Burnt

Burnt directed by John Wells, starring Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller, Daniel Bruhl, Emma Thompson, Uma Thurman, and Alicia Vikander.

I read a lot bad reviews for this movie and all I can say is those reviews were partially right but mostly wrong.  This movie wasn't bad at all.  It's not a great film but it is infinitely better than most of the Hollywood slop that gets churned out by barrel loads.  I will also say this, I will watch Bradley Cooper in about anything.  This is his movie through and through. His character and persona totally dominate every frame of this film and the film is all the better for it.

 In fact it was an entertaining movie.  Not over staying its welcome and never once did I feel I was wasting my time.  It's wasn't some kind of pandering, political movie but was just a movie about a man that was his own worst enemy and about his him being able to handle and fight against himself.  I don't run across many movies like this.  Most movies seem to want to have a die hard enemy to battle with but not all movies need this if the main character is built right and interesting enough he or she can be their own worst enemy.  By doing that a movie takes a great risk in believing in the character to help sell the story but if pulled off it will always be an interesting movie.  

Cooper does an amazing job of building this flawed character that is at time an asshole but yet most times I found him completely interesting and sympathetic.  Then everyone else Cooper surrounded himself with in this movie did a great job of feeding off of him and selling this simple story of man versus man.  

Everest

Everest directed by Baltasar Kormakur, starring Jason Clarke, John Hawkes, Jake Gyllenhaal, Josh Brolin, Robin Wright Penn, Keira Knightley, Emily Watson, and Sam Worthington.

There's not much to say about this movie. 

Just about everyone dies.

There's not really a happy ending to speak of and I found myself not really caring one way or another about any of it because I didn't find myself invested in any character in this movie.  There are a lot of actors in this movie but the movie doesn't really give any time to them to make them any sort of engaging.  They are more or less the set pieces of the movie while the mountain "Everest" is the main character.  But even that main character I found dull and boring.  This is very boring and pandering movie that wants to be more than sum of its parts but is no where near close to those parts. 

If you see the movie The Martian, the planet Mars is a main character in the movie and the movie goes to great lengths to build this character. Everest, by comparison, seemed written by a confused person who had no idea what that mountain was or is but yet hit all the right dictionary points of the mountain but nothing that made the mountain live and breath as a character.  I didn't even find the visuals of this movie that engaging either.  All in all it was a boring waste of time.

A Good Dinosaur

A Good Dinosaur directed by Peter Sohn, with the voices of Jeffery Wright and Frances McDormand.

Not a great Pixar movie but a good one, which I will take a good one over a terrible Cars 2 any day of the week.

This is basically a journey type of movie only it doesn't have the in depth characters to fully support the journey that takes place.  Instead this movie relies on the visuals to sell what happens.  In the end what great and amazing visuals it turns out to be with enough wonder to keep the kids and adults entertained the whole time.  They are enough to make this movie worth seeing once but I don't think a second viewing would benefit it much.  Even the concept of a meteor not hitting earth and wiping out the dinosaurs isn't fully explored in any kind of detail but is used more a gimmick and nothing more. 

Goosebumps

Goosebumps directed by Rob Letterman, starring Jack Black, Amy Ryan, Dylan Minnette, Odeya Rush, and Ryan Lee.

Honestly this was a fun little movie that shouldn't have been as good as it turned out.  I'm not saying it's a great movie but it's very entertaining as it fully knows what kind of movie it is and doesn't shy away from it.  I don't know if having a fully knowledge of the Goosebumps books would help in understanding this movie better or not?  I don't have any kind of knowledge of them other than the author's name and the genre they books spawned - which served me well with this movie. 

I did like the over the top aspect of action that really starts of the movie off and rolling.  Then there's enough character development to understand the characters and establish them.  All in all not a waste of time like I thought it was going to be.  

Black Mass

Black Mass directed by Scott Cooper, starring Johnny Depp, Joel Edgerton, Benedict Cumberbatch, Dakota Johnson, Kevin Bacon, Peter Sarsgaard, and Adam Scott.

There is a good movie lurking in this jumbled, mediocre movie that was made instead.  The good movie would have been two stories.  One about Whitey Bulger's risen empire in Boston and other would have been about the FBI agent who helped him achieve this power.  There are flashes of this story in the mess we have but nothing of it's substance is ever given light, that is shame because it could have one great mob story.  All the actors, direction, and production design serve the movie well, it's just the lack of focus of the screen plays lets everyone involved down.

This is also one of Johnny Depp's best performances in years where he isn't doing some kind parody of himself.  But other than that most of actors in this movie are wasted by the terrible screenplay.

Bone Tomahawk

Bone Tomahawk written and directed by S. Craig Zahler, starring Kurt Russell, Patrick Wilson, Matthew Fox, Richard Jenkins, Lili Simmons, and David Arquette.

One of the best films I saw made last year.  I would put it in my top 5 of  movies for that year and it might go even higher as the years go on and I see more movies made that year.  This movie didn't leave my mind for weeks after I saw it as it stayed there turning around and around while I thought about the different aspects and themes that made it so good.  I don't normally see a movie this focused or this good.  It had a very old school feel to it and I mean that in the highest compliment possible.

It was so refreshing to see a character based movie where the characters stayed true to their character and didn't deviate from their central core.  Many movies now-a-days haven't grasped this concept of characters being true to who they are instead of changing their true self for plot motivated reasons that are illogical and absolutely stupid.  There is none of this here as these are some of the best characters I've seen in a movie in a long time.  They let reason and logic influence their decisions and don't let emotions and feelings cloud things but when emotions and feelings do cloud things they are quick to realize that is happening.  In effect they act normal, rational people.  Then you through into the mix some good actors who really help to bring these characters to life and by good actors I mean every character in this movie is inhabited by a good actor.  There is no great acting on display here but there doesn't need to be as these actors more than compensate for no "A" list actor and this movie all the better for it.  Every scene is like a master class in acting and aren't just thrown into the movie for the sake of being there as they further expand on each character.

This movie has a minimalist feel to it as it doesn't get carried away with special effects, production design, or super crazy editing.  Many of scenes are shot on location or at least seem like they are shot on location which adds the effect of being immersed in the scene without anything flashy to get into the way.  The actors respond to this approach with such greatness as they whole heartily give their best level of performance.      


The characters and story are the star of this movie with a director who understands this and doesn't get in the way of what is happening.  I could tell with each frame and scene of this movie that he had complete faith in the story, characters, and screenplay.  Then he also had complete faith in his casting and the actors he hired to populate the movie.  Like I said above I don't find many movies with this much faith - most movies rely on cheap gimmicks, special effects, or soap opera story telling to hide the poor story or screenplay.  Not this movie. 

It was also refreshing to see a movie that supported marriage between a man a woman.  Many movies seem to get on a political platform about marriage now-a-days, so it was good to see a movie that bucked that tread and instead was forth right in marriage.  Not a perfect marriage but then what marriage is perfect?  But it is a marriage where the two people are in love with enough scenes to convey this message without being preachy with hyperbole. 

As my brother pointed out about this movie - the violence in this movie happens fast and brutal.  There is no long drawn out Hollywood style of fight scenes here - when the action and violence happen it movies quickly, with such brutality that it further empathizes the reality this movie is supporting.  

The Bands of Mourning

The Bands of Mourning written by Brandon Sanderson.

Sanderson is the best fantasy writer out there right now.  Hands down, there is no one that even compares to him.  Hhis ability to switch books, genres, and characters is just staggering, as it matches his output, which should make the outputs quality not that good.  However the quality of his work only seems to get better with time.  I don't really like fantasy at all but Sanderson's fantasy is genuinely one of a kind.  He doesn't fall prey to the cliches that abound with fantasy but instead writes his own rules and continues in the same vein of world building that truly defines fantasy now-a-days.  He also has a really good knack for balancing characters with world building and never seems to let the world building get ahead of his characters. 

This book just continues to support the claim of him as best fantasy writer of our present day.  This is the second book in a new mist born trilogy and one that just furthers the story and world he started with the first book in the trilogy and the stand alone story Alloy of Law.  His ability to world build and further expand on a story idea is only intensified here as he continues to weave a larger tapestry of his previous mist born world with an ease that borders on jealousy from me. 

He also created one of my favorite characters in all of literature - Wayne, and his perspective on life. I've never found a character of his sort in any other book and this perspective makes him genuinely unique.  I also liked how Sanderson has fleshed out Steris' character as well.  She started off as very one dimensional but has truly blossomed into an interesting character.  

A Walk in the Woods

A Walk in the Woods directed by

Not much to say about this movie other than it's sort of boring and seems to lack focus.  It's only saved by Redford and Nolte's acting.  It's a true story of two older men who decide to hike the Appalachian Trail and that's pretty much about it.

The Intern

The Intern written and directed by Nancy Meyers, starring Robert De Niro, Anne Hathaway, and Rene Russo.

This is a safe movie. 

Nothing crazy happens in this movie only the normal cliches of this kind of story line but that's OK if you're in the mood for it.  I was, so I had a good time watching it. 

The one thing that will make or break this movie is the chemistry of two leads. If their chemistry together sparks the movie will work.  I'm here to say the chemistry between De Niro and Hathaway sparked, every scene they are together worked and made the movie an enjoyable experience.  I also liked how the movie didn't feel the need to have a romantic or love interest be the central part of the story line but instead relied on the friendship between De Niro and Hathaway.  I don't see to many movies like this and in that regard the movie took a risk but a good risk none the less in my opinion.  It was that friendship that was top priority over everything else and it worked well, with Hathaway and De Niro pulling this movie out mediocrity. 

Children of the Mind

Children of the Mind by Orson Scott Card.

Card follows one of the worst sequels of all time up with an even more worse sequel - that just begs the question: Why?

This book was even more terrible than the previous book and only did further damage to the world Card had created with Ender's Game.  Everything that was bad with Xenocide became amplified with Children of the Mind or to put it more appropriately - it all got turned up to 11.

Bad characters became even worse characters.  Story lines got just to the point where I just didn't care about anything going on and suffered through this book only to finish it and be done with the Ender series.  Characters that I found annoying only got more annoying.  Everything he built upon in the first two books seemed to just get destroyed in this book. 

One of the worst ending to a character (Ender) I've ever read about in any book, in no way was it a satisfying ending to Ender's life.  It felt more as if Ender's life was a leaf wilting in the sun and all the time I had invested with Ender became nothing but static.  I still don't understand how Card can justify the wife he gave Ender, who in just no way fit with Ender and I never found there relationship believable. It felt more contrived and plot motivated than anything else.  The character Jane felt more alive and I believed the relationship she had with Ender more than the woman Card gave him as a wife.  He never gave enough scenes with Ender and wife to justify their relationship as this whole book seemed to be just not enough of anything to be anything.  There didn't seem to be the same kind of passion with these last two stories that was present in the firs two books.  Herbert ran into this issue as well when he did the sequel to Dune, which didn't just feel like the same book as the first book.  A book to missed for sure.

Xenocide

Xenocide by Orson Scott Card.

I find it funny that Card follows up one of the best sequels of all time with one of the worst sequels of all time.

This book is sad because of all the world building and good characterization that happened in the first two books seems to be forgotten here.  Card preaches more and doesn't seem as concerned with characters as he did with the first two books.  He has characters seem to sit around more and debate things, instead of moving the story forward these debates bring the story to a stand still, making the book harder to get through.  As good as an argument as Speaker of the Dead was for a sequel, this book is as good an argument for sequels never being made. 

There is just some much wrong with this book that I don't even know where to start.  The only reason I picked it up to read was that I wanted to see if Card could further his world building but as I've already stated he doesn't even come close to it.  Everything that made the first two books so good seem to be discarded or forgotten with this book as Card falls prey to all the other sci-fi writers: he gets more concerned with preaching and science fiction than he does with characters.  Characters seem to take a back seat to everything else in the story.  In the end Card falls prey to plot device that is just ludicrous in so many ways that when things go wrong ever in this story or further stories I automatically think just use that one miraculous plot device you created, which has conveniently been forgotten about.  

Speaker for the Dead

Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card.

This is easily one of the best sequels every created for any media: book, movie, TV, or video game. 

I had had my doubts that Card would be able to emulate the success of Ender's Game, I can honestly say he doesn't but he creates a whole new experience with the world building of Ender.  He furthers the story started in Ender's Game rather than tries to emulate it, he deals with the after effects first book in a very realistic and satisfying way that it just blew my mind.  Ender doesn't even show up in this book until about 60 pages into the story - that is a huge risk and a huge set of balls on the writer to attempt something like that.  But it works, works in ways that are wonderful and spellbinding to even think about.  It shouldn't work, there is no way it should work, but it does. 

He creates an entirely new world with  new characters and then sits back as does what he did best with Ender's Game - focuses on character never letting the sci-fi/technology aspects of the story get away or ahead of the characters.  The characters are what matters the most.  Even following Ender and his sister Valentine as they both deal with the mass xonocide of the first book as Ender tries to find some sort of redemption or justification of what he did.  I'm not even going to go to much into the story line of this book because this book needs to be experienced on the same sort of level as the first book as it deals with new themes.  New more adult themes.  There is also a central mystery to the story that threads it's way through the book and shouldn't be as engaging as it turns out to be but Card is such a good writer that the mystery slowly dominates the story not in a forceful way but in a slow drinking of coffee sort of way. 

Ender's Game (book)

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card.

This is one of the best sci-fi books ever written.  It's place upon the mountain top of classic sci-fi books is firmly established, and even after reading it for my fourth or fifth time nothing is going to ever shake it off the classic status. 

So much praise and adjectives have already been heaped upon this book since its publication in the 80's that I don't really know what more to add to that long list - but I shall try.

After reading many sci-fi books and literature books over the years since I first read this book, I can honestly say there is one thing that makes this book as universally acclaimed as it is: character. 

Card, unlike most sci-fi writers focuses on the character of Ender and doesn't get carried away with the technology and sci-fi moments of the story as most sci-fi books seem to do.  This focusing on the character is what elevates this story to a literary level versus just classifying it as sci-fi.  Sure Ender's Game is sci-fi but it is so much more than that as Card weaves all sorts of themes throughout the story but never once looses focus on Ender as a person.  He creates such a three dimensional person in Ender, then Card allows the reader to grow with him as he grows himself trying to figure out who he is and how he fits into this violent world he has been thrown into.  These are such universal themes Card is playing with which has allowed this story to be relate-able to any reader who picks this book up.  The reader can't help but feel for Ender, not just feel for Ender but also relate to what he is going through because at some point in their life the reader has not only felt what Ender has gone through but has experienced something like it.  There's a connection with Ender that endears the reader to him so much so that I've talked with people who aren't sci-fi fans, who absolutely loved this book.  Then you add in the gut punch of ending that is earned with every once of passion with no flare of soap opera stink but justifiable technique - that this story will continue to be classic.

Sicario

Sicario directed by Denis Villeneuve, starring Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin, Benicio Del Toro, Victor Garber, Jon Bernthal, Daniel Kaluuya, and Jeffery Donovan.

I think I would best describe this movie as an art house action film - this movie is everything Saving Private Ryan was trying be: an action movie with intellect and thought, which is really hard to find.  Everything in this movie works: the acting, directing, and pacing.  For an art house kind of feel to the movie the action scenes are actually shot well with no confusing "in the action" type of shaky camera on display here.  Nope just the opposite in fact.  In between the action scenes there is enough character and story moments that further enhances the characters and story lines.  I haven't seen a movie like this one ever.  It's worth the time to see.

This movie explores the concept of how to actually go to war with the drug trade in America.  It is an idea movie that raises a lot questions, doesn't necessarily give a lot of answers on the themes but gives enough of both sides of the argument that it forces the viewer to come up with their own conclusions.  This movie doesn't pander to the audience but also isn't forcing anything into a political agenda.  It creates a story, inhabits that story with some great characters who change throughout the movie with the information given to them not based on plot device or story advancements.     

I've said this before and I'll say it again - Denis Villeneuve is a director to keep an eye on as his previous films Prisoners and Enemy were some of the best and most thought provoking films I've seen in a long time.  Also, he has a visual flare to his direction that is seriously lacking in Hollywood now, yet his visual flare doesn't overpower his movies like a Wes Anderson, who seems  more concerned with the look of his film than anything else going in the film.  Villeneuve is more concerned with themes and characters than the visual atmosphere of the movie.  His visual style certainly creates a world unlike most movies and his direction has a certain tension to it that amplifies all aspects of the story.  And it's a tension that is earned, not forced.  Another aspect of his style he does well that Terrence Mallick as been trying to do for decades is - let the visuals help the story along instead of being there to just look pretty.  He is one of the best directors with a show but don't tell mentality that actually works and doesn't feel pretentious.

 On the acting side of things this movie belongs to Emily Blunt and Benicio Del Toro, who are the central focus of the story.  Del Toro gives one of his best performances in a long time - and in an action movie to boot, proving once again that when he gets good material he can swing with the best of them.  Blunt does what she has been doing since I first saw her in TheDevil Wear Prada, she is, simply put, flat out amazing.