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.

Eddie the Eagle Review

4.0 Stars

Eddie the Eagle is the movie that is based on the life and Olympic dreams of a Michael "Eddie" Edwards.  As a young boy, Edwards' dream was to become an Olympian in any sport he can.  The trouble is, he wasn't good at any of them.  He discovers ski jumping and figures he has a chance since Britain hasn't had a ski jump competitor since 1928.  And he's just as bad at jumping as he's been at everything else.  He enlists the training of former competitive ski jumper Bronson Peary (Hugh Jackman) who also strongly encourages Eddie (Taron Egerton) to quit while he's still alive.  But the Eagle's determination wins over Peary and the two set out to compete in the Olympics. 

 

Eddie qualifies simply by successfully landing a 70 meter height jump in an international competition.  The Olympic Committee swiftly changes the rules of qualification in an effort to keep Eddie the embarrassment from participating in the games.  So he goes out and meets their demands and they are forced to let him in.  He finishes last in the 70 meter jump, but it's enough to set a British record and Eddie is thrilled.  His celebration, though losing the event, wins over the crowd.  His unorthodox jumping style earns him the nickname Eagle, but he still doesn't have respect.  He decides to compete in the 90 meter height, though he never has jumped from that level before.

 

For those of you who don't quite grasp exactly how tall that is.  90 meters is just over 295 feet which is just shy of 100 yards.  So, imagine standing a football field upright.  That's how high up he is at the beginning of the jump.  A typical jumper reaches speeds of 60 miles per hour by the time they jump and jumps over the distance of a football field.  

 

Eddie the Eagle is being hailed as one of the most inspirational movies of the year.  Delightfully feel-good.  In my preview, I said that movies like this make me nervous for two reasons: first, it's based on a true story, but can I enjoy the movie without constantly analyzing how much is true and how much is embellished or changed to make it a Hollywood movie?  The second reason movies like this make me nervous is because it's a feel-good movie about an underdog.  These can be extremely well done and bring you to tears and make you cheer from your seat.  Or they can be forced and manipulated, and I don't appreciate that.

The preview looked sweet, charming, sincere, genuine, entertaining and inspiring.  But, that's what 30 second previews are supposed to look like.  Eddie the Eagle backed it up with a truly delightful movie.  It is set in the late 1980's and it looks and sounds like it was filmed in the 80's as well.  It has a certain graininess to it and a soundtrack that was taken straight out of some of your favorite 80's movies.  The emotionally charged scenes courtesy of any John Hughes film; the action from movies like Rad or ET; inspirational and training scenes from The Karate Kid, Flashdance or Footloose.  It didn't take itself too seriously, but was seriously entertaining.  

What tugged most at my emotional heart strings was not that everyone was against Eddie, not the mocking, not the overcoming of obstacles, not the crowd cheering for him.  What got me most was his loving and supportive mother.  Maybe it's because my mom is the same way, always supportive and encouraging no matter what I want to do; always the biggest fan.  Eddie's father told him he's no athlete; but his mother always believed in him, or at least in his spirit.  She even gave him an old lunch box to take with him to hold all his Olympic medals.  It served more as a graveyard for his many pairs of broken eyeglasses in his repeated failures, but she always supported him.

I gave Eddie the Eagle a hesitant, but hopeful 4 Stars and I'm standing by that but without any hesitancy.  I thoroughly enjoyed this movie.  It was not manipulative or forceful.  It was perfectly cheesy, sweet, funny and wonderful matched with the most timely nostalgic soundtrack you could imagine, and has a decent chance of making it to my home collection.  So, what movie will be on my mind next?  We shall see.

Eddie the Eagle Preview

In 1988, Michael "Eddie" Edwards became the first Olympic competitor for Britain in the ski jump since 1928.  After an international competition in 1987, he was ranked 55th in the world.  That ranking was enough to qualify him to compete in the Olympics as Britain's only applicant.    At the Olympics, he finished last in his first couple events, but displayed an unwavering spirit that made him endearing to those watching the games.  He became a bit of a celebrity during the games, but his fame was seen as an embarrassment to other ski jumpers.  The media nicknamed him Eddie the Eagle and he was recognized by Frank King, an Olympic Organizer, for his tenacity.  However, after the 1988 games came to a close, a new rule was instated requiring amateurs hoping to compete in an Olympic event must compete in an International Competition and rank high enough to qualify.  This was done in an effort to keep future embarrassments like Eddie from happening again.  Because of the new stipulations, Eddie did not qualify to compete in the 1992 Olympic games.

Eddie the Eagle is the movie that is based on these events.  Knowing what I have read about the actual history, the preview becomes a little confusing.  We see a young Edwards who's greatest dream is to become an Olympian in any sport he can.  The trouble is, he's not good at any of them.  He discovers ski jumping and figures he has a chance since Britain hasn't had a ski jump competitor since 1928.  And he's just as bad at jumping as he's been at everything else.  He enlists the training of Bronson Peary (Hugh Jackman) who also strongly encourages Eddie (Taron Egerton) to quit while he's still alive.  But the Eagle's determination wins over Peary and the two set out to compete in the Olympics.  We know Eddie competed in the 1988 Calgary Olympics but did not qualify for the 1992 games.  It is unclear from the preview if the Olympic Committee is trying to prevent him from competing in the 1988 or the 1992 games.  What is clear is that the other jumpers and the committee find him to be an embarrassment to the games and to their sport and want him out.  That only fuels Eddie and Peary even more to keep at it.

Eddie the Eagle is being hailed as one of the most inspirational movies of the year.  Delightfully feel-good.  Movies like this make me nervous for two reasons: first, it's based on a true story, but can I enjoy the movie without constantly analyzing how much is true and how much is embellished or changed to make it a Hollywood movie?  I've seen quite a few of these recently: The Big Short, Steve Jobs, Spotlight, Concussion.  The trick, I've found, is to not do too much research about the actual events beforehand so you can take the movie for what it is, a movie.  It's not a documentary.  The second reason this movie makes me nervous is because it's a feel-good movie about an underdog.  These can be extremely well done and bring you to tears and make you cheer from your seat.  Or they can be forced and manipulated, and I don't appreciate that.

The preview looks sweet, charming, sincere, genuine, entertaining and inspiring.  But, that's what 30 second previews are supposed to look like.  Will the movie be able to back it up?  I hope so.  I'm giving Eddie the Eagle a hesitant, but hopeful 4 Stars.  Worth the price of admission and a good candidate to find a home in my personal collection.  Am I right?  We shall see.

10 Cloverfield Lane Review

4.0 Stars

10 Cloverfield Lane is exactly why I love doing these previews and reviews.  The movie begins, just as the preview suggests, with Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) getting into a pretty bad car accident.  When she awakens, she is handcuffed to a wall in a bunker.  Her captor, or savior, Howard (John Goodman) informs her that it's not safe outside of the bunker.  Emmett (John Gallagher Jr) is also in the bunker and appears to be Howard's friend, or co-captor.  It takes a little while to reveal this, but Emmett helped Howard build the bunker and begged to be let in when whatever happened outside the bunker happened.  Michelle attempts to escape despite Howard's fervent pleas that he is doing this for her own good. 

The movie was directed by Dan Trachtenberg who really hasn't done much before this release.  I love me some John Goodman.  Mary Elizabeth Winstead has been around, but isn't a big name actress.  She was in A Good Day to Die Hard as John McClane's daughter Lucy and was in a cute film Scott Pilgrim vs. The World as Romona Flowers, Scott's love interest.  There's actually a scene in the movie that Die Hard fans will be waiting for Michelle to say, "Come out to the coast, have a few laughs."  If you don't know what I mean, you aren't a true Die Hard fan.  Spoiler alert, she doesn't say it.

My point is, you know you're going to get something great from John Goodman and JJ Abrams, but the rest of the cast and crew, along with the preview, leave you wondering what exactly that something is.  It's wonderful.  It looks like a great thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat and also guessing as to the true motives of Howard and Emmett in the bunker.  I had no idea what I was about to get into, but I was excited to see 10 Cloverfield Lane.  Just like the ambiguous trailer, the movie itself keeps you guessing as to Howard's true intentions and what, if anything, really happened outside the bunker.  It has twists and turns and the last half hour had me saying, "Wait, what?"  "No way" and "What the what?" at least 5 times.  I anticipated 4.0 stars for a well-written, well-acted, twisting scary movie that I might just want to buy and watch again, and I'm sticking with that.  Well worth it and might just add this one to my collected, but definitely want to see again.   So, what movie will be on my mind next?  We shall see.

10 Cloverfield Lane Preview

10 Cloverfield Lane is exactly why I love doing these previews and reviews.  The brief and mysterious preview begins with Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) getting into a pretty bad car accident.  When she awakens, she is handcuffed to a wall in a bunker.  Her captor, or savior, Howard (John Goodman) informs her that it's not safe outside of the bunker.  Emmett (John Gallagher Jr) is also in the bunker and appears to be Howard's friend, or co-captor.  Michelle attempts to escape despite Howard's fervent pleas that he is doing this for her own good.  We do get a brief glimpse of Michelle outside of a large house that in emitting a bright white light with some terrifying music playing to imply that the light isn't a good sign.

10 Cloverfield Lane was produced by JJ Abrams who is responsible for the successful recent Star Wars installment, the last few Star Trek features, and several of the Mission: Impossible films; but this seems like a movie we wouldn't necessarily expect from Abrams.

The movie was directed by Dan Trachtenberg who really hasn't done much before this release.  I love me some John Goodman.  Mary Elizabeth Winstead has been around, but isn't a big name actress.  She was in A Good Day to Die Hard as John McClane's daughter Lucy and was in a cute film Scott Pilgrim vs. The World as Romona Flowers, Scott's love interest.

My point is, you know you're going to get something great from John Goodman and JJ Abrams, but the rest of the cast and crew, along with the preview, leave you wondering what exactly that something is.  It's wonderful.  It looks like a great thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat and also guessing as to the true motives of Howard and Emmett in the bunker.  I love it, I'm excited to watch 10 Cloverfield Lane, and I have no idea what I'm about to get into.  I'm anticipating 4.0 stars for a well-written, well-acted, twisting scary movie that I might just want to buy and watch again.  Am I right?  We shall see.

The Revenant Review

2.5 Stars

 

Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) was a frontiersman on a fur trading expedition in the 1820s.  It was a particularly dangerous and desperate time as the nearly 300 year old tradition of fur trading was in its waning years.  Europeans came to America hoping for gold and silver in the early 1500s.  They were disappointed, but found their riches in fur, particularly beavers.  By the 1800s, beavers were scarce as they were over-hunted, and they weren't fetching the prices they used to and many turned to logging and working in lumber mills.  This particular expedition proved especially treacherous for Glass as he was mauled by a bear and left for dead by his team.  Glass made his way home, fueled by anger and his thirst for revenge against John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy), the man who left him for dead. 

The Revenant was nominated for 12 Oscars and took home 3.  Alejandro G. Iñárritu took home the Best Director award while the film also won for Best Cinematography.  And, of course, DiCaprio finally got his Oscar for Best Actor that many felt was long overdue.  It was his fifth nomination for acting as he was previously recognized for his performances in What's Eating Gilbert Grape, The Aviator, Blood Diamond, and The Wolf of Wallstreet.

At first, John Fitzgerald is just a business man.  He wants to stay the course and get as many pelts to take home to get as much money as they can.  His decision to abandon Glass after the bear mauling was initially just a logical one taking into account Glass' chances of survival versus how much it would hinder their trek home trying to save him.  That logic quickly turned vicious as Fitzgerald's greed and desperation turned murderous.  

I thought there were some great cinematic scenes, but most of them were shown in the brief preview.  Of course the big scene is Glass being mauled by a bear which looked mostly realistic.  As for the Oscar for Best Actor, I feel this was done out of the same sentiment that kept Tom Hanks from being nominated for Saving Mr. Banks or Captain Philips.  Most speculated he was omitted because he's already won and he'll probably win again, so let someone else have a shot.  This was the opposite.  DiCaprio has been nominated and many feel he should have won already, so they gave it to him.  I don't doubt he would have won an Oscar some day, but I don't think this should have been the one that got him there.  Hardy was nominated for Best Supporting Actor and, had Mark Rylance not been nominated for his performance in Bridge of Spies (rightly nominated and won as I speculated immediately after seeing the movie), he surely would have won for his performance in The Revenant.

I gave The Revenant a hesitant 3.5 star prediction.  It dragged and didn't have much of a plot and the cinematography was played out in the preview.  I give the movie 2.0 stars but bump it up to 2.5 because of Hardy's performance.  It's a renter at best, but wait to catch it on cable and you'll be fine.  So, what movie will be on my mind next?  We shall see.

The Revenant Preview

Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) was a frontiersman on a fur trading expedition in the 1820s.  It was a particularly dangerous and desperate time as the nearly 300 year old tradition of fur trading was in its waning years.  Europeans came to America hoping for gold and silver in the early 1500s.  They were disappointed, but found their riches in fur, particularly beavers.  By the 1800s, beavers were scarce as they were over-hunted, and they weren't fetching the prices they used to and many turned to logging and working in lumber mills.  This particular expedition proved especially treacherous for Glass as he was mauled by a bear and left for dead by his team.  Glass made his way home, fueled by anger and his thirst for revenge against John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy), his former confidant and the man he blamed for his abandonment. 

The Revenant was nominated for 12 Oscars and took home 3.  Alejandro G. Iñárritu took home the Best Director award while the film also won for Best Cinematography.  And, of course, DiCaprio finally got his Oscar for Best Actor that many felt was long overdue.  It was his fifth nomination for acting as he was previously recognized for his performances in What's Eating Gilbert Grape, The Aviator, Blood Diamond, and The Wolf of Wallstreet.

The Revenant is just over 2 and a half hours long, so already there's concern about a lot of down time and dragging scenes.  Of course, the preview gives no indication of that as each second is filled with action, intensity and some absolutely gorgeous cinematography that already makes me see why it won in that category.  It was passed over for Best Picture along with The Martian, Room, Bridge of Spies, Brooklyn, Mad Max and The Big Short as Spotlight took home the award.  I didn't necessarily agree with Spotlight winning, but it gives me further pause that The Revenant fell short in the eyes of the Academy.  At least it didn't go to Mad Max which swept the Oscars in every other category.  

Anyone who knows me knows I'm not the biggest fan of DiCaprio.  I think he's a really good actor, but I think he gets way more praise than he deserves.  He is a really good actor that gets great roles in great movies and always has.  But it seems people are putting him on the level of Robert DeNiro, Jack Nicholson and Al Pacino.  He may get there someday, but I don't think he's there just yet.  I'm trying to keep an open mind, so I give The Revenant a hesitant 3.5 star prediction.  I think I'll enjoy the movie, especially the breath-taking cinematography; however, I think it will drag and I think it's one of those movies that will be enough to see it once and will not make it to my home collection.  Am I right?  We shall see.