Lawless

Lawless

Directed by: John Hillcoat

Screenplay by: Nick Cave

Based on novel by: Matt Bondurant

Starring: Tom Hardy, Shia LaBeouf and Guy Pearce

        Going into Lawless having read “The Wettest County in the World” and hearing that it was based loosely on the book I was not sure what to think. The book was amazing. The deviations from the book were done well and stuck to through the whole movie so it was not blaringly obvious.

        Within the first five minutes of “Lawless” the story really started to get moving. Character development went along as the movie progressed which many times does not work, other times it does. In this instance it worked well. The Bondurant brothers stuck together through thick and thin. Even though in “Lawless” there were not a lot of issues with the each other. They were three brothers trying to make a better life for each other. Yeah, so it was a life of illegal booze but, it was their life. Lawless captured the bond between the brothers and showed how once they let you into the family you were as good as blood to them. You just have to ask Maggie and Cricket.

        Forrest who was played by Tom Hardy was the silent leader of the family. Although, from seeing interviews with Hardy I can readily admit that he does talk more than I thought he would. Sure he had his grunts and so forth but, very true to the way men were back then he was a man of few words. Forrest was intimidating. The character that you never really could tell what he was thinking. One moment he would appear to be as serene as anyone could be and then in a flash someone was being punched with his brass knuckles. Forrest was a legend in town, a man that no one wanted to trifle with. Tom got the privilege of delivering the most memorable lines of Lawless.

        Shia LaBeouf who played Jack Bondurant did a decent job. Being slightly apprehensive of him playing the character I was surprised. Although there were some parts of Lawless where he did seem more forced that anything else. For instance when Cricket died his reaction to his best friend dying was underwhelming to say the least. All in all Jack was played okay. One thing that was captured very well was how different he was from his brothers Forrest and Howard even if that was not what he wanted. The movie was told from Jack’s point of view so narration was also done by Shia.

        Guy Pearce, as Charlie Rakes was brilliant. He walked on screen and within a minute you detested him. He was the detective that was brought in to clean up Franklin County. The county ended up being more of a mess than it was before he came in but, every movie needs the bad guy right? Really truly it was completely believable that he was this despicable human.

        I hate to refer to the supporting cast as supporting because they were just as important to the movie and the top billed three. Jessica Chastain as Maggie was wonderful. She seemed cold and you did not learn much about her but, that was the way that character was. Jason Clarke as Howard was great. He played the loose cannon, bull in a china shop character so well it was completely believable. Mia Wasikowska as Bertha was remarkable. She was excellent as that shy innocent girl. I thought that maybe some more could have been done with her character than was actually done. Movies can only be so long though.

        My biggest complaint about Lawless really was just accents. This is Virginia we are talking about after all. The accent is very distinctive if you are not from that area just as distinctive as a British accent. Tom and Shia to me had very odd accents. It was a cross between southern and I do not even know what else. Yes, there was violence. Lawless is after all about bootlegging during prohibition and the law enforcement and government coming in and trying to take a cut. Was some of it pretty hard to watch? Yes, though excessive was not the word for it. Well, maybe the tar was excessive.

        All in all Lawless was a good movie. Each person played their character well. The ending was rushed, but after the big gunfight I guess they wanted to send everyone on their way. This was where a big deviation comes in. There were two love stories in this movie. There was Forrest and Maggie who had a very nontraditional love story. Then Jack and Bertha’s love story which seemed so storybook. You got to watch Jack trying to court Bertha although; this was where Lawless fell short for me. Their story was a very punctuated love story. Forrest and Maggie, well you could tell they cared for each other. The way them being married was thrust on you was, well, very similar I would guess to how the Bondurant family found out they were married. 

The Dark Knight Rises

The idea of a good movie is different for many people. The Dark Knight Rises was beyond good to me. As per my usual style I will not give spoilers. I will just give my initial reaction and thoughts to the movie.

First, GO SEE IT! I have been out of The Dark Knight Rises for about 25 minutes at this point and I can honestly say that my mind is still flooded and at a loss for the best way to convey what this movie was.

Initially what I want to convey is that without a doubt Tom Hardy scared me. I mean literally and figuratively. I sat with my hands clasped in front of my face for the majority of the movie. He played Bane amazingly well. Though it may not be the popular opinion I was more scared of him then I ever was the Joker. Bane was just everything physically intimidating and psychologically cruel. I mean it was a very very impressive role for Tom Hardy to play.

Christian Bale of course did not disappoint. Who would ever expect that to happen? He may be a lot of things that people do not like but when it comes to his acting ability he is just marvelous. Christian Bale is the Dark Knight. When people look back on the men that portrayed Batman/Bruce Wayne I really think that his is by far the best. Hands down no questions asked he will be my Dark Knight forever.

The suspense in the Dark Knight Rises is something that I was not expecting to experience. I figured that there would be some but to literally feel on the verge of panic attack most of the time was something that I most certainly did not expect. Welcomed it was but, it was a welcomed pleasant surprise.

The cast of The Dark Knight Rises in all was amazing. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Anne Hathaway, Micheal Cain, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, and the list could go on was very spectacular. I will be the first to admit that I was rather surprised at the thought of Anne Hathaway as Catwoman. Actually I was to be completely honest rather disappointed. I was wrong very very wrong in this case. Even though I feel that she was the least believable in the role I think that it was fairly well played on her part.

I was once told that I should talk more about audio, video, screenplay, and plot story. I have so much that I could say about all of these things but I just do not want to be the spoiler for anyone. I avoided as is my usual routine for these kinds of movies all trailers prior. I wanted to go in with a clean slate so to speak. I can not as a movie lover type something that could ruin it for someone else. That being said, The Dark Knight Rises was phenomenal. I laughed, I cried, I actually cried more than I thought I would. I can not give a grade but I will say this for sure I will definitely be going to see The Dark Knight Rises again at the theater very soon. Yes it was that good.

Thor 2 and Captain America 2

Thor: The Dark World Release date Nov. 18, 2013

This installment of the Thor series brings on a new director in Alan Taylor. Many will know him from the Game of Thrones series. Being the director of that series will probably help him a lot in directing The Dark World because of the changing settings. The vision from Alan according to Chris Hemsworth is “Big waterfalls, mountains and a Viking influence… Having that in Asgard is going to make it all that more special and that’s what Alan wants to bring to it.” Which makes sense since this is a movie about Norse gods.  

As for the plot of the film. We all know Loki will have to pay for his misbehavior in The Avengers.  Many hope that this will be a film in which he tries for redemption but knowing Loki that could be the case for part of the movie. Then the rest of it could be him up to his mischievous ways.

There is no word that I have found yet about the villain. Thanos could have something to do with the movie but from the other announcements at SDCC it makes that possibility a little less likely. Who really knows though besides Marvel and those involved in the movie. Speculation for this aspect of the movie has been varied and interesting to say the least. Could this be the movie with a woman super villain? If the comics are any indication that is a very distinct possibility.

Marvel has been rather quiet about the whole plot scenario.

Casting for the movie has had its shakeups. They have added and then had to subtract people. There are still rumored returns and questionable returns. Kat Dennings was questionable due to TV show obligations. Mads Mikkelson has left the film for Hannibal a TV show in which he will be playing Dr. Hannibal Lector. The other casting change is that Zachary Levi is replacing Josh Dallas a Fandral.

 Filming is scheduled to begin sometime in August in London, England.

Captain America: Winter Soldier release date April 4, 2014

This movie is going to deal with the direct aftermath of the Avengers movie on Earth as opposed to Thor 2 which will take place post Avengers on Asgard.

Chris Evans will of course return as Captain America. Samuel L. Jackson will continue as Nick Fury. Anthony Mackie was just announced as playing Falcon, Captain Americas side kick. This is just breaking as I type this so information is sparse to say the least. But, Falcon as anyone who follows the comics knows was the first African American superhero in mainstream comic books. He ultimately became an Avenger working with S.H.I.E.L.D.

The Russo Brothers will be directing this movie. There really is not a lot of information on this movie yet. It is rumored to be ready to begin filming around the time that Thor 2 is complete.

Horrible Comedy Oversights.... BAD ME

Okay first things first. I recently posted my favorite comedies. While thinking about it post publish I realized that I forgot some great funny movies. Seriously, I do not know how I forgot them but, I came to the conclusion that you simply can not whittle that list down to five movies. I am almost embarrassed about the movies that I over looked. Honestly I have zero clue how that happened. Truly they are some of my favorite funny movies.

Forgot to mention but it does not mean they do not count.

The Big Lebowski.. I do not know what happened here. I completely and totally dropped the ball on this one. I mean this is probably one of my favorite movies of all time. The three pictured above and John Tuturro just made the movie for me. Maybe it was the bowling, Walt's Vietnam rants, Donny and his innocence and sweetness, The Dude's relaxed ways, I do not know. All I know is that  "Nobody fucks with the Jesus!"

 Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgandy
The cameos in this movie are great. The one liners I mean it is just awesome. Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, Will Ferrell, and  David Koechner are just hilarious as a cast. They play off each other so well. Their rendition of Afternoon Delight makes me laugh every time. It may or may not be the ringtone on my phone.

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
If the title alone does not make you smirk I am not sure what to say. This movie was a sleeper for me. The first time I saw it I was not sure what to think. The second time I knew what to think and what I missed. It was so funny. It is one of those movies that I have to stop and watch whenever it is on. I just love Will Ferrell though. He is just so very funny. I could quote this movie all day long but if you have not seen it you really need to. The delivery of the lines is just so funny. John C. Reilly and Sasha Baron Cohen are just amazingly hilarious in this movie.

Like I said these are not honorable mentions but horrible over sights on my part. I could make this longer because I know as soon as this posts I will have remembered another movie that I should have put on there. But, for right now I am content in knowing that I am honest about my mistake in trying to make a list of five best comedies. Point learned never do that again.

OH before I forget you can not forget Spaceballs. Mel Brooks is just a comedic genius.

Maybe I am partial to this movie because it is a Star Wars spoof but, I just think it is the best. John Candy at the top of his game. Pizza the Hut, Yogurt, and so forth. Just great puns as per usual. The only thing missing for me was Gene Wilder. Yep I do have an odd crush I know.

Liz's Favorite Funny Movies

I like a lot of different kinds of movies but I can never seem to get enough comedies. I do realize that my sense of humor is slightly different from some people and you may not agree on all the movies I have chosen but this is my list of my five favorite comedies. I also must note that these are in no particular order. I could never pick an order because I love them all for different reasons.
5. Young Frankenstein- Gene Wilder is the most hilarious Dr. Frankenstein I have ever seen. Very rarely does a week go by that I do not think about Peter Boyle and his rendition of Puttin on the Ritz. The puns are so great. An amazing comedic look at the work of Dr. Frankenstein and one of my all time favorite movies.

4. Super Troopers- The one liners in this movie just crack me up. The verbal innuendos are painfully hilarious. The shenanigans that this group of cops get into are something that only Broken Lizard could come up with. It always made me wonder if real cops are like this and then I think.. no of course not. No one can have the much fun at work.

3. I Love You Man- Jason Segel and Paul Rudd take the term bromance to a whole new level in this. If you are a fan of either you will love this. Paul Rudd's character is so awkward when it comes to dealing with other guys that it is almost uncomfortable to watch at times. Jason Segel is adorable as the friend to Rudd.

2.Tommy Boy- What is there not to like about this movie with the late Chris Farley? This was him at his best. Physical comedy was what he was great at and in the first few minutes of the movie he delivers. This movie is just the hilarious. On a road trip to save your deceased fathers company he gets into the most hilarious situations one can think of.

1. Napoleon Dynamite- This movie is well, not for everyone. I have friends that only watch it with me because I laugh so hard at certain things. I think the one part that cracks me up the most is LaFawnduh from Detroit. Being from Michigan 35 miles north of Detroit it just cracks me up to no end. There is just so much in this movie that is very dry yet utterly fantastic in the best sort of way.

The Amazing Spiderman

The Amazing Spiderman was a very enjoyable movie. I went in not knowing what to think. I did not watch trailers of any kind prior to seeing The Amazing Spiderman. I can honestly say that I am glad that I did do it this way. As I gathered from others, scenes that they thought were rather cheesy from trailers worked well for the movie. The Amazing Spiderman had a great cast. Andrew Garfield as Spiderman was a good choice although unexpected. I like how he played Peter Parker. Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy well, she is such a good actress. The two of them worked very well together. Dennis Leary as Captain Stacy was a pleasant surprise. 

There is not a lot of negative things to say about The Amazing Spiderman. I think that the biggest complaint I heard was that the villain's graphics were not great. But, I think that any time you try to make an animal or reptile look human you run into difficulties. The CGI all in all was very good.
The Amazing Spiderman used humor so well. There were many scenes where the entire audience laughed out loud. I think that a big part of that was how well the cast of The Amazing Spiderman worked together. Awkward teenage humor was funny and believeable.
The biggest word to the wise that I have is DO NOT go into The Amazing Spiderman thinking about the previous Spiderman movies. Go into it planning on having a laugh and spending two hours and fifteen minutes enjoying yourself because that is what The Amazing Spiderman delivers. The Amazing Spiderman does start to drag at a couple points but quickly and effortlessly pulls you right back in. The Amazing Spiderman was well worth my time.

Brave

Pixar did it again. Brave was a solid movie that brought tears to my daughters eyes.
Without giving too much away I thought the plot had a nice twist. It first wasn't what I thought it was going to be and second wasn't given away at all in any previews. So it actually was a surprise.
Of course everything ended the way it should. The plot though was a cool little twist. Well played Pixar well played.

Small note about me

I have another blog for the randomness that is me. That link is anubelle26.blogspot.com

Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter

So I go to see Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter yesterday. I was going to write this last night but wanted to better compose my thoughts before trying to type this out.

Going into the movie my main thought was "I hope this doesn't suck because I really liked the book". I did not go into it thinking it was going to be an Oscar worthy film. I read a couple reviews and since I have come to the conclusion that professional movie reviewers do not really know what they are talking about I took them with a grain of salt. By this I simply mean that good movies get a bad rap because reviewers become jaded over time with what they like and don't.

If you have read the book there are little differences that may throw you off. But, then again the differences may be completely unnoticeable to you. At any rate I thought that some of the action was pretty entertaining. I have never seen choreography like that with an axe. I mean I am not one that is usually big on fight scenes but watching someone fight with an axe was pretty darn cool.

Yes it had vampires in it but, if you look past the obvious fabrications then you do get a brief but nice little history reminder. Abe as a lawyer, becoming the speaker that he was and ultimately President. Him speaking out against slavery, the civil war, and the Gettysburg address. Sure it won't be history class but if you know your stuff it does put a nice little twist on things.

In my opinion it did start to drag in certain parts but, did hold my attention enough that through the whole movie I was fairly entertained. Benjamin Walker to me played a good Lincoln. His makeup and costume were what I thought it would be. He was reserved enough to come across like the man we all have learned Lincoln was. Casting in all I thought was done fairly well.

Going into the movie expecting an Oscar worthy film will leave you disappointed. However, going into it with the sheer desire to be entertained for a couple hours while getting a small history lesson and a lot of axe fighting is the best way to go. Those points are well hit upon.

Avengers

    In my original beginning of my first blog I stated that I would not write about books, movies or music alone. The more I thought about it the more I realized that especially with movies I can not ignore the fact that I love them. I am a nerd a proud nerd at that. As for genres in the movie industry I do not by definition stick to a certain one. I have loved a lot of movies for many reasons.

     I remember toward the middle of April maybe even earlier my brother posted on Facebook that he wanted to go to the midnight showing of the Avengers. He wanted someone to come with him. Me in my way said I would go to "Pre watch it to make sure that it was okay for my son to watch." The truth of the matter is that I didnt want to admit that I was that excited about the movie. Prior to the release we both avoided spoilers. On the night of the movie we got to the theatre at 10:00 p.m. for the show. Two hours early but, we had to make sure that we had good seats.

     Before the movie I remember sitting there and talking to my brother about the characters in this movie. I was nervous for Mark Ruffalo because every actor to play the Bruce Banner/Hulk character fell short for me. I loved Mark as an actor prior and hoped above hope that he knocked it out of the park. Of course, I was not disappointed in this. He played that character the way I always thought it should be played. Of course this means more like Bill Bixby because my inner child's voice could not be ignored and that was my Bruce of choice.

     Then my brother said to me "Tom Hiddleston the guy that plays Loki.." I sat there waiting. "He would have made a great Snape in the Harry Potter films." This of course led to some debate because of all the casting in that movie I really felt that Snape played by Alan Rickman and Luna Lovegood played by Evanna Lynch were the most brilliant casting choices of that series. But, his point was valid the age discrepincy was too large between Snape was and Harry's parents when they should have been the same age. So I reluctantly said "Okay I will see what I think." I have always liked Rickman as an actor so I was not sure what I would think. Tom did not let my brother down.(His spot on Rickman impersonation that I heard later makes it even better.) I was quite impressed by him in this role as well.

     We talked about many movies that night as we so often do. My brother is considerably younger than me so we introduce each other to movies that the other may not have seen. I actually have found that he is no longer my baby brother but an adult. Me being 33 and him 20 that was a rough pill to swallow. I am glad though that I did. 

    My brother who is a huge Wedon fan talked about TV shows that he did and so forth. I myself have never really remembered directors. Not because I do not think what they do is important but, I have the tendency to lose myself in movies. I have always been like that. It is an escape for me. I digressed.

     So, the Avengers started and we sat in silence for two hours. Well, except for laughing in many scenes and myself cringing when the Hulk slams Loki. Although the "puiny god" comment made me laugh my fool head off. It was a great movie and there were many spots where I actually held my breath for scenes. The dialog was great. All the actors played their respective characters very well. All in all very entertaining.

     During the movie the twists were awesome. Watching Thor who obviously loves his brother be so conflicted with his feelings was not really something you expect in a typical action type movie. I think that the tone of that was relationship was set well in the previous movie (I did not see it prior) and carried on without a hitch. Watching the Hulk was well, I was giddy like a school girl. It was amazing.The fact that Lou Ferrigno carried on the Hulks voice was just AMAZING. Like I said my inner child has always been so caught up in that Hulk. The humor was what surprised me the most. I wasnt expecting it to go over so well. Tony Stark was amazing. Loki and Thor had great interactions as well.

     I decided that at the very end of the movie I definitely had to see it again. So, the following Tuesday I went with my younger sister. Then I went again with my son and his friends for his birthday. I have NEVER gone to the movies to see a picture more than once. This was three times and I would go see it again in a heartbeat.

     I can not tell a lie though. Before the Avengers I hadnt seen Captain America or any of the Iron Man movies. Nor had I had a chance to see Thor. Blasphemy I know. Coming out of that movie I realized that I had missed a few good movies. Luckily, I was just enough of a comic book follower (Stan Lee is a god just ask Kevin Smith) and I knew enough about Norse mythology to get me by. I remember watching the cartoons as a kid and loving them.

     This movie opened my eyes to many things. Actors that I didnt know much about I was introduced to and I am glad that I was. All in all such a talented cast. I mean really how could you go wrong. Samuel L. Jackson, Mark Ruffalo, Cobie Smulders (Big HIMYM fan), Robert Downey Jr. those actors alone would have sold it for me. But, then you add Scarlett Johansson, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner and most importantly Tom Hiddleston and you can do no wrong.

     This movie was not what I expected at all but in such a marvelous way that I am literally counting down to Thor 2. It is marked on my calendar. I will never again look at these movies in the same way. Thank you Joss for a visiually stimulating movie that was so well directed. Cast you were amazing.

     If you havent seen this movie you must. You may be one of the few that havent. It is worth it.