Black Mass (2015)(Minor Spoilers Review)

 **This post contains MINOR spoilers**

The Story- Flanked and supported by his enforcers Kevin Weeks (Jesse Plemons), Steve Flemmi (Rory Cochrane), John Martorano (W. Earl Brown), FBI agent John Connolly (Joel Edgerton), and FBI agent John Morris (David Harbour), Irish mobster James “Whitey” Bulger (Johnny Depp) builds a criminal empire in Boston during the 1970s and 1980’s. Bulger’s relationship with his brother William (Benedict Cumberbatch), the President of the Massachusetts Senate, brings some peace to his life. 

Connolly tangles with his superior, Charles McGuire  (Kevin Bacon) over restrictions for Whitey’s rampages, but a bigger problem threatens to expose Connolly’s dirty tactics. Whitey’s seemingly invincible shield is threatened, when Assistant US Attorney Fred Wyshak (Corey Stoll) returns to Boston, fiercely determined to put a stop to Bulger’s tyranny.

My Thoughts- Whoa, that’s really Johnny Depp! That was my reaction to the first Black Mass trailer years ago. It’s not just the makeup, or the thinning white hair, Johnny Depp truly takes a dedicated approach to becoming Whitey Bulger. The voice, the mannerisms, the leering, the cold stares, and Depp does a good job of being a convincing cold blooded and narcissistic killer with sociopathic tendencies. Of course, it’s obvious Depp exaggerates every now and then to play up the tough guy side of Bulger, but he still reels it in just enough so his overall performance isn’t too hammy or ridiculous.

Depp also shows the more normal and human side of Bulger. During scenes and interactions with his brother, William or “Billy,” his mother (Mary Klug), his girlfriend, Lindsey Cyr (Dakota Johnson), and their son, Douglas (Luke Ryan), there’s a slight chance for believing Bulger was capable of being a good guy. That, and Bulger apparently had a soft spot for helping elderly women, namely Mrs. Cody (Jamie Donnelly). But you’re quickly reminded Bulger was an evil and scummy man throughout the movie. Bulger’s cruelty cancels out the possibility of him being a deeply flawed person, with the potential to turn his life around, if he just made some serious changes.

A number of scenes to confirm that Whitey Bulger wasn’t a good bad guy, or a sort of Robin Hood figure, and he surely wasn’t misunderstood. One big scene involves Bulger, Deborah Hussey (Juno Temple), and the ruse to lure her into a trap. There’s also the creepy scene, where Bulger intimidates John Connolly’s wife, Marianne (Julianne Nicholson), another example of Bulger being a petty bully. 

When you see how John Connolly operates, it’s easy to notice just how phony and full of crap he truly is, a man only concerned with feeding his own ego. It’s not a surprise Bulger and Connolly formed a duo. They’re both narcissists, egomaniacs, and pathological liars in their own ways, so of course they’ll form a bond as a well oiled machine for all the wrong reasons.

Joel Edgerton delivers a strong performance as Connolly. Edgerton is effortlessly convincing, as the flaky FBI agent, who actually believes in his own BS, and there’s no denying that Connolly basically worships Bulger. 

The foundation for Connolly’s loyalty is rooted in Bulger looking out for him as a kid, and Whitey was a hero of sorts for Connolly. Did Connolly take things too far by looking the other way and enabling Bulger to run roughshod through Boston? Of course he did, but you can understand why he did it, and why his need for respect and validation from Bulger was ultimately his undoing.

I circled back around to Black Mass again after reading Whitey: The Life Of America’s Most Notorious Mob Boss, by Dick Lehr and Gerard O’Neill. To be clear, Black Mass is not based on this book. Black Mass is actually based on Black Mass: The True Story Of An Unholy Alliance Between The FBI And The Irish Mob, also written by Dick Lehr and Gerard O’Neill.

I can understand leaving stuff out or exaggerating certain events and characteristics for entertainment purposes, or to try and help the movie move at a faster pace. But I’m kind of surprised they didn’t mention Teresa Stanley and Catherine Greig, ESPECIALLY Greig. No appearances from Whitey’s girlfriends after things fell apart with Lindsey Cyr. Stanley and Greig played big roles in Whitey’s life, with Stanley eventually talking to authorities, and the fallout from that, including Stanley being shunned and ostracized by Bulger’s family.

Catherine Greig was Whitey Bulger’s loyal ride or die support system. Hell, you could’ve made an entire movie about Bulger and Greig hiding out in Santa Monica for over a decade, freely living the golden years of their lives as retirees, using Charlie and Carol Gasko as aliases. 

Black Mass is a fast tracked and microwaved version of Whitey Bulger’s story. This is a movie that’s supposed to be about an “unholy alliance” between one of the more memorable and ruthless crime bosses using the FBI to strengthen his reign of terror.

The enormity of Bulger’s real life story is something that should’ve packed a more powerful punch. There’s still more meat on the bones for Bulger supposedly being the secret weapon to take down the Italian mafia and Gennaro “Jerry” Angiulo (Bill Haims) in Boston, and how much did Bill Bulger really know about his brother’s life of crime? But Black Mass goes with the routine step by step rise and fall approach to storytelling for a crime lord, concluding with a dull and lifeless ending.

Still, it’s almost impossible to ignore Black Mass’ impeccable ensemble cast, led by an outstanding performance from Johnny Depp. Dakota Johnson and Corey Stoll also made strong impressions with only a handful of appearances and limited screen time. 

Corey Stoll nails Fred Wyshak, the “bulldog,” who flat out refuses to tolerate Connolly’s buffoonery. The scene, where Wyshak meets Connolly for the first time is loaded with so many little nuances. How Wyshak waits for Connolly to lower his guard before tearing him apart, and how Wyshak didn’t fall for Connolly’s smooth talking and his schemes, rejecting a pair of Red Sox tickets and a drink at a bar. His eyes and the look on Corey Stoll’s face tells the whole story: Wyshak immediately sees right through Connolly’s persona, and Wyshsk knows he’s someone, who can’t be trusted. 

Black Mass had the potential and all the ingredients to be a great film, but it’s still a solid biopic. There’s more than enough brutal violence on the crime drama side of things, and the cast is loaded with noteworthy performances. Walking the fine line for embellishing facts and how things played out in real life, and trying to balance both sides will always be a problem for any kind of biopic. But Black Mass churns out enough positives for mostly successful results. 

Rating- 8/10

Robot & Frank (2012)(Minor Spoilers Review)

**This review contains MINOR spoilers, no major reveals or plot twists**

In the near future, an elderly and retired cat burglar named Frank Weld (Frank Langella) lives alone in a messy house buried deep in the woods of Cold Spring, Ney York. Frank, suffering from a severe case of dementia, constantly refuses his son, Hunter’s (James Marsden) offers to seek help. But Hunter is tired of taking ten hour trips to visit and check up on Frank, so Hunter gives Frank two non-negotiable options. Option one, Frank can spend the rest of his days in a research facility/retirement home dedicated to studying memory loss. Option 2? Frank allows a live-in robot to take care of him.

Robot (voiced by Peter Sarsgaard) is forced on Frank, and Frank is reluctant to accept Robot into his life at first, but things change, when Frank realizes he can train Robot to do anything. Meanwhile, Frank tries to woo Jennifer (Susan Sarandon), a local librarian, under the watchful eye of her boss, Jake (Jeremy Strong). Frank’s growing bond with Robot is disrupted by his visiting daughter Madison (Liv Tyler). Madison is dedicated to a life of philanthropy, and she doesn’t like the idea of her father relying on a robot.

With Robot’s help, Frank plans one more big heist, but he'll have to outsmart a suspicious Sheriff Rowlings (Jeremy Sisto). Frank suffers a series of unexpected setbacks, forcing Frank into a tough decision that will change his life forever.

Brilliant. It’s the first word that comes to mind for describing Frank Langella’s performance. Langella is this cranky old codger at first, but as the story develops, you’ll see a vulnerable old man, who’s frightened at the thought of living a broken and lonely life. Plus, Langella is able flex his muscles with some smooth charisma during a handful of scenes with Sarandon, and Langella oozes confidence, while reliving his glory days as a cat burglar. It’s a remarkable performance, because the Frank character is loaded with so many layers, and Langella nails each one.

I give the nod to Liv Tyler for the second best performance in this cast. Madison is this obsessive hippie, and at times, you get the sense she’s a self-righteous phony. Madison hates robots, and she’s for all things natural, but there’s a scene where Madison uses Robot (unbeknownst to Frank) to clean up the house. Madison tries to take credit for Robot’s work, but Frank is able to catch her in a lie. Although, through all her protests and preachy lectures, you’ll be able to see Madison has a good heart, and the best intentions for her aging father. Jeremy Strong is believable as this pretentious and snobbish jerk, who’s determined to make Frank’s life a living hell (more on that later), and Jeremy Sisto has a handful of funny moments, as this dimwitted sheriff, who’s more interested in praising Frank’s glorious past as a skilled thief. No major complaints from Sarandon and Marsden, because they both delivered solid performances. 

The “machine bonding with a human” is a storyline we’ve all seen before. In the case of Robot & Frank, it’s about a bitter old man, who’s losing his grip on reality, and Robot is his only friend left in the world. Plus, It’s hard to ignore Frank Weld’s status as an anti-hero here. And you know what, it’s easy to root for him, when you consider his adversary. Jake is an unlikeable and preppy snob, who walks around with this undeserved superiority complex, and Jake turns into a bully with Sheriff Rowlings conveniently in front of him. He’s such a worm, so it’s hard to feel ANY sympathy for Jake.

Robot & Frank provides a nice balance of quirky comedy, and a touching drama about an aging man, who’s afraid of living his last days alone. You’ll find yourself cheering for Frank during his last heist and the aftermath of a risky coverup, because Langella brings an irresistible amount of charm and tenderness (in certain scenes, mainly towards the end) to this character. Honestly, I didn’t have high expectations for this one, but Robot & Frank was a pleasant surprise for me.

Rating: 9/10


Michael Jordan had another run with the Wizards after winning six championships. Brett Favre was one step away from earning a second ring with the Vikings.

As the world's definitive multi-talented superstar athlete, Trisha Bunrastar is taking an unexpected and shocking leap into a new career path. Assuming the identity of Freechelle Fantabulous, Trisha vows to fight crime and battle evildoers as a superheroine. Will she conquer her new mission? Find out more here! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFLI6VK

Or take a trip into my special world of madness that includes comedy, horror, and the supernatural in this collection of short stories- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFMYZ0U

And remember Amazon offers free Kindle App downloads for various platforms. Follow this link to find out more- http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771

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Robot & Frank (2012)(Spoiler Review)

**This review contains spoilers**

In the near future, an elderly and retired cat burglar named Frank Weld (Frank Langella) lives alone in a messy house buried deep in the woods of Cold Spring, Ney York. Frank, suffering from a severe case of dementia, constantly refuses his son, Hunter’s (James Marsden) offers to seek help. But Hunter is tired of taking ten hour trips to visit and check up on Frank, so Hunter gives Frank two non-negotiable options. Option one, Frank can spend the rest of his days in a research facility/retirement home dedicated to studying memory loss. Option 2? Frank allows a live-in robot to take care of him.

Robot (voiced by Peter Sarsgaard) is forced on Frank, and Frank is reluctant to accept Robot into his life at first, but things change, when Frank realizes he can train Robot to do anything. Meanwhile, Frank tries to woo Jennifer (Susan Sarandon), a local librarian, under the watchful eye of her boss, Jake (Jeremy Strong). Frank’s growing bond with Robot is disrupted by his visiting daughter Madison (Liv Tyler). Madison is dedicated to a life of philanthropy, and she doesn’t like the idea of her father relying on a robot.

With Robot’s help, Frank plans one more big heist, targeting Jake‘s wife, Ava (Bonnie Bentley) as the unsuspecting victim. Frank maps out a strategy to steal Ava’s lucrative and luxurious jewelery collection, but Frank runs into some problems after a suspicious Jake notices a rare book missing from the library. Jake and Sheriff Rowlings (Jeremy Sisto) launch a stakeout mission to catch Frank, and with his back against the wall, Frank is forced to make a tough decision that will change his life forever.

Brilliant. It’s the first word that comes to mind for describing Frank Langella’s performance. Langella is this cranky old codger at first, but as the story develops, you’ll see a vulnerable old man, who’s frightened at the thought of living a broken and lonely life. Plus, Langella is able flex his muscles with some smooth charisma during a handful of scenes with Sarandon, and Langella oozes confidence, while reliving his glory days as a cat burglar. It’s a remarkable performance, because the Frank character is loaded with so many layers, and Langella nails each one.

I give the nod to Liv Tyler for the second best performance in this cast. Madison is this obsessive hippie, and at times, you get the sense she’s a self-righteous phony. Madison hates robots, and she’s for all things natural, but there’s a scene where Madison uses Robot (unbeknownst to Frank) to clean up the house. Madison tries to take credit for Robot’s work, but Frank is able to catch her in a lie. Although, through all her protests and preachy lectures, you’ll be able to see Madison has a good heart, and the best intentions for her aging father. Jeremy Strong is believable as this pretentious and snobbish jerk, who’s determined to make Frank’s life a living hell (more on that later), and Jeremy Sisto has a handful of funny moments, as this dimwitted sheriff, who’s more interested in praising Frank’s glorious past as a skilled thief. No major complaints from Sarandon and Marsden, because they both delivered solid performances.

The “machine bonding with a human” is a storyline we’ve all seen before. In the case of Robot & Frank, it’s about a bitter old man, who’s losing his grip on reality, and Robot is his only friend left in the world. Towards the end of the movie, Frank almost drives the nail into the coffin for his relationship with Hunter by using him as a scapegoat to fool the police. Jake and Sheriff Rowlings are one step away from throwing Frank in jail, but Frank plants a case full of junk on Hunter for a diversion, so Frank can escape with Robot. Madison? As I said before, Madison isn’t perfect, but she’s trying to help. Frank constantly scolds Madison for her caring efforts, and there’s a scene, where Frank angrily tears open a bag of cereal in front of Madison.

But the grizzled lion has a few gentle and soft moments here. During the finale, Robot urges Frank to erase his memory. Frank refuses to disclose the location of Ava’s jewels, so Robot’s memory contains the only form of evidence against Frank. Frank is reluctant to erase Robot’s memory, because Robot is Frank’ s only friend in the world, who’s capable of recalling some happy moments. He struggles with this decision, but Frank realizes erasing Robot’s memory is the only surefire exit strategy for escaping a lonely death in prison. Frank unwillingly erases Robot’s memory, and as Robot enters his shutdown sequence, Robot collapses into Frank’s arms for an unintentional  hug.

And there’s a nice surprise during the final moments, when Frank visits Jennifer at the library. Frank scans the wall of pictures in Jennifer’s office to find of picture of Jennifer and himself together. Here, Frank discovers the truth: Jennifer is his ex-wife. Frank and Jennifer divorced each other thirty years ago, but Frank’s memory loss prevented him from connecting the dots. It’s a genuine shock, because you could tell there was something about Jennifer that lured Frank into the library over and over again, but it’s almost impossible to guess the truth until the big reveal. Good stuff.

Also, I’m happy they didn’t go with a sappy and clichéd happy ending. After Frank erases Robot’s memory, Frank FINALLY agrees to move into the memory loss center/retirement home for the elderly. The last minutes of the movie show Frank, Jennifer, Hunter, and Madison together on a picnic, and they’re sharing family time together. Before everyone leaves, Frank hands Hunter a note revealing the hidden location of Ava’s jewels:  The jewels are buried in Frank’s garden in the backyard. Frank prepares to return to his room, when he spots two robots, who remind of Robot, but Frank’s not 100% sure they’re the same robot, because Frank erased Robot’s memory. It’s a bittersweet ending with the right amount of melancholy, because either way you choose to look at it, Robot & Frank didn’t reach too far to pull tears out of you, and Frank’s encounter isn’t too corny, not by a long shot.

It’s hard to ignore Frank Weld’s status as an anti-hero here. And you know what, it’s easy to root for him, when you consider his adversary. Jake is an unlikeable and preppy snob, who walks around with this undeserved superiority complex, and Jake turns into a bully with Sheriff Rowlings conveniently in front of him. He’s such a worm, so it’s hard to feel ANY sympathy for Jake, when Robot and Frank steal his wife’s jewels. In fact, I was hoping (with fingers crossed) Frank would find a way to steal everything from the safe, with a clean getaway, leaving Jake embarrassed and frustrated.

Robot & Frank provides a nice balance of quirky comedy, and a touching drama about an aging man, who’s afraid of living his last days alone. You’ll find yourself cheering for Frank during his last heist and the aftermath of a risky coverup, because Langella brings an irresistible amount of charm and tenderness (in certain scenes, mainly towards the end) to this character. Honestly, I didn’t have high expectations for this one, but Robot & Frank was a pleasant surprise for me.

Rating: 9/10


Michael Jordan had another run with the Wizards after winning six championships. Brett Favre was one step away from earning a second ring with the Vikings.

As the world's definitive multi-talented superstar athlete, Trisha Bunrastar is taking an unexpected and shocking leap into a new career path. Assuming the identity of Freechelle Fantabulous, Trisha vows to fight crime and battle evildoers as a superheroine. Will she conquer her new mission? Find out more here! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFLI6VK

Or take a trip into my special world of madness that includes comedy, horror, and the supernatural in this collection of short stories- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFMYZ0U

And remember Amazon offers free Kindle App downloads for various platforms. Follow this link to find out more- http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771

Follow me on Twitter here- https://twitter.com/LQuigleyFan1

And don't forget to like both of my Facebook pages, because the Mitch MacReady 2 Facebook page includes quotes from both ebooks that can't fit into Tweets- https://www.facebook.com/mitch.macready