Nonstop

NONSTOP: 2014: +-: ACT:  Nonstop was an entertaining movie with a twist that makes it worth watching.  Are you going to have to re-watch it to understand its nuances?  No, but that wasn't the point of the movie.  It was supposed to be a fast paced energy ride to keep you guessing.

Liam Neeson, incidentally someone I saw jogging in NYC once, Julianne Moore, and Scoot McNairy (Halt and Catch Fire) performed well and made the movie easy to watch and become engaged.  


The casting was great in this movie and the actors didn't disappoint.

Movies involving airplanes inevitably make me think of Snakes on a Plane, but that's my issue.  This movie didn't always resemble that movie, (there are no snakes on the plane lol), but at times ancillary elements of it did.  I enjoyed how Nonstop kept you guessing and made you keep trying to understand what was going on and who the culprit was.  


The arm rest is mine, dammit!


Are you sure he's the one that's got the bomb?

There were some characters that took on the cliche roles that they are supposed to portray, like the hip hop guy, the cop, the nerd, and the lawyer, but it wasn't overall too cheesy.  This made me think of Snakes on a Plane.  At times I did roll my eyes at their lines and some of the dialogue was pedestrian.


Wow, did you actually just say that cheesy line?

The plot twist and turns and momentum keep the movie from being another "hi-jacked airplane movie" so that was a plus.  I couldn't really predict the ending in this movie so that was another plus.


Not another hijacked airplane movie..

This wasn't really a huge leap for Liam Neeson and he is getting type cast in my opinion as the "former military/ police officer who saves the day". However, he does play this role well, so it's not a derogatory element of the movie...


"Am I getting type cast?"

Highlights in the movie are the fight in the bathroom due to the constrained space, the time where he tries to track down the bomber by using a hacked smart phone, and the ending.  I also enjoyed when Liam defended himself against the passengers that were convinced he was hijacker.  


Don't mess with Liam, especially when he is sober.

The movie is definitely watchable and I recommend it as an action movie. Jaume Collete did a decent job directing the movie, although I did cringe a bit at some of the lines.  The ending was hard to believe and far fetched, if not completely unbelievable but by that time, you have already enjoyed a decent movie.  If this movie didn't have Liam, it would be a flop in my opinion:  72%


Liam notes why he starred in this movie..

The Original Carrie: Prepare for the Remake!

CARRIE:  1976: --:  Since the new remake came out starring Chloe Grace Moritz and Julianne Moore, I thought I would give everyone a refresher of the first movie starring Sissy Spacek, (isn't that a great name?).  She captured the role extremely well and was so spooky that her eyes alone made me cringe when I was a little kid watching this movie.   John Travolta was also in this movie for those who are fans.

Although Chloe Grace (Kickass movies) is a talented actress, she has some pretty big shoes to fill here.  I'm not as concerned with Julianne Moore because the mother in the first one was good, but not great and was pretty much acting like a religious freak the whole movie with little variation.  Plus Julianne Moore is a great actress (see  review of Silence of the Lambs 2). 

This movie hit all the chords as exemplified in the scene in the showers, the scene where the blood was poured on her and when she fights with her mother after the prom.  The music was sufficiently frightening but subtle and built up the suspense nicely.  Brian De Palma directed this movie extremely well and it's going to be hard to top this one indeed. 


Watch it and let me know...it's great, builds suspense, has great characterization, and plus it's KING. Again the music (Pino Dinnogio)  was spot on, almost Quentin Tarantinoesque, Yes, I just used his name as an adjective...first time..SORRY... I'm definitely going to watch the remake and I have high hopes for it. Some trivia here, there was actually a Carrie 2, but it flopped, unlike this 1976 movie that won multiple academy awards.  :::89%