The Disappointments Room (2016)

Directed by: D.J. Caruso

Written by: D.J. Caruso & Wentworth Miller

Starring: Kate Beckinsale, Mel Raido, & Gerald McRaney




Dana (Beckinsale) and her family decide to move out to the country after a family tragedy.  Being separated from the city, unfortunately, does not boost the mood of the family and actually creates more friction when Dana begins to become obsessed with the disappointments room that she finds in her new home's attic.

This film was a disappointment.  I mainly saw it because I wanted to know what was in the room and when I found out, I was not too excited about it.

The film's location was beautiful.  So there was nothing wrong with that.  But some of the actors, that weren't the main characters, seemed not so great at acting...essentially the supporting characters were terrible actors.

Another issue I had with the film was the role of Ben, played by Lucas Till.  Till seemed a little on the young side to portray the role given of the flirty handyman.  His bad boy flintiness seemed like the ultimate failure and his character probably couldn't get anyone to sleep with him.

Also the story was a little confusing.  The moral of the story that I came up with seemed different or completely lost on others.  But if you see it, let me know what you think.

2 popcorns.

The Light Between Oceans (2016)

Directed by: Derek Clanfrance

Written by: Derek Clanfrance & M. L. Stedman (novel)

Starring: Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, & Rachel Weisz

The Light Between Oceans is a very emotional film. 

Isabel (Vikander) has lost two children due to miscarriages while married to Tom Sherbourne (Fassbender), the man who takes care of the lighthouse.  After the loss of their second child, a small boat washes up to the shore of the lighthouse carrying a baby.  Isabel, thrilled, takes care of the child and convinces Tom to not report the child to the city.  After years of taking care of the girl, eventually they run into Hannah (Weisz), the biological mother of the child who has been convinced that her daughter is dead.  Dreaded with guilt, Tom has to decide whether he should confess to having the child or take that secret to the grave.

The film is shot in New Zealand, which is, to me, the most beautiful place on earth.  Therefore the scenery is gorgeous of the ocean, the lighthouse, and even the city, which was decorated to represent the 1920s. 

Besides the location, the camera shots were also beautiful.  They created a much greater love for the film and scenery.  Plus the film had a lot of showing, not telling.  For example, to show that Isabelle lost another child, rather than telling, there was a shot of where they buried the child.  The combination of the actors’ expressions and the symbolism made a greater sympathy for the characters.

Overall, I loved this film despite my multiple tears.  If you go see the film, make sure to have some tissues.  5 popcorns.

War Dogs (2016)

Directed by: Todd Phillips

Written by: Stephen Chin, Todd Phillips, Jason Smilovic, & Guy Lawson (article)

Starring: Jonah Hill & Miles Teller




War Dogs is about two best friends that get into a load of trouble.  Money hungry, they take large government contracts to supply weapons and other supplies to the military.  When they run into trouble with their shipment, friendships are tested to the point where these friends need to figure out what is more important: their friendship or money.

The film has an interesting concept.  It provides the view that has never been seen before of how the military and war are seen as a money making machines.   Nevertheless, the film did drag in some places, but overall was entertaining.

The way the film was made was very similar to The Big Short, where one of the characters describes the story as it continues throughout.  The only thing I didn’t like about the film was that there were these title cards in between acts, that became annoying after awhile.  I felt that they weren’t needed and the film would have run better without them.  These title cards interrupted the flow of the film and therefore get a lower score.  3 popcorns.

Don't Breathe (2016)

Directed by: Fede Alvarez

Written by: Fede Alvarez & Rodo Sayagues

Starring: Stephen Lang, Jane Levy, & Dylan Minnette




Don’t Breathe, to me, is a little overrated, but still very good.

Three teens rob a blind man’s house in an attempt to get enough money to move to California.  Unfortunately, the blind man is also a war veteran who has become very dependent on his ears.  After catching and killing one, the other two have a difficult time trying to escape.  With their attempt, they come across the blind man’s secrets that may come to their advantage.

I was expecting this film to be seriously amazing, but it had its moments where the tension faded.  But nevertheless was still very good in terms of storyline.

The editing and camera work was interesting in the sense that the camera was another person in the house.  It, at times, acted as the blind man, but then would go back to being the regular camera to show the two main characters’ journeys.  There were a few long cuts that were all camera. 

I thought there were some scenes that were excessive towards the end.  The blind man kept trying to get Rocky (Levy) one too many times, but at the same time it is understandable.  I won’t tell you why though since it’s a spoiler.

4 popcorns.

Hands of Stone (2016)

Directed by: Jonathan Jakubowicz

Written by: Jonathan Jakubowicz

Starring: Edgar Ramirez, Robert De Niro, & Usher Raymond IV




So before beginning this review, I have to let you know I was seriously distracted and annoyed by these two women next to me.  They kept talking throughout the film and even after confrontation still talked, although not as much.  Damn ladies.  Therefore my review may not be reliable since I didn’t get to enjoy the film that much.

Hands of Stone is the biographical story about the great boxer, Roberto Duran (Ramirez) and his journey to fame.  It also tells about his feud with Sugar Ray Leonard (Raymond) and his relationship with his trainer Ray Arcel (De Niro).

I didn’t think the film was that interesting.  The acting was great, but the storyline feels like a “been there, done that” type story.  It reminded me a lot of Rocky, which apparently came out during the time when this story takes place.  I mean, maybe Rocky took a little bit of their inspiration from this true story, but it’s unlikely. 

I also felt that this film had two main characters that were competing for the starring role.  The film should have chosen one character to go along with throughout the story: Roberto Duran or Ray Arcel.  Because there were two competing stories, there wasn’t a connection with either of them.  Therefore if something bad happened to one of them, there was no sympathy on my part.

3 popcorns.