THE WATCH

Jesse's Rating: C

Thatcher's Rating: C-

Year: 2012
Cast: Vince Vaughn, Ben Stiller, Jonah Hill

Genre: Comedy/Sci-Fi

MPAA Rating: R

       What is it with Vince Vaughn? He's like a big kid actor that won't grow up. The dude is like 40 and he appears in films in which his character could probably be played by someone in their teens or early twenties. He was in "Swingers" (1996), arguably one of the freshest most original indie comedies of the 90's. Now, he's become a victim of his own doing. I now call his movies "Vince Vaughn Movies". These are movies where he acts well, like Vince Vaughn. With his rambling and improvisational overdose style of delivering lines, he's starting to wear on me as a moviegoer.  Oh, and don't get me started with the titles of his movies (I'm sure it's not his fault). We have "The Break Up" (2006), "The Dilemma" (2011), "The Internship" (2013), and "The Delivery Man" (2013).  Ouch! 

       Let's add another "the" to the mix with "The Watch" (2012).  It's one of those R rated movies that's rated R for the sake of being rated R.You could easily of had this movie be a PG or PG-13 flick.  But why not throw in some some unnecessary bad language and gross out humor for the heck of it (all the studios seem bent on putting movies out like this). Anyway, "The Watch" tells the story of four residents of a small Ohio town who come together for a common purpose.  They decide to form a neighborhood watch group to stop what they believe to be alien forces inhabiting the area. The four main characters are played by Vince Vaughn, Ben Stiller, Jonah Hill, and Richard Ayoade. I don't know much about Ayoade as an actor.  But he's got the right idea.  He's trying to play an actual character (maybe it's because it's only his 7th movie). Aside from him though, everyone else seems to be playing themselves.  Ben Stiller is acting like well, Ben Stiller. Same for Jonah Hill. What the heck!? Can't these guys just emote a little? And the worst one of all is Vaughn. I kinda miss him playing a bad guy like in "Domestic Disturbance" (2001) (jeez I never thought I'd say that). Sad to say, he's become a parody of himself in the worst way.  

       As for the movie, I chuckled a bit but.  I mean, it had that "so stupid it's funny" thing down to a T. There's a little entertainment value there and that's why I gave it a C.  I liked a couple of subplots involving Stiller's character's estranged wife and their relationship. The same goes for Vaughn's character and his daughter. It seems like this is stuff from a better movie that got thrown into this one.  But what's on screen for the full 102 minutes is the end result. "The Watch" is a disposable summer movie that might as well not have been made. The plot may hold up as a cartoon or a teen movie of the week, but as a Hollywood production it holds no weight whatsoever. Vince Vaughn, you were money, but now your just Chapter 11 and you didn't even know it.

Written by Jesse Burleson

FASTER

Cole's Rating: C-
Thatcher's Rating: C

Year: 2010

Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Billy Bob Thornton

Genre: Action/Crime/Drama

MPAA Rating: R

      ATTENTION all film producers: you cannot whip up a action filled, muscle packed movie like Faster and expect to get a good revenge movie such as a film like Kill Bill. There is much more to it than having Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, whom on the other hand I have grown very fond of recently due to his performance in Snitch, shooting people up and being fearless in all circumstances. It requires a deeper level of thinking, not just action. Not to mention how ridiculous the action scenes were anyway. If I want to pay half attention, multi-task, be slightly entertained, and come away with absolutely nothing that I had before watching the movie except disappointment, then I will indulge myself in a movie like Faster. 

      With that said, I will briefly dive into the plot, similar to how the film did. Dwayne Johnson plays ‘driver’, who spends the entire movie hunting people down that killed his brother and gang, before his gang was turned into the police. Billy Bob Thornton, who I particularly enjoy seeing in film, my personal favorite of his performances being the 2005 remake of Bad News Bears (not the movie itself, but his performance) played ‘cop’, the cop who was in charge of catching ‘driver’ while on his killing spree, which he’s never able to do. Hm. I wonder why. Maybe it’s because he’s trying to catch a guy as big as ‘The Rock’, especially with his ridiculously muscular physical state in the movie. Nobody can stop him, not even a bullet to the head! As he admits in the movie, “God can’t save you from me.” Well, we sure found that out as an audience. And there’s someone else after ‘driver’ too. And his name is ‘killer’ (Oliver Jackson-Cohen). He is a trained killer, taking orders from somebody we were not aware of in the movie until the end. But even though they had a few scenes where ‘killer’ and ‘driver’ had an open shot at each other, neither one of them gets hit despite their obvious skill and accuracy with weapons, and scenes displaying their precision and expertise. Of course not.

     Character motivation was another serious problem in the film. You’ll understand why I say this when you watch the movie’s ending and realize that they were simply trying to make up for the lack of originality and existence of thought and contemplation on the film in the previous hour and twenty minutes with the several attempts that were made to awe the audience with Thornton’s character, that were ineffective. Another line from the movie that should not have been in the film, took place when ‘driver’ visits his ‘girl’ and his child. She spends the entire time he is there yelling at him, claiming “Why are you here? There is nothing here for you!”. Then no less then a minute later, while he is walking out of the door, she encourages him by screaming “I hope you kill them all!”. 
      
      Did I like this movie? No. But I’m one of millions of critics and opinions out there, and I’m sure we all don’t share the same viewpoint. Somebody who is a Dwayne Johnson action junkie may love the film. But I could recommend much better ones, in the same category also, seeing that this film’s idea is one of the most unoriginal you can find.

Written by Cole Pollyea

The Best And The Worst Of 2012 (Cole)

Cole's Top 10

1. Argo

-Great directing, original idea with a heart-racing conclusion. Best movie of the year, and this movie safely rests as one of my new favorites. 

2. Flight
-A peak performance for Denzel, surprised he didn’t win Best Actor. It was a saddening, great movie about the life of an alcoholic. This film was very much enjoyed and appreciated by this critic.

3. Silver Linings Playbook
-Silver Linings Playbook is one of the best this year because it's raw, genuine, lovely, and crazy all at the same time. Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro, and Jennifer Lawrence really knocked it out of the park in this highly enjoyable, heartwarming serving of real life—in a movie.

4. The Dark Knight Rises
-I am obsessed with Nolan’s movies. This may be one of his best, and it concludes the series with a bang. This is now one of my favorite superhero series. 

5. The Grey
-Similar idea to Alive, but I thought this did a better job. The ending is what makes the movie one of the best this year.6. Trouble With The Curve
-Two actors in the opposite time of their lives (Eastwood and Timberlake), not to mention Amy Adams act in what seems to be one of the best and most touching baseball movies out there.

6. The Odd Life Of Timothy Green
-Wonderful movie. Pleasing to all audiences. I found this movie entertaining, loving, and clever all at the same time.

7. Les Miserables
-Great adaption of the play itself, however a little too much singing in this one. But, I still love it and recommend it to all, with ears that is. 

8. The Amazing Spider-Man
-The only reason I second guess this film is because it requires the comparison to the original Spiderman starring Tobey Maguire and the sequels that follow, because both films are great. One of the things that I liked the most about this film was Emma Stone, who stole the show in my mind.

9. Life of Pi
-Marvelous visual effects meets a moving performance meets an epic storyline... Only to fall short with its faithful depiction of a conclusion.

10. Looper
-Willis and Levitt raise the standard for modern time traveling movies. Great storyline with effective subplots. Good flick.

Cole's Worst 5

1. That’s My Boy
-This is what I consider the worst movie this year because of the opportunity it missed. Horribly acted, with a very dumb plot (that could’ve been funny). Aside from Adam Sandler, it was poorly casted also. Like I said, I was anticipating this movie to be on the former list. Swing-and-a-miss.

2. Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2
-Well, it was not good. It was horridly acted... Like I said in my review, because of the poor acting, I couldn’t take the serious parts seriously. 

3. Pitch Perfect
-One of the most loved and praised movies of 2012 is hated by me. First off, I’m not a fan of musicals (excluding Les Miserables). Second, this movie just wasn’t good. The fact that is was so popular (mainly among teens) made it even worse.

4. One For The Money
-Did we really need this film? Did we really need to see a bad version of The Bounty Hunter? My answer to both of those questions are two big no’s.

5. Taken 2
-Very unoriginal, and very predictable. Let’s just write this one up as one they did not need to make a sequel to, and one they just shouldn’t have.

The Best And Worst Of 2012 (Uncle Jesse)

Jesse's Top 10

1. The Grey -It's Liam Neeson. It's wolves, terror, suspense. It's a movie in which after you see it, you won't need a nail clipper. All your nails will be gone after 2 hours of chewing and biting. 2. Argo -Director Ben Affleck takes meat and potatoes filmmaking to a whole new level.  It's a straight up old fashioned great movie. 3. Cloud Atlas -The critics didn't love it, but this critic did. Audiences stayed away from it. I thought, maybe in 20 years this will be a much talked about cult classic. I hope I'm right. Oh yeah, watch for Tom Hanks playing like 6 or 7 different characters. 4. Silver Linings Playbook -Robert De Niro and Bradley Cooper were meant to work together. And a star is born in Jennifer Lawrence in this Philadelphia story about mental illness and unconditional love. 5.  The Dark Knight Rises -In my opinion, better than Dark Knight.  Director Christopher Nolan wraps up the final chapter of his trilogy with this dense, mature, and powerful action packed take on the Batman series. 6.  Life of Pi -Director Ang Lee does it again with a mind blowing film that should be the play book for special effects for every movie in the future. 7.  This is 40 -It's brutally honest, sweet, and funny. A film about married life and embracing middle age. I honestly didn't want it to end. 8.  Trouble With The Curve -Who wants to see Clint Eastwood play a grumpy old timer? I do! I do!  It's a baseball film that goes behind the scenes. Not as a good as Moneyball (2011), but still pretty serviceable. 9.  The Campaign -Oh it's funny. Will Ferrell does another Will Ferrell movie. I laughed so hard I think I broke a rib. 10. Flight -Star Denzel Washington channels his inner Nicolas Cage. Think Leaving Las Vegas (1996) for airline pilots. Jesse's Worst 5 1. Piranha 3DD -A movie that's bad and knows it's bad. It doesn't care. Result: Straight to video. 2. Paranormal Activity 4 -This is the first out of all four movies that is actually bad. The other three were surprisingly scary. This one just ran out of ideas and actually turned into a comedy. The only problem is the filmmakers didn't know it.  But we did. 3. Red Dawn -The 1984 original wasn't a great movie. That means that the remake was gonna be better, right? WRONG!  You know things are bad when Tom Cruise's son is part of the main cast (he has almost no acting experience) and action scenes feel like a video game from the early 90's. (Think Contra). 4. One For The Money -Katherine Heigl can act. But why does she continue to show up in films like this. She should have a long talk with her agent and then at the end, fire him. 5. Total Recall -As bad of a remake as I can remember. This movie makes the 1990 original feel like Citizen Kane.  Let's face it, Colin Ferrell doesn't belong in the same building as AAhhnolldd. Heck, he doesn't belong in the same floor. Total Recall is a shiny, bland, sci-fi snoozer that has incredibly pedestrian action sequences.

SNITCH

Cole's Rating: ★★★

Thatcher's Rating: ★★★★
Jesse's Rating: ★★★

Year: 2013
Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Jon Bernthal, Susan Sarandon
Genre: Action/Drama/Thriller
MPAA Rating: PG-13

        As I was sitting in the theater waiting for A Good Day To Die Hard to begin, I saw the preview for Snitch. I leaned over to my father who was beside me and I said, “Dad, I don’t have an interest in seeing that, it’ll be just like all those other bang-em-up, no plot movies.” I was referencing such movies as the movie at hand at the time, A Good Day To Die Hard. But I was horribly wrong. Snitch caught me by surprise, and didn’t let go.

        ‘Dwayne and Shane’, is what I like to call the great actors in the movie. In order to minimize his son’s jail time for being “snitched” by a friend for selling drugs, an inexperienced father, John Matthews (Dwayne Johnson) must find a way to catch ruthless drug dealers, and turn them into the police. The first name is obvious, 'Dwayne' for Dwayne Johnson. However the second, Jon Bernthal, who plays the co-worker of John, who helps him out by giving him an introduction to a drug cartel is not. Jon Bernthal starred in one of my favorite television series, AMC’s The Walking Dead, in which he played my favorite character, Shane. For the remainder of his entire career, no matter what character he plays, he will always be Shane to me. Both actors played their characters quite well. Dwayne’s performance was his best, in my opinion, but somewhat crippled by the majority of scenes that displayed poor dialogue, which seemed unnatural and forced. And Shane played a ex-con who struggles to keep clean and keep his family safe. So when he gets involved with John and this ordeal, he is put to the test. I will be saddened by not seeing him in this weeks episode of The Walking Dead, being as he was killed off on the show last season, which I have not gotten over yet. Sorry to those who are not caught up to this season, and have just been informed that the best character has died.

        Similar to my recent viewing of Argo, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie’s originality; it was based off of a true story. Great titles such as Catch Me If You Can, The Pianist, The Blind Side, and Alive are all great, original movies that successfully told a spectacular story such as this.

        I came out of the theater impressed with what a good movie this was, taken entirely by surprise. It was the perfect mix of explosion and emotion. Although the scenes of explosion had poor camera work and the depiction of the scene was fairly difficult, they still contributed to the films overall outcome. Jesse, my fellow film critic shared the same opinion on A Good Day To Die Hard, claiming that he couldn’t fully tell what was happening in the action scenes. That’s how I felt about this one. And I believe that one of the reasons this movie also thrived is because of the emotional tie with both John and Shane’s family. It added much effect to the movie. What better way to publicize the courageous and unforgettable story of a irreplaceable father than to produce a movie like Snitch?

Written by Cole Pollyea

Jesse's Take on SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK

Jesse's Rating: B+
Cole's Rating: A

Director: David O. Russell
Year: 2012

Cast: Bradley Cooper Robert De Niro, Jennifer Lawrence

Genre: Comedy/Drama/Romance

MPAA Rating: R 

        When you watch a David O. Russell film, you know what to expect. This is a good thing. He's a talented director who sticks to what he knows best. Rapid fire, whip smart dialogue, solid casting, and off the wall plot descriptions. If you've seen "Three Kings" and "I Heart Huckabees" (2004), you know what I'm talking about. He gets the most out of his actors. It seems as though the camera is peeking in on them.  Scenes in his movies get drawn out, taking to the extreme. But I like it. The rawness of Russell's filmmaking fascinates me.  

        Up for multiple oscars at this year's Academy Awards, we get "Silver Linings Playbook" (2012). This is Russell's ode to the city of Philadelphia. We get Bradley Cooper as Pat. A mental patient (former school teacher) who gets out of the hospital early and goes to live with his parents in the outskirts of Philly. His dad is Pat Sr. played by Robert DeNiro. Pat Sr. is a huge Eagles fan who has been kicked out of Veterans Stadium for getting into fights during the games. Then there's Pat's loving mother Delores played by Jackie Weaver. She goes to pick up Pat and his buddy (played by Chris Tucker) at the hospital with the help of the courts giving him permission to leave a little early.  While trying to get his life back together (he lost his wife, his house, and his job), Pat meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), a young woman with similar pain in her life. The two meet and form a beautiful relationship. Listen, I cant divulge too much into the story so I'm just gonna say that the whole film comes down to a bet involving a dance contest and an Philadelphia Eagles/Dallas Cowboys game. 

        "Silver Linings Playbook" is a feel good film with a few rough edges. It shows that even though every family has problems and a certain level of dysfuntionality, they love each other regardless. I like the relationship and the dynamic between Copper's character and his parents. I also adore Jennifer Lawrence as Tiffany.  Almost every performance in this film is solid, but Lawrence just plain hits it out of the park.  Somehow, she is able to out act Deniro, Weaver, and Cooper all in the same scene.  In her early twenties, she's got one heck of a career ahead of her.  

        All in all, "Silver Linings Playbook" is not a perfect film. It leaves a couple of loose ends with the characters.  The Chris Tucker character and the brother of Cooper's character along with his Shrink, don't really have a lot to do. You don't know what their motivation is because they fade in and out of the film. Then there is the script.  Like I said, the acting is terrific, but you get the sense that the actors just run out of things to say so they improvise to the point where it's not needed. Yes, I do like Russell's style of directing, but this is what keeps "Sliver Linings Playbook" from being a bonified 4 star movie.  However, when the film is over, you feel invigorated and it has the power to get a moviegoer to see it multiple times. That's why I'm recommended it highly. It reminded me of the 2006 film "Little Miss Sunshine." That was a another feel good film with similar themes and nuances.  

        One thing to notice and wonder when watching "Silver Linings Playbook," is why the heck does Bradley Cooper always wear a trash bag when he's running? Oh, and be on the lookout for Jackie Weaver's varied facial expressions throughout the film. Priceless.

-Written by Jesse Burleson

REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE

Thatcher's Rating: A

Year: 1955
Cast: James Dean, Natalie Wood
Genre: Drama/Romance
MPAA Rating: Approved          

           Rebel Without a Cause isn't just a movie in my words, but rather a masterpiece. Somewhat of a cult classic as well considering it wasn't meant to be one. After all, you can't just say "I'm going to go out and make a cult classic" and hope that it ends in success. 

~

           First off, let me start out with what REALLY makes this movie...the star, James Dean. Mister Dean is a personal favorite of mine considering he's not all that meets the eye. He appeared to be a young, different teenager with a blonde pompadour and a  heaping dose of swagger. People knew who he was when he walked in the room, his icy eyes hold a whole different past. As soon as you see him onscreen crawling up to a toy monkey with cymbals at the introduction of the film, you get a sense of foreshadowing as if anything could happen from here on out. James Dean does more then make an appearance, he imprints himself in your brain. And this is why he's the only person who was able to fit Jim Stark, the story's protagonist. The film opens with Stark getting busted for petty drunkenness. As he stumbles around the station, two more characters are partially introduced; Judy (Natalie Wood) and Plato (Sal Mineo). There's more to them later on, but the introduction of them using a slight camera view and intro to what their feelings are about their actions is fantastically done. Things are intriguing until Jim's parents arrive, played by Jim Backus (Mr. Magoo) and Ann Doran. I would like to briefly applaud Jim Backus who blends into this role like a chameleon. What you see is an all around pleasant guy; he says practically all the right things and can say something sad or negative without crushing your heart. I felt the decision to have a comedian play a character with emotional issues was a perfect and ironic choice, as Jim's dad struggles with being a push-over (Jim's mother being the pusher) to the dismay of Jim himself. This back and forth argument is so clearly existent in a scene at the station. The realism and honesty of teenage angst and parental confusion is the beating heart of this picture and I praise it strongly for that. When no others could portray this rampant concept, director Nicholas Ray was able to and lets it out of it's cage to run free. You've got to see this film, not only will you be able to connect with it on such a deep and emotional level, but it's entertaining and you'll love to see the best bits of James Dean's short life (R.I.P.)

Written by Thatcher Boyd                                                                        

A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD

Cole's Rating: ★ ½
Jesse's Rating: ★★

Year: 2013

Cast: Bruce Willis, Jai Courtney

Genre: Action/Crime/Thriller
MPAA Rating: R

      It's disappointing when Hollywood decides to make sequels to epic movies, because they very seldom turn out to do the original any justice, or to have cinematic success. That's the case here, with this latest, and hopefully last, installment in the Die Hard series, A Good Day To Die Hard.

        Now, I liked Die Hard. Actually, I loved Die Hard. It's originality smacked me in the face, and the on-screen action hero (Bruce Willis) was there for the first time as the said action hero. Casting Bruce Willis in these roles anymore is just redundant. He's dehumanized! Look at all of these things that he's come out of, so don't we already know that he's gonna survive in every action movie he does? Well, that thought was rolling over in my head as the plot line of this thing took a number of incredibly pointless twists and turns.  I mean think about it, you may as well rename the whole series: A Good Day To Live Free or Die Hard With A Vengeance Twice. That sounds stressful, and always when you're on vacation. Huh.

        So yeah, I hope that they don't make ANOTHER sequel. They're all entertaining, and they are all relatively serviceable, but when it comes down to it, the series should've stopped after the first one, because now it's iconic for its ongoing, disappointing sequels. I can't say that this film stole the "most disappointing movie so far this year" award because I didn't have high expectations for it anyway, thanks to the previous installments. And plus, The Internship stole that award from right under it.

-Written by Cole Pollyea

THE KING'S SPEECH

Cole's Rating: B+
Jesse's Rating: B-

Year: 2010
Cast: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush
Genre: Biography/Drama/History 
MPAA Rating: R

    A movie critic has many responsibilities. One of those being to inform the readers on what to see, and what not to see. Another being to give feedback to the film producers, and directors, and what-not. But one of the things that I will be doing in this review, one of the things I enjoy seeing done, is promoting a movie to an audience that doubts the movie itself before watching it. The King’s Speech told the story of the man who became King George VI (Colin Firth). He attempts to overcome a humiliating speech impediment with the help of Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush), his speech therapist. Now the plot line isn’t the most interesting. Neither is the dialogue. As a matter of fact, neither is the movie in it’s entirety. However, I feel that it will be around for a long time because of it’s beauty. The majority of people who have not seen this movie, most likely will not because of the negative effect of word of mouth. What seems boring to a person without the ability to see deeper into the film, will seldom be for somebody who can.  

Don’t get me wrong, there were places in the movie that were boring. I will analyze the pace of the film by half hours (the movie was two hours long). The first half an hour was an introduction to the characters, and the Duke of York’s (soon to be king) horrific impediment and the embarrassment he suffered through. This moved at a steady pace, not too slow, or fast either. The second half hour’s dullness was enough to make me doubt the movie. I found myself lost in my own thoughts while watching the screen, and having to refocus numerous times. There was a lot of dialogue in this half hour, a lot of which I believe was irrelevent and could have been edited out. The third half hour was more entertaining. This is when Bertie (George’s nickname) really began to buckle down and work hard with his therapist, it had some very entertaining scenes, and was well paced. And finally, the last half hour was what made the movie. It was fast paced, very emotional, and executed very well by the actors. 

One of the things I at first found a little overdramatic and ridiculous is Bertie’s constant and wild temper. As I was watching it I was wondering why and questioning whether it was good acting or not the way he threw his fits at his therapist, who was only trying to help. But, as I’ve thought about it, I realized that it really was good acting, and I also became more aware of the factors that encouraged it. One being his obvious struggle with the impediment, and the constant frustration that he feels as he attempts to progress. The other factor being because of his importance and high stature, he knows that he can get away with more inappropriate behavior than any other person. However, the first point was the more relevant one. 

Director Tom Hooper, who also directed Les Miserables (2012), does a wonderful job expressing deep, emotional ideas, which appeared often and heavily in The King’s Speech. Behind the boring, slow, or dull scenes in the movie, is a masterpiece. What has to be realized is that there is more to it than what meets the eye.

Written by Cole Pollyea

HEAT

Uncle Jesse's Rating: A

Cole's Rating: A-

Year:  1995

Cast: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer, Ashley Judd

Genre: Action/Crime/Drama

MPAA Rating: R

        Michael Mann had only made 3 films in eleven years prior to making this epic 1995 crime saga about cops and robbers duking it out in modern day L.A. "Heat" is famous for bringing together two of the greatest actors who have ever walked the face of the Earth, Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino. They only share the screen together for about two and half scenes. But it's priceless stuff. One is the hero and one is the villain.  Can you guess which one? If you've never seen the film before it could be a tough answer. Well, I'll tell you anyway.

        Robert DeNiro plays Neil McCauley, a man who's main lot in life is to take down scores or heists anywhere from an armored car to a bank. His crew consists of other hardened criminals played by well known actors such as Val Kilmer, Tom Sizemore, and Danny Trejo. Al Pacino's character is Vincent Hanna. He is the lieutenant of the L.A.P.D. He is a non-family type, with 3 divorces under his belt, He has been tapped to stop Neil and catch him in the act of whatever robbery he and his crew attempt next.

        With a few other pertinent subplots and some of Mann's numbing cinematic trademarks (primarily using composer Elliot Goldenthal's haunting musical score)  "Heat" is a long film (almost 3 hours).  It takes it's time developing the characters so we see them as real people and not cardboard cutouts servicing the plot.  When the film comes to it's final climax, we as the audience, know what it took to get there and appreciate the journey.  "Heat" will leave you exhausted and elated, but in a good way.  There are three great scenes that qualify it as master film making. One is the gunfight in the middle of downtown Los Angeles with gunfire so visceral and loud you can smell the bullets. Then there's the coffee shop scene with DeNiro and Pacino, who are pretty much the same person (I would give up my left arm to be an extra in that scene when it was going down). And finally there is the ending. Possibly the greatest film ending of all time.  Echoing the Steve McQueen classic "Bullitt" (1967), it's a standoff between good and evil for the ages at where else, the airport. I don't care if you are a grown man or not, you'll probably shed a tear or two. "Heat" is a movie for people who love movies. I consider it one of my all time faves.  In the middle of the film, desperate criminal Val Kilmer utters the line, "the bank is worth the risk, I need it brother." You'll need it too, the film that is.

Written by Jesse Burleson

HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA

Cole's Rating: ★★★
Thatcher's Rating: ★★★ 1/2

Year: 2012
Cast: Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, Kevin James
Genre: Animation/Comedy/Family
MPAA Rating: PG

It takes a lot to make some people laugh. For some, it only takes a little. For me, it takes Adam Sandler playing Count Dracula in an animated film about monsters. Not only was it absolutely hilarious, it-it-it, y-yes it was absolutely hilarious. Those of you who have seen The Waterboy, another one of Sandler’s gut-busting movies, will understand that joke. Although Sandler’s voice did seal the deal for me, there was more to it. The movie was about Dracula’s daughter Mavis (voiced by Selena Gomez), who was turning 118, a milestone (end of youth) in the vampire lifestyle. This year, like every year, he was throwing a party for her in their monster hotel, human-free since 1998. He invited everybody! Frankenstein (voiced by Kevin James), the Invisible Man, Wayne the wolf (voiced by Steve Buscemi), and many more, all ready to party it up, that is until a human, Jonathan (voiced by Andy Samberg), shows up unexpectedly, zings with Mavis, and ruins the party... For Dracula, who has to have everything go his way, which causes the main conflict in the movie! But everybody else loves him (disguised as a member of the Frankenstein family). The rest, I can’t disclose, I guess you’ll have to see what happens. Being a reader of the original novel, Dracula by Bram Stoker, I found this movie to be slightly derivative. If you come to terms with the fact that it's just a play on its ideas, then I'm sure you'll enjoy it, but I'd personally rather stick to the novel. 

This movie incorporated a few mature, but not inappropriate lessons, which I particularly enjoy to see done in a kid’s film, a few of those being Toy Story, Shrek, and Monsters Inc. Every parent dreads the day that their little girl falls in love, and wants to leave and go explore the world. Well, so does Dracula. Just because he is a vampire, doesn’t mean he’s not a good parent! That’s for certain, I mean he did build the whole hotel and make it secure for her to be protected, for a reason that Dracula keeps internal, which turned out to be  another significant, adult point in the movie. This kid’s movie is one that I recommend to people of all ages, it interests and entertains the adults too.

Bravo to Marcelo Vignali, who helped make Hotel Transylvania come to life. He was the production designer, the Harold in Harold And The Purple Crayon. He was able to apply his lifelong interest in animation to further his career, and create the setting and visual aspect of Hotel Transylvania. In my opinion, he did a great job. However, although it did show multiple places in the castle, I would’ve enjoyed seeing more, being as it was as big as it was, and there was a party going on. Nevertheless, his astounding artistic ability really shows in this movie. The castle eerily reminded me of the original castle with all those secret tunnels and trap doors Shaggy always fell through in the original Scooby Doo, Where Are You! series that aired from 1969-1972. And let me just say that anything that reminds me of that series did a darn good job! 

The humor that was used in this movie was very clever. I found it highly entertaining knowing that Adam Sandler was doing the Dracula voice, and felt that nobody could have done it better, just like Tom Hanks in Toy Story. It did a wonderful job creating the perfect moments for situational amusement. The fact that there are a bunch of monsters playing chicken on each others’ shoulders in a pool of God-knows-what is just hilarious in itself! Let alone the dialogue and things that come of it. Another scene, which was my favorite in the movie, is when three monsters are in the car, and they come across a flock of sheep. Well, Wayne the wolf gobbles em’ up! What I’m trying to convey is that the humor used in here was original and outstanding. 

Hotel Transylvania was a wonderful, hilarious, slightly underdeveloped with display of the hotel (nothing too major), romantic, delightful movie that is a great flick to catch with your family, yet if you're a lover of the book like myself, this may seem like a brain-lulling, derivative kid's movie. But that doesn't mean it isn't enjoyable! And remember, Dracula doesn't say "blah-blah-blah".

Written by Cole Pollyea

GERRY

Jesse's Rating: B+

Year: 2002
Cast: Matt Damon, Casey Affleck
Genre: Adventure/Drama/Mystery
MPAA Rating: R

        About ten years ago, I went to a small independent movie theatre on the North side of Chicago.  I saw a film on a tiny budget with two actors and some extras.  "Gerry" is about two nameless guys played by Matt Damon and Casey Affleck. They park their cars along a road to see a historic monument thinking they'll only be gone an hour or so. They were wrong. Without any food or water, they follow a worn out trail which causes them to be lost in a vast desert wasteland with no shelter in sight. "Gerry" had me on the edge of my seat the entire movie.

        Reflecting on "Gerry" 10 years later, it reminded me of a few films that came before and after it's release.  Part "Blair Witch Project" (1999) and part "Open Water" (2005), it's a film that effectively relies on minimal movie resources to create real tension and fear.

        There are film critics that have deemed it slow and polarizing.  I found it effective because the stars are real life friends who's chemistry is evident throughout the film's entire running time.  As they try to find water and civilization, time is ticking away.  You get so involved with their plight that you're right there with them every step of the way.  The movie's only low point could possibly be the ending.  It drags on and toys with the audience.  It could have used a little editing. However, the ride to get there is worth it.

        The film was directed by Gus Van Sant.  With films like "Good Will Hunting" (1997) and "Drugstore Cowboy" (1989), in 2002, this was a complete different turn from what he had done before.  I'd call him Guts Van Sant for making a film like this.  He pulls it off.  With a hauntingly beautiful music score and breathtaking cinematography, "Gerry" is a small gem of a film.  Oh and about the title, you'll just have to see the movie yourself to find out. 

Written by Jesse Burleson

FACE/OFF

Cole's Rating: B
Thatcher's Rating: B+

Year: 1997
Cast: John Travolta, Nicolas Cage
Genre: Action/Crime/Thriller
MPAA Rating: R


  Wow! Did this movie blow my mind! Completely altering your physical appearance to take the place of another human being seems like it would almost be to unreal to believe. Almost. Left with no other options, this is what Sean Archer (John Travolta) has to do in order to discover the code to defuse the bomb set by Castor Troy (Nicholas Cage), that is planned to blow up the entire city of Los Angeles. Now, these two have a history. Castor had killed Archer’s son by accident, in attempt to kill Archer. This left Archer with a indescribable hatred towards Castor. This is the seemingly far-fetched, but highly entertaining plot line of Face/Off.
 
  I will not lie, when this movie began, for the small portion of time in the movie that each Travolta and Cage were playing their own characters, the acting was pitiful. I would not have been able to handle the entire movie of them in their own character because of how cheesy and poor the opening action scene and beginning acting was. Another major flaw I saw in the movie was a couple of the highly unrealistic action scenes, one taking place in the prison, but I will say no more (no spoilers). It added to the movie's dehumanization effects, and flipped that unrealistic switch on in our heads, if it hasn't been turned on already by the plot line.

  But, the movie picked up. As they traded roles and acted as they didn’t know how to act in each other’s place, the acting excelled. Anyone else sick of the word act? 

        Like I said, it's an entertaining movie. After 138 minutes, I found myself thinking, was that 138 minutes? And there were several complex scenes in which I had to think to myself, “Wait! That’s really him, but she thinks it’s him! And he’s doing that because it’s not really him?! Ah! Now I get it!”, this was a common, and amusing thought of mine in different circumstances offered in Face/Off, a movie I underestimated from the beginning, and a movie that I'm glad that I watched.

Written by Cole Pollyea

WHAT'S EATING GILBERT GRAPE

Cole's Rating: B
Thatcher's Rating: B
Jesse's Rating: B+

Year: 1993
Cast: Johnny Depp, Leonardo DiCaprio, Juliette Lewis
Genre: Drama
MPAA Rating: PG-13

As I was surfing the Netflix queue on a sick day, I came across What’s Eating Gilbert Grape. And boy, how glad I am that I did. This movie is based on Gilbert Grape (Johnny Depp), who is cooped up in a small, backwater town in Iowa. Gilbert’s job was to take care of his family, a 15-year-old bratty sister named Amy, his younger sister Ellen who takes the role of the mother, because the mother is obese in its very definition, and does not contribute to the household whatsoever. And most importantly, he takes care of his mentally impaired brother Arnie (Leonardo Dicaprio), who did an astounding job portraying the character. In my opinion, almost comparable to Dustin Hoffman’s performance in Rain Man. Gilbert meets a beautiful young woman, Becky (Juliette Lewis), and falls in love. They were racing against the clock, because as soon as Becky and her mother got their car to work again, Becky was gone.

This movie was touching. It’s not everyday you have to patiently care for a highly defective boy, who was soon to be a young man. The relationship between the two (Gilbert and Arnie) was solely love. Arnie only new good things; he reminded me of a giddy, careless child, sheltered from the world in the best way possible. And that was all he was ever going to be. Gilbert accepted that.

With a running time of 118 minutes, I believe the movie could’ve been done in less time.  I found it replaying the same scene (not literally) several times, and it could’ve done without. It would have been more effective, in my opinion, had it been produced in less time. 

What’s Eating Gilbert Grape is recommended to those who enjoy movies taken place in a place that most do not experience life in, and those who enjoy observing compassionate relationships. 

Written by Cole Pollyea