DAMIEN RILEY, world musician and performer

Tag: Romance

  • Say Anything

    Almost every movie can be defined as a mythic journey, even a teen love story like “Say Anything.” John Cusack is in love with a rich girl and he barely has enough money for the gas in his car. The movie becomes a journey from “dork” status to royalty when he finally wins her over.

    Say Anything
    Cast

    John Cusack, Ione Skye, John Mahoney

    Directed by

    Cameron Crowe

    Written by

    Cameron Crowe

    Other Info

    Comedy, Drama, Romance
    Rated PG-13
    100min
    Riley’s Rating:

    These are some really funny bits in this film. One I really like is when his friend is  playing 100 songs she has written for her unrequited boyfriend “Joe.” At one point she is in a bedroom at a party when people are drinking beer and listening to her sing these “odes to Joe.” One song lyric she sings is simply, “Joe lies … When he cries.” Please make sure you don’t leave the room and miss that scene.

    Anyone who wasn’t sure what to do with their life after high school will certainly relate. John Cusack is the poor dude caught up in his passion for kickboxing. He gets caught up with a rich, smart girl: Diane Court. He tries to woo her but just for a date much to Diane’s father’s disapproval. It’s a common story but this one gives hope to the poor guy, this underdog.

    What ensues in “Say Anything” is a heroic journey. John Cusack starts out a bit of a simpleton but ends up the victor. He wins the hand of the suburban maiden, played by Ione Skye. Many “best of” lists on the internet rank “Say Anything” near the top. It’s a lie story and a comedy about graduating seniors but the entertainment value is certainly suited to about age 14-?

  • Son of a Gun

    If you want to see Ewan Macgregor whoop some ass, you’ve come to the right place. If you want to see him steal some gold, you’ll get a twofer here. This movie was entertaining credits to credits.

    sonofagunposter

    Son of a Gun (2014)
    Cast

    Ewan McGregor as Brendan Lynch
    Brenton Thwaites as Jesse Ryan “JR” White
    Alicia Vikander as Tasha
    Jacek Koman as Sam
    Matt Nable as Sterlo
    Tom Budge as Josh
    Nash Edgerton as Chris
    Damon Herriman as Wilson

    Directed by

    Julius Avery

    Written by

    Julius Avery

    Other Info

    Crime, Thriller
    Rated R
    1h 50min

    There is so much going on in this film other than robbing gold. Still, I kept getting excited about the scenes where gold was involved. There’s something primal about that I think. What child hasn’t wondered what a gold bar is worth? What movie watcher hasn’t wanted to hold one. That may be why the director chose it.

    My one issue with this move is that entirely too much is going on. In the prison scenes, the guards are all victims. Much of the cast’s background is only scantily explained. For this reason, it lost a star with me which doesn’t mean I disliked it, just that it could have been better.

    We get to see Ewan MacGregor kick ass. He may become the next Liam Neeson after this one. He never struck me as a tough or even large man but when he steps on screen he commands the rooms, the fights, and all things in his way. This level is the best one to defend this movie on. MacGregor has never been better in a thrill I have seen him in. You could be perfectly justified going to see it on that aspect alone.

    This film tells a story that involves jail, but it’s not a jail film. There’s a girl but not much romance per se. There’s a grand elaborate scheme but you don’t get too many details, and as I said earlier there is the gold. Just a little more backstory on the some of the characters would have helped.

    I’m beginning to think gore in crime thriller is becoming required by the studios. There is a lot of blood and gross scenes. I’m waiting for the crime thriller that doesn’t lean on blod and guts unmercifully to tell a thrilling story about crime. Having said that, this is a really fun film and it contains many of the modern conventional approaches to ts genre. Ewan Macgregor is excellent and really commands the screen. I recommend this movie highly.

  • Breaking Away (1979)

    Grazie for this film! In a raw spirit of the late 70’s this film inspires and entertains and brings out the humanity in me. This is a “go to” film and will be until the day I die. A masterpiece you might say.

    Breaking Away
    Listen to my quick and dirty review!
    https://podomatic.com/embed/html5/episode/8569086?autoplay=false

    Breaking Away

    “A small-town boy obsessed with the Italian cycling team vies for the affections of a college girl.” -IMDB

    Cast

    Dennis Christopher Dave
    Dennis Quaid Mike
    Daniel Stern Cyril
    Jackie Earle Haley Moocher

    Directed by

    Peter Yates

    Written by

    Steve Tesich

    Other Info

    Comedy, Drama, Romance, Sport
    PG
    Fri 20 Jul 1979 UTC
    101min
    IMDB Rating: 7.7

    Known for An Innocent Man, Krull and Steve McQueen’s Bullitt, Peter Yates is the accomplished director who brought this vision to life. It’s college/career coming of age film with a gritty passion not seen much in the genre.

    Dennis Christopher is pure oxygen as “Dave.” His plight is the plight of every young man in American between the ages of 16 and 20. I was right there with him. Hormones make you want to hump every girl you see and explore a new universe apart from what your parents have made for you at home. He’s a guy who’s ready to take on the world but the world won’t let him yet. There is a cast of thousands besides him including: Dennis Quaid, Daniel Stern, Jackie Earle Haley, Jackie Earle Haley Barbara Barrie, and Paul Dooley. They are ALL in top form in telling this story and MY how young the all look in 1979.

    This film is the story of Dave and his friends just out of high school with nowhere to go. Their dads were “cutters” of concrete. They feel trapped in the identity. The film is about Dave finding himself. He pretends to be Italian to get girls and portray a more preferable identity. He also races a bike. Two strategic races make a metaphor for the content the film seeks to get across. Who are you when you’re young and who can you be when you choose to break away from assigned identity.

    The italian classical music in this is uplifting. Dave is one of my favorite young men filled with angst in film as well as all literature. He is remarkable to watch. I feel like he is me, at that age anyway. The bike racing, the gang of guy friends stuff, the tension from his father to get out of the house, it’s all beautiful like a rainbow landing on ones face. I can’t say enough good about this film.

    FINAL THOUGHTS
    This film transcends time. It’s principles and contexts are so primal and universal to growing up and finding ones way in the world that it is truly timeless. I recommend to any and all, this is a remarkable “perfect” film like only a few others I have run across.

    10/10

  • A Ghost Story (2017)

    A Ghost Story (2017)
    R | 1h 32min | Drama, Fantasy, Romance | 27 July 2017 (Australia)

    https://podomatic.com/embed/html5/episode/8569535?autoplay=false
    In this singular exploration of legacy, love, loss, and the enormity of existence, a recently deceased, white-sheeted ghost returns to his suburban home to try to reconnect with his bereft wife.
    Director: David Lowery
    Writer: David Lowery
    Stars: Casey Affleck, Rooney Mara, McColm Cephas Jr.

    When I look at David Lowery’s directing record, it isn’t saying much that he did the remake/reboot of Pete’s Dragon. The original was in fact my favorite movie and in fact the first film that ignited my desire to be a critic. Star Wars (2017) would be the next one. I am no fan of the Pete’s Dragon reboot but as I understand a lot of other people are so I’ll give Lowery a break there. He also did Aint Them Bodies Saints which I haven’t yet seen but have read much critical acclaim for. This film, A Ghost Story (1977) is a slow film that likely took pounds and pounds of muscle to make. Ironic I would say. It takes a big risk painting a simple picture. How many directors can say they had a strong visual idea and saw it through to completion without any nonsense added? For that I tip my hat to him. In that respect it s a rarity. The production company A24 made the film which is in keeping with their “big but simple” ideas for film. One example that comes to mind is It Comes at Night (2017).

    The two actors are excellent, no need to say anything critical about either of them. Besides, there isn’t much dialog here. There is a scene where Rooney Mara eats a pie for 5 minutes (or more) and the Casey Affleck ghost watches. So there you are for the description of the actors.

    I think this film brings up questions of eternity and hauntings but it is never for one instant scary in any way. I think Ghost with Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze did this concept better but you be the judge. This film for me is the thought of a spooky, thoughtful image being displayed the full length of a movie for “open-ended” effect. It is pretty cool for about an hour. After that, it really got boring for me. Kudos to Lowery for trying, there just isn’t enough here to justify the cost of a drama, or romance ticket. And Mr. Lowery, you would probably admit, you never claimed it to be a horror. It is nevertheless a beautiful almost still picture. and some will enjoy that.

    6/10

  • Seventh Son

    “Seventh Son” is a masterpiece replete with witches, dragons, shape shifters, “spooks,” creatures, and other engaging remnants from medieval mythology.

    Seventh_Son_Poster

    Seventh Son (2014)
    Cast

    Jeff Bridges as Master Gregory
    Ben Barnes as Tom Ward
    Julianne Moore as Mother Malkin

    Directed by

    Sergei Bodrov

    Written by

    Charles Leavitt, Steven Knight

    Other Info

    Action, Adventure, Fantasy
    Rated PG-13
    1h 24min

    Can witches save the day? I suppose in “Seventh Son” they can try. Our age-old fascination with witches is shown on the big screen here. There is a new concept I hadn’t heard of called the “spook” profession. These are basically witch hunters. They are endowed and recruited through generations to destroy bad witches. Jeff Bridges is a powerful one. Ironically we find he once had a romance with a witch but he is evermore hateful of witches and his occupation is to burn them so they don’t cause cataclysmic trouble.

    And so we have the backdrop for this epic tale. It’s more sorcery than good and evil. We learn that sometimes good witches watch over the land as other times, evil humans do more hard than any evil witch could ever do. This story line requires your full attention so if you’re a “multitasker” as you watch films, you’ll need to set your phone down and take in the foundation of the story which are very interesting indeed.

    Like so many movies these days, it is based on a book. I can’t imagine a book being as visually stunning as this film is. I felt like I was on a swashbuckling roller coaster most the time. The effects didn’t come cheap, the film cost almost 100 million dollars to make. The good news for them is that it did well at the box office earning well above and beyond its costs. I gave this quasi-medieval action, adventure, fantasy a perfect 5 stars. I recommend it!

  • My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2

    “Pull my neck back, I’ll pull yours.” -relatives posing for a photo

    Sequels are rarely good and this one isn’t good at all. Written by comic, Nia Vardalos, it shows a definite need for a writing partner or team. It’s a redo of the gags from the first movie with no real “new” message for the audience. I was shocked to see this film was produced by Tom Hanks. I suppose he thought it would make him money based on the first film in the franchise. I wonder if he visited the set and offerred his advice to the director.

    My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 (2016)
    Cast
    Nia Vardalos

    as Toula

    John Corbett

    as Ian

    Michael Constantine

    as Gus

    Directed by
    Kirk Jones
    Written by
    Nia Vardalos
    Other Info

    Comedy, Romance
    Rated PG-13
    94 min

    The best part of a good date movie is one that makes your wife or girlfriend laugh. There is nothing more satisfying on a movie date than hearing her laugh out loud. There were just a few ties in this film I heard my wife laugh: so there you go. In the first movie, the Greek father showed how Windex was a cure for everything but even Windex can’t save this long movie.

    It’s about another wedding but this time it’s her parents. They find out the wedding was never fully sealed since the priest was not fully ordained, or something like that. There are a lot of significant particulars in this movie that I just didn’t care about. The script goes all over the place and when it seems it’s too far afield, they just crack a joke from the first move assuming that will save the scene. It doesn’t.

    I never walk out on a movie but when the old mother and father were planning their wedding it really was like fingernails scratching down a chalkboard: irritating. There were a few gags here and there that worked but overall it was a mediocre comedy moving at a snails pace. The angle of having the parents remarry could have been expanded thus making the movie better. Unfortunately the directors were content to show that Greek women do best married with children. It’s also shown that Greek men rely on their wives for too much and nothing really changes even now in modern times. There were a few laughs and it was a light-hearted movie. That only took me as far as to give it 2 stars though. I wouldn’t recommend this film unless you are just in love with the actors. It lacks the charm of the first film in the franchise.