Today I got to go see a movie that I have been waiting to see since I heard about I being made, the writing and directorial debut of Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Don Jon and I absolutely loved it. I was trying not to get my hopes up for this movie but as it had been getting good reviews but I am glad to say it met my expectations.
In Don Jon, Joseph Gordon Levitt plays the title character, a man who is set in his ways and because he is such a ladies man his friends call him a Don. He is someone who always picks up a girl when they go out and she is always at least an eight. He is also addicted to pornography and this effects the view he has on sex, as he says in the movie that no sex is as good as porn. He then meets Barbara, played by Scarlett Johansson, a women who he sees as a dime (ten) and that he decides he thinks is so beautiful that he is willing to put in the work to have sex with her, she has her own unrealistic view of love which comes from Hollywood romantic movies and feels that a guy who truly loves his girl would do anything with her. This movie is very much focused on Jon and his perspective of the world, I don't think there is a single scene in the whole movie that he is not in, so you also get to see how in interacts with his boys, his family, as well as the importance of church, and working out for him. Basically you get to see a snippet of his life as has strife with a girlfriend and has a chance to come to terms with some of his unrealistic thinking and behavior.
If you go and see this movie, it is very important that you know there is a lot of highly sexual imagery and I mean a lot, and it isn't just sorta put in there for a moment just to have some naked breast on screen, it really focuses on it and the perspective of Jon. This is introduced from the get go of the movie, so if you are uncomfortable or offended by female sexual imagery, this movie is not for you. This imagery and some of it isn't just the pornography clips put in to show what Jon is focused on while masturbating, some of it are actually adds and sexually focused main stream media. Like I said, this is introduced at the very beginning of the movie and is front and center, no hints at it, it is there to be looked at, experienced, and hopefully analyzed about how unrealistic sexuality is part of peoples lives (I may be over analyzing this but I am a counselor/ therapist).
I really like the dynamic of the characters in this movie, and although there is a lot of sexual imagery, the real heart of the movie is the relationships and interactions between the characters. I think all of the supporting cast were fantastic, you have Tony Danza as Jon Sr, Glenne Headly as his mother Angela, you have Julianne Morre as Ester a women he meets at night school, Brie Lawson as his sister, and Rob Brown and Jeremy Luke as his best friends. They all played their characters well and I especially liked Rob Brown as his friend who really demonstrates that he is there for Jon, and his sister who although she doesn't say much, you can see how she is important and plays into the family dynamic. My weak link of the cast was Scarlett Johansson, but she is not my favorite actress and although I can get how she is seen as very attractive and sexy but I don't get how she would be the embodiment of a dime, but as Barbara is not suppose to be a character without her own fault and negatives it isn't that bad.
This movie is worth watching if you like rated R comedies/ dramas and can handle the sexual focus, at the heart of it is seems to be about love, family, support, and connecting with other people. It is important to look at what you are doing and not be completed to do things just to brag about them or because it is how things have always been or how you have always seen them. If this is JGLs first writing and directorial movie I am looking forward to see what he comes up with next.
My Rating: 3+
On a side note- my little sister was a background actress on this film (apparently they do not call them extras and I was corrected several times on this point) and you can totally see her in several different scenes. She plays a fellow student at the college class Joe is taking. The most obvious scene to see her in, is the first scene where JGL and Julianne Moore are talking in the actually classroom. above their heads you will see a female student walk up the steps behind Moore and sit down at a desk, that's my little sister. You can also see her sitting there in the other classroom scenes as well.
Movie Reviews for the Movie Lover!
Friday, September 27, 2013
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Battle of the Year (2013): Review
Today I went to watch Battle of the Year (2013) because there was nothing else really interesting to me and I wanted something that was more entertaining fluff then anything. This movie was exactly what I expected it to be and delivered the entertaining fluff I wanted. It was however extremely predictable and followed the standard formula for this type of movie.
Battle of the Year: The Dream Team is the most recent in the dance battle movies which have been quite popular over the last decade plus. For me the popularity of this move started by when I was in high school with Bring it On (2000) which was focused on a cheerleading composition, and Save the Last Dance (2001), which was about a ballet dancer learning to dance in the south side of Chicago, the formula really settled into what it is today with Step Up (2006) and its series. There have been many, many more movies that fit into this type of series, focusing on different types of dance and competition. I even clump Drumline (2002) in with this as it had the battle off element to it. Battle of the year focuses on B Boys and the breakdancing genre. To me this the dancing and choreography was very Next Dance Crew and seemed to be focused on the people working as a unit to do some pretty fantastic choreography. To me it seemed like there were some hints to the older generation and how they are not quite so hip to what it being done by the younger generation and the focus was on the older characters but it was still pretty awesome to watch the dance sequences.
Battle of the Year stars Laz Alonso as Dante an owner of a hip hop clothing and apparel franchise that is sponsoring the American B Boy team for this years Battle of the Year and he enlists Blake, played by Josh Holloway to be the new coach. He has been wallowing in his own misery for several years because of the death of his wife and son and his friend Dante wants to get him out of it and use his talent to get a winning crew together. Blake realizes that an intern Franklyn, played by Josh Peck, knows a lot about the current work of B Boying and hires him as his assistant to pull the crew together. They have a completion to bring their team together and then have to decided who will represent the USA in the battle. There is the stereotypical strife amongst the boys, the a girl cant be a part of this (as the choreographer) and the sorrow that Blake is trying to deal with. This movie also starts Chris Brown as one of the B Boys and many, many, many, amazing dancers as fellow crew members.
This movie was exactly what I thought it would be with was formula story telling, there will be no real surprises in anything that happens or how the movie comes together, much overacting and intensity between the characters, but high production value and amazing dance sequences. They did the thing that I don't like where they would shoot things close up and then cut amongst angles. I would have liked it better if the shot was wider or more continuous in shot (like in many of the television to today) as I know that these sequences were fantastic and that these dancers are capable of the continuous performances as that is what these crews do in their performances and on television. I was a little worried about how they were going to use Chris Brown as he is not on par with the other guys in the movie and I think they did it well for the movie, but I think that it would have worked just as fine to have anyone play that part as Chris Brown doesn't really seem like a big draw to the movie for me. I think that those who want to see this movie would see it with or without him in it.
This movie was high intensity and lot of production value, which entertained me throughout. It is worth seeing for those who like this type of movie or who watch these dance crew competitions. It is cool seeing it on the big screen but could just as well be watched on television. Basically if you were interested in seeing it see it, but if any of the movie I mentioned above are not your cup of tea, this movie is not for you.
My Rating: 2-
Battle of the Year: The Dream Team is the most recent in the dance battle movies which have been quite popular over the last decade plus. For me the popularity of this move started by when I was in high school with Bring it On (2000) which was focused on a cheerleading composition, and Save the Last Dance (2001), which was about a ballet dancer learning to dance in the south side of Chicago, the formula really settled into what it is today with Step Up (2006) and its series. There have been many, many more movies that fit into this type of series, focusing on different types of dance and competition. I even clump Drumline (2002) in with this as it had the battle off element to it. Battle of the year focuses on B Boys and the breakdancing genre. To me this the dancing and choreography was very Next Dance Crew and seemed to be focused on the people working as a unit to do some pretty fantastic choreography. To me it seemed like there were some hints to the older generation and how they are not quite so hip to what it being done by the younger generation and the focus was on the older characters but it was still pretty awesome to watch the dance sequences.
Battle of the Year stars Laz Alonso as Dante an owner of a hip hop clothing and apparel franchise that is sponsoring the American B Boy team for this years Battle of the Year and he enlists Blake, played by Josh Holloway to be the new coach. He has been wallowing in his own misery for several years because of the death of his wife and son and his friend Dante wants to get him out of it and use his talent to get a winning crew together. Blake realizes that an intern Franklyn, played by Josh Peck, knows a lot about the current work of B Boying and hires him as his assistant to pull the crew together. They have a completion to bring their team together and then have to decided who will represent the USA in the battle. There is the stereotypical strife amongst the boys, the a girl cant be a part of this (as the choreographer) and the sorrow that Blake is trying to deal with. This movie also starts Chris Brown as one of the B Boys and many, many, many, amazing dancers as fellow crew members.
This movie was exactly what I thought it would be with was formula story telling, there will be no real surprises in anything that happens or how the movie comes together, much overacting and intensity between the characters, but high production value and amazing dance sequences. They did the thing that I don't like where they would shoot things close up and then cut amongst angles. I would have liked it better if the shot was wider or more continuous in shot (like in many of the television to today) as I know that these sequences were fantastic and that these dancers are capable of the continuous performances as that is what these crews do in their performances and on television. I was a little worried about how they were going to use Chris Brown as he is not on par with the other guys in the movie and I think they did it well for the movie, but I think that it would have worked just as fine to have anyone play that part as Chris Brown doesn't really seem like a big draw to the movie for me. I think that those who want to see this movie would see it with or without him in it.
This movie was high intensity and lot of production value, which entertained me throughout. It is worth seeing for those who like this type of movie or who watch these dance crew competitions. It is cool seeing it on the big screen but could just as well be watched on television. Basically if you were interested in seeing it see it, but if any of the movie I mentioned above are not your cup of tea, this movie is not for you.
My Rating: 2-
Sunday, September 15, 2013
The Family (2013): Review
This weekend I went and saw the new movie The Family with my family and going into this movie I was excited to see what it would be because I was intrigued by the trailers and what I saw looked like an interesting set up. This movie was fun to watch and takes you on a snapshot within the journey of this family. It was quite predictable and at times a bit sluggish but overall it was a fun moseying ride.
They Family is a movie about an ex-mob family who is in witness protection. They have been in the program for many years (I think it was six) and they have just been relocated to a new small town in Normandy, France. They keep getting relocated because they just don't really fit in. As you would expect they are in the witness protection program because the father Fred, played by Robert De Niro, ratted on his fellow mobsters and they are now trying to hunt him down and kill his family. In this new town, he pretends to be a writer and takes on the task of writing his memories of being a mob boss and this allows the avenue of flash backs to their time in the mall. The mother Maggie, played by Michelle Pfiepher, struggles with assimilating but is the glue in the family and getting them adjusted to their new environment. The daughter Belle, played by Dianna Agron, is seventeen and discovers she fancies the college math tutor and generally is a person who listens and connects with her younger brother Warren, played by John D'Leo, who sets up multiple hustles and schemes at the school to keep himself interested. Also thrown in the mix is FBI agent Robert Stansfield, played by Tommy Lee Jones, who is tired of all the problems this family and specifically Fred causes him and two FBI surveillance agents. As this family struggles with not really fitting in with this Normandy town and the mob back in the states' assassin catching up with them the family has to do what they can to survive.
This movie was worth watching and I think of it as a Sunday afternoon movie. It takes it time to get where it is going and focuses on a short snapshot of this family and their dynamics but it holds interest but it nothing super exciting. I liked the interactions between the characters and actors and especially liked the children's interactions with each other and how they work to support each other. There is a lot of violence in the sense that people die and you know they are being abused but it is not shown directly and their is minimal gore. This movie is really about the characters. I think the movie tried to be funnier then it was, I did not find it super funny although the trailers did focus on that aspect of the movie.
Like I said, this is more of a Sunday afternoon, watch on television movie, but compared to some of the stinkers movies out right now, it holds up fairly well.
My Rating: 2
They Family is a movie about an ex-mob family who is in witness protection. They have been in the program for many years (I think it was six) and they have just been relocated to a new small town in Normandy, France. They keep getting relocated because they just don't really fit in. As you would expect they are in the witness protection program because the father Fred, played by Robert De Niro, ratted on his fellow mobsters and they are now trying to hunt him down and kill his family. In this new town, he pretends to be a writer and takes on the task of writing his memories of being a mob boss and this allows the avenue of flash backs to their time in the mall. The mother Maggie, played by Michelle Pfiepher, struggles with assimilating but is the glue in the family and getting them adjusted to their new environment. The daughter Belle, played by Dianna Agron, is seventeen and discovers she fancies the college math tutor and generally is a person who listens and connects with her younger brother Warren, played by John D'Leo, who sets up multiple hustles and schemes at the school to keep himself interested. Also thrown in the mix is FBI agent Robert Stansfield, played by Tommy Lee Jones, who is tired of all the problems this family and specifically Fred causes him and two FBI surveillance agents. As this family struggles with not really fitting in with this Normandy town and the mob back in the states' assassin catching up with them the family has to do what they can to survive.
This movie was worth watching and I think of it as a Sunday afternoon movie. It takes it time to get where it is going and focuses on a short snapshot of this family and their dynamics but it holds interest but it nothing super exciting. I liked the interactions between the characters and actors and especially liked the children's interactions with each other and how they work to support each other. There is a lot of violence in the sense that people die and you know they are being abused but it is not shown directly and their is minimal gore. This movie is really about the characters. I think the movie tried to be funnier then it was, I did not find it super funny although the trailers did focus on that aspect of the movie.
Like I said, this is more of a Sunday afternoon, watch on television movie, but compared to some of the stinkers movies out right now, it holds up fairly well.
My Rating: 2
Saturday, September 14, 2013
The Music Man (1962): Recap and Review
Tonight I went down to the Old Redford Theatre, as the Motor City Theatre Organ Society was hosting an event with Shirley Jones and playing her 1962 movie, The Music Man, and it was a lot of fun. Before the movie, I had the opportunity to attend the meet and greet with Shirley Jones, who stars as Marian Paroo and had a chance to here her speak about her life growing up and about her newly released memories, as well as get a photo op with her.
The Music Man has a spot in my heart because it was the first musical that I ever was a part of back in school. My high school put it on when I was a sophomore and I played the bassoon in the pit orchestra. It was a very fun experience from my teenage years. Since then I have watched this movie several times, seen the not as nostalgic 2003 remake, saw a production of it on Broadway, and had the music on my ipod (and cd before that). The song Goodnight My Someone has a been a staple at being stuck in my head and something I hum and probably annoy my friends with.
The Music Man is a musical about Professor Harry Hill, played by Robert Peterson, who a traveling salesman who's con is selling musical instruments and band uniforms to towns and leaving with the money before they discover that he doesn't know how to conduct a boy's band. He find himself in Rivercity, Iowa where he tries to set up this con by saying that bands keep the kids out of trouble which is caused by the a new Pool table coming into town. While he does this, he meets the local library and piano teacher Marian, who is not impressed by Professor Hill but comes around to liking him as he gets her little brother excited about something. There relationship develops as Hill schemes the town and encourages them to sing and dance. At the end, he falls for Marian and stands up to try and actually get the kids to play in a band.
This movie is classic old Hollywood musical and is a great show. The music is catchy and fun and introduced the Shipoopi . It has your standard musical numbers and dance scenes. Shirley Jones is fantastic in the leading female role and the banter between the characters is a lot of fun. This is a classic musical that I think everyone should see, especially if you like old school, big production, Hollywood films. My opinion is very much influenced by how much this show has been a part of my school experience and is a part of me learning that I love musicals.
My Rating: 3+
My Nostalgic Rating: 4
My Nostalgia for this movie cannot be higher as this movie was significant for me in my high school, theatre, and musical experiences. It was a very positive experience for me to be a part of, plus it is a fantastic show and movie.
Hold Up Rating: This movie is a classic and embodies the musical of this era. It is very much a period piece and has no real hold up for today's world. I don't remember that last time anyone talked about traveling salesman still existing, libraries are not the powerhouses they once were, and within the movie they have actually fire in their light poles. The band stuff with the instruments, uniforms, and marches being played are the things that keep this movie current as bands are still playing these songs.
The Music Man has a spot in my heart because it was the first musical that I ever was a part of back in school. My high school put it on when I was a sophomore and I played the bassoon in the pit orchestra. It was a very fun experience from my teenage years. Since then I have watched this movie several times, seen the not as nostalgic 2003 remake, saw a production of it on Broadway, and had the music on my ipod (and cd before that). The song Goodnight My Someone has a been a staple at being stuck in my head and something I hum and probably annoy my friends with.
The Music Man is a musical about Professor Harry Hill, played by Robert Peterson, who a traveling salesman who's con is selling musical instruments and band uniforms to towns and leaving with the money before they discover that he doesn't know how to conduct a boy's band. He find himself in Rivercity, Iowa where he tries to set up this con by saying that bands keep the kids out of trouble which is caused by the a new Pool table coming into town. While he does this, he meets the local library and piano teacher Marian, who is not impressed by Professor Hill but comes around to liking him as he gets her little brother excited about something. There relationship develops as Hill schemes the town and encourages them to sing and dance. At the end, he falls for Marian and stands up to try and actually get the kids to play in a band.
This movie is classic old Hollywood musical and is a great show. The music is catchy and fun and introduced the Shipoopi . It has your standard musical numbers and dance scenes. Shirley Jones is fantastic in the leading female role and the banter between the characters is a lot of fun. This is a classic musical that I think everyone should see, especially if you like old school, big production, Hollywood films. My opinion is very much influenced by how much this show has been a part of my school experience and is a part of me learning that I love musicals.
My Rating: 3+
My Nostalgic Rating: 4
My Nostalgia for this movie cannot be higher as this movie was significant for me in my high school, theatre, and musical experiences. It was a very positive experience for me to be a part of, plus it is a fantastic show and movie.
Hold Up Rating: This movie is a classic and embodies the musical of this era. It is very much a period piece and has no real hold up for today's world. I don't remember that last time anyone talked about traveling salesman still existing, libraries are not the powerhouses they once were, and within the movie they have actually fire in their light poles. The band stuff with the instruments, uniforms, and marches being played are the things that keep this movie current as bands are still playing these songs.
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Pitch Black (2000): Review
After watching Riddick (2013) earlier today with my dad and brother I decided that I wanted to go back and watch the original in the series Pitch Black (2000) as I had never seen it before and I liked Riddick enough to see the original and better rated of the films. With Riddick as a baseline I was prepared for the over acting and low budget and was expecting an action movie that I would watch on cable and that is what I got. I liked the movie and it is something that I would watch again if it came out on television and is worth watching if you like your standard run of the mil low budget action movie.
Pitch Black stars Vin Disel as Richard B. Riddick who is an escaped convict who is being transported back on a spaceship that has forty passages being kept in some type of status. He is being watched by bounty hunter William J. Johns, played by Cole Hauser. This spaceship crash lands on a planet where the survivors include pilot Carolyn Fry, played by Radha Mitchell, an orphan Jack, played by Rhiana Griffith, and Abu "Iman" al-Walid, played by Keith David, and others. They discover that they are on a planet in a solar system with two suns that has a seemly deserted mining complex, but that there are also creatures who live in the dark that would love to kill them. They work to try and get a ship fly ready, while not quiet trusting each other, and trying not to die, especially when their is an eclipse coming that will put the world into darkness.
I think that this movie is pretty solid for what it is. A stranded but have to get off of a alien planet with scary creatures trying to kill you and a group of people with their own secrets. I think that for the budget that it was and being made in 2000 the graphics are fine but the coloring of the planet in the daytime is a bit weird. This may be due to watching it on a HD television when it is a 2000 movie release. The acting was a little much but Vin Disel was alright in it. I think that he was still natural enough on screen that the acting didn't seem as forced as in Riddick (2013).
Basically this is definitely worth a watch or re-watch if you have a few hours to fill.
My Rating: 2+
My Hold up Rating: Fair- the graphics are a bit poor but it was low budget and doesn't really try to do more then it was able to do.
Pitch Black stars Vin Disel as Richard B. Riddick who is an escaped convict who is being transported back on a spaceship that has forty passages being kept in some type of status. He is being watched by bounty hunter William J. Johns, played by Cole Hauser. This spaceship crash lands on a planet where the survivors include pilot Carolyn Fry, played by Radha Mitchell, an orphan Jack, played by Rhiana Griffith, and Abu "Iman" al-Walid, played by Keith David, and others. They discover that they are on a planet in a solar system with two suns that has a seemly deserted mining complex, but that there are also creatures who live in the dark that would love to kill them. They work to try and get a ship fly ready, while not quiet trusting each other, and trying not to die, especially when their is an eclipse coming that will put the world into darkness.
I think that this movie is pretty solid for what it is. A stranded but have to get off of a alien planet with scary creatures trying to kill you and a group of people with their own secrets. I think that for the budget that it was and being made in 2000 the graphics are fine but the coloring of the planet in the daytime is a bit weird. This may be due to watching it on a HD television when it is a 2000 movie release. The acting was a little much but Vin Disel was alright in it. I think that he was still natural enough on screen that the acting didn't seem as forced as in Riddick (2013).
Basically this is definitely worth a watch or re-watch if you have a few hours to fill.
My Rating: 2+
My Hold up Rating: Fair- the graphics are a bit poor but it was low budget and doesn't really try to do more then it was able to do.
Riddick (2013): Review
This morning I went to see the new Vin Disel movie Riddick and for me overall this movie was just basic crappy action movie and therefore wasn't as bad as I was expecting. But I really wasn't expecting anything spectacular anyway so all it really needed to do was not piss me off and it managed to not do that so overall it was worth the am movie ticket price I paid, but for many people it is just worth an on cable television viewing.
Riddick is the third movie (there is also a fourth animated movie) in which Vin Disel plays Richard B. Riddick a man from the planet Furia. This movie follows Riddick after he was left for dead on a desert like planet after being doped into thinking that he was being taken back to his home planet. He soon discovers that there are many dangerous things on this planet and that he it would not be a good thing for him to stay there much longer so he turns the distress beacon at the way station he found and broadcasts his identify and location out. Because he has a bounty and his previous exports two groups are interested in him. This first run group is led by Santana, played by Jordi Molla, and is a merry group of mercenary types and the second is led by Boss Johns, played by Matt Nable, and seems more military in order. Of course they go after Riddick with their own agenda and differing styles. Many people are killed along the way as Riddick is trying to get off the planet, others are tying to capture/kill Riddick, and the creatures on the planet out for blood.
This movie definitely earns its censorship rating of R as it is very bloody and at times gory but it has the thing that these movies like to do with unneeded female nudity. It is mainly put in there for the male audiences, and most nudity in movies, at least in my opinion, is unneeded. In this one it was just obviously thrown in there just be there and to make one line of dialogue work. During the second instance of nudity with Dohl's character, played by Katee Sackhoff, it was just really she would so not be topless right then.
Like I said this movie was pretty much standard crappy action movie on an alien planet movie and you could tell that it had a lower budget for CGI stuff, but the graphics were a lot better then some that I saw, so for me this wasn't a big deal. This main thing for me was at the beginning of the movie. It dragged on and had me thinking, if the whole movie is like this it is going to be a loooong movie. I think it is because it was focused only on Vin Disel, who is not the best actor to begin with and really has him focusing on the presence of hey I am this tough guy who likes to make I'm a badass face and strike a strong pose to make a manly silhouette. Once the other characters come in, the movie was fine and the interactions were normal and fine action movie on dangerous alien planet. The ended was pretty stupid but had to be like it was because of the set up of what was coming before it.
This movie is for people who don't mind crappy action movies and I would recommend watching it once it comes our on television.
My Rating: 1+
Riddick is the third movie (there is also a fourth animated movie) in which Vin Disel plays Richard B. Riddick a man from the planet Furia. This movie follows Riddick after he was left for dead on a desert like planet after being doped into thinking that he was being taken back to his home planet. He soon discovers that there are many dangerous things on this planet and that he it would not be a good thing for him to stay there much longer so he turns the distress beacon at the way station he found and broadcasts his identify and location out. Because he has a bounty and his previous exports two groups are interested in him. This first run group is led by Santana, played by Jordi Molla, and is a merry group of mercenary types and the second is led by Boss Johns, played by Matt Nable, and seems more military in order. Of course they go after Riddick with their own agenda and differing styles. Many people are killed along the way as Riddick is trying to get off the planet, others are tying to capture/kill Riddick, and the creatures on the planet out for blood.
This movie definitely earns its censorship rating of R as it is very bloody and at times gory but it has the thing that these movies like to do with unneeded female nudity. It is mainly put in there for the male audiences, and most nudity in movies, at least in my opinion, is unneeded. In this one it was just obviously thrown in there just be there and to make one line of dialogue work. During the second instance of nudity with Dohl's character, played by Katee Sackhoff, it was just really she would so not be topless right then.
Like I said this movie was pretty much standard crappy action movie on an alien planet movie and you could tell that it had a lower budget for CGI stuff, but the graphics were a lot better then some that I saw, so for me this wasn't a big deal. This main thing for me was at the beginning of the movie. It dragged on and had me thinking, if the whole movie is like this it is going to be a loooong movie. I think it is because it was focused only on Vin Disel, who is not the best actor to begin with and really has him focusing on the presence of hey I am this tough guy who likes to make I'm a badass face and strike a strong pose to make a manly silhouette. Once the other characters come in, the movie was fine and the interactions were normal and fine action movie on dangerous alien planet. The ended was pretty stupid but had to be like it was because of the set up of what was coming before it.
This movie is for people who don't mind crappy action movies and I would recommend watching it once it comes our on television.
My Rating: 1
Sunday, September 1, 2013
The Grandmaster (2013): Review
Today I went and saw The Grandmaster with my family and it basically what I expected it to be. It met my expectations with cinematography and martial arts sequences but was hard to follow due to the disjointed plot lines and subtitles.
This movie although very artistic and beautiful is really only for people who were interested to see it in the first place and those who like this Chinese, marital arts type movies because that is what it is and the niche it was made for. It is also important to know that it is subtitled through out and for me, at times, the subtitles were not left on the screen long enough to read through, especially at times when they also put on the screen who the new person was.
The movie is set to be the story of Bruce Lee's martial arts master but this movie does not have anything to do with Bruce Lee or the development of the master learning Kung Fu. I think that putting the focus of the advertising on it being Bruce Lee's master doesn't really add anything to the movie. This story is about Ip Man a master in Wing Chung who lived in Foshan, a southern place in China, he is put in different situations where he spars and has battles with different people. The most specifically being the daughter of Northern master, Gong Er who uses the style of the 64 hands. Due to the war Ip Man goes to Hong Kong and becomes a teaching master but reconnects with Gong Er. The movie then flashes back to Gong Er fighting for the honor of her family after the death of her father. The movie ends with Ip Man being a master and how he was able to bring Kung Fu main stream, especially because he had a student named Bruce Lee.
Basically the story is hard to follow, jumps around, and expects you to kinda know who all the characters are, and to recognize who they are when they are reintroduced later on in the film. My recommendation, if you see this film, is to just forget about the plot and keeping track of what is going on and just enjoy the visual journey it takes you on.
This movie is very well shot and extremely beautiful to look at. The cinematography and use of contrasting colors, shadows, reflections, and movements is fantastic to watch. The martial arts dances, and I call them dances because how the choreography comes together is in harmony and the individuals weave back and forth together with the music in harmony. The first scene is especially spectacular with the use of the rain and angles. The music is used to great effect as it is really what sets the mood and offers the most understanding to what is going on at each time. This movie is extremely artistic and pretty. That being said, it does the thing that I don't like with close up action shots and when it comes to the beautiful sequences I think a lot is lost in not showing it from a perspective where you can see what is going on. I don't mind the focus on certain body parts, specifically the hands and feet, as it showed that the characters where thoughtful and controlling of their whole bodies while fighting.
I found it interesting that this movie focused on the small scope and it seemed that all of the fight sequences where in controlled spaces, such as a court yard, inside a house, or at a train station platform.
Like I said this movie was beautiful to watch, confusing to follow, and basically for the people who like the artistic marital arts movies. Others will find it too confusing and not be kept interested with the beautiful cinematography or martial arts sequences.
My Rating 2+
This movie although very artistic and beautiful is really only for people who were interested to see it in the first place and those who like this Chinese, marital arts type movies because that is what it is and the niche it was made for. It is also important to know that it is subtitled through out and for me, at times, the subtitles were not left on the screen long enough to read through, especially at times when they also put on the screen who the new person was.
The movie is set to be the story of Bruce Lee's martial arts master but this movie does not have anything to do with Bruce Lee or the development of the master learning Kung Fu. I think that putting the focus of the advertising on it being Bruce Lee's master doesn't really add anything to the movie. This story is about Ip Man a master in Wing Chung who lived in Foshan, a southern place in China, he is put in different situations where he spars and has battles with different people. The most specifically being the daughter of Northern master, Gong Er who uses the style of the 64 hands. Due to the war Ip Man goes to Hong Kong and becomes a teaching master but reconnects with Gong Er. The movie then flashes back to Gong Er fighting for the honor of her family after the death of her father. The movie ends with Ip Man being a master and how he was able to bring Kung Fu main stream, especially because he had a student named Bruce Lee.
Basically the story is hard to follow, jumps around, and expects you to kinda know who all the characters are, and to recognize who they are when they are reintroduced later on in the film. My recommendation, if you see this film, is to just forget about the plot and keeping track of what is going on and just enjoy the visual journey it takes you on.
This movie is very well shot and extremely beautiful to look at. The cinematography and use of contrasting colors, shadows, reflections, and movements is fantastic to watch. The martial arts dances, and I call them dances because how the choreography comes together is in harmony and the individuals weave back and forth together with the music in harmony. The first scene is especially spectacular with the use of the rain and angles. The music is used to great effect as it is really what sets the mood and offers the most understanding to what is going on at each time. This movie is extremely artistic and pretty. That being said, it does the thing that I don't like with close up action shots and when it comes to the beautiful sequences I think a lot is lost in not showing it from a perspective where you can see what is going on. I don't mind the focus on certain body parts, specifically the hands and feet, as it showed that the characters where thoughtful and controlling of their whole bodies while fighting.
I found it interesting that this movie focused on the small scope and it seemed that all of the fight sequences where in controlled spaces, such as a court yard, inside a house, or at a train station platform.
Like I said this movie was beautiful to watch, confusing to follow, and basically for the people who like the artistic marital arts movies. Others will find it too confusing and not be kept interested with the beautiful cinematography or martial arts sequences.
My Rating 2
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