Change Your Image
eturk-135-690080
Reviews
Lincoln (2012)
Abe Lincoln is my new best friend
Lincoln (2012)
Okay, so this movie isn't exactly what I'd call entertaining. More of an extremely well put together and extremely well acted reenactment of the passing of the thirteenth amendment. The newest movie from Steven Spielberg stars Daniel Day-Lewis as the man in the hat, Abraham Lincoln, and let me tell ya somethin', Danny did good. He did real good.
Before I get into this amazing piece of acting, let's discuss the story. This film isn't about Lincoln's life as a whole. It only focuses on a few select weeks from Lincoln's life. These weeks happen to be the few leading up to the vote on the 13th amendment of the United States constitution. This decision was pure genius on the film maker's part. These few weeks are filled with so much activity that even this 150 minute film couldn't fit it all in, but it definitely does a good job of helping the audience along these complicated politics. I admittedly have a very limited knowledge of American politics, but I was on the same page as the characters in this movie the entire running time. At no point was I left behind. Good for you movie, good for you.
I'm really tempted to talk about the acting here, but 'tis not the time as of yet. Now is the time for script! This script is simply put, excellent. The dialogue is very believable while being filled with exposition. So much exposition! This is kind of needed though considering that Lincoln himself never exposizes at all. (by the way, thats my new word. exposizes) Abe likes to tell anecdotes instead of addressing the issue at hand. These stories were fascinating, to me, and the supporting characters. Whenever honest Abe started talking, people would shut up and listen. He was soft spoken, yet respected by almost everyone. Of course there are a few exceptions of this, and that's where the other politicians come in.
I'm not going to discuss the politicians too much in this review, but there are a few worth mentioning. Tommy Lee Jones does an excellent job in his role as Mr. Stevens, and I very much liked his character. The other fellow that I liked a lot was the fellow who played Preston Blair. I don't know the actor, but I appreciated his role here.
This is it. This is what you've all been waiting for. The big one. Now we come to the acting of my good buddy, Danny Day-Lewis. Wowza! This fellow's interpretation of the 16th president of the United States was just.......wow. That's really the only word I've got. He doesn't choose the route of the deep voiced, confident man that we all think of when we think of Lincoln. Instead, he chooses a man who is soft spoken. A man who feels responsible for the deaths of thousands of Americans. A man. That's exactly what he is. He is a man. A man going through one of the hardest things that someone can go through. I could just watch Abe for hours and be totally absorbed. This is sure to win the Academy award for best actor. If it doesn't, I will lose a bit of faith in the award ceremony itself. It's THAT good.
Okay, now that I'm done swooning over my new non-homosexual man crush in the form of Abe Lincoln, let's grade this baby, shall we? This movie is great. That's the perfect word for it. Not amazing, not perfect, but great. This is a great movie, and I suggest it. I give it an A
For more reviews,check out this reviewer's facebook page http://www.facebook.com/SuperDuperAwesomeMovieFunTImeWithEli
A Good Day to Die Hard (2013)
Did I see the same movie as everyone else?
Looking through the user reviews here on IMDb, one would think that this movie is awful. I read through them before I saw the movie and was expecting to be disappointed as the opening sequence played out. The first 20 minutes weren't that bad at all and I began to wonder what the problem was. As soon as the action picked up, I completely forgot about the opinions of others and really began to enjoy it. Strange, right?
Thinking about it, I think I've figured out the number one issue that people have here. This is a fun movie. Ya hear that Die Hard fans? It doesn't just need to be tension and suspense. This sequel amplifies two aspects of the series. The humour, and the action, and let me tell you, it does great in both of those. The action is very over the top, but not in a bad way. The way it's presented is sometimes irritating due to frequent camera cuts, but this was only a real problem during a car chase near the beginning. I never noticed this a second time throughout the movie so I wouldn't put it down as a huge problem. The action is well handled when it comes to gun play and the explosions are fine. Nothing to write home about, but they do their job of being explode-y.
Now let's discuss the humour. This is by far the funniest of the Die Hard series. Now most die hard fans of Die Hard (see what I did there?)will complain that the series isn't supposed to be funny. Well my advice to these folks is to get over it because this movie is hilarious. There's no getting around it, it's really funny. There was only one thing that seemed really forced and somewhat irritating. The fact that our hero, is on vacation. He must use that line six or seven times. We get it John, you're on vacation, get over it. Other than this repeated joke, most of the lines really work. Oh, and don't worry, a certain catchphrase that was cut short in the last movie has its cameo.
Maybe I'm crazy, but all of these other reviewers really seem like they're complaining a bit too much. Of course the only legitimate complaint I've heard is about the villain. Yes, a good villain is something that all Die Hard movies should have, and this really doesn't deliver in that aspect. He's really not on screen for most of the movie and his plan seems kind of clichéd, but ya know what? I found myself not caring as I sat in the theater. The action and humour were enough to make up for any faults this has.
Long story short, see this movie. I have a feeling that fans of the Die Hard series might complain about the new tone of this, but they'll get over it. This is my third favorite of the series (behind the first and third one)and I couldn't be more satisfied with it. Saying that, it does have plenty of faults, so I'll give it 7/10
Bronies: The Extremely Unexpected Adult Fans of My Little Pony (2012)
Not bad, but not great either.
So I just downloaded the digital copy of this for $12.99 and I'm assuming the reason you're reading this right now is probably because you're wondering if this documentary is worth it. In my opinion, it is if you are a brony yourself.
Outsiders will not find anything here that will interest them, or keep them hooked for 90 minutes. This was definitely a love letter to the bronies, from the bronies. This doesn't mean that it's a bad movie, but you should know that going into it. Now unto what did and didn't work for me.
My biggest issue was with pacing. The movie seemed to jump from one thing to the other with almost no transition at points. I would sit there wondering to myself "did they really need to include that clip?", but this is only a big problem in the first half hour or so. It's when the movie actually makes it to the conventions that I began to really enjoy it.
There were a couple other problems, but that was the one that really stuck out for me. Now unto the good. One great thing that the filmmakers did that I really enjoyed, were the portions at Bronycon. These sections of the movie did a good job at showing off exactly what it is that we do as a fandom. I found myself smiling at a couple things said in interviews that only a brony would understand. I was not in attendance at this particular convention, but this movie made me want to be there. It looked like a fun time. The other conventions weren't handled as well as Bronycon, but I still enjoyed them.
Anyways, buy this if you're a brony. Be free to skip right over this is you aren't