Tag: Ryan Gosling

Barbie

Barbie

I had absolutely no plans to see “Barbie”. I have no relationship with Barbie as I never had a Barbie growing up and My Mom would not purchase one for me nor did I ever play with a Barbie or have friends who had a Barbie. But I bowed to a few requests to see the movie because my perspective on the movie was requested. So here goes…

Barbie, the iconic, Doll, comes to life on the big screen. Her days start off quite fun and her nights are even more fun. Life in Barbie Land is Pink, Fun and Light-hearted. But, then Barbie discovers something that causes her anguish. She seeks advice and then is instructed that she would need to go to the “Real World” in an attempt to solve her problem. The story unfolds from there…

I found the first 30 minutes of the movie to be very entertaining. I found myself enjoying it, but then things changed and the movie started to seem “silly”. This is supposed to be a comedy, but I never really laughed. I will say there is a message in the movie that is deeper than the superficial pink of Barbie Land.

Think of the Barbie movie as a sleek locomotive speeding down a train track and soon it derails briefly, but is able to restore its self on the tracks only to derail again before limping into the station. The Cinematography is awesome. The Clothing that is worn by Barbie and all of her friends is really cute and colorful.

I hope this is a one and done. I can’t see this becoming a Franchise.

This is a 3 Star Movie!!

Blade Runner 2049 the IMAX 3D Experience

Thirty Five Years later, “Blade Runner” returns.

It’s the year 2049, a secret that has been buried for a long time is brought into the light by a young blade runner, Officer K (Ryan Gosling). This secret leads Officer K in search of a former blade runner, Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) who has been missing for over thirty years. The story unfolds from there…

I may be in the minority, because I did not find “Blade Runner 2049” entertaining. It was Dark, Cloudy, Overcast, Dirty and Boring. There was little to no excitement!! The characters were mostly stoic.

However there are some positives, the cinematography is awesome. The special effects are cool and the 3D aspects are on point. The action was sometimes intense, but most of the time just ho-hum.

I just wasn’t able to get into the movie. That doesn’t mean it was bad. You may find that you enjoy it.

This is a 3½ Star Movie!

La La Land

“La La Land” is about an aspiring actress (Emma Stone) and a Jazz Man (Ryan Gosling) who are both trying to catch a break in the entertainment and movie business in modern day Hollywood. They both struggle to make ends meet while auditioning for various roles and gigs. They are both overwhelmed with disappointment, but finally they each catch a small break, the story unfolds from there…

The movie is a lively “Singing and Dancing” extravaganza. It will remind you of the days of Fred Astaire, Bing Crosby and Ginger Rogers, only this is modern day Hollywood and a modern day musical.

The movie is executed well, is very entertaining and enjoyable. The cinematography is fabulous. Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling have good on-screen chemistry. The Jazz music that is played through-out is awesome!

“La La Land” is worth the ticket.

This is a 4 ½ Star Movie!

The Nice Guys

“The Nice Guys” was not on my original “Watch List” The previews never really enticed me, but within the last week, I decided to give it a look…

“The Nice Guys” is a Detective/Police drama set in the 1970’s. It’s a throw-back to the times when comedy was slap-stick and funny.

Jackson Healy (Crowe) and Holland March (Gosling) end up teaming up to locate a supposed missing porn actress. There is a lot of confusion about whether she is really missing or already dead. As it turns out the missing porn actress is dead, but there is someone who looks like her. She is on the run. Healy and March have to find her before other people do. The story unfolds from there…
“The Nice Guys” is at times hilarious! It is a nail biter, suspenseful and entertaining. There are some crazy scenes and crazy stunts. Some scenes appear unedited. This is definitely an “R” rated movie that could easily pass for “X” rated in some scenes.
The sound track is awesome. It’s mostly Motown sounds from the 70’s.

As it turns out “The Nice Guys” is definitely worth a look!

This is a 4 Star Movie!

The Big Short

Michael Lewis’ best-seller; The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine is the basis of the movie “The Big Short”.

“The Big Short” centers around four high-finance outsiders who predicted the credit and housing collapse of the 2000s and how they took on the big banks for their lack of foresight and intense greed. The story unfolds from there…

“The Big Short” is un-cut, unedited. You see everything in the raw. Execution at times is a bit slow, but none the less the movie is intriguing, eye-opening and worth a look.

“The Big Short” is open in limited-release around the country. Check it out in your city.

This is a 4 Star Movie!!

BTW…I had planned to see “Point Break” the remake of the 1991 Patrick Swayze and Keanu Reeves movie, but the 2015 installment received such awful reviews I decided to pass.

Gangster Squad

Set in 1949 Los Angeles, “Gangster Squad” is about the Brooklyn mob king Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn). Mickey Cohen runs the show in Los Angeles and he wants everyone to know it. He has judges and cops in his back pocket and believes he is untouchable, but along comes a few of LA’s finest that he doesn’t have in his pocket and they decide to form a squad to take Mickey and his gang down once and for all. The story unfolds from there…
This is based on a true story. The timeline is good, but the story is a bit choppy. Things bounce around a bit and at times don’t quite make sense. The ensemble of actors is good. The right people were picked. Sean Penn is very good as Mickey Cohen; although at times he does not come across as menacing as he should have.
I love Josh Brolin and he does an excellent job of leading the charge, but alas something is missing. The movie does not hold as much excitement as the previews lead you to believe.
The original opening date for this movie was September 2012, but it was moved to January 2013 and I am not sure why.
“Gangster Squad” will be good to watch on Blue-Ray or DVD. Wait for it unless you have nothing else to do.