May Recommendation: The Negotiator

 

                                    Well, it's the month of May and we're officially in the month of blockbuster movies, and this latest recommendation is somewhat of a reminder that late nineties movies where again the best time to go to the movies, as I've proved a year ago and The Negotiator was strangely a movie that first introduced me to legendary actor Samuel L. Jackson, and this was going back to when we had satellite cable TV and we've always had this channel where they always had shown previews of movies that came out and The Negotiator was always on all the time and this one actor that always came up for which was Samuel L. Jackson, and granted this has been a long time since I've watched the movie but finding it on Netflix I was like well dang I have to watch it since it's been quite a long time since I've seen it, and without a doubt a movie worthy of a monthly recommendation it's defiantly up there in one of the best cop movies of all time.

                                    Danny Roman (Samuel L. Jackson) is considered the best police hostage negotiator in Chicago. After a friend warns him that someone is embezzling from a disability fund, the person is found dead. Internal Affairs investigator Niebaum (J.T. Walsh) discovers the gun used had been handled by Roman. When no one believes his innocence, Roman takes Niebaum hostage. When Chris Sabian (Keven Spacey) arrives to hear Roman's demands, the two skilled negotiators begin a tense stand-off.

                                     After watching the film twice in case I missed anything moreover looking at where it ranks in the best Cop movies ever made, I was shocked to find that this amazing well-crafted movie is not ranked in any of the best cop movies from IMBD to Looper-Endless Entertainment, that is just something I cannot accept especially when humanity is a mistake, I mean how the hell is this not praised by any film buffs out there? You have two of the best actors of our generation (yes, I'm mentioning Kevin Spacey because I'm only praising his career from his early years to right after Baby Driver was released, since he's now fallen from grace) a great and unique story, so again I don't understand why this movie has been forgotten by everyone. Well, of course I guess I must be the only one to say that this was defiantly one of the best cop movies I've ever seen in a long, long time. For a billion reasons, this was defiantly one of these films that I've never seen like in terms of taking the movie seriously, as a result of this was one of the first times you ever, where you feel for the  protagonist from thirty minutes into the movie to the end of the movie, also when I began to see all of Jacksons friends turn against him I really felt for the guy especially when it comes to betrayal moreover having to take the law into his own hands by taking people hostage. What I like most about the movie is that it focuses more on hostage negotiators for which we've never got to understand how they work or how they operate, especially when they're rare few times a hostage situation happens. An interesting note I found out of the film was that the film was originally written to star Sylvester Stallone in the title role, and I wouldn't believe in a million years that would ever work for this film’s success and don't get me wrong Stallone will always be Rocky to me but I wouldn't take this movie seriously if Stallone was the Negotiator, so it was a wise choice to cast Samuel L. Jackson in the title role because he's exceptionally good when it comes to showing his emotions from being scared to angry at the same time and really after watching this movie I have to say that he's defiantly up there in the one of the top ten greatest actors of all time, and the same goes to Kevin Spacey by reason of he can do a great job play both a protagonist in one movie and makes a great movie villain in the next moreover the nineties were good for spacey because if you look at his filmography from 1990 to 1999 he made hit after hit when it came to movies. The film was largely based on a pension fund scandal in the St. Louis Police Department in the late 1980's and early 1990's, which really doesn't surprise me much but is fascinating when you think about it. Of course Sam Jackson and Kevin Spacey made this film work, but the supporting cast helped out as well a great example was the late J.T. Walsh who plays the Internal Affairs who accuses Jackson's character, furthermore does a great job being a smug a-hole who you just want to punch in the face because all Internal Affairs officers when it comes to movies are always the douche bags who never get fresh air because their always in the offices investigating cops. Another great actor in the supporting realm that needs to be praised was Ron Rifkin who was also in my December Recommendation of L.A. Confidential and who portrays a cop that you'd think would be Jackson's alley but through the course of the movie shows that nothing is what it seems, and he does a great job at that. The movie has a surprise guest star for which I was kind of surprised Dean Norris who’s known for Hank in Breaking Bad plays one of the SWAT officers for which I thought was cool even though this was made in 98. This is a great Cop movie from start to finish and has been forgotten for a long time, and thanks to Netflix I'm now bringing this movie out into the light because this was one of the best Cop movies I've seen in a while moreover way better than The Departed, and as for all of you that have or don't have a Netflix account I would highly recommend watching this movie, with its great acting chops of Jackson and Spacey as well as a tremendously well-crafted whodunit story. Also, how can you not watch a movie that has Samuel L. Jackson? 

        

See How They Run

 

                                   One of those movie nights where I'm hanging around with my mom and dad, they were wanting to watch a movie, and this was one of those rare few times I had to find a movie real quick because they would want to watch something they've probably seen and I really don't feel like it. So, See How They Run came up and I said let's watch this. This was defiantly one of those films that I've heard about via watching the trailer on YouTube, and I thought it was intriguing and so why not give this movie a look at, though my parents where asking me if I'd knew what happens in the end and I'd never told them but this one of the rare few times I was actually telling the truth, because it was my first time watching it.

                                   In 1950's London, plans for a movie version of a smash-hit play come to an abrupt halt after a pivotal member of the crew is murdered. When a world-weary inspector (Sam Rockwell) and an eager rookie constable (Saoirse Ronan) take on the case, they find themselves thrown into a puzzling whodunit within the glamorously sordid world of underground theater, investigating the mysterious homicide at their own peril.

                                   This was no doubt an interesting film from start to finish though this was one of those movies I just felt like this could have been done better and it's one of these things where they provide some interesting, good ideas, but then it just felt like they kind of half a**. Really the core of the movie was Sam Rockwell's performance in the movie, he does a great job playing a down on his luck detective who’s a drunk and must put up with a rookie detective who at times gets on his nerves which I strangely can relate too in all kinds of ways. Ronan on the other hand I kind of felt annoyed by her, mainly yes, she plays a rookie cop lacks experience but there is such a thing of chewing a person’s ass out when it comes to pushing your buttons. I do like the whole chemistry between Adrian Brody and David Oyelowo who each of them play the screenwriter and director of the adaption to Agatha Christie's Mousetrap and each of them argue about how the movie should be made, for which is a great representation I view as each men wanting to make a movie but have different point of views which I liked seeing in the film, though the problem I have was that Brody's story board sequence foreshadowed how the movie ends which is like WTF? Like why they would do such a thing, I mean when it comes to making a movie on a murder mystery you should never give away details. Either way the movie to me was a decent watch from start to finish, I liked the performance from Rockwell, and there were a lot of interesting things they did in terms of a whodunit story, but there were other things I look at and just see that they could of dun a better job or worked on it more. Decent film had no objections of not wanting to see it, I'd recommend it for anyone to watch it and if you love the movie moreover have a different point of view, when it comes to the movie, I won't hold anything against you.

       

A Harold Ramis Double Feature

 

                                   So, this will probably be one of those nights that I will never forget, nor will I ever get the hours back no matter the run time. Now, Harold Ramis the most famous comedic writer behind such great classics such as Caddyshack, Stripes and Ghostbusters, has done such great work over the years along with such memorable performances like Egon Spengler. For which leads to the events of Vacation and no not the one with Ed Helms that movie doesn't count, I'm talking about the original Vacation film starring Chevy Chase as probably one of the dumbest men on the planet moreover never understood why Beverly D'Angelo should of just left him or pushed into traffic. Alright, getting back to the point I realized that I haven't seen this movie or may have seen bits and pieces and deep down I realize how much I hate the Vacation movie franchise after watching Vacation hell I began to understand why I will never watch Christmas Vacation ever again.

                                   Basically the movie is about a man who is a stubborn jack** played by Chevy Chase decides not the logical idea to take an airplane all the way to a fictionalized Disneyland, he decides to drive in entire family from Chicago all the way to California, which is like why can't you just take a plane for many reasons it's the early 80's so Airplane tickets are really cheap to purchase instead of today's ticket prices and let's be honest you know the rest.

                                    I'm sure everyone loves these movies, and I am not going to judge them for loving these movies, but this movie alone it really wasn't anything to do with Harold Ramis direction or anything against the cast, it was more to do with the story itself moreover the film itself just brought back terrible memories growing up, I mean it the young Russell felt like me. I mean the entire film just felt like life was sucking the life out of me, I mean in fairness I never remember my childhood in some degree I do remember taking family trips that where not the best of times. But this movie alone while watching it I was like "oh dear God", I began to have flash backs of the many vacations I had over the years that where not in the best of things. The movie itself was created by John Hughes who also written the first two Home Alone films for which I loved growing up furthermore Vacation itself was based on a short story by Hughes himself for which I guess was based on his experience and he transitioned into this movie. Now, look I understand that everyone loves Vacation and Christmas Vacation, but me I just can't watch these two movies ever again because as a grown man who is thirty-six years old and begins to remember really bad memories of not so great vacations and really I can never in a million years watch these movies ever, and after watching Vacation I couldn't sleep at all like the anxiety just kicked my ass so much that I couldn't even breath for which lead to another movie that Harold co-written and directed that helped me breath easily and went to sleep easily as well.

      

                  

                           Oh, hey look everyone I decided to watch Caddyshack after Vacation, what a coincidence huh? So, again right after watching a horrible nightmare that was Vacation, I had such a bad anxiety attack, it was probably around maybe 3:30 in the morning and I honesty couldn't sleep at all so in what probably the best decisions I've ever made, I decided to watch Caddyshack. Harold Ramis first movie moreover a beginning to a beautiful friendship between Ramis and up and coming comedic star Bill Murray. The funning thing about this movie is that even though Chevy Chase was in the movie, this was probably the best and only good comedic performance I can watch of him for many reasons that he plays a Zen-womanizing golfer who just doesn't give a s**t is great to watch plus playing a role model to Michael O'Keefe's Danny Noonan. Now, I'll admit I'm not a fan of Rodney Dangerfield but like Chevy Chase this is the one film I'd rather watch him in and not anything else that he was in. So, anyway let's dive right into a movie that helped me get a good night's sleep despite my bedtime becoming around 5:30-ish in the morning.

                                                          Danny Noonan (Michael O'Keefe), a teen down on his luck, works as a caddy at the snob infested Bushwood Country Club to raise money for his college education. To gain votes for a college scholarship reserved for caddies, Noonan volunteers to caddy for a prominent and influential club member (Ted Knight). Meanwhile, Danny struggles to prepare for the high-pressure Caddy Day golf tournament while absorbing New Age advice from wealthy golf guru Ty Webb (Chevy Chase).   

                                                          The interesting fact about the movie is that originally the movie was supposed to be about the Caddy's in the suburban golf course, but then they acquired all of these big-time actors the whole story about the caddy's they decided to take all the time and effort to focus on the actors like Chevy Chase and Bill Murray. Though in truth, the movie is really about just one Caddy which is Michael O'Keefe's character for which is really about him from the first act to the final act, and though you may not believe that it's really true though there so many stuff that they changed but deep down it's really about Danny Noonan and his quest to find out what he wants to do or what to find in life. In fact they in one of the original scripts the ending was that Danny won the big bucks and went off into college but comes across a pretty lady and goes with her while carrying her golf clubs, and granted I would of liked that ending but deep down when you watch the movie's ending you can tell by heart that he was defiantly going to college after winning the big bucks from Ted Knight's character. The difference when it comes to comedy, between Vacation and Caddyshack was when watching Vacation sure you as a viewer can laugh at the slapstick comedy when you’re a teenager or god knows still laughing at it when you’re as old as me, but the thing about it is when I watched it maybe as an immature teen sure I can laugh at it but once you get older and experience life then re watching it feels like your reliving a complete nightmare and watching Vacation at my age really felt like that moreover I'm close to realizing that I won't ever watch Christmas Vacation nor the first two Home Alone movies because really deep down I love my family but there were sometimes I wanted to kill them, and watching movies like Vacation I can't do anymore. Though with it comes to Caddyshack I'm a working man, I was raised in the working class though deep down I do have dreams but in all honesty I will always be working class, anyway movie on Caddyshack is really the working class putting up with the snob fest which is the upper class, and you really in a grand sense relate to that because we've all had one of those jobs where we've got to put of with those a-holes who think the world revolves around them and to be honest that's funny furthermore makes me feel good inside and that you're not the only one in the whole world that doesn't have to put up with that. With this movie, it's probably the only Chevy Chase movie I can watch because his unique way of not giving a s**t or his infamous one liners are just perfect to watch, but when it comes his performance in Vacation I just look at him as one of the most stupidest man alive, moreover if I was Russell I would jump out of the back and begin strangling him for how stupid he can be, especially with his decision making. Though let’s face it Bill Murray is way better at comedy than Chase because he had a long movie run as Chase had so who cares. I have to say, yes Rodney Dangerfield has some pretty good one liners, but watching him on screen I don't know whether he's a normal guy or a bunch of scientist were able to draw this bombastic cartoon and brought him out of the pages and that was Rodney Dangerfield, for which I'm thinking that's really what happen because I don't know how he was able to have a carry on in the film world. So, that was my night of pure madness honestly I'm pretty confident I learned a valuable lesson, never watch any John Hughes work, as I've said before this wasn't Ramis fault for directing Vacation in my point of view I just think that any of Hughes work which includes dysfunctional family comedy is never my cup of tea moreover never re-watch movies or shows that give you bad memories to relive it's just not worth it. 

    

                                  

Mother's Day Recommendation: The Illusionist

 

                                     This Mother's Day I decided to do something a little different. My Aunt who lives in Florida furthermore was an avid reader of mine suggested one of her favorite movies that she likes, called The Illusionist. Staring Edward Norton as a Keyser Soze type character with a blend of both sorcerers? Paul Giamatti as detective Paul Giamatti and Jessica Biel as what maybe her best performance in her entire film career for which doesn't add up because I looked at her past films after The Illusionist and they, well let's just say they didn't pass expectations for my taste but let's be honest she's still married to Justin Timberlake so on the bright side she's still believe in commitment and if not that that's her damn fault. I've remember watching the Illusionist a long time back for many reasons it's been one of my sister's favorites but to be truthful at that time this film was more like a love story and didn't think much of it back then mainly Christopher Nolan was rocking the theaters with his latest movie The Prestige another film about magic. But don't worry everyone well get to that later, right now let's dive right into if Edward Norton can summon his imaginary friend Brad Pitt. 

                                     In 1900's Vienna, mesmeric entertainer Eisenheim's (Edward Norton) magical abilities are wowing crowds, with an act that ranges from mere tricks to an apparent capacity to raise the dead. However, he has also long been in love with Douches Sophie Von Teschen (Jessica Biel), which puts him in a dangerous competition with the violent, scheming Crown Prince Leopold (Rufus Sewell), who jumps at the opportunity to have the magician arrested on grounds of necromancy. 

                                     It's kind of strange that there was a competition between this movie and The Prestige in terms of which was the best film about magicians, and even though I've watched the Illusionist I still have to go with The Prestige as the best one for many reasons of course it was a Christopher Nolan film but the ending towards the film was what made the movie amazing on the grounds that it was a perfect twist that I never saw coming a mile away when it comes to watching The Prestige. Now, that doesn't mean that I still enjoy the Illusionist for many reasons it still holds up when it comes to great acting a decent storyline and a perfect antagonist in Rufus Sewell. I defiantly declare, Edward Norton is up there in the top ten best American actors especially when it comes to a movie like this he really does a great job playing a charismatic magician who's both a kind an decent person, then through the course of the movie becomes like this Chris Angel like magician doesn't really present his tricks or being a presenter he just brings people back from the dead and just call it good, either way Norton is defiantly a reliable actor who can pull of a starring role moreover does a great German/Hungarian accent and the same goes with Paul Giamatti although I'm not much of a big fan of his he does a good job in the supporting role moreover playing a kiss ass to Sewell's character, I'm not lying when I say that Jessica Biel's best movie was the Illusionist, and deep down it really is true moreover sure there are a lot of those actors/actresses like Biel who have like this one good movie under their belt and a boat load of other crap that they either where in or starred in or was most famous for aka 7th Heaven, in which they use that to get other work because they don't realize how expensive California is, nor do they want to improve on their acting skills, but deep down that just sounds lazy if that's the honest assumption I can muster moreover pretty sad if you ask me. But what do I know because let's be honest, she's married to the most famous N'SYNC singer of all time Justin Timberlake, so now she's provided at least and even if Jess and Timberlake get a divorce that's really on her unless Timberlake makes terrible choices. Rufus Sewell who plays the Crown Prince does a fantastic job playing the typical antagonist to Norton's character and even looking at Sewell's filmography he has the most interesting in terms of the early nineties playing the supportive/good guy in movies let’s not forget my favorite film of his Dark City, but through the 2000's era he transitioned to playing the antagonist with films like A Knights Tale and The Illusionist, moreover the man's from England and they make great memorable bad guys. The direction that Neil Bruger does in the movie is really fantastic in terms of visuals but also scenery too it's almost as if he was trying to create a homage to some of the early 1910's silent films along with some simple transitions as well as some quick edit tricks they would do in the silent film age, furthermore a lot of some of the tricks that Norton performs is strangely interesting and complex in which you don't know how he really does it but in all fairness it's also a fantasy story so we can at least point that out into perspective. I don't think it's better than the Prestige, but it doesn't mean I fully appreciate it and respect the movie for being as great of a movie to watch especially since it's been a while since I've sat down and watched the Illusionist. For a movie alone, I can understand why my aunt would dig this movie too, it has both romance with a kiss of cliché story about a poor kid who falls in love with a rich girl and society tells them they can't be together, for which really is good to have because when you blend both a magic tricks and stage performing you do great wonders along the way. I would highly recommend watching this from start to finish, and hopefully every mother who hasn't seen this might check this movie out and watch it as well.

       

Doomsday

 

                                     There are times I feel like that I've seen things in movies that you people wouldn't believe, like a cringe erotic Twilight film, I've seen Ryan Gosling in a movie where he had a virtual reality girlfriend though the funny thing is he had a life-sized plastic woman for a girlfriend too. Hello, I watched ten minutes of A Million Ways to die in the West before I decided to leave because I couldn't take it anymore moreover it was a Seth McFarlane movie. I even went to an Adam Sandler movie twice for which made reach the conclusion of how much that man is the Devil in disguise. But just when I thought I've seen everything when it comes to watching movies, Doomsday comes around and I seriously don't understand what this film’s purpose is. Doomsday is a movie that was directed by Neil Marshall, who directed a film I actually liked of his, sure as hell not this one if that's what your referring too, but having seen other works of his plus the conception of this movie just made me realize that this film was not just bad, but this was like watching a train wreck and a guy who has a fixation of train crashes is strangely turned on by this and that's the disturbing factor of this movie.

                                     When the first outbreak of the Reaper virus hit Scotland, Eden Sinclair was one of the last to escape containment and had to leave her mother behind. Twenty-five years later, Maj. Eden Sinclair (Rhona Mirta) leads a team back into the hot zone to find a counteragent to the virus, which has re-emerged in London. She and her comrades wage a desperate battle for survival against feral survivors, as they try to prevent it from ushering in a new dark age.

                                      Strangely enough I remember seeing the trailer for the first time when it came out didn't think much of it, because to me it looked that the end of the world apocalypse but instead of the virus turning you into zombies you are transformed into a sort of punk rocker. Either way it looks like a rip off to all movies like Underworld or Resident Evil, just about any movie that consist of leather outfits. And yet while watching the film I honestly didn't think much of it other than the fact that the whole zombie virus felt left out in this story, but again when the movie went forward I was expecting the crazy Mad Max lunatics coming it was just a matter of when, so at the same time when they ambush Rhona Mirta's crew she's taken captive along with her doctor but they decide to do this sacrificial BBQ where we see the movie poster chick with the crazy tattoo on her face and flaunting her tongue out, almost as if she looks like she could lick a lot of WAP, then after they burn the good doctor they decide to eat him up moreover gave a sample of him to Mirta's character, although I didn't peg the Mad Max people to be cannibals though I guess that was an understatement moreover the scenes where they just carve into the guy is sort of disgusting but also bewildering too. Though a side from the many references to Mad Max films, what really caused my brain to have a mental breakdown then cause a huge seizure inside my brain, was when they escaped and out of NO WHERE mid evil knights from the 12th century Scotland appeared for which I said, "oh what the f**k?" I mean that was so much to handle I had to shut the damn movie off and go to bed, though let's be honest s**t like this always causes me not to go to sleep easy, but through the course of me trying to go to sleep I had to research this movie to get some answers because 12th century knights in a post-apocalyptic movie is just beyond my understanding. And with the thanks of Wikipedia, I was able to find answers that explain why this such a f**king train wreck. You know when most directors want to make a movie as sort of a tribute to movies from the past? Great example George Lucas using past adventure/science fiction movie serials from the early 30's and 40's to create Star Wars and Indiana Jones movies, well Neil Marshall didn't just use Mad Max as an inspiration, he used past end of the world genre's from every film upon the 70's and 80's combined I'll list you off the films starting with the first three Mad Max films, Escape from New York, then Excalibur for which explains the 12th century Scottish knights. Then other films I don't understand why, firstly The Warriors all because of a Baseball gang so he had to incorporate that, Waterworld, Gladiator and Children of Men. So, now that you've understand how many films Marshall crammed into this on headache of a movie, I have to say that it's the most dumbest thing to ever do as a writer and director, I mean you can't just combine so many films you love into one movie you have to at least use at least two or three at least and sure I can see the fact that Scotland has very little in terms of cities but with more mountains combined although I could be wrong, furthermore I could see the Mad Max and Excalibur movie but as a movie whole that just doesn't seem right especially when it has nothing to do with the virus or any zombies that where hardly in the film. So, anyway by the near end of the film Mitra's character decides to expose the politics of Great Britain and decides to go back to Glasgow, Scotland where all the Mad Max cannibals are she decides to become the new leader and that's the end of the movie, which really I don't think I would ever in a million years would turn to eating people mainly because once you've seen what you've ate or looking at your dinner in the eye you just lost you sense of humanity, also I never want to see the animals I eat, for which is another reason I refuse to be a hunter although there other reasons but I don't want to go any further. Doomsday is probably up there in top five worst movies I've ever seen probably up there with Sucker Punch, Don't Worry Darling and Southland Tales including this movie, the only time I would ever want to watch this movie is probably with a group of people who haven't seen this monstrosity, now having seen this movie I wish to never ever in a million years see this movie again, because I hate this movie so much, the story's horrible moreover the gore is unnecessary disgusting, like if Eli Roth's half-brother made a movie this would be it.