The Rambling Review: Gangster Squad

           Howdy there! I'm Justin, and I'll be posting here on Simple Minded Movies from time to time. For all of you simple minded moviegoers who may want to go a little deeper into the heart and soul of the art of a film, my Rambling Review segment will be for you. I have a lot to say, and I'll try to make sense of it before I put it out to you guys, but if you like to read reviews on the longer side, you'll(hopefully) pick up what I'm putting down. Here's my first Rambling Review of the movie Gangster Squad:

         
           In the words of Sgt. John O'Mara,“Every man carries a badge”...For WWII veteran O'Mara(Josh Brolin), that badge is the city of Los Angeles. For retired boxer and crime lord Mickey Cohen(Sean Penn), that badge is a desire for money and power. For the writers of Gangster Squad's screenplay, however, that badge appears to be hastily written dialogue and mindless violence.

           Set in 1949 Los Angeles, Gangster Squad turns the City of Angels into a battlefield in which six savvy cops lay down their badges in an attempt to take down the untouchable and seemingly unstoppable mobster Mickey Cohen. Cohen is on a warpath and is set to take control of the US West Coast in typical mob fashion(paying off judges and cops, dealing drugs, and laundering lots of money). However, Sgt. John O'Mara is a cop who can't be bought, and makes this clear by taking down one of Cohen's crackhouses single-handedly. Taking notice of O'Mara's bravery, dedication, and military background(most of which he is not at liberty to discuss), Chief of Police Parker(Nick Nolte) recruits him to put a squad of officers together and wage an underground war against Mickey Cohen's empire.

           Much to the chagrin of his pregnant wife, Connie(Mireille Enos), O'Mara accepts. He then recruits 5 men: Sgt. Jerry Wooters(Ryan Gosling), Officer Coleman Harris(Anthony Mackie), Officer Max Kennard(Robert Patrick), Officer Navidad Ramirez(Michael Pena), and Officer Conway Keeler(Giovanni Ribisi). These men are to leave their badges at home and put their lives on the line to take down Mickey Cohen, and stop his plan of creating a central book in Los Angeles. Will they succeed? Will they all perish in the attempt? Regardless, there will be gunfire and explosions aplenty, as well as plenty of awkward scenes between the fiery redheaded Emma Stone and the hard-bodied, sharply-dressed Ryan Godling, er, Gosling(Who raised his voice an octave in anticipation of his role in this movie).

           Before I begin my review, I will say that I was excited to see this movie. With a strong cast including Josh Brolin, Nick Nolte, and Giovanni Ribisi, as well as the director of Zombieland, Ruben Fleischer, at its helm, I was expecting interesting, if not good, things. I saw the preview for Gangster Squad just after seeing Lawless in theaters last year, which was a movie set in the 30's that I very much enjoyed. As Lawless was a movie about moonshine runners, I was eager to see a movie from a similar era, but seen from the point of view of the law. Again, I was very excited for this movie.

           However, I walked out of the theater after Gangster Squad wanting...more. I felt unfulfilled after seeing this movie. When I go to the theater, I want to leave it with some part of the movie on my mind, be it a quote, or memorable scene, something I can put into my “mental scrapbook” of movies, as it were. But nothing in this movie stuck out to me. I didn't walk out repeating an inspiring quote to myself, or re-living an emotional scene in my mind. There was nothing to keep with me for for the future. I had a ticket stub and that was all.

           When I walk out of a movie feeling this way, I immediately know the problem. Bad writing. And in this movie, it was indeed bad. The dialogue was bland, and nothing the characters said left an impression on me. The scenes with dialogue between two people were just awkward(I'm looking at you, Gosling). Some of them barely contained any lines at all, and seemed to consist mostly of either someone taking a drag of their cigarette, or staring awkwardly into the distance.

           I realized looking back on this movie that there were a lot of action scenes, which, I suppose, is a great way to mask bad writing. If everyone is always shooting at each other, no one has time to talk. However, even the action sequences left me disappointed. There just seemed to be a lot of mindless shooting with no consequences, which, considering the leader of the squad is a special ops trained army veteran, didn't make a lot of sense to me.

           All of this, combined with Ryan Gosling's character choice to speak in falsetto the entire movie, left me disappointed in Gangster Squad. I wanted to leave this movie with my mouth hanging open, and wondering how they could have left me so speechless. Instead, I left it with my wallet hanging open, myself staring into it, and wondering why in the world I hadn't seen Django Unchained yet.

           I can't say this movie was good. However I can't say it was terrible either. I give props where props are due, and I have to give props to most of the cast for doing what they could with such a poorly written script. Josh Brolin played the badass ex-army vet very well, and though I've seen better out of Sean Penn, his role as the crime-lord/boxer was well cast. If you're planning on seeing this movie in theaters, I say wait until it's on Netflix, or you can see it somewhere cheap. There are other movies I would recommend spending twelve bucks on, such as Django Unchained or Silver Linings Playbook. Or if you're still in the mood for mindless gunfire, you could see The Last Stand.

           All in all, my policy on movies is that they are an art form, and you have to see one for yourself to decide what you think of it. Always remember that a review is nothing but that reviewers opinion, so you don't have to agree or disagree with every part of it. If you really wanna know how good or bad this movie is, go see it for yourself, and let me know what you thought.
          Thanks for reading my first rambling review, and until my next, happy viewing.

          

21 Best Movies of the 21st Century That You Probably Haven't Seen.

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Let us know what we missed!

Also don't forget to vote on my next Netflix movie review!

Netflix Review: The Warriors

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CAN YOU DIG IT?!...... Well it would be easier with a shovel.

In a not so far future of New York City, a few hundred groups of guys get together to show off their abs, costumes, and to fight in a way that looks very close to dancing. I just have to wonder how cold they get in the winter.

In all seriousness, The Warriors start off with Cyrus, the leader of the largest gang of New York, gathering all the other gangs of NYC together to propose a city wide truce. Cyrus exclaims that as one large gang, all 60,000 of them could control the city. Nothing would happen in the city without them letting it happen and, best of all, the cops couldn't do a thing, as there are at the most 20,000 of them. During this announcement, Cyrus is shot and killed, everyone panics and scatters. With in the commotion The Warriors are blamed for his death, and now have to travel back home with every gang in NY trying to kill them. Will they make it home? Will they even survive? Will any of them find a shirt to put on?

It's easy to see that The Warriors is a classic cult movie. The style, plot, and storyline is very polarizing. You'll either love it or hate it. Now with every rule there is an exception to the rule that further proves the rule. With that, I was indifferent to the movie. If i was around in 1979, I could see myself there at the midnight premiere, in costume, and not able to shut up about the movie for months. This movie was a first of its kind. The style, the feel, all around atmosphere all started with The Warriors. Unfortunately, being a movie buff that put off seeing this movie for years, I've seen this all before. Nothing really surprised me and nothing made me think "this is amazing!" I still  should say this movie was very well done. When I first heard of this movie I imagined "West Side Story without singing." I was wrong. As I heard more about the movie and what I was missing, I imagined a movie Double Dragon style, a few guys moving through a city beating up anyone that tries to stop them and not moving on until every gang member in that level is defeated. I was wrong on that one too. Early into the night all of the Warriors get split up and have to fend for themselves, all of them running into different types of challenges.

I had a hard time figuring out how to finish this review. The Warriors is a movie that is difficult to sum up with a few sentences. The characters, the plot, the meaning is all too complicated to understand without just seeing it for yourself. This is a movie that sets in, that stays with you. Scenes easily play over in your head hours after the movie is over. This classic is a first of its kind and well worth watching.

Now here is the poll for next weeks Netflix review.



Soon we will be having a few new writers and a couple new segments as well.

HOBO Review: The other day I was walking and gave a hobo some change. He thanked me and we started talking. I come to find out that he has never seen many of the movies that you and I know and love. We made a deal that he would watch a movie and write a review for the blog and in return, I would give him half of a turkey on rye. He asked for a whole turkey and rye, but I'm no sucker, I bartered.



Also a friend of mine is a very talented writer and a has a wide and, in my opinion, an amazing taste in television. So here is the preview logo of SMM's new Television segment.



Also expect a few guest writers and more lists!

21 Greatest Villains of the 21st Century

Did we miss any? Let us know who you think should have made the list.

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Jack Reacher

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Tom Cruise is still looking for the truth, even after Jack Nicholson has warned against it.
Jack Reacher is a former Army detective, who after serving a great portion of his life to the service disappears in America and hasn't been heard tracked down for years. He rises up out of the shadows when former Army Sniper James Barr is arrested for shooting and killing five random people in downtown Pittsburgh. Reacher has a history with Barr and wants to make sure Barr is locked up for good. (I resisted the urge to say "put Barr behind bars") Once Reacher gets to Pittsburgh, much to his surprise, he finds out that Barr asked for him by name. Unfortunately Reacher can't ask him why because of a coma, and the only thing that is keeping him from disappearing again is Barr's attorney Helen. She is fighting to give Barr a fair trial, because her dad, the district attorney, is doing everything he can to put Barr to death. Add a few plot twists, car chases, street fighting, and more Tom Cruise one-liners than Jerry Maguire, and you get Jack Reacher.

 It's easy to say that Jack Reacher tried to put more twists into this movie than a Twizzler. It's easy to get away with this in a book because there is more material to surround the twists. It's easier to add depth to the characters that these plot twists and cover ups happen to. Jack Reacher never really had any flow to its storyline. You never get to see any personal storyline for Jack Reacher, you get a nice list of his accomplishments, but that's about all you get as far as knowing who Jack Reacher is as a person. Reacher was presented more as a machine than a person. There was never any doubt that things would wrap itself up in a nice little bow throughout the movie because Reacher was presented without any weakness. The fighting and shooting scenes were nice and well choreographed and they were mainly the highlight of the movie. The car chase is  the climax point of the movie. When Jack Reacher gets set up for a murder, he gets chased down by the police while also chasing the guys that set him up. The ending of the chase is also the most memorable. Reacher turns onto a street, slows the car to a roll and steps out of the car. He slowly walks over to a group of people waiting for the bus. Suddenly cop cars and helicopters swoop in and surround the now empty car. The group of people help surround this stranger they don't know and one man even gives Reacher his baseball cap to better hide himself. Welcome to Pittsburgh! As the police surround the empty car the bus fills and drives off...... Am I the only one who doesnt see how, in any way, the police would let that bus go anywhere? Yes, its meant to be a funny scene where Reacher gets out of the grasp of the cops but could they have found a better way of doing it? Couldn't it have been a little more believable?

 Tom Cruise played Jack Reacher well. As stated before, you don't really know who Reacher is through out the movie, but Tom gave us the little emotion needed for his character. There were only two supporting actors worth mentioning in this movie, Jai Courtney and Robert Duvall. Jai Courtney plays Charlie the cold hearted killer that sets up Barr. Jai is a new face and seems to have the demeanor to really break out as the next action star. Robert Duvall is the most experienced actor in this movie and he does a great job with the little screen time he has. Duvall plays Cash, a former Marine who runs a shooting range that Barr and Charlie went to every weekend. Duvall plays this character naturally and I might be biased, but he does the best job out of everyone in the movie. Also I'd like to point out this is the first time both Robert Duvall and Tom Cruise has shared the screen since Days of Thunder. I really have nothing to add to that, I just liked that movie.

 Also Tom Cruise is known for always having one scene where he runs with with absolute no abandon. If you don't believe me I have proof. Sadly you wont see an intense running scene in this movie. If there was a scene where Tom Cruise ran  intensely, this movie would have gotten a full point higher grade from me.

 This movie had quite a bit of downfalls. If you're looking for a brainless action movie and you dont care about acting or a plot, this movie is for you. For the rest of you, look elsewhere.

Also I might be bringing in a few new reviewers to write for this site. So look for reviews to come out at a faster pace.

 Don't forget to vote for the Netflix review this week. Voting ends Wednesday night.

Netflix Review: Take Me Home Tonight

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A classic 80's movie... if it was filmed 25 years ago.

Take Me Home Tonight is a salute to the look and feel of every Brat Pack 80's movies that are just as loved now as they were 20+ years ago. To ad lib my favorite movie of all time, this movie has everything; 80's music, gorgeous women, lies, lies to cover other lies, drugs, sex, grand theft auto, dance-offs, sarcasm, trampolines, getting arrested, drinking, that guy who takes his guitar to the party, way too many popped collar polos, someone inside a huge metal ball as it rolls down a hill, true love, everything.

Topher Grace stars as Matt Franklin, brainiac MIT graduate who moves back home and instead of progressing his career, he decides to just work at Suncoast Video until he knows what to do with the rest of his life. Anna Faris plays his fraternal twin sister, Wendy. Dan Fogler plays Matt's best friend Barry. Matt finds out that his high school crush, Tori Fredericking (Teresa Palmer) and decides that this nights Labor Day party might finally be his "in" with her that he has been looking for since he saw her. Their first conversation he lies to her and tells her he works at Goldman Sachs. That lie gets the ball rolling with more lies that make him spiral hard and fast into some deep water that he won't get out of safely. The chemistry between Topher Grace and Teresa Palmer was not only believable but seemed very heartfelt. It had a true sense of a guy getting to know a girl he has idolized for a long time. He realizes she isn't the goddess he has made her out to be, and likes her even more for it. I was impressed with the sibling chemistry between Topher and Anna Faris. There were some cheesy "twin" moments between the two of them, but the one scene that I enjoyed the most was their conversation after the marriage proposal. In this scene Matt is at a complete standstill in his life, while Wendy has already planned on moving in with her douche boyfriend (Chris Pratt) and now is engaged to him. Matt warns Wendy she is making a huge mistake and she needs to get out of this stupid decision she has made and be honest with her boyfriend. Wendy comes back with a few words saying how at least she is making decisions and he is the last person to talk to her about honesty. This seemed to be one of the most heartfelt and on point scenes of the movie. Dan Fogler steals the show as the "chubby" best friend, who lost his job as a car salesman on that same day. He seemed to be a depressing character at first but shines once he finds a bag of cocaine in the car they steal. Fogler does a great job with this Barry. I've always seen him as a fat actor who is taking all the roles that Jack Black is either too old for or turned down. While this character is no different, I had a sense that Mr. Black couldn't have done any better than Dan Fogler did.

The moral of this movie (because as an 80's coming of age movie, you have to have a moral) is that you have to take a shot in life. Even if you don't know where to aim, just start shooting. Though I wouldn't rank it higher than the other iconic 80's movies like The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, and Pretty in Pink, it's not that far behind. I would encourage to give this movie a shot and at the very least allow yourself to sink back into the good ole days of 1988.

Also vote for which movie you want me to watch on Netflix next. I have chosen three movies currently streaming and I'll give the movie with the most votes by midnight Monday a review.

Simple Minded Podcast

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Follow @SMindedMovie For my first podcast Rian, Van Fantom, and I discuss the best and worst of movies in 2012. We also take a look at what we are excited to see in 2013. We are planning on doing a podcast every week so give us some feedback on what you think of our first one.

We are also doing a poll for a new segment I'm bringing in on the blog. Netflix review! Every week I'll review a movie that is current streaming on Netflix. Soon I will have the review up of "Take Me Home Tonight." Starting next week you choose what I will review. I have three movies you can select from. I have not seen any of these three yet and will watch and put up a review of the one that recieves the most votes.

Warm Bodies

Follow @SMindedMovie Just your classic story of Romeo and Juliet, if Romeo was an undead lurker and Juliet thinks Romeo will try to eat her brains for half the movie.

Before now every zombie movie had one common similarity, you kill zombies and don't let them eat you. Though Warm bodies is not the first movie to do this, it was certainly the best movie I've seen that portrays the zombie apocalypse from the eyes of the zombie. It's pretty easy to pick up that this is a modern undead retelling of Romeo and Juliet. The main zombie doesn't remember his name, all he can remember is that it starts with "R" (like Romeo). Julie (very close to Juliet) is the main counterpart of this romantic comedy. If you are still not convinced this is a retelling of Romeo and Juliet, the balcony scene removes all doubt.

The cast is really what brings this undead movie to life. Nicholas Hoult play's the main zombie "R" and is very believable as a zombie with a heart. Theresa Palmer plays Julie and R's love interest. I was a little upset that John Malkovich didn't get as much screen time as Julie's father and avid zombie hunter General Grigio. The parts of the movie that Malkovich was in, were great, but I felt that in order to really understand and feel his hate for zombies we could have used just one more scene to experience his backstory. The real gold in this movie were from the other supporting actors. Analeigh plays Nora, Julie's best friend,  and does a great job in bringing a spice of life to the human side of the storyline when the focus was mainly on the zombies. Rob Corddry plays "M" the best friend of R and quite honestly steals the show with his one-liners. At first all the zombies could only grunt, but as the movie progresses so does the language of the zombies. Rob Corddry, with his comedic style and timing takes what could have been a mediocre character and made him unforgettable.

Though Warm Bodies is a zombie movie don't expect "Dawn of the Dead" or even "The Walking Dead" type of gore and violence. This movie has more of a focus on the love story than the gore. Many of the basic "rules" of zombie movies aren't kept with Warm Bodies. I was troubled with this at first then quickly realized how ridiculous I was by being upset about not following the same guidelines as everyone else does with a fictional genre.

Through the months of January and February there will be many movies coming out that will just not be that great at all. When you find a movie within that time that is actually watchable, let alone enjoyable, take advantage of it. If you are interested in a movie with a good amount of comedy and heart, this movie is for you. Follow @SMindedMovie on Twitter Like Simple Minded Movies on Facebook Also I'll be putting out a monthly Podcast all about movies starting some time next week. So keep an eye out for that as well.

Promised Land

Follow @SMindedMovie Promised Land Jason Bourne takes on Jim Halpert in a thrilling showdown where the lives of a small farming town are at stake. I go to the movie theater quite a bit; with a friend or two; with a huge group of people; even by myself. Sitting in a dark room, my soft drink awaiting my grip in the cup holder, popcorn in my lap as it slowly empties. Leaving my world behind as I get pulled into the excitement waiting for me on the other side of the screen. While I've watched so many movies this past year Promised Land has been one movie that seems to sneak in to every set of previews. At first the movie didn't seem very interesting beyond the point that Matt Damon and John Krasinski were starring in it. One thing that always caught my eye was "From the Director of Good Will Hunting." The first few times I watched this preview, Good Will Hunting was in my Netflix instant queue and had yet to be watched. Once I took the time to cross Good Will Hunting off my "you gotta see that" list, I had a new passion to see this movie. Rafer Guzman of Newsday says Promised Land was "A well-intentioned look at a fraught issue, but the Damon-Krasinski screenplay ultimately opts for Hollywood oversimplification." (full review here)  If you had to read over the word fraught a few times and thought to yourself whether that is a made up word or not, it means its loaded. I believe what Mr. Guzman is trying to say here is that for such a loaded issue such as fracking, this script, and ultimately, this movie was way too simple to really handle the grand picture of what fracking really is. Thank you, Mr. Guzman, will you be telling me that  Little Big League is too simple of a movie for me to really grasp what it's like managing a Major League Baseball team? Of course the script for Promised Land is simple, its made with the thought in mind that not everyone going to see it will have a Major in Agricultural Science. If, after watching the movie, people want to research what is really going on with fracking, they can do that on their own time. There is no need to stretch a movie that is an hour and forty six minutes long, into a two and a half hour movie so everyone watching now knows the ins and outs of fracking.  This was not the movie I was hoping it would be. There were parts that dragged, parts that made very little sense, and a final twist that with modern technology, like the internet, never should have happened. On the other hand, the characters were warm and easily relatable. My favorite part in the movie was an angry speech Damon gave to a few drunk guys at a bar when his character was at his last straw. The emotion felt real enough to actually care with how the movie would end.  I've seen better movies. I've also seen much worse. If you have already watched the many great movies out right now and are looking for something to take up a few hours of your time, this would work fine for you.