Mob Town (2019)

Mob Town got savaged by critics when it released and I'm not really sure why, it is a low budget movie with some fairly cheesy dialogue but it's still a pretty solid little true story film.

I will admit there is one promotional poster for the movie that sucks which depicts David Arquette's character wearing a fedora and holding a tommy gun....something which he never does in the entire movie. In fact no one fires a Tommy Gun at all in the entire film.

Mob Town follows State Trooper Sgt. Ed Croswell played by David Arquette who has suspicions that a Mafia syndicate is planning on holding a large meeting to plan their next move in a small town during the late 1950s.

One of the strengths of the movie is the cast, David Arquette is very likeable as the lead and I was invested in seeing him piece together clues and evidence to convince his fellow officers that something is up. Robert Davi is good as the head mobster and Jennifer Esposito has a likeable chemistry with Arquette, I didn't mind their romance story at all. It didn't distract from the story and spending time with Croswell and developing his character isn't a bad thing.

Some of the mobsters are a bit corny though, they crack all the one liners you'd expect them to.

It's a bit of a slow burn movie, but thankfully the build up to the raid is very interesting and it is cool seeing Croswell put the pieces together and linking evidence. He notices that one member is buying a very large quantity of food for catering and another is booking every motel in town. These moments are great cause you really want to see Croswell catch these guys.

For a low budget affair, I thought the set dressing was very well done, it certainly gave a 1950s vibe and there was nothing that made me go "hang on! that doesn't belong there". From what info I could google, they got quite a few of the key facts correct. Some stuff may be wrong as this isn't a documentary, but it made for an interesting read when I was done watching.

A few critics took issue with the comedic moments, but these didn't bother me. A few of them did make me crack a smile.

The soundtrack was also really good, I highly enjoyed the ending epilogue music and even looked it up after the movie was over.

In Conclusion, Mob Town is a very entertaining little thriller. I don't know why it got savaged so bad. It may have some shortcomings, but overall I found it to be very entertaining and enjoyable 

Dauntless: The Battle of Midway (2019) review

 

Dauntless: The Battle of Midway was directed by Mike Phillips who also did the 2012 movie Fortress which I very much enjoyed, so I was interested to see his version of the Midway story

I've been a bit bummed seeing negative reviews for this film, a lot of them dismissed it based solely on the effects or dubbed it a rip-off of the Roland Emmerich movie.

I don't find the "rip-off" claim fair, they are both movies about the same battle but focus on different elements. Emmerich's film is about the prelude to the battle and the pilots during the battle. Dauntless focuses on the post-battle tensions and the crews that didn't make it back to their carriers. Saying this movie ripped off Emmerich is like saying Saving Private Ryan is a rip off of The Longest Day because both movies have the D-Day landings.

As for the effects, I'll take a CGI model that looks like a WWII ship over using a modern day ship as a stand in any day. They do some pretty sweet tricks here and there are a few bits of the Dauntless bombers flying around that actually look pretty damn awesome.

Watching the making of features on YouTube, the filmmakers made sure they were being as accurate as possible. It's much better than Pearl Harbor having the Japanese launch off nuclear powered Aircraft Carriers for the attack sequences.

They even used the director's porch as a stand in for a carrier deck, I was pretty amazed. I wouldn't have thought that was what that was they did until I watched the making of. It's pretty slick.

The actors do a pretty nice job here, Judd Nelson actually makes for a pretty great portrayal of Raymond Spruance, he really captures the emotion of a man who wants to win the battle but is just emotionally broken by the costs. Whereas C Thomas Howell as Miles Browning is just a heartless bastard.

Jade Wiley was a stand out as Norman Vandivier, it must've been hell to float in the water with sun-burnt make up being applied but Wiley does it well. He has a good screen chemistry with John Enick who plays his tail gunner Lee Keaney.

Dauntless is a pretty sweet little WWII movie, I was glad I watched it. I really hope Mike Philips and his crew can make another film. They really care about having accurate details and I really dig that. This and Fortress are a real treat for war film buffs.

Definitely see Dauntless, it's a very good movie.

Capone (2020) review

 

I despised this movie when I first watched it, I remember defending it from critics when the trailer launched. I defended it when people mentioned Josh Trank's Fant4stic film and stood by that a dark drama about Capone's final days could be interesting and watchable.

Then I sat down and watched it, I ended up feeling ashamed of myself for defending it. I expected a thriller Capone's last exploits before his death instead I got a movie where he daydreams and shits himself constantly. I told everyone I knew not to bother renting it, I was pretty goddamn mad at how bad this was, I knew even if it wasn't that great I would get some pretty entertaining moments with Hardy instead I was greeted with him shitting himself twice.

However after seeing numerous people on Reddit defending the film, I decided to take a risk and re-watch the film...spending another $6 but this time I went in knowing what to expect and actually give it a second chance.

Weirdly, I think I enjoyed the movie more on a second viewing. The movie has some truly bizarre visuals and absolutely out there performances but I found things that I actually kinda enjoyed about it on the second watch....minus the pooping pants in an interview sequence.

One slight problem I have is there is no real conflict or story until the last 40 minutes or so, the majority just Capone hanging around his mansion with his health and mental state slowly getting worse. It's not even until around the third act that some officers show up to investigate where Capone has hidden a large sum of money, but then that plot element is done with after five or so minutes. 

However what saves the movie is Tom Hardy is clearly going all in for this performance, he is chewing on the scenery like mad but his performances was one my favourite things both times. He captures the descent into madness with brilliance. I remember feeling that seeing Hardy do this was embarrassing, but compared to Adrien Brody cracking penis jokes in Inappropriate Comedy or Al Pacino chasing Adam Sandler in drag.....this is nothing. The moments where Capone pisses himself or poops himself are certainly not my idea of film watching entertainment but at the same time I strangely kind of see where Trank was going, most people may think of Capone as a sadistic criminal to the very end instead of the broken man he was physically and mentally 

My favourite scene in the entire movie was when Capone goes into his basement and enters a dreamlike sequence where he's back in his glory days, hanging out with his associates, spending time in clubs and relaxing with women and then executing a man who tried to rat on him. It's easily the most atmospheric and chilling part of the entire film, I do wish more of the film including how his past has clearly given him PTSD and driven him to a mental wreck. Seeing the transition from his "glory days" to his final days in poor health is an interesting idea, I don't think we'll get Capone II with Tom Hardy returning, but since Unbroken got a sequel....who knows.

The supporting cast are also good, Linda Cardellini is good as Capone's wife but her character motives are a bit vague, does she actually love her husband despite his horrible past or is she just staying with him hoping to inherit the money when he passes? 

I like Josh Trank as a director, Chronicle was a strong film with sympathetic characters and I think I'm one of three people on the planet who like Fantastic Four (it had some cool visuals okay?). I think he has some cool style to his films and he can get a good performance out of people, I just hope his Twitter behaviour from a long time ago doesn't become his entire legacy. He has some great moments as a director.

Capone is a bloody weird film, but it has grown on me. I hated it for being totally bizarre but in the end, it was how out there and just batshit parts of this movie are that may me come back and give it a second shot. I'm glad I did, because I enjoyed it way more on a second watch

The Last of Us Part II (2020) SPOILERS WITHIN

 

To say this game has been polarizing is a understatement, I can't remember the last time I saw a divide over a piece of media this strong. The game has had a sea of controversies surrounding it and I decided I would provide my own thoughts and views on it. I will break this post down into sections....also before you proceed.

                    THIS POST WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS!!!!

For a change of pace, I will adress some of the most frequent complaints and discussions about the game and give my two cents here:

Abby is an unlikeable character and deserved to die at the end

What Abby does is horrific, but at the same time I could see what the developers were doing and I didn't mind it. I was sad as hell about seeing Joel get killed off, but at the same time I get Abby's motives and would feel the same if in her shoes. I do think we should've spent a bit more time with her and her father, Jerry. Her character took time to grow on me, but in the end I did grow to like her character and get invested in her story.

Now for the ending, if Abby rode off in to the sunset with no consequences, then that would be dumb but think about it. All her friends got killed because of her revenge quest, one of whom referred to her as a shitty person before being killed, she gets captured and tortured for months and forever has to live with PTSD knowing her actions will always haunt her. Abby lives, but with a lot of dread. 

Will she be haunted in Part III?.....we can only guess

The game panders to SJWs

I didn't see this at all. Ellie and Dina being a couple didn't feel like Lesbian propaganda being shoved down my throat, the themes with Lev transitioning were not "pandering". I just didn't feel this aspect of the game, I didn't find it as bad as some of the negative reviews made it out to be.

Joel died because of the idiot ball trope

I didn't want Joel to die, nobody did but I must rebuttal the claims his death was out of character with a few points. He slipped up and made a mistake in panic, we've all done such things in our lives. Also he just assumed Abby was a lone wanderer, in Part 1 when he runs over the man begging for help...he knew that a dangerous group was around. Abby was wandering around the outskirts of his town, so he thought she was a just passer-by who needed help....obviously a mistake that impacts the story.

The Last of Us Part II may not have story elements that were praised, but I enjoyed the game for taking risks and further developing the story and characters. I did not just want a carbon copy of Part 1, I wanted to see the story go on and the characters grow further.

I will admit, I found Mel and Owen hard to get attached to since I saw them get killed just minutes ago, but I still found them to be well written and they had enough going on to where they felt like fully developed characters. 

I never felt bored at any point, but it definitely felt like the game dragged on in certain places, I felt super fatigued by the time Ellie arrives in Santa Barbara towards the climax. Also I get the messaged was meant to be "revenge can consume you" but the final duel did nothing for me. It was graphic and brutal but it needed more "big bang" moments to grab you. Just my two cents

In conclusion, The Last of Us Part II is a good game in my books. It has a few faults, but overall I applaud the game for taking risks and actually further exploring things and not just playing it safe.

Midway (2019)- New favourite film? I think so

I don't think I was as hyped for a movie as I was for Midway, when I heard Roland Emmerich was doing a WWII movie, I was quite excited about the idea. All the trailers looked very promising so I was very much looking forward to this movie.I also love World of Warships and the cross over advertising just added to the excitement.

I finally saw it a few days ago and all I can say is...wow

This movie was just amazing, I was not let down at all and I was not bored for even a millisecond. Instead of a usual structure, I will instead give you the Top 5 things I loved most about this movie

5:The Japanese aren't cartoon villains, they are portrayed with respect

I saw a ton of sceptical comments leading up to the release that it would portray the Americans as unstoppable heroes and the Japanese as dumb cartoon monsters....thankfully that misconception was 100% wrong. Whilst the movie does acknowledge the atrocities following the Doolittle Raid , it still honours the lives of the Japanese pilots lost in battle. There was a truly heartbreaking scene where the commander states it is the superiors fault for the failure of the battle and the fault does not fall on the pilots. It was quite a touching moment.

The actors portraying the Japanese actors are all amazing, they do a very good job with the roles

4: It's mostly accurate 

Michael Bay's Pearl Harbor was pretty disappointing in a lot of regards, now I can usually look past little inaccuracies in a historical movie, but seeing destroyers with missile launchers and helipads in a WWII setting was just laughable. Thankfully, Roland Emmerich has a mixture of CGI and Practical props to make all the ships, planes and machinery accurate to the time period. It's refreshing, the Doolittle Raid sequence for example, they really did launch heavy B-25 bombers off a carrier in the middle of a rainstorm.

3: It may move fast, but it held my attention

The movie does move at a very fast pace, the attack on Pearl Harbor happens within the first 10 minutes of the movie and after about 30 or so minutes we're at the Doolittle Raid, but despite the fast pace I was never once bored watching this movie.

It has better pacing than 2003 Gods and Generals, so that's a plus

2: The Action Sequences

This movie has some of the most astounding action sequences ever put into a war movie, everything looks so stellar and it's easy to follow. Emmerich knows how to stage an action sequence well. All the planes looked great, the explosions had real power behind them and the recreation of historical battles was top notch.

No shaky cam nonsense, no bullet time or anything like that. It was amazing.

1: The Actors rule

One of the things that drew me to the movie was the cast. Dennis Quaid, Aaron Eckhart, Ed Skrein, Woody Harrelson and many others. It was boasting an impressive talent pool and they delivered. There was not one performance in this movie that I didn't like, everyone was top notch.

Dennis Quaid as Bull Halsey, the man just nailed it. I would totally watch a movie with him playing a badass general.

Aaron Eckhart's entrance was a little cheesy with the dramatic music, but it got me pumped 

Darren Criss has a small role as Torpedo Bomber pilot Eugene Lindsey and he was great in that role. He did a fantastic job with it. 

In conclusion,

Midway isn't going to please everyone, this is definitely a goofy movie in a few places and if you don't like the "HOORAH AMERICA" style of film-making you will probably walk away not enjoying it. 

I however, thought the movie was outstanding. I had a blast watching this in the cinema and it lived up to my hype. I cannot wait until this movie is out on blu-ray and I can watch it again.

Midway gets a super high thumbs up from me

Saw V (2008) review

Saw V is regarded as the worst of the entire franchise, but I disagree with this belief...whilst not perfect, I consider Saw V to be a very underrated entry in the series...let's explore why.....shall we??


First major strength is the performance by Scott Patterson, the development with him in the film is great stuff...we start with him escaping a execution trap and a pay off to a very small scene from Saw IV featuring him flicking a pen.

This was a cool direction to go in, having a character who isn't so easy to get rid off and will stop at nothing to catch the Jigsaw Killer.

The cinematography in the film is incredible, I love how to the Head Cube trap is introduced. It starts with a small light box in the centre of the screen, then it zooms in on Strahm's head trapped...then it slowly pans out again, this time lights flash on revealing the small scale of the trap. It's great stuff.

I'm sad to admit that parts of this movie are a bit underwhelming, I believe this movie was affected by the writers strike as Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan wrote it within only a few weeks...however compared to that abysmal "Hellraiser: Revelations" they at least made a very watchable story in the short time.

Also watching behind the scenes for the traps, they mention "oh we had this in the mind for Saw IV" a lot.

You see, everything with Strahm going off the books to catch Hoffman and find out his involvement is great stuff, but the side story with the 5 people going through various rooms is an interesting idea but it save for the final one (seriously, one of the most brutal practical effects of the entire series) none of the traps are that interesting or engaging....I did crack up laughing when one character's final words were simply "wait!"

The version of the theme song in the movie entitled "Zepp Five" made my heart race the first time I heard it, easily my favourite version of the theme very closely followed by Zepp Eight.

In conclusion,

Saw V isn't really a movie you need my word on to decide if you want to see it...if you're a fan of the series...you've probably all ready seen it...if you like horror films with lots of blood n gore...you will probably seek it out.

If you're neither....well this won't convince you, however I do not feel Saw V deserves the hate it gets...cause despite some shortcomings...this movie did a lot of really awesome stuff.

Southern Comfort (1981) review

Southern Comfort is a criminally underrated gem of a film, it's a movie I really wish people talked about more.

Southern Comfort follows a squad of National Guardsmen as they head into the Louisiana Swamps for a weekend exercise, however stuff goes wrong when one of the Guardsmen decides to play a prank on the locals living there and soon sparks a war between the two sides.

Southern Comfort takes place in 1973 and is often viewed as an allegory for the Vietnam War, however director Walter Hill denies this connection and told the cast and crew "I don't want to hear anymore about it"

I really liked the way the characters were written, there is a lot of depth to them and you will be questioning their every move and motive. Some of them are flawed but still seem like decent guys whist others are total psychopaths and soon they start fighting amongst themselves and it's all very intense to watch. Especially when one of the other guys nearly gets a bunch of them killed....then stops talking to anyone, leaving the squad confused on how to deal with him.

The movie is stunning to look at, I watched it on a budget DVD but I can imagine the movie looks gorgeous on a Blu-Ray. The film crew went through hell to film this thing and they did it all on location in Caddo Lake, Louisiana,

Ry Cooder's soundtrack is also gorgeous, it's one of those soundtracks that I will just listen to randomly whenever I'm doing a task to relax...it's great stuff.

I've heard about an ANTI-US Iran version in which it's said they guys in the movies have committed crimes in the Vietnam War so they've been sent into the swamps with only blank rounds to fight some angry hostiles but they don't know it. Also the ending was altered slightly.....weird

Southern Comfort is an outstanding film, it has a great cast, beautiful cinematography, a compelling story and an amazing soundtrack. Go see it