movie review

Nick’s Mix Review of “The Founder”

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I have nothing but good things to say about “The Founder,”  the biopic about Ray Kroc, the man who made the McDonald’s restaurants a household name in the 1950s and 1960s.  Michael Keaton continues to astound me with his great acting ability playing the multi-faceted and ruthless Kroc, who met the McDonald brothers and not only franchised their idea, but outmaneuvered them and took the rights to their own name.  Keaton takes great care to give Kroc the proper interpretation, down to mannerisms, accent, and just a general sense of just how hungry he is to succeed and be rich and famous.

You probably know the story, it’s really no different here.

The script by Robert Siegel and the direction by John Lee Hancock were both very impressive.  I’ve always felt that when you do a period piece, especially a biopic, I have to be totally immersed and convinced that I care about the story.  It helps that was already familiar with the backstory of what happened here going in.  I tend to be when it comes to what biopics interest me.  This one was no exception.

It’s interesting to note that most of this film was shot in Georgia.  As several readers of this probably know, the state has been a boon for media production over the last few years.  Isn’t it a coincidence that Atlanta is probably going to be my next move career-wise?  Hmm.

I highly recommend watching this film.  It’s an interesting story and a great period piece.  It’s a win-win flick!

Nick’s Mix: “Moonlight”

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It’s a very tough life growing up in an urban area with crime and bad influences surrounding you.  You are supposed to act, think, and do certain things to get by, even if you have any aspirations to actually do something else.  If you are different, especially if you are gay, you have to bury those feelings underneath a thick veneer to where nobody can see who you should be, who you really are.

The character of Chiron in “Moonlight” is a very quiet, troubled soul.  He knows he’s different, but as a young child, he doesn’t realize who he is yet.  He is growing up in urban Miami, where crime and drugs are rampant, and where he is picked on by school bullies and isn’t loved by his mother.  One day, he befriends a man, Juan, and later his girlfriend, Teresa, who tell him that he can be whomever he wants.  Chiron does have one acquaintance his age, Kevin.

The film examines three stages of his life, when Chrion is 9, then when is a teenager, and finally when he is a man.  Chiron has just about every life challenge you can imagine for a 9-year-old boy.  His mother is a drug addict buying the junk from Juan himself (much to Juan’s shock.)  In the second part, Kevin and Chiron have romantic encounter on a beach.  This was a very profound and powerful scene.  The love is short lived as the bullies at his school force Kevin to beat Chiron up as a rite of passage.  Chiron in turn lashes out at one of those bullies in class and is sent away.

Years later, Chiron gets a phone call late one night from Kevin.  He hasn’t heard from him in years.  Kevin has tried to get on the right road to having a decent life.  Chiron, not so much.  But, eventually, they meet back up and it’s left to the audience to wonder if they do, in fact, become lovers.

This is the kind of film I like to see. The writing and direction of Barry Jenkins is very, very well done.  You felt for all of these characters. It’s not very common with someone of Chrion’s background to be able to be gay and be accepted.  I can understand how he feels.  The hurt inside when you can’t find anyone to love and be yourself has to be devastating.  I know, I felt that as a teenager myself.  So for me, this aspect of his life hit very close to home.

I am quite proud that this movie has already won the Golden Globe award for Best Motion Picture – Drama.  I hope that it will win a couple of Academy Awards come next month.  These kinds of personal tales are ones that are the core strength of cinema and need to be told, especially in this day and age.

Nick’s Flix Review of “Don’t Breathe”

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Most suspense films for me fail to keep my attention as the characters plod along aimlessly. The film “Don’t Breathe”, directed by Fede Alvarez, is a wonderfully shot, very intense and intriguing movie that kept me in suspense for its modest 88 minute running time.

The plot is very simple. Three people from Detroit who are young and poor are committing petty crimes to try and get enough money to move away. They decide to hit the home of a blind war veteran, who is sitting on a fortune, and then get out. His house is in the middle of a desolate neighborhood with nobody even close to around.

The blind guy has his own secrets… but that is best saved for the film itself. Needless to say they were very shocking and I didn’t see them coming. You’ll see what I mean when you see it for yourself.

The best scene in this movie for me is when two of the characters are in the basement of the house. The blind guy then cuts the power, putting everyone in the dark. This scene is so intense. The cinematography and the editing here are first rate to let the audience see just enough to know what was going on.

The biggest takeaway from this film is the fact that it cost only $9.9 Million to make (according to Box Office Mojo.) This proves yet again what I have long said, that Hollywood doesn’t need to be throwing large sums of money at the screen in order to make an entertaining and engaging film.

Low budget film making is possible folks! 🙂

By the way, you may remember that Alvarez directed “Evil Dead.” It’ll be interesting to see what he does next!

Nick’s Flix Review of “Sausage Party”

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It’s an article version of “Nick’s Flix”!

Here is my review of the R-rated CGI-animated comedy “Sausage Party.”

The brief version of the movie is that you have a grocery store full of talking groceries who want to get out of the store into the mythical “Great Beyond,” only to find out it isn’t what it really is.  There are lots of raunchy jokes and ethnic humor throughout this film.  Parents, please don’t bring your kids to this one! (It’s Rated R for a reason!!!!)

It’s easy to see where the writers got their inspiration for talking groceries going on an adventure.  All of the classic animation studios back in the day did a talking/singing groceries film at one time or another.  One of the most prevalent in my mind is Warner Brothers’ “Goofy Groceries.”  Think of that idea with a modern spin and fleshed out.

The story itself is a good one.  There is a lot of heart once you look past all of the expected humor in a R-rated comedy.  For the most part, the jokes aren’t necessarily over the top, but the scene at the end of the movie (you’ll know which one when you watch it, no spoilers) is totally expected given the tone of the film.  That’s not necessarily a bad thing, just predictable.

This is a very slick, well edited movie.  I never felt like the pace of the film was off.  It has a modest running time of 89 minutes, which is about right for an animated film.  It’ll be interesting to see if anything was cut out when the Blu-ray comes out (probably.)

I’d recommend this film, but again, I warn you, DO NOT TAKE YOUR KIDS TO THIS MOVIE!!!

NSFW Trailer below: