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In The Judge, Downey stars as big city lawyer Hank Palmer, who returns to his childhood home where his estranged father, the town’s judge (Duvall), is suspected of murder. He sets out to discover the truth and along the way reconnects with the family he walked away from years before.
Wow! I thought this was pretty much one of those movies where you saw the trailer you saw the movie and to a certain extent it was. There wasn't much that you didn't see coming and that should have been a bad thing with a 2 hour 15 minute family/courtroom drama. But it wasn't. I loved this movie. The acting was awesome and felt so real across the board. It was awesome to see Robert Downey Jr knocking one out of the park in a non-action or super hero role. He was amazing showing such a huge amount of emotions. And the direction of the movie was done so well that even though you knew that your heart strings were being pulled you didn't care because you were so invested in the well crafted characters and watching this all play out.
I would absolutely recommend people checking this movie out. It's one of the best movies I've seen this year and never expected to like this as much as I did.
From producer Guillermo del Toro and director Jorge Gutierrez comes an animated comedy with a unique visual style. The Book of Life is the journey of Manolo, a young man who is torn between fulfilling the expectations of his family and following his heart. Before choosing which path to follow, he embarks on an incredible adventure that spans three fantastical worlds where he must face his greatest fears. Rich with a fresh take on pop music favorites, The Book of Life encourages us to celebrate the past while looking forward to the future.
I never in a million years thought I would love this movie as much as I did. The different visual style of animation used was very catchy. The story was simple but done well enough that you were rooting for the characters. And the music was awesome. The covers of recent songs mixed in with originals made this one of the better animated movie I've seen in a long time.
I would definitely recommend people checking this movie out. It is an incredibly enjoyable watch. With all of the high profile animated releases, this and The Boxtrolls have really been two of the better ones.
In Fury, it is April, 1945. As the Allies make their final push in the European Theatre, a battle-hardened army sergeant named Wardaddy (Brad Pitt) commands a Sherman tank and her five-man crew on a deadly mission behind enemy lines. Outnumbered and outgunned, and with a rookie soldier thrust into their platoon, Wardaddy and his men face overwhelming odds in their heroic attempts to strike at the heart of Nazi Germany.
This was a very well done movie and the goal was clearly to make you feel like you are there in the middle of the war and more specifically - in the tank. That mission was definitely accomplished. The intensity was great. The characters and their different levels of acceptance of where they were was great. The only major knock I can make against this movie is that it was simply too long. This could have easily been 30 minutes shorter and there were various scenes that looking back were not necessary whatsoever.
I would still recommend people checking this out. It is a very good movie and could have been awesome if there wasn't such an overly long running time.
Luc Besson has created some of the toughest, most memorable female action heroes in cinematic history. Now, Besson directs Scarlett Johansson in Lucy, an action-thriller that tracks a woman accidentally caught in a dark deal who turns the tables on her captors and transforms into a merciless warrior evolved beyond human logic.
This movie was basically a great premise and would only work if it was short and fast paced in order to prevent it from just going on and on and becoming to talky. This movie completely did what was necessary to keep it great. There was no slow build. It jumped right into the story and kept its foot on the gas for the 90 minute run time. It's very smart and has crazy philosophical/scientific ramifications. The action was different and intense. And the movie overall seemed to be very fresh and edgy.
I'd definitely recommend people checking this movie out. It was a very fun and quick watch that had a great premise and didn't drop the ball.
A family event movie from the creators of Coraline and ParaNorman that introduces audiences to a new breed of family – The Boxtrolls, a community of quirky, mischievous creatures who have lovingly raised an orphaned human boy named Eggs (voiced by Isaac Hempstead-Wright) in the amazing cavernous home they've built beneath the streets of Cheesebridge. When the town's villain, Archibald Snatcher (Academy Award winner Ben Kingsley), comes up with a plot to get rid of the Boxtrolls, Eggs decides to venture above ground, "into the light," where he meets and teams up with fabulously feisty Winnifred (Elle Fanning). Together, they devise a daring plan to save Eggs' family.
I always liked the animation style used by the creators of this movie but their movies were always kind of out there and not simple/enjoyable for families. I always hoped that they would make that type of movie with this same kind of animation. They did with The Boxtrolls. This was a very, very enjoyable movie. I didn't remotely think that I would like this as much as I did. Again - I always liked their animation but even though it was quirky and dark - the story was great and you found yourself totally falling for the Boxtrolls as characters and rooting for them throughout the movie. That kind of a hook is all you need to make a great family film like this one.
I would definitely recommend that people check this movie out. It was cute. It was funny. It was great animation and story. And its super short.
The Drop follows lonely bartender Bob Saginowski (Tom Hardy) through a covert scheme of funneling cash to local gangsters – "money drops" – in the underworld of Brooklyn bars. Under the heavy hand of his employer and cousin Marv (James Gandolfini), Bob finds himself at the center of a robbery gone awry and entwined in an investigation that digs deep into the neighborhood’s past where friends, families, and foes all work together to make a living – no matter the cost.
Although this movie was a much more artsy character drama than I expected based on advertisements, I still enjoyed it very much. They had several different angles all playing out at the same time and even though you were not aware of the connections yet you were so intrigued throughout wanting to see how it played out. The chemistry between the cast was phenomenal - especially Tom Hardy and James Gandolfini. This was a great last role for the departed Gandolfini and Tom Hardy really is becoming one of my favorite actors at this point.
I would definitely recommend people checking this movie out. It's artsy and edgy but really is a very enjoyable watch.
She terrified you in The Conjuring, but this is where it all began for Annabelle. Capable of unspeakable evil, the actual doll exists locked up in an occult museum in Connecticut - visited only by a priest who blesses her twice a month. John Form has found the perfect gift for his expectant wife, Mia - a beautiful, rare vintage doll in a pure white wedding dress. But Mia’s delight with Annabelle doesn't last long. On one horrific night, their home is invaded by members of a satanic cult, who violently attack the couple. Spilled blood and terror are not all they leave behind. The cultists have conjured an entity so malevolent that nothing they did will compare to the sinister conduit to the damned that is now... Annabelle.
I enjoyed this movie. Scary movies are usually hit or miss for me. I either think that they are pretty much crap and a waste of time or good enough to keep my interest and make me jump a couple of times. This one fell into the latter category. I think I actually liked this one more than The Conjuring. I liked that movie but didn't think it was nearly as good as everyone had advertised. This one was more simple in story and sprinkled the scares around better. And that damn doll is still creepy as hell.
I would definitely recommend that horror movie fans check this one out. Its a good 'origins" story with more than enough scares to keep you entertained if that's your kind of movie.
Directed by David Fincher and based upon the global bestseller by Gillian Flynn – unearths the secrets at the heart of a modern marriage. On the occasion of his fifth wedding anniversary, Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) reports that his beautiful wife, Amy (Rosamund Pike), has gone missing. Under pressure from the police and a growing media frenzy, Nick's portrait of a blissful union begins to crumble. Soon his lies, deceits and strange behavior have everyone asking the same dark question: Did Nick Dunne kill his wife?
This is a tough movie to review without giving things away. All I will say is that there is ALOT more to this movie/story than is advertised in the trailer/commercials. And I think its great that they have been so purposely vague so that everyone who hasn't read the book can get the same holy shit type of moments that you got while reading the book. I loved this book and the movie did a great job of transferring it all to the screen. Again - there is only so much that I can say but this movie is one of the more thought provoking "date" movies you can see. You can't help but ask yourself how well do you know someone after watching this. The only knocks I can make against it is that it's really long, even though that is necessary. You definitely feel how long it is. The other is that the ending is very much like the book. I won't give anything away but will give people the heads up to not be expecting usual Hollywood like closure.
I loved this book and movie and would definitely recommend both to everyone. David Fincher's streak of awesomeness remains very much intact with this offering.
Based on Lawrence Block's bestselling series of mystery novels, AWalk Among the Tombstones stars Liam Neeson as Matt Scudder, an ex-NYPD cop who now works as an unlicensed private investigator operating just outside the law. When Scudder reluctantly agrees to help a heroin trafficker (Dan Stevens) hunt down the men who kidnapped and then brutally murdered his wife, the PI learns that this is not the first time these men have committed this sort of twisted crime…nor will it be the last. Blurring the lines between right and wrong, Scudder races to track the deviants through the backstreets of New York City before they kill again.
This movie was a snoozefest. I expected something similar to Taken and all I got was a bunch of talky talky. Seriously. It was just Liam Nesson having lots and lots of conversations. I actually stopped paying attention halfway through because of how bored I was.
I wouldn't recommend anyone wasting their time with this. It was nothing like what was advertised or what I expected.
In his follow-up to the four-time Academy Award-nominated blockbuster The Help, Tate Taylor directs 42's Chadwick Boseman as James Brown in Get on Up. Based on the incredible life story of the Godfather of Soul, the film will give a fearless look inside the music, moves and moods of Brown, taking audiences on the journey from his impoverished childhood to his evolution into one of the most influential figures of the 20th century.
This was a good and entertaining biographical movie. There were a lot more laughs than I expected. Chadwick Boseman is once again lights out playing a legendary figure. The back and forth in James Brown's timeline was frustrating at first but it grew on me and they did a great job of portraying James Brown and showing where he came from. And needless to say - the music was great.
I would recommend people checking this out. It's not a must see by any means. But it's definitely a good and entertaining watch.
Terri (Taraji P. Henson), a devoted wife and mother of two, lives an ideal life that takes a dramatic turn when her home and children are threatened by Colin (Idris Elba), a charming stranger who smooth-talks his way into her house, claiming car trouble. The unexpected invitation leaves her and her family terrorized and fighting for survival.
This was a textbook "see the trailer - you have seen the whole thing" kind of movie. There was a big advertised twist at the end that is nowhere that big of a deal as advertised. You still know what is going to happen long before it all plays out. However, it is still watchable for two reasons. One - Idris Elba and Taraji P Henson are both great actors. Even though their roles are formula/textbook they are both captivating enough that you enjoy it. Two - the movie is super short and they don't waste any time on overdevelopment of unnecessary stuff. If this would have been a 2 hour movie instead of an under 90 minute movie, I probably would have just pulled the plug on it.
I would not really recommend people checking this movie out. I know that it came out at a time when there really nothing else. If you are in desperate need to see something - its short enough to check out and not be annoyed. I think you are better off waiting a week or two for better options though.
