[thumb]http://36.media.tumblr.com/6bd914b95bffbb7dd2f3d61f2fbfbf87/tumblr_nutyqrLYzQ1qduh7lo2_1280.jpg[/thumb] Sicario (2015) - 5/5 Denis Villeneuve can do no wrong at this point. Movie was perfect. I just can't wait to see what him and Roger Deakins does with Bladerunner 2. It's gonna be so beautiful
The Awakening- 10/10!!! That has to be one of the most beautiful, suspenseful movies I've ever seen. It's on Netflix, and if you haven't seen it make it your job to. Beasts of no Nation- 7.5/10 This one is a very well-made movie, but I don't know. It didn't really strike a chord with my like tons of people have been saying. I've read many comparisons of it to 'City of God', and while there are similarities, Beasts is (in my opinion) nowhere near as good.
[thumb]http://dc-theme.dreadcentralmedi.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/BoneTomahawk_Still8.jpg[/thumb] Bone Tomahawk (2015) - 3.5/5 The writing was very good. Bits of dark humor thrown all over it and it worked. Very much in the style of Tarantino without coming off as a rip off. The gore and horror elements also worked quite well. There's one scene that almost made me wanna look away. My major problem was that I thought it could've been a way shorter film. A lot could've been lifted out of the middle and the story would've still made sense. From a visual stand point it shows that its the work of a first time director. Visually it feels like a paint by the number Western.
Spirited Away. Watched the movie in 1080p too. The art alone killed me. What an amazing movie, seriously. Just magnificent.
[thumb]http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/images/reviews/285/full/1435528892_4.jpg[/thumb] Slow West (2015) - 3/5 If Wes Anderson ever directed a western, this is what it would look like. Best thing about this film are the visuals. They are amazing. Usually with Western you expect drab worn out colors but this film looks gorgeous. It's vibrant and colorful all the way through. All the shots are choreographed beautifully as well. But that's as far it goes. Story-wise it doesn't have a lot to offer. There was a point towards the beginning when I thought the story was getting interesting but by the end it all sort of became meaningless and anticlimactic, despite a very well directed shootout sequence.
Spectre - meh. first 10 minutes were great, but everything else was either laughable or boring. 5.5/10
[thumb]http://spinoff.comicbookresources.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/spectre2.png[/thumb] Spectre (2015) - 1.5/5 What a big mess this was. First off, whose idea was it to make James Bond campy again, especially in this Daniel Craig version? It absolutely did not work. And that's the first of this film's problems. For the first time in a Craig-helmed Bond film I felt zero investment in the action scenes. No amount of shots of mountains and breathtaking locations could make me feel engaged in these action sequences. Mainly because I thought they were not clever or creative enough. Most of them felt so boring. Even when the momentum got going, it got undercut with some really terrible comedic moment. Speaking of not being invested, what was up with this story? Could it be more run of the mill? They took an actor of Christoph Waltz's caliber and turned him into a clown villain. I understand them trying to pay homage to the old school campy Bond but did it have to be so blatant and uninspired? If you want to do throwback the right way, then look no further than Mission Impossible 5. That's how keep your feet on both worlds and give nods to old school spy thrillers and yet manage to be a well made contemporary action film.
Macbeth (2015) Anomalisa (2015) Both movies were weird in their own way. I don't know if I liked them or not.
Spectre - 5/10 I feel sick to my stomach with how bad that story was. That's what the previous 3 movies were building up to???? Jesus christ. I actually really liked it until we learned more about Spectre and Waltz's character. Then everything immediately became cliche and forgettable. The last 20 minutes or so were especially horrible. Like I couldn't think of a worse way to end the movie. The title sequence was amazing though. It made me think the movie was actually going to be epic. Silly me. Here's the video for anyone wanting to see it - Title sequence
[thumb]http://www.asset1.net/tv/pictures/movie/rocky-1976/Rocky-LB-1.png[/thumb] Rocky (1976) - 4/5 Loved everything about it except for the super abrupt ending.
Guys, KRAMPUS is amazing!!! It's definitely a 10/10 for me. Amazing cinematography, comedy, and scariness. It's so awesome. If you like Silent Night, Deadly Night you'll love this one.
Had to babysit my nephews, and the 2 year old loves this movie. It wasn't bad. Animation and art is great for a kid's film (though I prefer Up and Big Hero). I don't know what to rate it, since I only watched it for my nephew. I'll give it 7.5/10. I liked the voice acting a lot in this Pixar film.
[thumb]https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ALSwWTb88ZU/maxresdefault.jpg[/thumb] Tangerine (2015) - 4/5 This movie was a roller coaster ride. It's very loud and kinetic but there's also a lot of heart in it. I felt bad for the characters by the end of the film. Visually it looks quite great too especially given how it was shot on an iPhone. Definitely one of the hidden gems of 2015. - [thumb]http://www.wired.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/CrimsonPeak1.jpg[/thumb] Crimson Peak (2015) - 2.5/5 Quite disappointed with this. I saw the twist coming a little over halfway through the film and when it came it wasn't all that satisfactory. I was hoping for something a little more complex with a more fleshed out backstory instead of things being as cut and dry as it was. The relationship between Hiddleston and Mia Wasikowska also felt very half-baked. I wasn't particularly fan of the visuals either. While many of the sets were meticulously crafted, the final visual style didn't do a lot for me. Not many scenes stuck with me by the end of the film. Another thing I really didn't like was some of the coloring done on post. It looked so artificial and awful. In the end only the set designs and some atmosphere backed with a half decent mystery is what holds the movie together. All of this, along with such a strong cast could've resulted in something much more but it only ends up feeling like a wasted opportunity.
Silence of the lambs - 9/10 This movie was way better than I thought. Also, creepy as fuck. It was great.
[thumb]http://dl9fvu4r30qs1.cloudfront.net/12/cd/49da237544f3bbd16d45d05f8ec1/andrew-garfield-99-homes-2-1.jpg[/thumb] 99 Homes (2015) - 4/5 Solid film. Great performances by the two leads Andrew Garfield and Michael Shannon. My only gripe is that some of the conflict and the final act felt very written and not in tune with the rest of the reality the film set up for itself. Overall though, the pacing was pretty good and I liked how it exists in a moral grey area.
[thumb]http://assets.rollingstone.com/assets/2015/moviereview/steve-jobs-20151007/211742/medium_rect/1444068943/720x405-SJOBSPK001_D033_00138_RV2_C.JPG[/thumb] Steve Jobs (2015) - 3.5/5 I liked it. I did not love it. Mainly because I'm not that enamored by Steve Jobs as a person or his life. It's just not that fascinating to me. Still, strictly from a filmmaking stand point I enjoyed it quite a bit. The set designs and visual aesthetic is beautiful, as it is to be expected from Danny Boyle. I enjoyed how dialog driven it was, even though there were times it got too talk-y, like most of Aaron Sorkins' screenplays. But still, for the most part it was great. Despite not looking anything like the real Jobs, Michael Fassbender did an incredible job at capturing his mannerisms. This film truly captures how great of an actor he is. - [thumb]http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/5601adac9dd7cc17008bc444/actor-andrew-garfield-explains-how-he-embedded-himself-in-the-housing-market-crisis-to-make-an-incredible-new-movie-99-homes.jpg[/thumb] 99 Homes (2015) - 4/5 Solid film. Great performances by the two leads Andrew Garfield and Michael Shannon. My only gripe is that some of the conflict and the final act felt very written and not in tune with the rest of the film's reality. Overall though, the pacing was pretty good and I liked how it exists in a moral grey area. - [thumb]http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1551/15511094/2983440-star-wars-7-force-awakens-kylo-ren-captain-phasma-general-hux.jpg[/thumb] Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) - 5/5 This movie... blew me away. I could not be more happy with how it turned out. The action, the character moments, the story, the pacing, the emotional beats and arcs are damn near perfectly executed. They took all the elements that made the original trilogy so memorable and more or less stuck to that formula and it worked! Only the scale feels much bigger because of advancements in technology. The three new actors portray their respective roles brilliantly with a lot of charisma and earnestness. It's fun, high octane, suspenseful and cinematic but also has a lot of heart just like the original trilogy. They couldn't have set up this new story any better imo. [thumb]http://www.screenrelish.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/The-Hateful-Eight.jpg[/thumb] The Hateful Eight (2015) - 2.5/5 One of Tarantino's weaker films. The premise was interesting but the mystery wasn't that captivating. The writing is also pale in comparison to Tarantino's other works. Sam Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jason Leigh and Walton Goggins were great but the rest of the cast was just okay. Channing Tatum felt really out of place and it took me out of the film and Tim Roth's performance felt like he was trying his hardest to imitate Christoph Waltz.