Zero Dark Thirty

I just saw Zero Dark Thirty.  It is presented pretty much as a documentary.  Not in style, but in substance.  It follows the trail of this investigator as she joins the team searching for Bin Laden and progresses through the eight some-odd years until he is found and killed.  There is very little emotion until the late middle of the film, when the investigator starts to get frustrated by delays.  This is compounded by her experiences and loses.  Is this an Oscar-worthy movie?  No.  Does Jessica Chastain, who plays the investigator, deserve an Oscar?  No.  Does it deserve a screenplay award?  Maybe.  There is a lot of information packed into this 2 hour 37 minute movie, but I don't think most of the characters are well served.  They are presented as needed and only giving what is needed.  It was a good exercise in telling the supposed story behind the manhunt, but it did little to draw me in or move me.

Gangster Squad

Just saw Gangster Squad.  Meh.  I should have waited until it came to the budget theater.  Sean Penn is pretty good, and Josh Brolin is very Joe Friday in his portrail.  None of the characters really made me want to support them, though, so the movie became a series of fight scenes.  It was no where near as bloody as Django Unchained, but it seemed the fight scenes were all that drove the movie.  Yes, there is a plot, a very one-dimensional plot.  It was not a satisfying movie-going experience.

Bourne Legacy

Just saw Bourne Legacy, and I feel it is a waste.  First, it is shot in that close-up shaky hand-held camera style.  Sure, that is supposed to heighten the tension, but it also eliminates any chance of actually appreciating the stunt work.  Also (I've said this before and I'll say it again), nothing made me want to invest my time in these characters.  Finally, as they were pulling away on the boat at the end, I sat there dumbfounded thinking, "That's it?  That's the end?"  The entire movie was a disappointment from start to finish.  Oh, and they used scenes in the trailers that did not appear in the movie.  Not cool.

Looper

It has been a couple months since my last movie post, so I thought I would do another one.  I went to see Looper not too long ago.  The time travel plot is interesting, but I couldn't help but equate many of the sequences in this movie to The Terminator.  There is a guy who travels back in time to kill the past version of a person to prevent a future event.  The mother of one of these persons is named Sara.  Can we get any closer?  The looper character is also Sara's protector and eventual lover, although he does not come from the future.  Or so we think into a really well done ending sequence that adds more time travel questions than it answers.  I like endings like that.  The unfortunate thing is the movie that occurred before the ending.  I realize we are dealing with a punk-style anti-hero, but one still needs to create a desire to like the character or want him to succeed.  So many movies nowadays are driven by what can be generated in a computer; it would be nice to actually cheer for a character again.  Other then the ending, the best part of the movie was the fantastic pocket watch, pictured here:

I found out this is a Victorian watch made in England for sale in the Turkish Ottoman Empire around 1850-1880.  I was so taken by the watch that I actually bought one on eBay.  It is supposed to arrive in 7 days.  Another thing about the pocket watch is it may not have been what was originally filmed.  There are several websites that are selling this "official Looper replica watch."

This is a very different style from the one in the first picture.  Anywho, there is enough time travel conflict to make the scifi enjoyable, but the characters aren't worth rooting for.  Therefore, I would recommend you wait until Netflix or Redbox carries it to see this picture.

Men in Black III

Recently went to see MIB III.  Nothing much to report.  It is an okay movie.  I snickered a few times but never outright laughed.  I paid only $2 to see it at the local budget theater, so I don't feel ripped off. The one thing that needs to be said:  Josh Brolin is an extremely underrated actor.  He has played George W.; he has played Jonah Hex; he has now played K.  This guy needs an Oscar-worthy role because he deserves one.

The Dark Knight Rises

Well, I finally went to see The Dark Knight Rises.  How can I say this?  It began as one of the most boring, humorless films I have ever seen.  I realize the idea is to give Batman a darker edge, but this is the only movie I can recall ever watching where I wanted to check my watch.  Perhaps it relied too much on being part of a trilogy and did not develop the characters enough so the movie could stand on its own.  Whatever the case, I found the first chunk of the film to be utterly unmoving.  The ending, though, was a well-crafted piece of film making.  I did not see it coming and thoroughly enjoyed what the film makers accomplished.  Compared the the rest of the film, though, it kind of feels like they had this terrific ending and just built a story in front of it.  Furthermore, I did not feel anything for any of the characters.  I really didn't care what happened to Batman or Catwoman; Alfred was a whiny pussy.  Blake was okay, but he wasn't as involved as he needed to be because it wasn't his movie.  All in all, there was nothing in this movie outside of the ending that made me feel like it was worth my time or money.