Zero Dark Thirty Review

Before I start I have two things to say. The first is that this is considered as a 2012 movie because even though it was just released in my area, it was released in other parts of the country of December 2012. And second this being a 2012 movie, it is the best movie of the year. If you haven't heard, Zero Dark Thirty is the true story about hunting down and killing Osama Bin Laden. The movie is directed by Kathryn Bigelow who made the Academy Award winning movie The Hurt Locker, which also happens to be my favorite movie of all time. Now because of that I had some very high expectations going into this, and I was completely blown away. The movie's main protagonist is a CIA operative named Maya portrayed by Jessica Chastain, who should and will win Best Actress in a leading role at the Oscars. The movie starts out about a year or so after 9/11, and the US has already started to go to work in the Middle East. And that's where the most controversial scene in the movie comes in. The opening scene of this movie is actually a pretty graphic torture scene. There has been a lot of talk about if this scene was necessary or not, I actually believe that having it in the movie adds to the experience. It really shows the audience what they're in for, it doesn't sugar coat anything. This movie shows the dark side of the war against terrorism. While interviewing a terrorist, Maya gets a name of a man believed to be Osama's courier. So she follows lead after lead for the next 10 years in hopes of finding him. But one day she is given an old document that got lost in the CIA's archive giving information about the guy. Maya uses it to help track the him down to his home in Pakistan, a well secured compound. Now Maya is fighting to get an operation sanctioned to breach the compound. Because if she's right, she just found the location of the most wanted man on the planet. To be honest, there really isn't a bad aspect to this movie. I can't think of anything to criticize. The cinematography was well done, set design was good, the sound design was top notch (when there were gunshots it sounded like someone was sitting next to me and firing off rounds in the theater). The acting was great; but while everyone did a good job, Jessica Chastain's performance towered over everyone else. What Daniel Day Lewis did for Lincoln, Jessica did the same for Zero Dark Thirty. I would like to give a disclaimer. This is a violent movie with some pretty graphic torture scenes, it isn't going to be for everyone. But if you can get past that, this truly is a masterpiece. This is my generations Apocalypse Now and one of the greatest war movies ever. Kathryn Bigelow really out did herself by crafting an intense thrill ride with twist and turns that will get your heart pumping and make you jump back in your seat. There have been a lot of great movies in 2012, but for my money Zero Dark Thirty is the best. 5/5

Great movies people haven't seen #6

The Raid: Redemption
If you ever want to watch a balls to the wall action movie, this is it. An Indonesian movie released in 2012, this movie is like if die hard had a baby with Kung Fu movie. The premise is simple, there is a wanted drug lord at the top level of a hotel and the cops got to get him. The hotel has now become a safe haven for criminals, so that makes the cops job a little bit harder. Their plan is to go up floor by floor and restrain any criminals they find while staying hidden as long as possible. No surprise that eventually get discovered, and sh*t hits the fan. And the next hour or so are nothing but fast paced fight scenes, and it's f*cking awesome. What surprised me about this movie was how professional the movie looks. The budget was only about one million, but the movie looks legit. The acting isn't overly great, but they chose these guys not for their acting but for their stunt skills. And before they started filming all the actors actually went to a police training facility so they knew what to do. So hats off to them for going the extra mile. So at the end of the day the plot might not be the best or most original we've ever seen, but all I can say about this movie is that it is awesome. So if you're on netflix one night and you see this movie, watch it.

Great movies people haven't seen #5

District 13
Also known by it's French title, Banlieue 13, District 13 is a fantastic action movie with some of the coolest parkour scenes ever put into a movie. The movie takes place a couple years into the future where Paris, France has kind of gone to hell. A dangerous part of the city called District 13 has been closed off and has become home to all of the city's crime. Inside district 13 is a vigilante named Leïto who has been fighting a gang leader. Leïto stole a huge shipload of cocaine from the gang, and after escaping them the gang goes after his sister. Leïto is then arrested by some corrupt cops and is sent to jail. A couple months later it is learned that a nuclear warhead has been stolen by the gang and is taken to their base of operations. But a timer has been set for the bomb, so if it is not retrieved in 24 hours their is going to be a pretty big mess in in district 13. An undercover cop is sent to deactivate the bomb, but so they have an inside man he breaks Leïto out of prison. As you can imagine the cop and Leïto kind of but heads, but they have no other option. If they don't stop the bomb with in the next day, millions of people are going to die. The best word I can use to describe this movie is badass. Like Kung Fu Hustle, it doesn't take its self to seriously. It's meant to show off awesome fight scenes and cool parkour. I can't say the acting is bad, but I can't say it's good either. The two main actors do an OK job, every one else...tries their best. But this movie has become a personal favorite, a cult classic, and it even lead to a pretty good sequel. All in all, it is a fun movie.

Great movies people haven't seen #4

Moon
Moon is a British sci-fi movie released in 2009, and it is generally considered as one of the best sci-fi movies of the decade. The movie is about an astronaut named Sam, he has been given the task of watch over moon base used for mining. In the future, an alternative fuel source called Helium-3 is used to power much of the earth. The main reserves where it is found are on the moon, so a base was set up there with constant mining. Sam is serving a three year tour on the base where he collects the canisters filled with the gas dug up by automatic rovers, and then sends them back to earth. One day he goes out to to collect the canister of helium-3 and crashes his cart. He wakes up a couple days later in the infirmary where the base's artificial intelligence, GERTY, is taking care of him. Not long after he starts asking questions, mainly how he got back to the base. GERTY assures him everything is fine and to just rest. But Sam decides to go back to the crash site and see what happened. And when he looks inside the cart he was travelling in, he discovers something he can't believe. Moon is truly brilliant  A unique, smart, and original movie. I actually ranked it as the third best movie of 2009 (behind The Hurt Locker and Up). The movie stars Sam Rockwell, and he was absolutely incredible in his role as Sam. I still believe he was robbed for best actor. A fantastic sci-fi/mystery movie that has become a personal favorite, and one more people should see.

Great movies people haven't seen #3

Beasts of the Southern Wild
This movie actually came out this year, and it was met with critical acclaim. Winning dozens of awards at film festivals, Beasts of the Southern wild is a beautiful  movie like few others. The movie takes place on a small fictional island off the coast of Louisiana nicknamed "the bathtub." The story revolves around a young girl named Hushpuppy and her dead beat dad. Hushpuppy's mother died years ago, and the problem is that her dad doesn't really know how to take care of her. The main conflict of the story actually takes place within her father. He really wants to be a good dad, he just doesn't know how to and he fights himself at every turn. One day the people of the bathtub hear that a storm is coming. Some people decide it's time to pack up and leave and others try and hold down the fort. The storm is devastating; it kills all the plants and livestock, the people only have enough supplies for a few weeks. And on top of that, the whole area is flooded with 10 foot high water. So Hushpuppy's father gets a plan, he's going to blow up the levy to release some of the water. But as you can imagine, there are some repercussions. The best word I can use to describe this film is soulful. This was the directors first film and he put everything he had into it. From the casting to the cinematography, he did everything perfectly. The girl who played Hushpuppy gave what may be the best performance from a child actor I've ever seen. A powerful movie that really speaks to you, Beasts of the Southern Wild is one of the best films of the year.