Movies

Deepwater Horizon (2016)

 in History / Movies by

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Starring

Mark Wahlberg – Mike Williams
Kurt Russell – Jimmy Harrell
Douglas M. Griffin – Landry
James DuMont – O’Bryan

Deepwater Horizon

From Amazon.com

Summary

 

“Mark Wahlberg leads an all-star cast in this unforgettably powerful film inspired by a thrilling story of real-life heroes. For the one hundred and twenty-six people aboard the Deepwater Horizon offshore oil rig, April 20, 2010, began like any normal day. Before day s end, the world would bear witness to one of the greatest man-made disasters in U.S. history. DEEPWATER HORIZON reveals the brave acts of the men and women who rose to the challenge and risked everything to lead others to safety.”

-From Amazon.com

Review

This movie was such an eye-opener and I had no idea. When I first saw the trailer, I knew that I wanted to see it. However, I didn’t have time to go and see it in the theatres, and I was also unsure of how good it was going to be. I had heard good things about it however it slowly dropped off my radar (with all the other amazing movies on the way or that have come out recently). But I was traveling recently and it was on the entertainment system in the plane an I had to watch it. I will be re-watching it due to the fact that it was such a good movie and the tiny screens on planes do not do it justice.

First of all, when you heard about the BP oil spill in 2010, you heard about it through the news from the corporate perspective. You saw pictures of the oil rig, and of the spill, however you never really got to hear about it from the people who worked on the rig and what they went through. This movie really helped you understand just what happened to them and how the entire situation was just because of bureaucracy, in short. So due to the new angle that it shows about the situation, I do recommend watching it.

Second, the acting was phenomenal.  It wasn’t anything special with the acting as all the characters were based off real people and real events and it felt like a dramatization in every way, which I really did like because you got to learn something, not just be entertained. I learnt so much about the entire situation that I had no idea about before I watched it.

deepwater horizon

As for how they portrayed it, they did an amazing job. The entire situation when the pressure started to build with the oil to the final explosion really kept you on your toes and questioning what would happen next. The ending also was really good in my opinion because of how realistic it was. (Not spoilers) When people were saved and finally made it back to a hotel while they waited for family members to get in or to be sent back to their destination, the survivors were walking through the lobby and family members who didn’t know where their family were, were there yelling at the survivors. The survivors had an idea of who lived and who died but you had this scene of a family getting into Mark Wahlbergs characters face and you could see the shock and confusion in the character, as well as the anger and confusion from the families who weren’t informed of the situation and unsure what to expect. It was really quite chilling. And it ended with you just feeling so confused and unsure of why these kinds of things happen, to such a shocking intensity.

The movie does have language, and is quite graphic with the injuries (bones are visible) which I was not prepared for, however it was as realistic as it gets.

I honestly think that this movie did a fantastic job of telling the story from the workers perspective and seeing how corporate really caused this to happen.

If you haven’t seen it, I really do recommend checking it out and watching it. However, find a fluffy movie for after as you will need a pick-me-up.

Happy Watching!

John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017) [Review!!!]

 in Adult / Hot Off The Press / Movies by

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Starring

Keanu Reeves – John Wick
Riccardo Scamarcio – Santino D’Antonio
Ian McShane – Winston
Ruby Rose – Ares
Common – Cassian

John Wick: Chapter 2

From comingsoon.net

Summary

“Legendary hitman John Wick is forced back out of retirement, and this time, he must face off against a shadowy international assassins’ guild and more of the world’s deadliest killers.”

-From Amazon.com

Review

Holy. Cow.

Okay, so Keanu Reeves is probably one of my favorite actors, just because how much he dedicates to his movies (more coming on that), so this has replaced my all time favorite movie, 47 Ronin. Don’t worry, it’s still in my top 5, but this movie, and probably the first John Wick are now my favorite movies.

One of the first things that gets me in the series is the music. It fits so well as to what the scenes are, they remove all forms of music during an intense fight scene so it doesn’t distract you from the pure talent of the actors, and it all a little different the music. Since this movie had bits based in Rome, some of the fight music had an Italian kind of chord structure, one example being the track La Vendetta. It really has an old Italian feel. However, when you go to club scenes, they’re avant-guard kind of club music, which then transitions into the fight scene club music, as seen in the track John Wick Mode (all of which I love to listen to as it’s great music to have as background music, or workout to even.)

Now on to the movie itself. Visually, it was absolutely stunning and outdid the first John Wick in every way possible. There was more action (if that is even possible) and even though it was a 2 hour movie, I wasn’t bored during a single moment of it. There were explosions from start to finish and it kept you guessing as to who was going to turn against who and who was next to die. Also, I really do like how Mr. Wick isn’t invincible. There were times that he was shot, and had the life beaten out of him, and came close to death. However, he always just survived. So he didn’t always get away without injuries which is nice to see. Makes it more realistic. I was quite impressed with the pencil scene, where you were able to see Mr. Wicks skills with a pencil, and see the talent of those choreographing the fight scene. That brings me to my other point.

The choreographing of the entire movie was completely out of this world. One of the reasons I like Keanu Reeves so much is his dedication to his movies. He doesn’t just fake it ’til he makes it. He really learns everything and all of those fight styles. He doesn’t do his own stunts, like falling out of buildings or being hit by cars, but all of those hand-to-hand combat scenes are really him, and that impresses the hell out of me. According to one source, The Seattle Times, he went into 3 months of “John Wick boot camp” which included “intensive training in martial arts, gun work, fight choreography and stunt driving.” His fighting styles are extensive and he becomes the best at them, in all the movies he’s been in, and this one was no exception. He went through months of gun training so all of that action that you see in the movie with him using dozens of types of weapons, un-clipping the mag and reloading it in about 2 or 3 seconds is really him. Now that’s skill and part of the reason I respect him, and his movies, so much. And hats off to the choreographing team. They were incredibly impressive and choreographed some beautiful fight scenes.

And there was a large amount of weapons in this movie for you weapon buff people. It was another thing which really impressed me because the amount of weapons which Keanu Reeves can use is extensive. From his traditional array of Glocks, to dessert (knives), to something with a little more flare (Benelli M4) and beyond, he is able to anything in his reach from non-ballistic to explosive. That shows talent and ability to improvise.

John Wick: Chapter 2

From indiewire.com

 

As for the movie itself, it did have a lot of similarities to the first movie in story, so while it may have been slightly lacking in the story (lacking I’m using loosely as I know some people look for a unique story), it most certainly made it up in action. And stunt driving. So I personally don’t see the lack of new and original story as a big issue. It had it’s own uniqueness and wasn’t too similar to the first movie, especially with some of the events happening through the movie.

As for the violence, it was through the roof. I mean, it was R, so there was a LOT of blood. With the shooting, it wasn’t people just going down. There was realistic splatter which was impressive as well. It all looked realistic. Not like Expendables 2 where it was clear that it was fake blood. This looked 100% genuine and it was quite impressive. Of course, there was language as well however that’s really the least of your concerns.

I’ve seen this movie twice in theatres, once the day after it came out and again a few days later. I generally never do that as most movies, I feel, don’t deserve paying twice to see. However, this movie I wanted to support and really did truly want to see again in a threatre and was willing to pay for.

John Wick: Chapter 2 is, by far, the best action movie out there that has ever been created. If you enjoyed the first movie, then you will definitely love this one more. As for those who haven’t even become part of this series, if you love ass-kicking, good driving (his baby 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1 >cries at what happens to it<), and a bad-ass story, then this is for you.

I do recommend seeing this movie in theatres and not waiting…because this contract may just run out.

Today is “a new day to kill”, so you might as well start it off well.

Happy Watching!

Split (2016)

 in Movies by

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Starring

James McAvoy – Dennis/Patricia…etc.

Summary

“Three girls are kidnapped by a man with a diagnosed 23 distinct personalities, and must try and escape before the apparent emergence of a frightful new 24th.”

-From IMDB.com

Review

This movie was nothing like I thought it was going to be and was quite surprised in many ways. First of all, I thought it was going to be a bit more horror than psychological, however it was just a psychological thriller with a few jump scare moments just because of his disassociation disorder.

Now James McAvoy played all of the 23 personalities very well. That was what impressed me the most. The way he was able to move between all of the characters so simply and really present them in his own unique way with voices, outfits and just mannerisms. That was what impressed me the most about the entire movie. I do hope that he is nominated for some kind of award because the way that he portrayed the characters was incredible. You really did feel for certain characters and hated him when he played different parts. And that was impressive.

However, there was a reference to child rape within the movie which in my opinion was not necessary. You could have easily substituted it with child abuse slightly or sexual assault with an older. Nothing was shown in the movie however it alluded to it and it was blatant exactly what it was. And I really didn’t like that and felt violently sick. That really made the movie a little too real for me and kind of made me not like the movie as it could have used so many other ways to give the main girl character some kind of scars, but they had to go to one of the most taboo subjects, and I really disliked that aspect.

The entire movie was quite unique in the way that they were bringing up multiple personalities and disassociation disorder. However they were able to lighten the entire movie a few times with some jokes which helped with the entire experience.

Overall I do recommend watching this movie because it was an experience. It was PG-13 so it wasn’t terribly graphic with anything except towards the end. There was some slight cannibalism, however not like you may expect. Just a warning that there is a little blood and killing but nothing in the movie was too graphic.

It was a one time watch and I may watch it a second time since I now know what to expect and can understand it a bit better as I know the characters and can follow who is who. It got good reviews and was an enjoyable watch, however don’t go in thinking that it will be an entirely joyful experience.

Happy Watching!

Max Steel (2016)

 in Movies by

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Starring

Ben Winchell – Max McGrath
Josh Brener – Steel (voice)
Maria Bello – Molly McGrath
Andy Garcia – Dr. Miles Edwards

Summary

“The adventures of teenager Max McGrath and his alien companion, Steel, who must harness and combine their tremendous new powers to evolve into the turbo-charged superhero Max Steel.”

– From IMDB.com

Review

Well this movie wasn’t exactly what I thought it was going to be but it was quite entertaining nevertheless. I have seen some of the animations which the movie was based off of and I was expecting a lot more from it but it was just so similar to the animation that it wasn’t really anything new in my opinion. Although it was entertaining.

While the story may not have been fantastic and it had a lot of holes, the cinematography was quite good. How Max would mess with energy and then transform to be in the suit was quite interesting to watch and was done well.

There weren’t really any famous actors in the movie that I was able to just look at and know who they were and there really wasn’t much hype to do with the movie unfortunately as well. I didn’t even know that it had come out yet so I was surprised when I found out that it had been released.

There isn’t terribly much to say about the movie in my opinion. If you’ve seen the TV show then it may be entertaining because all the holes you can fill in because you know from the TV show what is what. If you haven’t seen it, it is an entertaining movie and quite unique in what it does, however you will find a lot of holes in it.

Overall, would I watch it again? Probably not. For a one time watch it was perfectly fine however I wouldn’t personally watch it again.

Have you seen it? If so, what did you think?

Happy watching!

The Jungle Book (2016)

 in Movies by

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Summary

“In Disney’s all-new, live-action epic adventure directed by Jon Favreau, Mowgli, a man-cub raised in the jungle by a family of wolves, embarks on a captivating journey of self-discovery when he’s forced to abandon the only home he’s ever known.”

-From Amazon.com

Review

This movie was like re-living my childhood except bigger! I mean it was so similar to the original Jungle Book but it was so much bigger. All of the main character animals were massive and just so much larger than life. Which in the beginning I was unsure of but towards the end if grew on me. It didn’t bother me that King Louie was about the size of a 3 story building. It was only the main characters who were really larger than life and it kind of helped you remember, and to feel, like it was cartoon style in a way. I know many people complained about it but it didn’t really detract from the story. It was just a larger-than-life kind of film.

The actual cinematography of the movie was fantastic! I mean based on what I have read most of the movie was filmed with the boy in a green-screen room and the credits showed that it was filmed in California only. That is extremely impressive for a young boy to do, to act so well, within a room where there isn’t really much to act to. That is what made me so impressed with how the main boy reacted within the scenes. So props for that.

I loved the actors that they cast as well.  It really did work for the movie. However I would have liked there to have been more Kaa, the snake, as in the original movie Kaa had a bigger part to play and in this one was only in it for a few minutes.

As for the bear, Baloo. I LOVED HIM! Bill Murry voiced Baloo, and it wasn’t Billy Murry being the bear, but I felt like the bear was being Bill Murry. It was like they morphed and became one of the same beings. It was hilarious to watch this bear because the bear seemed so much like Bill Murry in real life, and not the other way around. You were constantly laughing and remembering your childhood.

Overall this movie really was a good watch. While it was definitely a lot bigger than the original animation, it was still so well done. I wasn’t seeing much hype about this movie as a few other big movies came out around the same time so I didn’t know about it until I found it on Netflix, but I’m so glad that I did.

Happy watching!