He’s Clay Pigeonholed. He’s the…
Vidiot
Week of May 22, 2015
Free-range shooting ranges are the future.
First up…
American Sniper
The key to being a skilled marksman is
remembering to remove the riflescope lens cap before you shoot.
Thankfully, the rifleman in this drama is
that adroit, and much more.
An accomplished shooter since childhood,
Chris Kyle (Bradley Cooper) gravitates towards a military career when he’s
older.
In post-9/11 Iraq, Chris’ skill behind the
riflescope quickly garners him a reputation as a merciless sniper, not only
amongst his platoon but also the al-Qaeda leaders he’s been assigned to
assassinate.
On the home front, however, his wife
(Sienna Miller) struggles to raise their children without a father.
When he is home, Chris’ PTSD keeps him from
leading a normal life.
Polarizing for its depiction of war, Clint
Eastwood’s adaption of Chris’ biography does dip into hero-worshipping at
times, but it also emphasizes the repercussions war has on its returning
‘heroes’.
Incidentally, post-service snipers have
bright futures back home as ticking time bombs.
Yellow Light
Blackhat
The worst thing about Internet crime is the
culprits typically commit their offensives while wearing adult super-hero
themed onesies.
Fortunately, the hackers in this thriller
aren’t restricted to their folks’ basement.
When computers hackers with a transfigured
code tamper with the NYSE and a nuclear plant in China, both powerhouses assign
their best cyber-crime specialists (Viola Davis, Leehom Wang) to the case.
But in order to find the party responsible,
they will need the brain behind the destructive code: Hathaway (Chris
Hemsworth), who is currently incarcerated.
Meanwhile, the hacker sets their sights on
their next stock market manipulation.
Despite many broad attempts by director
Michael Mann to make computer hacking seem like compelling viewing, Blackhat’s
abysmal acting, sluggish pace and tacked on interracial romance fails to engage
the viewer beyond its topically subject matter.
Besides, the best way to catch a hacker is
by sprinkling Cheetos around a leg-hold trap.
Red Light
Hot Tub Time Machine 2
If you ever get hungry in a hot tub just
dump a few vegetables and a chicken carcass in there, and you got yourself a
hearty broth.
Mind you, the friends in this comedy are
more interested in turning their tub into a cocktail.
In a future he created for himself, hot tub
time-traveller Lou (Rob Corddry) is assassinated by an unknown assailant. To
save him, his fellow time-travellers (Craig Robinson, Clark Duke) must go back
in time.
Unfortunately, their alcohol-fuelled hot
tub takes them to the future where the assassin originated.
In 2025, the trio adjusts to their strange
new surroundings while trying to pinpoint the location of Lou’s killer.
Five years too late and missing John
Cusack, this superfluous sequel is more malicious and homophobic than the
original.
Crotch-based comedy at its worst, HTTM2
circles the drain.
Furthermore, a time-travelling sauna would
be a much more practical vessel. Red
Light
***Not Too Sharpshooter***
The Deadly Tower
Pegging off people one-by-one from a
secluded vantage point is only heroic if they aren’t on your side.
However, no one told that to the
ex-military marksman in this drama.
In 1966, while studying at the University
of Texas, Charles Whitman (Kurt Russell), a former Marine sharpshooter, decides
to murder his mother and his wife.
Afterwards, he and a cache of arms and
ammunition take up residency in the university’s tower.
Fortified in the pylon, Whitman continues
his killing spree on campus - taking co-eds into his crosshairs.
Meanwhile, the authorities (John Forsythe,
Pernell Roberts, Ned Beatty, Clifton James) amass below, aching to take Whitman
out.
The television movie account of one of
American’s worst mass murderers, The Deadly Tower features accomplished
character actors and a pulse pounding, albeit melodramatic, storyline that
still resonates.
Incidentally, the US army doesn’t support
the shooting of unarmed civilians – it sanctions bombing them instead.
He’s a Rude Remarks-man. He’s the…
Vidiot
No comments:
Post a Comment