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Monsters University (2013)
The prequel that no one asked for, but everyone will watch.
Monsters University: the prequel that no one asked for, but everyone will watch. It would appear that Pixar has recently run out of original ideas and has resorted to making sequels and prequels of older more successful movies (Cars 2, Planes, Monsters U and Finding Dory). That being said, the film was actually pretty decent and was rather watchable and enjoyable. The film had multiple unexpected twists, which avoided having an all too predictable ending. It also explained many of the features of its sequel, like Randall's rivalry with Mike and Sully and the Abominable Snowman.
Reviving the voice talents of Billy Crystal, John Goodman and Steve Buscemi and adding Helen Mirren and Charlie Day, amongst others, this film stayed within the universe that the original movie had created, however in comparison failed to live up to its predecessor's greatness.
Blue Jasmine (2013)
Allen Missed the Mark
Blue Jasmine continues Woody Allen's currently trend of casting an all-star chorus of famous great actors in his newest flick. Cate Blanchett shines as the mentally troubled titular, Jasmine, a part for which she swept all of the Best Actress awards. Opposing Blanchett are Alec Baldwin, her wonderfully affluent and charming ex-husband, and Sally Hawkins, as her sister with whom she resides.
Although the film is billed as a comedy and a drama, I would have to disagree vehemently, as I found this movie neither funny nor dramatic. Instead, I would define it as a exposition into a woman's troubled romantic, social and economical life as she strives to make something of herself. In my opinion, Allen missed the mark with this movie as it dragged significantly and lost my attention after the first few minutes. With poorly developed characters and lingering gaps in the non-linear narrative, Blue Jasmine left me disinterested, dissatisfied and just plainly not- content. Allen should stop focusing on churning out a movie every year and should instead try to make the treasures, which made him a famous and renowned director and writer.
That Awkward Moment (2014)
A Charming but Ultimately Not Great Romantic Comedy
That Awkward Moment is a well intentioned, cute, funny, kind of sexist comedy. As a big fan of Zac Efron, he gave a very good performance in a rather poorly written character. Miles Teller and Michael B. Jordan also had a rather decent and charming portrayal as 20 somethings living in our current age, where the hook-up culture prevails over the previously commonplace relationship mentality.
While I am one who usually enjoys romantic comedies, I was not the biggest fan of this movie. The writing was just not stellar and none of the acting was overwhelmingly great. All of that being said, I would recommend the movie to others as a good, light-hearted, amusing flick.
Gangs of New York (2002)
A Nice Historical Piece
Set in New York City in the 1860s, this Martin Scorsese epic film follows Amsterdam Vallon (Leonardo DiCaprio) as he swears vengeance on Bill The Butcher (Daniel Day-Lewis) for the murder of his father. Gangs of New York has many of the classic features that has given Martin Scorsese his legendary reputation. Being set right after the civil war, the film features many racial tensions and politics of the age, and featured historical figures like Boss Tweed.
Although the almost three hour long film was a bit dry at points, the narrative and story lines were interesting and intense enough that the viewers attention was always captivated. DiCaprio, Diaz and Day-Lewis all gave fantastic performances, which helped to further sell the well written and directed script.
8/10
Tenkû no shiro Rapyuta (1986)
A Masterpiece of Animation
Castle in the Sky (1986) is one of director and writer, Hayao Miyazaki's first films, however it is still set in his fantasy world. In a land containing fantastical air ships and magical pendants, Sheeta (Anna Paquin) and Pazu (James Van Der Beek) find themselves on the run from highly incompetent and whimsical pirates, being led by their mother (Cloris Leachman), and the government, led by the mysterious Muska (Mark Hamill).
Once again Miyazaki proves why he is one of my favorite directors. His use of animation to create an entirely new fantastic world takes the audience out of their seats and leaves them elated and yearning for more. Adding this to an adorable love story, the film was a true classic and a masterpiece of animation.
Rush (2013)
A Fantastic Biopic, One of The Best I've Seen
This biopic film tells the story of James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and Niki Lauda (Daniel Brühl) as they climb to the top of Formula racing back in the 1970s. Director Ron Howard chose two actors who, not only resemble their real life counterparts, but also embody their characters and the drive (no pun intended) to be the best. The dual narrative followed each of the drivers as they overcame struggles and challenges along their journey, which worked perfectly for this film. Lauda and Hunt both viewed the world, risk and racing completely differently, which ultimately gave me two very different possible ways that I could look at life, either as if I will die tomorrow or with cost-benefit analysis, acting logically.
Prior to watching this film, I knew absolutely nothing of the Formula One rivalry or the tragic crash that very nearly ended the career of Lauda. This made the film much more exciting as I was never sure what the outcome of the races would be or who would die and when and left me on the edge of my seat for the whole two hours. I would highly recommend this film to any one who, like me, enjoys biographical films.
9/10
Thor: The Dark World (2013)
A Superfluous Film
Thor: The Dark World was superfluous movie. I watched it merely to continue advancing the plots of all of the Marvel films, so that I will not be behind for the highly anticipated Avengers 2. Once again, Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), an ordinary denizen finds herself in the midst of an intergalactic crisis. The improbabilities continue as she miraculous seems to have all answers to all of the perilous situations that she winds up in.
The biggest highlight of the film was Tom Hiddleston's portrayal of the ever-charismatic Loki. Time and time again, I asked myself where were all of the other avengers and superheroes that exist in that universe. As with all Marvel films, there were two "secret" endings during the credits, which was a delight and an enigma together.
Jobs (2013)
An Enjoyable, but Slightly Dry Watch
This bioptic look at the life of Steve Jobs from his college years through his return to Apple. The movie featured the talents of Ashton Kutcher and Josh Gad as the two Steve's behind the technology company. Kutcher deserves special recognition, as his acting prowess has improved greatly since his days on That 70s Show, however, there were points where he was a bit unbelievable. I appreciated the ending credits, which showed the similarity in actors and their real-life counterparts.
As an Apple fanatic, it was thrilling to see some of the history of the company and the geniuses behind it. At points, the narrative was challenging to follow and many of the characters were not properly introduced, which left me confused about their roles in the story. The story was also a bit dry and dragged through the middle. My highlight was watching the relationship develop between Jobs and Wozniak and then fragment as the two genius collaborated and clashed throughout the years. I would consider recommending this film to others, but it failed in comparison to The Social Network, which was in many ways a decent parallel in subject matter and cinematographic style.
The Darjeeling Limited (2007)
A Delight, But Not the Best of The Famed Director
As one of Wes Anderson's slightly earlier films, The Darjeeling Limited (2007) did not exist in the director's now famous, aesthetically perfect, symmetrical style; however, I still found the film to be a delight. The story of three estranged brothers who have been reunited after the death of their father. Comedy ensues, as the three brothers are on The Darjeeling Limited, a train traversing India, to find themselves.
The cast, led by Adrien Brody and Anderson alums: Owen Wilson and Jason Schwartzman, featured many interestingly flawed, hilarious and unforgettable characters. My favorite running joke took the form of a poisonous snake, which was smuggled onto the train and was almost grounds for getting the trio kicked off of their journey. The film had humor and it had heart, but it could have been more interesting. There were dry spells and some of the antics became old quickly. All-in-all I enjoyed the film, but it certainly was not one of Wes Anderson's best.
The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
Wes Anderson At His Best; A Must See
Wes Anderson's latest film was an absolute treasure. It was perfectly in line with Anderson's current cinematographic identity, with a visually perfect aesthetic, consistently vibrant colors and symmetrical balance in every shot. Having already seen a majority of the director, writer and producer's films, this was certainly one of his best. My only complaint with the film was the unusual use of gore, with which I believe the filmmaker was testing the waters. There were three brief, but alarmingly bloody and violent scenes, which did not exactly fit in with the style of the film or the director and were all-out unusual and unneeded. I hope that in his future films, Anderson omits this type of shock factor in the form of unnecessary gore.
The film took the style of a story, within a story, within a story narrative. The bulk of the story took place in the far past, with the lobby boy, Zero played by a relatively new actor, Tony Revolori, and Ralph Fiennes as M. Gustave, the concierge of the titular hotel. As per usual Anderson used some of his favorite actors for this movie, namely Owen Wilson, Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman, Adrien Brody and Edward Norton, all of whom shined in their roles large or small. Fiennes led this all-star cast and was constantly charming and kept the viewers at the edge of their seat. At just over an hour and a half, this instant classic is certainly worth watching.