Category Archives: movies

movies, story, Uncategorized, writing

John Wick-A Revenge Story

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John Wick
John Wick

I’m not a big Keanu Reeves fan.

I enjoyed the Matrix movies and I have seen him in several movies.

I have always found him to have a very limited range of emotions when acting. The last movie I saw him in was 47 Ronin. I wont get into how disappointing that movie was, no I wont.

However this movie was a pleasant surprise.  Its a revenge story. An ex hit-man is brought out of retirement by a thug. And goes on a spree of mayhem and death.

Here is why this movie works: Reeves has a minimal amount of lines. The range of emotion is limited to angry, mildly angry, very angry, and cold and calculated, you guessed it- anger.  This is perfect for Reeves. The fight scenes in the movie are excellent and the whole movie is really an excuse to get from one fight scene to the next. I’m not bashing Reeves. I really think this movie was the perfect vehicle for him because the parameters set were narrow and when that is the case he excels.

If you’re looking for a plot. You wont find it in this movie. It is basically violence for the sake of violence. Very much the way no city survives a  Michael Bay film and everything is exploded within the first thirty minutes. Taken in this context John Wick is a good film. I enjoyed it for what it was.blogdragonfly

movies, story

Taken- A Very Angry Man with Purpose

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I recently saw the movie Taken with Liam Neeson in the lead role.It was my second or third time viewing the film.I have to say the film was kind of a sleeper and didn’t get much publicity. However what appealed to me about the movie was the unrelenting drive of Liam’s character. The single minded purpose of a father getting his daughter back. The story may be a bit on the simple side, but Neeson pulls it off. This is definitely one of those movies that leans towards a male audience. The fact that Neeson’s character is a retired spy adds a dimension of plausibility to the story. Think Jason Bourne with kids and you have the lead in this movie.

Overall I enjoyed it ( hey I’m a guy, and nothing beats a good fight scene). The story was well done even though the first act is a little slow, its the perfect pace for the action that follows. I liked that there are few tangents. It gave you a sense of urgency and kept the pace taut, it worked well in the movie, I don’t think it could work as well in a book. I find that kind of pace is what I would use in a chapter and then abruptly switch to another character in a the story. It keeps you guessing and wanting to read more. I suggest looking at it if only to see what a driven character is like.