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Marvel’s Doctor Strange follows the story of the talented neurosurgeon Doctor Stephen Strange who, after a tragic car accident, must put ego aside and learn the secrets of a hidden world of mysticism and alternate dimensions. Based in New York City’s Greenwich Village, Doctor Strange must act as an intermediary between the real world and what lies beyond, utilizing a vast array of metaphysical abilities and artifacts to protect the Marvel cinematic universe.
When the movie was in go mode - this was one of the craziest things I've ever seen visually on screen. When it was not in go mode - there was waaaaaaaaay too much explaining of the backstory and the world of mysticism. It's not that it was bad. It was just ALOT to take in. There are origin stories that are amazing movies and lead to a line of enjoyable sequels and then there are origin stories that are kind of like that we need to get this stuff out of the way type movies so that there can then be awesome sequels. This movie was definitely one of those second types. And honestly, it kind of had to be. There is way too much info that needed to be put out there before you could really enjoy the character and movies of Doctor Strange. Honestly, it was one of the reasons that I never really read this comic. But I really don't want to sound like I'm knocking the movie because I did like it very much and I absolutely can't wait for sequels or for Doctor Strange (which Cumberbatch is perfect casting for) to show up in future other Marvel movie. Again - it was just alot to take in.
I would definitely recommend that people check this out. It was one hell of an enjoyable ride and amazing visually. Just be prepared for ALOT of explanation of this universe we are starting to go into to with Marvel.
Moonlight is the tender, heartbreaking story of a young man's struggle to find himself, told across three defining chapters in his life as he experiences the ecstasy, pain, and beauty of falling in love, while grappling with his own sexuality. Anchored by astonishing performances and the singular vision of filmmaker Barry Jenkins, Moonlight is a groundbreaking exploration of masculinity-a sensual, intoxicating piece of cinema that uncovers deep truths about the moments that define us, the people who shape us most, and the ache of love that can last a lifetime.
Every year there is always one move that comes out around award season that I know is artistically excellent and worthy of praise but I'm bored out of my mind while watching it. This was that movie for 2016. I know it was great movie. I know it was well done. But I was struggling to stay awake watching it and was not hooked by it no matter how much I really wanted to be. It also doesn't help that I had heard such great things about this movie before finally seeing it because I have no doubt that altered my viewing of it as well.
I would sort of recommend people checking this out - especially if you want to be able to compare all of the heavily nominated movies. I know that this was a very well done movie. I just didn't enjoy it as much as I had hoped.
Allied is the story of intelligence officer Max Vatan (Pitt), who in 1942 North Africa encounters French Resistance fighter Marianne Beausejour (Cotillard) on a deadly mission behind enemy lines. Reunited in London, their relationship is threatened by the extreme pressures of the war.
Holy snooze fest. I couldn't even make it to the end of this giant turd. I wasn't expecting a major action type of spy movie or anything, but this movie dragged so much. The development took forever and was so choppily edited that only led to more frustration. Add the two stars having such little onscreen chemistry and I pulled the plug on this about half way through.
I wouldn't bother anyone wasting their time with this. It really was just a total throw away movie.
Shut In is a heart-pounding thriller starring Naomi Watts as a widowed child psychologist who lives an isolated existence in rural New England. When a young boy Mary (Watts) is treating goes missing, and is presumed dead, she becomes convinced that his ghost is haunting her and her bedridden son.
Contrary to the above synopsis, there was nothing heart pounding or thrilling about this movie. It was pretty much a huge waste of time and had no hook whatsoever to make you care about what was happening. I made it about halfway through and decided to pull the plug because there had to be better things to be doing.
I wouldn't recommend anyone wasting their time with this. It's a shame that this is how far Naomi Watts has fallen. I thought she would have been bigger than garbage like this.
After the death of his older brother Joe (Kyle Chandler), Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck) is shocked to learn that Joe has made him sole guardian of his nephew Patrick (Lucas Hedges). Taking leave of his job, Lee reluctantly returns to Manchester-by-the-Sea to care for Patrick, a spirited 15-year-old, and is forced to deal with a past that separated him from his wife Randi (Michelle Williams) and the community where he was born and raised. Bonded by the man who held their family together, Lee and Patrick struggle to adjust to a world without him.
This was honestly one of the most genuine movies I think I've ever seen. Every part of it felt so real. Watching the different characters (especially Casey Affleck) deal with losses and trying to move forward was so difficult but you couldn't help but feel like you were actually there going through all of it with him. The movie pretty much automatically made you think back about any sort of major losses you have had and see yourself processing them - or at least that is what it did for me. This was an excellent all around job of film making.
I would absolutely recommend that everyone see this movie. It was incredibly well done and it definitely going to win a lot of awards this year.
Hacksaw Ridge is the extraordinary true story of conscientious collaborator Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield) who, in Okinawa during the bloodiest battle of WWII, saved 75 men without firing or carrying a gun. He believed the war was just, but killing was nevertheless wrong; he was the only American soldier in WWII to fight on the front lines without a weapon. As an army medic, Doss single-handedly evacuated the wounded from behind enemy lines, braved fire while tending to soldiers and was wounded by a grenade and hit by snipers. He was the first conscientious objector to ever earn the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Wow. For a very slow paced movie for the first 3/4 of the film, this movie massively slammed on the gas pedal for the last 1/4 to end up giving you a movie with a little bit of everything. You had the love story that you liked because of the chemistry between the two actors. You had the wearing your character on your sleeve no matter what thing with Andrew Garfield wanting to be part of the army but fighting them at the same time about not wanting to use a gun. This felt like it was going to be pretty much the whole movie. But then they got past that portion of the story and the actual part that took place on Hacksaw Ridge was some of the most intense war movie stuff I've ever seen. You really felt like you were there in the battle and I'm not going to lie - I almost jumped clear out of my seat like three times during the battle portion of the movie because the intensity was dialed up to 1,000. Normally a movie with so many pieces to it like this ends up being hurt for being all over the place. That was not the case with this movie because it was told very well and had plenty of hooks throughout to keep you fully vested in the outcome of the story.
I would definitely recommend people check this movie out. It was a great watch and had a little bit of everything. Just be warned that there is a lot of war type violence/gore towards the end of the movie.
From writer/director Tom Ford comes a haunting romantic thriller of shocking intimacy and gripping tension that explores the thin lines between love and cruelty, and revenge and redemption. Academy Award nominees Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal star as a divorced couple discovering dark truths about each other and themselves in Nocturnal Animals.
Wow! This was one hell of an excellent example of writing and directing coming together for truly masterful storytelling. I can't go in to too much detail without giving things away but the ride of different emotions you feel throughout this movie is incredible and it's on two very separate levels and stories throughout. I really enjoyed this movie a lot even though it had one of those artistic open up for interpretation endings that mainstream audiences probably won't like.
Like I said, this really isnt a mainstream movie. But anyone into film making or more importantly screenwriting should really enjoy this movie.
Fueled by cheap whiskey, greed and hatred, Willie teams up once again with his angry little sidekick, Marcus, to knock off a Chicago charity on Christmas Eve. Along for the ride is ‘the kid’ – chubby and cheery Thurman Merman, a 250-pound ray of sunshine who brings out Willie’s sliver of humanity. Mommy issues arise when the pair are joined by Willie’s horror story of a mother, Sunny Soke. A super butch super bitch, Sunny raises the bar for the gang’s ambitions, while somehow lowering the standards of criminal behavior. Willie is further burdened by lusting after the curvaceous and prim Diane, the charity director with a heart of gold and libido of steel.
If you liked the first one, this is pretty much more of the same. The vulgar and beyond inappropriate humor is still there but that is really it. They didn't really bother with much of a story because there was no reason to.
If you are looking for some crass laughs then you can check this out. I definitely wouldn't recommend anyone paying to see this because it's not worth it and you can wait.
When mysterious spacecraft touch down across the globe, an elite team - lead by expert linguist Louise Banks (Amy Adams) - are brought together to investigate. As mankind teeters on the verge of global war, Banks and the team race against time for answers – and to find them, she will take a chance that could threaten her life, and quite possibly humanity.
Let me start by saying that this is soooooooo not the movie that you go into it expecting. Sure it is a movie about aliens arriving and is advertised as a heavy sci-fi kind of movie but it really doesn't play like a sci-fi movie even though it's all about communicating with aliens. Normally something like that would infuriate me and I would hate the movie just because of that. But this movie was one of the best psychological movies about being a human being I've ever seen. And the fact that it's a movie that is actually about communication period shown through trying to communicate with these aliens makes it truly impressive. You leave the theater really wondering about life as a whole and if you would still go down certain paths in life. I can't really say much else without ruining the movie.
I seriously enjoyed this movie on a very deep level and it really is an incredible deep thought conversation starter for people who have seen it. I would absolutely recommend people checking this movie out but don't go into expecting to see a bona fide sci-fi movie because the best part of it is the non sci-fi aspects or parts of it.
Everyone knows that growing up is hard, and life is no easier for high school junior Nadine (Hailee Steinfeld), who is already at peak awkwardness when her all-star older brother Darian (Blake Jenner) starts dating her best friend Krista (Haley Lu Richardson). All at once, Nadine feels more alone than ever, until the unexpected friendship of a thoughtful boy (Hayden Szeto) gives her a glimmer of hope that things just might not be so terrible after all.
This was a very funny coming of age movie about teenage angst as well as family dealings with tragedy and daily curve balls of life. Hailee Steinfeld was amazing and the awkward moments she experienced throughout the movie brought huge laughs.
I would definitely recommend people checking this out. The writing, the acting and the direction were all top notch.
Bleed for This is the incredible true story of one of the most inspiring and unlikely comebacks in sports history. Miles Teller ("Whiplash, "Divergent") stars as Vinny “The Pazmanian Devil” Pazienza, a local Providence boxer who shot to stardom after winning two world title fights. After a near-fatal car accident leaves Vinny with a broken neck, he is told he may never walk again. Against all odds and doctor’s orders, renowned trainer Kevin Rooney (Aaron Eckhart) agrees to help Vinny return to the ring just a year after the accident for what could be the last fight of his life.
This movie was a decent watch with some decent performances. But to call it like it is - the trailer pretty much told you the whole movie. I can't think of a single part of this movie that I hadn't basically seen already. That combined with a lot of the action coming across as overacting this movie was pretty much doomed to being decent at best.
I wouldn't really recommend anyone rushing to see this one. Again - it's not bad but it's not that good either. It's a 2 1/2 star movie that you can definitely wait to see.
Three-time Academy Award® winner Ang Lee brings his extraordinary vision to Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, based on the widely-acclaimed, bestselling novel. The film is told from the point of view of 19-year-old private Billy Lynn (newcomer Joe Alwyn) who, along with his fellow soldiers in Bravo Squad, becomes a hero after a harrowing Iraq battle and is brought home temporarily for a victory tour. Through flashbacks, culminating at the spectacular halftime show of the Thanksgiving Day football game, the film reveals what really happened to the squad – contrasting the realities of the war with America’s perceptions.
There were great and then some lame parts to this one. The story was told phenomenally well between the football game events and the flashbacks. The innocence of the main character even though he was a soldier was excellently portrayed. It really made you feel for all the kids that enlist as soldiers. Unfortunately, there were several parts in the movie that were blatant heart string pulls and others that kind of ruined the realistic feel of the whole story. On top of that, there was Kristen Stewart who pretty much sucks in everything she is in.
I would somewhat recommend people checking this out. There are many reasons to enjoy this movie. There are some flaws too but I still kind of enjoyed the film.
After the Bergens invade Troll Village, Poppy (Kendrick), the happiest Troll ever born, and the overly-cautious curmudgeonly Branch (Timberlake) set off on a journey to rescue her friends. Together, this mismatched duo embark on a rescue mission full of adventure and mishaps - trying to tolerate each other long enough to get the job done.
This was an extremely fun movie. The characters/voices were great and done in a way that you get hooked by several of them. The story is told both through the adventures of the trolls and scrapbook like narration which also gets mocked throughout the movie. And the music was awesome. I found myself dancing with the nieces several times throughout the movie. This is absolutely one of those movies that are just as enjoyable for the adults as it is for the kids.
I definitely recommend everyone checking this movie out. It was lots of laughs, fun and dance music. Definitely worth the trip to theaters.
From acclaimed writer/director Jeff Nichols, Loving celebrates the real-life courage and commitment of an interracial couple, Richard and Mildred Loving (portrayed by Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga), who married and then spent the next nine years fighting for the right to live as a family in their hometown. Their civil rights case, Loving v. Virginia, went all the way to the Supreme Court, which in 1967 reaffirmed the very foundation of the right to marry - and their love story has become an inspiration to couples ever since.
Wow! This was a very powerful character drama covering a time in our history that makes me feel very ashamed. The tensions and judgements that these characters had to deal with while just trying to live their lives is very upsetting and this movie did a phenomenal job of taking the audience there and making you feel it all through them.
I would absolutely recommend everyone checking this movie out. It's definitely one of the better movies of the year carried by phenomenal acting.
A new comedy from writer/director David E. Talbert ("Baggage Claim") and producer Will Packer ("Ride Along," "Think Like a Man" series, "This Christmas"), Almost Christmas tells the festive story of a beloved patriarch who asks his family for one gift this holiday season: to get along. If they can honor that wish and spend five days under the same roof without killing one another, it will be a Christmas miracle.
A dime a dozen type of movie. Typical stereotypical characters. Lots of family drama, heartstrings and laughs. A decent overall watch that you honestly forget all about five minutes after watching it.
I wouldn't recommend anyone wasting their time with this very forgettable movie. It ends up just kind of being there.
