Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Khaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn!!!!!!!!

Star Trek: Into Darkness is a worthy successor to the J.J. Abrams Star Trek reboot. I suppose that shouldn't come as a surprise since Abrams directed both.

I'd be remiss to not type this, "KKKKKKKHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!" Now that is out of the way. This is an above average sequel. I enjoyed Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Simon Pegg, Zoe Saldana, and all of the gang! Beneditct Cumberbatch steals the show. What are you surprised? I didn't think so. Listen, there's some plot, and conflict, and it is entertaining.

If you like Star Trek you will definitely like this movie. Yep, that's it.

7/10, very solid 7

Sunday, October 25, 2015

I got 99 problems and my home is one

The financial crisis of 2008 was devastating to homeowners. 99 Homes is a tale about that devastation. Ramin Bahrani's movie showed on a very intimate level the pain of that crisis for one family, and the money that was made by some.

When did Andrew Garfield become a serious actor? I guess he was pretty good in The Social Network. Regardless, Andrew Garfield is great in this movie playing a dad trying to make things right for his son and mother. Unfortunately for his character he enters the employ of an extremely shady real estate agent played by Michael Shannon. Michael Shannon has been on fire recently, and his performance in this movie is pretty spectacular. Laura Dern is decent as Andrew Garfield's mom, but Noah Lomax is superb as Andrew Garfield's son.

This movie is well written, and well acted. I think that some people may not like it given the subject matter, but that is probably because the movie hits a little too close to home.

8/10 on most days, 7/10 on the others. Again, I should really just adopt half points.

Saturday, October 24, 2015

In the land of wolves

Denis Villeneuve's Sicario is a dark and gripping drama about The War on Drugs. Spoiler alert, no one wins. Given Villeneuve's track record that shouldn't be a surprise.

Sicario follows the story of FBI hostage rescue agent Kate Macer (played masterfully by Emily Blunt) as she tries to get to the bottom of a brutal crime. She's joined in her endeavor by an aloof and comedic Josh Brolin playing some sort of DOD consultant, and a truly menacing, but oddly sweet, Benicio Del Toro. Macer seems in a little over her head, but she does have help from her partner Reggie, played by Daniel Kaluuya, who is equally in over his head. I wish there was more of Jeffrey Donovan in this movie who plays Josh Brolin's assistant or sorts. He was particularly flippant about the violence in the movie.

I haven't said much about the plot because I don't want to spoil anything. The movie grabs you from the first few minutes and doesn't let go until it is over. The cinematography is beautiful. Just go watch it.

This is a rock solid 9/10. Well worth your time.