Jazzy31133

After watching a movie I like to read up about it to learn how the movie was made, the inspiration for the screenplay and how the cast came together.

While reading up on Brimstone I came across an interesting tidbit - the Dutch and European press gave the movies strong reviews, while the American critics were more lukewarm. For some reason, these facts really resonated for me.

On the surface, Brimstone should be worthy of praise. Stunning visuals and a strong performance by Guy Pearce, brutal yet not gory violence and a non-linear, but not confusing story structure all work to create a satisfying movie. And more importantly, I believe that the movie delivers on its promise made in the trailer, the viewer will not feel hoodwinked that they were mislead; a la an action movie that is actually slow, or a comedy that turns out to be a boring, coming-of- age drama.

Yet, after viewing the movie I could not shake the feeling of being let down, empty and unmoved. The goal of any film in my mind is to have the ability to stay with a viewer, and I felt as though Brimstone reminded me of a very well made straight to video movie.

The example I will use is having a one night stand with a pretty girl yet you wake up the next morning without feeling elated. She looks the part and has a welcoming personality, but you have no interest in her.

That's the feeling you get with this movie. Great cinematography and powerful acting, but I believe the missing link is a great story. There is no twist and no real character arc. It is a simple tale of hardship and revenge that tries to elevate itself through a non-linear telling.

Final comment: Solid and violent tale in a western setting, with an average story and somewhat non satisfying ending.

Is the movie a great film that you will remember? Of course not. It is a raunchy, late night comedy with some laughs and tries to incorporate some heart felt scenes.

However, the movie delivers on its promise of a popcorn, low budget comedy. So the 1 and 2 star ratings are not deserved. A great movie to put on when you are trying to fall asleep, wants something on while working from home or just want to pass the time on a rainy day.

One thing that came to my mind was how the quick sword to fame can be a double edge for some actors. Leo crushed it in Gilbert Grape and Basketball Diaries and is now an A-lister. Jason Biggs rocketed to fame in American Pie and as never been able to shake the lovable loser character.

I think the IMDb user rating of 6.5 perfectly encapsulates what to expect. I use the site mainly to calibrate my expectations before watching a blockbuster or decide to invest my time in giving an indie feature a chance.

Suicide Squad has such star power and superhero connections that I was going to watch it no matter what the user reviews said (I always disregard critic reviews as they rarely are helpful) and feel like many viewers were going to as well.

The movie has cool set pieces, action scenes and fantastic costumes. However, the plot is so muddled and choppy it detracts from the viewing experience. Another weak link is the enemy - no real backstory to draw us in, almost no explanation on what the enemy is building, and almost laughable minions for the "heroes" to combat.

There are so many cool characters, I think the movie and plot would have been better served if this had been Part I of a series, rather a stand alone movie.

I read an article that stated David Ayer only had six weeks to put a script together and it unfortunately it shows. I felt like I was watching a long trailer - cool and fun scenes that were disconnected from each other.

I certainly won't say to pass on this, especially comic book fans, but be warned it is a let down. Especially, considering the awesome source material the director had to work with.