Dog’s Movie House: “Amsterdam” Proves That Mediocre David O. Russell Is Better Than Directors’ Better Efforts!
Howdy Folks! It’s The Kendog here with a look at David O. Russell’s latest, “Amsterdam,” for which he has assembled an all-star cast. Russell, known for Oscar nominated work such as “Silver Linings Playbook” and “American Hustle” writes and directs a tale set during and just after World War I. Three friends, two soldiers and a nurse, played by Christian Bale, John David Washington, and Margot Robbie, bond during their time together in Amsterdam. Separating after returning to the states, the three are reunited when Bale’s Burt (now a fringe doctor treating veterans) and Washington’s Harold (the lawyer helping him out) are called upon to investigate the death of their old unit commander, a respected general who died under mysterious circumstances. This death leads to a spiraling mystery involving rich families, powerful political cabals, and an attempt at facists to take over the United States government.
Continue readingDog’s Movie House: “No Escape” Slick But Somewhat Unpleasant Thriller!
Howdy Folks! It’s The Kendog!
Pierce Brosnan And Owen Wilson In “No Escape”
John Erick Dowdle is primarily known for his horror films. Movies like “Quarantine” and “As Above, So Below” trade on the menace of inhuman threats for the thrills he generates. It’s not a bad formula and those two films, while far from perfect, have some genuinely interesting elements to them. I suppose, then, I could forgive Dowdle (along with his brother Drew, who co-wrote the script) for applying the same formula for the new political thriller “No Escape.” Trouble is the people menacing the recently arrived to Thailand (or Cambodia or whatever country to which they’ve recently moved; the film doesn’t say) are supposed to be people, no monsters, and treating them as the latter makes this otherwise slick exercise in suspense and action filmmaking uncomfortable to watch in all the wrong ways. Continue reading
