A- | A drama based on the experiences of Agu, a child soldier fighting in the civil war of an unnamed African country. Directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga Initial Review by Bryan Hartman |
“Oh man, I love these kids.” was the only thought running through my mind for the first 15 minutes of Beasts of No Nation. Very few times in cinematic history have I become so attached to a few characters in such a short amount of time. Beasts of No Nation blurred the line between documentary and full dramatic movie. It was as if the life of Agu was playing out through the eyes of documentarian in an incredibly gripping manner. The language, scenery, and acting were spot on.
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Initial Review by Bryan I discovered In Bruges from some random blog about underrated movies from the last decade. There was a comparison to Pulp Fiction, and I figured it was worth a shot. My notes are a scattered nightmare on this one - kind of like my love of Colin Farrell. Nothing about the way his character (Ray) talks or walks struck a believable cord with me. I thought his performance was lackluster. I can't think of a single movie he's done where I think, "That was a job well done Mr. Farrell." Maybe it's his general lack of emotion, especially in this role. Meanwhile, I'm developing a man-crush on Brendan Gleeson. He nails the resolve and attitude of the elder hitman, Ken. How fun that Ralph Fiennes of Harry Potter Voldemort fame plays a character named Harry. Whoever wrote "In Bruges" must not be a Harry Potter fan, or there is deeper meaning that you all will sort out. I'm not sure if Chloe or Jimmy as supporting actors helped or hurt the movie - and that may be the point of their characters. I guess I'd rather have more time been spent making Ray more emotional or just listening to Ken. On to my notes. That fileted skin painting was possibly the most disturbing part of the movie. That looked like it had to hurt. Ray and Ken have a brief discussion of the existence of God that I thought was superb - I wish it had gone on longer or been carried throughout as a theme in the movie. A couple of laughs and strong points in the movie - shooting the thief with a blank in the eye was well done, not sure I've seen that in a movie. The hit/miss ratio of gunshots and survivability seemed right on as well. The old "you're an inanimate f*6%ng object" line got a chuckle as well as some line about "c#^t kids." The suicide in the park scene had awfully convenient timing, but I thought it was a great path for the movie. The soundtrack was nonexistent for me until the Irish folk music played while Ken is climbing the tower - then the music made me excited and sad to see what would happen. I thought Ken get up there and pull off some miraculous gun shot to save the day (as foreshadowed earlier) or miss and everything would go to hell, but nope - he jumped. The sound of Ken hitting the ground was nauseating to say the least. I'm not sure if I liked the movie as much as my review or I was just happy to have a Tumble Inn IPA and watch a movie after a long week at work. I'm stuck around B-/B. Anyone else keep saying "In Bru-jess" despite hearing "Brouge" repeatedly? Initial review by Bryan
Original Review by Bryan Wake in Fright was resurrected by Drafthouse Films. I’m going to get this out of the way, Wake in Fright is the original “Hangover.” The starting scene of John Grant sitting in a bleak, Australian classroom gave me flashbacks to Bradley Cooper. Grant is stuck teaching by the Australian government in the no-man’s town of Tiboonda, but he’s headed out of town to meet up with his girlfriend. It’s funny to see Grant turn down a beer on the train the second time through this movie. The revelry on the train foreshadows Grant’s time in Bundanyabba. We’re introduced to Jock Crawford’s enormous appetite to drink by the enormous light he gives John. Jock is dumb, but loves his town! Two-Up. We have to play this at the Mediocrities, right? John’s tablemate, Doc Tydon, checking the law of large numbers at the restaurant drops some philosophy on us, “All the little devils are proud of hell” and “Discontent is the luxury of the well to do. If you gotta live here. You might as well like it.” More foreshadowing of what is to come in the Yabba. I love the exchange at the table. The Two-Up scene with John involved has to be one of the best gambling scenes in any movie. There’s chaos, excitement, and anticipation. Fair go! And John is out of there. I had a night like this at a casino near Chicago, anyone who has, can easily to relate to the excitement. According to the Reserve Bank of Australia, 400 AUD in 1971 is 4,089.64 AUD in 2014. Quite a haul. John’s excitement quickly turns to anger and desperation to leave Tiboonda. John’s out 400, let the spiral of the camera and John begin! John’s personality as he sulks in the bar and hangs out with Tim Hynes is a bit annoying, but come to think of it, he has to feel like shit. Things are low for John as he yaks in the desert instead of getting it on with Tim’s daughter. The single frame shots and spinning from John’s perspective while drunk were quite creative. They gave the viewer a better sense of how John is feeling, assuming one can relate. In the “cabin” I couldn’t help but be drawn to the honesty and disgustingness of the alcoholic doctor. He’s sloppy, unreliable, and an awesome supporting actor. When John, Doc, Dick, and Joe go out hunting the movie takes a turn from funny drunk to frightening drunk - someone no one wants to see. But this is a movie and at this point I’m curious how dark this is going to get after they hit the kangaroo with a car. Well, that didn’t take long - we’ve got the mass murder of kangaroos via spotlight. I actually looked this scene up after watching the first time. It was actual killing and was semi-encouraged by the conservation groups in Australia to show how brutal kangaroo hunting is. From Wikipedia... In addition to the film's atmosphere of sordid realism, the kangaroo hunting scene contains graphic footage of kangaroos actually being shot.[18] A disclaimer at the conclusion of the movie states: Producers' Note. The hunting scenes depicted in this film were taken during an actual kangaroo hunt by professional licensed hunters. For this reason and because the survival of the Australian kangaroo is seriously threatened, these scenes were shown uncut after consultation with the leading animal welfare organisations in Australia and the United Kingdom.[19] The hunt lasted several hours, and gradually wore down the filmmakers. According to cinematographer Brian West, "the hunters were getting really drunk and they started to miss, ... It was becoming this orgy of killing and we [the crew] were getting sick of it." Kangaroos hopped about helplessly with gun wounds and trailing intestines. Producer George Willoughby reportedly fainted after seeing a kangaroo "splattered in a particularly spectacular fashion". The crew orchestrated a power failure in order to end the hunt.[20] At the 2009 Cannes Classic screening of Wake in Fright, 12 people walked out during the kangaroo hunt.[21] Director Ted Kotcheff, a professed vegetarian,[22] has defended his use of the hunting footage in the film.[23] Watching the shooting and the kangaroo fight is tough - it’s real, it’s painful, and it’s dark. I can’t tell if John’s reaction is a drunken way to fit in or he was really ok with it. I’d like to assume the former, but we’ve all been in a place where bad choices are made so we can fit in socially. Obviously most of us don’t go to this extreme. As Doc and John wake in the morning, we have the same feeling as John - “What the hell just happened?” Unsure if John is going to get it together or things will just get darker, he’s desperate for another morning beer and a few moments later he’s eating roasted wild rabbit roadside. He swears off drinking, catches a ride, and is back in the Yabba. I wasn’t sure if he was going to blow his own brains out right there in the road. As John winds up back in Tiboonda, I’m still ambivalent about my feelings for him. But I could watch his journey (other than the kangaroos) over and over. A few parts in the middle drug on a bit. I’m stuck between A- and A+, excited for the discussion. A few fleeting thoughts... The score provided a means to express the hot, expansive outback, never drawing away from the movie. This may be a more effective drinking deterrent than “Just Say No.” If this movie were made today, an excessive amount of nudity, cursing, and violence would absolutely be a part of this movie - and it would severely take away from the darkness we witness from John’s point of view. |
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