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davy_crickett
Reviews
Blood Father (2016)
Mel Gibson in the prime of his life!
no serious spoilers ahead, i promise. but i can see how it could be viewed otherwise. my 1st post here so i'm cautious.
i just saw the best movie of the year... for me... so far...
"Blood Father." Mel Gibson. 'nuff sed.
it's a shoot 'em up. not my usual cup of tea. i prefer films with older women sitting around reminiscing the past... the man that got away, that sort of thing.
Horse Hockey!!!
plenty of cussing, but at least it felt real & not gratuitous. countering that was the occasional "meaning of life" gabfest.
going in i thought it was going to be a another "Taken." that would have been okay... with Mel Gibson. sure, why not? a bit of that, but no, not really. grittier, involving a common man with less than Liam Neeson's "special set of skills." not to give anything away, but Mel channels the Road Warrior in him!
like you weren't expecting that while you were standing in line to buy tickets, popcorn & a coke? but don't expect Road Warrior redux. Mel is playing a completely different character. & happily so.
it was never cheesy. you won't laugh, you'll be on the edge of your seat. NO sleepy parts at all.
they packed a lot of movie in 90 minutes! with 30 minutes to go i was wondering how they were going to resolve all this? the last 30 minutes is not the time to go the lobby for any reason. you didn't buy a movie ticket, you bought a ticket to a carnival ride!
i promise you... you'll fall in love with Erin Moriarty, she's a future name that everyone will know.
& Mel Gibson will get an Oscar nod. it didn't take long for me to forget it was Mel... he was John Link trying to save his long lost daughter.
missing for 4 years since she was 14... $30K reward for any information... & she calls him out of the clear blue. "Dad, i'm in serious trouble." "You're knocked up?" "No, much worse. The entire Mexican Cartel is looking for me. They want me dead." not exactly, but you get the idea. i'm not giving anything away you won't surmise in the 1st 5 minutes.
& i love the bullets vs cigs moment at the very beginning. point well made.
i'd rank this with 2015's "Run All Night" (Liam Neeson). another fave! 2 other films to recommend from 2015 that may have passed under your radar. (Star Wars i loved, but it's not like you didn't hear about it)
"The Age of Adaline." the less you know about it the better cuz you run the risk of someone giving it away... like Rosebud. this is a "trust me."
i lied. 2014. "Miss Meadows." Katie Holmes plays her oddball character perfectly. destined to be a cult classic.
like i said, under the radar. as for the biggies, i loved both "The Revenant" & "The Martian" last year. between the 2, i preferred "The Martian." but then i'm a mechanical engineer. duh!
To Each His Own (1946)
what a find!
First, let me say I'm in awe of the previous reviewers and their spot-on knowledge of this film and Olivia de Havilland's body of work. Bravo, and thank you for pointing me towards this "hidden" treasure.
So allow me to confirm that this "small" 1946 movie is still riveting fare in 2010. The subject matter is just as relevant today and will speak to women for generations to come. In that regard, its forever timeless.
Filmed in b&w, and happily so, though 7 years newer than "The Wizard of Oz"... I'm still waiting for them to colorize the rest of that bloated Saturday matinée flick. *s* Tune in next time when I attack "Gone with the Wind," "Casablanca" and "Citizen Kane."
This film dealt with a delicate subject in a frank and realistic manner. I'm particularly impressed by the way this movie was story-boarded. It flowed brilliantly. If shot today, it would be shoved in my face, every stinkin' detail, nothing left to the imagination... plenty of yelling, smashing dishes and cussing.
Equally impressive is Ms. de Havilland's Oscar-winning performance. I couldn't take my eyes off her. When the movie took her back 20 years younger, my mouth dropped.
But it was much more than the make-up. It was Olivia.
Happy ending or sad? not telling. I'll reveal this, though. This 55 year old man doesn't typically cry at weddings or funerals, but by the closing credits, both cheeks were wet. But then maybe its because she reminds me of my mother, 1933-1981.
Search out this gem.