Man Down Review

4.0 Stars  

 

Man Down is the story of U.S. Marine Gabriel Drummer (Shia LaBeouf) who fought for his country in Afghanistan only to return home to an America very different than the one he left, a post-apocalyptic hell that is no better than the war zone he just left.  Accompanied by his best friend, Drummer goes on the hunt for his missing wife Natalie (Kate Mara) and their son.

Man Down marks the return to the mainstream big screen movies for LaBeouf who has been somewhat absent since his last appearance in Transformers: Dark of the Moon in 2011.  He's done a few independent films and had some questioning his sanity at times.  I've always been a fan of his comedy style in the Transformers movies, but hearing about him playing a post-war vet in a serious drama had me concerned.  And then I saw the preview.

The preview shows a Marine raid on a house in Afghanistan.  Drummer gives the "all clear" meaning there is no threat in the house.  As the other Marines in his unit (including his best friend) walk in, a gun protrudes from a blanket on the floor and shots ring out at the unsuspecting Marines.  Drummer survived.  The preview shows Dummer talking to military counselor Peyton (Gary Oldman).  

Not only does LaBeouf pull off this dramatic role, but he is quite convincing and has been hailed by Variety who said, "Labeouf achieves that authentic, hurts-to-watch approach seldom seen since the days of Marlon Brando and Montgomery Clift."  I gave Man Down a preemptive 3.5 star rating,  thinking it would be a gut-wrenching, raw, real and intense film that is well worth the money in theatres.  It was all that and more.   Through much of the movie, we are watching Gabriel Drummer in four different phases: with his wife and child before the Marines; the mission in Afghanistan, his session with counselor Peyton after "the incident", and finally back in the United States that has been destroyed as he desperately searches for his wife and child with his best friend.  All of this leads up to a shocking series of revelations that completely destroys Drummer's world . . . and his reality.  

Much of Man Down reminded me of Bradley Cooper in American Sniper, but LaBeouf goes even further and darker.  American Sniper was nominated for 6 Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Actor for Cooper.  Though I don't foresee Man Down being nominated for Best Picture, it would be a crime if LaBeouf isn't recognized for this role in this tragic, gripping, heart-breaking film that earned a solid 4 stars from me.  I'll definitely be watching this again and it has a good chance of making it into my home collection.  It's a movie that anyone who has served in our military will find extremely difficult to watch, but one that the rest of us need to see.  So, what movie will be on my mind next?  We shall see.

Man Down Preview

Man Down is the story of U.S. Marine Gabriel Drummer (Shia LaBeouf) fought for his country in Afghanistan only to return home to an America very different than the one he left, a post-apocalyptic hell that is no better than the war zone he just left.  Accompanied by his best friend, Drummer goes on the hunt for his missing wife Natalie (Kate Mara) and their son.

Man Down marks the return to the mainstream big screen movies for LaBeouf who has been somewhat absent since his last appearance in Transformers: Dark of the Moon in 2011.  He's done a few independent films and had some questioning his sanity at times.  I've always been a fan of his comedy style in the Transformers movies, but hearing about him playing a post-war vet in a serious drama had me concerned.  And then I saw the preview.

The preview shows a Marine raid on a house in Afghanistan.  One of the Marines gives the "all clear" meaning there is no threat in the house.  As the others walk in, a gunman hiding under a blanket is unveiled and takes out many of the Marines.  Drummer survived.  The preview shows Dummer talking to military counselor Peyton (Gary Oldman).  Not only does LaBeouf look like he can pull off this dramatic role, but he looks quite convincing and has been hailed by Variety who said, "Labeouf achieves that authentic, hurts-to-watch approach seldom seen since the days of Marlon Brando and Montgomery Clift."  Hearing LaBeouf is in this kind of role would probably make me give a 2 star rating that might be bumped up with Mara and Oldman picking up the slack.  But it doesn't look like there's any slack in this film and I'm giving Man Down a preemptive 3.5 star rating.  I think it will be gut-wrenching, raw, real and intense that is well worth the theatres, I'm just not sure if I'll be running out to buy it when it's available to own.  So, am I right?  We shall see.

Arrival Review

3.5 Stars

The answer to "Are we alone in the galaxy" has been answered in Arrival as a dozen mysterious spacecraft land in various locations across the earth.  The government brings in linguist Louise Banks (Amy Adams) and physicist Ian Donnely (Jeremy Renner) to attempt to communicate with whatever might be inside.  She and her team must find a way to discover the truth of their intentions as the world prepares for the possibility of global war.

The preview showed two different sides completely sure that their interpretation of the situation is correct.  The government and military are convinced that the aliens are here with the intent to destroy while Banks believes they are not our enemy.  Making contact with the aliens inside the pods is not a difficult task as they have made themselves available to the human race through an opening in the pod.  Once inside, they are separated by a protective barrier, presumably due to atmospheric restraints, but they are able to see and hear each other.  The humans rely on pen and paper while the aliens have a sort of squid ink technology coming from one of their appendages that form shapes.  Banks is able to interpret the shapes and starts the slow process of communication that will hopefully reveal their intent.  She is told they are out of time and that action must be taken.  So she does, but it isn't what the military had planned. Those promoting the film promise a surprise ending that will have viewers talking for quite a while after the movie is over.

There have been plenty of alien movies throughout the years.  While some portray them in a peaceful light (E.T. the Extraterrestrial, StarMan, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Cocoon), others show a very violent side to the visitors (Independence Day, Cowboys & Aliens, The War of the Worlds).  Regardless of their intent, it is always a terrifyingly unknown situation and the residents of planet Earth are immediately frightened at the catastrophic possibility rather than optimistic.  While Arrival isn't of the variety of blockbuster explosions that made some of the alien movies into hits, it does deliver a gripping and fascinating drama.  

 

I'm a huge fan of Amy Adams.  She is joined by Jeremy Renner and Forest Whitaker in what I anticipated to be a very well executed alien film on all fronts: special effects, acting, drama, original story, and intensity leaving you breathless at the end. Well, it didn't exactly leave you breathless . . . more like confused, especially if you haven't read the story on which the movie is based.  I gave Arrival a very hopeful and optimistic 4 Star prediction, but I've knocked that down slightly to 3.5 stars.  Much of the movie had confusing flashbacks that led to revelations of communication with the aliens.  But those confusions only made me more excited to see the big wow ending we were all promised.  At the end, I was even more confused as it was no longer clear if the visions Banks had were memories or premonitions.  And instead of saying, "Woah, did that just happen?!" I sat there saying, "Wait, what just happened?!"  I definitely need to watch this again, but I thought Adams and Renner gave wonderful performances, the special effects were perfect, it was original, but I think it missed the ball on driving the whole point home at the end with clarity.  Some I've talked to have commented that the book is much more clear and would help make more sense of the movie.  I'll be watching this at least one more time; and, who knows, the second time around might tip the scales to me wanting to own Arrival in my personal collection.  So, what movie will be on my mind next?  We shall see.

Arrival Preview

The answer to "Are we alone in the galaxy" has been answered in Arrival as several mysterious spacecraft land in various locations across the earth.  The government brings in linguist Louise Banks (Amy Adams) is brought in to attempt to communicate with whatever might be inside.  She and her team must find a way to discover the truth of their intentions as the world prepares for the possibility of global war.

The preview shows two different sides completely sure that their interpretation of the situation is correct.  The government and military are convinced that the aliens are here with the intent to destroy while Banks believes they are not our enemy.  She is told they are out of time and that action must be taken. So she does.  Against their orders she does something drastic that will either prove her case or lead to catastrophic results.  We can speculate that she offers herself up to the aliens in order to communicate with them, though it's not completely clear from the preview.  Those promoting the film promise a surprise ending that will have viewers talking for quite a while after the movie is over.

There have been plenty of alien movies throughout the years.  While some portray them in a peaceful light (E.T. the Extraterrestrial, StarMan, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Cocoon), others show a very violent side to the visitors (Independence Day, Cowboys & Aliens, The War of the Worlds).  Regardless of their intent, it is always a terrifyingly unknown situation and the residents of planet Earth are immediately frightened at the catastrophic possibility rather than optimistic.  While Arrival doesn't show the blockbuster explosions that made some of the alien movies into blockbusters, it does look like a gripping and fascinating drama.  And I'm a huge fan of Amy Adams.  She is joined by Jeremy Renner and Forest Whitaker in what I'm anticipating to be a very well executed alien film on all fronts: special effects, acting, drama, original story, and intensity leaving you breathless at the end.  I'm giving Arrival a very hopeful and optimistic 4 Star prediction.  I believe it will be well worth the money in the theatre and one that I'd like to watch again and perhaps even own.  Am I right?  We shall see.

Bleed For This Review

2.5 Stars

 

Born in 1962, professional boxer Vinny Pazienza began his career as a fighter with a bout in 1983.  He won his first title in 1987 when he defeated Greg Haugen to become the world lightweight champion.  Haugen would reclaim the title in their first rematch, but Pazienza would ultimately triumph in 1990.  In 1991, after his fight with Gilbert Dele for the junior middleweight championship, Pazienza was in a near fatal car crash that broke his neck and left doctors doubting if Vinny would ever even walk again. With a screwed in halo brace holding his neck in place, Pazienza was confined to a hospital bed for 3 months.  Against doctors' orders and without them aware, Vinny snuck into his basement at home, halo brace and all, to regain his strength for a fight he knew he'd someday get.  It was just over a year after the accident that Pazienza was back in the ring for the next unbelievable stage of his career that finally ended in 2004 after 50 wins in the ring.

Bleed For This stars Miles Teller as boxer Vinny Pazienza and is not exactly what you would call a who's who cast of all-stars.  Teller has been an up-and-coming rising star that many would argue shone brightest in 2014's Ocscar nominated film Whiplash in which he plays a talented jazz drummer.  While Teller himself was not nominated for his role, many recognized his work calling it a breakthrough performance.  Teller stars in Bleed For This with Christine Evangelista, Ciaran Hinds, Katey Sagal and Aaron Eckhart who plays Pazienza's trainer Kevin Rooney.  However, a movie boasting a slew of Hollywood's A-listers doesn't guarantee a blockbuster, just like the lack thereof doesn't mean anything either.

Vinny is a charismatic, entertaining, playboy, work-hard, party-hard showboating champion boxer in Vinny Pazienza.  Make no mistake, he is extremely gifted at what he does and trains hard to be that way, but his antics, gambling and extracurricular activities are fully reaped as rewards for his efforts.  And then the accident happens.  While his doctor tells him, he may never walk again and his friends and family try to convince him that there's more to life than boxing, Vinny is more determined than ever to get back in the ring and fight again.  Bleed For This is based on the true life of Vinny Pazienza and, like the most recent fact-based films I've reviewed, I've chosen to do no research ahead of time as this is not a documentary, this is a Hollywood film.  And, I'm a sucker for the underdog movies.  Rocky was an underdog in every one of his fights.  Southpaw, Eddie the Eagle, Rudy, Invincible, and John Cusack romantic comedy, I'm always a fan of the underestimated, mocked, counted out, never had a chance underdog rising to the challenge.  So, I gave Bleed For This a 4.0 Star prediction.  After seeing it though, I have to change my mind.

 

Vinny's life story is definitely worth telling, but Bleed For This was not well-executed.  The one word I can describe for most of the film is annoying.  The sound effects, or lack thereof at times, didn't heighten or compliment what was going on, though sounds and silence have been masterfully utilized in other such films.  The mood and pacing of the music selection didn't match the scenes they scored.  There were times that actual footage of the real Vinny were used making it obvious that actor Miles Teller wasn't Vinny.  Some of the dialogue seemed rehearsed and scripted (a la Rocky or Million Dollar Baby or Southpaw) while some seemed poorly improvised (a la The Fighter, though not done nearly as well).  And the inconsistency of shifting between hand-held shaky camera shots and a steady one made no sense and, again, grew annoying.  The saving graces of this movie were the performances of Teller and Eckhart, both of whom I can see being nominated for their roles.  But it wasn't enough to redeem Bleed For This and I'm dropping my rating to 2.5 stars, barely worth paying full price in the theatre, but a decent rental that will not find a permanent home in my collection.  So, what movie will be on my mind next?  We shall see.

Bleed For This Preview

Born in 1962, professional boxer Vinny Pazienza began his career as a fighter with a bout in 1983.  He won his first title in 1987 when he defeated Greg Haugen to become the world lightweight champion.  Haugen would reclaim the title in their first rematch, but Pazienza would ultimately triumph in 1990.  In 1991, after his fight with Gilbert Dele for the junior middleweight championship, Pazienza was in a near fatal car crash that broke his neck and left doctors doubting if Vinny would ever even walk again. With a screwed in halo brace holding his neck in place, Pazienza was confined to a hospital bed for 3 months.  Against doctors' orders and without them aware, Vinny snuck back into the gym to begin regaining his strength, halo brace and all.  It was just over a year after the accident that Pazienza was back in the ring for the next unbelievable stage of his career that finally ended in 2004 after 50 wins in the ring.

Bleed For This stars Miles Teller as boxer Vinny Pazienza and is not exactly what you would call a who's who cast of all-stars.  Teller has been an up-and-coming rising star that many would argue shone brightest in 2014's Ocscar nominated film Whiplash in which he plays a talented jazz drummer.  While Teller himself was not nominated for his role, many recognized his work calling it a breakthrough performance.  Teller stars in Bleed For This with Christine Evangelista, Ciaran Hinds, Katey Sagal and Aaron Eckhart who plays Pazienza's trainer Kevin Rooney.  However, a movie boasting a slew of Hollywood's A-listers doesn't guarantee a blockbuster, just like the lack thereof doesn't mean anything either.

From the preview, we see a charismatic, entertaining, playboy, work-hard, party-hard showboating champion boxer in Vinny Pazienza.  Make no mistake, he is extremely gifted at what he does and trains hard to be that way, but his antics, gambling and extracurricular activities are fully reaped as rewards for his efforts.  And then the accident happens.  While doctors tell him, he may never walk again and his friends and family try to convince him that there's more to life than boxing, Vinny is more determined than ever to get back in the ring and fight again.  Bleed For This is based on the true life of Vinny Pazienza and, like the most recent fact-based films I've reviewed, I've chosen to do no research ahead of time as this is not a documentary, this is a Hollywood film.  And, I'm a sucker for the underdog movies.  Rocky was an underdog in every one of his fights.  Southpaw, Eddie the Eagle, Rudy, Invincible, and John Cusack romantic comedy, I'm always a fan of the underestimated, mocked, counted out, never had a chance underdog rising to the challenge.  So, I'm giving Bleed For This a 4.0 Star prediction.  I'll think it worth the money in the theatres, worth watching again, and has a good chance of finding a home in my personal collection.  Am I right?  We shall see.