Oct 11, 2014

"The Judge" Review

The Judge

3.5 out of 5 stars

Family appropriateness rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Rated R
-Moderate sexuality
-Strong language, including f-words, throughout.
-This one is rated up from most R rated films in terms of family appropriateness because the only reason it is R is the language. Furthermore, it has a good message about integrity that families might appreciate.







With complex characters and a good message, "The Judge" is worth seeing despite its weak first act.

Robert Downy Jr. plays Tony Stark Hank Palmer, a rich, talented lawyer who has spent his career defending awful people. He is from a small town in Indiana where his father, Joseph Palmer (Robert Duvall), has served as judge for many years. The two have had a falling out to where they rarely communicate anymore.

When Hank gets word that his mother passed away, he goes to his hometown for her funeral where he is forced to see his father. After a series of events, Judge Palmer undergoes a criminal investigation, and Hank stays to defend him.

Coming into this movie, I was expecting Hank to be a complete jerk with no sense of right and wrong. However, he is a likable person. He has told his share of lies, but he is not without morals. When he sees his father needs help, Hank does everything he can to defend the man even though their relationship is messed up. This proves to be difficult because Joseph is all about honesty and honor, whereas Hank knows all the loopholes that could easily get his father out of trouble.

Without hitting the audience members over their head, this film has a good message about honesty. It is about how having integrity and telling the truth can make everything right.

Robert Downy Jr. does a great job as the arrogant, yet likable lawyer. His character is a lot like Tony Stark in that he is far from perfect, but he still has great qualities. He is also wickedly brilliant, and it is fun to see him figure things out.

Robert Duvall also does a good job as the integrity-filled Judge Palmer. While I like this character towards the end, there are certain parts in the middle where he seems like a two-dimensional, stubborn elderly man. He is difficult for Hank to deal with, but the film later explains why.

"The Judge" does not receive a higher score from me because of the weak set-up. The beginning does not do much to suck the audience in. The fact that he is a brilliant lawyer who works for bad people is only revealed through the dialogue, and I would have liked to have seen Hank Palmer defending a scumbag before he goes to his hometown.

The beginning feels rushed. When Hank goes to his hometown there is very little context given about it. In actuality, him going is a big deal, but this is barely implied as he sarcastically says something to his daughter about his father. Little about the dynamic between Hank and Joseph is discussed until later, and the movie picks up when this happens.

The whole first act feels like a series of events that had to be glued together for the sole purpose of moving the story along. Some of the scenes end by dissolving into the next ones, and this makes the moments feel unimportant.

The reason for this probably has to do with its already-long running time. It stands at two hours and 21 minutes. It would have benefitted from cutting out on some of the superfluous subplots and focusing more on the two central characters.

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Oct 3, 2014

"Gone Girl" Review

Gone Girl

5 out of 5 stars

Family appropriateness rating: 1 out of 5 stars
Rated R
-Topless female nudity
-Several scenes of sexuality including depictions of oral and anal sex.
-Strong language, including f-words and c-words, throughout
-One scene of graphic, bloody violence.







"Gone Girl" is a non-stop, emotional roller coaster with twists, turns and loops throughout.

The story seems like it would be a straight-forward mystery, but it is not. It starts off with Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) trying to find his missing wife, Amy Dunne (Rosamund Pike). However, as the film progresses, it becomes much more than that.

It is impossible to discuss this movie in greater detail without giving away spoilers, and this is a movie you do not want to go into with any knowledge. There are several twists that give constantly evolving perspectives on who the characters are.

The performances are generally well-done, though Rosamund Pike is a little wooden in some scenes. Two of the actors are known more for comedic roles: Neil Patrick Harris and Tyler Perry. Both do a great job portraying unique characters.

Neil Patrick Harris is well-known for playing Barney Stinson in "How I Met Your Mother," a ridiculous character, who constantly comes up with schemes to get women. At first, it was difficult to separate these two roles, but after some time, he pulls it off. There are some similarities between the two characters, but their personalities are completely different.

"Gone Girl" was directed by David Fincher, who is also known for "Fight Club," a 1999 film known for a big twist near the end. In this movie, Fincher is able to throw the audience through even more loops without overwhelming them. The story is complex, yet the director uses simplicity to tell it. At no time was I confused about the events of this film.




Like I said before, it is impossible to discuss this movie without giving away spoilers. If you do not want to see spoilers, do not look at this section. However, if you have already seen the film or you cannot care less, go ahead and read on.

This film turned out much different than I had expected. The only trailer I had seen made it look like it would be about a psychopathic man who kills his wife. Having a background in psychology, this interested me greatly.

"Gone Girl" does delve into the realm of psychopathy, but in a different way. Nick Dunne, while he has a lot of character flaws, does not end up being the bad guy. His wife does. Near the middle of the film, it is revealed that Amy is a psychopathic version of Carrie Underwood. Livid that her husband had cheated, Amy stages everything to look like her husband had killed her so that he undergoes the death penalty.

When this is all revealed, it seems sudden because it happens within the first hour. I found myself wondering how there could possibly be more to this story, but there is a lot more. It does not end up being about the mystery but about how Nick defends himself legally. There is a satirical element to the story as he is forced to deal with the media, and every move he makes is under constant scrutiny.

The movie also shows Amy's perspective, and the audience finds out just how messed up she is. After  all her money is stolen, she seeks refuge with Neil Patrick Harris's character, Desi Collings, an ex-boyfriend who is desperate for company. In one disturbing, gory scene, she kills him after making it look like he had raped her. She then returns home where she makes Nick's life a living hell.

It is unclear exactly why she comes home. The reason she tells Nick is she realized he is the husband she wanted after seeing his televised interview. I think there is more to it than that, which is one of many reasons to re-watch this film.

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