Monday, October 29, 2012

Argo


ATTN:  MOVIE SPOILERS INCLUDED
Argo
October 28, 2012
My Opinion:
4.5 out of 5 bags of popcorn for the overall movie
5 out of 5 boxes of milk duds for my own personal entertainment
My Suggestion:  A must for the theatre
The gist:  After the US Embassy in Iran is raided, 6 American diplomats manage to escape to the Canadian Ambassador’s residence.  CIA Agent Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck) is tasked with extracting the hostages and returning them safely to US soil.  He devises an intricate plan to pose as an Associate Producer for a fake movie and gives the 6 Americans false identities as his Canadian film crew.  This movie is based on a true story.
My take:
I usually start out discussing the cast, but in this case I have to start with the movie itself.  I was so excited when I read about this movie and put it on my MUST SEE list.  I was even more excited as the positive reviews began flowing in.  This movie is so intense and my heart was pounding the entire second half of the film.  Most Americans already know the story, or part of the story and we know that the operation is a success and the American’s escape Iran alive.  I thought that would partially ruin the film for me, because I already knew the ending, but it just made the process of the extraction all that more interesting.  The pace of the movie gets going and it builds to the final moments at the airport, which to me was one of the best, most intense scenes I have ever seen in a movie. 
The acting was superb.  Ben Affleck plays a rough around the edges, CIA agent who is completely dedicated to his mission.  He will do anything it takes to get these people out alive.  Ben is sporting a beard and mustache and longer hair to fit in with the era of the film.  He still looks quite good to me!  I was impressed with his very real and honest portrayal of the character and I could almost feel his anguish as things began to unravel on his mission.  To me there were two other stand outs in the film and that way John Goodman and Alan Arkin.  Both played Hollywood type’s trying to help Tony Mendez succeed in his plan to make a fake movie.   They both had some great one liners and they made the movie very enjoyable and gave some laughable moments.  Bryan Cranston was great too.  (just like he is in all his roles)
I highly recommend this movie and think it should be seen in the theatre.  My only complaint about the film (and this is minor) is that there were some elements that were not needed.  The audience was already captivated and anticipating the planes take off enough, we didn’t need the chase down the runway with the military militia.  Like I said, a very minor thing, but just a little too far over the edge.

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Alex Cross


ATTN:  MOVIE SPOILERS INCLUDED
Alex Cross
October 21, 2012
My Opinion:
3 out of 5 bags of popcorn for the overall movie
3.5 out of 5 boxes of milk duds for my own personal entertainment
My Suggestion:  dvd
The gist:  Alex Cross, a detective (played by Tyler Perry) is trying to track down a psychopathic killer on a meticulous killing spree in Detroit.  The killer, called the Butcher (played by Matthew Fox) brings torture and pain to a new level for his victims.  When the chase becomes personal, Alex Cross is pushed to his limits to bring the Butcher to justice.
My take:
I am a huge James Patterson fan and have read, and loved every Alex Cross novel.  When I saw the previews for the movie I was so excited because I loved the two prior film adaptations (Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider).  My excitement quickly faded when I saw that Tyler Perry had been cast in the role of Alex Cross.  I just couldn’t picture it.  Morgan Freeman is an amazing actor and even he didn’t live up to my expectations for Alex Cross in the previous movies.  (guess I might have had my sights set too high)!  I went into it with an open mind and I am so glad that I did.
First, I want to discuss the cast.  Tyler Perry was actually quite good as Alex Cross.  He brought a sensitivity and edge to the character that was unexpected.  He managed to make Alex Cross a bad-ass and highly intelligent detective which was great for the movie.  Matthew Fox was absolutely incredible as the psychopath the Butcher of Sligo.  He was beyond believable as a sadistic and brutal killing machine.  I say machine because there were moments in the film that he didn’t seem at all human.  He was also lean, chiseled and tattooed up! He completely stole the show from Perry.  Edward Burns plays Alex’s life-long friend and partner Tommy.  He was fine in the role and very likable.
The film started off at a fast pace, then slowed down for about a half hour, then picked back up and didn’t back off until the end.  As with all the books, the end is never what you think and this movie doesn’t disappoint in that respect.  There were a few parts that were a bit too graphic for my taste but I can see why those parts were there to give the film a raw and brutal feeling.  One of my favorite parts was that Alex Cross actually makes a horrible mistake that costs his team dearly.  This is very reminiscent of the books where he is portrayed as a witty detective who is still human.
The reason that I didn’t give this movie 5 buckets of popcorn is two-fold.  First off, if you aren’t a huge Alex Cross and James Patterson fan most of the movie comes off as your typical cop chases bad guy flick.  There are some gasp-worthy moments but most are due to the brutality of the killer.  The second reason is strictly personal.  Because I am such a fan of the books I wanted things to be a little more like the books.  I understand that changes need to be made to adapt the novel to a movie but some things are golden and should not be messed with such as: 1)  I wish the location would have been in DC instead of Detroit (although there is a nice reference to Alex joining the FBI and moving to DC so that made me happy).  2)  I really missed John Sampson (Cross’ partner in the books)  3)  I wish he would have been driving his old, beat up Porsche.
This is an action paced and enjoyable movie, but with all the other great movies out right now I personally think it would be a great rental.