#TequilaSunrise – A Tango’s Thoughts quick-review

As I mentioned in my post yesterday, I was gonna watch a specific movie, which I did, so the only logical thing right now would be to review it, right? Damn skippy it is, so without dragging it out any longer, here’s some quick thoughts on Tequila Sunrise.

Tequila Sunrise, a movie about Dale McKussic, (Mel Gibson) a drug dealer wanting to go straight and Nick Frescia (Kurt Russell), his oldest and best friend assigned the case to bring him and his “boss” to justice. An intriguing plot to say the least, but when you add Jo Ann Vallenari (Michelle Pfeiffer), the romantic interest of them both, into the mix, you have yourself a winner! The movie manages to keep me intrigued from start to finish, with interesting characters, an intriguing story and well-written dialogue and is a well mixed cup of equal amounts crime, drama and romance, as well as some comic reliefs mixed in here and there. Both Mel Gibson and Kurt Russell are bringing their A-games, bringing their characters to life like none other could’ve done at the time, but Michelle Pfeiffers performance leaves something to be desired. It wasn’t her worst performance ever but it was definitely no Dangerous Minds either, but that’s just nitpicking on my part. Gibson’s and Russell’s characters, alongside the great writing and directing from Robert Towne, is what keeps this movie a classic and another recipient of Tango’s ‘Stamp of Approval’.

There you go, folks, another one on my quickie-list. Now what am I supposed to do? Watch another movie perhaps? Well, I think that’s for the best. More good stuff coming your way soon, though, but until then…

#TheLastOfUs – A Tango’s Thoughts Fantasy Cast.

As you all know, having grown up in the 80’s and 90’s, I’m just as fond of video games as I am movies, so every now and then I write something that incorporate them both, in this case a fantasy cast for The Last Of Us, for  if and/or when they decide to adapt the game into film. Anyway, let’s just get right down to it…

The main focus of the game is on Ellie and Joel, so to make this easy on myself, I’ll only be casting these two today, seeing as all the other characters are brief and most definitely not noteworthy enough to make me care if they cast “the wrong guy” or not… so without dragging this one along any further, let’s just dive right in!

For the character of Ellie, I’ve chosen Sierra McCormick. Sure, she may be a bit old by the time the movie would go in to production, but just look at her. She’s definitely one of those Hollywood-personas that can play 5-10 years below her own age. Add to that an eagerness to prove herself in the business in addition to her already established experience and a spirit that I think is more than enough to give Ellie‘s ‘down to earth’ attitude and curious but careless personality justice. Yeah, I think Sierra McCormick is the right way to go for Ellie. Am I way out of line here? If so, tell me….

As for the character of Joel, well… since the game starts out with him being younger than throughout the rest of the game, this one’s a bit tricky, but I’ve come to the conclusion that there’s really only one logical choice here, and that choice is Jeffrey Dean Morgan. He has proven in movies like The Losers and Watchmen that he can be a complete badass, but he has also proven in shows like Grey’s Anatomy and Supernatural that he can be both loving, kind and righteous as well as strict and firm when he needs to, which are all qualities needed in portraying such a diverse character as Joel. Add to that the fact that they almost look identical and you have yourself the one and only logical choice.

There you go, my casting the two important(est) characters of the game The Last Of Us. Supposedly, the game’s director is said to write the script for the movie, so to say that a movie is on its way is a pretty safe bet, but how it’ll go down and when is yet to be determined. Here’s hoping that whoever’s in charge of casting thinks the way I think about these two, ’cause I definitely think the two would be a great pair on screen! Well, enough about this, it’s time to watch a movie. I’m thinking Tequila Sunrise? Yeah, that’s it. Tune in some time tomorrow for the review. But hey, until then…….

#Focus – A Tango’s Thoughts review

Will Smith skyrocketed to Super stardom in the mid- to late 90’s and he kept that stardom well into the 2000’s, but after his Seven Pounds, his career seemed to have hit a halt. Whether it’s by his own choosing or not, I don’t know, but for the last few years it seems he’s been aiming to tower over the world with his talents yet again, starting with the 3rd installment of the Men In Black-franchise in 2012 and the upcoming Suicide Squad next year as well as an announced 3rd installment of the Bad Boys-franchise. I’d say it’s safe to say that he’s reconquering the world of entertainment once again. With that said, let’s take a look at what I thought about his latest title, Focus!

Glenn Ficarra and John Requa co-wrote and directed the film about Nicky Spurgeon (Smith), a seasoned con man taking a protege, Jess Barrett (Robbie) under his wing, teaching her the subtle but delicate ways of the world of cons and scams. The movie has a sort of Ocean’s Eleven feel to it as we get to see how they device and carry out their scams, but as Nicky and Jess’ relationship evolves, we’re treated with a whole new kind of movie. Up to about mid-second act, it’s all about the “heists” and cons, but after an outstandingly brilliant scam, the two part ways and the movie winds down to somewhat of a romantic drama-esque type of film. It shines through that the film had two writers but the two different styles work well and when it’s all said and done, this movie experience was a delight. The film was well written with great dialogue and intriguing characters and the twists, although somewhat transparent at times, were well executed and they worked great with the overall plot.

As for the acting in the film, there is nothing negative to say about it at all. Both Smith and Robbie brought their A-games and the chemistry between them felt real and it made me hope for a lot of screen time for the two together in Suicide Squad. The rest of the cast was just as good, all contributing to the film wherever something was needed. In short, a delightfully well cast movie through and through.

So, to cut this review short, Focus is a well written, brilliantly directed and excellently performed cinematic experience and yet another recipient of Tango’s ‘Platinum Stamp of Approval’. Now, I’m gonna go play some video games before I make a decision on what to watch tonight. Be sure to tune in every day this week, as I’ve planned on a lot of fun stuff for you to read, but until next time…..