Film reviews

The Mosquito Bowl Review

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This is a film that is based on a true story revolving around football and war. The Mosquito Bowl is directed by Peter Berg, who took audiences on a journey of realism in his films Lone Survivor and Patriots Day. Both of these defined real events of war with important details. There are plenty of these “details” in The Mosquito Bowl. I will say this one feels like the most historic adaptation I have seen from Berg.

 

The film opens with football as the focus. It begins with universities such as Brown University in 1945. Then it jumps to Harvard Vs. Brown University in 1941, and from there, Purdue Vs. Wisconsin in 1941—the presence of football players and establishing a championship carries a big sports vibe at the beginning of The Mosquito Bowl. It is an introduction with a lotof touchdowns, and I say this because I felt sold by the determination that starts off this film. It is of those working to get to the top to become champions. Football players, parties, and presence—the rising stars in the world of sports are thematic from the opening moment in The Mosquito Bowl.

 

The main heroes of the film are Tony Butkovich (Ray Nicholson), Bob Baumann (Bill Skarsgaard), Dave Schreiner (Tom Francis), and John McLaughry (Nicholas Galitzine). They enlist to serve in the United States Marine Corps. They chose to do this because of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Their biggestupcoming match yet is The Mosquito Bowl. This game is their preparation for war in Okinawa. Football is no longer the life of these four players; it is also their double life. They must do what they can to fight their way back to play on a real field again, and to serve their country.

 

Throughout the film there are archived war moments.  Berg does create a space for audiences to clear their mind with The Mosquito Bowl, with a cushioned room approach where their minds can take a break from all the horrid war that happens on and off throughout the film. This aspect was one that I found to be exhilarating—because I was in constant expectation of elements either intense or calm—most of The Mosquito Bowl is however wretched and violent with war moments. 

 

The battle scenes are lengthy at ten-to-twenty-five-minutes sequences. My mind was blown by the acoustics. They were blended with the visual intensity, which was audacious and stunning. I did not want The Mosquito Bowl to end. I wanted to know if the players would ever make it to a football field again. At the same time, I felt their new home was on the battlefield. Especially with bigger powers being in control of their destiny. Many heroic elements rise in The Mosquito Bowl. With Okinawa as the center of a heavy war, The Mosquito Bowl is a match where audiences are rooting for the football legends. Three-and-a-half out of four stars for The Mosquito Bowl.

 

Film reviews

Godzilla Minus Zero Review

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A continuation from Godzilla Minus One, and the very first Godzilla film that roars with a R rating.  Godzilla Minus Zero is magnificent, spellbinding, loud, and enticing. The scenes filled with monstrous battles left me breathless, especially due to the IMAX format. I felt surrounded by the presence of monsters on the largest scale possible. There is so much to Godzilla Minus Zero that my mind was blown and the thoughts lingered with me long after the credits rolled.

Following the events of Godzilla Minus One, the Shikishima family is the focus as they face a new disaster. It has been two years since surviving the monsters, but the chaos is not over yet. In Godzilla Minus Zero, there are more creatures and additional battles.That is why the film was slapped with the R rating—there is more violence than before. The main characters (many of whom are returning from the previous film) are Noriko Oishi (Minami Hamabe), Dr. Ogata (Jun Kunimura), Koichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki), Makoto Aoyama (Masami Nagasawa), Shiro Mizushima (Yuki Yamada), Sosaku Tachibana (Munetaka Aoki), and Kenji Noda (Hidetaka Yoshioka). They will have to face uncharted territory. They survived the monsters once, can they survive again? The answers are waiting in the fighting pits.

The newest enemy is Ghidorah, a dragon with multiple heads. The newest threatening monster swarms throughout the film. There are new powers based on advanced science to be unleashed. Godzilla is the only one that can take Ghidorah down. Throughout the film, there are waves of trials and errors, and fragments of what is untold from the previous film. There is much more theory in Godzilla Minus Zero and it roars with elements that count. From the very opening of the film, Godzilla is stirring up all kinds of mayhem. 

My experience of this movie was at the Cinemark Seven Bridges & IMAX in Woodridge, Illinois. The one IMAX everyone traveled miles to experience The Odyssey on 70 MM. Godzilla Minus Zero was digital in the IMAX format, but the scenes of the film shot with IMAX cameras made all the monsters and action feel like such a spectacle of an experience.

Loud roars are mixed with cinematically daring damage in this film which loops in science to bring the two heroes together for a showdown. The other element that is well written involves the impact from Godzilla in the previous film. There is more of that ahead, but the pattern used in the writing is spot-on. Godzilla Minus Zero pulled me in deep with a strong, inspirational storyline. The message that the world will keep facing new challenges is handled effectively in this franchise. Fortunately, Godzilla Minus Zero has a director who knows what he is doing. Four out of four stars. 

 

Film reviews

The Only Living Pickpocket in New York

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This film is quiet and intriguing with New York city vibes written all over it. There is smooth jazz that plays at the start of the film. It is centered around stealing and making profits, while also navigating a life-challenging scenario. The film is genuine. The Only Living Pickpocket is different than what I am used to with a setting in New York. I usually expect to see something with a lot of crime and suspense—those two elements are in the film, just presented so silently. Written and directed by Noah Segan, The Only Living Pickpocket in New York is one-of-a-kind.

 

The film’s main character is Harry, played by John Turturro. He is someone that has many ways of stealing things and selling them. He does this by watching the moves of everyone around him. His motivation in doing this is to help him be able to care for his dying wife, Rosie, played by Karina Arroyave. However, he steals an item from a young punk named Dylan, played by Wil Price, and this particular theft scenario goes awry. For Harry, it becomes a life-and-death situation. If he does not retrieve the missing item to give back to Dylan, his wife will be in danger.

 

I love how the film presents negative deeds in the context of normalcy. Harry goes down to a pawnshop regularly. The man running the shop is Ben, played by Steve Buscemi. They negotiate values, worths, expenses, and many aspects of what items can be sold for. Harry needs to extract  the highest value possible from every item. At the same time though, his timing becomes limited as the life of his wife remains in balance due to one of his pickpocketing schemes.

 

As Harry runs through the streets of the city, the film is highly cinematic with New York moments. I truly value the depths of the subway systems, the moments of people watching, the hustle of a busy day–all scenes that convey times for a perfect pickpocket mission. It can be one of success or one of failure, but regardless, there is bound to be an intriguing outcome. There are moments when Harry questions his choices. They come around a lot when his wife is in peril, with the punk attitude of Dylan playing into that as well. 

 

Although truly surreal in its approach, I will say The Only Pickpocket Living in New York is a moderate classic. The writing is a bit rushed. The premise though is worthy of a masterclass that could have had more to it. Overall, I found myself in a spellbound throughout most of the film. Turturro and Buscemi deliver performances that are mind-boggling. They both convey underworld New Yorker attitudes of greed and wonders. Turturro though, steals the film. The Only Pickpocket Living in New York had me sold for a majority of the eighty-eight minuteduration. Three out of four stars.

 

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