SAVAGES

RYAN: This is the first potential Oscar contender of the year.  Oliver Stone has done another doozey.  Amidst all the duds, blockbusters, and movies-that-could, this is the first serious filmmaker’s movie of 2012.  It feels like Traffic.

TIFFANY: Traffic is a good comparison.  It’s a roller coaster of a movie.  There are moments that you laugh.  There were moments that I cried.  And there were moments where my whole body was squeezed up; it was so intense.

RYAN: There are some edge of your seat bits.  And it’s a big cast.  This is the year of Taylor Kitsch!  After John Carter and Battleship, he’s now starring in this one.  That’s three major movies within five months.  Welcome to stardom Mr. Kitsch.

TIFFANY: He kinda reminds me of Channing Tatum.

RYAN: Yes!  Especially in the first scene.  He’s, like, if Sam Worthington and Channing Tatum had a love child, it’d be Taylor Kitsch.

TIFFANY: [laughs’ And is that a real tattoo?

RYAN: I don’t think so.  But I love Aaron Johnson, working the American accent!  How hot was he?!

TIFFANY: I loved him.  He was hot.  He reminds me of James Franco.

RYAN: OMG yes!  I was totally thinking that during this movie too!

TIFFANY: He was believable and smart in the role… and a total stoner.  And you believed he was a true softy.

RYAN: But let’s talk about Blake Lively.  She’s garnering quite the career and I don’t always agree with it.

TIFFANY: Did she get this role because she’s dating Leonardo DiCaprio?  I don’t think she was the right choice for this film.

RYAN: She was completely the weak link.  I usually enjoy narration in films but she narrates this one and sucked at it.  Her voice was annoying.  But she is pretty.

TIFFANY: She’s beautiful.  She’s just not that natural.  You can tell at times she was acting.

RYAN: John Travolta’s not as easy to look at as he used to be. 

TIFFANY: But because he’s looking rougher, he plays smarmy well and was suited to this role.

RYAN: He did have some good moments and he still has swimable eyes. 

TIFFANY: But his eyebrows and hair color looked so fake.

RYAN: Story of his life.  Meanwhile, Salma Hayek’s hair was perfection the entire time.

TIFFANY: [laughs’ I wonder why.

RYAN: She had more comedy than anyone else in the film and she was a scene stealer.

TIFFANY: She was really funny.  And then there’s Benecio Del Toro who I hated in this movie; well, his character.

RYAN: I’m sorry but I think he’s so unattractive and hard to look at but I have a cousin who thinks he’s hot.

TIFFANY: But his ugliness is appropriate to his character in this movie.

RYAN: [laughs’ It is an edgy crime drama.

TIFFANY: I picked up on a few inconsistencies in the film that sort of took me out of it.

RYAN: I didn’t notice them but you’re an actor so you may be more aware of some of those things.  It’s very R-rated and bloody and violent and about drug lords.

TIFFANY: Yeah the violence got out of hand, for me.

RYAN: But this is a very consistent Oliver Stone film.  Platoon, Wall Street, Born on the Fourth of July… he knows how to do intensity.  And this is the kind of movie you have to pay close attention to in order to follow what’s going on.

TIFFANY: And it’s multilingual.  Did you think the violence was necessary?

RYAN: It seems to be necessary for the world this film transports you into.  And when you look at Pulp Fiction or a Coen Brothers movie, the bar is raised for this level of violence.  We’re becoming desensitized as an audience so the line sometimes has to be crossed to make an impact.

TIFFANY: I, personally, thought it was too graphic and too gory.  And the sexual violence was also really disturbing.  I’m afraid it could inspire violence in the wrong person.  This was one step too real for me.

RYAN: It’s a double-edged sword for the filmmakers, I’m sure.  They want to be provocative but also don’t want to alienate audiences.

— BOTTOM LINE —

TIFFANY: I would say don’t see this because of the violence.  If they could edit out, maybe, five minutes that was too graphic, I’d tell everyone to see it.  I literally had to cover my eyes.  And I cried, not out of emotion, but during the moments of human suffering.

RYAN: I say see it because it’s the first really heavy movie of the year.  And it’s well directed, written; the cinematography is gorgeous and it’s intense.  It’s not my favorite genre but it is compelling. 

— RATING —