2011 was one of my favorite years in movies that I can remember, and it was filled with some great years for both director of Drive,Nicolas Winding Refn and arguably the hottest new face in Hollywood the past two years Tom Hardy. Bronson is a film featuring them both, and helped bring these two faces into the light so they could reach the status they have today.
Hardy plays Charles Bronson, Britain’s most dangerous and notorious prisoner. Bronson longs to be a famous and recognized face, and after being arrested and put in jail for seven years for robbing a post office, he becomes so by being wreckless and careless, assaulting prisoners and prison guards alike. Bronson is released for a short period of time, where he starts a bare-knuckle boxing career, but he lasts only 60 odd days before being thrown back in, where he continues his past behavior.
Not since the original [#4, 5, 6] trilogy of Star Wars have I been so invested in a movie trilogy, only in this case, I have been able to experience the films as they come out in theaters. A few years ago I was introduced to Christopher Nolan after seeing Batman Begins, leading me to watch both Memento and The Prestige, and I was hooked. Nolan has a very serious, heavy tone to his films that is very drawing, and he tends to come up with some seriously awesome twists and surprises. After the success of The Dark Knight, I don’t know how anyone wouldn’t be anticipating this final film, but the expectations are probably higher than anyone could hope to achieve. That’s why I was only ever hoping for this movie to just be an epic conclusion to the series, it didn’t have to be the best movie ever made, it just had to fit in with the previous two films. And if there is one thing I could say about my expectations versus the results, it is this: I was not disappointed.
The Dark Knight Rises takes place eight years after the end of the last film, and Gotham is in a time of peace. Bruce Wayne, played by Christian Bale, has become a crippled recluse after the condemning of Batman, and Commisioner Gordon, played by Gary Oldman fresh off his best actor nomination, is about to be fired, for he is a war hero in a time of peace. But when another masked vigilante named Bane is found to be working towards some dastardly deed in the sewers of the city, Gordon takes back the reigns of the police force, and Batman makes a timely return, although the police and media are still out to get him. After a few run-ins with the jewel thief Selena, played by Anne Hathaway, Wayne decides to enlist her help in finding Bane, who Selena is currently in debt to. It turns out that Batman was lead into a trap, and in a losing effort fights Bane mono y mono, and Bane breaks Batman’s back, but does not kill him. He instead leaves him in an old prison in the middle of no-where, where only one person has ever escaped, with a television hooked up so he can see the eventual destruction of Gotham that Bane himself will be bringing on. It is only when Wayne can learn the real fear of death and the reason why we fall before the Dark Knight can rise.
One of the reasons people want to read a book or go to the movies is to have the chance to be enveloped and disappear into a world different than our own, one of adventure and love and fun. These worlds can be a strange and complex sci-fi creation or even the very world that we actually live in. In Wes Anderson’s films, we are taken to a place much like our own, with dysfunctional families surrounded by drama and strange, quirky inhabitants. But there is something more to the worlds of Anderson, something to be desired. They are simpler times, with wacky personal interactions that make you laugh out loud and interpersonal relationship developments that change people’s lives but are taken as lightly as the jokes. It is a unique world and film making experience, and it is brought with full recognizable force in Moonrise Kingdom.
On a small island off the coast of New England in the mid 1960’s, a young boy named Sam [newcomer Jared Gilman] out with his camping troop and a young woman named Suzy [newcomer Kara Hayward] living on the island decide to run away together and go on an adventure across the island. Scout Master Ward, the leader of the khaki-scout troop played by Edward Norton, enlists the help of Captain Sharp, the local policeman on the island played by Bruce Willis, to help find the trooper who has “flown the coop”. The young couple knows there is a storm coming when they are eventually found by the two leaders and Suzy’s lawyer parents Walt and Laura Bishop [Bill Murray and Frances McDormand], but they do not know that an actual storm, a hurricane to be precise, is also heading right for them.
Every so often an artist in most every art will come along with a unique style that is unlike anything other people have done in the same medium. I think Terrence Malick is one of these people. His films have a certain subtly and simple tone to them that makes you feel like this is a real story with real people in a real place. The ambient sounds and broad shots of people and places and things are as close to being as life like as I have experienced in film, and he does it consistently. The dialogue is general and exactly what you would expect from the characters, and it is not used to tell the story, but instead just be the interaction between characters. The narration is what helps to shape the stories, and it does so in a way that reading someone’s personal journal might help tell a story. The combination of all these things has made some remarkably beautiful and memorable films and scenes.
Days of Heaven is the story of a couple and their younger friend looking to escape the city of Chicago and travel south in a Of Mice and Men fashion, traveling with the train lines to find work wherever they can in the farms. Richard Gere plays Bill, who leads the gang south in order to find better living. After finding that his rich boss is not long for the world, he convinces his love Abby, played by Brooke Adams, to marry him to claim a part of his fortunes. The rich farmer, played by Sam Shepard, grows suspicious of the strange behavior of his wife and her ‘brother’, and it turns out that he may not be dying after all.
Here, in Malick’s second feature film, we can see his style really come out and flourish. This film is littered with wonderful cinematography, and the story is a humble one. The audio, both music and sound effects, all tie together to make a really pleasant film. This, along with Malick’s other films, is a perfect summer evening film that you can really feel.
3.5/4 – Terrence Malick finds his trademark writing/directing style in Days of Heaven. Awesome camera shots with a dramatic love story and good lead performances, this is what put Malick, Richard Gere, and Brooke Adams on the map.
This post marks the 100th post I have made on this blog of mine. Starting in 2010, I realized that I really liked thinking and writing out my thoughts on movies, and it would be cool to have my own review blog. I quickly found how awesome WordPress was, and this instantly became one of my favorite things to do in my free time.
As it turns out, a lot of my friends and family have found some enjoyment in my posts as well, and that has been an immensely surprising and rewarding aspect that I never thought would happen at the magnitude that it has. It really means a lot to me whenever anyone reads what I have to say.
While we are still in the thick of summer, I really want to get down to reviewing movies that people request. Several people have made suggestions in the past, but I never got around to any of them, save a few.
So if you want a second opinion on a movie you really liked or disliked, or are wondering if a movie is worth your time or not, let it be known! I will watch/review whatever movies you would like as long as I can get a copy of it.
Bob's Movie Reviews 