Savages

I got inspired to see this film by reading the book.  Before departing on a ten hour flight overseas, I picked up what looked like an easy read.  I was gripped by the story for almost the entire flight!

Before turning to the film, I must say that the style of the novel was one of the most original I have ever encountered: a staccato, fast-paced, hip, cool, narrative that simply got me caught up in a story that blew me away!  (Valerie, my English-teacher buddy, the book is a must!)

On to the film:  If you want different, bizarre, engaging, and mostly gritty, Savages is for you.  No spoiler ever, but I can tell you the basics. Two guys, old chums, are as different as night and day. One is a peacenik, a hippie love-your-neighbor type, who travels the world trying to save the poor. The other is a former marine, tough as nails, prone-to-violence type, who figures that might makes right.

They both love a very attractive young lady, and she loves them both back.  Yeah, it's a menage-a-trois, but with a twist:  The threesome make their living by growing the classiest dope this side of the Mississippi!

All is well in quirky dopeland in Laguna Beach, where they live, until the bad boys, a Mexican drug cartel, try to move in on their territory.

Then all hell breaks loose!

OK, enough on the plot. Check out the amazing actors: Benicio del Toro, John Travolta, Salma Hayek, and the budding starlet Blake Lively.  Oh, and the film is directed by Oliver stone.

I would not be surprised if Del Toro picks up an Oscar Supporting Role nod for his stupendous, creepy, over-the-top portrayal of a nasty drug lord.  Benicio does bad like few guys I've seen.

This film is not for the weak of heart. Expect a lot of blood and gore, and violence that makes shoot-em-up movies seem tame.

Grade of A+  

I could not stop watching this flick, which captured all the emotion and allure of the book.

BOOO... (another Oscar complaint!)

Here are today's headlines:

Oscars producers defend Seth MacFarlane's 'irreverent' stint as host

For those who might have forgotten, the Oscars hit an all-time low in bad taste with jokes about women's breasts, gays, and Jews.

And now the producers are closing ranks.

How shameful....

History Channel: The Bible (TV)

Hey readers, there's a FANTASTIC series on the HISTORY CHANNEL.

It's a ten part production on The Bible.

No, you won't see Charlton Heston or others playing cheesy roles!   Instead, you'll see a well-done, intriguing, informative story that will keep you watching and remembering what you know about the great book.

The first episode premiered March 3.  It's not too late to catch up on that one and then tape the rest.

In the opener, the story covers the period of Creation through Moses' exodus from Egypt and the trek to the Promised Land.  Meet your old friends:  Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Joseph, Pharaoh, Lot, and many more!

You'll enjoy the characterizations and narrative.  It's gripping, to nerds like me who go for all forms of history!

As a person of Jewish faith, I'm familiar so far with the Old Testament.  My real fun will be learning the New Testament once and for all.  Can't wait!

Hope the other nine segments are as powerful as the first.

Oscar BUST!

See Oscar above.  He got kicked to the ground last night, and he will need some time to heal and get back on his feet.

My beef?  Very, very inappropriate jokes.  For those of you who might have missed the show, there was a song and dance number about women's "boobs" that hit an all-time low, comments about gays, and an anti-semitic tirade that made us wonder if we were not back in pre-war Germany.

Here's an example of one joke about Lincoln that will go down in history as one of the most unpleasant moments on TV:   "I would argue, however, that the actor who really got inside Lincoln’s head was John Wilkes Booth."

The rest of the show was normal Oscar stuff, with pretty gowns and emotional thank you's on stage.  

But with such a sour taste in our mouths, it was really tough to enjoy the annual spectacle.

Grade:  F   A truly failing, infamous moment in TV viewing.

Oscar Guesses!

Hi Folks!  Valerie and I hold an annual guess-who's-gonna-win event!  Here are my choices for the awards tonight.  Please list yours!  The winner gets our "Best Predictor" award: Recognition on this here website that provide you with a year's worth of bragging rights!  (haha)

David's predictions:

Best Picture:  Argo
Best Actor:  Daniel Day Lewis
Best Acress:  Jennifer Lawrence
Best Supporting Actor:  Christoph Waltz
Best Supporting Actress:  Anne Hathaway
Best Director:  Steven Spielberg

Django Unchained

Quentin Tarantino is a master of originality.  His films are unlike any other.

Remember Reservoir Dogs?  Have you ever seen such a tense story?  The "dogs" are holed up together after a botched robbery, and someone among them is the rat!  Then there's Pulp Fiction.  Wow.  John Travolta and Samuel L Jackson simply dazzled us as gangsters grappling with amorality and religiosity!  What about Kill Bill?  Who would have guessed that Uma Thurman would make such a great swordslady?

But wait!  Here comes Django!  Be prepared to admire Quentin's brilliance once again!

No spoiler, but the story is outlandish:  A German bounty hunter runs loose in the South, in pre-Civil War years, frees a slave, trains the slave to shoot and fight, recruits the slave to help him gather bounties, and sets off in search of adventure!   Outlandish is what Tarantino does best.  In spite of the crazy plot, we suspend our disbelief and somehow enter Quentin's bizarre world.

Check out that picture of Jamie Foxx!  Is he not one COOL dude?  He's a man with a purpose!  (sorry, folks, can't give that plotline away).  Jamie shoots 'em dead, just like the best of the Western heroes...but he tends mostly to shoot racial bigots!  Hahaha!

This film is totally involving.  Yes, it's unreal.  Yes, it's different.

DIFFERENT is why this reviewer lauds Tarantino, who is by far and away the most creative film maker in Hollywood.

Grade:   A plus.

Caution:  Not everyone agrees with my review!  But then, you can count on this reviewer to think for himself (yes...like my hero, Quentin!)

End of Watch

Cop-buddy movies are great!  In this one, Jake G and Michael Pena have a wonderful chemistry, and their banter in the squad car keeps the action lively and highly macho!   For a while, it seems like a typical cop story, where the good guys cruise the streets and make mincemeat of evil!

But there's a twist to this flick:  The cops find themselves in deep trouble.  They get involved chasing some very, very bad dudes, and the bad dudes are out for revenge.  Will the cops be tough enough to survive?

Of course, we come to care about the two cops because we get to know their spouses and see them as flawed human beings.  Neither is an angel, but each is basically on the side of truth, justice, and the American way.

Never the spoiler, I won't say how things turn out.  Consider this film a real nail-biter.  Unlike the Dirty Harry genre, where you know the hero is invincible, you're never so sure here.  The tension lies in whether the cops, reckless and tough as nails, will make it.

Jake G was masterful in Brokeback Mountain.  He was even better in Source Code.  Here, he is 100 percent street cop.

Is there any depth to this flick?  About zero.  But if you want mindless violence for ninety minutes, I recommend this action-packed, adrenaline-filled, awesome film!