Hi, and welcome to 1994, when that phrase was last used. Flare jeans are coming back into style, I hear that Windows is designing a Palm Pilot that can make phone calls, and Christopher Reeve isn't dead yet (spoiler alert!)
Obviously I have not been on here as much as I would like. I would like to write more, but I have been very busy working on videos for my church. I have been working very closely with my brother in-law, who is a fantastic film-maker. He is teaching me all the ins-and-outs of angles, contrast, white balance, editing, etc. I have truly been having a blast writing, filming, and editing. It's a level of creativity where the sky is the limit. To see anything I've done so far you can check out my personal YouTube channel (search for Dave Racer), or search YouTube for victoryoflehigh and look for the most recent video announcements.
Ok, enough blabber and self-promotion (says the guy with a blog about his opinion). I took my wife out to the theater a couple weeks back, on a very much needed date night, and we had to choose between "The Equalizer" or "Dracula Untold". Naturally I chose Denzel, and.....
The Equalizer - 2014 (R) Action/Thriller
Starring Denzel Washington, Chloe Grace Moretz, and Marton Csokas
Overview - Ms Moretz plays a troubled young lady named Teri, who believes her only avenue in life is to be a "lady of the night". That is until she meets Mr. McCall (Denzel). A stodgy older man who has a routine of having tea in the same diner she frequents. Moretz befriends McCall, but finds herself in serious trouble when she refuses a client and gets "slapped around". Suddenly Mr. McCall's past starts coming to light, as he races against time to save this young lady from a dangerous life.
Review - The best way I can sum this movie up is to echo a joke I made on Facebook. "Just saw The Equalizer. I believe an alternate title could have been Home Alone: Blood Sports". Mr. Washington winds up taking out a legion of bad guys using a pseudo Home Depot warehouse full of tools, just like in Home Alone. Not to say I discount the whole movie on that note alone. I just found it a little coincidental.
There are a handful of actors who will draw a crowd simply because they're in it. Harrison Ford, Ian McKellen, Johnny Depp, just to name a few. Denzel Washington is probably near, or at the top of that list. I will bet you a dollar that you can't name me a single Denzel "clunker". Go ahead, I'll wait...
See? Washington has style, presence, emotion, and more clout than an actor needs to become a star. No matter who or what he's portraying, you believe it. Heck, if he showed up at my door in a bunny costume and said he was Santa, I might just fall for it. He's THAT good. So it will come as no surprise when I say that he does a phenomenal job in this movie. If you have seen his performance in the movie "Man on Fire" than you already have a launch pad for his role in this film. As I stated before, his character reveals he has retired from some other life. Though they don't unveil it until nearly the end of the movie, you get a pretty good idea of what he used to do for a living. "Sometimes you have to do the right thing, simply because you can." - Robert McCall
Now, Chloe Grace Moretz has had an ...... odd career choice pattern thus far. She played a troubled teenager in the 2013 remake of "Carrie", a psychotic killer in "Kick Ass", and a secluded vampire in "Let Me In". So I am unsure of my full opinion of her as an actress. She's nuts, that's for sure. I think that if she starts choosing more artistic and epic roles, we could see a superstar emerge in a very short time. Originally her role was written for an older woman, but she impressed the casting directors so much, they rewrote the script to fit her. So, I guess that says something about her commitment level to her characters.
As far as Marton Csokas is concerned, he is one of the "that guy" actors. The ones you see in a dozen movies, but never know their name. You're watching any movie and you see someone and shout, "oh that guy!". Csokas does a great job as a clean-cut homicidal lunatic, but you're not going to see a 5 star performance out of him.
I was surprised to find out that this movie was based on a 1980's tv show with the same title, starring Edward Woodward. Not to mention it was originally written in 2005 and went through 3 casting changes and a few different directors before it made it's big screen appearance. There is a looming possibility, since it used to be a serial show, that they could try and squeeze out a couple sequels. Though, until the end of the movie, I could not see how they could hope to stretch the movie into more than one. It's in the same vein as The A-Team, starring Liam Neeson and Bradley Cooper, in the fact that it ends up being a movie that could have a series of sequels, but can also operate as a single entity.
The cinematography is well done. you experience every gun shot, every punch, every corkscrew that is shoved up someone's face. "Did he just say a corkscrew up someone's face?" Yes. As ridiculous as it sounds, my biggest beef with this movie is that they went so far overboard on the gore that I could only label as "unneeded". When you watch a guy fight his way through a crowd of thugs and take them out with things in the room, including a corkscrew to the face, just show a stab and cut away, We do not need to sit there and watch the device slowly cut through his chin and tongue. Then cut away and cut back so we can watch our star rip it out of his face and then see him bleed out as he gurgles blood. If there is one major complaint I have with this film, that's it. Back off the blood and guts Fuqua (director) and you cold go from soft 7 stars, on IMDB, to hard 9. Just my opinion.
This is a guy movie if there ever was one. Blood, guts, hookers, blood, fights, revenge, blood, face-to-face threats, and....oh yea. Blood. Based on that criteria, I would give it a 3.5 out of 5. I would buy it, and watch it again. But only the guys.
I like chatting with folks, so feel free to Email me at entertaindave@gmail.com
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