Alejandro: [Slides Kate a piece of paper] I need you to sign this piece of paper. I basically says that everything we did was done by the book. Kate Mercer: I can’t sign that. Alejandro: Sign it. [Kate begins crying] It’s OK. It’s OK. Kate: I can’t sign that. Alejandro: [Puts his gun to Kate’s head ]You would be committing suicide, Kate. Come on, sign it. [Kate signs paper] You should move to a small town, where the rule of law still exists. You will not survive here. You’re not a wolf, and this is a land of wolves now.
Thanks for everyone’s submissions and 500 points to the following people for answering correctly:
Synopsis
FBI agent Kate Macer (Emily Blunt) is recruited by Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) to assist in a task force trying to take down a drug lord who operates around the border of US and Mexico.
Review
Going into Sicario, I was expecting more of an action movie, not the crime drama that it was. I mention that because I think it skewed my expectations for the film. I thought it was going to be some action-filled, shoot-em-up fest. Instead, it is much more quiet and meticulous than that. There is action, and when the action happens, it really revs up and gets sensational. However, the film is composed mainly of the many quieter moments in between these high octane and intense scenes. A lot of time is spent with Kate Macer to get to know her and get inside her head. Emily Blunt does a great job. Although, as good as Blunt is here, Benicio Del Toro is the stand-out performance of the film. He is mysterious and you never know quite what is going through his head.
As I mentioned, the pace was slower than I was anticipating but Sicario still did a fantastic job of keeping the tension. The audience is just as in the dark as Macer is throughout the film about what her purpose on the task force is. I constantly found myself excited to see what was going to happen next, especially when it came to Alejandro, Del Toro’s character. Cinematography isn’t something I bring up very often in a review but I would remiss not to mention it. This film has some breathtaking shots. Every shot makes sure you can see everything you need to see and you are focused on what you need to focus on, whether it’s a broad shot from above or a close up. In terms of action, it does well to keep the action visible and in frame, even during the hectic moments. Sometimes it can be fun when a movie ends up being not what you predicted and still manages to be a fun ride.
Rating
4/5
Trailer
Cast & Crew
Dennis Villeneuve – Director
Taylor Sheridan – Writer
Johann Johannsson – Composer
Emily Blunt – Kate Macer
Benicio Del Toro – Alejandro
Josh Brolin – Matt Graver
Victor Garber – Dave Jennings
Jon Bernthal – Ted
Daniel Kaluuya – Reggie Wayne
Jeffery Donovan – Steve Forsing
Raoul Trujillo – Rafael
Julio Cedillo – Fausto Alarcon
Hank Rogerson – Phil Coopers
Bernardo P. Saracino – Manuel Diaz
Maximiliano Hernandez – Silvio
Kevin Wiggins –Burnett
Edgar Arreola – Guillermo
I’ve started expanding Drew’s Reviews to social media (slowly but surely). First up is Google+! It’s the least used, I know, but I gotta start somewhere. So if you want to get my reviews and other posts on Google+, follow me here. Right now it’s pretty bare but I will slowly expand on it soon. I hope to see you there! 🙂
Synopsis
In Sin City, corruption runs rampant and thugs rule the street. Four stories explore the darkest corners of this unforgiving city.
Review Sin City isn’t just a comic book adaption, it’s a living, breathing comic book. I haven’t read any of Frank Miller’s Sin City books, but from what I’ve read and seen, it is almost (if not) frame perfect. Which is not too surprising given that Miller worked with Robert Rodriguez in the directors chair. Rodriguez’s cinematography combined with the book’s noir style is unparalleled. The voice over narration from the main characters of the five individual stories is reminiscent of the big noir films from the 1940s and 1950s. With specific items, like a red dress, lipstick, the Yellow Bastard’s skin, etc, it adds a unique feel the the film and its characters. The contrast between the shadows and white highlights to make items stand out, like Hartigan’s scars or Marv’s bandages, create a truly visceral visual experience. Much like 300, another of Miller’s comic-to-movie adaptations which was released the following year, the violence is brutal and graphically over-the-top. In other words: tremendous. If you haven’t seen Sin City, I have two things to say: 1) What is wrong with you? And 2) go watch it immediately!
Rating
4.5/5
Trailer
Cast & Crew
Robert Rodriguez – Director / Composer
Frank Miller – Director / Writer
Quentin Tarantino – Guest Director
John Debney – Composer
Graeme Revell – Composer
Jessica Alba – Nancy Callahan
Devon Aoki – Miho
Alexis Bledel – Becky
Powers Booth – Senator Roark
Jude Ciccolella – Liebowitz
Michael Clark Duncan – Manute
Rasario Dawson – Gail
Benicio del Toro – Det. Lt. Jack “Jackie Boy” Rafferty
Jason Douglas – Hitman
Tommy Flanagan – Brian
Rick Gomez – Klump
Carla Gugino – Lucille
Josh Hartnett – Salesman
Rutger Hauer – Cardinal Patrick Henry Roark
Nicky Katt – Stuka
Clark Middleton – Schutz
Jaime King – Goldie and Wendy
Michael Madsen – Bob
Frank Miller – Priest
Brittany Murphy – Shellie
Lisa Marie Newmyer – Tammy
Nick Offerman – Schlubb
Clive Owen – Dwight McCarthy
Mickey Rourke – Marv
Marley Shelton – The Customer
Nick Stahl – Roark Junior / Yellow Bastard
Patricia Vonne – Dallas
Bruce Willis – John Hartigan
Elijah Wood – Kevin
Official Synopsis: Brash adventurer Peter Quill finds himself the object of an unrelenting bounty hunt after stealing a mysterious orb coveted by Ronan, a powerful villain with ambitions that threaten the entire universe. To evade the ever-persistent Ronan, Quill is forced into an uneasy truce with a quartet of disparate misfits–Rocket, a gun-toting raccoon; Groot, a tree-like humanoid; the deadly and enigmatic Gamora; and the revenge-driven Drax the Destroyer. But when Quill discovers the true power of the orb and the menace it poses to the cosmos, he must do his best to rally his ragtag rivals for a last, desperate stand–with the galaxy’s fate in the balance.
This trailer, just… wow. Marvel definitely saved the best for last. There is a lot of new footage, but it is mostly action sequences, which is perfectly fine with me. I don’t know what to say it was so awesome. Just watch it. And if you already watched it, watch it again. It’s that good.
Guardians of the Galaxy rockets into theaters August 1, 2014. Directed by James Gunn, it stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Baurista, the voices of Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel, Lee Pace, Karen Gillan, Benicio Del Toro, John C. Reilly, Peter Serafinowicz, and Glenn Close.
My Christmas in July Blogathon is at the end of the month, read this post if you would like to participate.
Official Synopsis: Brash adventurer Peter Quill finds himself the object of an unrelenting bounty hunt after stealing a mysterious orb coveted by Ronan, a powerful villain with ambitions that threaten the entire universe. To evade the ever-persistent Ronan, Quill is forced into an uneasy truce with a quartet of disparate misfits–Rocket, a gun-toting raccoon; Groot, a tree-like humanoid; the deadly and enigmatic Gamora; and the revenge-driven Drax the Destroyer. But when Quill discovers the true power of the orb and the menace it poses to the cosmos, he must do his best to rally his ragtag rivals for a last, desperate stand–with the galaxy’s fate in the balance.
At this point you are either with Marvel or you’re not. Ever since The Avengers all their movies have shared a similar tone that I have really dug, but I know some people who don’t like it. It looks like Guardians of the Galaxy is keeping with the convention of the other Phase 2 movies. In just over two minutes, the trailer gives a pretty good feel of the movie. Normally there is one character that is used as comic relief, but with a talking raccoon, a tree that only says his name (“Groot”), and Chris Pratt, it looks like most of the cast will have some comedic elements to them.
Guardians of the Galaxy is one of Marvel’s more obscure properties so it’s great that this first trailer is used to just introduce the Guardians (There have actually been two incarnations of the team over the years but the movie team is the modern version). The second trailer will probably show more of the story and hopefully more of the Nova Corp. (pretty much galactic police) than just John C. Reilly and Peter Serafinowicz. I forgot that Reilly was cast in this movie and I am very interested to see how he does since the role is different from other movies I have seen him in. But Marvel has made some surprise casting choices before that have turned out great, so I’m pretty excited. CinemaBlend made a list of a 5 things you may have missed in the trailer.
Guardians of the Galaxy, directed by James Gunn, will be in theaters August 1, 2014. It stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Baurista, the voices of Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel, Lee Pace, Karen Gillan, Benicio Del Toro, John C. Reilly, Peter Serafinowicz, and Glenn Close.
Drew's Movie Reviews 