today-is-a-good-day
Thursday, March 28, 2024

Tag: Shia LaBeouf

Pieces of a Woman (2020)

Title: Pieces of a Woman
Rating: R
Directed by: Kornél Mundruczó
Written by: Kata Wéber
Starring: Vanessa Kirby, Shia LaBeouf, and Ellen Burstyn
Release Date: 1/7/2021
Running Time: 126 minutes

IMDb

What did you think of this film?

When a young mother’s home birth ends in unfathomable tragedy, she begins a year-long odyssey of mourning that fractures relationships with loved ones in this deeply personal story of a woman learning to live alongside her loss.


Are There Any Extras During The Credits? No

Are There Any Extras After The Credits? No

Note: The credits play over the final scene of the branches of an apple tree.

Note: If you or someone you know has experienced grief or is struggling with mental health and needs help finding crisis resources, VISIT WWW.WANNATALKABOUTIT.COM

Special thanks to Frank for this submission


Honey Boy (2019)*

Title: Honey Boy
Rating: R
Directed by: Alma Har’el
Written by: Shia LaBeouf
Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Lucas Hedges, Noah Jupe, Byron Bowers, Laura San Giacomo, FKA Twigs, Clifton Collins Jr., and Martin Starr
Release Date: 11/8/2019
Running Time: 94 minutes

Official Site
IMDb

What did you think of this film?

From a screenplay by Shia LaBeouf, based on his own experiences, award-winning filmmaker Alma Har’el brings to life a young actor’s stormy childhood and early adult years as he struggles to reconcile with his father through cinema and dreams. Fictionalizing his childhood’s ascent to stardom, and subsequent adult crash-landing into rehab and recovery, Har’el casts Noah Jupe and Lucas Hedges as Otis Lort, navigating different stages in a frenetic career. LaBeouf takes on the daring and therapeutic challenge of playing a version of his own father, an ex-rodeo clown and a felon. Artist and musician FKA twigs makes her feature-film debut, playing neighbor and kindred spirit to the younger Otis in their garden-court motel home. Har’el’s feature narrative debut is a one-of-a-kind collaboration between filmmaker and subject, exploring art as medicine and imagination as hope.


Are There Any Extras During The Credits? Yes

Click to see whats: during the credits

Are There Any Extras After The Credits? No

Is this stinger worth waiting around for? Vote DownVote Up (-2 rating, 2 votes)

Special thanks to Gabe, Tony, and Frank for this submission


Peanut Butter Falcon, The (2019)

Title: The Peanut Butter Falcon
Rating: PG-13
Directed by: Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz
Written by: Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz
Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Dakota Johnson, John Hawkes, Bruce Dern, Zack Gottsagen, Jon Bernthal, and Thomas Haden Church
Release Date: 8/9/2019
Running Time: 93 minutes

Official Site
IMDb

What did you think of this film?
The story of Zak (Gottsagen), a young man with Down syndrome, who runs away from a residential nursing home to follow his dream of attending the professional wrestling school of his idol, The Salt Water Redneck (Thomas Haden Church). A strange turn of events pairs him on the road with Tyler (LaBeouf), a small time outlaw on the run, who becomes Zak’s unlikely coach and ally. Together they wind through deltas, elude capture, drink whisky, find God, catch fish, and convince Eleanor (Johnson), a kind nursing home employee charged with Zak’s return, to join them on their journey.


Are There Any Extras During The Credits? No

Are There Any Extras After The Credits? No

Special thanks to Ben for this submission


Borg vs McEnroe (2017)*

Title: Borg vs McEnroe
Rating: R
Directed by: Janus Metz
Written by: Ronnie Sandahl
Starring: Sverrir Gudnason, Shia Labeouf, Stellan Skarsgård, and Tuva Novotny
Release Date: 4/13/2018
Running Time: 107 minutes

Official Site
IMDb
Buy on Amazon

What did you think of this film?
At the historic 1980 Wimbledon Championships, rising American star McEnroe sets his sights on dethroning reigning champion Björn Borg (Sverrir Gudnason), sparking an unprecedented media frenzy in the tennis world.

At the center of the hype, two legendary tennis icons’ with polar opposite personas and approaches to the game. McEnroe is infamous for his brash, ferocious energy on the court and his equally spectacular, expletive-fueled tantrums, whereas Borg’s coolly composed, elegant style of play complements his unflappable public demeanor. However, both men are hiding deep anxieties, locked in battle with their inner demons.

On the court, each athlete brings his immense talents –– and handicaps –– to bear in one of the most suspenseful events in sports history.


Are There Any Extras During The Credits? Yes

Click to see whats: during the credits

Are There Any Extras After The Credits? No

Is this stinger worth waiting around for? Vote DownVote Up (0 rating, 2 votes)

Memoriam: In the Memory of Björn Granath and Håkon Liu


Man Down (2015)

mandownposter

Title: Man Down
Rating: R
Directed by: Dito Montiel
Written by: Adam G. Simon and Dito Montiel
Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Jai Courtney and Gary Oldman
Release Date: 12/2/2016
Running Time: 92 minutes

Official Site
IMDb
Buy on Amazon

What did you think of this film?
In a post-apocalyptic America, former U.S. Marine Gabriel Drummer searches desperately for the whereabouts of his son, accompanied by his best friend and a survivor.


Are There Any Extras During The Credits? No

Are There Any Extras After The Credits? No

Special thanks to Frank for this submission


American Honey (2016)

americanhoneyposter

Title: American Honey
Rating: R
Directed by: Andrea Arnold
Written by: Andrea Arnold
Starring: Sasha Lane, Shia LaBeouf and Riley Keough
Release Date: 9/30/2016
Running Time: 163 minutes

Official Site
IMDb

Star (Sasha Lane) is a free-spirited teenager on the brink of adulthood who leaves her troubled home in the American Midwest and hits the road with a “mag crew,” itinerant laborers who peddle publications door-to-door for long hours during the day and party hard at night, never certain where the job will lead next. Led by hard-driving manager Krystal (Riley Keough) and her seductive enforcer Jake (Shia LaBeouf), the 15-strong 071 Crew becomes a surrogate family to Star, offering hope, possibility, love — and the freedom that comes from being on the road. For her first feature set and filmed in the U.S., writer-director Andrea Arnold (FISH TANK, WUTHERING HEIGHTS, Academy Award-winning short “Wasp”) offers an electrifying depiction of American youth living on the margins and yearning to belong in an unforgiving landscape of strip malls, chain hotels and suburban sprawl. An epic odyssey into American economic life as seen through the eyes of its outcasts, underdogs and strivers— many of whom were cast directly from the nation’s streets—AMERICAN HONEY features a star-making performance by newcomer Lane, an astonishing turn by LaBeouf, and an unforgettable soundtrack melding country, Southern hip-hop “trap” music and American radio classics. Arnold’s visionary and propulsive fourth feature is a generation-defining cinematic experience that locates unexpected beauty between the cracks of a fractured—yet defiantly hopeful and resilient— nation where a new day can bring anything….


What did you think of this film?

During Credits? No

After Credits? No


Fury Review – 3.5 out of 5 Stars

FuryPoster
David Ayer is somewhat of an undecipherable filmmaker for me. With his last movie End of Watch, it was the performances and the writing that allowed me to look over bad direction. In his latest movie Fury, it was the performances and the direction that allowed me to look over the bad writing. As bland and unsurprising as the story and characters are, Ayer’s clear passion for an accurate look at World War II shines through and manages to shine some great performances from specifically Logan Lerman, Brad Pitt and Shia LaBeouf along the way.

An enlisted typist named Norman (Logan Lerman) is brought in as assistant gunner in a World War II US tank called Fury after the crew’s gunner is killed. He isn’t the most brave or strong person but thanks to the cruel, enraged, sadistic crew of the Fury tank run by a sergeant who calls himself Wardaddy (Brad Pitt), his eyes are opened to the barbaric, ugly nature of war.

The Beetfield Battle with the Fury Tank in Columbia Pictures' FURY.

I wouldn’t call myself that knowledgeable about World War II but the movie seemed extremely realistic about the subject. The movie looks as though David Ayer wanted to make the most raw, dirty war movie possible. The Fury tank used here was actually a real life US tank from World War II and all of the costumes, settings, visual effects and choices in shots put you into the period. He does a good job making the war zone look like hell with the somber music by Steven Price and the bloody, grim, stylized cinematography. Most of the time the movie is taking place somewhere that is grimy and twisted and filled with nonstop gore. The movie is accurate in what it’s trying to get across but it also takes you quite a bit into the sheer adrenaline boosting fights.

The war scenes in my opinion are close to flawless. The sheer work that went into it shows and it helps you to become absorbed by everything that is going on. I respect how David Ayer decided to do something different and not do the shaky cam action revolutionized by Saving Private Ryan. There is so much efficient editing, great shots, outstanding cinematography and constant action going on and I really feel like this might be one of the violent looks at war that you’ve ever seen. The sound design is flawless, some of the best I’ve heard for a movie this year. You get to hear every step, cut, shot, blast and yell with the utmost, crisp clarity possible. The gore used in the movie is very genuine looking and there’s so much of it that’s going on that by the end you feel you’ll probably feel you’ve experienced one of the most disgusting, bleak places on earth.

Yet for all the sadness going around, you’re still cheering when Norman blows up a Nazi. This isn’t a bad thing at all but rather an honest perspective of how humans react in this kind of ordeal. Ayer realizes the grave, darkness of World War II but he also understands the purely visceral, heart pumping things that would drive a man to do it in the first place. You understand what is going on is grotesque and you get plenty of moments to see that its horrific but when you’re right there standing on the edge of life or death in that moment, you take some sort of warped, heart pumping excitement from what is happening because you have no time to think about whether its right or wrong, this is an aspect of war we rarely get to see. Yes they are in hell and David Ayer definitely makes sure that we see that it was not at all glorious but we also experience the visceral, deeply human thrills that would come with standing on the brink of survival. To the movies credit, there are a lot of slow moments and many of the characters are very terrible people so it helps prove that this is about people and the things they do when they’re in it.

The performances are all quite good. Brad Pitt is giving one of his most energetic performances in years as the sergeant of Fury and much like his character in Inglorious Bastards, he plays a sort of symbol for the message the director is getting across. Wardaddy is the perfect, John Wayne, American soldier gone mad, destroyed by years of mayhem and bloodshed. Shia (I’m not famous anymore) LaBeouf is excellent as the stereotypical bible carrying, southerner who uses religion to hold on to his sanity. Michael Peña as always is very likable in this movie and adds sympathy to someone who is probably the least interesting character of the entire group. I actually think Jon Bernthal was amazing in the movie as Grady but I also feel he was given the most poorly written character in the film. Grady isn’t so much a character as a plot device used when the director needs someone there to be angry or yelling, that’s the extent of that person’s identity. It may not be shocking as his character had the biggest transformation in the script but Logan Lerman as Norman gives the best performance in the entire movie. The way he starts as this weak, terrified kid and ends as this brutal, angry killing machine equally to Wardaddy shows the ways war can morph someone. His best scene in the movie is the one where you can actually spot the second where he succumbs to what is going on around him, it’s angry, it’s bold but it’s quite possibly something that any of us would do if put to that task.

FuryReviewStill1

The movie is at its best when the characters are there in the battlefield, in the moment. The screenplay very much falls short when it tries to accomplish anything other than the theme at hand. When the characters are walking around conversing about religion and life you get to see a few of the cracks in Ayers ability to write compelling dialogue. There’s an extremely long dinner scene that happens halfway through that no doubt many critics will praise, I personally thought it was unnecessarily long. It starts off as ok but it goes on for so long that by the end I didn’t really see a point to it and I don’t feel it had a good enough pay off to such a huge amount of buildup. Unlike Brad Pitt’s previous war movie Inglorious Bastards, David lacks Tarantino’s ability to use long periods of dialogue to build up intensity and character, here long, conversations fizzle out and just sort of end. Ayer’s writing is okay when they’re in the tank or on the battlefield because he does a good job handling what people would do in that situation but when he tries to do these big scenes that talk about deep topics that have been discussed to a better extent in war movies before, it comes off as something that David Ayer thought was more profound and original than it really is.

Also for as raw and realistic as the movie is technically, the bare story is disappointingly predictable. Despite the help good performances, many of the characters are generic and you could probably predict just by watching the trailer who’s going to live and who’s going to die. As I previously discussed, Ayer tries to add moments of witty banter that come off more as tropes from previous war movies. Throughout, the story hits predictable beats that don’t come as more than just that like when the unlikable guy shows a moment of kindness before his death or when the one tank against a large group of soldiers. Technically, the movie is stunning but once you take the people away from the action you are left with what is a very simple, underwritten screenplay that frustratingly lacks the edge of what is happening around it.

A good cast and David Ayers accurate, intense portrayal of war helps him get away with the weak, mediocre script. Fury is the adrenaline of a life or death situation from the perspective of a newly recruited, World War II soldier who is much like us.

Rating:(3.5/5)

Review by: Ryan M.

Release Date: 10/17/2014

Rating: R

Cast: Brad Pitt, Shia LaBeouf, Logan Lerman, Michael Peña and Jon Bernthal

Directed by: David Ayer

Written by: David Ayer

Fury (2014)*

FuryPoster

Title: Fury
Rating: R
Director: David Ayer
Writer: David Ayer
Stars: Brad Pitt, Shia LaBeouf, Logan Lerman, Michael Peña and Jon Bernthal
Release Date: 10/17/2014
Running Time: 134 Minutes

IMDb

April, 1945. As the Allies make their final push in the European Theatre, a battle-hardened army sergeant named Wardaddy commands a Sherman tank and her five-man crew on a deadly mission behind enemy lines. Out-numbered, out-gunned, and with a rookie soldier thrust into their platoon, Wardaddy and his men face overwhelming odds in their heroic attempts to strike at the heart of Nazi Germany.


What did you think of this film?

During Credits? Yes

Click to see whats: during the credits

 

After Credits? No

Is this stinger worth waiting around for? Vote DownVote Up (-2 rating, 52 votes)

Charlie Countryman (2013)

CharlieCountrymanPoster

TITLE: Charlie Countryman (aka. The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman)

RELEASE DATE: 9/13/2013

RATING: R

While traveling abroad, a guy falls for a Romanian beauty whose unreachable heart has its origins in her violent, charismatic ex.

What did you think of this film?


Official Site

Amazon

IMDb


During Credits? No

After Credits? No


Lawless (2012)

TITLE: Lawless

RELEASE DATE: 8/29/2012

RATING: R

Set in Depression-era Franklin County, Virginia, a bootlegging gang is threatened by a new deputy and other authorities who want a cut of their profits.

What did you think of this film?


Official Site

Amazon

IMDb


During Credits? No

After Credits? No


Follow Us!

1,858FansLike
66FollowersFollow
112FollowersFollow
681FollowersFollow
37SubscribersSubscribe