The Choice (2016)

Directed by: Ross Katz

Written by: Bryan Sipe & Nicholas Sparks (novel)

Starring: Benjamin Walker & Teresa Palmer







The Choice is just like all the other Sparks movies.  Just like The Notebook, The Longest Ride, The Last Song, etc...they pretty much all have the same elements.  Travis (Walker), a veterinarian, is neighbors with Gabby (Palmer), a medical student.  They hate each other, then fall in love, there is some other guy, yadda yadda yadda.  Of course someone has to fall ill or die.  If someone didn't then it would not be a Sparks film.  But there wasn't anything special about this film.  It is just like all the others as I said.

At first I did not want to see this film.  It looked boring and similar to the others.  But I only saw it due to Benjamin Walker.  He was married to Mamie Gummer (Meryl Streep's daughter) and now he is married to Kaya Scodelario, who is from my favorite television show Skins.  So I needed to see why these actresses I loved were marrying this guy.  I didn't see it, but maybe it's his eyes.  They look as if his puppy just died.  Anyway his acting was mediocre.  Very similar to Ryan Gosling in The Notebook, but just The Notebook, not any of Gosling's other films.  Palmer was good too, but nothing amazing.

The editing and cinematography were the best things about this film.  There was a slow motion part that I loved.  It's in the trailer I believe when Palmer gets into a car crash.  Plus there are some beautiful shots of the scenery where the story takes place.

I think perhaps Sparks has finally climbed over his successful peak.  Is he finally done?  Doubt it.  The person I went with was crying during the film, so there probably are still fans out there.  I guess I just outgrew him.  2 popcorns.
                       

Hail, Caesar! (2016)

Directed by: Ethan Coen & Joel Coen

Written by: Ethan Coen & Joel Coen

Starring: Josh Brolin, George Clooney, & Alden Ehrenreich








Hail, Caesar! revolves around Brolin's character Eddie Mannix.  The story takes place in the 1950s and Mannix is trying to keep his job afloat and keep his stars inline while staying sane.  His biggest problem is Baird Whitlock (Clooney), who was just kidnapped by Communists.  Unlike Trumbo, communism is a small detail in the plot rather than implied in the trailer.  If you see it from a metaphorical standpoint, then technically Communism is the whole story, but I'll get to that in a moment.  Anyway, besides Clooney, other stars such as Channing Tatum, Scarlett Johansson, Tilda Swinton, and more also are in this film.

This film was interesting.  It had many small details that only one would understand if they knew how the studios worked during the 50s including the Hollywood blacklist.  The plot was a little all over the place and I was not prepared for it.  From looking at the trailer, I thought that the film would focus on finding Whitlock, but it had other small storylines within this one storyline.

Metaphorically speaking, the film was all about Communism and religion.  Mannix was in this constant struggle with himself on doing right from wrong, while what he did for a living is the struggle against Communism.  Clever Coen brothers, very clever.

It did have it's slow moments and all these mini storylines might have rubbed some the wrong way.  Let's just say, while in the theater myself and one other person were the only ones laughing, compared to the thirty people in the theater.  I do think people should see this film, but I don't think many will like it like I did.  So for being all over the place and the slow moments, this film gets 3 popcorns.

Room (2015)

Directed by: Lenny Abrahamson

Written by: Emma Donoghue (novel & screenplay)

Starring: Brie Larson & Jacob Tremblay








(I finally saw it!  All I need to see is Carol and Beasts with No Nation to know all the movies in this year's award shows.)

Anyway, let's begin the review.

Joy (Larson) has been locked up in a garden shed for seven years.  She had a son, Jack (Tremblay), who just turned five.  And now it's time to escape.  Cleverly planned, Jack is able to get help to save them from this room that is Jack's whole world.  He knows nothing else and now it is time to face the unknown.  Joy,  ecstatic to be out wants to go back to the world she knew, but can probably no longer go back to.  Room tells the story through Jack's eyes of what this new world is like.

I did not like this film.  I mean, it was okay, but Tremblay annoyed me.  I don't blame him of course.  I blame Donoghue, the writer, who gave him so many lines.

The problem I had with this film is that the whole story is through Jack, a five-year-old.  I would have preferred it being through Joy.  I understand that we were supposed to learn with Jack about the outside world just as he was, but as an audience member, I know what the world is like.  I don't need to be told what is what and what not.  Of course he also observed his mother who was having a mental breakdown, but I would have liked it to be less of Jack and more of Joy.

Another problem I had with the film is that there is not much of a plot.  They are in the room and then they are out.  That's it.  True, they adjust back to the outside world, but it isn't as interesting as I'd hoped it'd be.

Despite the negatives, there is one positive.  Larson was amazing.  I can see why she's been winning for her performance.  Of course, it isn't easy to act with children.  And also, she is pretty much bipolar in the film.  She has to act happy for her son, when inside she's dying most of the time.  Who knows how many times she cried in the film; I didn't keep count.  But I did think she deserved to win for those two reasons alone.  Congrats Larson, you may just become the next Jennifer Lawrence.

I'd suggest renting it and was going to give it 2 popcorns, but Larson was really great in the film, so I'll bump it up to 3.

Jane Got a Gun (2016)

Directed by: Gavin O'Conner

Written by: Brian Duffield, Anthony Tambakis, & Joel Edgerton

Starring: Natalie Portman, Joel Edgerton, & Ewan McGregor







I wasn't too impressed by this film as I hoped I'd be.  I liked it and everything, but it was not amazing in my opinion.

Jane (Portman) ends up in a sticky situation when her husband Bill Hammond, played by Noah Emmerich, comes home shot in the back and barely alive.  He tells her the gang of outlaws led by Colin McCann (McGregor) are coming to finish him off and probably take care of her too.  In order to survive, she finds Dan Frost (Edgerton), her past fiancé and asks for his help.  Begrudgingly he helps in order to protect the woman he still loves.

Definitely a love triangle going on in this film, but it did not seem to be portrayed well by Portman.  Edgerton was great in how he handled a situation where he met the man that took his fiancé away and so was Emmerich in how he was a bed ridden man that could do nothing, but glare and Edgerton.

The plot of the film was well enough, but like I said, nothing too exciting.  Everything technical about the film was right in the traditional sense, but there were no crazy moves or experiments with camera shots or editing that I noticed.

I suggest renting the film, since it isn't bad, but it isn't that great either.  2 popcorns.

The Finest Hours (2016)

Directed by: Craig Gillespie

Written by: Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson, Casey Sherman (book), & Michael J. Touglas (book)

Starring: Chris Pine, Casey Afflect, Ben Foster, & Eric Bana






Bernie Webber (Pine) is a simple man.  He follows the rules and does not like to hurt anyone.  But one night his whole life is turned upside down with a storm that is about to hit Cape Cod, where he works as a Coast Guard.  Due to Daniel Cluff's (Bana) inexperience as Webber's commander, he tries to prove who's in charge and sends Webber and others out to rescue two ships that split in half during the storm.  Everyone says it's a suicide mission, but Webber always follows the rules.  Despite his impending fear and outspoken fiancé's resistance, he makes his way into the storm to do his job.

The special effects of this film were amazing and I really admired the change in the typical character for Pine.  In the movies that I've seen him in, he usually is this cocky, narcissistic, good looking character who takes charge.  But in this film, Pine is more of a push over and tries to make everyone happy.  It's pretty cute actually.  Think of him as the strong silent type.

Besides Pine's character, I also loved his fiancé.  Holliday Grainger plays Miriam who is far from the typical 50's housewife.  She's outspoken and does what she wants no matter what people think.  Definitely the opposite of Bernie.  Makes sense as to why they go together.

I thought this film was great with it's special effects and the obstacles that these men had to go through.  Not to mention it is a true story, which makes it better.  I recommend people seeing this film if they want something different than what's out at the moment.  4 popcorns.

The Boy (2016)

Directed by: William Brent Bell

Written by: Stacey Menear

Starring: Lauren Cohan, Rupert Evans, & James Russell







Oh my gosh guys, this film.  When it finished I was like "What just happened?"  I was pretty upset about the ending.  Ugh, I'm still kind of mad.

The Boy stars Cohan as Greta Evans, a nanny who just moved to England to get away from her abusive ex-boyfriend.  She finds a job taking care of a doll, whose parents think it is their dead son.  After the parents leave for holiday, Greta begins noticing weird things happening around the house and the doll.  She comes to the conclusion that the doll is actually alive.

Okay, ugh this film.  So the person I went with to see this film says that I'm upset that the film tricked me.  Maybe that's it.  But I don't think so.

It's hard to say what made me upset about the film without giving the ending away.  Let's just say it's not what Greta thinks it is.

The first half of the film was great.  I jumped twice and was really into the story.  I wanted to know more about Brahms, the boy, and what happened to him.  I was convinced that his spirit was haunting the doll, just like Greta did.

                               DON'T READ IF YOU'RE GOING TO SEE THE FILM!!!

SPOILER!!! SPOILER!!! SPOILER!!! SPOILER!!! SPOILER!!! SPOILER!!! 

DON'T READ IF YOU'RE GOING TO SEE THE FILM!!!

I'm a pretty spiritual person.  What made me upset about this film is that the writer portrayed this film like it was a spirit gone bad.  But really it's just some guy hiding in the walls pretending to be a spirit.  Like what?  Why would he live in the walls to begin with and pretend to be some creepy doll?  Just come out!  I don't understand.  And apparently he's always been living in the walls and the parents knew?!  Why didn't they take him out of the walls to live like a real person?  Sure, he killed some little girl, but be good parents and take him to the police.  Don't let him just live like that with an eight-year-old mind.  But then he wants a relationship with Greta.  Are you eight or twenty-eight? The film is just all over the place once the climax happens with Cole, the ex-boyfriend.  Gosh.  So many unanswered questions and then when there were times to actually explain what was going on, it was brushed over!  No!  No!  No!  I didn't just sit through half of this film to be led on that it's a bad spirit to actually come to find out that it's some lunatic living in the walls.  No!

SPOILER OVER!!! SPOILER OVER!!! YOU CAN KEEP READING!!!

So due to my spoiling rant, I'm going to give it 3 popcorns.  It was great, until the climax, then it just went all over the place in my opinion.  

Dirty Grandpa (2016)

Directed by: Dan Mazer

Written by: John Phillips

Starring: Robert De Niro & Zac Efron







This film was hilarious.  I haven't seen a film this funny since Bridesmaids.  Dirty Grandpa revolves around a grandfather and grandson adventure to Boca.  Dick Kelly (De Niro) lost his wife and as consolation convinces his grandson Jason (Efron) to drive him to Boca since he had his driver's license taken away.  Jason agrees, but little does he know that what Kelly really wants to do is sleep with a college girl.  Jason gets taken on this wild ride, while Dick is trying to keep himself and his grandson young at heart.

Robert De Niro, to me, was the one that made this film.  He seems to be doing films that are geared towards a younger audience these days, first with The Intern and now this.  He was the one that had the great one liners.  Efron pretty much was the consequence of well everything.  Things you would never expect to happen, happen and it's just hilarious.

I was initially going to give this 4 popcorns, but I decided it is really worth 5 since I did cry this last time I saw it.  It was that funny.  I've seen it twice and am planning to see it once more.

But I will say that there were a few shots that I felt should have been held a little longer. Also the first time I saw this film, these two elderly women walked out.  It's pretty dirty, hence the title.  So if you're not into, let's say Jackass films beware.

The Revenant (2015)

Directed by:  Alejandro González Iñárritu

Written by: Mark L. Smith, Alejandro González Iñárritu, & Michael Punke (part of the novel)

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio & Tom Hardy







(Before I begin my review, I apologize for not having this up sooner, and by sooner I mean before the Golden Globes.  Technically I saw this the day before the Globes and did not have a chance to put this review up.  But at least it is before the Oscars, right?)

Revenant: noun, A person who has returned, especially supposedly from the dead.

The Revenant stars DiCaprio and Hardy as part of a group of men that trade fur during the 1820s.  Their main goal is to avoid the Native Americans and try to get as many pelts as possible.  Unfortunately for Hugh Glass (DiCaprio), he encounters a bear that leaves him injured beyond belief.  So much so that it looks as if he might die.  Luckily, or unluckily, he survives!  But at the cost of losing his son.  In a quest for revenge, Glass tracks down the murderer who left him for dead and killed his son.

There are so many things to love about this film.  Here's a list:

1. The metaphors
2. Leo obviously
3. Will Pouter, a.k.a. eyebrow guy
4. The survival and just the roughness of the film
5. Cinematography beauty
6. And more that I can't list, because it might give the ending away.

So first the metaphors.  I love any movie that has metaphors, being an English major.  But many people seem to miss the metaphors in, well, pretty much any type of film.  The metaphors occur mostly with the Native American aspect of the film and the actors that portray the meaning of karma.

Leo.  Who doesn't love Leo?  I really think with all the effort that was put into this film by his acting and the weather conditions that he will finally win the Academy Award for Best Actor.  He did not talk a lot in the film, which made him an even greater actor because he had to rely on his facial expressions and body language to portray his agony with what was occurring right before his eyes.  Now that's acting.

Will Pouter, if you don't know, he is from one of the Chronicles of Narnia films, the third one.  When I first saw that film, all I thought was who is this kid with the funny eyebrows?  But since then he has appeared in Meet the Millers as well as The Maze Runner films.  Comparing those films to this one, you can see how he's grown as an actor.  He's has had a variety of roles from being the brainy know-it-all to the awkward teen to the bully of the Glade and now as the guilty young man trying to do what's right.  I think he's a great actor and I hope to see more of his funny awesome eyebrows in the future.

The survival and roughness of the film is something I haven't seen, especially the horse scene if you know what I mean.  You can tell it's cold, hard to walk through the snow (imagine the equipment!), and having to deal with mother nature as a whole while in the woods; now that's just crazy.  I'd die.  But that's filmmaking.

The benefit of filming in crazy weather conditions is the beauty.  I admired how between the scenes there were short clips of the scenery to give the audience a view of where they were.  It's beautiful, but also dangerous as we see with what the characters go through.

Iñárritu did a fantastic job with this film and I hope to see more Leo/Alejándro collaborations further on.  I can see why it won for the Golden Globes and I'm sure it will win again for the Oscars, especially with its 12 nominations.  It's a must see.  5 popcorns!

The Hateful Eight (2015)

Directed by: Quentin Tarantino

Written by: Quentin Tarantino

Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, & Jennifer Jason Leigh







Well this is definitely a Tarantino film.  It has all the aspects: gore, language, odd storyline...

The Hateful Eight takes place in Wyoming in the middle of a blizzard.  An unintended blizzard for that matter.  Major Marquis Warren (Jackson), a bounty hunter and veteran, happens upon a carriage filled with John Ruth (Russell), also a bounty hunter, and his catch, Daisy Domergue (Leigh).  Russell decides to let him ride in his carriage as they make their way towards Rockville to cash in their findings.  Unfortunately, a blizzard starts and they get stuck with five others in a cabin.  Let's just say the rest of the film doesn't go well for our characters.

The film was shot beautifully, but for the first hour and a half, I was bored.  Now let me remind you that this film is almost three hours long.  I think the reason I was bored was because there was not enough action at the beginning.  Tarantino was creating the backstory and there was a lot of talking.  But once they get to the cabin, it starts to pick up and then becomes a great film!  I mean, Tarantino does make great films.

It was everything I expected, other than the boring first hour and a half.  But I don't think I can watch it again without some time in between.  I mean I was fidgeting and it's a lot to take in.  As the person I went with said when I asked if they liked it, "It's different."  So I'll leave you with that.  It's different.  4 popcorns.

Concussion (2015)

Directed by: Peter Landesman

Written by:  Peter Landesman & Jeanne Marie Laskas (article)

Starring: Will Smith, Alec Baldwin, & Albert Brooks






Concussion shows how one man can impact the world.  Smith's character Dr. Bennet Omalu has a very impressive resume with lists of educational degrees and careers.  Based on a true story, Omalu has discovered a shocking epidemic in the field of football.  Get it?  Field... Anyway, Omalu brings his finding to the NFL, who, unfortunately for Omalu, wants nothing to do with it, since it jeopardizes their billion dollar operation.  Will Omalu be able to inform the world of this tragedy within the fan filled game or will it just disappear into the crowd?

The best thing about this film is Smith's acting of Omalu.  Before watching this film, I knew football caused concussions, but this goes beyond that.  (If you watch this film, Omalu gives a better explanation as to what than I can.)

Despite being mostly about the medical and business side of Omalu's life, it also goes into his personal life with how he met his wife and what struggles they endured together.

Landesman made great directorial choices, such as integrating actual football footage into the film from NFL games to college, high school, and even child playing this sport.  It made the film that much more impactful and without it, I'm sure this film may have not been nominated.

Even though this film is great, it is missing something.  I cannot put my finger on it, but it didn't reach the height of 5 popcorns.  Maybe 4.5, but I don't rate halves, so 4 it is.