The BFG is a book I never read growing up, but had it read to me back in elementary school. The only thing I remember from the book is the bubbly drink, Whizpopping, that the BFG drinks, that makes him fart instead of burp. Steven Spielberg is one of my favorite directors and has directed two of my all time favorite movies, Jaws and Jurassic Park. Combine The BFG with Spielberg and you have a movie that I was slightly excited for and but unfortunately the experience was rather forgettable.
The BFG is about this little orphan girl named Sophie, who one night sees this giant outside her window. The giant grabs Sophie and takes her to Giant Country because he cannot have her telling others about him. Luckily for Sophie, this giant isn't one of those man-eating giants, instead he is a big, friendly giant. The BFG and Sophie decide they must work together and take down the other giants before they eat more people.
The main take away from The BFG is Mark Rylance's performance as the BFG. Mark is truly spectacular in this movie. With the use of performance capture, you feel that he is a real giant. Even though he is a CGI character, you can see and feel the emotion on his face. Whenever he smiles you can't help but smile. Even the slightest movement of the BFG's ears cause you to feel nothing but joy. Also just in the way Mark speaks, you can't help but feel that the BFG is an innocent and gentle soul.
The relationship between Sophie and the BFG is another highlight of the movie. Their relationship is pivotal to the movie, if it fails then the movie fails. Whenever they are on screen together you never want their interaction to end. A lot of the fun for me was when the BFG would incorrectly say a word and then Sophie would try and correct him. What I liked about that was you never really knew what the BFG was trying to say, so having Sophie figure it out brought the laughs.
Even though the special effects were great and the relationship between Sophie and the BFG was fantastic, overall I didn't enjoy the movie. I constantly found myself bored. Outside of the interaction between Sophie and the BFG, nothing really happens in this movie. I never felt a sense of danger for the two main characters. While Sophie was in Giant Country, I never really felt that the other giants were going to get her. There were two scenes where the main man-eating giant, The Fleshlumpeater, is trying to sniff Sophie out, but I never felt that something bad would truly happen to her if he caught her. Also when the BFG was in the human "realm" you never get a sense that bad things would happen to him if he was caught or that he was ever really close to getting caught.
The BFG is a decent family movie, but it wasn't for me. I thought the performance by Mark Rylance was spectacular and enjoy seeing the relationship between the BFG and Sophie, but I was bored throughout the movie. If you have little kids and have already seen Finding Dory then maybe go check this movie out. If you were a fan of the book, check this movie out. For me, my favorite scene was the only one I remember from the book, so if you are a fan you will probably enjoy the movie more than I did. If you have no connection to the book, I would suggest skipping this movie while it's in theaters and maybe just rent it in a few months.
Thursday, June 30, 2016
My Mid-2016 Movie Rankings
- The Revenant (5 Stars)
- Star Wars: The Force Awakens (5 Stars)
- Sing Street (5 Stars)
- The Lobster (5 Stars)
- Captain America: Civil War (5 Stars)
- Deadpool (4 1/2 Stars)
- Zootopia (4 1/2 Stars)
- The Jungle Book (4 1/2 Stars)
- Anomalisa (4 1/2 Stars)
- 10 Cloverfield Lane (4 Stars)
- The Witch (4 Stars)
- Midnight Special (4 Stars)
- Carol (4 Stars)
- Everybody Wants Some!!! (4 Stars)
- Green Room (4 Stars)
- The Nice Guys (4 Stars)
- Finding Dory (4 Stars)
- Maggie's Plan (4 Stars)
- Eye in the Sky (4 Stars)
- Purple Rain (4 Stars)
- A Bigger Splash (3 1/2 Stars)
- Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising (3 1/2 Stars)
- Demolition (3 1/2 Stars)
- Keanu (3 1/2 Stars)
- Triple 9 (3 1/2 Stars)
- The Shallows (3 1/2 Stars)
- Race (3 1/2 Stars)
- Miles Ahead (3 1/2 Stars)
- Me Before You (3 1/2 Stars)
- Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (3 1/2 Stars)
- Concussion (3 1/2 Stars)
- Eddie the Eagle (3 1/2 Stars)
- Kung Fu Panda 3 (3 1/2 Stars)
- 13 Hours (3 1/2 Stars)
- The Finest Hours (3 1/2 Stars)
- Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice (3 Stars)
- The Neon Demon (3 Stars)
- Pride & Prejudice & Zombies (3 Stars)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (3 Stars)
- Criminal Intelligence (3 Stars)
- X-Men: Apocalypse (3 Stars)
- The Angry Birds Movie (3 Stars)
- Hardcore Henry (3 Stars)
- London Has Fallen (3 Stars)
- Money Monster (3 Stars)
- Now You See Me 2 (3 Stars)
- A Hologram for the King (3 Stars)
- Free State of Jones (3 Stars)
- The BFG (3 Stars)
- Risen (3 Stars)
- Love & Friendship (3 Stars)
- Alice Through the Looking Glass (3 Stars)
- Independence Day: Resurgence (2 1/2 Stars)
- Hail, Caesar! (2 1/2 Stars)
- I Saw The Light (2 1/2 Stars)
- Warcraft (2 Stars)
- Criminal (2 Stars)
- Allegiant (2 Stars)
- Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (2 Stars)
- The Huntsman: Winter's War (2 Stars)
- Ratchet & Clank (1 Star)
Tuesday, June 28, 2016
The Neon Demon Review
I always thought trying to be a model in Los Angeles would be tough, but The Neon Demon showed it could be downright brutal.
The Neon Demon is directed by Nicholas Winding Refn, who directed Drive, Only God Forgives and the Pusher trilogy. The movie stars Elle Fanning as a young model named Jesse. Jesse moves to Los Angeles hoping to get into the modeling industry. While at a photo shoot she meets Ruby, played by Jena Malone. Ruby introduces Jesse to a few of her model friends who instantly become jealous of Jesse's beauty. Soon many people in the modeling industry around L.A. become memorized by Jesse's looks. After a while the attention starts to get to Jesse's head, will this noterietay be too much for Jesse to handle or will she become the next big thing in modeling?
The Neon Demon is one of those movies where I didn't really like it, but I also didn't hate it. I was never bored and I was intrigued by what I was seeing on the screen, but nothing really happened. There are a lot of scenes with just flashing lights and the films score just playing while the actors just move around on screen with no dialog. But I really enjoyed how these scenes played out. I was interested in these visuals just because how captivating they were. It was almost like the director was trying to hypnotize me.
The problem with the film being visually interesting is that the story ended up playing second fiddle to it. It felt like the movie just goes from scene to scene without a whole lot progression. Jesse just goes about her life and tries to succeed as a model in L.A. She never really struggles, everything just goes her way without her trying. I never really cared if she succeeded or not because it just seemed so effortless. I thought Elle Fanning did a fantastic job playing Jesse, I was just never invested in the character. The other models in the movie are also not that interesting so I didn't care if Jesse was getting the modeling gigs over them. Ruby was at least a little interesting because she seemed both interested in being friends with Jesse but also jealous of her success. I enjoyed the journey of trying to figure who the real Ruby was and what would become of her friendship with Jesse.
The final 30 minutes of The Neon Demon were extremely jarring given how the first three quarters of the movie played out. I won't go into details on what happened, but I was glad I was the only one in the theater while watching this movie. I yelled "What the f***?" at least 5 times in that last 30 minutes. I couldn't believe what I was seeing on the screen. This last bit of the movie will definitely scare off the average movie goer.
The Neon Demon is not for everyone, in fact I know a lot of people will probably hate this film, especially because of the last 30 minutes. It's a visually stunning film that is lacking a lot in the story. The characters were never that interesting so I didn't care if they succeeded or failed. If you are a fan of Nicolas Winding Refn's previous films or just enjoy watching movies that are visually a little different than your average movie, I would say check this movie out. If you are more interested in a solid story or can't handle things going very batshit crazy, then skip this movie.
The Neon Demon is directed by Nicholas Winding Refn, who directed Drive, Only God Forgives and the Pusher trilogy. The movie stars Elle Fanning as a young model named Jesse. Jesse moves to Los Angeles hoping to get into the modeling industry. While at a photo shoot she meets Ruby, played by Jena Malone. Ruby introduces Jesse to a few of her model friends who instantly become jealous of Jesse's beauty. Soon many people in the modeling industry around L.A. become memorized by Jesse's looks. After a while the attention starts to get to Jesse's head, will this noterietay be too much for Jesse to handle or will she become the next big thing in modeling?
The Neon Demon is one of those movies where I didn't really like it, but I also didn't hate it. I was never bored and I was intrigued by what I was seeing on the screen, but nothing really happened. There are a lot of scenes with just flashing lights and the films score just playing while the actors just move around on screen with no dialog. But I really enjoyed how these scenes played out. I was interested in these visuals just because how captivating they were. It was almost like the director was trying to hypnotize me.
The problem with the film being visually interesting is that the story ended up playing second fiddle to it. It felt like the movie just goes from scene to scene without a whole lot progression. Jesse just goes about her life and tries to succeed as a model in L.A. She never really struggles, everything just goes her way without her trying. I never really cared if she succeeded or not because it just seemed so effortless. I thought Elle Fanning did a fantastic job playing Jesse, I was just never invested in the character. The other models in the movie are also not that interesting so I didn't care if Jesse was getting the modeling gigs over them. Ruby was at least a little interesting because she seemed both interested in being friends with Jesse but also jealous of her success. I enjoyed the journey of trying to figure who the real Ruby was and what would become of her friendship with Jesse.
The final 30 minutes of The Neon Demon were extremely jarring given how the first three quarters of the movie played out. I won't go into details on what happened, but I was glad I was the only one in the theater while watching this movie. I yelled "What the f***?" at least 5 times in that last 30 minutes. I couldn't believe what I was seeing on the screen. This last bit of the movie will definitely scare off the average movie goer.
The Neon Demon is not for everyone, in fact I know a lot of people will probably hate this film, especially because of the last 30 minutes. It's a visually stunning film that is lacking a lot in the story. The characters were never that interesting so I didn't care if they succeeded or failed. If you are a fan of Nicolas Winding Refn's previous films or just enjoy watching movies that are visually a little different than your average movie, I would say check this movie out. If you are more interested in a solid story or can't handle things going very batshit crazy, then skip this movie.
Friday, June 24, 2016
The Shallows Review
Going surfing in Mexico on a beach that no one will tell you the name of, by yourself just seems like a bad idea, especially if you hardly speak Spanish. The Shallows continues what shark movies of the past have always told us, stay out of the water!
The Shallows stars Blake Lively as Nancy, a medical student who is in Mexico, searching for the beach that her mother once visited, so she can surf. Nancy's mom has died of cancer so Nancy feels she needs to get away from everything, so of course a secluded beach in Mexico is the perfect place to go. While Nancy is off in the ocean surfing, a shark attacks her but she is able to get away. Unfortunately she is stuck on a rock far from shore and high tide is only hours away. Nancy must find a way to get to shore without being eaten by this giant shark.
The premise of The Shallows is pretty basic and that's why it succeeds. It doesn't get weighed down by a bunch of side characters and various plot twists. Instead it's just Nancy on a rock trying to find a way to avoid this shark. Since it's just one person and one shark, the suspense just builds and builds as the movie goes on. If you see the trailer, you know certain things have to happen so at times I could guess where it would go next, but I still found myself at the edge of my seat, wondering when the shark would appear next.
For a movie like this to succeed you have to have a believable shark. I thought the shark in this movie looked incredible. It was never too cheesy and for the most part felt real. I always felt that Nancy was at danger instead of feeling like she was just up against a CGI shark. The only part where the shark felt fake was near the end, but it wasn't enough to ruin the movie for me.
With movies like The Shallows, you also have to go in knowing that things will happen that would never happen in real life. I highly doubt someone in Nancy's situation would be able to survive as long as she does. The fact that her character is a medical student was pretty convenient since it allowed her to attend to her wounds. With the size of the bite I can't image someone being able to swim the distance she has to to survive. There is another situation near the end of the movie where Nancy uses resources around her to avoid the shark and it was hard to believe that something like that would happen.
The Shallows can be unbelievable at times, but since this isn't a documentary I am okay with that. I found myself at the edge of my seat multiple times during the movie and enjoyed watching Nancy trying to get out of her predicament. The movie never felt long and was a fun ride. If you enjoy movies where one person has to survive harsh elements to survive then you won't be disappointed with The Shallows. I had a great time watching this movie.
The Shallows stars Blake Lively as Nancy, a medical student who is in Mexico, searching for the beach that her mother once visited, so she can surf. Nancy's mom has died of cancer so Nancy feels she needs to get away from everything, so of course a secluded beach in Mexico is the perfect place to go. While Nancy is off in the ocean surfing, a shark attacks her but she is able to get away. Unfortunately she is stuck on a rock far from shore and high tide is only hours away. Nancy must find a way to get to shore without being eaten by this giant shark.
The premise of The Shallows is pretty basic and that's why it succeeds. It doesn't get weighed down by a bunch of side characters and various plot twists. Instead it's just Nancy on a rock trying to find a way to avoid this shark. Since it's just one person and one shark, the suspense just builds and builds as the movie goes on. If you see the trailer, you know certain things have to happen so at times I could guess where it would go next, but I still found myself at the edge of my seat, wondering when the shark would appear next.
For a movie like this to succeed you have to have a believable shark. I thought the shark in this movie looked incredible. It was never too cheesy and for the most part felt real. I always felt that Nancy was at danger instead of feeling like she was just up against a CGI shark. The only part where the shark felt fake was near the end, but it wasn't enough to ruin the movie for me.
With movies like The Shallows, you also have to go in knowing that things will happen that would never happen in real life. I highly doubt someone in Nancy's situation would be able to survive as long as she does. The fact that her character is a medical student was pretty convenient since it allowed her to attend to her wounds. With the size of the bite I can't image someone being able to swim the distance she has to to survive. There is another situation near the end of the movie where Nancy uses resources around her to avoid the shark and it was hard to believe that something like that would happen.
The Shallows can be unbelievable at times, but since this isn't a documentary I am okay with that. I found myself at the edge of my seat multiple times during the movie and enjoyed watching Nancy trying to get out of her predicament. The movie never felt long and was a fun ride. If you enjoy movies where one person has to survive harsh elements to survive then you won't be disappointed with The Shallows. I had a great time watching this movie.
Thursday, June 23, 2016
Independence Day: Resurgence Review
In 1996, Independence Day was released and I immediately fell in love with it. I remember having my mind blown while watching the White House get blown up by an alien spaceship. I remember the terror on the peoples faces as they ran down the highway trying to avoid a wall of fire. I read the novelization while on a family vacation. I had action figures of the aliens and the alien spacecraft. To this day, I enjoy watching the practical set pieces that used miniatures and the banter between Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum. Now, twenty years later, we finally get a sequel, Independence Day: Resurgence. And unfortunately, most of what I enjoyed twenty years ago is missing.
Independence Day: Resurgence takes place twenty years after the first movie. The people of Earth have taken the alien technology that was left behind and developed it into both weapons and spacecraft. Unfortunately, a strange device suddenly appears on the moon and soon after a large spacecraft appears that is roughly 3000 miles wide. That spacecraft soon enters Earths atmosphere causing mass destruction. It is up to the cast of the first movie along with a new cast of characters to find a way to stop the aliens from trying to destroy Earth all over again.
One of the big problems with Independence Day: Resurgence is that it is extremely bloated. Not only does most of the cast (really missing Will Smith in this one) return from the first movie, but you also get introduce to 5-10 new characters that all play into the story in some way. With this mixture of old cast and new, I can't help but compare it with Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The problem is that The Force Awakens does a great job of introducing you to the new cast and slowly brings in the old. In Resurgence everyone gets thrown at you at once and you never get a chance to know and care about them. Also most of the new actors in The Force Awakens were relatively unknown. The same could be said about the new actors in Resurgence except there is Liam Hemsworth and I can't help but think of The Hunger Games and Miley Cyrus whenever I see him. Every time he appeared on screen I was taken out of the movie. A lot of the characters in Resurgence, both old and new, could have been combined and it would have helped remove a lot of the bloat.
With most sequels you can't help but compare them to the first movie and with Resurgence, the main comparison I can make between them is the action set pieces. In the first movie, since the computer technology wasn't advanced like it is today, a lot of the action was made using miniatures. This made the action seem grounded and real. The first movie also has that iconic scene I mentioned earlier, the White House getting blown up. In Resurgence, everything is CGI and that completely takes you out of the action. Resurgence is also missing that iconic scene that will leave a lasting impression.
Independence Day: Resurgence wasn't completely terrible though. For the first two-thirds of the movie I was able to turn off my brain and just enjoy the ride. The story moved at a great pace and I was never bored. I was able to just sit back and enjoy seeing what the characters I enjoyed from the first movie were up to now. The final third of the movie did take me out of it, but to avoid spoilers I won't go into why that was.
Independence Day: Resurgence is missing most of the things that made the first movie iconic. The action scenes are CGI filled, there are no iconic scenes and there are so many characters, you never get an emotional connection with them. If you haven't seen Independence Day, I would suggest skipping this movie. But, if you enjoyed Independence Day, lower your expectations, turn off your brain and give Independence Day: Resurgence a watch.
Independence Day: Resurgence takes place twenty years after the first movie. The people of Earth have taken the alien technology that was left behind and developed it into both weapons and spacecraft. Unfortunately, a strange device suddenly appears on the moon and soon after a large spacecraft appears that is roughly 3000 miles wide. That spacecraft soon enters Earths atmosphere causing mass destruction. It is up to the cast of the first movie along with a new cast of characters to find a way to stop the aliens from trying to destroy Earth all over again.
One of the big problems with Independence Day: Resurgence is that it is extremely bloated. Not only does most of the cast (really missing Will Smith in this one) return from the first movie, but you also get introduce to 5-10 new characters that all play into the story in some way. With this mixture of old cast and new, I can't help but compare it with Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The problem is that The Force Awakens does a great job of introducing you to the new cast and slowly brings in the old. In Resurgence everyone gets thrown at you at once and you never get a chance to know and care about them. Also most of the new actors in The Force Awakens were relatively unknown. The same could be said about the new actors in Resurgence except there is Liam Hemsworth and I can't help but think of The Hunger Games and Miley Cyrus whenever I see him. Every time he appeared on screen I was taken out of the movie. A lot of the characters in Resurgence, both old and new, could have been combined and it would have helped remove a lot of the bloat.
With most sequels you can't help but compare them to the first movie and with Resurgence, the main comparison I can make between them is the action set pieces. In the first movie, since the computer technology wasn't advanced like it is today, a lot of the action was made using miniatures. This made the action seem grounded and real. The first movie also has that iconic scene I mentioned earlier, the White House getting blown up. In Resurgence, everything is CGI and that completely takes you out of the action. Resurgence is also missing that iconic scene that will leave a lasting impression.
Independence Day: Resurgence wasn't completely terrible though. For the first two-thirds of the movie I was able to turn off my brain and just enjoy the ride. The story moved at a great pace and I was never bored. I was able to just sit back and enjoy seeing what the characters I enjoyed from the first movie were up to now. The final third of the movie did take me out of it, but to avoid spoilers I won't go into why that was.
Independence Day: Resurgence is missing most of the things that made the first movie iconic. The action scenes are CGI filled, there are no iconic scenes and there are so many characters, you never get an emotional connection with them. If you haven't seen Independence Day, I would suggest skipping this movie. But, if you enjoyed Independence Day, lower your expectations, turn off your brain and give Independence Day: Resurgence a watch.
Friday, June 17, 2016
Finding Dory Review
Finding Dory is the sequel to the 2003 movie Finding Nemo. The sequel takes place one year after the events of Finding Nemo. In the first movie we meet Dory, a fish that suffers from short-term memory loss. In the sequel, Dory finally remembers small details about her parents. With the help of Nemo and his dad Marlin, they set out to find Dory's parents.
When I saw the first trailers for Finding Dory, it looked like it was going to use the same premise from the first movie except that it would be Marlin and Nemo looking for Dory. Luckily that isn't the case with Finding Dory. This movie does a good job of repeating minor details from the first movie, but for the most part it is completely original. Finding Dory also does a great job at being funnier than the first movie. You run into a lot more side characters in the sequel that provide a lot of the laughs, especially from an octopus named Hank and a beluga named Bailey. The real star of the movie for me though was the baby Dory that you see in multiple flashbacks. She was absolutely adorable with her big eyes and high pitched voice.
Since Finding Dory is a Pixar film, you know going into it, there are going to be emotional parts. Unfortunately, this movie doesn't hit the emotional highs of Pixar classics like Up, Toy Story 3 and Inside Out. But that doesn't mean you won't find yourself wanting to cry while watching this movie, I was just expecting a little more gut wrenching moments.
Being a sequel it's really hard to not compare Finding Dory to Finding Nemo. For me, Finding Nemo is a better film. There were a lot more moments in the first film that stood out, like the sharks, the turtles, the seagulls and Dory talking with the whale. Finding Dory has moments that are close to these, but overall I don't see them leaving a lasting impression.
Finding Dory is a fun movie that everyone will enjoy, it just doesn't reach the heights that the first one did. You will find yourself laughing and on the verge of tears throughout the entire movie. This movie proves that Pixar still knows what their doing and I can't wait to see what they do next.
Also the short before Finding Dory was incredible. The baby bird in it is awesome and the graphics are incredible.
Monday, June 13, 2016
Now You See Me 2 Review
What could go wrong with making a sequel no one asked for to a movie that no one ever talks about? Surprisingly it didn't go that bad. At least I enjoyed Now You See Me 2 more than I thought I would.
Now You See Me 2 is the sequel to the 2013 magician heist movie Now You See Me. The plot of the sequel is all over the place just like the first one so I won't go into the details. This movie moves from location to location around the world with new developments taking place at each stop. Good guys become bad guys and bad guys become good guys. At times this is fun because you don't always know what will happen next, but at other times it can be fairly predictable. Now You See Me 2 does flow at a quick pace and I was never bored while watching it. There are action scenes that are fun to watch even if they are extremely unrealistic. The best scene in the entire movie was one where the Four Horsemen are trying to steal a computer chip with security guards all around them. The techniques used to move the chip from person to person without getting caught was extremely fun to watch.
I went into Now You See Me 2 with very low expectations, but there were still things that bothered me. One was the reveal of one of the characters having a twin. The way the actor played that role was extremely annoying and in the long run the character was not needed at all. They could have completely removed them from the story and the movie would have ended the same way. I also never really cared for the story as a whole, mainly because it was all over the place. If they would have removed a few of the twists and tightened up the story I would have enjoyed the journey a lot more. Also it was annoying that one character that I really enjoyed from the first movie was never mentioned at all in this movie.
Now You See Me 2 is a movie that wasn't needed. No one out there was begging for this movie to be made. Surprisingly though, this movie wasn't that bad. I was never bored and some of the action is fun as long as you don't over think it. In a few months, if you are looking for a movie to rent and you saw Now You See Me, you can't go wrong with renting Now You See Me 2.
Now You See Me 2 is the sequel to the 2013 magician heist movie Now You See Me. The plot of the sequel is all over the place just like the first one so I won't go into the details. This movie moves from location to location around the world with new developments taking place at each stop. Good guys become bad guys and bad guys become good guys. At times this is fun because you don't always know what will happen next, but at other times it can be fairly predictable. Now You See Me 2 does flow at a quick pace and I was never bored while watching it. There are action scenes that are fun to watch even if they are extremely unrealistic. The best scene in the entire movie was one where the Four Horsemen are trying to steal a computer chip with security guards all around them. The techniques used to move the chip from person to person without getting caught was extremely fun to watch.
I went into Now You See Me 2 with very low expectations, but there were still things that bothered me. One was the reveal of one of the characters having a twin. The way the actor played that role was extremely annoying and in the long run the character was not needed at all. They could have completely removed them from the story and the movie would have ended the same way. I also never really cared for the story as a whole, mainly because it was all over the place. If they would have removed a few of the twists and tightened up the story I would have enjoyed the journey a lot more. Also it was annoying that one character that I really enjoyed from the first movie was never mentioned at all in this movie.
Now You See Me 2 is a movie that wasn't needed. No one out there was begging for this movie to be made. Surprisingly though, this movie wasn't that bad. I was never bored and some of the action is fun as long as you don't over think it. In a few months, if you are looking for a movie to rent and you saw Now You See Me, you can't go wrong with renting Now You See Me 2.
Maggie's Plan Review
Maggie's Plan is a movie starring Greta Gerwig, Ethan Hawke and Julianne Moore along with Maya Rudolph and Bill Hader in supporting roles. In this movie, Greta plays Maggie, a 30 something woman, who really wants to have a baby, but can't stay in a relationship longer than 6 months. Maggie decides to inseminate herself with the help of an old college friend. Things change though when she meets John, played by Ethan Hawke. Maggie slowly finds herself falling for John except there is a problem, he is married to Georgette, played by Julianne Moore. Jump forward a few years and Maggie and John are married and have a young child. Soon Maggie wonders if she made a big mistake and decides she needs to get John and Georgette to reunite. Will she be successful or will she have ruined not only her life but those around her.
Maggie's Plan ended up being more enjoyable than I thought it would be. The main thing I enjoyed about it was Greta Gerwig's performance. Over the past few years I have seen a couple films with her (Frances Ha and Mistress America) as the lead and they have all been enjoyable. When she is on the big screen she just seems to shine and you can't help but enjoy seeing her. Ethan Hawke was also fun to watch in this movie. Both Ethan and Greta together just worked, you could feel the chemistry between them. I also felt like Maggie's Plan had this fun energy and pace to it. I was never bored. Scenes just flowed so well together and moved and a great pace. Also I'm really starting to enjoy Bill Hader in these types of more serious roles. With this movie and his performances in The Skeletons Twins and Trainwreck, I wouild like to see Bill in more movies that aren't just Saturday Night Live sketches.
One problem I had with Maggie's Plan was Julianne Moore's accent. I felt that her performance was great but her accent was distracting. It didn't add anything to the character and wasn't needed at all.
Maggie's Plan was a fun movie that has some great performances from it's leads and the supporting cast. Greta Gerwig continues to prove she needs to be in more films. If you are looking for a movie that is a change of pace from most romantic comedies out there then please see Maggie's Plan.
Maggie's Plan ended up being more enjoyable than I thought it would be. The main thing I enjoyed about it was Greta Gerwig's performance. Over the past few years I have seen a couple films with her (Frances Ha and Mistress America) as the lead and they have all been enjoyable. When she is on the big screen she just seems to shine and you can't help but enjoy seeing her. Ethan Hawke was also fun to watch in this movie. Both Ethan and Greta together just worked, you could feel the chemistry between them. I also felt like Maggie's Plan had this fun energy and pace to it. I was never bored. Scenes just flowed so well together and moved and a great pace. Also I'm really starting to enjoy Bill Hader in these types of more serious roles. With this movie and his performances in The Skeletons Twins and Trainwreck, I wouild like to see Bill in more movies that aren't just Saturday Night Live sketches.
One problem I had with Maggie's Plan was Julianne Moore's accent. I felt that her performance was great but her accent was distracting. It didn't add anything to the character and wasn't needed at all.
Maggie's Plan was a fun movie that has some great performances from it's leads and the supporting cast. Greta Gerwig continues to prove she needs to be in more films. If you are looking for a movie that is a change of pace from most romantic comedies out there then please see Maggie's Plan.
Thursday, June 9, 2016
Warcraft Review
Will we ever get a good video game movie? I'm starting to think it will never happen. I had high expectations going into Warcraft, mainly because of the director, Duncan Jones, who made the movies Moon and Source Code. Unfortunately my expectations were not met and I left the theater extremely disappointed.
Warcraft is a movie based on the extremely popular video game series called Warcraft, of course. The movie is about this land of orcs that is dying and the orcs must find a new place to live. The new place the orcs choose is this human realm. The problem is that the orcs start destroying the human realm and so now the humans must stop the orcs. I wish I could tell you the names of the places and the characters in this movie, but honestly I don't remember them (yes, I could look them up, but that would be cheating).
I love video games and I love movies so I was hoping that this would be a movie made for me, even if I have never played any of the Warcraft games. Unfortunately this movie may only be for fans of the video games. I feel like there were a lot of things in Warcraft that fans of the series would immediately notice and enjoy, but for me, I just didn't care. The movie jumps around to various different places, but never stays long enough to care about these places. The same thing happens with the characters in the movie. Once you start spending any quality time with a character, you immediately jump to another character and have to learn about their story. This made it really hard to care about any of the people in this movie.
One of the most distracting things about Warcraft was the way it looked. The orcs in the movie looked fantastic, but the world around them was ugly. The orcs looked lifelike and their armor had this incredible and distinct minor details. Whether it was skulls of mystical beasts as shoulder pads or jaw bones as necklaces, the detail was amazing. Unfortunately the humans didn't get to benefit for this type of detail. Their armor was extremely fake looking. It looked like armor you would find in a halloween store. It looked like the humans had never been in an actual battle before. Another problem were the buildings in the background. There was one scene where the king was riding his horse around the castle and the castle looked like it was made of styrofoam. Things like that instantly took me out of the movie.
Another problem was the characters and the performances given by the actors. Outside of the main orc (Durotan, yes I looked that up), I didn't care what happened to anyone in this movie. No one had a compelling backstory or even showed any type of emotion that made you want to root for them. The writers tried to throw in this love story between the main human (Sir Anduin Lothar) and a half-human/half-orc (Garona). I have no idea why this love story was needed, there was no pay off for it in this movie, but most likely will come into play in future films, if they get made. The performances by the two actors in this love story (Travis Fimmel and Paula Patton) were dry and dull.
If I had to pick one thing I enjoyed about Warcraft it would have to be the mage characters and the only thing I enjoyed about them is the way their magic powers looked. I cared a little bit about Ben Fosters character but that's only because I like Ben Foster as an actor.
Overall Warcraft was a dud. The story never allowed you to care about any of the characters, it jumped around from place to place and character to character. Relationships were forced for no reason whatsoever other than to maybe have pay off in a future film. Some of the CGI looked good but other parts of the film looked extremely fake and would suck you out of the world. If you are a fan of the Warcraft games then you may find something to enjoy in this movie. For me, it's world I never really want to explore again, which is extremely disappointing.
Warcraft is a movie based on the extremely popular video game series called Warcraft, of course. The movie is about this land of orcs that is dying and the orcs must find a new place to live. The new place the orcs choose is this human realm. The problem is that the orcs start destroying the human realm and so now the humans must stop the orcs. I wish I could tell you the names of the places and the characters in this movie, but honestly I don't remember them (yes, I could look them up, but that would be cheating).
I love video games and I love movies so I was hoping that this would be a movie made for me, even if I have never played any of the Warcraft games. Unfortunately this movie may only be for fans of the video games. I feel like there were a lot of things in Warcraft that fans of the series would immediately notice and enjoy, but for me, I just didn't care. The movie jumps around to various different places, but never stays long enough to care about these places. The same thing happens with the characters in the movie. Once you start spending any quality time with a character, you immediately jump to another character and have to learn about their story. This made it really hard to care about any of the people in this movie.
One of the most distracting things about Warcraft was the way it looked. The orcs in the movie looked fantastic, but the world around them was ugly. The orcs looked lifelike and their armor had this incredible and distinct minor details. Whether it was skulls of mystical beasts as shoulder pads or jaw bones as necklaces, the detail was amazing. Unfortunately the humans didn't get to benefit for this type of detail. Their armor was extremely fake looking. It looked like armor you would find in a halloween store. It looked like the humans had never been in an actual battle before. Another problem were the buildings in the background. There was one scene where the king was riding his horse around the castle and the castle looked like it was made of styrofoam. Things like that instantly took me out of the movie.
Another problem was the characters and the performances given by the actors. Outside of the main orc (Durotan, yes I looked that up), I didn't care what happened to anyone in this movie. No one had a compelling backstory or even showed any type of emotion that made you want to root for them. The writers tried to throw in this love story between the main human (Sir Anduin Lothar) and a half-human/half-orc (Garona). I have no idea why this love story was needed, there was no pay off for it in this movie, but most likely will come into play in future films, if they get made. The performances by the two actors in this love story (Travis Fimmel and Paula Patton) were dry and dull.
If I had to pick one thing I enjoyed about Warcraft it would have to be the mage characters and the only thing I enjoyed about them is the way their magic powers looked. I cared a little bit about Ben Fosters character but that's only because I like Ben Foster as an actor.
Overall Warcraft was a dud. The story never allowed you to care about any of the characters, it jumped around from place to place and character to character. Relationships were forced for no reason whatsoever other than to maybe have pay off in a future film. Some of the CGI looked good but other parts of the film looked extremely fake and would suck you out of the world. If you are a fan of the Warcraft games then you may find something to enjoy in this movie. For me, it's world I never really want to explore again, which is extremely disappointing.
Tuesday, June 7, 2016
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping Review
While in high school I watched many episodes of the show Behind the Music on VH1. It was always fascinating learning about the early years of popular musical acts. The movie Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping plays out like a Behind the Music episode, but with a lot more laughs and a lot less heart.
Popstar follows the life of Conner Friel (Andy Samberg) and his two childhood friends Owen and Lawrence. The three of them formed a rap group called The Style Boyz that quickly rose to fame. Then like most groups, one of the members, in this case Conner, gets a big head and decides he is the reason for their success and starts a solo career. Most of the movie follows the events of Conner releasing his new album, Connquest, and his tour in support of the album, that ends up getting quite a different reception than Conner was expecting.
For the most part, Popstar plays out like an extended Saturday Night Live sketch. After a while the jokes get a little old and tiresome. For me, the reason I found the jokes to get old is because Conner is not a likable guy. He has a huge ego and is a jerk to everyone around him. The songs on his album Connquest are supposed to be terrible and because of that, I didn't enjoy having to listen to them during the movie. There was maybe one or two songs that I actually enjoyed in the movie.
The funniest parts of the movie were seeing the various cameos from famous singers. They would randomly pop up and give testimonials about how Conner and his old band, The Style Boyz, changed their lives and influenced them. One of my favorite cameos was from Justin Timberlake, he plays Conner's personal chef that enjoys singing but no one wants to listen to him sing. Justin is someone I wish got to do more acting. I also enjoyed the scenes where they mocked the news/gossip site TMZ. If you have ever watched a clip from TMZ, you will see that they were extremely accurate in mocking them with CMZ. Another highlight for me was when Conner was reading the review of his album on Pitchfork.com. I'm not sure everyone would get the joke, but Pitchfork is a website I go to often for music reviews. At times that site seems extremely snooty and pretentious, so seeing a singer react to a review was entertaining.
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping has some very funny moments, but it also goes on way longer than it should. It's a movie that I would have preferred watching in short increments rather than one 90 minute sitting. If you are a fan of Andy Samberg and The Lonely Island, as well as Saturday Night Live, you will most likely love Popstar. For me it was just enjoyable, but not very memorable.
Popstar follows the life of Conner Friel (Andy Samberg) and his two childhood friends Owen and Lawrence. The three of them formed a rap group called The Style Boyz that quickly rose to fame. Then like most groups, one of the members, in this case Conner, gets a big head and decides he is the reason for their success and starts a solo career. Most of the movie follows the events of Conner releasing his new album, Connquest, and his tour in support of the album, that ends up getting quite a different reception than Conner was expecting.
For the most part, Popstar plays out like an extended Saturday Night Live sketch. After a while the jokes get a little old and tiresome. For me, the reason I found the jokes to get old is because Conner is not a likable guy. He has a huge ego and is a jerk to everyone around him. The songs on his album Connquest are supposed to be terrible and because of that, I didn't enjoy having to listen to them during the movie. There was maybe one or two songs that I actually enjoyed in the movie.
The funniest parts of the movie were seeing the various cameos from famous singers. They would randomly pop up and give testimonials about how Conner and his old band, The Style Boyz, changed their lives and influenced them. One of my favorite cameos was from Justin Timberlake, he plays Conner's personal chef that enjoys singing but no one wants to listen to him sing. Justin is someone I wish got to do more acting. I also enjoyed the scenes where they mocked the news/gossip site TMZ. If you have ever watched a clip from TMZ, you will see that they were extremely accurate in mocking them with CMZ. Another highlight for me was when Conner was reading the review of his album on Pitchfork.com. I'm not sure everyone would get the joke, but Pitchfork is a website I go to often for music reviews. At times that site seems extremely snooty and pretentious, so seeing a singer react to a review was entertaining.
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping has some very funny moments, but it also goes on way longer than it should. It's a movie that I would have preferred watching in short increments rather than one 90 minute sitting. If you are a fan of Andy Samberg and The Lonely Island, as well as Saturday Night Live, you will most likely love Popstar. For me it was just enjoyable, but not very memorable.
The Lobster Review
If you had to pick an animal to be for the rest of your life, what would it be? Would you pick a dog or cat that everyone seems to love? Or maybe something more exotic like a peacock or dolphin? In the movie The Lobster, you have the ability to be turned into an animal of your choosing, but that isn't necessarily a good thing.
The plot of The Lobster is pretty interesting. In the future being single has been made illegal and if you are single you have 45 days to find a partner. Singles go to this hotel where they try to find a partner. At this hotel the guests attend dances and seminars that explain the benefits of being in a relationship. The guests also go on hunts in the nearby woods where Loners (those that don't want to be in a relationship) are hiding. If a guest is able to tranquilize a Loner, they get an extra day added to their stay. In The Lobster, you get to experience the hotel through the eyes of David, played by Colin Farrell. While at his stay at the hotel, David starts to question whether this is a place he wants to be and wonders if it would be better being a Loner.
What I enjoyed most about The Lobster was the world building. It was really fun seeing the rules that were set up in the hotel like the dances and seminars, as well as sports that only singles can play and how if you find a partner you access new parts of the hotel. It was also fun seeing the rules of the Loners where you are not allowed to kiss another Loner and you dance while listening to EDM with headphones on away from other Loners. Also when people visited a nearby city, the cops would question anyone who was seen by themselves to make sure they had "marriage" papers.
I also enjoyed the dark humor within The Lobster. A lot of the humor was found in the rules within the hotel especially during the seminars demonstrating why being in a relationship was good. One of the strange rules within the hotel is that if you find a partner but soon find yourself arguing, the assign you a kid so your attention is no longer on each other but instead on a child. There is also a rather funny, yet disturbing scene where a guest of the hotel decides to kill herself by jumping out a window, but doesn't jump out a high enough window so she survives. It was really messed up but the way they had her laying on the ground crying in pain was pretty funny, especially the way David reacts.
Even though I really enjoyed The Lobster there were a couple of things that bothered me. The thing that disturbed/bothered me the most was a scene where a lady kills David's dog, which is also his brother since he never found a partner. At first the lady just describes what she did, but then they showed the dogs body and it really wasn't needed. I also would have enjoyed more time with the guests in the hotel. About midway through the movie you start hanging out with the Loners. The Loners to be were not as interesting as those inside the hotel.
I loved The Lobster. The premise is original and dark and at times absolutely hilarious, but it also contains some disturbing imagery that will bother some people. If you are looking for a film that is not your traditional romance and not a big budget blockbuster, The Lobster may be for you. Also if you are a fan of Colin Farrell, you must see this movie, he is outstanding in it.
The plot of The Lobster is pretty interesting. In the future being single has been made illegal and if you are single you have 45 days to find a partner. Singles go to this hotel where they try to find a partner. At this hotel the guests attend dances and seminars that explain the benefits of being in a relationship. The guests also go on hunts in the nearby woods where Loners (those that don't want to be in a relationship) are hiding. If a guest is able to tranquilize a Loner, they get an extra day added to their stay. In The Lobster, you get to experience the hotel through the eyes of David, played by Colin Farrell. While at his stay at the hotel, David starts to question whether this is a place he wants to be and wonders if it would be better being a Loner.
What I enjoyed most about The Lobster was the world building. It was really fun seeing the rules that were set up in the hotel like the dances and seminars, as well as sports that only singles can play and how if you find a partner you access new parts of the hotel. It was also fun seeing the rules of the Loners where you are not allowed to kiss another Loner and you dance while listening to EDM with headphones on away from other Loners. Also when people visited a nearby city, the cops would question anyone who was seen by themselves to make sure they had "marriage" papers.
I also enjoyed the dark humor within The Lobster. A lot of the humor was found in the rules within the hotel especially during the seminars demonstrating why being in a relationship was good. One of the strange rules within the hotel is that if you find a partner but soon find yourself arguing, the assign you a kid so your attention is no longer on each other but instead on a child. There is also a rather funny, yet disturbing scene where a guest of the hotel decides to kill herself by jumping out a window, but doesn't jump out a high enough window so she survives. It was really messed up but the way they had her laying on the ground crying in pain was pretty funny, especially the way David reacts.
Even though I really enjoyed The Lobster there were a couple of things that bothered me. The thing that disturbed/bothered me the most was a scene where a lady kills David's dog, which is also his brother since he never found a partner. At first the lady just describes what she did, but then they showed the dogs body and it really wasn't needed. I also would have enjoyed more time with the guests in the hotel. About midway through the movie you start hanging out with the Loners. The Loners to be were not as interesting as those inside the hotel.
I loved The Lobster. The premise is original and dark and at times absolutely hilarious, but it also contains some disturbing imagery that will bother some people. If you are looking for a film that is not your traditional romance and not a big budget blockbuster, The Lobster may be for you. Also if you are a fan of Colin Farrell, you must see this movie, he is outstanding in it.
Thursday, June 2, 2016
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows Review
At some point I'm hoping they stop trying to make movies out of things I adored growing up with, but I know that is highly unlikely. At least with the latest Ninja Turtle movie I had a fun time watching it, even if it was a pretty bad movie.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows is the sequel to the 2014 reboot of the Ninja Turtle franchise. Out of the Shadows takes place exactly one year after the events of the 2014 film. The turtles (Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo and Donatello) are still in hiding and not taking credit for saving the day by defeating The Shredder, instead it is Vern Fenwick that is taking the credit. The movie starts with The Shredder being transferred to a new prison, where of course his motorcade is intercepted and he is now on the lose. It is now up to the turtles to find The Shredder before he destroys the world.
This movie isn't completely terrible if you go into it expecting it to not be great. If you can turn off your brain and just image it is a life action cartoon that is super cheesy and over the top, you will potentially find yourself having a fun time. The best part of the movie is the turtles. It felt like they had way more screen time than the first movie. The interaction between them was fun and light hearted and felt like a brotherly relationship. It also felt like you were watching the cartoon for the late 80's/early 90's. Some of the action scenes were also fun to watch. The trailers for the movie pretty much contain all the action scenes but it was still enjoyable to see them played out a little longer on the big screen.
Another thing I enjoyed was that they fixed some of the annoying things from the first movie. The big one for me was giving Will Arnett's character (Vern Fenwick) a lot less screen time. When he is on screen he is still annoying but at least he isn't hitting on Megan Fox's character (April O'Neil) the entire time. It was also nice to see The Shredder being played by an actual human rather than some super metal robot thing. The Shredder is still not right in this movie and still a major problem, but at least they tried to make him a little better.
But like I said before, this is still a pretty bad movie. The actors played all their parts way over the top. Tyler Perry as Dr. Baxter Stockman is almost painful to watch with how over the top and cartoony his character is. It was fun to finally see Bebop and Rocksteady on the big screen but they still were played at an extreme level and mainly relied on elementary school level jokes. I also had a hard time believing April O'Neil was a brainiac and actually useful when helping the turtles. This is mainly because I've seen Megan Fox in other movies and have a hard time taking her seriously.
The villains in this film are also completely wasted. The Shredder is seen in his entire armor once at the end and he does nothing with it. The main villain in this movie is supposed to be Krang and he is only seen twice and doesn't really do much. The ending of the movie plays out like a video game level set to easy difficulty. You never really feel the villains are in control and that that anyone is in danger.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows was pretty much what I expected. I enjoyed it more than the 2014 movie, but it isn't as good as the original movie back in 1990. The performances are super exaggerated and cheesy, the story is completely forgettable since there is no real threat and some of the characters are added for no reason whatsoever besides fan service. If you don't like the Ninja Turtles or have no interest in this film, you should probably avoid it. But, if you are a fan of the cartoon from back in the late 80's/early 90's you will probably have some moments of fun with this movie, but most likely only if you rented it.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows is the sequel to the 2014 reboot of the Ninja Turtle franchise. Out of the Shadows takes place exactly one year after the events of the 2014 film. The turtles (Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo and Donatello) are still in hiding and not taking credit for saving the day by defeating The Shredder, instead it is Vern Fenwick that is taking the credit. The movie starts with The Shredder being transferred to a new prison, where of course his motorcade is intercepted and he is now on the lose. It is now up to the turtles to find The Shredder before he destroys the world.
This movie isn't completely terrible if you go into it expecting it to not be great. If you can turn off your brain and just image it is a life action cartoon that is super cheesy and over the top, you will potentially find yourself having a fun time. The best part of the movie is the turtles. It felt like they had way more screen time than the first movie. The interaction between them was fun and light hearted and felt like a brotherly relationship. It also felt like you were watching the cartoon for the late 80's/early 90's. Some of the action scenes were also fun to watch. The trailers for the movie pretty much contain all the action scenes but it was still enjoyable to see them played out a little longer on the big screen.
Another thing I enjoyed was that they fixed some of the annoying things from the first movie. The big one for me was giving Will Arnett's character (Vern Fenwick) a lot less screen time. When he is on screen he is still annoying but at least he isn't hitting on Megan Fox's character (April O'Neil) the entire time. It was also nice to see The Shredder being played by an actual human rather than some super metal robot thing. The Shredder is still not right in this movie and still a major problem, but at least they tried to make him a little better.
But like I said before, this is still a pretty bad movie. The actors played all their parts way over the top. Tyler Perry as Dr. Baxter Stockman is almost painful to watch with how over the top and cartoony his character is. It was fun to finally see Bebop and Rocksteady on the big screen but they still were played at an extreme level and mainly relied on elementary school level jokes. I also had a hard time believing April O'Neil was a brainiac and actually useful when helping the turtles. This is mainly because I've seen Megan Fox in other movies and have a hard time taking her seriously.
The villains in this film are also completely wasted. The Shredder is seen in his entire armor once at the end and he does nothing with it. The main villain in this movie is supposed to be Krang and he is only seen twice and doesn't really do much. The ending of the movie plays out like a video game level set to easy difficulty. You never really feel the villains are in control and that that anyone is in danger.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows was pretty much what I expected. I enjoyed it more than the 2014 movie, but it isn't as good as the original movie back in 1990. The performances are super exaggerated and cheesy, the story is completely forgettable since there is no real threat and some of the characters are added for no reason whatsoever besides fan service. If you don't like the Ninja Turtles or have no interest in this film, you should probably avoid it. But, if you are a fan of the cartoon from back in the late 80's/early 90's you will probably have some moments of fun with this movie, but most likely only if you rented it.
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