BELATED REVIEW OF EVEREST

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp5z7RRrZD82Xe9c8Us497VDsO56jYucwvre4JMd-E_c-8XvOZzTLkEt3ol0S7253LoPcIW22uATduQyPCQ0QFF2jHeQbB0ETp1U92uVM3It9SEvQERxKgKRGQOYdtVpSP3ZpJ5GMF5sE/s1600/everest.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp5z7RRrZD82Xe9c8Us497VDsO56jYucwvre4JMd-E_c-8XvOZzTLkEt3ol0S7253LoPcIW22uATduQyPCQ0QFF2jHeQbB0ETp1U92uVM3It9SEvQERxKgKRGQOYdtVpSP3ZpJ5GMF5sE/s320/everest.png" width="248" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>year: 2015 Score: **1/2</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> With an exception of Jason Clarke as Rob Hall, who made climbing up Mount Everest a hardcore vacation trend for intrepid tourists, there are a collection of famous and/or talented actors hidden by hefty beards and not having much to do with the plot: for example, Jake Gyllenhaal blends into the background consisting of several camps at each level of the arduous climb.<br /> <br /> One of the more memorable supporting roles is Josh Brolin, who, in many films as of late, has played a sort of jerky antagonist: other than being blunt and not as tough as he talks, wearing a (sign of the times) DOLE/KEMP campaign T-shirt, and being proudly/loudly from Texas, he's a surprisingly humble guy with worried wife Robin Wright brooding at home (her HOUSE OF CARDS co-star Michael Kelly is also on board). Meanwhile, Clarke's Hall has his own phoned-in spouse; yet another famous actor (actress) hidden in a small role: Enter Keira Knightly, pregnant and also fretting about her husband's occupational peril, especially when, upon reaching the crest of the mountain, a deadly storm ensues, taking over the third act of this real life biopic with gorgeous exterior locations while the humans get lost in the mix... In fact, most of the time, with parkas almost completely obscuring already bearded faces, it's difficult to know who or who's not in serious trouble: making EVEREST a "modern" ALIVE, which was a popular 90's bio flick about a group of athletes who crashed on a snowy mountain and had to survive by cannibalism, all much easier to distinguish and, pun intended, more fleshed-out while EVEREST lacks palpable suspense or memorable characters put into serious jeopardy when we're really, truly supposed to care about their turnout: which is the most important aspect of any "disaster" film, other than an "all star cast" which, as already noted, is pretty much wasted here.

2015, disaster, emily watson, jake gyllenhaal, jason clarke, john hawkes, keira knightley, michael kelly, robin wright, sport, thriller

BELATED REVIEW OF EVEREST

year: 2015 Score: **1/2 With an exception of Jason Clarke as Rob Hall, who made climbing up Mount Everest a hardcore vacation trend for ...

SOUTHPAW, WE ARE YOUR FRIENDS & MISTRESS AMERICA

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6KYJEkWR9Ahpn__5oz2qgpU97zgLATOC80ppzzkX0ChdMZP1K1gwDq-li-gxzCkZ2HwXkoWMkG5d7GR7_HwioMTl0GFcRAbFfoZS3P1J0MrSuK_NiO0vc3Kzlhd94fYXV-kLvI4TKf44/s1600/1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6KYJEkWR9Ahpn__5oz2qgpU97zgLATOC80ppzzkX0ChdMZP1K1gwDq-li-gxzCkZ2HwXkoWMkG5d7GR7_HwioMTl0GFcRAbFfoZS3P1J0MrSuK_NiO0vc3Kzlhd94fYXV-kLvI4TKf44/s320/1.png" width="206" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 2015</td></tr> </tbody></table> <b>SOUTHPAW:</b> Here's an untrue story made to seem very real in a biopic sense, yet mirroring just about all the awesomely fictional ROCKY films...<br /> <br /> From being a SOUTHPAW (left-handed boxer) goaded by a shunned opponent who obnoxiously flirts with his wife during a press conference (Mr. T in ROCKY 3) to losing his fortune (ROCKY 5) and then starting from scratch in an urban gym, morphed from a bruiser into a real boxer (via Apollo Creed in ROCKY 3) who can actually dance, dodge, and score...<br /> <br /> Only in this case it's not a former rival, but the rival's former manager, who teaches street-urchin turned bad boy brawler Billy Hope the ropes when he desperately needs a comeback for his professional and personal life: After Billy's wife is murdered and his only child/daughter is taken by the government, Forest Whitaker's world-weary trainer Tick Willis and Jake Gyllanhaal (attempting his own edgy FIGHTER style performance) share the most genuine scenes, both actors finally getting lost in their roles without the melodramatic distractions.<br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5b407yrhAI-H3RfvvLzX_9GPWJfZxA95ZW1gR8TtH9BZ-x7kR_nDRq5-CZHHILqr3Dyb41DvAKcu33HDns47xp-0MM9J1K58X2m9qGTMlUvz55xObO5cElIxRnTFfe1AEGkOz83ZeYfE/s1600/2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5b407yrhAI-H3RfvvLzX_9GPWJfZxA95ZW1gR8TtH9BZ-x7kR_nDRq5-CZHHILqr3Dyb41DvAKcu33HDns47xp-0MM9J1K58X2m9qGTMlUvz55xObO5cElIxRnTFfe1AEGkOz83ZeYfE/s200/2.png" width="145" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 2015</td></tr> </tbody></table> <b>WE ARE YOUR FRIENDS: </b>Would you believe a movie centering on Zac Efron as a Rave-DJ who yearns desperately for greatness would channel the Film Noir template? Well it does, and that aspect is somewhat intriguing as a slightly older, semi-famous guy allows (and fully trusts) Efron's climber to hang around his girlfriend ala POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE.<br /> <br /> The real story involves Zac figuring out how to acquire his own unique sound while the characters mean very little by the end when, after a SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER vulnerable-sidekick turnaround, the people, connected to the music, are supposed to really matter... and they just don't. Yet FRIENDS is breezy, entertaining filler nonetheless.<br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiINw8w2jfuFFFqj7nno03i4akv_dSyneClb88pEXOuVpfYSilUXSTcv_tcNedh6VmoSJ9WE12KP-Mf8lNwwVqWDayr1Y5kPV3Suj1XokqM9qgMMpI1Z-Qf18SSIyk3XLgm2Zg8DWgAAVs/s1600/3.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiINw8w2jfuFFFqj7nno03i4akv_dSyneClb88pEXOuVpfYSilUXSTcv_tcNedh6VmoSJ9WE12KP-Mf8lNwwVqWDayr1Y5kPV3Suj1XokqM9qgMMpI1Z-Qf18SSIyk3XLgm2Zg8DWgAAVs/s200/3.png" width="158" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 2015</td></tr> </tbody></table> <b>MISTRESS AMERICA:</b> Certain indie art films are supposed to be like stage plays, but "stagey" is never good, even for... a stage play. And if you throw in a John Hughes style synth and two polar opposite females with zero chemistry, this 90-minute gabfest is a complete misfire: The passive narrator is too aloof while her forced mentor/muse never shuts up, or says anything to drive the story along. <br /> <br /> Meanwhile, to make us forget that, in real life, shallow good looking guys land pretty girls in college, two complete duds are being fought over by beauties and... if the Millennial generation needs their comedy denial-driven and fantastical while subliminally attempting Woody Allen/Judd Apatow bantering neurosis, than this could be the CITIZEN KANE of pretentious crap: and not even that interesting.<br /> <br /> RATINGS:<br /> <br /> SOUTHPAW: ***<br /> WE ARE YOUR FRIENDS: **1/2<br /> MISTRESS AMERICA: *

2015, biopic, boxing, comedy, jake gyllenhaal, zac efron

SOUTHPAW, WE ARE YOUR FRIENDS & MISTRESS AMERICA

year: 2015 SOUTHPAW:  Here's an untrue story made to seem very real in a biopic sense, yet mirroring just about all the awesomely fi...

REVIEW OF NIGHTCRAWLER STARRING JAKE GYLLENHAAL

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlQjTz-SCmmn3xaW5HOBbeu4O_RtubSEi9fyBpT0CpkwgU25eRWA-3Fk2QnPlr0MuHZxOm7nG82mMBVRKJ7MaedIQhXvutkMIcPXAoOMXnborzkpFTE6fyQT3_d_0NRA8n1qfFbIFaVHs/s1600/Picture+1.png" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlQjTz-SCmmn3xaW5HOBbeu4O_RtubSEi9fyBpT0CpkwgU25eRWA-3Fk2QnPlr0MuHZxOm7nG82mMBVRKJ7MaedIQhXvutkMIcPXAoOMXnborzkpFTE6fyQT3_d_0NRA8n1qfFbIFaVHs/s1600/Picture+1.png" width="172" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 2014 rating: ***</td></tr> </tbody></table> With an emaciated frame, piercing eyes and sharply curved cheekbones, Jake Gyllenhaal’s Louis Bloom resembles a jester’s puppet let loose from the box... <br /> <br /> After discovering a better way of making fast cash than selling aluminum from stolen fences, he has his mind dead set on a new, exciting and lucrative career...<br /> <br /> NIGHTCRAWLER centers on a different form of journalism... During the news, when you see video footage of a crime or accident scene, it's probably not from the network reporting the story.<br /> <br /> Bloom, after buying a cheap camera and hiring a reluctant, sketchy and downright annoying partner, learns the ropes the hard way, not always getting to the story on time. These are the most intense, suspenseful and energetic scenes. But it’s not long before he has a cozy outlet in a low-rent L.A. based Channel 6, run by Rene Russo’s experienced ex-reporter, Nina. Soon enough… and perhaps too soon… she can’t do without his footage, and he alone holds the cards of a loaded deck.   <br /> <br /> Gyllenhaal plays Bloom with the offbeat precision of a used car salesman combined with a calculating serial killer. He’s creepy, wicked, awkwardly charming and completely driven – the kind of antihero readymade for a dark and edgy flick from the 1970’s. But writer/director Dan Gilroy doesn’t quite capture the raw energy of his main character. Even the soundtrack seems part of a standard thriller. It's as if Sydney Pollack had directed TAXI DRIVER.  <br /> <br /> There’s really two movies going on here: the first, about a motivated shyster eventually wagging the dog and risking his  life for guerrilla footage, is pretty good. The other, centering on a resilient sociopath who will stop at nothing to get what he wants, falls short of its eerie, captivating potential. <br /> <br />

2014, jake gyllenhaal, rene russo, suspense

REVIEW OF NIGHTCRAWLER STARRING JAKE GYLLENHAAL

year: 2014 rating: *** With an emaciated frame, piercing eyes and sharply curved cheekbones, Jake Gyllenhaal’s Louis Bloom resembles a j...

PRISONERS

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiclk0svElJHM3_aEulKWZ1RfzHMxY-FVCeXYwLoW0I8oM6GIkvn_pjAeyApu7kRsPQ2T62eR-8rEDHdONlZRvZElwc-gQwQWrHZKG58M__VDBSZ67vEf1YVltPF0UqpPeikMh86d2f5v5R/s1600/Prisoners.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiclk0svElJHM3_aEulKWZ1RfzHMxY-FVCeXYwLoW0I8oM6GIkvn_pjAeyApu7kRsPQ2T62eR-8rEDHdONlZRvZElwc-gQwQWrHZKG58M__VDBSZ67vEf1YVltPF0UqpPeikMh86d2f5v5R/s640/Prisoners.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 2013 cast: Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Maria Bello, Terrence Howard, Paul Dano rating: ***</td></tr> </tbody></table> Within the first half of PRISONERS it’s obvious the title fits just about every character, and not all in the literal sense…<br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5jXPu9SRIX60NbIR9N9tsBXD9KS9LghClcQdtcgI14QNxiHXseXmYBl5K2QJq9NeOkYoWBZwukxYeuyU6AIAiTr32z7gTlBBNIlfSATw5lJzcw3SQGp1mm-KwRwpvMIXDpBVepMwWBwQ/s1600/Prisoners-film-still-008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5jXPu9SRIX60NbIR9N9tsBXD9KS9LghClcQdtcgI14QNxiHXseXmYBl5K2QJq9NeOkYoWBZwukxYeuyU6AIAiTr32z7gTlBBNIlfSATw5lJzcw3SQGp1mm-KwRwpvMIXDpBVepMwWBwQ/s1600/Prisoners-film-still-008.jpg" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hugh Jackman</td></tr> </tbody></table> Hugh Jackman’s Keller Dover is an extreme, narrow-minded carpenter, father of a son and daughter: the latter abducted (along with her friend) in mysterious circumstances, throwing several people into emotional and mental chaos...<br /> <br /> Emotional for the Dover family and mental for the officer in charge of the case, a tattooed, rapidly blinking Jake Gyllenhaal as Detective Loki, who spends more time following Keller – who has his mind made up – than the few possible leads.<br /> <br /> All the characters are flawed, troubled. This makes Loki’s treadmill search more interesting within the film's contained, claustrophobic atmosphere forcing our withered hero to feel as captivated, or rather, captured as Paul Dano’s Alex Jones, a simple-minded young man that Keller holds hostage, resulting in bouts of grueling torture to get answers for his daughter’s vanishing.<br /> <br /> While there are an abundance of red-herrings to distract Loki (and the audience) from the real culprit, prolonging a two-and-a-half hour melodrama that could have fit in a more fashionable two, and many of the side-characters eventually become peripheral and insignificant, the intensely sparse performances of Jackman and Gyllenhaal exceed the villain-revealing/monologue-spouting climax, resulting in yet another (semi) ambiguous ending: only this time it doesn’t seem artsy or pretentious.   <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?t=jamtaci-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B002CMV1N4&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe> <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?t=jamtaci-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B0002IQLHQ&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe> <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?t=jamtaci-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B00EAW7T1W&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>

2013, drama, hugh jackman, jake gyllenhaal, neo noir, paul dano

PRISONERS

year: 2013 cast: Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Maria Bello, Terrence Howard, Paul Dano rating: *** Within the first half of PRISONERS i...