Another glorified Lifetime movie comes to a theatre near you, but this time with A-list actors, including the beautiful J-Lo and Broadway princess Kristin Chenoweth. The ridiculously plotted stalker/suspense movie The Boy Next Door will likely get a startle or scream out of you occasionally; but in the end, you will wonder why this wasn’t released on TV. And that’s when it hits you. Had it been on TV, then you wouldn’t get the steamy intimate scene between J-Lo and Ryan Guzman and wouldn’t get the violence during the third act. So, maybe it works better in a theatre than on TV, after all. Clearly, the draw to this movie isn’t the overly cliche plot or technical elements, but is likely Jennifer Lopez and Ryan Guzman; however, just to try to get more people into the seats, Universal throws in Chenoweth and Hunger Games Ian Nelson.

When a handsome, charming 19 year-old named Noah (Guzman) moves in next door, newly separated high-school teacher Claire Peterson (Lopez) encourages his friendship and engages in a little bit of harmless–or so she thinks–flirtation. Although Noah spends much of the time hanging out with Claire’s son Kevin (Nelson), the teen’s attraction to her is palpable. One night, Claire gives in to temptation and lets Noah seduce her–but when she tries to end the relationship, he turns violent and publicly displays his obsession with her. After Noah enrolls himself into Claire’s literature class at the local high school, because he has yet to graduate, the school administration begins to notice her strange behavior. Following confessing to her best friend and vice-principal Vickie (Chenoweth) about what is going on between her and Noah, Claire discovers more than she thought she would in this suspense-driven movie. 

Okay, so what if this is a movie that is more conducive for at-home viewing than at a movie theatre? That doesn’t mean that there aren’t elements to be enjoyed in the movie. If you want to see J-Lo naked, it has it. If you want to see Ryan Guzman naked, it has that too. If you like seeing Kristin Chenoweth in a movie, it has that as well; however, I am still convinced that she is definitely better on stage than on screen. And, if you like the cute-innocent-nerdyness of Ian Nelson, you will also be satisfied there. Moreover, if you enjoy a high concept obsession/suspense Lifetime-esque movie that you can essentially turn your brain off for, then you will likely enjoy this movie that is an appropriate 1.5hrs of runtime.

If you know anything about January release dates (and by those, I do not mean ones that were technically released in select cities around Christmas), then you will understand what I mean by it doesn’t get any more January than this. Still, the movie has suspenseful entertainment value. Don’t bother trying to work out all the plot devices or work through the narrative logically, because you will find yourself very disappointed. This is the kind of movie that is there for pure entertainment value–nothing more, nothing less. So, unlike most critics who are approaching this movie from a scholarly or pretentious perspective, I feel it does its job of providing 1.5hrs of escape into a world of pretty people in scandalous situations.

This movie represents Clint Eastwood’s finest work. From start to finish, this film will command your attention and emotions on this journey that appears to show the various tolls war has upon the human mind and body in a realistic and authentic manner that neither glorifies nor undermines the travesties of seemingly endless battles for justice and freedom. Specifically, the movie will take you on a journey into the many tours of duty in Iraq through the vessel of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle. I am not usually not a fan of war movies; however, this movie, like Zero Dark Thirty, is one that truly shows that excellent storytelling, beyond the gun fire and deaths, is possible in a well directed, written, and produced war film. American Sniper will take you from your seat and place you on the battlefields in Iraq and into our hero’s home.

Prior to becoming a legend amongst Navy SEALS, Chris Kyle (Bradley Cooper) is a stereotypical Texas cowboy who focused way more on his career than his girlfriend. Going from a self-centered cowboy to a self-sacrificing soldier, in the US Armed Forces, Kyle is inspired because of the bombings of US Embassies in the 1990s. Older than the average soldier, Kyle faces transforming his mind and body to serve his country. After his superiors witness the extreme precise skill and talent Kyle has for sniping, he is assigned to an elite squadron in the SEALs. While training, he meets his soon-to-be wife Taya (Sienna Miller) and falls madly in love. Following his marriage, he is deployed to Iraq. Returning home between duties, the atrocities of war begin to reek havoc on his relationship with his wife and two kids. Eventually, he reaches the point that he realizes that he wants to come home physically and more importantly mentally. Through helping other soldiers that are having physiological and psychological struggles, he is able to help himself. He shows himself to be both a hero on the battlefield and at home.

Two of the elements that stands out for me the most, in this film, are the structure and pacing. Although, it is over two hours, it will have your attention in such way that you will be oblivious to the above-average runtime of the film. Like a well-written screenplay should, this movie grabs your attention within the first five minutes. Ordinarily, a writer or director can get into trouble when working with flashbacks and parallel subplots. But, this movie handles both the main and subplots very well, and artfully weaves them in and out of each other. Dialog is one element that can easily suffer in a war movie, but the dialog is compelling and visceral. The audience truly gets to know Kyle as a soldier, a husband, friend, and father. Unlike other war movies or movies featuring characters suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), this is one of the first to truly show it in a realistic way. Not all soldiers who suffer from PTSD are completely socially or mentally debilitated, I imagine most deal with it in more subtle, but no less harmful, ways.

The movie was very well cast, and each of the principle and supporting actors bring their respective character archetypes to life for the audience. But, as convincing and authentic the performances were, none of the actors faced challenging characters to portray. The performances by Cooper and Miller were excellent, but on par with what is expected of accomplished actors; although, there are moments when the emotions fly and exceptional performances are witnessed throughout the narrative. To his credit, this is one of the best performances by Cooper, and it is of no surprise that he is nominated for Best Actor at the Oscars.

American Sniper is truly a classically written, directed, and produced film that is worthy of the Oscar nominations it has received. It is a dynamic cinema experience that most will likely enjoy. Unlike other war movies, this one chooses not to highlight the battles themselves nor the strategies and deaths, but it takes you through the life of an American hero.

Unequivicably the most torturous 2hrs of a theatrically-released movie ever. It is so incredibly bad that I don’t even want to write more than one paragraph about it. And, if you follow this blog, you know I am unable to relay my thoughts on a given movie in one paragraph. It was like a glorified undergraduate film shot with broadcast cameras and incompetent audio operators. The only somewhat positive element of the movie was the well-executed visual effects and concept of the inner-workings of a computer circuit board. Structurally, the narrative is haphazard and boring; there were times I had no idea what was going on. Approximately halfway through the movie, I seriously considered leaving the auditorium. It is of little surprise that this movie received a January release date. If you have a movie date planned with someone that you would rather not go out with, take them to this movie and they will most certainly never talk to you again. And the opposite is also true; if they like it, they are probably not the one for you.