cdleorivera Reviews

Hail, Caesar! (2016)

Solid film

[9/10 · 20 February 2016]

So the movie was pretty good. I liked the overall tone and how it absolutely satirized everything going on in 1950s Hollywood and even Hollywood today. The staging was also pretty good and allowed for punchlines of jokes and comedy to pay off, which is important in a satire like this. It's not necessarily as good as something say Wes Anderson or Edgar Wright would stage, but for what the filmmakers were going for, it worked out just fine. Being a Coen brothers' movie, it has all the tropes and signatures of them, both good and bad. The good is rich and lively characters with depth, amazing writing, great set design, and Roger Deakins on camera (which never isn't a good thing). The bad isn't necessarily a bad thing, but more of an annoyance in that the movie conveys the same message basically all other Coen brothers' movies have in that the only meaning life and art have is that which we as individuals put into it and nothing more. At times, the plot also felt kind of meandering, and I don't know if that was intentional or not, but it didn't really bother me because the scenarios were still pretty interesting to me and I feel like it might have to do with the layers of the film. It would honestly be a pretty cool case study.

Other than that, I'd say it's a pretty solid Coen brothers flick that's being unfairly underrated (and in some cases panned).

Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

Awesometacular

[10/10 · 2 September 2015]

Lawrence of Arabia stars Peter O'Toole, Alec, Guinness, Omar Sharif, Anthony Quinn, and many other stars of their time - 1962. It's about Colonel T.E. Lawrence and he's assigned by the Arab Bureau to act as an adviser to Prince Faisal, the leader of the Arab revolt against the Turks.

Let's start with this - Lawrence of Arabia is my favorite movie of all time. Everything from the directing to the acting to the cinematography is stunning an worth experiencing.

Everyone in the cast does their best in their roles. My favorite one, however, is Anthony Quinn as Auda Abu Tayi, the leader of the Howeitat tribe, and he succumbs to the Arab revolt soon after Lawrence promises him money stolen from the Turks at Aqaba. Quinn's portrayal of a greedy yet powerful Arab chieftain is great, and makes for some of the best scenes in the movie. What's even cooler is that Quinn is almost an identical copy of Tayi. If you look up how the character looks in the movie and how he looks in real life, you probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

However, despite the acting powerhouse this movie is, the main character and the best one is the setting - Arabia itself. The stunning shots provided by cinematographer Freddie Young captivate you and make you wonder how such ambitious shots were actually taken. You actually end up feeling for the Arabs because of the development of their land. Via this movie, it's obvious why so many people fell in love with the scenery. Lawrence himself is quoted with saying that he fell in love with the desert because "it's clean."

When I first saw this, I was fifteen and I had the bought the 25th anniversary edition Blu-ray and watched it in my room by myself. When it was over, I had a similar reaction to what Steven Spielberg had in that I didn't know exactly what I saw other than that it was a masterpiece. So I gave it some time. And within a week, it surpassed Interstellar as my favorite movie of all time.

Definitely go check this one out. You'll have to have the patience of a striking tiger, as it's damn near four hours long, but every single minute was worth it. 10/10.

Fury (2014)

"A Furious Return"

[9/10 · 19 October 2014]

I think it's safe to say that we all thought that the age of World War II has been gone for a while, the last major film being 1999's Spielberg epic, Saving Private Ryan. That is, if you don't count the Eastern version of World War II, which was brought to life with 2006's Letters From Iwo Jima. But, primarily focusing on the European fronts, you cant deny that its been quite some time since we last saw a great film on this subject, but with David Ayer's Fury, the European front returns to the big screen, and its probably one of the greatest of its kind.

The cinematography is excellent. I can't really say much else, except for the fact that there is definitely a nomination for an Oscar in this category, if not a win.

David Ayer's direction and use of physical tanks rather than CGI is impressive, and is sure to at least be remembered among many WWII film veterans.

And the acting, oh, the acting.

Everyone brings their best to the table on this one. Brad Pitt will be nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role, Shia LeBouf might get nominated for Supporting Actor, but it is without a doubt that Logan Lerman's performance as the new guy on the block is the best of all, and he has high chances of snagging home the Oscar for Supporting Actor. In truth, it may seem at first that this is Brad Pitt's movie, but come the end, Lerman steals the show, emotionally enrapturing us and giving us the best performance of his career. I've always sort of had a problem with Lerman, knowing that the guy has potential but never quite manages to make it, but with this film, he writes his name into our minds as one of the best performances of 2014. The rest of the cast is also pretty well done, and it's safe to say that the acting is the movie's strong-point.

The film's score is a beautifully written masterpiece that sways with feels and emotions and will at least get Steven Price a nomination for best original score, and it will for sure give you the goosebumps with its orchestral style of sound.

The score isn't the only noise the movie produces that is good, but the sound effects are definitely a plus. You jolt at every boom, awe at the sound of the marching Germans, and constantly want to shift in your seat whenever a bullet fires your way.

The visual effects are pretty impressive themselves, explosions and gunfire making you feel like your in the heat of battle. Other than that though, there's not much to marvel at.

And the ultimate part of this movie is it's depiction of war as a dangerous chess game played by politicians, even though they never actually show those figures, you still imagine them not caring at all as an individual soldier dies for their nation. And you can actually feel for the antagonists, knowing that they are only in the same position as the protagonists, that some have families to care for and yet their lives still end brutally. I love Fury's depiction of war so much, that I believe it is comparable to Saving Private Ryan's.

While still not being a major fault in the system, the film's biggest problem is its script. There are some lines in there that are somewhat cringe-worthy, and while the dialog remains alright overall, it still negates it that the words are actually uttered from the actors's mouths.

Overall, Fury is one of the best pictures of the year, sure to be remembered as time moves on. I'd like to say that Fury will get nominated for Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Original Soundtrack, Best Sound Effects, and Best Picture, and win Best Supporting Actor for Logan Lerman's performance (yes, it is quite exceptional and it will stick with you), and maybe Best Sound Effects.

And as the holiday season of movies continues, we continue to look forward to many great movies such as Interstellar, Exodus: Gods and Kings, Nightcrawler, A Most Violent Year, Unbroken, and The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies.