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In: 2016, Hot Take

Hot Take: A fun ride. It occasionally embodies the spirit of the original, sometimes delivers some freshness to the concept and from time to time gets bogged down with cheesy, cheap effects. It’s imperfectly not bad.

With all the negative hype around the Paul Feig all-female reboot of Ghostbusters, it was hard not to be intrigued by the movie. The trailers weren’t as bad as the YouTube backlash they received but they weren’t great, either. The casting of Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones in the primary roles was an excellent decision but tough to compete with Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis and Ernie Hudson. Read More →

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Hot Take: Star Trek Beyond is one heck of a ride. The pace and humor balance the stakes which, as always, are incredibly high. It’s a blast.

In a summer full of unnecessary sequels and reboots, Star Trek Beyond is both a sequel and reboot that finds a way to rise above that feeling of pointlessness and delivers an experience that is loads of fun and very different than any previous Star Trek but, at the same time, very familiar. It also pulls off the rare feat of making a 2 hour run time fly by to where you only realize how long it is when you look at your watch as the credits roll. Read More →

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Hot Take: A generic low budget horror story with some cool visuals that placate our fear of the dark. Not scary enough to force me to keep the lights on though.

In no way, shape or form are you getting opinions from a horror aficionado at Movie Hot Take. While I definitely enjoy a good scare from time to time, it is not the genre of choice when it comes to movies. That being said, 2016 has been an especially weak year for horror films. Outside of The Witch, there really hasn’t been anything worth mentioning in the top half of 2016 movies unless you count Green Room as a horror movie. Read More →

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In: 2016, Ranked

 

It took 197 days but we’ve reached 100 movies reviewed for 2016. When we reached 25, 50 and 75, we graded the last 25 movies seen and here are the grades for the last 25 movies seen as well as links to the recaps of the other grades:

For the fourth time this year, here are the last 25 movies released in 2016 graded from 0-5 stars:

The “Thumbs Up” Group

Swiss Army Man 4 out of 5 stars (4 / 5) REVIEW
The Infiltrator 4 out of 5 stars (4 / 5) REVIEW
Sometimes movies can be insanely unique which adds to their fabulousness, sometimes they can overcome being completely generic and still be wonderful. Both Swiss Army Man and The Infiltrator are aided by excellent casting and stellar performances.Read More →

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In: 2016, Hot Take

Hot Take: Great performances, interesting story but we’ve kinda sorta seen it before. Good but too “by-the-numbers” to be great.

Bryan Cranston is a supreme talent. For the most part, it’s his portrayal of Walter White in Breaking Bad that we remember him for. Although his other TV role — as Malcolm’s dad in Malcolm in the Middle — was also an impressive role. In movies, Cranston has taken on bit roles more than anything. Up until last year’s Trumbo — a role which garnered Cranston an Academy Award nomination — Cranston didn’t land too many starring film roles. In The Infiltrator, Cranston is back in the starring role as Robert Mazur and again, Cranston turns in a marvelous performance.Read More →

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In: 2016, Hot Take

Hot Take: I can see the pitch now. “What if we took Pixar’s Toy Story but replaced toys with pets?” Uninspired, safe and very little for anyone over the age of 14 especially if you don’t own a pet.

If The Secret Life of Pets were a term paper, it would be one of those mid-semester ones written haphazardly with the focus on getting by with at least a C because you want to go out instead of putting in the extra effort to score an A. It almost might get you expelled for plagiarism. The movie will be a hit with kids as there’s plenty to enjoy for younger audiences. They won’t care that it’s a complete rip-off of Toy Story. For adults with pets, it’ll probably have enough to remind you of dear ol’ Tippy that they’ll forgive the lack of a substantial plot or any real emotional tugs. For everyone else, The Secret Life of Pets is likely to leave you feeling like something was missing.Read More →

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In: 2016, Hot Take

Hot Take: If you manage to not pay too much attention to the plot, there are laughs to be had. Don’t expect anything special or unique from the story and instead try to enjoy the sketch-like segments that interrupt the simple plot.

Sometimes you have to work with a movie to find enjoyment. Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates is one of those movies. It has a lot going against it. Some of the funniest parts of the movie are featured in the trailer. The comedy also feels rather derivative as it skims the pond scum from some funnier films. It doesn’t rip them off directly but you’ll feel like you’ve been there before. Despite those strikes, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates finds a way to be entertaining even with some noticeable blemishes.Read More →

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In: 2016, Hot Take

Hot Take: Most are saying this is the best of the trilogy. Thank goodness I didn’t have to suffer through the first two!

Call me a sucker. I did everything I could to avoid the first two installments of The Purge as neither looked to be more than something to satisfy the average horror fan’s bloodlust hidden in a commentary on America’s future. With all of the talk of how much of an improvement The Purge: Election Year was on its predecessors, I decided to throw caution to the wind (and better judgment) and see a movie that has little appeal to my sensibilities.Read More →

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In: 2016, Hot Take

Hot Take: So The Legend of Tarzan wasn’t that bad BUT did we really need another Tarzan story???

Here’s a challenge: Watch The Legend of Tarzan, wait 3 months and try to recall the movie. My guess is you won’t remember anything about it. Here it is about 14 hours since viewing the umpteenth reboot of the Tarzan tale and I can’t remember anything more than a few parts featuring Samuel L. Jackson who plays George Washington Williams.Read More →

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Hot Take: We always knew they were coming back with a sequel but after two decades we were kind of hoping they decided against it. What a bore!

As much as I hated the first Independence Day, there was a general campiness and enthusiasm present that elevate the film from bad to shoulder shruggingly okay. It’s actually the reason that super serious speech by Bill Pullman makes my eyes roll while some have the gumption to call it the greatest speech in movie history. (You’re all delusional. Every one of you!) That speech would have worked better in Independence Day: Resurgence.Read More →