I'm Josh Weitzel, and this is my very first in what will hopefully be a long and illustrious blog in which I talk and review movies... and other stuff maybe.
Anyone who knows me will say that I'm completely obsessed with movies. It's really one of the only things I talk about and also one of the few things that I know tons about. And I talk quite a bit about movies on facebook and such, so I figure why not start a blog so I can go on and on about this kind of stuff. It makes perfect sense, right?
First of all, a few things you should know:
- I won't just review new releases, but older movies that have been around for a while.
- I give each movie a number rating, always out of 10.
- I'll do an editorial mixed in with a review, on occasion.
- I'll talk about upcoming movies and other movie news as well.
- I'm not a writer, so I'll probably make plenty of grammar mistakes.
I guess that's the long and short of it. Posting will be pretty inconsistant for now. I've got one lined up
for ya, so check out my first review below.
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Looper (2012)
Directed by Rian Johnson
Starring
Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Bruce Willis
Emily Blunt
BE WARNED: VERY MILD SPOILERS AHEAD, BUT NOTHING TOO MAJOR THAT WOULD COMPROMISE THE ENDING OF THE FILM. PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK.
In a world where Hollywood is dominated by movies based on books, true stories, and comic books, it's hard to create believable science fiction worlds that actually make for a good film. I love science fiction, and even more than that, films that are completely original. Yes, the concept of time travel has been used countless times. But Looper, simply put, is easily the most original, and realistic, time travel film in recent memory.
So I'm just going to say it - Looper is the best film I have seen this year.
Don't get me wrong; movies with universal acclaim like The Avengers and Argo are exceptional, but what Looper does with its world is simply extraordinary.
Lets set it up, just based on the trailers:
Time travel gets invented, outlawed immediately. Criminals use time travel to send someone they want dead into the past, where the loopers kill them and dispose of the bodies. Things get interesting when Joe (played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt) finds himself having to kill his future self, Old Joe (played by John McClain, aka Bruce Willis). McClain/Willis escapes, and JGL has to find him and kill him before he gets killed by his mob boss.
First of all, lets examine the time travel concept. Used in this film, it is not just original, but plausible. And while there are always loopholes in time travel movies, the film does the best to explain them, and actually succeeds for the most part.
Now consider this: In most time travel films, if someone meets his future self, everything goes belly up. In this case, it just creates more timelines, which can be a little of a mind fuck, and nothing really implodes or anything. And it's incredibly entertaining to see JGL and John McClain talk to each other as the same character, but more on that later.
Simply put, the time travel mechanics work wonderfully, but that isn't even the tip of the iceberg.
Moving on.
The acting is pretty good. JGL does a perfect young Bruce Willis, and Bruce Willis is basically... well... Bruce Willis, which isn't a bad thing at all. Because Bruce Willis is fucking AWESOME!
But the most surprising performance, (MILD SPOILER ALERT) without giving too much away, is by a young 7 year old child actor named Pierce Gagnon. He plays a significant role in the second act of the film, and is actually the most surprising performance in the whole film.
Otherwise, the film is beautifully shot, edited, written, and acted with a great supporting cast. The action is absolutely top notch, despite being somewhat limited. Nothing too over the top, everything in the film remains as plausible as science fiction can get, never feeling unrealistic. It's completely original.
I think I love this movie so much because after all of the hype (most of it just being me being really excited) it actually payed off 100%. Few films may be totally awesome, and live up to the hype, but few films exceed it. Looper absolutely blew me away in every single category. I can't recommend it enough.
On a final note, Looper is absolute proof that ORIGINALITY IS NOT DEAD!
And this is why I believe that Looper is the best film of 2012 so far.
Memorable Quote -
Young Joe: We both know how this has to go down. I can't let you walk away from this diner alive. This is my life now. I earned it. You had yours already. So why don't you do what old men do and die?
Old Joe: Why don't you just take your little gun out from between your legs and do it... boy?
On the Upside - Great and original story, good performances, creative use of time travel, solid action, and overall a very entertaining movie. Also, JGL's makeup actually makes him look like Willis without looking too ridiculous.
On the Downside - A bit of a pacing issue in the beginning of the second act, but it recovers pretty quickly. Not anything too major to worry about.
Bottom Line - Go see this movie. If you have no desire to see it, then watch it anyway. It's just that good.
Score - 9.8/10
for ya, so check out my first review below.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Looper (2012)
Directed by Rian Johnson
Starring
Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Bruce Willis
Emily Blunt
BE WARNED: VERY MILD SPOILERS AHEAD, BUT NOTHING TOO MAJOR THAT WOULD COMPROMISE THE ENDING OF THE FILM. PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK.
In a world where Hollywood is dominated by movies based on books, true stories, and comic books, it's hard to create believable science fiction worlds that actually make for a good film. I love science fiction, and even more than that, films that are completely original. Yes, the concept of time travel has been used countless times. But Looper, simply put, is easily the most original, and realistic, time travel film in recent memory.
So I'm just going to say it - Looper is the best film I have seen this year.
Don't get me wrong; movies with universal acclaim like The Avengers and Argo are exceptional, but what Looper does with its world is simply extraordinary.
Lets set it up, just based on the trailers:
Time travel gets invented, outlawed immediately. Criminals use time travel to send someone they want dead into the past, where the loopers kill them and dispose of the bodies. Things get interesting when Joe (played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt) finds himself having to kill his future self, Old Joe (played by John McClain, aka Bruce Willis). McClain/Willis escapes, and JGL has to find him and kill him before he gets killed by his mob boss.
First of all, lets examine the time travel concept. Used in this film, it is not just original, but plausible. And while there are always loopholes in time travel movies, the film does the best to explain them, and actually succeeds for the most part.
Now consider this: In most time travel films, if someone meets his future self, everything goes belly up. In this case, it just creates more timelines, which can be a little of a mind fuck, and nothing really implodes or anything. And it's incredibly entertaining to see JGL and John McClain talk to each other as the same character, but more on that later.
Simply put, the time travel mechanics work wonderfully, but that isn't even the tip of the iceberg.
Moving on.
The acting is pretty good. JGL does a perfect young Bruce Willis, and Bruce Willis is basically... well... Bruce Willis, which isn't a bad thing at all. Because Bruce Willis is fucking AWESOME!
But the most surprising performance, (MILD SPOILER ALERT) without giving too much away, is by a young 7 year old child actor named Pierce Gagnon. He plays a significant role in the second act of the film, and is actually the most surprising performance in the whole film.
Otherwise, the film is beautifully shot, edited, written, and acted with a great supporting cast. The action is absolutely top notch, despite being somewhat limited. Nothing too over the top, everything in the film remains as plausible as science fiction can get, never feeling unrealistic. It's completely original.
I think I love this movie so much because after all of the hype (most of it just being me being really excited) it actually payed off 100%. Few films may be totally awesome, and live up to the hype, but few films exceed it. Looper absolutely blew me away in every single category. I can't recommend it enough.
On a final note, Looper is absolute proof that ORIGINALITY IS NOT DEAD!
And this is why I believe that Looper is the best film of 2012 so far.
Memorable Quote -
Young Joe: We both know how this has to go down. I can't let you walk away from this diner alive. This is my life now. I earned it. You had yours already. So why don't you do what old men do and die?
Old Joe: Why don't you just take your little gun out from between your legs and do it... boy?
On the Upside - Great and original story, good performances, creative use of time travel, solid action, and overall a very entertaining movie. Also, JGL's makeup actually makes him look like Willis without looking too ridiculous.
On the Downside - A bit of a pacing issue in the beginning of the second act, but it recovers pretty quickly. Not anything too major to worry about.
Bottom Line - Go see this movie. If you have no desire to see it, then watch it anyway. It's just that good.
Score - 9.8/10
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