Sunday, July 27, 2014

Get On Up



What I liked:

  • Another great performance from Chadwick Boseman.  He looked comfortable on stage and showed off some nice dance moves.
  • It was directed by Tate Taylor who also directed The Help.  You will see some of his Help stars make appearances in this film.
  • There are two stand out performances in a large supporting cast: Brandon Smith as Little Richard and Jill Scott as DeeDee Brown.  When Smith was on screen, you couldn't take your eyes off him.  He stole the scene that he was in with Boseman so much so that you started to wish that you were seeing a Little Richard movie instead of a James Brown one.  And Scott was on fire.  She just emotes emotion when on screen.
  • It also stars: Nelsan Ellis, Dan Aykroyd, Viola Davis, Lennie James, Fred Melamed, Craig Robinson, Octavia Spencer, Josh Hopkins, Tika Sumpter, Aunjanue Ellis, Tariq Trotter, Aloe Blacc, Keith Robinson, Atkins Estimond, John Bengamin Hickey and Allison Janney. 
  • James Brown had an interesting life for sure.

Lucy



What I liked:

  • Scarlett Johansson kicks ass as Lucy.  If we never get a Black Widow movie, at least we will have this.
  • This is Morgan Freeman's third movie where he talks about dolphins.
  • The supporting cast is great: Min-sik Choi, Amr Waked, Pilou Asbaek, and Analeigh Tipton.
  • The story is interesting and imaginative.
  • I liked the use of old National Geographic type footage to prove a point.
  • The special effects were good.

Life Itself



What I liked:

  • It's an entertaining documentary about the life of film critic, Roger Ebert.
  • There are some great interviews with Ebert, Martin Scorsese, Werner Herzog, Chaz Ebert, Ramin Bahrani, and Gene Siskel.
  • The footage of Siskel and Ebert is priceless.

Thursday, July 17, 2014

Wish I Was Here



What I liked:

  • Zach Braff co-wrote it, directed it, and stars in it.
  • Braff got most of the money to make this film from a little over 46,000 of you/Kickstarter.
  • It's a lovely story about life, love, and dreams.
  • This is Kate Hudson's best performance since Almost Famous.
  • Joey King and Pierce Gagnon are adorable.
  • Mandy Patinkin is just delightful.
  • It also stars Alexander Chaplin, Josh Gad, Ashley Greene, Donald Faison, Michael Weston, and Jim Parsons.
  • Cameos by Stanley, Uncle Phil, and Tom/Dr. Zeltzer.
  • It's a Turk and JD reunion!
  • Of course, it has a great soundtrack.
  • SoCal makes for a lovely backdrop.
  • Game of Thrones pillow talk.

Sex Tape



What I liked:

  • Cameron Diaz and Jason Segel have great on screen chemistry.
  • It's cute and funny.
  • The kids (Giselle Eisenberg and Sebastian Hedges Thomas) are adorable.
  • Ellie Kemper and Rob Corddry make for good best friends.
  • Rob Lowe's character is super interesting.
  • Nat Faxon!
  • The soundtrack is full of variety.
  • The Disney references are hysterical.  

Sunday, July 13, 2014

Snowpiercer



What I liked:

  • It's dark, twisty, disturbing, fascinating, funny, haunting, creative and entertaining.
  • The writing, acting, hair/makeup, costumes, special effects, cinematography...are all wonderful.
  • Chris Evans and Tilda Swinton are fantastic.
  • Great supporting cast: Kang-ho Song, Ed Harris, John Hurt, Jamie Bell, Octavia Spencer, Ewen Bremner, Ah-sung Ko, Alison Pill, Luke Pasqualino, Vlad Ivanov, and Emma Levie.
  • There are a couple of scenes that made me squirm.
  • There is an interesting environmental undertone.
  • Evan's beard is impressive.

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Tammy



What I liked:

  • It was written by Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone.
  • Falcone directed it.
  • McCarthy starred in it.
  • The supporting cast is great: Susan Sarandon, Kathy Bates, Allison Janney, Mark Duplass, Gary Cole, Nat Faxon, Toni Collette, Sandra Oh, Dan Aykroyd, and Sarah Baker.
  • Duplass could not be more adorable.
  • I liked that Tammy was a realistic character and just a little bit over the top.
  • Kathy Bates dancing!