The year 2019 was an amazing year for movies and big box office hits. We had Avengers: Endgame, the biggest box office hit ever. We also had Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, The Lion King, It: Chapter Two, Joker, and Aladdin. Coming soon, I'll post quick reviews of every 2019 release I saw, giving my thoughts on each of them. And now you can go to that by clicking here.
But what does 2020 hold in store for cinema? I'll rate each film on a score of 1-5, 5 being I will definitely see it, and 1 being I probably won't see it in theaters unless my friends really want to.
Dolitte: 2
As of me writing this, Dolittle is already out in theaters and I don't have plans to see it yet, so I might not. I might have to watch it after it's been released on DVD/digital.
Birds of Prey: 2
This is like a spin-off from Suicide Squad, I guess. I like Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, so I might see this. But I'm not dying to see it.
Sonic the Hedgehog: 1
I was never a huge fan of the Sonic games as a kid, although I did play them a little. This might be interesting, but something I can definitely wait to watch.
The Call of the Wild: 1
Not a movie I'm desperate to see, but Harrison Ford might have some meme-worthy quotes in this. Him as a grumpy old man is just pure entertainment to me.
Onward: 3
Tom Holland and Chris Pratt voice brothers who are trying to resurrect their dad, I think. Looks fun and heart-warming. It could go either way if I see this in theaters or not.
A Quiet Place Part II: 4
I really enjoyed the first one, and thought it set up very well for a sequel. Without John Krasinski, it won't be the same, but it'll still be with the same family. We'll probably see this.
Mulan: 3
Disney continues with its live-action remakes of their animated classics. This is one I would see, but I don't have to. I don't really like the idea of giving Disney money to urge them to make more live-action remakes, although I've done that plenty already.
No Time to Die: 4
I'm a fairly big James Bond fan, having seen all of the Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig "Bond" films (I still need to watch the older ones, especially the ones with Connery). If my friends don't want to see it, I might have to see it on my own, depending on the reviews it gets.
Black Widow: 5
I love the casting in this, from David Harbour to Rachel Weisz. This will probably be the last time we see ScarJo as Black Widow, and I'll be interested to see what connections this has to the other Marvel/Avengers films.
Fast & Furious 9: 5
I got into the Fast & the Furious series in the past couple years. I even saw "Hobbs & Shaw" last year. They return to the rest of the crew, and I'm excited to see it, even if I might have to see it on my own (again).
Wonder Woman 1984: 4
Gal Gadot kills it as Wonder Woman. From the trailer, it looks to be another well-made Wonder Woman movie. I will almost for sure see this, although I think I could wait until DVD/digital release if need be.
Top Gun: Maverick: 1
Fun fact: Top Gun (the original) is the only film I've seen in a different language. I saw it dubbed in German in my German class in high school. I don't know if I'll see this (probably not), but I'd have to watch the original in English first.
Free Guy: 5
This looks crazy, but in a good way. I hope this gets good reviews. I know of a few YouTubers who have small roles in this. I'll definitely see this, being a huge gamer myself.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife: 2
I have only seen Ghostbusters 1, the original. I didn't see any of its sequels/spin-offs. So it's a bit unlikely I'll see this, but you never know. Reviews might dictate if I see it or not.
Tenet: 4
Christopher Nolan is at it again, and how will he mess with our minds this time? I'm curious to find out. I definitely want to see it at some point, hopefully in theaters.
Bill & Ted Face the Music: 3
I really enjoyed the original Bill & Ted, so I might see this one. Hard to believe they are doing another after so many years.
The King's Man: 3
This film was originally supposed to come out in November 2019, then it was pushed to February 2020, and now it's September 2020. Those delays make me not really want to see it, despite being a fan of the first to "Kingsmen" films. There's no Colin Firth or Taron Egerton in this, so it'll be hard to relate.
BIOS: 2
It's directed by Miguel Sapochnik, who directed some of the best Game of Thrones episodes. It also stars one of my favorite actors, Tom Hanks. I might see it, might not. I'll have to see what the trailer looks like.
Halloween Kills: 3
I saw "Halloween" in 2018, so I'll probably see this at some point. Hard to believe Michael Myers keeps surviving.
Eternals: 3
It's a Marvel movie, so I will definitely see it sooner or later. There are no returning Marvel characters in this, so we'll see how it does at the box office. Also, people might have "Marvel fatigue" and not want to see a Marvel movie after Endgame. I guess this also applies to Black Widow.
Godzilla vs. Kong: 3
I've not been too impressed with the recent Godzilla movies, especially the most recent one, "King of the Monsters". But I am a big monster movie fan, so I will see this. I could pass on seeing it in theaters, though.
That's it... not that impressive of a list, to be honest. And there's not really a film I was as excited to see as Star Wars and Avengers: Endgame. But here's my top 5:
5. A Quiet Place Part II
4. No Time to Die
3. Fast & Furious 9
2. Black Widow
1. Free Guy
Showing posts with label Theater. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Theater. Show all posts
Thursday, January 16, 2020
Sunday, June 25, 2017
My 2017 Movie Review List
Something I have been doing a lot of with my friends is seeing movies. It's one of our favorite things to do for a group outing. This year, 2017, is turning out to be a killer year for movies, with the best yet to come. I am going to review every 2017 release I see here, and I will update as I watch them. I'll probably even review some 2017 releases that I rent, because I'm not going to see THAT many in theaters. Any that I watch later will be in RED.
Each movie will be rated out of 10, on a .5 scale, so a movie could be rated 8.5 or 6.5. I'll try to order them by when I saw them.
January
A Monster Calls: Liam Neeson does a tremendous job as the voice of the Monster, but I felt my attention ebbing away during this flick. The kid's hallucinations while dealing with his mother's cancer was hard to relate to for me. Hard to believe Felicity Jones went from Rogue One (Action) to this (Drama, cancer victim).
Rating: 6.5/10
Split: I'm starting to really get into thrillers, and Split certainly helped. James McAvoy was given no easy task, having to portray about a dozen different personalities on screen, and boy was he fantastic. Anya Taylor-Joy was a delight and easy to root for, but her dumb friends were not. Little did we know this film is connected to "Unbreakable" and a third film, "Glass", will connect the two.
Rating: 8/10
Februrary
John Wick: Chapter 2: I had not seen the first John Wick prior to seeing this (I have now, however), and I was very impressed with the action scenes. Keanu Reeves is one of the few actors around 50 years of age that can still believably kick ass. Kind of hard to relate to John, especially since I hadn't seen the first yet, but it was an enjoyable film nonetheless.
Rating: 7.5/10
The Lego Batman Movie: Occasionally when I watch a movie in theaters I find myself dozing off, especially if I watch it late. I remember dozing off during the climax/action towards the end of all places. All the colors and (almost) mindless blocks moving around just was hard to follow. HOWEVER, the voice acting and story were very well done. Just not a huge fan of Lego movies, I guess.
Rating: 7/10
Get Out: Another thriller and one of the best of 2017 so far. Jordan Peele did such a good job, in directing and writing. Some character's motives and decisions can be questioned, but when is that NOT the case? There was some great acting from everyone, and this is a movie I can definitely watch again.
Rating: 9/10
March
Logan: I love it when superhero movies focus more on the story, dialogue, and cinematography. The action will be there and the effects will be good enough. Logan excells. It deserves Oscar recognition (Hugh Jackman best actor?) and hopefully won't be forgotten about come awards season. This was the first pure Wolverine movie I've seen and boy I'm glad it was.
Rating: 9.5/10
Kong: Skull Island: Sure ended abruptly, but it kinda sets up for a monster sequel. Tom Hiddleston was good, not great. Samuel L. Jackson always makes a decent villain (see Django Unchained, Kingsman: The Secret Service). The action between Kong and the dinosaurs was ok, a tiny bit of a letdown. A lot of the character's decisions could be questioned. A very ho hum type movie.
Rating: 6/10
Beauty and the Beast: As far as live action adaptations go, they couldn't have done much better. Emma Watson was a delight, and she did surprisingly well for the singing parts. The action between Beast and Gaston could've been a bit better, and I found the extra backstory a little unnecessary and boring. The designs for Codsworth and Lumiere were weird, but not bad. That snowball Belle got hit with by Beast sure was a hoot.
Rating: 8/10
The Belko Experiment: I'm sorry, but James Gunn is killing it. First with Guardians of the Galaxy (see below), now with The Belko Experiment. The guy that survived is not who I was expecting to survive (I thought it would be the girl). And then the twist at the end that the surviving worker was able to pull off, impressive and I bet very few saw that coming.
Rating: 8.5/10
Power Rangers: Some decisions I knew going in I questioned, such as the design of the Rangers outfits and the decision to make Billy Black, Trini bisexual, etc. But they put together a very good action flick. It was just a bit hard for me to relate this film to the old Power Ranger series of the 90's I watched as a kid. But they set up well for a sequel, with a hint to a Tommy Oliver (PLEASE don't make Tommy a girl!) AKA the green ranger.
Rating: 7.5/10
Life: Reminded me a bit of a cross between Gravity and Apollo 13. Some of the characters' decisions and motives can be questioned (Such as Rory's, played by Ryan Reynolds). But when you rate all of the aspects together, special effects, acting, writing, etc. and you compare this to other recent space films (like the aforementioned Gravity as well as Interstellar and The Martian) it falls a little bit short in each category. Enjoyable? Absolutely. Oscar/award worthy? Not really.
Rating: 7.5/10
April
Fate of the Furious: Well I finally watched the entire F&F franchise, and I gotta say I really enjoyed it. If this is the final film in the franchise, I'd say they capped it off pretty well. I like how they were able to give Dom a son and not have to have Letty go through pregnancy. The scenes they had in Russia and Cuba were all done very well. And Charlize Theron killed it as the main villain. Seeing as she escaped, it leads me to believe there will be a 9th Fast and the Furious Film. Fast 9?
Rating: 8/10
May
Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 2: One of my favorite opening scenes ever, to an action movie or not. This film was littered with humor throughout, and Chris Pratt is Hollywood's go to lead guy now, and for good reason. Kurt Russell as his God-like father was a perfect casting. The only complaint I have is the action was a teensy bit convoluted, but maybe that's just how action movies are nowadays.
Rating: 9/10
Alien: Covenant: I went in thinking this would just be a cheap jump-scare flick, but it was anything but. They had the audacity to kill of the leader of their group played by Billy Crudup. This film was good enough to make me want to see Prometheus, and I haven't heard too good of things about that film. Sets up nicely for a sequel to complete the trilogy.
Rating: 7.5/10
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales: Again, the climax just didn't entice me enough. But I loved the finish, including both Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley, although it was hard to believe that Brenton Thwaites was their son. Johnny Depp was born to play Jack Sparrow and he killed it, again. Javier Bardem always makes a decent baddie (See Skyfall).
Rating: 7/10
June
Wonder Woman: Yet again another climax I dozed off too, haha. But Gal Gadot was the perfect choice to play Diana Prince, being both believable and beautiful. David Thewlis as the antagonist just didn't seem too believable for me, because all I can see him as is Professor Lupin from the Harry Potter series. Chris Pine was a perfect cast as Diana's love interest.
Rating: 8.5/10
The Mummy: Did I mention I doze off during the end of films? This was a day viewing for me and I still did. Was a decent start to the Monster series, but I wasn't too enthralled by it. Although seeing that I had low expectations, I did think it was better than I thought it would be.
Rating: 7/10
July
Spider-Man Homecoming: It could be just me, but I felt Tom Holland captured the essence of Spider-Man better than Andrew Garfield or even Tobey Maguire. I think his voice suits the role better, for one. Wasn't a huge fan of the casting choices, with basically no white friends of Peter Parker (They even made Aunt May Italian). I liked Keaton as the villian and the effects were great. They incorporated just enough of Iron Man and even Captain America to make it interesting.
Rating: 8.5/10
War for the Planet of the Apes: I thought this was a solid finish to the new Planet of the Apes trilogy. I definitely enjoyed it more than "Dawn". Andy Serkis just flat out knows how to play a monkey. If there were a time for someone to get nominated for best actor for a motion capture role, this would be it.
Rating: 8/10
Dunkirk: I enjoy movies with a solid protagonist and plot, but this didn't really have that. However, that is ok, because everything else was just top notch. The visuals, sound, editing, costumes, music, all fantastic. This movie was made to capture the essence of the battle of Dunkirk and boy did it ever.
Rating: 9/10
August
The Dark Tower: Haven't read the books, but for a standalone movie it wasn't bad. I felt a lot of the complex aspects were oversimplified, and they didn't explain enough. Also, I don't really like Matthew McConaughey as a villian--he's just not believable enough. My friend who has read the books wasn't a fan of this film, so I have to take that into account.
Rating: 6.5/10
September
It: This movie sure got a lot of buzz and for good reason. Bill Skarsgard was fantastic as Pennywise the clown. The kids were all well-casted as well. Seeing how long the book is, it might've functioned better as a two or three part movie series, but seeing as I haven't read the book, I'm not even sure what the movie left out because it was well-paced. They did skip ahead a few times, so maybe there were things there. All in all one of the very few horror/thriller films I'd want to see again.
Rating: 9/10
mother!: Wow, this movie will either leave you fuming or thinking or both. For me, it was both. Best not to put yourself in Jennifer Lawrence's shoes, as she is perceived as the main character/protagonist. I liked all of the religious connotations and connections, and Javier Bardem's character (Him) was clearly a representation of God. But this film is NOT for the faint of heart or for younger audiences, as it only gets worse and worse. Terrific acting performances in this by everyone.
Rating: 8/10
October
Geostorm: Not the movie I most wanted to see this month, but it was better than I thought it would be. You have a disaster movie directed by the guy who wrote the 1998 Godzilla movie, with the lead being an actor who's been in a lot of bad films (Gerard Butler). But it wasn't half bad, in my opinion. It was a bit predictable and cheesy at times, but what disaster movie isn't? Also, the movie's plot is based on the fact that we have satellites that basically control climates for different areas of the world. Why in the world would someone be able to corrupt these satellites to cause harm and kill millions of people? Would rather leave our fate to God than whoever has control of "Dutch Boy" as they called the control center.
Rating: 6.5/10
November
Thor: Ragnarok: Marvel continues to succeed, whether it be in Avenger's type films with multiple superheroes or ones that focus on a particular superhero. This was like a hybrid of the two, as it had Thor (obviously), Loki, The Hulk/Bruce Banner, and a cameo by Dr. Strange. It seemed to me that they tried a little too hard to be funny, but other than the comedic stretches I liked the direction the Thor franchise took.
Rating: 8/10
Justice League: We SHOULD be excited that the entire Justice League finally got together, but it just left us with an unsatisfying feeling. For me, the villain never seemed to be that big of a threat, especially compared to Superman. There was a step forward from BvS but it was a tiny step forward at that. Still not really liking Affleck as Batman, but Gal Gadot continues to kill at as Wonder Woman. Hopefully the DC franchise can recover because Marvel is still miles ahead of them.
Rating: 6.5/10
Daddy's Home 2: I wasn't expecting much as I don't think too highly of the first Daddy's Home, but this one wasn't that bad. There weren't many, if any scenes that made me cringe, and there were at least 3 of those in the first. The ending was kinda cheesy, but hey, it's a comedy.
Rating: 6.5/10
December
Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi: Man oh man... where to begin? I would have to rank this near the top of Star Wars films, I think. I'm still debating on whether or not it's better than The Force Awakens. It had amazing effects, brilliant camera work and cinematography, and it was well acted, too. With TFA, people could complain that its story borrowed too much from A New Hope, so this is the first Star Wars movie in 34 years that the general audience can't complain too much about. Solid.
Rating: 9/10
The Shape of Water: This was much better than I thought it would be. Sally Hawkins was brilliant as the lead, and the supporting cast all did tremendous jobs as well. It was definitely an interesting story, with a woman falling for a non-human but humanoid creature. Will this get some Oscar nominations? It wouldn't surprise me.
Rating: 8.5/10
Well, that's all the films I saw in 2017! A great year for movies. Now, for some awards!
Best Actor:
James McAvoy - Split
Daniel Kaluuya - Get Out
Hugh Jackman - Logan
Javier Bardem - mother!
Andy Serkis - War for the Planet of the Apes
Some great choices there. But my best actor award goes to...
Andy Serkis! That's right, a guy who did motion capture! He MADE the entire PotA series, as in he was the main reason they had success. And "War" may have been his best work yet.
Best Actress:
Felicity Jones - A Monster Calls
Dafne Keen - Logan
Gal Gadot - Wonder Woman
Jennifer Lawrence - mother!
Sally Hawkins - The Shape of Water
Good year for leading women, with Dafne Keen the youngest nominee in any category. The award goes to....
Sally Hawkins! She played a mute character falling for a humanoid creature. Not an easy thing to do.
Best Supporting Actor:
LilRel Howery - Get Out
Tony Robbins - The Belko Experiment
Kurt Russell - Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 2
Woody Harrelson - War for the Planet of the Apes
Richard Jenkins - The Shape of Water
We have three villains and two sidekick type characters. Who will get it? The award goes to...
Richard Jenkins! Yes, The Shape of Water is still fresh in my mind, but I didn't see too many films with great supporting acting roles.
Best Supporting Actress:
Marisa Tomei - Spider-Man: Homecoming
Sophia Lillis - It
Michelle Pfeiffer - mother!
Carrie Fisher - Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Octavia Spencer - The Shape of Water
Again, kind of slim pickins but there was one that stood out. The award goes to...
Carrie Fisher! I award this posthumously to her. She exhibited grace, elegance, and power in every one of her scenes. She won't get an actual Oscar nomination probably, but I think she's not too far off.
Best Special Effects:
Logan
Fate of the Furious
Spider-Man Homecoming
Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 2
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
I sure saw some amazing special effects this year. The award goes to...
Guardians of the Galaxy! Yep, I picked it over Star Wars, which was a close second. Guardians had some amazing visuals that made me stare in awe, something that is not easy to do.
Best Director:
Jordan Peele - Get Out
Patty Jenkins - Wonder Woman
Christopher Nolan - Dunkirk
Darren Aronofsky - mother!
Guillermo del Toro - The Shape of Water
I'd be shocked if at least one of these isn't nominated for an Oscar. The one who I'd be most shocked to not see nominated wins my award. And that is...
Christopher Nolan! I can't give every award to The Shape of Water. But Nolan did a great job in Dunkirk, and not since Saving Private Ryan has there been such a realistic and gritty war movie. Maybe it was even more realistic than that.
Best Picture:
Get Out
Logan
Wonder Woman
Dunkirk
It
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
The Shape of Water
The Academy can have up to 10 nominations, so I can too. This is a tough one. The winner, and the best motion picture I saw in 2018, IS....
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Dunkirk! This one wasn't one for a great plot, but it absolutely EXCELLED in other categories: cinematography, music, sound (editing and mixing), visual effects, and acting. It is a well deserved best picture from me.
Well, that is it for 2017. I liked doing this so much I think I'll do it for 2018! See you then!
Each movie will be rated out of 10, on a .5 scale, so a movie could be rated 8.5 or 6.5. I'll try to order them by when I saw them.
January
A Monster Calls: Liam Neeson does a tremendous job as the voice of the Monster, but I felt my attention ebbing away during this flick. The kid's hallucinations while dealing with his mother's cancer was hard to relate to for me. Hard to believe Felicity Jones went from Rogue One (Action) to this (Drama, cancer victim).
Rating: 6.5/10
Split: I'm starting to really get into thrillers, and Split certainly helped. James McAvoy was given no easy task, having to portray about a dozen different personalities on screen, and boy was he fantastic. Anya Taylor-Joy was a delight and easy to root for, but her dumb friends were not. Little did we know this film is connected to "Unbreakable" and a third film, "Glass", will connect the two.
Rating: 8/10
Februrary
John Wick: Chapter 2: I had not seen the first John Wick prior to seeing this (I have now, however), and I was very impressed with the action scenes. Keanu Reeves is one of the few actors around 50 years of age that can still believably kick ass. Kind of hard to relate to John, especially since I hadn't seen the first yet, but it was an enjoyable film nonetheless.
Rating: 7.5/10
The Lego Batman Movie: Occasionally when I watch a movie in theaters I find myself dozing off, especially if I watch it late. I remember dozing off during the climax/action towards the end of all places. All the colors and (almost) mindless blocks moving around just was hard to follow. HOWEVER, the voice acting and story were very well done. Just not a huge fan of Lego movies, I guess.
Rating: 7/10
Get Out: Another thriller and one of the best of 2017 so far. Jordan Peele did such a good job, in directing and writing. Some character's motives and decisions can be questioned, but when is that NOT the case? There was some great acting from everyone, and this is a movie I can definitely watch again.
Rating: 9/10
March
Logan: I love it when superhero movies focus more on the story, dialogue, and cinematography. The action will be there and the effects will be good enough. Logan excells. It deserves Oscar recognition (Hugh Jackman best actor?) and hopefully won't be forgotten about come awards season. This was the first pure Wolverine movie I've seen and boy I'm glad it was.
Rating: 9.5/10
Kong: Skull Island: Sure ended abruptly, but it kinda sets up for a monster sequel. Tom Hiddleston was good, not great. Samuel L. Jackson always makes a decent villain (see Django Unchained, Kingsman: The Secret Service). The action between Kong and the dinosaurs was ok, a tiny bit of a letdown. A lot of the character's decisions could be questioned. A very ho hum type movie.
Rating: 6/10
Beauty and the Beast: As far as live action adaptations go, they couldn't have done much better. Emma Watson was a delight, and she did surprisingly well for the singing parts. The action between Beast and Gaston could've been a bit better, and I found the extra backstory a little unnecessary and boring. The designs for Codsworth and Lumiere were weird, but not bad. That snowball Belle got hit with by Beast sure was a hoot.
Rating: 8/10
The Belko Experiment: I'm sorry, but James Gunn is killing it. First with Guardians of the Galaxy (see below), now with The Belko Experiment. The guy that survived is not who I was expecting to survive (I thought it would be the girl). And then the twist at the end that the surviving worker was able to pull off, impressive and I bet very few saw that coming.
Rating: 8.5/10
Power Rangers: Some decisions I knew going in I questioned, such as the design of the Rangers outfits and the decision to make Billy Black, Trini bisexual, etc. But they put together a very good action flick. It was just a bit hard for me to relate this film to the old Power Ranger series of the 90's I watched as a kid. But they set up well for a sequel, with a hint to a Tommy Oliver (PLEASE don't make Tommy a girl!) AKA the green ranger.
Rating: 7.5/10
Life: Reminded me a bit of a cross between Gravity and Apollo 13. Some of the characters' decisions and motives can be questioned (Such as Rory's, played by Ryan Reynolds). But when you rate all of the aspects together, special effects, acting, writing, etc. and you compare this to other recent space films (like the aforementioned Gravity as well as Interstellar and The Martian) it falls a little bit short in each category. Enjoyable? Absolutely. Oscar/award worthy? Not really.
Rating: 7.5/10
April
Fate of the Furious: Well I finally watched the entire F&F franchise, and I gotta say I really enjoyed it. If this is the final film in the franchise, I'd say they capped it off pretty well. I like how they were able to give Dom a son and not have to have Letty go through pregnancy. The scenes they had in Russia and Cuba were all done very well. And Charlize Theron killed it as the main villain. Seeing as she escaped, it leads me to believe there will be a 9th Fast and the Furious Film. Fast 9?
Rating: 8/10
May
Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 2: One of my favorite opening scenes ever, to an action movie or not. This film was littered with humor throughout, and Chris Pratt is Hollywood's go to lead guy now, and for good reason. Kurt Russell as his God-like father was a perfect casting. The only complaint I have is the action was a teensy bit convoluted, but maybe that's just how action movies are nowadays.
Rating: 9/10
Alien: Covenant: I went in thinking this would just be a cheap jump-scare flick, but it was anything but. They had the audacity to kill of the leader of their group played by Billy Crudup. This film was good enough to make me want to see Prometheus, and I haven't heard too good of things about that film. Sets up nicely for a sequel to complete the trilogy.
Rating: 7.5/10
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales: Again, the climax just didn't entice me enough. But I loved the finish, including both Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley, although it was hard to believe that Brenton Thwaites was their son. Johnny Depp was born to play Jack Sparrow and he killed it, again. Javier Bardem always makes a decent baddie (See Skyfall).
Rating: 7/10
June
Wonder Woman: Yet again another climax I dozed off too, haha. But Gal Gadot was the perfect choice to play Diana Prince, being both believable and beautiful. David Thewlis as the antagonist just didn't seem too believable for me, because all I can see him as is Professor Lupin from the Harry Potter series. Chris Pine was a perfect cast as Diana's love interest.
Rating: 8.5/10
The Mummy: Did I mention I doze off during the end of films? This was a day viewing for me and I still did. Was a decent start to the Monster series, but I wasn't too enthralled by it. Although seeing that I had low expectations, I did think it was better than I thought it would be.
Rating: 7/10
July
Spider-Man Homecoming: It could be just me, but I felt Tom Holland captured the essence of Spider-Man better than Andrew Garfield or even Tobey Maguire. I think his voice suits the role better, for one. Wasn't a huge fan of the casting choices, with basically no white friends of Peter Parker (They even made Aunt May Italian). I liked Keaton as the villian and the effects were great. They incorporated just enough of Iron Man and even Captain America to make it interesting.
Rating: 8.5/10
War for the Planet of the Apes: I thought this was a solid finish to the new Planet of the Apes trilogy. I definitely enjoyed it more than "Dawn". Andy Serkis just flat out knows how to play a monkey. If there were a time for someone to get nominated for best actor for a motion capture role, this would be it.
Rating: 8/10
Dunkirk: I enjoy movies with a solid protagonist and plot, but this didn't really have that. However, that is ok, because everything else was just top notch. The visuals, sound, editing, costumes, music, all fantastic. This movie was made to capture the essence of the battle of Dunkirk and boy did it ever.
Rating: 9/10
August
The Dark Tower: Haven't read the books, but for a standalone movie it wasn't bad. I felt a lot of the complex aspects were oversimplified, and they didn't explain enough. Also, I don't really like Matthew McConaughey as a villian--he's just not believable enough. My friend who has read the books wasn't a fan of this film, so I have to take that into account.
Rating: 6.5/10
September
It: This movie sure got a lot of buzz and for good reason. Bill Skarsgard was fantastic as Pennywise the clown. The kids were all well-casted as well. Seeing how long the book is, it might've functioned better as a two or three part movie series, but seeing as I haven't read the book, I'm not even sure what the movie left out because it was well-paced. They did skip ahead a few times, so maybe there were things there. All in all one of the very few horror/thriller films I'd want to see again.
Rating: 9/10
mother!: Wow, this movie will either leave you fuming or thinking or both. For me, it was both. Best not to put yourself in Jennifer Lawrence's shoes, as she is perceived as the main character/protagonist. I liked all of the religious connotations and connections, and Javier Bardem's character (Him) was clearly a representation of God. But this film is NOT for the faint of heart or for younger audiences, as it only gets worse and worse. Terrific acting performances in this by everyone.
Rating: 8/10
October
Geostorm: Not the movie I most wanted to see this month, but it was better than I thought it would be. You have a disaster movie directed by the guy who wrote the 1998 Godzilla movie, with the lead being an actor who's been in a lot of bad films (Gerard Butler). But it wasn't half bad, in my opinion. It was a bit predictable and cheesy at times, but what disaster movie isn't? Also, the movie's plot is based on the fact that we have satellites that basically control climates for different areas of the world. Why in the world would someone be able to corrupt these satellites to cause harm and kill millions of people? Would rather leave our fate to God than whoever has control of "Dutch Boy" as they called the control center.
Rating: 6.5/10
November
Thor: Ragnarok: Marvel continues to succeed, whether it be in Avenger's type films with multiple superheroes or ones that focus on a particular superhero. This was like a hybrid of the two, as it had Thor (obviously), Loki, The Hulk/Bruce Banner, and a cameo by Dr. Strange. It seemed to me that they tried a little too hard to be funny, but other than the comedic stretches I liked the direction the Thor franchise took.
Rating: 8/10
Justice League: We SHOULD be excited that the entire Justice League finally got together, but it just left us with an unsatisfying feeling. For me, the villain never seemed to be that big of a threat, especially compared to Superman. There was a step forward from BvS but it was a tiny step forward at that. Still not really liking Affleck as Batman, but Gal Gadot continues to kill at as Wonder Woman. Hopefully the DC franchise can recover because Marvel is still miles ahead of them.
Rating: 6.5/10
Daddy's Home 2: I wasn't expecting much as I don't think too highly of the first Daddy's Home, but this one wasn't that bad. There weren't many, if any scenes that made me cringe, and there were at least 3 of those in the first. The ending was kinda cheesy, but hey, it's a comedy.
Rating: 6.5/10
December
Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi: Man oh man... where to begin? I would have to rank this near the top of Star Wars films, I think. I'm still debating on whether or not it's better than The Force Awakens. It had amazing effects, brilliant camera work and cinematography, and it was well acted, too. With TFA, people could complain that its story borrowed too much from A New Hope, so this is the first Star Wars movie in 34 years that the general audience can't complain too much about. Solid.
Rating: 9/10
The Shape of Water: This was much better than I thought it would be. Sally Hawkins was brilliant as the lead, and the supporting cast all did tremendous jobs as well. It was definitely an interesting story, with a woman falling for a non-human but humanoid creature. Will this get some Oscar nominations? It wouldn't surprise me.
Rating: 8.5/10
Well, that's all the films I saw in 2017! A great year for movies. Now, for some awards!
Best Actor:
James McAvoy - Split
Daniel Kaluuya - Get Out
Hugh Jackman - Logan
Javier Bardem - mother!
Andy Serkis - War for the Planet of the Apes
Some great choices there. But my best actor award goes to...
Andy Serkis! That's right, a guy who did motion capture! He MADE the entire PotA series, as in he was the main reason they had success. And "War" may have been his best work yet.
Best Actress:
Felicity Jones - A Monster Calls
Dafne Keen - Logan
Gal Gadot - Wonder Woman
Jennifer Lawrence - mother!
Sally Hawkins - The Shape of Water
Good year for leading women, with Dafne Keen the youngest nominee in any category. The award goes to....
Sally Hawkins! She played a mute character falling for a humanoid creature. Not an easy thing to do.
Best Supporting Actor:
LilRel Howery - Get Out
Tony Robbins - The Belko Experiment
Kurt Russell - Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 2
Woody Harrelson - War for the Planet of the Apes
Richard Jenkins - The Shape of Water
We have three villains and two sidekick type characters. Who will get it? The award goes to...
Richard Jenkins! Yes, The Shape of Water is still fresh in my mind, but I didn't see too many films with great supporting acting roles.
Best Supporting Actress:
Marisa Tomei - Spider-Man: Homecoming
Sophia Lillis - It
Michelle Pfeiffer - mother!
Carrie Fisher - Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Octavia Spencer - The Shape of Water
Again, kind of slim pickins but there was one that stood out. The award goes to...
Carrie Fisher! I award this posthumously to her. She exhibited grace, elegance, and power in every one of her scenes. She won't get an actual Oscar nomination probably, but I think she's not too far off.
Best Special Effects:
Logan
Fate of the Furious
Spider-Man Homecoming
Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 2
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
I sure saw some amazing special effects this year. The award goes to...
Guardians of the Galaxy! Yep, I picked it over Star Wars, which was a close second. Guardians had some amazing visuals that made me stare in awe, something that is not easy to do.
Best Director:
Jordan Peele - Get Out
Patty Jenkins - Wonder Woman
Christopher Nolan - Dunkirk
Darren Aronofsky - mother!
Guillermo del Toro - The Shape of Water
I'd be shocked if at least one of these isn't nominated for an Oscar. The one who I'd be most shocked to not see nominated wins my award. And that is...
Christopher Nolan! I can't give every award to The Shape of Water. But Nolan did a great job in Dunkirk, and not since Saving Private Ryan has there been such a realistic and gritty war movie. Maybe it was even more realistic than that.
Best Picture:
Get Out
Logan
Wonder Woman
Dunkirk
It
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
The Shape of Water
The Academy can have up to 10 nominations, so I can too. This is a tough one. The winner, and the best motion picture I saw in 2018, IS....
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Dunkirk! This one wasn't one for a great plot, but it absolutely EXCELLED in other categories: cinematography, music, sound (editing and mixing), visual effects, and acting. It is a well deserved best picture from me.
Well, that is it for 2017. I liked doing this so much I think I'll do it for 2018! See you then!
Tuesday, May 31, 2016
Movie May 2016!
Well, without much notice (except with my close friends) I completed my 2nd
ever Movie May! For the second time I
watched a movie every day in the month of May, the last time I did this being
exactly two years ago in 2014. This time
I watched films that totaled 57 hours and 41 minutes, so I watched 2 hours and
45 minutes more of films than last time.
That's like two extra films! And
like last time I didn't always finish the film the same day but I started a new
one each day.
Also, I gave them an average rating of 7.35, as compared to 6.67 last time. Either I saw fewer crappy films or I've become more lenient, or both. I watched 7 films on Netflix (4 less than last time), 12 films that Amanda or I already owned (6 more than last time), 8 that I rented either from DVD.com (AKA Netflix in the mail) or RedBox/DVDXpress (3 fewer than last time), 2 in theaters (1 less than last time) and 2 that I borrowed from a friend (Thanks Lowen!).
Without further ado, the list of movies I watched in order and my short reviews of them:
May 1: The Joneses - 6/10
So these four people are paid to pretend to be a family and try to get people to buy the cool stuff they have. Is that even legal? All in all though it was decent. It did drag on at times, but I enjoyed certain parts. I always like a recognizable cast which included David Duchovny, Demi Moore, and Amber Heard. But the cast wasn't enough to keep me interested the whole time.
May 2: Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation - 8/10
Tom Cruise has still got it. There will come a point in time he's too old for the role of Ethan Hunt, but not yet. The plot did get a bit confusing at times and there were some things that made me shake my head, but all in all it kept me intrigued. The opening with Tom/Ethan hanging onto the door of the jet is as good as it gets. And the stunt where he drops into an underwater security vault is incredible.
May 3: Ant-Man - 7/10
While I really enjoyed it and I laughed at least 10 times throughout the film, I didn't find it to be that well-made of a superhero film. I was skeptical of Paul Rudd as the title character, but I turned out to love the choice. There were a few head scratchers and plot holes like if Hank Pym has the ability to make anything larger, why does he have trouble doing ANYTHING? Anyway, this was like a tamer version of Deadpool. Still funny (maybe not as much so), but the lead character in red and black with a semi-dark past.
May 4: Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back - 6/10
I don't know what it was... but if a movie that's supposed to be funny doesn't make me laugh, then I don't enjoy it. It was all right. I cared for the characters. It was more amusing than anything. It's just over the top comedies always fall flat with me. But I loved all of the cameos and big names in this film, from Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher to Jason Biggs and James Van Der Beek.
May 5: Kingsman: The Secret Service - 9/10
Wow, this film certainly did to spy films with Kick Ass did for super hero films. If you like action movies and don't mind a bit of gore/violence, this film is definitely worth a watch. Taron Egerton is fantastic in the lead role and the cast was filled out with tremendous talent including Samuel L. Jackson, Colin Firth, Mark Strong, and a small role from Mark Hamill (again!). I'm very glad to see they're making a sequel. The camera work and the choreography in this film both top notch.
May 6: Ted 2 - 7/10
I'm not sure if it was as good as the first, but it was close. I laughed a few times, but not as much as I would've hoped. Just another typical Seth McFarlane comedy--I tell ya, his humor doesn't surprise me or make me laugh that hard anymore. Time for some new material, Seth. But at least with the story I was invested in the characters, for the most part. They don't need to make a Ted 3 unless Seth has a very clever idea.
May 7: Across the Universe - 8/10
I watched this because 1) I had been meaning to for years and 2) a friend recommended it to me and I gotta say I enjoyed it. The Beatles covers they did were spot on, and I really felt what it was to be like to be young and in the heart of the Vietnam War era. My favorite covers were "I Get By with a Little Help from my Friends" "Let it Be" and "Come Together". I had no idea Joe Cocker played the bum that sang the beginning part of "Come Together".
May 8: A Teacher - 3/10
I only watched this because I was pressed on time and it was only 75 minutes long. Fortunately it was only 75 minutes long, because it was not that good. Everything in the technical categories (Cinematography, editing, music) was poor and it just ends with the teacher being upset that the school found out about her relationship with her student. Very lackluster film.
May 9: Captain America: Civil War - 9/10
Affectionately called "The Avengers 2.5", CA: CW definitely lived up to the hype. I don't think it quite exceeded anyone's expectations, but the fight scenes were a delight to watch. The pacing was a bit off and it was a tad too long, though. Also, it seemed like just a bit too much of fan service, trying to make the fan of every superhero happy. But it excelled in the technical aspects and the Russo brothers did another great job.
May 10: Everest - 7/10
Everest was kind of a letdown for me, to be honest. Although, to be fair, that was mostly because I was expecting more shocking deaths (from falls, avalanches, etc.) than ones were they slowly die from the cold or lack of "O" (oxygen). It was nice to see that it was based off a true story. The rating isn't lower because this was the first movie of the month to make me tear up, when Rob (Jason Clarke) was talking to his wife Jan (Keira Knightley) for the final time. Very well done, great acting. Although it was puzzling how two of the climber's wives (Rob's wife Jan and Beck's wife Peach) were played by well-known actresses (Peach being played by Robin Wright). They had small parts and I think could've easily been played by an unknown to save money.
May 11: The Peanuts Movie - 7/10
This was a cute, family-friendly movie. Hard not to root for Charlie Brown. But the adventures with Snoopy and his writing/flying just seemed unnecessary and pointless, but how else were they going to include fan-favorite Snoopy into scenes? Also, the naivety of the characters, especially Charlie Brown, reminded me of the old kids Nickelodeon shows like Rugrats and Hey Arnold, where we see just how much children have to learn about the world.
May 12: The Bourne Identity - 8/10
Yes, I have never seen any of the "Bourne" films. The first one was actually pretty good. It's a good idea to use for a plot to have your main character have amnesia, that way we learn along with him what his name is, what he did, etc. Chris Cooper again was typecast as the asshole (See also October Sky, American Beauty)--is he even capable of playing a nice guy? I also didn't understand Clive Owen's character or his motives... like why did he want Mombosi dead? But good action that kept me engaged, for the most part.
May 13: Beautiful Creatures - 5/10
I only watched this because of Alden Ehrenreich and how he was cast as Han Solo, just like for the last Movie May I watched "Inside Llewyn Davis" for Oscar Isaac and Adam Driver. Unlike Inside Llewyn Davis, however, this was not that good. As for Ehrenreich, I think he looks more like a young Jack Nicholson than a young Harrison Ford. But we'll see. His acting was good, though. But the film itself was only so-so at best, as supernatural love stories don't really interest me that much. Found myself losing interest on multiple occasions.
May 14: The Jungle Book - 8/10
I was impressed with the CGI and voice acting talents in this film. Neel Sethi played a really good Mowgli as well. Not sure if it was quite appropriate for kids, but at least they kept the violence to a minimum. They sang snippets of some of the original's songs, but what's the point if you're not going to do the whole thing? Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed this film more than I thought I would and I think they did about as good of a job as they could have with a live action remake. Some of the voice casts (Bill Murray, Christopher Walken) were PERFECT.
May 15: Lincoln - 7/10
Holy crap was this long. But I will say Daniel Day-Lewis is well deserving of his Oscar. To anyone who's seen House of Cards, this was basically like a really, really long House of Cards episode, with Lincoln instead of Underwood. The pacing was so slow and drawn out, and there wasn't a ton to get excited about. I guess it gets a 7 for DDL's performance alone. He was tremendous.
May 16: Peep World - 7/10
As opposed to Lincoln, this film was too short and could have used more depth. But the cast, fantastic. Michael C. Hall, Rainn Wilson, Sarah Silverman, Kate Mara, all terrific. Also, to finish on a sort-of climax was a bit cliché for the 2010's. Leave it up to our imagination? Gee, thanks. Too many loose ends we are left wondering about, but the acting and cast kept me engaged.
May 17: The Bourne Supremacy - 7/10
I didn't like this one quite as much as the first one (Identity), but it was decent nonetheless. I lost interest a few times and the plot here was more confusing than the first one. But it had an exciting opening act and the chase scenes, especially the last one in Russia, were very well done.
May 18: Concussion - 8/10
Will Smith was outstanding as Bennet Omalu, a doctor who emigrated from Nigeria. There were actually times I forgot it was the former Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The only thing that ever gave it away was his appearance. I wish they had a little more backstory, and the casting of Luke Wilson as Roger Goodell... I mean... seriously? His brother Owen would've been a (slightly) better choice. But this is a must watch for any NFL fan.
May 19: Sex Tape - 6/10
So the premise wasn't too bad, maybe a bit out there, with a couple trying to get back the copies of their sex tape. But it was a little over the top for me. And being extorted by a 10 year old? Give me a break. But it did have some funny moments and Rob Lowe stole the show, in my opinion. His bad haircut and narcissism made him quite the character. But not worth watching again... at least not for a while.
May 20: Raiders of the Lost Ark - 7/10
Like the Bourne movies, I had yet to see an Indiana Jones movie... and I gotta say I wasn't THAT impressed. The classic Indy theme was easily the best part, and the traps and action scenes may have been ahead of their time, slightly, but I often found myself losing track or losing focus of the film. I liked the scene where Indy carjacked the truck that had the Ark. But the plot didn't keep me hooked. Maybe on future viewings I will like it more.
May 21: Daddy's Home - 5/10
I found myself caring for Brad (Will Ferrell), but once he had his drunken rant and antics at halftime of the basketball game, I was done. Also, driving a motorcycle through a home (up a set of stairs!?) and out the window, only sustaining a few cuts and bruises? And the story of how he wasn't able to have children.... even if that was possible for him to lose his fertility that way, wouldn't he be able to sue? So many head shaking moments, not enough laughs.
May 22: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - 9/10
Boy is this movie trippy. Basically, Joel (Jim Carrey) is hurt his ex-girlfriend Clementine (Kate Winslet) erased him from her memories and he does the same so he can move on, but in the process regrets his decision and while he is dreaming tries to find some way to get himself to remember her before it's too late. The things that happens in this dream state are on par with Inception with how freaky and imaginative it is. I give this film a 9 for that alone. It was a little hard to follow at times, trying to keep track at what point in their relationship the scene is from, but multiple well-deserved viewings would help.
May 23: Reservoir Dogs - 9/10
Yes, I hadn't seen this Tarantino flick yet (nor the Kill Bill movies), but this marks the fifth of his movies I've seen. Basically every one of his movies can be summed up like this: Almost everyone dies. The end. Anyway, drama and acting phenomenal, and I of course didn't guess the rat right (I was thinking Mr. Pink). The torture scene with "Stuck in the Middle with You" was iconic and it's too bad this film was only 99 minutes long. Hard to believe this was QT's first motion picture as director, seems like it was done by an experienced director.
May 24: Groundhog Day - 9/10
A classic Bill Murray/Harold Ramis film I didn't see as a kid, but I'm glad I waited because I know there would be a few things I wouldn't have understood as a kid. I love the concept--what would you do if you lived the same day over and over, with no tomorrow? The story arc goes from confusion to contempt to acceptance. I wish there was some explanation why it happened to him, but it's not a big deal. I can't imagine anyone else in the lead role.
May 25: White House Down - 7/10
Out of the two White House is under attack films in 2013 I enjoyed this one more (than "Olympus Has Fallen"). The people attacking this time are mostly Americans, upset at the President or country for various reasons. The explosions/CGI could've used a bit of work, and was Jamie Fox the best casting? He doesn't seem... authoritative enough. Will Smith would've been a bit more believable. But the 2 hour and 11 min film kept me engaged the whole time.
May 26: Captain Phillips - 10/10
Ok, it's not a perfect film, but it had everything I wanted: Drama, action, good acting, a few heartbreaking moments, you name it. Hanks was brilliant as usual. It's too bad we didn't get to see Hanks reunite with his wife, but we've seen that in movies before and we know how it goes. I just remember feeling stuffy as if I were in the lifeboat with Hanks and the Somalis. Very well made film. I felt like I was along with the crew (and then just Captain Phillips) the whole time.
May 27: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom - 7/10
Definitely hard to watch at times, with the burning sacrifice, the eating of the gross things, and many other instances of bad guys dying horrific deaths. But I enjoyed it just as much as RotLA, maybe even more so. Instead of Nazis and Egypt it was Chinese and India. Don't see what Indy sees in "Willie", as she was very high maintenance and not the least bit helpful. I really liked Short Round, he was a nice and welcome addition.
May 28: Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure - 7/10
I knew going in not to take it too seriously, and I'm glad I didn't because I definitely enjoyed it. It's too bad Alex Winter hasn't had nearly the career Keanu Reeves had, but at least one of them did. Not exactly historically accurate or believable, I still found myself rooting for Bill and Ted despite them being a couple of knuckleheads. George Carlin was really good as their mentor, Rufus. Too bad he wasn't able to be his usual vulgar self, haha.
May 29: 2001: A Space Odyssey - 9/10
Yep, I had never seen this. At first I was thinking of how boring and sometimes uneventful it was, but after reading about the film afterward and understanding what was going on, I gotta say, WOW. I didn't understand the monoliths at first because they always seemed so out of place, but I guess that was the point. This is definitely a film you need to watch more than once, but at 2 hours and 29 minutes in length, that's no easy task. It did get really trippy at times, making me go, "Woah...". HAL was definitely creepy. Having seen Star Wars dozens of times, I can say this film has special effects that rival it (and sometimes even surpass it--despite coming out 9 years earlier!). It was way ahead of its time and didn't do that bad of a job of portraying future technology.
May 30: It's Such a Beautiful Day - 8/10
Again, another film I watched because I was pressed on time, at only 62 the shortest film of the month. It's so odd, but good. A stick figure named Bill has strangely unusual things happen to him. The film kind of blurs the difference between stick figure and reality to great effect. The ending for me was the best, though, because it really made me think. Love movies that do that.
May 31: Still Alice - 8/10
First off, Julianne Moore definitely deserves her Oscar for this performance. She was brilliant. Baldwin and Stewart were very good, too. But it's pretty depressing and ends abruptly. Her speech was probably the highlight of the film. She wasn't suffering, but she was struggling. This film probably portrays Alzheimer's disease better than any in recent memory.
And now like last time, I will give out awards based on the films I saw this month! First are the awards you would see at the Oscars.
First up is Best Picture. And here are the nominees:
Captain Phillips
Captain America: Civil War
Lincoln
Reservoir Dogs
Kingsman: The Secret Service
Groundhog Day
2001: A Space Odyssey
Still Alice
Every film I rated a 9 or higher is here, with a few that were less (Lincoln, Still Alice) making it thanks to stellar acting performances. The award goes to....
Reservoir Dogs! Turns out, none of QT's films have won best picture, so Reservoir Dogs wins despite it not being the highest rated film (Captain Phillips was).
Best Actor:
Daniel Day-Lewis: Lincoln
Will Smith: Concussion
Bill Murray: Groundhog Day
Jim Carrey: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Tom Hanks: Captain Phillips
Wow, what a great set of actors. I don't think there's a weak one in the group. Each actor carried his film. But the award goes to...
Daniel Day-Lewis! He won the real life Oscar so he almost wins by default. Will Smith is a close runner up.
Best Actress:
Evan Rachel Wood: Across the Universe
Sally Field: Lincoln
Kate Winslet: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Julianne Moore: Still Alice
Andie McDowell: Groundhog Day
Good performances, much better female performances than last time. The award goes to...
Julianne Moore! Unlike for best actor, this one wasn't that close.
Best Supporting Actor:
James Spader: Lincoln
Alec Baldwin: Concussion
Samuel L. Jackson: Kingsman: The Secret Service
Barkhad Abdi: Captain Phillips
Steve Buscemi: Reservoir Dogs
Three of these actors were "upstaged" by the lead role actors (Spader, Baldwin, Abdi). But who will get the award? It goes to...
Steve Buscemi! To me, he stole the show, almost. He wasn't the main character but I almost felt like he was with his command of the scene.
Best Supporting Actress:
Maggie Gylenhaal: White House Down
Joey King: White House Down
Keira Knightley: Everest
Kirsten Dunst: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Kristen Stewart: Still Alice
Much better female performances in the supporting category than last year, too. The award goes to...
Keira Knightley! She didn't even appear in the same country as her co-stars but she was magnificent.
Best Song:
I Want To Be Like You: Jungle Book (Christopher Walken)
With a Little Help from My Friends: Across the Universe (Ensemble)
Come Together: Across the Universe (Joe Cocker, Ensemble)
Let it Be: Across the Universe (Ensemble)
Yikes, I didn't see many movies with musical numbers, other than Across the Universe. Anyway, best song goes to...
"Let it Be"! When I watched this, I teared up. Watch it here to see why:
Best Direction/Cinematography:
Steven Spielberg: Lincoln
Steven Spielberg: Raiders of the Lost Ark
Paul Greengrass: Captain Phillips
Stanley Kubrick: 2001: A Space Odyssey
Matthew Vaughn: Kingsman: The Secret Service
Spielberg nominated twice, but does he win? Best Director goes to...
Stanley Kubrick! Spielberg, despite having a 40% shot, doesn't win. 2001 was just so ahead of its time and innovative.
Best Special Effects:
Ant Man
Captain America Civil War
The Jungle Book
Kingsman: The Secret Service
2001: A Space Odyssey
This is a tough one. The award for Best Special Effects goes to...
The Jungle Book! The first real surprise winner! After reading about how Baloo's hairs and how each FRAME of the film took FIVE HOURS to render the hairs on Baloo's body... just incredible the time and dedication they put in.
Now for the non-Academy Awards!
Best Action Scene:
Tom Cruise hanging on to an airplane: Mission Impossible Rogue Nation
Colin Firth killing dozens in a church set to "Free Bird": Kingsman: The Secret Service
All of the superheroes fighting: Captain America Civil War
Indy hijacking a truck with the Ark: Raiders of the Lost Ark
All of these had my heart pumping, but the award goes to...
Colin Firth's ass-kicking in Kingsman! If you're a fan of violence and fighting you have got to see this scene. INCREDIBLE.
Funniest Film:
Ant Man
Ted 2
Peep World
Sex Tape
Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure
What was the funniest film to me? It was...
Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure! Party on Dudes!
Best Death Scene:
Chris Penn, Lawrence Tierney: Reservoir Dogs
Michael Madsen: Reservoir Dogs
Jason Clarke: Everest
Samuel L. Jackson: Kingsman: The Secret Service
James Woods, White House Down
Only one sad death here, but will it win? Best Death Scene goes to...
Michael Madsen, Reservoir Dogs. I gotta be honest, I did not see it coming. Not at all. Thanks to Tim Roth's character, Madsen was PUT DOWN. About to burn a cop alive.
Best Kiss:
David Duchovny and Demi Moore: The Joneses
Matt Damon and Franka Potente: The Bourne Identity
Bill Murray and Andie McDowell: Groundhog Day
Wow, I didn't watch too many films with memorable kisses in them. Best kiss goes to...
Bill Murray and Andie McDowell in Groundhog Day! Well, he worked and worked at it but finally was able to get her to fall for him.
Best Couple:
Jude and Lucy in Across the Universe
Joel and Clementine in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Jason and Marie in The Bourne Identity
Phil and Rita in Groundhog Day
Best couple goes to...
Joel and Clementine! Joel (Jim Carrey) and Clementine (Kate Winslet) realized their mistakes not too late and were fortunately able to salvage something of their almost erased relationship.
Now onto the Razzie style awards. These dishonor those performances that made me shake my head.
Worst Film:
A Teacher
Beautiful Creatures
Daddy's Home
I didn't see too many bad films this time. But the one clearly the worst was...
A Teacher. Next Movie May I'll make this award more of a competition, lol.
Worst Actor:
Will Brittain: A Teacher
Jason Segel: Sex Tape
Mark Wahlberg: Daddy's Home
Mark Wahlberg: Ted 2
Yikes, Marky Mark nominated twice. Worst actor goes to...
Will Brittain. At least I cared for Mark's character each time.
Worst Actress:
Cameron Diaz: Sex Tape
Lindsay Burdge: A Teacher
Amanda Seyfried: Ted 2
Alice Englert: Beautiful Creatures
Can "A Teacher" complete the trifecta? Worst actress goes to...
Lindsay Burdge! Yes they can. I was kind of glad she was miserable at the end.
Worst Special Effects:
White House Down
Beautiful Creatures
Daddy's Home
And now, for worst special effects, and this year they weren't that bad, but the worst of them was...
Daddy's Home. I know, a comedy. But that one shot of the motorcycle (with Will Ferrell hanging on for dear life) going up the stairs, flying out the house (creating a hole), landing on the car and off... just horrible. I cringed super hard at that and for that one scene alone that film deserves worst special effects.
Well, that's it for Movie May, 2016! And a special announcement...
I will be doing Summer Movie Season 2016! Watching a movie EVERY DAY is tough, sometimes making it hard to make plans with anyone. So, instead for Summer Movie Season (SMS for short), I will be watching around 2 movies a week. For 16 weeks starting the week of June 5-11 and ending the week of September 18-24, I will watch 32 movies (perhaps more), averaging two a week. I realized I still have a lot of DVD's I recently acquired I need to watch (Finishing the Bourne and Indiana Jones series, for one), and since I restarted my Netflix/DVD.com DVD's in mail I'll be getting at least one of those a week. Also, this summer movie season is packed and I know I'll be hitting the theaters at least 3, 4 times this summer.
There is a week August 21-27 I will be in Southern California for pretty much the whole week on vacation, so I won't watch any that week, but I will make up for it by watching more than 2 films some weeks.
Also, I gave them an average rating of 7.35, as compared to 6.67 last time. Either I saw fewer crappy films or I've become more lenient, or both. I watched 7 films on Netflix (4 less than last time), 12 films that Amanda or I already owned (6 more than last time), 8 that I rented either from DVD.com (AKA Netflix in the mail) or RedBox/DVDXpress (3 fewer than last time), 2 in theaters (1 less than last time) and 2 that I borrowed from a friend (Thanks Lowen!).
Without further ado, the list of movies I watched in order and my short reviews of them:
May 1: The Joneses - 6/10
So these four people are paid to pretend to be a family and try to get people to buy the cool stuff they have. Is that even legal? All in all though it was decent. It did drag on at times, but I enjoyed certain parts. I always like a recognizable cast which included David Duchovny, Demi Moore, and Amber Heard. But the cast wasn't enough to keep me interested the whole time.
May 2: Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation - 8/10
Tom Cruise has still got it. There will come a point in time he's too old for the role of Ethan Hunt, but not yet. The plot did get a bit confusing at times and there were some things that made me shake my head, but all in all it kept me intrigued. The opening with Tom/Ethan hanging onto the door of the jet is as good as it gets. And the stunt where he drops into an underwater security vault is incredible.
May 3: Ant-Man - 7/10
While I really enjoyed it and I laughed at least 10 times throughout the film, I didn't find it to be that well-made of a superhero film. I was skeptical of Paul Rudd as the title character, but I turned out to love the choice. There were a few head scratchers and plot holes like if Hank Pym has the ability to make anything larger, why does he have trouble doing ANYTHING? Anyway, this was like a tamer version of Deadpool. Still funny (maybe not as much so), but the lead character in red and black with a semi-dark past.
May 4: Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back - 6/10
I don't know what it was... but if a movie that's supposed to be funny doesn't make me laugh, then I don't enjoy it. It was all right. I cared for the characters. It was more amusing than anything. It's just over the top comedies always fall flat with me. But I loved all of the cameos and big names in this film, from Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher to Jason Biggs and James Van Der Beek.
May 5: Kingsman: The Secret Service - 9/10
Wow, this film certainly did to spy films with Kick Ass did for super hero films. If you like action movies and don't mind a bit of gore/violence, this film is definitely worth a watch. Taron Egerton is fantastic in the lead role and the cast was filled out with tremendous talent including Samuel L. Jackson, Colin Firth, Mark Strong, and a small role from Mark Hamill (again!). I'm very glad to see they're making a sequel. The camera work and the choreography in this film both top notch.
May 6: Ted 2 - 7/10
I'm not sure if it was as good as the first, but it was close. I laughed a few times, but not as much as I would've hoped. Just another typical Seth McFarlane comedy--I tell ya, his humor doesn't surprise me or make me laugh that hard anymore. Time for some new material, Seth. But at least with the story I was invested in the characters, for the most part. They don't need to make a Ted 3 unless Seth has a very clever idea.
May 7: Across the Universe - 8/10
I watched this because 1) I had been meaning to for years and 2) a friend recommended it to me and I gotta say I enjoyed it. The Beatles covers they did were spot on, and I really felt what it was to be like to be young and in the heart of the Vietnam War era. My favorite covers were "I Get By with a Little Help from my Friends" "Let it Be" and "Come Together". I had no idea Joe Cocker played the bum that sang the beginning part of "Come Together".
May 8: A Teacher - 3/10
I only watched this because I was pressed on time and it was only 75 minutes long. Fortunately it was only 75 minutes long, because it was not that good. Everything in the technical categories (Cinematography, editing, music) was poor and it just ends with the teacher being upset that the school found out about her relationship with her student. Very lackluster film.
May 9: Captain America: Civil War - 9/10
Affectionately called "The Avengers 2.5", CA: CW definitely lived up to the hype. I don't think it quite exceeded anyone's expectations, but the fight scenes were a delight to watch. The pacing was a bit off and it was a tad too long, though. Also, it seemed like just a bit too much of fan service, trying to make the fan of every superhero happy. But it excelled in the technical aspects and the Russo brothers did another great job.
May 10: Everest - 7/10
Everest was kind of a letdown for me, to be honest. Although, to be fair, that was mostly because I was expecting more shocking deaths (from falls, avalanches, etc.) than ones were they slowly die from the cold or lack of "O" (oxygen). It was nice to see that it was based off a true story. The rating isn't lower because this was the first movie of the month to make me tear up, when Rob (Jason Clarke) was talking to his wife Jan (Keira Knightley) for the final time. Very well done, great acting. Although it was puzzling how two of the climber's wives (Rob's wife Jan and Beck's wife Peach) were played by well-known actresses (Peach being played by Robin Wright). They had small parts and I think could've easily been played by an unknown to save money.
May 11: The Peanuts Movie - 7/10
This was a cute, family-friendly movie. Hard not to root for Charlie Brown. But the adventures with Snoopy and his writing/flying just seemed unnecessary and pointless, but how else were they going to include fan-favorite Snoopy into scenes? Also, the naivety of the characters, especially Charlie Brown, reminded me of the old kids Nickelodeon shows like Rugrats and Hey Arnold, where we see just how much children have to learn about the world.
May 12: The Bourne Identity - 8/10
Yes, I have never seen any of the "Bourne" films. The first one was actually pretty good. It's a good idea to use for a plot to have your main character have amnesia, that way we learn along with him what his name is, what he did, etc. Chris Cooper again was typecast as the asshole (See also October Sky, American Beauty)--is he even capable of playing a nice guy? I also didn't understand Clive Owen's character or his motives... like why did he want Mombosi dead? But good action that kept me engaged, for the most part.
May 13: Beautiful Creatures - 5/10
I only watched this because of Alden Ehrenreich and how he was cast as Han Solo, just like for the last Movie May I watched "Inside Llewyn Davis" for Oscar Isaac and Adam Driver. Unlike Inside Llewyn Davis, however, this was not that good. As for Ehrenreich, I think he looks more like a young Jack Nicholson than a young Harrison Ford. But we'll see. His acting was good, though. But the film itself was only so-so at best, as supernatural love stories don't really interest me that much. Found myself losing interest on multiple occasions.
May 14: The Jungle Book - 8/10
I was impressed with the CGI and voice acting talents in this film. Neel Sethi played a really good Mowgli as well. Not sure if it was quite appropriate for kids, but at least they kept the violence to a minimum. They sang snippets of some of the original's songs, but what's the point if you're not going to do the whole thing? Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed this film more than I thought I would and I think they did about as good of a job as they could have with a live action remake. Some of the voice casts (Bill Murray, Christopher Walken) were PERFECT.
May 15: Lincoln - 7/10
Holy crap was this long. But I will say Daniel Day-Lewis is well deserving of his Oscar. To anyone who's seen House of Cards, this was basically like a really, really long House of Cards episode, with Lincoln instead of Underwood. The pacing was so slow and drawn out, and there wasn't a ton to get excited about. I guess it gets a 7 for DDL's performance alone. He was tremendous.
May 16: Peep World - 7/10
As opposed to Lincoln, this film was too short and could have used more depth. But the cast, fantastic. Michael C. Hall, Rainn Wilson, Sarah Silverman, Kate Mara, all terrific. Also, to finish on a sort-of climax was a bit cliché for the 2010's. Leave it up to our imagination? Gee, thanks. Too many loose ends we are left wondering about, but the acting and cast kept me engaged.
May 17: The Bourne Supremacy - 7/10
I didn't like this one quite as much as the first one (Identity), but it was decent nonetheless. I lost interest a few times and the plot here was more confusing than the first one. But it had an exciting opening act and the chase scenes, especially the last one in Russia, were very well done.
May 18: Concussion - 8/10
Will Smith was outstanding as Bennet Omalu, a doctor who emigrated from Nigeria. There were actually times I forgot it was the former Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The only thing that ever gave it away was his appearance. I wish they had a little more backstory, and the casting of Luke Wilson as Roger Goodell... I mean... seriously? His brother Owen would've been a (slightly) better choice. But this is a must watch for any NFL fan.
May 19: Sex Tape - 6/10
So the premise wasn't too bad, maybe a bit out there, with a couple trying to get back the copies of their sex tape. But it was a little over the top for me. And being extorted by a 10 year old? Give me a break. But it did have some funny moments and Rob Lowe stole the show, in my opinion. His bad haircut and narcissism made him quite the character. But not worth watching again... at least not for a while.
May 20: Raiders of the Lost Ark - 7/10
Like the Bourne movies, I had yet to see an Indiana Jones movie... and I gotta say I wasn't THAT impressed. The classic Indy theme was easily the best part, and the traps and action scenes may have been ahead of their time, slightly, but I often found myself losing track or losing focus of the film. I liked the scene where Indy carjacked the truck that had the Ark. But the plot didn't keep me hooked. Maybe on future viewings I will like it more.
May 21: Daddy's Home - 5/10
I found myself caring for Brad (Will Ferrell), but once he had his drunken rant and antics at halftime of the basketball game, I was done. Also, driving a motorcycle through a home (up a set of stairs!?) and out the window, only sustaining a few cuts and bruises? And the story of how he wasn't able to have children.... even if that was possible for him to lose his fertility that way, wouldn't he be able to sue? So many head shaking moments, not enough laughs.
May 22: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - 9/10
Boy is this movie trippy. Basically, Joel (Jim Carrey) is hurt his ex-girlfriend Clementine (Kate Winslet) erased him from her memories and he does the same so he can move on, but in the process regrets his decision and while he is dreaming tries to find some way to get himself to remember her before it's too late. The things that happens in this dream state are on par with Inception with how freaky and imaginative it is. I give this film a 9 for that alone. It was a little hard to follow at times, trying to keep track at what point in their relationship the scene is from, but multiple well-deserved viewings would help.
May 23: Reservoir Dogs - 9/10
Yes, I hadn't seen this Tarantino flick yet (nor the Kill Bill movies), but this marks the fifth of his movies I've seen. Basically every one of his movies can be summed up like this: Almost everyone dies. The end. Anyway, drama and acting phenomenal, and I of course didn't guess the rat right (I was thinking Mr. Pink). The torture scene with "Stuck in the Middle with You" was iconic and it's too bad this film was only 99 minutes long. Hard to believe this was QT's first motion picture as director, seems like it was done by an experienced director.
May 24: Groundhog Day - 9/10
A classic Bill Murray/Harold Ramis film I didn't see as a kid, but I'm glad I waited because I know there would be a few things I wouldn't have understood as a kid. I love the concept--what would you do if you lived the same day over and over, with no tomorrow? The story arc goes from confusion to contempt to acceptance. I wish there was some explanation why it happened to him, but it's not a big deal. I can't imagine anyone else in the lead role.
May 25: White House Down - 7/10
Out of the two White House is under attack films in 2013 I enjoyed this one more (than "Olympus Has Fallen"). The people attacking this time are mostly Americans, upset at the President or country for various reasons. The explosions/CGI could've used a bit of work, and was Jamie Fox the best casting? He doesn't seem... authoritative enough. Will Smith would've been a bit more believable. But the 2 hour and 11 min film kept me engaged the whole time.
May 26: Captain Phillips - 10/10
Ok, it's not a perfect film, but it had everything I wanted: Drama, action, good acting, a few heartbreaking moments, you name it. Hanks was brilliant as usual. It's too bad we didn't get to see Hanks reunite with his wife, but we've seen that in movies before and we know how it goes. I just remember feeling stuffy as if I were in the lifeboat with Hanks and the Somalis. Very well made film. I felt like I was along with the crew (and then just Captain Phillips) the whole time.
May 27: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom - 7/10
Definitely hard to watch at times, with the burning sacrifice, the eating of the gross things, and many other instances of bad guys dying horrific deaths. But I enjoyed it just as much as RotLA, maybe even more so. Instead of Nazis and Egypt it was Chinese and India. Don't see what Indy sees in "Willie", as she was very high maintenance and not the least bit helpful. I really liked Short Round, he was a nice and welcome addition.
May 28: Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure - 7/10
I knew going in not to take it too seriously, and I'm glad I didn't because I definitely enjoyed it. It's too bad Alex Winter hasn't had nearly the career Keanu Reeves had, but at least one of them did. Not exactly historically accurate or believable, I still found myself rooting for Bill and Ted despite them being a couple of knuckleheads. George Carlin was really good as their mentor, Rufus. Too bad he wasn't able to be his usual vulgar self, haha.
May 29: 2001: A Space Odyssey - 9/10
Yep, I had never seen this. At first I was thinking of how boring and sometimes uneventful it was, but after reading about the film afterward and understanding what was going on, I gotta say, WOW. I didn't understand the monoliths at first because they always seemed so out of place, but I guess that was the point. This is definitely a film you need to watch more than once, but at 2 hours and 29 minutes in length, that's no easy task. It did get really trippy at times, making me go, "Woah...". HAL was definitely creepy. Having seen Star Wars dozens of times, I can say this film has special effects that rival it (and sometimes even surpass it--despite coming out 9 years earlier!). It was way ahead of its time and didn't do that bad of a job of portraying future technology.
May 30: It's Such a Beautiful Day - 8/10
Again, another film I watched because I was pressed on time, at only 62 the shortest film of the month. It's so odd, but good. A stick figure named Bill has strangely unusual things happen to him. The film kind of blurs the difference between stick figure and reality to great effect. The ending for me was the best, though, because it really made me think. Love movies that do that.
May 31: Still Alice - 8/10
First off, Julianne Moore definitely deserves her Oscar for this performance. She was brilliant. Baldwin and Stewart were very good, too. But it's pretty depressing and ends abruptly. Her speech was probably the highlight of the film. She wasn't suffering, but she was struggling. This film probably portrays Alzheimer's disease better than any in recent memory.
And now like last time, I will give out awards based on the films I saw this month! First are the awards you would see at the Oscars.
First up is Best Picture. And here are the nominees:
Captain Phillips
Captain America: Civil War
Lincoln
Reservoir Dogs
Kingsman: The Secret Service
Groundhog Day
2001: A Space Odyssey
Still Alice
Every film I rated a 9 or higher is here, with a few that were less (Lincoln, Still Alice) making it thanks to stellar acting performances. The award goes to....
Reservoir Dogs! Turns out, none of QT's films have won best picture, so Reservoir Dogs wins despite it not being the highest rated film (Captain Phillips was).
Best Actor:
Daniel Day-Lewis: Lincoln
Will Smith: Concussion
Bill Murray: Groundhog Day
Jim Carrey: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Tom Hanks: Captain Phillips
Wow, what a great set of actors. I don't think there's a weak one in the group. Each actor carried his film. But the award goes to...
Daniel Day-Lewis! He won the real life Oscar so he almost wins by default. Will Smith is a close runner up.
Best Actress:
Evan Rachel Wood: Across the Universe
Sally Field: Lincoln
Kate Winslet: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Julianne Moore: Still Alice
Andie McDowell: Groundhog Day
Good performances, much better female performances than last time. The award goes to...
Julianne Moore! Unlike for best actor, this one wasn't that close.
Best Supporting Actor:
James Spader: Lincoln
Alec Baldwin: Concussion
Samuel L. Jackson: Kingsman: The Secret Service
Barkhad Abdi: Captain Phillips
Steve Buscemi: Reservoir Dogs
Three of these actors were "upstaged" by the lead role actors (Spader, Baldwin, Abdi). But who will get the award? It goes to...
Steve Buscemi! To me, he stole the show, almost. He wasn't the main character but I almost felt like he was with his command of the scene.
Best Supporting Actress:
Maggie Gylenhaal: White House Down
Joey King: White House Down
Keira Knightley: Everest
Kirsten Dunst: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Kristen Stewart: Still Alice
Much better female performances in the supporting category than last year, too. The award goes to...
Keira Knightley! She didn't even appear in the same country as her co-stars but she was magnificent.
Best Song:
I Want To Be Like You: Jungle Book (Christopher Walken)
With a Little Help from My Friends: Across the Universe (Ensemble)
Come Together: Across the Universe (Joe Cocker, Ensemble)
Let it Be: Across the Universe (Ensemble)
Yikes, I didn't see many movies with musical numbers, other than Across the Universe. Anyway, best song goes to...
"Let it Be"! When I watched this, I teared up. Watch it here to see why:
Best Direction/Cinematography:
Steven Spielberg: Lincoln
Steven Spielberg: Raiders of the Lost Ark
Paul Greengrass: Captain Phillips
Stanley Kubrick: 2001: A Space Odyssey
Matthew Vaughn: Kingsman: The Secret Service
Spielberg nominated twice, but does he win? Best Director goes to...
Stanley Kubrick! Spielberg, despite having a 40% shot, doesn't win. 2001 was just so ahead of its time and innovative.
Best Special Effects:
Ant Man
Captain America Civil War
The Jungle Book
Kingsman: The Secret Service
2001: A Space Odyssey
This is a tough one. The award for Best Special Effects goes to...
The Jungle Book! The first real surprise winner! After reading about how Baloo's hairs and how each FRAME of the film took FIVE HOURS to render the hairs on Baloo's body... just incredible the time and dedication they put in.
Now for the non-Academy Awards!
Best Action Scene:
Tom Cruise hanging on to an airplane: Mission Impossible Rogue Nation
Colin Firth killing dozens in a church set to "Free Bird": Kingsman: The Secret Service
All of the superheroes fighting: Captain America Civil War
Indy hijacking a truck with the Ark: Raiders of the Lost Ark
All of these had my heart pumping, but the award goes to...
Colin Firth's ass-kicking in Kingsman! If you're a fan of violence and fighting you have got to see this scene. INCREDIBLE.
Funniest Film:
Ant Man
Ted 2
Peep World
Sex Tape
Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure
What was the funniest film to me? It was...
Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure! Party on Dudes!
Best Death Scene:
Chris Penn, Lawrence Tierney: Reservoir Dogs
Michael Madsen: Reservoir Dogs
Jason Clarke: Everest
Samuel L. Jackson: Kingsman: The Secret Service
James Woods, White House Down
Only one sad death here, but will it win? Best Death Scene goes to...
Michael Madsen, Reservoir Dogs. I gotta be honest, I did not see it coming. Not at all. Thanks to Tim Roth's character, Madsen was PUT DOWN. About to burn a cop alive.
Best Kiss:
David Duchovny and Demi Moore: The Joneses
Matt Damon and Franka Potente: The Bourne Identity
Bill Murray and Andie McDowell: Groundhog Day
Wow, I didn't watch too many films with memorable kisses in them. Best kiss goes to...
Bill Murray and Andie McDowell in Groundhog Day! Well, he worked and worked at it but finally was able to get her to fall for him.
Best Couple:
Jude and Lucy in Across the Universe
Joel and Clementine in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Jason and Marie in The Bourne Identity
Phil and Rita in Groundhog Day
Best couple goes to...
Joel and Clementine! Joel (Jim Carrey) and Clementine (Kate Winslet) realized their mistakes not too late and were fortunately able to salvage something of their almost erased relationship.
Now onto the Razzie style awards. These dishonor those performances that made me shake my head.
Worst Film:
A Teacher
Beautiful Creatures
Daddy's Home
I didn't see too many bad films this time. But the one clearly the worst was...
A Teacher. Next Movie May I'll make this award more of a competition, lol.
Worst Actor:
Will Brittain: A Teacher
Jason Segel: Sex Tape
Mark Wahlberg: Daddy's Home
Mark Wahlberg: Ted 2
Yikes, Marky Mark nominated twice. Worst actor goes to...
Will Brittain. At least I cared for Mark's character each time.
Worst Actress:
Cameron Diaz: Sex Tape
Lindsay Burdge: A Teacher
Amanda Seyfried: Ted 2
Alice Englert: Beautiful Creatures
Can "A Teacher" complete the trifecta? Worst actress goes to...
Lindsay Burdge! Yes they can. I was kind of glad she was miserable at the end.
Worst Special Effects:
White House Down
Beautiful Creatures
Daddy's Home
And now, for worst special effects, and this year they weren't that bad, but the worst of them was...
Daddy's Home. I know, a comedy. But that one shot of the motorcycle (with Will Ferrell hanging on for dear life) going up the stairs, flying out the house (creating a hole), landing on the car and off... just horrible. I cringed super hard at that and for that one scene alone that film deserves worst special effects.
Well, that's it for Movie May, 2016! And a special announcement...
I will be doing Summer Movie Season 2016! Watching a movie EVERY DAY is tough, sometimes making it hard to make plans with anyone. So, instead for Summer Movie Season (SMS for short), I will be watching around 2 movies a week. For 16 weeks starting the week of June 5-11 and ending the week of September 18-24, I will watch 32 movies (perhaps more), averaging two a week. I realized I still have a lot of DVD's I recently acquired I need to watch (Finishing the Bourne and Indiana Jones series, for one), and since I restarted my Netflix/DVD.com DVD's in mail I'll be getting at least one of those a week. Also, this summer movie season is packed and I know I'll be hitting the theaters at least 3, 4 times this summer.
There is a week August 21-27 I will be in Southern California for pretty much the whole week on vacation, so I won't watch any that week, but I will make up for it by watching more than 2 films some weeks.
So, I will check in around September 24, 25, with my reviews
of the movies I watched for SMS and of course, my awards! See you guys then!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)