2015 Movies

Posted Jan 5, 2015 at 7:53 pm

Well, it has been over a year since I last posted so I think it’s time for a new one. Since the year is new, I figured a good topic is new movies coming out in 2015. I’ll just talk about four movies the interest me the most, in order of projected release date.

Avengers: Age of Ultron. Marvel movies seem to always be entertaining, especially when you combine the best characters in one movie. This one appears to have an evil robot voiced by James Spader, so that’s cool. There’s also some kind of super iron man suit thing for some reason, so that will be fun to watch.

Jurassic World. Dinosaurs! This time there’s actually a working theme park with lots of tourists, so that will be an interesting change. There’s also Chris Pratt riding a motorcycle next to a bunch of raptors, which looks pretty cool.

Terminator Genisys. This one has a weird name and seems to have a confusing plot, but it should be entertaining anyways. Nothing can top T2, but this one at least has terminators fighting each other and stuff. They also got the usual catchphrases in there.

Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens. I only recently became interested in Star Wars after watching all the movies in release order. It should be interesting to see what happens after Darth Vader, and to find out who that guy from the teaser is.

So there’s some thoughts about some movies coming out this year. Thanks for reading!

Red State

Posted Oct 28, 2011 at 11:57 am

Red State is a great movie. It’s about an extremist religious group killing people and a resulting standoff between them and government agents. The group is similar to the Westboro Baptist Church, only with more murder and lots of guns.

I found it to be totally unpredictable and full of surprises, which is rare in my experience. It was also pretty thought-provoking. At the end, I wasn’t sure who the real enemy was.

It’s extremely violent and pretty gory at times, but if that doesn’t bother you I definitely recommend it. It’s available for streaming on Netflix.

Super 8

Posted Jun 20, 2011 at 11:18 am

Super 8 is a film about these kids who are making a movie for a film festival or something. They are faced with many challenges during production including casting, budget, equipment failure, and an alien monster thing. Will they finish the movie? See the movie (Super 8) to find out.

This movie had a style that reminded me of many classic films such as E.T. and Stand By Me. It had a good mix of mystery, action, drama, and comedy and good pacing throughout. I never grew bored of any scene or felt that any part was dragging on. I also liked that it took place in the 70’s which seemed like a fun time.

The focus was on the main characters, so the alien monster thing actually wasn’t that interesting. There was also at least one scene where multiple lens flares took over the screen (how you know it’s a J.J. Abrams production). Other than that, Super 8 is an excellent film and I will probably see it again some time. I give it an arbitrary rating of 92/100.

The Adjustment Bureau, 127 Hours, and Snatch Reviewed

Posted Apr 11, 2011 at 1:38 pm

Well my internet connection was down yesterday so instead of the usual internet stuff, I wrote a few movie reviews.

The Adjustment Bureau is a story about a mysterious group that oversees everyone’s fate, making subtle adjustments as needed to ensure things go as planned. A mistake is made, exposing the group to rebellious politician David Norris and causing him to attempt to defy fate by being with a woman he loves. It’s a constant struggle between the bureau and Norris. It’s a very unique film with an interesting concept. I rate it 89/100.

127 Hours is a true story about Aron Ralston, a rock climber who becomes literally trapped between a rock and a hard place via his arm. He’s stranded there for several days until he manages to amputate his own arm with a dull knife. The movie is almost entirely James Franco, stuck in one place, but he does a good job conveying his helplessness. I found the film slow at parts but it manages to stay interesting with some hallucinations. Be warned, the amputation scenes are fairly graphic. I rate it 107/127.

Snatch is several stories all intertwined in interesting and unexpected ways. It’s a comedic account of organized criminals doing various bad and crazy things in London. A large stolen diamond seems to play a part in all of these activities in some capacity. The film is very well crafted with a satisfying ending. I give it an A+.

The Hurt Locker

Posted Feb 25, 2010 at 1:51 pm

The Hurt Locker follows an Explosive Ordinance Disposal team in the Iraq war in 2004. They have the extremely dangerous job of disarming bombs in the middle of a war zone. The movie follows the team of three, led by SSG William James, as they go on several missions of investigating and diffusing IEDs.

The Good

This movie seemed to aim at being a realistic depiction of the situation, almost like a documentary, and I think it accomplished that pretty well. This isn’t one of those Hollywood action movies where people survive nearby explosions and just walk away.

There was plenty of suspense where danger could be lurking anywhere. Every civilian is a potential insurgent waiting to remotely detonate the bomb two inches in front of the main character’s face. You really get a feel of just how dangerous his job is.

The Bad

The plot was pretty flat with not much of a climax to speak of. Some viewers may be disappointed by the slow pace and lack of action. If action is what you’re looking for, this movie may not be what you expect.

Conclusion

Overall, this is an excellent war thriller and I’d highly recommend it. There was a perfect balance of suspense and action, and a refreshingly realistic take on events. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie.