10s Movie Review - Brawl in Cell Block 99

Director: S. Craig Zahler
Genre: Crime/ Thriller/ Drama
Runtime: 132 minutes
Year: 2017
Starring: Vince Vaughn, Jennifer Carpenter, Don Johnson, Udo Kier, Marc Blucas

Description: A former boxer-turned-drug runner (Vince Vaughn) lands in a prison battleground after a deal gets deadly.

Review: Bradley Thomas gets fired from his job and finds out his wife is cheating on him. He still wants to give his wife a good life, so he starts working as a drug runner. They buy a beautiful house and his wife gets pregnant. When he ends up in jail, he thinks it’s going to be an easy 7 years. Until his wife gets kidnapped and some dangerous men in the business want something in return.
Over the years, Vince Vaughn has been in a lot of different roles. In the past years he has been in several silly comedies, where he is usually very loud. But I think I prefer Vaughn in more serious roles. And the role of Bradley Thomas is perfect for him. A loving husband, choosing the wrong path, but staying within the lines of his moral compass. He knows how to play it rough, but has a good heart. One of Vaughn’s best work to date.
The film has a pretty long runtime, over two hours. But despite this and the fact it builds up slow, the film never bores you. And there is also a good balance between drama and action.
To watch this film, you do have to be able to endure some graphic fight scenes. “Brawl in Cell Block 99” is very violent. Although that final shot is clearly a dummy.
“Brawl in Cell Block 99” is a surprisingly strong and entertaining prison/ revenge movie.

Rating: 4/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 92: Gone

Director: Heitor Dhalia

Genre: Thriller

Runtime: 94 minutes

Year: 2012

Starring: Amanda Seyfried, Daniel Sunjata, Jennifer Carpenter, West Bentley, Sebastian Stan, Nick Searcy, Socratis Otto, Emily Wickersham, Joel David Moore

Description: Jill Conway (Amanda Seyfried) is convinced her kidnapper has returned when her sister Molly (Emily Wickersham) goes missing.

Review: In “Gone” Jill is struggling to get a grip on her life, after she was kidnapped by a psychopath. He kept her in a hole in the forest, but she managed to escape. Because the abductor was never caught, the police doesn’t believe her. Jill is convinced the guy is still after her. When her sister goes missing, Jill knows it’s him. Because she will get no help from the cops, Jill is going after him on her own.

Amanda Seyfried broke through because of her role in the musical “Mamma Mia”. After that she never really got the chance to show the audience what she can do. In “Gone” she doesn’t get that room either. Although she isn’t bad, the story is just not executed that well.

“Gone” never manages to get me on the edge of my seat. The buildup isn’t all that great and the characters are all very one-dimensional. And the climax is disappointing. When the end credits role, you are wondering if this was really it. Because the characters don’t really reach you, the movie never grabs you.

“Gone” isn’t all bad, but it never surprises or ever gets really exciting. When you’re waiting for the twist, the movie is already over.

Rating: 2/ 5

Top 5 Thursday: Female TV Characters of the Moment

I like a strong leading character in a TV show, but mostly it’s the guys. Really? I found some great women who shine between all those guys. These are the female characters I love the most at the moment.

5. Deb Morgan in “Dexter”
I started to follow this show recently, but I still need to rewatch the entire series sometime. Deb is great, although she has some issues.

4. Tara Knowles in “Sons of Anarchy”
Tara really transformed in this show. She is really part of the club now and sometimes she even handles things the Gemma-way.

3. Maggie Greene in “The Walking Dead”
I liked her from the beginning. She lost a lot of her loved ones, but she learned how to deal with it and how to kick ass!

2. Morgan Brody in “CSI”
Morgan had a guest appearance once and when I heard she was getting a regular role I was excited. I like her, she is a great addition to the team and she’s very smart.

1. Claire Dunphy in “Modern Family”
I don’t like to admit it, but sometimes I’m a little bit like Claire. Maybe that’s why I love her so much. Claire is a hands-on mom and she likes to have control. And although Phil is a bit of a cluts, she loves him unconditionally.

They Almost Made the Top 5: Gloria Pritchett in “Modern Family”, Julie Finlay in “CSI”, Meredith Grey in “Grey’s Anatomy”

Pic Spam: Jennifer Carpenter

In my last pic spam I shared pictures of Michael C. Hall. This time it's his "Dexter" co-star and on screen sister Jennifer Carpenter.