Drama, Movie Reviews, Movies, Uncategorized

REVIEW: “THE JUDGE” (2014) Warner Bros.

09/29/2014 Peggy Marie 4 Comments

Before I even start this review…I want to note that my heart & thoughts go out to Robert Downey Jr. who lost his mother this week and as he would usually be out promoting this film, instead he put out a beautiful tribute to her (http://www.eonline.com/news/583342/robert-downey-jr-s-mother-dies-read-his-moving-candid-tribute-to-elsie-ann-downey) in the wake of this movie opening, which in a weird twist of fate, has the plot starter of the loss of the mother bringing his character home for the funeral. #RIP

Now down to the movie here. I’m just gonna say I liked it and thought it told a good story. Could the pace of it have been better..yeah..did it have some spots that lagged.. yeah..but it told a good story. As it started off I thought ‘oh no, another dysfunctional family film, I’ve just seen one of those last week and it wasn’t so good (see review https://peggyatthemovies.com/2014/09/20/review-this-is-where-i-leave-you-2014-warner-bros/) but then the story starts to unfold and it’s you realize it’s much more than that.

The film starts off with “Hank Palmer” (Robert Downey Jr.) who is a very good lawyer, (and I gotta say, wears a good cut suit like no other here), though possibly not really a ‘good’ man as he knows the people he is defending are all pretty much guilty, but he has a knack for making ‘reasonable doubt’ happen and makes a boatload of money doing it. In the middle of a big trial, he gets called home as his mother has passed. He hasn’t been home nor spoken to his father since before law school as seems he had gotten into a few to many scrapes as a kid/teen and was shipped off to a more disciplinary school type deal.

Still Downey makes this character likable and you begin to remember that yes, before Iron Man, he was a really good dramatic actor,can carry & hold his own and that says a lot about him here because while he is still his fun self, he’s also much more. As we delve into the main part of the story here where Hank’s father, “Judge Joseph Palmer” (Robert DuVall) the ‘Judge’ of the small town in Indiana where all of this takes place, is arrested. The prosecutor, “Dwight Dickham” played by Billy Bob Thornton, makes it clear that in many ways, Downey Jr. and his accused murderer father are actually kind of the bad guys here. It’s up to the jury to decide in a fun scene with Downey Jr., & Dax Shepard, who plays the country bumpkin lawyer hired because initially the Judge doesn’t want Hank representing him in this case but in reality, the court case is really secondary and there’s no big mystery to be solved. It’s first and foremost a father-son story, the main hook being whether or not Downey and his somewhat unfriendly, estranged father will be able to come to terms with each other, and not whether he’ll be convicted and go to jail. The success lies in the fact that ultimately you are rooting for these two guys to sort out their issues with each other, even if both are headstrong and often exasperating.

With that in mind, this movie is not a complete success in all the way around. For one, the characters of his older brother, “Glen” (Vincent D’Onofrio) and his younger, somewhat mentally challenged younger brother “Dale” (Jeremy Strong) are almost completely irrelevant to the story for exception of a bit of background in that Glen serves a purpose as when they were teens he was a star baseball player and got in a car accident with Hank, who was driving while under the influence of basically everything, was injured and never could play again which led to the estrangement between father and son. The same thing could be said for the character of “Samantha” (Vera Farmiga) who plays Hank’s old girlfriend/new possible love interest with a kinda icky sub-plot of her daughter “Carla” (Leighton Meester) whom Hank has a torrid make-out scene with, but whom could possibly be his daughter. All of this, plus a bit more even, are the lagging parts I previously spoke about and easily could have been cut-down which would have made this movie a much more manageable watch time-wise. There are a lot of sub-plots going on here as Hank is going through a possible divorce, wants to see his daughter more, Duvall’s character has numerous things going on all over the place and to get into detail about them all would not only be time-consuming, but spoil the movie for you. Needless to say, they all get woven in together quite well I think due to the fact you have strong actors playing the two lead roles who also mesh well together on screen and in this movie.

I don’t think “The Judge” is going to win any awards and I’ve been wrestling with my own ‘grade’ of the pic.. because I think it does tell a good story, has the makings to do somewhat well at the box office considering the star power of the cast, and it has that ‘feel-good/tug at your heart’ thing going for it. It also has definite entertainment value and it does work on a lot of levels. With all that going for it, it is far from perfect but yet, is a crowd pleaser. With that.. I’m giving it ….

Grade: C+ (above average)

(See grading scale)

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Adventure, Dark Comedy, Dramady, Movie Reviews, Movies

REVIEW: “BIRDMAN” (2014) ~ Fox Searchlight

09/26/2014 Peggy Marie 8 Comments

Ok.. I will admit, I’m rather breathless right now.. I was fortunate enough to see a special screening (thank you EVER so much Jason Watters) of this movie and to simply say it’s fucking BRILLIANT feels like I’m almost understating it.. To say I’ve never seen anything like it and I’m going to venture out on a limb here and say I don’t think most have either..But I’m pretty sure in my stating that fact. It’s almost to difficult to put into words what exactly this movie is about, because it’s that different and special, but when you see, trust me, you will get it, and that gettin is oh so good of a film. From the 4th or 5th minute in this movie..YOU ARE IN IT..it feels that way..and as they say..’in it to win it’.. And you don’t want to leave it.

To sum it up as best I can without ruining or revealing to much of the plot of this SUPERBLY acted play within a movie, within a play, yes you read that correctly, starting with a simply superb performance as “Riggin Thomson” is Michael Keaton, playing a washed up actor who in a twist of fate that could possibly be based on a bit of real life (hmmm), once played an iconic superhero character named ‘Birdman’, got pigeon-holed by sequels and has been type-cast ever since. He is attempting to mount a ‘comeback’ of sorts by doing a Raymond Carver play which he wrote. is directing and starring in and what entails during the 3 preview showings of the play is what this somewhat fantastical, oh so cherry-red, dark comedy takes us through. All the while ‘Birdman’ seems to be a voice in his head telling him things, but is it just a voice and are all the fantastical things he can do all real? This is all part of the wonderfully different ride you will be on while watching the film feeling you are on the rollercoaster right along with him,

Stealing the show and his play within a movie within a play..ha! I just love saying that..is Riggin’s co-star in both “Mike Shiner” (Edward Norton), who really does a fantastic job here of making us think or believe his character is either completely insane or completely normal. You get to decide while you either shriek with laughter or dis-belief at this guy. While some of the supporting cast here is so-so for me in this movie. as I’m not fond of either character of “Lesley” (Naomi Watts), who is the rather neurotic lead of the play or “Sam” (Emma Stone), who plays Riggin’s re-habbed daughter/theatre assistant/stoner/ends up sleeping with Mike role, I did however love Andrea Riseborough as “Laura” who plays quite comically, Riggin’s girlfriend, and “Brandon” (Zach Galifianakis) his agent/lawyer/comic best friend.

I will sum this up for you very simply, this is probably one of the best films I’ve seen, this year for sure. It’s so original, well thought out and If anything, you must give a huge shout-out to not only the director, Alejandro González Iñárritu for his amazing vision and what he accomplishes in this film with it, but the WHOLE film crew from the producers and most especially the camera crew as noting they did in the Q & A afterwards with producer John Lesher & the film’s star, Michael Keaton, what a great job was done by all in a very short period of time on a very low budget, you will be amazed by what you see and hear as the soundtrack is just as good as the film itself. This movie has you giving knee-jerk reactions in some scenes that parlay into completely different situations than you thought possible, it will make you think, it will entertain you and end with a scene which is one you will not soon forget, Lastly you will talk about this movie for a long time afterwards. Is this what you might call a “comeback” for Michael Keaton, yeah..it is, and we all know how much not only Hollywood, but we ALL love comebacks, My suggestion to all is run..don’t walk..do not pass go, just get to the theatre and see this very very good movie when it’s released. For me, this would get Oscar nods for film, lead actor Michael Keaton, and supporting actor, Edward Norton. I’m going to bet on this one that I am right..:)

Grade: A (Oscar-worthy)

(see grading scale)

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Adventure, Movie Reviews, Movies, teen

Review: “THE MAZE RUNNER” (2014) 20th Century Fox

09/24/2014 Peggy Marie 2 Comments

Add this movie onto the list of post-apocalyptic teen romps that see’s a ‘rebel’ hero fight back against whatever system is denying him/her, except that this one is no where near as good as say the “Hunger Games” or even “Divergent” series.. It’s along the lines of a bad “Twilight” movie – wait..were any of those really good..ok..you have your answer. ha! Let’s just say unless your in the median of 11-15yrs of age, you might end up feeling like I did..which was..”Why did I spend money on this movie when there are soooo many other films that have got to be better, to be seen. 😀

To be fair, it’s not all horrible. Really it isn’t. It, like all the others, is also based on a book, from which I gather is A LOT better than the movie and that happens with all sorts of book-to-film projects. My beef with this one was it just all happened so fast, you could see it all coming and it wasn’t as near as suspenseful as it could have been. The movie follows “Thomas” (Dylan O’Brien) who finds himself transported and trapped into the Glade, an all-boys encampment of sorts, fending for themselves, where every month someone new is ‘delivered’ along with supplies. No one has any memory of how they got there, why they are there etc. Except we know that there is a big maze which according to leader of the pack, “Alby” (Aml Ameen) goes furthers than we can possibly imagine, moves and changes every night and he has a group of the some of the boys he designated as ‘runners’ to try and map out the maze. One problem..there is also creatures that live in the maze called “Grievers” which is a cross between a spider & scorpion, that of course kill anyone that tries and are some of the worst movies creatures I’ve seen in quite some time.. You know the dumdedumdum roll when they announce, ‘no one has ever made it over night in the maze’ because of course that means that Thomas, our hero, is going to have to get the job done!!. ZZZZZzzzzzzz There is the usual rumblings when he tries and then when the first girl they’ve ever had, “Teresa” (Kaya Scodelario) shows up in the transport and actually knows the name Thomas..well then everyone goes into an uproar. This is where they could’ve really taken the film some place intriguing but failed to.

So as not to give the entire plot away..because if you’re watching the movie and you don’t see it coming, it’s because you’re under 18.. ha! Seriously, not making that much fun of it because I like some of these movies just fine..hey I even read/saw all the Twilight books/movies..(I know I know..there were points that it was reeeally hard to do), And I find the acting by a lot of this cast to be pretty good…I especially liked “Gally” (Will Poulter), “Minho” (Ki Hong Lee), “Newt” (Thomas Brodie-Sangster) and of course “Chuck” (Blake Cooper) who provided the bit of comic relief needed in this tale. I would have probably loved this movie much more had there been maybe a more “Lord of the Flies’ element to it. I mean they tried a little to do it, but it just didn’t come off as scary, thrilling or creepy and it certainly could have used that aspect to jazz it up some.

Grade: C- if you liked Twilight you will like this ha! D for all others 😀

(see grading scale)

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Comedy, Dark Comedy, Drama, Dramady, Movie Reviews, Movies

REVIEW: “THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU” (2014) Warner Bros.

09/20/2014 Peggy Marie 6 Comments

I went into this movie knowing it was another one of the genre of ‘family dysfunction’ movies that either go over really well..or not. With the cast at hand, I really was looking forward to at least a somewhat decent flick and expected some top-notch dark, comedic moments. And Jane Fonda.. Can I just say how badly I want to look like Jane Fonda when I am her age..hell I want to look like her NOW.. But truly, even with the almost always funny, Jason Bateman & Tina Fey, sadly nothing could save this movie from being completely mediocre.

This whole middle-class.suburban angst type genre movies were all the rage about a decade ago, but it’s tapped itself out as there’s only so many movies about the upper classes and their problems that you can take if they’re not bringing something new to the table. “THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU” doesn’t fit the bill, in that’s it’s an incredibly familiar story we’ve seen done too many times before and it’s become rather boring and lackluster. The rundown of the film is the ‘heard it so many times before’ story of the kids coming home to reunite in the wake of their father’s death. No one wants to be really be there, and the fighting starts almost immediately.starting with the newly separated son “Judd Altman” (Jason Bateman) having been called home by his sister “Wendy Altman” (Tina Fey), with him having just a few months earlier been cheated-on by his wife, “Quinn” (Abigail Spencer) caught in the act with his boss “Wade Beaufort” (Dax Shepard) no less. but then able to find quirky new love interest who just happened to have a crush on him years back, “Penny Moore” (Rose Byrne) within hours of his return ~ can we just give a big YAWN here already?! And to make it somewhat even less plausible, though the father was an atheist, everyone is told by family matriarch “Hillary Altman” (Jane Fonda) that they all must stay as he wanted them to ‘sit shiva’, which from what I understand is a Jewish religious custom where the family sits & receives guests for a set amount of days. So you would think at least some comedy would ensue here riiiigghhtt??!!! *sigh*

The funeral is an awkward affair to say the least. Judd’s older brother “Paul Altman” (Corey Stoll) has taken to his new role as the head of the family with an overly-controlling bullying attitude and whose wife “Alice” (Kathryn Hahn) is comically desperate to get pregnant. Wendy is busy with her two children, considering that her husband “Barry” (Aaron Lazar) is an inattentive workaholic and makes her want to run back to her past also with the brain-damaged boy next door “Horry Callen” (Timothy Olyphant). The rest of the Altman family ranges from oh soooooo annoying youngest brother “Phillip Altman” (Adam Driver) the bratty black sheep of the family, who comes with his rich older girlfriend in tow “Tracy Sullivan” (Connie Britton) who happens to be a psychiatrist just like his mom..yeah you get the jist where that is going. One thing we do get plenty of is Fonda’s smothering mother and her grotesque boob job, with the boobs almost so comic that they feel out of place in some somewhat serious moments. They provide easy laughs, but this itself suggests a problem, when they are the funniest thing of the movie.

So, yes there is a surprise at the end of the movie that only ever so slightly redeems it, but at that point, it’s basically too little too late. Bateman’s performance is decent, Fey’s also, though you don’t get ‘comedy’ from either of them and no one’s is outstanding in the least. By far the most annoying character & portrayal comes from Adam Driver, when I would have liked to have seen say Olyphant’s character of Horry more developed as at least as the bit we got of him, was interesting. To be honest, this isn’t the worst movie out there right now by far, but I think audiences are expecting more from it than they are going to receive, especially now that we are gearing up for the year-end slew of Oscar contenders sure to come. This movie will not be one of those contenders.

Grade: C- (below average)

(See grading scale)

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Action, Home Invasion, Movie Reviews, Movies, Thriller

REVIEW: “NO GOOD DEED” (2014 ~ SONY PICTURES)

09/16/2014 Peggy Marie 2 Comments

Ohhhhh Idris Idris Idris… I knew walking in to this movie that I wasn’t going to get an Oscar winner..just in case you’re wondering, I was right. 😀 What you do get though, is a mildly entertaining, but pretty much feeling like straight out of a Telenovela, series of events. I’m a big fan of both Idris Elba & Taraji P. Henson and both do a decent job here in at least trying to make this plot believable. I mean let’s face it..what do you think of when you hear Idris Elba’s name ~ handsome, talented, gritty and a bit funny at times to name a few. The same could be said for Taraji. Here Elba is just flat out villainous & Taraji somewhat empowering.

Before I go on here ~ I want everyone who reads this review to know that everything I am about to describe takes place in the trailer, so is no way a spoiler as I hate big spoilers in reviews and try to NEVER do them!! (end note)

The film starts off introducing the audience to Elba’s character, “Colin Evans”, at his parole hearing. Colin is an extremely violent and dangerous felon, who is denied parole and escapes during his transfer back to prison. Taraji P. Henson’s character, “Terri”, is a former career women, a District Attorney turned stay-at-home mom with a toddler and a baby. Colin arrives at Terri’s home, while her husband “Jeffrey” (Henry Simmons) is of course, conveniently away on a golf weekend for his fathers birthday, and Colin runs his vehicle off the road in a big storm, and proceeds to ask to use her telephone. – This is of course when all the chaos begins.. While there are many many..and I mean MANY predictable moments including the ever so stereo-typed, single, ‘in heat’ best friend “Meg” (Leslie Bibb) coming over for a ‘girls night’ and coming on to Colin etc etc.. You really do see it all coming right at you and no offense to the actors, as they have the power to elevate this film and make do as best they can.

Elba handles Colin’s psychotic breakdowns in a unique manner. Most films just show a villainous character in their murderous rage, but “NO GOOD DEED” will take you through Colin’s mind for a few seconds before he snaps. Elba, being the talented man that he is, does an incredible job showing Colin’s ‘normality’ versus his more well… ‘psycho stage’.

For the most part, the screenplay, coming from Aimee Lagos, is completely predictable though probably not meant to be that way. There are very few twists and turns that you won’t see coming or that will have you on the edge of your seat, except for maybe one singular twist. And for me at least, laughing at scenes that maybe weren’t meant to be funny, I can’t help it, if something is bad, I tend to laugh, especially when it just seems like Idris takes a licking and keeps on ticking. I mean ouch! ouch! and ouch! but let’s hear it for #GirlPower here from Taraji!

My summation: Even though Colin is every person’s character to hate, Idris does him justice and yes, Idris Elba is still my choice to be the next James Bond 😀 I mean everyone gets a bad movie here and there right. Though there are more plot holes than a slice of swiss cheese..and yes, it’s also cheesy, lacks complete and total believability and though neither Elba nor Henson can save this mess of a film, as I noted before, it’s cheap thrills plot IS mildly entertaining. And it did sweep last weekend’s box office though I’m guessing that won’t last. Sadly ‘No Good Deed’ is just that..No good..and I’m probably giving it a much higher grade than it deserves just based on the fact that I adore Idris & Taraji. #sillyme oh and if “No Good Deed” teaches you anything..it’s the same old cliche, for crimeny sakes, don’t let strangers in your house on a stormy night when you’re home alone. *sigh*

Grade: C- (below average)

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Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Movie Reviews, Movies

REVIEW: “HECTOR AND THE SEARCH FOR HAPPINESS” (2014) ~ Relativity Media

09/14/2014 Peggy Marie 7 Comments

hector 1 — Fun little Pegg on a Stick given to us at theatre screening.. aka it’s a fan!

Was it just last year we were treated to “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” in which we saw Ben Stiller undertake a romp around the world voyage to understand the meaning of life? Yes it was..it seems every year we get at least one of these movies..some better than others.. This time out it’s Simon Pegg’s turn to try getting in touch with his happy-self side in “Hector and the Search for Happiness”

Based on French psychiatrist François Lelord’s best-selling novel of the same name, Pegg plays “Hector” our dissatisfied protagonist of the movie, who is a seemly stuck in the rut of a never and I mean NEVER, changing everyday life with his live~in girlfriend “Clara” (Rosamund Pike) who literally does everything for him. He seems to like it this way and really doesn’t want it to change so he says. You hear stories about people like this, a wounded bird of sorts who can’t do anything for themselves. Hector though, is a psychiatrist who realizes his methods are not helping his quirky patients in the least, and so embarks on a trip around the world in a bid to discover the secret of happiness to be able to help his patients also find this hidden gem of life.

Among the destinations Hector jaunts too are Shanghai, where he meets “Ying Li” (Ming Zhao) with whom he almost cheats on Clara with, but as he spent the only night he had with her sleeping, it didn’t happen and he finds out her time isn’t exactly free. Onward to the Himalayas & meeting up with monks, then onto Africa to meet up with an old friend “Michael” (Barry Atsma) and in a so not even semi-plausible sequence, meets up with a big time dealer “Diego Baresco” (Jean Reno) who also saves his life when he is captured by the rebels..yes you read that correctly..captured by rebels I mean..ZZZZzzzzzzz.. it is possibly one of the most ridiculous, completely unbelievable sequence of events I’ve ever seen in a movie this year.

Director Peter Chelsom does well to capture the essence & energy of the various locales ~ noting here that the filming of some of these places is really beautiful and if nothing else the aesthetics in movie are mostly impressive, all the more so when you consider the films tight budget. As for the film’s relatable messages, well I guess the bulk of them could pretend to hit home, though the heavy-handed manner in which they are executed leaves much to be desired. Sadly, it’s not the only problem in the unfocused screenplay. This is exemplified in the final act; Hector’s (TADA!!) ~ ultimate realization is extremely sudden and feels like it comes out of nowhere. To paraphrase Clara, Hector’s girlfriend, “you have to build to it”.Pike makes good use of her screen time but she is severely underused throughout the film and you wonder why she is sticking around waiting while never really getting anything. from it.

Pegg is known more for his comedy chops than his dramatic acting, but here the focus is on the latter. Though the actor proves up to the task in the emotional moments and does his best to give Hector some likability, as written our protagonist is too immature and self-indulgent to inspire much empathy. A supporting cast that includes Stellan SkarsgMǻrd as “Edward” the suave & sophisticated business man who takes Hector out for the whirlwind evening in Shanghai, the wonderful Christopher Plummer as “Professor Coreman” and Toni Collette once again playing an American role as Hector’s long unrequited love from days gone past, “Agnes” are always going to class up a mediocre film and they are enjoyable enough in their roles, but there is really little cohesiveness on what their characters musings on happiness really are.

The screenplay really isn’t as profound as it thinks it is or tries to be and disappoints more than impresses but in an odd way it’s got a sweetness about it that I normally don’t fall for in a movie but maybe it’s because I think I liked a bit of the message it does tell or the fact that I’m a big believer in traveling as much as your life allows you too and experiencing life through other peoples eyes and cultures. I didn’t hate this movie completely, though none of it is as particularly funny as I thought or hoped it would be, or even touching for that matter in it’s message. Those pursuing true happiness need not apply, but those content with mild entertainment will probably be satisfied.

Grade: D+ (below average- not really worth time or money)

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Crime Thriller, Dark Comedy, Movie Reviews, Movies, Thriller

REVIEW OF “THE DROP” – FOX SEARCHLIGHT – 2014

09/11/2014 Peggy Marie 6 Comments

“The Drop” is a story about a man and his dog.. okay..and his cousin/boss who used to think of himself as a ‘big man’..and a girl whom he likes who randomly helps him take care of the dog..but might be linked to more…and an arm with a watch..oh and throw in a bit of Chechen syndicate who ‘the drops’ are for…and lastly..you find out the man with the dog has much more to him than meets the eye and is much darker than you thought.

But let’s start with this…

Tom Hardy is a man of many accents..this we have learned and Hollywood’s most recent ‘it/go to’ guy does not disappoint with his interpretation of this Brooklyn/Crooklyn accent either. As the screen rolls up you hear a voice that sorta sounds like Christopher Walken just rolled in after gargling with a shot of whiskey..and lo and behold, It’s a very believable Tom Hardy as “Bob Saginowski” in this quite mesmerizing performance as a somewhat shy, but yet charming bartender at what used to be his Cousin Marv’s (James Gandolfini) local neighborhood dive bar aptly named ‘Cousin Marvs’ which is now owned by the Chechen syndicate lead by “Chovka” (Michael Aronov) and used, when designated to do so, as the ‘drop’ bar, a place where all the nights drop payments to this syndicate are made and then picked up. Basically when it’s your night, envelopes stuffed with cash get dropped off into a time-released safe which is then picked up at the specified hour by a designated main guy. Simple enough riiiiggghhtt.except Marv, in Gandolfini’s last spin in a role that was clearly made for him, has decided he wants to go back to his glory days of being respected and plans to heist his own ‘drop’ day, tries to pull off a practice heist with 2 local guys, “Fitz” (James Frecheville) & “Rardy” (Michael Esper) which doesn’t go over well with all involved.

Now you must be wondering where the dog fits in..well oddly enough, this movie is actually based on the short story “Animal Rescue” by Dennis Lehane in which a tough, but sweetheart of a guy, with a rather dark past, finds a badly beaten pit bull puppy in a trash can and it gets him into some big trouble.. As with that story, in this one Bob finds said dog in “Nadia” (Noomi Rapace) garbage can & she randomly offers to help him take care of it. I won’t lie..there are some wonderfully cute scenes with Hardy & the little doggie Rocco..he’s a little scene stealer that Rocco!!! 😀 But turns out Nadia also has a bit of a history..with “Eric Deeds” (Matthias Schoenaerts) who is not only a complete psycho-path, but also the a-hole who beat little Rocco and left him for dead, yet stalks Bob with much malice to try to get the dog back insofar as even threatening Nadia’s life. Eric has a reputation behind him, and now Marv is going to use him for the big cache heist day. The whole time everything is going on, we see Bob attending 8am mass everyday at the local Catholic church, which we figure out later just why, but where he has the attention of the very police detective investigating not only a past neighborhood murder from years earlier, but the recent robbery at the bar. “Detective Torres” (John Ortiz) just knows somethings fishy with the whole scene there at the bar, most especially focusing on Bob whose unassuming ways almost had me thinking at one point he might be a bit daft as in not-so-bright, but that’s really just all part of the charm of Hardy in this role..because even though you might think it for a moment or two, it’s because he wants you to.

This gutsy, gritty & sometimes funny film ends with a plot twist that I don’t think most will see. but it definitely answers all your questions. I mean I had an idea of what it was, but it was so well thought out and done that I was really never sure which way it was going to go until it actually happened. Again, Hardy is just simply wonderful in this role along with Gandolfini, they make a great dark comedy team which sadly we will never have the chance be able to see again. (Peace be with you James Gandolfini, you will always be remembered with your great body of work) Noomi Rapace is good, and I enjoy her a lot in most films she’s done, but honestly she is out-played here by pretty much everyone and the character is a one that the if it was left out of the film entirely, you wouldn’t have even missed it. A big huge kudos from me also goes to Matthias Schoenaerts. This Belgium actor deserves a big nod for playing his role so well and holding his own in such good company, hope to see much more of him in upcoming films.

My vote is that you see this movie even if it’s not your cup of tea, for the performances alone.

Grade: B- (squeaks in at above average)

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Grading Scale: A = Oscar-worthy B = Above average-must see C = Average – should see D = Don’t waste your time or money F = Don’t see the movie (+ or – gives the movie an edge up or down)

Peggy at the Movies

Monthly Archives: September 2014

REVIEW: “THE JUDGE” (2014) Warner Bros.

REVIEW: “BIRDMAN” (2014) ~ Fox Searchlight

Review: “THE MAZE RUNNER” (2014) 20th Century Fox

REVIEW: “THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU” (2014) Warner Bros.

REVIEW: “NO GOOD DEED” (2014 ~ SONY PICTURES)

REVIEW: “HECTOR AND THE SEARCH FOR HAPPINESS” (2014) ~ Relativity Media

REVIEW OF “THE DROP” – FOX SEARCHLIGHT – 2014

Peggy at the Movies ~ Film Critic | Movie Maven | Reviews & More"