The Edge of Seventeen Review (2016)

The Edge of Seventeen

   The Edge of Seventeen is the story of a teenage girl and her daily experiences in high school. 

  I know what you're thinking. Another teen movie? How many movies like these can they make? 

  Well, let me tell you, very rarely does a coming of age comedy quite like this hit theaters.   

  I absolutely loved everything about this film. It was laugh out loud funny, poignant, raw, authentic, and deeply personal. 

  The Edge of Seventeen gives us relatable, smart, three-dimensional, characters with flaws like you and me and universal struggles.

  Haliee Steinfeld is at her absolute best here, delivering a top-notch, touching, and amusing performance along side her equally fabulous co-star, Woody Harrelson.

  This is one of the best movies of the year, and perhaps the best coming of age drama in several years.

  The Edge of Seventeen encapsulates adolescence beautifully, and non-judgmentally. 10 out of 10 stars from me! (A Must See)

Nocturnal Animals Review (2016)

Nocturnal Animals

  I won't know until January, but I think I just watched the best film of the year. . . Nocturnal Animals is the story of Susan Morrow (Amy Adams), a successful artist who lives quite the lavish life with her husband (Armie Hammer). One week while her husband is away for work, she receives a novel in the mail written by her ex-husband (Jake Gyllenhaal). The film follows Susan's present life, her past life with her ex-husband, and the savage, violent story in the novel. 

  I'm going to talk about the acting first because Nocturnal Animals is full of some of the best acting I've ever seen from Amy Adams, Aaron-Taylor Johnson, and Michael Shannon.. Adams is nuanced and tragic, Johnson is terrifying and depraved, and Shannon breathes new life into the corrupt cop type.  

  Jake Gyllenhaal is my favorite actor of all time, which is why I'm talking about him last. With films like Nightcrawler, Prisoners, and Southpaw, it's hard to say this is his career defining performance. That said, it's right up there with the best. He brings everything to a role different from his usual. Here his character was more restrained, almost cowardly. It was cool to see this side to him.

  What I loved about this film most, is how captivating the complex script is. Every single shot is intentional, layered, and aesthetically pleasing. Every line of dialogue, purposeful.

  Nocturnal Animals is a mature, provocative film that treats the audience like adults. It doesn't hold your hand, it doesn't give you answers. It simply tells its story. A story that gets under your skin and stays with you long after you leave the theater. 10 out of 10 stars (A Must See)

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Review (2016)

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

 

  Set in the Harry Potter universe, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them introduces us to a young, British wizard named Newt Scamander. Newt is basically the wizard version of Hagrid. He loves his magical creatures and wants others to love them too, even at the cost of people possibly getting hurt. In the film, his magical creatures get out in New York city and he, with the help of another wizard and a no-maj (American version of a muggle), must find them and return them to his suitcase before the wizarding world is revealed. 

  That's our story, and let me tell you, it's all kinds of wonderful. Eddie Redmayne is one of the best actors working today, and he nails it as Newt. He's charming, modest, a little eccentric, and unlike Harry, not so full of teenage angst.

  The entire cast is great, but some other stand outs were Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Colin Farrell, and I've always loved Ezra Miller.

  The production design of the new universe is absolutely perfect! All of the creatures were adorable, and the locations were gorgeous. Definitely go see this one in IMAX, you won't regret it.

  Are there problems with the film? Sure. The film walks the thin line of cute and cheesy at times, and it doesn't try to hide the obvious set up for future movies. That said, J.K. Rowling has returned with a bang, giving us one extremely exciting fantasy film that's thoroughly entertaining. 8 out of 10 stars (I'd Buy It)

 

Bleed For This Review (2016)

Bleed For This

  Bleed For This is the true story of Vinny Pazienza, a world champion boxer who breaks his neck in a car crash, nearly paralyzing him, and rehabilitates himself to get back in the ring. 

  I was super excited to see this film because I'm a really big fan of Miles Teller. He's endearing, charming, and easy to root for, which is definitely a plus in a movie like this.

  While Bleed For This was good, and I did enjoy it, it wasn't as great as I wanted to be. Here are the two reasons why: 

  (1) I felt that the story lacked in plotting, specifically sub-plotting. Apart from the main story, nothing else really goes on, which makes for flat and one-denominational characters. We never get to see the personal life of Vinny outside of boxing, strippers, and his many girlfriends. 

  (2) It had no directorial flare. Everything from the fights to the narrative structure of the film felt very safe and formulaic. Such an extraordinary story deserves a less ordinary and generic execution.

  In better hands, Bleed For This could have been a really emotionally impacting sports drama, but unfortunately none of it's punches really knock anyone out. 5 out of 10 (Rent It)

 

Loving Review (2016)

Loving

  Loving is the story of the 1967 Supreme Court ruling in regards to the validation of interracial marriage. It's directed by Jeff Nichols and stars Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga. 

  As a fan of Edgerton, I knew he would be great, but what really surprised me was Ruth Negga's performance. She had these huge, expressive, puppy eyes and knew exactly how much emotion to bring to the screen. Her performance here was subtle and restrained, making the payoff all the more impacting. 

  Loving is an extremely quiet film that doesn't rely on big dramatic moments to build momentum. Instead, it builds slowly, and intimately. For this reason, some might find this film a bit stoic and feel every second of that runtime. 

  Regardless of some of it's pacing issues, Loving is a beautiful, elegant film with soulful and honest performances. Unlike most movies about civil rights, it never wacks you over the head with it's themes. Instead, it gently whispers them to you. That is why I give loving 7 out of 10 stars. (Very Good)

Arrival Review (2016)

Arrival

 

  I've been following Denis Villenueve's filmography after Enemy and Prisoners (one of my favorite movies of all time), and it's no secret that he is one of the better directors currently working today. For that reason, I felt super privilleged to see an early screening of his latest film, Arrival.  

  Arrival, is the story of a linguist recruited by the military to communicate with aliens after twelve UFO's land on earth.

  Villnenueve manages to take a really big budget film with a really big, sci-fi concept, and make it feel like an intimate, intelligent drama.

  The acting was great, the cinematography was breathtaking, the sound design and soundtrack were gorgeous. Arrival is a thought-provoking and layered take on the "aliens coming to earth" story, grounding it in Christopher Nolan like reality that transcends the genre.

  Is this movie for everyone? No. No, it is not. The average, mainstream movie goer, might grow bored of its leisurely pacing and be perplexed by it's unconventional third act. That said, those willing to take the time to really understand Arrival will be pleasantly rewarded. 8 out of 10 stars. (I'd Buy It)

Doctor Strange Review (2016)

Doctor Strange

  Benedict Cumberbatch is the latest A-list actor to delve into the role of superhero, and let me say this was a good one to be in.

  In a time where marvel movies are all starting to feel predictable and familiar, Doctor Strange decides to go bigger and better in ambitious ways that I really appreciate.

 Visually, Doctor Strange is one of the most unique comic book movies I've seen, epic and full of what feels like actual magic. It takes on big storytelling concepts unflinchingly and most of the time it really works! I never thought I would say this, but I really wish I had seen this breathtaking beauty in 3D.

  As far as acting goes, I loved Tilda Swinton and Chiwetel Ejiofor. Cumberbatch's performance is a little vanilla, but I still really liked his character's swagger and his chemistry with Rachel McAdams.

  Overall, Doctor Strange is your traditional popcorn flick. Entertaining, but with an air of surprising originality that really separates it from the rest of the pack. And while it never quite reaches "great" status, it is still pretty darn good.  8 out of 10 Stars (I'd Buy It)

Hacksaw Ridge Review (2016)

Hacksaw Ridge

 

  What would happen if the opening of Saving Private Ryan and the PG-13 version Full Metal Jacket had a baby? Hacksaw Ridge, folks. Hacksaw Ridge. 

  Mel Gibson's latest film is based on the outstanding true story of a man who enlisted into the military during World War 2, but refused to touch a rifle or kill anybody.

  Andrew Garfield is one of those actors that always gives extremely genuine and vulnerable performances. In Hacksaw Ridge, he is tasked with portraying a character of strong conviction; a conviction that most of the audience won't agree with. Still, he manages to be likeable and endearing without coming off as too preachy or like a martyr. I would say that he definitely deserves an Oscar nomination, but not once did it feel like he was trying too hard to get one. His performance is layered and grounded, but also extremely affecting. Desmond Doss was a courageous, inspiring man, and from what I saw, Garfield did him great justice.

  While all of the acting was solid as can be, two others really stood out to me. Hugo Weaving and Vince Vaughn. Weaving put it all out there, giving depth to a character that could have easily been one-dimensional. Even with limited screen time, you really connect with his pain, and understand why he is the way he is. 

  Vaughn took on a role more dramatic than usual, but hit every emotional note along with every humorous one. He was perfectly cast. 

  Hacksaw Ridge is an incredible true story told in an incredible, perfectly paced way. Mel Gibson directed all of the war scenes with poise, always being purposeful with the violence and gore. 

  While admittedly, it started off a little too charming, by the time the real meat of the story gets started, it hits you in all of the right spots.  9 out of 10 stars. (I Would Buy It On Blu-Ray)