DVD Review: Rush

-
Formula One isn't the over seas version of Nascar.

In all seriousness, that's what I assumed Formula One was before I saw this film. I've never seen it on TV, I do not know a single person that has ever mentioned it. With all of that in mind, I was wondering if I could truly enjoy a movie about a sport that I was so in the dark about.

Well, I can, given Ron Howard is directing it. Rush is based on a true story about the lives of James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and Niki Lauda, (Daniel Bruhl) two Formula One racers who had a much publicized rivalry. 

How this film didn't get editing or sound nominations at the Oscars is beyond me. Both of those things really stood out to me. Especially the editing. The way this film is shot is quite extraordinary. The quick cuts during the races, when the pit crew is changing tires on the car, simple things like that were really magnified. The standout in this film is easily Daniel Bruhl. He gives a hell of a performance. It's not just because he's good at playing an asshole either. (Hello Inglorious Basterds) It's easy to view Niki as the antagonist early on, but he never fully becomes that when you're watching him. He's just a straightforward guy, where as James is more charming. They have an interesting "relationship" if you can call it that. It's a shame Supporting Actor was so crowded this year, I think overall, I would've substituted Bruhl for Abdi, but even that's a tough choice.  

I ended up enjoying Rush a lot more than I thought I would. I almost went to it in theaters so many times, but I always skipped out last minute. Sure, there was an odd amount of boobs in a film about racing cars, but I like I said earlier, I was really pulled in, even though I didn't know the sport. It's how I imagine non-baseball fans felt about Moneyball. 

Recommended: Yes

Grade: B

Memorable Quote: "You were equally responsible for getting me back in the car." - Niki Lauda (Daniel Bruhl)

Comments

  1. MyerlaApril 2, 2014 at 6:56 AM

    I don't think there is an odd amount of boobs in a film in which a serial womanizer is heavily featured.

    I follow the F1 quite a bit (been off and on because of dominating performances from drivers) and I liked this film, so clearly to pleases both non fans and fans alike.

    The sound design is indeed superb and Daniel Bruhl is superb, obviously their rivalry Hollywooded up but what you see on track is pretty much what actually happened (there as no need to Hollywood that up).

    I was in a similar same position when I went in to watch Moneyball back then I couldn't even name one baseball player dead or alive (I now know of Babe Ruth and some guy called Rodriguez, who is paid ALOT of money).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamApril 2, 2014 at 1:56 PM

      When you phrase it that way, it makes total sense since Hunt was a womanizer. It just surprised me. Alex Rodriguez! World's biggest douche!

      Delete
  2. m.brownApril 2, 2014 at 7:30 AM

    By 'odd' do you mean, like, 19 boobs? Hmm...I gotta get to the bottom of this.

    Dickery aside, I think EVERYONE in the world had the same thoughts as you. I almost saw this a few times, but somehow felt completely indifferent toward it. How that can happen for a movie with Hemsworth that's directed by Ron f'n Howard is astounding. This movie bombed financially, right? Yet every review I've come across is favorable.

    I gotta check this one out, asap.

    Great post!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamApril 2, 2014 at 1:55 PM

      LOL, you know, there might be a odd number of 'boobs' in the literal way as well. You WILL have to get on that.

      Delete
  3. asrap virtuosoApril 2, 2014 at 7:58 AM

    I'm not a fan of F1, but the sport is quite big where I live so I do have some knowledge of it.

    I absolutely loved the movie! As far as sports rivalry goes, the one between Hunt and Lauda is probably the best! Like you said the editing is excellent and the story is tense and keeps you guessing who would win (this is a plus for people who don't know the actual story of Hunt and Lauda). Plus both of them can be viewed as the hero or the villain. Both interesting characters.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamApril 2, 2014 at 1:54 PM

      Indeed, they're both very interesting. I'm going to have to read more about them now.

      Delete
  4. AnonymousApril 2, 2014 at 8:02 AM

    I'm still not sure I'll see this. I almost rented this last night and wound up going with The Counselor instead...that's how little I desire to see this. But maybe I'll get to it...your review has me intrigued more than anything else I've seen about this.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamApril 2, 2014 at 1:53 PM

      This is far better than The Counselor, in my opinion anyways. Counselor fell flat on its face.

      Delete
  5. s.April 2, 2014 at 2:08 PM

    Great comparison to Moneyball - I know nothing about baseball or...car racing or whatever it's called but I wasn't lost during that one and Rush. I really liked the movie, it was so entertaining and the performances were great, Bruhl was so good he would definitely be worthy of an Oscar nom. Also a shame that Zimmer got more accolades for his work in 12YaS - the score in this one was much better.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamApril 2, 2014 at 3:44 PM

      The score was definitely another stand out. This film should've really hit harder in the technical categories.

      Delete
  6. Alex WithrowApril 2, 2014 at 6:03 PM

    Nice review. I'd give it a B as well. Brühl was definitely the highlight here, what a goddamn powerhouse. I loved everything about his performance.

    ReplyDelete
  7. JoshApril 16, 2014 at 7:30 PM

    Yay! Glad you liked it. It definitely deserved some Oscar nods, especially in the sound categories.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamApril 17, 2014 at 6:46 AM

      Another one for sound, YES! How was this film left out?

      Delete

Post a Comment

Thanks for stopping by, let's talk movies!
(comments are moderated to reduce spam)

Popular posts from this blog

Random Ramblings: The Radio Flyer Conundrum

-
Image
Recently, I was talking to someone about who I thought were the best child actors when I was also a child.  Two that really stood out to me were Elijah Wood and Joseph Mazello, and one film those two were in together was called Radio Flyer.  Then I was reminded about the uniqueness of this film. Instead of reviewing the film, I wanted to have an open discussion about the ending. It deals with a tough issue; child abuse. What I’ve noticed is the way that the film ends is interpreted many different ways, and the filmmakers never came forward to say what was right and wrong. I’m interested in hearing everyone’s opinions on it. How did you interpret the ending? Obviously spoiler alerts will follow.. For those of you who haven’t seen the film, the basic premise is this: Two young boys, Mikey (Wood) and Bobby (Mazello) move in with their single mother and her boyfriend, who refers to himself as ‘The King’. It doesn’t take long for The King to start physically abusing ...
Read more

Indie Gems: Behind The Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon

-
Image
Passionate about your profession? I had never heard of this film until it ended up on one of Jason's favorite horror movie lists around Halloween. It immediately sounded interesting to me, so of course I threw it in my Netflix queue. (and if I'm just now watching it after adding it around Halloween, you know how ridiculous my queue is) Taylor (Angela Goethals) is a journalist who, along with a film crew decides to follow around a serial killer named Leslie Vernon. (Nathan Baesel) He plans on doing the typical slasher thing - getting a bunch of drunk teens in an abandoned house and knocking them off one by one. He gets advice from a retired serial killer, Eugene (Scott Wilson) and is threatened by a man who's on to him, Doc Holloran (Robert Englund) Taylor and crew are there capturing it all. Leslie Vernon is fucking hilarious to start with, and clearly very passionate about what he does. He tells Taylor all of his secrets and can barely contain his excitemen...
Read more

My Favorite Movie Youtube Channels

-
Image
Starting around 2018, I started watching Youtube for more than just movie trailers or music videos whenever a new one dropped. Now I'm in full blown subscription mode and don't bat an eyelash at watching a Youtube video that's over an hour long. I watch Youtube for a few different categories of content, but one of them that I love most is movie/TV essays and commentary, and that's what I'm going to talk about today. Below is a list of my favorite movie related Youtube channels. Let me know if you're familiar with them too, or if you have any you'd like to recommend to me.  Double Toasted - I'm honestly surprised this channel isn't bigger. I first came across Korey and Martin when they reviewed War for the Planet of the Apes a few months before it hit theaters and I thought they were hysterical. While their full length videos stream on Twitch, they often upload their movie reviews and commentary on youtube and they're always hilarious. They've...
Read more