American Idol - S15E11

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MY ALL AMERICAN

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REVIEWED 

This is a true story on sports personalities. There are plenty of these type of movies that I have seen. But this one is the saddest of em all. How someone so potential strucked with tragedy. The sad thing was Freddie Steinmark was such a good obidient discipline guy with the world right in front of him. He got plans with his girl friend and that how tragic it was.

This movie is straight forward with an interview with a very old coach (Aaron Eckhart). Then the story went back to the 60's on the life of Freddie. No fancy camera works straight forward. For those who love American Football they must enjoyed watching this. Not only for the drama and story unfold but for the football matches. Not overdone like some sports movie but with slow motion used sparingly at some parts of the game. Reading from Wikipedia the final game actually happened the way it was shown even call it the game of the century. 

Freddie was played by an uknown (at least by me). Anyway from imdb he is quite regular in TV series. My remarks for the make up was that the hairs were always nicely combed even when you are in the hospital.

This is both a moving touching drama with equally impressive football matches. Nearly 2 hours long one would be satisfied for the drama and the sports it showed. More impressive that these events actually happened and the people in it existed.

A good well done movie. You wont be inspired by the coach giving motivational and fiery lectures in between halves. But you will be motivated by Freddie for his courage, motivation and spirit.

THE NIGHT BEFORE

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REVIEW

This movie is with familiar faces and you hope it to be funnier than the normal comedy movie. Is it ? Not really.

The main roles are Levitt, Rogen and Mackie or Green Hornet, Wannabee Robin/NightHawk and Falcon. Other lesser role are James Franco, Michael Shannon, Tracy Morgan and Mile Cyrus. Not a spoiler, MS is a super hero in this one. Only happened a few seconds, dont miss it. BTW he was Gen Zod in Man of Steel.

OK enough about the reference to super heroes movies, lets get down to the nitty gritties.

I thought and hoped this movie to deliver "moments" after "moments" of slapticks or jokes, but it did not. It took sometime to establish the scenario how these 3 guys are childhood buddies and why they are doing what they do on Christmas Eve every year. BTW, the movie would be more meaningful if watched near XMas or New Year as its really a Christmas movie

So the movie might actually not trying to be funny when you kindda hope it would. It was actually to tell these guys friendship. Come to think of it, it is kindda odd, that they spent together rather than be with families except for Ethan of course on every year's christmas eve.

I felt the movie failed to maximize the comedic brilliance of both Levitt and Rogen. The script was not that funny enough, of course.Its difficult enough to do one with such a thin ice plot unless you start doing brainless comedy which this film dont want to. 

At the end of the movie, you tend to complain that it could have been better. As a friendship kindda of movie it deliver it message but is it with laughter.. I dont think so.

See this if you still wanna live the christmas spirit which it kindda did. See it and look around if you have these kind of true friends in your life like Ethan have those two.

DIMENTIA

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THE FOREST

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Movies may be worth seeing basing on trailers on youtube/imdb

          After scouting, these are movies considered to be worth downloading and watching basing on their trailers found in Youtube or IMDB. But you cant judge a book base on its cover nor a movie base on its trailer. The trailer may be good but the movie may be bad and we will wasting our time watching crap. But if the other way round, then we miss a god damn good movie.

These movies will find its way to this blog eventually ..if they are good enough

OLDBOY - drama thriller because of Josh in it. Quite old of 2013. Reviewedand listed
LAZER TEAM - comedy scifi looks fun the stupid guy in Thadland is in it (already listed). Reviewed 
JURASSIC CITY - expected a bomb but the effects in the trailer is acceptable. And it is a bomb ! Remember of seeing this one time before. Very poor special effects, acting and direction. Not in list

4TH MAN OUT - comedy gay guy movie
UNCAGED - horror man turn human type of movie
DEMENTIA - drama, perhaps we'll know better about the illness
MOUNTAIN MEN - comedy about guys went on a mountain (already listed)
FIGHT TO THE FINISH - kick boxing expecting good fights despite poor acting (already listed)
SWUNG - X rated comedy
THE BOY - Horror about a dummy boy who is alive
DARK SKIES - horror sci fi quite old of 2013 but effects looks good
SHORT TERM 12 - comedy drama with Bree Larson now winning awards for her movie "room"
ASSASSIN - British thriller shoot shot bang bang one


.. to be continued from time to time

OLDBOY

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REVIEWED

This is an "old" film of 2013 directed by reputable director Spike Lee stars Josh Brolin, Samuel L Jackson, Elizabeth Olson (Wanda of Avengers) among others. Its a remake from a Korean story of the same title.

What a movie ! Agreeing of the director's reputation.

The fight scene are splendid. Dont ask where Joe (JB) got the skills and the guts. Fighting and winning with 40 men ? WTF. Watching it was like Spike Lee want to prove that he can do a Q Tuarantino movie. Aside from the story line which was interesting and gripping enough, the movie would not hold if not for the good and believable acting. The cinematography was beautifully done. That goes to the shooting and the stabbing and the slicing too.

Its one of those movie that when you finished with it you exclaimed, I didnt thought that coming. But its those movie which make you want to finish it and see what's next and next and next etc. Sure, as movie one may tend to question can something like this happen ? Can people have so much and deep vangeance that they would resort to this extreme ? Can it happen like it suppose to happen like Joe meet Marie ? After all it is a movie and nothing can work out perfectly in real life.

If I were Joe I would not have done what he did in the end. Set aside morality what happened was beyond his control and he was never aware the truth was. If he would have gone back to Marie and explain what happened, it can go both ways - explain and Ok with it cause shit happens or explain and never be together again. But I dont think Marie would do that. But if she did, what the heck.. life goes on. At least he is  honest to her. But what he did in the end is totally IDIOTIC !

Anyway, its an very good movie underrated by IMDB at 5.8 ratings. Glad to have seen this even though 2 years late. 

LAZER TEAM

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REVIEWED 

This film was unexpectedly GOOD. The decision to see it was based on watching the trailer on YouTube. In fact this film made history because it was made by a company which collected funding from its potential viewers ! Most of the film was actually good in special effects.. for its budget. How it was presented is also good. This is a comedy sci fi worth watching.

Non of those in the film I know except for Alan Ritchson. How I hate watching him in Thadland and he acted that dumb stutter guy in Wedding Ringer. But in this one, AR was different. He got the physique to be an action hero figure. There is a brief scene he showed his acting capabilities and he can do it. Being a bad guy then good who literally save the world.

The plot of the movie is fresh touching on accidental hero .. in this case heroes. Some of the jokes are really funny. LOL kindda of stuffs. Had really good laughs at some of them. Never thought that this is actually a $2.3Mil public budgeted movie. They were aiming in the $850k region.

I am sure there will be a follow up to this one basing on the script at the end of it. By that time it will be harder as the ideas are no more fresh. But just wait if they are making a sequel.

See this movie if you are looking for a comedy movie which can make you really laugh.

 

THE LEGEND OF BARNEY THOMPSON

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REVIEWED

This is a British film with Robert Carlye and Ema Thompson. Ray Winstone is also quite a familiar place in the British film circles.

Dont expect much out of this film except that its a directorial debut by RC. He was quite an actor in his younger days when he played one of James Bond's main villain and also was in Monty Phyton. ET on the other hand is already an established Hollywood actress and in this film she simply was unrecognizable being Barney's mother. Definitely using prostrate to make her aged physique. But good actor when playing a part well is convincing to be somebody's aged mother.

Barney Thomson is a man seem to be running out of luck. So many "tragedies" befallen over him that you may wonder how the story would end. It has comedy and mystery but kind of slow paced. But do wait till its over because the end was something unexpected bringing the movie out of being below average.

Of course some of the things happening you might question like why bringing corpse into your flat located many floors up. And why trying to dispose of corpse so far into the country side.

RC might be too old for the part. Its more glaring when he was a mummy's boy still single and uncertain of his future. A younger actor could fit the part better thou he did make up to look younger. So when ET look older and kind of fit the part, it still not right as RC looked still looked older. 

If you are used to see US's cops movie you will be bored to witness how slow and woody the British police is operating. They even need permission to carry guns ?

See this movie when you need a change of fast pace over the top American cop movie.

PRESCRIPTION THUGS

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REVIEWED

This is about 1 1/2 hr long documentary by Chris Bell who also had another important documentary on Steroids abused. This documentary delivered an important subject straight on like any other good films about something that need public awareness like Concussions, Spotlight, Truth etc. 

Its really touches the heart because it is whats happening with the Director/Writer (CB). His brother Mike Bell who was a wrestler died because of it. We all know that the WWE wrestling are all staged for fun. The fights are choreographed and not real. And what you dont know is that there are wrestlers who are in it to loose and they are called "Jobber". Mike Bell was in the ring 250 times and lost 250 times ! And that is commitment ! Then he died due to addiction to prescription drugs. "Legal" drugs he took to ease his pain due to his job.

There are many high points in this documentary. Its a serious one and its an important one. How in corporate America the Big Pharma get away with it just like the Tobacco industry, Oil Industry and many others. One reason to blame was when Pres Clinton allowed pharmacy advertisement in the medias. Thats where the spike of misused rosed. Thank god this country has not resorted to there yet. But who knows it will eventually.

But the message is this - if we are kept on being influenced by them and we support them thats how they keep on growing and growing. An addiction is when you cannot control what you take or do but they do it to you instead. We like to blame everyone but when we are the one who let them flourish and prosper thats where the blame should go to, to us.

There's one part that says that when we start to depend on 1 drug it will caused us to need another drug. And getting that 2nd drug will cause us to crave for the 3rd drug. So on and so forth. In this documentary it also relate that cases of Bi Polar escalated when we start to treat depression. And one child psychologist explained that sadness is one essential emotion that we should have. If we try to avoid that artificially then thats where the problems start. She said that even from childhood kids are taught to be "happy" and being sad is bad which attitude is the culprit of all other things.

As the film says, not all are bad about the pharmaceutical companies as they discovered cures and prevention for many diseases that killed humans. Its when we depend on them for all answers the trouble began.

As I said very important piece of work. Archive it and see it again and again to remind that we can live drug free.