worshipthylouie
Joined Jan 2014
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Have you ever wondered what would happen if Rocky met Jake LaMotta in a boxing match? When they were both approaching age 70 and retired?
Grudge Match has arrived to make these boxing movie giants collide, except this time Stallone plays Henry "Razor" Sharp, while De Niro takes on the role of Billy "The Kid" McDonnen. New names in order to avoid getting sued, but similar personalities nevertheless.
A ferocious feud goes down between the two men in their days of boxing, with each man getting a victory over the other. The world wanted a re- match, and Kid wanted it more than everybody. That is when disappointing news came along by Sharp announcing his retirement. With his greatest rival out of the business, Kid's career soon went downhill.
Years later, Razor works a normal, quiet life in a shipyard. Kid owns a car dealership and a restaurant. A promoter by the name of Dante King Jr. (Kevin Hart) stops by Razor's home, and offers him a large paycheck in order to do motion capturing for a new video-game.
Razor turns it down at first, but is convinced when he realizes that he does indeed need the money. He tells King that he will do it, as long as Kid is booked to motion capture his on a different day. The two never got over their bad blood for each other.
Can you guess what happens next? Kid shows up, the two argue on the set, and boom, social media gets a hold of it. The video is popular, a fight is suggested, and the two former rulers of the ring set out to prove that they are not dinosaurs.
Ex-girlfriend Sally Rose (Kim Basinger) re-appears after thirty years, and tries to spark up a conversation with Sharp. Due to her formerly being romantically involved with Kid as well, Sharp is not very interested. This will be built upon as the film progresses.
The films run-time is around two hours, so they decided to fill it with every single known cliché in the books. This is a sport movie that is identical to every other sport movie. You have a romance that is as fun as watching paint dry. Family problems that shamelessly escalate by being forced in order to make a character realize a change is required.
Calling out exactly what happens can be done by viewing the trailer. I will admit that it has a few cool scenes such as the boxers appearing at an UFC event, and getting into an argument with the fighters. It also succeeds at being funny at times.
The laughs are more subtle than the overly stupid approach many comedies are resorting too these days. Stallone provokes a few giggles, as he repeats some of the things he did in Rocky films, but makes fun of them. The acting was not bad for the most part, and some were even great.
Kevin Hart did a fabulous job, and lightened up the screen as King. Alan Arkin did a fine job as Razor's trainer, while Jon Berthal of Walking Dead fame was believable as the son Kid never attempted to meet.
Grudge Match did not need to be two hours. Everyone who had interest in this film cared about seeing Stallone go against De Niro, and not the generic plot devices that would be used to build it. I did not expect this to have the depth of a film such as The Fighter, but my ultimate point is just that the majority of it was slow. I was tempted to hit the fast forward button more than once.
All the build leads to a final fight, which is somewhat not worth the long journey of waiting for it. The fights in the Rocky movies or Raging Bull were superior, and the winner was clear from the start. So were the clichés that went down before the winner was announced.
My favorite part was the post-credits scene with Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield being persuaded by Kevin Hart. It was actually laugh out loud funny, and allowed the film to end with a smile on my face.
Die hard boxing film fans will even be disappointed by this one. It includes a few laughs even if you do not like boxing, but none that will make it worth rushing too. Stallone and De Niro were able to get in convincing shape, and the idea sounded awesome on paper. The execution just failed to live up to the idea.
Read More at: http://thycriticman.com/
Grudge Match has arrived to make these boxing movie giants collide, except this time Stallone plays Henry "Razor" Sharp, while De Niro takes on the role of Billy "The Kid" McDonnen. New names in order to avoid getting sued, but similar personalities nevertheless.
A ferocious feud goes down between the two men in their days of boxing, with each man getting a victory over the other. The world wanted a re- match, and Kid wanted it more than everybody. That is when disappointing news came along by Sharp announcing his retirement. With his greatest rival out of the business, Kid's career soon went downhill.
Years later, Razor works a normal, quiet life in a shipyard. Kid owns a car dealership and a restaurant. A promoter by the name of Dante King Jr. (Kevin Hart) stops by Razor's home, and offers him a large paycheck in order to do motion capturing for a new video-game.
Razor turns it down at first, but is convinced when he realizes that he does indeed need the money. He tells King that he will do it, as long as Kid is booked to motion capture his on a different day. The two never got over their bad blood for each other.
Can you guess what happens next? Kid shows up, the two argue on the set, and boom, social media gets a hold of it. The video is popular, a fight is suggested, and the two former rulers of the ring set out to prove that they are not dinosaurs.
Ex-girlfriend Sally Rose (Kim Basinger) re-appears after thirty years, and tries to spark up a conversation with Sharp. Due to her formerly being romantically involved with Kid as well, Sharp is not very interested. This will be built upon as the film progresses.
The films run-time is around two hours, so they decided to fill it with every single known cliché in the books. This is a sport movie that is identical to every other sport movie. You have a romance that is as fun as watching paint dry. Family problems that shamelessly escalate by being forced in order to make a character realize a change is required.
Calling out exactly what happens can be done by viewing the trailer. I will admit that it has a few cool scenes such as the boxers appearing at an UFC event, and getting into an argument with the fighters. It also succeeds at being funny at times.
The laughs are more subtle than the overly stupid approach many comedies are resorting too these days. Stallone provokes a few giggles, as he repeats some of the things he did in Rocky films, but makes fun of them. The acting was not bad for the most part, and some were even great.
Kevin Hart did a fabulous job, and lightened up the screen as King. Alan Arkin did a fine job as Razor's trainer, while Jon Berthal of Walking Dead fame was believable as the son Kid never attempted to meet.
Grudge Match did not need to be two hours. Everyone who had interest in this film cared about seeing Stallone go against De Niro, and not the generic plot devices that would be used to build it. I did not expect this to have the depth of a film such as The Fighter, but my ultimate point is just that the majority of it was slow. I was tempted to hit the fast forward button more than once.
All the build leads to a final fight, which is somewhat not worth the long journey of waiting for it. The fights in the Rocky movies or Raging Bull were superior, and the winner was clear from the start. So were the clichés that went down before the winner was announced.
My favorite part was the post-credits scene with Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield being persuaded by Kevin Hart. It was actually laugh out loud funny, and allowed the film to end with a smile on my face.
Die hard boxing film fans will even be disappointed by this one. It includes a few laughs even if you do not like boxing, but none that will make it worth rushing too. Stallone and De Niro were able to get in convincing shape, and the idea sounded awesome on paper. The execution just failed to live up to the idea.
Read More at: http://thycriticman.com/
Based on a 1998 novel of the same name, written by Irvine Welsh, Filth will bury your television screen in dirt. It will require you to wipe dust off of your Ipad. Movie theaters showing this film will not be clean anymore, and be reminiscent of walking into a porta-potty.
Viewers will also be affected, and likely have a irresistible urge to take a shower. Nasty thoughts will linger into your mind a few days, or even weeks after watching it. Filth personifies filth just as the title suggests. It depicts a Scotland, where the majority are dirty, and far from clean cut.
Lead man position is given to rising Scottish star James McAvoy, who has experienced American fame with his roles in Wanted or X-Man: First Class. In the latter, he played Charles Xavier, or Professor X, for those unaware. The character he portrayed in that film is far from what you'll see here, as McAvoy takes a turn for the worst.
People are accustomed to seeing him play the good guy, but his role as Detective Bruce Robertson calls for the total opposite. And I am going to come right out saying that his acting was top notch quality. At age 34, McAvoy is still in his prime, and capable of making a huge impact in the cinema.
Detective Sergeant Bruce Robertson has only one current goal in life. Edinburgh needs a detective investigator, and Bruce feels he is the only one deserving of the role. He appears to be the top contender for the title, after being assigned to oversee an investigation in regards to the death of a Japanese student.
Problems lie in the mental health of Bruce, which causes severe hallucinations. As Jesus is to God, Bruce is to the devil. Terrible, mean, manipulative, and does not care about a single soul. A master of mind games, a druggie and someone who is willing to resort to sexual abuse, assault, or murder to get what he wants.
His chase for the criminals responsible becomes hindered by his fascination to destroy the lives of everyone around him. Throughout the tale, puzzles pieces of how he came to be will be thrown relentlessly at you.
I was intrigued the whole ride through this crazy world, and by the end, everything is explained leaving no lingering plot holes. If you believed Wolf on Wall Street's Jordon Belfort was an awful person, Bruce Robertson will shock you even further.
While I can draw comparisons between the two all the day, I brought it up more-so to point out the difference. Belfort did what he did for the money and fast life excitement. Robertson turned into a monster due to the events in his life. You'll gain an understanding to some point, and shockingly, may have some sympathy towards this despicable human being.
Flashbacks, hallucinations and crazy nights out intoxicated help connect the dots plot points. And provide some of the humour. Filth lives up to being a dark comedy with its laugh out loud material. I found myself giggling and shaking my head multiple times at the craziness unfolding on screen.
So far, I have only pointed out that McAvoy did a good job acting. Eddie Marsan was perfect in his role as Clifford Blades. A man Bruce loved to manipulate and the only person he considered a friend. Marsan's portrayal of the gullible loser managed to be extremely special and memorable.
Everyone else did a near perfect job as well, so I'd be listing a whole ton of names, and having to leave some deserving out, so I will just leave it at that instead. Cinematography by Matthew Jenson could not have been better, and helped push this unique viewing experience to greatness.
It must be acknowledged that not everyone will walk away from this film with a smile. As I have pointed out, the film resembles filth when it comes to actions, personality traits, offensiveness and the like. The hallucinations that I found creative, and a fun dive into insanity may come off as stupid, silly and poorly made to others.
It is one of those films so messed up that it can go either way. For me, Filth worked wonders, and joins the top rank of movies I loved coming out of 2013. This crazy fun, dive into the dark-side, is well worth the journey.
Superpower Film Scale: 4/5
1: Villainous Waste
2: Careless Bystander
3: Hero unaware of powers
4. On the verge of greatness
5. Heroic film
Standout acting heroes: James McAvoy & Eddie Marsan
Read more at: http://thycriticman.com/
Viewers will also be affected, and likely have a irresistible urge to take a shower. Nasty thoughts will linger into your mind a few days, or even weeks after watching it. Filth personifies filth just as the title suggests. It depicts a Scotland, where the majority are dirty, and far from clean cut.
Lead man position is given to rising Scottish star James McAvoy, who has experienced American fame with his roles in Wanted or X-Man: First Class. In the latter, he played Charles Xavier, or Professor X, for those unaware. The character he portrayed in that film is far from what you'll see here, as McAvoy takes a turn for the worst.
People are accustomed to seeing him play the good guy, but his role as Detective Bruce Robertson calls for the total opposite. And I am going to come right out saying that his acting was top notch quality. At age 34, McAvoy is still in his prime, and capable of making a huge impact in the cinema.
Detective Sergeant Bruce Robertson has only one current goal in life. Edinburgh needs a detective investigator, and Bruce feels he is the only one deserving of the role. He appears to be the top contender for the title, after being assigned to oversee an investigation in regards to the death of a Japanese student.
Problems lie in the mental health of Bruce, which causes severe hallucinations. As Jesus is to God, Bruce is to the devil. Terrible, mean, manipulative, and does not care about a single soul. A master of mind games, a druggie and someone who is willing to resort to sexual abuse, assault, or murder to get what he wants.
His chase for the criminals responsible becomes hindered by his fascination to destroy the lives of everyone around him. Throughout the tale, puzzles pieces of how he came to be will be thrown relentlessly at you.
I was intrigued the whole ride through this crazy world, and by the end, everything is explained leaving no lingering plot holes. If you believed Wolf on Wall Street's Jordon Belfort was an awful person, Bruce Robertson will shock you even further.
While I can draw comparisons between the two all the day, I brought it up more-so to point out the difference. Belfort did what he did for the money and fast life excitement. Robertson turned into a monster due to the events in his life. You'll gain an understanding to some point, and shockingly, may have some sympathy towards this despicable human being.
Flashbacks, hallucinations and crazy nights out intoxicated help connect the dots plot points. And provide some of the humour. Filth lives up to being a dark comedy with its laugh out loud material. I found myself giggling and shaking my head multiple times at the craziness unfolding on screen.
So far, I have only pointed out that McAvoy did a good job acting. Eddie Marsan was perfect in his role as Clifford Blades. A man Bruce loved to manipulate and the only person he considered a friend. Marsan's portrayal of the gullible loser managed to be extremely special and memorable.
Everyone else did a near perfect job as well, so I'd be listing a whole ton of names, and having to leave some deserving out, so I will just leave it at that instead. Cinematography by Matthew Jenson could not have been better, and helped push this unique viewing experience to greatness.
It must be acknowledged that not everyone will walk away from this film with a smile. As I have pointed out, the film resembles filth when it comes to actions, personality traits, offensiveness and the like. The hallucinations that I found creative, and a fun dive into insanity may come off as stupid, silly and poorly made to others.
It is one of those films so messed up that it can go either way. For me, Filth worked wonders, and joins the top rank of movies I loved coming out of 2013. This crazy fun, dive into the dark-side, is well worth the journey.
Superpower Film Scale: 4/5
1: Villainous Waste
2: Careless Bystander
3: Hero unaware of powers
4. On the verge of greatness
5. Heroic film
Standout acting heroes: James McAvoy & Eddie Marsan
Read more at: http://thycriticman.com/
It is still very early in the year of 2014, yet a number of films have already been released both on DVD and in theaters. So far, I have only viewed four, with three being nothing short of awful. Coincidentally enough, a film that I had doubt for due to a boring trailer managed to be far superior than the rest.
I would groan every time I was sitting in a theater, excited to see what films would be coming out in the new year, only to see Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit time and time again. After viewing the film, I still hate the trailer. It spoiled a few scenes that could have been pleasant surprises. Such as the fight between Chris Pine and Nonso Anozie's characters, which ended up being quite fun regardless.
The character of Jack Ryan has had quite the past in film history. This character created by Tom Clancy, has already been featured in films starring Ben Affleck, Harrison Ford, and Alec Baldwin. Chris Pine is the fourth, and holds his own in the role. It is likely that it will be the start of a new franchise.
Jack Ryan is a very patriotic young man, who witnesses 911 on television during a day of school. Deeply impacted by the terrorist attack, he decides to drop out and join the marines. However, while serving in Afghanistan, a serious accident renders Ryan unable to walk on his own. Temporarily of course.
Before his marine career abruptly ended, Ryan had sent papers revealing complex economic patterns to higher ups. It was ignored at the time, but did catch the attention of a CIA Agent by the name of Thomas Harper (Kevin Costner).
Harper visits Ryan at rehab, and offers him a job. He must go back to college, get his PhD, and than he will be hired to monitor financial transactions on Wall Street for the CIA. Once recovered, Ryan completes his studies, and ten years later, is working his undercover job as a broker.
He notices that the Russians are up to something sinister, and a man named Viktor Cheverin (Kenneth Branagh) is the source. Travelling to Russia with plans of auditing Viktor's special accounts, Ryan unexpectedly becomes a operational field agent when he is thrown right into the action.
To make matters worse, his fiancée Cathy Muller (Keira Knightley), who is under the impression that Ryan is having an affair, shows up in Russia. You better believe that she will be thrust into danger in classic action movie romance fashion.
The cast is quite wonderful. Good acting across the board, with director and cartoonish style evil villain, Kenneth Branagh, being the stand out. He is both cunning and charming to the ladies, yet unforgiving and merciless with the men. Kevin Costner was impressive, and I was sold on him being an actual CIA agent. His look, demeanor, and personality worked to perfection. Pines was believable as well, and had no weakness with being lead man material. It is a challenging task, and while his charisma is not sky high, I was never bored with his presence. Knightley being involved, and a key figure in these CIA missions did not look appealing. I thought the romance would be annoying, and slow everything down judging by the trailer. While it did lead to predictable scenarios, it was not half bad otherwise. They had chemistry, and were not a boring couple.
Overall, it is a well made film, and it does manage to be the top dog released in the first twenty days of 2014. As a spy movie, it is quite decent and I would be willing to watch a sequel. With that said, it is far from perfect.
The reason being is simply that you have seen the majority of Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit before. The terrorist plot of wanting to put American in a great depression, and having them dependent on Russia is a great idea. The way the action sequences go, and the eventual climax is what has already been used. More than once. Countless times actually. The final fight, or big scenario to have the movie go out with a bang is so overused in action films that I face-palmed when I seen where it was going. In 2013, I seen both B movies and theater movies end in the exact same way. Even some superhero films have used this exact same ending, just done in a super powered way essentially.
I get that a lot has already been done, and repetitiveness is unpreventable in the modern world of film. It is just that an ending like this is so lazy and uninspired as this point. You know exactly what, how and where it is going to happen, with no potential for surprise.
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit will not send you home with claims that it was the best movie you have seen in years. It still remains far more intelligent than your usual popcorn action flick, and is the standout of January 2014. If you are in the mood for a formulaic spy film, and have no expectations of watching something spectacular, this will be worth the price of an admission ticket.
Superpower Film Scale: 3/5
1: Villainous Waste
2: Careless Bystander
3: Hero unaware of powers
4. On the verge of greatness
5. Heroic film
Standout acting heroes: Kenneth Branagh & Kevin Costner
Read more at: http://thycriticman.com/
I would groan every time I was sitting in a theater, excited to see what films would be coming out in the new year, only to see Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit time and time again. After viewing the film, I still hate the trailer. It spoiled a few scenes that could have been pleasant surprises. Such as the fight between Chris Pine and Nonso Anozie's characters, which ended up being quite fun regardless.
The character of Jack Ryan has had quite the past in film history. This character created by Tom Clancy, has already been featured in films starring Ben Affleck, Harrison Ford, and Alec Baldwin. Chris Pine is the fourth, and holds his own in the role. It is likely that it will be the start of a new franchise.
Jack Ryan is a very patriotic young man, who witnesses 911 on television during a day of school. Deeply impacted by the terrorist attack, he decides to drop out and join the marines. However, while serving in Afghanistan, a serious accident renders Ryan unable to walk on his own. Temporarily of course.
Before his marine career abruptly ended, Ryan had sent papers revealing complex economic patterns to higher ups. It was ignored at the time, but did catch the attention of a CIA Agent by the name of Thomas Harper (Kevin Costner).
Harper visits Ryan at rehab, and offers him a job. He must go back to college, get his PhD, and than he will be hired to monitor financial transactions on Wall Street for the CIA. Once recovered, Ryan completes his studies, and ten years later, is working his undercover job as a broker.
He notices that the Russians are up to something sinister, and a man named Viktor Cheverin (Kenneth Branagh) is the source. Travelling to Russia with plans of auditing Viktor's special accounts, Ryan unexpectedly becomes a operational field agent when he is thrown right into the action.
To make matters worse, his fiancée Cathy Muller (Keira Knightley), who is under the impression that Ryan is having an affair, shows up in Russia. You better believe that she will be thrust into danger in classic action movie romance fashion.
The cast is quite wonderful. Good acting across the board, with director and cartoonish style evil villain, Kenneth Branagh, being the stand out. He is both cunning and charming to the ladies, yet unforgiving and merciless with the men. Kevin Costner was impressive, and I was sold on him being an actual CIA agent. His look, demeanor, and personality worked to perfection. Pines was believable as well, and had no weakness with being lead man material. It is a challenging task, and while his charisma is not sky high, I was never bored with his presence. Knightley being involved, and a key figure in these CIA missions did not look appealing. I thought the romance would be annoying, and slow everything down judging by the trailer. While it did lead to predictable scenarios, it was not half bad otherwise. They had chemistry, and were not a boring couple.
Overall, it is a well made film, and it does manage to be the top dog released in the first twenty days of 2014. As a spy movie, it is quite decent and I would be willing to watch a sequel. With that said, it is far from perfect.
The reason being is simply that you have seen the majority of Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit before. The terrorist plot of wanting to put American in a great depression, and having them dependent on Russia is a great idea. The way the action sequences go, and the eventual climax is what has already been used. More than once. Countless times actually. The final fight, or big scenario to have the movie go out with a bang is so overused in action films that I face-palmed when I seen where it was going. In 2013, I seen both B movies and theater movies end in the exact same way. Even some superhero films have used this exact same ending, just done in a super powered way essentially.
I get that a lot has already been done, and repetitiveness is unpreventable in the modern world of film. It is just that an ending like this is so lazy and uninspired as this point. You know exactly what, how and where it is going to happen, with no potential for surprise.
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit will not send you home with claims that it was the best movie you have seen in years. It still remains far more intelligent than your usual popcorn action flick, and is the standout of January 2014. If you are in the mood for a formulaic spy film, and have no expectations of watching something spectacular, this will be worth the price of an admission ticket.
Superpower Film Scale: 3/5
1: Villainous Waste
2: Careless Bystander
3: Hero unaware of powers
4. On the verge of greatness
5. Heroic film
Standout acting heroes: Kenneth Branagh & Kevin Costner
Read more at: http://thycriticman.com/