Tag: MichaelShannon

The Bikeriders

Published on by DanielaLeave a comment

Based on the photography book by Danny Lyon, The Bikeriders focuses on a motorcycle gang’s reign during the sixties and seventies. When Kathy (Jodie Comer) meets Benny (Austin Butler) at a local bar, her life will never be the same. Benny is the newest member of the Vandals. As the country changes over time, Benny is constantly forced to choose between the woman who becomes his wife and Johnny, the enigmatic leader of the club.

With an incredibly stacked cast, I was instantly sold. Hardy gives a solid performance as the leader of the group. He doesn’t take any shit from anybody and he also serves as a father figure to many of the members. Butler’s role this time around wasn’t as convincing for me, but I think that was what the character called for. wasn’t as strong in comparison. He was a bit of a wet rag if I’m being honest. But he’s so beautiful to look at that I would interested even if he were to read the phone book. The film belongs to Comer though who shines as Kathy. Told through a series of interviews given to Lyon’s character played by Mike Faist, she instantly captivated me even if the accent took some getting used to.

The look and feel was cool. The small town America back drop complete with the old school outfits and the soundtrack was all very fitting. I also appreciated the cinematography especially in regards to the motorcycles themselves. During many of the drive by scenes, the way in which the camera was positioned on the road with the engines revving was such an adrenaline rush.

Unfortunately the film did fall flat around the halfway mark. I understand that this was more of a character study, but it was missing any sort of real conflict. The pacing, as a result, was slow and I found myself losing interest. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the leading trio, but I felt like we didn’t even really get to know who they were as people, let alone the side characters (played by Norman Reedus, Michael Shannon, Boyd Holbrook and Damon Herriman to name a few).

Overall, I did enjoy The Bikeriders, but I felt like it could have been better. This was a prime example that a stacked cast isn’t always worth the hype because outside of the performances, there wasn’t much on offer.

Rating: ♥️♥️♥️

The Flash

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Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) is the fastest man alive. Realizing he can go back in time with his powers, he wants to use this chance to save his mom. But what Barry doesn’t know is that by doing this, he will alter the timeline. Suddenly there is a world with no Justice League and on top of that General Zodd has returned. It will take an unlikely few allies to set things right.

Full disclaimer time: I almost gave this movie a skip. With all the hot water that Miller has found themselves in, it was enough to nearly turn me away for good. I struggled with this a lot, but my curiosity eventually got the better of me. At the end of the day I thought it was best to put my feelings aside and focus on the film. I am so glad that I did!

This is one of the best DC entries to date. It had everything you could think of – some crazy CGI moments that made my head spin in the best way possible, superheroes old and new, some laugh out loud moments and, of course, some pretty epic cameos. Flash’s origin story has been a long time coming and it certainly delivered.

Miller was enjoyable enough as our lead. I thought it was fun that they played two versions of Barry, giving them each different enough characteristics and mannerisms to keep things interesting. With an array of cast members including but not limited to Ben Affleck, Michael Keaton, Michael Shannon, Ron Livingston, Jeremy Irons and Kiersey Clemons, my heart was sold to Sasha Calle who portrayed Supergirl. Though her part wasn’t as elaborate as I was hoping, it was captivating enough that I can only dream we’ll see her again down the line.

Part of me cannot fathom how I almost gave The Flash a miss. Not only is it one of the biggest blockbusters of the summer, it is one of the biggest blockbusters of the year. Now that DC is under a new team, I can only hope they will continue to improve.

Rating: ♥️♥️♥️♥️

Bullet Train

Published on by Daniela3 Comments

Ladybug (Brad Pitt) is an assassin who has been unlucky in his latest missions. Now he finds himself on a train going from Tokyo to Kyoto where all he wants to do is his job. What he doesn’t bargain for is the many other assassins that are traveling along with him, all for their own purposes. What started off as something seemingly easy turns out to be the complete opposite.

One of the summer’s hottest blockbusters, Bullet Train is an action adventure romp that doesn’t let up for one moment. It starts off with a bang and keeps going until the credits roll. The fight sequences, in particular, were entertaining and exciting. Sometimes it was as if they came from a comic book and while the gore was pretty graphic, it was executed in a way that made it funny.

Brad Pitt is one of the best actors of our generation and he knocked it out of the park as Ladybug. He carried the movie on his back and had great interactions with his fellow costars. Other standouts for me include Lemon (Brian Tyree Henry) and Tangerine (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). They captured every scene they were in and made me laugh constantly. I wish we’d had more of them because they were just that good. And while we didn’t see much of her, I loved Sandra Bullock’s role as Maria, Ladybug’s handler.

The movie may have boasted even more well known names such as Joey King, Andrew Koji, Hiroyuki Sanada, Michael Shannon, Bad Bunny, Logan Lerman and Zazie Beetz but they weren’t featured nearly as much as I would have liked. I guess that is one of the downsides of having such a large cast of characters. There were a couple here that we didn’t learn anything about which was a pity.

With bright neon lights and a killer soundtrack complete with Japanese covers of Stayin’ Alive and Holding Out For A Hero, Bullet Train sucked me into a thrilling adventure. There were a couple of twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat and while it was totally bonkers at times, I was able to let go and get lost in it.

Rating: ♥♥♥