Ragnarok is an earnest little Norweigan film that centers around a family looking for Vikings and finding an angry prehistoric beast. It has a refreshingly simple A/B/C structure and plays like National Treasure met Jurassic Park and they went to Norway.
Ragnarok opens with a tribe of 9th century vikings on the hunt for treasure and glory. They arrive at a lake and are promptly slaughtered by an angry beast. Cut to modern times and we meet a widowed archaeologist named Sigurd (Pal Sverre Hagen) who is obsessed with the lost viking ship. Sigurd is right about the ship but his unfounded and wild ideas cause him to lose funding and receive a demotion at the museum he works at. Luckily, his friend Allan (Nicolai Cleve Broch) shows up with some new evidence and the game is on.
The movie borrows heavily from other films (Raiders, Jurassic Park 1-3) and the name Steven Spielberg comes up in many reviews. However, despite the similarities Ragnarok has a personality all its own. Director Mikkel B. Sandemose used his limited budget well and focused on believable character dynamics instead of bombastic action. Sigurd is the classic absent-minded father who loves his children but is too caught up with his work/grief to take care of them. The kids love their father but are annoyed by his love of all things Viking lore. It isn’t surprising that Sigurd would take his kids on a wild goose chase into the unknown Finmark wilderness to find proof of viking life.
The journey is beautiful as Sandemose and his cinematographer Daniel Voldheim break out the wide-angle lens and let the scenery speak for itself. The journey eventually leads them to an isolated island where nothing good will happen. An unexpected treat of Ragnarok is the badass female heroine Elisabeth (Sofia Helin). Elisabeth works with Allan and it is evident why he hired her. As things go bad Elisabeth starts taking care of business. The movie becomes a series of problems to be solved which leads to an exciting centerpiece involving ziplines, flare guns and an angry monster.
The monster of Ragnarok is a curious creature. I was never quite certain if it was a total jerk or a misunderstood monster who only wants its stolen eggs back. Nevertheless, he is a formidable beast who should be left alone. Ragnarok does a solid job of introducing the monster. If they previews hadn’t wrecked the surprise the introduction would have been pretty amazing. You know nothing about the monster and I like that. It wasn’t explained away and there is a supernatural vibe to it. How long has it been alive? Is it an ancestor of the original beast? Does it just want to be left alone? Is it protecting something?
Ragnarok is a fun little film that doesn’t reinvent the wheel but does tell a neat story. I love all things Vikings and angry sea monsters so I enjoyed the film. I appreciated the original story and can’t wait to see what the director does next. This may sound random but a double feature of Ragnarok and Rare Exports would make for a fun holiday treat.
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The MFF Oscar Nominations: Celebrating the Films/Performances/Scripts That Weren’t Nominated
Hello all. Mark here
The Oscar are readily approaching and the world is in an uproar! There are front runners, snubs and for some reason people are still shocked. The whole process should not be looked at with emotions or logic. It is clinical, political and kinda easy to predict. Now that all eyes are on the nominees I want to let you in on some of 2014’s best offerings that weren’t nominated. I’ve put together an MFF special list that nominates the scripts/movies/performances that could be left behind.
Sidenote: I’ve left out movies like Selma, Nightcrawler, Cake, Interstellar and the like because you will be hearing enough about how they were snubbed.
Without further ado here are the eclectic nominees!
Best Picture
Calvary – Next to Boyhood Calvary is the best film of the year. John Michael McDonagh’s follow-up to The Guard is beautifully told and features a wonderful performance from Brendan Gleeson
Edge of Tomorrow – The blockbuster of the year. Tom Cruise is back in form and Emily Blunt was fantastically badass.
Snowpiercer – Controlled chaos at its finest.
The Guest – The Guest plays like Terminator, Halloween and Universal Soldier had an awesome kid.
Cheap Thrills – It should have been a gross little thing yet managed to create a grounded story with mysterious characters.
Blue Ruin – A Tension bomb. It will stress you out.
Under the Skin – Once you watch a Jonathan Glazer film you cannot forget a Jonathan Glazer film.
The Raid 2 – The Best action film since The Raid.
Only Lovers left Alive – Jim Jarmusch sure is cool.
Winner! Calvary
Best Director
Gareth Evans – Raid 2 – There was almost too much awesomeness in The Raid 2
Jonathan Glazer – Under the skin – Under the Skin was haunting, memorizing and uber memorable
Jeremy Saulnier – Blue Ruin – I don’t where he came from but he made something amazing for next to nothing.
John Michael McDonagh – Calvary – He can write, direct and tackle big issues with ease.
Bong Joon-Ho – Snowpiercer – This film juggled so many odds aspects it could have come crashing down with ease. Bong Joon-Ho kept it on the tracks.
Winner! Gareth Evans
Best Actor
Tom Hardy – Locke – Tom Hardy + One car = A whole lot of acting. Dude was awesome.
James McAvoy – Filth – McAvoy’s performances gave humanity to a monster and turned him into a sad little fellow.
Brendan Gleeson – Calvary – Hands down the best performance of 2014. After In Bruges and The Guard he needs some recognition.
Chadwick Boseman – Get on Up – He really went for it and pulled off a pretty great James Brown.
Nicolas Cage – Joe – Cage can still act and it makes me happy.
Winner! Brendan Gleeson.
Best Actress
Shailene Woodley – The Fault in Our Stars – The film had all the trappings of teenage sad fluff. However, Woodley carried the film with a stubborn grace that make the film infinitely better
Eva Green – 300: Rise of an Empire – Eva Green chewed the scenery and kicked ass.
Emily Blunt – Edge of Tomorrow – It could have been a throwaway sidekick role but it became so much more.
Scarlett Johansson – Under the Skin – Scarlett really went for it and captured vulnerability and awe.
Essie Davis – The Babadook – Davis had to play so many emotions I lost count after two minutes.
Winner! Scarlett Johannson
Best Supporting Actress
Regina Hall – About Last Night – The funniest female performance of the year.
Maika Monroe – The Guest – I just really like The Guest.
Tilda Swinton – Snowpiercer – Tilda Swinton is awesome. She owned Snowpiercer.
Kelly Reilly – Calvary – She was a big reason why Calvary had so much heart.
Alison Pill – Snowpiercer – In her few moments on screen Pill proved to be psychotic, violent and a pretty good teacher.
Winner! Tilda Swinton
Best Supporting Actor
Robert Pattinson – The Rover – Pattinson dissapears into the character and it all culminates with him singing Keri Hilson’s song “Pretty Girl Rock.”
Rob Brydon – Trip to Italy – Rob Brydon remains likable even as he is being a little punk. You gotta watch these movies.
Ben Mendelsohn – Starred Up – He plays the best/worst dad ever. Dude is amazing.
Michael Pena – Fury – With End of Watch and now Fury Michael Pena needs some recognition.
Ethan Embry – Cheap Thrills – Just watch the movie. Embry does a great job.
Winner! Rob Brydon
The 10 best scripts that won’t win any awards.
Guardians of the Galaxy – I am Groot. Drax has great reflexes.
Calvary – You have to watch this film.
The Double – Richard Ayoade is pure gold.
Starred Up – Brutal, believable and features a neat father/son relationship.
John Wick – It opens with puppy death but totally redeems itself with its world building.
Oculus – The Best WWE produced film about an evil mirror ever.
Only Lovers Left Alive – You drank Ian!
Snowpiercer – I really love this film.
Grand Piano – Grand Piano has no right to be so fun.
Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa – Knowing me. Knowing you!
Winner! Calvary AGAIN!!!!!
What movies would you nominate? What did I miss?
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2015 Horror Movie Preview: Mark’s 10 Most Anticipated Horror Films
Hello all. Mark here
2015 is looking like a fun year for horror. Some of the big hitters (Shyamalan, Del Toro) are going back to their roots while Vin Diesel grows a beard and battles witches. I’ve compiled a list of ten films that I cannot wait to watch.
Here is the list!
The Visit – 09/11/2015
M. Night has gone back to his indie roots and I am stoked to see what he comes up with. Night independently financed the film with Jason Blum (Insidious, Sinister, Purge) and he shot it somewhat secretly in Pennsylvania. The guy has talent and hopefully rights his ship with The Visit. We need more people telling original horror stories and hit or miss M. Night always creates something original (sans After Earth and Airbender).
It Follows – 03/27/2015
Currently sitting at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes It Follows is building a lot of momentum. The film starring Maika Monroe (The Guest. Great movie!) plays with conventions and people are noticing. This could be the sleeper horror hit of 2015.
High-Rise – ?/?/2015
Ben Wheatley (Kill List, Sightseers, Field in England) is amazing. He makes memorable films that walk a tight rope of insanity/realism. I’m not sure if High-Rise will be a horror film but from my experiences with other Wheatley films it will be violent, dark and exhausting. High-Rise stars Tom Hiddleston, Luke Evans, Sienna Miller, James Purefoy and Jeremy Irons.
Crimson Peak – 10/16/2015
I am hoping that this will be more Devil’s Backbone/Pan’s Labyrinth than The Strain/Pacific Rim. When Del Toro goes little things get better. The cast is amazing with Tom Hiddleston, Jessica Chastain, Charlie Hunnam and Mia Wasikowska entering the haunted house. I can’t wait for the set design and 800 page backstory Del Toro wrote for the story.
Poltergeist – 07/24/2015
I am not a fan of remakes, prequels, reboots and sequels. However, Sam Rockwell is starring in the film. It can’t be that bad.
The Lazarus Effect – 02/27/2015
The Lazarus Effect centers around medical students bringing people back from the dead. Guess what happens? The cast is solid (Olivia Wilde, Mark Duplass, Donald Glover, Evan Peters) and most interestingly the guy who directed the fantastic documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi is helming the film.
31 – ?/?/2-15
Here is the synopsis for Rob Zombie’s crowd funded new film.
Five people are kidnapped on the days leading up to Halloween and held hostage in a place called Murder World. While trapped, they must play a violent game called 31 where the mission is to survive 12 hours against a gang of evil clowns.
The craziest thing about 31 is that Rob Zombie is saying it will be more brutal than House of a 1000 Corpses and The Devil’s Rejects. This film will hurt to watch.
The Last Witch Hunter – 10/23/2015
Vin Diesel, Rose Leslie and Elijah Wood battle witches. I kinda need to see it. Also, Breck Eisner directed the surprisingly effective Crazies remake so this film has a chance.
What We Do In the Shadows – 02/15/2015
A vampire horror comedy mockumentary starring Jemaine Clement (Flight of the Conchords) sounds amazing. Stoked to see what they do for day jobs!
Insidious: Chapter 3 – 06/05/2015
Insidious: Chapter 3 has a few things going against it. It is a prequel, James Wan isn’t directing and Patrick Wilson/Rose Byrne won’t be returning. However, I do like that Lin Shaye and her team of cheeky demon fighters are back. Chapter 3 could be pure garbage or a pleasant surprise. I can’t wait to find out.
What horror films are you excited for in 2015? Let me know!
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John’s Horror Corner: The Taking of Deborah Logan (2014), a creepy horror mystery about Alzheimer’s disease and nosy academic researchers
MY CALL: This film came out of nowhere and blew away viewer expectations by bringing us smart characters, a creepiness that developed with the story, and a not-so color by numbers plot. Very good horror film. MOVIES LIKE The Taking of Deborah Logan: Try Oculus (2014) and The Babadook (2014) if you’re looking for recent releases that break the mold.
The Taking of Deborah Logan tells a story that we haven’t already heard a dozen times and it tells the story well. Deborah (Jill Larson; Shutter Island) is a charming early stage Alzheimer’s disease patient living with her anxious caregiving daughter (Anne Ramsay; Planet of the Apes, Critters 4). In exchange for much needed financial compensation, they agree to let PhD student Mia (Michelle Ang; Underemployed) and her audio-visual team stay with them, record them, and study the effects Alzheimer’s disease has on the unafflicted surrounding family members.
Isn’t Mia a cute, spunky little grad student?
Something that I always must point out is when a horror movie does a good job of getting to know its characters and getting us to like them and invest in their well-being. From the very start, I wanted to learn more about Deborah, her daughter, and the academic team studying them. First-time feature-length director Adam Robitel did such a GREAT job, in fact, that it didn’t feel like a horror movie at all at first…and I didn’t care. If this movie turned out to be a family drama I still would have wanted to see these characters develop. What’s more is that the story in no way relied on the characters’ stupid decisions to move forward. The story unfolded as the characters, in fact, made wise or at least credible decisions in an incredible situation. Amazing job–and a great storytelling victory for the horror genre to close out 2014.
Mia’s team watches as Deborah’s episodes and symptoms worsen at an accelerating rate and, with these episodes’ intensity, we also see a greater and more frequent danger to Mia’s team. The characters great freaked out for good reasons, and things just keep getting creepier and weirder as we begin to learn more about what is causing Deborah’s disease to become so aggressive and more about her mysterious history with her close friend living next door. The story finds good synthesis, great creepiness, and appropriately effective gore and shock value without trying to compete with overblown shock cinema.
This film was rich with scares and all of them for legitimate reasons….no loud noises and camera angles to spur needless jumps. The scares had effective, creepy build-up and even when you saw them coming they were still shocking. What’s more is that the shocks and their creepy build-ups both appropriately amplify as the movie shifts from its subtle beginnings to its moderately intense end.
Yeah…it gets pretty weird.
You may have noticed that I have gone out of my way to reveal EXTREMELY little about this film (other than the photos in this review). Why? Well, it’s one of the best horror films of 2014 and it deserves to not be spoiled….and YOU deserve to be surprised. Just know this—it’s NOT a found footage film although there is a good deal of documentary style filming/camera-work, it is supernatural in nature, and it’s something of a horror mystery.
See this movie. Right now it’s on Netflix.
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The Guest: A Very Welcome Visitor
Director Adam Wingard and writer Simon Barrett made a big splash with the horror film You’re Next. The movie had a lot of issues but it excelled at creating a fantastic heroine. Sharni Vinson owned the film and she totally belongs in the pantheon of horror survivors. Her character is a practical marvel who has no problem holding her own against idiot killers. In fact, you start to feel bad for the villains because they are in so far over their heads.
The best thing about You’re Next and The Guest is that they create memorable characters. In a world full of lame horror/suspense films it is refreshing to have memorable new creations. Too many of the horror icons are being recycled into oblivion. The Michael Myers, Freddy Kreugers and Jason Voorhees of the horror world have been homogenized and made soft. Dan Steven’s character David is a welcome new addition to a tired genre.
The Guest is a throwback action hybrid film that makes Downton Abbey’s Dan Steven’s an unstoppable badass. The story revolves around a family being visited from an unexpected guest. Their son died in Afghanistan and a fresh faced soldier shows up at their door. He claims to have known the deceased son and his polite demeanor wins over the family. He forms a bond with the bullied son and their 20 year old daughter has an obvious crush on him. However, nothing is as it seems, things go violently bonkers and the phrase “what the f**k is used to perfection.”
The Guest is a pure genre experiment that is equal parts nasty and fun. It borrows heavily from other films (I love this Grantland article) but it adds something different to the norm. Wingard and Barrett got the idea for the film after a double header of Halloween and The Terminator. Wingard had this to say about it:
The Alien and Michael Myers movies … you couldn’t really put together what they were. They were these like shapes. They were terrifying in their obscurity. That’s something that’s influenced so many people. Horror, in many ways, went way down that rabbit hole for many years. People are still riffing on those concepts, with the masks and facelessness of the killers and stuff. And I thought, What would it be like to do the inversion of that? What if Michael Myers, instead of being this shapeless guy following you around town from a distance, what if he lived in your house?
The Guest is bloody, gory and at times very uncomfortable. The goth techno soundtrack blares loudly while Dan Stevens kicks ass in a nearly monotone voice. I had to laugh as everybody chooses to ignore the oddness of Steven’s because of his clean cut looks and relaxed persona. There is obviously something wrong with him but he honeypots (Thank you The Interview) everyone into ignoring his constant violent actions.
The film eventually goes off the rails (in a good way) and devolves into a whole lot of insanity. It gleefully revels in its dark humor and the sarcasm is evident. You may have watched similar films but you’ve never seen anything like this.
Watch The Guest. Revel in the insanity. Enjoy the ride. Check out the soundtrack. Keep yout eye out for Maika Monroe.
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Despite its length, bombast and unnecessary love triangles I thoroughly enjoyed The Hobbit trilogy. It most certainly kept the New Zealand film industry alive and featured a never-ending barrage of creativity (battering ram ogres!). It was a ballsy move when director Peter Jackson turned one book into three movies. The trilogy paid off as the story of a Hobbit named Bilbo, a wizard named Gandalf and a plethora of dwarves has pulled in $2,698,072,440 (as of 01/05/14) worldwide.
I am happy the one book was split into three films. Anytime you have a mad genius like Peter Jackson behind the camera it is a treat. His adherence to amazing visual effects have given us game changers like Gollum and now Smaug the dragon. I feel bad for any film currently featuring a dragon because it will always be compared to Mr. Smaug.
The films could have been edited down as there were unnecessary love triangles, monologues and rabbit riding. I still don’t understand why there is an elf/elf/dwarf love triangle and it sucks that a great actor like James Nesbitt (Bloody Sunday) was given nothing to do. I only remember a handful of the dwarves names and poor Evangeline Lilly was stuck swooning for a dwarf in between fight scenes. Instead of featuring 30 minutes of Ryan Gage’s annoying Lake Town character Alfrid why not give the dwarves something to do?
The Battle of the Five Armies revolves around the battle for Smaug’s treasure in the Lonely Mountain. Thorin Oakenshield’s gold lust and recent passing of a large flying creature set off a battle for middle earth that involves a predictable number of armies. Elves, dwarves and humans have their hands full as copious evil converges on them for a bit of the ultra violence. The final hour features a whole lot of carnage and Peter Jackson channels his Dead Alive self and brings the awesome. You will see death via strategic Legola’s arrow, axe decapitation and antler impaling.
Due to the protracted shooting schedule Jackson and his special effects outfit Weta were able to fine tune some amazing visuals. For instance, they created an Ogre who acts as a sprinting battering ram. The ogre has a concrete wedge on his head and uses it to full concussive effect. My favorite moment of the film is a battle royale between the evil Nazgul and Gandalf, Elrond (Hugo Weaving), Galadriel (Cate Blanchett), and Saruman (Christopher Lee). The fight is thrilling to watch as some of the oldest and most powerful people on the planet swing swords at each other.
I finally understand why actor Richard Armitage spent a year in dwarf makeup after watching Five Armies. He glowers, monologues and has a helluva battle with the jerky Azog. Martin Freeman is great as always and he imbues an earthiness to the fantasy elements. His character Bilbo was lost a bit in The Desolation of Smaug. Aside from his scene with Smaug, he took a backseat to the barrel and lake town shenanigans. In the Five Armies Freeman’s scenes with Armitage are wonderful and finally resemble some of the emotional beats from the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies is a fitting way to end the trilogy. It is a bombastic spectacle that features neat character arcs and wonderful violence. I’m hoping that this isn’t the end of Middle Earth. I’d love Jackson to come back and direct The Silmarillion or a new adventure.
What did you think about the film?
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The Interview: The Honey Pot and the Despot
The Interview provides the biggest laughs of 2014. It swings for the fences, strikes out often and when it connects you laugh really hard. It is a ballsy film that blends dick jokes with political satire then reverts back to a man crapping himself. In a day and age of repetitive sequels, remakes and prequels I love that this movie exists. It may not be the satire many were hoping for but I wasn’t expecting Dr. Strangelove from the guys who made Pineapple Express and This is the End.
The story revolves around Seth Rogen and James Franco interviewing North Korea’s Kim Jong-un. Kim is a big fan of their show Skylark Tonight and wants to do an “everything is great in North Korea” interview with them. The duo have been working together for ten years and specialize in getting Rob Lowe to declare he wears a wig (It started on The Outsiders) and eliciting a casual coming out from Eminem. Their show lacks substance and that makes them the perfect candidates to ask a violent despot questions about karaoke.
Rogen once again plays the straight man to Franco. Rogen longs to become a legit producer but stays under the influence of the certifiably crazy and occasionally stank dicked Franco. Franco’s Skylark is full-blown dumb/smart and you never know how many synapses are sparking in his brain. He is easily swayed by puppies, confuses Stalin with Stallone and loves making Tolkien references.
Before they embark on their interviewing journey Lizzy Caplan’s CIA agent honeypots (wears a low-cut top and glasses) them into a plan to assassinate Kim via poison laced handshake.
What she doesn’t plan on is that nothing will go as planned. Franco almost immediately ruins the mission because he hates the CIA issued bag that features the necessary secret pouches. So, he brings his Gucci bag and stuffs the poison into a gum wrapper. This leads to a North Korean man chewing on the poison. The death gum then forces Rogen to shove a metal object in his butt. From there fingers go missing, tigers die and Katy Perry is referenced many times.
Randall Park (Veep, Five Year Engagement) does a great job of making Kim Jong-un momentarily likable. His honeydicking of Franco is a highlight of the film as they play basketball, drive a tank and discuss the merits of margaritas. His Kim comes across as a dictator with daddy issues who sharts when things go bad. Park has such a likable screen presence it is easy to see how he could fool Franco. I can’t wait to see what he does next
The Interview is foul-mouthed, loud and lots of fun. It pinballs all over the place and the jokes come so fast you won’t be able to pick up on them the first go around. It has intelligence beneath the dick jokes and fits alongside This is the End and Pineapple Express in the pantheon of Rogen’s smart bromances featuring dumb people.
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Nightcrawler: I’m Looking At You
Nightcrawler features the perfect combination of Dan Gilroy’s writing/directing and Jake Gyllenhaal’s wired performance. The film never fully explains its lead character and that is why I love it. Gyllenhaal is a mixture of Taxi Driver’s Travis Bickle and a slimy chameleon. He isn’t a sociopath because everyone knows he is weird. He isn’t a complete psychopath because he can control his impulses. He is a unique creation and one of the best characters of 2014.
Nightcrawler revolves around a total maniac’s rise to owning a successful business. We know nothing about the guy other than he does all his research on the internet and is adept at using people’s weaknesses against them. He begins filming crime scenes for money and this leads him to Rene Russo’s early morning news producer. From there the movie gets bloody, wild and sorta like Taxi Driver.
This may seem like a random aside but Dan Gilroy is fantastic at showing and not telling. He wrote the The Bourne Legacy and his introduction to Edward Norton’s character says everything about him. He is running in the cold rain at 4:00 AM. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know that he is a driven man who won’t let rain or cold stop him from running early in the morning. Many films explain away the bad guys and don’t let the audience learn about them organically. Gilroy peals away the layers of Lou Bloom and he becomes scarier and scarier as the film moves along.
My favorite scene takes place in the beginning of the film. Gyllenhaal is stealing some fencing and is caught by a security patrolman. Gyllenhaal realizes the man isn’t a cop and he has a great watch. He pounces on the man and either knocks him out or kills him. Nobody ever looks into the crime so I am assuming he killed the guard and stashed the body. There is no back story or explanation. We understand that this character will kill to get a better watch. It leaves a lot of questions about his history that will never be answered and I love that.
After End of Watch and Prisoners I’ve been waiting for Gyllenhaal to get the critical acclaim he deserves. His character Lou Bloom is a unique creation that walks a tight rope of control. If he goes too far he becomes a caraicature. If he mimics a performance it won’t have any personality. His Lou Bloom character is the scariest creation since Heath Ledger’s Joker.
He and Rene Russo have one of best scenes of the year. There is no action or sex. We get two people, one dinner table and several margaritas. The two light up the screen and the calculated manipulation is delivered in a evil and practiced manner. Lou Bloom is skilled at using people’s weaknesses against them and he does so in this scene with aplomb.
Nightcrawler may not draw you in emotionally but it will impress with its acting, writing and directing. It gave us an original story and a great new character. I hope that Gyllenhaal is remembered during the awards season.
Check it out and let me know what you think!
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Fury: The End of Watch
Fury is refreshing in its bleakness. It is the tale of a dysfunctional family of WW II soldiers who have seen way too much. It doesn’t glorify war and you feel all the grime and dirt as they trudge across Germany. I love how Fury focuses on a singular story and features a curve ball of a cinematic centerpiece.
The film revolves a tanking crew (Brad Pitt, Michael Pena, Shia LaBeouf, Jon Bernthal) who have fought their way across Africa, France, Belgium and now Germany. They are a ragtag group that have formed a cohesive yet unconventional family. Their ideals differ greatly but when it comes to battle they have an efficient shorthand that spells doom for the Nazis. They recently lost one of their crew and a young clerk (Logan Lerman) is assigned to the tank. The kid has never seen battle and the seasoned crew are justifiably not a fan of his.
Very much like Ayer’s fantastic End of Watch the film creates a believable brotherhood between soldiers. The guys inside Fury don’t always like each other but they don’t want to fight with anyone else. Pitt, Bernthal, Pena and LaBeouf complement each wonderfully and have a very lived in feel to their characters. It got to the point when during filming the actors become so protective over their tank they wanted to fight anybody who disrespected it.
There is a unique moment in Fury that I didn’t see coming. In the middle of the film Brad Pitt and Logan Lerman find themselves in a German women’s apartment. It is tense because you have no idea what will happen. Eventually, the rest of the crew join in for a sit down lunch and it is fraught with unpredictability. The scene exemplifies the weird family dynamic and doesn’t try to make anybody likable. It proves that a normal life is gone and their lives will be broken by the things they’ve done and seen. The performances are fantastic and the two women Anamaria Marinca and Alicia Von Rittberg do lots with little dialogue.
The finale plays like a mixture of Saving Private Ryan, The Wild Bunch and 300. It is a bloody spectacle where five men battle hundreds of SS soldiers in order to prevent a massacre. They know it is suicide and hunker down for some ultra-violence. The carnage is super realistic as limbs explode and bullets tear flesh apart. It is the last stand for men who are close to finishing the war. Ayer knows his way around heart wrenching scenes (End of Watch) and you sit at the edge of your seat as the battle unfolds.
Fury is a fantastic film that doesn’t flinch and offers something new to the World War II cinematic cannon. Watch it. Appreciate the family dynamic. Then, watch Band of Brothers and Pacific.
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The 2014 Random Awards Part 2: Best Tank Tops, Villains and Slow Motion Ground Punching
Hello all. Mark here.
Yesterday I unleashed part one of the 2014 Random Awards. It featured some the best naps, arm grabs and mustaches. Today, the world will be introduced to more random awards that will hopefully make you laugh and consider the merits of strategic tank tops.
Here they are! Enjoy.
My favorite villains since Cillian Murphy’s Scarecrow award
David Koechner and Sara Paxton are wonderfully mysterious and all kinds of awesome in Cheap Thrills.
Best usage of Ice Cube inside an ice cube office award
22 Jump Street wasn’t 21 Jump Street but it still had some fun moments.
I need that tank top award
Channing Tatum and the art of “suns out, guns out” wins the day.
Probably the safest vehicle in the world award
I don’t know who made Sam Jackson’s car in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. All I know is that it is the safest vehicle known to man and Asgardians. 40 highly trained killers couldn’t figure it out. I’m surprised Nick Fury didn’t just wait out the siege by playing angry birds on the big screen located in the back seat.
Best slow motion ground punch of the year award
The Signal is a neat little independent film that hit above its weight….it also pulverized some concrete via enhanced punches.
Best dancing by a potted plant
Groot dancing at the end of Guardians might be the happiest moment of 2014.
Best driving whilst speaking in a Welsh accent
Tom Hardy is under a lot of pressure in Locke. However, he keeps a steady ten/two on the steering wheel and his Welsh accent never falters.
Nicest film of the year in which you can call Mark Ruffalo “scruffalo” Award
Thank you Mark Ruffalo and John Carney for allowing me to use the word “scrufallo.” Begin Again is the nicest film of summer and gives Mos Def another fantastic role. That dude is underrated.
Best use of spiders
Enemy – I don’t know what they mean or why they are there. All I know is that they are used wonderfully.
Best ancillary character
Eka in The Raid 2. Dude is a blue-collar face puncher who somehow navigates his way through the insane crime cesspool in The Raid world.
Rosamund Pike really went for it in Gone Girl award
I applaud you Rosamund because that role was bonkers.
Best Zombie battle involving tanks, Russians, Germans, Norwegians, decapitations and bodily disembowelment
Dead Snow: Red Vs. Dead is insane. It is fun turned to 11 and you will find yourself laughing at things you should never laugh at.
Best drunk dialing by a vengeful man nicknamed “The Destroyer” Award
Drax the Destroyer drunk dialed an army. Then, he got his butt kicked. Moral of the story is never drunk dial an intergalactic army.
Best film by a Florida State University Grad involving homicidal robot things
Maze Runner was a cheap little thing that was surprisingly fun, suspenseful and minimal.
You went the found footage route and totally redeemed yourself!
Most horror films annoy me. As Above, So Below did not annoy me.
Best World War 2 Hair
If you are going to battle the Germans you need to have good hair. Brad Pitt rocked a sweet hair style in Fury.
Best usage of a Keri Hilson song
Robert Pattinson may live in the most depressing world ever but he still has time to sing some Keri Hilson in The Rover.
Best random mid-movie montage
Expendables 3 is a big ball of fun and features the most random mid-movie montage since the last time Stallone did a mid-movie montage. It also features a bonkers five minute Kelsey Grammer monologue that turns out to be a complete lie.
Most gratuitous usage of an overly supportive and attractive girlfriend
Tusk was weird. I am convinced he wrote a monologue so he could simply point the camera at Genesis Rodriguez
Your significant others should be worried award
After Need for Speed and Long Way Down your partners should be worried about your chemistry. Aaron Paul and Imogen Poots are really good together on screen.
I almost shed man tears while watching this film about two teenagers who act like teenagers going through terminal illness in a classy way award
I applaud you Fault in our Stars for your wonderful music, performances and ability to ALMOST make me cry.
Movies, Films & Flix 