Good Time (2017)

Directors: Benny Safdie/Josh Safdie

Cast:

Robert Pattinson – Connie Nikas

Benny Safdie – Nick Nikas

Taliah Webster – Crystal

Jennifer Jason Leigh – Corey Ellman

Barkhad Abdi – Security Guard

Verdict:

“Good Time” is directed by Benny and Josh Safdie and focuses on Connie Nikas (Pattinson), a man who’s on the run from the authorities when a robbery goes awry and leads to his brother Nick (Safdie) being arrested and he spends one night doing whatever possible to get him out. Robert Pattinson has shown in the past his willingness to put on a good performance with films such as “Life” and earlier this year “The Lost City of Z.” Once again, Pattinson doesn’t disappointment as he gives an unapologetic performance as a criminal runaway doing whatever it takes to free his brother from incarceration. This film could have went sideways if it wasn’t for his performance as he has to carry this film throughout while maintaining interest to the audience. He does just that as he is put in crucial situations that could go wrong, but finds a way to make it more interesting. There are chained reactions that go off due to Pattinson’s decisions and you don’t know what to expect from him as he subverts the common decision making. The supporting cast includes Jennifer Jason Leigh as Corey, Connie’s older girlfriend who has a big scene in a bail bonds office. Barkhad Abdi appears in one scene as a security guard and he does what he can with what’s given to him. Taliah Webster was a standout inclusion as this 16 year old girl that becomes entangled with Connie and she really stood toe to toe with him. Benny Safdie has a few scenes in the film as the incarcerated brother and for the amount of screen time he had, he did a great job portraying a man with deafness and he held the screen with Pattinson beautifully. There is another character that spends a good chunk of time with Pattinson and after awhile he comes off as annoying and a waste of screen presence but with that being said, it doesn’t detract from the overall flow of the film. The score in this film was phenomenal as it harkens back to those classic neo-noir films and the use of lighting is that of the style that Nicolas Winding-Refn uses in his films, preferably “The Neon Demon.” “Good Time” is an adrenaline fueled crime drama with a great performance from Robert Pattinson that shows just how far someone is willing to go for their family.

Grade: A-

Detroit (2017)

Director: Kathryn Bigelow

Cast:

John Boyega – Melvin Dismukes

Will Poulter – Officer Krauss

Algee Smith – Larry Cleveland Reed

Jacob Latimore – Fred

Jack Reynor – Officer Demens

Anthony Mackie – Greene

Verdict:

“Detroit” tells the true story of the riots that occurred in Detroit in 1967 and that of the tragic event that occurred at the Algiers Hotel during that time. Kathryn Bigelow reteams with her “Hurt Locker” and “Zero Dark Thirty” scribe Mark Boal to deliver a powerful retelling of the dark event that occurred that night in 1967. The film begins with the Detroit police raiding an unlicensed night club known as “The Blind Pig” and this would spark the five day riots that would rattle Detroit and shock the United States. From there the movie introduces us to three characters that we will then follow until the end. Melvin Dismukes (Boyega) is a security guard who is tasked with watching a convenient store and becomes entangled with the Algiers Hotel when shots are fired from the building. During this time at the hotel, Larry Cleveland Reed (Smith) has been bummed out because the riots have blown his chances of performing with his musical group The Dramatics, so he decides to blow off some steam and chills at the Algiers. Once the shots are fired, officers respond to the scene led by Krauss (Poulter), an eager cop looking to redeem himself from an action he committed earlier that day. Things don’t go the way he plans them to and we are locked in for 45 minutes of tension and hysteria. The scenes in the hotel are what the movie was led up to and Bigelow pulls it off big time. Her direction throughout is so intense and she really brings out the emotion of the characters. I was on the edge of my seat during the entire line-up interrogation as you are unsure what these cops are going to do and are capable of. The cast as a whole is tremendous with a breakout performance from Will Poulter who steals every scene he is in. The takeaway from this film should be that actions have consequences and just because you are an officer of the law, it doesn’t give you the right to take justice into your own hands. This film is a piece of history and should be praised for its honorary tributation of the horrors that occurred that fateful night.

Grade: A+

The Nice Guys(2016)

Director: Shane Black

Cast:

Russell Crowe – Jackson Healy

Ryan Gosling – Holland March

Angourie Rice – Holly March

Matt Bomer – John Boy

Margaret Qualley – Amelia Kuttner

Kim Basinger – Judith Kuttner

Verdict:

The Nice Guys is directed by Shane Black and stars Ryan Gosling as Holland March, a P.I.

who teams up with Russell Crowe’s Jackson Healy, a beat’ em up guy and they are looking

for a kidnapped girl. The pair were fantastic as they had great chemistry with one another.

This is Ryan Gosling’s Wolf of Wall Street as he is bat-shit crazy and hilarious as well.

Russell Crowe’s character was very serious as he filled in the story gap that the film

needed. Angourie Rice played Ryan Gosling’s daughter and she was also fantastic. She was

a strong female character that wasn’t afraid of a challenge but had a soft spot for peoples

lives. Kim Basinger was fine as she played the kidnapped girls mom and I felt that her

story made the film a bit confusing. Matt Bomer was good at playing the hitman character,

but that was it. The movie is very similar to Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, but isn’t as great,

nonetheless The Nice Guys is a hilarious crime film with two fantastic leads that is

strong until the third act.

Grade: A-