Jackman and Gyllenhaal Headline This Top-Notch, Fincher-esque Thriller: Our Review of "Prisoners" (2013)

Directed By: Denis Villeneuve 

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Terrence Howard, Paul Dano, Melissa Leo

Rating: R for disturbing violent content including torture, and language throughout

Run Time: 2 hours, 33 minutes

Synopsis: Keller Dover (Jackman) is facing every parent's worst nightmare. His six-year-old daughter, Anna, is missing, together with her young friend, Joy, and as minutes turn to hours, panic sets in. The only lead is a dilapidated RV that had earlier been parked on their street. Heading the investigation, Detective Loki (Gyllenhaal) arrests its driver, Alex Jones (Dano), but a lack of evidence forces his release. As the police pursue multiple leads and pressure mounts, knowing his child's life is at stake the frantic Dover decides he has no choice but to take matters into his own hands. But just how far will this desperate father go to protect his family? (Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures)

REVIEW

Andrew: Hello readers! We are BACK after a relatively long hiatus, and we’re excited about this film we’re coming back from. Real quick though we want to apologize for the length of our absence from blogging. It’s just been a really busy last couple of months and our schedules have been so mixed up that it’s been difficult to A.) see a movie together, or B.) record, transcribe and post a review if we DID see a movie. But things are starting to get back to normal and we should be coming back with regular review posts as we get closer to the end of the year. We’ll also be posting reviews we’ve had in the can during our hiatus, so be on the lookout for those.

But the other night Sarah and I were able to catch a preview screening of this weekend’s new drama, Prisoners. It is the Hollywood debut of French-Canadian director Denis Villeneuve, who has already made a name for himself with foreign films like his Academy Award-nominated 2010 film Incendies.

Prisoners starts Jake Gyllenhaal as a Pennsylvania police detective, Detective Loki, who picks up the case of two young girls who have been abducted on Thanksgiving Day. Hugh Jackman and Terrence Howard play Keller Dover and Franklin Birch, the fathers of the girls who are taken; Maria Bello and Viola Davis play the mothers…

Sarah: And Paul Dano plays the prime suspect – a man with a low IQ that lives with his religious aunt, played by Oscar-winner Melissa Leo. It’s a fantastic cast!

Good Friends, Horrible People: A Two Tickets For... Video Review of "Bachelorette" (2012)

Andrew: Hello readers! The past couple of months have been pretty busy for us here at Two Tickets For... in regards to our day jobs, so we've just now been able to get back to a regular schedule. So with that in mind, due to popular demand, we're back to doing video reviews! So check out the video below for our latest on the R-rated comedy Bachelorette!

(We apologize both for the 10 minute length of the video and the fact that we're wearing matching shirts. We'll cut down the length of future video reviews, and promise not to film ourselves wearing the same shirts EVER again.)

They're Not 007, But They'll Do: Our Review of "This Means War" (2012)

Directed By: McG ("Charlie's Angels", "Terminator: Salvation")

Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine, Tom Hardy, Chelsea Handler

Rated: PG-13 for some sexual content including references, some violence and action, and for language

Synopsis: Two CIA operatives, Tuck (Hardy) and FDR (Pine), end up falling for the same girl, Lauren Scott (Witherspoon). Using all their skills and available CIA gadgetry, they fight each other for Lauren's affections. Pretty simple, huh?

SYNOPSIS

Andrew: Hello readers! This morning Sarah and I went to a morning viewing of the new Reese Witherspoon/Tom Hardy/Chris Pine film “This Means War.” We previewed it on Thursday and it topped our list of new releases we’d see, as we’re fans of all three main actors and the kind of film it is. So, Sarah, did “This Means War” live up to what we thought it would be?

Sarah: I think it did! It was a lot of fun and I actually laughed throughout most of it! I was concerned with this one. When the trailers for “This Means War” came out, I thought, “Oh no, they have given away all the good parts!” I was pleasantly surprised that they didn’t. What did you think?

A:  I with ya on this one. I personally didn’t have really high expectations for “This Means War” and so the amount of times I outright laughed out loud was a pleasant surprise. I think a lot of that had to do primarily with the chemistry between Chris Pine and Tom Hardy – they’re delivery of funny lines was spot on.

S: Once again, it was a movie that didn’t try to be the next great romance, or best action film. It was just an all around funny date movie. The characters interacted really well together, and even Reese Witherspoon was good, considering her last movie, “How Do You Know?” was a complete bust.

A: Reese was pretty funny in her own right, but I do think her character was pretty flat. She was a bit flaky and at times I actually didn’t like her, but she was solid. I thought the film did a better job of fleshing out Tuck and FDR, and they certainly were the two MAIN characters, in my opinion, so they should have been the more rounded ones.

Was there anything about the film that you didn’t like, or that you thought was subpar?

S: Oh I agree, I think that the character of Lauren Scott could have easily been changed out by any actress, and actually think that Emma Stone could have done a much better job.  I think that the movie lacked a little bit on the storyline. The whole understory of the Russian bad guys was a little weak. I actually think it would have been better if there had been a series of little missions that they had to go on.

A: That’s not a bad idea! Cuz the movie starts with Tuck and FDR on a mission, which introduces us to them and the villain, and that was one of the best parts of the film I think. So the idea of seeing them in action more is an appealing one.

On that note, one of the strengths of the film was when the two guys used their C.I.A. resources to spy on each other and mess up their respective dates with Lauren. They didn’t ruin too much of that in the trailers. Heck, my two favorite scenes weren’t in the trailers or commercials at all.

S: Oh I completely agree! The funniest parts were when they were trying to sabotage each other.

A: The last thing I have to say about “This Means War” is simply that, while you’re right that it didn’t set itself out to be anything more than it is, parts of it were derivative of “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” and other spy films (particularly a poker scene that is pretty much straight out of “Mr. & Mrs. Smith”). It certainly had it's flaws, like a thin script, some choppy editing and one scene where the audio was completely out of sync with the video, but for what it was, it's not bad.

S: I will give you that. Some of it wasn’t very creative, but funny anyway.

A: So what’s our final grading of “This Means War?”

S: Ok readers, with all that said, we say it’s a Great Way to Spend an Afternoon, if you’re out on a date, otherwise, Netflix It!

(Out of  Five Clapboards)

Photos Courtesy of: Inquirer Movies and Collider