Monday, January 4, 2016

Happy New Year!

Concussion
I sat in the theater and decided my future children will never play football. Ever. This movie was really hard to watch simply because it's a true story and no one wanted to do anything about the problem. You almost feel the need to stand up and scream at the screen, you get that frustrated that folks would hide and lie and cover up the truth while people around them are dying. I know it happens all the time. I know bad stuff goes on around the world and most people know nothing about it while those who do sit idly by and let it happen. But you get in the theater and you watch this story unfold and you're scared. You're scared because it took over a decade for the truth to come out and for those involved to finally admit that there's a problem. You're scared because it is a problem not easily solved but one that could effect a lot of people we all know and care about. Will Smith's performance was top notch. He's been hit or miss in the past few years but this performance was the one we've come to love him for. I'll be shocked if he isn't nominated for an Oscar.






Point Break
Yes, a new one. No, it wasn't horrible. Full of attractive, athletic men, even the ladies will want to see this. Focused on extreme sports and crazy stunts, this one was pretty enjoyable. It's not the classic PB with Keanu and Swazye but you can't hate on the studio for trying. They actually tell the story pretty well and even change the storyline a bit to make the bad guys seem not so bad. Was the script great? Not really. Was the acting awards-worthy? Nope. But you won't regret seeing it on a rainy day. There was one cute nod to the original film most die hard fans will get right away and while I did roll my eyes and chuckle when it happened, I left thinking it was pretty neat that it was put in there. You'll know it when you see it.






Sisters
I was loosing my shit over this film you guys. I couldn't wait to see it and it seems the rest of the world agreed with me. Releasing the film during the holiday season was a genius move on the studios part too, my theater was packed! Great job by Tina and Amy. I love seeing them together and we get them for an entire 2 hour film! Tina plays a single mom who simply can't get her shit together and Amy plays her younger sister who has all of her ducks in a row but plays it a little too safe for her big sister's liking. They end up spending time together in their childhood home and decide to throw one final party before the house is sold and they say goodbye to their teenage selves forever. Not surprisingly, nearly half of the cast of SNL are in this but for me, John Cena totally stole the show. He plays a straight man so well and I'm happy to see he's getting parts in a ton of films. I hope we see some more stuff with Tina and Amy, they are just too much fun together!






Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Roadchip
Adorable and lighthearted just like the other two. I know people tend to roll their eyes when they hear another "cheesy chipmunk movie" is being released but as far as kids movies go, these really aren't half bad. When I attend these films, I look for a few things; Cute characters, a decent story, lighthearted humor and the reactions of the kids in the audience. Children aren't stupid, they get funny. And as corny as these movies are, they'll still make you laugh.






The Hateful 8
Fantastic story telling from Tarentino once again. I don't know that this one needed to be three hours long but thankfully you're in it the entire time. Brutal, violent and often times funny. Another typical Tarentino film. Full of incredible actors and a whole lot of bloodshed. Yes, the N word is used often. Not as much as D'Jango and considering the time period it's based in, the use of it does make sense. This isn't for the faint of heart and if you haven't seen anything from Quinten before, you need to brace yourself for the subject matter.  Sadly, I don't know which of his films you should start with as they all contain the same amount of gratuitous violence and strong adult content/language. But honestly, if you haven't seen anything he's made thus far, chances are, these films aren't for you.





Couldn't find the Official Trailer for this one guys, sorry. 


The Big Short
This film is about the 2008 housing market crash and subsequent bailout. It's blunt and painfully honest and will break your heart because it's not a work a fiction but something that actually happened that affected millions of people.
The acting was phenomenal and the storytelling was brilliant. Funny and raw, the writing breaks down what seems like an overwhelming and complicated subject matter into something everyone can understand; which doesn't exactly make you feel better because again, it's about how the big banks totally fucked us and got away with it. Sadly, this one wasn't advertised heavily so a lot of audiences will not see this or even know it exists. Hopefully Netflix will get their hands on it and folks will catch it eventually because it's a big deal. Again, it sheds light on what happened but it will also leave you feeling like you need to pay better attention to what you do with your money and who you trust to manage it. Everyone needs to see it.







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