By:
On:
In: 2015, 2016, Hot Take, Lists, Uncategorized, Weigh In

We’re a few hours away from the announcement of this year’s Oscar nominees. Now would be as good of a time as any to weigh in on who I think will be nominated for this year’s awards. And, for fun, who I’d nominate if my vote was the only one that counted:

Best Picture

My Nominations

  • Room
  • The Hateful Eight
  • The Revenant
  • The Martian
  • The Big Short
  • Ex Machina
  • Mad Max: Fury Road
  • Spotlight
  • Sicario
  • Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Who Will Earn the Nominations (From most to least likely):Read More →

By:
On:
In: 2015, Hot Take

Hot Take: Woah! This unnecessary reboot was bad… worse than you can imagine, actually.

When I read there was a remake of Point Break coming out, I scratched my head. Is this something the world was clamoring for? It was 1991 when the original Point Break came out and while it was unintentionally campy and time hasn’t done it any favors, it’s still fun to watch. There’s nothing about viewing it, though, that suggests it’s a film in need of being retooled. Read More →

By:
On:
In: 2016, Hot Take

Hot Take: The Forest is real… ly dumb. Apparently, the writer and director took the movie’s advice to “stay on the path” if staying on the path in a horror flick means cheap scares and huge, gaping plot holes.

January is never the best month for movies unless there are a few Oscar nominees you missed in December or the occasional late wide release (like The Revenant which released in a few theaters in December and hit wide release on January 8). Instead, the first month of the year is reserved for films like The Forest. Great marketing, a somewhat unique premise, a promise to frighten a little and, when finally viewed, a hollow, cheesy horror film with lame, cheap thrills that it’s better to not think about if you actually want to enjoy what little the movie has to offer.Read More →

By:
On:
In: 2016, Lists, Top Movies

Updated January 30th, 2016

  1. Jackie
  2. Sing Street
  3. Hell or High Water
  4. Moonlight
  5. Fences
  6. Arrival
  7. La La Land
  8. Everybody Wants Some!!
  9. The Witch
  10. Lion
  11. The Founder
  12. Manchester by the Sea
  13. Hidden Figures
  14. Eye in the Sky
  15. Moana
  16. Zootopia
  17. Miss Sloane
  18. Doctor Strange
  19. Captain America: Civil War
  20. Deadpool
  21. The Nice Guys
  22. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
  23. Keanu
  24. Hello, My Name Is Doris
  25. Swiss Army Man
  26. Pete’s Dragon
  27. Captain Fantastic
  28. The Jungle Book
  29. The Meddler
  30. Love & Friendship
  31. Demolition
  32. Midnight Special
  33. Denial
  34. Queen of Katwe
  35. Kubo and the Two Strings
  36. Sully
  37. Silence
  38. The Magnificent Seven
  39. Star Trek Beyond
  40. The Infiltrator
  41. Miles Ahead
  42. The Shallows
  43. A Bigger Splash
  44. Bad Moms
  45. A Monster Calls
  46. Me Before You
  47. Southside With You
  48. Trolls
  49. Don’t Breathe
  50. Green Room
  51. The Lobster
  52. The BFG
  53. Patriots Day
  54. Hacksaw Ridge
  55. Finding Dory
  56. Gold
  57. Deepwater Horizon
  58. The Accountant
  59. Our Kind of Traitor
  60. Indignation
  61. Café Society
  62. The Finest Hours
  63. 10 Cloverfield Lane
  64. Lights Out
  65. Free State of Jones
  66. The Edge of Seventeen
  67. Passengers
  68. Kevin Hart: What Now?
  69. 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers Of Benghazi
  70. Sing
  71. Morgan
  72. War Dogs
  73. Hail, Caesar!
  74. Mr. Right
  75. Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising
  76. How to Be Single
  77. High Strung
  78. Anthropoid
  79. Rules Don’t Apply
  80. Ghostbusters
  81. My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2
  82. The Program
  83. Eddie the Eagle
  84. The Bronze
  85. The Birth of a Nation
  86. Snowden
  87. The Light Between Oceans
  88. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
  89. Bleed For This
  90. Equity
  91. Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates
  92. Ouija: Origin of Evil
  93. Storks
  94. Barbershop: The Next Cut
  95. Hands of Stone
  96. Jason Bourne
  97. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
  98. X-Men: Apocalypse
  99. Suicide Squad
  100. The Wild Life
  101. The Secret Life of Pets
  102. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
  103. Miracles from Heaven
  104. Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping
  105. Nerve
  106. The Girl on the Train
  107. Keeping Up With the Joneses
  108. Jack Reacher: Never Go Back
  109. Triple 9
  110. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
  111. Risen
  112. Race
  113. The Man Who Knew Infinity
  114. The 5th Wave
  115. Sausage Party
  116. Elvis & Nixon
  117. The Legend of Tarzan
  118. Allied
  119. Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life
  120. Bridget Jones’s Baby
  121. The Confirmation
  122. Money Monster
  123. Now You See Me 2
  124. Central Intelligence
  125. Office Christmas Party
  126. Man Down
  127. Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk
  128. Blair Witch
  129. The Boss
  130. Clown
  131. The Perfect Match
  132. The Young Messiah
  133. A Hologram for the King
  134. Warcraft
  135. The Huntsman: Winter’s War
  136. The Conjuring 2
  137. Alice Through the Looking Glass
  138. The Neon Demon
  139. Live By Night
  140. Collateral Beauty
  141. The Adderall Diaries
  142. I Saw the Light
  143. The Brothers Grimsby
  144. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot
  145. Jane Got A Gun
  146. Yosemite
  147. Florence Foster Jenkins
  148. Masterminds
  149. Nine Lives
  150. 400 Days
  151. Regression
  152. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows
  153. Gods of Egypt
  154. Max Steel
  155. The Disappointments Room
  156. The Purge: Election Year
  157. Independence Day: Resurgence
  158. The Boy
  159. When the Bough Breaks
  160. Inferno
  161. Get A Job
  162. The Other Side of the Door
  163. The Forest
  164. The Choice
  165. London Has Fallen
  166. Mechanic: Resurrection
  167. The Darkness
  168. Hardcore Henry
  169. The Angry Birds Movie
  170. Shut In
  171. Papa: Hemingway in Cuba
  172. Nina
  173. Criminal
  174. Zoolander 2
  175. Ride Along 2
  176. Dirty Grandpa
  177. Norm of the North
  178. Ratchet & Clank
  179. The Divergent Series: Allegiant
  180. Meet the Blacks
  181. Mother’s Day

 

 

By:
On:
In: 2015, Hot Take

Hot Take: Brutality and ugliness can be beautiful. The stunning visuals of The Revenant combined with the details of the grisly story are sometimes hard to digest together. It’s a film you don’t want to stop watching even though you feel, at times, maybe you should. Leonardo DiCaprio delivers the performance of his career.

Occasionally, viewing The Revenant feels like a test of endurance. Some will find it to be a task and dismiss the film in a number of ways. For me, it intensified the viewing experience and helped create a rare bond between myself and the main character, Hugh Glass (DiCaprio). Early on, there was a connection that carried throughout which enhanced the film to another level. Typically, those types of connections are reserved for when you can relate to the character. In this case, the cinematography, performances and pacing contribute more to the connection than any personal connection.Read More →

By:
On:
In: 2015, Hot Take

Hot Take: Carol is a better movie after the fact, as it sinks in as it’s such a small film it has moments that are somewhat mundane. Afterward, it is in the mundane and humdrum where the film thrives as it’s a classic love story with very little emphasis on the fact that the love story is between two women.

I’m torn when it comes to Carol. On one hand, the film’s ability to capture the 1950s and deliver unbelievable chemistry between it’s two main characters — Carol (Cate Blanchett) and Therese (Rooney Mara) — are worth heaping praises. On the other hand, the film’s mundane tale and rather plodding pace might not be worth the payoffs of some excellent scenes. Read More →

By:
On:
In: 2015, Hot Take

Hot Take: For Quentin Tarantino’s 8th film, there are plenty of Tarantino calling cards and some truly exquisite cinematography (especially if you see the “Roadshow” version). There’s some “haven’t we kind of seen this from QT before?” element but not the overriding factor. In the end, it’s violent, funny, foul, controversial and a hell of a lot of fun (in the sickest and most twisted sense).

Quentin Tarantino is a polarizing filmmaker. His films typically are loved or hated. For those who hate Tarantino’s previous work, it’ll likely be more hate for The Hateful Eight. This isn’t that “very different” Quentin Tarantino film you’ve been waiting for. (Just a guess, you’ll probably never get it.) For those who love his work, The Hateful Eight is loaded with things you’ll love. The casting, the characters, the dialogue, the humor, the score, the violence… it’s all there.Read More →

By:
On:
In: 2015, Hot Take

Hot Take: Ever see a Will Ferrell movie before? Well, it’s about the same as the others. That’s not the worst thing in the world but it isn’t the best, either. If movies were segmented, the last 15 minutes might be up for an award. The rest is forgettable but entertaining.

Give Daddy’s Home credit for great timing. Thanks to it’s release date, the winner of the best alternative to Star Wars at the box office has been the Will Ferrell/Mark Wahlberg comedy. However, it feels awfully familiar (partially because of trailer fatigue but partially because it’s kind of like every other Will Ferrell movie) and you’ll probably compare it to 10 other movies you’ve seen. It’ll also feel like it could have been a lot better which the studio must have thought throughout the development process since 5 different writers received a screenwriting credit. (Note to studio: It could have been punched up a few more times.)Read More →

By:
On:
In: 2015, Hot Take

Hot Take: Eddie Redmayne’s transformation is surreal. Alicia Vikander shines. However, The Danish Girl is boring and panders toward a more mainstream audience by trading edginess for accessibility. It’s almost as if the writer and director are saying playing dress up can make someone want to change genders thanks to a very vague and underdeveloped back story.

Last year, Eddie Redmayne turned in an incredible performance as Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything. Because of Hawking’s condition, Redmayne had to spend a lot of energy telling the story through non-verbal communication, facial expressions and even eye movement. Director Tom Hooper must have loved what Redmayne did her because he was asked to do a lot more of this type of communication in The Danish Girl. Unfortunately, such painstaking effort was unnecessary since Redmayne’s Einar/Lili was not paralyzed and was able to speak without the help of a computer. Furthermore, the device was actually rather distracting and sometimes even annoying.Read More →

By:
On:
In: 2015, Hot Take

Hot Take: The David O. Russell Film-O-Matic (patent pending) mass produced this late season entry. It will please less and irritate more than American Hustle which already pleased less and irritated more than Silver Linings Playbook.

A few years ago, David O. Russell became a household name with the release of Silver Linings Playbook. A year later, many were thrilled by American Hustle but there were signs of laziness and formulaic tendencies in his filmmaking. Now we have Joy which is basically what would happen if you dreamed while simultaneously watching Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle but only if the dream slowly dissolved into a nightmare.Read More →