THE REVENANT: The Film Babble Blog Review

THE REVENANT
(Dir. Alejandro Gonz?lez I??rritu, 2015)

There are a couple of things that people are talking about pertaining to Alejandro Gonz?lez I??rritu?s sixth film, the follow-up to his brilliant, Academy Award-winning BIRDMAN OR (THE UNEXPECTED VIRTUE OF IGNORANCE), releasing today in the Triangle.

First, the notion that Leonardo DiCaprio will likely win a Best Actor Academy Award for his powerfully pained performance as the pelt hunting, Indian killing, bear fighting, death defying 19th-century American frontiersman Hugh Glass.

Second, there?s the bear itself ? an incredibly convincing CGI creation of a ginormous grizzly that attacks, mauls, and severely injures DiCaprio?s Glass. The scary scene in which this happens has some folks even crying ?rape!,? but while it does look like the character is getting violated, it?s a female bear who?s protecting her cubs.

A friend joked, ?I bet the bear will win the Oscar!?

But beyond the bullet points of the Leo buzz and the bear lies an epic, uncompromising tale of survival that has just earned a prominent slot on my soon to be posted top 10 films of 2015.

DiCaprio dominates as the title character (the title, THE REVENANT, means a person who has returned as if from the dead), but on the sidelines we?ve got a gruff, angry Tom Hardy as Glass's biggest adversary besides the bear (he's the guy who decides to leave Glass? ailing ass behind after all), Domhnall Gleeson (EX MACHINA, BROOKLYN, STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS - yep, he's been getting around lately) as the hunting party leader, Captain Andrew Henry; Will Poulter as the young mountain man Jim Bridger, and, even younger, Forrest Goodluck as Glass? half-Native American son, Hawk.

That last bit, about Glass?s son, is fictional as the real life fur trapper/explorer didn?t have a son or the wife that we see getting killed in his tortured flashbacks throughout the film, but when a film is this riveting and driven, I?m not complaining about such embellishments.

Set in treacherous, snowy Montana and South Dakota in the early 1820s, this adaptation of Michael Punke?s ?The Revenant: A Novel of Revenge? follows the infamous hunting expedition led by Gleeson?s Captain Henry into the uncharted post-Louisiana Purchase territory.

In the film?s stunningly shot opening sequence, the hunters and trappers get ambushed by a tribe of Arikara Indians, and the survivors along with what they could save of their pelts, escape on a boat down river. Glass voices that, to avoid further attacks, they should ditch the boat and continue on foot ? a plan that Fitzgerald doesn?t favor.

This is where the bear comes in. While deep in the woods away from the others, Glass comes across the mother grizzly and her cubs and gets the mother of all maulings.

Afterwards, the crew carries him on a makeshift stretcher, but Fitzgerald, as always voicing displeasure, wants to kill or abandon him so they can complete the damn mission and get the hell home. In a struggle over Glass, Fitzgerald kills Hawk.

So Glass finds himself literally left for dead, but despite the dangerous odds he crawls, climbs, and swims through hundreds of miles of wilderness to exact revenge on Fitzgerald. 

While it doesn?t have the single take illusion that BIRDMAN beautifully built up (and that Emmanuel Lubezki won an Oscar for), THE REVENANT does traffic in sweeping unbroken tracking shots with the same mastery. Returning cinematographer Lubezki?s camera glides through the scenery intoxicatingly, beginning many scenes at ground level and ending them trailing off into the campfire smoke in the sky.

This gets us immersed in the open spaces, making us feel like we?re right there with DiCaprio in his suffering, wounded state. The man definitely deserves to get the gold for his no holds barred commitment to the character. The guy?s patented boyish charm is nowhere to be found here; what we?ve got here in his portrayal of Glass is a weathered 41-year old who?s been through hell and back and looks it.

Hardy, who along with Gleeson has been working a lot this last year, may get a nomination for this as well. Between this and his work in MAD MAX: FURY ROAD and LEGEND, it feels like Academy voters will surely take notice.

THE REVENANT may be more grueling than a good time for some moviegoers, but I found it to be more rewarding than punishing. It?s a towering testament to the emotional and physical strength that one finds in themselves when bracing the overwhelming wild of the American west.

When it comes to lengthy, brutal Westerns set in icy terrain this season, maybe this is the one that should?ve been shot in 70mm.

More later...

MAD MAX: FURY ROAD: A Bruttally Brilliant Western On Wheels

Now playing at multiplexes everywhere:

MAD MAX: FURY ROAD
(Dir. George Miller, 2015)



Believe the hype. The return of the iconic post-apocalyptic world of Mad Max to the big screen is a brutally brilliant blast - an exhilarating experience that majorly ups the action epic ante for this summer movie season.

After a 30-year absence, series creator George Miller re-ignites the franchise with this fourth entry that while connected to the original trilogy?s spirit, and over-the-top tone, it doesn?t feel like yet another re-boot, remake, or sequel. No, MAX MAX: FURY ROAD feels like a reclaiming of the genre it helped create.

Tom Hardy is a good fit in the role originally played by Mel Gibson of Australian badass Max Rockatansky, who we first meet as he is captured by the War Boys, the white-painted minions of the movie?s tyrannical villain, Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne). Incidentally, Keays-Byrne is the only actor here who appeared in the original 1979 MAD MAX.

Then the movie?s real protagonist bursts on the scene: Charlie Theron with a shaved head covered in grease-smeared war paint, and a CGI-ed mechanical arm, as Imperator Furiosa, Furiosa has rescued Immortan Joe?s five wives , his young, pretty ?prized breeders? (all played by supermodels), and is driving them to freedom in her big ass ?War Rig,? a heavily armored tanker truck.

Immortan Joe and his War Boy army take off after them, including the sickly Nux (Nicholas Hoult of ABOUT A BOY and X-MEN fame putting in his most scarily invested acting yet) who straps Max to the front of his 5-Door Chevy Coup? outfitted as a war machine (like all the vehicles are in this savage world) so he can continue to use him as a blood bag.

A chaotically compelling chase through a massive sand storm ensues, which allows for Max to escape from Nux, and finally be able to remove the metal grill that?s been locked on his face for a third of the film. After some initial friction, Max joins Furiosa and her bevy of breeder beauties on their journey to what they refer to as ?the Green Place.?

Despite some downtime in the blue darkness of nightfall, the movie is essentially an ginormously overblown chase sequence through the infinite, blindingly bright orange desert, but that so isn?t a complaint. Its pace and focus never falters, nor does the explosive impact of its violent visuals.

Wonderfully the ?western on wheels? that Miller promised, MAD MAD: FURY ROAD is an insanely entertaining experience that tops itself over and over. It?s an orgy of fire-breathing cars, pole-swingers, chainsaws, steampunk thugs, and gas fire explosions all given a heavy metal soundtrack by a masked musician with a flame-throwing electric guitar atop a vehicle piled with amplifiers. Try finding anything like that in another summer blockbuster this year, or any other year mind you.

I haven?t seen any of the MAD MAX movies in nearly three decades, but they were such cable staples when I was a kid in the ?80s that I recall their crudely exciting ethos quite well. Here, Miller?s fourth entry does better than just to recall the series? spirit; it re-instates its power with an updated yet still vitally raw vision.

As I said before, Hardy makes a good Mad Max, but Theron's movie stealing part as Furiosa often makes it seem like she's the real road warrior, and our title character is just along for the ride. Theron's tour de force performance not only proves her Oscar win for MONSTER was no fluke, it establishes her as a serious action star who could do what fellow actresses, Scarlet Johansson and Angelina Jolie, have so far been unable to do - i.e. front a quality franchise. Here's hoping that happens with Miller's proposed MAD MAX: FURIOSA sequel set for 2017.

So as much as I enjoyed AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON, MAD MAX: FURY ROAD is, so far, the biggest, and the best would be blockbuster this season. I'm looking forward to seeing it a second time, and having my senses get assaulted all over again.

More later...

MAD MAX: FURY ROAD: A Bruttally Brilliant Western On Wheels

Now playing at multiplexes everywhere:

MAD MAX: FURY ROAD
(Dir. George Miller, 2015)



Believe the hype. The return of the iconic post-apocalyptic world of Mad Max to the big screen is a brutally brilliant blast - an exhilarating experience that majorly ups the action epic ante for this summer movie season.

After a 30-year absence, series creator George Miller re-ignites the franchise with this fourth entry that while connected to the original trilogy?s spirit, and over-the-top tone, it doesn?t feel like yet another re-boot, remake, or sequel. No, MAX MAX: FURY ROAD feels like a reclaiming of the genre it helped create.

Tom Hardy is a good fit in the role originally played by Mel Gibson of Australian badass Max Rockatansky, who we first meet as he is captured by the War Boys, the white-painted minions of the movie?s tyrannical villain, Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne). Incidentally, Keays-Byrne is the only actor here who appeared in the original 1979 MAD MAX.

Then the movie?s real protagonist bursts on the scene: Charlie Theron with a shaved head covered in grease-smeared war paint, and a CGI-ed mechanical arm, as Imperator Furiosa, Furiosa has rescued Immortan Joe?s five wives , his young, pretty ?prized breeders? (all played by supermodels), and is driving them to freedom in her big ass ?War Rig,? a heavily armored tanker truck.

Immortan Joe and his War Boy army take off after them, including the sickly Nux (Nicholas Hoult of ABOUT A BOY and X-MEN fame putting in his most scarily invested acting yet) who straps Max to the front of his 5-Door Chevy Coup? outfitted as a war machine (like all the vehicles are in this savage world) so he can continue to use him as a blood bag.

A chaotically compelling chase through a massive sand storm ensues, which allows for Max to escape from Nux, and finally be able to remove the metal grill that?s been locked on his face for a third of the film. After some initial friction, Max joins Furiosa and her bevy of breeder beauties on their journey to what they refer to as ?the Green Place.?

Despite some downtime in the blue darkness of nightfall, the movie is essentially an ginormously overblown chase sequence through the infinite, blindingly bright orange desert, but that so isn?t a complaint. Its pace and focus never falters, nor does the explosive impact of its violent visuals.

Wonderfully the ?western on wheels? that Miller promised, MAD MAD: FURY ROAD is an insanely entertaining experience that tops itself over and over. It?s an orgy of fire-breathing cars, pole-swingers, chainsaws, steampunk thugs, and gas fire explosions all given a heavy metal soundtrack by a masked musician with a flame-throwing electric guitar atop a vehicle piled with amplifiers. Try finding anything like that in another summer blockbuster this year, or any other year mind you.

I haven?t seen any of the MAD MAX movies in nearly three decades, but they were such cable staples when I was a kid in the ?80s that I recall their crudely exciting ethos quite well. Here, Miller?s fourth entry does better than just to recall the series? spirit; it re-instates its power with an updated yet still vitally raw vision.

As I said before, Hardy makes a good Mad Max, but Theron's movie stealing part as Furiosa often makes it seem like she's the real road warrior, and our title character is just along for the ride. Theron's tour de force performance not only proves her Oscar win for MONSTER was no fluke, it establishes her as a serious action star who could do what fellow actresses, Scarlet Johansson and Angelina Jolie, have so far been unable to do - i.e. front a quality franchise. Here's hoping that happens with Miller's proposed MAD MAX: FURIOSA sequel set for 2017.

So as much as I enjoyed AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON, MAD MAX: FURY ROAD is, so far, the biggest, and the best would be blockbuster this season. I'm looking forward to seeing it a second time, and having my senses get assaulted all over again.

More later...

The Drop

***DISCLAIMER*** The following review is entirely my opinion. If you comment (which I encourage you to do) be respectful. If you don't agree with my opinion, that's fine. To each their own. These reviews are not meant to be statements of facts or endorsements, I am just sharing my opinions and my perspective when watching the film and is not meant to reflect how these films should be viewed. Finally, the reviews are given on a scale of 0-5. 0, of course, being unwatchable. 1, being terrible. 2, being not great. 3, being okay. 4, being great and 5, being epic! And if you enjoy these reviews feel free to share them and follow the blog or follow me on Twitter (@RevRonster) for links to my reviews and the occasional live-Tweet session of the movie I'm watching! So...this movie isn't about the bass drop on a dubstep track?  Huh.

The Drop ? 4 out of 5

James Gandolfini was, and will forever be remembered, as a fantastic actor.  Forgetting for a moment how amazing he was to watch as the iconic Tony Soprano, the man commanded attention and it wasn?t unheard of him to steal the film and demand all the attention?sometimes this worked when he ended up being the only good thing about some films.  Sadly, this is the last of the films he worked on when he passed and is the last billing his name saw in his talented life.  However, his is starring with Tom Hardy?so, that?s a pretty epic combination to end on, in my opinion.

That's a lot of talent crammed into one tight corner.

Bob (Tom Hardy) is a quiet and simple man who works for a drop bar?a bar that is a point of convergence for money from illicit gains and is picked up there by some members of a organized crime syndicate?and this bar was once the property of Cousin Marv (James Gandolfini)?he?s owns it now in name only as the mobsters are the true owners now.  One day, the bar gets robbed?which, in an of itself, is a stupid move but there seems to be a whole lot more to the robbery than a couple of simple thugs trying to get some beer money.  While this happens, Bob finds himself connecting with a local girl (Noomi Rapace) over an abandoned dog he found.  And, as strange as it all seems, this event has plenty to do with the robbery that took place?

Ever since Prometheus, Rapace is always on the lookout for angry fanboys.

I really enjoy Tom Hardy and I already gave a gushing insight to how I feel about the late great Gandolfini in the opening paragraph, so when these two meet in a single film, I?m pretty much sold.  Don?t bother showing me a trailer, just give me a quick summary of what it is about?hell, lie to me what it is about?and I?ll watch the damn thing.  And, I have to say, The Drop is a great crime drama with some absolutely tremendous performances.

Man, that mobster can tie the fuck out of tie.  That knot is flawless.

The story to The Drop isn?t too complicated but it was really good at keeping me glued to the screen.  At first, the whole aspect of Bob finding a dog and using it to connect with Noomi Rapace?s character sorta feels out of place and I started to wonder what exactly the dog and Rapace?s character played.  Without spoiling anything (we know how the internet hates spoilers), they in fact play a very important role and all the characters and their plotlines connect at the end but, more importantly, was how this element played on the themes of the film?themes like keeping secrets and hidden pasts.

Garbage dogs...so clich?.

Bob is a very quiet, unassuming character who, a little bit, comes off a little simple.  However, the ending shows he is a lot more?after all, mysterious pasts are the name of the game in this film.  One of the strongest aspects in the story was seeing how Nadia (Rapace) dealt with when she learned what Bob is exactly capable of.  This ends up playing very well with the kindness he shows the dog and what he will do to protect both the dog and Nadia.  Bob?s loyalty is another theme the film showcases and it showcases it very well.

It looks like her sweater is trying to quietly sneak away.

And since I?m talking about Bob, I?ll talk about Tom Hardy?s performance.  Hardy is an actor that, no matter what project he is on, I will go out of my way to watch said project.  Every film I watch him in I praise his seamless talent and the way he is able to absolutely submerge himself into the character he is playing and, once again, he has surprised me with how talented he is.  Like I said, Bob seems like a simple character who might not have all the bulbs on his Christmas light string all lit up and it was such a stark contrast to the strong characters that I?m quick to think of when I think of Hardy (I?ll be honest, I think Bane, Bronson, his charismatic performance in Inception, and his role in Warrior first with Hardy before I think about him in something like Locke?even though I loved Locke).  And since he is so ridiculously talented, Hardy pulls this off and I forget that one time he was beating the shit out of Batman while talking in a voice I can?t help but imitate to total strangers.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Oh, nothing.  Just breaking the Batman and stuff."

Honestly, all the performances in the film were great and that?s not really a surprise considering the cast.  Rapace plays tremendously well in her scenes with Hardy and Gandolfini is, once again, awesome to watch.  Cousin Marv might not be as unique as the character of Bob and is, usually, a man of few words, Gandolfini makes him a character to watch because the dude could speak volumes without saying a single goddamn word.  The defeat that Marv feels for being a lackey to the mob in a bar that was once his is palpable and Gandolfini represents in in spades.  This also leads to a great monologue from the man where he rants about how he was once respected and feared and now he?s nothing.  While this role won?t be as memorable to me as some of his other later roles (like his great performance in the romcom Enough Said) it?s still a damn fine role to be credited as your final appearance.  Rest in peace, good sir!

Good night, sweet prince.

The Drop isn?t flashy, the reveal isn?t some jaw-dropping twist, and the film doesn?t have much replay value beyond a viewing here and there but the film has a great, well executed story, interesting characters, and tremendous acting.