Head over to Movie Rob’s site for more reviews

“Don’t you want to take a leap of faith? Or become an old man, filled with regret, waiting to die alone! ” – Saito

Number of Times Seen – 6 (3 Nov 2010, 2011, 2012, 24 Oct 2013, 28 Mar 2016 and 8 Sep 2019)

Link to original review – Here and Here

Brief Synopsis – A group of experts are hired to infiltrate the mind of an executive in order to implant a thought into his mind that will change the way he runs his company.

My Take on it – This is an amazing film that once again is able to prove the genius of writer/director Christopher Nolan.

This story works on so many levels and stays intriguing, interesting and thrilling from start to finish.

The story is presented as an existential one yet they expertly use special effects and dialogue to make things seem even more tangible and relatable which works superbly throughout.

The cats is unbelievable and they all are able to work so well together as a team that it helps make the story move forward at a great pace that moves so fluidly throughout.

Nolan does a splendid job directing this film and is able to create a world that is a mixture of reality and fantasy yet still comes across as plausible and realistic throughout.

The story itself is multi layered and this helps make the story feel even more interesting and intriguing as things seem to get more and more complex as they move forward.

It’s imperative to pay close attention to the story because of the fact that it jumps around within the various story levels and if you get distracted, you might miss something quite important because nothing is truly ever as it seems.

Nolan is an amazing writer and this film is further proof of his ability to create unique and original stories for us to savor for all time.

It’s a pity that most films that are made these days aren’t filled with original ideas like this one is.

The story is quite mind blowing and manages to keep surprising the viewer over and over as things move along.

This is one of the very best thrillers ever made and that has much to do with the fact that they are able to create a thriller that actually fits “outside of the box” instead of being something that just recycles old ideas.

Bottom Line – Amazing film that is able to work on so many levels.  The story is quite existential yet they use effects and dialogue to help make it feel even more tangible. The cast is superb and they all work so well together as a team in order to help the story constantly move forward. Nolan directs this film amazingly and is able to create a world that is both real and fantasy for us to grasp all that is happening throughout. The story itself is quite layered and that helps make things so much more intriguing and interesting since one needs to constantly try and keep track of what’s going on the entire time because nothing is ever as it truly seems. With this film, Nolan once again proves how adept a writer he can be and is able to give us a very unique and original story that is mind blowing over and over.  One of the best thrillers ever made especially since it is truly a story that fits “outside of the box”. Highly Highly Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – Writer, producer, and director Christopher Nolan first pitched this movie to Warner Brothers after the completion of his third movie, Insomnia (2002), and was met with approval from the studio. However, it was not yet written at the time, and Nolan determined that rather than writing it as an assignment, it would be more suitable to his working style if he wrote it as a speculation script, and then presented it to the studio whenever it was completed. So he went off to write it, thinking it would take “a couple of months”, but it ultimately took nearly eight years. (From IMDB)

Rating – Oscar Worthy (10/10) (no change from original review)

Head over to Movie Rob’s site to read more reviews

“I need a good opening. Once I get that, then the rest will follow. ” – Neil Wistin

Number of Times Seen – 1 (3 Sep 2019)

Brief Synopsis – A CIA operative in charge of manning drones across the Globe tries to handle the pressure of his work while attempting to keep his family together.

My Take on it – This is a film that I heard about a few years ago and never really got around to seeing what it was about despite being a fan of Sean Bean’s work over the years.

The concept and premise of this film is actually a clever one that if in the right hands could have been so much more impactful and thrilling, but the way they present things here just doesn’t work well at all.

Bean himself has always been a very solid actor but his performance here is quite mediocre and any attempt by him to make his character or the situation he finds himself in to be realistic fails to deliver.

The movie has much too many plot holes within the story which detract so much from being able to enjoy what they give us.

This is especially true when the story goes off on pointless tangents that don’t add to the story at hand at all.

Loved seeing Mary McCormack and Joel David Moore in supporting roles, yet neither is utilized nearly enough here and they both come across as being caricatures which is quite a shame.

For a thriller, this film is lacking heavily on the thrilling or suspenseful moments that would make it fit even better into the genre…

Pity….

Bottom Line – Very interesting concept that unfortunately isn’t presented very well at all. Bean is a solid actor, but he fails to make his character or the situation that he finds himself in seem realistic enough. The story is filled with way too many plot holes that detract from the enjoyment of this idea because it goes off on numerous tangents that aren’t really connected to anything worthwhile. Loved seeing Moore and McCormick in supporting roles, but neither of their characters are developed beyond a superficial level which is a shame.  Isn’t nearly as thrilling as a film in the thriller genre should be.

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – When Wistin is getting clearance to fire the second missile after the first fails to kill the target, he acknowledges a transmission by saying “10-4” This is a code used on Citizen’s Band and public safety radios. It would not be used by the CIA or whatever intelligence agency Wistin works for. (From IMDB)

Rating – BAFTA Worthy (5/10)

ABC Film Challenge Non-Review Selection

I won’t be doing reviews for everything letter, so here are my pick for today.

ABC Film Challenge

Crime

X

XXX Franchise

Why I’ve Picked this choice – I have reviewed all three of this franchise and do enjoy two of them, let forget State of the Union exist, it is best for everyone.

ABC Film Challenge Non-Review Selection

I won’t be doing reviews for everything letter, so here are my pick for today.

ABC Film Challenge

Crime

Q

Qil

Why I’ve Picked this choice – This is a Netflix suggestion, it is a Bollywood film, one that could be used to talk about crime, if you have seen it, let me know what you think about it.

Head over to Movie Rob’s site for more reviews

“Do not prioritize money over having a heartbeat.” – Mr. Edmington

Number of Times Seen – 1 (3 Jul 2019)

Brief Synopsis – After being suspended for excessive force, two police detectives decide to steal of fortune of gold bullion from a group of very dangerous and violent criminals.

My Take on it – This is a film that I have been interested in seeing for the past few months solely due to the fact that it stars Mel Gibson and Vince Vaughn, but its run time of over 2 and a half hours has deterred me time and again.

Unfortunately, the film is terrible and takes too much time to even get to its point and then dragged things along (across concrete???) to torture us even more.

The story is overly long and has too many plot holes that it looks like a sieve.

It moves along painfully at a really slow pace and is a real chore to get through.

Both Vaughn and Gibson gives less than spectacular performances here which is a shame since they both have it in them to give us great performances.

The story is filled with lots of holes that make it all seem very chaotic and unorganized because it moves from extreme to extreme without real continuity along the way.

The dialogue is atrocious and makes the viewer laugh because it makes so little sense and is quite often extremely silly.

Bottom Line – Terrible film that drags on for much too long and actually makes the viewer feel as if they are truly being dragged across concrete the entire time.  Vaughn and Gibson both give very lackluster performances here and this feels more like a grab for a quick salary than a way to tell an engaging and interesting story.  The story is filled with far too many plot holes that make this thing feel like it is riddled with holes just like Swiss cheese.  The dialogue is quite humorous because it comes across as being too silly the whole time and makes so little sense along the way.

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – Vince Vaughn, while working with Mel Gibson on Hacksaw Ridge, showed Gibson the screenplay for this film, and talked-up writer/director S. Craig Zahler and his vision. Gibson was responsive to the material and agreed to star immediately. (From IMDB)

Rating – Razzie Worthy (3/10)