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8/10
Inside Llewyn Davis is a heartbreak of a film that will perforate your emotional husk, courtesy of Latino actor Oscar Isaac and the Coen Brothers.
5 December 2013
Warning: Spoilers
The "1-4-0″: @InsideLlewyn is a heartbreak of a film that will perforate your emotional husk, courtesy of Latino actor Oscar Isaac and the Coen Brothers.

The Gist: New York folk singer can't get a break as we see his life go from one debacle to another.

The Highlights: The cinematography, the brilliant representation of failure and defeat, the fantastic aggrieved performance from Oscar Isaac. I'm not a fan of depressing movies and this is one of them, but there's enough caustic humor here that manages to deflect some of the hard negative energy of the character and the film. The more in pain Isaac's character is in, the more the audience laughs, a classic Coen Brothers mark. Deep inside the DNA of the film, the core is about the everyday struggle to succeed and the resentment that comes along when one doesn't. One can become bitter, sensitive at constructive criticism, blind to others feelings and reticent and taciturn – all this has been captured magnificently by the Coen Bros. and Oscar Isaac in Inside Llewyn Davis.

The Lowlights: Folk music and the ending. Folk music isn't my cup of tea, but I was able to get passed that and listen to the lyrics of the broken Llewyn to understand how much of what he sang pushed the story forward. There was this one very catchy, droll, upbeat pop song though, "Please Mr. Kennedy" that has become embedded in my head, you should listen to it. Regarding the ending, and yes, there's a bit of a spoiler coming up, the denouement is a repeat of the opening scene. Actually, it is an extended version. It came out of nowhere and it infuriated me because of the randomness of it and because there was no explanation for it. According to Isaac, there's a musical metaphor to the repeated scene: "I think it's like a folk song in particular, because generally in folk songs, it goes first verse, chorus, second verse, chorus, third verse, chorus and then back to the first verse again at the end. And there's a deeper meaning when you come back to that first verse."

Pay or Nay?: If you're an indie moviegoer who searches for artistic films with a deeper human connection, than pay for it. If you're an average moviegoer who usually likes blockbuster films and commercial fare, then you'll hate it for its pace and its inherent unappealing characteristics. I personally enjoyed it because this film strips the celebrity gloss from musicians, you know, the struggling part that they never want to talk about? It brutally depicts the fight and the loss of the dream.

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G-Force (2009)
8/10
G-Force movie review
13 July 2009
I have to hand it Jerry Bruckheimer, is there anything this man can't do? I never thought he could pull off a family animation film and he has without a flaw. 'G-Force,' Disney's new animated 3-D movie experience is a wonderful and fun film that kids as well as parents can enjoy. My wife who is in her 40's loved it and laughed intensely throughout the film, particularly, at Tracey Morgan's guinea pig character 'Blaster'.

The story is about a team of specially trained secret agent guinea pigs that take on a mission for the US government. They're dispatched to stop a diabolical billionaire, who plans to taking over the world with household appliances. A bit ridiculous, right? Yes, but it's made for infants.

The voices here are top notch, except for Penelope Cruz who seemed uncomfortable voicing animation. I always have thought that is a talent very different from being in front of a camera and not everyone will equate their on-screen performances with their off-screen performances. Tracey Morgan was the highlight, but it was Nicolas Cage who surprised everyone by changing his voice for the mole character 'Speckles'. The voice was unrecognizable. On a interesting note, at a press conference, Cage spoke about how his kids didn't know he voiced the character, and the same goes for all his work, because he wants to shield them from his celebrity. Essentially, he implied that his children have no idea he's a big time Hollywood superstar and will do everything from them ever knowing. Interesting, huh?

The 3-D experience was the best I've ever seen, and I'm not just saying that. Kids are so lucky that this film was made for them and not adults. The director Hoyt Yeatman, a visual effects guru, personally told me that he finished rendering the film just last week. Are you kidding me?! Not to get too technical, but the reason for such an onerous task is the attention to detail. According to Yeatman, the rendering took years with several hundred people working on it. If this isn't a labor of love than I don't know what is, but it shows and we're all lucky for it.

Overall, I thought the film was funny, visually pleasing, and the pacing was never dull or incongruent. 'G-Force' is made for kids, but parents are going to be pleased applauding right into first place at the box office. Funny enough, I asked Jerry Bruckheimer if there was a sequel in the works and he said, "If we fill the seats with happy customers, we'll do another one". That's not going to be a problem.
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