Beasts of the Southern Wild + Jack Reacher

Beasts of the Southern Wild:

Story:

In the wake of a natural disaster, six year old Hushpuppy is forced to be courageous and strong as her father's health fades.

Review:

I was originally going to write this review a few months ago, but I kept pushing it aside and pushing it aside until finally I ran out of movies to watch. Upon reflection, I should have watched Beasts of the Southern Wild first. Amazing, emotional, and spellbinding for a realistic story about a dangerous situation through the eyes of a six year old. This is a movie that I highly recommend to anyone.

What I liked the most:

1. Realistic story.

A bayou community is flooded due to the melting ice caps. Amidst the very fast emotional development of young Hushpuppy, the environmental message is very strong. We get glimpses into Hushpuppy's backstory as the events around her begin to worsen. Not often does a movie do this and is able make the viewer fully able to understand Hushpuppy's emotional state every single time. The writing has a very authentic feel to it, and that's what makes BOTSW so memorable.

2. The actors.

As seen in Life of Pi, using unknown actors/actresses to lack overshadowing other characters is a very useful tactic. There are no major names in BOTSW, and with that, you don't fully know how the story ends until it's close to the ending. You never feel like some characters (other than Hushpuppy) are more important than other characters, and as such, each character becomes equally important regardless of their screen time.

Not only that, but the acting is some of the best I have seen this year. Each character not only brings forth their own uniqueness, but also emphasizes what Hushpuppy is going through while progressing the great story even further.

3. The camera work.

Shots of the bayou combined with shots of the ice caps and some brilliant up close shots with the wild beasts help amplify the already amazing brilliance that BOTSW is. Some of the scenes are filmed with perfect amounts of intensity, and help provide the necessary realistic feel that helps pull the movie along.

What I liked the least:

1. Absolutely nothing.

This is a movie that is nearly flawless. There were some parts that irked me, and sometimes the story seemed just a tiny bit murky, but I get the feeling that was on purpose.

Who I recommend Beasts of the Southern Wild to:

Those who liked Where The Wild Things Are will like this. Others, who like dramas, will also like this, and yet more who like emotional movies will like this.

---

Jack Reacher:

Story:

Jack Reacher, a former military officer, investigates a brutal slaying that he at first believes was committed by James Barr, a former army sniper. The more he investigates, the more danger he brings to himself and the defence attorney representing James Barr.

Review:

I went into this movie only knowing that it starred Tom Cruise. I wasn't expecting an intriguing mystery with some slightly noir-ish elements and very aggressive choreography.

What I liked the most:

1. Tom Cruise actually looks like he's fighting.

In countless other action movies, Tom Cruise merely looks like he's displaying a fight. He never makes any of his characters look like they're actually fighting. In Jack Reacher, he actually pulls off some awesome moves and his character even has a signature finishing move. It may seem odd that he's capable of this at age 50, but this just means that there's more to come from the man most of us know as Ethan Hunt. On that note, if you want some of the better fight scenes Tom Cruise has been in, watch Jack Reacher. They're well done.

2. The intriguing mystery of the story.

From the get go you know that things aren't what they seem. You automatically know someone's being framed, but you don't know why they're being framed and what the actual purpose of the framing is. For a movie to reveal so much yet explain so little at the same time, that's very effective. Jack Reacher does that, all the while pulling you in to what becomes an action/mystery hybrid.

3. The amusing moments.

For as serious a movie as Jack Reacher is, there are moments where comedy is sprinkled in. Out of the few people in the theater that was watching, most of us laughed at the intentionally comic outcomes of some of the scenes.

What I liked the least:

1. Tom Cruise still acts like any other character he's played.

There are no discernible differences between each character portrayed by Tom Cruise, with the exception of Less Grossman in Tropic Thunder. Don't get me wrong, he always does a good job, but it would be nice to see a different portrayal of character every now and then. Everybody he portrays ends up sounding the same, and Jack Reacher was no different.

2. Rosamund Pike.

A lot of people see her as a good actress, but a lot of the times her characters, like Tom Cruise's, end up sounding the exact same. That was the exact problem with Helen, her character, in Jack Reacher. There is no discernible difference in portrayal, and thusly her character sounds exactly the same as every other character she has portrayed.

3. The not-so-evil antagonist.

Without revealing a lot, and to summarize, what you get is an antagonist that's very much as disappointing as the antagonists from the first two Daniel Craig 007 films. Not too much background, and not a lot of overly evil actions from a character that is supposed to be evil. It's very disappointing, and it was one of the low points of the movie.

Who I recommend Jack Reacher to:

Fans of mystery films with a lot of action. If you like movies like Taken, then you'll love Jack Reacher.