Damien HQ

The story of a police officer with a trick knee is the centerpiece of this much larger tale about the Boston Marathon Bombings. It’s a fitting focal point because he’s a larger than life star and it helps us scan through this horrific event.

Patriots Day (2016)
R | 2h 13min | Crime, Drama, History | 13 January 2017 (USA)

The story of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing and the aftermath, which includes the city-wide manhunt to find the terrorists responsible.
Director: Peter Berg
Writers: Peter Berg (screenplay), Matt Cook (screenplay) | 5 more credits »
Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Michelle Monaghan, J.K. Simmons

If you don’t have characters and their personal stories to see the story through, it’s less a movie and more a documentary. This film does a good job in its script of showing the day’s events through the story of Wahlberg’s character. True story films really come alive when they use this method. This one is done very well and keeps you intrigued from beginning to end.

As the marathon went on, the early finishers crossed the finish line. No one would know that soon, two terrorists with backpacks would lay their dirty bombs down and remotely detonate them causing shards of nails, scrap metal shrapnel, and other weapons of harm to wound and kill both participants and spectators.

This film also tells a side-story of the two brothers who did the bombing. We learn they were of a splinter group related to an American hating organization. It does a good job of showing their manner and mindset through the tragedy they caused. They also show shadows of the older brother’s wife and what her role may or may have not been in this.

As a true story film, this one is best at telling the events that led up and transpired throughout the event. It’s a bit documentary in it’s framework but there is plenty of story in the script that fuels powerful acting. It falls short of focusing on the recovery of these people but it doesn’t really mean to be that type of film. To learn the details of the story, this one is great. For the human aftermath and effect on drama for the survivors, “Stronger” does a great job at that. I give this film a 10/10 for what it sets out to do.

Pretty good, not bad, skip the spaghetti and meatballs because we got IRISH mob kills this time. So what shall we eat? Corned beef and cabbage with green beer? Sure why the hell not. Johnny Depp plays another Johnny. He’s a killer. This one’s a true story too. (I love those)

Black Mass (2015)
R | 2h 3min | Biography, Crime, Drama | 18 September 2015 (USA)

The true story of Whitey Bulger, the brother of a state senator and the most infamous violent criminal in the history of South Boston, who became an FBI informant to take down a Mafia family invading his turf.
Director: Scott Cooper
Writers: Mark Mallouk (screenplay), Jez Butterworth (screenplay) | 2 more credits »
Stars: Johnny Depp, Benedict Cumberbatch, Dakota Johnson

Scott Cooper is the director. He did ‘Out of the Furnace’ starring Christian Bale and I have to tell you I loved that movie. He apparently picks the stories from the city streets. This one is really gritty like Furnace. The characters are grounded and they cuss as well as they handle guns in execution style mob killings. This is not a study in what happened, it’s more a display of what this whacked out killer did when he was alive. Some of the stuff goes way beyond cold hearted. It’s a good mob film, it has an amazing cast as well. It was a little slow in telling thhe story I thought but I got beyond it. I give it an 8.5/10.

Just about anything Melanie Lynskey is in is great. She’s part of a group of actors that includes Mark Duplass and others who are making their way through a career and developing a particular style of character. She’s the star of this one and it’s a really great thing to see.

I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore. (2017)
TV-MA | 1h 33min | Comedy, Crime, Drama | 24 February 2017 (USA)

When a depressed woman is burglarized, she finds a new sense of purpose by tracking down the thieves alongside her obnoxious neighbor. But they soon find themselves dangerously out of their depth against a pack of degenerate criminals.
Director: Macon Blair
Writer: Macon Blair
Stars: Melanie Lynskey, Chris Doubek, Marilyn Faith Hickey

Macon Blair is the director here, he did a truly good job in ‘Blue Ruin’ which was a vengeance movie made on a shoestring budget. He’s in the director’s chair this time and I’m happy to report this film is great.

Elijah Wood plays the neighbor DIY mercenary. When the two team up to get her stolen property back it works like clockwork. In these unsure times, it’s comforting and entertaining to see regular people take charge of their situation. The humble ways of these characters are just plain fun to watch. I recommend this one and it’s on Netflix. 8/10.

Short review here. My score: 4/10. A wooden, poorly edited (which is very distracting), under-developed biopic of the Bloody Sunday event so well know by the Irish and members of the world audience.

Bloody Sunday (2002)
R | 1h 47min | Drama, History, War | 19 April 2002 (Portugal)

A dramatization of the Irish civil rights protest march and subsequent massacre by British troops on January 30, 1972.
Director: Paul Greengrass
Writer: Paul Greengrass
Stars: James Nesbitt, Tim Pigott-Smith, Nicholas Farrell

There could have been better backstory and illustration of why this happened. They use handhelds as an excuse to not engage through other means. Director Paul Greengrass went on to direct some truly awesome films like Jason Bourne, Captain Phillips, The Bourne Ultimatum, United 93, & The Bourne Supremacy.

Too many shaky camera closeups that don’t serve a central theme. “You can’t see the forest for the trees.” Not sure what he was going for with Bloody Sunday but whatever it was, I missed it. I wanted to like it as an Irishman myself, but I couldn’t get into it.

Dads get a bad rap. We want our teenage sons to be tough to face a carnvivorous world. We want them to do better than we did. Sometimes dads are the more rugged and “rough” parents. In this case we have a teenage boy sent to spend time with his outdoorman father, both get more than they bargained for.

Walking Out (2017)
PG-13 | 1h 35min | Adventure, Drama, Mystery | 6 October 2017 (USA)

An urban teenager journeys to Montana to hunt big game with his estranged father. Father and son struggle to connect, until a brutal encounter in the heart of the wilderness changes everything.
Directors: Alex Smith, Andrew J. Smith
Writers: David Quammen (short story), Alex Smith (adaptation) | 1 more credit »
Stars: Matt Bomer, Josh Wiggins, Bill Pullman

This was directed by “The Smith Brothers,” specifically Alex and Andrew Smith. They have about 4 films under their belt, none have been blockbusters. That’s ok with me because I don’t necessarily want to see the blockbusters when there are amazing smaller scale gems to be watched. This is one of those. It’s man against nature once again and we see a lot of the same old conventions connected to that premise. A boy is sent to his father to grow up and he does it the hard way with snowy hiking, a bear, and finally … (no spoliers). I was never bored watching this film and I can’t thik of a way I could have made it better. It is a timeless theme and I recommend it to you dear watcher at a 7/10.

I’ve thought of Iraqi war veterans as many things, all good and full of resepct. Still, I never thought about them being adrenaline junkies. That is Katheryn Bigelow’s main message it would seem in this war thriller. It’s an interesting take, how young men might be trapped in the hurt locker ready for more. It’s neat to look at but let’s not forget sp many things are are screwed up about war. There’s a lot more wrong than wanting to get to the next level of a would-be video game.

The Hurt Locker (2008)
R | 2h 11min | Drama, History, Thriller | 31 July 2009 (USA)

During the Iraq War, a Sergeant recently assigned to an army bomb squad is put at odds with his squad mates due to his maverick way of handling his work.
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Writer: Mark Boal
Stars: Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty

Kathryn Bigelow is among my favorite directors. Her credits include: 2017 Detroit, 2012 Zero Dark Thirty, 2008 The Hurt Locker, 1995 Strange Days, & 1991 Point Break. Detroit and Zero Dark Thirty really set her apart for me. She’s a special director and you can trust in “Spring-loaded” film with a lot of suspense and bombs in it that she has calculated everything to make a point and to be enjoyed as a motion picture.

Like so many films, this one shows how messed up war is and how much is can wreck people mentally. We as armchair observers can sit back and contemplate the severity of that. I think it’s important we watch films that shed a like on what modern warfare is about. The ways we connect with other cultures should be the focus not the ways we are different. War wukk always be with us but a better perspective is available to us always, just around the bend. I gave this film an 8/10.

A film written in “child” should not be criticized by adults who do not speak the language. This is not your typical Disney standard of film release. At the same time, when watched with my two daughters, this adult saw a truth in it, a juvenile purity. Evil fights to dominate Good. Who wins? Um, most of us speak Disney but this one speaks in child first and foremost.

A Wrinkle in Time (2018)
PG | 1h 49min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy | 9 March 2018 (USA)

After the disappearance of her scientist father, three peculiar beings send Meg, her brother, and her friend to space in order to find him.
Director: Ava DuVernay
Writers: Jennifer Lee (screenplay by), Jeff Stockwell (screenplay by) | 1 more credit »
Stars: Storm Reid, Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon

The first love of most kids, after mom,  up to the tween ages is their father, whether he was around or not. Storm Reid’s character and her brother lose their father. Right away you have most kids hooked in. Will she find him? Where has he gone? Does he still love the family? Would he want to be found. The director focuses on these particular questions. I would argue it’s to engage the children and tweens in the audience. Chris Pine plays the father and he does a great job of acting. Most the performances are wooden and almost inaccessible but not his, he delivered.

Children often feel trapped in their families. They can’t drive, they can’t choose where to go every day. They are held by their families. Most children dream of being swept away by a mythical savior presence with their well being in mind. That would be Reese Witherspoon’s character. I think they call her a witch but I don’t recall. She is a ditz. She falls into the character she played in “Legally Blonde” more than once. It’s off-putting at best. She was poorly cast in her role. But the kids eat her up. They all want to be taken away from their mother so they can soar through the galaxy in search of dad. Hmmm. Sounds like a bleak plot, but that’s what it is. Summon your inner child and it actually kind of works though.

There is a quote witch and a giant witch. Zach Galafinakis plays a Zen warlock (I assume he’s something like that) who says something really cool (I’m being serious): paraphrased:

“It’s okay to fear the answers but you can never escape them.” – The Happy Medium in A Wrinkle in Time

I took this as it’s better to seek the answers rather than hide in ignorance.

There are amazing backgrounds and colors in this movie. There are also euphoric sound effects and songs. At times it equals the running waters over rocks at the local Massage Envy lobby. Ultimately, there is a battle and there is a victor. I’ll leave the revelation to you. I must say as I close that my daughters loved the filmed and thanked me all the way home for taking them. Maybe those kid brains know something about enjoying films that we don’t? This was a film you must see as a kid and if you can bring a kid to see. As an adult critic, I wouldn’t praise it but for what it is, I give it a 7/10. In an upcoming Talking Stars show I’ll be elaborating more in a conversation so if you’re interested. Please tune in.

I’m glad there is a smart category in Hollywood where it’s ok to make films that are dialogue heavy and historical in scope. Some kid doing a report on Stalin somewhere in the future may call upon this film for muse. I say all that to set the foundation for my review: this film is not a normal film. Once you open your mind to something else, you’ll have a better time enjoying it.

The Death of Stalin (2017)
R | 1h 46min | Comedy | 20 October 2017 (UK)

Follows the Soviet dictator’s last days and depicts the chaos of the regime after his death.
Director: Armando Iannucci
Writers: Armando Iannucci, David Schneider | 5 more credits »
Stars: Steve Buscemi, Simon Russell Beale, Jeffrey Tambor

Armando Iannucci is our director. Fittingly enough, he directed the hit political series “Veep” with Julia Louis Dreyfuss that is also a very high intellectual show. Steve Buscemi stars in this and does a great job. It’s one of those films where you get a mile a minute of satire and if you’re lucky enough to get it all, you feel lofty, high-brow, intellectual. This film wasn’t really my thing. Probably because I have not studied Stalin to any degree. Some of the humor is funny though and I trust the right audience will adore this movie. I give it a 6/10 for my part though because there was much of it that I didn’t get.