War is hell: Time to get ready for Oscar season with American Sniper

American Sniper is the latest movie with Clint Eastwood in the directors chair. It stars Bradley Cooper as Chis Kyle, the legendary "most deadly sniper" in American history. The film follows Kyle from his child hood through his young days in the rodeo and moves to him joining the Navy Seals and his four tours in Iraq, all while building a family. Since this movie is so highly anticipated I will try to keep this brief and spoiler free.

Chris Kyle is born a young country boy who was raised with a very strict religious background and a father who instills in his sons a strong need to protect those around them. This leads him to enlist in the military when he becomes a young adult and makes it into the prestigious ranks of the Navy Seals. Having a family history of hunting in him, he naturally moves into an over watch sniper position and builds a strong reputation for always watching the backs of the Marines below him. At the same time he has married a woman back home who he only gets to see for short periods at time in between his leave and time between tours. Although that doesn't stop them from having two kids and adding more pressure on their already strained marriage due to the fact that he is always away and has trouble adjusting when he is back.  Driven by his need to protect his fellow men Kyle puts himself in more and more dangerous situations rather than remain in over watch to ensure himself that things go well. This becomes amplified by the arrival of "The Butcher", an immensely talented sniper working with the Iraqis insurgence and starts accumulating a long list of kills.  The majority of the film centers around Kyle trying to balance his need to protect his friends while still maintaining a normal life, all the while being chased by the reputation that he has built as being the deadliest sniper and his ability to reconcile the lives that he has taken with himself.

The shining star in the movie is clearly Cooper. He blew audiences away with his on screen energy in the Silver Linings Playbook, but here it is is subtlety and silent intensity that steals the show.  When he makes his first kill in combat you see every emotion that he goes through quietly through his eyes alone.  In fact several scenes in the movie show him going through a wide range of emotions while he stares through his scope. Then Cooper uses an almost new found talent of body language to express the stress that he is experiencing, which is a huge turn around from his trademark facial acting which have been his bread and butter so far.  I'm not saying I am surprised by is performance as much as i am impressed with the speed in which he seems to be improving between roles.

The rest of the movie does tend to become a little bland at times, almost a little repetitive. There isn't much to say for a score and Eastwood's tempo for the film seems to want to crawl at the same pace that the stress is building for Kyle.  That being said the last 30 minutes or so build up a very good amount of tension that give the film a really good finish. If you don't know Kyle's story then by all means avoid it at all costs prior to seeing the movie....just trust me on this. I didn't know anything about him and it made the ending so much better. I definitely recommend the movie, over all it gives a unique look into the life of soldiers that we normally tend to take for granted.

The inevitable return of the Black Sheep

So this blog has been dead for a while now, mostly due to me being incredibly busy at work and dealing with last years New Years resolution to get back in shape.  Well I am proud to say that that resolution was accomplished as now i have lost a total of 50 pounds and counting.  I've also moved some of the things around in my life so that I can devote a lot more time to my writing, which brings me to this years New Years resolution.

Since last year I devoted my time to my body, this year I will devote more time to my mind.  My goal is to write 24 blogs this year. That may now sound like to much since it only averages two blogs per month but considering that I only managed to produce 7 blogs last year it does sound like a pretty lofty goal.   I plan on keeping the blog fresh by branching out to more mediums including book reviews as well as making some themed blogs. For instance I plan on doing Freaky February and do only horror reviews since that is what I have been watching the most of lately. As always i will welcome feedback and suggestions in the comments.

Adding on to that lofty goal I will also be breaking ground on my first novel as well. It will be a non fictional account of the time i spent in Tent City. It will mostly be about how I was struggling with substance abuse, unemployment and incarceration all while in the most renowned jail in the country.  It was a very big turning point in my life and I've found that most people become very engaged on the story whenever it comes up so i figured i would just get it off my chest once and for all.

So those are the goals for the year, obviously if I can go harder and produce more then i will.  So far I have almost 40 likes on face book (almost half of which are people not on my friends list! thanks to everyone that has liked and shared!) and I was thinking of doing some cheesy giveaways for when I hit 50 75 and 100 so keep a look out for those as well and as always please remember to like and share!

Guardians of the Galaxy: Space Adventure Redefined

                Marvel’s latest release hit the theaters this month, breaking almost every August opening record there is, and is now set to overtake the Transformers as biggest movie of the summer.  The big question is was it a success due to the roughly 40 different trailers released over the past 6 months along with a massive marketing blitz, or was it deserving of its win fall based solely on its own merits? Well, in my humble opinion, this is simply the best all around movie so far this year.  Is it the most original film, no?  Is it the funniest, nope that’s Bad Neighbors. The most gripping story line, not even close.  But it has such a well balanced story, filled with engaging characters, set in a beautiful universe and a script that knew when to be serious and when to laugh at itself.

                The film follows Peter Quill (Chris Pratt, Parks and Recreation, Lego Movie) who is abducted by aliens when he is a young boy and grows to be a space outlaw.  He finds himself in over his head when he steals an orb that is desired by Ronan (Lee Pace, the Hobbit).  Ronan dispatches his assassin Gamora (Zoe Saldana, Star Trek, Avatar) to hunt Quill down and retrieve the orb while the bounty hunters he beat to the punch put a price on his head.  The bounty attracts the attention of Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper, The Hangover), a genetically modified raccoon, and his partner, a living tree named Groot (Vin Diesel, Riddick).  The three attempt to nab Quill but end up getting all four of them arrested.  In jail they meet Drax (David Bautista, WWE), a rage fueled beast of a man who seeks revenge on Ronan. Gamora reveals that she planned on betraying Ronan and selling the Orb for a huge profit and will split it with them if they help her setting in motion events that will pit them against a slew of enemies and finding them as being the universes greatest hope for survival.

                The films strongest point is its balance between characters. Each of the Guardians is given enough time to develop a bit of their back stories without really overdoing it. While Quill is the presumed leader, the film doesn’t revolve solely around him. You get to invest just as much time into the rest of the Guardians and that gives you a better feel for the entire movie. All of the characters have such strong personalities that if they had given Quill more attention then there would have been lulls in the movie when the other characters where being focused on.

                The pace of the story was superb.  It starts off fast and barely slows down keeping you engaged the entire way. The movie introduces the audience to a whole new universe but does it in such a way that it feels familiar without having to stop the story with plot points.  The actors play off each other so well that when there isn’t pop corn munching action on the screen the audience doesn’t lose attention because they are too busy laughing. The soundtrack is a character all its own. Quill is never without his trusty walkman jamming to classics and it keeps the energy high.

                It is also very important to point out what this movie does for the Marvel universe.  While there are no current plans to merge the Guardians with the Avengers (it’s totally gonna happen though!) they do take place in the same universe and share the villain Thanos.  This expands the Marvel universe immensely, meaning we can expect to see a more constant release of movies, maybe even as many as twice a year. Plus with a non Avengers franchise having success it opens the doors for more lesser know Marvel heroes to finally get a chance in the spotlight.

              So if you haven’t seen it yet, this is defiantly a movie that you want to put on your list and see before it leaves the theaters. And bring friends because you will be quoting it for weeks!

Trancendence Reviewed

                Transcendence, which is directed by Wally Pfister and stars Johnny Depp alongside a slew of great actors,  appeared at first to be a stand out sci fi film amid an ocean of under thought  and recycled movies that have filled the genre in recent years.  However the films lack luster reviews  made me keep my distance at first but I finally got around to seeing it.

                The film follows Dr Will Castor (Depp) who is a scientist on the verge of creating the first fully aware artificial intelligence (AI). Unfortunately for him there is a group of anti technology  protestors who are so committed to their cause that they are willing to kill every scientist involved in the research.  Castor is shot following a lecture on the subject but survives only to find out the bullet was radioactive and will kill him in less than a month.  With the help of his wife Evelyn (Rebecca Hall, Iron Man 3) and his best friend Max (Paul Bettany, A beautiful mind) he decides to try and transfer his consciousness into a digital AI as a last ditch effort to preserve himself.  Castor passes away and shortly after it seems that he is able to communicate through the computer. However because of some odd behaviors, Max is not convinced that it is actually Castor or just an AI programmed to think that it is.

                Max begs Evelyn to let go of Castor and delete the program before leaving.  Soon after that the protestors show up. They were on to what Castor was trying to do before he died and try to prevent him from getting online by destroying the whole computer set up.  Evelyn was able to upload him at the last second and escapes. Castor, now online, helps her hide while exposing the protestors to the FBI and planning to build a new bigger lab that will help him with his “plans”. The rest of the movie plays back and forth with whether it is Castor or not.  If it is are we as humanity ready to handle such a jump and if it isn’t him then can we stop him before he enslaves us all.

                So is it any good, well yeah, it actually is despite  it’s flaws. The director was the director of cinematography on most Christopher Nolan’s films so it’s very well shot with a really subtle score that really brings out the emotion of the film. The actors are second to none. Morgan Freeman (if you need me to list a movie he’s been in then you probably shouldn’t be reading this!), Cillian Murphy (Batman Begins), Kate Mara (House of Cards) and Clifton Collins Jr (Pacific Rim) fill out the supporting roles so even the littlest scenes have intensity.  And the story is just really good, you never really know for sure which direction the film is going until it gets there.  Most of the story follows Evelyn and her struggles to love her husband in a computer form or fear the program that she thinks it might be.  She is constantly mourning his death and loving him at the same time and it is very compelling.

                The bad news.  It may be a good story but it isn’t actually written well.  For a movie based mostly on technology the writer really didn’t seem to have a grasp of how it really works and it shows.  When  a Star Trek Captain spits out technobable you know it’s not based on science but the actors are so confident you buy it. I swear there are a couple times in this movie where even the actors have a “are you serious” look on their faces. The same thing goes for the government agency scenes.  Towards the end the FBI is trying to stop the program and they flat out state pre mission that if they fail the program might attack the world, and if they win they will knock out every electronic device on the planet.  Yet no one ever mentions maybe consulting anyone over the level of a field agent on this.  I’m pretty sure if you’re going to endanger the world you need to at least discuss this with a general or a Secretary of Defense, maybe even Sarah Palin. The real shortcomings however come in the underutilization of the secondary cast.  Freeman, Mara and Bettany get the most amount of screen time but they are never really developed well and seem really subdued.  Murphy is limited to way too few lines and Collins is never given the chance to really bring the intensity he is known for.  Most of this is probably due to the fact that while the director has tons of cinematography credits this is his first shot in the director’s chair itself.

                Would I recommend it?  Yes, it is a pretty good lazy Sunday afternoon movie. Depp is solid in it  and it is a more original story compared to what else is out there. It’s worth renting rather than buying however due to its lack of rewatchability.  

Entertainment update for May 19th 2014

                Wow, so the last week there have been a lot of announcements and reveals so I figured I would put up an article to sum up some of the things that stood out to me the most.  Let’s start with TV first.

                The first show to be announced was Fox’s Gotham. This one has the potential to go far…if it doesn’t go all Smallville on us. It’s a Batman origins story focusing more around Jim Gordon, first introduced as a newly transferred detective and new to the city. From the looks of it right off the bat (couldn’t resist) he will be put on the case of murdered billionaires Martha and Thomas Wayne.  So while we get all the day to day crime drama of Gordon fighting the criminals of Gotham, we will also get an insight into the childhood of Bruce Wayne.  Tempting us also into this tale is the already announced appearances of The Penguin, The Riddler, Poison Ivy, Catwoman, Fish Mooney, Two Face and Scarecrow. All of these secondary characters and villains will also be developing from their origins, some also from their childhood.  This show has some serious production value and has a lot of potential but if it becomes too popular the writers might try to stretch it out too far just like Smallville and the entire plot could implode.  But I will definitely be paying close attention because who can say no to the bat.

                Next up is The Flash. This one is going to be coming to us from the CW studios, the same that brought us the very popular Arrow.  This will be the origin story of Barry Allen, a young man who gets struck by lightning and gains the power to move faster than, well almost anything! Unlike Gotham, this one doesn’t have the same sense of urgency.  Since it’s not going all the way back to his childhood the characters should be able to grow at a better pace and should be easier to watch as a result. The best part is that faster than the speed of light (I need help) they will be crossing over with Arrow giving two minor members of the Justice League a stage to be developed side by side.  If this works you can bet on a Justice League series happening.

                The last one is the dark horse but it’s definitely got my money on it to win. Despite the lack luster acceptance of its 2005 movie release, the DC comic Constantine will get its own series this year.  NBC will be releasing this hour long drama of awesome eye candy.  This time John Constantine will be blond and British like he was meant to be. The special effects and cinematography seem right on par with the comics so this looks like a very well deserved second chance for the demon hunter(like he needs one…).  I admit I really liked the movie but this just looks superior on every level.  All in all, I am really excited about all three of these.

                In movie news we can go straight back to the Bat.  The first pictures of the new Batman costume and the Batmobile were released and damn they look good. The suit is a much burlier, kind of Arkham Asylum style suit and the Batmobile looks just like a fresher version of the comic book archetype. So the good news is this defiantly points to a more comic based character for Batman.  The original Nolan version was a really good attempt at making the Batman seem as realistic as possible.  A lot of fans have been worried that he would try to use the same Batman in the new Batman vs Superman movie, especially since Affleck was cast. But if it does stick more to the comics then this should be a very Bruce Wayne free story, at least after the first one. With the announcements of Cyborg and Lex Luthor, along with the rumors of Wonder Woman and Flash cameos, this is really gearing up to be more of a precursor to a Justice League movie series developing. In that series Batman is just Batman, Bruce Wayne really doesn’t show up.

                Last and pretty least is Transformers: Age of Extinction.  While I feel the last two movies in this series are just examples of how good writing isn’t really needed to fill seats sometimes as long as the CGI is good. This new installment seems to want to keep that trend going. Transformers are hopelessly out numbered, shunned by all humans except a hot girl and guy (this time they are father daughter so I really hope they remember to remove the sexual tension) and constantly over dramatically stating the plot.  So what is newsworthy about this? Well the new trailer finally shows who the Dinobots  will be fighting for!  In the original trailer they show the T-rex fighting Optimus Prime but it’s revealed in the new trailer that that was a kind of test and the Dinobots will be fighting alongside the Autobots which probably won’t salvage the movie but will defiantly make it a lot more fun to watch.

                Thanks for reading.  If you liked what you read please be sure to check the rest of my blogs and reviews, likes and shares are always appreciated. For updates, look up and like TheBlackSheepCritic on Facebook.