Looper - 9/10 Wow, I did not expect that. Seriously. The dialogue and acting seemed a bit awkward at times though. Good Will Hunting - 7/10 A bit predictable but it was nice. Knowing - 4/10 All fluff and no stuff. Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay - 3/10 Mildly amusing and increasingly annoying. John Cho looks great though.
Spy - 8/10 - Whoa. That was much better than expected. Finally a Melissa McCarthy movie where her weight is rarely mentioned/referenced (and can be played by anyone), where she plays a character who is more than capable of handling her own from the start, and she isn't the funniest part of the movie. That role goes to Jason Statham, who is unexpectedly great tarnishing his dead serious image in favor of a serious but unintentionally hilarious spy who's been in unbelievable situations. Other than a few problems (iffy plot points, clichéd Paul Feig cinematography, too much slow-mo, a few stretched jokes), Spy is definitely a step up from many mainstream crass comedies, from the great cast to the fact that it pays homage to spy movies instead of simply parodying it. "I once drove a car off a freeway, on top of a train, while I was on fire. Not the car - I was on fire."
Chappie - 3/10 Truly awful. Blomkamp should be embarrassed and he should feel bad. I would only recommend for Die Antwoord fans since they were surprisingly the only convincing actors in this movie. It's one of the worst scripts I've willingly watched.
Jurassic World - 6/10 Dinosaurs were cool, but everything else was bad: the dialogue, one dimensional characters (the bad guy reminded me of Hugh Jackman's character from Chappie), the logic of it all...
[thumb]http://www.brainfreeze.be/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/jurassic-world-super-bowl-trailer-1.jpg[/thumb] Jurassic World (2015) - 7/10 Rise of the Planet of the- I mean, Jurassic World is a fun movie and a good entry in the Jurassic Park series. But is it anywhere near as good as the original Jurassic Park? Nope, don't count on it, but that comparison is a bit unfair to begin with. The main problem of the movie is poor characterization. Pretty much all the characters feel like cartoon characters. The often cheesey dialogue only reinforces that, and so does the questionable motivation behind the actions of certain characters. This, in turn, makes the many sub-plots feel uninteresting and ultimately unnecessary. The children in the movie are, for example, simply plot-devices and slow things down quite often. I also found both of them incredibly annoying at times. Not a good sign when these are the characters we get introduced to first. Chris Pratt does a decent job, though, and so does Bryce Dallas Howard. Also be on the lookout for Jake Johnson. He's funny. Now, characters may be flawed, but you're here to watch a movie about dinosaurs. And that's where the movie gets exciting. The I-Rex feels like a legitimate threat and Chris Pratt's raptors, as silly as that plotpoint may be, are a joy to watch. The CGI is convincing for the most part, but I wish more practical effects were used here and there. With all of that said: it's a good movie with some great moments, especially during the last act, but gets dumbed-down by some of its flawed characters and unfocused storytelling.
Jurassic World - 5 out of 5 This is the sequel 1993's Jurassic Park always deserved. From start to finish, World delivers the mesmerizing effect that Park originally did, from the park, to the cinematography, to the dinosaurs themselves. Despite being a man-made disaster, Indominus Rex does not feel entirely out of place in this world, and poses a real threat to dinosaurs and humans alike. Sadly, however, both Vincent D'Onofrio and B.D. Wong DO suffer from out-of-place disorder, as both characters have stories that muddy the plot, with the latter's clearly a last-minute thought to set up a more political sequel. On the bright side, those minor discrepancies are the only bad things to say about the film. The original theme is honored, and even the original visitor's center is revisited in a homage guaranteed to make even the most average Jurassic Park at least smirk. On that note, the nods to the original film are subtle and tasteful, and not overdone to toy with nostalgia and fool people into liking this entry - it is likable all on its own as a standalone in the franchise, with an excellent balance of character-driven story, action, and a sprinkle of humor. Although the chemistry between brothers Zach and Grey isn't the most convincing, the two of them paired with Chris Pratt's Owen and Bryce Dallas Howard's Claire make for a great "family" that mirrors Dr. Grant, Dr. Sattler, Lex, and Tim from the original film. Pratt continues to prove he is a leading-man, and Howard continues to excel in all of her roles regardless of character. The final climactic scene is standing ovation-worthy as Colin Trevorrow respects the franchise, the message(s) the original film sent, and the fans, with a battle that looks down upon The Lost Word and Park III (about time!). If World is any indication of where the Jurassic Park franchise is headed with Trevorrow at the helm, it has an extremely bright and promising future.
[thumb]http://www.freaksugar.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Transformers-age-of-extinction-still03.jpg[/thumb] Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014) - 0/5 Worst.
[video=youtube;6WZ8xI9YykY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WZ8xI9YykY[/video] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- also. saw jurassic world yesterday, and it was so so good. better than any of the sequels, but obviously still not as good as the first. still, it was fucking brilliant 9/10
I fucking lose it every time he goes through a breakdown because of the business card and Stefan is just screaming "bitch. Bitch. BITCH. BITCH." And the final screenshot from You Might Think is just gold.
[thumb]http://blogs-images.forbes.com/benjaminmoore/files/2015/05/Mad-Max-Fury-Road-Sequel-Titled-The-Wasteland.jpg[/thumb] Mad Max: Fury Road - 9/10 The greatest thing about this movie was how it straight up felt like an 80s action film. Does it had a good plot? Yes. But it doesn't concern itself too much with it, or try to make it some complex, stupid bullshit. The focus was on the action itself, and man, was it incredible. I don't think I have ever been in such awe from an action sequence this much ever since The Return Of The King. The post-apocalyptic world itself was realized incredibly well, which really drew me in. Another thing this film did fantstically (which things like Supergirl needs to learn from) was its female lead. If you want a strong female lead, let the character be a badass / strong individual without pointing out the fact that character is female, it's incredibly tacky. Let their actions do the talking. The only fault I can find with this movie is that I feel it is a bit too long. The movie overwhelms you with such nonstop action that by the last 20 minutes, I couldn't help but feel a bit bored because most of the things happeing were already done in the first hour of the movie. It by no means detracts from the film though. I really look forward to picking up the first 3 films in this franchise now. [thumb]http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/54ceb84fecad046128ace2af-1200-600/jurassic-world-dinosaurs.png[/thumb] Jurassic World - 8/10 Is this as good as Jurassic Park? No, not by any means, but I didn't expect it to be. However, it is the best sequel the franchise has spawned to date. It is an incredibly solid monster film. What I love so much was how real the park, and the business behind it, felt. Tourists lost interest in the animals themselves, so the scientists create a new hybrid to renew interest. BRILLIANT. The homages to the original were tastefully done, and how the film concludes is a very cool new take on the final sequence in the original film. Going, in I was a bit cautious of Chris Pratt, as he has only had one major action film role, but he was great in the movie; I can't wait to see what he does next. The major flaw this movie has is the two brothers. Their material wasn't bad, but it kept detracting from the much better scenes with Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard that were incredibly tense. The movie could have been better if that sub-plot would have just been removed completely. What really interests me now is what a sequel to Jurassic World would lool like, since they no doubt will make one, because $$$$. It seems like a tough task to me. Oh, and the movie has a certain cameo that is fucking great.
[thumb]http://i.huffpost.com/gen/2560122/images/o-UNIVERSAL-PICTURES-facebook.jpg[/thumb] Jurassic World (2015) - 4/5 Finally a competent entry into the franchise after the dud that was The Lost World and the paint-by-the-numbers Jurassic Park 3. This one feels like there was actual care and thought put into it. It's not perfect but it takes lessons from the original and tries to put its own spin on things. For the most part it succeeds but there also times where it falls short. The premise is interesting and there were some really heart-thumping dino action that feels visceral. The pacing was good, it never slumps at any point and they get to the action pretty quickly which is a good thing. I however did not like the cinematography. It just looks too bright and blue. This was one of my fears from the moment the trailer came out. They could've made the film more immersive if they toned down the blues and overall brightness. Unlike the original, here the cinematography doesn't feel completely natural. Also, it lacked in having any real slow-burn suspenseful moments. Anytime they got in that territory they pulled back without letting the suspense build. Overall its a competently made film that delivers on the action and thrill for the most part.
It Follows (2014) – Rotten Tomatoes said 96%, the two people whose reviews I saw here were disappointed – I found the controversy interesting so I went to watch this myself. I myself am not disappointed... first of all, the movie does what it sets out to do. The complaints about the plot are out of place, because the movie isn't centered on the plot at all. The plot, as well as the filming style (which I thought was surprising and somewhat odd, though fun (I guess it's retro?)) and the music are just a means of getting the mood across; really it's all about the mood (call it dread if you will, though I didn't find the film particularly scary) and the ambiguity of it all. If you don't find the film thought-provoking, then I guess it just didn't work for you. But for me it did. 7/10 EDIT: Oh, and omnomnomnomnomnomnomnom.
See, I would only give Jurassic World around a 5/10... The effects and dinosaurs were fantastic, but the script, plot, and acting (aside from Chris Pratt) were quite sub-par. The scientist lady was just annoying. Many plot lines were just kind of... there. People talk about the last fight being epic and everything, but I thought it was just stupid... I don't want to give any spoilers but one thing that happened during it was just anatomically impossible and made absolutely no sense at all. That's when I threw my hands in the air and gave up on trying to love this movie. The first half was pretty good, but the second half (which could've been fantastic) really fell off.
Grand Budapest Hotel: 8.5/10 - I found the way it was filmed absolutely gorgeous and really enjoyed the film beginning to end.
I was finally able to catch up on some movies, so here we go! The Prestige 8.0/10 - I was hesitant to watch a movie about magicians, but I was really impressed with this one! Love how the ending unfolded. The Help 8.0/10 - Really shows you how despicable white people acted towards black people back in the day. Emma Stone's feisty character is great. Saving Mr. Banks 7.5/10 - I was pleasantly surprised by this one. It's not a super interesting plot, but the movie just has such a lovely vibe to it and has a lot of great characters in it. And Tom Hanks in a movie is always a plus! Oh and I normally don't really like Colin Farrell, but he was great in this! Shame that the movie apparently doesn't really tell the truth though. The Machinist 7.0/10 - It's a good movie, but I cant say that I really enjoyed watching it. Mainly because it has such a gritty, depressing and strange feel to it. One should watch it just to see Christian Bale as a skeleton though. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button 6.5/10 - I guess my expectations were to high for this one (for some reason), so it was a big disappointment. I'm not sure what I was expecting from a story about a man aging backwards, but it was basically just that, watching Brad Pitt going from being an old baby to being a young baby. Euhh weird and not very entertaining to me. Interstellar 8.5/10 - Why anyone would not like this movie is beyond me. I could even get over my dislike for Matthew McCounaghey(?) in this! Anything with Extraterrestrial usually interests me, mix it with a good plot and I'm golden. The Kings Speech 7.5/10 - I'm not sure about this one. First of all the acting by Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush was absolutely great, but the story about a King having to deal with his stuttering just wasn't that interesting to me. I think my expectations were just a bit too high. Overall it was a good movie, but I wouldn't watch it for a second time. Winters Bone 7.0/10 - I'm not sure where this was shot, but man what a depressing place to live. That's the thing that actually struck me most about this movie, I couldn't believe that there were people in America that actually live like that. Anyway, great acting by Jennifer Lawrence. It's worth a watch, but don't expect too much. The Road 7.5/10 - My brother thought The Road was really boring, so I wasn't expecting much. Turns out I really liked it. I thought it gave a good image of what a post-apocalyptic world would be like and how hard it would be to survive in that. Area 51 6.0/10 - Like I said, anything with Extraterrestrial life in it usually interests me and I'm always intrigued by the "mystery" that is Area 51, so I was really excited to see this. Unfortunately it fell short. I don't think the movie is that bad, I like the plot and the acting is pretty good, but after all the planning they do to get into Area 51 everything just felt too easy and rushed. They had no problem getting into the base which I find highly unlikely and then the ending is just so weird (I wont spoil). Area 51 did feel really creepy though, which I liked.
Spy - 3 out of 5 With a "twist" you can see coming from its setup early on in the movie (it's a spy film, come on), Spy is just short of forgettable. Yes, it's a "fun" flick and it's great to see McCarthy doing stuff other than being an overly gross woman, but the comedy supersedes the genre and it turns into an uncensored Family Guy-esque 2 hour feature.
[thumb]http://www.brutalashell.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Maggie-Movie-Arnold-Schwarzenegger-e1434002912140.jpg[/thumb] Maggie (2015) - 7,5/10 An overall strong directional debut for Henry Hobson with strong performances from its cast, including a surprisingly subtle Arnold Schwarzenegger. While his line delivery may not be the best, his actual acting is top-notch. The actors succeed in bringing out the needed emotion, even though the script itself at times tries a bit too hard to get certain emotions across through exposition. With that said, though, Hobson still manages to deliver a sad tale about decline, family and, ultimately, about letting go. Not exactly words you'd connect with a movie starring Schwarzenegger, which makes it all the more commendable. Definitely worth a watch.
Maggie is the definitive example for why "show, don't tell" mostly works. I mean, it made Schwarzenegger look absolutely great.