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.

Hell or High Water (2016)

Directed by: David Mackenzie

Written by: Taylor Sheridan 

Starring: Chris Pine, Ben Foster, Jeff Bridges, & Gil Birmingham







Hell or High Water should be marketed more in my opinion.

In this film, Chris Pine and Ben Foster play two brothers that start robbing banks.  At first, they seem to not know what they are doing, but as the film goes on, we, the audience, see that they are much more sophisticated than first identified.  As they rob banks, Jeff Bridges and Gil Birmingham take on the case to catch these men. 

I expected this film to be a comedic adventure, but there were some sentimental spots.  The two dynamic duos had great chemistry.  Pine and Foster were just like real brothers with their horseplay and insulting jokes, but they would still protect each other.  The same goes for Bridges and Birmingham, even though they weren’t brothers, they were partners and had a similar relationship.

All the characters had a significant flaw that hindered their quest, whether it’d be robbing banks or trying to catch the robbers.  As the film continued, we got to see the characters develop in relation to their flaw, which made for a compelling story.

The plot is also interesting because, true, it is your typical robbing banks movie, but there is a deeper meaning behind the film, which consists of socioeconomic status (SES) and how it affects the characters.

I recommend seeing this film if you want a couple laughs, action, and some sympathy for the various characters. 4 popcorns.

Southside with You (2016)

Directed by: Richard Tanne

Written by: Richard Tanne

Starring: Tika Sumpter & Parker Sawyers

Southside with You is a big disappointment.

In the trailer I saw, the narrator says, “see how it all started,” but I didn’t expect us, the audience, to only see the first date.

Basically this film is about Michelle Robinson and Barack Obama’s first date.  It is a lot of talking and walking around.  There is nothing about their wedding, their kids, and their road to the White House or anything else that is not their first date.  I expected a lot more.  I guess I expected a biopic, but it didn’t happen.

I heard that this is how this director’s films are.  But I didn’t know this before watching it.  If I did, I probably wouldn’t have watched it.  But if you like movies where the characters just walk and talk with there being no end goal in a short amount of time, then this is the film for you.  I, on the other hand, like there to be character development as well as a more distinguished plot with the goal of something other than Michelle saying that it is a date.  Mostly because we, audience members, already know that it is a date.

Nevertheless, the acting is phenomenal.  Tika Sumpter and Parker Sawyers were great as Michelle and Barack Obama.  They have all the same characteristics that we see on television.  I believe they were the perfect casting choice.  But that is the only positive.  1 popcorn.

Ben-Hur (2016)

Directed by: Timur Bekmambetov

Written by: Lew Wallace (novel), Keith R. Clarke, & John Ridley

Starring: Jack Huston, Toby Kebbell, & Rodrigo Santoro

Ben-Hur is wow. 

I usually do not like watching religious films about various Bible stories, but every time I watch them I always feel like becoming a better person. This film is no exception.

I’ll start with the negatives because there is actually only one.  The editing was a little all over the place.  In the beginning, the cuts seem randomly organized, but towards the end they become better sequenced.  I think the editor is mostly used to doing action sequences, because when it is a slow scene or a flashback, it isn’t as good as when it is fast paced.

As for the positives, there are many.  I liked the CGI because you could barely tell that it was even there, but it had to be otherwise PETA would have been involved.  The scenes with the horses were very well done and most of the time they were real. 

I also liked the symbolism and dialogue of the film.  One example is when you win against someone you love, you really lose.  Another is that everyone is a Roman in a Roman’s eyes.  And, of course, all of Jesus’ scenes. 

There are also a couple of stories that mix into each other that make up the plot.  There is the one about Jesus as well as the main one of Ben-Hur and his brother, Masala.  Actually, now that I think about it, there is also a third, the rise of the Roman Empire.

This film is very powerful and it is underrated in the media.  I recommend it…5 popcorns.