DJ Speaks Movies

Gremlins meets The Griswalds in this Christmas comedy horror movie, based on the Bavarian folklore legend of a horned figure who, during the festive season, punishes children who have misbehaved in a polar opposite of the Santa Claus principal. While it has the feel of classic 1980 B-movie stock it fails to reach the heights of the classics of that era such as Night Of The Creeps or Tremors.

With acting talent such as Toni Collette and Adam Scott the script and dialogue are all very plain with more emphasis on the back story told by Scott’s Austrian grand-mother Krista Stadler leaving most of the acting talents wasted on screaming and wistful looks when the time requires. The best character is the obnoxious Aunt Dorothy, played by Conchata Ferrell in a similar vein to her role in 2 and a half men.

The effects are the one shining area of this movie as Krampus and his minions look great but most of the monsters are limited to quick close ups when it would have been nicer to see some more detail shown but the excellent the use of puppetry needs to be commended. It’s far from the worst movie of it’s kind but the humour takes away from the horror and vice versa so if director Michael Dougherty had leaned a bit further one way of the other (as he did with this previous effort Trick ‘R’ Treat) he may have had a cult classic on his hands.

DJ Speaks Rating: 4 out of 10

A true life movie based on a reconnaissance mission involving a scouting party of four navy SEALS (Mark Wahlberg, Ben Foster, Taylor Kitsch & Emile Hirsch) who are tasked with locating a Taliban leader and his deputy in Afghanistan. Director Peter Berg manages to do this cleverly by creating an almost old Western like tale of men holding off a greater force of enemies against the odds.

The early part of the movie has a Full Metal Jacket feel with images of the intense training these men went through to become a member of the SEAL team and the early exchanges in dialogue show their loyal bonding and camaraderie which serves as their mantra. Where the story really picks up is when the men are dropped into enemy territory with the build up to the pending drama you know is coming slowly creeping on screen as they are perched, barely concealed on the side of a mountain. Once the action kicks in it does so with gusto. The action is kept intense with only short pauses from time to time as the men are pursued down the side of the mountain. Injured or incapacitated alone the way each man keeps fighting, for as long as he can still pull a trigger, in heroic fashion.

With survivor Marcus Luttrell working as a consultant to director Berg one can only imagine the story told is as it was although but the many spills and tumbles down the rocky, craggy mountain looked a lot more painful than the number of broken bones that were received on screen and the depiction of the poor planning that the mission showed, missing helicopters, poor intelligence and non operational equipment which were as much, if not more of, a part of the demise of these men as any action they may have taken along the way was quite frank

As expected, from the name of the movie, it ends on a somewhat high note but one stained with sorrow as the end credits roll and it cuts to real life photos of the men who were lost. It’s a well filmed mix of action and drama mixed with a tale of friendship and brotherhood holding fast in a desperate situation which will keep your interest throughout.

DJ Speaks Rating: 6 out of 10

Not as surprising as the first movie but far better then the awful second, part three is a prequel and does a good job in tying into the start of the first movie and linking the fact that the demon is haunting the medium Elise Rainer rather than the family.

What director Leigh Whannell does well here is taking the fact that the biggest sell of this franchise has been the jump scare moments rather then the plot. These hit the spot again in this movie, possibly even more then than in the original, with some great atmospheric settings, creepy silences and eerie music doing a good job of building the tension at the right moment and making the physic the focal point was a great decision.

The family members are the weak point in the movie with the clueless father character, I know he has recently lost his wife but his seeming unwillingness to accept that something unusual is happening borders on idiotic, the son plays a bit part and serves no real purpose and the daughter, who is the best of the three characters, falls into following all the usual horror movie cliché decisions. Although having her crippled and unable to do much but watch the developing horror was a good twist.

Unfortunately a lot will also be lost  on you if you haven’t watched the first two movies as having no knowledge of the mediums actions in the first movie could leave you a little lost as to her directness and scepticism and the internet based ghost hunting duo of Specs & Tucker while playing a key role in lightening the mood in the first two movies do little here than to assist in bringing the series full circle.

There’s nothing new here that you wont have seen before but it’s all done very well amd it’s rare that a third movie in a series puts right the mistakes on the second movie so I’m sure we can expect and Insidious 4 in the near future, hopefully Whannell will be kept at the reins as it will interesting to see where he takes the franchise next.

DJ Speaks Rating: 5 out of 10

 

Steven Spielberg paints a great picture of Cold War times in this political tale based around the capture of two spies on either side of the political fence the Soviet, Rudolph Abel (brilliantly portrayed by Mark Rylance) and American Gary Powers.

Tom Hanks is another of those actors who rarely will turn in a poor performance, he is brilliant here and he must have been close to getting an Oscar nomination, as he plays insurance lawyer Jim Donovan with so believably. He’s a family man who stands firmly behind the American way of life but is also a man of principal so when he is asked to put up a defence for the Soviet spy, purely for the PR circus event of giving the spy due process in the American justice system, he understands the pressure and danger, this may put him and his family in, but feels duty bound to carry out this task. As with other Spielberg movies such as Lincoln & Schindler’s list, Hanks portrays a character who goes above and beyond what is expected from him and, while he has no experience in the world of espionage he is clever enough to know how to manipulate the system to ensure Abel faces a prison term instead of a death sentence and again when he arrives in the Eastern block he is street smart enough to match the game playing and subterfuge he faces.

Credit must go to Spielberg for creating another outstanding piece of film, with the feel and style of a classic Cold War thriller, without ever becoming tedious. Some of the scenes are so clever, such as in the opening part where is shows Abel painting a picture of himself which subtly gives us a glimpse into this mans duality and the double life he plays. The sets are fantastic and every details has the right look for the era, the tone and atmosphere he sets of behind the Berlin Wall is excellent without ever making the movie feel like a period drama. The balance he brings between Hanks’ home life and his work activities feel like the lawyer is playing an espionage game of his own given how he cannot divulge most of the information about his case to his family leading to clandestine trips abroad where he has to lie to the people he loves about his actions and through Hanks’ active you can feel the hurt this causes him but again being a man of honour he realises that he must do this for the greater good.

Even if this type of movie does not fit with your usual viewing material I would highly recommend you give it a go, it’s a slow burner but I think this will become a classic Hollywood movie and a must watch for any movie lover.

DJ Speaks Rating: 8 out of 10

In preparation for the upcoming Batman v Superman movie I had another look at this film from a few years back and while it was better than the awful 2006 film Superman Returns it hasn’t held up as well given the superhero movies that have followed it. It follows the trend set by the Batman trilogy with dark themes running through the movie but being directed by Zack Snyder and with Christopher Nolan on board as consultant there’s no surprises there.

Credit must go for them starting the story on Krypton and giving a bit of back story as to how Superman ended up on earth. This is a planet on the brink of destruction and Superman’s father Jor-El (excellently portrayed by Russell Crowe) who decided to have a child the natural way, rather than through Kryptons biological breeding program, realises that he needs to jettison his son away before General Zod (Michael Shannon) can capture him. Zod and his followers are defeated and exiled however Krypton is still destroyed.

The action then cuts to earth where Superman is an adult, and while admirably played by Henry Cavill there is little focus on his life as Clark Kent and his younger years with only a few small snippets showing him as a child/teenager and the lack of use of Kevin Costner who shines in the few moments that he does appear in the movie was disappointing as this man is supposed to be the moral compass for Clark as he learn about his powers. So Superman learns of his past but re-activates a beacon which alerts Zod to his presence and brings him to earth. Zod wants to start terraforming earth and rebuild his planet of Krypton so Superman is torn as while he feels obliged to protect Earth he understands where Zod is coming from and even sympathizes with his motives

They throw in Lois Lane (Amy Adams) as almost a side plot and her battle with her editor (Laurence Fishburne in another underused acting part) to publish a story about a government conspiracy to hide the fact the they know about Superman’s buried ship and the interaction between Lois and Superman just doesn’t feel natural as there’s no development and it’s straight into the infatuation she has with the superhero. She starts as a strong, tough, driven woman who becomes a damsel in distress around Superman and that is a little disappointing.

Where the movie gain most credit is that through Superman and Zod’s battle, where earth is a destructive playground, at least the armed forces act like they should, lacking the understanding of who Superman is they treat both entities as an enemy and have to learn that Superman is actually on their side, and this weakens Superman’s position as he also needs to act as a protector while trying to battle Zod.

Forgetting the many plot holes and the under use of some great actors the movie was decent, spent some time in developing the back story of Krypton which was good but seemingly at the expense of leaving a hole in developing Superman childhood story. It was a step in the right direction to tie in Superman to the world already set up by the Batman trilogy but unless he makes a big impact this year Superman he may fail to re-establish himself as a center point of the DC universe that he deserves to be.

DJ Speaks Rating: 5 out of 10

Al Pacino stars as Danny Collins, a hard living singer, supposedly based on the real folk singer Steve Tilston, who is living on his past glory’s when he receives a letter sent to him from John & Yoko which had gone missing for 34 years. Pacino is washed up and tired of the rock and roll lifestyle, the letter from Lennon is the trigger through which he has his epiphany and decides to start writing new material, give up his wicked ways and make peace with his son by weaselling his way back into his life through the granddaughter he’s never met before.

This tale of redemption could have drifted into Hallmark territory if not for Pacino overacting in the way that only he can, Annette Benning, as the hotel manager, who acts as Pacino grounding influence and Bobby Cannavale as Pacinos long lost son who all pull together to bring moments of laughter and sadness in equal measure. Each victory is tiny but is lapped up by Pacino as the next step to his recovery but each and every moment is fraught with the ghosts of the past trying to pull him back into his old ways.

The movie swings from emotional drama to comedy and back again and this sitting on the fence is probably what hurts the movie the most but Pacino is always worth watching and while the movie lacks something it’s still entertaining enough to keep your interest, so come on everybody sing it with me………Hey baby doll, what’s going on?

DJ Speaks Rating: 5 out of 10

 

Jake Gyllenhaal returns to his creepiest best in this eerie tale of Lou Bloom, a man that seemingly has no ethics and no place or purpose in life who, when stumbling across the aftermath of an accident one night, decides to try and make a career out of filming live footage of accidents and crimes around the Los Angeles area.

Gyllenhaal can do creepy, we’ve seen it before in Donnie Darko, but this is a whole new level. He’s almost vampirically pale with sunken eyes and when he grins if feel like the smile of a serial killer. He rarely loses his temper yet you always feel that at any moment he could snap and his treatment of the people he meets along the way does nothing to disprove this theory.

He starts small with a camcorder, a police radio and a gunshot incident in the poorer side of town but Rene Russo as Nina Romina, a producer of a local TV station, purchases the footage, encourages him to continue and even gives him some pointers. He gradually upgrades his equipment, transport and ghoulishness so soon he is getting to accidents first, sometimes before the police, his footage gets more graphic, he gets deeper and deeper into the job and, if it was possible, seems to sink further into the more sinister areas of this psyche going so far as to tamper with accident and crime scenes in order to improve his shots. This leads to him becoming more successful which in turn places him in a position as the power player so that he feels like he can blackmail Rene Russo into improving his terms and conditions with unreasonable demands but knowing that she has no choice but to agree which leads to a compelling climax where the full lengths that Gyllenhaal is willing to go to are shown.

This movie is both troubling yet compelling at the same time, you want to be appalled by Gyllenhaals’ actions, yet you want to watch and see just how much further he’s willing to go. There’s something very reminiscent of the DeNiro character of Rupert Pupkin in movie The King Of Comedy, with how Gylenhall portrays Lou Bloom and it’s a testament to his acting just how disturbing he comes across.

It’s a neo-noir style thriller which will envelop you and in the end leaves you wanting more. Highly recommended, especially if you’re looking for something a little different.

DJ Speaks Rating: 7 out of 10

Horror western starring Kurt Russell and another appearance by his Hateful 8 moustache as the sheriff of a town that is infiltrated by a local cannibalistic neanderthal Indian tribe. So he musters up a small posse to get back the deputy and local wife that have been kidnapped as a food source. Still a movie you’d watch? Okay, read on so.

This is essentially a classic three act film, part one is the exposition and build up, the kidnapping of some locals, the town expert advising what they are up against and thus, the plan for retrieval.

Part two is the classic John Ford style character building road trip of the four man rescue posse and while this section is a little overlong, the dialogue within the script keeps things interesting (credit to debutant director S.Craig Zahler for this) and does a great job of building camaraderie within the group, with some small pockets of action leading to an ominous build up to the finale.

You may be wondering where the horror comes in, that’s saved for part three when the rescue operation reaches its climax, and the movie hits its high note, as the savages come to the fore and the violence, blood and guts flow. There is one particularly eye watering murder (for lads anyway) taking place in the Indian lair that wouldn’t look out of place in the movie Hostel but the level of violence works as it never feels like it was too gratuitous and tied in well with showing the level of enemy the protagonists were up against.

This was one of the better horror movies I’ve seen in the last few years and if you like movies in this genre there’s plenty here to enjoy. If you’re a hardcore horror fan there’s probably not enough for you until the final half an hour or so but the whole build up is done very well, the four main leads (in particular Russell and Matthew Fox) all work to paint an excellent image of how honour and duty often left a man in perilous situations in the Old West and once the horror does kick in, it doesn’t hold back.

DJ Speaks Rating: 6 out of 10