If you are headed out this weekend, here are a couple of choices for you at the movies in a nutshell.
Joy
What a great cast! If you loved Silver Linings Playbook a few years ago where all four major actors were Oscar nominated, and so was the picture, this stars and is made by the same bunch. Sadly, it's not nearly as good. Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Robert DeNiro and a great supporting cast do what they can with what they are dealt. This is based on a true story of a woman named Joy in the 1970's, and I can't tell you exactly what she did, because they have gone to great lengths to keep it quiet.
And that is the main problem here. When you watch the preview, you have no idea what this movie is about. Being honest, the story is sort of interesting, and probably worth telling. But for many this will fall short. Way short. I would think this would make a way better, well done documentary than feature dramatic film. Our principles do well here in their performance. But I will warn you, if you are going tosee Bradley Cooper, watch quick, his role is central, but very limited screen time, and really not the star of this movie playing a character that goes nowhere.
Joy. Overall disappointing.
Concussion
This star Will Smith as the doctor that helped identify the brain disorder that has been and is affecting many former NFL players. This too is based on a true story, but many liberty's have been taken to make this more dramatic.
There is really nothing wrong with this movie, the main problem is there just isn't anything great about it either. This tells a story worth telling, as this doctor takes on the NFL. It's just too darn bad this movie gets in its own way halfway through. This is way better movie when it is dealing with the main issue, but side plots slow this down to a halt at times. Plus this doesn't have the guts it should, as even the movie seems to let the NFL off the hook.
Smith is really strong here, but for me the real star of this movie is the supporting cast, including Albert Brooks, and David Morse. This movie had all the potential to be something really special, but it ends up being a decent flick, just not one of the years best.
Concussion. It's good. That's it...simply good.
Thursday, December 31, 2015
Saturday, December 26, 2015
MOVIE REVIEW - The Big Short
What a cast and what an interesting story, but is this a good movie? The Big Short is out this week.
Steve Carell, Brad Pitt, Ryan Gosling, Christian Bale and many others are featured here in this very insightful look into the events leading up to the collapse of the housing market in 2008. All of this is based on a true story, events and real people. This is told in a very interesting fashion, as it has to be with the subject matter zooming over most of our heads. I mean, who understands this stuff? And as creative as they try to be with that, it still is hard to follow and comprehend at times.
But, all of our performances by our main actors are really stellar. The writing is superb and the character development is terrific. There are plenty of Golden Globe nods here and they are all deserved. Even though this subject matter is a snoozer for most of us, this is told well. This has a nice pace for the most part, when it could have been real easy for this to be real boring.
This really does take you deep inside the big banks and Wall Street to show you just how corrupt the whole system was leading up to the horrible events of 2008 that left so many with so little. That is eye-opening and interesting. But not as interesting as the few guys that saw it all coming and tried to warn others, but were not accepted. This is also a niche movie, as it will find a audience who are movie goers, and not the once a year fan.
The Big Short. Quite good, may be a bit overrated, but still very good.
Steve Carell, Brad Pitt, Ryan Gosling, Christian Bale and many others are featured here in this very insightful look into the events leading up to the collapse of the housing market in 2008. All of this is based on a true story, events and real people. This is told in a very interesting fashion, as it has to be with the subject matter zooming over most of our heads. I mean, who understands this stuff? And as creative as they try to be with that, it still is hard to follow and comprehend at times.
But, all of our performances by our main actors are really stellar. The writing is superb and the character development is terrific. There are plenty of Golden Globe nods here and they are all deserved. Even though this subject matter is a snoozer for most of us, this is told well. This has a nice pace for the most part, when it could have been real easy for this to be real boring.
This really does take you deep inside the big banks and Wall Street to show you just how corrupt the whole system was leading up to the horrible events of 2008 that left so many with so little. That is eye-opening and interesting. But not as interesting as the few guys that saw it all coming and tried to warn others, but were not accepted. This is also a niche movie, as it will find a audience who are movie goers, and not the once a year fan.
The Big Short. Quite good, may be a bit overrated, but still very good.
MOVIE REVIEW - Daddy's Home
The new Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg comedy, Daddy's Home is out and it's a mixed bag. Fans will love it, critics will not.
This is a look at step-parenting through the prism of comedy. It's the story of how step and biological fathers can or cannot get along, all written through and extremely exaggerated story line featuring polar opposite characters and actors. All things being honest, there are some good laughs in this, and there is an attempted heart to be grown. But in the end, this turns out to be more mean spirited than maybe it was intended.
One of the main problems here is the writing, especially the part of the very young step children. Sadly, the writers chose to make them really selfish, heartless, even borderline unlikable. This was a chance to make this movie far better. Instead of allowing simply the adults to act like children to place the laughs on them. They also extended the children to act like shameful adults that puts their behavior in the same category. This was a colossal failure of this movie. Hard to cheer for kids with dirty mouths, and disrespectful attitudes. But the temptation is just too great and easy for them not to be so. If you think about it, every really great kid in a really great movie, they act like kids and not adults. (Example Ray in Jerry McGuire, and Opie on the Andy Griffith Show.)
Ferrell and Wahlberg are decent together. They are who they are, especially Farrell. It was good to see Linda Cardinelli back on the screen, been a long time since her wonderful stint on ER. There are some funny slapstick scenes and some really clever sights gags, but overall this is simply another Farrell comedy, that looks like the last one.
Daddy's Home. Same old thing, just a new wrapper. Some laughs, but a bunch of average.
This is a look at step-parenting through the prism of comedy. It's the story of how step and biological fathers can or cannot get along, all written through and extremely exaggerated story line featuring polar opposite characters and actors. All things being honest, there are some good laughs in this, and there is an attempted heart to be grown. But in the end, this turns out to be more mean spirited than maybe it was intended.
One of the main problems here is the writing, especially the part of the very young step children. Sadly, the writers chose to make them really selfish, heartless, even borderline unlikable. This was a chance to make this movie far better. Instead of allowing simply the adults to act like children to place the laughs on them. They also extended the children to act like shameful adults that puts their behavior in the same category. This was a colossal failure of this movie. Hard to cheer for kids with dirty mouths, and disrespectful attitudes. But the temptation is just too great and easy for them not to be so. If you think about it, every really great kid in a really great movie, they act like kids and not adults. (Example Ray in Jerry McGuire, and Opie on the Andy Griffith Show.)
Ferrell and Wahlberg are decent together. They are who they are, especially Farrell. It was good to see Linda Cardinelli back on the screen, been a long time since her wonderful stint on ER. There are some funny slapstick scenes and some really clever sights gags, but overall this is simply another Farrell comedy, that looks like the last one.
Daddy's Home. Same old thing, just a new wrapper. Some laughs, but a bunch of average.
Tuesday, December 22, 2015
MOVIE REVIEW - Sisters
Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are funny people. And they are funny together with a real nice chemistry. Too bad they are way funnier than this movie.
Sisters in it's idea is a good one. Two sisters all grown up, very different than one another, each with a well developed character. They are both at a crossroads in life, and each looking for whats next. But, as it always is with these kinds of movies the perfect answer for every major decision in life is have a huge party. That always fixes the problems.
Being more than honest here. This movie is two hours long, and if you want to spend the middle 90 minutes of it watching other people party, then this is your movie. Plain and simple, that's what this is. A bunch of middle aged friends drinking themselves into a coma. Don't get me wrong, there are some funny moments in this movie. Fey, Peohler and cast are very funny at times, with some real fun pop culture references, and some slick improv. But the trouble is, the script is just not very good. These two should have held out for a better one. A way better one, or written one themselves as they did not write or direct this one.
There just isn't enough here to support two hours. This would have been way better at 90 total minutes, as this wears out its welcome at about that mark. No one can deny these two are funny, and can do great things together. But overall, it just doesn't happen here.
Sisters. Like many of Fey's choices especially in movies, a big opportunity wasted.
Sisters in it's idea is a good one. Two sisters all grown up, very different than one another, each with a well developed character. They are both at a crossroads in life, and each looking for whats next. But, as it always is with these kinds of movies the perfect answer for every major decision in life is have a huge party. That always fixes the problems.
Being more than honest here. This movie is two hours long, and if you want to spend the middle 90 minutes of it watching other people party, then this is your movie. Plain and simple, that's what this is. A bunch of middle aged friends drinking themselves into a coma. Don't get me wrong, there are some funny moments in this movie. Fey, Peohler and cast are very funny at times, with some real fun pop culture references, and some slick improv. But the trouble is, the script is just not very good. These two should have held out for a better one. A way better one, or written one themselves as they did not write or direct this one.
There just isn't enough here to support two hours. This would have been way better at 90 total minutes, as this wears out its welcome at about that mark. No one can deny these two are funny, and can do great things together. But overall, it just doesn't happen here.
Sisters. Like many of Fey's choices especially in movies, a big opportunity wasted.
Friday, December 18, 2015
MOVIE REVIEW - Star Wars:The Force Awakens
Not so sure there has ever been a more hyped move than this, but does it deliver? Well in short, yes.
For many fans this is the first real Star Wars since the early 1980's and I would be included in that. This reunites the characters we loved from the original trilogy, and helps us forget the Jar Jar Binks disaster from the recent past. This brings back the original actors we loved, all these years later and that is fun to see.
The story is so complicated, it makes no sense to explain it here. And of course real fans don't need a refresher. This is going to rewrite the record books on box office takes and is going to open up this franchise to a whole new generation of viewers. Many will think this is the greatest movie ever made, and I would say, "Can we please get a grip?" Clearly this is not the greatest movie ever made - but this is very good.
This really recaptures the feelings of the original in its story line, an how it was filmed...on film. The effects are as breath taking as they were in the original in 1977, we are only more used to them now. As opposed to when then we were all seeing them for the first time. What this movie is more than anything is simply entertaining. It checks in at 2 hours and 15 minutes, but it doesn't feel like it. as this zips along very well. Although, I think there is a bit of a slow start, but once Han and Chewy hit the screen, everything gets better.
Interestingly enough, the entire story line may be more on topic now that it was in the original run. The social implications of the contemporary era and climate of terror we live in today are similar to the plot line here in it's overall story. As good is fighting evil, with the hope that a hero shows up and good wins out. This is basically fine for all to see and there is something for everyone.
Star Wars:The Force Awakens. Flat out entertaining.
For many fans this is the first real Star Wars since the early 1980's and I would be included in that. This reunites the characters we loved from the original trilogy, and helps us forget the Jar Jar Binks disaster from the recent past. This brings back the original actors we loved, all these years later and that is fun to see.
The story is so complicated, it makes no sense to explain it here. And of course real fans don't need a refresher. This is going to rewrite the record books on box office takes and is going to open up this franchise to a whole new generation of viewers. Many will think this is the greatest movie ever made, and I would say, "Can we please get a grip?" Clearly this is not the greatest movie ever made - but this is very good.
This really recaptures the feelings of the original in its story line, an how it was filmed...on film. The effects are as breath taking as they were in the original in 1977, we are only more used to them now. As opposed to when then we were all seeing them for the first time. What this movie is more than anything is simply entertaining. It checks in at 2 hours and 15 minutes, but it doesn't feel like it. as this zips along very well. Although, I think there is a bit of a slow start, but once Han and Chewy hit the screen, everything gets better.
Interestingly enough, the entire story line may be more on topic now that it was in the original run. The social implications of the contemporary era and climate of terror we live in today are similar to the plot line here in it's overall story. As good is fighting evil, with the hope that a hero shows up and good wins out. This is basically fine for all to see and there is something for everyone.
Star Wars:The Force Awakens. Flat out entertaining.
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