Carrie Movie Review

Would You go to prom with Carrie?

From director Kimberly Pierce, director of cult favorites such as Boys Don't Cry and Stop-Loss, comes this film adaptation of Stephen King's spine-chilling horror classic Carrie, marking the 2nd attempt at remaking the classic 1976 Brian De Palma thriller with the same name. The plot is the same as the first two, Carrie is a shy, awkward teen living under the roof of her religious, maniacal mother. Despite her realizing her telekinetic abilities, she lives a life under the radar. Until one day, the abused 17 year old girl is pushed too far after a High School prom prank that goes terribly wrong. The quality of this film is relative. If you compare this remake to the 2002 counterpart, this movie is very well-crafted. The 2002 re-imagining was poorly-done and it's appearance did not hide the fact that it is a made-for-TV movie, with a made-for-TV budget. When compared to that adaptation, this movie is good. However, once compared to the original, it's a much different story. After watching critically reviled remakes such as Psycho (1998), The Fog (2003), The Wicker Man (2006), Halloween (2007) Prom Night (2008), Friday the 13th (2009), and A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010), it became an unspoken rule to never expect modern day remakes to surpass their originals (I say 'modern day' in order to accommodate John Carpenter's 1982 classic The Thing which, of course, was a remake of the 1950's horror film The Thing from Another World). Many remakes have been above average, for instance, Zack Snyder's 2004 remake Dawn of the Dead. It may not have been as good as George Romero's classic, but it still does a good job. Carrie fits in that category best. This adaptation has a lot of things going for it. Mainly, the cast is superb. There is, of course, Chloe Grace Mortez as the iconic Carrie character, but the performance that stands out the most is that of Julianne Moore. Her portrayal of the religious nut-job Margret White very well may be the best to date. The supporting cast was satisfactory as well. From up-and-comers Portia Dobuleday and Alex Russell, to seasoned actors such as Judy Greer and the criminally under-appreciated Barry Shabaka Henley. Of course, the other main highlight of the movie is the story line. There is a reason this book has been made into a movie this many times. The plot is tragic, somewhat relatable, and the themes of bullying are as relevant in today's society as ever. Most of what I have to say about this movie is pretty positive. It is well-paced, well-scored, generally well-acted. The first three-fourths of the movie are actually pretty fun to watch. As an audience member you already know what is going to happen in the end. The blood will fall and all hell will break loose. You might think that knowing the outcome may take away from the enjoyment this movie has to offer, but it really doesn't. In fact, it gives you a sense of security that allows you to just sit back and relax. Then we reach the climax. Carrie is called up to the stage and we all know what is going to happen next. Not only is this scene important because it is the pay off to the whole movie, but it's important because it is one of the most iconic scenes in horror movie history. It's up there with The Exorcist head twirl, The Shining's "Here's Johnny", Misery's ankle crush, and Psycho's killer shower scene. It's safe to say that this scene is very crucial to how this film is generally received by audiences. Unfortunately, in my opinion, it disappoints. Once the pig's blood comes down on Carrie, you are ready for the bloody revenge she dispatches upon her tormentors. You're ready for the horror and suspense of the scene, but then you get this instead. Maybe it was too high of expectations, but the prom scene was a disappointment. For one, it was way too short. I don't really know the exact time both prom scenes were, but I wouldn't be surprised if this scene was at least 1 minute and a half to 2 minutes shorter than the original. This is the payoff to the whole movie and it felt like they just glossed over it. The other thing that made me dislike the scene was the terrible GCI. I realize that this is the 21st century, so a movie is expected to have crazy special effects which is fine, but these effects were cringe-worthy. It was disappointing. Overall, the first 3 quarters of this movie were good, but the pivotal scene of the whole film fell short, making everything after forgettable. Final Rating- B-

Captain Phillips Review

Join Captain Richard Phillips as he fights against Somalian Pirates

From Paul Greengrass, director of the Bourne Trilogy and United 93, comes this true story that follows ship captain Richard Phillips and the 2009 hijacking of the US-Flagged MV Maersk Alabama, the first cargo ship to be hijacked in over two hundred years. When I think of this movie, one particular moment stands out. It's not the intense moment when the pirates latch on to the ship, it's not even the mesmerizing, traumatizing performance of Tom Hanks at the end of the movie (which did leave me speechless). For me, the aspect I'll have great respect for was the beginning of this movie. It starts with Captain Phillips and his wife getting in the car and driving to the ship dock. On the car ride there, they begin talking about their every day problems. They're worrying about their son who is not really applying himself in school, etc. Then comes the next shot. The next scene takes place in Somali and shows this broken down, poor town filled with starving people. In this scene we meet our antagonist(?), Muse. The reason I love this directing choice is because it's a great way to set the story. The juxtaposition of Phillip's problems and the problems of citizens of a 3rd world country was brilliant. It starts off with showing the audience the aspect that makes this movie so appealing, there aren't necessarily good guys or bad guys. It's not as black and white as some other movies lately, which is always fun to watch. Even though that scene is the one that stands out to me, the film is not short on great moments. Like I stated earlier, the scene in which the pirates latch on to the ship is incredibly intense. You don't have to really know what happened in real life to know the outcome. The pirates latch, they take over the ship, and the rest is history. Even though you know what happens, your heart still pounds out of your chest. The actors who portrayed the pirates were another highlight of this movie. Novice actors Barkhad Abdi, Barkhad Abdirahman, Faysal Ahmed, and Mahat Ali all deliver great performances, performances that made it seem like they've been in this business for a long, long time. Once the pirates board the ship, this movie gets real. You feel the tension between the Captain and the pirates, the writing, directing, and particularly acting made the hijacking scene feel extremely real. The film was going great so far, but then it stumbled a bit after it's sprinting start. The crew turn the tables on the pirates, they negotiate and the pirates decide to take the money in the safe and just leave. Before they do, however, they take Captain Phillips with them in a sealed lifeboat with the intention of keeping him for ransom. This is when the film really slows down. I take pride in saying I've only fallen asleep once in a movie; that was The Phantom Menace. Now my incredible record is tarnished. I regret to say I actually feel asleep for a good 20-30 minutes in this movie. The concept of the hostage being in close quarters with the pirates is intense and I'm sure when (if?) Richard was really in that situation tensions were high, and probably not as boring as it was to watch on screen. Seeing as how I was unconscious, I can't really critic the middle of the movie. I can only critic the last 30 minutes, which felt like receiving an enormous adrenaline shot to the heart. Once the Navy came into the picture the scale of this movie expanded tremendously. You really begin to feel the high stakes and the unquestionable importance of stopping these terrorists and retrieving the Captain. In the end, Captain Phillips is a riveting and powerfully realistic portrayal of bravery and courage. Even though the film gets a bit clunky and slow in the middle, director Paul Greengrass finishes off his hostage epic with such intensity brought by enthusiastic edits, a powerful soundtrack, and a mesmerizing performance by the whole ensemble especially the master himself, Tom Hanks. Final Rating: A-

Gravity Review

How hard would you fight to keep breathing?

From visionary director Alfonso Cuaron (Children of Men), comes this intense space drama starring Sandra Bullock, George Clooney, and literally no one else. The film follows a medical engineer and an astronaut who work together in order to survive after an accident leaves them adrift in space. They lose contact with their home base, they begin running low on Oxygen, and dangerous debris from a broken shuttle is rapidly descending towards the two. Tethered to nothing but each other, the two begin there voyage to a Chinese shuttle, the only way to survive. The premise is pretty straightforward, the execution, however, is one of the greatest cinematic achievements of all time. I, and no one else, can stress the amount of intensity this film delivers. I've said before that I have only experienced a movie bringing me to the edge of my seat twice, one with the Argo and then Rush. Gravity failed to bring me to the edge of my seat, it tore me off the edge. I can not stress this enough, watch this movie in IMAX 3D. Personally, I hate 3D. I like the concept of feeling like I'm in the movie, but frankly all 3D has done was distract me and take a few extra dollars out of my pocket. If you are ever going to watch a movie in 3D, make it Gravity. You really feel like you are in space, as ridiculous as that may sound, and that feeling of actually being there is also achieved through the spectacular special effects. I'm one of those people who didn't like Avatar; frankly, if I wanted to watch a 2 1/2 hour video game...no, I would never want to watch a 2 1/2 hour video game. The Visual Effects in Gravity didn't make me feel like I was in a video game, like I said before, I actually felt like I was in space. The pacing is also one of the highlights of this visual masterpiece. The first 10-15 minutes or so is one shot, which is amazing. The thought of a shot that long may seem boring, but the effects this movie delivers makes the 10 minute shot one of the most fascinating shots in movie history. But once there are cuts and the debris begins hitting the shuttle, the amount of suspense is immeasurable. Of course, even with all of these great special effects, the movie wouldn't be the same without the mesmerizing powerhouse performance Sandra Bullock delivers. I'll be honest here, Ryan Stone isn't the most developed, complex movie character. We don't delve very deep into her background, all we know is that her daughter past away. Even though we don't really know Stone, for some reason you root for her more than any other character in any other movie. You want her to survive this, she is so strong and keeps fighting even though she doesn't know what she's fight for. She has such heart and such strength that seeing her in these certain-death situations makes your heart pound like never before.  Overall: Gravity is quite honestly one of the most mesmerizing cinematic achievements ever. Star Sandra Bullock delivers a great, powerful, sympathetic performance as Ryan Stone. Even though the character is not as lifelike as the visual effects, you still find yourself rooting for her to survive. Final Rating- A-

Rush Review

Fast-Paced, slick, thrilling, and entertaining. Hemsworth goes from a hammer to a Formula 1 race car. 

From Ron Howard, Oscar-Winning Director of great films such as A Beautiful Mind, Frost/Nixon, and Apollo 13, comes this sports drama that surpasses all other films this year in every way. Not only is Rush the best movie this year, which it definitely is, but it also happens to be the best sports drama ever made in my eyes. Let me start off with saying I'm not a real race car kind of fella. The sport has never intrigued me; it's really kinda plain. So, naturally, a movie about two race car drivers and their feud wasn't a film that topped my watch list. Thank god I gave it a chance. You don't have to be a race car driving fan in order to like this movie, you just have to like good drama, well thought out characters, and flawless direction; which this film has and then some. Ron Howard has always been one of my favorite directors of all time (yes, I forgave him for The Dilemma), and seeing him put together this masterfully crafted film is encouraging. I've seen a lot of films in my time, and no matter how good a movie is, there are always one or two scenes in it that I would have preferred was left out. Rush is one of those rare movies that lacks those kinds of scenes. Every scene is relevant, and each scene is well-paced. This movie does NOT drag on. Every single scene is probably under 2 minutes, it gets straight to the point. All traits found in a well-directed motion picture. The two leads do a great job as well. Going in, I had never even heard of the names James Hunt or Niki Lauda. The commercials heavily implied that their rivalry was infamous and renowned, yet I've never once heard of these two guys. Yet, coming out of the theater, you feel like you've been following this rivalry for decades. They really feel like flesh and blood characters; they have understandable motivations and interesting philosophies in life that were bound to clash. While all of the acting, directing, and writing were great, there was one particular aspect to Rush that truly stood out- The driving. Like I said before, I've never watched Formula 1 race car driving or any kind of race car driving for that matter. The concept is very dull and tame, but that is definitely not the case here. There was something about the cinematography, the slow-mo shots, the music; it all came together so perfectly that even before the wheels start turning you were breathless. I've always heard the expression that a movie could "keep you at the edge of your seat". In all my movie-watching experience, that expression only qualified in 2 different movies. 2012 Best Picture-Winning Drama Argo was the first time a movie literally brought me to the edge of my seat, and I'm happy to say that Rush is that second experience. Overall, Rush is a very well put-together motion picture filled with interesting characters, intense and entertaining sequences, and stunning cinematography/directing. A.K.A.- Why you go to the movies. Final Grade - A-