American Hustle (2013)

Genre : Drama/Crime
Country : USA

Cast :
Christian Bale : Irving Rosenfeld
Bradley Cooper : Richie DiMaso
Amy Adams : Sydney Prosser
Jennifer Lawrence : Rosalyn Rosenfeld

Director :
David O. Russell

Summary
Irving Rosenfeld is a brilliant con man, who along with his equally cunning and seductive British partner Sydney Prosser is forced to work for a wild FBI agent Richie DiMaso. DiMaso pushes them into a world of Jersey powerbrokers and mafia that's as dangerous as it is enchanting. Carmine Polito, the passionate, volatile, New Jersey political operator gets caught between the con-artists and the Feds. Irving's unpredictable wife Rosalyn could be the one to pull the thread that brings the entire world crashing down.

My opinion 

If I really wanted to fucking bother you, this is what I would do.

And he kept his word, because practically everything about this movie bothered me. Normally I write a comprehensive review regardless whether the film felt positive or negative to me.But with this movie I felt nothing and I didn't feel the need to do that effort. Christian Bale looked fat (literally and that's admirable). Cooper played a nerve wrecked, probably coke-snorting CIA agent who started to get on my nerves almost immediately. Amy Adams is still a delightful creature with a divine body. Almost the entire movie, she walks around with a decollete down to her belly. No chance that something would be revealed, since her upper body is almost as flat as a pancake. Jennifer Lawrence still has a pretty face. And that's it. Renner had a terrible haircut. And De Niro you'll see in a flash an disappears so quickly that you even begin to doubt whether he has starred in this movie. The only positive contribution was the fake Arab they had fetched. Extremely funny and cool-headed .For the rest it's just an utter boring, chaotic and confusing story. Twice I threatened to fall asleep. A lot of fuss about nothing and to me a complete waste of bandwidth and time .

My rating 1,5 /10
Links : IMDB

12 Years a Slave (2013)

Genre : Drama
Country : USA/UK

Cast :
Chiwetel Ejiofor : Solomon Northup
Michael Fassbender : Edwin Epps
Lupita Nyong'o : Patsey

Director :
Steve McQueen

Summary
"12 Years a Slave" is based on the incredible true story of a man who tried to survive and fought for his freedom. Solomon Northup, a free man living in the state of New York, is kidnapped and sold into slavery. He has witnessed cruelty and unexpected kindness. Solomon fights not only to stay alive, but also to preserve his dignity. No one listens to Solomon when he claims to be a free man. While he's undergoing the atrocities as a slave to undergo, he dreams of returning home.

My opinion 

My sentimentality stretches the length of a coin.

"12 Years a Slave" is an impressive adaptation of the diary of Solomon Northup, a free man who lived in Washington with his family in 1840. He's approached by two businessmen who offer him a lucrative job in a circus as a musician. Solomon is drugged and abducted to the Southern states of America to be sold there as a slave. What follows is a gripping and horrific tale of a man who tries to survive in inhuman conditions and suffers under the authority of the white plantation owners who rule with a severe hand and who judge over the fate of these Afro-Americans.

At times it's painful and unbearable to watch certain images. The helplessness on the faces and the hopeless situation of these people was distressing to see. The moment they arrive in New Orleans there is that momentary image of chained blacks with amputated hands and an apathetic resigned expression on their face. These Afro-Americans were seen purely as goods : assessed as an ordinary horse and if they no longer meet the requirements, they were simply removed. The whole movie is a picture of humiliation, abuse and torture. The feeling of disgust was never far away.

The settings and decoration of the entire film was stunning. The whole movie breathed the spirit of that time, both in Washington and in the southern states. Washington looked like a prosperous sophisticated city. The southern part looked sultry and dusty. You could feel the oppressive heat blasting of the screen and you could almost smell the sweat (by fear and efforts). Beautiful outdoor shots and impressions alternated with shabby huts and decay .

An impressive cast has also been incorporated. I must admit that I had never heard of Chiwetel Ejiofor . Till now he had the status of "that-guy-who-also-plays-in-that-movie". That will change now I guess and his (difficult) name will now sound more familiar. However, he also starred in " Salt " and "American Gangster" to my surprise. In this movie he plays the role of his life and it's well worth an Oscar nomination. It's sublime to see how he brings the metamorphosis of an articulate and accepted person into a humiliated and silence imposed slave. A variety of facial expressions pass by: enjoying first, then desperate, humiliated and submissive, anger and resentment, sense of justice and compassionate, and then relieved and remorseful. The whole pallet he apparently plays effortlessly. Michael Fassbender is far better in this movie as the cruel, despotic and demonic Edwynn Epps, than when he played the counselor in "The counselor". At this time he is number one on my list of most sadistic and disgusting movie characters. A figure who adores his dominance, uses a young girl for his personal enjoyment to the annoyance of his wife and apparently has a drinking problem causing unpredictable and dangerous mood swings .The unknown Lupita Nyong'o can look back on a matchless performance and is clearly launched in Holywood land . What a wonderful achievement!

Cumberbatch his contribution was unfortunately limited. At times the figure Ford came across as an affable man who could muster some compassion. But ultimately they were for him purely an investment, not more than that. The moment Solomon arrives at Ford's estate together with a bereaved mother, who was painfully separated from her children, Ford's wife showed a perfect display of the attitude in those parts at that time. First she is compassionate and concerned. Subsequently she advices a necessary hearty meal for the woman and says that she'll forget about her children after a few days. This sad woman is also removed afterwards because she'd likely affect morale. There are also short performances (but not the least) by Paul Giamatti as the shrewd slave trader , Paul Dano as the cruel Tibeats (recently he played a brilliant part in "Prisoners") , Sarah Paulson as the wife of Epps (Mary Lee in "Mud") and Brad Pitt. The latter had a substantive and crucial role in this movie. He's finally the one who ultimately gave Solomon his freedom back. Whether Pitt had to play it or not is another question. It could have been anyone else in my opinion, but his name will probably ensure extra attention, I suppose.

So it's a compelling and poignant movie about one of the blackest pages in American history. The strongest point was the lengthy scene where Solomon dangles on a string and in the background everyone slowly goes back to what he or she was doing, as if  nothing is happening. The fact that other slaves aren't conversing that much, makes complete sense. The lesson was to say as little as possible, let alone that it would come out that you can read and write. As someone also warned "Unless you want to be a dead nigger.".

And yet this film is not one that stands above everything else. Notwithstanding that this period may never be forgotten, at the end I had a " Here we go again " feeling. It's not that long ago we saw " Django Unchained " , "The Butler " and "Lincoln". Plus the fact that there were television series shown in the past like "Roots" and "North and South". I hope that we can let this topic rest for a while now. I also found it strange that although Solomon demonstrates intelligence and seems to be a wise and eloquent man, apparently it wasn't a reason to start worrying. If I were a landowner I would get rid of him as soon as  possible. Also the fact that despite the trials Solomon stayed calm at all times (until the reunion with his family), seemed a little excessive to me . And in addition, the film title itself tells the complete story. You can't be surprised anymore or enjoy some ingenious found twist.

A film that continues to resonate, a magnificent achievement in acting and for me an Oscar for Chiwetel Ejiofor . However, the movie itself is yet another one in a long row of the same.

My rating 8 /10
Links : IMDB

Devil (2010)

Genre : Horror
Country:Canada/USA

Cast :
Chris Messina : Detective Bowden
Geoffrey Arend : Verkoper
Logan Marshall-Green : Mekanieker

Director :
John Erick Dowdle

Summary
Bowden, a police detective who is dealing with his drinking problem, investigates a strange suicide, when he's suddenly called for a seemingly innocuous event. Five people are stuck in the elevator of a huge skyscraper. But after a while some extraordinary things begin to happen and the people in the elevator inexplicably die one by one.

My opinion
 
If the Devil is real, then God must be real, too.

Sometimes you come across a movie that isn't that much of a deal, but still manages to captivate in some way. "Devil" is such a movie. A parable-like movie about the evil in mankind, and the fact that Evil sometimes manifests itself among us.

The complete movie is almost entirely set in an elevator that gets stuck with five people inside it. As the film progresses you learn that each of them isn't such an innocent soul and has something to answer for. While they are stuck there, after a while, it's clear that the devil is among them and starts a drop out race where one after the other is killed. Meanwhile Detective Bowden arrived to investigate a mysterious suicide and thus becomes involved in this sinister cat and mouse game. 

The fact that it's all happening on a few square meters, and every time somebody is about to become a victim this occurs in total darkness with only some noises in the background, makes sure that it wasn't an exciting or scary movie. You can imagine what's happening but the actual slaughter you won't see at all. Only the result. Bowden, who is fighting an alcohol addiction after he lost his family a few months earlier, witnesses a situation with an ordinary stuck elevator escalating into a seemingly clever set up murder plan. Because of a religious Mexican he starts to realize that it could well be something supernatural.

The one who excels the most in this movie is of course Chris Messina who plays a tormented personality in a beautiful way. You see him slowly grow as the film nears the end. The rest simply acts mediocre to extremely poor. The only one I would give some credit is Bokeem Woodbine who plays a neurotic guard who suffers from claustrophobia in a rather good way. Ultimately, it's still a surprising end and the moral of the story is that a person who shows repentance still can be saved.

A short and enjoyable movie that doesn't leave a lasting impression.

My rating 5 /10
Links : IMDB

The Art of the Steal (2013)

Genre : Comedy/Crime
Country :Canada/USA

Cast :
Kurt Russell : Crunch Calhoun
Matt Dillon : Nicky Calhoun
Terence Stamp : Samuel Winter

Director :
Jonathan Sobol

Summary
Crunch Calhoun is a daredevil on a motorcycle and a part-time art thief. He even agrees to do a final job with his brother Nicky. He manages to get his old team back together to steal an invaluable historical book. However Nicky comes up with a much more risky plan. The two brothers don't realize that they each have a hidden agenda. 

My opinion 

Ocean's Eleven meets Trance

You have to admit that the subject isn't very original, and there are several films made about this theme. It is in the line of "The Italian Job" and "Matchstick Men". Again a con man scammed by a fellow con man. But I have to say that it's a damn relaxing film, with a not unpleasant, cunningly made up plan (even if you realize after a while that it will come down to that), and sometimes not unkind funny conversations and situations.

Technically the movie also looks absolutely beautiful. It reminds you of the '70s sometimes. The only thing that began to disturb after a while, is that they used the same style over and over again to introduce new characters. Kurt Russell and Matt Dillon interpret the two brothers Crunch and Nicky Calhoun who aren't exactly best buddies, as Nicky has ensured that Crunch ended up in a Polish prison. That Polish part didn't quite resemble reality, as I read in some responses on IMDb. It looks bleak, however, and not particularly pleasant to stay there. You'd be pissed off for less. Russell does not bad, although I will always see him as "Snake Plissken" from "Escape from New York" from 1981. Dillon plays on auto-pilot and has never been able to score higher since "The Outsiders" in 1983.

The most notable roles were played by Jay Baruchel as Francie and Kenneth Welsh as Uncle Paddy. Baruchel sometimes uses hilariously dry humor. Welsh played a sophisticated gentleman with brainy intellectual humor. Nevertheless, he was sometimes funny. The weakest part he had to act was the moment he had to seduce the expert (A former lover who he cheated on with her sister) again, who must approve the antique book. This was so melodramatic and exaggerated. For the rest, there were still several fragments that will put a smile on your face. Such as a former fellow member of Nicky who came to claim his reward with an eye-patch and threatened Crunch with an antique pistol. You'll be facing a tsunami of wordplay's. It was chuckle time.

Conclusion: a typical story that's easy to swallow, with some humor and a twist that you saw from afar arrive, but was pretty smart put together. An excellent movie for a regular Friday night ...

My rating 6 /10
Links : IMDB

The Last Days on Mars (2013)

Genre : SF
Country :USA

Cast :
Liev Schreiber : Vincent Campbel
Elias Koteas : Charles Brunel
Romola Garai : Rebecca Lane

Director :
Ruairi Robinson

Summary
On the last day of a mission to Mars, a crewmember thinks he has discovered something special namely bacterial life. Slowly they realize that the discovered life form is still alive and also dangerous.

My opinion

There are footprints here. There’s two pairs.

Without any prior knowledge I started watching this flick. It'll be definitely on Mars and it's about the last days there (in the end it's only about one day). To be honest it looked very promising at the start. The views of the Martian landscape, the desert-like environment and the upcoming sandstorm were stunning to look at. The simple looking electric vehicles were realistic enough and when the characters were presented there was without a doubt personal tensions between them. The only thing you don't know is what was going to happen. The first thing that's clear is the fact that this is the last day that this crew will spend on Mars before they are relieved by the next team. Is there a climatic disaster to come or are they going to be overpowered by Martians? 

As I said earlier, the visual looks are neat. Both the base station and the outdoor locations. I only found the steel doors inside the station rather look like those of a submarine. Unfortunately, the whole team consists again out of recurring archetypes. A commander who lacks command in a certain field, a psychiatrist who eventually turns out to be a coward and a scared nitwit, a female scientist who really is a bitch and takes no prisoners when it comes to achieving personal success, a technician who actually plays a brief role and ultimately only serves as a victim. And then obviously there is the protagonist Vincent, who suffers a trauma and who has a good relationship with Rebecca, another female team member. Of course, these two will stay together until the bitter end. And the end really tastes a bit bitter.

Liev Schreiber takes the lead on his shoulders and starts playing it with the necessary competence. The last time I saw him was in "Salt". And just as in the latter movie, he has an almost numb expression on his face throughout the complete movie. Except the times when he has those flashbacks. The ultimate explanation and cause of these flashbacks is given nowhere. Romola Galai plays the role of Rebecca, the female team-member who gets along just fine with Vincent. It's not an overwhelming performance but still excellent. For me Olivia Williams, playing Kim, was the most outstanding actress. Those few times she was in the picture, she really was a tough lady and an unpleasant person. A real "bitch".

Unfortunately, eventually it turns out to be a kind of "World War Z" on Mars on a miniscule scale. There were after all not many people on the planet who could mutate into a zombie-like Martian creature that's looking for fluid. The discovery of a biological life form on this planet is the cause of this fact. The only thing you can do from then on is to start a guessing game : who's turn is it next and who'll be the only survivor. And that's not so hard to guess!

The only positive about this movie is the fact it only takes about 100 minutes and therefore feels like a juicy hamburger from the McDonalds: baked quickly, quickly picked up and fast digested. And an hour later you've already forgotten that you've eaten. So it's a movie as a snack.
The most impressive moment in the whole movie is when Vincent smashes the psychiatrists face with his space helmet after a few well-aimed headers. The blood drops which he removes with his hand, while floating around is superbly filmed.

PS. If you compare the budget ($ 7 Mil) with that of "Gravity" ($ 100 Mil) I surely admire the creditable attempt. "Gravity" off course has two top actors (and I mean that because they probably absorb a large part of the budget) and baffling graphic effects. But the story about "Gravity" is as simple and meaningless as this one.

My rating 4 /10
Links : IMDB

Battleship (2012)

Genre : SF/Action
Land :USA

Cast :
Liam Neeson : Admiraal Shane
Alexander Skarsgård : Stone Hopper
Taylor Kitsch : Alex Hopper

Director :
Peter Berg

Summary
In Battleship, we see how the fleet of the Navy has to compete against aliens who set foot on earth. Trapped in an alien force field of more than 480 kilometers, five ships and five alien ships have to battle each other without any form of communication.

My opinion

Let's drop some lead on those motherf...

I really didn't have high expectations when I started watching "Battleship", and yet I had a great time with this action packed SF. Ultimately, this movie shows what they initially made it ​​for: awful lot of action and stupid violence, heroism of the highest order and sometimes some humor. Despite the length of the movie , I didn't get bored and it wasn't as usual a battle against sleep. Granted, you should not expect too much of the storyline or look for any depth in the story. The story on its own isn't logical either. But that can't spoil the fun, and you can expect some blasting action scenes.

About the performances we can be brief : there weren't any because that was totally unnecessary and there was no need to bring up profound characters . It was a hodgepodge of cliché personalities as we have seen already in multiple movies. First you have the Hopper brothers. Stone is the caring and perfect soldier ( Alexander Skarsgard ) who has a neatly controlled life and knows his responsibilities and tries to explain that to the rebellious profligate brother Alex ( Taylor Kitch ). When they are celebrating Alex his birthday in a dark bar, purely by coincidence the Admiral his daughter Sam ( Brooklyn Decker ) walks in there for a "Chicken Buritto". Her well formed shapes make Alex his hormones go totally flabbergasted. The result is a ridiculous intrusion as we have already seen a lot on You Tube . Before you know it , he is also in the navy and promoted at a very short notice to Lieutenant.

The Admiral himself is played by Liam Neeson. He's just for a little time in the picture and probably has accepted this role for filling up a hole in his busy schedule. Rihanna played a female macho. To be honest, I didn't recognize her at all, and oddly enough she didn't bother me. A starring role for me was the interpretation by Gregory D. Dadson of the veteran Canales,  because it was so spontaneous and eventually was the funniest part. The moment when the alien stared at his two prosthetics was priceless. Most useless (but necessary) contribution was the gang of "Benidorm Bastards" that eventually took care of things.

About the images I was pretty satisfied. It had a "Pacific Rim" feeling. The special effects were sometimes hugely impressive. The alien spacecrafts were realistic and looked ominously threatening. Huge monstrous vehicles which moved with tremendous force on the ocean. The look of the naval fleet was sometimes really amateurish. The naval battles gave me a "Pearl Harbour" feeling. Only the latter movie was better in terms of effects. The moment the destroyer started to sink and Alex and the Japanese captain Nagata stood at the stern, the comparison with "Titanic" wasn't far off. Sometimes the shots seemed to be made ​​in a bathtub with Dinkey Toys toys. The aliens did their best to act aggressively. But it was nevertheless quite ridiculously when they were confronted with a human and turned into a friendly E.T.

The reason why those aliens came to earth is not entirely clear. To me it seemed like it was for them to test whether they could set up a communication line with their home planet. And every time I wonder why humanity always seeks contact with a life form that is light years from here. If they are out there, you can nevertheless assume that if this race can come over here, they have outclassed our technology in all areas. Well it's nice that Cal Zapata reminds us twice that when an alien race reacts to the signal and makes contact, this would be like when Columbus discovered the Indians. Except that we are now the Indians.
Oh well, the final result was something like "Top Gun". Again a demonstration of the American superiority in the Military field. And then we also get to see some retired sailors who manage to get a museum piece to work again. And luckily there's even ammunition on board to use. These triggerfinger-grandfathers shoot those aliens back into space so there is a peaceful ending and Alex can ask the Admiral for permission to marry his daughter. That this was going to happen was obvious. But it was still enjoyable to watch this entertaining spectacle (with an empty head). Sometimes it's just that plain simple.

My rating 5 /10
Links : IMDB

The Counselor (2013)

Genre : Crime/Drama
Country :USA

Cast :
Michael Fassbender : Counselor
Brad Pitt : Westray
Cameron Diaz : Malkina

Director :
Ridley Scott

Summary
A rich and successful lawyer, the Counselor, is about to get married to his fiance but soon becomes entangled in a complex drug plot with a middle-man known as Westray. The plan ends up taking a horrible twist and he must protect himself and his soon to be bride as the truth of the drug business is uncovered and targets are eliminated.

My opinion

A man would give entire nations to lift grief off his heart and yet, you cannot buy anything with grief, because grief is worthless.

This is a difficult movie to rate. I have mixed feelings about it. The first part is terribly tedious and boring. A series of hugely pretentious dialogues and incomprehensible philosophical reasoning. It is a montage of various fragmentary issues that make it difficult to sense the vibe of the movie and to understand what it's about. Also there are subjects used that were completely beside the point in my eyes (the erotic beginning for starters). Also the total absence of any explanation of how they ended up in this situation, makes it uneasy to follow the storyline. 

Ridley Scott, of course known for his masterpieces "Blade Runner" and "Alien",didn't succeed in keeping up the momentum. You first need to endure a full hour to finally realize what the contents of the movie is and after that you can enjoy a rough settlement by the drug cartel. And that's the double feeling about this film. The first part gets a unsatisfactory grade. The second part is the counterbalance.

In terms of characters Brad Pitt tops them all. A savvy person with a reserved and confident attitude that apparently has everything well organized. When something starts to go wrong, he can disappear instantly and retire for the rest of his life. His white suit and Stetson on his long hair gives him a dignified appearance and a rebellious appearance at the same time. Michael Fassbender as "The Counselor" was convincing as a lawyer , but what the hell is he doing among those criminals ? He looks like a choirboy who will start to cry when slapped in his face. This is also something that is not really clear . How did he end up with the drug lord Reiner ? Is he also a kind of counselor as Tom Hagan in "The Godfather" ? I don't think so. He would earn enough money and wouldn't be involved in the drug deal that ultimately will bring him down. Money problems perhaps ? I don't think so either since he can travel all the way to Amsterdam to choose a diamond.

Javier Bardem was also brilliant as the eccentric Reiner. He looked just like a tanned Tom Jones. Cruz played only a minor role and she was just a religious prude naive woman who was constantly upset by the others. The only one I hated instantly, was Cameron Diaz. She is as hot as a typical non-functional oven and she's clearly getting older resulting in slight hanging skin at some places. Besides the fact that she plays a dual role in a sly way, she tries to shock sexually, with as highlight the sticky wet routine on the windshield of Reiner's car.
 

The story on its own is dead simple and it doesn't need 2 hours to be told. It took so miserable long because of the dialogues as mentioned earlier . It was terribly annoying after a while . Even with subtitles in English , it didn't make any sense to me sometimes. Everybody seemed like having an  academically degree in languages. It seemed as if they had to transform every dialogue into an anthology of an intellectual high level with a lot of difficult words. Even the drug baron Reiner and someone from the drug cartel used those intricate descriptions. They sound so philosophical that I doubt they could understand themselves. A fragment of the Dutch diamond expert sounds as follows : "To partake of the stone's endless destiny, is that not the meaning of adornment? To enhance the beauty of the beloved is to acknowledge both her frailty and the nobility of that frailty. At our noblest, we announce to the darkness that we will not be diminished by the brevity of our lives.". Even after reading it three times  again, i still can't understand the deeper meaning .

The most impressive scene was the liquidation of Brad Pitt. It was filmed fairly explicit and gruesome. The best dialogue was between Pitt and Fassbender about Snuff movies. The funniest thing was the fact that they twice used a joke that's often told here amongst friends. The one the motorcyclist told about the dog food. The second about the Pope in Mexico. Funny to experience that.
Final conclusion: an intricate dead boring first hour as a precursor to a quite impressive offensive end. Ultimately, on average, it is still not sufficient.

My rating 4 /10
Links : IMDB