Monday, October 31, 2016

Middle School: The Worst Years of my Life

Release Date: October 7, 2016

Starring: Griffin Guck as Rafe
Lauren Graham as Jules
Alexa Nisenson as Georgia
Andrew Daly as Principal Dwight
Thomas Barbusca as Leo
Rob Riggle as Bear

Directed by: Steve Carr

Written by: Chris Bowman, Hubbel Palmer, and Kara Holden based off the book by James Patterson and Chris Tebbetts

A boy tries to fit in at a new school while his family deals with the loss of hos brother and his mother's jerky boyfriend.

This was a very cute kids movie. I thought that there was a great message for being creativity and learning. It tackled that fact that not all kids learn the same way and not all kids do well on standardized tests. Just because a kids doesn't learn the same as most doesn't mean they aren't small it's just mean they interact differently with the world.

Deepwater Horizon

Release Date: September 30, 2016

Starring: Mark Wahlberg as Mike Williams
Gina Rodriguez as Andrea Fleytas
John Malkovich as Vidrine
Davis Maldonado as Kuchta

Directed by: Peter Berg

Written by: Matthew Michael Carnahan and Matthew Sand based off the articles by Davis Rohde and Stephanie Saul

The story of the biggest oil spill in U.S. history. It's a look at what people did in order to save money by cutting corners. How those choices effected the lives of the people who worked on the rig and the family back home waiting for answers. The story of how everyone survived the catastrophe.

This is a story the effects everyone alive at the time of this spill. I remember being in the gulf waiting for my older brother to get married and hoping that they oil would wait just a little bit so they could have their ceremony. So, I remember the event after more so than the explosion happened. This movie though was great. It gave you a better idea of what happened on the rig, and it told about the aftermath of everything too with the trial. Over all a great movie.

Snowden

Release Date: September 16, 2016

Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Edward Snowden
Shailene Woodley as Lindsay Mills

Directed by: Oliver Stone

Written by: Kieran Fitzgerald and Oliver Stone based off the books by Anatoly Kucherena and Luke Harding

The story of the life and career of Edward Snowden and his choice to speak the truth about the government watching people and his run from treason.

The film was better than I expected and I got to learn why Snowden was such a big deal. When this all happened I was not interested in what was going on. I was thinking that I was ok cause I didn't put anything on internet that was going to get me in trouble. Then when I saw that it was so much more than that, I understood the issue better. It was a very good movie and Joseph Gordon-Levitt was brilliant as always!

The Dressmaker

Release Date: September 23, 2016

Starring: Kate Winslet as Myrtle 'Tilly' Dunnage
Liam Hemsworth as Teddy McSwiney
Hugo Weaving as Sergeant Farrat
Judy Davis as Molly Dunnage

Directed by: Jocelyn Moorhouse

Written by: P.J. Hogan and Jocelyn Moorhouse  based off the novel by Rosalie Ham

Tilly Dunnage comes back to her small town in Australia when she wants to know about her life. She thinks that she killed someone. She is shunned, but secretly loved, by the town She tries to break the curse she thinks she is under. With the help of the other town outcasts she learns the truth about herself and her town.

This was the surprise movie of the year for me. When I first heard about the film I was unimpressed but I decided to go because I knew that it might be a decent film. However, I think it's one of the best all around films this year. Everything about the film was beautiful, and joyous to watch. I loved every aspect of this film. The clothes were a character of their own. You laugh, you cry, and you wish you could be friends with Tilly. I would really recommend this film for anyone to see.

Sunday, October 30, 2016

Bridget Jones's Baby

Release Date: September 16, 2016

Starring: Renee Zellweger as Bridget Jones
Colin Firth as Mark Darcy
Patrick Dempsey as Jack

Directed by: Sharon Maguire

Written by: Helen Fielding, Dan Mazer, and Emma Thompson

Bridget Jones is at it again. When we find that her and Mr. Darcy did not last she is off on another adventure. When her co-worker takes her to a music festival for the weekend, she hooks up with a random guy named Jack. Then a few days later she hook up with Mark Darcy and now she is pregnant and has two men fighting over her and the baby.

It was funny, sweet and cute but not nearly as good as the first two. I do like that they finally tied up all the ends of her story but they could have done without the third movie.

Masterminds

Release Date: September 30, 2016

Starring: Zach Galifianakis as David Ghantt
Owen Wilson as Steve
Kristen Wiig as Kelly
Jason Sudeikis as Mike McKinney
Mary Elizabeth Ellis as Michelle
and Leslie Jones as The Detective

Directed by: Jared Hess

Written by: Chris Bowman, Hubbel Palmer and Emily Spivey

David Ghantt is a driver for an armored car company, well that is until he is tricked into stealing a bunch of cash by the girl he likes. After the robbery gets discovered he is framed for the whole thing. Steve, the mastermind behind the whole scam, sends David down to Mexico with a fake identity and promises to send him his cut of the robbery when things calm down. Instead of sending him money he sends down a hitman to kill him so no one finds out who really has all of the cash. When David finds out what really is going on all hell breaks loose and he is now desperate to get home to clear his name.

I thought that the film was entertaining but not a real laugh out load comedy. It was a good film to watch and it would cheer you up when your day is not going great but I was not in stiches through the whole film. However, Jason Sudeikis is what made the film for me. I was rolling in the aisles whenever he was one the screen.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Release Date: September 30, 2016

Starring: Eva Green as Miss Peregrine
Asa Butterfield as Jake
Samuel L. Jackson as Barron
Ella Purnell as Emma Bloom
Finlay MacMillan as Enoch O'Conner
Lauren McCrostie as Olive Abroholos Elephanta
Hayden Keeler-Stone as Horace Somnusson
Pixie Davies as Bronwyn Bruntley

Directed by: Tim Burton

Written by: Jane Goldman based off the novel by Ransom Riggs

Jake is an average boy who feels left out of the world. When his grandfather is attacked and killed he learns of his mysterious past of his time in the hom for children who have special powers. When he learns his one of them he now has to protect the home from Barron, an evil man out to kill peculiar children immortality.

I was surprised by how much I liked this film. I am not the biggest Time Burton fan but the was wonderful. I was very impressed by Eva Green's performance. I just loved everything about her in this film. There is a lot of really good young talent in this film and I am every excited to see what they do in the future.

The Magnificent Seven

Release Date: September 23, 2016

Starring: Denzel Washington as Chisolm
Chris Pratt as Josh Faraday
Ethan Hawk as Goodnight Robicheaux
incent D"Onofio as Jack Horne
Byung-hun Lee as Billy Rocks
Martin Sensmeier as Red Harvest
Haley Bennett as Emma Culen
Peter Sarsgaard as Batholomew Bogue

Directed by: Antoine Fuqua

Written by: Richard Wenk and Nic Pizzolatto based off the screenplay by Akira Kurosawa, Shinobu Hashimoto and Hideo Oguni

When Batholomew Bogue tries to take over a small town for mining purposes he sinks to an all new low when he kills innocent people for his threat. He gives them three weeks to get out or die. Emma Cullen lost her husband in the slaughter and hires Chisolm to save their town. Chisolm gathers seven of the best men he can find and plans to take down Bogue.

This is my new favorite movie of the year. I personally think it's the best casted film of the year. Everyone played their parts so well, and they did it with grace, comedy, and seriousness that no other film this year has been able to pull off quite as well. One of the best performance of Denzel Washington that I have seen, and this was by far the best performance that Chris Pratt has given  in his career.

The Hollars

Release Date: August 26, 2016

Starring: Margo Martindale as Sally Hollar
Sharlto Copley as Ron Hollar
Richard Jenkins as Don Hollar
John Kransinski as John Hollar
Anna Kendrick as Rebecca
Randall Park as Dr. Fong
Charlie Day as Jason

Directed by: John Kransinski

Written by: James C. Strouse
A young man is caught at to different crossroads in his life. One being that he is about to become a father, the other is that his mother is in the hospital for a brain tumor. With so much change going on he doesn't now what he truly feels. This is the story of this brief moment in his life where he shift through what is to come.

I loved this film. It's not over dramatic, it's not over crazy, and it's straight to the point. Well, what I mean by that is we are going through all of these emotions with John as he is experiencing them. There is not a whole lot of information that the audience knows before he knows it himself. So with that we are with him the whole story.

Storks

Release Date: September 23, 2016

Starring: Andy Samberg as Junior
Katie Crown as Tulip
Stephen Kramer Glickman as Pigeon Toady
Kelsey Grammer as Hunter
Keegan-Michael Key as Alpha Wolf
Jordan Peele as Beta Wolf

Directed by: Nicholas Stoller and Doug Sweetland

Written by: Nicholas Stoller

Junior is the best that stork delivery has to offer. When the manager find he is going to get a promotion he tells Junior that he is going to be the new boss of Cornerstore. With that he is tasked with firing an orphan from when storks used to deliver babies. Junior tries to fire her but when he can't he gives her a new job working in the old letter department. When she gets a new letter and accidentally creates a baby, Junior and Tulip must secretly deliver the baby so Junior doesn't lose his job.

This is one of the most enjoyable animated films this year. It also had one of the best messages of what family means that almost any movie has given this year. The best part about this film is that it's message is put into the kids perspective. I love that because it show parents, and adults in general, that kids get it. They really get that they are not going to be little for a little while. Kids do know that they are growing up and that they are not going to be young forever. It's a great story for everyone to enjoy for many different reasons.

Tuesday, October 4, 2016

The Wild Life

Release Date: September 9, 2016

Starring: Matthias Schweighofer as Robinson Crusoe
Jay Jones as Friday
Laila Berzins as Rosie
Jeff Douchette as Pango

Directed by: Vincent Kesteloot and Ben Stassen

Written by: Domonic Paris

Robinson Crusoe is trying to become a map make at sea. When the ship he is on sinks he is lost on an uncharted island where he now has to survive with the wild animals of the island.

Not the worst film of the year but it was my least favorite animated film. It's one of those movies where all of the good parts are shown in the trailer. When as adult goes to see and animated film they want to enjoy it and made to feel like a kid again. This did not happen at all. It's one of those films where kids would enjoy it but it's a forgettable movie.