So Many Movies, So Little Time

I’ve been MIA for so long, that I’ve seen way too many movies and can’t review them all in depth, since that would take way too long. Instead I’ll gift you all with a list of all the movies I’ve seen and sum them up in a few words along with my ratings! Alright, here we go, in no particular order

Wolf of Wall Street (2013): Horrible Horrible Horrible. I’ll get beef for saying this, but it was Scorsese’s guide on how to be a successful asshole. Drugs. Sex. Money. Too much for my taste. 2/10

Spring Breakers (2012): Art. I appreciated what this film set out to do, and didn’t overdo it like Scorsese did. 7/10

Evil Dead (2013 remake): Eh. I was bored. Not as good as the original. I was so bored that I went to see Spring Breakers right after because I was so let down by Evil Dead. 4/10

Cannibal Holocaust (1980): Holy hell what did I even watch. Everything looked so real. Also a little bit ashamed I actually watched it 6/10

Frozen (2013): 9/10. Come on, it’s Frozen.

The Lego Movie (2014): So fast paced, I couldn’t really keep up. Reminded me of Robot Chicken, although that’s not necessarily a bad thing. 7/10

Would You Rather (2o12 – available on Netflix): Yay Brittany Snow in a horror movie! Entertaining, albeit predictable. Cool twist on the would you rather game. Would you rather stick a screw driver into your own leg or slice your eyeball with a razor blade? Yikes. 6/10

V/H/S 2 (2013): Horror anthology, better than the first I think. Each segment has a cool way of being filmed (from GoPros to laptop cameras), it’s innovative. Plus the Safe Haven segment will give you nightmares till the end of time. Just watch it for that one. 6.5/10

August: Osage County (2013): Superb acting by a star-studded cast helped fuel the simple storyline. 7.5/10

Oculus (2013): Mind-bending roller coaster ride that you’ll strangely love. Keeps you very engaged from start to finish. 7.5/10

Triangle (2009): See Liam Hemsworth before he was famous. Confusing (but good confusing) with an ending that won’t let you down. 8/10

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013): True to the novel, lived up to my high expectations. 8/10

her Review

 

This movie was absolutely beautiful and brilliant. I’m quite familiar of Spike Jonze from his days on Jackass, so when I noticed that he wrote and directed the movie her, I was worried I wouldn’t take it seriously. Boy was I wrong; Spike Jonze impressed me on so many levels, and it’s clear that he has some serious writing chops.

I was so captivated by Joaquin Phoenix and his heartwarming portrayal of someone who is heartbroken but learns to fall in love again. Spike Jonze adds a modern twist to this love story by involving an advanced super computer (an OS system named Samantha; played by ScarJo) into the mix, and creates a love connection between these two characters. It sort of reminded me of Lars and the Real Girl (starring Ryan Gosling), where he falls in love with his sex doll. Both movies parallel each other in the sense of falling in love with objects, but her goes way more into depth of exploring Samantha’s personality and giving her humanistic life. ScarJo’s performance is sensational, and even though we don’t see her face, she breathes so much passion into Samantha with just her voice. You feel that Samantha is actually a real person, and the line between human and OS system  is blurred quite quickly in the movie.

The film was around two hours long, but held my attention the entire time with it’s talented writing and acting. If I had to choose one word to sum up my impression of this movie it would definitely have to be impressed. The film is so much more than someone falling in love with an OS system. It explores relationships and connections in a much deeper way, and the film does such a fantastic job at touching your heart.

8.5/10

The Heat Review

This movie had like a 6.5 on imdb before it was released into theaters. Now, having been released, the movie increased to a 7.0. I have no idea why this movie had such a bad rating. Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock? Come on, that’s just the perfect setup for a great comedy. Also this movie brought back Paul Feig, the director of Bridesmaids.

I peed my pants laughing throughout this entire movie. It was hilarious start to finish. These two women are completely different, but are both equally hilarious. Bullock was more about the awkwardness, and McCarthy was wicked fast with her quips and one-liners. Apart from the brilliant acting, this buddy-cop movie had a great story to it to. Action-packed, with some surprises in the film, it’s hard for a comedy to focus on both. The movie that stuck out for me that was similar to this one was Rush Hour. The Heat was Rush Hour, with more swearing. I compare the two because both movies were able to be a hit with their comedy aspect, but at the same time not sacrifice the story.

A great team, a great story, an even better comedy, this movie does not disappoint. If anything it’s surprising since I was expecting it to be mediocre because of the bad imdb rating. Hey it was good enough for a sequel to be announced.

7.5/10

Monsters University Review

Being a huge fan of Monsters Inc, of course I had to see the prequel in theaters. Pixar does it again, seemingly never-failing with sequels of already loved films. Monsters University was the first Pixar prequel, and a great look into how Sulley and Mike came to be who they are.

I was 10 years old when Monsters Inc came out, and now being in university, I feel like the prequel was targeted towards our generation. I feel like the idea grew with us, much like the Toy Story trilogy. While the first movie was centered around Sulley, MU was centered around Mike this time.

Sadly I feel this movie was missing the aspect of Boo, but of course she wasn’t born yet! You’ll enjoy some old faces, and see some easter eggs from the first movie if you’re really paying attention (keep your eye out for George Sanderson – who attends MU and is part of the Jox fraternity) It takes place at Monsters University and tells the story about how Mike and Sulley became friends, and got their start at Monsters Inc.

This one was full of family fun, and I found it genuinely funny for being 21 years old. You’ll love it if you’re a Pixar fan, especially if you loved Monsters Inc.

8/10

Celeste and Jesse Forever Review

Celeste and Jesse Forever has so much heart. Written by funny girl Rashida Jones and Will McCormack, who both star in this film, you know you can expect some good laughs.

This film focuses on high school sweethearts who get married, but then their marriage doesn’t end up working out, and Rashida wants to get a divorce from Andy Samberg. It follows the ups and downs of their relationship; their fighting, making up, meeting new people, all while trying to maintain a friendship with each other.

I liked this film a lot because of the rawness of the situations are. The constant push and pull, wanting and fighting of the relationship is as real as it gets. The feelings between them are made strong, and you are rooting so badly for them to get back together and just stop arguing. It’s not your typical romcom, and it’s a movie that should get much more credit than it does. It’s filled with drama, real emotions, tenderness, all wrapped up in a big comedic bow. I have so much more respect for Rashida Jones as a serious actress, and an even bigger crush on Andy Samberg.

It’s available on Netflix, and I suggest you watch it

8/10

The Purge Review

I was really excited for this movie to come out, and ended up seeing it opening night. The theatre sold out naturally, and apparently this film is doing really well in the box office.

This was an all around fun movie to see in theatres. Packed with suspense and gore, it left me feeling real sympathy for the characters. My favourite part of this movie was the concept. It’s a fresh take on your typical home invasion horror, and not as predictable as you may think.

Cersei Lannister Lena Headey was the most impressive as a suburban american mother, and still as lovely as ever. Keep an open mind going into the film and don’t expect this movie to have an incredible ending. The final 20 minutes of the film will have you cheering the family on, and the ending really throws you for a loop. I’ve heard people say they disliked the ending, but I didn’t mind it so much, as I wasn’t expecting anything. I feel that’s the attitude you need before seeing this movie.

6.5/10

The Hangover III Review

It was way better than that train wreck of a sequel. In my opinion, Todd Phillips should have just taken the money from the first Hangover and ran. Ran away terribly, terribly fast.

The Hangover II was a carbon copy of the first, but I was glad to see that Phillips did something different with III, even though the plot was pretty predictable. III had some cringe-worthy moments where it just tried too hard to be funny, and failed, due in part to the script work, and in part to Zach Galifianakis’ portrayal of Alan in round III. Despite the bad moments of overacting, there were some genuinely funny moments that override the cheesiness of the film.

The addition of the talented Melissa McCarthy and Heather Graham were a nice touch. Phillips was smart in casting John Goodman as the villain, since you can do no wrong with that bear of a man. Stick around when the credits roll, it’s the hardest I laughed during the entire film.

All in all, it was just okay. I needed more of Ed Helms though, since I genuinely think he’s the funniest out of the  wolfpack, and I could always, always use more Bradley Cooper. Always. If you’re a Hangover fan, wait for DVD. If you’re unknown to the series, just watch the first film, It’s actually a very good comedy. Forget about the sequels though, you’re not missing much.

6.5/10

Sinister is Really Sinister

I’m such a huge fan of horror movies, it’s hard to find a good one that really gets under my skin. Sinister was one of the few that did just that.

The opening scene sets the entire tone of the movie, and will leave you extremely unsettled. Ethan I-can-do-anything Hawke’s presence continually reminded me that I wasn’t actually watching a snuff film. He always impresses me with his ability to adapt in any role that’s thrown at him. He’s such a wonderful actor, and he really makes the movie plot believable.

It’s best not to try and predict the plot. You should just go in with no expectations, especially since this movie was produced by the same guys attached to Insidious (a fail of a horror movie, which was such a bummer since I’m a huge fan of James Wan and Leigh Whannell) and Paranormal Activity.

Unlike Insidious, this movie doesn’t try hard to scare you. It takes raw fear and lets it sit in the pit of your stomach right till the end. Watch this movie, but avoid watching it in the dark.

7.5/10