nazis | Joy Reviews Movies

I think I can officially say I’m a Daniel Radcliffe fan. Just in the last, what?, 3-6 months, I have watched and loved the entire Harry Potter series, Swiss Army Man, and now, Imperium. He’s a phenomenal actor that has fit all three of his roles in these films to a tee. I feel that we’ll see more and more of his versatility as he stars in more varied films.

Imperium was something I was intrigued by from the get-go because I was thinking it would be something akin to American History X (you know, with Edward Norton) and I mean, I wasn’t completely wrong, but I wasn’t completely right, either. It was tense from the first minute to the final climax. It built the perfect amount of suspense and kept me on my toes precisely when it needed to. I wasn’t expecting to see Toni Collette in a role like this, but lo and behold, I did – and am I ever glad I did! She was really great. I am a fan of hers from the TV series, The United States of Tara (she plays a woman with Dissociative Identity Disorder, you should check it out if you haven’t before)!

I don’t want to say that Imperium doesn’t quite… measure upt to the aforementioned American History X, but I will say it didn’t carry the same weight. I don’t think it’ll be regarded as a cult classic the way that AHX is and has been. It’s currently sitting at 84% on Rotten Tomatoes, and I think that’s an accurate approval rating, if not a little bit generous. If I had to rate it numerically, I’d give it at least a 75% based on Radcliffe’s performance alone.

I’m looking forward to more performances like this one from Daniel Radcliffe in the future!

Lately, I’ve been feeling like I’ve seen way too many movies. It’s been so difficult to find movies to watch that I’m interested in and that can keep my attention past the first 30 minutes! Green Room has been on My List on Netflix since it was added to the Recently Added category and I just kind of decided out of desperation that today was the day and let me tell you, I was not disappointed! I haven’t seen a single movie before this with Anton Yelchin and he was a treat to watch onscreen. He was wonderful and it made me so sad to think of his passing. Beyond that, however, I really liked this bizarro Red State-esque thriller. The cake was topped when I went to Cash Converters and, lo and behold, there it is – Green Room on Bluray! It’s been a glorious day.

The plot is pretty basic – a punk band goes to perform a gig but oh no the gig is to be performed in a neo-Nazi skinhead bar… they then open with the Dead Kennedys song “Nazi Punks Fuck Off” which is, in retrospect, the worst choice they could have possibly gone with. They essentially win the hearts of their white supremacist audience, but then witness a stabbing and have to fight for their lives and try to escape alive. The things they encounter during their escape attempt(s) are gruesome and gritty and shocking. There is bonding with traitors (of the neo-Nazi organization), there is injury, there is death… it is not for you if you’re afraid of gore, but I really liked it. I thought everyone acted well and I thought the story, while basic, was compelling.

The villain – the leader of the skinheads – is played by none other than Sir Patrick Stewart and he does a fantastic job portraying a bad guy. He is a bad guy and encompasses all that is bad in this film. The green room is a claustrophobic setting and for the better part of the movie, they’re stuck in it. I felt the tension rising as every second ticked by and desperately wished for them to get out of that room!

Overall, I thought this film was… not exactly a work of art, but it was gritty and the characters were well-developed. The plot, while thin, was sufficient enough to carry me through the film. I bought this one, and I plan to watch it again… definitely worth a watch!

Joy Reviews Movies

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Imperium (2016)

Green Room (2015)