Premium Rush -OR- An Open Love Letter to Michael Shannon

I apologize in advance if I get slightly off topic but I'd like to take a moment to talk about my favorite actor - Michael Shannon, a man who steals the hell out of every scene he's in, who comes onto the screen like a feral animal, a force of nature and manages to rachet up the intensity level; and he does all of this while appearing to do nothing at all. That's called skills.

I often wonder how other actors feel about working with Michael Shannon. I'm sure they are clamoring to work with him because he's so good and because they always say working with great actors makes you a better actor yourself. But there also must be some part of them that is hesitant. Even if you are at your absolute best, Michael Shannon is going to be better than you.

A few days ago, I watched a movie called Machine Gun Preacher (review in a nutshell: solid movie but way, way, way too long). It's a true story and stars Gerard Butler as an ex-con who completely turns his life around and focuses his attentions on helping orphaned children in the Sudan. I'm not Gerard Butler's biggest fan but this was a career best performance for him. However, the movie also featured Michael Shannon in the supporting role of Butler's childhood friend turned junkie biker turned saved Christian. In just a few key scenes, Shannon manages to steal the entire movie. He's done this before, and from much bigger named and more talented co-stars (see also: Revolutionary Road which starred Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, but it was Shannon who you were thinking and talking about for months). I don't know what it is about him because I never studied film and I don't know all the technical aspects of acting. I'm just a girl who loves movies more than anything else in the world and who likes to write about them here even if no one reads it. So, I can't really say what it is about Michael Shannon. All I know is that he's my absolute favorite actor and there is just something about his performances, intensity, passion that jumps off the screen and grabs a hold of me and doesn't let me go for the duration.

That being said, he's the absolute best thing about Premium Rush, obviously. Premium Rush is a decent movie, but with the addition of Shannon (and star Joseph Gordon-Levitt), it becomes a better movie, almost a good movie. Shannon co-stars as a dirty cop with a bad gambling habit who spends the entire movie chasing after Gordon-Levitt's Wile character who is transporting an envelope with a ticket worth a lot of money from the Upper East Side to Chinatown. While this movie could primarily be seen as style over substance, the performances are what bring it to a whole other level. Shannon is incindiary as the dirty, lying cop. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is also solid too. He's gone from child TV star to indie movie darling and now you can tell he is having the time of his life as a fledgling movie star. His enthusiasm and charisma just jumps off the screen. Premium Rush can be seen as just a bike chase movie but it's also a pretty good thriller and has a solid story as well. But it's Gordon-Levitt, and, especially, Shannon who make it a better movie.

Grade: B-

Catching Up on Summer Movies

So, I sort of temporarily abandoned blogger but it was only because, for some reason, it wasn't allowing me to update. It looks like that might be fixed now so I have returned. In my absence, I was trying to keep up with things over on tumblr. If you want to read my recent full reviews go here: http://thiscinephile.tumblr.com/. For now, however, I will just post little quickies to get up to date.

Rock of Ages - Very similar to Burlesque but without the awesome performances courtesy of Cher and Stanley Tucci. The story of a young girl who tries to make it in Hollywood in the 80s, Rock of Ages was a huge success on Broadway. Julianne Hough has potential. She can dance and sing and act (her level of talent goes in that order too) but lacks any sort of chemistry with Diego Boneta, who also has absolutely no charisma whatsoever. Catherine Zeta-Jones is a titan of the musical world (Chicago) and takes a one-dimensional, slightly annoying role and proves why she is a superstar. Russell Brand and Alec Baldwain are forgettable at best. Paul Giamatti manages to give a great performance in the role of an unlikeable jackass. Then there is Tom Cruise. If you are going to see Rock of Ages, go see it for Tom Cruise. I'm not his biggest fan. But as Axl Rose clone Stacee Jaxx, Cruise, who makes his entrance in assless chaps, is all in. His dedication to this character is ridiculous and he parades around this movie like a peacock, so showy and vain and just damn good. The music in the movie is super fun (and there's a lot of it), but ultimately it's just a Tom Cruise vehicle. Somehow, this movie just didn't jive for me. Something was lacking and missing. Grade: C+

Magic Mike - Under the direction of Steven Soderbergh, Magic Mike becomes so much more than a movie about male strippers. The dialogue is rich and flows realistically. It's also genuinely funny and has a lot of heart. The filmmaking is just great and I especially loved the way the film seemed so vivid at night, but was sort of muted and washed out during the day, looking how you feel with a hangover. The performances are great, as well. Channing Tatum, this is story is based on his life, is clearly the best dancer and is so charming and charasmatic that he just keeps begging his haters to find faults with his seriously improved acting. Cody Horn is a great find and has great chemistry with both Tatum and Alex Pettyfer. Saepking of Pettyfer, this is his finest performance to date (especially during his second half unraveling) and proves he is much more than a pretty face. Then there is McConaughey, so dirty and grimy and slimy and hilarious as the perverse father figure of this group of lost boys. All in all, I loved Magic Mike. Soderbergh and this talented cast created a film that is downright good. Grade: B+

Ted - It seemed everyone in the audience with me loved this movie. I did not. Ted wasn't completely without laughs but mostly I found it boarish and just plain boring. I don't feel like rehasing a negative review so head over to Tumblr to read the whole thing if you want. Grade: D-

The Amazing Spider-Man - The film wastes a lot of time with the first act that doesn't necessarily go anywhere. The movie isn't really all that long (compared to other summer comic book movies) but it sure as hell feels like it. The best thing about this movie is Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker. He just completely nails it and you almost don't want the original trilogy to exist because this movie will always be compared to those movies and Garfield doesn't deserve that. He is extraordinary. The Amazing Spider-man is at its best when it's this cute indie love story inside this epic film. When it's at its best, I'm so glad they decided to reboot it. The 3D aspect of the film also ratchets up the fun quotient. I'm not a big fan of 3D but if there was ever a superhero who begged to be in 3D, then it's Spider-man! The other downside is that I felt cheated out of a villain. Horror movies are only as good as their villains and it takes the Lizard nearly two thirds of the movie to arrive, and then he's more misunderstood then villainous. Emma Stone is sassy and witty and adorable as Gwen Stacy. The Amazing Spider-man is, indeed, amazing. It's ultimately a fun, exciting and sweet summer movie. Grade: B

Savages - Savages was a strange kind of movie for me. It's a really well done film, both dark and gritty and kind of funny. There's sex, drugs, violence and it has an actual plot, which is pretty for a summer movie. Plus, the cast is universally pretty great. Still, I was expecting more. Aaron Johnson and Taylor Kitsch are pot growers who are in love with the same woman (Blake Lively) and get involved with a Mexican drug cartel headed by Salma Hayek and her sociopathic goon Benicio Del Toro. The plot and script is mostly great, engaging, interesting, thrilling and intense. Some of the dialogue, however, is a bit cheesy / corny / dumb (mostly Lively's voice overs). The cinematagraphy is great as well. The major problem for me was the terrible / preposterous / ridiculous / stupid ending. Seriously, there had to be a better ending out there somewhere!! Hayek, Del Toro and John Travolta are all hammy great. Johnson is sensitive and endearing. Lively is the weak spot, of course. But Kitsch finally put his summer blunders behind him. This the kind of intense, dark, gritty work the actor should be doing, not fluff like Battleship. Grade: B-


The Dark Knight Rises - The best movie of the year, so far, for sure. It might not be as good as The Dark Knight but it's pretty damn close. There are flaws in the movie, sure, but sometimes you just have to look at the bigger picture and appreciate a movie for being so epic and entertaining. And all the good stuff, no BRILLIANT stuff, more than makes up for any nitpicky flaws you might find with the movie. My review over on Tumblr is longer and more detailed but the gist is this: Christopher Nolan has crafted a trilogy that will stand that test of tie and be revered as, probably and hopefully, the greatest superhero trilogy of all time. The Dark Knight Rises is the perfect ending to that trilogy. Grade: A-