There are some stories in the world that are just too good to be true, but when you find out that they are based on true stories you just have to see it. That was definitely the case when I saw the trailer to today’s film War Dogs. The film tells the tale of David Packouz (Miles Teller), a down and out massage therapist who seems to have everything going against him when childhood friend Efraim Diveroli (Jonah Hill) shows back up in his life. Efraim gets David involved in some risky business when they become arms dealers for the government. Everything is going great for the gang until they take one deal that may prove to be too much for the duo after all. The film also stars Ana de Armas (Hands Of Stone) as Iz, Kevin Pollak (A Few Good Men) as Ralph Slutzky, Patrick St. Esprit (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire) as Captain Philip Santos, Shaun Toub (Iron Man) as Marlboro, Bradley Cooper (Guardians Of The Galaxy) as Henry Girard, JB Blanc (Breaking Bad) as Bashkim, Gabriel Spahiu (High Tension) as Enver, Julian Sergi (Freaks Of Nature) as Rosen, Eddie Jemison (Ocean’s Eleven) as Hilldale Home Manager, and the film was directed by Todd Phillips (The Hangover).
Spoiler Alert: There may be information contained in this Article that could potentially spoil the plot of the film so continue with caution or do not read any further if you do not want to know. I’m watching this movie and I am wondering how the Government just let all of this happen and if you see the movie, how did these guys fool the government for the big money contract. The movie just kind of makes you feel that the government may seem strong at some aspects, but there are really just way too many holes in the system. There are so many great scenes in this film that it’s just hard too choose because Jonah Hill was just so funny. The way he laughs at first is kind of funny, but after a while it annoyed me. The whole scene when they are driving the arms from Jordan to Iraq is probably one of the best scenes in the whole film and I mean the whole sequence. Now the only scene that I am wondering about is the ending of the film. I read that David and one other associate are still in court with Efraim as they are suing each other. So, that is why I question the ending of the film, but overall I thought this was a great film. The film has plenty of excitement, suspense at times, and the comedy was good too. One thing I wanted to mention too is that Ana de Armas is super hot and she looks like the Spanish version of Tiffany Amber Thiessen, but hotter. This could be a contender for movie of the year, but there is still so much more time to go and a lot of films left to see. I am going to give this film an A- for a final grade.
For today’s film, I am a huge fan of Bill Murray (Stripes, Ghostbusters) to the point that if I started a hall of fame, I would induct him in right away. So, when I found out that Netflix had his latest film Rock The Kasbah available to watch, I chose it for today. Bill stars as music manager Richie Lanz who is really down on his luck lately. While bringing one of his acts Ronnie (Zooey Deschanel) to a club, he gets an idea of doing a USO show in Afghanistan that could benefit him. The only problem is that as soon as he gets there, Ronnie steals his money and leaves. Stuck in a country during time of war, he discovers a voice unlike any other because it’s forbidden for a woman to sing. That doesn’t stop him from trying to get her on a local TV competition despite the danger. The film also stars Bruce Willis (Die Hard) as Bombay Brian, Kate Hudson (Almost Famous) as Merci, Leem Lubany (Omar) as Salima, Scott Caan (Varsity Blues) as Jake, Danny McBride (Pineapple Express) as Nick, Arian Moayed (Rosewater) as Riza, Taylor Kinney (The Forest) as Private Barnes, and the film was directed by Barry Levinson (Toys).
As far as Bill Murray films are concerned, it’s not the best one ever, but it was enjoyable to watch. There’s nothing revolutionary in a film like this, just a cool story featuring a very cool actor. Some things in the film do not make sense to me, but then again I have never been to Afghanistan. One of the things is an American woman (Kate Hudson) working as a prostitute in a county that is against women doing anything. One thing is definitely for sure and that is Kate Hudson looks incredibly sexy in this film especially the scene where she’s in the pool. I thought Danny McBride and Scott Caan making appearances in this film was pretty cool and a nice touch. One thing is definitely for sure and that is I could totally buy Bill Murray as a music manager because he has the right kind of personality that makes you believe so. Even though the film was filmed in Morocco, the cinematography and sets made you believe that you were there with the cast. One of my favorite scenes int he film comes when Bill Murray plays and sings Deep Purple’s Smoke On The Water on what I believe is an Oud (an Arabic guitar). While he may not be the greatest singer, that was still a very cool Murray like moment. Like I said, this isn’t the greatest Bill Murray film ever, but it was still fun to watch in my opinion. I am going to give the film an B for a final grade.
First of all I want to start this article off by wishing everyone including the men and women of the Armed Forces a Happy Memorial Day. After all, this day is about remembering all soldiers past and present that have fought for this country. So for today’s film, I decided to watch a war film and I picked Flags Of Our Fathers which was directed by Clint Eastwood (Million Dollar Baby). It’s 1945 and the war is almost coming to a close, but America is still at war with the Japanese. While on the island of Iwo Jima, the goal is to hang an American flag at the top of a certain point. The film follows the six men who raised the very flag that we see in that iconic image and all of the issues they had to deal with while at war and after it. The film stars Ryan Phillippe (Cruel Intentions) as John “Doc” Bradley, Jesse Bradford (Hackers) as Rene Gagnon, Adam Beach (Windtalkers) as Ira Hayes, John Benjamin Hickey (The Bone Collector) as Keyes Beech, Barry Pepper (True Grit) as Mike Strank, Jamie Bell (King Kong) as Iggy, Paul Walker (Furious 7) as Hank Hansen, John Slattery (Captain America: Civil War) as Bud Gerber, Robert Patrick (Striptease) as Colonel Chandler Johnson, Neal McDonough (Red 2) as Captain Severance, and Melanie Lynskey (Up In The Air) as Pauline.
As far as the film is concerned, it’s a very different type of war movie because not only do you see the horrors of war, but you see a very different side of it. You see a side of war that the politicians do not want you to see. For instance, throughout the film, the image of the men putting up the flag is more important to the cause then the actual truth behind the picture. The country practically has no money so they use the image and the remaining three men who are alive to try and raise money by selling bonds. They know very well that these guys are not comfortable with the whole hero thing, but they need to use that to try and draw money to win the war. Those are some of the things we do not get to see, but is the film controversial? Maybe or maybe not because it depends on who you ask like Spike Lee. Clint Eastwood as a director is money because I have yet to be disappointed at any of the films the man has made and that is truly amazing. There are some iconic images in this film like all of the warships out in the ocean to the gritty aspects of war. All of the acting was great, the cinematography was amazing, and the story was well written. This film may not be my favorite war movie in the world, but it certainly ranks up there. Like I said above, this day is about remembering all the men and women that served this country. Check out the film, learn some history about the nation, and I am giving the film an A- for a final grade.
I was truly saddened earlier this year when I heard about the death of actor Alan Rickman (Galaxy Quest). So when I heard he had one more film where he makes a physical appearance (he still has one voice over film to be released), I had to see it and that film is called Eye In The Sky. Col. Katherine Powell (Helen Mirren) is a commanding military officer running an operation to capture or kill terrorists in the African country of Kenya. The latest mission she has features two high profile targets and some suicide bombers so she gets the mission which is a joint one between the Americans, British, and Kenyan special forces ready to go. Well, there is one problem in the whole plan, a little girl selling bread gets in the way of their mission and it sparks a huge debate over who will authorize the strike or not. The film also stars Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad) as Steve Watts, Alan Rickman as LT. Gen. Frank Benson, Babou Ceesay (Severance) as SGT. Mushtaq Saddiq, Barkhad Abdi (Captain Phillips) as Jama Farah, Lex King (The Gamechangers) as Susan Danford, Richard McCabe (The Duchess) as George Matherson, Gavin Hood (Tsotsi) as Lt. Colonel Ed Walsh, and the film was directed by Gavin Hood as well.
Here’s the thing about Eye In The Sky and unless you are into topics like war, drone attacks, etc. then you may not like this film. The film should have had suspense attached to it because it’s more that than thriller. There is a lot of back and forth when it comes time to push the button and I get it if that’s how it actually works, but it’s annoying. There is so much, “hey do we have authorization?” “I don’t want to make that decision, let’s refer up” and “Why are you bothering me, do it”. This goes on for most of the film as Helen Mirren and Alan Rickman’s characters are pleading for them to let them do this. One thing I will say that the film does is that it makes Americans look like we are insensitive cowboys who want to get all of the terrorists no matter the risk. It definitely makes the British look as if they are more sensitive and humane then we are. You’ll have to see it for yourself to know what I am talking about, but like I said not a very exciting film for me. While it is cool to see what happens behind closed doors and to see all the cool camera gadgets they have in the world to spy on people, it just didn’t interest me enough. I am however glad that I did get to see Alan Rickman on screen one more time. So with that being said, I am going to give the film an B- for a final grade.
For today’s film, I had always been curious about a certain film that you see in the music video for Metallica’s One (which was also the band’s first music video ever). Ever since I found out the name of the film which is Johnny Got His Gun, I have been meaning to see it and it was directed by Dalton Trumbo, one of the directors who was blacklisted in the 1950’s. Johnny Got His Gun tells the story of soldier Joe Bonham (Timothy Bottoms), a World War 1 soldier who gets hit by an artillery shell in the trenches on the last day of the war. Joe loses both his arms and legs and can no longer speak or see as well. The film tells the tale of how Joe struggles to deal with the situation he is dealt with and he ends up finding a new way to communicate with the doctors. The film also stars Kathy Fields (The Towering Inferno) as Kareen, Jason Robards (Once Upon A Time In The West) as Joe’s father, Donald Sutherland (The Italian Job) as Christ, Charles McGraw (Spartacus) as Mike Burkeman, Don “Red” Barry (Only Angels Have Wings) as Jody Simmons, and Eric Christmas (Harold And Maude) as Corporal Timlon.
This was an interesting film to say the least and a very interesting story. The film balances between reality and dream when Joe feels certain sensations during the film. We either see a memory like the night before he had to leave to war or a dream where he is talking to Christ who is played by Donald Sutherland. I love the contrast the film has when it goes from reality which is in black and white to his dreams and memories which are in color. It could be symbolism for how the world is just plain black and white while dreams and memories can be colorful. Jason Robards is terrific in the film and really commands the screen as well as Timothy Bottoms who is the star of the film. It’s a different kind of war film because it spends less time in war and more time questioning the moral of the world and the way people thought back then. There is a dream sequence where Joe is asking his father what democracy and his father responds with young men killing each other. The ideals of Americans back then is a lot different than it is today. I never thought they would include any weird scenes in the film, but they have one where a nurse is clearly masturbating the patient who can’t do it for himself. Yeah that is in their, but whatever maybe it was the Florence Nightingale effect. If you want something different than your typical war movie, then check this one out. I am going to give the film an B for a final grade.
365moviesin365dayschallenge 