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Hot Take: Rogue One falls short of greatness thanks to a lack of story development. It is reliably good though and has the right mix of new (even though it’s really old) Star Wars bits and pieces to edify the audience.

How much you like Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is going to come down to what kind of Star Wars fan you are. This is already assuming very few non-Star Wars fans will give the prequel to the original Star Wars (which is actually the fourth chapter of the story) a shot. If you’re more of a fan of the action of the end of A New Hope or the opening scenes of Empire Strikes Back on Hoth and don’t need lightsaber battles to carry you through and couldn’t care less about the origin of most of the new characters introduced, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (Star Wars 3.9?) should be very pleasing.Read More →

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Hot Take: Believe all of the great things you’ve read or heard about Natalie Portman’s portrayal of Jacqueline Kennedy. The best movie of 2016.

Just two days ago, I wrote how Viola Davis was a shoo-in for a nomination for an Academy Award and should probably win. Since Davis is likely to be nominated for Supporting Actress, I don’t have to eat crow. Natalie Portman’s portrayal of Jacqueline Kennedy in Jackie is the performance of the year. Not just among women, either. Portman breathes life into an iconic character in a way seldom seen on screen. It’s the performance of her career which includes her role in Black Swan where she took home practically every award you could for that performance.Read More →

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Hot Take: Proof positive looks can be deceiving. So bad I had to double check the initial release date to see if this wasn’t a January release.

I am not a Ben Affleck hater. However, for those that are, Live By Night will offer enough fuel to burn down Gotham before he dodges one more question about his stand-alone Batman movie coming in a couple of years. The only two things Live By Night has going for it is that it is so entertainingly bad at times it becomes entertaining and the film is visually engaging which is a hat tip to Affleck, the director.Read More →

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Hot Take: This Berg/Wahlberg combo is consistent, at least. Like Deepwater Horizon in the way it tells the story, Patriots Day is a well done recount of the 2013 bombing of the Boston Marathon and subsequent manhunt.

For the third consecutive time, director Peter Berg has taken a compelling true story, partnered with Mark Wahlberg and turned it into a very watchable movie. Patriots Day joins 2013’s Lone Survivor and 2016’s Deepwater Horizon on Berg’s resume as the third consecutive “based on a true story” film directed by him. In his career, it’s the fifth time Berg brought a true story to the big screen with the first two happening in 2004 (Friday Night Lights) and 2007 (The Kingdom) and without the talent of Wahlberg at his disposal.Read More →

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Hot Take: The 2000s gets its version of The NeverEnding Story only slightly more mature and with a stronger, more coherent message about dealing with loss at a young age.

For a while, I wasn’t sure I was going to enjoy A Monster Calls. Knowing it was based on a children’s book, my expectations were for something less adult than what unfolded on the screen. We follow 12-year-old Conor (Lewis McDougall) as he struggles to cope with his mother’s (Felicity Jones) illness. Conor has a passion for drawing and an active imagination. His imagination conjures up The Monster (voiced by Liam Neeson) which comes to life from a giant tree in the middle of the cemetery at the top of the hill near his house. The Monster tells Conor stories which come to life from animated segments narrated by The Monster with commentary from young Conor who fails to find the wisdom in The Monster’s tales.Read More →

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Hot Take: Does Denzel Washington ever turn in a bad performance? The only thing here is he’s outdone by Viola Davis. Her amazing performance should win her an Oscar.

If you’re being fair, the worst thing you can say about Fences is it felt like it was meant for a different medium. Despite the big screen conversion, its playhouse roots are evident in the final product. Because of that, you don’t get a cinematic masterpiece. However, because of the performances of Denzel Washington and Viola Davis (Davis especially!) you get one of the most engrossing films of 2016.Read More →

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Hot Take: Sure, this movie is terrible. However, don’t forgot to enjoy the collateral beauty of some excellent performers doing their best to make this sappy, hole-filled Hallmark Channel film into something almost watchable.

Any film that can snatch Will Smith, Kate Winslet, Edward Norton, Keira Knightley, Helen Mirren, Naomie Harris and Michael Pena has to get some kudos. If Garry Marshall wasn’t dead, I would have thought this was one of his Frankensteinian minor holiday creations that somehow attracts A-list talent to make basic cable-worthy material. However, Collateral Beauty is not directed by the late Marshall but instead by David Frankel whose resume includes The Devil Wears Prada and Marley & Me but since 2008 has not reached the same heights despite Collateral Beauty being his fourth directorial effort since the tearfest that is Marley & Me. I guess you could count 2012’s Hope Springs as a critical success and it wasn’t terrible at the box office but it was also a step back from the previously mentioned success.
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Hot Take: Three great performances highlight the story of three women that absolutely needed to be told. It even overshadows some of the film’s Hollywood clichés that emerge through the storytelling.

The only thing holding back Hidden Figures is its occasionally formulaic and by-the-numbers storytelling. This prevents an entertaining film with a worthy subject from Best Picture consideration. Where the film excels is in its performances. The three women — Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monae — chosen to portray three black women who worked for NASA as computers in the early 1960s during the space race was not only excellent casting but performances all worthy of Oscar consideration. Spencer will likely get the most consideration in a supporting role but Henson in the lead role and Monae in a supporting role both are worthy.Read More →

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Hot Take: Fun, entertaining kid’s stuff. It’s the animated version of Celebrity American Idol you probably never asked for. Illumination will never be mistaken for Pixar.

While Pixar has a knack for tugging on your emotions and delivering an unexpected case of the feels, Illumination finds a way to entertain adults without compromising it’s core audience: Kids! Back to Despicable Me and it’s even more kid friendly spin-off Minions, Illumination makes animated films that are purely for children but adults love them, too. The same thing happened this summer with The Secret Life of Pets. So, it should come as no surprise that Sing has accomplished the same feat as this film appeals to a young intellect but there’s enough familiar voices and fun celebrity karaoke performances that adults don’t mind the escape.Read More →

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In: 2016, Hot Take

Hot Take: The worst thing about Passengers was its expectations. It would have fared much better being released during the summer months instead of during awards season.

There was a point where Passengers was being discussed as a movie of the year candidate. Unfortunately, that was before anyone saw it. With a cast featuring Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt, there’s no surprise the film was being highly touted. With lush, impressive visuals and a space setting which has been a Hollywood awards season staple for the past couple of years, how could it go wrong? Read More →