American Gun (2005)

Genre: Drama
Directed by: Aric Avelino
Cast: Linda Cardellini, Tony Goldwyn, Marcia Gay Harden, Forrest Whitaker
Time: 95 minutes

 

This film deals with three different stories where gun use is involved. There is the mother of a kid who killed multiple people in a school shooting, a principal trying to keep the violence out of his school and an A student who works in her family’s gun store while dealing with difficult circumstances in her life.

This film suffers from a clear lack of focus. It deals with too many elements, considering its duration, and it ends up scratching not much more than the surface in each one. There were some touching parts, but, in the end, I kept waiting for something bigger to come, and it just fell flat. It felt like the aim was to moralize and not do much more.

Rating: ««

Once Bitten (1985)

Genre: Comedy / Horror
Directed by: Howard Storm
Cast: Lauren Hutton, Jim Carrey, Karen Kopins
Time: 94 minutes

 

Mark Kendall is high school student whose biggest wish is to lose his virginity. He has a girlfriend, Robin, but she is hesitant to do the deed, as she wants it to be special. While out at a Hollywood nightclub with his two best friends, Mark is seduced by a blonde Countess. Unbeknownst to him, she is a centuries-old vampire who needs three doses of blood from the same virgin before Halloween to stay young.

This is the first leading role for Jim Carrey in a feature film. The plot is silly, but the film does not seem to take itself seriously, which gives it some charm. The acting itself is okay. There are some funny lines here and there, and we can catch a glimpse of the antics that would later make Carrey famous. There are some scenes of facial mugging in a store and a dance scene that are particularly worth seeing.

Rating: «««

Johnny Got His Gun (1971)

Genre: Drama
Directed by: Dalton Trumbo
Cast: Timothy Bottoms, Kathy Fields, Marsha Hunt
Time: 111 minutes

 

During World War 1, Joe Bonham is a young American soldier who gets severely injured by an artillery shell. He wakes up in the hospital having lost his eyes, his mouth, his ears, his nose, and his limbs. He is presumed to be in a vegetative state, but his mind is alive, and he finds himself stuck in what is left of his body. As he alternated between fantasy and reminiscing about his past, he tries to find a way to communicate again with the outside world.

This film is based on the 1938 novel of the same name, by Dalton Trumbo. It gained cult status after being used by Metallica in their music video for the song One. This is an epic anti-war film. It rattled me to the core. You can feel the plight of the main character, who is stuck in a shell of a body. It might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I adore this one.

Rating: «««««

Buffalo '66 (1998)

Genre: Drama
Directed by: Vincent Gallo
Cast: Vincent Gallo, Christina Ricci, Ben Gazzara, Mickey Rourke, Anjelica Huston
Time: 110 minutes

 

Billy Brown is released from prison after spending five years in prison for taking the rap for someone else’s crime. Before going home, he kidnaps a young tap dancer named Layla and he convinces her to pretend to be his wife in front of his parents. After leaving his parent’s place, Billy and Layla kill time together, as the former convict ponders on his plan to assassinate the former Buffalo Bills kicker he blames for the gambling debt that caused his demise and sent him to prison for something he did not do.

This independent film is a very interesting character study. The plot is slow and deliberate, and the acting is very good. These characters feel truly degenerate and real. The way this was shot made it feel authentically old. The end felt a little too artsy to be, and it lost me a little bit, but the way there had me hooked.

Rating: ««««

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

 Genre: Fantasy
Directed by: Peter Jackson
Cast: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Live Tyler
Time: 201 minutes

 

Frodo Baggins and Sam continue to long and difficult journey to Mordor, following Gollum, whose hiding evil plans behind his role as a guide. In the meantime, the rest of Fellowship and joining forces with other allies to fight against Sauron and the legions from Mordor.

The same preface applies here. This type of film is not my cup of tea, but I have to give props for the visuals and the acting. I might have suffered from Lord of the Rings fatigue by the end of this third installment, because I enjoyed this one a little less. Good, Frodo did it, let’s move on.

Rating: ««

The Monuments Men (2014)

Genre: Drama
Directed by: George Clooney
Cast: George Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Jean Dujardin
Time: 118 minutes

 

A group of museum directors, curators, art historians and an architect are assembled to travel to Europe during World War 2 for a secret mission aimed at reclaiming art pieces stolen by the Nazis in an effort to preserve them from destruction.

With such an ensemble cast, I think my expectations were a little too high. The premise is interesting, with a story inspired by true events, but the film itself seemed to lack direction. The story was moving along all over the place, without focus. The intent was brought out in the end, and I got what they were aiming for, but the delivery was a little chaotic. The actors still looked like they had fun, and there were some good lines here and there.

Rating: «««

The Young Victoria (2009)

Genre: Drama
Directed by: Jean-Marc Vallée
Cast: Emily Blunt, Rupert Friend, Paul Bettany
Time: 105 minutes

 

This period drama focuses on the early life and reign of Queen Victoria. It deals with how she got to the throne, with the early hardships of her reign and with the birth of her relationship with her husband, Prince Albert.

I am usually not a big fan of the period pieces involving British characters and of the Royal family subject matter. I decided to give this one a chance as a fan of the director, Jean-Marc Vallée. I was pleasantly surprised. The acting was solid and the story was compelling, with a focus on love winning over difficult circumstances. The film ended up touching my anti-monarchist heart. Well done.

Rating: ««««