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In: 2015, Hot Take, Trailers

Anticipation (Before Trailer): 50/100

Anticipation (After Trailer): 50/100

So, John Q, Ocean’s 11 and The Cooler are thrown in a blender and out comes Heist, I guess. Something off-putting about this trailer makes me think this might not be good. The film looks heavy on poker gambling lingo which isn’t your normal table games lingo. Unless Harry Dean Morgan’s character is a poker dealer, I’m going to have a problem with that.

However, Heist has Robert DeNiro so it won’t be a complete miss. The film goes all-in November 13.

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In: 2015, Hot Take, Trailers

Anticipation (Before Trailer): 5/100

Anticipation (After Trailer): 85/100

Give the trailer for The Program credit. They took a story I had almost zero interest in ever reading or seeing and made it something I have to see. The question isn’t if this will get nominated for an Oscar but how many?

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In: 2015, Hot Take

Hot Take: Pencil in Johnny Depp’s name on the list of Best Actor nominees for his portrayal of James “Whitey” Bulger. On the back of Depp’s mesmerizing performance and a great somewhat under-utilized cast, Black Mass might even be a Best Picture nominee. Very, very good (not quite great) biopic.

When your recent resume includes Mortdecai, Transcendence and The Lone Ranger, it’s easy to see why a great performance would have some referring to it as a return. If that’s what Johnny Depp’s turn as notorious kingpin James “Whitey” Bulger is, welcome back!Read More →

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In: 2015, Hot Take

Hot Take: Admire director Wes Ball’s dedication to action in this thriller but eventually the lack of details in The Maze Runner catches up and scorches the sequel. The Scorch Trials still delivers but overall, the second installment is slightly diluted.

Somehow, more is less in Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials when it comes to plot development. While the second film in The Maze Runner trilogy has the same intense pace to its action scenes and close to the same dedication to focusing on the thrilling action, the plot rides shotgun and occasionally gets an opportunity to take the wheel as the audience learns along with the characters what is exactly going on here. Read More →

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In: 2014, Hot Take

Hot Take: The breakneck pace of The Maze Runner is so fast, you might not even be upset to realize this was basically a two hour teaser for the second movie in the trilogy.

The Maze Runner, the first of three films based on The Maze Runner young adult novel series by James Dashner, moves at a frenetic speed shocking for even your typical action fare let alone a movie based on a 300-plus page novel. The action-first approach expands the film’s appeal to more than the young adults the novel series targets. Read More →

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In: 2015, Hot Take, Trailers

Anticipation (Before Trailer): 55/100

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvKneCIlIVs

Anticipation (After Trailer): 50/100

When I first heard about the Point Break reboot, I thought it was a terrible idea. After the first trailer, I begrudgingly was on board. Now, the second trailer has launched and I’m on the fence.

With no fewer than six movies releasing on Christmas, Point Break is at the bottom of the list.

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In: 2015, Hot Take

Hot Take: From socially awkward to socially asshole, Slow Learners loses it’s way but finds it’s way back. There are laugh out loud moments but the middle 30-40 minutes derails a brilliantly comedic opening and a satisfying albeit predictable ending.

Unlike it’s title, Slow Learners starts off fast with wry, comedic wit and characters you can’t help but like. Jeff (Adam Pally) and Anne (Sarah Burns) play co-workers and close friends who decide to stop being polite and start being… wait, that’s the intro to MTV’s The Real World. Let’s try again. Jeff and Anne have no look, no game and are too damn nice. They decide they are sick and tired of being nice and make a pact to reinvent themselves and live a summer full of alcohol and sex. (That’s MTV’s The Real World, too… but only by coincidence this time.)Read More →

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In: 2016, Hot Take, Trailers

Anticipation (Before Trailer): 50/100

Anticipation (After Trailer): 80/100

Any live action creation of an animated feature brings skepticism. The Jungle Book looks made for the theater and visually impressive. There will be plenty of internet nonsense about the “crappy CGI” but that’s pretty much every CGI-heavy film ever.

See you in 2016!

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In: 2016, Hot Take, Trailers

Anticipation (Before Trailer): 30/100

Anticipation (After Trailer): 40/100

Colonia wasn’t on the radar before seeing the trailer. Emma Watson is one of the many Harry Potter stars worthy of a post-Potter flyer. However, Colonia doesn’t feel like the vehicle.

Maybe I’m wrong but a January release date doesn’t bode well either. Sorry Hermione.

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In: 2015, Hot Take

Hot Take: An unnerving low-budget Sci-Fi horror/thriller with some subtle and not so subtle influences from a multitude of other films. The Hive isn’t scary but while some will find it gory, it’s black goo. Somehow The Hive makes the end of humanity as we know it kind of fun to watch.

To be totally honest, you’re not going to get a lot out of this blog from me about horror movies (maybe if we grow, we’ll get a horror guru) but sometimes a horror film is intriguing enough to bring me into the dark. Enter Nerdist‘s one night showing of The Hive.

The Hive brought a fairly unique version of a virus wiping out humanity to a film with obvious influence and reverence for a number of films. From Evil Dead to Memento to 28 Days Later to Cast Away (yes, Cast Away!), director David Yarovesky delivers an interesting, highly watchable, unnerving tale of YAZA in the age of YAZA (Yet Another Zombie Apocalypse). Read More →