Prisoners:
On Thanksgiving, two little girls go missing after playing around an old RV. The two families, the Dovers (Hugh Jackman and Maria Bello) and the Birches (Terence Howard and Viola Davis) are devastated. Detective Loki apprehends a suspect, an odd, but quiet and peaceful young man named Alex Jones (yeah, like the conspiracy theorist) who lives with his kind old aunt. Loki must let him go as he can't find any evidence against him. One of the fathers, Keller Dover, becomes obsessed with the suspect and attempts to take the law into his own hands. Meanwhile, Loki investigates further, and uncovers far more disturbing than he expected. This movie isn't as good as some other drama-thrillers I've seen, but this is a good movie. Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal (Loki) are really awesome in the movie. Both are obsessed with the case, but they handle their obsession differently. Jackman sees the case as an ends justify the means-type of situation, and resorts to criminal activity to get what he wants. Gyllenhaal stays within the law, but does use violence from time to time, like beating up a suspect in a fit of rage. The rest of the cast are great as well. It includes big name stars such as Maria Bello, Viola Davis, Terence Howard, and Melissa Leo. Paul Dano gives a good performance as Alex Jones, and you start to feel bad for him, because he takes an extreme beating in this movie. Poor Paul Dano, every movie he's in, whether it be There will be Blood or Looper or this, he always plays an innocent guy who gets horribly wronged in some way for no good reason and you feel really sorry for him. This movie is very dark and grim for most of the running time, and it's really emotionally draining, so if you're looking for a light-hearted movie, go see something else. It's entertaining, but at times it's a bit slow, and it's about 2 and a half hours long, so you've really got to be in the mood for it. The film is well-written and it's got some beautiful cinematography, but it's a bit slow and a little too bleak. The plot is really complex and gets a bit convoluted and confusing at points, but I was able to keep up with it, and the twist ending isn't that big of a surprise, as you can predict it ten minutes before it actually happens. Prisoners is a well-made and realistic thriller, but it can drag it's feet a little too often, but the performances make up for that, I'd recommend it if you're a fan of films like Zodiac and Brothers (both of which also feature Gyllenhaal). 3.5/5 stars. Note: the film was executive produced by Mark Wahlberg.
Don Jon:
Jon is a somewhat immature and porn-addicted young man living in New Jersey. He prefers porn to actual sex, until he meets a beautiful young woman named Barbara, who likes him but hates porn. He gives it up for a while, but then secretly attempts to pick up his old habit, but is caught by Barbara. He now must learn what to do about his porn addiction and how to fix his relationship. That's about all I can say so far. I will say the film can be pretty funny at times, but it's a lot different than I thought. Joseph Gordon-Levitt does a great job in the film, especially since he has a triple role (director, writer, main star). Originally, Channing Tatum was cast as the main star, but his role was restricted to a cameo. The rest of the cast, which includes Scarlett Johansson, Julianne Moore, Tony Danza, Brie Larson (who has one line), and Glenne Headly, do a great job as well. Besides Tatum, other celebrity cameos include Anne Hathaway, John Krasinski, Cuba Gooding Jr, Emily Blunt (Gordon-Levitt's costar from Looper), and Meagan Good. The film has a pretty cool soundtrack and some good acting. The film has some good editing and interesting cinematography choices. Don Jon is pretty entertaining and well-made for a directorial debut, even if it's not at all like I thought it would be. 3/5 stars.
Rush:
This film chronicles the true story of the rivalry between Formula 1 drivers Niki Lauda and James Hunt. It also chronicles the struggles they went through to become world champions, including Lauda's infamous burning injury during a race. Ron Howard directs this sports drama, and he shows he still knows how to make a good movie. Chris Hemsworth and Peter Bruhl give effective performances as Hunt and Lauda, respectively. Olivia Wilde, Alexandra Maria Lara, and Pierfrancesco Favino also appear in supporting roles. The plot moves at a brisk pace, but still feels pretty long, because the film is 2 and a half hours. The soundtrack in this film is really good, and the racing scenes are thrilling and fast-paced. The film is really compelling and is very true-to-life, similar to last year's film Argo. The film, despite being marketed as focusing on Hunt, focuses more on Lauda and is mostly narrated by him. Howard does a great job directing and doesn't drag his feet in too many places. Peter Morgan's script is really good and I really enjoyed the dialogue and characters. This and Prisoners are probably my favorites out of the three films I've reviewed today. Rush is a well-paced and exhilarating but also intriguing biopic and drama film, and probably one of the best of the fall season. 4/5 stars.
(Images: Wikipedia)
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