McFarland USA (2015)

Genre: Drama

Directed by: Niki Caro

Starring: Kevin Costner, Maria Bello, Morgan Saylor

Running time: 129 minutes

Based on true events, McFarland tells the story of football coach Jim White, who gets fired from his teaching and coaching job after an altercation with a player. He moves to McFarland, California, a predominantly Mexican-American community, to teach and coach football. He finds that the high school kids there might not be at their best on the gridiron, but they sure can run. So, he decides to train them to become cross country runners.

McFarland is a very inspiring movie about kids who don’t have much hope for the future. From one generation to the other, they are produce-pickers and their lives are in the fields. Through sport, they managed to find a purpose and it pushed them to further heights than they could ever have imagined.

Every actor and actresses played their parts well here. No complaint from me there. Story might have dragged a bit and it might have gotten overly dramatic and patriotic at times (it is a Disney movie after all), but, overall, this is a very inspiring movie that is worth our time. It is also very nice to have a movie that shows us Mexican-American people in a positive light. What we see is a hard working group of people with strong family values, and that is something that is lost on many of us in this day and age.

Rating: ««««

We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)

Genre: Thriller

Directed by: Lynne Ramsay

Starring: Tilda Swinton, John C. Reilly, Ezra Miller

Running time: 112 minutes

Adapted from the Lionel Shriver novel of the same name, We Need to Talk About Kevin tells the story of a mother having to come to terms with a horrible crime committed by her 15-year old son, Kevin.

I did not quite know what to expect, and, wow, was I ever blown away. This movie is a straight punch to the gut and leaves you sitting there in awe by the end of it. In a movie beautifully directed by Lynne Ramsay, we go back and forth through the story in seamless fashion.

What to say about the acting? Tilda Swinton carries this hard and harsh film on her frail shoulders and she does it brilliantly. We forget the actress and we feel compassion for that character, a woman who has lost everything because of her son and who now has to pick up whatever is left of herself to go on with her life. Everybody in town is judging, so she has to carry that weight also. Like all parents, she has made mistakes, but the viewer cannot help feeling for her.

The two actors portraying Kevin, at two different ages, were solid also. They really brought out that troubled child character without making him over-the-top, be it in a comedic or scary way. The tone was just right.

All in all, a really solid film that will stay on my mind for quite some time. Highly recommended.

Rating: «««««

Flypaper (2011)

Flypaper (2011)

Genre: Comedy

Directed by: Rob Minkoff

Starring: Patrick Dempsey, Ashley Judd, Tim Blake Nelson

Running time: 87 minutes

Two groups of criminals, one more organized than the other, try to rob the same bank at the same time. Nothing goes as planned and the two groups will have to contend with each other and with the employees of the bank they are keeping as hostages.

Though this movie depicts a crime and goes the “who-done-it” route as the story evolves, it is played for laughs. What it becomes is a slapstick murder mystery; unfortunately, not a very funny one. The acting is extremely uninspired, even by such names as Jeffrey Tambor, who is often so funny. As for the story, there is nothing much to tell. By the end of it, you just have to wonder what the point of it all was.

Rating: «

The Woman in Black (2012)

Genre: Horror

Directed by: James Watkins

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Ciaran Hinds, Janet McTeer, Liz White

Running time: 95 minutes

A widowed lawyer, Arthur Kipps (Radcliffe), leaves his son in London with the nanny and travels to a small village, where his task is to settle some paperwork and sell the home of a deceased woman who had no family left. Once on location, he doesn’t get much collaboration from the locals, except for one. In fact, most of them seem to be in a hurry to get rid of him. And he comes to find out that there is something terribly wrong with that house.

It was weird seeing Radcliffe in another role than the Harry Potter character. I must admit he did a good job here making me forget the young wizard. He has aged, which helps, and this is a totally different genre. Still, props to him, because he really made his character believable. You could feel his urge and desire to accomplish the task at hand, since his job was on the line. You could also feel his fear as he tried to conquer that house.

As for the movie itself, I have to say that it was a very effective horror film. It works on setting a certain atmosphere of tension. There is no gore, it is all about waiting for what will happen next. I’m a good spectator for horror, as it doesn’t affect me very much. The Woman in Black offered some scenes that literally sent shivers down my spine. I physically felt them course through my body. The tension is heavy and the atmosphere is dark, which makes for a great combination.

The film took a really weird turn towards the end, which kind of turned me off, but it remains an effective chills-giving horror flick.

Rating: «««

Pearl Jam Twenty (2011)

Genre: Documentary

Directed by: Cameron Crowe

Starring: Eddie Vedder, Stone Gossard, Jeff Ament, Chris Cornell, Neil Young

Running time: 120 minutes

Rock journalist and movie director Cameron Crowe has proven many times before that he is a fan of music. After all, he has been a contributor of Rolling Stone magazine and has given us that wonderful ode to rock n’ roll lifestyle and groupies that is Almost Famous.

In Pearl Jam Twenty, Crowe documents the history of rock band Pearl Jam over 20 years. From the beginning as Mother Love Bone, to the arrival of lead singer Eddie Vedder, to the war waged against Ticketmaster, to the longevity as a band willing to evolve with the times, a really interesting story is being told here.

Since the whole Grunge movement didn’t resonate with me in the beginning, me being more of a rock n’ roll and blues kind of guy, I discovered Pearl Jam a little late in life. I am sure glad I finally got into them, because I found in them a band that had something to say and that was going to do it with awesome music.

In my mind, Eddie Vedder has surpassed Kurt Cobain as an artist. Many won’t agree with me, but that is fine, and I do recognize the contribution Nirvana’s leader gave to music. That being said, Vedder endured through a tough childhood, evolved from a shy young man to a great front man, managed to stay current through over two decades and still to this day produces great music, both as a solo artist and as the leader of Pearl Jam.

Pearl Jam has fought some fights and stuck to their guns, made some choices that did not please everyone, but, through the years, they have managed to keep a large fanbase and stay relevant. Pearl Jam Twenty tells that story and it is one that should appeal to the lovers of their music. Others might discover a band worth checking out.

Rating: «««««

The Grey (2011)

Genre: Thriller

Directed by: Joe Canahan

Starring: Liam Neeson, Frank Grillo, Dermot Mulroney

Running time: 117 minutes

A group of oil-rig workers find themselves stranded in the mountains of Alaska when their plane crashes. Those who survived the crash will have to battle the rugged elements and the rabid wolves roaming around the area if they want to have any hope of making it out of there alive.

It took me a while to get into this particular film. When the movie starts, we get kind of lost in the thoughts of the main character John Ottway (Neeson). Through his internal dialogue, we get a feel for the group we are seeing at work and the task at hand for them. That whole part seemed kind of uninspired in the delivery to me. I just could not seem to care. Once the plane crashes and the survivors have to spring into action, and Ottway gets out of his thoughts, things start to get interesting.

The scenes involving wolves attacking human beings are not for the faint of heart. They feel very real, even for a disillusioned soul such as I. We do feel the isolation of those men having to walk in deep snow and be on a constant lookout for the mean beasts walking around.

Definitely not the best Liam Neeson movie I have ever seen, but a very decent film. The Grey starts very slow, but, when business picks up, it pulls you in. For those who want to give it a shot, tough it out. It is the kind of movie that gets better as it goes along, ending with a nice little twist at the end.

Rating: «««

Haywire (2011)

Genre: Action / Thriller
Directed by: Steven Soderbergh
Starring: Gina Carano, Michael Fassbender, Ewan McGregor
Running Time: 93 minutes

If we were to coin the phrase badass daughter of a bitch, Mallory Kane (Carano) would be a prime example. She works for a company that handles sensitive covert black operations all around the world. She goes to Spain and accomplishes her mission, but, when she goes to Dublin, she comes to find out she is being set up to be eliminated. She has to fight her way out and figure out who is to blame, so there can be hell to pay.

Carano, an MMA fighter, performed all her stunts in Haywire, and she really shined here. This ain’t no Oscar nominee, but the action is fast-paced and the story is compelling. And, as for Carano, she kicks ass, and I developed a kind of crush on her in those 90 minutes it lasted. We have a great action star in the making here.

I was quite surprised by the supporting cast in this one. To see Michael Douglas and Antonio Banderas in such minor roles at this point of their career is surprising, but it is a nice surprise.

Overall, Haywire is a good action movie that packs quite a punch. There are lots of fights scenes with a female action star that kicks asses and takes names.

Rating: ««««