Dan's Year In Film: 2015

I saw 59 new films in 2015.
Here they are, in glory and failure, ranked from Best To Worst

Great
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Mad Max: Fury Road
Spotlight
Steve Jobs
The Martian

Very Good
Love & Mercy
Ex Machina
The Revenant
Bridge Of Spies
Kingsman: The Secret Service
The Night Before

Good
Joy
Avengers: Age Of Ultron
Ant-Man
Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation
Creed
The Walk
Mistress America
Trainwreck
Black Mass
The Big Short
Sicario
Mr. Holmes
Dope
Jurassic World
The Intern
The Peanuts Movie
Inside Out

Watchable
Straight Outta Compton
Terminator: Genisys
Furious 7
Goosebumps
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2
Spy
Focus
The Hateful Eight
Tomorrowland

Don't Bother
Entourage
Vacation
The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
Fantastic Four
Spectre
San Andreas
Divergent: Insurgent
The Good Dinosaur
Unfinished Business
Sisters
Pitch Perfect 2
The Wedding Ringer
Daddy's Home
Cinderella
Hot Pursuit
Get Hard

Unwatchable
Magic Mike XXL
American Ultra
Hot Tub Time Machine 2
Fifty Shades of Gray
Love The Coopers
Ted 2


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Chris's Review: Pixar wonderfully mixes the Joy and the Sadness in ‘Inside Out’

Okay, Pixar. You did it again. You got me. You tugged on my heartstrings. Inside Out, the new film from the reigning king of animation, hit me right in the feels. And it couldn’t have caught me at a more apt time – just a little over a month after the birth of daughter (This is my second review already this week to mention my new daughter. I am sensing a trend).

Chris's Review: ‘Jurassic World’ – T-Rex and nostalgia still reign supreme in worthy sequel

Okay, I really want to go to Jurassic World, you know, before all the dinosaurs escape and start eating people. It seems amazing–equal parts zoo, wildlife reserve, Disney Land, and science project. There is a world-class hotel, petting zoo (petting dinosaurs!), water show, rides, and even a Margaritaville! Okay, maybe that last one isn’t that great, but you get the idea – this place is all-around amazing.

More than two decades ago, Steven Spielberg–the ever-consistent fabricator of childhood wonder and nostalgia–brought audiences Jurassic Park, a truly once-in-a-generation film that captured everyone’s awe and imagination. Since then, the series has endured two significantly sub-par sequels and a nearly 15-year hiatus. It returns (because nothing is ever completely dead in Hollywood), with a new action-packed adventure called Jurassic World. And though nowhere near as great as the original, the new film is still a fun and worthy ride.

Aiming–somewhat successfully–to be a true sequel to the original (and mostly bypassing The Lost World and Jurassic Park III altogether), the new film takes place 22 years after the events of JP. John Hammond’s dreams have finally been realized with the massive success of an interactive theme park filled with live dinosaurs and thousands of daily visitors.

Already in operation for several years, Jurassic World is seeking a new attraction – a bigger, scarier dinosaur – to drum up international interest and attendance. As one character notes in a bit of meta-cinematic commentary, people are not impressed with just dinosaurs anymore, they want bigger, faster, and more dangerous dinosaurs. Makes sense knowing today’s short attention spans and demand for carnage, but still, simultaneously, a good and bad idea.

Caught on opposing sides of this argument are the film’s leads – Owen (Chris Pratt), a cocky, ex-Navy animal trainer, and Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard), a stuffy workaholic in charge of the park’s day-to-day operations. Naturally, these opposites hate each other, yet are unquestionably attracted to one another. A rather unnecessary romance subplot, of course, unfolds.

Along for the ride are Claire’s young nephews (Ty Simpkins and Nick Robinson), who are growing apart in age as the family heads for an imminent divorce - another half-formed subplot. The film also stars Irrfan Khan as John Hammond’s ambitious & careless replacement, plus Vincent D’Onofrio as the closest thing to an antagonist (other than the dinosaurs), Jake Johnson as the comedic relief, and BD Wong as the only carryover from the original film.

The film’s action is impressive, as are the set pieces and special effects. The film rightfully hearkens back to the original as often as it can, whether it be familiar locations, recycled dialogue, or old jokes. And I must admit, when John Williams’ iconic original score swells, I cannot help but feel like an 8-year again, staring up in awe at the stunningly captured dinosaurs on the big screen.

As stated before, the film frequently mentions the notion of visitors wanting bigger and better attractions, much like the average moviegoer. The fact that the filmmakers recognize this and utilize it as a slight bit of humor, still does not stop the film from falling into this very same trappings. Most notably, the film sacrifices some story and character development for over-the-top action and killer creatures – such is, unfortunately, the nature of Hollywood blockbusters these days.

But the original was able to maintain both successfully, why couldn’t this long-delayed sequel? Well, in addition to that old “times have changed” adage, there is the issue of pedigree. Through highly capable, director Collin Trevorrow, with his first major studio film, is not Steven Spielberg nor does he have the same control over the story and production that the legendary director had to craft such a memorable film.

The characters are a bit stock and storylines are mostly clichéd, but in the end, audiences are coming for the action, effects, and excitement. And there, Jurassic World succeeds in creating a worthwhile and enjoyable sequel. Though one thing has not changed in the intervening decades, no matter how many new dinosaurs are introduced or artificially created, the T-Rex still reigns supreme.

Jurassic World is now playing on over 4,200 screens nationwide.

Chris's Review: ‘Ex Machina’ is an engrossing, satisfyingly cerebral sci-fi film

The idea of artificial intelligence and human-like robots interacting with people is utterly fascinating and is widely explored in the future worlds of sci-fi movies. But in reality, it is far more of a philosophical, and even physically terrifying, conundrum.

Many of today’s great tech minds have expressed awe, desire, and fear over this very topic – as very cleverly outlined in the ominous advertising for the new film, Ex Machina.

“The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race.”

 – Stephen Hawking

“AI would be the biggest event in human history. Unfortunately, it might also be the last.” 

– Elon Musk

While many films have touched, or even focused, on both sides of that coin, very few have explored both sides as thoroughly and effectively as Ex Machina.

Like a more contained Blade Runner for the digital age, Ex Machina probes deep into the minds of creator and creation alike. The brooding Oscar Isaac plays Nathan, an Elon Musk/Mark Zuckerberg hybrid genius, who is a confusing mix of congenial, mysterious, and intimidating. After creating a groundbreaking search engine, he has taken the next step in AI evolution by creating Eva, a nearly flawless humanoid robot. He is well aware of the ramifications of his creation, but casually dismisses them. He is not a mad scientist, just an arrogant one.

Built with a mesmerizing mesh silhouette, Eva is angelically embodied by Swedish actress Alicia Vikander. Delicate and complicated, manipulative and childlike, it is fascinating to watch her evolve as the film progresses. She learns and adapts quickly, which only makes her more fascinating, yet foreboding. The film does a terrific job of humanizing her. The audience, fully aware of what she is, truly cares about her - perhaps we have already failed the Turing test.

The other human element in this cinematic Turing test (a frequent reference in the film) is Caleb, the polar opposite of Nathan, played by Domhnall Gleeson. As an employee of Nathan, Caleb is the winner of a company-wide contest selected to visit his boss’ top secret mountain laboratory to help test Eva’s consciousness.

Everyone (and everything) in this film is incredibly intelligent. The three characters play a continual game of chess (another frequent reference) with one another – and the audience. Motives are questioned, allegiances are switched, and actions are surprising even when they are predictable. From the start, Caleb is seemingly just a pawn in their game, but he eventually attempts to take matters into his own hands. Everyone has an agenda and nothing is revealed to the audience until the filmmakers want us to know. And often our assumptions are wrong, likewise for the characters in the film.

Though Caleb is the obvious surrogate for the audience, he is not the only relatable character. Quite knowledgeable, but not nearly as smart as he thinks he is (like the audience), this everyman is highly susceptible to emotion (like the audience). Just when he thinks he has figured it out (like the audience), a new wrinkle is revealed. Similarly, Eva also shares connection with the audience. She is constantly learning and building upon previous knowledge (like the audience). She catches on as the action unfolds before her (just like the audience). But with all characters, nothing is at is seems.

Ex Machina does hit some familiar genre notes – it’s unavoidable – but in the end, it explores them far more deeply and satisfyingly than its predecessors. The film is a multi-layered commentary that plunges the depths of such heady themes as consciousness, voyeurism, technology, and our very existence. The film is a fully engrossing trip, one of the most satisfyingly cerebral sci-fi films in quite awhile, and easily the best film of the year so far.

* * * * ½ out of 5 stars

The Marvel Movie Lists

Now that AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON is out and people are basking in its awesomeness, the time is here to rank the films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. So far, eleven films from this Universe have been released (sorry, while X-MEN is Marvel, it is not part of the Cinematic Universe). With no signs of slowing (there are at least ten more films planned for the Universe), it should be stated that this is one incredible franchise. Crossing over that many properties and characters was a gargantuan task and should be considered one of the greatest successes in film history. So we proudly present . . .

The Marvel Movie Lists

Dan's List

11. The Incredible Hulk
I respected the risk of not doing an origin-story film, but the lack of good dialogue was hard to take.
The usually stellar Ed Norton, was reduced to nothing, as most of his scenes were stunt doubles or computer generated. It's by far the weakest film from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

10. Thor: The Dark World
A beautiful looking film, but it's a complete snooze fest when Loki is not around.
It lacks the charm of the original and instead tried to "go dark", (just look at the title).
This would have been better off as a romantic comedy with Thor and Jane.

9. Thor
Beautifully shot, funny and just campy enough to maintain its integrity in the Universe.
I loved all of the stuff with Thor on Earth, and Natalie Portman should be in every movie.
Throw in the best work of Kat Dennings career and the badassness of Loki, and it was a good time.
Don't be fooled by how low it is on this list, Thor is definitely a solid popcorn flick.

8. Captain America: The First Avenger
Solid origin story, full of good ole Greatest Generation nostalgia.
The only (slight) problem with Captain America is that he is just so darn sincere ... and moral.
I always like an edge to my comic book heroes: Batman, Wolverine, Tony Stark,
They do their best to have a good time with how square he is but, let's be honest, the other Avengers are just more fun. However, I do feel bad that he missed his date.

7. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
An underrated part of this film was the TV tie-in with "Agents Of  S.H.I.E.L.D.".
You could still enjoy it without the TV backstory, but it definitely rewarded you for weekly viewing.
It also had impressive action sequences, a lot of Black Widow and the welcome addition of Falcon.
Again, don't be fooled by the placement on this list: this movie is worth your time.
On your left!

6. Iron Man 2
The highlight of this film is obviously Mickey Rourke as the villain Ivan Vanko:
"Where eez my bird?" "Droid better." "This is not my bird."
Unfortunately, Mickey wasn't very happy with it how it turned out:
He accused Marvel Studios of making him one dimensional with bad editing.
Don't worry Mickey, I loved it anyway and you're still the man.
Rumble Fish for life!

5. Avengers
 They assembled and it was awesome.

4. Iron Man 3
IRON MAN 3  has great action, story, wit, style and (real) substance.
In perhaps his best turn as in-flux hero Tony Stark, Robert Downey Jr. reminds us why this franchise became so huge, so fast. Downey and director, Shane Black, furthered a genre that was becoming increasingly obvious and easy. They delivered a complete film, that will entertain people of all ages and is far greater than the usual Summer Blockbuster. Read my original review here.

3. Avengers: Age Of Ultron
Yeah, I said it.
This movie is better than the first.
Even when the fate of humanity hangs in the balance their banter is still on point.
James Spader killed it as the voice of Ultron and the Twins (Quicksilver/Scarlet Witch) were dope.
Are you hammer worthy?

2. Iron Man
Ah, Tony Stark, so glad to have met you.
I remember hearing about this movie and thinking it was going to be awful.
However, the rejuvenated Robert Downey Jr. and the directing of Jon Favreau, left me satisfied.
Iron Man showed that comic book films can be serious, but also funny.
Make sure to thank RDJ if you meet him, his performance saved the Universe.

1. Guardians Of The Galaxy
The Marvel Universe was becoming too procedural and repetitive:
Enter a rag tag group of trash talking Aliens to save the day.
Guardians gave us a lot of new things to digest and it was exactly the breath of fresh air needed.
I like this film more every time I watch it:
The action, the music, the wide-shots, the deep focus and of course, that title screen!




Chris's List

Spoiler Alert: I love Captain American and don’t really care for Thor

11 - Thor: The Dark World

I know I have seen this movie, but honestly, I hardly remember anything from it. There were some aliens, right? Loki is probably funny and the best part. That’s all I’ve got.

10 - The Incredible Hulk

An oddity for sure in the Marvel Cinematic Universe – simultaneously a sequel and a one-off. A decent film, but Norton is still an odd choice for Bruce Banner. Ruffalo is better.

9 - Thor

Thor again, but this one I actually do remember. And I did like it, but it’s obviously on the lower end of the scale for Marvel. It’s not Chris Hemsworth’s fault, and it’s definitely not Tom Hiddleston’s – maybe it’s the rainbow bridge or blue aliens or the small NM town setting.

8 - Iron Man 2

While not great, it certainly was not the trainwreck everyone thought it was upon release. Sure, it paled in comparison to the first, and ultimately overshadowed by the third, but it’s still a fun film. And Robert Downey, Jr. sparring with Sam Rockwell will always be great. Plus, it introduced us to Black Widow.   

7 - Avengers: Age of Ultron

I liked the Avengers sequel, I just didn’t love it. I thought it was overstuffed, forced, and a bit hollow compared to the first and all other MCU movies, but still a really fun ride. Check out my review here.

6 - Iron Man 3

A great movie that I loved after seeing it the first time, but then, kind of forgot. I caught it again a few weeks ago and was glad to see it still did it for me. Ben Kingsley and the twist were excellent. Give director Shane Black more movies!  

5 - Guardians of the Galaxy

I had my doubts about this one from the start, but I am happy to admit that I was wrong. A super fun movie, thanks to Chris Pratt, Bradley Cooper, and even Vin Diesel. I wanted a bit weirder though (like I was promised!).

4 - Captain America: The First Avenger

I love the period setting that helps separate it from all other Marvel entries (the war bonds montage is terrific). Also, has one of the best supporting casts in any Marvel movie – Tommy Lee Jones, Stanley Tucci, Hugo Weaving, Dominic Cooper, Haley Atwell, and Toby Jones. Plus, old school Hydra is the best kind of villain-producing factory.

3 - Iron Man

Downey as Tony Stark started it all and the first film holds up as a really solid and fun flick.

2 - Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Almost my #1. Just a great action film. Chris Evans nails the moral compass that is Captain America, The Falcon is a great addition to the team (if they would ever invite him along), and the increased role for Scarlett Johansson is a big plus for everyone.

1 - The Avengers

Dan is crazy, the first Avengers is leaps and bounds better than the overstuffed sequel. The first is the perfect balance of each character, great story and dialogue, and an actual villain.


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Chris's Top 30 Films of 2014, and Other Best Of Lists for the Year in Cinema

No explanations, just my Best of 2014 lists. 

30 - Boyhood
29 - The Imitation Game
28 - Joe
27 - Gone Girl
26 - Starred Up
25 - Obvious Child
24 - Calvary
23 - The Babadook

22 - Foxcatcher
21 - Guardians of the Galaxy

20 - Love is Strange

19 - Listen Up Phillip

18 - Venus in Fur

17 - Selma 

16 - Interstellar

15 - X-Men: Days of Future Past

14 - Nightcrawler
13 - Ida

12 - Dear White People

11 - Captain America: The Winter Soldier 
10 - Inherent Vice 
 9 - The One I Love

 8 - Snowpiercer
 7 - A Most Violent Year 

 6 - Frank

 5 - Enemy

 4 - Whiplash 
 3 - Birdman, or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance
 2 - The Grand Budapest Hotel  
 1 - The Immigrant

For more (including Best Actor/Actress, Best Scenes, and Most Overrated Movie...

Now Playing: Hot Tub Time Machine 2, The DUFF, McFarland USA

Hot Tub Time Machine 2

Official Synopsis:
This time around, Lou (Rob Corddry) finds himself in a whole heap of trouble, and the rest of the gang must fire up the hot tub to get back to the past, but accidentally get sent to the future.
It’s time to alter the future, to save the past which is actually just the present…

North's Thoughts:
Although it didn't set the box office aflame, Hot Tub Time Machine got some love when it hit video.
Who could resist the 1980s retro charm, Lougle, and stealing pop songs from the future?
John Cusack is missing from the gang, but I still want to ride with these dudes again.
They've brought in the always funny Adam Scott and will surely go back to some old gags.
If it turns out to a bad time in the tub, you can always go back five years and be happy once again.



The DUFF

Official Synopsis:
Bianca (Mae Whitman) is a content high school senior whose world is shattered when she learns the student body knows her as 'The DUFF' (Designated Ugly Fat Friend) to her prettier, more popular friends (Skyler Samuels & Bianca Santos). Now, despite the words of caution from her favorite teacher (Ken Jeong), she puts aside the potential distraction of her crush, Toby (Nick Eversman), and enlists Wesley (Robbie Amell), a slick but charming jock, to help reinvent herself. To save her senior year from turning into a total disaster, Bianca must find the confidence to overthrow the school's ruthless label maker Madison (Bella Thorne) and remind everyone that no matter what people look or act like, we are all someone's DUFF.

North's Thoughts:
With genuinely funny people like Mae Whitman and Ken Jeong, I hope to get some good laughs.
High School Movies can be amazing or amazingly bad.
Always give them a chance because every now and then you also find a hidden gem, like Project X.
Here are the Top 5 High School Movies Of All-Time:
5. Clueless
4. Fast Times At Ridgemont High
3. The Breakfast Club
2. Dazed And Confused
1. Ferris Bueller's Day Off


McFarland USA

Official Synopsis:

From Disney comes MCFARLAND, the true against-all-odds story of the 1987 McFarland high school cross country team in an economically challenged community. 

North's Thoughts:

I love how Disney doesn't even bother with an extensive synopsis:

Disney. True Story. Sports.

Here's The Top 5 Disney Sports Movies Of All-Time:

5. The Big Green

4. Cool Runnings

3. D2: The Mighty Ducks

2. Remember The Titans

1. The Mighty Ducks

And while we're at it, Kevin Costner is really the king of the sports movie.

Plus, he was a good athlete in real life:

He hit a Home Run in a major league stadium during an all-star event and has a good arm.

Sports movies are so much better when the actor can, you know, actually play the sport.

Here's The Costner Sports Movie List:

6. For Love Of The Game

5. American Flyers

4. Draft Day

3. Tin Cup

2. Bull Durham

1. Field Of Dreams

Check Out Other Recent Editions Of Now Playing:

Now Playing: Fifty Shades Of Grey, Kingsman: The Secret Service

Now Playing: Jupiter Ascending, The SpongeBob Movie, Seventh Son

Now Playing: A Most Violent Year, Project Almanac, Black Or White, The Loft

Now Playing:  Mortdecai, Strange Magic, The Boy Next Door

Now Playing: American Sniper, The Wedding Ringer, Paddington and Blackhat

Now Playing: Selma, The Imitation Game, Inherent Vice, Taken 3

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