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Entourage (2015)
If you liked the series you'll love the movie
Entourage starring all of the usual suspects from the series, which is a rarity in series to movies. It delivered. Going in I had high hopes as I loved the show. Its not a great series compared to obvious shows like The Sopranos, The Wire, and Breaking Bad. Its not a great comedy like so many comedies. What made the series great was its ability to combine a male soap opera like Friday Night Lights, with a great comedy, and add in some drama(Johnny Drama excluded) and make it fun to watch (Fukijamas anybody?).
The movie left off where the series ended. Ari doing his thing(enough of the F-word to appease even Scorsese), and the boys entertaining as ever.
Is it a great movie? Obviously not, but its not intended to be. Its intended to be entertaining, and to bring back what they did in the series, and they for sure succeeded. The cameos alone are worth it, Gronk is hilarious as he is in a splint actually recovering from his injury, and Haley Joel Osment actually plays his role well.
The film is for sure worth it to anyone who liked the series, in that element its a 10/10, as a film overall much like the series its not for everyone, but if your willing to just let loose and watch entertainment go see it. Happy Viewing!!!
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
Cinematic Action Masterpiece
Mad Max: Fury Road stars Tom Hardy as Max Rockatansky, alongside Charlize Theron as Furiosa. Its the 4th installment of the Mad Max series albeit 25 years after the 3rd film. It takes place in a post apocalyptic world sometime after the last film Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome. It was pegged as a sequel with a loose connection to the first three, and the first to star Tom Hardy playing Max Rockatansky as opposed to Mel Gibson.
"In a stark desert landscape where humanity is broken, two rebels just might be able to restore order: Max, a man of action and of few words, and Furiosa, a woman of action who is looking to make it back to her childhood homeland."
George Miller when asked what first came to mind for him to explain the film said its a "2 hour chase scene". He sure wasn't joking, besides 10-20 minutes the entire film is one giant chase scene. Its non-stop action, with different beautiful real scenic shots of landscape and some death defying real stunts. From an action standpoint its perfect even better when seen in 3d, it feels like you're apart of the heart pounding action.
When you dig a little deeper there are a few flaws, the big one being a complete lack of any real character development. If you saw the original three films there was a decent amount of character development, along with a polarizing of Max Rockatanskys actions, going from kind and caring to downright cruel, Fury Road lacked all of that.
The second big flaw is its R rating. With minimal more cuts it could have easily dropped to a PG-13 rating and it would have been fine and more widely viewed(Don't worry anyone who's timid, its barely an R). However since it was rated R already they certainly left some possible scenes that would have made the film seem more real off the table.
What I can say for sure is the best way to go into Mad Max: Fury Road is with an open mind, an expectation of great action, great landscape shots, and a disconnect from the original trilogy. When viewed in that light the film becomes so much more enjoyable, it almost made me wish its title and its main characters names were different, so this film could stand on its own merit and not be compared or likened to the original trilogy.
That being said it was a solid 8/10 as a film, but based purely against action movies as of late I would easily give it a 10/10, its non-stop, and its great. Its defiantly worth seeing in theaters, as I'm sure its viewing power will decrease when not in 3d, and certainly in home theaters. Happy Viewing!
Ex Machina (2014)
Visually stunning and emotionally intriguing
I was very excited to see Ex Machina because, Oscar Isaac has been on fire with the movies he's recently starred in including Inside Llewyn Davis, A Most Violent Year, and The Two Faces of January. I also was intrigued in how AI would be shown in the film and how it would compare and or contrast what was shown in Her.
The film opens with some expansive views of forests and rivers and wilderness in general, which is a rather interesting setting for what turns into a high tech idealistic movie. As we are introduced to each of the three main and really only characters in the film, it sets up quite an interesting three way relationship.
Ex Machina keeps you guessing throughout and you're left entertained and fascinated all the way through. The relationships set up between characters is always interesting, and the questions brought up about morality and the future are very relevant.
Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson, and Alicia Vikander all turn in solid roles, and they really had to considering they are the only three who have speaking roles throughout the film.
Ex Machina does a great job at showing and not telling, and allowing you to make up your own mind until the conclusion. Its always thrilling and certainly worth a view for anyone who is a fan of science fiction as its certainly a unique and original take on something that has been churned out plenty of times before. I strongly encourage people to see it, as I gave it an 8 out of 10! Happy Viewing!
Child 44 (2015)
Marginal at best
I was really looking forward to Child 44, a movie starring Tom Hardy, with Gary Oldman supporting, does the content even matter? The answer yes, the content still matters. I'm not big on reading the book that a movie is adapted from, but in this circumstance I may have to pick it up and give it a read. Since I'm not sure whether it was poorly adapted or somehow the idea of murder in the soviet union, at a time when murder 'wasn't possible' in a communist state, turned into a boring film.
The performances of Tom Hardy and Noomi Rapace were uninspired and very bland, with the one bright spot of Gary Oldman turning in a solid role, as has come to be expected from him. The movie felt like 3/4 propaganda and 1/4 thriller.
The child murders are brought up randomly throughout the first hour of the movie, while a picture is painted of a unstable husband wife relationship, and then a conflict thrown in to move the story along slowly. By the time the murders come to the for front of the film, and a loose connection is drawn to give an idea of who the murderer could be. By the time it all comes to a conclusion you're just hoping the movie will end given its two hour plus run time.
All an all they're probably worse uses of your time, but there are certainly better options. They certainly could have done a better job of bringing the thriller aspect more and leaving everything else out.
Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief (2015)
Good Documentary if you're new to anything about Scientology.
With the hype behind Going Clear, I was excited to see it. Probably the worst thing to do for this Documentary is to go in with to much anticipation.
There was a lot of useful information throughout the film, as well as some interesting tid bits regarding celebrities and the difference in the experience between lower level members and the super famous. Overall however, the documentary lacked any eye opening new information. For anyone who has researched the topic at all, most of what is discussed is easily accessible information.
If you're someone who is very into the topic it may be a waste of time, but if you're fresh and have yet to understand the basics, seeing this film might allow you a jumping off point, to delve a little deeper. Happy Viewing!!
A Walk Among the Tombstones (2014)
Not Taken 2.5, and its a good thing!
Going in to see this movie I had the impression it was going to be a lot like Taken, they seemed to certainly market it in that fashion. Once the movie started it clearly went another direction, and gave off more of a vibe, like that of the movie "Ransom" starring Mel Gibson.
Liam Neesons performance was very solid as it often is, not nearly as much action as his roles usually produce, but much stronger and brought to light dialogue. The supporting roles did a nice job of tying everything together, led by David Harbours creepy portrayal as Ray, one of the Kidnappers.
All in all I was pleasantly surprised at how the whole film turned out, but it is not for the faint of heart as there are some pretty creepy scenes, but it definitely delivers! Worth a watch! Happy Viewing!
Under the Skin (2013)
Spectacular all around
Under the Skin is a marvelous movie. There is so much to appreciate about the film from its intimate and overwhelming score to its beautiful landscapes or to the phenomenal acting of everyone involved.
For starters there is almost no dialogue for the first 20 minutes of the film, which one might think would allow your mind to stray, but due to great visuals and incredible music and sounds you're left captivated.
Under the Skin allows you to understand and feel for Scarlett Johansons character without using dialogue, but through actions and facial and body cues. Her performance is amazing, and it really keeps you involved throughout the entire movie.
The title really does fit this movie and it works on multiple levels, definitely a must see for anyone interested in film on more than just an entertainment level. Happy Viewing!
The Captive (2014)
Captivated yet left unfulfilled
The Captive was a very solid movie, its biggest fault is that it tried to do to much. The Director Atom Egoyan set out on what I believe to be an epic kidnapping story involving an entire network of criminals and trying to include the connection of law enforcement and the families of whom have been involved.
Throughout the film, the period in time jumps all over the place, moving from the present to the beginning of the story to a year or so before the story started to various parts throughout the timeline. While the idea and concept is cool, the viewer is left to use the the characters emotional states and physical appearance to discern what period in time it is. Unless this is done flawlessly its going to become difficult to fully understand where in the timeline you're currently viewing.
Moving past that major issue everything else in the film was very well done. Ryan Reynolds performance was the best of his Career, however it didn't stand up against the disturbingly creepy performance of Kevin Durand who clearly stole the show. His mere facial expressions shifting throughout the movie was practically worth the price of admission alone.
All in all, the film was a solid 8 out of 10, and worth a watch if you're willing to commit, and are a fan of the thriller genre. Be sure however, to go into it ready to pay attention. Happy viewing!