DVD Review For March 3, 2015

FOXCATCHER
Rated: R
Stars: Steve Carell, Channing Tatum, Mark Ruffalo
Plot: The story of John du Pont and his obsession with USA Wrestling.
Trailer

Clint Says: See this DVD as soon as you can

Steve Carell received several award nominations for his spot-on portrayal of John du Pont this awards seasons, and all of them were well deserved. Carell is not on the screen, it is John du Pont, and it's not just because of the makeup.

Tatum and Ruffalo also hold up their end of the film as well as evidenced by the award nominations they both received .

This is one of the rare instances where I think it might be a better movie-watching experience if you don't already know the story. The twists and turns are fascinating and intriguing, but for those that know the story you will notice the major plot changes and the film will feel slow.

FOXCATCHER is a disturbing and creepy film that is strangely gripping and mesmerizing. It is the kind of film that gets into your brain and will sit there for days.




THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY PART 1
Rated: PG-13
Stars: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Donald Sutherland
Plot: Katniss must overcome her demons to help lead the revolution against President Snow and the Capitol.
Trailer

Clint Says: Drop everything and buy this DVD today! (COMES OUT 3/6)

Wow. Just. Wow.

This franchise is slowly killing me...in a good way, but killing me nonetheless. I'm warning you now that there will be a collective groan when this movie ends. Not because it's a bad ending, but because the audience will be desperate for more. There was a moment that, for a split second, I thought they were going to end the film about 10 minutes earlier than they did. It would have been an incredible ending and there would have been riots in the streets. So, thank you, Mr. Director, for saving us from resorting to our own little revolution.

This film is dark, intense and brutal. If you are hoping to see a pretty Jennifer Lawrence, this is not the film for you. She is broken and beat down for nearly the entire film. Her portrayal of Katniss suffering in the depths of PTSD is spot on. At points it is almost difficult to watch because of the level of pain she is in.

Philip Seymour Hoffman (Plutarch Heavensbee) gives a fine performance in one of his last roles. Elizabeth Banks (Effie Trinkett) takes her character to a new level, giving us some much needed comic relief. And Woody Harrelson (Haymitch Abernathy) continues to become more vulnerable and deep. They create a trio of support for Katniss that we see is one of the few things that keeps her going.

This film is incredible from beginning to end. In fact there was only one small part that bugged me, just some made up drama with Katniss not able to find Primm. If you liked the first two films you will really enjoy this one as well. If you liked the book then you will love this film, because you get so much more in the movie.


NOTE: I am now also doing the NERD RIDERS DRIVE THROUGH MOVIE REVIEW for YABooksCentral.com. If you would like to see that review, here you go:

Movie Review For December 28, 2014

THE GAMBLER
Rated: R
Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Jessica Lange, John Goodman, Brie Larson
Plot: A university professor with a gambling addiction has one week to pay back a quarter of a million dollars to loan sharks.
Trailer

Clint Says: Don't even bother

THE GAMBLER is full of spectacular acting in a spectacularly bad flick. This is one of those films where I feel like I saw a completely different movie than most of the critics. I've seen many of them raving about this film, but I just don't get it.

When the film begins it dumps us in the middle of the story, which I am fine with and many time enjoy, but THE GAMBLER doesn't give us any flashbacks or back story to fill in the gaps. At no point are we shown why he has the addiction in the first place, nor do we ever see any motivation the main character has to do the things he does.

The romance feels weird and forced, John Goodman is a creeptastic, human version of Jabba The Hutt, and the editor must have been on vacation for most of the editing because there are many scenes that drag on endlessly for no reason.

This movie got so long, boring and annoying that near the end I was hoping the main character would get hit by a bus and the credits would roll. (You'll recognize the scene I'm referring to if you are unlucky enough to have to sit through this mess).

Wahlberg and Lange both give performances that are incredible to watch, unfortunately the story is total crap.



FOXCATCHER
Rated: R
Stars: Steve Carell, Channing Tatum, Mark Ruffalo
Plot: The story of John du Pont and his obsession with USA Wrestling.
Trailer

Clint Says: See this in theaters if you can find it

Steve Carell has already received several award nominations for his spot-on portrayal of John du Pont and I'm sure there are many more nominations to come. All of them are well-deserved. Steve Carell is not on the screen, it is John du Pont, and it's not just because of the makeup.

Tatum and Ruffalo also hold up their end of the film as well as evidenced by the award nominations they are both receiving .

This is one of the rare instances where I think it might be a better movie-going experience if you don't already know the story. The twists and turns are fascinating and intriguing, but for those that know the story you will notice the major plot changes and the film will feel slow.

FOXCATCHER is a disturbing and creepy film that is strangely gripping and mesmerizing. It is the kind of film that gets into your brain and will sit there for days.

Hopefully, this film will gain more attention and be released in more theaters as the bigger nominations come in, but as for now, you'll have to search it out to see it.