Predicting is fun: and Rotten Tomatoes and IMDB are two of the best rating sites out there. When making this list I did not include films I hadn't heard of. I rounded the Wednesday releases to Fridays.
September 18
The Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials
IMDB: 7.4
RT: 74
Black Mass
IMDB: 8.3
RT: 87
Everest
IMDB: 8.0
RT: 90
Pawn Sacrifice
IMDB: 7.7
RT: 82
Sicario
IMDB: 8.1
RT: 88
Captive
IMDB: 7.1
RT: 67
September 25
Hotel Transylvania 2
IMDB: 7.2
RT: 55
99 Homes
IMDB: 7.4
RT: 70
The Intern
IMDB: 6.7
RT: 51
Mississippi Grind
IMDB: 8.1
RT: 84
October 2The Walk
IMDB: 7.7
RT: 76
The Martian
IMDB: 8.2
RT: 91
Legend
IMDB: 7.5
RT: 80
October 9
Pan
IMDB: 7.0
RT: 62
Steve Jobs
IMDB: 8.3
RT: 94
October 16
Goosebumps
IMDB: 6.4
RT: 43
Crimson Peak
IMDB: 7.8
RT: 81
Bridge of Spies
IMDB: 8.1
RT: 96
Beasts of No Nation
IMDB: 8.4
RT: 90
October 23
The Last Witch Hunter
IMDB: 5.7
RT: 38
Burnt
IMDB: 7.3
RT: 77
Rock the Kasbah
IMDB: 6.9
RT: 81
Suffragette
IMDB: 6.5
RT: 59
October 30
Our Brand is Crisis
IMDB: 7.8
RT: 91
November 6
Spectre
Sequel to: Skyfall
IMDB: 8.3
RT: 94
The Peanuts Movie
IMDB: 7.3
RT: 79
Spotlight
IMDB: 7.6
RT: 84
Trumbo
IMDB: 8.1
RT: 93
November 13
The 33
IMDB: 7.3
RT: 71
By the Sea
IMDB: 5.2
RT: 31
Love the Coopers
IMDB: 6.7
RT: 65
November 20
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay- Part Two
IMDB: 6.1
RT: 43
Carol
IMDB: 7.9
RT: 88
November 27
The Night Before
IMDB: 7.5
RT: 82
The Danish Girl
IMDB: 7.8
RT: 83
Victor Frankenstein
IMDB: 7.2
RT: 68
The Good Dinosaur
IMDB: 7.4
RT: 84
Creed
IMDB: 7.1
RT: 56
December 4
Macbeth
IMDB: 8.5
RT: 92
Youth
IMDB: 7.9
RT: 86
December 11
In the Heart of the Sea
IMDB: 7.6
RT: 81
The Ridiculous Six
IMDB: 5.9
RT: 44
December 18
Star Wars: Episode VII- The Force Awakens
IMDB: 8.7
RT: 95
Sisters
IMDB: 7.1
RT: 74
December 25
Joy
IMDB: 7.5
RT: 79
Point Break
IMDB: 5.6
RT: 29
Concussion
IMDB: 8.1
RT: 89
Snowden
IMDB: 7.4
RT: 67
The Hateful Eight
IMDB: 8.5
RT: 90
Thursday, September 10, 2015
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
Penguins of Madagascar Review (Update)
Sure, I have done movie reviews since February since I just got tired of it, but Penguins of Madagascar was such an improvement on the rewatch. I watched it in theaters in November, and was disappointed I had at the time. See original Review. I gave it a C minus when I watched it the first time, but it was such an improvement with the second time. Madagascar and Madagascar 2 aren't great movies. The first is good but had some really stupid moments and the second one is a joke. It's terrible. When I rewatch them, I'll probably over two. I didn't expect much from three- how could the circus entry be any good? But it was such a great movie. It had cool action scenes, a not stupid romance and an awesome Bryan Cranston voiced character. It's by far the best Madagascar and actually one of my favorite animated movies. Despite how terrible some moments were, there was one thing that was excellent in all three films- the penguins. A perfect group of characters each with a unique ability. It was definitely the characters to make a spinoff of.
The penguins of Madagascar is not a hilarious movie. Like most animated movies, it has a few funny moments, but most of the jokes are meant for kids. One animated movie that I found to be very funny was Frozen. I guess it was surprising since you may not expect that from a g-rated musical, but Josh Gad's Olaf delivers some very funny lines. Back to Penguins, there was one funny part that stood out to me. In fact- it's the part I remember being funny. I'm sure there were more funny parts, but I watched this on Netflix about two-three weeks and I can't remember. Anyway, the funny part was after John Malkovich's villain introduces himself- a cricket chirps. The penguins don't remember him and you hear the classic cricket chirping- but that's the funny part yet. The funny part was after the cricket chirping sound happened, a cricket in back of them stands up and says "sorry"- then proceeds to walk around upon realizing he lives the other way and announces that. Okay, this review has been quite dumb so far- let's get to the real review.
If you look up information about the movie before going to watch it- you already know one great thing about the movie- the cast. You have John Malkovich as the villain, Benedict Cumberbatch as one of the heroes, and Ken Jeong as another hero, just more minor. I think Cumberbatch killed the role, and Jeong was okay- but Malkovich went along with one of the more disappointing aspects of the film. That was his rather poor villain. I'll get to that later.
Most of penguins of Madagascar is pretty great. The first hour is a complete load of fun, with the awesome title characters shining in every moments and having cool action scenes. It also has an amazing score- which is kinda surprising because it's not the kind of movie that would have a great score, but at the same should be expected since Madagascar had an amazing score. So, the first hour (maybe 70 minutes) is a great, great film.
Unfortunately, the final battle is so awful that it brings the film down from great to just good. If you've seen the new fantastic four, the ending is kinda like that, but fortunately not quite that bad. Unfortunately, it's almost as bad. Back to the villain. The villain is super weird, his appearance is strange too, and he has terrible villain motives. He wants to kill all penguins because people liked the penguins better than him at the zoo. This is really stupid because it's not the penguins at all and if you had to punish someone it would the humans that put the penguins there. But whatever- most action movies don't have quality villains anyway. And that's not the worst part of the movie. It's the ridiculous villain defeat. It goes into some many stages of ridiculous and is completely unbelievable. First private escapes his cage, then he gets skipper and Kowalski out of rabid penguins state just by talking, and finally skipper saves the day by hitting a cheeto bag. It's quite stupid, even though the story led up to it, that private ending up saving the day. Instead they should have given him an equally important role in defeating the villain instead of being the one to do it himself.
So there you have. It's a very solid film that lots of fun, has strong lead characters, and other supporting heroes but a bad villain and a very disappointing finale. Don't worry- it gets better on the rewatch (hopefully).
Movie Rating: B-
The penguins of Madagascar is not a hilarious movie. Like most animated movies, it has a few funny moments, but most of the jokes are meant for kids. One animated movie that I found to be very funny was Frozen. I guess it was surprising since you may not expect that from a g-rated musical, but Josh Gad's Olaf delivers some very funny lines. Back to Penguins, there was one funny part that stood out to me. In fact- it's the part I remember being funny. I'm sure there were more funny parts, but I watched this on Netflix about two-three weeks and I can't remember. Anyway, the funny part was after John Malkovich's villain introduces himself- a cricket chirps. The penguins don't remember him and you hear the classic cricket chirping- but that's the funny part yet. The funny part was after the cricket chirping sound happened, a cricket in back of them stands up and says "sorry"- then proceeds to walk around upon realizing he lives the other way and announces that. Okay, this review has been quite dumb so far- let's get to the real review.
If you look up information about the movie before going to watch it- you already know one great thing about the movie- the cast. You have John Malkovich as the villain, Benedict Cumberbatch as one of the heroes, and Ken Jeong as another hero, just more minor. I think Cumberbatch killed the role, and Jeong was okay- but Malkovich went along with one of the more disappointing aspects of the film. That was his rather poor villain. I'll get to that later.
Most of penguins of Madagascar is pretty great. The first hour is a complete load of fun, with the awesome title characters shining in every moments and having cool action scenes. It also has an amazing score- which is kinda surprising because it's not the kind of movie that would have a great score, but at the same should be expected since Madagascar had an amazing score. So, the first hour (maybe 70 minutes) is a great, great film.
Unfortunately, the final battle is so awful that it brings the film down from great to just good. If you've seen the new fantastic four, the ending is kinda like that, but fortunately not quite that bad. Unfortunately, it's almost as bad. Back to the villain. The villain is super weird, his appearance is strange too, and he has terrible villain motives. He wants to kill all penguins because people liked the penguins better than him at the zoo. This is really stupid because it's not the penguins at all and if you had to punish someone it would the humans that put the penguins there. But whatever- most action movies don't have quality villains anyway. And that's not the worst part of the movie. It's the ridiculous villain defeat. It goes into some many stages of ridiculous and is completely unbelievable. First private escapes his cage, then he gets skipper and Kowalski out of rabid penguins state just by talking, and finally skipper saves the day by hitting a cheeto bag. It's quite stupid, even though the story led up to it, that private ending up saving the day. Instead they should have given him an equally important role in defeating the villain instead of being the one to do it himself.
So there you have. It's a very solid film that lots of fun, has strong lead characters, and other supporting heroes but a bad villain and a very disappointing finale. Don't worry- it gets better on the rewatch (hopefully).
Movie Rating: B-
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
50 All-Time Favorite Movies
50. Edge of Tomorrow- Fun action
49. X-Men Days of Future Past- fun action
48. District B13- fun action, awesome lead character
47. Dawn of Planet of the Apes- amazing effects, visual quality, story, and characters
46. Star Trek (2009)- fun action, good story, awesome characters
45. Pacific Rim- fun action
44. Ant-Man- fun action, good characters
43. Pirates of the Caribbean- fun action, great characters
42. Jurassic world- fun action, great effects
41. Trading places- funny, quotable, great story
40. Whiplash- super intense and exciting
39. Batman begins- fun action, great origin story, awesome lead character
38. Raiders of the lost ark- fun action, great lead character
37. the amazing spider-man- fun action, great characters, perfect casting
36. The Mummy- fun action, awesome setting
35. john wick- fun action, great lead character
34. Apocalypto- fun action, intensity, excitement
33. Tower heist- fun, interesting, quotable
32. the matrix- fun action
31. Munich- intense and extremely cool scenes
30. Minority Report- interesting, great plot
29. The interview- funny, great story
28. The hobbit: the desolation of smaug- fun action, great music, great characters, great setting
27. Slumdog millionaire- great story, quotable
26. The dark knight- great story, intensity
25. The social network- great story, great acting
24. Prisoners- intense, exciting, great twist
23. Pirates of the Caribbean: dead man's chest- fun action, great characters
22. Guardians of the Galaxy- fun action, funny, great characters
21. Horrible Bosses 2- funny, great characters, great story, quotable
20. furious 7- sad, super fun action
19. Inception- fun action, great story, great characters, awesome music
18. Captain America: the first avenger- fun action, great setting, great characters
17. Mission: impossible- ghost protocol- fun action, great setting, great characters
16. Pulp fiction- great story, great characters
15. the lord of the rings: the two towers- great story, fun action, great characters, great setting, great music
14. The hurt locker- intense, interesting, great acting, great lead character
13. the dark knight rises- interesting, thrilling, fun action
12. inglourious basterds- interesting, great story, great characters
11. Knocked Up- funny, quotable, great story
10. Ocean's eleven- interesting, super fun action
9. The Lord of the Rings: the fellowship of the ring- great story, great characters, great setting, great music
8. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the black pearl- amazing music, great characters, awesome setting, fun action
7. The Shawshank redemption- amazing amazing amazing story, great acting, great characters
6. X-men: first class- fun action, great characters, great music
5. Snowpiercer- intense, great fun action, great story
4. Beverly hills cop- amazing lead character, quotable, funny
3. The lord of the rings: the return of the king- great story, fun action, great characters, great setting, great music, sad
2. the avengers- greatest team-up moment of all time, great characters, amazing action
1. American Beauty- Kevin Spacey, amazing story
49. X-Men Days of Future Past- fun action
48. District B13- fun action, awesome lead character
47. Dawn of Planet of the Apes- amazing effects, visual quality, story, and characters
46. Star Trek (2009)- fun action, good story, awesome characters
45. Pacific Rim- fun action
44. Ant-Man- fun action, good characters
43. Pirates of the Caribbean- fun action, great characters
42. Jurassic world- fun action, great effects
41. Trading places- funny, quotable, great story
40. Whiplash- super intense and exciting
39. Batman begins- fun action, great origin story, awesome lead character
38. Raiders of the lost ark- fun action, great lead character
37. the amazing spider-man- fun action, great characters, perfect casting
36. The Mummy- fun action, awesome setting
35. john wick- fun action, great lead character
34. Apocalypto- fun action, intensity, excitement
33. Tower heist- fun, interesting, quotable
32. the matrix- fun action
31. Munich- intense and extremely cool scenes
30. Minority Report- interesting, great plot
29. The interview- funny, great story
28. The hobbit: the desolation of smaug- fun action, great music, great characters, great setting
27. Slumdog millionaire- great story, quotable
26. The dark knight- great story, intensity
25. The social network- great story, great acting
24. Prisoners- intense, exciting, great twist
23. Pirates of the Caribbean: dead man's chest- fun action, great characters
22. Guardians of the Galaxy- fun action, funny, great characters
21. Horrible Bosses 2- funny, great characters, great story, quotable
20. furious 7- sad, super fun action
19. Inception- fun action, great story, great characters, awesome music
18. Captain America: the first avenger- fun action, great setting, great characters
17. Mission: impossible- ghost protocol- fun action, great setting, great characters
16. Pulp fiction- great story, great characters
15. the lord of the rings: the two towers- great story, fun action, great characters, great setting, great music
14. The hurt locker- intense, interesting, great acting, great lead character
13. the dark knight rises- interesting, thrilling, fun action
12. inglourious basterds- interesting, great story, great characters
11. Knocked Up- funny, quotable, great story
10. Ocean's eleven- interesting, super fun action
9. The Lord of the Rings: the fellowship of the ring- great story, great characters, great setting, great music
8. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the black pearl- amazing music, great characters, awesome setting, fun action
7. The Shawshank redemption- amazing amazing amazing story, great acting, great characters
6. X-men: first class- fun action, great characters, great music
5. Snowpiercer- intense, great fun action, great story
4. Beverly hills cop- amazing lead character, quotable, funny
3. The lord of the rings: the return of the king- great story, fun action, great characters, great setting, great music, sad
2. the avengers- greatest team-up moment of all time, great characters, amazing action
1. American Beauty- Kevin Spacey, amazing story
Ranking the Nolans
9. Interstellar- I really only watched this movie because of the awesome cast and director. They both did a good job- but the story is super weird and super boring and it's not a good movie at all.
8. Insomnia- another boring film that only had two things going for it- the awesome setting and the lead actors.
7. Following- a boring, weird movie that is only 69 minutes.
6. The Prestige- only interesting at times, plot is a little too complicated, but the characters and acting is great.
5. Memento- a very unique story and interesting to watch but doesn't quite match the greatness of other Nolan films.
4. Batman Begins- taking a different tone than its two sequels, this is actually the most fun and comic book-movie-like batman film.
3. The Dark Knight- an interesting crime thriller with a great plot.
2. Inception- an awesome movie that has great ideas and fits in many genres.
1. The Dark Knight Rises- I know, but the final the dark knight was thrilling, had a great plot, awesome characters, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and wrapped things up perfectly. I have not seen this in a while. I plan on rewatching and reevaluating it.
8. Insomnia- another boring film that only had two things going for it- the awesome setting and the lead actors.
7. Following- a boring, weird movie that is only 69 minutes.
6. The Prestige- only interesting at times, plot is a little too complicated, but the characters and acting is great.
5. Memento- a very unique story and interesting to watch but doesn't quite match the greatness of other Nolan films.
4. Batman Begins- taking a different tone than its two sequels, this is actually the most fun and comic book-movie-like batman film.
3. The Dark Knight- an interesting crime thriller with a great plot.
2. Inception- an awesome movie that has great ideas and fits in many genres.
1. The Dark Knight Rises- I know, but the final the dark knight was thrilling, had a great plot, awesome characters, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and wrapped things up perfectly. I have not seen this in a while. I plan on rewatching and reevaluating it.
Monday, August 24, 2015
Top 25 Moments From The Hobbit Trilogy
The Hobbit trilogy is severely underrated. Many people regard as a complete disappointment and a set of terrible movies. And when comparing it LOTR and the potential this trilogy had, I can see the point of those people. And to be fair, it has it's fair share of problems, miscasting, boring scenes, and is stretched out a little too much. But that's nothing compared to all the great things about it. Martin Freeman absolutely killed the role of Bilbo and is extremely likeable. It's nearly impossible to see another Bilbo that would be just a good and it's hard to argue that Martin Freeman wasn't perfect casting. As great as he is, one great character doesn't make a good trilogy. The hobbit movies are very good, even though they don't quite live up to the other middle earth movies. And it's the awesome moments in them that make them so great. Here are the top 25 moments in the Hobbit trilogy, ordered worst to best. There may multiple moments from the same scene.
The goblin king delivers the best line of the trilogy.
25. The Dwarf Party (An Unexpected Journey)
24. Stone Giant Battle (An Unexpected Journey)
23. Bombur runs past all the dwarves (The Desolation of Smaug)
One of the funniest things in the movie. The fat guys outruns everyone.22. Meeting Gandalf (An Unexpected Journey)
Another good comedic moment filled with great dialogue.21. Return to the Shire (An Unexpected Journey)
For the first time since LOTR, we see the beautiful shire once again.20. "I'm going on an Adventure" (An Unexpected Journey)
19. Bilbo receives Sting (An Unexpected Journey)
18. Rescuing the Dwarves (The Desolation of Smaug)
Another heroic moments where Bilbo shows his worth and frees the dwarves from the elvish prison.17. Mirkwood Spider Fight (The Desolation of Smaug)
A fine action scene that introduces Legolas and Tauriel.16. Dwarves run into Battle (The Battle of Five Armies)
After sitting out a huge chunk of the battle, Thorin leads the men into battle heroically in one the film's best scenes.15. Rhosgobel Rabbits Chase (An Unexpected Journey)
After Radagast deliver his "I'd like to see them try." (to catch him) line, a chasse scene emerges. If you look closely, Radagast does an awful job leading the orcs away from the dwarves. It's filmed over a beautiful location.14. Eagle Rescue (An Unexpected Journey)
13. Bilbo sees Bilbo in Mirkwood (The Desolation of Smaug)
In Mirkwood Bilbo turns around and see himself. A funny, cool moment.12. Meeting Smaug (The Desolation of Smaug)
11. The Ending (The Battle of Five Armies)
Even though the movie wasn't too great, the ending is done very well and is really sad when you realize it's over.10. Cliffhanger (The Desolation of Smaug)
After showing that Smaug is a great villain, he goes out to kill the people of Lake-Town and the movie ends. A perfect ending.9. Bilbo saves Thorin (An Unexpected Journey)
While everyone leaves Thorin to dies, Bilbo finds his courage and saves him (and even kills an orc).8. Entering Erebor (The Desolation of Smaug)
The Dwarves finally enter Erebor and it's a beautiful moment.7. Gollum's Riddles (An Unexpected Journey)
A funny way to put Gollum back in Middle-Earth and explains Bilbo's involvement with the ring quite well.6. Goblin Escape (An Unexpected Journey)
A super fun action packed escape scene with a great score to back it up.5. Factory/Mine Action Sequence (The Desolation of Smaug)
Another really fun action sequence- this time it's against a dragon.4. "That'll do it" (An Unexpected Journey)
3. Pinecones (An Unexpected Journey)
When stuck in a tree with enemies coming at you what do you do? You throw flaming pinecones at them. And that's really what happens.2. The Barrel Ride (The Desolation of Smaug)
An awesome, super fun action sequence as they escape from the elves.1. Entering Lake-Town (The Desolation of Smaug)
The best place in Middle-Earth gets a perfect view of it with great music.Sunday, August 23, 2015
Ranking the 6 Tolkien/Middle-Earth Films
I just finished rewatching a set of possibly the greatest adventure films of all time. While many people aren't a huge fan of the new hobbit trilogy, I really liked it, but am still a big LOTR fan. Rankings worst to best as always. A few spoilers ahead.
The main problem with the third installment of the hobbit is that it really lacks in the two things that were supposed to make it the best hobbit movie, and possibly even up with the Lord of the Rings quality. Those are the battle of five armies and bard vs. smaug. Smaug is dealt with first. After the awesome build up in the last hour of Desolation, Smaug was established as a great villain who really could do some damage. It seemed like it would take a lot to beat him. The film starts off right where the last left off. Smaug is wrecking Lake-Town to pieces. Bard breaks out of his cell, and has a three minute fight with Smaug before hitting his weak spot and killing him. That's right, Smaug dies in the first 15 minutes of the film. He doesn't kill anyone important before dying, and he only takes one hit before falling to his death. Once you get over that, you have to wait an hour before any more action starts and the battle is big- but totally lame. It's infested with distracting CGI, annoying characters, and it's not a very exciting battle. And it doesn't show much of the battle either. The story frequenly cuts away. I think that's the main reason no one really liked the last hobbit, but it's certainly not a bad movie. In fact, once you get past the disappointment of it, it's entertaining. The characters and acting are at it's finest. The deaths totally work and end up being really sad, unexpected, and not stupid at all. The ending is perfect. It sets up LOTR perfectly, and it hard not to be sad when the end credits roll to the song "The Last Goodbye sung by the actor who played Pippin and you realize it's the last Middle-Earth movie ever. The final installment wasn't bad, just disappointing.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is a great film. It's not all disappointing, and in fact quite the opposite. At the time, I expected nothing from the hobbit and instead I got a fun, cool, adventure that had some really good moments. Why is it so low then? Because I'm comparing it to some of the greatest movies ever made. The reason why the first installment isn't as good as the other films ahead of it on this list, is that it takes a long, long, time to get into any excitement or any real adventure. The dwarf party is good the first time, but on rewatches you realize it's not quite what you came to see and is overly long. On the other hand, it introduces the characters well, and gives some good comedic moments. The next hour isn't too good. Sure, you finally get action and adventure, but none of it is too good, and there are far too many breaks and dialogue heavy scenes. At that point in the movie, it wasn't too good. Fortunately, the last hour more than satisfied. It had three amazing moments that are perhaps the greatest in the trilogy. First was the riddles with Gollum. It was funny, it was nice to see another familiar face from the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and it worked very well story-wise in understanding how Bilbo got the ring. Next was the terrific action sequence in the goblin cave. Sure, it was ridiculous, but a load of fun. That sequence ended with a great line: That'll do it. The final scene was brilliant. The orcs push the dwarves, Bilbo and Gandalf to the edge of a cliff and they hang on fall trees. After a whole movie filled with comedy, it was good to actually see our heroes in danger for once and the pinecone throwing might be my favorite thing in the whole movie.
The second installment into the Hobbit franchise is such a great movie. It fixed that problem the first one had and jumped into the action right away. First came a funny moment with Bombur and a stay with a new guest, next was an interesting scene in Mirkwood with the spider, and then they're captured by the elves. And it that wasn't enough, next is a 15 minute long chase (?) sequences involving the dwarves floating in barrels down the river, fighting orcs with the help of elves. Legolas returns and although he wasn't quite as good as he was in LOTR, he does help make the action sequence a little better. Next, we're introduced to Bard- the lead human character in the trilogy. Bard brings Bilbo and the dwarves into Lake-Town, my favorite place in Middle-Earth. Rivendell was cool. Gondor was cool. The shire was awesome. Mordor was great. Even the elf home previously seen in this was pretty good. But as great as they all are- Lake Town blows them all away. Entering lake-town is a perfect scene, accompanied with music that captures the amazing setting perfectly. There's tension, and a set of interesting characters is introduces. Finally, the hobbits get to the mountain and the enter- and it's so, so satisfying. Next is a tense scene between Bilbo and Smaug, and Smaug is done perfectly. The film's final act is a 30 minute action sequences using the factory and mines as a way to fight/evade Smaug. The film is nearly perfect, and there's so many fantastic moments in it. The one fault it has is that Gandalf is missing from the dwarve's adventure- which is fine, but instead we see his boring side story which is always annoying because we're not seeing the much more dwarf story. A beautiful, fun, super interesting and all-around great film that really tells you why the Hobbit movies aren't bad.
(I don't know as much about LOTR as I do about the Hobbit, so my write-ups will be shorter). The second Lord of the Rings film is truly amazing. The first hour is probably the best part. We see the adventure continued, not as one fellowship, but as three stories of the three groups. Sam and Frodo encounter Gollum and start their road towards Mordor, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli chase down Merry and Pippin, and Merry and Pippin escape the clutches of the orcs. The second hour had great moments like the ride into Rohan, Sméagol's argument/transformation, and Gandalf's great return. The film has the first epic battle of Middle-Earth, The Battle of Helm's deep. It's entertaining, and pretty cool. At the same time, we have another awesome battle- except it's more one sided. The ents take out Isengard by flinging boulders and breaking a water dam. It's a satisfying defeat in both battles and one more step to getting peace on Middle-Earth. Sam's speech is great, and the ending is perfect.
Like the first hobbit, fellowship takes a while to get into the action. The forming of the team is a great moment. First it's Frodo and Gandalf, then Sam joins, and when they get to Bree Merry and Pippin have joined them. The Rivendell meeting is awesome and gimli trying to destroy the ring with his axe is a funny and at the same time, serious moment. The rest of the movie has the best scenery of the whole franchise, has interesting battles and plot moments for the rest of the movie. The ending is very good with Boromir's sad death and the splitting of the fellowship. A Perfect start to a perfect trilogy.
This is my third favorite movie of all time. The characters are amazing, each battle sequence is better and better-but the best part of it is the relationship between Sam and Frodo and the journey to Mordor. Sam is my favorite of the franchise and it's heartbreaking to see Frodo leave him in one the film's saddest moments. Gollum is a great villain and he not only deceives Frodo but also almost brings him to death. Sam's brave and daring rescue to save Frodo and support him to the end of the journey is amazing and the film is topped with a great ending fit for a king. And the ending is even sadder than the Hobbit ending.
6. The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies
5. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
4. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
3. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
2. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Like the first hobbit, fellowship takes a while to get into the action. The forming of the team is a great moment. First it's Frodo and Gandalf, then Sam joins, and when they get to Bree Merry and Pippin have joined them. The Rivendell meeting is awesome and gimli trying to destroy the ring with his axe is a funny and at the same time, serious moment. The rest of the movie has the best scenery of the whole franchise, has interesting battles and plot moments for the rest of the movie. The ending is very good with Boromir's sad death and the splitting of the fellowship. A Perfect start to a perfect trilogy.
1. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
This is my third favorite movie of all time. The characters are amazing, each battle sequence is better and better-but the best part of it is the relationship between Sam and Frodo and the journey to Mordor. Sam is my favorite of the franchise and it's heartbreaking to see Frodo leave him in one the film's saddest moments. Gollum is a great villain and he not only deceives Frodo but also almost brings him to death. Sam's brave and daring rescue to save Frodo and support him to the end of the journey is amazing and the film is topped with a great ending fit for a king. And the ending is even sadder than the Hobbit ending.
Friday, August 21, 2015
Ranking the Five Mission: Impossible Films
I'm a little late with this, but about three weeks back, the most recent Mission: Impossible movie was released into theaters. I watched it the Monday after it came out, and it was certainly one of the better entries in the franchise. The franchise has been around for 19 years, seems to keep growing with the announcement of a sixth film, and for fans of it, it might be a good time to know how you would rank them against each other. So here's my ranking of every MI film to date. Worst to Best.
MI 2 is the only bad movie in the franchise. It's ridiculous, it's not really that fun, the characters are at their all time low. I think most people would agree that this is easily the worst film of the bunch and it's hard not to agree with that. I'd rather not linger on a bad film, so let's move on.
Mission: Impossible, the original, does have its moments, but it only has one good character. And besides the exciting break in scene and the opening sequence, it isn't too exciting. The final act isn't very good- it's not fun, it's ridiculous, and the effects are quite awful. Fortunately, it's nowhere near as bad as its sequel, but it's a just okay film, and I really only rewatch to get the whole franchise marathon effect. Not a bad film, but certainly nowhere near the greatness of the later ones.
Mission: Impossible 3 was the first sign the franchise was going to get better. (Kinda like Fast Five for the Furious franchise). It was the first movie that wasn't boring at all, it upped the mission and stakes, added a few cool new team members to IMF, had an intriguing plot, and is probably the most realistic Mission: Impossible to date. The action sequences are one after another, and they're great. The movie is additionally helped by it's villain, Owen Davian, who's played by the late great Philip Seymour Hoffman. Hoffman's villain is unlike your typical action movie villain- he's actually threatening, and makes Ethan's mission become really impossible. There's isn't much wrong with this film- and it certainly isn't the bad movie everyone thinks it is.
Rogue Nation was a load of fun. The team is at it's very best- with Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg and Jeremy Renner taking on big roles and returning from Ghost Protocol- plus Ving Rhames gets a real role after getting forced into a cameo in the previous film. Character-wise, this would be the best film. The villain is the only other real villain in the franchise besides Davian, and Rebecca Ferguson's character is one of the stronger lead female in the franchise. It has funny moments (thank you Simon Pegg), it has serious moments, and it has moments that really make you think. The gem of the movie is the fantastic, lengthy, chase scene in Morocco. It's awesome, and the second best action sequence in the whole franchise. The ending is another great part of the movie. If this movie closed out the franchise, It would be more than a proper ending. The only problem with it is: the plane sequence's potential is totally wasted and used as the opening scene. It was disappointing especially with so much hype about it. It's also quite annoying how Ilsa Faust constantly changes sides.
Of course, Ghost Protocol pretty much has the best action sequences ever. The Pegg-Renner-Patton-Cruise is very good, and every action scene is the movie is tense, cool, exciting, and fun. The Dubai scene is easily the best action sequence in the franchise- and one of the best in all movies. It's an exhilarating ride from start to finish, and the action never disappoints, for the first time in the franchise.
As good as the 4th and 5th entry in the list were, don't be surprised if Mission: Impossible 6 is by far the best. Mission: Impossible 6 is supposed to hit theaters in 2017.
5. Mission: Impossible II
4. Mission: Impossible
Mission: Impossible, the original, does have its moments, but it only has one good character. And besides the exciting break in scene and the opening sequence, it isn't too exciting. The final act isn't very good- it's not fun, it's ridiculous, and the effects are quite awful. Fortunately, it's nowhere near as bad as its sequel, but it's a just okay film, and I really only rewatch to get the whole franchise marathon effect. Not a bad film, but certainly nowhere near the greatness of the later ones.
3. Mission: Impossible III
Mission: Impossible 3 was the first sign the franchise was going to get better. (Kinda like Fast Five for the Furious franchise). It was the first movie that wasn't boring at all, it upped the mission and stakes, added a few cool new team members to IMF, had an intriguing plot, and is probably the most realistic Mission: Impossible to date. The action sequences are one after another, and they're great. The movie is additionally helped by it's villain, Owen Davian, who's played by the late great Philip Seymour Hoffman. Hoffman's villain is unlike your typical action movie villain- he's actually threatening, and makes Ethan's mission become really impossible. There's isn't much wrong with this film- and it certainly isn't the bad movie everyone thinks it is.
2. Mission: Impossible- Rogue Nation
Rogue Nation was a load of fun. The team is at it's very best- with Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg and Jeremy Renner taking on big roles and returning from Ghost Protocol- plus Ving Rhames gets a real role after getting forced into a cameo in the previous film. Character-wise, this would be the best film. The villain is the only other real villain in the franchise besides Davian, and Rebecca Ferguson's character is one of the stronger lead female in the franchise. It has funny moments (thank you Simon Pegg), it has serious moments, and it has moments that really make you think. The gem of the movie is the fantastic, lengthy, chase scene in Morocco. It's awesome, and the second best action sequence in the whole franchise. The ending is another great part of the movie. If this movie closed out the franchise, It would be more than a proper ending. The only problem with it is: the plane sequence's potential is totally wasted and used as the opening scene. It was disappointing especially with so much hype about it. It's also quite annoying how Ilsa Faust constantly changes sides.
1. Mission: Impossible- Ghost Protocol
Of course, Ghost Protocol pretty much has the best action sequences ever. The Pegg-Renner-Patton-Cruise is very good, and every action scene is the movie is tense, cool, exciting, and fun. The Dubai scene is easily the best action sequence in the franchise- and one of the best in all movies. It's an exhilarating ride from start to finish, and the action never disappoints, for the first time in the franchise.
As good as the 4th and 5th entry in the list were, don't be surprised if Mission: Impossible 6 is by far the best. Mission: Impossible 6 is supposed to hit theaters in 2017.
Monday, August 17, 2015
Ranking All Eight Quentin Tarantino's Films- Best to Worst
8. Jackie Brown
Something has to come in last. While some people might say they like all the Tarantinos and their least favorite is still a good movie, I wouldn't. Jackie Brown is a bad movie. It has a very good cast and usually in a Tarantino film that means it'll also have great characters. Unfortunately, it doesn't. Most of the time, a lead female character isn't very interesting or likeable. Jackie Brown was a totally lame character, and she kinda brought the film down with her. The one character I actually liked during the film was Robert DeNiro's Louis. But my feeling of the characters were really the same as Melanie's feeling of him. He started out cool, relaxed, and calm, but he turned grouchy, uptight, and annoying. There's no doubt that the performances are excellent, but the characters aren't very good- and that's a rare thing in a Tarantino. Another huge problem with the film was that it was way too long. If it had been 30 minutes shorter, it would've been less boring and overall, a better film.
Unlike Jackie Brown, The Bride is a great female character and an excellent choice for the lead. Kill Bill: Volume Two, like Jackie Brown was too long, and would been less boring if shortened. Kill Bill: Volume One was an awesome, stylish, super-fun action adventure, but Volume Two isn't anything like the first two. Some people like the second much better, but its' complete lack of action really make it worse than Volume One. There's very little action and when it happens, it's short and not very enjoyable. Some scenes without action and more dialogue based are actually quite boring. Kill Bill: Volume Two is an okay film, and while it certainly has cool moments, it a huge disappointment, especially because it followed such a great first installment.
Here's where it gets good. Death Proof is a good movie. It's not all boring, despite long, long moments of dialogue between characters who weren't really that great. Stuntman Mike, of course if by far the most interesting character. The tension of the car chase scenes is great and it couldn't have been done better. Death Proof is also interesting because it's kind of a two part story. First Stuntman mike chases one group of girls, then another. As good as Death Proof is, it lacks great characters and the cast is mostly female. But Kurt Russell gives a great and memorable performance as Stuntman Mike.
Tarantino's first film brought some of his best characters and best dialogue. The reason I barely like it more than Death Proof, is that it's not very exciting. There's too many flashbacks, and not nearly enough action. Fortunately, Reservoir Dogs more than makes up for it with great characters and an awesome twist. But still, it could've been more exciting.
Django Unchained's got it all. Great characters, great acting, a good story, and that Tarantino tension packed scene. The run length is a little long, there aren't enough interesting characters, and it seems like any other old Tarantino film. I guess that's not an awful thing, but it doesn't seem very fresh. Django and Dr. King Shultz are excellent characters, and Leonardo DiCaprio turns in one of his all-time best performances and all eyes are on him in every scene he's in. He probably should've got the Oscar, not Christoph Waltz. It's a good movie for sure, it just doesn't seem that original.
Kill Bill: Volume One is a super exciting tale of revenge with an awesome story, great characters, and damn good action. It's never rushed, or boring, just brilliant. The style is incredible and awesome. It is a cool and fun ride that you'll always be eager to rewatch.
Quentin Tarantino brought such a masterpiece to every viewer in 1994. It involves a plethora of amazing interesting characters getting involved in crime. There's something for everyone in it. Samuel L. Jackson's Jules Winnefeld is one of the greatest characters of all time, it's probably John Travolta's greatest performance ever and Quentin Tarantino himself has a great cameo. The story, the acting, the characters, the soundtrack- this movie was made perfectly.
As impossible as it was to top Pulp Fiction, Tarantino did it. A intense, dialogue-driven, interesting, story heavy masterpiece with a great cast is how I like to describe Inglourious Basterds. It's nothing short of genius, the runtime is perfect, and the characters are great. It's beautiful.
7. Kill Bill: Volume Two
6. Death Proof
5. Reservoir Dogs
4. Django Unchained
Django Unchained's got it all. Great characters, great acting, a good story, and that Tarantino tension packed scene. The run length is a little long, there aren't enough interesting characters, and it seems like any other old Tarantino film. I guess that's not an awful thing, but it doesn't seem very fresh. Django and Dr. King Shultz are excellent characters, and Leonardo DiCaprio turns in one of his all-time best performances and all eyes are on him in every scene he's in. He probably should've got the Oscar, not Christoph Waltz. It's a good movie for sure, it just doesn't seem that original.
3. Kill Bill: Volume One
2. Pulp Fiction
1. Inglourious Basterds
As impossible as it was to top Pulp Fiction, Tarantino did it. A intense, dialogue-driven, interesting, story heavy masterpiece with a great cast is how I like to describe Inglourious Basterds. It's nothing short of genius, the runtime is perfect, and the characters are great. It's beautiful.
Friday, August 7, 2015
Top 10 Most Anticipated Films of the rest of 2015
With the summer halfway over, and the last marvel film of the year already released there aren't a ton of huge films awaiting us before September 21. And after that, there aren't a ton either. As much as I love huge action movies, I also love great dramas, which the best seem to be released in the fall. So my favorite films have probably already come out, but there's still a ton of great ones not yet released. And these look the best.
10. The Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (September 18)
I liked the Maze Runner. It was great movie. It was interesting, cool, and thrilling. ( I even decided to read the book. I got halfway through it when I realized I hate books, and I haven't read a page since.) The only thing it really lacked was a strong cast. The plot for the sequel sounded good. I wasn't a huge fan of the trailers released so far, but I'm excited for it.9. The Martian (October 2)
The first trailer for Ridley Scott's the Martian looked awesome. The premise was good, but the thing that really sold me was the stacked cast. A bunch of great actors crammed into one movie: it's going to be awesome.8. Trumbo (November 6)
Bryan Cranston starring in a biopic? Yes, please. Bryan Cranston already made himself a TV legend, but his big screen appearance so far have been small or wasted. Fortunately this looks like his turn to shine in a movie, and maybe come out with an Oscar nom.7. The Revenant (December 25)
Leonardo DiCaprio wasn't even in any movies last year. He's pretty much the best actor around, and he needs that Oscar. Maybe it's this film. The trailer sure looks that way.6. The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (August 14)
Speaking of Action fun, there's still a little left before the summer ends. This movie seems to carry it all. Henry Cavill looks the part of a super spy, and there's sure to be terrific action sequences.5. The Hateful Eight (December 25)
Tarantino's next film has a perfect cast. I don't know much about but his last western went so well, and now the cast is twice as great, so it looks good.4. Everest (September 18)
Jason Clarke, Jake Gyleenhaal and Josh Brolin climbs Everest. Sounds great, but if you're not convinced just watch the trailer.3. Spectre (November 6)
Everyone loved Skyfall, but I didn't really. What I'm really looked forward to is Spectre. Every trailer released so far has looked amazing, plus Ray Fiennes, Dave Batista, and Christoph Waltz all look excellent.2. Black Mass (September 18)
Black Mass looks incredible. The story is great, of course (nothing beats real life), but it looks like Johnny Depp's return to greatness. (or a one time great thing). Either way, they picked the perfect guy to play Whitey, and the film would look great on that alone- but it has an incredible supporting cast too.1. Star Wars: Episode VII- The Force Awakens (December 18)
Of course. Nothing else could really top this list could it. It looks the best star wars yet, with a plethora of brand new awesome characters.Wednesday, July 29, 2015
Five Favorite Films of 2015
I thought now might be a good time to say my favorite 5 films of the year so far. When you're reading this, keep in mind that I've only seen about 15 2015 movies and there are plenty i haven't seen but want to. Let's start.
Honorable Mention: Spongebob: Sponge out of water
5. Kingsman: The Secret Service
I loved every kingsman trailer that came out. They looked so cool and had a great cast. I was disappointed to find out it was delayed to February and rated R. I thought a super fun spy film should be PG-13. I watched it in theaters regardless. It was a total blast, had some originality, and the characters were pretty good. It lost some of its quality on the rewatch, but remained a fun cool action movie. Kingsman deserves a watch and a place on this list.
4. Avengers: Age of Ultron
The only reason avengers age of Ultron made this list is because I haven't seen many 2015 movies yet. There's too many characters, the climax is disapointing, and villain is weak. But it came with awesome upsides too. The opening action sequence was awesome, setting the avengers on the screen again was nice, vision was awesome, the dinner party scene was full of your favorites and its one of the funniest marvel cinematic universe movies to date.
3. Ant-Man
The last movie I watched in theaters was Ant-Man. It was super fun, and Paul Rudd killed it. He did an incredible job of making Ant-Man cool. In fact, the rest of the characters were good and played well, especially Michael Douglas' Hank Pym and Michael Pena's Luis. The exception was Corey Stoll's weak villain Yellowjacket. (Not his fault though). The ant concept was cool, the falcon scene was an unexpected delight and Ant-Man is on the better half of the marvel cinematic films.
2. Jurassic World
I don't care what bad things critics or anyone has to say about Jurassic World. I disagree with most of them and I love it a lot more than the original. It brought the jurassic park franchise back on track, the kids weren't annoying at all, and Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard not only were pretty good together, but their characters are along the best of the series. It was funny, it was cool, and it was so much fun. The supporting cast was good too: Omar Sy, Vincent D'Onofrio, BD Wong and Irffan Khan. Sure, it had its fair share of flaws, but not huge ones and it was plenty awesome enough to ignore them.
1. Furious 7
Furious 7 perhaps has the best action sequences of any movie ever. The mountain chase scene was so thrilling and absolute fun. It was also lengthy so you could enjoy it for longer. The returning cast were at their very best and the new cast fit in greatly. Kurt Russell as Mr. Nobody was maybe the best of that. It sets up the Shaw brothers as future villains and i hope that happens. Not only is it by far the best of the series, but it's one of the greatest, if not the best, action movies of all time. The Paul Walker sendoff couldn't have been more beautiful - perfect and touching.
*Movies Already Released in Theaters I plan to see- True Story, Big Game, Mad Max: Fury Road, Cinderella, Spy, Ted 2, Tomorrowland, Inside Out, Terminator Genisys, Self/Less, Minions, Pixels, Vacation
*Movies Already on DVD I want to see-
Unfinished Business, Run All Night, Danny Collins, Get Hard, Slow West, Ex Machina, The Water Diviner, Insurgent
Saturday, July 11, 2015
Top 5 Breaking Bad Characters
Ranking of Seasons (Best to Worst): 5,4,3,2,1 (ha)
These were the characters that made Breaking Bad was it is. Ranked worst to best.
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These were the characters that made Breaking Bad was it is. Ranked worst to best.
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5. Hector "Tio" Salamanca, Played by: Mark Margolis (8 Episodes)
Sure, he may seem like an odd choice because he's minor and a villain at one point, but it's hard not to feel for him when his entire family is killed. The bell was unique and has it's moments, and Hector has his shining moment in the season 4 finale, face off. Hector teams up with Walt to finally destroy Gus Fring in an awesome, awesome way. The great revenge he finally gets satisfies his death.4. Mike Ehrmantraut, Played by: Jonathan Banks (25 Episodes)
I didn't think much of Mike when he started off, but I grew to love the character. Mike is extremely cool, and can kill anyone in a blink. Season 5, Part I wouldn't be the same without him. The terrible part is he got an awful sendoff, and didn't get to live the rest of his life in peace.3. Saul Goodman, Played by: Bob Odenkirk (36 Episodes)
With only two good characters for the first season and a half, Breaking Bad was a little slow. Then came the episode Better Call Saul. Not only was it a great episode, but it introduced to the unforgettable criminal lawyer, Saul Goodman. Saul is smart, interesting, and cool.2. Jesse Pinkman, Played by: Aaron Paul (62 Episodes)
Jesse made the show great. He was a great character and was extremely interesting. He created a lot of great moments on the show, and I was glad to see that he was one of two characters on this list who survived.1. Walter "Walt" White, Played by: Bryan Cranston (62 Episodes)
Sure, Walt was annoying jerk for a big portion of the show and it hurt to see that he killed Mike and wanted to kill Jesse. But, he had amazing moments and did the right thing at the end. It's a shame he had to go, but he got his revenge and happiness.Top 5 Breaking Bad Episodes
Today, I finished Breaking Bad. It was a two week experience that consumed hours of my time each day, and it's actually the second TV show I've seen every episode of. (The first is Lost). While I did think it was overrated and didn't enjoy it as much as others, it had amazing characters and moments, as well as a perfect finale. Normally, I would make a top 10 episode list and a worst one too, but there weren't ten that stood out as being much better than rest. There were 5, and there also weren't enough bad episodes (if any) to make a worst list. So here it is, my favorite five episodes of Breaking Bad.
5. Hazard Pay (S5E3)
Jesse and Walt team up again in the Meth business, this time being the boss of it all. While Walt and Jesse were already a great duo, Mike joining the team made it even better. The new lab and team was by far the most interesting in the series, and it has great moments in it.4. Face Off (S4E13, Season 4 Finale)
Face Off finally sees the villain of the series, Gus Fring lose. He is defeated in spectacular fashion, Hector Salamanca finally gets revenge and Walt and Jesse cover their tracks like geniuses.3. Dead Freight (S5E5)
I'm sort of an action junkie, and my complaint was that Breaking Bad was uneventful in the first few seasons, but this episode brought Breaking Bad to a whole new level. I thought the magnets were cool in the season opener, but that was awful compare to the Train heist. Walt, Jesse, Mike, and Todd rob a train, and it couldn't have cooler or more entertaining.2. Granite State (S5E15)
Walt finally takes the offer to start a new life. It's nice to see a new setting and it's nice to see Walt not in danger for once. Sure, it doesn't last long, but he makes the time count.1. Felina (S5E16, Season 5 Finale)
As hard as would be to top my number two and three, the finale ended the show perfectly. Walt makes everything right, Skinny Pete and Badger have awesome roles, and one of the most epic battles concludes the series.Sunday, June 21, 2015
Top 10 Movies of 2014
Yes, it’s already far
into 2015, but I held off to watch American Sniper to see if it would make the
list. It was interesting and memorable, but these following 10 picks were just
so much better.
Honorable Mentions:
Non-Stop, The Maze Runner, The Raid 2, Million Dollar Arm
10. Chef
Jon Favreau is a great
actor, director and he’s pretty funny, too. Chef is essentially a movie about
food, which sounds kind of dumb, but it’s so awesome. Not only is it extremely
funny, the characters are pretty great, the cast is fantastic, and it’s a
complete blast. It certainly has some memorable moments.
9. Dawn of the Planet of
the Apes
After so many great
trailer, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes proved that it’s better than the
trailer. Smart, greatly cast and having spectacularly epic action sequences, it
brought the Planet of the Apes franchise to a whole new level.
8. Edge of Tomorrow
Come on. No one thought
Edge of Tomorrow would be good. But after the awesome reviews, I checked it out
in theaters, and it was certainly worth. The idea behind it (restarting the
day) brought in an action-scifi-war setting was brilliant, Tom Cruise and Emily
Blunt were incredible, and it was a ton of fun.
7. X-Men: Days of Future
Past
Funny, inventive,
well-cast and action-satisfying, X-Men: Days of Future Past was one of the best
X-Men movies, and a welcome return for Bryan Singer. Plus, it kind of cleaned
up the mess, and set up the next movies perfectly.
6. Whiplash
Miles Teller drumming?
How is that any good? Basically because the story is awesome, Miles Teller is
awesome, and J.K. Simmons yells and swears at everyone.
5. John Wick
Keanu Reeves came back to
action glory with John Wick, a really cool revenge thriller. Not only was John
Wick awesome, he had a few other cool characters friends, and the action couldn’t
have been better.
4. The Interview
The Interview was funny,
and it seemed to be dumb-funny before watching, but it was actually tense and
extremely interesting. Everything works well and James Franco and Seth Rogen
are the ultimate duo.
3. Guardians of the
Galaxy
I never had as much fun
in the movie theaters in 2014 as I did when I watched Guardians of the Galaxy.
Guardians of the Galaxy has amazing characters, an amazing cast, awesome
action, a great setting, memorable quotes and dialogue, an awesome story, and it’s
funnier than most comedies.
2. Horrible Bosses 2
Horrible Bosses 2 looked
awful before watching, which was the reason I was so surprised it was great. I loved
horrible bosses, it had one of the best casts ever put in film and the
characters were awesome. The premise was sweet, and I really wanted it to
happen again. And it did, in November 2014. It kept everything awesome from the
first one, added two great new actors and put in some new cool stuff too.
1. Snowpiercer
Nothing amazed me as much
as Snowpiercer. Great cast, Chris Evans was actually good in something that
wasn’t a Marvel film, the action sequences were incredible, but it also a
smart, thought-provoking masterpiece.
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
Weekly Reviews: March 30 to April 5 (The King's Speech, Trading Places, Anchorman, Birdman, Top Five, Shaun of the Dead, Furious 7, Hot Fuzz, The World's End)
The King's Speech
It had its fair share of uninteresting scenes, but great performances and a good story make this movie worthy of my time.
B+
Trading Places
Eddie Murphy always makes me laugh, and this is no exception. An extremely interesting story and the fun and comedic moments are excellent. A true comedy classic.
A
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
It's funny, but far too dumb. The cast is talented, the dialogue is written well and it's certainly an enjoyable experience, but it doesn't have much meaning at all and it's not incredibly memorable.
B
Birdman (Or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Birdman is an extremely interesting, smart, well-written movie with some of the best performances of the year, but it shouldn't have nabbed the best picture Oscar. Simply because, it was weird and confusing. Most of it was interesting and fun, but the random flying scenes and the bad ending pulled a little quality from it.
B+
Top Five
Top Five is perhaps one of the most original movies of the year. A comedy? Really? Think about it. Of course, another genre would seem to be one to reinvent something, especially sci-fi, but as far as I'm concerned, this formula hasn't been used before. Instead of being dumb, like you'd expect with a Chris Rock movie, it's actually quite smart. No stupid character, no major jokes, but instead almost a documentary with most characters in the movie actually playing themselves and Chris Rock is kind of playing himself. He plays comedian Andre Allen, an actor who is now sober and is trying to be taken seriously in dramatic roles. Those roles are failing, and he tells his whole life to a reporter. The movie was a little funny and so incredibly original- but it was insanely weird and the format didn't work- but at least it was very memorable.
C
Shaun of the Dead
Shaun of the Dead feels like a waste of our time. It's far from terrible, but the big joke is that it could have been done so much better. With such great chemistry between the two characters- it seems like that was the only amazing thing about the movie.
B-
Furious 7
In my opinion, while it has plenty of fantastic moments and is certainly improving the modern installments, the Fast and Furious franchise was a half-assed, wasted, stupid attempt at making cool action movies. I liked 1 and 5, hated 2,3, and 4 but six was the only worthwhile entry in the series- and it wasn't amazing even though it was the best. But Furious 7 brought the franchise from decent to good. I'm a huge fan of action and it's non-stop awesome fun. The highlight was the incredible mountain heist/chase/fight scene, but everything else was still more than I expected. This entry actually made the films have some heart- the farewell scene was actually sad. New great characters were introduced- but I did think Jason Statham would be a little better than he turned out to be, and I sure hope Kurt Russell returns. I'm actually looking forward to 8.
A
Hot Fuzz
Hot Fuzz has such amazing, awesome moments and characters, but overall, the movie is just okay. The plot turns a comedy into mystery that gets too much to solve and figure out. It feels serious and comedic at the same time, and the story was the killing part.
B-
The World's End
Sure, the movie had a terrible start because everyone seemed like they really didn't want to be there, but once the blue robot (Don't call them robots) plot twist happened, it became fun, funny and I started to enjoy myself. I was satisfied from that point to the end, and I certainly can't same the same about its prequels.
B+
It had its fair share of uninteresting scenes, but great performances and a good story make this movie worthy of my time.
B+
Eddie Murphy always makes me laugh, and this is no exception. An extremely interesting story and the fun and comedic moments are excellent. A true comedy classic.
A
It's funny, but far too dumb. The cast is talented, the dialogue is written well and it's certainly an enjoyable experience, but it doesn't have much meaning at all and it's not incredibly memorable.
B
Birdman is an extremely interesting, smart, well-written movie with some of the best performances of the year, but it shouldn't have nabbed the best picture Oscar. Simply because, it was weird and confusing. Most of it was interesting and fun, but the random flying scenes and the bad ending pulled a little quality from it.
B+
Top Five is perhaps one of the most original movies of the year. A comedy? Really? Think about it. Of course, another genre would seem to be one to reinvent something, especially sci-fi, but as far as I'm concerned, this formula hasn't been used before. Instead of being dumb, like you'd expect with a Chris Rock movie, it's actually quite smart. No stupid character, no major jokes, but instead almost a documentary with most characters in the movie actually playing themselves and Chris Rock is kind of playing himself. He plays comedian Andre Allen, an actor who is now sober and is trying to be taken seriously in dramatic roles. Those roles are failing, and he tells his whole life to a reporter. The movie was a little funny and so incredibly original- but it was insanely weird and the format didn't work- but at least it was very memorable.
C
Shaun of the Dead feels like a waste of our time. It's far from terrible, but the big joke is that it could have been done so much better. With such great chemistry between the two characters- it seems like that was the only amazing thing about the movie.
B-
In my opinion, while it has plenty of fantastic moments and is certainly improving the modern installments, the Fast and Furious franchise was a half-assed, wasted, stupid attempt at making cool action movies. I liked 1 and 5, hated 2,3, and 4 but six was the only worthwhile entry in the series- and it wasn't amazing even though it was the best. But Furious 7 brought the franchise from decent to good. I'm a huge fan of action and it's non-stop awesome fun. The highlight was the incredible mountain heist/chase/fight scene, but everything else was still more than I expected. This entry actually made the films have some heart- the farewell scene was actually sad. New great characters were introduced- but I did think Jason Statham would be a little better than he turned out to be, and I sure hope Kurt Russell returns. I'm actually looking forward to 8.
A
Hot Fuzz has such amazing, awesome moments and characters, but overall, the movie is just okay. The plot turns a comedy into mystery that gets too much to solve and figure out. It feels serious and comedic at the same time, and the story was the killing part.
B-
Sure, the movie had a terrible start because everyone seemed like they really didn't want to be there, but once the blue robot (Don't call them robots) plot twist happened, it became fun, funny and I started to enjoy myself. I was satisfied from that point to the end, and I certainly can't same the same about its prequels.
B+
Friday, April 3, 2015
April Movie Preview
I know it's a little late, and I'm kind of cheating, but I wasn't just going to take this one off again. For my March recap, I was very wrong on pretty much everything. I'm going to stop add an EW prediction because I don't really want to anymore.
April 3
Furious 7 (PG-13, 137 Mins)
Furious 7 looks to be the most awesome in the series yet, and is sure to have incredible action sequences. I can't wait to see it.
My Prediction: A- (For what I'll rate it)
IMDB: 7.7
RT: 81
April 17
Child 44 (R, 137 Mins)
Child 44 could go either way- just okay or extremely good. I'm leaning towards just okay because the trailers weren't fantastic and it kind of looks the drop, which was just okay.
My Prediction: B- (For what I'll rate it)
IMDB: 7.1
RT: 65
I only have two movies in my preview, but I could be persuaded into seeing True Story or the Water Diviner.
April 3
Furious 7 (PG-13, 137 Mins)
Furious 7 looks to be the most awesome in the series yet, and is sure to have incredible action sequences. I can't wait to see it.
My Prediction: A- (For what I'll rate it)
IMDB: 7.7
RT: 81
Child 44 (R, 137 Mins)
Child 44 could go either way- just okay or extremely good. I'm leaning towards just okay because the trailers weren't fantastic and it kind of looks the drop, which was just okay.
My Prediction: B- (For what I'll rate it)
IMDB: 7.1
RT: 65
Saturday, March 28, 2015
Weekly Reviews: March 23 to 29 (50/50, 127 Hours, Top Gun, The Theory of Everything, Foxcatcher, 300, Kill the Messenger)
50/50
Two stars that excel at making hilarious comedies, come together with their performances in a serious drama? Yes, that's 50/50 for you. And while it has plenty of comedic moments (mostly fueled from Seth Rogen's great performance), it's actually a smart, intense, and serious film about a guy who learns who only has a fifty percent chance of surviving his cancer. And the best thing yet, is that Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Rogen and the Director are teaming up for another movie.
B+
127 Hours
It's a great story, James Franco was perfectly cast, and Danny Boyle was the right guy to make it. It was interesting, but there really wasn't much story at all. The already very short run-time feels too long, and it's very uneventful. Well-made for sure, but the interest factor could have gone up a little.
B
Top Gun
Pretty much Tom Cruise's big role that made him famous, but why was it? Tom Cruise was good, but certainly not fantastic, and the movie itself is so/so. It's claimed to be an action movie, but I don't remember action. Unless you count the really boring and confusing plane fights (that seemed to inspire Green Lantern's really boring and confusing plane fights), there is literally none. The romance is fake and lame, but some characters are able to convince us that some of the movie's relationships are real. Top Gun 2 may happen, but I think it's a little late.
C+
The Theory of Everything
Eddie Redmayne as Stephen Hawking was an amazing performance that may be the best of the decade, but the film itself seemed to lack something. It was good, but just seems like it could be better.
B+
Foxcatcher
I had been looking forward to this film forward a long time. With the delays and the bad trailers, I had lost a lot of interest but still wanted to see. Turns out it's a completely disappointing, overrated, awful movie. Steve Carell certainly gives his best performance as a total and absolute creep, but I can't say the same for anyone else. Mark Ruffalo a great actor, did not deserve the Oscar nomination and was actually better in a superhero movie. Channing Tatum lacks any emotion at all and makes the movie a little duller. The movie is completely unhappy at all times. The beginning is extremely boring and the end isn't very. Not to mention it's super weird. I would have preferred the Carell-Tatum-Ruffalo Comedy.
D+
Two stars that excel at making hilarious comedies, come together with their performances in a serious drama? Yes, that's 50/50 for you. And while it has plenty of comedic moments (mostly fueled from Seth Rogen's great performance), it's actually a smart, intense, and serious film about a guy who learns who only has a fifty percent chance of surviving his cancer. And the best thing yet, is that Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Rogen and the Director are teaming up for another movie.
B+
It's a great story, James Franco was perfectly cast, and Danny Boyle was the right guy to make it. It was interesting, but there really wasn't much story at all. The already very short run-time feels too long, and it's very uneventful. Well-made for sure, but the interest factor could have gone up a little.
B
Pretty much Tom Cruise's big role that made him famous, but why was it? Tom Cruise was good, but certainly not fantastic, and the movie itself is so/so. It's claimed to be an action movie, but I don't remember action. Unless you count the really boring and confusing plane fights (that seemed to inspire Green Lantern's really boring and confusing plane fights), there is literally none. The romance is fake and lame, but some characters are able to convince us that some of the movie's relationships are real. Top Gun 2 may happen, but I think it's a little late.
C+
Eddie Redmayne as Stephen Hawking was an amazing performance that may be the best of the decade, but the film itself seemed to lack something. It was good, but just seems like it could be better.
B+
I had been looking forward to this film forward a long time. With the delays and the bad trailers, I had lost a lot of interest but still wanted to see. Turns out it's a completely disappointing, overrated, awful movie. Steve Carell certainly gives his best performance as a total and absolute creep, but I can't say the same for anyone else. Mark Ruffalo a great actor, did not deserve the Oscar nomination and was actually better in a superhero movie. Channing Tatum lacks any emotion at all and makes the movie a little duller. The movie is completely unhappy at all times. The beginning is extremely boring and the end isn't very. Not to mention it's super weird. I would have preferred the Carell-Tatum-Ruffalo Comedy.
D+
300
Extremely awesome action sequences and great acting make up for the boring scenes that we didn't really want. Certainly memorable and one of the best in its genre.
A-
Kill the Messenger
Looked promising when the first trailer came out, but was actually a disappointment. Was not only uninteresting, but it was confusing too. I still don't know half of the things they were talking about. At least Jeremy Renner was good in it.
C+
Saturday, March 14, 2015
Weekly Reviews: March 8 to 15 (Despicable Me, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Lone Ranger, Nightcrawler, The Judge, Equilbirium, 3:10 to Yuma)
I've decided that writing a review isn't fun, but rather time-consuming and hard to think of. The quality of my reviews it dropping too, because it's hard to start and finish a review effectively. My two best reviews were for Snowpiercer and Battleship. I am no longer going to give full reviews for every movie I watch, based on the above reasons. However, I will still give my thoughts on each movie. I'll write a weekly log of Movies I watched, with a brief summary of what I thought about it and what I would rate it. This week's log is Sunday to Sunday because I never reviewed Despicable Me which I watched as on a Sunday, but the rest of the logs will be Monday to Sunday, starting the following week. As for my movie ratings page, I'll leave it there but won't add the new movies. For the trailer ratings page, I'm done rating trailers because its too much of a bore and I'm never really sure how much I like a trailer anyway. I'll leave the trailer page up, but won't add new entries and I may eventually get rid of it. Occasionally, if a bunch of trailers that are for long-awaited movies come out within 8 days of each other, maybe I might put them together and rate them. Here's my first log.
Despicable Me
Despicable was certainly better the first time, but it was still an enjoyable, heartwarming, fun adventure with good characters and is one of the animated greats. Steve Carell and Jason Segel were cast quite well.
B+
The Grand Budapest Hotel
I had seen it one other time, and the quality did not decrease the second time. However, I still think it is incredibly overrated. The cast, dialogue, characters, moments were excellent, not to mention it may be the most original movie of the year. But that's all it has. It's actually not that funny, and it's very strange.
B
The Lone Ranger
The Lone Ranger may just be the most underrated film of 2013. Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer were perfectly cast and have great chemistry. The villains are good. The adventure is great, and there's plenty of fun to be had. Sure, it's not quite as badass western with a ton a guns and awesome action sequences, but not all westerns have to be. The Lone Ranger has plenty of adventure and it's great for all ages. We really need a franchise for it.
B+
Nightcrawler
Nightcrawler is bold, unique. Unique as in different. It's a dark crime-drama but has plenty of ligt moments and switches back and forth. Jack Gyllenhaal is incredible, making Lou Bloom one of the biggest creeps ever. And it's gritty, intense, and thrilling. There's plenty to like. But, it's also strange unique.
B+
The Judge
I haven't seen The Judge on any top 10 of 2014 lists, and I've read quite a few. And sure, it's not that good. But it's underrated. Downey Jr. and Duvall are effective, well-cast, and excellent together. The story is good as well, but the problem is that it doesn't focus on the case enough and it's too long.
B
Equilibrium
It had some good action and Christian Bale was a good lead, but that's all it had. The story and premise is awful, stupid, strange, and unrealistic. It's too dark, and there aren't any fantastically awesome moments in it.
C+
3:10 to Yuma
Christian Bale and Russell Crowe have fantastic chemistry, give great performances, and make their characters the highlight of the movie. But, there isn't enough action, it's too slow, and the plot gets old quick.
B+
Despicable Me
Despicable was certainly better the first time, but it was still an enjoyable, heartwarming, fun adventure with good characters and is one of the animated greats. Steve Carell and Jason Segel were cast quite well.
B+
I had seen it one other time, and the quality did not decrease the second time. However, I still think it is incredibly overrated. The cast, dialogue, characters, moments were excellent, not to mention it may be the most original movie of the year. But that's all it has. It's actually not that funny, and it's very strange.
B
The Lone Ranger may just be the most underrated film of 2013. Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer were perfectly cast and have great chemistry. The villains are good. The adventure is great, and there's plenty of fun to be had. Sure, it's not quite as badass western with a ton a guns and awesome action sequences, but not all westerns have to be. The Lone Ranger has plenty of adventure and it's great for all ages. We really need a franchise for it.
B+
Nightcrawler is bold, unique. Unique as in different. It's a dark crime-drama but has plenty of ligt moments and switches back and forth. Jack Gyllenhaal is incredible, making Lou Bloom one of the biggest creeps ever. And it's gritty, intense, and thrilling. There's plenty to like. But, it's also strange unique.
B+
The Judge
I haven't seen The Judge on any top 10 of 2014 lists, and I've read quite a few. And sure, it's not that good. But it's underrated. Downey Jr. and Duvall are effective, well-cast, and excellent together. The story is good as well, but the problem is that it doesn't focus on the case enough and it's too long.
B
Equilibrium
It had some good action and Christian Bale was a good lead, but that's all it had. The story and premise is awful, stupid, strange, and unrealistic. It's too dark, and there aren't any fantastically awesome moments in it.
C+
Christian Bale and Russell Crowe have fantastic chemistry, give great performances, and make their characters the highlight of the movie. But, there isn't enough action, it's too slow, and the plot gets old quick.
B+
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