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User
Reviews 28
Approval 99%
Soundoffs 3
Album Ratings 1843
Objectivity 61%
Last Active 07-10-16 10:28 am
Joined 06-14-14
Review Comments 652
| Awesome Movies, Vol. III
The search for movies. | | 1 |  | The National
Boxer
Warrior: The marketing campaign for this film was atrocious. Not only do the poster and trailer give away main plot points, but they spoil the surprises as well. It's kind of heartbreaking looking back at this film as something that could have been more widely recognized but, in a sense, I'm kind of proud that it didn't receive universal attention, as it gives unsuspecting viewers a chance to uncover this gem by chance and discover how genuine and inspiring this film really is. Tackling the sport of MMA, the film does a great job at letting that angle come second, allowing the characters to take centre-stage instead, making the action sequences more visceral and exciting; for instance, the climatic fight, featuring Olympic gold-medallist Kurt Angle, is one of the finest fight scenes in movie history. The three lead performances at the core of this film - Joel Edgerton, Tom Hardy and Nick Nolte - easily cemented these actors as some of my all-time favourites, they make this film special, and the supporting actors add an extra layer to an already fantastic film. This is the film that introduced me to Frank Grillo, a great character actor who has since made appearances in films such as The Purge: Anarchy and Captain America: The Winter Solider, he's outstanding as the main protagonist's trainer, using classical music to elevate his fighters to the top with skill and precision. Of all the films that I've seen in theatres, this is easily the most memorable experience I've had experiencing a film of this calibre on the big-screen. Emotional, thought-provoking, absolutely inspiring, this is easily among the best sports films that I've ever seen. | | 2 |  | David Bowie
Station to Station
The Station Agent: Peter Dinklage, what more can be said about the man, he's an absolutely brilliant actor in every regard and is one of the few bright spots in an otherwise dark, deeply disturbing little program called Game of Thrones. Before that legendary role took a hold of him, Dinklage led this little treasure from 2003 known as The Station Agent, a quiet, remarkable character-study about three ordinary people with one essential problem: loneliness. Dinklage's character, Finbar McBride, lives a life of solitude in an abandoned train station that he inherited after his only friend's death, soon he meets Joe, played by Bobby Cannavale, who runs a refreshment stand just outside of Finbar's new home in Newfoundland, New Jersey. Later down the line, Finbar ends up meeting Olivia, played by Patricia Clarkson, who is undergoing a divorce after the tragic loss of her only child. The film is very sad, but it's also very hopeful, showcasing the power of friendship in ways that I've hardly ever experienced from a film. The characters live in a small town which paves the way toward feeling lonely, but these three main characters find in their trio a sense of being and worth that makes them appreciate their lives more so than they did beforehand. This is a beautifully-shot, superbly acted film that demands to be seen, especially if you're already a fan of Peter Dinklage, this is a real treat. | | 3 |  | Ray Charles
The Genius After Hours
The Iron Giant: As far as I'm concerned, there are only TWO Superman movies: Superman: The Movie, starring Christopher Reeve, and this brilliantly animated film that pays tribute to it. The Iron Giant is one of those films that immediately registered with me upon first seeing it, it's fun, hilarious, and deeply warm and heartfelt. When you initially hear about a film that's called "The Iron Giant", you'd probably think it'd be along the lines of a Transformers cartoon or something that's meant to sell action-figures, but the film is everything but that. It has a soul that is commonly lost among today's recent trend of superhero/comic-book adaptations that makes it stand steps above the crowd. With a great voice cast, phenomenal animation and first-rate direction from the consistently-excellent Brad Bird, The Iron Giant is a masterpiece not only as an animated/superhero film, but a clear-cut masterpiece in every regard imaginable. With a brisk runtime of an hour and a half, it rewards upon repeat viewings and sticks with you long after it's gone. | | 4 |  | Tom Waits
Rain Dogs
Glengarry Glen Ross: A classic film about desperate people falling under hard times in one of the most demanding fields out there: sales. Equal levels of arrogance, selfishness and defeat are explored in this extremely thought-provoking film, one that's utterly profane, hilarious and soul-crushing. It's a compelling examination of the modern world, how greed often clouds the senses of men who are constantly competing to make it to the top. The performances here are absolute stand-outs from everyone involved: Al Pacino, Ed Harris, Jack Lemmon, Alan Arkin, Kevin Spacey and Alec Baldwin (in one of the finest 10 minutes in cinematic history) are all extraordinary. The film has to be seen to be believed, it brilliantly studies the human condition through these characters who simply amount to names on a whiteboard in their own minds, caring little about how they perceive themselves, all while only caring about finding ways to seduce others for a sale and, in the process, setting themselves above everyone else in the meantime. Once more, this is a classic film. | | 5 |  | Pearl Jam
Vs.
Go: Moving from a classic film to a strange, trippy, extremely underrated film, Go is a film that left me stunned when I first checked it out. It's easily among the most bizarre films that I've ever seen simply because it switches between various tones on a dime and yet keeps the ball rolling 100% of the way through. Clearly taking structural inspiration from Jackie Brown's classic mall sequence, Go uses this technique to tell three different angles to a connected storyline, while this concept leaves you hooked to the screen in anticipation for what could possibly happen next, the actors at the heart of this film keep things fresh and exhilarating. Ranging from comedy to thriller, the film is literally all over the place, but in the best way possible, it juggles around various themes with charm and humour. The film is one-of-a-kind and I highly recommend you check it out if you haven't already, it's worth tracking down. | |
ScuroFantasma
01.19.15 | Loved Iron Giant ever since I was a little kid | Davil667
01.19.15 | Yeah, Iron Giant rulez. Great movie. | PappyMason
01.19.15 | [2] | chinesewhispers
01.19.15 | 5 was one of my favorite movies when I was in the rave scene in high school. Haven't seen it in years, thanks for reminding me
Overall, pretty good choices | wtferrothorn
01.19.15 | Brad Bird is just the best. | Skoop
01.19.15 | Yeah Iron Giant brings me back, solid movie | riffariffic7
01.19.15 | Happy to see all the love for The Iron Giant. Such a great film. It's amazing how Marvel hasn't nabbed Brad Bird for a comic adaptation yet. He would have been the perfect candidate for something like Ant-Man, but The Flash or Spider-Man would be excellent under his direction too. Hopefully Marvel can get the rights back from Sony for Spider-Man, they keep on failing with that property, and it's getting embarrassing, so hopefully Marvel can step-up and bring us a Spider-Man series worth following (and with Brad Bird at the helm, it'd be a guaranteed success both critically and financially for Marvel/Disney). | ArsMoriendi
01.20.15 | Iron Giant was a huge movie of my childhood. I swear, I'd watch it multiple times a week on
VHS when I was little. That and The Dark Crystal. | thacoconut94
01.20.15 | I had this iron giant boxset that included the video, the book and an iron giant toy when I was little. I then became the proud owner of pubes and lost the tape :'( |
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