Triple 9 - Box Office Review

Dirty cops, the Russian mob, hispanic gang bangers, lots of gun fights, explosions, smoke bombs, abandoned buildings and more are part of what made "Triple 9" an entertaining action film. The pacing on this film was a little slow which was a surprise considering the high volume of action present within. The cast was stacked with talent. The mood and tone of the film were appropriate for the concepts being told. So why did I walk out of the theater thinking, "Eh, not terrible but not great either." Let's explore...

Let's start with probably the largest culprit that lessened my post viewing excitement. The pacing of this film was slow. It wasn't across the board slow either. It would have moments of high energy, edge of the seat, popcorn shoveling, eyes wide open action sequences. Next, the breaks slam down and we're dealing with personal/family tensions that develop the characters and deepen our understanding of the motivating factors of the key players in the film. This happens at what feels like a much slower pace. 

Next up, we have cliche's. I want to be clear that cliche's aren't necessarily a bad thing. If the film is designed to utilize the cliche' characters in a manner that acknowledges the fact that's ok. Comedies do a great job over exaggerating the cliche' new cop on the force who thinks he knows it all. He's a no nonsense, skull busting tough guy. This film seemed to celebrate the cliche' characters and for me personally I didn't particularly care for it. This film led me to believe it's a dramatic look at what the lives of these characters are and the choices their life leads them to in a non comedic way. I rest all the blame for this on the director, who provides the actors instructions on how to portray their characters. John Hillcoat also directed the film "Lawless" which had pacing problems in my opinion. I enjoyed that movie too but I wasn't celebrating it. 

The casting of this film managed to hire several talented actors. Normally, when I post the names I add their IMDB link so you can explore their previous works. As you explore you might find a new film and that might deepen your appreciation for the particular actor, or you might hate it. Either way, you're watching more movies. Since this film has so many talented actors I won't be listing them or their IMDB's but you can click on the link above for the film and peruse there. The casting was the highlight of this film for me. I love seeing all the actors on screen and I was curious to see how well Gal Gadot would hold her own on screen with these other talents. She wasn't in much of the film but her role was pivotal and she performed her character well while seeming believable. I'm curious to see her as Wonder Woman in "Batman VS Superman" but we'll explore that film later this month after I see it. Other than her, I knew exactly what I'd get from the rest of the actors and I wasn't disappointed in their performances. I could've used less cop cliche's but that's not their fault. They were just doing the job the director told them, and they did that well. 

"Triple 9" is in theaters now. I give this film one full magazine of ammunition and a smoke bomb but that's only to make your escape out of the theater and safely arrive at Redbox to rent it. If you enjoy heist films with lots of action and some entertaining plot twists this is the film for you. I enjoyed it but I wasn't walking out of the theater talking to people about it. If you go see it, or have seen it, comment below and share your thoughts.

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Movie Review: Guns, Girls and Gambling (2012)

A Native American artifact is stolen from an Apache casino and now a quirky bunch of Elvis impersonators, crooked cops, blonde haired women, guns for hire and more are on the hunt for it.

I love a good heist movie and I even like a bad one if the story is goofy enough.  This falls into the latter.  There are actually quite a few decent actors in this film and it was cool to see them working together.  Christian Slater totally fits the role as the main character, John Smith, who gets wrapped up in all the silliness that is a movie about Elvis impersonators hunting down a Native American mask.

As in all heist movies, there are twists and turns that I won't get into here, but they do keep you entertained.  At times it looks like things start looking up for John Smith, and then something happens(usually a hit to the face).  Slater's portrayal as the main character was extremely fun and kept the movie going.  His part made me think of his roles from the late 80s/early 90s where his career was at it's peak.

The person who shares a lot of time with Slater is "The Girl Next Door," played by Megan Park.  There was excellent chemistry between the two of them on screen making her a surprise of the film.


If you can get past the first five minutes, you should be fine the rest of the way with this film.  Although I felt most people played their parts the way they were intended, I did not like Helena Mattsson's line delivery.  She's an absolutely gorgeous assassin who quotes Edgar Allen Poe poetry before she shoots people.  Problem is, she doesn't sound confident doing it.  I'm assuming she was going for sensual but there's a crack or something else off in her delivery and it just comes off poorly.

The Elvis impersonators are great with Chris Kattan as "Gay Elvis," Anthony Brandon Wong as "Asian Elvis," Tony Cox as "Midget Elvis"- I mean "Little Person Elvis," and Gary Oldman as "Elvis Elvis."

Powers Booth is "The Rancher" and has a very Boss Hog look going for him.  Dane Cook and Sam Trammell are the Sheriffs.  The film even has Jeff Fahey and Matthew Willig as hit-men with cool nicknames.

Overall, I think that Michael Winnick as writer/director put together an okay film.  It was a lot of fun with cheesy over the top action and goofy lines.  It was definitely better than I expected.

On a scale of up to 5, I'm giving "Guns, Girls and Gambling" 3 Pile Drivers.

You can read more of my reviews here on Cinema Head Cheese and also please check out my blogs, reviews and podcasts on http://maskerpiecetheatre.blogspot.com/

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This blog is one of my earlier reviews for Cinema Head Cheese.  Go there for all kinds of movie reviews.

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The Revenant - Box Office Review

The revenge tale must produce substantial and compelling arguments for an audience to believe the motivations of the protagonist justifiable, if not understandable. What transpires in the 1st act of the story should sway the audience to empathy for the character  who has endured some injustice. We must agree that what has occurred is terrible to the point revenge feels appropriate, almost necessary and we side with the hero, as tragic as their story might be. "The Revenant" makes a compelling case for revenge and does so with the most beautiful locations I've seen on film this year.

I'll first address the more popular topic as of late, which is, Leonardo DiCaprio deserving an oscar for his performance in this film. His character doesn't speak much which creates a certain challenge for the actor. You must tell the story using expressions and gestures, only. While the close ups on his face certainly helped create dramatic tension throughout the 2nd and 3rd act of the film I wasn't completely sold. There was something in Leo's eyes that didn't match his facial expressions. His eyes seemed to calm while his face expressed angst, fear, rage, thought and more. This normally wouldn't be an issue and it might feel like I'm just being overly critical. I'm not and the reason why is simple to explain. The close ups on his face occurred too frequently. If the basis of the story revolved around more shots that were a few steps back from his face I feel his performance would've carried so much more emotional believability. There was intense dramatic scenes showing Leo performing at his best, then close up on his face to see calm eyes on what should be anything but calm. It was my only critique for Leo and it's remedied by simply zooming out to show his entire character, not just his face.

The rest of the cast was equally compelling and each one had a specific story they were trying to tell throughout this film. At one point the film breaks away from linear story telling and jumps around between the characters and their struggles. Eventually the story all ties together and everything makes sense. There was a nice balance between how quickly the story moves for Leo and the more involved, character developing, story of Tom Hardy and the individuals partaking in his share of the film. Overall, the characters were believable and entertaining. They elevated an already intriguing story into a well paced, revenge fueled, wilderness adventure. The time flew by in this film and the two plus hours of screen time was not noticeable.

"The Revenant" is in theaters now! I give these film enough muskets and ammunition to kill any grizzly bear deep in the forest. This film is worth the big screen viewing and worth the price of admission into the theater. The film used all natural light and it's truly beautiful on the big screen seeing life as it is, not as it's being created to appear. It's graphic, it's violent, it's scenic and it's told well. This film is cinematic which is a relief considering the medium used to tell the tale. I enjoyed this film and I recommend everyone who has at least 3 free hours and a passion for movies see it on the big screen.

Comment below if you’ve already seen it and share your thoughts! Join in on the fun of movie watching and share this post with anyone who you feel would enjoy another one of my Box Office Reviews.

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Comic Book Review: Paper Girls #3 - Image Comics (2015)

Written by Brian K. Vaughan
Art by Cliff Chiang

The girls are at Mackenzie's house and Mac is trying to get the gun away from her mother when there is an accident.  On the way to the hospital, the girls meet a visitor from elsewhere.

Paper Girls continues to add surprises to each issue.  Issue three has plenty of times that make you scratch your head wondering where this story is heading.  Who is the mysterious man at the beginning?  Who are the beings that the girls met in issue one?

A lot of questions but we still have good character development.  Brian K. Vaughan makes the most out of the limited amount of pages to use banter between the girls and demonstrate each of their personalities.  This tale takes place in the 1980s so there is a bit of nostalgia.  During Erin's dream/hallucinating experience she is ice skating with President Ronald Reagan.

Paper Girls is three issues in and I still have no idea what's going on.  That is actually a very cool thing.  I'm impressed by what Vaughan is doing, hooking the audience in and making us all wonder what direction he is taking Paper Girls.  Cliff Chiang's art is fantastic looking with this story and is capturing the eighties extremely well.

Are you reading Paper Girls as well?  What do you think of the review?  What other books would you like us to review for Maskerpiece Theatre?  Please leave your comments below.

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Comic Book Review: The Shadow -Issue 1 - Dynamite

“The Shadow"  Issue #1

Written By: Cullen Bunn

Art By: Giovanni Timpano and Marco Lesko

The issue begins with a magician, Carlini, dying in bed and being greeted by “The Society of United Magicians" who are in search of Houdini’s last great magic trick, from beyond the grave. From there it cuts to a circus where the Shadow is trying to apprehend another magician while battling circus freaks, who are literally shooting themselves at him from cannons. It’s revealed that the Magicians are searching for Houdini’s secret with violent means but only the Shadow knows Houdini’s secret and the Magicians will not stop until they’ve uncovered the secret… by any means necessary.

What a fun trip back into the world of “The Shadow” and mystery meets crime drama. All the aspects of the Shadow are captured here and even the dialogue is appropriate to the character and the world this story takes place in. Old cars, old planes, old guns, classic outfits and hairstyles, it’s all here. Even the font used when the Shadow laughs and disappears feels right. If you’re a fan of the Shadow you’ll appreciate this issue. If you aren’t yet a fan, you might still enjoy the campy feel of a 1940’s murder mystery that deals with magicians.

The initial issue was only $1 and well worth it. The story is well paced and keeps you engaged without slowing down too much for dialogue. The swiftness in which the Shadow moves is captured here as well and if you grew up listening to, or recently have enjoyed, the old radio shows you can hear Orson Welles maniacal laugh each time the laugh happens in this issue. I’m curious to see where the story goes with this nefarious group calling themselves “The Society of United Magicians” and I hope after reading you are too. 

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