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In: 2016, Hot Take

Hot Take: One of the most secretive films in years works because, well, it’s such a secret. Watch 10 Cloverfield Lane and you’ll have fun getting there… you may not like where it takes you but the trip sure is fun.

Every once in a while, you see someone walking around in a ridiculous outfit but for some reason — maybe it’s their confidence or just the way they walk — it looks right on them but you know it wouldn’t look right on anyone else. 10 Cloverfield Lane is that someone. Shrouded in complete mystery (okay, there’s a trailer so maybe it’s only 95% mystery), J.J. Abrams’ “spiritual successor” to Cloverfield is a very different movie than it’s sibling. Actually, it’s a very different movie than most movies. And that’s a good thing.Read More →

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In: To See or Not To See

It would be shocking if Zootopia doesn’t hold on to the top box office spot for a 2nd straight week but J.J. Abrams already pulled a fast one with the 10 Cloverfield Lane trailer. Will it mean box office magic for the film shrouded in mystery? The big question for The Brothers Grimsby is will Sacha Baron Cohen actually appear on a jumping shark in the film? Finally, there’s potential box office gold in the faith-based The Young Messiah and the same for The Perfect Match as it targets the African American audience. Let’s take a look at this week’s new theatrical releases:Read More →

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In: 2016, Ranked, Weigh In

We’re 25 movies deep into 2016 reviewing all but 3 movies that have made it to 500 screens or more. Sorry Kung Fu Panda 3, Fifty Shades of Black and The Other Side of the Door (which is in the plans to see tonight).

Personally, I’ve never been a fan of ratings for movies. The old thumbs up/down system has always been my favorite. But then what do you do with those movies that fall in the middle? Anyway, let’s avoid going off on a tangent about movie ratings (we’ll save that for another day) and grade the first 25 films of 2016 seen on a scale of 0-5 stars (yes, 0… we’re glaring at you, Norm of the North!)Read More →

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In: 2016, Hot Take

Hot Take: Our guess is there will be a lot of common descriptions of London Has Fallen amongst critics: Unnecessary, cliché, bloodthirsty, callous, predictable, simplistic, xenophobic, jingoistic. At MHT, we think we have a better description: Shitty!

It looks like 2016 will be the year of the unnecessary sequel. London Has Fallen joins Ride Along 2 and Zoolander 2 in the category of “Who thought this was a good idea?” To be fair, no one should have expected more from this sequel to the 2013 hit Olympus Has Fallen. Unlike Whiskey Tango Foxtrot which totally misrepresented itself in trailers, London Has Fallen led with the tagline, “Shit’s about to get stabby” in one TV spot.

WARNING: SPOILER ALERT! If you can’t figure out what happens in this movie and are surprised by anything written from this point on, you might want to see more movies but we do have an obligation to tell you key plot points will be given away if you continue to read about how shitty London Has Fallen is.Read More →

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In: 2016, Hot Take

Hot Take: For the longest time, I’ve been telling myself maybe Tina Fey just isn’t getting the right vehicles for her to be amazing in. After Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, I realized maybe I don’t care for Tina Fey all that much and maybe she’s not going to have a right vehicle for her to be amazing in.

Maybe it’s too harsh to blame Tina Fey directly for the complete unevenness of Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. Thanks to some terrible marketing which portrayed the film in a much more comedic light, it took some adjustment to the more serious tone of the film. Based on such a misrepresentation, it was unsurprising to see a few people walk out of the showing. This in no way is the reason the film was uneven but it’s easily the reason it was so noticeable.Read More →

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In: 2016, Hot Take

Hot Take: My 8-year-old self would love Zootopia. The thing is, so would my 16-year-old self… probably as much as my adult self did. Disney’s latest is one of the best films to ever come from the studio. Ever.

Historically, Disney has made an effort to include children and adults in their animated features. Often, it is done within the humor as there are jokes designed to make the kids laugh and then others with references that only adults will get and kids will laugh along with because their parents are laughing. Zootopia makes an effort to include children and adults in a much different way. There are no inappropriate jokes designed to go over the heads of the younger audience. Rather, Zootopia gives you a multi-layered plot with a very kid-friendly “you can be anything” message but, at the same time, explores a deeper, more adult dialogue on racial and gender equality and the danger of fear and hysteria in civilized society.Read More →

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In: 2016, To See or Not To See

Deadpool won’t be ruling the box office for a fourth week as Disney’s Zootopia furrily enters the fray with big time expectations. Can Zootopia reach the heights of Frozen? Will Deadpool dip to third with the sequel to Olympus Has Fallen, London Has Fallen, hitting theaters this week? How will Tina Fey’s dramedy Whiskey Tango Foxtrot do? Will The Other Side of the Door do well enough to get an expansion next week? Why the hell is Knight of Cups only playing in New York and Los Angeles? Have I asked enough questions yet? Let’s take a look at this week’s new theatrical releases:Read More →

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In: 2016, Hot Take, Trailers

Anticipation (Before Trailer): 85/100

Anticipation (After Trailer): 90/100

The new Ghostbusters does it’s job well. 32 years after the original is plenty of time for a by-the-numbers reboot if they wanted to. At least this reboot gives us a new twist on things with the four scientists busting ghosts in NYC being women (played by Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones). The film has a lot of familiar elements for any Ghostbusters fan and the usually over-the-top McCarthy is very subdued which is unexpected.

The film itself drops July 15th, 2016, so expect one or two more trailers before then plus a ton of merchandise to go along with the film wouldn’t be surprising, either.

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In: 2016, Hot Take

Hot Take: My 14-year-old self would love Eddie the Eagle. My adult self wasn’t nearly as thrilled but it’s definitely a feel good, inspiring tale.

What if someone took the true story of Michael “Eddie the Eagle” Edwards, ripped off the Cool Runnings narrative and combined them into a film? Enter Eddie the Eagle. While inspired by a true story, much of the story portrayed in Eddie the Eagle is embellished. The real eventual Olympic novelty didn’t have a mentor, wasn’t completely inexperienced in ski jumping, didn’t train in Germany and was already a known novelty when he arrived in Calgary for the ’88 Olympics (there was a fan club waiting upon his arrival at the airport). Other than that, the remaining 10% of the movie is completely accurate.Read More →