Southpaw (2015)

Directed by: Antoine Fuqua

Written by: Kurt Sutter

Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rachel McAdams, Oona Laurence, Forest Whitaker

Seriously, this film, oh my gosh.  It was amazing!  I loved every minute of it.  I cried.  Tears rolled down my face, smearing my makeup.  And it wasn't just one time I cried, I was bawling through the whole thing.  It was that good.  A movie that makes you feel is always good.

Billy Hope (Gyllenhaal) has it all.  He has his beautiful wife, his lovely daughter, his mansion of a house, and his ongoing career as a boxer, a undeafeated boxer.  But just from bad luck he loses his wife and along with it everything else he holds dear.  Hope feels hopeless to say it bluntly.  With the help of Tick Wills (Whitaker), he regains his hope, but is it enough to get everything back that he once lost?

Gyllenhaal's performance was astounding.  He is probably one of the most underrated actors in the industry today.  Hopefully this will get him recognized and nominated for something, anything c'mon.  Anyway, despite his physical physique, he trained for this movie, emotionally I mean.  You can see the despair in his eyes and how he feels so lost.  Losing a spouse I'm sure is like that.

The other actors in the film were also incredible.  Laurence, though still young, put on the performance of what it's like to lose a parent.  It can't be easy losing one parent and slowly losing the other from depression. 

Meanwhile, McAdams had me a little worried.  When I see her, I think of Time Travelers Wife, The Vow, Mean Girls, and the list goes on.  This was probably her first role of being...not as classy or the girl next door type?  I don't know, but it put me off a little.  I'm not saying it wasn't good.  It wasn't recognizable.

Forest Whitaker's character was interesting.  Wills owns his own gym and is a trainer to keep kids off the streets.  Seems like normal trainer characteristics.  He's there to pick his fighters when they're down.  But Wills is much more.  Just see it and you'll know what I'm talking about.

I also loved the cinematography.  The scenes in the boxing ring against Miguel Escobar (Miguel Gomez) were new and exciting.  I felt like I was getting hit since the camera was situated as a point of view shot.  By doing this, it gave the feeling of how much this match meant to both characters.  Way to go Fuqua!

Southpaw deserves wholeheartdly 5 Popcorns.  It's a must see and I may even see it again.  

Paper Towns (2015)

Directed by: Jake Schreier

Written by: John Green (author), Scott Neustadter, and Michael H. Weber

Starring: Nat Wolff, Cara Delevingne





So before we begin, note that I have not read the book.  I do not plan on reading it either nor have I read any of John Green's books thus far.  I'm sure they are wonderful though.

I like this film.  I really do.  As I write this, I'm listening to the soundtrack and picking out the best songs.  The reasons for me liking this film are as follows:

Delevingne was mysterious, pretty, and all around a pretty well-played Margo for the most part.  I liked her character and the eyebrows made it all that much more.  She was barely in the film despite it being mostly about her, but the parts she was in, I was like "hey, she can act."  

Wolff's character, Quentin, on the other hand reminded me of this guy named Josh from high school.  But he was good too.  I truly believed that he loved Margo and his faith in romance made me like him. 

They weren't the only ones I admired.  I loved the whole cast.  Quentin's friends, Ben (Austin Abrams) and Radar (Justice Smith) were fabulous in that they played those geeky high school nerds that believed high school for the most party was horrible, except for their best friends.  They both were believable along with their girlfriends.  

But what I like most about this film other than the characters was the moral of the story.  Most young adult books (the ones I've read anyway) that revolve around real life seem to always end in a happy ending, but the one you expect.  I completely thought that Quentin was going to find Margo and they were going to live happily ever after.  My brain is programmed to find the best in romantic situations, but this film surprised me.  Perhaps that's a spoiler.  Sorry.

Anyway, it made me think that what you expect in life isn't always what you get.  But it can still be a happy ending nonetheless.

I give this film 4 Popcorns.  In other words, you'll probably like it just as much as I do.

Trainwreck (2015)

Directed by: Judd Apatow

Written by: Amy Schumer

Starring: Amy Schumer & Bill Hader







Overall, I wasn't impressed with this film.  I thought it'd be funnier.  One of my friends saw it and said it was as good as Bridesmaids.  It wasn't.  Nope, not even close.

Don't get me wrong, others loved it and thought it was hilarious.  The whole theater was laughing at the right parts, but those parts made me smile.  I don't want to smile.  I want to laugh and clutch my stomach in pain.  
If you don't know, Trainwreck is about Amy (Amy Schumer) who doesn't practice monogamy.  She sleeps around, drinks, parties, and does drugs.  She's living the life.  But once she meets Adam (Bill Hader), that type of life doesn't appeal to her anymore.  She has her ups and downs, and eventually she figures out what she truly wants.  

For Schumer's debut, it wasn't bad.  Both characters had chemistry and fit well with all the others.  I didn't really understand the meaning behind the movie with Daniel Radcliffe and Marisa Tomei, but hey!  Whatever gets the scene going I guess.  John Cena was looking hot as always and LeBron James probably impressed me the most with his acting skills.  Or was he just acting like himself?  

The cinematography was traditional along with the plot of any romantic comedy.  Even though this film isn't one of my favorites, congrats to Amy Schumer for getting it out there.  

I give it 3 Popcorns.  In other words, go in the morning when the ticket prices are the cheapest.  It isn't worth more than $7, if that.