Quick Movie Review: Fury (2014)

At first they were displeased with him and thought he would bring them down, but at a moment these 4 guys realize that Norman makes them better. Meanwhile, Norman learns a lot about himself and what he's willing to do. And then it all comes full circle in the end with a moment of compassion show by a German soldier. 

It's always best to judge a film off of how well it serves its own purpose. Fury gets its point across well. It wants to show the rawest and most realistic form of war. It also wants to peak through the curtain to the other side. It was brilliantly executed here.

I also love the camerawork and direction that this movie has. It doesn't waste too much time with shaky-cam in order to make it seem like more is happening, and you're always sure of what's going on. Every time a shot is fired, you know who is shooting it. There is a very human aspect to all of the combat.

There's no bit of this film that I don't like and enjoy. With great action sequences and memorable scenes, Fury serves its purpose of showing us the positive and negative impact that war had on the individuals immersed into it.

Twizard Rating: 100

Quick Movie Review: Nymphomaniac Volume 2

With the "journey" finished, I don't like this film any more than the first installment. No character is liable, except for maybe Joe's father, and Joe can only seem to like and empathize with those who she can relate to herself. She's selfish. Finally at the end she seems to become friends with the old man, whom she knows nothing about, because he listened to her. But that all ends when she kills him. Lars Von Trier want you to love Joe so badly, and it's evident in the script. After every action she is seen as the good-guy in the end. And you have the old man who keeps telling her that she's not a bad person and keeps justifying her mistakes, when in fact she isn't a good person. But I suppose, at least, the audience sees that a little better this time around.

But the film makes some better points politically and socially,  as the first film was more commentary on science and mathematical theories. The script was just as smart, but this film was just as hard to watch as the first. And I still wish they had revealed more about her mother and what caused Joe to be who she is.

Overall, there is no reason to watch these films more than once for even the biggest of fans. I watched it because I'm a Shia LaBeouf fan, but that is all.

Twizard Rating: 61

Quick Movie Review: Nymphomaniac Volume 1

It's hard to particularly like this story so far because it calls for a very acquired taste and it hasn't resolved much of the conflicts yet. For those that do not understand film and are just looking for entertainment, you will quickly find this movie boring. It plays mostly with metaphors and uncomfortable/unrelatable situations. There is a lot of depth, but not exactly specific to any one character in particular. Meaning, there isn't much difference between characters--they seem to all be written in the same way. With that said, the script is very smart and very aware of itself and what it's saying. But I think that it serves more as a philosophical challenge than an entertaining film. I'm not getting much out of it myself, but it definitely keeps the brain moving. However, some of the logic that the two main characters conclude to is very arguable and faulty on occasion even though the narrative is unique and the metaphors are interesting.

As interesting as it is, we haven't yet delved deep enough into the actual reasons WHY the main character has her addiction. We know that her mom is a "you-know-what", but to what degree? And with its purpose being to reject religion, it comes off as very preachy if I do say so myself.

While the acting is fantastic, this film is a little too drawn out and I keep forgetting that it's only 2 hours, as it feels more like 3. And now I must sit through the second volume.

Twizard Rating: 61

Quick Movie Review: Charlie Countryman

Shia LaBeouf is a genius in this movie. He is at 100% here and undeniably believable. And the rest of the actors are great as well. It knows when not to take itself too seriously and when to be dark while somehow keeping a consistent tone. However you just want it to be deeper than it is. Shia's acting makes you feel like we know more about his character, Charlie, but when you stop to think about it, we really don't. But you WANT to! He seems so fascinating! There are a few points in the script that cause you to ask questions, but none of them are too distracting and the alternatives won't change the outcome of the film anyway.

I do give credit to the script for its great theme of following your heart to the ends of the earth without any regrets and never doubting your love. I also commend the director for acknowledging these themes and succeeding in bringing them to life. I love a movie where you know that the director is getting his exact points across in the exact way that he had intended--and when its this obvious in watching the finished product.

Overall, it was really enjoyable to me and kept my attention thoroughly. It just makes me never want to go to Bucharest.

Twizard Rating: 92

Quick Movie Review: Transformers: Age of Extinction OR TransFOURmers

I never understood why the first 3 Transformers films are hated as much as they are. Personally, I'm a big fan. I'm also a big fan of Shia LaBeouf--all controversy aside. People may not like the first three, but whether you realize it or not, Shia made them watchable. His relationship with Bumble Bee, his parents, and his girlfriend(s), his personal struggles, his unique comedic timing--but ultimately his vulnerability and charisma made it work. They weren't bad movies. People just like to be nitpicky about things that they grew up with I guess. But with the thought that this new trilogy was created by Michael Bay to "make everyone forget" about the first three films, I soon realized that if that was his intent, he failed miserably. Not only was this film not as good as the original trilogy, but it was just not a good film altogether. 

First of all, there were way too many antagonists and way too much going on. Add on the subplots about Mark Wahlberg's character's personal issues and you have yourself a cacophony of a script. There was a point towards the final battle scene where I literally asked myself "Why is all this happening again??" out of legitimate confusion. You know it's bad if the robots had more depth than the humans. The characters were thinner than the paper they were written on. I just found myself completely detached. The one story line that actually could have made you feel for Cade (the issue between him and his daughter) was instantly predictable--not to mention forced and unbelievable. The only characters that weren't completely annoying were Cade and Joshua (Stanley Tucci). For such an action packed movie it shouldn't have you looking down at your watch--save that for the art house films. 

It had its moments, but just not enough of them to warrant giving it a great rating. The only thing left that would have given this film bonus points for coolness would have been if it made a good connection to the first trilogy--or at least gave us some easter eggs! But with a runtime of over 2 and a half hours, it should have everyone realizing that Shia wasn't all that bad after all.

Twizard Rating: 64