add2nan Reviews

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016)

Just watch the first one

[6/10 · 11 March 2022]

The second Jack Reacher movie is directed by Edward Zwick and it stars Tom Cruise as the Jack Reacher. It is based on Lee Child's book "Never Go Back". The movie tells the story of falsely accused Reacher of murder along with his friend Major Turner. I didn't read the book, so it's hard to say how much of the story is by the book. But this movie plot was hard to follow and it feels there are many holes in the story.

If we compare it with the previous Jack Reacher movie, this one is much worse. For me, it is especially true with the executing the scenes to tell the story. Even Jack Reacher as a character seems like another action hero who just beats some random bad guys. Action scenes are okay, but there is nothing in this movie that stands out. Just watch the first one.

Jack Reacher (2012)

Worth your time

[8/10 · 10 March 2022]

Jack Reacher is an adaptation of the Lee Child book "One Shot". It stars Tom Cruise as the Jack Reacher, and it is directed and written for the screen by Christopher McQuarrie. Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie worked together on several projects before, and the ones that stand out for me are Valkyrie and Edge of Tomorrow.

The movie starts with a sniper murdering five random people. This opening scene along with music is well directed, and it immediately hooked me. You can see the sniper's face so it's not like it starts with the mystery of who is the killer but more importantly why. The murder investigation is quick and all the evidence point to the former military sniper guy who doesn't confess, but wants Jack Reacher. And this is where we meet our main character.

Lee Child described Jack Reacher in his books as a big, terrifying, masculine man with a brilliant analytical mind. And this is what makes him a great investigator. In addition, he knows how to handle weapons and how to fight which makes him even more dangerous. Tom Cruise's physical appearance doesn't match what is described in the book, however, I think he did a good job in this movie portraying the character. There are few scenes when we can see how his brilliant mind finds clues and make conclusions.

Adapting a book in a movie format is a hard thing to do, and a lot of movies fail to do that. But I think this movie manages to capture the essence of Reacher's character. However, what I didn't like in this movie is the main villain. It feels to me like a generic character that should be evil to justify the plot. Regardless, I enjoyed watching this movie and would suggest it to everyone who likes mystery stories and action scenes.

Below Zero (2021)

Decent Spanish Movie

[7/10 · 16 February 2021]

Below Zero is a Spanish movie that tells the story of ambushing prisoners transportation. The policeman, Martin who survives the assault must face the prisoners and fight for his life. It is directed by Lluís Quílez which is his second feature film, and the main role is portraited by actor Javier Gutiérrez.

I didn't have a chance previously to watch the work of the director and actor, but acting and directing in this movie is good. I didn't read a synopsis before watching the movie so I didn't know what to expect. In the beginning, you get this good cop, bad cop vibe between Martin and his colleague policeman. This motive runs throughout the movie showing Martin as the man who believes in justice and law. As the story goes, revealing the reason behind the ambush, Martin starts to question his beliefs. I think this is done well, showing character progression throughout the movie.

However, the story has some weak points and holes. This didn't bother me that much since the story is already seen in many more movies. But I enjoyed watching it, it has some unexpected twist elements which I think is executed just fine. Overall, it's a decent movie.

Tiger (2021)

Blaze of Glory

[7/10 · 3 February 2021]

This is a documentary that follows the story of great Tiger Woods, his ups and downs. In 2 episodes and a little over 3 hours, we can get a picture of what it's like to be Tiger Woods.

For someone familiar with Tiger Woods's success on golf court and scandals, I didn't know that much of his private life. The first episode beautifully shows his upbringing, his dedication to becoming the best, and his sacrifice to do so. Unlike team sports where responsibilities are shared between team players, golf is such an individual sport, and looking at his dedication and his mental strengths on the golf court is amazing. All that fame and glory at first seems to be everyone's dream, but in this documentary, we can see the wrong side of it.

However, I would like to see Tiger Woods and his wife Elin in this documentary sharing their perspective on everything. I think that would give another set of perspectives and feelings to everything that happened in their life. I understand that maybe they didn't want to participate in this, but I think it would be the perfect balance between people who are not part of Tiger's life anymore and the legend and his wife.

Cobra Kai (2018–2025)

Quiet!

[8/10 · 30 January 2021]

Thirty years after Karate Kid, the story continues with grown-ups Johnny and Daniel. Daniel LaRousso is a successful businessman while Johnny Lawrence is struggling in life. However, saving the kid Miguel from bullies, Johnny gets an idea to open his dojo and renew Cobra Kai's name.

I binge-watch all three seasons and enjoyed it. It has a great story it's funny and very entertaining. Great chemistry between William Zabka and Ralph Macchio. With every scene, you can expect some funny, goofy lines between these two. Fight scenes are also great, and the music is phenomenal. I love how the show adds 80s music to the specific moments of the show.

The one minor thing I wish they did differently is not a constant twist between Johnny and Daniel. I understand it creates a build-up for events that take place in 3rd season, but sometimes I feel like there is too much. However, this is an amazing TV show and I really enjoyed watching all 3 seasons and looking forward to the story continuing.

Pieces of a Woman (2020)

Emotional and very well acted

[8/10 · 21 January 2021]

Pieces of a Woman is a story about Martha and her path of dealing with the loss of a baby. Her relationship with her husband and mother is slowly deteriorating. In addition, she must face a midwife in court who has been charged with the death of a child.

It is a powerful and emotional story with really incredible acting. The first 30 minutes of the movie shows Martha giving birth and this is a truly amazing scene. Probably one of the best scenes I have seen in a long time and my favorite scene in this movie. I read that Venessa Kirby who played Martha has never given birth before this role, but she gives a truthful performance. Besides Venessa, Shia LaBeouf who played husband, and Ellen Burstyn who played mother give a great performance.

However, I'm not fascinated by the plot. I'm not saying it's not good, it is and also there are cool hidden meaning in it, but I expected much more tensions and adrenalin. For me it feels like those 30 minutes are highlight of the movie and afterward it seems to slowly drops. However, for someone who experience similar situation in their life I guess viewing this movie would give another feeling to the plot.

Valkyrie (2008)

"The portrait will be unhung, and the man will be hung"

[8/10 · 3 May 2020]

Main character of this movie, Colonel Claus van Stauffenberg makes a plan how to save Germany from Adolf Hitler. It is based on true events during World War II and tells a story of planning the assassination of Adolf Hitler. The operation is called Valkyrie and beside Colonel Stauffenberg it involved a group of senior German officers and politicians.

The movie starts with German language while Colonel Stauffenberg writes about Nazi's crimes, and then after few seconds it transitions into English language. While the dialogs during the movie continue to be in English, background voices, singing and even writings on documents are in German. It sets some authentic atmosphere, so it's not bothering that much why actors don't speak German throughout the movie. In addition, visually it looks really good. Attention to details on uniforms, Nazi headquarters and makeups are top-notch.

Throughout the movie you can feel and understand the pressure some of the characters go through. Their life depends on the success of this operation and I feel the movie did a good job in portraying this. However, you don't discover much about the characters involved in the plot. Colonel Stauffenberg as a main character gets some minor screen time about his family and his past military activities and that's it. I would like to see some back stories for some of the officers, especially Lieutenant Werner von Haeften who was Stauffenberg adjutant. This would explain some of his actions at the end of the movie.

Overall, I would recommend this movie especially if you're fan of World War II events.