The Rum Diary (2011)

If you have been living under a rock then you obviously wouldn't know that there is some controversy in Hollywood surrounding the lives of Johnny Depp (Mortdecai) and Amber Heard (Pineapple Express) as both are engulfed in a nasty case. So, I have decided that I was going to check out a film that both former lovers starred in together as I watched The Rum Diary which was released in 2011 and was written and directed by Bruce Robinson (How to Get Ahead in Advertising) and is based off of the Hunter S. Thompson novel. Depp stars as freelance writer Kemp who decides to take a job as a writer for a newspaper in Puerto Rico. The only problem is that things are not what they seem as he tries to navigate himself between the culture of the island and certain characters that inhabit the island. The film also stars Aaron Eckhart (Thank You For Smoking) as Sanderson,  Michael Rispoli (While You Were Sleeping) as Sala, Richard Jenkins (The Witches Of Eastwick) as Lotterman, Giovanni Ribisi (Gone In 60 Seconds) as Moberg, Amaury Nolasco (A Good Day To Die Young) as Segurra, Marshall Bell (Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead) as Donovan, Bill Smitrovich (The November Man) as Mr. Zimburger, Julian Holloway (Carry On Up the Khyber) as Wolsley, and Bruno Irizarry (Looking for Maria Sanchez) as Lazar.

One thing is definitely for sure and that this film was not as good as Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas which was a classic Thompson novel turned into a film. Johnny Depp was well Johnny Depp and that is you can definitely enjoy his performance in the film, but Eckhart deserves some of that credit as well. This was definitely not my favorite Amber Heard performance as her sexuality was more of the tool used for this film as they had that forbidden affair in the film and most of the time I was like God do it already and get it over with. One thing that I definitely loved about the film was the cinematography which was excellently shot with beautiful tones and some amazing shots of the island and the beach life which was amazing in this film. I think that honestly the sets, the cinematography, and the editing of the film were probably my favorite parts of the film besides the obvious performances I talked about above. I didn't think the story was as interesting as Fear and Loathing, but it definitely keeps you somewhat near the edge of your seat for most of the film. I was curious and the film has a 51% on Rotten Tomatoes which is just about probably where I am overall with the film which means that it may seem a little harsh, but this is not I have to rush to see this kind of film. Which means that I am going to give the film an C for a final grade.

Gone In 60 Seconds (2000)

I like doing these challenges because it gives me a chance to check out films that I otherwise probably wouldn't have and to be honest when it's free on VUDU, it makes it a little more enticing. The film I chose for today was one that I had been avoiding for 20 years and to be honest I don't know why, but I decided to check out Gone In 60 Seconds which was directed by Dominic Sena (Swordfish). The film stars Nicolas Cage (Leaving Las Vegas) as notorious retired car thief Memphis Raines who had to leave town when things got too hot. The only problem is that his kid brother has decided to follow in his footsteps, but with poor results. You see he promised a very bad man 50 exotic cars and he failed to do so and now Memphis has to step in and try to save the day by stealing 50 cars in three days or else his kid brother dies. The film also stars Giovanni Ribisi (Saving Private Ryan) as Kip Raines, Angelina Jolie (Mr. and Mrs. Smith) as Sway, T.J. Cross (Showtime) as Mirror Man, William Lee Scott (The Butterfly Effect) as Toby, Scott Caan (Varsity Blues) as Tumbler, James Duval (Donnie Darko) as Freb, Will Patton (Armageddon) as Atley, Delroy Lindo (Malcolm X) as Det. Castlebeck, Timothy Olyphant (Rock Star) as Det. Drycoff, Chi McBride (Waiting) as Donny, Robert Duvall (Stalin) as Otto, Vinnie Jones (Snatch) as The Sphinx, and Christopher Eccleston (Thor: The Dark World) as Raymond Calitri.

This film has quite the collection of actors contained in it and it was to be the who's who of young Hollywood at the time mixed with some seasoned players. It is however another film that took the caliber of the cast and made it work for them in a very positive way because this at face value was actually an enjoyable film. Nicolas Cage was Nicolas Cage complete with his signature wig out moment, but it actually worked for this film. There was a time when he was actually making decent films and that was because some of the roles were tailored made for him and his acting chops and this was one of them and not so much The Wicker Man. I love Angelina Jolie and at this time I had the hugest crush on her, but I have seen her in better films like Gia. The comedy in the film was on point and it felt so natural and was delivered so smoothly that it worked when it needed to and the action scenes were superb. That is truly when the film gets really good is when we get to the stealing of the cars and some of the police chases that come with some of them. Some of the cars they steal in the film I have only dreamed of owning and they are marvelous including the Shelby GT Mustang that is "The Unicorn." The cinematography is great because it still has that rough 90's look mixed with the gloss look of the 2000's Hollywood blockbusters. I am definitely kind of mad at myself for waiting this long to see this film, but in the end at least I finally got around to it. I am going to give the film an B+ for a final grade.