The Intern (2015)

Directed by: Nancy Meyers

Written by: Nancy Meyers

Starring: Robert De Niro & Anne Hathaway







Any movie with Robert De Niro in it is a good movie.  It's just a fact.  To me, he can't make a bad movie, but then again I haven't seen all his movies so....

But that is the case with this one.  I really enjoyed it.

When I went to the theater, it was packed.  There were old people.  There were young people.  And then there were all the inbetweeners.  It targeted all audiences, except kids, which made it fantastic.

The film centers around Ben Whittaker (De Niro) who is retired and a widower.  He's just trying to find something to do that let's him get up in the morning.  He finds a flyer that is hiring senior citizen interns as a new give back project.  He's hired.  He, unfortunately, gets assigned to Jules Ostin (Hathaway), the founder of an Internet clothing company, and is apparently hard to work for.  But working with Ben, she discovers a few things about him as well as herself and what she wants out of life.

I know that may be a very cryptic summary, but it's hard to make one without copying it from IMDB and without spoiling the film.

Anyway the film was mostly amazing because of the characters.  They are real people just like you and me and this is what Meyers specializes in.  She wants to make you feel and understand the character profiles she's trying to create on screen.  Jules and Ben both have insecurities and problems that come their way, but they deal with it any which way they can with each other's support.  It's a heartfelt movie and made me feel something.  I didn't cry or anything, but I did laugh and thought about life.

Now the main reason I like this movie is the feminism.  Ben understands that with the younger generations roles are being reversed.  Moms are the breadwinners and dads stay at home.  But what are the problems that come with this relationship?  And is it always the woman that has to sacrifice to make things work?  This film really got me thinking, especially since this is becoming more common today.  Sexism is still a major issue in the business world that it even seeps into personal relationships.

I was going to give this 4 popcorns, but with the star power and the message it gives, it bumped it up to 5.  Congrats Meyers for making an insightful film.

Black Mass (2015)

Directed by: Scott Cooper

Written by: Mark Mallouk, Jez Butterworth, Dick Lehr, & Gerard O'Neill

Starring: Johnny Depp, Benedict Cumberbatch, & Joel Edgerton






Unlike my two previous posts, I have not read this book.  In fact, I didn't know this was a true story until a little after the trailer came out.  I had definitely never heard of Whitey Bulger and to be honest, this film did not interest me as much until I found out Johnny Depp was in it.  Who doesn't love Johnny Depp?

As most films, this has a combination of good and bad qualities.  Let's start with the good.

Depp's performance is definitely Oscar worthy.  He plays a violent criminal who is simply protecting his turf by becoming an informant for the FBI in order to take down the Mafia.  During the film, you can tell who is in charge and that's James "Whitey" Bulger.  He has the FBI intimidated.  He scares his girlfriend.  He frightens people in his crew.  He terrifies me.  Depp's performance was just that good.  But I think the makeup also added to the effect.  His blue eyes could stare into your soul.

That's pretty much it for the good qualities unfortunately.  Now onto the bad.

I was lost.  The film starts out with you expecting to know everyone.  Or at least that's how I took it.  They say names left and right and I'm just like "Who?"  Who are they talking about?!  Then they cut to a shot of the person, but they are with other people, so how am I supposed to know who is who?

Second thing: the plot kind of dragged.  Just a tiny bit.  I wanted them to get on with the story.  Yeah sure kill some people in the process, but as long as it moves the story!  Some of them did not and I think what the filmmakers were trying to accomplish was to establish the reputation of Bulger.  But it seemed unnecessary, like I get it.  He's evil.  Got it.  Okay.  C'mon what's next?

There isn't a third thing.  Everything was pretty much okay.  I would say rent the film rather than see it in theaters, but that's just me.  3 popcorns.

Everest (2015)

Directed by: Baltasar Kormákur

Written by: William Nicholson & Simon Beaufoy

Starring: Jason Clarke, Keira Knightley, & Josh Brolin






I loved this film.

Why?

Well in contrast to my previous post about The Scorch Trials, Everest actually followed the book!

What I'm talking about is the book Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer.  I read it in college for a creative writing course.

When I first heard about this movie, I was like "Oh, Mount Everest.  Is is a documentary or something?"  But it isn't.  It recounts the adventure taken on by a group of people who climbed this mountain, but unfortunately on their way back down, a storm hit and left some for dead and others in a panic.  It was very moving.

Now compared to the book, the film follows the guide Rob Hall who makes a living climbing up the mountain and insuring others that he can take them up and down safely.  Instead in the book it follows Krakauer and his experience.

I felt that the film was stronger than the book, which is saying something since that usually does not happen.  I believe the reason is that the audience gets to see the travelers' life outside the mountain.  Who are they married to?  Do they have kids?  Why are they doing this?  Etc...

There were a lot of things I liked about this film.  The acting was great.  The makeup was phenomenal.  You can actually feel their pain and them become frozen to death by the actors' performance and the makeup made them definitely look beyond Celsius.

Now I doubt that the filmmakers went to Mount Everest and got these shots of them actually going up the mountain.  Therefore the CGI was so realistic that I almost doubted them not not going.  Maybe they did, but I thought that only for a second.

If you go to the movies this week, or this month, put this as the front runner.  The IMAX 3D experience makes it moving, but seeing what these characters/real people (because it's a true story) go through makes it that much more.  Let's just say I was crying.  5 popcorns!

Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (2015)

Directed by: Wes Ball

Written by: T. S. Nowlin & James Dashner (novel)

Starring: Dylan O'Brien, Kaya Scodelario, & Thomas Brodie-Sangster







I had a lot of hope for this movie.  But I ended up disappointed.

Let me explain.  I had watched The Maze Runner first and then read the books.  I'm on The Kill Order now.  So because of this, I, of course, want it to be exactly like the books.  Now if you've seen The Maze Runner and read the book, you know there are some differences.  Same goes for The Scorch Trials.  But this time there are major differences.

The thing that bugged me most about the film was that it did some sort of dance.  It would be just like the book and then BAM!  It would go back to being it's own thing and somehow circle it's way back around to the original story.  It was frustrating.

Before I saw this film, I was hyped up.  I re-watched The Maze Runner.  I watched interviews with the cast.  And the night before I could barely sleep.  I was that excited.  It felt like I was going to Disneyland.

But I'm not trying to say that the film was a huge disappointment.  Technically the film by itself was great.  There were no major plot holes and the cast was everything I hoped it would be.  But in comparison to the novel...there is no comparison.  The book is just better.

If you don't know, The Scorch Trials film picks up right where the first one left off.  The kids get rescued, but then find out that they were not really rescued at all.  They escape yadda yadda yadda and somehow end up in a whole new test, but instead of the maze, it's the scorch.  Relationships are tested, friends are lost, and a whole bunch of new information about WCKD comes to light.  So it follows the premise of the book, but it seemed to me that they combined the second and third one and decided to just make up a whole new third movie, if there is a third.  Does that make sense?

As for the film elements, there was a lot of great shots and the editing kept it up to speed for what the kids were going through.  The cranks were definitely something.  Great makeup and costume design. I was literally scared and thought that children should not see this.  The cranks' makeup made them look like zombies, but dysfunctional as if there was something more to them, which if you don't know is that they are not dead zombies, but living people who have developed the disease of the flare.

I did appreciate that even though much of the plot was different about the film, they mainly kept the character's true behaviors.  Teresa was Teresa and Thomas was still Thomas.  Their personalities were in sync with what was in the novel.

Overall what I'm trying to say is if you have only seen the movies, then this is 4 popcorns, because you aren't missing any of the information from the book because you don't know about it having not read it.  If you've read the books like me, this is 2 popcorns.  So I'll just aim for the middle and give it 3.

Straight Outta Compton (2015)

Directed by: F. Gary Gary

Written by: Jonathan Herman, Andrea Berloff, S. Leigh Savidge, & Alan Wenkus

Starring: O'Shea Jackson Jr., Corey Hawkins, & Jason Mitchell






Man guys, this film.  This film.

I wanted to see this film since I saw the trailer.  Mostly because I like Dr. Dre and Ice Cube and also because I'm from L.A.

I didn't expect it to be this good.  I mean, I heard it was good before I saw it, but man guys...this film!

Straight Outta Compton is based on Eazy-E and the N.W.A.  It goes through the history of how they first became a part of the music business as well as their hardships through life and with each other.

First, the film is deep...and accurate.  What I liked most about this film is that they used real footage of various events and music that was happening during this time period, the 80's, the 90's and so forth.  They showed footage of Rodney King, the L.A. Riots, interviews, and even the original music videos.  I always love when they do that.  It gives the film a sense of being more meaningful then it is and also it makes it feel more accurate.

The filmmaking was great.  The best shot of the film, in my opinion, was a hospital scene, where it was outside the room, but everything was still in frame.  You couldn't hear the patient, but you could see them through the window and it was heartbreaking.  But no spoilers!

As for the rest of the filmmaking, I pretty much liked everything, except for this one spot.  The whole scene bugged me because of this issue.  Dr. Dre, played by Hawkins, was listening to music on the floor.  Headphones on, record's spinning, it was set up perfectly, but there were sun flares, where there shouldn't be!  Okay, perhaps I'm being nit picky, but a few is fine, but they were all over the right side of the screen.  I'm pretty sure this was in post production and not during production because the way the camera was going (it was circling Hawkins slowly), there were some spots that should not have a sun flare.  It was not in the sun!

I suppose another issue was the actors.  I mean I loved them, and I thought they did great, but there were some spots where you could tell they filmed those scenes first because the acting was not up to par.  Now the three main characters, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, and Eazy-E, were casted greatly of course. But when you look at their film history on IMDB, not much going on.  Hopefully that will change now, but this is the reasoning behind some of their scenes.

Despite my pickiness, because I'm a L.A. girl, I love this film!  It was deep, had some backstabbing, had some love, it was beautiful all around.

Even though the L.A.P.D. doesn't love the film...I do.  Hence, the 5 popcorns.  Go learn some history and watch this film.

War Room (2015)

Directed by: Alex Kendrick

Written by: Alex Kendrick

Starring: Priscilla C. Shirer, T. C. Stallings, & Karen Abercrombie







Before I saw this film, I heard a variety of good things about it.  Apparently the filmmakers are not very experienced and the movie made double of what they thought it would make.  Both good signs right?  Right!

The film is about a family that has it all, well almost.  Once the husband's work success begins going to his head, he takes it out on his family as if they are a burden to him.  Elizabeth Jordan, played by Shirer, meets Miss Clara (Abercrombie) who teaches her the power of prayer.  Prayer proves to be much more powerful then first thought.

Overall I liked the movie, mostly due to the message that it was sending.  Pray.  Because of this, the film felt uplifting and I felt very religious after seeing it.  I wanted to go to church right then and there.  But there aren't any churches near by, so I write in a journal instead, just as the characters do. Pretty inspirational eh?

When it comes to the filmmaking, it was pretty basic.  Despite having not much prior experience, they did a great job.  The locations were great.  There weren't any jump cuts or bad camera shots.  It worked.

The only thing I probably had an issue with is the writing.  For example, there is a scene in the film where the husband is in Atlanta, Georgia, but that is not conveyed easily.  It is shown via text, but then it poses the question of where is his family located?  It made it a little bit confusing.  Also there were times, where the dialogue was too much.  The point the characters were trying to make occurred already during their monologue, but they kept going anyway.  The dialogue could have been shortened in a couple of spots.

But the powerful message of prayer and the basic filmmaking made me like this movie.  Therefore I give it 4 popcorns.  I'd see it again.