I saw Edge of Seventeen on November 18, 2016! I firmly believe this to be one of the best coming of age movies of all time. This is easily going in my Top 10 movies of 2016! It was a well acted and well written movie all around.
This was a movie that pulled me in right away. The characters are deep and there's a wide gamut of emotions. We feel the emotions with the character of Nadine and watch as she trudges through that phase of life known as adolescence. On some notion, we can identify with some of Nadine's problems. Adolescence is a hard time for everybody, even if some are just better at hiding it than others. This movie does an excellent job of approaching that through both teenagers and adults. In my honest opinion, Hailee Steinfeld's performance as Nadine is easily my favorite female performance of 2016! Steinfeld is such an excellent, young actress, and she's going to be an absolute force in Hollywood. She has been turning heads since she stole the show in True Grit as Mattie Ross in 2010. Nadine's dialogue draws some similarities to Ellen Page's Juno McGuff in some ways. Much like the role of Juno helped to get Ellen Page's name more known, Edge of Seventeen will do that for Steinfeld. She's one of the best actresses going today. For the record, Ellen Page is my favorite actreess, so it's natural that Steinfeld would be a favorite of mine. Steinfeld's performance is dark, sarcastic, hilarious, beautiful in many ways, and just outright mesmerizing. We follow her through a family tragedy, teachers (Woody Harrelson's Mr. Bruner is great and genuinely made me laugh at many times-he may tussle with Nadine from time to time, but ultimately you know he cares for her at several points of the movie & I love that he is the person that Nadine wants to share things with. Mr. Bruner is crucial to maintaining Nadine's sanity, which is great to see), family (Blake Jenner did a pretty good job as Darian-the brother trying to hold the family together even though he is popular, but he'll drop everything at a moment's notice to take care of Nadine or their mother-very good heroic character or a solid performance by Kyra Sedgwick who is still reeling from the tragedy and always spars with Nadine, but she is doing her part to try to maintain the family), and of course, boys (Hayden Szeto's role as Erwin Kim was hilarious, awkward, and creative which blended really well with Steinfeld's Nadine character-I really liked their chemistry together. It's one of those things where Erwin likes her, but she doesn't like him that way, however, we watch how that evolves. It's a fun, awkward story that's perfect for these two characters).
The dialogue is intelligent, the writing is fantastic, and there's many memorable scenes that I found myself immersed in. Nadine's mood swings are incredible to watch. She can go from ecstatic to enraged in 60 seconds as we all can, which is why I think many people, especially the teenagers of today can identify with. I think in the smart phone generation teenagers still need somebody to rely on. Nadine does have that with Mr. Bruner & Erwin Kim, but even if she doesn't think it's true, Darian & her mother are there for her as well.
Steinfeld has so many great monologue moments as well. Her monologue about her generation or her monologue in the bathroom at the frozen yogurt shop present a young actress that knows how to command a screen. Nadine is her breakthrough role, and I really hope she gets nominated for Best Lead Actress in a Comedy/Musical at the Golden Globes (that's the category she'd be nominated in if she is). It's a great performance for a great movie. I can't wait to buy this on DVD. The characters, the memorable scenes, the dialogue, Hailee Steinfeld's Nadine, navigating through adolescence, etc. make this a definite 5/5. The positive reviews and scores are well deserved. Everybody put their best foot forward and succeeded.
Sunday, November 20, 2016
Sunday, November 13, 2016
Arrival Review
I saw Arrival on November 11, 2016! This is a surefire Golden Globe & Oscar nominee for Best Picture! It's easily one of my favorite movies of the year! While the subject may have been alien invasion on the surface, that is the smallest part of the plot in my opinion. I'm glad Denis Villenueve didn't do the typical hostile alien invasion story that's been done several times. I actually think that storyline doesn't really work. Just watch Independence Day. The movie gets worse every time you see it. This movie takes a different approach that actually focuses more on human emotion than it does on alien interaction, which is really intriguing to watch.
Amy Adams deserves a nomination for Best Lead Actress in a Drama at the Golden Globes & a Best Lead Actress nomination at the Oscars for her work in this movie. There's never a point in the movie where she's overacting about something or has a moment where you say this is what will win her the Oscar, but it's excellent acting. She is able to convey multiple emotions for the audience through her tone, her mood, her facial expressions, and her emotions. I was definitely emotional at many points at this movie. Amy's Louise Banks may be her best performance to date, and I personally feel she's one of the best actresses in the industry today. Banks is a linguist that is needed to decipher why these aliens are here. This movie has key supporting players like Jeremy Renner & Forest Whitaker, but make no mistake about it, this is Amy Adams movie.
Arrival focuses on the importance of language, the necessity of communication, & the complexity of time. There are many layers to this movie. I was so immersed into everything going on. There are many intriguing twists that really hooked the audience. We all reacted in a big way to some of these twists. There was a big applause at the end of the movie, which only happens every so often in a theater in my opinion. While some might think the pace may be slow, I actually thought it flowed really well. I never felt like the movie was moving at a slow pace. The music was excellent. The score was great, because it felt like a mix of aliens landing & the uncertainty of what will happen from it. The cinematography is incredible as well. Some of the shots in this movie are just beautiful.
If you plan to see any movies this awards season, Arrival is a definite must see. The plot, Amy Adams performance as Louise Banks, the focus on human emotion, language, communication, time, & an overall incredible movie experience gives this a definite 5/5 from me. I absolutely loved it. Make sure you pay attention to each frame, especially from the beginning. Each frame of the movie builds up to the ending so well. There's not a wasted scene. They all mean something, which is great to see.
Amy Adams deserves a nomination for Best Lead Actress in a Drama at the Golden Globes & a Best Lead Actress nomination at the Oscars for her work in this movie. There's never a point in the movie where she's overacting about something or has a moment where you say this is what will win her the Oscar, but it's excellent acting. She is able to convey multiple emotions for the audience through her tone, her mood, her facial expressions, and her emotions. I was definitely emotional at many points at this movie. Amy's Louise Banks may be her best performance to date, and I personally feel she's one of the best actresses in the industry today. Banks is a linguist that is needed to decipher why these aliens are here. This movie has key supporting players like Jeremy Renner & Forest Whitaker, but make no mistake about it, this is Amy Adams movie.
Arrival focuses on the importance of language, the necessity of communication, & the complexity of time. There are many layers to this movie. I was so immersed into everything going on. There are many intriguing twists that really hooked the audience. We all reacted in a big way to some of these twists. There was a big applause at the end of the movie, which only happens every so often in a theater in my opinion. While some might think the pace may be slow, I actually thought it flowed really well. I never felt like the movie was moving at a slow pace. The music was excellent. The score was great, because it felt like a mix of aliens landing & the uncertainty of what will happen from it. The cinematography is incredible as well. Some of the shots in this movie are just beautiful.
If you plan to see any movies this awards season, Arrival is a definite must see. The plot, Amy Adams performance as Louise Banks, the focus on human emotion, language, communication, time, & an overall incredible movie experience gives this a definite 5/5 from me. I absolutely loved it. Make sure you pay attention to each frame, especially from the beginning. Each frame of the movie builds up to the ending so well. There's not a wasted scene. They all mean something, which is great to see.
Monday, October 17, 2016
The Girl On The Train Review
Justin and I saw The Girl On The Train on October 8, 2016! I apologize for this review being late, but I haven't really been able to write since I've been pretty busy. However, I had to write something for this, because I absolutely loved this movie from the opening credits. This was an excellent thriller centered around three female protagonists with distinct personalities.
This movie had a great focus on characterization. I thought the slow build tension worked well for the deep rooted issues in our female characters. Each of the female characters deals with personal struggles which makes them more well rounded. Rachel, Anna, and Megan all are connected to the same man in some way which really intrigued me. I like when character arcs tend to converge into one path. It makes for something interesting when the movie hits it's crescendo and reveals the connection. The character of Rachel may be my favorite character this year. Though flawed due to alcoholism, we see how she became like this. We see the character of Anna eventually realize how much better she is without a domineering man in her life. Anna tells women everywhere to always carry a corkscrew, because you'll never know when you'll need it. You need to see the movie to understand this. What an incredible scene that was! The audience applauded loudly. Megan's arc gets overlooked, but is one of the most crucial pieces of the movie.
Haley Bennett's Megan & Rebecca Ferguson's Anna seem to be portrayed as villainous vixens from the outset, but you realize they are just as vulnerable as Rachel is early on. Rachel shows a more physical form of vulnerability through her drinking, but you can see the mental and sexual strain placed on Megan & Anna. Female driven movies always tend to intrigue me more. While Bennett & Ferguson were excellent, it was Emily Blunt that stole the show! Her work as Rachel was a true career defining performance! She was a perfect representation of a character hitting rock bottom, but ends up scratching and clawing her way back to find salvation. While I've discussed how incredible the women are, we really can't discount Justin Theroux's work in this movie as Tom. I think Theroux is great at playing dark characters, and he played the antagonist role extremely well here. A movie needs a despicable villain to have an audience get more emotionally involved, & Theroux does that. His interaction with Blunt, Bennett, & Ferguson are intense & indicative of how dark and deep this movie is.
This movie gets a definite 5/5 from me for incredible performances (hoping Emily Blunt gets nominated at the Golden Globes & The Oscars for her work here-just incredible), impressive direction, memorable scenes, and a haunting score that stays with you.
This movie had a great focus on characterization. I thought the slow build tension worked well for the deep rooted issues in our female characters. Each of the female characters deals with personal struggles which makes them more well rounded. Rachel, Anna, and Megan all are connected to the same man in some way which really intrigued me. I like when character arcs tend to converge into one path. It makes for something interesting when the movie hits it's crescendo and reveals the connection. The character of Rachel may be my favorite character this year. Though flawed due to alcoholism, we see how she became like this. We see the character of Anna eventually realize how much better she is without a domineering man in her life. Anna tells women everywhere to always carry a corkscrew, because you'll never know when you'll need it. You need to see the movie to understand this. What an incredible scene that was! The audience applauded loudly. Megan's arc gets overlooked, but is one of the most crucial pieces of the movie.
Haley Bennett's Megan & Rebecca Ferguson's Anna seem to be portrayed as villainous vixens from the outset, but you realize they are just as vulnerable as Rachel is early on. Rachel shows a more physical form of vulnerability through her drinking, but you can see the mental and sexual strain placed on Megan & Anna. Female driven movies always tend to intrigue me more. While Bennett & Ferguson were excellent, it was Emily Blunt that stole the show! Her work as Rachel was a true career defining performance! She was a perfect representation of a character hitting rock bottom, but ends up scratching and clawing her way back to find salvation. While I've discussed how incredible the women are, we really can't discount Justin Theroux's work in this movie as Tom. I think Theroux is great at playing dark characters, and he played the antagonist role extremely well here. A movie needs a despicable villain to have an audience get more emotionally involved, & Theroux does that. His interaction with Blunt, Bennett, & Ferguson are intense & indicative of how dark and deep this movie is.
This movie gets a definite 5/5 from me for incredible performances (hoping Emily Blunt gets nominated at the Golden Globes & The Oscars for her work here-just incredible), impressive direction, memorable scenes, and a haunting score that stays with you.
Saturday, October 1, 2016
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children Review
Justin and I saw Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children on October 1, 2016! This has been a pretty dull year for the most part in terms of good movies. There's definitely many I do like, but a movie like Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children makes me realize how much I love watching movies. It's easily one of my favorite movies of 2016, and one of my favorite movies of the 2010s in general. I read the book and enjoyed that. There are things changed in the movie, but it didn't bother me at all. They made the movie even more intriguing by creating an even bigger adventure. It was still a great movie that kept flowing for me. Ransom Riggs wrote the screenplay. With that and Tim Burton's direction and creative perspective, I was very excited for this and it didn't let me down. It took elements from Harry Potter (my favorite book and movie franchise of all time) and X-Men (one of my favorite comic book series of all time) and created a unique world that pulled me in right away.
The movie's main focus is on the peculiarity of time. It's fascinating watching the characters through the time loops. I think the characters are intriguing. Each peculiarity is interesting. Peculiarities include: air, fire, creating life and bending it to your will, super strength, the ability to manipulate the earth, turning people to stone, and inner beasts showing a physical manifestation. Asa Butterfield's character Jake finds himself connected to a world his grandfather Abraham told him about. His peculiarity is important as he can physically see the dangerous monsters that can wipe out peculiar children. His grandfather possesses the same gift. With this gift, he can hunt this danger and protect the children. His character is constantly asking questions, but it makes sense to me as it's a new world for him, and even with his grandfather's stories, it's a wise idea to realize how important his worth is to this new and intriguing world. I think the movie explores the peculiarity of the characters as well as giving a great explanation of how the time loops work, as well as the the complexity of time itself.
Eva Green was incredible as the ymbrynes serving as the protector of her home and her children. Her presence was larger than life. Her explanations about their world were done in a way that made the character seem immortal, which is what the character asks for. Ella Purnell was great as Emma. She is kind of tragic in a way as she likes being with the peculiars, but she also longs for love and the ability to live a normal life. She balanced that well along with helping Jake realize how amazing their world is. I liked the addition of Samuel L. Jackson as Barron. I thought his over the top look and attitude with the other wights/hollows was well done and added to the sinister nature of their characters. The back story with the eyes showed me that the hollows were deceptive, relentless, dark, and sinister. They didn't care what they had to do to maintain their humanity. They didn't care how young a peculiar children was. The eye eating scene was over the top and well timed to show the unique take on these characters and their lack of feeling for good peculiars.
The time loop reset and the amusement park scenes were absolutely incredible to watch. We watched as each of the children were able to use their peculiarities to help each other and save Miss Peregrine from the hollows experiements. We were able to see how Miss Peregrine was able to re-set time. Watching the peculiars battle the hollows are some of my favorite movies scenes of 2016! I think Enoch's power really helped to build excitement for the scene, but each of the characters had their chance to shine in different intervals throughout these scenes. Intelligence was also on full display from both the good peculiars and the hollows. The game of chess between the characters kept the movie flowing. This movie is split into 3 incredible acts: Jake's current life with his parents & his grandfather's stories, exploring and getting information from Miss Peregrine, Emma, Olive, Enoch, Bronwyn, etc, and saving the time loop, his peculiar friends, and rescuing his grandfather from death. Each of the acts works together to create an awesome adventure through time and larger than life characters. It's clever as the conclusion of the movie brings us back to the beginning in some ways.
Tim Burton created amazing visuals and backgrounds. Colleen Atwood always makes tremendous costumes for Burton's movies. I can remember back to when she made the costumes for Sleepy Hollow. She really is a talented designer. Each outfit in this movie really added to the character as well as echoing the 1943 time period. Susie Figgis also does a great job casting for Burton's movies, and it was no exception here. Burton and Riggs worked together and created a unique movie that I look forward to owning on DVD when it comes out.
This movie gets a definite 5/5 from me for the larger than life characters, the complexity of time plot that found a way to always connect in each act, the peculiars vs. the hollows, incredible costumes, and an excellent score, as well as great new music from Florence and the Machine.
The movie's main focus is on the peculiarity of time. It's fascinating watching the characters through the time loops. I think the characters are intriguing. Each peculiarity is interesting. Peculiarities include: air, fire, creating life and bending it to your will, super strength, the ability to manipulate the earth, turning people to stone, and inner beasts showing a physical manifestation. Asa Butterfield's character Jake finds himself connected to a world his grandfather Abraham told him about. His peculiarity is important as he can physically see the dangerous monsters that can wipe out peculiar children. His grandfather possesses the same gift. With this gift, he can hunt this danger and protect the children. His character is constantly asking questions, but it makes sense to me as it's a new world for him, and even with his grandfather's stories, it's a wise idea to realize how important his worth is to this new and intriguing world. I think the movie explores the peculiarity of the characters as well as giving a great explanation of how the time loops work, as well as the the complexity of time itself.
Eva Green was incredible as the ymbrynes serving as the protector of her home and her children. Her presence was larger than life. Her explanations about their world were done in a way that made the character seem immortal, which is what the character asks for. Ella Purnell was great as Emma. She is kind of tragic in a way as she likes being with the peculiars, but she also longs for love and the ability to live a normal life. She balanced that well along with helping Jake realize how amazing their world is. I liked the addition of Samuel L. Jackson as Barron. I thought his over the top look and attitude with the other wights/hollows was well done and added to the sinister nature of their characters. The back story with the eyes showed me that the hollows were deceptive, relentless, dark, and sinister. They didn't care what they had to do to maintain their humanity. They didn't care how young a peculiar children was. The eye eating scene was over the top and well timed to show the unique take on these characters and their lack of feeling for good peculiars.
The time loop reset and the amusement park scenes were absolutely incredible to watch. We watched as each of the children were able to use their peculiarities to help each other and save Miss Peregrine from the hollows experiements. We were able to see how Miss Peregrine was able to re-set time. Watching the peculiars battle the hollows are some of my favorite movies scenes of 2016! I think Enoch's power really helped to build excitement for the scene, but each of the characters had their chance to shine in different intervals throughout these scenes. Intelligence was also on full display from both the good peculiars and the hollows. The game of chess between the characters kept the movie flowing. This movie is split into 3 incredible acts: Jake's current life with his parents & his grandfather's stories, exploring and getting information from Miss Peregrine, Emma, Olive, Enoch, Bronwyn, etc, and saving the time loop, his peculiar friends, and rescuing his grandfather from death. Each of the acts works together to create an awesome adventure through time and larger than life characters. It's clever as the conclusion of the movie brings us back to the beginning in some ways.
Tim Burton created amazing visuals and backgrounds. Colleen Atwood always makes tremendous costumes for Burton's movies. I can remember back to when she made the costumes for Sleepy Hollow. She really is a talented designer. Each outfit in this movie really added to the character as well as echoing the 1943 time period. Susie Figgis also does a great job casting for Burton's movies, and it was no exception here. Burton and Riggs worked together and created a unique movie that I look forward to owning on DVD when it comes out.
This movie gets a definite 5/5 from me for the larger than life characters, the complexity of time plot that found a way to always connect in each act, the peculiars vs. the hollows, incredible costumes, and an excellent score, as well as great new music from Florence and the Machine.
Friday, August 12, 2016
4 Reasons Why You Should Watch Stranger Things
On July 15, 2016, Netflix started streaming a new show that started gaining buzz. I was hearing about this new show from different people, namely my brother Jake, that I needed to see this. Should I watch or should I not? Well, the answer is I should and you should! I didn't start watching it until this week, but after finishing all 8 episodes, I honestly think this is one of the best first seasons of television I've ever seen. While I wish there were more episodes, I think 8 episodes gives you just enough. It makes the viewer want to see more based on each aspect of the show. The Duffer Brothers did great with this. Stranger Things is MUST SEE! I am not a big fan of most Netflix original shows, but I think Stranger Things is going to be extremely successful for the site and a treat for people trying to find that next show to get invested it. There is something for everybody in this show. I will list four reasons why I think you should be watching it.
1. THE COMPLEXITY & MYSTERY OF SCIENCE, TIME, & PARALLEL DIMENSIONS
2 THE BONDS OF FRIENDSHIP
While the scientific aspects of this show are absolutely amazing, I think the heart of the show lies in the characters, particularly the characters of Mike, Dustin, and Lucas. They are on the hunt to find their friend Will Byers, who has disappeared. It reminds me of the bond in The Goonies or Stand By Me. These three show how important friendship is. Even if they stray from their mission, they find their way back to each other. There are other elements of friendship and relationships as well such as Mike's friendship with El (incredible scenes), Nancy's friendship with Barb, Nancy's bond with Jonathan (Nancy evolves so much as a character from when we first meet her), etc., but it's the friendship of Mike, Dustin, and Lucas that provides the best aspects of the show. I like how close the three are. It's very important for kids to have friends they can rely on and go above and beyond for each other. Stranger Things does a great job with that. It's a good message for younger audiences. Even if somebody may find your friend "weird", stick with them. That's a big element of Mike's friendship with El, and Dustin and Lucas have their doubts, but eventually they realize El is a good friend, and she's awesome just the way she is. I definitely could feel the emotion from these three. You laugh and cry with them. I was bawling at the quarry scene. I laughed when they teased each other. Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Mattarazzo, and Caleb McLaughlin made these characters believable. They're on an adventure as they battle monsters and bullies. While obstacles deter them, their bond helps them pull through. The performances from the young actors creates the heart of the show, and in turn, makes Stranger Things must see!
3. STRONG FEMALE CHARACTERS
Stranger Things has the incredible bond between Mike, Dustin, and Lucas, but The Duffer Brothers also balanced it out by creating three strong female protagonists as well. Each of these three characters are strong in their own way: El is the product of government tests. She is my favorite character on the show. Her telekinesis makes her an absolute bad ass. Her awkwardness due to being cut off from the outside world is amazing to watch. Millie Bobby Brown stole the show every time she was on screen. She had amazing chemistry with everybody on screen. Her chemistry with Finn Wolfhard's Mike Wheeler is fun to watch. There's a certain innocence to it that's lost on so many shows and movies these days. Mike helps El navigate the world around her. El is able to adapt better in each situation. The blonde wig and pink dress is cool, but the shaved head and her Dark Phoenix/Jean Grey nature is a physical manifestation of who she is inside. Mike accepts her and treats her so well. I loved their scenes together. Dustin thinks she's awesome. Lucas is skeptical, but eventually accepts her. El's protection of her friends and expanding the scope of her powers is explored in each episode. The pain El has suffered throughout her life has caused her to become a stronger person. That aspect of the character might be lost on some people, but it's definitely a big part of the El character. El helps us to embrace the inner freak we all have inside of us. The thing is she's not a freak. It's what she knows and who she is. Mike helps us see that. El accepts it, because Mike, Dustin, and Lucas accept her. Another great female character is Nancy. She is Mike's brother. She evolves as a character over the course of the 1st season. Her striving to be popular in the first few episodes is what causes her to lose focus of who she is. After a certain moment in her life, she begins to change and grows stronger. Her bond with Steven shows her striving to be accepted for somebody she's not. This tells you she lacks confidence in who she is early on. However, her bond with Jonathan helps her to become a different character where she faces her challenges head on. Nancy seems like she is fragile, but she's tougher than the entire police department here. Jonathan is her unofficial guide to realizing that she is better than what she's striving to be. Natalie Dyer was great here. I loved watching her physically stare into the eye of the monster, both physically and mentally and tackle them in any way she could. She's similar to and definitely supposed to be a nod to Nancy in Nightmare on Elm Street. However, Nancy Wheeler is still her own entity. She is able to deal with the men in her life-Steve and Jonathan as well as the monster in front of her, and realizes the fire that burns deep within her. I really like the Nancy character. While she has guys by her through every step of her journey, she doesn't necessarily need them to protect her. They definitely made sure that Nancy could defend herself, and when she does, it's simply awesome. I have always been a Winona Ryder fan. Ever since I first saw her as Lydia Deetz in Beetlejuice, I was invested in her as an actress. She's somebody that is a perfect fit for Stranger Things. The Joyce Byers character shows how strong a mother can be. It's literally a mother going to the ends of the Earth to find her son. My mother would be going to the Upside Down in a hazmat suit as well to save me as well. What I love about Joyce is while all these people think she's a nutcase, she's out there pounding the pavement, never giving up on Will. She is even able to make everybody realize that what she's saying is true: Jonathan, Chief Hopper, etc. She finds ways to communicate with Will. She's spending every minute trying to find him. She does not rest. I also think it's awesome how well she knows her sons. While we see Chief Hopper evolve as a character, it's really Joyce that causes him to open his eyes and realize what's going on. While Joyce may get scared at things that go on, she keeps going. El, Nancy, and Joyce are all strong in their own ways. All three are connected to the big picture in their own way as well, which is awesome. As a fan female characters, it's great to see how much Stranger Things invests in that.
4. THE MUSIC
While it is important to create intriguing storylines and characters, it's also important to capture a certain atmosphere to make everything more believable. I think the music in this show is it's own character here. The theme music is incredible-it's an original piece, but really brings you back to those classic 80s horror themes that John Carpenter had in his movies. I love that synthesizer. Also, the songs used throughout the episodes are excellent. Should I Stay or Should I Go is an apropos song here. The instrumental music is well composed and really adds to the emotional aspect of El's character, the bond between Mike, Dustin, and Lucas, Nancy trying to find the girl she is inside, and Joyce pounding the pavement to find Will.
Sunday, August 7, 2016
Suicide Squad Review
Justin, Mike, and I saw Suicide Squad on August 7, 2016! As a fan of the DC Universe, I was excited for this movie! I think the movie did a great job focusing on characters, as well as delivering great action sequences. It's a movie where it's okay to root for the villain...even though, I tend to root for villains most of the time in movies. This is a movie that promotes the necessity of an anti-hero. It also did well providing back story for each of the members of the squad.
I think the casting was really well done here! Margot Robbie absolutely stole the show as Harley Quinn! I think she captured the zaniness and aura of the character the best possible way she could. This is her breakthrough performance. Will Smith was awesome as Deadshot. He was the defacto leader of the group in my opinion. He had a commanding presence, while also delivering well placed comedic dialogue. His conscience throughout the movie helps us to keep seeing this rogue group as heroes. Jay Hernandez was underrated as Diablo. Delving into his power only creates the worst possible chaos. He captured the pain of using his power. However, it's his power that ultimately will serve as the catalyst to save the world. Jared Leto's Joker is a great take on the character. He's maniacal, intimidating, and hilarious-a blend of the Jokers of the past with his own amazing twist. While he is only in the movie for a limited amount of time, his connection to Robbie's Harley Quinn is shown, and they did a great job selling their romantic subplot. They touched on the positives and negatives of their relationship, which was captured brilliantly. Leto's Joker in a bigger role will be impressive from what I saw in this movie. He really nailed the character with his look and personality. Cara Delevingne's Enchantress was one of my absolute favorite parts of this movie. I loved the effects that went into the character, combined with the dark nature of the character. Enchantress is truly awesome, and really creates some of the most intriguing parts of the movie. Delevingne did well as a woman caught between two souls-the light side of June Moone, and the dark side of Enchantress. Captain Boomerang and Killer Croc were fun additions to the group adding some more colorful personalities to an eccentric group to begin with. Viola Davis is probably one of the best actresses going today. You give her a role, and she'll nail it. She definitely did as Amanda Waller, the woman behind the Suicide Squad. She had a commanding presence throughout the movie, and did a great job playing both sides of the fence.
Every character in the movie gets a chance to shine. The character's evolve over the course of the movie. The action sequences particularly the Midtown Subway Station finale battle are excellent. While the Squad is being manipulated in more ways than one throughout the movie, they find that motive to keep going and saving the day. They put their own twist on saving the day. Watching the battle between the dark and the light within yourself is the biggest part of this movie. Enchantress is the physical version of watching that. The Suicide Squad does this internally. The characters are fun to watch, the battle scenes are awesome, the effects are incredible, and the soundtrack is phenomenal. Much like Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice, this gets an easy 5/5 for me. I will be on the look out for an Enchantress figure, because I absolutely love the character.
I think the casting was really well done here! Margot Robbie absolutely stole the show as Harley Quinn! I think she captured the zaniness and aura of the character the best possible way she could. This is her breakthrough performance. Will Smith was awesome as Deadshot. He was the defacto leader of the group in my opinion. He had a commanding presence, while also delivering well placed comedic dialogue. His conscience throughout the movie helps us to keep seeing this rogue group as heroes. Jay Hernandez was underrated as Diablo. Delving into his power only creates the worst possible chaos. He captured the pain of using his power. However, it's his power that ultimately will serve as the catalyst to save the world. Jared Leto's Joker is a great take on the character. He's maniacal, intimidating, and hilarious-a blend of the Jokers of the past with his own amazing twist. While he is only in the movie for a limited amount of time, his connection to Robbie's Harley Quinn is shown, and they did a great job selling their romantic subplot. They touched on the positives and negatives of their relationship, which was captured brilliantly. Leto's Joker in a bigger role will be impressive from what I saw in this movie. He really nailed the character with his look and personality. Cara Delevingne's Enchantress was one of my absolute favorite parts of this movie. I loved the effects that went into the character, combined with the dark nature of the character. Enchantress is truly awesome, and really creates some of the most intriguing parts of the movie. Delevingne did well as a woman caught between two souls-the light side of June Moone, and the dark side of Enchantress. Captain Boomerang and Killer Croc were fun additions to the group adding some more colorful personalities to an eccentric group to begin with. Viola Davis is probably one of the best actresses going today. You give her a role, and she'll nail it. She definitely did as Amanda Waller, the woman behind the Suicide Squad. She had a commanding presence throughout the movie, and did a great job playing both sides of the fence.
Every character in the movie gets a chance to shine. The character's evolve over the course of the movie. The action sequences particularly the Midtown Subway Station finale battle are excellent. While the Squad is being manipulated in more ways than one throughout the movie, they find that motive to keep going and saving the day. They put their own twist on saving the day. Watching the battle between the dark and the light within yourself is the biggest part of this movie. Enchantress is the physical version of watching that. The Suicide Squad does this internally. The characters are fun to watch, the battle scenes are awesome, the effects are incredible, and the soundtrack is phenomenal. Much like Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice, this gets an easy 5/5 for me. I will be on the look out for an Enchantress figure, because I absolutely love the character.
Monday, May 30, 2016
X-Men Apocalypse Review
Justin and I saw X-Men: Apocalypse on May 29, 2016! This movie is epic in every sense of the word! It was an excellent addition to the X-Men franchise. In my opinion, the X-Men: First Class trilogy is the best trilogy in comic book movie history. The movie had a great mix of story & intense, dark action that was perfect for the tone of the movie.
Apocalypse is one of the biggest threats in the X-Men universe. He has caused so much destruction around the world. He's not somebody that is just against humans. He's against anybody that he deems weak, which includes mutants. The premise of the movie focuses on the potential of all mutants and how powerful they can be. Oscar Isaac's work as Apocalypse was excellent. He is one of the best actors in the industry. His take on the character made him truly menacing. He knows how to manipulate those around him to follow commands. I like his speech about following blind leaders. Isaac really helped the audience to understand Apocalypse's motivation. He is an intimidating presence that has unlimited power, because of the souls he has amassed over the year. He's basically absorbed other powers to become a supreme mutant. That is the reason he has a mutated voice. It's the voices of all the souls. It's a fitting villain for a final movie in a trilogy. As he's marching with his Four Horsemen (Magneto, Storm, Psylocke, Archangel), you just feel intidimidated.
James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender are incredible as Charles Xavier and Magneto. Fassbender's Magneto in general makes you understand his struggle with humanity. He has suffered so much pain since he was a boy. McAvoy's Xavier shows you his struggle with his message of helping humanity, but also shows his hope that mutants and humans can live together in harmony. By opening Xavier's School for Gifted Youth, he is trying to help mutants hone their abilities to help mankind. Their performances have deep layers and create complex characters that are interesting to study.
Sophie Turner's Jean Grey was really well done. Turner's performance showed the complexity of Jean Grey. We see how events around the world affect her. The movie shows that her power is truly unlimited and exceedingly dangerous. I really liked how the movie focused on the fact that she is the most powerful mutant in the X-Men universe. She's a Class 5 mutant, which is more powerful than Xavier. Her telepathy is on a different level. Jean Grey has always been one of my favorite characters. It was great in general to see young versions of X-Men characters we know like Cyclops, Storm, & Nightcrawler as well. I thought both Tye Sheridan, Alexandra Shipp, and Kodi Smit-McPhee did well with these roles. Sheridan shows a Cyclops that matures over time to become the leader of the X-Men. Shipp uses her respect for Mystique to make a difference. We watch how important Nightcrawler is in terms of saving the X-Men as well as his religious beliefs (which works really well for this movie based on the antagonist). It's also great to see more layers added to Nicholas Hoult's Beast. I also think Jennifer Lawrence's Mystique was developed better than ever here. Lawrence was on both sides of the fence here, ultimately choosing loyalty to Charles and Eric over everything. She also realizes the true potential of the X-Men. The whole movie is about realizing potential, so this is great. That's her journey-to accept her role as a mutant and a leader of the X-Men.
Some of the best scenes in comic book movie history are on display here. Apocalypse taking over Charles Xavier's mind, Quicksilver's rescue, Alkali Lake (great connection to X2 with a fun cameo by Wolverine), Apocalypse's formation of his Horsemen, the incredible telepathic battle between Xavier & Apocalypse, and the huge final battle between Jean Grey & Apocalypse (which results in a fun surprirse for fans that know what happens when Jean really taps into her power) are all incredibly well done. The battle scenes are brilliant. There is raw emotion in these scenes. You feel the emotion when Magneto looks into Raven (Mystique's) eyes. You see the physical and mental exhaustion on Xavier's face as he battles Apocalypse. Every scene flows well and creates an epic final battle which ultimately finds a way to incorporate each character well. Everybody gets a chance to shine in some ways. What you're seeing during this final battle is the true formation of the X-Men. Each member of the team is working together to take down a huge threat to the security of the world. It's incredible to watch.
The battle scenes loaded with intense, dark emotion, the complexity of each character, the performances of the cast, and the writing and directing by Bryan Singer make this one of the best movies of 2016, and one of the all time great comic book movies. It's an amazing movie capping off a tremendous trilogy. It's a definite 5/5 for me.
Apocalypse is one of the biggest threats in the X-Men universe. He has caused so much destruction around the world. He's not somebody that is just against humans. He's against anybody that he deems weak, which includes mutants. The premise of the movie focuses on the potential of all mutants and how powerful they can be. Oscar Isaac's work as Apocalypse was excellent. He is one of the best actors in the industry. His take on the character made him truly menacing. He knows how to manipulate those around him to follow commands. I like his speech about following blind leaders. Isaac really helped the audience to understand Apocalypse's motivation. He is an intimidating presence that has unlimited power, because of the souls he has amassed over the year. He's basically absorbed other powers to become a supreme mutant. That is the reason he has a mutated voice. It's the voices of all the souls. It's a fitting villain for a final movie in a trilogy. As he's marching with his Four Horsemen (Magneto, Storm, Psylocke, Archangel), you just feel intidimidated.
James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender are incredible as Charles Xavier and Magneto. Fassbender's Magneto in general makes you understand his struggle with humanity. He has suffered so much pain since he was a boy. McAvoy's Xavier shows you his struggle with his message of helping humanity, but also shows his hope that mutants and humans can live together in harmony. By opening Xavier's School for Gifted Youth, he is trying to help mutants hone their abilities to help mankind. Their performances have deep layers and create complex characters that are interesting to study.
Sophie Turner's Jean Grey was really well done. Turner's performance showed the complexity of Jean Grey. We see how events around the world affect her. The movie shows that her power is truly unlimited and exceedingly dangerous. I really liked how the movie focused on the fact that she is the most powerful mutant in the X-Men universe. She's a Class 5 mutant, which is more powerful than Xavier. Her telepathy is on a different level. Jean Grey has always been one of my favorite characters. It was great in general to see young versions of X-Men characters we know like Cyclops, Storm, & Nightcrawler as well. I thought both Tye Sheridan, Alexandra Shipp, and Kodi Smit-McPhee did well with these roles. Sheridan shows a Cyclops that matures over time to become the leader of the X-Men. Shipp uses her respect for Mystique to make a difference. We watch how important Nightcrawler is in terms of saving the X-Men as well as his religious beliefs (which works really well for this movie based on the antagonist). It's also great to see more layers added to Nicholas Hoult's Beast. I also think Jennifer Lawrence's Mystique was developed better than ever here. Lawrence was on both sides of the fence here, ultimately choosing loyalty to Charles and Eric over everything. She also realizes the true potential of the X-Men. The whole movie is about realizing potential, so this is great. That's her journey-to accept her role as a mutant and a leader of the X-Men.
Some of the best scenes in comic book movie history are on display here. Apocalypse taking over Charles Xavier's mind, Quicksilver's rescue, Alkali Lake (great connection to X2 with a fun cameo by Wolverine), Apocalypse's formation of his Horsemen, the incredible telepathic battle between Xavier & Apocalypse, and the huge final battle between Jean Grey & Apocalypse (which results in a fun surprirse for fans that know what happens when Jean really taps into her power) are all incredibly well done. The battle scenes are brilliant. There is raw emotion in these scenes. You feel the emotion when Magneto looks into Raven (Mystique's) eyes. You see the physical and mental exhaustion on Xavier's face as he battles Apocalypse. Every scene flows well and creates an epic final battle which ultimately finds a way to incorporate each character well. Everybody gets a chance to shine in some ways. What you're seeing during this final battle is the true formation of the X-Men. Each member of the team is working together to take down a huge threat to the security of the world. It's incredible to watch.
The battle scenes loaded with intense, dark emotion, the complexity of each character, the performances of the cast, and the writing and directing by Bryan Singer make this one of the best movies of 2016, and one of the all time great comic book movies. It's an amazing movie capping off a tremendous trilogy. It's a definite 5/5 for me.
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