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In: 2015, Hot Take

Hot Take: Hotel Transylvania 2 is for kids… and only kids. Oh, and for the parents trying to distract their kids for roughly 90 minutes.

There are two types of animated films for kids. There’s the ones written for both kids with adult undertones to keep the chaperones entertained. Then there’s the ones written with a blatant disregard for the adults in the audience. It’s fair to say Hotel Transylvania 2 gave very little thought to any adult involved in the viewing.Read More →

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In: 2015, Hot Take, Trailers

Anticipation (Before Trailer): 75/100

Anticipation (After Trailer): 100/100

Honestly, the previous teaser trailer was a little disappointing. But wow, if the new trailer for The Revenant doesn’t make up for it. There’s little doubt the predictions of this film being a Best Picture candidate are spot on. Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy both shine in the just under 3 minute preview.

Very much looking forward to the release of The Revenant on December 25th. Christmas is very, very crowded this year!

 

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In: 2015, Hot Take, Trailers

Anticipation (Before Trailer): 85/100

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXaff0PpszM

Anticipation (After Trailer): 90/100

Having already seen the teaser trailer for Burnt, the excitement was already there: Bradley Cooper. That’s really all it takes… even with the abysmal failure that was Aloha. The new trailer for Burnt gives the movie a little depth and there’s even more reason to want to see it. Looks like October 23rd for the release date.

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In: #5LinkMinimum

Sorry, this week’s #5LinkMinimum was on another call but it’s here now:

1. Answer It: The Movie Super Phone Call
This week’s YouTube video from Burger Fiction features roughly 3 minutes of movie scenes featuring phone calls from movies. It’s fun to see how many of the 50+ movies you can name:

 

2. Understand It: Eli Roth vs. Social Justice Warriors
Eli Roth seems to have an issue with college kids. And based on this interview with Gawker, there’s no love lost for Social Justice Warriors either. There’s no wonder why he combined the two as the victim of his latest gorefest, The Green Inferno.

3. Dream It: Kevin Smith’s Comics to Movie Wish List
Kevin Smith told The Creators Project the 5 comics he would like to see on the big screen. Web of Spider-man #32 is one of the best covers of all time.

4. Know It: The 3 Types of Anne Hathaway Movies
Where would you put The Intern in FiveThirtyEight’s breakdown of the 3 types of Anne Hathaway movies?

5. See It: “Reel” Everest vs. Real Everest
See the actual faces of the 1996 Everest disaster next to their portrayal in Everest and many other comparisons of the movie Everest to actual events at History vs. Hollywood.

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In: 2015, Hot Take

Hot Take: It’s a warm, harmless film with characters you’ll find very likable. The charisma of DeNiro and the charm of Hathaway make it easy to ignore the late collapse of the story. The Intern is cute and cuddly and is likely to be crowd pleasing but not much else.

If The Intern were ice cream, it would be vanilla. Not that there’s anything wrong with vanilla. My favorite ice cream flavor is vanilla. The first half of the movie is much better than the second half. But writer/director Nancy Meyers makes a film so inoffensive and harmless, it’s hard to be critical.Read More →

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In: 2015, Hot Take

Hot Take: If you were waiting for someone to pay homage to the Italian cannibal films of the ’70s and ’80s, The Green Inferno is here. If you like your horror with all the shock and gore without much actual fear, The Green Inferno will work for you, too. Otherwise, Eli Roth’s latest will likely disappoint.

It’s hard to knock Eli Roth for what he tries to accomplish with The Green Inferno. The mistake will be on the audience member who asks more of the film than it wants to give. While this movie is a horror film, it’s of the shock and gore variety without a lot of fright or fear. Read More →

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In: 2015, Hot Take, Trailers

Anticipation (Before Trailer): 55/100

Anticipation (After Trailer): 60/100

Truth has a solid trailer. The film’s subject feels more fitting of an HBO film instead of a cinematic release but the cast says theater. Robert Redford as Dan Rather is somewhat difficult to swallow but we’ll see.

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In: 2015, Hot Take

Hot Take: At some point, if an actor or actress sticks around long enough, they get to make a film where they get their turn at the outspoken senior who says what we’re thinking but afraid to say. Grandma is Lily Tomlin’s opportunity. Despite a few shining moments, Grandma‘s best quality is it’s brevity.

A lesbian grandmother is asked by her fatherless (she was conceived via an anonymous sperm donor) teenage granddaughter for money to get an abortion so her mom won’t find out. That says comedy right there, doesn’t it?Read More →

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In: 2015, Hot Take

Hot Take: Visually, Everest is a stunner. (IMAX 3D… WOW!) The story itself mirrors the mountain. It takes a long time to get there, it’s painful at times and it is overloaded with characters to the point where many get lost in the shuffle. The payoff, in the end, is solid but there’s a lingering question of was it worth it?

From the moment the movie starts, Everest‘s visuals smack you in the face. It’s reminiscent of a documentary filmed specifically for an IMAX experience. Throughout, the movie relies heavily on the stunning visuals to immerse the audience into Everest rather than the deep, talented cast it has access to.

Here’s the challenge Everest has: How do you tell a tale about a group of mountain climbers where any of a handful of characters could take the lead but no one is truly compelling enough to make it necessary for them to become the focus?Read More →

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In: 2016, Hot Take, Trailers

Anticipation (Before Trailer): 40/100

Anticipation (After Trailer): 48/100

The Angry Birds trailer does about as much for a movie about a mobile phone app as possible. There’s a number of funny actors lending their voice to this film. So, there’s that. Maybe it won’t be that pointless.

Personally, I’m more excited for Words With Friends: The Movie.