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In: 2015, Hot Take

Hot Take: For Quentin Tarantino’s 8th film, there are plenty of Tarantino calling cards and some truly exquisite cinematography (especially if you see the “Roadshow” version). There’s some “haven’t we kind of seen this from QT before?” element but not the overriding factor. In the end, it’s violent, funny, foul, controversial and a hell of a lot of fun (in the sickest and most twisted sense).

Quentin Tarantino is a polarizing filmmaker. His films typically are loved or hated. For those who hate Tarantino’s previous work, it’ll likely be more hate for The Hateful Eight. This isn’t that “very different” Quentin Tarantino film you’ve been waiting for. (Just a guess, you’ll probably never get it.) For those who love his work, The Hateful Eight is loaded with things you’ll love. The casting, the characters, the dialogue, the humor, the score, the violence… it’s all there.Read More →

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In: 2015, Hot Take

Hot Take: Ever see a Will Ferrell movie before? Well, it’s about the same as the others. That’s not the worst thing in the world but it isn’t the best, either. If movies were segmented, the last 15 minutes might be up for an award. The rest is forgettable but entertaining.

Give Daddy’s Home credit for great timing. Thanks to it’s release date, the winner of the best alternative to Star Wars at the box office has been the Will Ferrell/Mark Wahlberg comedy. However, it feels awfully familiar (partially because of trailer fatigue but partially because it’s kind of like every other Will Ferrell movie) and you’ll probably compare it to 10 other movies you’ve seen. It’ll also feel like it could have been a lot better which the studio must have thought throughout the development process since 5 different writers received a screenwriting credit. (Note to studio: It could have been punched up a few more times.)Read More →

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In: 2015, Hot Take

Hot Take: Eddie Redmayne’s transformation is surreal. Alicia Vikander shines. However, The Danish Girl is boring and panders toward a more mainstream audience by trading edginess for accessibility. It’s almost as if the writer and director are saying playing dress up can make someone want to change genders thanks to a very vague and underdeveloped back story.

Last year, Eddie Redmayne turned in an incredible performance as Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything. Because of Hawking’s condition, Redmayne had to spend a lot of energy telling the story through non-verbal communication, facial expressions and even eye movement. Director Tom Hooper must have loved what Redmayne did her because he was asked to do a lot more of this type of communication in The Danish Girl. Unfortunately, such painstaking effort was unnecessary since Redmayne’s Einar/Lili was not paralyzed and was able to speak without the help of a computer. Furthermore, the device was actually rather distracting and sometimes even annoying.Read More →

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In: 2015, Hot Take

Hot Take: The David O. Russell Film-O-Matic (patent pending) mass produced this late season entry. It will please less and irritate more than American Hustle which already pleased less and irritated more than Silver Linings Playbook.

A few years ago, David O. Russell became a household name with the release of Silver Linings Playbook. A year later, many were thrilled by American Hustle but there were signs of laziness and formulaic tendencies in his filmmaking. Now we have Joy which is basically what would happen if you dreamed while simultaneously watching Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle but only if the dream slowly dissolved into a nightmare.Read More →

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In: 2015, Hot Take

Hot Take: Smart, funny, intelligent, witty, unique… the buzz words to describe The Big Short can go on and on. The film capitalizes on great casting, a compelling topic and the perfect angle by director Adam McKay (best known for Anchorman, Talladega Nights and Step Brothers???). It’s one of those so sad you have to laugh in retrospect moments in U.S. history and The Big Short delivers just the right mix of information and humor. One of the best of the year!

The Big Short takes on the 2008 economic meltdown in such a unique way, it all makes sense after you see it. With a crisp, sharp script and some great performances (most notably Christian Bale and Steve Carell but unfairly leaving out a number of others) and just the right amount of humor and simplicity, The Big Short delivers a wildly entertaining, fast paced and deceptively angry look at the events that led to the collapse of the housing market and buried the U.S. economy.Read More →

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In: 2015, Hot Take

Hot Take: Concussion lands a heavy blow against the NFL then jabs it’s way to the conclusion. Will Smith’s performance as Dr. Bennet Omalu is one of the best of his career.

As a society, our entertainment has been at it’s most enjoyable when it is at it’s most violent. This isn’t a new phenomenon. As far back as the Roman Empire, the #1 form of entertainment was watching men die in the gladiatorial arenas. There are countless examples of the masses flocking to witness violence and gore. From public executions to crucifixions to bullfighting, it would seem violence and entertainment go hand in hand.Read More →

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In: 2015, Hot Take

Hot Take: The most sobering thought to come from viewing Star Wars: The Force Awakens is how much better the series maybe could have been if George Lucas would have handed over the reigns of Episodes I-III to someone else. Breathe easy, folks. Star Wars: The Force Awakens reboots the franchise very much in the way the original Star Wars: A New Hope launched the franchise.

Admittedly, heading into Episode VII of the greatest movie franchise in the history of cinema, nervousness set in. The first three films released were a big factor in why I loved the movie theater. My brother tells a story about my viewing a Star Wars film when I was in my single-digit years eating popcorn kernel by kernel with my eyes so fixated on the screen, it looked as if I was trying to look through to the other side. About two-thirds of the way through The Force Awakens, I noticed I was no longer utilizing the recline feature of my premium seating and was actually sitting on the edge of my seat once again glued to the screen.Read More →

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In: 2015, Hot Take

Hot Take: Apparently, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler really wanted to punish you for not buying Star Wars tickets in advance and making the decision to see something else since you’re at the theater. Predictable and not funny enough isn’t a good combination especially when saddled with a 2 hour run time.

Often, the best part of seeing a comedy at the cinema rather than in the privacy of your own home is the crowd. So, maybe seeing Sisters on opening night of Star Wars: The Force Awakens wasn’t the best idea? Looking around prior to the movie’s start, the crowd didn’t look all that excited to be there. Maybe they couldn’t get a last minute ticket to the biggest movie release in years. Maybe it was the ridiculously long concession lines. Maybe it was the cheers coming from the 10 other theaters playing Star Wars. Who knows! But the vibe wasn’t there.Read More →

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In: 2015, Hot Take

Hot Take: The origin story of a story. Really. Really? Really. Turns out the origin of Moby-Dick was Jaws: The Revenge, if it were saturated with machismo and testosterone.

I never read Moby-Dick. Let’s be real, if you weren’t required to in school growing up, you probably didn’t, either. I also didn’t read In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex, the book based on the origin of the book Moby-Dick which was the inspiration of In the Heart of the Sea. Watching In the Heart of the Sea, though, one gets the feeling the real inspiration was Jaws: The Revenge and a longing for when “men were men” as Chris Hemsworth (as First Mate Owen Chase), puffed chest and all, mans his way around the screen for about 2 hours while a vengeful whale hunts down the Whaleship Essex.
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In: 2015, Hot Take

Hot Take: A bland, somewhat informative, occasionally boring, sporadically moving, secular take on the life of Mother Teresa sound like something you’d dig? It’s not as bad as it sounds but it’s about as safe as a Saturday afternoon Hallmark Channel flick.

It’s hard to articulate the viewing experience of The Letters. The story of Mother Teresa is inspiring. Her life of selflessness is one to be admired and revered. She’d prefer we didn’t as she saw herself as an instrument of God, something some dismiss the existence of. Such a topic is reserved for another time as The Letters rarely, if ever, spends time caught up in the discussion. Instead, the film takes a more secular look at the life and hardships of Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu, better known as Mother Teresa.Read More →