in 2014. The movie season is starting to find its legs so there will be more and the last month has produced some fine films, but CHEF was something else. A special blend of comedy, food lovers delight, old school storytelling, great acting and crackling sharp dialogue. Here is my review.

Movie-Chef

Rating-R

Running Time-115 minutes

Written and Directed by Jon Favreau

Cast-Jon Favreau, John Leguizamo, Sofia Vergara, Bobby Cannavale, Scarlett Johnansson, Dustin Hoffman, Emjay Anthony, Oliver Platt and Robert Downey Jr.

Plot-When Chef Carl Casper (Jon Favreau) suddenly quits his job at a prominent Los Angeles restaurant after refusing to compromise his creative integrity for its controlling owner (Dustin Hoffman), he is left to figure out what’s next. Finding himself in Miami, he teams up with his ex-wife (Sofia Vergara), his friend (John Leguizamo) and his son to launch a food truck. Taking to the road, Chef Carl goes back to his roots to reignite his passion for the kitchen — and zest for life and love.

Buffa’s Take-Great food can make a fine palate for heartfelt filmmaking, and Jon Favreau has created a masterpiece here with his latest, Chef. The title of the film is as simple as it gets and when cooking is done right, master chef’s stick to the basics and go where their heart takes them. Favreau sticks to genuine funny character interaction, a juicy script, great ensemble acting and a sure handed direction. Chef is easily the best film I have seen in 2014 and one of those films you simply want to root for and push into the street and urge people to be a part of.

The opening of the film hooks you instantly, with Favreau’s long time “El Jefe” Carl Casper slicing through veggies, fish and assorted fruits as he preps his kitchen for a day of service. Favreau must have gone to culinary school because the man’s love for food here is no act and is invested with something personal and romantic. The best cooks love their food as much as they appreciate the next gasp of oxygen and we get that right away with this guy. Casper is a lion in a growing world, and wants to open his creative recipes up on the high end Los Angeles customers at his restaurant, but the owner (a signature stern and blunt Hoffman) wants him to stick to his old boring menu of classical dishes. Casper wants to spice it up, and when his restrictions lead to a legendary food blogger trashing his food, the chef’s life crumbles. He finds his mojo again in a food truck and that’s when the film takes off.

The food indeed plays a supporting role, but Favreau wisely integrates the rapid growth of social networking into the film’s story. Twitter plays a huge role in Casper’s collapse and his ability to rise up. As a writer who hinges his work and interaction on the social media site, it’s great to see a filmmaker putting it front and center and taking his moviegoers to school on how powerful the underground media and social party hound site has become. Tweets are shown above the characters like Archie comics as they type away and it’s not a gimmick. Favreau is telling you how it is but doing it with classy appeal and wise comedy so the story of redemption never seems too far away.

The film never gets too heavy and keeps the engine moving but the scenes between Casper and his son, Percy(a sharp newcomer in Anthony) bring an equal dose of emotion and suave confidence. A father teaching his son not only the ropes of cooking but the high appointed tasks of making a living and doing something you love. The two actors are better than two performers showing chemistry. They convince us that in some far off land they could be embody these two desperate souls.

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Singer Delivers Another X-MEN Gem

May 31, 2014May 31, 2014 · Leave a comment ·

Thank you Bryan Singer. After a rejuvenating and largely successful reboot from Matthew Vaughn with X-Men: First Class two years ago, Singer brings the entire universe of this Marvel juggernaut together in one of 2014’s most exciting and intelligent films. This is a playground where Spider Man and Godzilla just can’t play around in and that is action packed excitement with sharp storytelling and a strong fingerprint from the director. There are few directors that can make this tale of mutants living scared and desperate in the human world so compelling and the man at the top of the short list is Singer. Brett Ratner, you are not on the list because the last all together part, X-Men: Last Stand, felt less like a movie and more like a bad paint job over a large canvas. After a pair of fun if hollow feeling solo Wolverine missions, Singer brings the Hall of Fame ass kicker Hugh Jackman back into the middle of this time travel based story.

The film opens in the distant future where major cities are destroyed and a group of machines called the Sentinels are leading the destruction. We see a small group of mutants hiding out in a tiny corner in Russia and their body count is dwindling. So, the wise Charles Xavier(Patrick Stewart, looking younger in each successive film) and Eric Lensherr(Ian McKellen) decide to send Jackman’s Logan/Wolverine back to 1973 to prevent a murder and that starts with the retrieval of the young Charles(a truly moving James McAvoy) and the young Eric(played effortlessly by Michael Fassbender). The key is preventing the radiant yet deadly and misguided Raven/Mystique(Jennifer Lawrence, sexy on fire at the moment) from doing something literally catastrophic. Hopefully, in doing so, the Sentinels program never gets off and the mutants aren’t wiped off the face of earth. That’s it folks. It’s just time travel. So much has been made over the last week about the confusing aspects of this story and it’s best for some to simply go with the flow.

Singer and screenwriter Simon Kinberg(who has penned every X-Men adventure) have crafted an intriguing world that places the mutants as the victims of an oppressive society and has them facing extinction. They combine that with the usual flair of action and special effect dazzle, but the key to these films being great is the heartfelt touch and intelligence Singer brings to the production. The man is a true genius.

The cast is excellent. Jackman gets into freakishly good shape every time he puts on the claws and his transformation and ability to inject true witty comedy into a tragic character is flawless again. Stewart and McKellen are old pros hanging with the kids here and they acquit themselves nicely. As many fans who see Stewart as a Star Trek legend, he will always be Professor X to this film addict. Fassbender doesn’t really act so much as he does effortlessly slip into a character’s skin. He is one of the best actors out there today because he doesn’t overplay anything and his work here is astounding. Playing a younger man with a power to bend metal to his will while deciding how he uses that particular power, Fassbender is putting on a clinic.

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BLOOD TIES/JOE Movie Reviews

May 25, 2014 · Leave a comment ·

With all the big loud superhero flicks at the cinema right now, it seems a bit old fashioned to sit at home and watch a couple quiet indie dramas. That’s what I did this weekend, resisting the summer sizzle and instead reaching for something with a little more subtlety and grace. Here are fresh takes on Blood Ties and Joe, both currently available on demand and possibly on Redbox.

Blood Ties

The first effort from director/actor Guillaume Canet is a dark gritty crime drama set in the 1970’s and pitting two brothers(Clive Owen and Billy Crudup) standing on opposite sides of the law. Owen is Chris, a ex-con who just stepped out of jail after a 12 year stint for murder. Crudup is Frank, a noble cop who desperately wants to keep his brother out of jail and trouble. The women lurking around their lives, Marion Cotillard and Zoe Saldana, begin to play pivotal roles in their future. James Caan nearly steals the film as the two men’s father and Matthias Schoenaerts(Rust and Bone) turns in solid work as the worst kind of men. All the pieces come together in an unpredictable fashion in Canet’s film, which makes for a powerful experience. One can see why it didn’t get a wide release but the story was made for a home setting. Owen and Crudup are at the top of their game here, sparring off as siblings who have walked completely different lives while remaining close to home.

Owen puts a coat of Brooklyn on his well traveled British accent and Cotillard does her best with a role that many will call different but I call challenging and fresh. She is an actress that can easily go to dark places but here touches new ground. Caan shows that he still has the power to take over a film at his old age, playing an old lion staring at his two sons battling over psychological turf. The movie isn’t great and runs a little long. A big shootout occurs just over halfway in and throws the film into a completely new story that never sits right. Things happen that don’t make any sense while others come together too cozy. All is made right in the end when a delicious little twist sets(remember to knock) the film up for a final clash at a train station that is deft and perfect. Canet co-wrote the script with long time crime film artist James Gray(The Yards, We Own the Night) and you can smell Gray’s strokes all over the film, from the loud and brutally realistic gunfire to the romantic moments of the film. Blood Ties is solid cinema worth checking out at home.

Joe

The film starts out conveniently as we are introduced to Nic Cage’s Joe, the leader of a landscaping crew wiping out trees for a new housing development. His men respect him and they have a good working relationship. We are also introduced to a kid who has an abusive dad and his ongoing misery. Joe and the Kid will merge together in a way that is at once predictable, unique and deadly. There is more to Joe than a simple life and the kid is going to stir things up inside him that the older man thought he had buried. I won’t spoil any more of David Gordon Green’s latest film, a down and dirty drama about redemption, choices and the devil in all of us.

Cage reminds you once again that he is an Oscar worthy talent when he decides to be. He easily inhabits the cold tragic skin of Joe and injects his quirky wildness into a well rounded performance that resonates. Tye Sheridan played this sort of role well in Mud and takes it up a notch here with his character, Gary. Gary and Joe become friends and things start to happen. One thing that is constant in every Green film(except for the hilarious Pineapple Express) is a sense of dread that sits with every scene. The idea that something bad is going to happen floats through this film. The entire film as a whole doesn’t work completely work but there are fair portions of it that are beautifully filmed and acted. One of the highlights is Gary Ponlter, a homeless man Green hired off the street(the director does this a lot) to play Gary’s despicable father, Wade. He steals every scene he is in and does it with barely any dialogue. Poulter’s broken trash face sums up the type of world Green’s films live in. Poulter died a few weeks after filming concluded and his role in the film is powerful, disgusting and bittersweet at the same time. Joe isn’t a great film and the plot will drift from your memory, but the lingering morals of its characters and the struggle we all endure every single day will stick with you for a little while. The acting in it alone warrants it a viewing.

Thanks for digesting this latest dose. Come back for another.

Interstellar Makes You Dream Big About Movies

May 20, 2014 · Leave a comment ·

Leave it to Christopher Nolan to blow our minds with a 140 second reel about crops, engineers, outer space, time travel, wormholes and Matthew McConaughey running through all of it. Nolan isn’t a pioneer of film but he is a renegade every time he touches it and promises us something great with every release. In a day and age where so many filmmakers phone in a production for the dollar and need to keep working, a film addict must appreciate creators like Nolan. He doesn’t waste our time and serves up fresh engaging and quietly amazing cinema every time. Isn’t that great to have around?

Nolan was the only director in Hollywood who could make Inception so good. He was the only director who could turn Batman into a movie that many felt was snubbed for an Best Picture nomination. He put Batman and Wolverine(Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman) into a movie about magic(The Prestige) and made an award worthy film. In short, Christopher Nolan doesn’t own a Best Picture or Director nomination but in a matter of 12 years has created a fine partnership with Warner Brothers.

Interstellar centers itself around McConaughey’s Cooper, an engineer who has an obsession with Indian surveillance drones and loves his two kids, one of them called Murphy(which is a moniker here for Murphy’s Law) a little more than his urge to go back into space discovery. When a scientist(Michael Caine, a Nolan regular) wants to place him in a special mission that involves time travel, Cooper must weigh the risks against his family if he decides to venture into the unknown. Think Inception meets The Abyss meets 2001: Space Odyssey. You will catch short glimpses of Anne Hathaway, Casey Affleck and Jessica Chastain as the trailer closes.

If you are confused by the trailer at first glance, that’s not a bad thing. Nolan wants to throw you for a loop and watch you click it again as you slowly get up off the floor. He doesn’t want to bore you so he plays with your mind. He will have your interest with this one because it concerns real questions and sprinkles in movie juice to go with it.

His brother Jonathan wrote the script with him, and their idea here isn’t as complex as some would think. Is there more to us than simply life and death? Does the human race have abilities that stretch outside of our world? Where does our destiny truly lie? These kind of questions are being put on the table here for us to start thinking about. Nolan wants us to open the book and get invested.

Great films make moviegoers go into their own outer space and let us time travel for a couple hours. With Interstellar, Nolan is producing that kind of phenomenon here. While we won’t know the result until the November 7th release date, this trailer gives us plenty of chew on in the mean time.

Watch it(a few times) and let me know what you think.

Jude Law Powers DOM HEMINGWAY

May 10, 2014 · Leave a comment ·

Dom Hemingway is an exercise in extremes. Taking dark comedy as far as it will go until it becomes raw energy naked on screen and straight up to the edge of being hard to handle. Taken as a whole, the movie is uneven, slow in areas where it has to be quick and can make you shake your head a few times.

The story is simple enough that a five year old could understand, not that you would want them to watch this insane cinematic slice of crazy talk. Dom is a safe cracker who took the fall for a rich gangster and we pick up his story right as he is being released from jail and well….being relieved of some stress via the below the waist variety. From there, Law wants his money owed to him, and wants to sleep with as many women as possible and drink enough beer to fail three livers before tracking down his long lost daughter. How about that opening scene though…..

Richard Shephard’s tale begins with Jude Law ranting about his penis and you should thank the director for this. If a person is going to walk out of the theater, that time will come at this very early moment. If seeing an overweight belligerent filthy Law spitting fire about how great his mighty member is, then it is best you buy a ticket to Amazing Spider Man 2 so you can be dulled out of your mind for a 2 ½ hours. Dom Hemingway is fierce, blunt and works on a certain brand of motor oil. Fast and furious profanity mixed with contempt and guilt.

The film is 90 minutes and it crams in as many f-bombs it would make Quentin Tarantino take out a calculator to see how it stood up against his joints. The supporting cast is good enough, with Richard Grant stealing a few scenes as Hemingway’s handler and Demian Bichir producing a hilarious performance as an odd gangster who likes to fire his guns in the woods and makes the most quiet threats. Let me remind you. This film belongs and is OWNED by Jude Law. He’s a live grenade in this film, a wrecking ball equal parts rugged wit and endless contempt.

I love when actors challenge themselves and step outside their comfort zone. Here, Law takes seven steps outside his usual area. He is an accomplished actor and has the respect and command of his fellow actors, directors, studios and his fans. Here, he is a wrecking ball on screen with nothing held back or saved for later. It would be hard for the film’s stiffest critics to point out his performance as a source of concern. Law goes all the way to the brink and back. If I had to recommend the film on one thing alone(a rarity), it’s the performance of Jude Law as the title character. He isn’t the greatest human being and doesn’t come off as appealing yet we would follow this guy through a battlefield because he is so wild and unpredictable. Law did this redemptive walk quite well in a remake of Alfie, but here he takes up about 20 notches as the embodiment of naughty. This is a performance to remember inside an okay movie.

Everything else about the film is just okay. Emilia Clarke(the Queen of Dragons from Game of Thrones) doesn’t get much to do here except look sad and lost. For a 90 minute film, the second half moves as slow as a snail and some scenes just don’t work. Shephard felt like inserting this screen shots with plot points announced as some kind of comedic gimmick, but it still doesn’t work.

Dom Hemingway doesn’t amount to much but the comedy is sharp more times than not and Law’s performance is fantastic. If you want something original and blunt, check this film out.

Cinderella Man Isn’t Just A Boxing Flick

May 7, 2014 · Leave a comment ·

“I’m not the first guy willing to die to feed his family.”-Jim Braddock

Movies about sports have a stranglehold on many hearts and when done right, they can truly move the soul. In the land of competition, many people see themselves out there. Swinging for the fences, shooting the puck at the net or throwing that hail mary pass to the end zone. In boxing, the feeling is no less. We all get into a ring daily and fight our way through our lives trying to make good on our promise. It’s a romantic sports connection that make films like The Cinderella Man, Ron Howard’s 2005 feel good classic resonate to this day. The true tale is a standing testament to the power of the spirit and the will to keep fighting even though life throws the harder punches.

If you care to know who the real Rocky Balboa was before Sylvester Stallone was even born, look no further than James J. Braddock. The legendary fighter, who put a city on his shoulders in the Great Depression, was down and out after the financial crisis wiped away all his stocks and earnings. He was a beaten down fighter who held on for dear life in the ring and kept going even though his body was breaking down. At his wits end and without hope, Braddock was determined to keep his fighting days alive and providing for his family fueled that desire. He got a fight last minute and won, which eventually led to a heavyweight showdown with renowned and revered champion Max Baer.

Russell Crowe created an unforgettable Braddock and Renee Zellweger, in one of his last great roles before fading away, was truly heroic and superb as his wife Mae. Paul Giamatti offered fine support as the boxer’s trainer Joe Gould and Craig Bierko was the imposing Baer. The cast also included Paddy Considine as Braddock’s friend and Rosemarie DeWitt(the real life granddaughter of Braddock). In order to pull off a great story, you have to get the right cast.

Now there are some issues people had with the story. Max Baer’s son was furious that they made his dad out to be a goon when in real life he didn’t feel good about killing men in the ring or wasn’t a monstrous bully. Howard and his writers took cinematic liberties there, and I can handle that. If you are going to make a movie for 100 million dollars, one must do what a studio wants. I can tell you with 100 percent clarity that the studio wanted to craft this truly underdog tale and making Baer the antagonist was part of the deal. He was a boxer so it isn’t like they were turning him into a terrorist. I can respect the beef Baer’s son had with the representation of his father but I can handle it in a cinematic production.

The reason the film was great was because Howard and company put its focus on the effect of the Great Depression had on so many families. Paddy Considine’s character, Mike, a dock worker who worked and befriended Braddock, was a perfect example of the blue collar class who suffered so mightily. The hardship of the Depression wasn’t just the financial strain and hunger it created but that fact that it left so many families powerless. Mike was a bigger victim than Braddock because he wasn’t a prize fighter who could make 250 dollars in one night. The Great Depression gutted millions of families and was the cause for many deaths and demoralization of the country. At one point, Braddock had to go to Madison Square Garden to beg his former employers for money so he could turn his heat on and get his three kids back in the house from Mae’s sisters.

Braddock’s story is truly inspirational and the fact that it really happened only made the movie that much better. Those were the days of true boxers, men who were tough as nails and hard to defeat. In a day and age where the sweet science of boxing has taken over the ring and brawls are more rare, it is important to go back to a day and age where the two types of fights(brawls and true boxing duels) merged into war in a ring. Braddock’s win over Baer was phenomenal because of the boxer’s story and hardship.

It was Crowe’s last truly great Oscar worthy performance. He nailed the boxing rhythm and voice of Braddock and suffered a few concussions in the fight scenes. He gave himself truly to the performance and it can be noticed when watching the film. Zellweger was fantastic, embodying the strength of a woman forced to wait at home and wonder if her man would come home whole again. This was the Jerry Maguire and Cold Mountain Renee and not the departed actress we know today. It goes to show you that sometimes the role suits the actor more than the actor suits the role.

Last but not least, the music of Thomas Newman was superb. Newman is my favorite composer because his music can pull me from another room into the living room once I hear his music. It doesn’t matter if it’s the sentimental first moments of Finding Nemo, the rugged dark areas of Road to Perdition and American Beauty or the old fashioned feel of Cinderella Man. The slow piano clicks and the following swell of the orchestra work wonders in this heroic tale. I can never get enough of Newman’s notes.

The movie only grossed 50 million and was wrongly released in the summer instead of the more award worthy months of November and December. That hurt its chances of bringing home Oscars but to me, 9 years later, it resonates just as much as when I saw it in the theater. While the true story isn’t as faithful as it should be, Cinderella Man is a truly great movie and one that can inspire hope for any person needing a lift.

No Amazing Spider Man 2 for This Critic

May 2, 2014 · Leave a comment ·

Listen up film-addicts. Feel free to spend your hard earned money on The Amazing Spider Man 2. I get it. It’s new, bright and showy. It’s the official blast off the top of summer movies. Every spring, the summer movies come to the forefront and kick off a long season of loud, shiny, and popcorn fueled entertainment. This year, it’s the latest therapy session for the fragile Marvel hero with webs coming out of his hands. Here are a few reasons I won’t be seeing the film in theaters.

It’s unconventional for a critic to put down a blockbuster film before seeing it and on the weekend it opens up. However, we here at film-addict like to go against the common grind and share something unique.

I am tired of Spider Man and his insecurities. With Batman and Superman, there’s a neurosis that is cool, powerful and relatable. With Tony Stark, Steve Rogers and Bruce Banner, there is an underlying drama that is irresistible. When it comes to Spider Man and Peter Parker, there simply isn’t enough juice to keep the franchise running for me.

My biggest problem with the Sam Raimi-Tobey Maguire trilogy was my outright disdain for Maguire. Whenever he comes on screen, I get turned off. The face, presence and ability all just do nothing for me. I am sure he is a fine little sweet gambler in real life, but on screen he is blank. Spider Man 2 was very well done but the third film was a silly, overlong and all together useless waste of time and money. I thought it would end there in 2007 with Maguire, the black suit, the death of Topher Grace as a legit actor and Thomas Haden Church’s waste of talent. I was wrong.

In 2012, Marc Webb brought us the exact same story of Peter Parker to the big screen with a better actor in Andrew Garfield, a better leading lady in Emma Stone and a very similar take on the hero. He is a lonely young man, gets bitten by a spider, retains his daddy issues, learns to fly via the web(from the spider and not the internet) and fights a moderately boring villain. Blah blah, cue the sleeping pill.

This weekend, Spider Man is back with no new material. He still doesn’t know what to think of his super powers and makes new friends and villains. Stone and Garfield are there but then we have Jamie Foxx cashing a paycheck as Electro and Paul Giamatti as a bald maniac. Dane Dehaan subs in for James Franco as the tortured Harry Osborne. What are these great actors doing here? Get out of this.

The biggest problem is this. Where has Spider Man gone in 5 films when it comes to story? When you leave the theater, tell me if you learned anything new about the guy? In the comics, Parker has become a public crime fighting figure and joined up with the Avengers. In the movies, he is still a poor wounded animal looking for home.

Sony Pictures isn’t getting my money this time. I will wait for Redbox. I will skip 2 hours and 21 minutes of boring looking cinema(followed by a quizzical drive home) and chase down an indie like Dom Hemingway or Locke(opening in the coming weeks in select cities).

Alert me when Marvel/Spider Man/Sony stop running in circles and stealing our hard earned cash. In 12 years and 5 films, what has cinema told us about Peter Parker?

Captain America: Winter Soldier/Divergent Movie Reviews

April 12, 2014April 12, 2014 · Leave a comment ·

It’s time for a Dose of Buffa at the movies my friends. Quick, to the point and a perspective that demands attention. The pharmacy is open. Here are my latest reviews.

CAPTAIN AMERICA 2: THE WINTER SOLDIER

Setup-The sequel to The First Avenger and post Avengers new Marvel film finds our titular hero, Steve Rogers, having finally adjusted to the modern world. He is working with SHIELD yet knows where the line between right and wrong is. That stance is tested by Robert Redford’s new executive at the Headquarters, who wants to send Captain after criminals before they commit a crime. That means crossing a line with the world’s privacy. Along with Black Widow, Captain has to find a way to do the right thing without stepping over people’s freedom. When he is faced with a new enemy who carries a familiar face from his past, Rogers/Captain must battle every single inner demon he has in order to save the world.

My Take-This is a very well done film with a full backstory and plot set up to put one of Marvel’s best heroes in the mix for a great adventure. Chris Evans continue to command the screen as Rogers/Captain America and the supporting cast does a fine job as well. One of the best performances comes from Robert Redford’s tricky new suit who wants to twist the idea of good and bad with a strategy that is very similar to the one the real life government is thinking about putting on us. By installing a real world plot device in a super hero film, directing duo Anthony and Joe Russo heighten the action and provide more than just an experience.

Do you want to see this movie if you hate comic book movies? Yes and no. There are comic book elements brought to the big screen here as well as a plot you could see in any other action thriller. I think this sequel improves on the first film because of the relationship Evans and Sebastian Stan(playing the villainous Winter Soldier) create on screen as two men standing on separate sides of the law yet sharing a link from the past. Their connection isn’t a mere setup but more fully fleshed out here and by the end of the film resonates with any person who ever lost a friend to the dark side.

The supporting cast is solid. Scarlett Johansson is gorgeous and convincing as the Black Widow, kicking ass while conveying a mysterious loneliness with her character. The most sublime part of the Marvel films is showing us how alone and sad these heroes are. They fight because of their unique skills and hunger to do right, but deep down they are very isolated from the rest of the world. Frank Grillo creates his usual maniac presence, playing a good man twisted by circumstance who will play a larger role in the next sequel. As noted earlier, Redford is money and Samuel L. Jackson turns in assured work once again as Nick Fury.

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Arnold/Ayer Shoot ‘Em Up Fails

March 30, 2014March 30, 2014 · Leave a comment ·

Welcome to the latest round of A Dose of Buffa At The Movies. Let me start things out with a new release in theaters, Sabotage.

Let me first say that I walked into this film with a certain level of expectations. David Ayer, the co-writer/director had just put out the amazing cop film End Of Watch and hit a personal career high mark. When he sought out Arnold Schwarzenegger for this role in this deadly DEA agent corruption saga, I got a good vibe. This wasn’t going to be your typical Arnold action film. There was a chance it could be something more. Good cast and a fine looking trailer came around and the expectations were built. I wanted something special. What I got was a letdown and a film that relied too heavily on gory action and not enough on its story. Here is a more detailed reason why Sabotage isn’t worth your hard earned money in the theater.

PLOT-Arnold leads a DEA task force of mercenary like killers into this seize of a drug cartel’s cash and when 10 million goes missing, the team tries to seek out the mole responsible and begin getting killed off one at a time.

REVIEW-Sabotage isn’t a total mess but it is definitely a disappointing film from Ayer, who is white hot right now off the success of his gritty brilliant cop film End of Watch. Whether he likes it or not, the bar was raised for any film involving him, especially one with him behind the director’s chair again. This isn’t a blue balls bonanza where you get really high on the film before a monstrous letdown but the wheels do slowly come off in the second half of the film after the beginning is strongly built on intensity.

When I thought it could be something more the film turned out to be a brainless action film. The action scenes are tactical and realistic. In your face bloody and well executed. They are a true highlight of the film in the beginning until they become an exercise in overkill as the wrap up begins and the reveal of the source of the betrayal is made.

The film falls apart in the end due to a series of twists that just don’t add up. That’s too bad because the action sequences are shot with a visceral abandon and amp up the tension. Ayer takes a page from Michael Mann’s book here and allows every bullet fired and explosive set off to feel like its happening right next to us. Its a shame the story couldn’t pack the same punch.

When you do find out who the mastermind behind the corruption is, it’s a head shake and not amazement. Something seems tacked on in the end and it kills the whole film. The story when viewed as a whole doesn’t sit well. Ayer and Skip Woods fumbled it. While they were impressive in their sales pitch, they seem to lose touch of it all as they tried to figure out a way to complete the plot. In the end, it was…wait for it…sabotage.

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Support Film-Addict: A Homegrown Website

March 29, 2014 · Leave a comment ·

Whenever I hand out a business card to someone or tell them I have a movie website, I get a number of looks. One response is complete bewilderment followed by a series of facial expressions that make it look like I am trying to show off. Another common response is, “That’s cool. What’s on the site?” Everybody else just hands over the fake care expression, where they take it, look interested and then start scanning the block for trash cans to chuck it into. I am sure my website has a huge following in the trash can colonies. The reason people want that blunt reaction to this card you have just handed them is simple. Where is the need? They want to know what you have, what it can do for them and how it is different from the other websites.

People, this is a world that is run on red bull, smart phones, and likes on Facebook. There is no time for old fashioned movie reviews, showtimes and commentary on film. I literally have to sell the site every time I hand someone a stylish piece of printed paper. This isn’t 1989 where a three button suit became awesome and having your name on a business card was as wild as carrying around a cellphone the size of a brick. This is 2014, and the world is constantly on the move.

I am here to tell you why you should not only help support Film-Addict but why you should care about it as well. The best way I can do that is by telling you a story.

In the early days of 2012, Eric Moore came to Chris McHugh and myself about starting a website. Eric and I had thought about it several times since we had become friends 8 years earlier. It was a dream. A grand idea. The three of us loved the movies and allowed our bodies and minds to be wrapped up inside their world. We didn’t just see a movie, leave, and burp out the expression, “that was alright”. We wanted to know the budget of the film, the director’s last 5 films and why the hell the movie stars did the damn thing. We wanted everything and needed to download it. We were true film-addicts. The most lovely question I can get these days is, “Why do you want so many movies?” I am a film-addict and here is why. Boom!! The conversation has begun. We wanted to put our love for film out there to the masses. Connecting with fellow addicts along the way.

We picked up a few addicts the past 2 years. Leigh Ann Jones, Landon Burris and Alana Hammonds all write reviews and individual articles for our site. Like us, they get paid nothing. Like us, they work full time and do this for the love of the game. Jones watched a 100 films in 100 days. Alana watched Blackfish on Netflix and decided to write a review because that’s what serious movie lovers do. We see something that moves us and the only way to move on is to write about it. Landon has reviewed all kinds of films for the site. A dialogue less visual pleasure to a Japanese animation film to a film about sex maniacs. We bleed for the site because we believe people need this information.

Next weekend, Wizard World comes to St. Louis. It’s the Comic Con of the Midwest. While it’s not as crazy popular as the one held in San Diego every year, they do our city proud and host a great show. The horror buffs dress up like Chucky, Jason, Michael and Freddy. The comic book faithful come out in full gear. Over 100,000 people show up downtown looking for a taste of the action. Last year, The true HULK Lou Ferrigno showed up. This year, Nathan Fillion, Firefly alum and Castle star, will be in attendance along with other stars. The reason I am telling you this is Film-Addict has a booth/table at the event. We will be handing out posters, shirts and other cool memorabilia to the people who stop by and fire up conversation. On one of the days, we will direct our attention to The Amazing Spider Man 2 that comes out this summer.

Since we are a proud mom and pop shop variety website, we need help raising money to put on the best possible show at this event. We are looking for donations from anyone looking to put their money into something meaningful. Something with a pulse. We throw away money every day. Coffee in a cup, gas in our cars, a bag of chips or a bad Subway sandwich. I don’t ask you to donate any more than you think our website deserves. If it’s a couple dollars, it helps.

While we do offer actor and cinema spotlights, I’d like to think Film-Addict offers you honesty. A blunt take on film delivered by a group of people who provide you with something authentic and fun. We didn’t have to start a website. We are probably 10-12 years late and while we are joined at the hip by a hundred thousand other sites dedicated to film, we like to think we do something special with ours.

If you wish to know more about this particular mission and enterprise, head over to our page at Go Fund Me. Eric has all you need to know about why you are donating and how you can do it. You can see others who have donated and get an idea of what we are going after. See for yourself before you hand over your own dollars.

http://www.gofundme.com/7b2o7c

Thanks for giving us the time of day. In this modern world of 24/7 rush hour, that is something no one should take for granted.