The Dressmaker (2015)

Directed by: Jocelyn Moorhouse

Written by: Rosalie Ham (novel), P.J. Hogan, & Jocelyn Moorhouse

Starring: Kate Winslet, Judy Davis, Liam Hemsworth, & Hugo Weaving




Tilly (Winslet), after years of staying away and traveling the world, decides to come back to the horrible small town that she grew up in.  While there, despite her reputation of being a murderess, she begins to get clients that want her dressmaking skills to transform them into beautiful confident people.  But just because she can change them, doesn’t always me they’ve changed.

I thought this film was excellent.  It reminded me a little of Baz Luhrmann’s filmmaking because the people seemed out of place in that small town and there were a lot of close ups.  Maybe it’s an Australian thing. 

Anyway, besides that the clothes were beautiful.  I also thought Liam Hemsworth’s character and Winslet’s provided a nice contrast of how people who are both outcasts can come together.  But at the same time, it seemed odd their age difference.  Usually in films having an older woman and younger man isn’t seen, not that I’m complaining.  I like it.  But it seems like the director tried to make them the same age, but Hemsworth a few years younger.  It’s obvious though it’s more than a few, especially if you know their real ages.  So overall it seemed odd.

The plot is different than I’ve seen and I loved the mother, Molly, played by Judy Davis.  I also appreciated that it wasn’t a “and she lived happily ever after” type story.  It was more real than that.

I laughed, I cried.  I loved this film.  If it’s playing near you, I recommend you see it.  5 popcorns.

Masterminds (2016)

Directed by: Jared Hess

Written by: Chris Bowman, Hubbel Palmer, & Emily Spivey

Starring: Zach Galifianakis, Owen Wilson, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, & Jason Sudeikis



David Ghantt (Galifianakis) a guard at an armored car company.  After being persuaded by his crush Kelly (Wiig) to rob the bank that the company works for, he finds himself in a load of trouble with the law and an assassin.  In hopes to win the girl of his dreams and get the police off his back, he needs to figure out if he should turn himself in or get the real mastermind behind the operation caught.

This film was funny, but not as funny as I thought.  Like usual, the funniest parts of the film were in the commercial.  There are a couple more, but nothing to laugh hysterically over.

It's hard to believe that this was a true story because these characters all seem like idiots.  Their acting, especially McKinnon's was great and hilarious.  I didn't see any technical issues though.  All in all it was an okay movie.  Meh.  3 popcorns.

Deepwater Horizon (2016)

Directed by: Peter Berg

Written by: Matthew Michael Carnahan, Matthew Sand, David Rohde (article), & Stephanie Saul

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Kurt Russell, John Malkovich, Gina Rodriguez, Dylan O'Brien, & Kate Hudson




Dang guys.  This movie was crazy.

So the BP oil spill in 2010 is the main plot of this film.  How it started, how it ended, etc...

What I loved about this film is how it just shows all the horrific events that these men and women went through during the BP oil spill from explosions to lifeboats.  It was pretty in-depth filmmaking.  It even showed what occurred under water, CGI of course, but still it looked awesome.

Another thing I loved is that it was multiple stories.  True, Wahlberg took the lead and he's on the poster for IMDB, but he wasn't the main star.  The star was the oil rig.

Also I liked how Gina Rodriguez's character, Andrea, wasn't the eye candy and the sex object for the guys on the rig.  She was a part of the team and yet everyone looked out for her.

What I didn't like was the lingo.  I don't know oil rig/science lingo.  I'm not a scientist nor oil rig worker.  So that made it a little hard to understand.  What helped was the visuals that went along with the lingo so the audience could make the relationship between the two to understand what was going to happen next.

4 popcorns.

Snowden (2016)

Directed by: Oliver Stone

Written by: Kieran Fitzgerald, Oliver Stone, Anatoly Kucherena (book), & Luke Harding (book)

Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt




If you haven't heard about Snowden, he is a man in which the government hates.  From my understanding he revealed to the public that the government has been secretly spying on us through our phones, computers, and more.  They have their own database that can reveal everything about a person.  Crazy stuff, but I believe it.

Anyway, that's what the film is about.  Based on a true story, Snowden (Gordon-Levitt) goes through life starting in the army to various government agencies such as the FBI, CIA, etc...  He learns an enormous amount of information and has to decide on his own morals whether to reveal to the public what he has learned or to keep going with his highly stressed life in the government.

I thought the concept of the film was very interesting.  I was intrigued to know more, but the way it was put together was boring.  I fell asleep at least twice and so did the person I went with.  We had to go get a soda, it was that bad.  I think the main thing about why I fell asleep is because there was a lot of talking and repetition of Gordon-Levitt deciding if he should or shouldn't.  For a person's life, it makes sense to go back and forth about a big decision.  But for a movie?  I don't think so.

Another issue is that it had too much information to where it made it a little confusing.  I can tell you the beginning and the end, but as for the details of what Snowden and the government knew, I'm lost.  I don't know all of the tech lingo nor the government lingo.  If you do, then you'll probably love this film, but I'm not one of those people.  2 popcorns.

Bridget Jones's Baby (2016)

Directed by: Sharon Maguire

Written by: Helen Fielding, Dan Mazer, & Emma Thompson

Starring: Renée Zellweger, Colin Firth, & Patrick Dempsey




Bridget (Zellweger) is back!  And pretty much still in the same mess that we left off, but a few years later.  After celebrating her birthday alone, she decides to go on a fun weekend with her coworker.  While at a festival, she runs into Jack (Dempsey), a internet love guru who has sparked an attraction towards Bridget.  Unfortunately, he has some competition with Mark (Firth) who Bridget will always have a place for in her heart.  But when Bridget finds out she's pregnant, she has to decide on who she wants to be with: on old flame or a new spark?

I love Bridget.  I recently just did the three fictional character challenge and I picked her as one.  She's clumsy, real, and honest, which I adore.

Unfortunately I did have the bummed out feeling of missing Hugh Grant.  From what I heard, he didn't like the script and that's why he was not in the film.  But hopefully there will be a fourth film and he'll arrive.

Other than that, the film is a rom-com that satisfies all the emotions from tears to joy!  It's definitely a chick flick and you will probably see yourself rooting for one man or the other.  Hopefully yours wins.  4 popcorns.

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.