jamaalrgreen Reviews

Amour (2012)

Brilliant. Disturbing. Will Never watch again

[8/10 · 3 February 2013]

Amour was the final chapter in my quest to see every film nominated for best picture this year. I had the pleasure of watching this piece of art in and nice Art House theatre in NYC as an assignment for school. With the ambiance set I was ready to view the gem of European cinema. Having only seen one other film by Director Michael Haneke was not prepared however for the film itself. Amour is a fantastic work deserving of its nomination of best picture and best foreign film. It is the story of and elderly couple at the tail end of their golden years and the challenges that old age can present. Is there anything you won't do for love? I give kudos to the director for this film two main characters are in the golden years, it is completely dialogue driven, it takes place in one location and there is no soundtrack or real score. It survives totally on the dialogue and interactions of it leads. It is an extreme challenge to keep it interesting and Michael Heneke does with its stark and sometime depressing subject matter. It is a beautifully written and shot film. However it is real in its depiction in the challenges of getting old and how we deal.

I would say this film is an excellent film with a pace,direction and storytelling style more accustomed to European audiences. A great film that I would probably never watch again. 8/10

Gangster Squad (2013)

Not too bad Not too Good

[6/10 · 3 February 2013]

Gangster Squad is the semi true account of the rise to power of notorious gangster Mickey Cohen and the off the books police squad put together to take him down. The films leads are Josh Brolin and Sean Penn and the fast rising star Ryan Gosling.Josh Brolin is solid as Sgt John O"Mara while Ryan Gosling was a bit flat as the smooth ladies man Officer Jerry Wooters. Sean Penn who is always brilliant gives a spirited performance as Mickey Cohen. One my even say there is a tinge of over acting on Penn's part but it is not his fault. The rest of the characters are so flat and surface level that Sean Penn's character seems like the only one with a pulse. I will say that Giovanni Ribisi was excellent in his role as the wire tap man Conway Keeler. It was a reserved performance and a change from his usual maniacal antagonist role. For the most part the film is just surface level with plenty of good action and tough guy lines at the right moment but you never really feel deeply either way for the good guys or bad guy. The films photography is phenomenal from Oscar winning DP Dion Beebe.( Miami Vice) Over all it is a popcorn film but don't expect to be wowed. 6/10

Texas Chainsaw (2013)

Texas Brain Massacre 3Dd

[5/10 · 23 January 2013]

Movie Reviews

Texas Brainsaw Massacre 3DD

If you are a big fan of the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre you may want to pretend this film was never made. It can in no rational way stand with the original except in name only. However even in an irrational world this film struggled with basic plot and story development. It was pretty clear that the original draft of this film could have easily been a draft for Scary Movie or some comedy spoof of Scooby Doo.It did have all the right things to make it fit right in with modern horror films but executed everything so poorly you may have thought they were making it up as they went along. As bad as it was you were kind of entertained by the motivation to see if it could get any worse. The basic plot is about a girl who inherits a property belonging to her family that she never knew. It's when she finds out who her relatives are that the story begins.-dun-dun-duuuuuuuuh!!!

I'm not going to comment on the acting because it is a teen slasher film so if you have high expectations then you may have deeper issues than this film. This film had beautiful girls, buff studs and sexual tension from the first narrative scene. Modern Horror. The lead actress was so anatomically perfect it was as if she were ripped from an adult anime film. The most entertaining part of the film centered was centered around how much attention this film wanted you to focus on the lead characters breast. Shot after shot combined with a specific wardrobe selection teamed up to say look at these(boobs) because they are important. Not to ruin it but yes indeed a breast became the turning point in the film. You are lured in with breasts shots but sadly the stars never leave the dressing room after all the build up.There were more impossible and improbable plot turns in this film than a choose your own adventure book. And also the signature fall when you are being chased maneuver is a go to play in this film. There is much to be desired and plenty to perhaps laugh about but in some way it was still entertaining for all the wrong reasons. I probably will not watch this again but will never forget what I saw either. Leave your brain and natural human instincts at home before viewing and you may enjoy this.

5/10 stars

Les Misérables (2012)

As good as a movie musical can be

[8/10 · 9 January 2013]

Les Miserables was a fantastic adaptation of the musical into a movie musical. Direction by Tom Hooper (The Kings Speech)was spot on as each character was recreated fabulously. If you are not a fan of the musical then this won't change your mind. This musical film version of the Les Mis is far Superior to the the dramatic version released a few years back starring Liam Neeson and Geoffrey Rush. I would give the entire cast an A for effort in doing justice to the musical singing wise. Anne Hathaway and Amanda Seyfried have beautiful voices and Hugh Jackman is just an animal. He eats up the role of Val Jean and would fit right in on Broadway. I didn't expect the actors in this film to contend with the Broadway or London productions of Les Mis but they did well. The only roughness was Russell Crowe whose voice is just not strong enough for this kind of material but he covers himself well as the hawkish Javert with his strong acting skills. The supporting cast all performed well especially the young lad who played Gavroche. The cinematography was stunning as well as the set work. My only complaint was the over reliance on the close up during several of the characters singing performances. I don't think I could sit through any other movie musical without getting restless leg but Les Mis scored an 8 out of 10 to me and will contend for several awards

Django Unchained (2012)

Django Off the Chain. A "REEL" Review

[9/10 · 30 December 2012]

Believing all the media talk of excessive violence I went into Django Unchained expecting to see such gratuitous maiming and bloodletting that even for a Tarantino film it would be a new milestone. After seeing the film I wonder if the folks in the entertainment media have ever seen a Tarantino movie? Django is "chock full of guts 'literally" but no more so then Kill Bill pt.: 1. To be frank the big deal about the violence in this film was because of the ginormous elephant in the room when America has to face the shady side of its history in talking about slavery. Routinely this subject is skimmed over or swept under the rug as we believe in post racial America *wink* that we are the great big shining city on the hill without blemish. It's an uncomfortable topic for most. Staying true to form, Director Quentin Tarantino is not going to shy away from anything that makes you uncomfortable or squirm in your seat. He is the type of director that is going to take the uncomfortable stuff and throw it right in the audiences face. Django takes the uncomfortable stuff and puts it on display. It wraps it up in a biscuit (no pun intended) to make it go down easier but also making it memorable. This film is harsh in its depictions as it has enough N-Bombs to make any Antebellum South nostalgist feel right at home. I believe the N-bomb was used as a verb, adjective, and noun through out this film and it felt at times that some of the actors themselves had a hard time letting the word loose. Particularly Christophe Waltz who is magnificent in his Role as King Schultz the Dentist/Bounty Hunter. In my opinion that was the most difficult part of the film to get through but staying true to the time period it is the way things were. Especially in the "Grand Ole" state of Mississippi. The last time I heard the N-word that much was in the mini series "ROOTS". Although I can't say that Django is in the realm of Roots, in modern times I can say that it is an evolution of it with a different ending, As for the violence in the film if you are familiar with the history of slavery then the images portrayed should not come as a shock as in most cases the violence was much worse in reality than what was shown on screen. There were a few moments where "I said oh my did they really just show that?' but that was in relation to how much flesh one can get away with showing on screen these days. If you can handle that then buckle your seats for the type of ride that only Tarantino can provide. The film is lengthy coming in at almost 2hrs&45 min with trailers but most of the dialog is so well written that you get disappointed when some of the scenes end. The story is simple in that Christophe Waltz plays a bounty Hunter who enlists the help of a slave named Django to assist in bringing in the lucrative bounty of three outlaws. The Rub is that Django can identify the outlaws because he was a slave on the plantation where the outlaws worked as overseers. Django is played by the multi talented Jaime Foxx who executes the role of Django superbly. In exchange for Django's help the bounty hunter agrees to help Django rescue his wife Broom Hilda from Calvin Candie, a Ruthless plantation owner. Broom Hilda is played wonderfully by the beautiful Kerry Washington. Leonardo Dicaprio plays Plantation owner and antagonist Calvin Candie to a twisted level in a role that sees him as the bad guy for a change. He plays this part masterfully. The cast of this film is excellent. Don Johnson and Jonah Hill make cameos so memorable you wish they had more screen time. Last but not least is the role of Stephen played by Samuel L. Jackson the long time Tarantino alum. Stephen is the head of all the house servants and Calvin Candies' most trusted adviser/personal attendant. The role of Stephen is a character so despicable that he may indeed be "the worse Black man in the History of film" as said by Samuel L Jackson. He is an "Uncle Tom archetype who is a scene stealer as his dialog and portrayal by Samuel L. just dominate whenever he is on screen. No one uses the word mother F'er like Mr. Jackson and he does not disappoint. Stephen routinely uses his power to make life hell for the other slaves and is so in need of the master's approval that self-respect and personal pride mean nothing to him. He is truly the master's lap dog. The relationship between Stephen and Django make for some of the most memorable scenes in the film. It's strange experiencing a Tarantino film with so Linear A story line but it's no less exciting than any of his previous films. Django is a risky story to tell sure to anger some and be praised by others. However in the hands of a true craftsman and with noble intention this film shines in its honesty about the state of the world back then and also offers a small spoon of sugar to make the bitter pill go down easier. The true intention of this film comes shining through. Exploitation no. Entertainment and bit of indulgent fantasy yes. Imagine if Kunta Kente grabbed the whip from the overseer, whipped him back and kept his African name. Well that's the kind of world where Django Unchained exists. Django overall is a fantastic film in the same logic as Inglorious Basterds. Revisionist history may prove to be its own genre if it remains so entertaining in the hands of quality directors. 4 Stars. See for yourself

JG

Jack Reacher (2012)

Good but not Great

[6/10 · 26 December 2012]

OK say what you want about Tom Cruise but the guy can still make a great action movie and do it well at 50. Jack Reacher is an adaptation of a Lee Child novel about the ex Military Investigator/Drifter who lives off the grid. There are a series of these novels with Jack Reacher as the protagonist and they are quite popular. In the novels Reacher is a master investigator with a knack for solving tough cases and seeing the obscure clues in a case nobody else sees. He is also a physical marvel at 6'5 240 lbs who is a beatdownologist when the situation calls for it. Enter Tom Cruise all 5'7 165 lbs of him as the smooth with the roughness version of Reacher.

The film begins with and interesting but simple plot that that sparks the question "Who is Jack Reacher". It does well setting up and entrance for Tom Cruise to enter as a drifter who has no email,address,credit card,phone number etc. The only reason you know he exists is through a bank account where he withdraws his military pension from. The basic plot has the makings of a great whodunit ripe with misdirection and who can you trust and you prepare yourself to see how great of a detective this Jack Reacher is but....... the film focuses less on Jack Reacher the investigation and more on how perfect,handsome and cunning Jack Reacher and you kind of get the feeling that nothing bad will ever ever happen to this man because he knows everything and is one step ahead of everyone and if someone get the drop on him it doesn't matter because Jack Reacher can beat up anybody and everybody........at the same time if needed. The first 45minutes are great but then something happens after that and the film sort of becomes Ethan Hunt without the nifty gadgets. The film is less about jack Reacher the Master Detective and more about the Jack Reacher the strikingly Handsome Hardass who can slip in and out of society unnoticed....Riiiight. Because really good looking people go unnoticed all the time and seldomly grab the attention or gaze of others. The supporting cast includes Rosalind Pike as the love interest sort of who finds herself almost immediately attracted to Reacher. (See above about reacher being off the Grid). The Rest of the cast include veterans Richard Jenkins, Werner Herzog in all his disturbing glory as the protagonist, David Oyelowo who is turning in a nice career of late and Robert Duval who we haven't seen in a while. Overall the film is well acted but for me it became less a detective story and more a Tom Cruise fighting the bad guys movie . However the action scenes are terrific as always for Tom Cruise. This film almost gets there but never quite makes it however it was enjoyable. I give it 3 stars for it was entertaining and Robert Duval is awesome in it ;)

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)

A Tale of Two Hobbits

[7/10 · 20 December 2012]

Typically I only watch a film in 3D only after I've seen it in 2D. Sometimes it feels like 3D comes across as a gimmick and I'd hate to give a film a bad review based on a gimmick that did not work out well. I watched the Hobbit in both 2d and the much advertised 3D High Frame Rate of 48FPS. From what I understand 3D films suffer significant motion blur with scenes that have fast movements in them. Peter Jackson wanted to eliminate that problem by shooting in the higher frame rate which lends a much sharper image. I'm not an expert cinematographer so thats my best attempt to explain why the film was shot that way although I'm sure that's not the only reason. I can only commend Peter Jackson on having the stones to take that risk especially with a project of this magnitude. He is a pioneer and willing to push the envelope of filmmaking. However I feel the technology in filmmaking is moving so fast that the practices and how to apply them effectively are taking a back seat. Watching the Hobbit in two different formats resulted in two different experiences.

Hobbit 2D:

The Hobbit fell right in line with the Original L.O.R. trilogy minus the the apocalyptic tone and raging body count of Return of the King. Although the general mood is the same you can feel that the tone of this story /book is a bit milder than that of L.O.R. This story brings back all the familiar faces and places of middle earth plus some new stuff. ORCS,Goblins,Dwarfs,Elves,and Hobbitzes are all back in the usual stylings. The story starts with a Hobbit sporting a familiar last name enjoying life where he is as Hobbits do. He is reluctantly drafted to embark on an adventure which Hobbits hate. The plot is set 60 years prior to the Fellowship of the ring but follows a similar formula. Some familiar faces such as Gandalf,Saruman and the beautiful Lady Galadriel are back in usual form. A decade later it seems that for the most part the actors have not aged and picked up right where they left off. Over all the CGI,Cinematography and Lighting are top notch as it always seems to be with Peter Jackson and the action is no less heart pounding or suspenseful than expected in middle earth. However the story does seem to take it's time getting started and it feels like the first act is a never ending collage of filler scenes designed to extend the new trilogy. Overall if you did not like Lord of the Rings then you will not like the Hobbit. If you did enjoy Lord of the Rings then you will most likely enjoy the Hobbit but will notice the subtle differences. My Grade is a B.

THE HOBBIT 3D HFR

The most impressive and yet jarring quality of the 3D HDR version of The Hobbit is the ridiculous clarity and focus. As the sensors on cameras become more and more sensitive and the practicality of shooting films in 4k and 5k increases I believe films shot in HFR are here to stay.(at least for a little while). The clarity is astonishing as every detail in every frame is in full focus. It's like looking through a very clear window. With the High Frame rate comes the loss of the "Persistence of Vision Theory" associated with traditional 24fps.The result is the Hobbit looking more like pristine video. Too much is in focus too much of the time and it affects almost every shot. The extreme focus is too distracting and takes away the ability to be immersed in the world you are watching. It's most evident in close up shots as you now notice all the makeup effects and prosthetics on the characters. The motion of the characters looks weird in HFR as well. Almost like an old Chaplin film with a sped up camera. The lighting in the HFR version is not very forgiving. I am unsure if there is a different color grading process for High Frame Rate but it seems to affect the lighting. All the warm tones in the lighting seem to go cold. Yellow and golden hues seem to become white in the HFR version. There are hot spots in many shots and several scenes almost feel overexposed. These issues were not not a problem in the 2D version. Especially in the lighting. The 2d version was a beautifully lit film. Where the HFR excelled was on the sweeping long and wide shots. Landscapes and skies were reproduced beautifully. Over all the experience of the HFR provided too many distraction in all it's high clarity glory and at times felt like I was watching a video game or a pixar movie screened on LED TV. I believe HFR is here to stay but it will take some time for the other disciplines,(i.e. lighting,make-up,postproduction services) to catch up. Then I believe the end product will be amazing! My Grade C-

Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

A Rom Com that guys can love

[9/10 · 6 December 2012]

I must admit that I was a bit wary at first of whether or not I would see Silver Linings Playbook. Being a New Yorker and a member of NYGiants nation my first take on seeing the trailer for this film was that it would be a fantasy tale for Eagledelphia in which the Eagles would finally win something and everything in the Phillyverse would be right for 90 minutes. I could not have been more wrong as what unfolded before my eyes was a gem of a film that has something for everyone. Silver Linings Playbook is a rocky love story about mental illness that stays close to our hearts with funny and frank dialogue. The film brings home a point that we are all imperfect by showing the ups and downs of our imperfections in a real way. Using sports as a backdrop the story centers on a working class Philadelphia family that you'd swear live at the end of your street. If there were awards for Casting Director this film would get it. (Maybe there is an award for Casting Director??)The group of actors chosen for this film all complement each other so well it's as if they've know each other their whole lives. You would actually expect to see these folks together at a bar or a BBQ. It was great to see Chris Tucker in a role where he was not running through Hong Kong or yelling at Jackie Chan and oh Julia Stiles where have you been? She is one of the underrated talents of her era. Bradley Cooper is stellar in his portrayal of the lead character Pat. I cant believe this is the hangover guy. He has arrived and is taking names. Hope they spell it right on that gold statue he'll be getting ; } It was also great to see Robert Deniro in a role that he was able to sink his teeth into as he was in classic form. There are some gut-busting laughs in this film and moments that make you squirm and say "did he just say/do that?" There are many strong performances all around from just an awesome and talented cast. The director let this story unfold for you and delicately nudged the story along through several ups and down always keeping you on your toes and afraid to take your eyes off the screen for fear of missing a moment good or bad. Jennifer Lawrence is fantastic in her range easily holding her own as the feisty "Tiffany". I expect we'll be seeing quite a bit of this beautiful and talented young actress in the immediate future. This is not your classic "When Harry met Sally" but will no doubt leave you with that same feeling at the end having you saying to yourself "I just witnessed something! This film is going to do well collecting a few golden statuettes

JG