True Story (2015)

Directed by Rupert Goold
Written by Rupert Goold and David Kajganich, based on the memoir of Michael Finkel
Starring Jonah Hill, James Franco, Felicity Jones and Robert John Burke

When disgraced New York Times reporter Michael Finkel meets accused killer Christian Longo - who has taken on Finkel's identity - his investigation morphs into a game of cat-and-mouse.

A gripping, real life court case that builds in intensity as the story moves along is overshadowed by the distracting combination of Jonah Hill and James Franco trying to be serious at the same time. I am a big supporter of Jonah Hill and his transition to becoming a dramatic actor, but I feel the casting was poorly executed for this film.

Every scene in which the two are by themselves or with other actors are suspenseful and filled with great performances. But when the two share screen time together, every facial expression feels like a lead up to the reveal that this entire thing was a prank, thus turning the direction of the story on a dime and turning it into a raunchy comedy.

Not pictured: Seth Rogen sitting just off frame behind James Franco.

The film was well intended and the story was strong enough to keep me interested. But I can't help but feel that casting the two of them opposite of each other was a good idea. Had it been Jonah Hill and another actor or James Franco and another actor, or even two completely different actors, this could have been a much stronger movie. I love the effort to keep Jonah Hill's career moving. James Franco doesn't need it. He's already been established as a dramatic actor. 

Other than the casting, this was a great story. I don't know how much of it was actually factual in the true story, but it definitely kept me interested. This movie is worth checking out. Just try not to laugh when they're on screen together.

My Rating: 6.5/10

Movie Trailer Tuesdays - 3/31/15

Good Kill

Directed by Andrew Niccol

Starring Ethan Hawke, January Jones, Zoë Kravitz and Jake Abel

A family man begins to question the ethics of his job as a drone pilot.

Alright, Andrew Niccol, you have my attention. This definitely looks interesting. It's a different take on modern combat that we've seen briefly shown in movies and TV shows, but I personally have never seen a story focussed solely on a drone pilot. The few reviews I've read for this aren't Earth shattering, but they are mostly positive. We shall see on May 15th.

Maggie

Directed by Henry Hobson

Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Abigail Breslin, Joely Richardson and Laura Cayouette

A teenage girl in the Midwest becomes infected bu an outbreak of a disease that slowly turns the infected into cannibalistic zombies. During her transformation, her loving father stays by her side.

Damn, AHNULD! When did you become a single-tear actor? Damn, damn, DAMN! I cannot wait for this movie. Arnold Schwazenegger may not be the best actor, but he sure as hell makes fun movies. And he actually looks very good in this! I can't wait for this to come out May 8th.

True Story

Directed by Rupert Goold

Staring Jonah Hill, James Franco, Felicity Jones and Ethan Suplee

The relationship between journalist Michael Finkel and Christian Longo, an FBI Most Wanted List murderer, who for years lived outside the U.S. under Finkel's name.

I saw this trailer a few months ago and I immediately became transfixed by it. Jonah Hill is proving himself to be a more versatile actor than anyone could have predicted and it is very exciting to watch his career grow. James Franco always seems to be at his best playing the darker roles and Felicity Jones is just icing on the cake. It's a great ensemble and it looks like an incredible story. "True Story" hits theaters April 17th.

Southpaw

Directed by Antoine Fuqua

Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Rachel McAdams, Rita Ora and Clare Foley

A boxer fights his way to the top, only to find that his life is falling apart around him.

First off, Jake Gyllenhaal looks terrifying in this. Second, there are a few issues with the plot (at least as shown in the trailer) that I can't look past. First, why is another person risking imprisonment to fire a gun at a boxer who is just in a fight with another boxer. Second, the court says that he needs to prove himself an able father, not an able boxer. So why is he trying so hard to become an able boxer? Perhaps these are better explained or make more sense in the full movie. Either way, I will be seeing this in theaters July 31st.

Spectre (007 Series)

Directed by Sam Mendes

Starring Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Ralph Fiennes and Monica Bellucci

A cryptic message from Bond's past sends him on a trail to uncover a sinister organization. While M battles political forces to keep the secret service alive, Bond peels back the layers of deceit to reveal the terrible truth behind SPECTRE.

I would never call myself a Bond fan. In fact, up until the newest series with Daniel Craig, I always found them to be a bit campy. So when I say that I think Sam Mendes is the best director the 007 series ever had, know that I say that with little knowledge of the older Bond films and only say that as a personal preference. I think this looks great. In my mind, hero franchises such as this, Marvel and DC are and always have been about the villain. And Christoph Waltz was born to play villains. Bond is back at it on November 6th.

Tune in next Tuesday for more trailers! If you have any suggestions for movies or even trailers to cover in next weeks installment, comment or message me on Facebook at:

www.Facebook.com/MDCHicks

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@MichaelDCHicks

All Good Things (2010)

Directed by Andrew Jarecki
Written by Marcus Hinchey and Marc Smerling

Starring Ryan Gosling, Kirsten Dunst, Frank Langella and Lilly Rabe
David Marks was suspected but never tried for killing his wife, Katie, who disappeared in 1982, but things occur in his life that bring suspicion of him back into the investigators attention.

Based on the true story of Robert Durst, the subject of the HBO docu-series "The Jinx", this film made it surprisingly easy to sympathize with the alleged murderer who may or may not have committed these crimes (He did.. he totally did). I have yet to watch the series, but I was taken aback at how humanized they made him seem.

Were it not based on a true story, this movie would have been easy to look over. It is one of the many films that gain notoriety on it's subject matter alone. There was nothing spectacular about anything, from acting to cinematography. It was all very blasé for having such an unbelievable, yet true inspiration.

Pictured: Ryan Gosling being blasé.

It could have been so much more, but perhaps given the time this film was made, certain facts about the case weren't available at the time. It's a good movie. I enjoyed watching it. But this is like "Gone Girl's" little sister filled with teenage angst. Though, I definitely want to watch "The Jinx" now.

My Rating: 6.5/10

In the Name of the Father (1993)

Directed by Jim Sheridan
Written by Terry George and Jim Sheridan, based on the book by Gerry Conlon
Starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Pete Postlethwaite, Emma Thompson and John Lynch

In the midst of the IRA terrorist attacks in London, an Irish man named Gerry Conlon, along with ten other Irish citizens are convicted of crimes they did not commit. Sentenced between 4 years to life for their various convictions, the eleven innocent Irish men, women and children all served their sentences while maintaining their innocence. Until fifteen years later, when an English lawyer discovers a Police cover-up.

An infuriatingly true story of corruption and government conspiracy and the prejudice of all Irish citizens in England during the 1970s, "In the Name of the Father" shows just how easy it is for a police force to lie and affect innocent lives in order to get the illusion of results. In a so-called "Democracy", where the government is there to protect their citizens, they create a veil of lies and destroy the lives of eleven people.

It's a film that will make you think and ask just how accurate our judicial system is today. The truly terrifying thing in this case is that no police officers or detectives were ever charged for their crimes. The government protects it's own despite the cruel and unjust actions they are guilty of.

I'm no lawyer, but I'm pretty sure that this constitutes as a mistrial…

only unfortunately for Guiseppe Conlon, it was after he had died.

This is the kind of movie that will make you angry while you watch it. You won't believe you are hearing what you're hearing and you find it even harder to believe that the antagonist succeeds, thus creating a two-hour and fifteen-minute movie instead of a forty-minute, anti-climactic one.

As usual with Day-Lewis, his acting is on point. And being from Ireland himself, I'm sure this story hit close to home for him. With every movie I see him in, new or old, I am amazed at just how good of an actor he is. He is recognizable, yet has a tendency to disappear in his characters. Remarkable.

My Rating: 8/10