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In: 2016, Hot Take

Hot Take: A nominee for Most Forgettable Movie of 2016. It’s so derivative of other movies, if you watch it at home, you might think you sat on the remote and changed the channel.

About the only thing out of place in Office Christmas Party is Jason Bateman who sheds his typical asshole role. Everything else is as expected. At some point, you can call the shots before Office Christmas Party takes them. Part of that is due to a trailer which reveals more than necessary but it can’t all be blamed on the trailer. Unfortunately, most of the movie has been done before and the movie delivers less laughs than it needs to be considered a successful comedy.Read More →

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In: 2016, Hot Take

Hot Take: Moving from beginning to end. The true story of Saroo is extraordinary and worthy of the big screen. Sunny Pawar as young Saroo and Dev Patel as the older Saroo are both excellent.

There’s a lot to like about Lion, the true story of Saroo, a young Indian boy who was separated from his family and became lost in Calcutta. The young boy who plays the child version of Saroo (Sunny Pawar) is particularly likable. You instantly find yourself concerned for him as he gets separated from his brother and falls asleep on a train which travels 1,600km away from his home. As he wanders the streets of Calcutta, it’s hard to imagine such a terrible thing happening to a 5-year-old child.Read More →

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In: 2016, Hot Take

Hot Take: Whimsy. Different. It’s a musical that pays homage to musicals of the past in spirit but not context. Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling are a dynamic duo.

Admittedly, La La Land got off to a slow start for me. I wasn’t as enthralled with that opening number as the rest of the movie going world was. However, there was a specific point where the film flicked a switch with me and there was no turning back. I was in love with everything about the film from that point on.Read More →

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In: 2016, Hot Take

Hot Take: A film that might exhaust you emotionally. Casey Affleck is a shoo-in for a Best Actor nominee.

There are scenes, even single lines, that stick with you for days after seeing Manchester by the Sea. For example, every time Casey Affleck and Michelle Williams shared the screen together, I felt my heart being ripped out of my chest. It’s a film that requires an emotional connection early on. If you develop it (as it seems most who’ve watched it have), the rest of the film is going to be a bumpy ride.Read More →

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In: 2016, Hot Take

Hot Take: Jessica Chastain should be nominated for Best Actress.

Sometimes an actor or actress is so good in a movie, it elevates the movie to a higher status. Miss Sloane is one of those movies thanks to Jessica Chastain who plays the titular character. Her performance is so strong, the flaws of Miss Sloane are ones you’ll more likely gloss over just to enjoy her screen time.Read More →

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In: 2016, Hot Take

Hot Take: It’s 60 minutes too long… and it’s only 90 minutes.

At the 51 minute mark of Man Down, I looked down at my watch and thought, “Nothing has happened.” It’s a bit of an overstatement but, outside of a solid performance from Shia LaBeouf as Gabriel Drummer (a name I had to look up because I sincerely don’t remember hearing his name mentioned in the film), Man Down is a colossal waste of time.Read More →

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In: 2016, Hot Take

Hot Take: The most important film of 2016. The respect Moonlight shows its characters and its subject matter is something to admire and strive for. 

Last year, I thought Room should have won Best Picture. Spotlight won instead. It was hard to argue considering the importance of Spotlight and the gravity of the subject matter. This year, we have Moonlight. Currently, it isn’t at the top of my list for 2016 but it’s high up there. If Moonlight walks away with every award this Oscar season, I won’t complain for a second. As far as the timeliness and subject, this movie matters more than any other film released in 2016 so far and I doubt any other film will reach the importance or handle such important topics with the delicacy and respect that Moonlight does.

***WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD***Read More →

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In: 2016, Hot Take

Hot Take: Inspirational story. Mediocre movie.

The story of Vinny Pazienza is incredible. Most boxing stories of any length are. At some point, a boxer who fights 30-plus times has a near-death experience in the ring, it seems. That was true for Pazienza who nearly died after a fight with Roger Mayweather in 1988. That’s where the story of Bleed For This begins. However, Bleed For This doesn’t contain one but two comeback stories as the real inspirational tale begins after Pazienza breaks his neck in a car accident and is told he’ll never fight again. Read More →

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In: 2016, Hot Take

Hot Take: Disney does it again! Actually, it’s a female heroine not driven by a potential suitor or being held back… unless you call being told you can only be chief of the entire island being held back. So, when I say Disney does it again, I only mean it in the sense that they made yet another great animated tale.

Every second of Moana is excellent. It might the most watchable film of 2016, so far. It’s a heartwarming tale of bravery, responsibility, dreaming big, survival and independence. It’s not groundbreaking but it doesn’t need to be. It embraces a culture that deserves to have its story told. It emboldens a female protagonist without tying her to a handsome prince or another equally attractive suitor. (There’s actually no suitor at all.) It’s hilarious for kids. It’s equally funny for adults and not even in the sense that it has adult jokes that will fly over the heads of children, either. The music is great. The songs are memorable. Even The Rock sings!Read More →

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In: 2016, Hot Take

Hot Take: Entertaining movie. I still can’t figure out who the target audience is, though. Based on the box office numbers, neither could the audience.

As I sat through Rules Don’t Apply, there were two overriding thoughts. The first was how thoroughly entertained I was by the various performances including Warren Beatty’s first role in over 15 years as Howard Hughes. The second, thanks to sitting in a completely empty theater, was how there wasn’t an easily definable audience this movie seemed to be made for.Read More →