Deepwater Horizon Review

4.0 Stars

In April of 2010, an offshore drilling rig named Deepwater Horizon exploded resulting in the worst oil spill in U. S. History.  If you've read my previous reviews about Eddie the Eagle, Steve Jobs, The Big Short and Spotlight, you know that it's easy to get caught up in the details of how much of the story based on actual events really happened and how much was embellished or altered to make a Hollywood movie.  Along the way, I have made a decision to do no research into the facts of the real-life story and just focus solely on the movie itself.  I mean, the movie makes no claims to be a historically accurate documentary, so I shouldn't hold it to those standards.  And this blog isn't about movies being historically accurate when they don't necessarily claim to be.  It's based on two factors: how accurately the movie is portrayed by its preview, and the likelihood of the movie making it to my home collection.  With that in mind, here's my review:

Mark Wahlberg plays Mike Williams who works on the drilling rig the Deepwater Horizon.  But that's the third thing we learn about Williams from the preview.  He's a husband and a father first.  He says goodbye to his family before being flown by helicopter with his crew to the rig.  All his daughter wants is a dinosaur fossil.  All his wife (Kate Hudson) wants is for him to return safely.  Once aboard the rig, an executive named Vidrine (John Malkovich) and others from British Petroleum are more than anxious to commence with drilling.  They skip a concrete test and excuse a failed system test.  They are already 43 days behind and over budget and will do whatever it takes to not fall further behind despite Mister Jimmy's (Kurt Russell) stern objections.  They should have listened to Mister Jimmy because everyone's worst nightmares explode into reality.

Deepwater Horizon marks the reunion of Director Peter Berg and Mark Wahlberg who collaborated on Lone Survivor three years ago.  It was nominated for Oscars for Sound Mixing and Sound Editing and won the Screen Actors Guild Award for best stunt team performance.  While Wahlberg has been nominated for his roles in The Fighter and The Departed, he's one of those reliable actors who makes smart choices.  If you've liked one thing Wahlberg has done, odds are, you'll like them all.  Most of them won't get nominated for awards, but they will all be entertaining.  Berg is in the same category.  He's directed some really good movies (Lone Survivor, Battleship, Hancock, The Kingdom), but none that would really break into a critic's top 50 list.  Like Wahlberg, if you enjoyed one of Berg's movies, odds are, you'll at least feel you got your money's worth with all of them. 

From the preview, I said that Deepwater Horizon looked action-packed and visually stunning, but that it also looked predictable with pieces of the rig falling apart or blowing up blocking every turn as Williams and the survivors try to find a way to escape.  I anticipated 3 Stars but I'm bumping that up to 4.0 Stars. It was exactly as the preview said it would be and it was absolutely predictable; however, even though you knew what was coming, it was so perfectly executed, it still shocked you.  From the beginning, there was no doubt about the fate of the rig as not-so-subtle clues were dropped along the way from his daughter's school presentation, to the tie of the executive, to the helicopter ride to the rig.  You knew it was going to happen, but when it did, it choked the breath right out of you and didn't give it back until the very end of the movie.  It is worth the money to watch in theatres.  Though I'm not sure I'll be owning Deepwater Horizon, I will be watching it again. So, what movie will be on my mind next?  We shall see.

Deepwater Horizon Preview

In April of 2010, an offshore drilling rig named Deepwater Horizon exploded resulting in the worst oil spill in U. S. History.  If you've read my previous reviews about Eddie the Eagle, Steve Jobs, The Big Short and Spotlight, you know that it's easy to get caught up in the details of how much of the story based on actual events really happened and how much was embellished or altered to make a Hollywood movie.  Along the way, I have made a decision to do no research into the facts of the real-life story and just focus solely on the movie itself.  I mean, the movie makes no claims to be a historically accurate documentary, so I shouldn't hold it to those standards.  And this blog isn't about being historically accurate.  It's based on two factors: how accurately the movie is portrayed by its preview, and the likelihood of the movie making it to my home collection.  With that in mind, let's get right to the preview.

Mark Wahlberg plays Mike Williams who works on the drilling rig the Deepwater Horizon.  But that's the third thing we learn about Williams from the preview.  He's a husband and a father first.  He says goodbye to his family before being flown by helicopter with his crew to the rig.  All his daughter wants is a dinosaur fossil.  All his wife (Kate Hudson) wants is for him to return safely.  Once aboard the rig, an executive named Vidrine (John Malkovich) explains the very simple job: keep all the parts working properly to maximize profit.  Apparently, someone didn't do their job because the rig is building pressure and leaking oil that causes the entire rig to explode.  As reports broadcast live images of the blazing rig to the world, Williams and the remaining survivors must find a way off the floating inferno.

Deepwater Horizon marks the reunion of Director Peter Berg and Mark Wahlberg who collaborated on Lone Survivor three years ago.  It was nominated for Oscars for Sound Mixing and Sound Editing and won the Screen Actors Guild Award for best stunt team performance.  While Wahlberg has been nominated for his roles in The Fighter and The Departed, he's one of those reliable actors who makes smart choices.  If you've liked one thing Wahlberg has done, odds are, you'll like them all.  Most of them won't get nominated for awards, but they will all be entertaining.  Berg is in the same category.  He's directed some really good movies (Lone Survivor, Battleship, Hancock, The Kingdom), but none that would really break into a critic's top 50 list.  Like Wahlberg, if you enjoyed one of Berg's movies, odds are, you'll at least feel you got your money's worth with all of them.  And, though it might not be a homerun for either of them, to keep in baseball terms, they'll take the pitcher deep and get extra bases out of their effort.

While Deepwater Horizon looks action-packed and visually stunning, it also looks predictable with pieces of the rig falling apart or blowing up blocking every turn as Williams and the survivors try to find a way to escape.  I'm anticipating 3 stars.  It will be worth the money to watch, I'll probably catch it again once it comes to cable, but it won't be one that finds a place in my home collection.  Am I right?  We shall see.

The Jungle Book Review

4.5 Stars

In 1937, Walt Disney released the first ever full-length animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.  He followed it up with Pinocchio and just kept going with classics like Dumbo, Bambi, Cinderella, Alice In Wonderland and Peter Pan.  He broke the mold again in 1964 when he combined animated characters with live action in Mary Poppins.  In 1967, Disney released their 19th animated feature film, The Jungle Book based on the novel by Rudyard Kipling. 

In 2010, Disney teamed up with director Tim Burton to bring their animated classic Alice in Wonderland to life with Johnny Depp as the classic Mad Hatter.  In 2014, Maleficent was released as the live action version of Sleeping Beauty starring Angelina Jolie.  In 2015, the live action version of Cinderella hit theatres.  This year, we were blessed with two releases in this new tradition: Pete's Dragon and The Jungle Book.  Next year, Beauty and the Beast will be released.  Looking at Disney's page of future releases, this is just the beginning.

The Jungle Book is the story of Mowgli, a boy raised by wolves in the jungle.  He is forced to leave his home when threatened by the Tiger Shere Kahn.  He embarks on a journey of self-discovery with the help of his protector the Panther Bagheera and his new friend the Bear Baloo.  

The preview looked breath-taking.  The animation, the action and the scenery looked all unbelievably believable, and the movie delivered in a big way.  Newcomer Neel Sethi plays Mowgli, but he's surrounded by an all-star cast.  He's in the capable hands of Director Jon Favreau and has Bill Murray (Baloo), Ben Kingsley (Bagheera), Idris Elba (Shere Kahn), Scarlett Johansson (Kaa), and Christopher Walken (King Louie) to keep him company.  Watching The Jungle Book, I started in awe wondering how much of the set and how many of the animals were real and how much of all of this incredible film was created digitally.  Eventually, I stopped asking and just enjoyed the journey thoroughly.  I watched the 30 minute Blu Ray extra documentary about the making of the film and was surprised to find that very little of the set was real, mostly performed on blue screens, and none of the animals were real.  All of it was flawlessly created by a computer and the geniuses at Disney.  

Coming up, the live action version of Beauty and the Beast will star Emma Watson.  Disney also plans to remake Pinocchio, Peter Pan, The Little Mermaid and Dumbo.  Dumbo is always one that tore at my heart and made my eyes well up.  This one is going to be directed by Tim Burton and I cannot wait to see what they can create.

I predicted 4.5 stars for this live action re-imagination of the Disney classic and it did not disappoint in the slightest.  The Jungle Book was nearly perfect and is destined to find a home in my personal collection. So, what movie will be on my mind next?  We shall see.

The Jungle Book Preview

In 1937, Walt Disney released the first ever full-length animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.  He followed it up with Pinocchio and just kept going with classics like Dumbo, Bambi, Cinderella, Alice In Wonderland and Peter Pan.  He broke the mold again in 1964 when he combined animated characters with live action in Mary Poppins.  In 1967, Disney released their 19th animated feature film, The Jungle Book based on the novel by Rudyard Kipling. 

In 2010, Disney teamed up with director Tim Burton to bring their animated classic Alice in Wonderland to life with Johnny Depp as the classic Mad Hatter.  In 2014, Maleficent was released as the live action version of Sleeping Beauty starring Angelina Jolie.  In 2015, the live action version of Cinderella hit theatres.  This year, we were blessed with two releases in this new tradition: Pete's Dragon and The Jungle Book.  Next year, Beauty and the Beast will be released.  Looking at Disney's page of future releases, this is just the beginning.

The Jungle Book is the story of Mowgli, a boy raised by wolves in the jungle.  He is forced to leave his home when threatened by the Tiger Shere Kahn.  He embarks on a journey of self-discovery with the help of his protector the Panther Bagheera and his new friend the Bear Baloo.  

The preview looks breath-taking.  The animation, the action and the scenery are all unbelievably believable.  Newcomer Neel Sethi plays Mowgli, but he's surrounded by an all-star cast.  He's in the capable hands of Director Jon Favreau and has Bill Murray (Baloo), Ben Kingsley (Bagheera), Idris Elba (Shere Kahn), Scarlett Johansson (Kaa), and Christopher Walken (King Louie) to keep him company.  I'm predicting 4.5 stars for this live action re-imagination of the Disney classic.  Nearly perfect and destined to find a home in my personal collection.  Am I right?  We shall see.

Money Monster Review

3.0 Stars

 

Money Monster stars George Clooney as Lee Gates, an entertaining, over-the-top financial advisor on television, not unlike Jim Cramer on his show Mad Money.  While it looks like the movie and the character drew a lot of inspiration from Cramer's Money show, the Monster movie takes a terrifying twist that Cramer hopes he'll never have to face.  During a live broadcast, amateur investor Kyle Budwell (Jack O'Connell) takes over the set holding Gates hostage with a gun.  Per standard protocol, the feed is cut by Director Patty Fenn (Julia Roberts).  Once Budwell threatens Gates, Fenn restores the broadcast for the world to see.  Budwell lost everything following the advice of Gates, but he believes the conspiracy to rob Americans of their money runs deeper and higher than Gates' TV show.  

Money Monster reunites Clooney and Roberts for their fourth collaboration.  They first appeared together in Oceans Eleven in 2001 and were together immediately in 2002 with Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.  Though they were back in Oceans Twelve in 2004, Roberts did not return in 2007 for Oceans Thirteen, so it's been twelve years since the two have been on screen together.  O'Connell joins them for this conspiracy theory financial thriller.  O'Connell recently played the lead in Unbroken in 2014 and was brilliant in his performance, so we don't have to worry about him holding his own with the Clooney Roberts powerhouses.

The preview looked entertaining, thoughtful, provocative and infuriating in a time when we are consistently hearing about the erosion of the middle class while the wealthiest get even wealthier and the middle class that used to be is kicked down closer to poverty level.  Budwell wanted to invest and make a better life for himself and his pregnant girlfriend but loses the $60,000 he got after his mother's death on a single stock and demands to find out why.  One of the questions I asked during the preview was, will anyone be held accountable for falsifying the financial information and making out like bandits because of it?  Well, don't hold your breath.

 

The problem with Money Monster is that there are really no good "innocent" guys.  Gates is the host of a financial advice television show, he's wealthy and successful, but his most meaningful relationships are with money, not people.  Budwell wasn't smart to dump his entire $60,000 inheritance into one stock.  While he was right about something wrong going on, he held a man and crew hostage at gunpoint to uncover the truth.  The CEO of the company that lost $800 million overnight was shady and lied to his coworkers and the public.  So, if you're looking for the good guy to win and the bad guy to get what's coming to him, again, don't hold your breath.  

 

That being said, it was entertaining.  I didn't find it as infuriating as I thought it would be, but I enjoyed it.  I predicted 3 stars and that's exactly what it delivered.  It was worth the money either in the theatre or to rent, and it's one of those that I might watch again on cable, but not go out of my way to see again, nor make it part of my personal collection.  So, what movie will be on my mind next?  We shall see.

Money Monster Preview

Money Monster stars George Clooney as Lee Gates, an entertaining, over-the-top financial advisor on television, not unlike Jim Cramer on his show Mad Money.  While it looks like the movie and the character drew a lot of inspiration from Cramer's Money show, the Monster movie takes a terrifying twist that Cramer hopes he'll never have to face.  During a live broadcast, amateur investor Kyle Budwell (Jack O'Connell) takes over the set holding Gates hostage with a gun.  Per standard protocol, the feed is cut by Producer Patty Fenn (Julia Roberts).  Once Budwell threatens Gates, Fenn restores the broadcast for the world to see.  Budwell lost everything following the advice of Gates, but he believes the conspiracy to rob Americans of their money runs deeper and higher than Gates' TV show.  

Money Monster reunites Clooney and Roberts for their fourth collaboration.  They first appeared together in Oceans Eleven in 2001 and were together immediately in 2002 with Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.  Though they were back in Oceans Twelve in 2004, Roberts did not return in 2007 for Oceans Thirteen, so it's been twelve years since the two have been on screen together.  O'Connell joins them for this conspiracy theory financial thriller.  O'Connell recently played the lead in Unbroken in 2014 and was brilliant in his performance, so we don't have to worry about him holding his own with the Clooney Roberts powerhouses.

The preview looks entertaining, thoughtful, provocative and infuriating in a time when we are consistently hearing about the erosion of the middle class while the wealthiest get even wealthier and the middle class that used to be is kicked down closer to poverty level.  But this isn't even about Budwell wanting to be a wealthy man, he just wanted to invest and make a better life for himself and his pregnant girlfriend.  He loses $60,000, his entire life savings, on a single stock and demands to find out why.  Everyone is shocked to see just how far the lies go up the ladder.  One of the questions one asks themselves during the preview is, will anyone be held accountable for falsifying the financial information and making out like bandits because of it?  Knowing how justice for the wealthy usually works here, one would logically conclude that no one will be held accountable.  But, this is a Hollywood film and they aren't bound by how events would actually unfold, so maybe this is a chance for us and Budwell to some long overdue justice.

I'm predicting 3 stars.  While it looks entertaining and I think Money Monster will be worth the money either in the theatre or to rent, it looks like one of those that I might watch again on cable, but not go out of my way to see again, nor make it part of my personal collection.  Am I right?  We shall see.

The Crazies Review

2.5 Stars

The Crazies stars Timothy Olyphant as small town sheriff David Dutton.  Residents of Ogden Marsh, Iowa are starting to act, well, crazy.  Some tainted water has infected them, turning them into violent empty shells of their former selves.  On the surface, they aren't identifiable like zombies or the undead.  But they appear to be uncontrollably prone to extreme violence.  It's up to Sheriff Dutton, his wife, and the uninfected to figure out who has been turned by the water, how to stop them, and how to stop more from turning in this horrific tale.

The preview made me think The Crazies had potential to be a really good scary movie, something not many successfully achieve.  I don't particularly think horror movies are that scary and I'm usually more curious about how certain special effects are done than scared by the end result.  Horror and thriller movies that leave more to the imagination are much more entertaining to me.  1408 with John Cusack, Seven with Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman, The Skeleton Key with Kate Hudson, The Strangers with Liv Tyler, 10 Cloverfield Lane with John Goodman, those are the kinds of movies that get me going and this looked like it could be one of the good ones.

The Crazies doesn't waste any time getting the action going.  Within the first ten minutes, we witness three occurrences.  In the next ten minutes, we learn why.  Five minutes later, the movie grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go for the next hour with non-stop action, terror and gore.  It's a little difficult to tell the difference who the "crazies" actually are once the government steps in to control what's happening in Ogden Marsh.  The "crazies" are not like zombies, but they are definitely not all there.  And the government agents act with the best interests of the town as their last priority as they contain and cover up what has happened.  Without giving away the ending, you are made aware that another Crazies is coming.

I initially predicted a 3.5 stars but knocked it down to 2.5 stars. The Crazies was entertaining, but it was a one-time deal that I probably won't watch again and won't own.  Olyphant is perfect as the small town sherriff, but unlike the other thriller movies I mentioned above, The Crazies was a little too over-the-top for me with not enough subtlety to truly make it scary.  But, if you haven't seen it, it's worth a rental.  So, what movie will be on my mind next?  We shall see.

The Crazies Preview

The Crazies stars Timothy Olyphant as small town sheriff David Dutton.  Residents of Ogden Marsh, Iowa are starting to act, well, crazy.  Some tainted water has infected them, turning them into violent empty shells of their former selves.  On the surface, they aren't identifiable like zombies or the undead.  But they appear to be uncontrollably prone to extreme violence.  It's up to Sheriff Dutton, his wife, and the uninfected to figure out who has been turned by the water, how to stop them, and how to stop more from turning in this horrific tale.

The preview makes me think The Crazies has potential to be a really good scary movie, something not many successfully achieve.  I don't particularly think horror movies are that scary and I'm usually more curious about how certain special effects are done than scared by the end result.  Horror and thriller movies that leave more to the imagination are much more entertaining to me.  1408 with John Cusack, Seven with Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman, The Skeleton Key with Kate Hudson, The Strangers with Liv Tyler, 10 Cloverfield Lane with John Goodman, those are the kinds of movies that get me going and this looks like it could be one of the good ones.

I'm initially inclined to give a 3 star rating meaning I'll enjoy it, it will be worth the money, might not make it to my home collection, but I'd watch again.  I'm going to give it a slight bump for two reasons: first, it was recommended to me by my friend Jeff and second, it stars Timothy Olyphant and I've loved him in Justified, Live Free or Die Hard, and Deadwood, so I'm excited to see him in this role.  I did find it interested to learn that Olyphant originally started with stand-up comedy in Boston and New York as comedians like Dave Attell, Louis CK, Sarah Silverman, Jay Mohr and Dave Chapelle were getting their starts.  While I can't see Olyphant performing stand up, I do see him being quite believable as the small town sheriff in The Crazies, so I'm going to give this a 3.5 Star prediction.  Am I right? We shall see.