Some Dude Reviews Movies

Is there anything better than a Boston accent? I. What is It? The Departed (2006) is the story of two men. Two moles on either side of the law. One an undercover cop (Leonardo DiCaprio), and one a compromised cop (Matt Damon) beholden to Boston's most dangerous crime lord (Jack Nicholson). Each man hunts the other in a dangerous game of cat and mouse. II. A Rogue's Gallery This film features a great cast of characters played by a cast of talent that only Martin Scorsese could have assembled. Leonardo DiCaprio is well into his Oscar hunt with his turn as Billy Costigan. He's adopted a Southie brogue, a whiplash temper, and a crackerjack energy. DiCaprio anchors the film with pathos and power. Not to be outdone, Matt Damon, as Colin Sullivan, is a wonderful foil to Leo's Costigan. Sullivan is all false suave, and hidden simper. He's a ratfink piece of shit, but, in Damon's capable hands, you can't help but feel for the guy. Jack Nicholso...

I remember one thing from this movie: naked fight. There is an attempted assassination in a Turkish bath, and Viggo Mortensen fights off his attackers completely naked. Are you in, yet? I. What is It? Eastern Promises  (2007) is the story of Nikolai, a driver for the Russian mob in London with an eye on the upper echelons of the criminal underworld. It is also the story of Tatiana, an escaped sex-slave who dies giving birth. It is also the story of Anna, the midwife who delivered Tatiana's baby, and who dove deep into a world she wasn't welcome in to solve the mystery of who this dead girl was. II. Brutal This movie starts with a throat slashing. Then a cool-as-a-cucumber Viggo Mortensen snips off the finger tips of that corpse, and they dump the body in the ocean. There is also the aforementioned naked bath fight, where a man's head gets impaled on a small hooked knife. The naked fight is iconic for its unflinching brutality, the way it was choreographed...

Cary Joji Fukunaga burst onto the scene with 2009's Sin Nombre . He wrote it and he directed it. I remembered being captivated by it. He has gone on to direct the first season of True Detective , and a handful of other prestigious projects. I watched Sin Nombre for the first time in college, and I was quite impressed by it. Coming back to it after all these years, I am pleased to say that it holds up, and stands as a blockbuster debut for one of the singular film-making talents of this generation. I. What is It? Sin Nombre  is the tale of Willy, aka Casper, a Mara Salvatrucha foot soldier. He is torn between the gangland life he has always known and the love of his young life. It is also the story of Sayra, a Honduran girl trying to cross the border with her father and uncle. Their paths twine together, and a tale of survival and brutality unfolds. II. Beautiful Brutality This film is gorgeous. Adriano Goldman's photography is astounding, and often br...

I love a good British gangster film. Guy Ritchie innovated the genre, and paved the way for other films and filmmakers to come after him. Matthew Vaughn, who produced both Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels  (1998) and Snatch (2001), made his directorial debut with 2004's Layer Cake , and he seems to have learned a thing or two from his work with Ritchie.  I picked up Layer Cake  the same way I picked up a lot of the films I watched in college: off the sale rack at Blockbuster, with an armload of other DVDs. I loved it then. But does it hold up, now? I. What is It? Daniel Craig stars as a nameless cocaine dealer who is days away from walking away from the drug game. But he is pulled back in at the last minute, and what seemed like a simple deal spirals wildly out of control. Along the way he will rub shoulders with a variety of kooky British underworld denizens, and a Serbian hitman. Will he make his grand escape? Or will he wind up another body ...

Guy Ritchie's films are in my film DNA. Everyone has a film DNA. It's composed of the movies you watched in your formative years. The ones that established what you liked in a film. DNA films are the ones you've seen countless times. Ones you can quote with ease. The ones that survive yearly DVD purges. The ones that gather dust on your shelf. The ones you swear are your favorites, but that you haven't actually watched in ages. The problem with DNA films is that, often, when you go back and rewatch them, they lose their luster. They turn out to be not as good as you remember. The flaws that you weren't looking for in your youth pop out. Sometimes, over long periods of time, your tastes have changed and the movie that informed your movie DNA in your youth is no longer relevant or held in the same esteem. Guy Ritchie's latest films have not been great. I am not sure if it's a result of a filmmaker trying to do something he can't, or whethe...

I started this blog because I like to write. Specifically, I like to write about movies. I don't particularly care if anyone reads it. The joy of it is always in sitting down and laying out my thoughts about a movie I've just seen. This month has been more challenging than most. I knew the cyberpunk theme was going to net me some bad films, but I hadn't quite counted on seeing so many duds in the theater. It seems like the majority of the films that I've watched lately have been boring, derivative, or stupid (except for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse  (2018), you really should see that one). Which makes the writing of this post a real treat. Because, now, I get to write about a movie I really love. Now I get to tell you about Blade Runner 2049 . And, yes, I have technically already reviewed this movie (way back when I was posting on Facebook), but I always have things to say about it. And rewatching it last night kind of reinvigorated my soul. I....

You'd be forgiven for being a bit hyped after you saw the trailer for Welcome to Marwen , a feature film directed by Robert Zemeckis, starring Steve Carell. It seems to hit all the right notes: a quirky story that appears to make use of Carell's penchant for both heartfelt characters and masterful comedic timing. It looks like the kind of story, about a man overcoming his PTSD, that seamlessly blends laughs and touching emotional moments. It doesn't, though. I. What is It? Artist Mark "Hogie" Hogancamp was viciously beaten one night. He lost his memory and his ability to draw and write. He has since adapted and become a photographer. He created the world of Marwen, and peopled it with intricately detailed dolls, and uses this town and these dolls to tell stories. He also uses them to help understand and conquer his PTSD. II. What Should Be Sweet Comes Off More Than a Bit Creepy This movie should be sweet. It should be heartwarming. It should b...