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In: 2017, Hot Take

Hot Take: A near perfect mix of humor, heart, compassion and sophisticated subject matter that makes this the best family film in quite some time. 

Family-friendly films are tough to find. Good family-friendly films are even more rare. Wonder is indeed that rare film that is both family-friendly and (very) good. Based on a New York Times bestseller, Wonder is a fictional tale about a boy with facial deformities who leaves home schooling behind and enters the fifth grade of a private school. The film tackles kindness, acceptance and friendship and if you didn’t know it was fiction walking in, you’ll be surprised to learn that it wasn’t a true story walking out. It feels as genuine as any “based on a true story” film and contains believable characters enhanced by great performances from Jacob Tremblay, Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson and a solid supporting cast. It’s an unabashed tearjerker and will likely turn a small minority of people off with its sappiness but the message of Wonder is clear and poignant and refreshing at a time when this type of movie isn’t nearly as prevalent as it may have been at one time.Read More →

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Hot Take: If you enjoy Denzel Washington’s acting (Are there people who don’t?), Roman J. Israel, Esq. is almost a must see. Better acting performance than movie with Washington carrying the load here.

For his directorial debut, writer Dan Gilroy made a splash with Nightcrawler in 2014. Before Nightcrawler, most of Gilroy’s writing credits were co-writing credits and the list wasn’t overly impressive unless Freejack, Real Steel and The Bourne Legacy piqued your interest. Gilroy received accolades for his directorial work on Nightcrawler (and an Oscar nomination for his screenplay) which brought some interest around what his next directorial effort would be. Enter Roman J. Israel, Esq., a character-driven story about a Los Angeles attorney with social disorders who spent years behind the scenes at a small law firm but is thrust into the limelight when the face of the firm has a heart attack. Played expertly by Denzel Washington, Israel is an interesting but uneven character study featuring a story that doesn’t quite live up to the character created by Gilroy and brought to life by Denzel. It’s comparable to last year’s Miss Sloane in that the best thing about the film is the star who breathes life into the character unlike almost any other actor or actress can. Washington and Miss Sloane star Jessica Chastain have a lot in common in that way as they can take a mediocre film and elevate its status. It’s hard to imagine Washington working with any other actor once you see the film and inhale Washington’s performance.Read More →

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In: 2017, Hot Take

Hot Take: Stupid… a little bit funny… but mostly stupid. Highly unlikely you’ll remember what happened in Daddy’s Home 2 when Daddy’s Home 3 comes out in a few years.

Back in 2015, I reviewed Daddy’s Home. I say it that way because while I reviewed Daddy’s Home in 2015 and there’s proof on the website, I hardly remember anything about it. Even after reading my own review, it’s hard to remember much beyond a John Cena cameo at the end of the movie that teased a sequel. While I can still remember Daddy’s Home 2, I need to review it. Although if I ever get short on memory, all I need to do is think “terrible Christmas Vacation rip-off” and maybe it will jog my memory. Daddy’s Home 2 is proof that the only thing lazier than a typical Will Ferrell comedy is a Will Ferrell sequel. Read More →

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In: 2017, Hot Take

Hot Take: Love the DC characters and we already know the DCEU can deliver a great film in Wonder Woman. So, why does anything tied to Zack Snyder have to have such a mediocre story? Better than Batman v Superman but that’s not saying much, is it?

I wasn’t the harshest critic of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice but I’d never mistake it for a good movie. As the follow up to BvS, Justice League was in a bit of a quandary. It can’t distance itself from its predecessor or Man of Steel since Justice League is the third film in the de facto series (it’s never really packaged that way but with the way these Extended Universe films work, that’s how it is, right?) and they are all tied back to director Zack Snyder. Comparisons to BvS were inevitable and when the feel of Justice League was drastically different (it is!), all signs have pointed to reshoots from Joss Whedon who was brought in at the end of the project while Snyder tended to personal matters. While the official stance is that Whedon re-shot 15-20% of the film, those with a watchful eye have already chalked up almost all of Superman’s scenes (thanks to a really poor VFX effort to remove a mustache Henry Cavill had grown for Mission Impossible 6 in the re-shot scenes) which is at least 10% of the film right there) and other breakdowns of the re-shooting done by Whedon can be found on the Internet. The conflicting styles of Snyder and Whedon are evident in the film and it creates a tonal mess but it isn’t Justice League‘s biggest problem… that would be a rather pedestrian main story which feels way too small in retrospect for the formation of such a formidable team. Read More →

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In: 2017, Hot Take

Hot Take: A well done dual tale that intertwines two different time periods thanks to masterful directing from Todd Haynes. A little slow but worth the wait.

Sometimes a film can find its way into theaters without me knowing much about it. That’s always exciting for me. When it does happen, I purposely avoid trailers and descriptions so that I can walk in completely fresh. This year, there have been two such films that I can recall to accomplish such a feat. The first was True to the Game which came out in September and disappeared from theaters almost as quickly as it came. The second was Wonderstruck, a much different film than True to the Game featuring the directing stylings of Todd Haynes (Velvet Goldmine, I’m Not There, Carol) and based on a 2011 novel by Brian Selznick. The result, for me, was more poetic as Wonderstruck, because of my lack of background information, added more wonderment than your typical film as I had no idea what I was in store for. While the film plodded along at times, the two main stories were interesting enough that I was engaged in the story throughout and thanks to two very good performances from two young actors (Oakes Fegley and Millicent Simmonds), the film is a very good cinematic experience more for film buffs rather than moviegoers, if you can understand the difference between the two.Read More →

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In: 2017, Hot Take

Hot Take: The all-star cast and Branagh’s direction isn’t enough. What starts as an interesting “Whodunit?” becomes a “Who-cares-whodunit?”

The latest remake of Agatha Christie’s Murder On The Orient Express has such promise at the beginning. Kenneth Branagh’s first appearance on screen as famous Belgian detective Hercule Poirot is entertaining as he solves a case at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem. The director/star sets a stage of grandeur and old fashioned glitz that gives the film such promise. As the film churns along, Murder On The Orient Express becomes a bit of a chore to watch which is never good for any film but especially not good for one that is an old fashioned murder mystery. Despite the film being stacked with talent and featuring a highly regarded Christie novel to rely on for a story, somehow Branagh’s version comes up well short and the only one who appears to be enjoying themselves is Branagh in his self-indulgent turn as Poirot.Read More →

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In: 2017, Hot Take, Ranked, Weigh In

It took a little bit of time to get to 125 but MHT is finally there. Here’s a recap of the grades for the last 25 films seen as well as links to the first 100 grades of the year. Only 1 film in the last 25 landed in the Top 10 which is surprising for this time of year:

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In: 2017, Hot Take, Uncategorized

Hot Take: An entertaining superhero popcorn flick that slips into silliness too often to be great but provides plenty of entertainment to be good.

The beloved Marvel Cinematic Universe seemingly can do no wrong in the eyes of many. Before ripping Thor: Ragnarok, I have to be transparent. I was highly entertained by the latest MCU superhero movie. That being said, why did it have to yuck it up so much? It’s really hard to take Thor: Ragnarok seriously. At times, it feels like a send up of the genre. It’s a growing trend with these MCU films. Each film doesn’t care to raise the bar when it comes to action but there’s an obsession with one-upmanship when it comes to the jokes. This latest one, the third Thor film from the MCU, offers a heavy dose of humor and delivers more comedy than action and tries to make Chris Hemsworth and friends more of a comedy troupe than a superhero group. So, why is this so bad? Well, it’s not but it is hard to take the movie seriously. You might be asking, “Why would you want to take a superhero film seriously?” First, Logan. Second, Thor: Ragnarok occasionally borderlines on parody as Hemsworth hams it up (especially with Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk as the pair almost resemble Abbott & Costello at times), Jeff Goldblum goes full Goldblum and Cate Blanchett does one of the best Zod impressions I’ve seen. Even with the criticism, it’s hard to resist the charisma of Thor: Ragnarok and if you’re not entertained by it, I’m really not sure why you were sitting in the theater in the first place.Read More →

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In: 2017, Hot Take

Hot Take: Like the subject, it might not have glitz or glamour but it wins you over through its workmanlike effort. Woody Harrelson as LBJ delivers an impressive performance. 

Director Rob Reiner has tackled the story of Lyndon Baines Johnson and delivered a rather brisk, condensed but dexterous retelling of the Senate Majority leader’s rise to the Presidency obviously catapulted by the assassination of John F. Kennedy. In LBJ, Reiner shows some of the same simplistic yet effective approaches to the subject and while the film is nowhere near some of his best films, it’s still a positive entry to his film resume. The best decision Reiner makes is in his casting of Woody Harrelson as Johnson. Under all of those prosthetics and makeup, Harrelson shines as LBJ and makes up for how basic the Joey Hartstone script is. It’s a mixed bag of star driven performance, competent directing and lackluster writing which makes LBJ a good not great retelling of the man who has the great burden of helping the country rebuild after the assassination of John F. Kennedy.Read More →

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In: 2017, Hot Take

Hot Take: Surprisingly good fact-based film is just one more reminder that war is hell even after war time ends.

As of today, Thank You For Your Service is in my top 10 movies for 2017. While that has a lot to do with the quality of the best films of 2017 so far and it’s highly unlikely it finishes in the top 10, Thank You For Your Service is an insightful, sobering look at the PTSD that affects our soldiers and how their path home often leaves them neglected and forgotten. In his directorial debut, American Sniper screenwriter Jason Hall also adapts this screenplay from a 2013 book of the same name by David Finkel. It shares many of the elements of Sniper without the rock star elements of making its soldiers war heroes. The men who served our country at the heart of Thank You For Your Service are the focal point of the film not their actions at war which are only used as exposition to show how these men have become a shell of themselves thanks to the torment and horrors of the war they fought.
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