Day 308: Imperium (2016)

Some people say that when you become part of a franchise that is larger than life that it’s hard to escape the role you played in it. Some wondered if that would be Daniel Radcliffe’s (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets) fate, but I beg to differ. That is why I chose to watch his new film Imperium for today’s movie. Nate Foster (Radcliffe) is a young FBI Agent who is looking to make some sort of impact in the office which means that he’s willing to do anything to make a name for himself. That is when opportunity strikes thanks to fellow FBI Agent Angela Zamparo (Toni Collette) who tells him that a white supremacist group may be the problem. So Nate decides to go undercover and infiltrate the gang to figure out who has the chemical weapons. The film also stars Tracy Letts (The Big Short) as Dallas Wolf, Sam Trammell (The Fault In Our Stars) as Gerry Conway, Nestor Carbonell (The Dark Knight) as Agent Hernandez, Chris Sullivan (The Drop) as Andrew Blackwell, Seth Numrich (Macbeth Unhinged) as Roy, Pawel Szajda (Under The Tuscan Sun) as Vince, Burn Gorman (The Dark Knight Rises) as Morgan, Devin Druid (Disgrace) as Johnny, and the film was directed by Daniel Ragussis in his first feature length directorial debut. 

One thing that this film reminds you of is how easy it is to be ignorant, but how circumstances in life can drive you that way. It just shows you how disillusioned the youth can be and how easy it is to be hateful. What the film also does is show you how awesome Daniel Radcliffe has been post Harry Potter. The guy is an incredible actor and I have enjoyed just about every film that he’s been in since then. The film is pretty intense and Radcliffe does an amazing job of carrying that momentum throughout the film even giving us some suspenseful moments. The film had some really intense moments that were nail biting and Radcliffe was absolutely amazing as he made them even more thrilling with his acting ability. Toni Collette did a pretty good job in the film, but was she perfect? No, but she wasn’t really the star of the film. Besides that last sequence in the film, my favorite moment of the film was when Radcliffe’s character goes out into the woods with Andrew Blackwell and he is kind of confronted about his real identity. Just like so many undercover FBI films before it, the biggest thing you are wondering about when watching a film is whether there cover will be blown or not. You obviously have to watch for yourself for that answer, but I would recommend this film. If you’re a fan of crime thrillers or a fan of Radcliffe then pick this one up. I am going to give the film an A- for a final grade.

Day 263: The Finest Hours (2016)

You all definitely know by now that I love to watch films that are based on true stories especially when they have to do with where I am from. In 1952, the greatest rescue mission in Coast Guard history happened and it’s the subject for today’s film The Finest Hours. While at sea, an oil tanker called the USS Pendelton that wasn’t properly fixed splits in half leaving it’s crew to literally fight for their lives as they wait for rescue. Bernie Webber (Chris Pine) is a coast guard first mate who is looking to forget the events of the previous year. As he is about to get married to his fiance (Holliday Grainger), he is called out to sea along with Richard Livesey (Ben Foster), Andy Fitzgerald (Kyle Gallner), and Ervin Maske (John Magaro) to rescue the ships crew members in an impossible mission. The film also stars Casey Affleck (Gone Baby Gone) as Ray Sybert, Eric Bana (Hulk) as Daniel Cluff, John Ortiz (The Drop) as Wallace Quirey, Graham McTavish (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey) as Frank Fauteux, Michael Raymond-James (Jack Reacher) as D.A. Brown, Josh Stewart (The Dark Knight Rises) as Tchuda Southerland, Beau Knapp (The Nice Guys) as Mel Gouthro, and the film was directed by Craig Gillespie (Lars And The Real Girl).

This was truly an incredible film and an incredible story of testing the human limits and believing in yourself. The cinematography for the film was absolutely amazing even though at times you could tell that most of it was filmed on a soundstage. The one thing that I found funny about the film is that every spoke in a John Fitzgerald Kennedy Boston accent. Like the accents are as thick as you could possibly go as far as the time period is concerned, but maybe everyone spoke like that back then. Now as always, I try to look up what was fact and/or fiction about films that are said to be based on a true story. What was fact was that the USS Pendelton did have a crack in it and that even though it wasn’t properly fixed, it still somehow passed inspection. One of the big things that was fiction about the film is that Miriam was actually home sick with the flu the whole time this was going on. To read more about what was fact or fiction, click here. The caliber of actors that are in this film is absolutely incredible as well with guys like Ben Foster, Casey Affleck, Chris Pine, and so many more made this film great with their incredible acting. This truly is ana incredible film and story as I said above and one that if you love true stories, rescue type films, and history then you should see this. The film is available on Netflix as we speak and with that being said, I am going to give the film an A- for a final grade.

Day 182: 3-Headed Shark Attack (2015)

Shark Week is almost coming to a close which means we are heading into the tale end of it. As usual, we are continuing to observe Shark Week with today’s film 3-Headed Shark Attack which is a SYFY film. Maggie (Karrueche Tran) is about to embark on a very cool internship at a program under water studying the marine life. It sounds absolutely amazing and fun until something very dangerous decides to interrupt. A mutated shark with three heads wants to make everyone in his waters lunch. Now they’ll have to run for their lives as the three headed shark comes to get them, but that’s if Maggie has anything to say about that. The film also stars Danny Trejo (Machete) as Max Burns, Rob Van Dam (Wrong Side Of Town) as Stanley, Jason Simmons (Baywatch) as Dr. Nelson, Jena Sims (Last Vegas) as Dr. Laura Thomas, Brad Mills (The Drop) as Greg, Scott Thomas Reynolds (Devil May Call) as Ryan, Rico Ball (The Boss) as Omar, Dawn Hamil (Rage) as Alison, Brianna Ferris (Your Worst Nightmare) as Rosemarie, Jazy Berlin (Lust In Space) as Polly, and the film was directed by Christopher Ray (A House Is Not A Home).

This is definitely one of the cheesiest films, but nothing else is new with films that SYFY makes. Just look at the past films that I watched this week and you’ll know exactly what I am talking about. You can tell how cheesy a film is when the same people are dancing the same way to the same song for like 20 minutes. They seem so awkward too when they’re doing it. It’s like the director kept telling them to dance the same way for a while. The CGI was OK in the film, but it was a little too obvious at times. I guess that’s the fun with all of these films anyways which is noticing just how cheesy they are to begin with. It was cool to see former WWE superstar Rob Van Dam and all around machete carrying bad ass Danny Trejo in the film, but they don’t make it to the end which was unfortunate. I would have loved to see at least one of them make it all the way to the end. This definitely would have been a cheeseball cinema film for sure, but I kept it for this blog. It was a fun kind of bad to watch which is why I was okay with it, but you may not like the grade because reality hurts. I am going to give the film an D+ for a final grade.

Day 42: The Girl With The Dragon (2009)

Ever since the release of the American version of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, I never understood what the fuss was all about. So, I decided that before I watch that that I should check out the original version which was made in Sweden. The film stars Noomi Rapace (The Drop) as Lizbeth and Michael Nyqvist (John Wick) as Mikael Blomkvist, two different people from different worlds. Mikael is a disgraced reporter who tried to expose a CEO of a company and was basically ruined and sentenced to jail. Lizbeth is very different as she has had a very rough beginning to her life, but works as a spy basically for companies. One day, Mikael is hired by a wealthy man to figure out the disappearance of a niece of his 40 years before. Together with Lizbeth, the two will stop at nothing to figure out what happened to her. The film also stars Sven-Bertil Taube (The Eagle Has Landed) as Henrik Vagner, Peter Haber (Beck) as Martin Vagner, Peter Andersson (Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit) as Nils Bjurman, Björn Granath (The American) as Gustav Morell, David Dencik (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) as Janne Dahlman, and the film was directed by Niels Arden Oplev (Dead Man Down).

Let me tell you that if you want to see a movie with some pretty intense and graphic scenes, then this is definitely it. There are a couple of rape scenes in the film that Lizbeth is apart of, but other than the movie is actually smart and engaging. You’re glued to the TV set wondering if Mikael and Lizbeth are going to solve the mystery that has plagued the family. The film is actually very clever in that department because at first I didn’t see it coming. I thought for sure that they were never going to solve the mystery and right when they figure it out, you are like wow I should have seen that coming. At first the film is like two different parts because one part, you are getting to know the both of them separately before they come together. The Lizbeth scenes in the first hour can get a little uncomfortable for some, but if you can get past that then you’ll see that the film is brilliant. The second half is all about them teaming up to figure out the case and it gets a little personal between the two of them. You really see Lizbeth grow a little in the second half of the film. I originally was watching The Drop when I was curious as to what films Noomi Rapace was in and that is when I discovered that she was in these films. I’m definitely glad that I decided to check them out for myself and I look forward to the other films in the series. One thing that I will warn you is that the film is in Swedish with Subtitles. So, if you can also look past that, you will enjoy it for sure. I am going to give the film an A- for a final grade.