Triple 9- Movie Review

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Aaron Paul, Action, Action Movies, Anthony Mackie, Casey Affleck, Clifton Collins Jr., Drama, Gal Gadot, John Hillcoat, Kate Winslet, Norman Reedus, Triple 9, Woody Harrelson

Triple 9 is a superior crime drama, a riveting action thriller with an engaging moral compass and an excellent cast that elevates the material. Set in the middle of a crime ring, the film follows a group of dirty cops lead by Michael Atwood (Chiwetel Ejiofer) pulling off a heist for a Russian mob boss (Kate Winslet). But when a clean cop (Casey Affleck) is brought into the mix when he’s partnered with a dirty cop (Anthony Mackie), morals and motivations are questioned in a breakneck finale.

While it’s a story that has been seen before, the excellent cast makes the film better. Casey Affleck is a natural lead, and makes for a likable lead in a film full of despicable characters. As the team of crooks, Chiwetel Ejiofer, Aaron Paul, Anthony Mackie, Cliff Collins Jr., and Norman Reedus make for a great team of antagonists, though they all have a great three dimensional nature that makes the story more engaging. Woody Harrelson also makes for great comic relief, and Kate Winset adds a great sense of menace as the film’s main villain.

Although the violence is shocking and extreme at points, it’s all for a purpose, and the story has enough twists and turns to be exciting throughout. Most importantly however, there’s a genuine interest in these characters, and the development of them throughout makes the story more accessible. Rocketing to a killer finale with some great action, John HIllcoat has made a winner with Triple 9. Grade: B+

 

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Steve Jobs- Movie Review

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+A Movies, Aaron Sorkin, Danny Boyle, Drama, Jeff Daniels, Kate Winslet, Katherine Waterston, Michael Fassbender, Michael Stuhlbarg, Sara Snook, Seth Rogen, Steve Jobs

In every decade, film fans are lucky to have only a couple of films like Steve Jobs, a film that’s both completive of its subject and exhilarating in its depiction of true events. Like its titular character, Steve Jobs is uncompromising, revolutionary, and unique. The film not only is a product of great direction from Danny Boyle and excellent performances from its fantastic cast, but like all great films its success stems from the screenplay.

Set prior to the launch of the Machintosh computer in 1984, the NeXT computer in 1988, and the iMac in 1998, Steve Jobs follows the story of Jobs’s (Michael Fassbender) preparations for the launch of some events, and his relationships with Steve Wozniak (Seth Rogen), John Sculley (Jeff Daniels), Chrisanna Brennan (Katherine Waterston), Joanna Hoffman (Kate Winslet), and Andy Hertzfeld (Michael Stuhlbarg). While Jobs attempts to build up the cultural impact of his products, he must navigate through his crumbling family life and deteriorating relationships, he must both pull off one of the greatest technological innovations of the century, while not sacrificing his humanity.

Best working with intimate and emotional stories, Danny Boyle does an excellent job at establishing the madness and genius of Steve Jobs. The tension of each scene is felt from the perspective of both Jobs and the supporting characters, and the quickly paced dialogue is something that works for the characters in the film. The editing between different timelines and the character development that happens over time is impressive in the way it builds, and the unconventional structure is a surprising benefit to the drama of each scene, and the emotional resolution fits within the context of the story.

In playing the lead role, Michael Fassbender is absolutely fantastic as the lead role. Fassbender is not only dynamic and charismatic as Jobs, but also delves deeply into the psychology of how he operates. There’s no lack of reliability to him, but the film is not only from one perspective, and builds off of the large supporting cast. The vast supporting cast, specifically Kate Winslet add a new perspective to the story, and do more than just play off of Jobs. Seth Rogen, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Jeff Daniels are all particularly strong in their depiction of Jobs’s partners and rivals, and give some excellent confrontations with Fassbender. Katherine Waterston’s role as Jobs’s former partner also works really well, and establishes a moral ground for the relationship between Jobs and his daughter.

Stunning in every sense of the word, Steve Jobs is a modernized and exciting film experience that is a product of innovation and perfection on the creative level. Not only a success from the perspective of a biography, the film is a story of ambition and independence, a universal story with great work from all involved. Grade: +A

Insurgent- Movie Review

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Action, Ansel Elgort, Insurgent, Jai Courtney, Kate Winslet, Miles Teller, Shailene Woodley, Theo James

Insurgent is a near-miss of a film; its characters and plot lines have potential to tell an interesting story, but suffers from its poor writing and pandering to an adolecent audience. There are some interesting scenes and good performances, but the film eventually feels convoluted and melodramatic. Insurgent is a film with undeniable positives and strong action sequences and performances, but the script fails to energize the project or bring it anything original. The film isn’t an unbearably terrible film, just a bland one that offers little more than the expected. Grade: C

For my full review, check out About.com: http://kidstvmovies.about.com/od/The-Divergent-Series-Insurgent/fl/The-Divergent-Series-Insurgent-Teen-Review.htm