Well, we're nearing the end of Looking Back at the Films of 2019. But before I finish the series in December let's review today movies. Those being The Irishman, Doctor Sleep, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, and Knives Out.
Why Didn't I See The Irishman?
The reasons I didn't see The Irishman is because when it had it's run in select theaters mine wasn't the one to get a showing. And when it debuted on Netflix I wasn't interested because at that time I wasn't reviewing movies from Netflix.
What is The Irishman?
The Irishman (or as it's titled onscreen I Heard You Paint Houses) is an epic crime movie based on Charles Brandt's 2004 novel I Head You Paint Houses. The movie was produced by TriBeCa Productions, Sikelia Productions, and Winkler Films and distributed by Netflix. The Irishman was written by Steven Zaillian and directed by Martin Scorsese. The story is Frank Sheeran was just an ordinary truck driver. Until one day he got involved with the Bufalino and his crime family, afterwards he works his way to the top to become their best hitman. There is however a problem. Frank is friends with Jimmy Hoffa, the president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. Now Frank must make a decision kill his friend and continue his work the Bufalinos or not kill his close friend.
My Thoughts
The Good: This first thing probably goes without saying but Martin Scorsese proves yet again why he is a fantastic director. Every shot almost looks like a work of art. It's an extremely well made and I just couldn't get enough of what Scorsese did for it. What also made The Irishman an amazing movie is the performances from Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci. Pacino does go over the top but it's the kind of over the top you'll like. That scene where he's just insulting everybody was not only good but hilarious. And Joe Pesci played a marvelous villain. Sure he doesn't do much action BUT with his performance he made the character so much more threating. Now to Robert De Niro....wow. He was fantastic in this film, especially later on when his character is a crippling old man those scenes were great. Another thing I want to give the film credit for is the de-aging. When I first heard about I was worried, I thought it was gonna look weird/not convincing but I was proven wrong. The de-aging on De Niro, Pacino, and Pesci was great. It was flawless I could hardly tell it was there. What also makes the movie really good was the amount of character development. We get to know these people so well. We know what they've been through in life, we know what their thinking, and we get to know why they do the things they do. The final thing I'll praise the movie for is how it's a lot deeper than I thought it would be. I mean it, you can actually analyze this. In matter of fact someone brought it up (I forget what their username is) and they mentioned how Frank's family appears less and less throughout the movie and the less we see of them the more we see of the mob. Basically what they said was Frank is caring more for his mafia buddies than he is his family. I never knew that and because of that I want to rewatch the movie and see what else I didn't notice.
The Bad: None.
The Okay: None.
Final Verdict: A Must Watch
Why Didn't I See Doctor Sleep?
The reason why I didn't see Doctor Sleep was my theater didn't have of a showing. And by the time they did it was far too late to review because it technically wasn't a recently released movie, it was like I want to say seven weeks into it's theatrical run.
What is Doctor Sleep?
Doctor Sleep is a supernatural horror movie based on Stephen King's 2013 novel of the same name and serves as a direct sequel to film adaptation of The Shining which was directed by Stanley Kubrick. The movie was produced by Intrepid Pictures and Vertigo Entertainment and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. Doctor Sleep was written and directed by Mike Flanagan. The story is it's been decades since what happened at the Overlook hotel and Danny Torrance is all grown up. After recovering from hitting rock bottom Dan thinks his life is normal, until he meets someone with the same shining ability as him. Dan also finds out a cult is after is after her and wants to find upon her. Now, Dan must do everything in his power to protect this little girl.
My Thoughts
The Good: One of the many great things about the film is the performances by Ewan McGregor, Rebecca Ferguson, and Kyliegh Curran. McGregor did a fantastic job with this now adult Danny (or Dan) who's struggle with his own problems. Rebecca really dialed up how sinister Rose the Hat is, and Kyliegh gave the best performance I've seen from a child actor. What also made the movie such a good watch was the atmosphere. Even when nothing really scary is happening you still get this feeling of dread and uneasiness. But and this is another thing I'm giving the movie credit for and that is there are quite a few horrifying moments. That scene with the baseball boy was probably the most disturbing scene throughout the whole film. What I also enjoyed about Doctor Sleep was how fleshed out the villains were. We really understand why they're doing the things they need to do but yet at the same time you really want them to get what they deserve.
The Bad: None.
The Okay: The only grey area I have or I should say I've noticed people have with the movie is the runtime. Yeah this movie is pretty long but for me I'm neutral about it. Sure it's long and maybe somethings didn't have to be so long but at the same time I enjoyed the movie so much that giving it a rating any lower would be a crime.
Final Verdict: Great
Why Didn't I See A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood?
It's simply really.....I was never fan of Mister Rogers. So If I never watched the show growing up (and by that I mean catch re-runs of it) why would I see a movie about the guy?
What is A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood?
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood is a biographical drama inspired by Tom Junod's 1998 Esquire article, Can You Say ... Hero?. The movie was produced by TriStar Pictures, Tencent Pictures, Big Beach, and Mr. Youree Productions and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood was written by Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster and directed by Marielle Heller. The story is Lloyd Vogel is a journalist known for his cynical writing style. One day his boss tells him that he is assigned to write about television icon Fred Rogers. Even though Lloyd finds the job beneath him he's determined to expose Fred's family-friendly personality as an act, but as time goes by maybe just maybe Lloyd might see what everybody else sees in Fred.
My Thoughts
The Good: What makes the movie so great is Tom Hank's performance. Yes he doesn't look like the real Fred Rogers but wow, he really did an amazing job at acting like the guy. From the way he speaks all the way to the mannerisms Hank did a great job at playing the guy. What I'll also give credit where it's due is Heller's directing. This is the only movie from her I watched but after seeing it I want to know what else she's done. Her directing was really spot on in this. Another thing that made the film great was it's truly a tribute to Mister Rogers. The opening scene is literally the opening to the show that Fred Rogers made even right down to the aspect ratio. But it's not only that the transitions are the sets that Mister Roger's Neighborhood would use. The last thing I'll give the movie credit for is...it's truly uplifting. I'm not joking when I say after watching it I felt better about myself.
The Bad: None.
The Okay: Now I do admit this movie is kind of predictable but, you can forgive it for that because the overall story is so good.
Final Verdict: Great
Why Didn't I See Knives Out?
It's the same reason as Doctor Sleep. While there was a showing it was too late for me to review at a proper time were the movie would've been considered recent.
What is Knives Out?
Knives Out is a mystery film. The movie is produced by T-Street and distributed by Lionsgate. Knives Out was written and directed by Rian Johnson. The story is famed mystery novelist Harlan Thrombey has supposedly committed suicide. But when things aren't quite adding up detective Benoit Blanc is on the case and is suspects are the members of the family. Now Blanc must find out who did and why?
My Thoughts
The Good: One good thing about Knives Out is the humor. The movie has a lot of good jokes and what really makes them work (other than being hilarious) is they don't overstep on the mystery/suspenseful aspect of the movie. Another thing that made the movie good was the performances. Especially from Daniel Craig, I never would've pictured him using this Southern accent and making it work but he does. And it's awesome. What also makes Knives Out a good watch is the mystery is done well. You really are thinking about who could've done it but at the same time the mystery is kept fresh with all of the twist and turns. The final thing I'll give the film credit for is Rian Johnson's directing. Yes, he's proving to be a good director in the past but you still gotta give him credit for it. I think my favorite shot in the film is the scene were Blanc is smoking but all you see is a slight bit of his face and the smoke coming off of his cigar.
The Bad: None.
The Okay: None.
Final Verdict: A Must Watch
Okay, I'm all done here. Come back on Thursday, Dec 3rd for my review of Frosty the Snowman. Until then enjoy the rest of your day.
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