June 16, 2015

The Gunman (2015)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2515034/

Excellent thriller, in the same genre as the Bourne trilogy. A few hiccups along the way (no way he passes out on a Barcelona street, and wakes up hours later with all of his belongings) but otherwise good performances (except for Javier Bardem - scenery chewing to rival Jack Nicholson) and great action. 

June 4, 2015

Beyond the Reach (2014)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2911668/

Lame remake, with Michael Douglas doing his toothy best to be suave and evil but failing miserably. The story also tries to go in too many different directions, and so you lose (even more) interest in the main contest. 

First movie was Savage http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072116/, based on the YA novel Deathwatch (a boys classic). 

Deep Web (2015)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3312868/

An interesting but ultimately self serving/biased documentary about Silk Road and the darker side of the Internet. Little to no sympathy is established for Ross Ulbricht, and the reality is that he WAS the real Dread Pirate Roberts. While the questions around the legality of the investigation are real, there is little sympathy for the rights of people whose main civil disobedience was to make millions of dollars facilitating illegal and harmful activities. 

Kajaki (2014)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3622120/

Excellent film depicting the tension and horror of a team trapped in a minefield. This film compares favourably (and is better than) it's Hollywood cousins Lone Survivor and American Sniper. It's not for the faint of heart or stomach but a gripping intense story with wonderful portrayals of the people. 

June 3, 2015

The Living (2015)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2950236/

Interesting little tragedy with a little room for improvement. The storyline between the brother and the hit man could have been more thorough and been more interesting. Alternatively, the story between the sister and the husband - exploring the relationship between abuser and victim (which actually swings back and forth a bit, as the sister definitely gives as good as she gets emotionally) - could also have been more thorough and interesting. Perhaps two different movies would be required. The character of the mother is completely unnecessary except for her nagging (which provides some context to the sisters treatment of her husband) that sets the hit man plot in motion. 

Life is Sweet (1990)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100024/

Sad funny film about working class life in England in 1990. Crazy and creepy characters, a bit of a disorganized story but ultimately a sweet and intimate portrait.