TouchdownGlenn83 Reviews

Tropic Thunder (2008)

Tropic Thunder is Hilarious

[8/10 · 13 August 2008]

Tropic Thunder is FUNNY. It starts of slightly slow at first then the comedy picks up. I could not stop laughing when the rebels captured Ben Stiller's character and forced him to act out his previous role as a mentally retarded person Simple Jack. The film is clever because it makes fun of actors and pop culture in general. Robert Downey Jr. background as a dramatic actor taking his 'craft' seriously and going over board with the role and becoming a black character in the film is beyond hysterical. Jack Black playing a drug addicted actor looking for his next hit was hilarious. Jay Baruchel played the straight man role well(the smart/normal one), the conversational scene between Baruchel where he is plotting out a plan to rescue Stiller and finding out that none of the other actors Downey J., Brandon T. Jackson, or Jack Black had read the script I thought was the funniest moment in Tropic Thunder. Danny R. McBride deserves honorable mention as a minor character who was also funny. Tropic Thunder is a fun comedy with lots of laughs.

Redbelt (2008)

A Solid Entertaining Film

[7/10 · 9 May 2008]

I saw the movie today and Redbelt is a solid and entertaining film. Despite the title of the film the movie is not all about martial arts. Some MMA fans who go watch the film and expect a nonstop cage action flick will be disappointed. The focus of the film revolves around Mike Terry, played by Chiwetel Ejiofor, who deals with money woes and relationship problems in his life. One recurring theme in Redbelt is why Mike Terry refuses to fight in MMA matches for money, he feels cage matches weaken fighters(because of rules) and MMA as a sport fighting business hurts the purity of the art form. Towards the climax, Terry reluctantly enters a MMA competition because of a major debt his wife owe to a loan shark.

Besides martial arts, the other side of the film deals with the multitudes of people Mike Terry faces or deals with in his life. This part of the film is more abstract. As a character analysis Mike Terry is the only person who is basically a good person and has his stuff together and for the most part is happy and in good spirit. Everyone else, including his wife(you can tell the marriage is crumbling), his cop student(who does something terrible to himself), Chet Frank, the movie star(played by Tim Allen) who befriends Mike Terry after an incident at a bar...all have personal issues that makes them unhappy and have trouble dealing with. Joe Mantegna's character, the fight promoters, and Augusto Silva represent what is wrong with the world because of there ugly nature.

In the end, Mike Terry unexpectedly gets two martial art belts, one from a fellow Japanese fighter as a sign of respect and a Redbelt from Joao Moro, played by Dan Inosanto, whose character is a revered martial figure for Mike Terry. The belts he is given symbolizes that Mike Terry is right in the way he lives his life the Redbelt reaffirms it.

Rescue Dawn (2006)

Not Really Believable !

[5/10 · 10 December 2007]

I just finished watching Rescue Dawn the other night and the film is average at best. I have never been shot down on a foreign land during wartime but I believe I would not have acted the same way Christian Bale's character acted. I thought Christian Bale character acted rather foolish and even cocky considering the circumstance he was in.

One example was when early on in the movie the guy with the long hair tied Bale's arm to the branch and shot towards him, but not at him(obviously that would kill him, they didn't want him dead) to punish him for thinking Bale was somehow responsible for the helicopter being in the area where they were. Christian Bale's character just acted all tough and cocky and yelling something at him along the lines when he was tied up..."don't you ever do that again"....(completely unbelievable and stupid, again, considering the situation).

While viewing the film, I never thought Christian Bale ever acted truly scared for his life and this was one of the main drawbacks of the film and the other drawback being several cheesy moments like Bale being tied to the ground by spikes and as his capturers walk away he says to them he has to take a sh*t, again, who acts like that considering you just been captured.

5/10

Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

Excellent Movie

[10/10 · 21 March 2007]

I enjoyed Little Miss Sunshine. If I enjoyed watching a movie I do not hesitate to give a 9 or 10 score. The general theme of this movie was about "family". Even though the family was going through difficult times, they all pulled together for one another when it mattered. From the film, it was quite obvious that the family members had communication problems with one another to some degree. They all speak to one another, they were hearing each other, but no one was "listening" to what the other person had to say. The grandfather was the funniest character in the film. The ending was original and surprisingly unexpected with Abigail Breslin stripping to Rick James's "she's a freak". In the end, they pulled together and supported one another, that is what a family is!

The Departed (2006)

Terrible Film, simply awful

[3/10 · 7 March 2007]

I have seen Infernal Affairs(the original) and the Departed is really terrible in comparison. The scene for example where Damon's character pretends to be a lawyer was MUCH better acted by Andy Lau in IA. Jack Nicholson character was over the top and annoying. IMO, Jack comes off as a low class, dirty, scumbag than a "mademan" mafioso top dog. The scene with Nicholson holding the severed hand in front of Dicaprio was just an stupid scene all together. Mark Wahlberg?? What was the point of his character? All he seems to do was act like a hoodlum and curse when he is speaking. I was very impressed with the storyline, the acting, and subtlety scenes in IA, but TD just left me uninterested in the story all together and this is the SAME FILM!! THE Departed is a terrible film with bad acting, by Hollywood A-list actors. Sorry, but I didn't buy the plot, the acting, the emotions in TD. But then again what do you expect, its a Hollywood knock-off of an original. I couldn't finsh the film that was how terrible it was.

Infernal Affairs (2002)

Saying it's a great movie is an understatement.

[10/10 · 27 February 2007]

WOW...That is all I can say about this movie. I was really impressed! Internal Affairs have become my favorite film. I was surprised by the ending and did not expect it at all. There are so many heartfelt moments in the film, but I don't want to ruined it by telling the scenes for people who are going to watch the film and have not seen it yet. I highly recommended Internal Affairs for a smart, sexy, intelligent, action film. Best Movie in a Long Time! One thing I will tell you about this film, since IMDb wants 10 lines(god, how annoying and nitpicky) you will grow to love the characters. I was shocked when Inspector Wong died. I was shocked and sad when undercover cop Yan died in the end. And I absolutely hated the triad mole Ming that he got away with being so evil and fraud.

The Warriors (1979)

The Warriors...a cult following for many reasons!

[10/10 · 28 October 2005]

I won't discuss the plot of the Warriors since many reviewers have posted much about the film. What I will tell you is why I like the film. The Warriors is a great film, pure and simple. The only negative about the Warriors is that the film is dated since it was made in the late 1970s. But that is trivial and it should not deter you from watching or liking the film.

The reason why I liked the Warriors is because the characters were real and relatable. I cared about and was deeply interested in the Warriors. A more diligent examination, I discovered that the Warrors were more than just "gangsters" or "thugs". Looking at the various members of the Warriors it was clear that these young men were a microcosm of conflicted men in society. All the members of the Warriors wanted to belong and as the Warriors they did belong. By belong, I mean these men were looking for or wanted from life and society what they themselves or as individuals did not have and these things were love, respect, loyalty, admiration, power, strength, and identity. I know you can add more attributes to the Warriors...but in short, those are some of the traits that gangs generally offer to young men, whether in reality it is true or not.

Moving moments in the film was when Swan and Mercy were riding the train and the students coming from the prom were giving them dirty looks because of the way both of them looked and "their place in the social ladder"(lower class). The other special and real moment for me was the ending when Swan finally arrives home and he subtly realizes that the "gang life" was not going to give him happiness. I am paraphrasing what Swan said: we fight to come back home, but, for what, for this(shows a working class and gritty NY neighborhood). For Swan, it was clearly of him coming of age and probably leaving the "Warriors"....

The Warriors is a guy movie and what guy movies are all about!!