The 2nd part of my triple feature was Danny Boyle's "127 Hours". You may have seen his last big picture, "Slumdog Millionaire". Stylistically, a lot of this movie was the same. James Franco plays Aron Ralston (That's right, only 1 'A'.), an adrenaline junkie who gets his arm stuck between a rock and a hard place and ends up cutting it off with his pocketknife. If that was a huge spoiler alert for you, you should really consider picking up a newspaper, flipping through news channels or following internet news just a little bit.
James Franco does a pretty good job of reacting how you'd expect a cocky, young guy in his position to react and I think he may be a fairly underrated actor. His performance is what really makes this movie watchable. Danny Boyle's use of odd camera angles, flashy colors and lights and split-screen shots on ther hand are super distracting. I know that's his style and I can appreciate that to an extent but it was really what I imagine an acid trip would be like.
However...all is not lost because Mr Boyle is an excellent screenwriter, in my opinion. I think it can be pretty hard to make a true story, no matter how intense, into an watchable and even entertaining movie. It also showed Aron's (hopefully real-life) transformation from crazy, hapless adventurer into a cautious yet still enthuiastic man.
I was going to give this movie only 1 thumb up because of the LSD effect but as I was writing this my 2nd thumb started to rotate into the upright position so I'll give it 2 thumbs for showcasing a man's character change and a director's writing skill and flashy style of filmmaking.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Views 2: Overdue date with a road trip comedy.
The first movie I saw today was the road trip comedy/minor bro-mance "Due Date". Overall opinion, loved it!
One of my favorite things about this movie was the similaraties with The Hangover as far as production values go, as well as the music chosen. Sadly, from the reviews I've read from other sources, this movie was expected to be just as funny and full of belly laughs as The Hangover was. Of course there were plenty of laughs but this movie is a different beast. It's the story of two strangers, each with his own flaws and their chance meeting at the beginning of a journey to find themselves. I think that's the reason that people would be disappointed with this movie as a comedy. It wasn't in-your-face humor like the last movie Mr Phillips helmed. And RDJ isn't that kind of actor. Also, the background music and choice of songs was pretty great! Hearing Neil Young's "Old Man" playing while driving through the country and past the Grand Canyon was awesome!
What makes this a near-complete motion picture is the fact that on top of everything else, the characters actually grew from beginning to end. There were a few questions left that were loosely answered but overall it was concluded the way I'd hoped.
I give it almost 2 thumbs up for being, funny, great music, and good characters even though I felt parts of the conclusion could've been tightened up.
One of my favorite things about this movie was the similaraties with The Hangover as far as production values go, as well as the music chosen. Sadly, from the reviews I've read from other sources, this movie was expected to be just as funny and full of belly laughs as The Hangover was. Of course there were plenty of laughs but this movie is a different beast. It's the story of two strangers, each with his own flaws and their chance meeting at the beginning of a journey to find themselves. I think that's the reason that people would be disappointed with this movie as a comedy. It wasn't in-your-face humor like the last movie Mr Phillips helmed. And RDJ isn't that kind of actor. Also, the background music and choice of songs was pretty great! Hearing Neil Young's "Old Man" playing while driving through the country and past the Grand Canyon was awesome!
What makes this a near-complete motion picture is the fact that on top of everything else, the characters actually grew from beginning to end. There were a few questions left that were loosely answered but overall it was concluded the way I'd hoped.
I give it almost 2 thumbs up for being, funny, great music, and good characters even though I felt parts of the conclusion could've been tightened up.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Brews 1: Drink the Monk up!
Tonight I had the pleasure of imbibing a 750 mL bottle of North Coast Brewing Co.'s Brother Thelonius. It wasn't my first time but 1, it's been a while since I've had quality beer. 2, it's been even long since I've had Brother Thelonius. And 3, this beer is easily in my Top 5 Beers Ever, if not Top 3 or even Most Ultimate Favorite. So I think it's only fitting that my first "Brews" entry to this blog is for this beer.
Now onto the beer!
Having started a blog to review beers among other things, I've realized that I should pay attention not only to the fact that a beer is tasty but what exactly makes it tasty to me. The first thing I noticed was the colors. The body of the beer is rich and dark and the head was a nice light tan color. Next thing I did was smell it. Despite the fact that my sense of smell isn't super developed, I must say...if Awesome had a scent, this would be it. It didn't sting the nostrils like Sex Panther would but it was rather soothing.
Next I took a sip, naturally. Now this is a Belgian style abbey ale and it's ABV is 9.4%. Pretty hefty! But it doesn't really cut through the taste. I mean, in any beer over about 5.5-6% the alcohol is going to become more and more apparent, but having drank "The Beast" (Avery Brewing Co, 15.~% ABV) I must say I prefer this one. (Even though The Beast is pretty awesome as well.) It goes down even smoother if you eat something chocolatey while you drink it. Tried Chips Ahoy! once but this time I had Swiss Rolls which work way better. I can only imagine what it's drinking this with a nice, rich brownie. My guess is a slice of Heaven.
This beer isn't for lightweights at all. This one bottle is the equivalent of about 5 cans of Bud Light. Of course, in my book this only adds to the awesomeness!
Brother Thelonius is a nice, dark abbey-style ale and I'll let you know right at the very beginning of this blog journey that I'm a little skewed towards dark ales. This isn't to say that I don't enjoy any lagers or light-color beers but given the choice when it comes to beer I say the darker the better. Along with the color it's on the thicker side. I don't know about you but I love drink a thick beer because it's actually satisfying.
I give Brother Thelonius 4.5 pint glasses out of 5, mostly because 5 pints might be too much awesomeness for one night!
Now onto the beer!
Having started a blog to review beers among other things, I've realized that I should pay attention not only to the fact that a beer is tasty but what exactly makes it tasty to me. The first thing I noticed was the colors. The body of the beer is rich and dark and the head was a nice light tan color. Next thing I did was smell it. Despite the fact that my sense of smell isn't super developed, I must say...if Awesome had a scent, this would be it. It didn't sting the nostrils like Sex Panther would but it was rather soothing.
Next I took a sip, naturally. Now this is a Belgian style abbey ale and it's ABV is 9.4%. Pretty hefty! But it doesn't really cut through the taste. I mean, in any beer over about 5.5-6% the alcohol is going to become more and more apparent, but having drank "The Beast" (Avery Brewing Co, 15.~% ABV) I must say I prefer this one. (Even though The Beast is pretty awesome as well.) It goes down even smoother if you eat something chocolatey while you drink it. Tried Chips Ahoy! once but this time I had Swiss Rolls which work way better. I can only imagine what it's drinking this with a nice, rich brownie. My guess is a slice of Heaven.
This beer isn't for lightweights at all. This one bottle is the equivalent of about 5 cans of Bud Light. Of course, in my book this only adds to the awesomeness!
Brother Thelonius is a nice, dark abbey-style ale and I'll let you know right at the very beginning of this blog journey that I'm a little skewed towards dark ales. This isn't to say that I don't enjoy any lagers or light-color beers but given the choice when it comes to beer I say the darker the better. Along with the color it's on the thicker side. I don't know about you but I love drink a thick beer because it's actually satisfying.
I give Brother Thelonius 4.5 pint glasses out of 5, mostly because 5 pints might be too much awesomeness for one night!
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Views: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
So today I was finally able to go the movie theatres after about a 5-week hiatus, which is quite a while for me. I went to see the latest installment of the Harry Potter franchise.
All in all, pretty amazing.
Was it fast and exciting? Not always, but what 2 1/2 hour movie keeps up the action for its entirety. Was it easy for the layman to follow? Not really.
BUT it is the most accurate adaptation yet!
(I just lost everything that I typed after this due to an AndroBlogger app malfunction...here goes nothing)
As I was saying, it is a great adapatation as far into the book as it covers. Finally, a Potter movie that didn't leave me saying, "That's not how it happened!". No remotely sizeable chunks of the story were cut from the screen and only a few small details, as far as I noticed, were changed. The effects, as usual, as awesome. There was an animated scene that I was very impressed with and that I think was a super smart choice as it covered the telling of a fairy tale and I think a live-action version would've felt too much like a flashback.
Overall, I was very satisfied with this movie. It felt like the studios finally took into account the fact that millions of people have actually read the books and know the difference between the novels and the movies and really tried hard to close the gap.
I give it 2 thumbs up for respecting viewers and living up to the hype.
...Coming next summer...Part 2!
All in all, pretty amazing.
Was it fast and exciting? Not always, but what 2 1/2 hour movie keeps up the action for its entirety. Was it easy for the layman to follow? Not really.
BUT it is the most accurate adaptation yet!
(I just lost everything that I typed after this due to an AndroBlogger app malfunction...here goes nothing)
As I was saying, it is a great adapatation as far into the book as it covers. Finally, a Potter movie that didn't leave me saying, "That's not how it happened!". No remotely sizeable chunks of the story were cut from the screen and only a few small details, as far as I noticed, were changed. The effects, as usual, as awesome. There was an animated scene that I was very impressed with and that I think was a super smart choice as it covered the telling of a fairy tale and I think a live-action version would've felt too much like a flashback.
Overall, I was very satisfied with this movie. It felt like the studios finally took into account the fact that millions of people have actually read the books and know the difference between the novels and the movies and really tried hard to close the gap.
I give it 2 thumbs up for respecting viewers and living up to the hype.
...Coming next summer...Part 2!
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Welcome
Greetings Readers,
This is my first entry to what I hope will be an awesome blog. I'm calling it Views, Brews And Chews because I'm hoping to give the world my take on movies, beer, and food.
The Brews and Chews entries might end up being part of the same entries and if I have an extraordinary day, I might partake in all 3 in one day. And since it's holiday blockbuster season, most of my entries for the end of this year will probably be in the Views category.
Keep in mind this is my first real blog and it's been a while since I've really written anything longer than a Facebook status update or 3 page text message. With that said, hopefully at least a few people will stick with me on this journey as I improve and share my opinions.
'Til next time,
Jake
Stay tuned for my first review of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1!
This is my first entry to what I hope will be an awesome blog. I'm calling it Views, Brews And Chews because I'm hoping to give the world my take on movies, beer, and food.
The Brews and Chews entries might end up being part of the same entries and if I have an extraordinary day, I might partake in all 3 in one day. And since it's holiday blockbuster season, most of my entries for the end of this year will probably be in the Views category.
Keep in mind this is my first real blog and it's been a while since I've really written anything longer than a Facebook status update or 3 page text message. With that said, hopefully at least a few people will stick with me on this journey as I improve and share my opinions.
'Til next time,
Jake
Stay tuned for my first review of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1!
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