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Anticipation (Before Preview): 70 out of 100

Anticipation (After Preview): 90 out of 100

Ridley Scott, Matt Damon, a great supporting cast. Why isn’t this 100/100? There’s just something about it that can’t commit to this being absolutely, without a doubt, must see.

Maybe it’s the derivative Rounders-esque narration from Damon? Or maybe it’s just fatigue after Gravity and Interstellar? Or how similar the Damon character in The Martian looks to the character he played in Interstellar? Then there’s that whole “Help is only 140 million miles away” tagline combined with the “He’s 50 million miles away from home” line dropped by Chiwetel Ejiofor in the trailer that seems unusually vital to the plot. (Just a guess here: On average, Mars is 140 million miles away from Earth but his potential rescuers discover Mars will be closer than normal which provides a window for rescue. Am I close?)

Needless to say, even at 90 out of 100, I’ll be strapped in for take off.

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Anticipation (Before Preview): 51 out of 100

Anticipation (After Preview): 75 out of 100

Frankenstein is like the Fantastic Four of the Movie Monster genre. (Except for Young Frankenstein because it’s hilarious but that’s not really what Frankenstein is supposed to be so that really doesn’t count.)

It’s still hard to not think, “Hey, it’s young Professor X and Harry Potter and they’ve made a man monster!” but the preview, at the very least, makes me want to see the damn monster. Show me the monster! Please, let me see the monster so I don’t have to spend $12 on a ticket (and $8 on popcorn) to see it!

Guess we know what I’ll be doing Thanksgiving weekend.

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Hot Take: Seeing It Isn’t Necessary But It’s Worth A Listen

I had no idea who David Foster Wallace was before seeing The End of the Tour. Maybe that’s what makes my take on the film different than any review I’ve read as it seems every film critic who reviewed the movie was intimately familiar with Wallace’s work.

Isn’t it odd when you read a movie review how hard the critic tries to keep it as impersonal as possible? It’s written from this inherently omniscient perspective as if the writer doesn’t dare personalize the review as to lose all credibility. It’s usually the last paragraph or two where the critic finally let’s down their guard and, after they’ve strategically established themselves as authoritative, let’s you in on their now qualified opinion.Read More →

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Hot Take: If you skip it, you won’t kick yourself when you accidentally find it on cable one night. If you see it, you won’t hate yourself, either.

The Man From U.N.C.L.E. is yet another TV show reboot. Any novelty to the concept has worn off at this point. Leave out the small screen to big screen conversion and the action spy comedy genre is also in the “been done” group.Read More →

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Hot Take: SEE IT!

All of our heroes need a well told origin story. With Straight Outta Compton, Eric “Eazy-E” Wright, Andre “Dr. Dre” Young, O’Shea “Ice Cube” Jackson, Antoine “DJ Yella” Carraby and Lorenzo “MC Ren” Patterson have theirs.Read More →

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In: 2015, Lists, Top Movies

Updated: February 29th, 2016

  1. Room
  2. The Hateful Eight
  3. The Revenant
  4. The Martian
  5. The Big Short
  6. Ex Machina
  7. Mad Max: Fury Road
  8. Spotlight
  9. Sicario
  10. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
  11. Bridge of Spies
  12. The End of the Tour 
  13. Creed
  14. Brooklyn
  15. Southpaw
  16. 99 Homes 
  17. Chi-Raq
  18. Trainwreck
  19. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation
  20. Inside Out
  21. Dope
  22. Son of Saul
  23. Straight Outta Compton 
  24. Black Mass
  25. A Brilliant Young Mind
  26. Pawn Sacrifice
  27. Everest
  28. Minions
  29. The Visit 
  30. Un Gallo Con Muchos Huevos
  31. Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials
  32. Danny Collins
  33. Carol
  34. The Diary of a Teenage Girl 
  35. Concussion
  36. Jurassic World
  37. The Night Before
  38. Spectre
  39. The Walk
  40. The Intern
  41. A Walk In The Woods
  42. The Letters
  43. Where to Invade Next
  44. Love the Coopers
  45. Suffragette
  46. Mr. Holmes
  47. San Andreas
  48. Anomalisa
  49. Pitch Perfect 2
  50. We Are Your Friends 
  51. The Good Dinosaur
  52. The Hive
  53. Daddy’s Home
  54. Trumbo
  55. Secret in Their Eyes
  56. Our Brand Is Crisis
  57. Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse 
  58. Joy
  59. The Danish Girl
  60. In the Heart of the Sea
  61. Mistress America
  62. Jem and the Holograms 
  63. Steve Jobs 
  64. Woodlawn
  65. Knock Knock
  66. The Gift
  67. Paper Towns
  68. Max
  69. Krampus
  70. Grandma
  71. Slow Learners
  72. Hotel Transylvania 2
  73. The Peanuts Movie
  74. Goosebumps
  75. Entourage
  76. Spy
  77. Sisters
  78. Victor Frankenstein
  79. The Last Witch Hunter
  80. The Man From U.N.C.L.E. 
  81. Focus
  82. Ant-Man
  83. The Lady in the Van
  84. He Named Me Malala
  85. The Green Inferno 
  86. Hitman: Agent 47 
  87. No Escape 
  88. Irrational Man
  89. The 33
  90. Crimson Peak 
  91. Terminator: Genisys
  92. American Ultra 
  93. The Perfect Guy
  94. Tommorowland
  95. The Transporter Refueled 
  96. Hell and Back 
  97. Burnt
  98. Point Break
  99. Fantastic Four 
  100. The Loft
  101. True Story
  102. Rock the Kasbah
  103. War Room
  104. Pan
  105. Vacation
  106. Aloha
  107. Miss You Already
  108. Dancin’ It’s On
  109. Big Stone Gap