Movies

Beard Blog Movie Review: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)

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Raped while dying and still no arrests? How come?

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Mildred Hayes and her billboards

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is a dark and twisted tale about a mother and the tragic loss of her daughter. Frances McDormand plays a foul-mouthed smooth talking country woman who seems to have reached the end of her wits. After almost a year since her daughter was brutally murdered and no news from the Police, Mildred (McDormand) calls out the police chief in a very public way, on three billboards.

This movie isn’t about catching the murderer of Mildred’s daughter. It’s not about how she was raped and burned alive. It’s also not about how small town police departments are often notoriously complacent. This movie is about exactly what the title says, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. The billboards go up and the the small town around them comes crashing down. [perfectpullquote align=”right” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]”An emotional ride with plenty of laughs, tears, and surprises.”[/perfectpullquote]

Sam Rockwell is becoming one of my favorite lesser-known actors. After Three Billboards… he cements himself on that list. Rockwell’s performance should land him an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Officer Jason Dixon. Throughout the film you can see his character evolve and by the end you start to feel sorry for him, even after almost two hours of hatred.

The rest of the cast is great and they all turn in amazing performances. Woody Harrelson somehow jerks the tears right from your face while still making you laugh. McDormand’s rough exterior eventually cracks and you can see the shining light that’s been trying to get out for the entire movie. John Hawkes has a great supporting role as Mildred’s estranged husband. There’s even a surprise role by Peter Dinklage. Dinklage’s portrayal of James is delightful and well-spoken as usual.

In summary, Three Billboard Outside Ebbing, Missouri is fun, but deep down it’s tragic. We are carried through various instances of death and despair but writer Martin McDonagh peppered in enough comedy to keep us sane.

Who should see this movie?
Fans of dark comedies, viewers looking for an original movie, and people who like great screen performances.

Who shouldn’t see this movie?
People who don’t like natural (vulgar) language – It is rated R. That’s it. Everyone should see this film.

Score

9 / 10 – An emotional ride with plenty of laughs, tears, and surprises. One of the most original ideas I’ve seen in a long time.

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Spoilers

Caution! Spoilers ahead.

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Beard Blog Movie Review: Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

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Not your average Marvel movie!

First, I’d like to preface this review by stating that I have not kept up with all the movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). I’ve seen a few, but I’m by no means qualified to discuss how Thor: Ragnarok ties into the other films.

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Thor loses his mane of hair

Now if you’re like me, this movie is a fun trip through the unknown. Characters come into the light that may have been in previous films as well as other lesser-known characters only the hardcore fans will appreciate. Die-hard MCU fans may see Thor: Ragnarok as breaking away from the winning formula. It’s light-hearted and possibly inaccurate script make it easy to criticize.

The music, story, and overall feel gave me an 80s/90s vibe which turns out to be a good thing in Thor: Ragnarok. Furthermore there’s not a single slow period or mind-numbing action overload like in many MCU movies of late. Great pace, interesting characters, and villain animosity keep you involved start to finish. Thor: Ragnarok got me interested it Super Hero movies again.

Not sure if this will be the end of the Thor films, but Ragnarok in Norse Mythology roughly means the final battle of the gods.

Who should see this movie? Fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, fans of the Marvel character Thor, viewers who enjoyed Guardians of the Galaxy.

Who shouldn’t see this movie? Fans of Norse mythology looking for a true to myth Thor movie, people who hate fantasy/magic/unbeliveable movies, and viewers who dislike somewhat cheesy comedy in action films.

Score

7.5 / 10 – Much better than I expected. I hope Marvel continues this trend.

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Spoilers

Caution! Spoilers ahead.

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Beard Blog Movie Review: Murder on the Orient Express (2017)

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It’s more than murder on a train.

Murder on the Orient Express is a remake of the 1974 classic of the same name. Both movies were adapted from the 1934 Agatha Christie novel also of the same name. If you’ve seen the original movie this story won’t be new for you, but the directing, acting, and sets are (obviously) different.

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Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot

The cast of Murder on the Orient Express has a lot of heavy hitters like Kenneth Branagh, Michelle Pfeiffer, Judy Dench, Willem Dafoe, and of course Johnny Depp. We also get to see some unknown and up-and-comers such as Daisy Ridley, Josh Gad, and Lucy Boynton.

[perfectpullquote align=”left” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]”Murder on the Orient Express had me questioning the entire plot about halfway through.”[/perfectpullquote]

Branagh is great as Hercule (not Hercules) Poirot throughout the whole film. I would love to see him play the character again in another story. His performance reminded me of Christoph Waltz’s portrayall of Col. Hand Landa in The Inglorious Basterds.

The one thing that disappointed me with Murder on the Orient Express is how the audience was given information over the course of the story. My opinion is based off the 2017 adaptation only, the novel may have it differently. Without spoiling anything (scroll to the bottom for spoilers) the audience is given way too much information too soon. Murder mysteries have this great tendency to sway the viewers opinions and then twist their minds at the end with the real outcome. Murder on the Orient Express had me questioning the entire plot about halfway through.

Who should see this movie? People who like murder mysteries, fans of Agatha Christie, and fans of the 1974 adaptation.

Who shouldn’t see this movie? Viewers who don’t like murder mysteries, hate French accents, or don’t have time to waste.

Score

6/ 10 – Not bad, not good, and probably not better than the original.

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Spoilers

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Beard Blog Movie Review: Suburbicon (2017)

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Nothing like this ever happens here.

A white man living in 1950s cliche suburbia contracts the mob to kill his wife so he can collect insurance money and run off with his sister-in-law. This plan unravels faster than you can say Suburbicon.

Suburbicon
Matt Damon struggling to get through this movie

First of all, I have a few problems with this movie:

  1. The actress that plays Matt Damon’s wife and sister-in-law is the same person, Julianne Moore. They don’t look different in the beginning and then the sister-in-law character goes a step further and basically becomes the wife.  [perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]”…it carries a lot of white guilt through the whole film.”[/perfectpullquote]
  2. We are given little to no information upfront about what is going on in Suburbicon which would be fine, but most of it never gets explained.
  3. The characters are so bland, emotionless, and boring that you never feel for any of them. At the end I was thinking “Oh well…”

In addition to those problems, theres a bigger, more upsetting issue with this film. While the aftermath of the mob hit is going on, there’s an entire plot around a black family moving into this previously white-only neighborhood. Suburbicon spends so much time on this, you think it has something to do with the main plot, but it actually doesn’t. I’m not sure why it was written into this movie but it carries a lot of white guilt through the whole film.

I love the Coen brothers’ movies. They have written some great American classics such as Fargo, The Big Lebowski, and No Country For Old Men, to name a few. Lately their writing has been a snooze, literally. I fell asleep all three times I tried to watch Hail Caesar! That, Inside Llewyn Davis, and A Serious Man have all been very weak in my opinion. But, as a die-hard Coen bros fan, I had to see this movie.

Unlike other Coen brothers movies, Suburbicon is directed by George Clooney which probably made a difference, for the worse.

Who should watch this movie? Fans of the Coen Brothers

Who should not watch this movie? Just about everyone

Score

3 / 10 – Most of the acting was good, but the directing and writing was very weak.

 

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Spoilers

Caution: spoilers below

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Beard Blog Movie Review: Jigsaw (2017)

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A new game begins.

A 10 year later sequel to the original Saw movies, Jigsaw reignites the series. A new game is being played, but who is running the show? Jigsaw (John Kramer) has been dead for 10 years, or has he?

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Billy the puppet

[perfectpullquote align=”left” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Jigsaw stays true to its roots and delivers the twists and turns we have come to love from this genre.[/perfectpullquote]

 

 

 

 

My favorite horror movie series Saw is back and I feel better about it than I did the last time a sequel was made. There were some points during the movie where I saw bad acting and plot holes, but the whole thing is saved by the end. Jigsaw is a throwback to the first set of movies and feels very familiar, in a good way. The story is told in two places, one takes place in ‘the game’, and the other is basically an episode of The Glades, complete with Matt Passmore.

Overall it’s a great restart to the series and I wouldn’t mind seeing this go forward, a little.

I didn’t see this movie in XD or IMAX, but I don’t think it would be worth the extra price.

Who should watch this movie? Fans of the original Saw movies, people who enjoy a good psycho-thriller movie, and someone looking expand their horror horizons beyond the supernatural hogwash being churned out every year.

Who shouldn’t watch this movie? People who can’t take a lot of blood and/or gore, viewers who didn’t like the original Saw movies, and horror fans looking for ‘jump out and scare you’ action.

 

Score

7.5 / 10 – Jigsaw stays true to its roots and delivers the twists and turns we have come to love from this genre.

 

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Spoilers

No spoilers this time since it will really ruin the movie.

Go see it for yourself!

Beard Blog Movie Review: American Made (2017)

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The sky is never the limit

Tom Cruise plays a real life pilot in American Made who helps the CIA and Medellín drug cartel deliver goods across borders. Cruise decided to adopt an obviously fake Louisiana accent which goes a long way to making this movie somewhat annoying.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]The fact that this is a true story is this films only saving grace.[/perfectpullquote]

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Tom Cruise the pilot again

Barry Seal randomly gets recruited by the CIA and ends up living the lavish life with more cash than he knows what to do with. Throughout the whole movie, Seal gets in and out trouble almost too quickly. The whole film feels rushed just to get the end result which is you can see coming from a mile.

The true story factor kept this entertaining enough to finish. When the final scene cut and the credits rolled I was relieved to know that American Made was over.

Who should watch this movie? Fans of the Netflix series Narcos, Tom Cruise fans, and people that like movies about planes

Who shouldn’t watch this movie? Fans of popcorn movies, someone expecting another Top Gun, and the person wanting to be wowed by Cruise’s acting prowess.

Score

5.5 / 10 – The fact that this is a true story is this films only saving grace.

See more of my movie reviews here

Read on for spoilers

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Beard Blog Movie Review: Mother! (2017)

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Seeing is believing

Wow… what a ride. Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem deliver two oscars-worthy performances in a new movie that could only have come from Darren Aronofsky’s mind. Riddled with symbolism, metaphors, and religious undertones, Mother! tries to be a lot more than it is. I appreciate Aronofsky trying to bring his thoughts and visions to light and while most of them worked, the movie will fall flat on most viewers.

Mother!

A married couple are spending their days in an old house when uninvited guests begin to show up and cause disturbances. One thing leads to another and their happy lives are destroyed. Read below for spoilers and what I thought this movie represents.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]The story unfolds quickly through the climax and at the end you’re left with questions, confusion, and possibly tears.[/perfectpullquote]mother

The first 30 minutes of this movie have no score, soundtrack, or ambient noise. It’s just you and the characters on the screen. This can be annoying if you’re in a theater with other humans who breathe, eat, and are just naturally noisy. The lack of music allows you to immerse yourself in what is going on between the on-screen characters. Jennifer Lawrence has great poise and there is not a scene in this movie without her. Javier Bardem shows many different sides and it’s his best performance since No Country for Old Men. The story unfolds quickly through the climax and at the end you’re left with questions, confusion, and possibly tears.

Who should watch this movie? Fans of Aronofsky, fans of great acting, and people who can look past blatant attempts of symbolism of our current society.

Who shouldn’t watch this movie? People looking for a movie to just entertain them, people who struggle with violent images, and viewers that do not wish to think about the meaning of a scene or character.

Score

7.5 / 10 – Very moving acting on top of a weak premise.

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*SPOILERS*

Read on for spoilers, stop here if you haven’t seen this movie

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Movie Review: It (2017)

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You’ll Float Too

Coming into this movie, I didn’t know a lot about the Steven King novel, the 1990 TV miniseries, or this new version, which I feel made the viewing experience much better. I knew there was a clown, I’ve seen the red balloon imagery before, and I knew it was in the horror genre. Beyond that, I was just going on the hype and sales of this movie.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”#ff0000″ class=”” size=”28″]Skarsgård has what it takes to be nightmare fuel.[/perfectpullquote]

About a month ago, I signed up my wife and I for MoviePass, a service that allows you to see unlimited movies every month for a flat fee. This will be great for the fall season and hopefully into the future. Because of this, I will be trying to review every movie I see, so stay tuned!   MoviePass is not giving me anything to write this, nor is anyone paying me anything.

It opens in the late 1980s with two brothers building a paper sailboat. The older brother Billy is clearly the babysitter in the family, and the younger brother clearly needs babysat. The younger brother, Georgie, has fears of the basement and when he’s forced to go down there nothing happens. This was a slow start for me, but then it immediately got better. See spoilers at the end for more.

The star of the show by far is Bill Skarsgård who played Pennywise (the clown). It was almost on par with Ledger’s Joker in The Dark Knight. You could see the legitimate terror in the face of the actors when they had scenes together. Skarsgård has what it takes to be nightmare fuel.

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Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise

Throughout this movie I was distracted by trying to figure out the mechanics of how the villain worked and how he could be defeated. The writers very early on spoiled the fact that they were going to be making a sequel, and by the end of the movie, it was painfully obvious.

Overall this movie was very entertaining and kept me interested the whole 2 hours and 15 minutes. If the same production team is involved in the sequel, it should do very well too.

Who should watch this movie? If you like Stranger Things, It Follows, and 80s horror movies, you will definitely like It.

Who shouldn’t watch this movie? Fans of modern/terrible horror movies like Paranormal Activity. It has more of a story and character development and less jumpy scary stuff. Also, if you have a problem with clowns, teenagers swearing, or blood/guts, you should stay home.

Score

8 / 10 – Great movie to better enhance the currently cliche genre

*Spoilers*

Do not read below if you do not want to read any SPOILERS!

The entire movie we are constantly reminded that in 27 years, blah blah blah, the clown/It comes back. The movie takes place in 1989 which is 27 years from 2018. I wonder when the next movie will come out and take place… The opening scene where Georgie meets and later gets killed by Pennywise was my favorite. This scene created the baseline of fear for the clown and also showed that this movie was going to have no mercy, even on the youngest kids. Hopefully in the future they do a better job of explaining the history of this ‘It’. We got a couple of stories that the Ben character researched, which made me hope for a deeper history lesson, but alas that may come later. Since I’m not a It originator, that may have already been explained in the book or miniseries.