Only the Brave serves up emotional tribute piping hot

Movie Title: 
Only The Brave  

Grade:  A-

Rating:  PG-13, 2 hours 14 minutes

In a Nutshell: Based on a true story and an article written in GQ Magazine, this is a timely film that spotlights true heroes who fight fires.  More specifically, it honors the real men called the Granite Mountain Hotshots in Arizona. 

 

Uplifting theme: 

• The motto of the Granite Mountain Hotshots is "Esse quam videri," which means "To be, rather than to seem."
•  Brotherhood, unity, loyalty
•  Courage
• Family
• Second chances and forgiveness
• "Doing something that's never been done before takes time." - Duane Steinbrink (Jeff Bridges)

Things I liked:

• Wow, how did they film some of those scenes?  The fire looks very real.  Great job.
• You get to see pictures of the actual men who served in the Granite Mountain Hotshots team at the end of the movie.
•  Jennifer Connelly makes a gorgeous cowgirl and gives the best stand-out performance in the movie.  Her emotional range was stellar.  She spent time with the real Amanda Marsh to prepare for her role in the film.
• Jeff Bridges sings in a band called "Steinbrink and the Rusty Pistol" in a bar scene!
•  I thought it was interesting that the famous travel empire, Conde Nast, was involved with this film. You see some beautiful Arizona landscapes. 
• In terms of emotion and exciting fire action, Only The Bravereminded me of the 1991 movie Backdraft, which I loved.
• Congrats to Miles Teller for having two movies in theaters at the same time!  He's currently also starring in Thank You for Your Service 
• I liked Dierks Bentley's featured song Hold The Light (From "Only The Brave") [feat. S. Carey] 

Things I didn’t like:

• There are several other movies also titled “Only the Brave”, but they are not related to this movie. Seems like they could have picked another title, right?
• There were some scenes that were annoyingly dark, as in, I couldn't see the expressions on people's faces when they were talking in a dark room.  I'm sure it was an artistic choice, but it still bugged me.
• Sometimes you can't quite hear the dialogue, because there are so many other sounds going on.
• I like Jeff Bridges, but lately he only plays the same old character in all of his movies. This is the first time he and Josh Brolin have worked together in a film since True Grit, another fantastic movie where Jeff Bridges plays the same kind of character. Don't get me wrong...he does it very well!
• Lots of spitting.  ha ha

Tips for parents: 

• Some profanity, trash talk, and  1 F-bomb.
• Someone gets a rattlesnake bite.
• Drug use
• Talk of sex
• Lots of dangerous fire and perilous situations
• People die.
• Wounded horse.

MOVIE REVIEW MOM

@trinaboice 

Fantastic Four underwhelms

Movie:     Fantastic Four

Grade:   C

In a Nutshell:   Marvel is at it again!  Unfortunately, the newest film in the comic book franchise doesn’t have the humor or joyful whimsy that has made some of their most recent films shine.  Director Josh Trank creates an unmemorable remake that has underwhelmed box office sales and fans.

Uplifting Theme:

·         “We can’t change the past, but we can change the future.” – Sue Storm

·         “The failures of my generation are the opportunities for yours.” – Dr. Storm

·         “We are always stronger when we are together.” – Dr. Storm

Things I liked:

·         I’ve always liked Kate Mara.  She never ages and has such a feminine look. It bugged me how shellacked her hair was in every scene though.

·         Reg E. Cathey has such a deep voice that everything he says seems profound.

Things I didn’t like:

·         It’s a bit slow-moving in the beginning and seems to take itself too seriously.

·         The special effects are mostly “Meh”. 

·         There are no fun surprises at the end of the rolling credits like some of the previous Marvel movies offered to loyal fans who stay seated in their chairs.

·         The film had some development problems, which seem to affect the final product.

·         The dialogue is pretty weak.

·         That traveling bubble thing was just silly.

·         The movie spends quite a bit of time setting up character development in the beginning, but there’s just not a lot of chemistry going on between any of them.
-     The villain was weak and only has a brief moment of true evil.
-     Where was Stan Lee?

Funny lines:

·         “Reed, you’re insane.” =  Benn Grimm (Jamie Bell/Evan Hannemann)

“Thanks” – Reed Richards (Miles Teller/Owen Judge)

·         “I gotta say, it’s fun having you here.” – Sue Storm

“Really?”  - Reed

“No.” - Sue

Interesting lines:

·         “Music is just a series of cultured patterns.  Musicians create a pattern that makes us anticipate a resolution and holds back…makes you wait for it.  There’s patterns in everything and everyone.” –  Sue Storm

·         “Albert Enstein said that if you can’t explain it simply, then you don’t understand it well enough.” – Dr. Franklin Storm

Tips for Parents:

·         Some profanity and violence.
-     Yep, it's all about merchandising.

A better version of Fantastic Four is this one: