Best & Worst : 2015

As always...

Favourite movies

To Write Love On Her Arms

Inside Out

Worst movie

Aloha

Pleasantly surprised with

Spy

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
Paper Towns
Trainwreck

Expected more from

Aloha
True Story

Honorable mentions

Furious 7
Southpaw
Straight Outta Compton
I Smile Back
The Intern
The Good Dinosaur
The Hateful 8
Hyena Road

Dishonorable mentions

The Diary of a Teenage Girl

Jurrasic World
Goodnight Mommy (underwhelming)
The Barber

Movies I still want to see

Demolition
Everything Will Be Fine
Spectre
Taxi
Welcome to Me

Masterminds

A Walk in the Woods
The Night Before

Movies I wanted to avoid

The Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials

Star Wars
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Pt. 2

I’m Just Not That Interested
Avengers
Fantastic Four
Minions

2016 Movies I'm Looking Forward To:

Finding Dory

Pinocchio

Zootopia

The BFG

Suicide Squad

Beverly Hills Cop 4

Ghostbusters
Dirty Grandpa
How To Be Single
Zoolander 2
Triple 9
The Boss
The Nice Guys
The Little Prince
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2
B.O.O.: Bureau of Otherworldly Operations

A Year In Reviews: 2015

Just a recap of movies I saw with a 2015 release date (in the order I saw them)

To Write Love On Her Arms

Furious 7

Spy

Inside Out

Southpaw

The Diary of A Teenage Girl

Straight Outta Compton

True Story

Aloha

Pitch Perfect 2

Hot Pursuit

Man Up

Jurrasic World

Unexpected

I Smile Back

The Intern

Goodnight Mommy

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

The Good Dinosaur

Paper Towns

Children of Heaven

1997 - 4.8/5

Unless you’re E-ran, you probably haven’t heard of this movie… or you may remember that it was nominated for an Academy Award (best foreign film). Well, if that doesn’t jog your memory, the fact that it was nominated for an Academy Award should at the very least spark your interest.

So because you haven’t heard of this before, here’s the quick rundown: Ali loses his sisters pair of shoes; neither tell their parents so they end up sharing his shoes until the day comes that Ali learns of a race in which the 3rd place winner wins a pair of sneakers.

This is one of THE most beautiful and heartwarming movies I’ve ever seen! No, this movies doesn’t have the greatest acting, but my goodness, it will give you major feels! It just makes you want to cry every 5 minutes!

You feel for both Ali and his sister Zahra. You can tell that Ali is incredibly remorseful and wants to make it up to his sister after losing her shoes at the market. As mentioned before, the acting wasn’t the strongest point, but its not like the kids did terribly; you can just tell they were inexperienced, but at the end of the day, their acting was effective.

Black or White

2014 - 1/5

i could have sworn i wrote a short review for this; perhaps it didn't save. quick review it is:

this was okay. i liked how it attempted to tackle the black/white issue. however, the issue was brought up and then it kind of just was let go.

i will say that i do like Kevin Costner and i think he did a fine job. the girl playing his daughter was annoying but eh, anyone they cast would have been. i did like Octavia Spencer, but really, her character wasn't that great.

was this movie ground break? no. did it do a good job portraying the issue? not in full, but ya.

Girl Most Likely

2012 - 2.2/5

I’ve liked Kristen Wiig since Bridesmaids, and the only other movie I’ve seen her in was The Skeleton Twins. I still want to see Welcome To Me as well. Although I think her strongest point is comedy, I do think that she does dramas well. I especially like watching her in independent flicks too.

I thought Kristen Wiig did a great job at Imogene and that ____ did a really good job as Ralph, her brother. Nobody else had a ‘break through’ performance, but they all did as good as needed to be. I have to say that whole side story with George Boosh could have been left out.

I don’t care to write a long review for this, so I’ll say that this movie had the typical ups and downs, but the bumpy ride was worth it for one go.

SPOILER:
I have to mention that the part in which Imogene’s mother tells her why she had to wait 84 days after her actual birthday to celebrate her birthday on her brothers birthday was heartbreaking. When Imogene tells the doctor at the beginning that she had to wait until her brothers birthday in order to finally have a party, you think that “oh, the mom is such a cheap bitch”, but you then find out she did it because her brother Ralph had no friends, therefore nobody would show up for his birthday. That for me really struck a nerve and although that doesn’t excuse all the other crappy things her mom did, you get a sense that she did indeed love her kids and she did have their best interest at heart. A touching moment for sure.

Your Sister's Sister

2011 - 2.1/5

for a movie that i've never heard of, it was actually not bad. i only picked it because i like emily blunt (she's a very underrated actress). another selling point (if you can call it that) was mark duplass. i had never heard of this guy before i saw the movie Safety Not Guaranteed (which i also enjoyed). is this movie totally new and different than ones before it, well, considering you probably haven't heard of it, it has not broken any moulds. was it worth watching once? ya, i'd say so.

American History X

1998 - 5/5

For a movie that’s been at the top my favourite list since its release in 1998 (until Little Miss Sunshine came out in 2006), I have yet to actually write a review for it. Why? Because sometimes it’s hard putting into words how truly amazing something is. Saying that this movie is amazing is an understatement. Its been almost 20 years since its release and even now, I’m finding it hard to put into words what I think and feel about this movie. Speaking of feeling, this is probably the first movie that ever gave me the feels. It is such a powerful movie with such a powerful message, and it’s done so beautifully.

The way the movie was put together: the camera angles, the black and white scenes used for the flashbacks and full colour for the present day, everything, and I mean EVERYTHING was spot on. Needless to say, this movie was snubbed at the Academy Awards.

Oh my god, Edward Norton. If you’ve seen the movie, you’ll know what I’m about to say without reading on. This guy I tell you. Of the many, many, many movies I’ve seen before I saw this movie, and since I saw this movie, I can without a doubt say that his role as Derek Vineyard was the best acting I have ever seen. The look on his face (again, if you’ve seen this movie you’ll know which part I’m talking about) when he turns around is so horrifying and it stays with you.

As for Edward Furlong, he was fantastic in this too as Danny, Derek’s younger brother. The movie is told from his point of view and you see how much of what his brother did had an impact on his life as he follows in Derek’s footsteps. Furlong had sooo much potential after this, but unfortunately, his acting career didn’t seem to extend into the 2000’s in a notable way.

It’s rare when every aspect of a movie, the plot, script, acting, cinematography, ect, line up so incredibly well. This movie is such a brutal, but honest depiction of racism and all the bullshit that goes along with it. This is just one of those movies you have to see at least once in your lifetime.

It is such a captivating movie that you get pulled into it and there’s no going back. It’s a thought provoking movie that actually leaves you speechless; hence why its taken me almost 20 years to write this review.

Paper Towns

2015 - 2.3/5

Wow, I was ready to harp on this movie with a fine-toothed comb. Going in having disliked The Fault In Our Stars (2014), I’m not even sure why I picked this movie.

Long review short, I actually liked this movie. Trust me, I’m as surprised as you are. Albeit, it did have its fair share of cheesy/typical teenage crap thrown in, but overall, the plot was interesting and the acting was good enough for me to enjoy it.

I will say, even though I liked how the movie ended, the execution of it fell a bit short; I got what they were going for, but it wasn’t put together well, it didn’t flow, it was a bit bumpy.

Run

2013 - 0/5

This movie was HIGH-LARIOUS! The funniest movie I’ve seen all year. I’m tempted to spoil this movie for you and tell you all the funny parts. To say that I was howling throughout the entire movie is an understatement. There was this one part… oh… wait a minute… this wasn’t a comedy? Are you sure? Well… that would explain a lot actually.

I get it, parkour was gaining popularity fast 2 years ago and people were (and are) jumping (no pun intended) on the bandwagon. Was it worth it though to make a movie about parkour? Well, maybe not this movie… a documentary would have been better. Oh and to name it Run! #original #justkidding #thatswhatthekidsthesedaysaresayingright?

I want to say that I’m not sure the narration was going to help or hurt the movie… but really, I’m sure YOU can make that call without even having seen the movie.

Within 1 minute, the words “Saved by the Bell”, “Blast from the Past”, and “Live Free or Die Hard” were actually used in a conversation between 2 people. Has dialogue in movies resorted to using movie names?

I really don’t think I need to write anything else about this movie for you to know what I think: everything was a joke. This movie doesn't even get points for the parkour because I've seen better parkour on YouTube and it didn't have a stupid story to waste 90 minutes of your life. If you’re interested in parkour, I suggest you just continue watching videos on YouTube... however, if you insist on watching the movie, just skip to the credits.

The Company You Keep

2012 - 2/5

#Netflix&Chill right?

When I saw that Shia LaBeouf was in this movie, I decided to watch it. Within the first 6 minutes of the movie, we see Susan Sarandon, Terrance Howard, Stanley Tucci and Robert Redford! From that point on, the casting just gets bigger and bigger! Anna Kendrick, Chris Cooper, Nick Nolte, Richard Jenkins! Ya, this movie does have a lot of actors casted, however, that doesn’t mean there in the movie for the entirety of the movie; that’s not to say that that is a downfall in any way though. Each actor was used to the extent needed.

I like movies that involve someone trying to uncover something. And that’s exactly what Shia’s role was. He was journalist trying to piece together bank robbery gone bad in the 1970s. Although he’s gotten a bad rap as an actual human being, you can’t deny he’s a good actor… well, at least in my books. I think he worked very well in this movie. He was a fast talker and it went well with the character and being a journalist.

At the 30 minute mark, it hit me that it was filmed in Vancouver! So bonus points for that (but not really).

For a movie that I have never heard of before I came across from it on Netflix, I did like it – but only for a one time viewing, it doesn’t have repeat value.

The Good Dinosaur

2015 - 2.8/5
(did not watch in 3D)

Loved the short, Sanjay’s Super Team.
It was super cute and I like that Pixar/Disney are branching out in terms of character ethnicity (first being Big Hero 6).

From the get-go, this movie reminded me of The Land Before Time and Bambi. At some points, I was even reminded of The Lion King and Homeward Bound. So if you’ve seen those, then this is just an updated, recycled plot.

The actual plot of the movie is been done over many times; someone ends up getting lost and needs to find their way home, in the meanwhile, learning some life lessons along the way. The only catch (if that’s the proper word) is that the someone is a dinosaur, fearful and timid Arlo, and his sidekick is a human, Spot. Basically, the dinosaurs act like humans, and the humans act like animals. Not very creative and not the standards I hold Pixar to. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I hated that, I'm just saying that it was an interesting twist that wasn't perfectly developed.

I was a tad bit annoyed that the dinosaurs looked too cartoony, especially considering the scenery in this movie was amazing! I looked as if they filmed these places and added the dinosaurs in after the fact.

I could see that they were trying to get some laugh in the scene that Arlo and Spot (what a stupid name by the way; Pixar is better than that) ate the rotten fruit and tripped out. I was pretty surprised to see that in a movie meant for kids. I didn’t like how some of the side characters had Southern accents, while some had cowboy accents.

The plot and script were not the movies high points, the animation bumped up my score a bit. Overall, the animation aside, it was fine.

Apparently the Pizza Planet truck was in there somewhere, but I didn’t see it.

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

2015 - 3.2/5

Just a heads up… I never intended that this review be a comparison to The Fault In Our Stars (2014), but I couldn’t help it. So I apologize in advance that this is what this review has turned out to be.

This movie is exactly what I wanted The Fault In Our Stars to be (although I had read the book when it first came out and didn’t like it). Where that movie was too pretentious for its own good, this movie is a breathe of fresh air. I really enjoyed this movie. It reminded me of Juno (2007). To put it in the most simplistic terms, TFIOS is like McDonalds (January 2016 update: I actually don't mind McDonalds, so I'll change 'McDonalds' to 'crap'), and ME&tDG is like the awesome hole-in-the-wall restaurant you never knew you needed in your life.

The characters in this movie were far more believable than TFIOS. Greg’s wit and the bond he had with Earl and the bond he developed with Rachel (aka, the dying girl) didn’t seemed forced or make you want to rip your head off. Greg, Earl and Rachel weren’t using “profound” speech mixed with “typical teenage talk”; the dialogue seemed more genuine, authentic, and not at all cliché.

This is a very heartfelt movie. The movie was quirky and on the independent side and never felt like a Hollywood flick. It was a very grounded movie that stuck to its roots.

Goodnight Mommy

2015 - 1/5

So I don't remember how I heard of this movie, but I intended to watch it just before Halloween; well, that didn't happen, and I'm still interested in watching it.

I am going to assume that the majority of you who read this review have probably never heard of this movie. I will mention that there are going to be spoilers, but considering this is the first time you’ve heard of this movie, I’m thinking most of you aren’t going to bother watching it anyways.

This movie is set in an isolated house where 9 years old twin boys live with their mother. The mom comes home after having some sort of major facial surgery, and the twins begin doubting that she’s indeed their mother. This is not a horror movie. This is not an “artsy” movie. If I had to categorize this movie, I’d say drama.

By watching the trailer, I thought this movie would be about the twin boys trying to figure out if the lady that came home was their mom. What I got was a movie in which nothing amounted to anything. The director just added the scenes for the sake of them being there. They didn’t build on the ones before or after; everything that happened was compartmentalized, vague and unexplained. Needless to say, this movie left a lot of loose ends. Case in point: 

Why did the mom eat the cockroach?
What was with the mom stripping in the woods and the whole demon thing; this part was even shown in the trailer – but did it amount to anything? No.
Why did the mom kill the cat?
The boys walking through the cave with all the human bones – did that have a point?
I found the Red Cross part to be ridiculous. Did they add that to add tension in the movie? Because I saw it more of a joke.

You know when you were in elementary school and the teacher writes a sentence on a paper, covers it up, and tells each kid to write the next sentence and eventually, it becomes a story? Ya, that’s what the plot of this movie felt like. As if it had 20 different people were dictating what the next scene should be only knowing the general premise of the movie and having no clue what the person before did.

There wasn’t much to the script; and just after the half way point, it did become a bit repetitive, so I can’t give the movie any points for that.

When it comes to the acting, I’ll say that this was the strong point. The twins, Lukas and Elias were really good. Although they portrayed 9 year old boys, I think they looked more along the lines of 12.

I will admit that I didn’t catch that Lukas had died, but looking back, the boys at the lake, the mom only serving breakfast to Elias, the mom only talking to Elias, the mom only punishing Elias, it should have been obvious.

Overall, I did spend $4.99 and although I wouldn’t watch it again, I don’t feel completely cheated out of my money.