REVIEWS - 'Hobbit', 'Snowpiercer', 'The One I Love'

'The Hobbit:  The Battle of the Five Armies' (PG-13) **

Picking up immediately where 'Desolation of Smaug' leaves off, 'The Battle of the Five Armies' sees Smaug (voice of Benedict Cumberbatch) laying waste to Laketown before being defeated by Bard (Luke Evans).  Bard then must find refuge near the Lonely Mountain for the survivors of Laketown.  Meanwhile, Bilbo (Martin Freeman) and the company of dwarves must defend the Lonely Mountain from several armies wanting to take it for themselves.

Okay so I didn't care for 'Unexpected Journey' all that much but I thought 'Desolation of Smaug' was great.  So what did I think of this movie?  Well...sadly it's more like the first movie than the second movie.  This movie drags A LOT and is full of unnecessary subplots and side characters who really add nothing to the story.  This is also full of bad CGI, with a plethora of main characters unnecessarily completely rendered in CGI as opposed to just using people in make-up which honestly would have looked a LOT better.  But overall the main problem with this movie is the same with the other two:  THE HOBBIT SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN MADE INTO THREE MOVIES.  Would've been way better as one whole movie, or perhaps two really good movies.  But sadly money takes precedence over everything else.  Oh well.  I'm sure I'll have more about this in a future 'Nitpicks' post.

'Snowpiercer' (R) ***1/4

Found this indie movie on Netflix.  An English-language action thriller from South Korea, 'Snowpiercer' takes place in a future where an experiment to control climate change ends up putting the planet into a deep freeze and the remaining survivors are on a train called Snowpiercer.  The train is divided up into different classes, with the rich occupying the front portions of the train and the poor occupying the tail end of the train.  Curtis (Chris Evans), along with his friend Edgar (Jamie Bell), starts a rebellion to make their way to the front of the train from the back.  Co-starring John Hurt, Octavia Spencer, Allison Pill, Tilda Swinton, and Ed Harris as the billionaire who built the train.  Overall this was a very solid thriller anchored not only by well choreographed action but also great performances by the cast.  Definitely unpredictable with it's twists and turns in the story.

'The One I Love' (R) ***1/4

Hoping to save their marriage, Ethan (Mark Duplass) and Sophie (Elisabeth Moss) have a rather peculiar weekend getaway at a secluded retreat recommended to them by their therapist (Ted Danson).  That's all I can say without giving away spoilers.

Overall I thought this was very good.  Well acted, Often times it's funny and sweet, and at times gives an honest look at a relationship on the rocks and how they react to the adversity.  There's also a fair amount of twists and turns that make this little indie film very strange indeed, but I still liked it.

I Finally Watched...The Interview

I've been meaning to bring this series back for awhile now.  Originally I was going to do a write-up about the 'Beverly Hills Cop' trilogy.  I watched the entire trilogy on Netflix over the course of a day and even jotted down a few notes.  But time passed and I got lazy so I decided not to write anything about it.  Then I came up with another idea:  Since last year around Christmas time I wrote about 'It's A Wonderful Life' and 'Santa Claus Conquers The Martians', I'll write about another Christmas classic this year and I settled on 'White Christmas'.  But I scrapped those plans once the controversy for this movie really started heating up a week before it's already rescheduled theatrical release (from October to December).  So, with this movie now becoming one of the most controversial movies of all time, I decided to write-up about it.  So, without further adieu, "I Finally Watched..." returns with Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg's controversial 2014 political comedy 'The Interview'.  Who would have thought that the writers of 'Superbad' and 'Pineapple Express' would be behind one of the most controversial movies of all time?

I can't quite pinpoint when I first heard about 'The Interview'.  At this point I'm assuming that I first had heard of it reading an article on some movie news website which announced that 'The Interview' would be Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg's follow-up to their successful 2013 directorial debut 'This Is The End'.  Evidently Rogen and Goldberg came up with the story several years ago, starting off with just the central idea of a celebrity being tasked with killing a dictator and eventually settling on Kim Jong-Un.  Then a few years later after the script had been written former NBA star Dennis Rodman visited with North Korea and hung out with Kim, which lent some realistic plausibility to their story. 

I usually like Seth Rogen's movies so this was on my radar of movies to watch.  The first trailers started popping up earlier this year and to be honest...I was less then impressed.  Both the normal trailers and the restricted red band trailers had a chuckle here and there, but nothing that shouted out "THIS LOOKS HILARIOUS AND I NEED TO SEE THIS MOVIE!!"

But then all this controversy started happening and that peaked my interest.

Way back in June, a spokesman for the North Korean government said that this movie was an act of war and that there would be retaliation.  A few months later Sony moved the movie from it's planned October 10 release date to Christmas Day.  Coincidence??  Yes.  Movies change release dates all the time.  Plus with the holiday season Sony could easily make a little more money by releasing it then as opposed to releasing it in the fall. 

A few more months go by and it's now November.  Some more threats had come from North Korea here and there, but nothing that hadn't already been said.  That is, until the cyber attack on Sony Pictures that not only released a myriad of private emails between studio executives and producers (including controversy about editing Kim Jong-Un's death scene in this movie), but also social security numbers, then unreleased movies from Sony, and threats that an attack on the scale of September 11th would happen to movie theaters that showed 'The Interview'.  Sony initially stood their ground and kept the Christmas Day release, but then they let the theater chains decide for themselves whether or not to even show the movie.  After many chains pulled the movie, Sony cancelled the release and thus came another storm of controversy that had almost everyone in America in agreement, no matter which side of the political aisle you were on:  Sony caved into terrorist demands and that 'The Interview' needs to be seen.  That Sony had set a dangerous precedent by allowing a dictator from the other side of the world to impose censorship in the United States.

A few days later Sony announced that it would be getting a limited theatrical release and that it would also be available to rent on YouTube, iTunes, Google Play, and Xbox Video.  This of course ignited conspiracy theories that this was all one huge publicity stunt, a conspiracy that I don't really buy into.
Anyway, after hearing that this movie would be showing at Bones Theater in Columbia City (starting Christmas Day) and at the Cinema Center in Fort Wayne (starting New Years Day) I decided that I would be going to see it in the theater (as was originally intended) at some point.  So, Sunday afternoon I drove over to Columbia City to see this movie.  A movie that surprisingly has become a symbol for freedom of expression and is now one of the most controversial movies of all time.  Yes, 'The Interview' is now in the same category with such movies as 'Passion of the Christ', 'Monty Python's Life of Brian', 'Cannibal Holocaust', 'The Pope Must Die' and 'A Clockwork Orange'.  And with all the international controversy in ten years this movie might just be in a history book.  Yes, my future children will grow up learning about 'The Interview' in a history book in school.  That's a scary thought...

Well enough babbling.  Then again there has always been more talk about the controversy surrounding this movie than the actual movie itself, which has been getting mixed reviews from critics.  'The Interview' stars James Franco as entertainment journalist Dave Skylark, host of 'Skylark Tonight'.  Seth Rogen plays his producer and friend Aaron Rapoport, who longs to do real news and to be taken seriously as a journalist.  The opportunity soon arrives when it is discovered that Kim Jong-Un (Randall Park) is a big fan of 'Skylark Tonight' and that he is willing to grant an interview with Dave.  After the news comes out about the interview, CIA Agent Lacy (Lizzy Caplan) recruits Aaron and Dave to use Dave's interview as an opportunity to assassinate Kim Jong-Un.

First things first:  If you don't like Seth Rogen's movies, you will probably not like this movie.  This does feature more satirical elements than any of his other movies and more political humor, such as spoofing the fake crying that was all over the news from North Korea when Kim Jong-il died.  But it's still filled to the brim with their usual barrage of foul language and crude sex jokes.  Now, having said that, what do I think of the movie?

I thought it was absolutely hilarious from start to finish, with very few jokes that misfired.  Think if 'This Is The End', 'Neighbors', 'Team America', 'Spies Like Us' and The Daily Show all were shoved into a blender.  The resulting depraved mixture would be 'The Interview'.  Not only was it very funny and very well paced, but I also thought it was very well acted.  Seth Rogen gets his fair share of zingers but he's usually the straight man to Academy Award nominee James Franco's absolutely bonkers Dave Skylark.  Heck, even Randall Park does a really good job as Kim Jong-Un.  He's a manipulative monster:  In one scene he's being hellbent on destroying the world just to prove a point.  In other scenes he's showering Dave with gifts, playing basketball (with the rims lowered so he can dunk), driving around the tank for fun, drinking margaritas, listening to Katy Perry' song "Firework" and confiding into Dave that he feels under pressure from his deceased father and the image that's been created for him as a god among his people.  Truth be told it is a good performance.  It also contains a very funny cameo by Eminem.  The movie does get incredibly violent and bloody towards the end, but in an R-rated comedy about an assassination that should be expected.

Like I said earlier, if you don't like Seth Rogen's other movies, you probably will not like this movie.  But if you have at least some interest in seeing it, I'd recommend it.  I watched it more out of curiosity from all of the controversy, but since I am a fan of Seth Rogen I probably would have seen this anyway.  If you wanna see it just to spite the North Korean hackers, go ahead and see it.  Support the First Amendment.  Do your patriotic duty and watch a movie that features Seth Rogen hiding a probe in...a certain place. 

So that's 'The Interview', what I believe to be one of the funniest movies I've seen this year.  If you've also had a chance to see this controversial comedy, let me know what you thought of it.  I hope to do this series a bit more in 2015 but we'll see how it goes.       

Reviews and An Update

Some more catching up to do before the end of the year along with an update for what's coming up next week.  Reviews of 'Whiplash', 'The Maze Runner', and 'Unbroken'.

 'Whiplash' (R) ****

Andrew (Miles Teller) enrolls at one of the best music schools in the country with dreams of becoming one of the greatest drummers to have ever lived.  He soon falls under the tutelage of Terrence Fletcher (J.K. Simmons), an absolute monster of a jazz instructor who pushes his students way beyond what is expected of them. 

As you can tell from the poster, this has been getting rave reviews ever since it debuted at Sundance earlier this year.  I've been disappointed by some critically acclaimed movies this year ('Birdman', 'Theory of Everything', 'X-Men:  Days of Future Past'), but thankfully this not only lived up to the hype but it greatly exceeded it in what is one of the best movies I've seen this year.  The music is all great, the story is something most of us can relate to (being pushed past our limits by others to achieve something better), but what truly anchors this movie are the performances from Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons.  The best comparison for Simmons' Terrence Fletcher is R. Lee Ermy's Gunnery Sgt. Hartman in 'Full Metal Jacket'.  Imagine if the latter character was a jazz instructor.  An absolute monster, but it's a great performance that fully deserves the talk of being a front runner for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

'The Maze Runner' (PG-13) **

Based on a best selling young adult book that I never read nor heard of before the movie's trailers started popping up, 'The Maze Runner' follows Thomas (Dylan O'Brien) as he wakes up in a metal cage that sends him to a community of other teenaged boys like himself.  He soon discovers that they are trapped in a maze and teams up with other runners to find a way through it.  Also co-stars 'We're The Millers' star Will Poulter and 'Game of Thrones' star Thomas Brodie-Sangster as other members of the community (known as 'Gladers', because, reasons) and Patricia Clarkson as a mysterious scientist.

Not gonna lie, I sat on my couch for it's 113 minute running time and I fully paid attention to it.  But at the same time for most of the movie I had absolutely no idea what was going on or why certain things were happening.  Sure people hate it when movie's explain too much, but this explains nothing.  When I actually understood what was going on, I still thought it was kinda dumb.  The acting isn't bad at all, and it's actually well shot.  Just severely lacks in the story department.  I'm sure the book (or it's sequels) is better and provides way more details and explanations as to what's going on.




 

'Unbroken' (PG-13) ***

Based on a non-fiction book by Laura Hillenbrand (author of 'Seabiscuit') that I actually did have to read in college, 'Unbroken' follows the true story of Olympian runner Louis Zamperini (Jack O'Connell), who spent 47 days drifting at sea after a plane crash in World War II while surviving storms and sharks, only to be captured by the Japanese and sent to various POW camps.

Simply put, overall I thought this movie was good.  It wasn't great by any means but it was still good.  Plenty of times in the first half of the movie it just drags on and on with random flashback scenes that just pop up out of nowhere.  It was hard initially to get invested in it, but as the movie kept going it got better and better.  It's an incredible story and it is quite inspirational.  Greatly helps that it's well shot.





Still one more movie to see in theaters and a few to watch on Netflix before I'll call it a year.  Here's what this week will look like schedule-wise:

TOMORROW 12/30: A new edition of 'I Finally Watched...'
NEW YEARS EVE:  EVEN MORE REVIEWS
NEW YEARS DAY:  TOP 10 of 2014 and Honorable Mentions
FRIDAY 1/2:  2014 Disappointments
SATURDAY 1/3:  2014 Surprises, NFL Wild Card picks

Next week I'll get around to reviewing 2015 as a whole, my Top 10 most anticipated movies for 2015, and some blog updates for 2015.  I am going to try to stick to this schedule but that will all depend on computer availability.  My laptop's battery is still dead and I'm going to wait until my next paycheck comes in to go get a new one.  That leaves me with three options:

1. The home computer, which recently has had issues with internet access
2. My mom's laptop, which has keyboard issues
3. The library.

So we'll see how well I follow this schedule.

NFL 2014 Week 17 Pick 'Em

Browns @ RAVENS
COWBOYS @ Redskins
COLTS @ Titans
SAINTS @ Buccaneers
EAGLES @ Giants
Bills @ PATRIOTS
Jaguars @ TEXANS
CHARGERS @ Chiefs
Jets @ DOLPHINS
Bears @ VIKINGS
Raiders @ BRONCOS
Cardinals @ 49ERS
Lions @ PACKERS
Rams @ SEAHAWKS
Panthers @ FALCONS
Bengals @ STEELERS

LAST WEEK:  8-8, 50%
TOTAL:  150-89-1, 62.5%

REVIEWS - 'Exodus', 'Theory of Everything', 'Babadook'

 'Exodus:  Gods and Kings' (PG-13) **

The defiant leader Moses (Christian Bale) rises up against the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses II (Joel Edgerton), setting 600,000 slaves on a monumental journey of escape from Egypt and its terrifying cycle of deadly plagues.  The latest from director Ridley Scott ('Alien', 'Gladiator', 'Prometheus', etc.).

Religious-themed movies sure have made a comeback in 2014.  Some have been good ('Heaven Is For Real'), some have been okay ('Noah'), some aren't so good at all ('God's Not Dead', 'Son of God'), and one is apparently one of the worst movies ever made ('Kirk Cameron's Saving Christmas).

So where does Ridley Scott's venture into Biblical storytelling fall?  Honestly, it's okay.  Visually this movie is fantastic and it boasts an impressive cast, but it's way too long and has more than it's fair share of cringe-worthy dialogue.  

 'The Theory of Everything' (PG-13) **
Based on Jane Wilde Hawking's memoir "Traveling To Infinity:  My Life With Stephen", this movie chronicles her (Felicity Jones) relationship with her ex-husband Stephen Hawking (Eddie Redmayne), including his diagnosis of motor neuron disease and success in physics.

This one is getting a lot of awards buzz, and that's honestly the main reason why I saw this movie.  The first hour honestly was pretty good, but as it dragged on and on I became less and less invested to the point where I didn't really care about this story or any of the characters anymore.  I do admire Eddie Redmayne's physical transformation over the course of the movie, so that's something at least.

'The Babadook' (No MPAA Rating) **

Single mother Amelia (Essie Davis), plagued by the violent death of her husband, battles with her son Samuel's (Noah Wiseman) fear of a monster lurking in the house after reading to him a disturbing pop-up book called "Mister Babadook".  Soon she discovers a sinister presence all around her as well, driving her to the point of insanity.

This Australian horror movie has been getting a lot of buzz.  Some awards chatter here and there, but the buzz mostly surrounds it being a critically acclaimed horror movie.  Watching the trailer it did look very creepy.  And indeed the movie does have a handful of creepy moments and features a great performance from child actor Noah Wiseman.  But the story itself is very thin which results in the movie dragging, the creepy moments aren't very consistent and as it progressed I kept thinking of other horror movies that more or less did the same thing but to better effect.  Quite disappointing.

REVIEWS - 'Mockingjay Part 1', 'Purge 2', 'Horrible Bosses 2'

'The Hunger Games:  Mockingjay - Part 1' (PG-13) ***

Revolution is in the air.  The Hunger Games are no more, and District 12 is no more. Now living in District 13, Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) reluctantly must become a symbol for the rebellion and becomes determined to save Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) from the clutches of the Capitol.  Series co-stars Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Donald Sutherland, Sam Chaflin, Jena Malone, Liam Hemsworth, Willow Shields, and Jeffrey Wright all return, this time joined by Julianne Moore as President Alma Coin of District 13, Natalie Dormer as rebellion propaganda director Cressida, and Mahershala Ali as Boggs, Coin's right hand man.

Before I go into a mini tirade, let me point out that yes I liked this movie.  Didn't like it as much as the previous two, but I still liked it.  As usual with these movies, the acting is always a huge highlight.  Jennifer Lawrence practically carries the movie in delivering yet another great performance as Katniss Everdeen.  There are many moments in this movie that are flat out chilling.  It's shot well and the special effects actually are pretty good.  But the main flaw is that this feels incomplete.  Seriously, as one whole movie this would have been great.  No need to split a 309 page book into two movies.  But Jake, the book has so much and the first half is way different than the second half.  So?  The same thing could be said about the previous two, yet both of those stayed as one movie a piece. The odds are halfway in this movie's favor...now I gotta wait until November 2015 for the other half.

 'The Purge:  Anarchy' (R) **1/2

Three groups of people are trying to survive Purge Night, when their stories intertwine as they try to survive the chaos and violence that occurs during the Purge.
       Group #1:  Eva (Carmen Ejogo) and Cali (Zoe Soul), a mother-daughter team who have to escape their apartment building after paramilitary men storm it looking for people to capture and purge.
       Group #2:  Shane (Zach Gilford) and Liz (Kiele Sanchez), a couple on the verge of breaking up whose car was tampered with by a gang just before the Purge starts.
       "Group" #3:  Leo (Frank Grillo) is out on Purge night avenging a personal loss. 

Simply put, much like the first movie I liked it and as a rental it's pretty solid.  I know the concept of a Purge is completely ludicrous but I thought this movie pulled it off in an interesting way that kept my attention throughout.  

'Horrible Bosses 2' (R) ***

Dale (Charlie Day), Kurt (Jason Sudeikis) and Nick (Jason Bateman) decide to start their own business but things don't go as planned because of a slick investor (Christoph Waltz), prompting the trio to pull off a misguided kidnapping scheme against the investor's son (Chris Pine).  Jennifer Aniston, Jamie Foxx, and Kevin Spacey all reprise their roles from the previous movie as well.

Let's face it:  Did 2011's 'Horrible Bosses' really need a sequel?  Probably not.  But, this follow-up is still a fun time at the movies and is consistently funny, even though it doesn't quite match the hilarity of it's predecessor.

NFL 2014 Week 16 Pick 'Em

Week 16 already?? Wow.  Time needs to slow down.

Titans @ JAGUARS
EAGLES @ Redskins
CHARGERS @ 49ers
Vikings @ DOLPHINS
RAVENS @ Texans
LIONS @ Bears
BROWNS @ Panthers
Falcons @ SAINTS
PACKERS @ Buccaneers
Chiefs @ STEELERS
PATRIOTS @ Jets
Giants @ RAMS
BILLS @ Raiders
COLTS @ Cowboys
SEAHAWKS @ Cardinals
BRONCOS @ Cincinnati

LAST WEEK:  12-4, 75%
TOTAL:  142-81-1, 63.39%

Golden Globe Nomination Reactions

A little late, but better late than never I suppose.  Awards season is now in full swing with various critics groups announcing their awards, the Screen Actors Guild announcing their nominations last week, and the Golden Globe nominations also being announced.  Like last year I will primarily be going over the Golden Globes and the Oscars, with reactions to nominations, picking winners, and a wrap-up of each ceremony.  Or least what I saw of each ceremony.  I'm babbling at this point so without further adieu, this year's Golden Globe nominations:


BEST MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA
Boyhood
Foxcatcher
The Imitation Game
Selma
The Theory of Everything

COMMENTS:  The only one I've seen here is 'Boyhood'.  'Theory of Everything' just came to Fort Wayne but I haven't made time to go see it yet.  I have no idea when the other three will finally come here.  At least 'Boyhood' is a very good movie and well deserving of a nomination.


BEST MOTION PICTURE - COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Birdman or:  The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Into The Woods
Pride
St. Vincent

COMMENTS:  I've only seen 'Birdman' and 'Grand Budapest Hotel'.  Neither of which I was all that fond of, but I can say more positive things about 'Grand Budapest Hotel' than I can about 'Birdman'.


BEST ACTOR - DRAMA
Steve Carell, Foxcatcher
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game
Jake Gyllenhaal, Nightcrawler
David Oyelowo, Selma
Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything

COMMENTS:  Haven't seen any of these performances, so I guess I'll be moving right along.


BEST ACTOR - COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Ralph Fiennes, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Michael Keaton, Birdman or:  The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance
Bill Murray, St. Vincent
Joaquin Phoenix, Inherent Vice
Christoph Waltz, Big Eyes

COMMENTS:  Honestly, Fiennes' performance was the best thing about 'Grand Budapest Hotel' and it's well deserving of a nomination.  But unfortunately all the buzz is surrounding Michael Keaton for 'Birdman'.


BEST ACTRESS - DRAMA
Jennifer Aniston, Cake
Felicity Jones, The Theory of Everything
Julianne Moore, Still Alice
Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
Reese Witherspoon, Wild

COMMENTS:  The only performance I've seen so far is Rosamund Pike's in 'Gone Girl', and it is probably one of the more insane performances I've seen in quite a while.


BEST ACTRESS - COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Amy Adams, Big Eyes
Emily Blunt, Into The Woods
Helen Mirren, The Hundred-Foot Journey
Julianne Moore, Maps To The Stars
Quvenzhane Wallis, Annie

COMMENTS:  Well, moving right along....


BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Robert Duvall, The Judge
Ethan Hawke, Boyhood
Edward Norton, Birdman or:  The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance
Mark Ruffalo, Foxcatcher
J.K. Simmons, Whiplash

COMMENTS:  I've only seen two of these performances:  Ethan Hawke and Edward Norton.  Norton is basically playing himself in 'Birdman', whereas Ethan Hawke is playing an average Dad who struggles with fatherhood and with trying to connect with his kids.  Hawke deserves his nomination at least.  But all the buzz right now is surrounding J.K. Simmons for 'Whiplash', which won't be in Fort Wayne until Friday.


BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
Jessica Chastain, A Most Violent Year
Keira Knightley, The Imitation Game
Emma Stone, Birdman or:  The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance
Meryl Streep, Into The Woods

COMMENTS:  Once again, I've only seen two performances and those are from 'Boyhood' and 'Birdman'.  Didn't really care for Patricia Arquette at all in 'Boyhood' and apart from one great scene in 'Birdman' Emma Stone doesn't exactly do much.  Which is a shame because I think Emma Stone is a really good actress.


BEST DIRECTOR
Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Ava DuVerney, Selma
David Fincher, Gone Girl
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Birdman or:  The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance
Richard Linklater, Boyhood

COMMENTS:  A good solid list and nice to see David Fincher get a nod for 'Gone Girl'


BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Big Hero 6
The Book of Life
The Boxtrolls
How To Train Your Dragon 2
The LEGO Movie

COMMENTS:  I've seen 'Big Hero 6', 'How To Train Your Dragon 2', and 'The LEGO Movie'.  Long story short, this is 'LEGO Movie's to lose.


BEST SCREENPLAY
Birdman or:  The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance
Boyhood
Gone Girl
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game

COMMENTS:  A nice list I suppose.


BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Force Majeure
Gett:  The Trial of Viviane Amsalem
Ida
Leviathan
Tangerines

COMMENTS:  I've heard of 'Leviathan'.  I don't remember what it's about, but I've heard of it at least.


BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Birdman or:  The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance
Gone Girl
The Imitation Game
Interstellar
The Theory of Everything

COMMENTS:  Good to finally see 'Interstellar' receive at least one nomination.  And that 'Birdman' score drove me nuts.


BEST ORIGINAL SONG
"Big Eyes" from Big Eyes, performed by Lana Del Ray
"Glory" from Selma, performed by John Legend and Common
"Mercy Is" from Noah, performed by Patti Smith
"Opportunity" from Annie, performed by Quvenzhane Wallis
"Yellow Flicker Beat" from The Hunger Games:  Mockingjay Part 1, performed by Lorde

COMMENTS:  I've seen 'Noah' but I don't remember that song.  I know that I've heard 'Yellow Flicker Beat'.  Nothing against Lorde, but this song was...strange, to say the least.  Not my favorite Lorde song, but far from the worst Lorde song I've heard.




The 72nd Annual Golden Globes will be held on January 11, 2015.  It will be hosted by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, who have hosted the previous two ceremonies as well.

NFL 2014 Week 15 Pick 'Em

Cardinals @ Rams
Steelers @ Falcons
Redskins @ Giants
Dolphins @ Patriots
Raiders @ Chiefs
Texans @ Colts
Bengals @ Browns
Jaguars @ Ravens
Packers @ Bills
Buccaneers @ Panthers
Jets @ Titans
Broncos @ Chargers
Vikings @ Lions
49ers @ Seahawks
Cowboys @ Eagles
Saints @ Bears

Update

As you may have noticed I haven't been blogging as much.  I scramble to put up my weekly NFL picks at the last minute and that's been it for the past few weeks.  Is it because of a lack of time or of movie watching?  Absolutely not.  Sure I do have a job now but I still have plenty of free time to watch more movies than I should.  In the past few weeks I have had a lack of motivation and inspiration when it came to this.

Everyday I come home feeling stressed out from my job as a teaching assistant.  I come home and I have zero motivation to do much at all.  Either I just sit in the chair in the living room or I just lay on my bed and scroll through various social media apps on my phone.  I've watched a few movies in this time frame, but I just haven't had the urge to sit down and type my thoughts up about them.  The fact that I still haven't bought a new battery for my laptop isn't helping matters either, since the laptop makes things that much more convenient as opposed to competing with various family members for time on the home computer.

But I'm not giving up on this blog.  Instead I will be putting going back to using this as a de-stressing activity.  Hopefully it'll redirect my attention from all the negativity in my area of work and focus on two things that I enjoy:  Movies and writing.

Now with all of that out of the way, what's coming up?  I could write several long paragraphs about them but I'll keep them short and simple:

• Awards season is now in full swing with the SAG Awards and the Golden Globes recently announcing their nominations.  Much like last year, I'll be doing a write-up with my reactions to the Golden Globe nominations.  Expect that sometime later today.
• Week 15 NFL Picks will officially be posted sometime before the 1:00 games tomorrow.  The following Thursday I will resume the normal posting schedule for NFL Picks.
• Since it's the end of the year, I will be trying to see as many movies as I can.  Some I'll be catching up with from earlier in the year, some are awards season contenders movies finally making their way to Fort Wayne movie theaters now, and some are just movies I was going to go see regardless.  So expect a lot of reviews coming up, with various lists popping up shortly after January 1.
• And speaking of reviews, I have plenty from the past few weeks that I need to catch up on.  Within the next week expect a post that has short reviews for all of those movies.  

Well I think that about does it for now.  Once again, I always appreciate feedback.  Unless it's from blatantly disrespectful "students".

NFL 2014 Week 14 Pick 'Em

Well my fantasy football team won't repeat as champions this year.  I suppose that's what I get for not doing anything with it for several weeks.  Oh well.  I've been more focused on these picks anyway.

COWBOYS @ Bears
STEELERS @ Bengals
RAMS @ Redskins
GIANTS @ Titans
Panthers @ SAINTS
Jets @ VIKINGS
RAVENS @ Dolphins
COLTS @ Browns
Buccaneers @ LIONS 
TEXANS @ Jaguars
Bills @ BRONCOS
Chiefs @ CARDINALS
Seahawks @ EAGLES
49ERS @ Raiders
PATRIOTS @ Chargers
Falcons @ PACKERS

LAST WEEK:  10-6, 62.5%
TOTAL:  117-74-1, 60.94%

NFL 2014 Week 13 Pick 'Em

Not much to say about last week, so on with the picks.

Bears @ LIONS
Eagles @ COWBOYS
Seahawks @ 49ERS
Browns @ BILLS
Redskins @ COLTS
Raiders @ RAMS
Panthers @ VIKINGS
Saints @ STEELERS
BENGALS @ Buccaneers
GIANTS @ Jaguars
Chargers @ RAVENS
Titans @ TEXANS
CARDINALS @ Falcons
Patriots @ PACKERS
BRONCOS @ Chiefs
DOLPHINS @ Jets

LAST WEEK:  11-4, 73.33%
TOTAL:  107-68-1, 60.8%

NFL 2014 Week 12 Pick 'Em

Brady VS. Luck turned into The Jonas Grey Show, the Rams prove that they're a lot better than their record implies, Seahawks slip further and further away from playoff contention, the Bengals are back in 1st place in the AFC North, and the Saints and the Falcons are tied for 1st place in the NFC South each with a record of 4-6.  Yikes.


CHIEFS @ Raiders
BROWNS @ Falcons
Titans @ EAGLES
Lions @ PATRIOTS
PACKERS @ Vikings
Jaguars @ COLTS
Bengals @ TEXANS
Jets @ BILLS
Buccaneers @ BEARS
CARDINALS @ Seahawks
RAMS @ Chargers
Dolphins @ BRONCOS
Redskins @ 49ERS
COWBOYS @ Giants
RAVENS @ Saints

BYE WEEK:  Panthers, Steelers

LAST WEEK:  8-6, 57.14%
TOTAL:  96-64-1, 59.63%

REVIEWS - 'Big Hero 6' and 'Interstellar'

 'Big Hero 6' (PG) ***

Based on a Marvel comic book that I've never read nor even heard of until this was announced as the next Disney Animation film, 'Big Hero 6' follows a young prodigy named Hiro (voice of Ryan Potter) who forms a superhero team to fight off a masked villain who is responsible for the death of his brother.  This team consists of his inflatable medical care robot/best friend Baymax (voice of Scott Adsit) and several of his brothers friends, including Wasabi (voice of Damon Wayans Jr.), Fred (voice of T.J. Miller), GoGo (voice of Jamie Chung) and Honey Lemon (voice of Genesis Rodriquez).  Also in the voice cast are Maya Rudolph as Hiro's Aunt Cass, James Cromwell as a professor, and Alan Tudyk as a tech company owner.  Stay through the credits for a semi-surprising cameo appearance.

First things first:  This pales in comparison to Disney Animation's recent offerings ('Tangled', 'Wreck-It Ralph', 'Frozen').  But with that being said this was still a good movie.  The animation is great, with bright colors and a lot of detail.  Lots of exciting action, often very funny, and Baymax is arguably the most adorable Disney robot since WALL-E.  Felt a little rushed at times but also felt a little bit dragged out at times as well.




'Interstellar' (PG-13) ***1/2

Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) is recruited by Professor Brand (Michael Caine) and NASA to lead a team of explorers (including Anne Hathaway, Wes Bentley, David Gyasi, and two robots voiced by Bill Irwin and Josh Stewart) who must travel through a wormhole to another galaxy in search of a new planet for mankind to live on.  Co-starring Mackenzie Foy, Jessica Chastain, Casey Affleck, Topher Grace, and Matt Damon.

This was one of my most anticipated movies for this year and it certainly did not disappoint, unlike several other movies on that particular list.  And honestly this is one of the better movies I've seen this year.  It's a three hour movie, but because I was so invested in the story and characters it certainly didn't feel like it.  Often quite tense with great special effects and anchored by two great performances in Matthew McConaughey's Cooper and Mackenzie Foy (from 'The Conjuring' and 'Breaking Dawn Parts 1 & 2') as Cooper's daughter Murph.  It gets a little bit confusing in the last twenty minutes of the movie but that's a minor complaint.  Just go see this movie.  Definitely one to think about after you've watched it.  A little hard to write about this movie while trying to stay away from certain spoiler-ish plot points,

REVIEW - 'Birdman'

'Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)' (R) **

Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton) is a washed-up actor who was once known for portraying the superhero Birdman in a trilogy of successful films.  Now he is attempting a career comeback by writing, directing, and starring in a Broadway play all while dealing with his ego, his family, his co-stars, critics, and the media.  Co-starring Zach Galifianakis as Jake (Thomson's producer/attorney/best friend), Emma Stone as Thomson's daughter Sam (recently released from rehab and working as an assistant for the play), Edward Norton as notorious method actor Mike Shiner (who's cast in Thomson's play as a last minute replacement), Andrea Riseborough as Thomson's girlfriend Laura (who is co-starring in Thomson's play), Amy Ryan as Thomson's ex-wife Sylvia, and Naomi Watts as Lesley (a first time Broadway actress cast in Thomson's play).  The latest from Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, the director of '21 Grams', 'Babel', 'Biutiful', and 'Amores Perros'.

Well...let's just say I'm in the rather small minority of those who disliked 'Birdman'.  Is it a bad movie by any means?  Not necessarily.  There are aspects that I liked, but as a whole it just didn't work for me.

Okay, let's get the good things out of the way before I go on lengthy diatribes about what I didn't really like.  Overall I do think this a rather original movie.  Comeback stories and behind the scenes stories have been done to death, but never before has it been done quite like this.  Every now and then the movie is funny, with the main highlight being Keaton getting locked out of the back of the theater during a preview performance and having to walk all the way around the theater to get into it through the front and dealing with a crowded Times Square.  Throughout the movie the Birdman character is often heard (and seen twice) berating Michael Keaton and saying how far his star has fallen since he turned down 'Birdman 4' and how the play isn't going to be a success.  Those I thought were very well done.  It also contains some rather harsh indictments of critics (from Keaton) and blockbusters (from Birdman) which contained some nuggets of truth to them, with the nuggets of truth also present in a rant to Michael Keaton about one's relevancy in the world from Emma Stone.  Those I thought were also really good.  And sometimes the camerawork does look really good, but I'll get more into that later.

Now what didn't I like about this critical darling?  Well certain elements to the movie were rather distracting and kept me from consistently being fully invested in the movie.

1. The obvious parallels to real life.  Michael Keaton was once famous for portraying Batman, turned down the third 'Batman' movie, and while he's not washed up he certainly hasn't had the same level of success since then.  Edward Norton is a method actor who is notorious for being difficult to work with, locking directors out of editing rooms and doing uncredited rewrites on scripts to various movies he's worked on, including the 'Hulk' reboot.  Now each have their moments (Keaton confronting a critic in a bar and when Norton and Keaton are fighting each other), but for the most part I wasn't seeing characters, I was just seeing the actors themselves.  The rest of the cast is fine, but no one really stood out in my opinion.  Usually movies that have real life parallels to their actors doesn't bother me, but this is a rare case where it did.  
2. Roughly 98% of the movie is edited to look like it was shot in one take.  Some have called this impressive.  Once again, I'm in the minority on this one.  The one-shot gimmick got old rather quickly as time passed in the movie.  And with the one-shot gimmick, I'm being distracted from the story by thinking to myself okay, maybe there was a cut here or perhaps this was a cut.  Also a sense of knowing the passage of time also goes away, but that's a bit of a minor complaint.  While the movie does look good and does feature some incredible shots, but the one-shot gimmick kept me from praising it.
3. The score is a rousing drum heavy jazz based score which sounds great on it's own, but it became a nuisance in some scenes and attracted a lot of attention to itself.

On top of that there's also a bit of a confusing subplot involving Michael Keaton and how he may or may not have actual superpowers but I'll get into that in another post since this subplot is a bit spoiler-heavy.  Also had a fellow moviegoer who apparently didn't see me sitting in the row where I was, but once again I'll get into that in another post.

'Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)' isn't without its moments of humor and truth, but overall it's a rather distracting movie that kept me from getting fully invested in it.  This is getting a lot of awards buzz, and sadly when awards season comes around instead of thinking how good this movie is I'm going to keep thinking how on Earth is this getting the acclaim that it's getting.  The same things I thought last year with 'American Hustle' and 'Dallas Buyers Club'.  Ugh.


TRAILERS

• 'Mr. Turner' - a biopic on the life of British painter J.M.W. Turner (Timothy Spall).  Winner of a few awards at Cannes including Best Actor.  On a technical level it looks beautifully shot.  But the movie itself looks fairly stuffy and dry.  And looking up that it has a 149 minute running time...it could be a rather long sit.  Unless it's awards season momentum somehow carries it towards a Best Picture nomination then I'm gonna pass.
• 'Foxcatcher' - I've seen this trailer before but it's the first time seeing it in a theater.  I've talked about it in my 'Awards Season Preview' post, but the movie actually does look really good.
• 'Wild' - another one that I've seen the trailer before but not in a theater.  And once again, another movie that I talked about in my 'Awards Season Preview' post.  You lost me at 'From the director of "Dallas Buyers Club"'.  Only a Best Picture nomination would make me see this.
• 'The Homesman' - Tommy Lee Jones directs and stars in this western that sees Hilary Swank recruiting him to help transport three women to their homes.  It didn't look bad and usually I like westerns.  

NFL 2014 Week 11 Pick 'Em

Bieber visits the Steelers.  The Steelers, who completely dominated the past few weeks, lost to the lowly Jets.  Coincidence?  I think not!   Yep...that's all I got for comments this week.


BILLS @ Dolphins
Texans @ BROWNS
FALCONS @ Panthers
VIKINGS @ Bears
BENGALS @ Saints
Buccaneers @ REDSKINS
BRONCOS @ Rams
49ERS @ Giants
Seahawks @ CHIEFS
Raiders @ CHARGERS
Lions @ CARDINALS
Eagles @ PACKERS
Patriots @ COLTS
STEELERS @ Titans

BYE WEEK:  Cowboys, Jaguars, Jets, Ravens

LAST WEEK:  9-4, 69.23%
TOTAL:  88-58-1, 59.86%

Sequels I'd Like To See Happen

Hollywood sure loves doing sequels, regardless of whether the rest of the world wants them or not.  Last week 'Toy Story 4' was announced for a 2017 release and this week sees the release of 'Dumb and Dumber To'.  The rest of the year will see 'Hunger Games 3', 'Horrible Bosses 2', 'Hobbit 3' and 'Night at the Museum 3' being released, and 2015 will feature an onslaught of sequels.

So with all these sequels being announced and released, I thought it would be fun to write up a dream list of sequels that I'd like to actually see get made.  All of these have had some chatter about them of actually getting made, but nothing so far has been concrete for any of them so I doubt these will get made.  But hey, a man can dream right?

• 'Austin Powers 4'
  Yeah baby, yeah!  Hard to believe that it's been twelve years since the International Man of Mystery was last seen on the big screen in 2002's 'Austin Powers In Goldmember'.  Since then Mike Myers has been in three more 'Shrek' movies, the godawful 'Love Guru', and had a cameo in 'Inglourious Basterds' so maybe doing a fourth 'Austin Powers' is just what he needs career wise.  The possibilities are endless.  There are plenty of Bond movies that 'Austin Powers' hasn't spoofed yet, including any of Daniel Craig's gritty Bond movies.  Heck, this could even tap into the 'Bourne' movies and maybe even include a slight dig at franchises with long-delayed sequels.  So much potential.  Rumors have floated around that the fourth might focus on Dr. Evil, but those are just that:  rumors.  Having loved the 'Austin Powers' trilogy and also loving the Bond franchise, I would love to see another 'Austin Powers' head to the big screen.

• 'Anchorman 3'
  Okay, truth be told do we really need another 'Anchorman' movie?  Probably not.  But having thought that both of the 'Anchorman' movies were hilarious, I'd love to see the characters again and laugh throughout the whole movie.
  
• 'Indiana Jones 5'
  Since Harrison Ford is reprising Han Solo in the 'Star Wars' sequel trilogy, why not have him back cracking the whip and wearing the fedora again as Indiana Jones?  Give the character more of a proper send-off than 'Kingdom of the Crystal Skull'...and to be honest I thought that movie was all right but I can understand the hatred that the fan base has toward it.
  
• 'Wreck-It Ralph 2'
  I loved the original 'Wreck-It Ralph' and I think the possibilities would be endless with the video game arcade universe that it set up for itself.  There's a myriad of other video game characters that could be used as characters for this.  Some rumors have popped up that Mario and even TRON might be used in a sequel.  That would be awesome.
  
  
  
  Are there any sequels that you'd like to see get made?

NFL 2014 Week 10 Pick 'Em

Well my streak of staying well above .500 for picks had to come to an end at some point.  Oh well.  Steelers suddenly are looking good after a lethargic start, Colts bounced back from the loss to the Steelers, and the debate over Manning Vs. Brady keeps going.


Browns @ BENGALS
CHIEFS @ Bills
Titans @ RAVENS
COWBOYS @ Jaguars
DOLPHINS @ Lions
49ers @ SAINTS
STEELERS @ Jets
FALCONS @ Buccaneers
BRONCOS @ Raiders
Rams @ CARDINALS
Giants @ SEAHAWKS
Bears @ PACKERS
Panthers @ EAGLES

BYE WEEK:  Chargers, Colts, Patriots, Redskins, Texans, Vikings

LAST WEEK:  7-6, 53.85%
TOTAL:  79-54-1, 58.96%

REVIEWS - 'Fury' and 'Locke'

After weeks of updates, random thoughts, nitpicks, and lists, it's time to get back to current-ish movie reviews.




'Fury' (R) ***1/2

As the Allies make their final push in World War II, a battle-hardened army sergeant named Wardaddy (Brad Pitt) commands a Sherman tank and his crew (including Jon Bernthal, Shia LaBeouf, and Michael Pena) on a deadly mission behind enemy lines. Out-numbered, out-gunned, and with a rookie soldier (Logan Lerman) thrust into their platoon, Wardaddy and his men face overwhelming odds in their heroic attempts to strike at the heart of Nazi Germany.  From David Ayer, the director of 'End of Watch', 'Sabotage', 'Harsh Times' and 'Street Kings'.

This definitely is one of the better movies I've seen this year.  It's also very intense and probably by far the most violent movie I've seen this year and the bleakest movie I've seen in awhile.  War is hell, and this movie NEVER shies away from that for it's entire 2 hour, 14 minute running time.  It also boasts a great score, excellent cinematography, and strong performances from the main cast, with Lerman and Pitt being the two standouts in my opinion.  It's a rough sit at times with it's intensity, but it's well worth it.      






'Locke' (R) **

Ivan Locke (Tom Hardy) receives a phone call on his drive home from work, which sets in motion a series of subsequent phone calls that will change his life.  Apart from seeing him get off work and some exterior shots of a highway, the entire movie takes place within Ivan's car as he talks to various people on the phone.  That's the entire movie in a nutshell...

I rented this from Redbox after reading many good things about the movie.  Great cinematography aside, this was a bit tedious to sit through with a flat, almost monotonous performance by Tom Hardy.  Also hurts that half of the conversations, despite having a great impact on his work and his family, aren't even all that interesting to listen to.  Sure sometimes on longer road trips when I'm driving by myself I tend to talk  to myself, but that doesn't mean an 85 minute movie about it would be very exciting.  

Halloween Movies: Treats

Monday had tricks, so today being Friday (and being Halloween) it's time for treats.  Here is a list of ten movies that I would recommend watching this time of year.  Or really any time of year.

'Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein'
This classic 1948 comedy has the titular funnyman as hapless freight handlers who come into contact with Dracula (Bela Lugosi), the Wolf Man (Lon Chaney, Jr.), and Frankenstein's monster (Glenn Strange).  Saw this for the first time on Netflix last year, and I thought it was absolutely hilarious with a perfect ending that introduces yet another horror icon into the mix.

'Arsenic and Old Lace'
Frank Capra (director of 'It's A Wonderful Life') directs this 1944 adaptation of the play of the same name.  Theater critic Mortimer Brewster (Cary Grant) discovers on his wedding day that his old, beloved aunts are homicidal maniacs and that insanity runs in the family.  And it only gets worse when his estranged brother Jonathan comes back to town.  Okay, it's not much of a horror movie, but still a rather dark comedy with plenty of macabre elements.  I actually played Jonathan Brewster in a production of this in high school during the fall of my senior year.  Sophomore year of college I finally watched this movie on Netflix and I thought it was very funny.

'The Cabin In The Woods' (R)
Joss Whedon co-wrote this 2012 horror movie that has five friends (Kristen Connelly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison, Fran Kranz and Jesse Williams) renting a cabin in the woods for the weekend, where spooky things are occurring and there clearly is much more to this cabin than meets the eye.  Co-starring Richard Jenkins, this may sound like a stereotypical 'cabin in the woods' style horror movie but it's not.  Yes it has certain cliches and stereotypes but it not only satirizes those but there is also a purpose for those which I won't reveal here.  It's kinda creepy, it's funny, and overall it's a fun movie.

 

'Dracula'
Ah, the 1931 horror classic that kicked off the Universal classic monster movies.  I watched this on Netflix last year, and in my honest opinion even though it's 83 years old and horror movies have drastically changed it's still a relatively creepy movie with a strong performance by Bela Lugosi in his iconic role.

'Evil Dead' (R)
Yes, I'm talking about the 2013 remake.  Five friends head to a remote cabin, where the discovery of a Book of the Dead leads them to unwittingly summon up demons living in the nearby woods. The evil presence possesses them until only one is left to fight for survival.  Directed by Fede Alvarez in his feature film debut and co-produced by Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell.  It starts off slow, but once the violence and gore kicks in it's an unbelievably wild, awesome, and bloody ride.  Stay tuned to the end of the credits for a special cameo.  This of all movies was the movie that finally gave me the inspiration to start this blog.  A very rough personal situation almost delayed that, but now I'm getting off topic.  If you liked the original 'Evil Dead' trilogy, you won't be disappointed with this new incarnation.  

 'Psycho' (R)
Another classic horror movie (this one from 1960) that I watched on Netflix last year.  Apart from knowing about the infamous shower scene and that chocolate sauce was used as the blood for this movie, I didn't know much about it.  Not knowing much about it definitely helped in that this movie just got creepier and creepier, with a twist that I did not see coming at all and actually made me jump in my seat in my dorm room.  I also watched the 1998 shot-for-shot colorized remake of this that starred Vince Vaughn, but the less said about that movie the better.  Watch the original one instead.

 

'The Ring' (PG-13)
The 2002 American remake of the popular Japanese horror movie 'Ringu', whose success inspired a whole slew of American remakes of various Japanese horror movies ('The Grudge', 'Dark Water', 'Pulse', etc.).  A reporter (Naomi Watts) investigates a mysterious videotape that seems to kill those who watch it.  It has to have been at least ten years since I've seen this so I don't know how well it holds up, but I remember thinking that this was actually pretty scary with it's constant feeling of dread and the very creepy, disturbing imagery played in the video.  Way better than it's 2006 sequel.    

'Saw' (R)
As the continuing tag line goes, if it's Halloween...it must be 'SAW'.  And indeed 'Saw' is back in theaters for it's 10th anniversary.  Holy crap I remember this movie coming out...I'm old.  I remember 'The Grudge', 'Ray', 'Ladder 49', 'Shark Tale', 'Friday Night Lights', and 'Taxi' all being in theaters the same time as this movie.  Anyway, the original 'Saw' follows two men (Cary Elwes and Leigh Whannel, the latter of the two also having written the movie) who wake up in an underground lair of the 'Jigsaw' killer with a dead body, a gun, two saws, a tape recorder, and a few tapes in the room with them.  The men must follow various rules and objectives if they wish to survive and win the deadly game set for them by Jigsaw.  The movie that started a franchise that had a new movie being released every Halloween from 2004 with this movie thru 2010 with the rather terrible 'Saw 3D'.  The movie that, for better or worse, helped coin the "torture porn" subgenre of horror movies (along with 'Hostel').  More of a bloody thriller than a horror movie, but the various traps and scenarios that Jigsaw's victims are in can be rather fascinating, and it's loaded with plenty of twists and turns that will keep you guessing.  I haven't seen this movie in years, but I remember liking it.

'Sinister' (R)
A more recent horror movie that stars Ethan Hawke as a down on his luck true-crime writer looking for his next big hit book.  So he moves his family into a house where a gruesome murder took place to find inspiration.  In the house he finds a cache of 8mm home movies films that suggest the murder he is currently researching is the work of a serial killer whose career dates back to the 1960s.  In a way it's a conventionally plotted movie with occasional scenes that are meant to be found footage.  Very well made, well acted, and very creepy.  The found footage scenes are without the doubt the scariest things in this movie, practically being mini snuff movies.  The twist I couldn't see coming.

 'Zombieland' (R)
Can you believe that this movie is five years old?  Neither can I.  Time flies whether we want it to or not.  A shy student (Jesse Eisenberg) trying to reach his family in Ohio, a gun-toting tough guy (Woody Harrelson) trying to find the last Twinkie, and a pair of sisters (Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin) trying to get to an amusement park join forces to travel across a zombie-filled America.  I absolutely love this movie.  Hilarious from start to finish, great characters fueled by excellent performances from the cast (Woody Harrelson standing out the most), buckets of blood and gore, and a classic cameo by Bill Murray.  What?  The movie's been out for five years - I can spoil the cameo.  I can't recommend this movie enough.




Well this concludes my lists of movies I recommend watching on Halloween, and those I don't recommend watching on Halloween.  What are some of your favorite movies to watch this time of year?

Updates and Random Thoughts - Part 2

Usually if some movie news happens or if I announce certain blog-related things around the time I'm typing up my NFL picks for the week I'll just stick them in at the end of that post.  But I felt these needed their own post.  And with this post I have already matched the number of blog posts I wrote last year with two months left to go.  Then again I didn't start this blog until the end of the first full week of April last year but oh well.  On with the updates and random thoughts.  

With DC last week announcing their future film slate for their cinematic universe, it of course was only a matter of time before Marvel made announcements of their own.  This particular announcement concerned what will consist of Phase 3 in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, scheduled all the way through 2019.

• 2016
  'Captain America:  Civil War' (May 6)
  The Russo Bros., who directed 'Winter Soldier', will return to helm this installment.  Robert Downey Jr. recently signed on to co-star and early rumors point to this movie dealing with a superhero registration act.
  
  'Doctor Strange' (November 4)
  A character I haven't really heard of until the rumors starting popping up a few years ago of a possible Doctor Strange movie and when the character was teased during 'Winter Soldier'.  Scott Derrickson, who directed 'Sinister' and 'The Exorcism of Emily Rose, will be directing and a deal is being worked out for Benedict Cumberbatch to star.
  
  
• 2017
  'Guardians of the Galaxy 2' (May 4)
  The first 'Guardians' was a lot of fun.  With the same cast and crew coming back for this sequel, it should be another fun ride.
  
  'Thor:  Ragnorak' (July 28)
  No idea who will be directing or what all cast will be returning.  The only thing I know is that while looking up what exactly 'Ragnorak' meant I found out that it refers to the Norse apocalypse.  Dark times appear to be ahead for Thor & Co.
  
  'Black Panther' (November 3)
  Yet another superhero who I never really heard of until movie rumors had started popping up.  Apart from the release date the only other confirmed thing is that Chadwick Boseman ('42', 'Draft Day', 'Get On Up') will be starring.
  
  
• 2018
  'Avengers:  Infinity War - Part 1' (May)Not even a week after it was announced that the 'Justice League' movie would be split in two, we now have confirmation that 'Avengers 3' will also be following suit.  Sure I could complain about these movies being split in two, but I'm gladly going to see them anyway.  Not sure yet if Joss Whedon will be returning behind the camera or if someone else will.  Heck, I'm not even sure which superheroes will actually be a part of the Avengers by the time this movie comes out.
  
  'Captain Marvel' (July 6)Once again, another comic property of Marvel's that I had never heard of until movie rumors started flying.  I'm sensing a pattern here...anyway the only thing I know about this is that this will serve as Marvel's first female centered superhero movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
  
  'Inhumans' (November 2)
  Have I made it obvious that I don't read comic books and with more and more superhero movies coming out it's reaching a point where movies are being made off of characters I had never heard of?  Well that continues with this movie, which from reading about the Inhumans for this post I guess they are a group of superhumans engineered by the Kree (who were seen in 'Guardians of the Galaxy).  No cast or crew has been announced yet.
  
  
• 2019
  'Avengers:  Infinity War - Part 2' (May)
  Not much I can add here that I haven't already talked about for Part 1
  
  

Personally I'd have liked to have seen a third 'Hulk' movie on the schedule, but oh well.

So if you include the DC Cinematic Universe, Marvel's two entries next year ('Avengers:  Age of Ultron' and 'Ant-Man'), Sony's 'Spider-Man' series, and Fox's 'X-Men' and 'Fantastic Four' series, from 2015-2020 there will be 29 superhero movies that are being planned to be released.  Obviously it's subject to change, but still.  That's a lot.  A few different websites have complained about oversaturation of the superhero genre and an eventual audience burnout over superheros.  I tell you what. As long as the movies are actually good I don't think we'll see any burnout.  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well in other news today it was announced that 'The Divergent Series:  Insurgent' will be released in 3D.  Having seen 'Divergent' in 2D but not having not read any of the books I don't really see a need for this to be in 3D except for to try and make more money.  The first movie only made a little over $288 million against an $85 million budget.  A mild success, sure, but nowhere near the numbers of either of the 'Hunger Games' movies ($691.2 million and $864.6 million).  Heck, it wasn't even as much as the lowest grossing 'Twilight' movie (The first movie only made $392 million worldwide).  We'll find out in March if 3D helped or not.

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Well that about does it for this update post.  Tomorrow I'll have more Halloween movies to talk about, ones that in my opinion are actually worth watching.  In November reviews will return, I'll have more NFL picks, I'll be talking about sequels I'd like to see happen, about miserable times in a movie theater, and perhaps a few more things that I can't think of right now.  Stay tuned.

NFL 2014 Week 9 Pick 'Em

Geno Smith benched, Michael Vick now the starting QB in NY, Colt McCoy now doing well as the QB in D.C., and Big Ben cut through the Colts' much improved defense like a hot knife through butter.  Acknowledging that your favorite team's defense is playing poorly and that the chances of a comeback are rather slim shouldn't lead to accusations of having a negative outlook on life.  It's merely about facing the facts.  The past few weeks I've kept saying that if this Colts defense stayed consistent, they definitely would be going places and possibly win out.  Clearly some work still needs to be done and we're now officially past the halfway mark through the season.  Time is flying whether we want it to or not.

SAINTS @ Panthers
Buccaneers @ BROWNS
Jaguars @ BENGALS
CARDINALS @ Cowboys
Eagles @ TEXANS
Jets @ CHIEFS
CHARGERS @ Dolphins
REDSKINS @ Vikings
Rams @ 49ERS
BRONCOS @ Patriots
Raiders @ SEAHAWKS
RAVENS @ Steelers
COLTS @ Giants

BYE WEEK:  Titans, Bills, Falcons, Bears, Lions, Packers

LAST WEEK:  11-4, 73.33%
TOTAL:  72-48-1, 59.5%

Halloween Movies: Tricks

Well it's that time of year again.  Pumpkin-flavored EVERYTHING, candy galore, kids conning adults into giving them free candy, apple cider, leaves changing colors, election ads on TV, college students wearing...interesting costumes, Halloween stuff everywhere, Christmas stuff starting to pop up, Thanksgiving getting ignored, etc.  But as far as this post is concerned it's when both classic and modern horror movies start popping up more and more on TV, and when usually more horror movies hit theaters.  So this week I'll be looking at horror movies, horror comedies, and movies that deal with the macabre.  Last year I only posted about certain movies that I'd recommend watching on Halloween.  Well this year I'm doing things a bit differently.  This year I'm making lists with movies I wouldn't recommend watching ('Tricks') and movies that I would recommend watching ('Treats').  So without further adieu, here's my 'Tricks' list of movies that I won't be watching this Halloween, or more likely ever again.

'Boogeyman' (PG-13)

Anyone remember this from 2005?  Heck...I remember seeing this in the theater.  'Boogeyman' follows Tim (Barry Watson) as he confronts childhood terror that has affected him ever since.  Co-starring Emily Deschanel and Lucy Lawless, this movie is just a series of jump scares.  No real tension or even anything resembling an atmosphere of dread.  Sure I jumped in my seat when I saw this in the theater, but that's more because of a loud noise.  At least watching this in the theater it made me jump because of the surround sound.  Watching it at a friend's house several months later was a bit of a drag.

 'Cabin Fever' (R)
Five college students rent a cabin in the woods for a weekend of drugs, sex, booze, and friendship...but mostly drugs, sex and booze.  But soon after a run-in with a stranger, they begin to fall victim to a flesh-eating virus.  Stuff we've all seen before, and it doesn't do anything new with it.  Not only is it not scary, but it's also badly written and acted.  And of course a remake for this has been announced...which speaking of remakes...

'Friday The 13th' (R)
...oh yes.  The 'Friday The 13th' remake.  Two groups of teenagers at different points in time decide to vacation at Crystal Lake and soon are discovered by a murderous Jason Voorhees, who was thought to have drowned thirty years earlier.  Really instead of a remake it could've been called a sequel since the opening five minutes of this movie is the same as the final five minutes of the original movie.  And then it divulges into 'Friday The 13th's Greatest Hits - The Porn Version!' as it combines elements from several of the sequels, and contains a lot of sex and nudity.  LOTS.  Sure, I didn't like the original 'Friday The 13th' all that much, but it's an Oscar winner compared to this poorly acted, poorly written, and overall poorly made sorry excuse of a movie.  And low and behold, it has been announced that 'Friday The 13th' will be remade again sometime within the next few years.  

 'Halloween' (R)
And now for another pointless remake.  Rob Zombie's 'Halloween'.  After being locked away in a mental institution ever since he was ten years old, a grown up Michael Myers (Tyler Mane) escapes and returns to Haddonfield to find/kill his baby sister Laurie (Scout Taylor-Compton).  Malcolm McDowell co-stars as Dr. Loomis, who is trying to track down Michael.  Unlike the original, this explores Michael's childhood with a (little) bit more detail, in that Michael had just always been this strange kid from an extremely dysfunctional white trash family.  Well, I'll give it this:  Rob Zombie indeed put his own spin on the story.  It's not a very good spin on it, makes the story less scary, and it makes for a horrible movie, but gotta give some credit where some credit is due.  Speaking of adding more details into the origins of a character and making it less scary...

 

'Hannibal Rising' (R)
After the death of his parents during World War II, a young Hannibal Lector (Gaspard Ulliel), moves in with his aunt (Gong Li), and plots revenge against the soldiers that killed his sister.  This by far is the worst prequel I have ever seen.  Yes, the acting is wildly uneven, it's not very well written, it's too long, not scary or creepy at all, and features numerous unnecessary subplots and nods to the previous films in the series, but worst of all it betrays the central character.  Never once in this movie did I believe that this whiny, bratty twentysomething would eventually become the cold, calculated cannibal as played by Anthony Hopkins.  If you want a prequel to 'Silence of the Lambs' that's actually worth watching and stays true to the character, watch 'Red Dragon'.  Or watch the 1980's movie 'Manhunter', which is also an adaptation of 'Red Dragon'.


  

 'Paranormal Activity:  The Marked Ones' (R)
I reviewed this earlier in the year.  It's a spin-off (but really a sequel) that basically is the first 'Paranormal Activity' crossed with 'Chronicle'...only nowhere near as good as those movies.  This franchise gets worse and worse.  But I will give it some credit:  It is better than 'Paranormal Activity 4' in that it actually advances the story and overall mythology of the series.  And it does feature some ridiculously awesome moments like having a character use a shot gun to blast away witches.

 'The Ring Two' (PG-13)
Six months after the events of the 2002 surprise hit American remake of a Japanese horror movie, Rachel (Naomi Watts) stumbles upon more instances of the creepy videotape killing people and discovers that her son Aidan (David Dorfman) is also continuing to be affected by the videotape.  This also explores more of the origins of Samara, the creepy girl from the videotape and on the poster above.  I'll talk more about the 2002 movie later this week, but this sequel just doesn't work at all.  Not creepy, not a very good story, and ultimately I just didn't care about what was going on.




So there's my first list of Halloween movies this week.  Any horror movies or horror comedies that you felt were sub-par or were just flat-out terrible?