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In: 2016, Hot Take, Trailers

Anticipation (Before Trailer): 50/100

Anticipation (After Trailer): 75/100

After seeing the trailer for Triple 9, the only concern I have is the release date. Good movies don’t get released in February. Look at the cast here: Woody Harrelson, Casey Affleck, Aaron Paul, Kate Winslet, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Teresa Palmer (who possibly might be in every movie in February 2016). Something’s off when it comes to the release date. Think Focus with Will Smith.

There was a time Triple 9 was slated for a fall release but then it was moved to March (a slightly more promising month for movie releases) and then moved to February which isn’t as bad as January but still pretty bad unless it’s a Valentine’s Day release.

All things considered, Triple 9 still looks kick ass so I’ll start getting prepared for the disappointment now.

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In: 2015, Hot Take

Hot Take: Hell and Back takes a lot of swings at crude, vulgar and juvenile humor and strikes out frequently. The movie itself is so weak, the audience might feel their experience mirrors the title. It’s not without a few laughs. Although partnering “few” with “and far between” might best describe the funny moments.

Don’t let the voice talent Hell and Back possesses (Nick Swardson, Bob Odenkirk, Rob Riggle, Mila Kunis, Susan Sarandon, Danny McBride, Jennifer Coolidge, David Koechner, J.B. Smoove, Michael Pena and Greg Proops) fool you. The R-rated stop motion animated comedy is a somewhat unoriginal concept (didn’t South Park kind of, sort of do the trapped in hell thing before?) that is noticeably crude which tells you how frequently unfunny (not in the “I’m trying to be serious” unfunny way but the “I’m trying to be funny but I’m not” unfunny way) and often predictable it is. Hey, at least it’s only 84 minutes.Read More →

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In: 2015, Hot Take

Hot Take: At the onset, Sicario is unnerving. Throughout, it is tense and brutal. At completion, it is unsettling and thought provoking. One of the must-see films of the year.

There are few movies that establish tension so quickly and manage to maintain the feeling throughout as Sicario does. It’s no surprise the film is directed by Denis Villeneuve who accomplishes similar in 2013’s Prisoners. However, the way it is done in Sicario is much different as it relies on some powerful scenes that catapult the viewer into the losing battle that is the war on drugs. There are four scenes in Sicario that all could vie for “Scene of the Year” if there were such an award.Read More →

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In: 2015, Hot Take

Hot Take: Ridley Scott’s best since Gladiator. Matt Damon’s best since Good Will Hunting. 2015’s best so far. The Martian has an excellent mix of emotion, tension, humor, action and intelligence and partners it with beautiful visions of Mars. It’s a great experience.

Astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is left behind after a fierce storm cuts a manned mission to Mars short and Mark’s crew thinks Watney is dead. Not dead (Surprise!), Watney must science the shit out of things to survive long enough for the next manned Mars mission to arrive… in four years, unless NASA can speed up the timeline with a rescue.Read More →

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In: 2015, Hot Take

Hot Take: Pawn Sacrifice captures all the genius and paranoia of Bobby Fischer without much of the drama. At times, the biopic feels more documentary than movie. Not the worst thing… but it keeps a very good film from being great.

Historically accurate, Pawn Sacrifice tells the story of bigger than life chess grandmaster Bobby Fischer and his ascent to the top of the chess world. Edward Zwick’s biopic about Fischer powers through much of his early life so briskly, once the film hits the meat of the story, the meticulous detail and more lumbering pace throw off the film.Read More →

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In: 2016, Hot Take, Trailers

Anticipation (Before Trailer): 20/100

Anticipation (After Trailer): 40/100

The Forest warns “stay on the path.” For movie goers, staying on the path includes tempering any excitement for a January release.

So, even though The Forest is the feature-length directorial début of Jason Zada who launched a highly successful viral marketing campaign for OfficeMax (“Elf Yourself”) and the acting talents of Natalie Dormer (Game of Thrones) and Taylor Kinney (Zero Dark Thirty), don’t get your hopes up.

Also, for what it’s worth, horror trailers that have a habit of revealing too much often fall short. The Forest does boast a solid trailer, a “true” back story (Aokigahara Forest is a real place in Japan where people go to commit suicide) and the backing of a re-tooled Gramercy Pictures. Maybe, just maybe, The Forest can break the “dump month” mold.

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In: 2015, Hot Take, Trailers

Anticipation (Before Trailer): 45/100

Anticipation (After Trailer): 60/100

Lake Bell and Simon Pegg come across as having great chemistry in the blind date mix-up Man Up. The trailer was released 6 months ago but now that Man Up has a theatrical release date (November 13) in the U.S., the preview has resurfaced.

Bell looked capable of better in No Escape and Pegg always delivers a charismatic, highly watchable performance.

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In: 2016, Hot Take, Trailers

Anticipation (Before Trailer): 50/100

Anticipation (After Trailer): 50/100

The Choice is your standard Nicholas Sparks novel-to-movie Valentine’s Day date release. And the trailer does nothing to prove otherwise. Not that there’s anything wrong with it but it is what it is.

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In: 2015, Hot Take

Hot Take: Hotel Transylvania 2 is for kids… and only kids. Oh, and for the parents trying to distract their kids for roughly 90 minutes.

There are two types of animated films for kids. There’s the ones written for both kids with adult undertones to keep the chaperones entertained. Then there’s the ones written with a blatant disregard for the adults in the audience. It’s fair to say Hotel Transylvania 2 gave very little thought to any adult involved in the viewing.Read More →

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In: 2015, Hot Take, Trailers

Anticipation (Before Trailer): 75/100

Anticipation (After Trailer): 100/100

Honestly, the previous teaser trailer was a little disappointing. But wow, if the new trailer for The Revenant doesn’t make up for it. There’s little doubt the predictions of this film being a Best Picture candidate are spot on. Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy both shine in the just under 3 minute preview.

Very much looking forward to the release of The Revenant on December 25th. Christmas is very, very crowded this year!