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In: 2015, Hot Take

Hot Take: Miss You Already proves passing the Bechdel Test and tugging at your emotions with a cancer storyline doesn’t guarantee a movie being passably entertaining.

After the first 60 minutes or so of Miss You Already, there’s a decent chance you won’t care about the characters you get to know. Neither Milly (Toni Collette) nor Jess (Drew Barrymore) come across as interesting, funny or mildly entertaining. By the time the film reaches the third act, the emotional investment might not be there to make the final 30 minutes as impactful as they might be if you cared for the characters. Read More →

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In: 2015, Hot Take

Hot Take: Great movie for kids. Good movie for fans of Peanuts who have wanted to see Charlie Brown and Snoopy’s greatest hits on the big screen after a 35 year hiatus. For everyone else? Eh.

The Peanuts Movie was an incredibly safe big screen take on the Peanuts franchise. As a viewer familiar with the past history of Charlie Brown but not particularly enamored with the characters, it was nice to see a new layer of paint put on the old reliable vehicle but it would have been nice to see it take a few risks. At it’s heart, The Peanuts Movie held true to it’s roots but after 70-plus years, there could have been a few modern updates to the material while keeping the heart in tact.Read More →

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In: 2015, Hot Take

Hot Take: Spectre has all of the elements of other Bond films but that’s more due to it’s absurd length than anything. At times, it feels like it’s working a checklist. Even with it’s slightly formulaic feel, it’s an entertaining ride when it gets on track.

Spectre, unofficially “Bond 24”, is full of peaks and valleys. The opening “Mexico City” scene sets the bar incredibly high but the pacing and smoothness of the opening action scene is never reached again. As rumors swirl it may be his last turn as 007, Daniel Craig delivers a solid performance but there’s too much formula to differentiate Spectre from Bond 1-23.Read More →

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In: 2015, Hot Take, Trailers

Anticipation (Before Trailer): 100/100

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_UI1GzaWv0

Anticipation (After Trailer): 100/100

Can’t wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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In: 2015, Hot Take

Hot Take: When you make a movie called The Last Witch Hunter and it comes across as far fetched and despite it featuring witches, immortal hunters, shape shifters and dream walkers, the least believable thing is the connection between Vin Diesel’s Kaulder and Rose Leslie’s Chloe, that’s never good. The special effects are cool though. There’s that.

Whenever a movie is rewritten and there’s a change of directors, it rarely results in a quality finished product. Enter The Last Witch Hunter. Sorry if it sounds like I’m sour on the idea of Vin Diesel as an 800 year old witch hunter who is the only thing standing in the way of powerful witches dominating the world. It’s hard to decipher exactly what makes Diesel’s Kaulder such a great “weapon” against the dark arts but here’s what can be discerned: He’s been around a long time, can’t die, has a lot of weapons and remarkably lucky when throwing sharp objects. Read More →

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In: 2015, Hot Take, Trailers

Anticipation (Before Trailer): 80/100

Anticipation (After Trailer): 95/100

Chi-Raq looks like quintessential Spike Lee… and that’s a good thing! Unfortunately, it also looks like the film won’t get much more than a limited theatrical release on December 4th before heading to Amazon Instant Video. Oh, and here’s a shocker: This Spike Lee film is being met with controversy over it’s title and portrayal of gang violence in Chicago.

If there’s justice, this will get more than the 200 theaters Dancin’ It’s On found it’s way to.

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In: 2015, Hot Take, Trailers

Anticipation (Before Trailer): 90/100

Anticipation (After Trailer): 95/100

When an animated film has Oscar buzz, it’s hard to ignore. Charlie Kaufman has already delivered Being John Malkovich, Adaptation and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Now, with his first animated film, Anomalisa has been captivating festival audiences all year. The trailer lands a “must see” blow. I’m ready for this one to hit theaters!

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In: 2016, Hot Take, Trailers

Anticipation (Before Trailer): 35/100

Anticipation (After Trailer): 35/100

At least Michael Bay has taken a break from destroying my childhood. It doesn’t feel like a stretch to venture to guess 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi will be a balls-to-the-wall action film with very little focus on plot development. Just a guess.

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In: 2015, Hot Take

Hot Take: If only Burnt‘s plot was as beautiful as the gorgeously plated food shown throughout the film. It manages to take a fairly simple, often recycled movie recipe and screw it up. At the very least Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller should have worked (it worked in American Sniper) but even that pairing wasn’t tasty. Check please!

Burnt might help you overcome a loss of appetite or insomnia but it is not likely to entertain. Even with Bradley Cooper as chef Adam Jones who is trying to put his life back together after self-destructing  and burning everything and everyone around him, the film tries to do so little yet can’t even accomplish that. In addition to Cooper, there’s the usually delightful Sienna Miller who is unremarkable as Jones’ chosen prodigy.Read More →

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In: 2015, Hot Take

Hot Take: If the poster is to be believed, Dancin’ It’s On is an award winning film. I’d have a hard time believing the film won an award if it were the only movie nominated. It’s an absolute train wreck. Because of that, it’s kind of fun to watch and imagine Mystery Science Theater 3000 picking on it.

So You Think You Can Dance is a guilty pleasure of mine. The popular dance show has been on for 12 seasons and since it’s inception, there’s been an increase in movies featuring dance. Dancin’ It’s On is one of those movies. Read More →