Tag: Donal Logue

CONFIDENCE (2003)

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Directed By: James Foley 
Written By: Doug Jung 
Cinematography By: Juan Ruiz Amchia 
Editor: Stuart Levy 

Cast: Ed Burns, Rachel Weisz, Dustin Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Brian Van Holt, Morris Chestnut, Louis Lombardi, Andy Garcia, Robert Forster, Robert Pine, Leland Orser, John Caroll Lynch, Luis Guzman, Donal Logue, Tony “Tiny” Lister, Franky G, Nicole Lenz 

Jake Vig is a consummate grifter about to pull his biggest con yet, one set to avenge his friend’s murder. But his last scam backfired, leaving him indebted to a mob boss and his enforcer.

I have never seen a film try so hard to be a modern version of THE STING.

The film offers likable quirky thieves and a handsome protagonist. Who is in over his head? An untrustworthy femme fatale and a big-name legendary actor playing the villain raise the stakes of the endeavor and make it seem like a challenge to the other actors to impress him or even hold the screen with him.

Then you get the requisite double crosses. Everyone is who they seem or say they are. I really wish I could have disliked this film. It ends up winning you over as long as you don’t look too deep. As it is a film that openly challenges you and wants the audience to overthink. So that while you are doing that it is sneaking stuff right by you.

Ed Burns is the lead con man. I will admit that when it usually comes to him in acting performances. He tries to play more laid-back characters but there is a certain arrogance in his performance that is perfect for the character he is playing here. Here he has his qualities actually work for him.

It helps that this film is stocked to help support him with so many character actors. Who he actually holds his own with. Under those conditions, you have to bring you a game and pray that some of their talent and charisma Rub off.

It’s hard to talk about this film and really have too much to say, when most of the enjoyment comes from watching these twists and turns in action.

It’s actually quite a charming film that is perfect to watch with an audience. Though you will probably only need to see it once. Since after that you know what it is all about. And not as much fun.

Watching it feels like you are playing a game. Once you watch it will All have the same outcome.

The film tries to be gritty but it comes off more as fascinating. As the film is much better than you would expect and is stylish to a degree, but feels like it is a victim of itself when it comes to the intelligence of the script. It thinks it’s smarter than it actually is. Even includes the will they or won’t they sexual tension between the con man leader and the new sexy recruit.

Watching this at the time it seemed part of a bunch of movies that were trying to be about con games or at least trying to fool the audience. That also seemed more in being self-promoting. This is worth a shot but more as entertainment than anything else.

GRADE: B-

THE CLOVERFIELD PARADOX (2018)

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Directed By: Julius Onah 
Written By: Oren Uziel 
Story By: Oren Uziel & Doug Jung 
Cinematography By: Dan Mindel 
Editor: Alan Baumgarten, Matt Evans & Rebevva Valente 

Cast: Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Chris O’Dowd, Daniel Bruhl, David Oyelowo, John Ortiz, Ziyi Zhang, Donal Logue, Roger Davies, Elizabeth Debicki 

Orbiting a planet on the brink of war, scientists test a device to solve an energy crisis, and end up face-to-face with a dark alternate reality.

There are parts of this film remind one of the science fiction movie LIFE that came out the year before. Only that movie was somewhat original and similarly Cliche ridden but at least was more entertaining overall with impressive special effects. It also didn’t try to be as emotional and dramatic as this film. It also had one hell of an ending.

This film also has way too good a cast to be this bad and disappointing. They are diverse and international. Not necessarily due to them is his movie a failure. Just a story that believes itself more clever then it actually is. As the film even before it’s Release tried to seem like it was more a studio sci-fi film before it was figured out to be another film in connection with the CLOVERFIELD series of movies. So once figured out it added CLOVERFIELD to the title. In the end it plays more like all hype.

The film essentially plays too basic and familiar so you get the sense you have seen all of this before.

The film being tied to a bigger series of films. That this is more a prequel of sorts that could be a sequel to anything. That is how devoid of personality and material it is. Where most of the film feels like filler for a few certain scenes that tie it together and really are what the movie is about.

Though more built around actress Gugu Mbetha-Raw character. No one in the cast comes through as memorable. Except Chris O’Dowd and that is only because he is more the comedic relief and is involved in one of the more impressive special effects sequences. The later being the bigger reason I remember him.

It’s a shame that a sci-fi movie that has a bigger than usual cast of minorities is so basic and non descript. Even the direction and production design doesn’t seem inspired.

The film ends up feeling like a hodgepodge or ideas and plots of other movies. Even by the ending it feels like this was a general sci-fi movie. That had an added ending to tie it to the CLOVERFIELD universe. As at least the other films in that universe added a different and original point of view to the typical alien invasion film. This feels more expected. Even if at first it tries to stay focused on the science more than anything.

Do these film not exist in that universe. It even trying to do anything different or special. The film isn’t even scary it’s more dialogue then anything at first. It’s also a movie that tries to be emotionally manipulative late in the game after an initial set-up and doesn’t come off as stylish at all.

This seems like a film that will play on the syfy channel for a while. As it seems like a bigger budgeted version of a film they would produce only without an exploitive angle.

This is definitely the weakest of the three films

GRADE: F