Warrior Review

                                                           3 Nuts!

Director: Gavin O'Connor

Warrior is about two brothers, Tommy, played by Tom Hardy and Brendon, played by Joel Edgerton.  Tommy, the younger brother has returned home after many years to his father, a recovering alcoholic played by Nick Nolte. His plan is for his father to train him to become a -professional MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) fighter.  Brendon, an ex- professional MMA fighter is employed as a high school teacher.  He is having trouble making enough money to support his family and so he returns to professional fighting in order to earn some much needed additional income. 

For the first hour of the film each of the brothers stories are kept completely separate.  The two have no contact with each other and Tommy doesn’t seem to be in any rush to become reacquainted with his big brother.  Tommy has incredible rancor towards his father and is only staying with him because his father is a great trainer.  The scenes between the father and son are some of the strongest moments in the film.  The viewer learns that the father has been sober for 1000 days and feels contrite for the way things are between him and his sons.  The dad desperately wants to make amends but Tommy is no longer looking for a father figure.  Brendon’s story is also absorbing as the audience watches him transform from a teacher into a great MMA fighter. 

The second half of the film is primarily MMA fight scenes.  The viewer will see a total of 5 fights.  Tommy is intrepid as he relentlessly battles against his opponents.   Brendon’s style however gives the audience a more realistic idea as to how daunting other fighters can be.  These fight scenes are very exhilarating and ultimately build up to an unforgettable final brawl.   At times the fights can seem a bit much in that anyone of them could have been the final fight.  It was hard to imagine that the film would be able to top each preceding fight but it does.

This film explores the limits of both physical and emotional extremes.  The performances are so genuinely convincing that the audience can see and feel the brothers’ anguish.  This is due to the remarkable acting by both Nick Nolte and Tom Hardy.  Tommy is a rather reserved person, but Hardy plays the character extremely well so that the audience can understand where he is coming from.  Unfortunately the good acting is accompanied by some horrendous acting from several of the supporting characters. 

A shortcoming in this film appears to be figuring out who the main character really is.  For the first half of the movie it feels like it is Tommy but by the second half it has shifted somewhat to Brendon.  It was hard to choose who to root for because in the end only one can be the victor. 

Looking at the film from a technical MMA standpoint there is a huge flaw.  There is no blood.  Warrior is a PG-13 movie about an R rated sport.  People unfamiliar to the sport will be shocked when they go to watch a real MMA fight after seeing this film.  There are a few times in the film where a real professional fight would have been stopped; however, they let these keep going in order to build the drama. 

This film at times felt like a big promotional for professional MMA. It glorifies a brutal sport while making an attempt to attract a younger audience.    

In a peaNut Shell: The drama created between the scenes with Tommy and his father was just as captivating as watching the fights themselves.  The film throws in the occasional cliché but that is to be expected.  Overall this is an incredibly exciting and emotionally charged movie.

                                                                                                                   

 First Published in The Daily Targum

Apollo 18 Review

                                                             2 Nuts

                                                           

Director: Gonzalo Lopez-Gallego

Apollo 18 is not a documentary and it is not a true story.  It is a work of fiction that was created primarily for the purpose of entertaining the viewer.  That being said, the director and writer went to great lengths to make sure this picture projected an aura of irrefutable authenticity.  There are no opening credits to this film.  Instead it begins by informing the audience that what they are about to see is recently found footage from an ‘Apollo 18’ space mission.  Embedded in this story is a supposed explanation of why the U.S has never gone back to the moon.  The film starts out rather slow, briefly introducing our 3 main characters who will be sent up to the moon.  Sometimes a slow start is ok but for a film that is a few minutes shy of an hour and a half the first 30 minutes needs to have more going on.  Having said that, what follows, turns out to be at times a frightening ride in space. 

In terms of plot this isn’t something strikingly different from what audiences have seen before.  Astronauts land on the moon to find out that they are not alone.  Staying alive and getting off the moon becomes priority number one.  Unfortunately, the Department of Defense has other plans. 

The entirety of the film appears to have been shot using a handheld camera creating the impression of authentic footage.   The audience will only get to see what the camera’s set up on the space ship or the astronauts’ handheld camera allows.  At times these handheld cameras can be rather vexing to the viewer.  It has a similar feel to “The Blair Witch Project” and “Paranormal Activity.”  The camera shakes, it goes out of focus, and even shuts off multiple times.  The use of this technique does work however in helping create a creepy atmosphere for the film.  

Despite a slow start, there are many moments throughout this film that will make the audience jump. So come into the theater expecting to be repeatedly startled.   Suspense is created effectively by the camerawork.  There is always something popping out at the audience accompanied by a loud screech. But ultimately the payoff is cheap and unimaginative.  Despite all this the movie does create an eerie feel of impending doom.

The dialogue between the two astronauts has no real substance.  It is both sparce and insipid.  The main character is difficult to root for simply because he is given no opportunity to develop or change.  He is just an astronaut in space who wants to get back to his family.  Not enough depth goes into this character for the audience to really care if he lives or dies. 

Is this movie just about another United States government conspiracy?  Are the Aliens trying to prevent the astronauts from leaving the lunar surface?  Are all rocks really aliens? These and many more questions will be posed as the film progresses but none will be answered. 

In a peaNut Shell: Apollo 18 is an interesting idea and works to some extent.  It is very slow early on and the payoff is not all that spectacular.  At times it can be scary thanks to the use of clever camera work and a good set of speakers.  At other times this movie can feel vapid and boring. The good parts in the film slightly out way the negatives.  In short, if nothing worthwhile is on TV, go see it.

First Published in The Daily Targum