Arrival

There are days that define your story beyond your life...

The director of Arrival, Denis Villeneuve, is known for making movies that resonate: visceral works of art that bounce around in your brain for days after viewing them. You may recognize some of Villeneuve's past works - Prisoners (2013), Enemy (2014), or Sicario (2015).

Arrival, clocking in at 116 minutes, tells the story of Dr. Louise Banks (Amy Adams), a linguist who is called in by the U.S. army to communicate with the inhabitants of an alien ship that lands in Montana.

A trend I've noticed throughout my movie-watching experiences is the victory that ensues when the tone of the movie is in sync with the essence of the protagonist. When the look and feel of the movie work together to show what makes the protagonist tick, the end product is satisfying every time.

That's the case for Arrival - the movie is just as intellectual, mysterious, complex, and somber as its leading player.  

As much as the topic of the movie is extraterrestrial, the story is grounded in humanity - the themes of globalism, cooperation, and communication weave through the narrative and shine in long reaction shots and vivid Terrence Malick-esque sequences.

Arrival also confidently walks the tightrope of not being too vague but trusting the intelligence of the audience - though it's not extremely difficult to understand, I definitely had to use my noggin to piece some stuff together.

I don't want to tell you anything about the aliens other than this: they're not what you're expecting and you won't be disappointed. 

The bottom line - go see Arrival. It's inventive narrative structure and sharp pangs of emotion have solidified Arrival as one of my favorite movies of the year and one of my favorite Sci-Fi movies ever. And right now, we could all benefit from its message of unity.

P.S. - Don't watch a trailer if you haven't already. This is a great one to go into totally blind.

Kubo and the Two Strings... and checking in.

Hey there. College is a lot of work. Until I can start to see some more movies, here's a review for Kubo and the Two Strings I wrote for the UTK newspaper...

Kubo Review - The Daily Beacon

Nerve

Are you a watcher or a player?

How much are you on your phone every day? You can check it out in the battery usage portion of your settings app, but I'll save you the trouble - you're on that sucker for way more than you think you are. 

In this era where entitlement is the law and instant gratification is the norm, smartphones and social networking have become a staple of our daily lives. We beg for attention in our apps and are quite literally addicted to scrolling through our Twitter feeds. These days, it's all about being "connected". Did you see that tweet? Did you watch that Periscope? How many Pokemon have you caught today?

Nerve takes our culture's social media obsession one step further; what if there was a way you could get paid to do dares, or pay to watch people do these dares? Better yet, what if all of this could be done on your cell phone, in a "social" context? Better yet, what if it could all be done anonymously? 

The result is a thrilling, thought provoking movie. Emma Roberts and Dave Franco are both excellent and fun to keep up with through the rollercoaster of a night they have. I was on the edge of my seat - it's a nerve-wracking movie (get it haha I'm sorry), not only because of the insane spiral of dares they endure, but also because of the threat of the game itself and the forces behind it.

Watching the movie was, in a way, similar to being on my phone. It's fast paced. It's bright. It's colorful. It's got fantastic music. 

I think that's why, in the end, I felt so slimy. After a slightly on-the-nose speech by Emma Roberts' character, I felt just as bad as the "watchers" - the people who use this app and watch people suffer for their twisted enjoyment. After being a part of all of the flashy (yet incredibly well done and effective storytelling mechanisms) graphics and interfaces of the movie and it's game, I realized that, in the moment, I liked people less. And I liked myself less.

So though I could give this movie crap for it's sometimes overly cliched "high-school" characters or its slightly twisted understanding of technology when it aids the plot or the not forward-thinking-ness of the main character, I think all of it adds to what the movie is supposed to be - off-putting. Uncomfortable. Reflective.

Go watch Nerve and go think about all the questions it makes you ask. That's what makes it a great movie.

P.S. - The game is already coming to life. Yikes.

Lights Out

Everyone is afraid of the dark.

The fear of darkness is such a universal, primal fear. Whether you sleep with a nightlight, with the door cracked, or if you wait until you're under the covers to flip your switch, I guarantee you have experienced discomfort at the absence of light before. It's pretty human.

Lights Out takes that weak spot and completely exploits it; it gives you something tangible to associate with the perceived threat of darkness.

The result is terrifying.

The basic premise (only watch the trailer if you want some great scares to be ruined) is a creature that can only hurt you when the lights are out. Though this sets you up to be scared the exact same way multiple times, it's executed so perfectly and the tension is built well in other ways. Nothing feels cheap or lazy about it.

Overall, you're going to get what you're expecting - a thrilling, jump-in-your-seat horror movie. There are some really cool things done with the "science" of the monster, and the movie does come up with creative shots and inventive usages of light to keep the creature at bay. 

It's a heart-poundingly fun time, and you might have trouble turning the light off that night. It's not without its faults, (which I'll explain in spoiler-territory) but if you like horror, you'll enjoy this movie for sure.

SPOILERS AHEAD

One of my favorite scenes of the movie is when Bret, the protagonist's boyfriend, is in an intense chase with the monster, "Diana". He manages to make it out to his car when Diana grabs him before he can get in. In the most clutch, badass move I've ever seen in a horror movie, Bret uses the keys in his hand to turn on the car's lights, which make Diana disappear. 

This was such a great moment, and the theater clapped and cheered. I wish the movie could have found more of these moments - especially given the ending.

Another cool moment in the movie was when Rebecca, our hero, gets Diana's arm stuck in a door and proceeds to shine the light directly on Diana's arm. When she does, it begins to disintegrate before Diana struggles and escapes. I thought this was a big deal. "Maybe they can defeat her this way," I thought to myself.

The whole movie, the mom is extremely creepy and talking to Diana, who seems to be her friend. The movie spells it out for you that the mom struggles with depression, and has since she was a kid. In this way, Diana becomes somewhat of a metaphor for depression. This is why I have problems with the ending of the movie.

In the climax of the movie, at the "all hope is lost" moment, Rebecca is about to be destroyed by Diana when Mom comes downstairs with a gun. "I told you not to hurt my children." Mom says.

Mom tries to shoot Diana, which of course doesn't work. I suddenly got really excited. Surely there was gonna be a really big, cool climax where light is used in a creative way to get rid of Diana for good and this completely shattered family can begin to come together again.

Nope.

The mom says she knows how to fix it and shoots herself in the head.

Donezo.

I felt pretty cheated by this ending. They had explained that Diana was attached to the mom's mind, so it's not like it didn't make sense. It just felt lazy, unfulfilling, and anticlimactic. When you establish a metaphor for depression, I don't think it's smart to make the solution to that depression SHOOTING YOURSELF IN THE HEAD. 

Maybe I'm just a stickler for happy endings, but especially after the cool car keys stunt and the flashlight flesh-burn, I was thinking that there was gonna be a really really innovative light show at the end to finish Diana for good. I don't know. The suicide rattled me. 

But seriously, other than the ending, this movie was loads of fun for me. It's still worth checking out.

Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates

Over the years of our family gathering, you two show up, aaaaaaand... you ruin it.

It's the story of two young men struggling to gain their father's approval and give her sister the wedding she deserves. It's the story of two young women desperately lost in their own lives, going through the motions and fighting the demons of their past. It's the story of two lovers who need to be reminded that their love is anything but boring.

It's all of these stories combined - and I almost pissed myself laughing.

I've seen plenty of raunchy comedies. Many of them make me laugh a lot, but end up being forgetful minus a couple of one-liners. Mike and Dave is extremely raunchy, and has plenty of solid one-liners, but also packs a great story and characters (with a wonderfully surprising amount of depth) to carry it.

Efron and Devine are both hysterical - though Adam Devine basically plays his character from Workaholics, I really didn't mind.

Kendrick and Plaza also don't disappoint. Their chemistry is believable and endearing - they're both batsh!t crazy and provide plenty of laughter.

All of these characters blew me away with their own personal stories. It would have been so easy for the two duos to have been generic and filled with fluff, but all four of them had wonderful quirks and backstories, unique motivations and relatable fears. If the actual humor of the movie was an ice cream sundae, this was the cherry on top.

This movie is also edited so sharply. The physical comedy never comes across as dumb or cliche and almost all of the jokes land right where they're intended to.

It's quotable, memorable, and even sweet. It's so, so, so funny. Go check it out.

Finding Dory

Just keep swimming...

The ocean is absolutely insane. It's huge, it's teeming with life, and we've discovered less than 5% of it. Mind boggling.

Disney Pixar's latest sequel does a fantastic job of not only capturing the wondrous spirit of the sea, but also capturing the spirit that made Finding Nemo so special.

Good news - it doesn't feel like a rehash. In fact, Finding Dory takes us in a whole new environment, with brand new characters and surroundings to explore. The new characters are equal parts charming and funny, and fit right in with the fish we know and love.

I can compliment Pixar's animation all day, but you can seriously tell they've improved in 13 years. When you combine these beautiful visuals with a score by Andrew Stanton (who splendidly scored Finding Nemo), it's unbelievably easy to immerse yourself in the water and the story it encompasses. My jaw was dropped at several points during the movie out of pure awe. Sting rays are awesome.

My biggest fear going into this movie was that Dory wasn't going to be able to pull her own weight as the protagonist of the story - I was so wrong. This movie only makes Dory more endearing to the audience. Though her short term memory loss is frequent and abundant, not once did I find her annoying. Dory is the heart of what makes this movie emotional (in typical Pixar fashion). This was the most important part, and Pixar nailed it. 

The main question people have with sequels, whether they vocalize it or not, is something along the lines of, "Is this movie a worthy sequel to its predecessor?"

When I say worthy, I mean exactly that - does the movie provide more worth to the franchise, expanding in creative and fulfilling ways whilst not departing too much from the quintessence of what made the first film so enjoyable. And Finding Dory does just that. Go see it.

Also - stick around after all the credits to see what could be my favorite post credits scene of all time. You don't wanna miss it!

Captain America: Civil War

The number one comment I hear from people after they see a good superhero movie is this:

"That movie was awesome."

In Spider-Man, the city-swinging was awesome. The webs were awesome. That upside down kiss. Awesome.

In the first Avengers movie: The flying ship. Hulk. More superheroes working together on screen than ever before. NYC being destroyed. Shawarma.

All awesome.

When you think of the "awesome" parts of a movie, these are the parts that are most memorable. The parts that stick out. The parts that have a chance of becoming iconic. Civil War has plenty of these. 

The Russo brothers, who also directed Captain America: The Winter Soldier, knocked this out of the park. It's magical how they can bring forward so many characters without a single one of them feeling like a shoe-in. The way they handled the Avengers working against each other in such a perfect way really gets me excited for Avengers: Infinity War - two movies that will also be directed by the Russo Brothers.

The action is everything it needed to be - exciting, new, and fun. There are plenty of surprises, and the way everyone fights with and against each other is a dream come true for any Marvel fan. The airport scene could turn out to be just as iconic as this one.

Let's get this out of the way - Spider-man. Holy crap. First, let me lay down my opinions of the past two Spider-men.

TOBEY MAGUIRE: Big fan of how much of a loser he comes across as. Knocked it out of the park.

ANDREW GARFIELD: Love this Spidey when he's in the costume. His quips are all fantastic. As Peter Parker, however, this guy is way too cool for the role. Skateboarding to graduation. Making out with Emma Stone. Hair product. Come on.

Both of these actors, however, didn't have something to offer to the role of Spider-Man that the Spider-Man in this movie can - being a teenager.

Tom Holland is the new face of Spider-Man. As opposed to Maguire, who was 27 when he donned the spandex, and Garfield, who was 29 - Holland is 19 years old.

Holland steals the show. The Russos don't burden us with an origin story we already know the details of. One quick scene is all they need to show us to paint the picture of a scared teenager who is burdened by his newfound abilities. Then we get to see him fight. As a cherry on top - this kid is hilarious. I can not wait for Spider-man: Homecoming.

Also - Black Panther! I knew nothing about this guy going into this movie. 

He is a total badass. And Marvel knows it - so he gets his own movie too.

I'm kind of confused why this is labeled a Captain America movie - it's just as much a movie about Tony Stark, and Robert Downey Jr. stole the show for me. This is for sure RDJ's best performance since the first Iron Man. 

The main complaint I hear about Marvel movies is always with the villains. Too boring. Too bland. Too predictable. This new guy, Baron Zemo, is very intriguing. His whole motivation ties in nicely with the movie's themes of destruction caused by heroes and the effects of collateral damage. He's chilling.

Anyway - go see it. It's - well... awesome.

POST CREDITS? Two scenes! Don't you dare move.

The Jungle Book

The strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack.

I haven't seen the original animated Jungle Book, so I unfortunately can't compare these two movies. That being said, here we go.

From the moment the Disney castle fades away, I was suddenly surrounded by dense greenery, vivid water, and beautiful light playing off of resplendent plant life. For the first time in a while, I was delighted to be somewhere that I wasn't physically - in the middle of a freakin' jungle. The Jungle Book reminded me of one of the powers of film as a medium that I often take for granted - the ability to completely immerse you in another world.

It's one thing The Jungle Book does extremely well - utilizing its setting to guide the tone and mood of the movie. The jungle is almost as much of a character as Baloo or Mowgli - a living, breathing, cohesive environment that guides the course of the story. And the jungle is such a fun place to be.

Everything looks so good. The animals, the surroundings... Off the top of my head, it's the best talking animal CGI I've ever seen (Sorry, bear from The Revenant. Speak up next time. Use your words.). The voice acting is nothing short of spectacular, and the characters are brought to life in a way that made me want to go make animal friends.

A major "bandwagon complaint" in film lately is bashing on remakes and reboots, especially those that seem to take on a darker or grittier tone than the source work. While the ethics of Hollywood originality is a different subject, and though I haven't seen the original, I would cite The Jungle Book as an example of how a remake can be done correctly - telling the story in a new and exciting way.

I wouldn't even call this movie dark or gritty - the action is intense, but, like a good friend pointed out to me, it's intense in the same way that Simba vs. Scar is intense in The Lion King. It's suitable for kids. It's a tale of grand adventure.

The music is interesting - I was delighted to hear Bill Murray as Baloo take on the familiar "Bear Necessities". I had no idea how much I wanted that. Christopher Walken as King Louie taking on "I Wanna Be Like You" was also fun, but definitely weaker - in part because there's a lot less for King Louie to do while he sings. I still enjoyed both songs, they're both short and nice nods to the original.

Let's talk about the credits - they're so much fun, wonderfully unique, and beautiful to look at. I'll let it be a surprise, but it got me thinking about why other movies don't go the extra mile, creatively, in that regard.

There's been something on my mind lately after watching my Force Awakens Bluray bonus features. Going into writing The Force Awakens, writers JJ Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan thought to themselves about what they wanted the next installment in the Star Wars universe to be. They thought about it a lot, and reached this simple conclusion - they wanted it to be "delightful".

More and more lately, I realize that this is what I look for in a movie. More often than not, I'm able to look past a movie's minor flaws if it meets this simple qualification, in the truest sense of the word - the movie needs to be delightful.

To me, The Jungle Book was that.

10 Cloverfield Lane

"Monsters come in many forms."

You know that ad they play in the theater that advertises for the theater? The one where you watch the audience jump out of their seats in sheer terror as what seems like an impossible amount of good popcorn spills all over the place?

Before I saw 10 Cloverfield Lane, that ad kind of annoyed me for how exaggerated it seemed. No one jumps that much. Come on.

This movie put me in my place. I spilled popcorn, I gasped, my butt left my seat and got a good half a foot of air. This movie is one long panic attack.

It’s not just jump scares - though there are a few, they’re some of the best I’ve seen because every single one makes a point to further the plot. None of them were low-hanging fruit.

Where the movie really succeeds isn’t in the jump scares - it’s in the tension. Whether the prospect of being in an underground bunker with people you don’t know everything about makes you feel claustrophobic, antsy, disturbed, or uncomfortable, this movie makes sure to make you feel that. The tight shots, the bizarre quirks of the characters, and the constant uncertainty of both above and below ground come together to make for quite the perturbed moviegoing experience.

Remember - this isn’t really a sequel to Cloverfield. I would say it takes place in the same universe, but follows different characters entirely. You don’t need to see its predecessor, but I would highly recommend it.

This has one of the best openings to a movie I have seen in recent memory. It’s so simple, purposeful, and extremely effective. 

Mary Elizabeth Winstead makes an incredible lead and I was delighted to be introduced to John Gallagher Jr., but, not for the first time, John Goodman steals the show. He’s eccentric, he’s funny, and he’s eerie. His awkward, short tempered performance leaves the perfect amount of mystery - enough to stick with you.

Something else that’s valuable about this movie is how fun it is to talk about. You’ll have plenty of conversation topics on your way home.

I can’t wait to see what’s in store for the “Cloverfield” anthology - 10 Cloverfield has earned it’s place.

The Witch

"Think The Crucible meets The Shining, seen through the eyes of a teenage girl wrestling to resolve her rigid religious upbringing with her burgeoning sexuality." - Jen Yamato, The Daily Beast

No trailer for this one. Go into this movie blind.

Think of a rollercoaster that moves slowly and jarringly - rattling on the track as it goes. You can't see anything in front of you, but you know you're not where you're supposed to be. Ever so often, your car will lurch violently or drop suddenly - and then put you right back to a sedated, rumbling ride. The result is an unwelcome sense of nausea and a petrifying sense of dread.

That rollercoaster is The Witch.

The Witch blends the known and the unknown better than most horror movies I have seen. From the beginning, it had me right where it wanted me. I vividly remember looking over at my friend to see his reaction at the same time he looked to see mine - both of our jaws had dropped down into the bottom of our popcorn buckets.

It's the opposite of cheap horror - it's creeping, disturbing horror that relies heavily on the pacing, the clever editing, the shrill orchestral and choral music, and some of the best child acting I've seen since Room.

The Witch pulls absolutely 0 punches - thematically and literally. What other movies could have hinted at this movie shows you - and it's incredibly effective. It never feels forced.

On my way out of the theater, I passed what looked to be an elementary-aged kid and his mom, waiting to see the next showing. I smiled and gave them a heartfelt, "Good luck."

I still wonder if that kid slept that night.

The moral of this story is - don't mess with witchcraft. But go see The Witch.

Deadpool

 "What the f*** are we watching?" - guy behind me in the theater

As a high school male, I can't help but believe I am a huge part of the demographic for this vulgar, no-holds barred superhero movie. And this movie seriously catered to me. 

If I wasn't laughing out loud, I was shaking my head - not in a bad way, but in a "this can't be real" way. In a "there is no way that this is happening right now" way. A "I can't believe this is working so well" way.

Ryan Reynolds plays this part to the point where I can't imagine anyone else taking his place (This was not the case for his role in Green Lantern). His goofy gestures, the "milk it" inflection in his voice when he throws out one-liners, and even the dramatic elements of the character of Wade Wilson were all done very well. For a character whose face is completely covered, Deadpool is easily the most expressive superhero I've seen (with Spidey in a close second place).

One of my cinematic shortcomings is my failure to ever watch a movie involving the X-Men. I've just never cared. Maybe one day I'll fix that, but I didn't have to in order to enjoy Deadpool. The two X-Men in the movie, Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead, were hilarious and delightful.

For all of Deadpool's craziness - immortality, vague bad guys, unreal stunts - it's held together by Deadpool's frequent and memorable destruction of the fourth wall and by simple, yet profound storytelling on themes of love, acceptance, and relationships. And plenty of jokes about genitalia.

This has been the second most fun time I've had with friends in a theater behind Star Wars. It's definitely a movie you should see with your buddies. It's definitely not a movie you should see with your parents or with a date you don't know super well.

In an age of endless superhero movies, I stand firm in my belief that Deadpool is one you should watch. It definitely stands out. And you'll have "X Gon' Give it To Ya" and "Shoop" stuck in your head afterwards - so that's a plus.

Can't wait for the sequel - which, with a bigger budget, could be twice as explosive.

POST CREDITS - Yes. Yes. Yes. Don't move.

NETFLIX PICK: The One I Love

It's a snow day here in Franklin, Tennessee. And if you took a poll about the activities kids do when they don't have to come to school, I assure you that "watch Netflix" would rank near the top.

So that's what I have done so far today. And I've kicked off my lazy day with this brilliant movie directed by Charlie McDowell. 

Much like the trailer, I'm not gonna give this one away for you. What I can tell you is that if you choose to watch this, you're in for a surreal, phantasmagorical ride.

Along with being funny, somewhat creepy, and whimsical, it's one of the most realistic "weird" movies I've seen. Though the premise is oddball and Twilight Zone-esque, the way the characters handle it feels incredibly authentic. The way that the phenomena is "explained" is perfect too - not the overkill it could have been.

I'm sitting here kind of frustrated with myself because it's really hard to talk about how cool this movie is without giving it away. So go watch it. You're gonna enjoy the music, the performances by Mark Duplass and Elizabeth Moss (again, I can't even tell you why they knocked it out of the park), and the attention to detail. 

Sorry this one was so vague. Let me know if you wanna chat spoilers after you watch it.

Stay warm out there.

P.S. - Don't you dare look now - but do a double take of the poster after you watch the movie. Too cool.

Room

"There's so much of 'place' in the world."

Just a quick recap of this movie's Oscar status:

Emma Donoghue - nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay (of her own book of the same name)

Brie Larson - nominated for Best Actress for her role as "Ma"

Lenny Abrahamson - nominated for Best Director

Room - nominated for Best Picture

Room is a masterpiece of storytelling that uses its medium to its utmost potential. Go into this movie blind - don't watch the trailer whatever you do - but know that you are about to experience something unique, beautiful, emotional, and complex.

Room, if you don't know the premise, is about a woman named Joy who is kidnapped and kept in a garden shed as a sex slave for 7 years. During her time in "Room", she has a son named Jack - who changes everything. The relationship between "Ma" and her son Jack unfolds on screen, and the story is told through his perspective.

Despite the heavy subject matter, Room finds the absolute perfect sweet spot between the dark and the light. My favorite movies are the ones that make me feel a wide range of emotions in their runtime, and Room goes above and beyond that criteria. I laughed and I cried. Every muscle in my body tensed up, and I got chills for 30 seconds straight. It wrecked me.

Jacob Tremblay, who plays Jack, is among the best, if not the best child actor I've ever seen. His chemistry with Brie Larson, along with the movie's fantastic attention to detail, make the movie feel authentic and special.

Though I had heard the second act was less than the first, I disagreed - it deals with a different antagonist, but the impact of it is crucial to telling the story and I enjoyed it just as much as the first act.

The camerawork is visionary and makes full use of camera movements to force perspective of space - making small places seem big and small and showing how big the outside world really is.

The music, composed by Stephen Rennicks, completely enhanced every frame - I would have preferred Room's score to be nominated over Carol's.

This is a movie about the good and the bad in the world, finding strength when it's the hardest to, and the relationship between mother and son. It sticks with you. It never falls into the cliches it should've fallen into. It might make you cry multiple times, of sadness and of joy. It changes the way you see the world.

It's easily one of the best films of 2015. I hope it takes home some Oscars, and I hope you go see it before then.

The Revenant

"I'll be right here."

This was my second most anticipated movie of the year - behind Star Wars. It did not disappoint in the slightest.

This "survival/revenge thriller", brought to you by the dream team director and cinematographer behind Birdman, is the best looking movie I've seen all year. It was shot using all natural light, and every single frame - from the crisp icy water to the ominous torch-filled night - is absolutely stunning.

It's wonderful that scenes that are so hard to watch are so beautiful to look at.

DiCaprio's character, a frontiersman named Hugh Glass, goes through hell and back in this movie. It's absolutely brutal. The pragmatic violence and visceral story left me physically and emotionally drained. The themes of trust, loss, life, death, and the relationship between father and son pour out of the natural scenery - DiCaprio accurately describes director Alejandro Iñárritu as "a master painter painting a landscape".

The movie has an evocative heartbeat: a fluently vivid pacing that lies in perfect harmony with both the movie's score and DiCaprio's pained breath.

Tom Hardy continues to amaze me with his ability to seamlessly become the character he is tasked with portraying, delivering a gut-wrenchingly provoking performance - worthy of a supporting actor nod for sure.

Leonardo DiCaprio. Nominated for four Oscars. Winner of none. He's got this one in the bag.

His ability to realistically and convincingly portray the pain Hugh Glass endures - both physical and emotional - is nothing short of incredible.

He may have some competition - notably Fassbender for Steve Jobs and Redmayne for The Danish Girl - but Leo deserves this. He's going to win it.

My dad really put it in perspective - pointing out the point of movies. To stir up deep emotion - to change your way of thinking about the world around you and the feelings within you.

The Revenant thoroughly succeeds in that regard. Go see it on the big screen.

Joy

“Inspired by the true stories of daring women. One in particular.”

I really wanted to love Joy. The day the trailer came out, I watched it 7 times. I still love watching the trailer. Sadly, the movie itself didn't live up to the hype.

Even though David O. Russell gets criticized for using the same actors over and over again, I don't have a problem with it. I love his main 3: Lawrence, De Niro, and Cooper. 

I can't quite put a finger on what Joy did wrong, but it just wasn't anything special for me. I enjoyed the movie, and it was definitely worth a watch, and I was glad I saw it, but it didn't blow me away like Silver Linings Playbook did.

The premise of the movie is the woman who invented the self-wringing mop - very, very loosely based on the real live entrepreneur Joy Mangano. 

That above sentence alone is enough to make me lose all interest in this movie. So, from a very glass half full perspective, props to O. Russell for having the guts to take a swing at this.

It works well but isn't spectacular - if I had to compare this movie to a snack it would be peanut butter and celery. It has its moments (well shot, nice generational story, stellar performances), but under all that tasty peanut butter you have the blandness of the celery (Bradley Cooper's character, narrating grandma, self wringing mops). 

So overall, you don't need to see this in theaters - but one day, it will make for a great rainy day Netflix selection.

If you're looking for a great "inspired by true events" movie, go see The Revenant instead.

The Big Short

I was 10 years old during the 2008 housing crisis. I didn't even know it existed until this year - and I certainly didn't know a thing about it until after I watched this movie.

The Big Short seriously impressed me because not only was it extremely entertaining, it was educational and even thought provoking. My biggest worry of going to see this movie was that I was going to be too dumb to be able to understand any of the economics/wall street lingo a movie about the 2008 housing crisis would have.

Don't let that stop you from watching this movie at all.

It was actually kind of scary in timing - right at the moment during a complex "wall street" conversation, when I was distracted by the thought, "What have I gotten myself into?", the narrator kind of "pauses" the movie. I'm not going to spoil it for you, but they put the story on hold for a second and give you an incredibly easy to understand, funny economics lesson.

This movie is probably the most unique I have seen all year. From the flashy editing to the "Office-esque" camerawork, from the "docu-drama" story set-up to the frequent destruction of the fourth wall, The Big Short managed to immerse and un-immerse me in a brilliant way. 

Every single performance is spot on. There wasn't anybody I wasn't impressed by (Bale, Gosling, Carrell, Pitt... the list goes on).

I loved this movie. There are memorable scenes that made me feel. I was happy, sad, shocked, even angry - about a crisis I didn't even know existed. Go see it.