Lee Danials' The Butler: NR #51

To continue my reviews of older theater releases, this week I'm reviewing a movie that's been a huge surprise success, at least in the eyes of the studios. A movie that is all about the performances and historical figures and events. This week, I'm reviewing...

PLOT
"The Butler", based on the life of a real White House butler, follows the life of Cecil Gaines, a man whose been taught from childhood in slavery to be subservient and to never speak up. In the late 50's, during Woodrow Wilson's term, Cecil becomes a butler at the White House. During this time, Cecil's son, Louis, is going off the college and is involved in the budding civil rights movement. Father and son clash as their two different views on life and of each other change over a period of 30 years.


PROS
This movie is all about its performances and it delivers. Everyone gives a great performance, the stand-out being Oprah, who plays Cecil's wife. She truly is a great actress and it's a shame she's not in more films.

Cecil's relationship with his son is the best part of the this movie. The scenes they have together are all great and are the true backbone of the film. Seeing these two different people from different times and different philosophies clash is very interesting and help to keep the movie going for its 2 hour length.

There are a few reenactments of famous moments from the civil rights movement and they're all done very effectively and hit me hard. I was close to tears during all of them and while they may be a tad over dramatic, they still convey their point very well.

This is a very black focused movie, which I really appreciate. Most movies about the civil rights movement or about a black person over coming something usually have to have a white person there to help them out and do most of the work, like the person can't do anything without the help of a white person, "The Blind Side" for example. Luckily, this film avoids that completely and is better for it.



CONS
A big part of the advertisements for this movie is the actors playing famous presidents. Sadly most of the actors don't do a good job playing their parts. While the actors aren't bad, they just don't bring anything to the table and it can be hard to tell who's playing who. A good example is John Cusack as Nixon. He looks and sounds nothing like Nixon, he's just being John Cusack and we're told he's Richard Nixon.

The film can get a little over dramatic and cliched at times. While it's not a huge deal, it does take some of the tension and seriousness away from scenes.



CONCLUSION
"The Butler", while an average bio-drama on the surface, rises above by focusing on the relationship with Cecil and his son and less on the presidents and Cecil's affect on historical events. It's a well made film that follows all of the classic beats, but does them well and is worth seeing if you haven't yet


RATING
WALK TO

We're the Millers/ Fight Club: NR #50/ CR #42

Once again I missed a week, sorry, but I was just busy with life and blah, blah, blah. Let's get down to the review(s)! This week, I'm review what I saw last week the movie I saw this week that I have to talk about. I'm reviewing a movie that's been one of the surprise hits of the summer, and one of the most famous cult films of all time. I'm reviewing...

We're the Millers

PLOT
David Clark is a low level drug dealer who sells weed given to him by insanely rich drug lord Brad Gurglinger. When David gets his month's supply stolen, Brad forces him into carrying weed across the Mexican border for him. In order to even get across the border, David needs a disguise. He then hires a local stripper, and momma's boy who's own mom left him, and a homeless girl to act as his family. Once they get into Mexico, they soon find out that they're in fact smuggling tons and tons of weed which was stolen from a notorious drug lord. Now David and company must race back to Brad and not die in the process.


PROS
The first half of this movie is very funny. There's a lot of great dialogue between the characters and most of the jokes work. I never went a long time without at least chuckling.

Ed Helms plays Brad Gurglinger and steals each scene he's in. He's basically a guy who's so rich, he just starts doing crazy things with his money. He's only in the film for a short time, but he's one of the best parts of it.


CONS
While the first half is very funny, the second half gets more awkward and cliched. Around this time, we start to spend more time with a second family. This leads to more failed jokes and wasted time then it does to good times. The message of the film also rears it's head and becomes very sappy. While it's still funny, it's not as much as in the first half.



CONCLUSION
"We're the Millers" is a good comedy, not a great one, but not a bad one either. It has a lot of funny material and kept me laughing throughout, but the second half did lose me. It's fun for a rental or on tv, but nothing you need to rush out and see.


RATING
RENTABLE

Fight Club



PLOT
Our story follows a man (who's only name were given is "The Narrator") with insomnia and a dull, plastic life. He starts to go to seminars for diseased and dying people just to feel something. One day, he meets a man named Tyler Durden who lives a care-free life and is everything the narrator wishes he could be. They become roommates and start an underground fight club. This simple idea soon turns into something that the Narrator never wanted, and what Durden always dreamed of.



PROS
The performances in this film are amazing, the stand-out being Brad Pitt. He's just so charismatic and cool, it makes sense that someone would buy into his crazy idea.

The direction and camera work from David Fincher is spectacular and gives the movie a style all its own. It makes the movie very creative and stays with you long after the movie's over.

What makes the performances even better is the script they're reading from. The script is great and very funny at points. It's clever and highlights the camera work.

I'd always heard about the twist in this movie, in fact I'd had it spoiled for me. Luckily, it still has a huge impact and changes the whole movie. It's surprising and comes out of nowhere, yet makes sense when you look at the clues hidden throughout the film.

The film has a ton of undertones and parody throughout that raises the movie above what it could've been.


CONS
I can't honestly think of any, at least any that ruin the movie in any way. Let's move on...



CONCLUSION
I love this movie, in fact, it's in my top 15 movies of all time. I was entranced by the film, it had me hooked from start to finish. I love the characters, the dialogue, the style, everything. If you haven't seen this gem of a movie yet, you owe it to yourself to experience this once in a life time movie. No wonder it came out in 1999, one of the best years in film history.


RATING
CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT!!!!

Blue Jasmine: NR #49

{Preface: Sorry if this review looks different compared to the others. I had to write this on my phone, this may be happening every once in a while. Just wanted to explain myself}

After a long week of crazy celebrity stuff, the crisis in Syria, and school, I need some quiet movie to help me calm down. Luckily, I saw Woody Allen's newest film, one that has garnered critical acclaim and audience dollars. Going in knowing nothing, I saw...

  

PLOT

A modernized retelling of the classic play "A Streetcar Named Desire", "Blue Jasmine" is about a woman named Jasmine who marries a wealthy business man named Hal. She lives a life of luxury and common ignorance. One day, Hal is arrested for embezzlement and other illegal business acts, leaving Jasmine with no money. The only place she can go now is her sister's apartment in San Francisco. Now Jasmine must deal with this loss while also dealing with her fragile psyche.

PROS

Everyone in the film gives a great performance, but the true standout is Cate Blanchett playing Jasmine. She gives a performance that encompasses so many different strong emotions and she pulls them off effortlessly. It really is a haunting performance and is a shoe-in for an Oscar.

The script and dialogue are also great, but why expect anything less from Woody Allen? 

The film does a good job at balancing different tones, the main ones being comedy and depression. The movie is laugh-out-loud hilarious at times, yet it's also sad and tragic. The key here is that neither feel out of place and work in there respective context.

Similar to Allen's own "Annie Hall", the movie takes place near the end of the story, with the first half being told through flashbacks. Also like "Annie Hall", it's expertly done and is used to explain references the characters make. In this film, it's also used to show how Jasmine associates certain words with her past and how they lead to her small mental break downs.

One thing that I really liked about the script is that no one character is just Woody Allen. While some characters do  have little bits of Allen in them, no single person completely personifies Allen, which is a welcomed change from his past works.

CONS

I don't mean to cop out, but I honestly can't think of any major problems I have with this film.

CONCLUSION

I went into this movie completely cold. I knew nothing about the plot or it's tone, I only knew it was by Woody Allen and it was receiving universal acclaim. Once it began, I was instantly taken in by its story and real but tragic characters. It is a Woody Allen film, no question, but it certainly will be regarded as one of his best for decades to come.

RATING

(HIGH) RUN TO