Birdman

Birdman written and directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, starring Michael Keaton, Emma Stone, Naomi Watts, Edward Norton, Zach Galifianakis, Amy Ryan, and Lindsay Duncan.

Overrated?  Without a doubt.  But still worth seeing just for the direction alone.  Everything else in the movie had a been there and down that feel and done better.  See Sunset Boulevard for the story line done much better and with everything blending well together.

One of the few times I will say this - the direction is the star of this movie and stole the entire movie from everyone acting in it and from the story line itself.  That being said - the direction failed this movie because it was so apparent with the single long takes that it took me away from the story, to where I was focusing on the direction alone.  I found this long take format worked much better in last years Gravity where the long takes really helped to sell the expansiveness of space and blended with the movie much better than it did there.  I just didn't find any reason for the direction to be like it was in this movie other than as a gimmick but a gimmick that wasn't justified and in the end felt like a gimmick.  Here's some movies that came out a few years that were gimmicks but worked and didn't feel like a gimmick when I was watching them because the story line and characters dominated the movie not the direction: Locke (takes place in a only a car - the camera never leaves the car) and Boyhood (chronicles the life a boy through 12 years of his life - shot over 12 years) see my review of these on my blog.  But in Birdman everything feels like a gimmick.  The characters don't seem real and seem more overblown and cliched to the point I didn't feel any real connection to them or what was going on in their life.  Like I said before I was more drawn to the direction of the movie than what was going on with the characters and story line.  Actually I thought the movie Whiplash, which came out the same year as Birdman, was much better acted, directed, with better characters and an even simpler storyline.  It got me to care about drumming, something I know next to nothing about, but it got me involved with the main character and fully understand where he was coming from.  

The Alloy of Law

The Alloy of Law written by Brandon Sanderson.

This is how you do a sequel to a very good series.

Make a story completely opposite from everything in the first book but still expand on the world building.  There are so many genres meshed together in this story that I'm stunned it works but it does in wondrous and entertaining ways. 

It has a very Harry Dresden feel to it. 

Essentially it's a cops and robbers story, with a mix of fantasy, western, Steampunk, and my wife's favorite genre of all time, the buddy cop story - see the Lethal Weapon series.  And some how Sanderson manages to keeps all of these balls afloat and never lets the story line get to far away from him.  Some really good characters that I'm looking forward to meeting again when the new Mistborn trilogy comes out.  These are easily some of Sanderson's more interesting characters that he created.  They are very idiosyncratic with some some distinct traits that really help to make them individuals and make the story interesting.  I thought the banter between the two main characters was great.  This would make a good TV show.

One down side.  I didn't think the scenes of the book that focused on the bad guy added much to the story and in fact I think they took away from the pace of the action, slowing it down to halt when it still needed the main characters to move the story forward.  Just a small observance that did at all hinder the enjoyment factor of this book.    

Night at the Museum Secret of the Tomb

Night at the Museum Secret of the Tomb directed by Shawn Levy, starring Ben Stiller, Robin Williams, Owen Wilson, Steve Coogan, Ricky Gervais, Dan Stevens, Ben Kingsly, Dick Van Dyke, Mickey Rooney, and Rebel Wilson.

A good family movie and much better than the second movie in the series.  This one didn't get bogged down in the special effects department and let them over run the film and scrap all essence of storytelling, nor did it get bogged down with the improvisational comedy that stalled a lot the scenes of the second movie.  Over all this movie was a lot more grounded in the story telling department and it really helped to make this movie way better than the first sequel.

Side note I really liked Owen Wilson and Steve Coogan teaming up.  If there was a way to make a movie with them as those two characters - that could be an interesting movie.  

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day directed by Miguel Arteta, starring Steve Carell, Jennifer Garner, Ed Oxenbould, Dylan Minnette, and Kerris Dorsey.

Easily one of the best family movies I've seen in a long time.  Just a good movie to sit down with the kids and watch.  It's a movie that actually supports the concept of a family.  There's no degrading of anyone in this movie and over all it's just a good movie. 

Big Hero 6

Big Hero 6 directed by Don Hall and Christ Williams, with the voices of Scott Adsit, Ryan Potter, James Cromwell, and Alan Tudyk.

Just a good little family film with enough hero antics to make it completely worth the time to see.  I also like how science is being encouraged with this movie - kind of reminded me a little bit of Phineas and Ferb, which is not a bad thing.  Good character relationship between the main character and robot, with loads of laughs in between.  The action sequences are epic matching those of any action movie.  

Whiplash

Whiplash written and directed by Damien Chazelle, starring Miles Teller, J. K. Simmons, and Paul Riser.

Another good example of how to do a good low budget movie.  Who would have thought this movie would have been as good as it turned out?  I sure didn't but Damien Chazelle did a great job of drawing me into this world of drumming and music. 

One of the best things to do is create a good character and then have the audience understand his journey and desires.  I know next to nothing about music, especially drumming, but this movie made me empathize with the main character.  I fully understood his commitment and desire to be accepted by his teacher and to be the best drummer ever.  The teacher is played with manic, insanity by J. K. Simmons, channeling the drill Sargent from Full Metal Jacket to perfection.  He is the fire and torch of the story as he tries to mold and shape the main character.  Even when he's not on screen his mere presence and personality can be felt influencing and guiding the main character. 

Mix in some spot on direction for a drumming movie with songs that rip and roar complete with pacing that matches the intensity of drumming.  The acting of Miles Teller, who plays the main character in quietness which full compliments Simmons loudness and physical intensity.  But Teller matches Simmons one for one when he picks up the sticks and starts drumming as he lets them channel and talk with all the passion and rage bubbling up inside of him. The final set piece is master class of direction, writing, editing, and character all rolled up into an ending of an extremely enjoyable movie. 

Boyhood

Boyhood written and directed by Richard Linklater, starring Ellar Coltrane, Patricia Arquette, Lorelei Linklater, and Ethan Hawke.

This movie had no right being as watchable as it turned out being.  Ultimately it's a gimmick movie where the director Richard Linklater spent 12 years making this movie as he brought together the actors of the movie once a year for that span of time to chronicle the life a boy through 12 years of his life.  The gimmick works though and is not used a crutch.  We get to literally see him grow up before our eyes without the aide of special effects.  It is truly something remarkable to behold as we even get to see the other actors and actresses age before us.  It's an experience I've never had watching a movie before.  The movie is almost 3 hours long and I honestly didn't think the movie was going to be able to sustain the narration for those hours but it did and did incredibly well.

Another factor that makes this movie even more interesting is that nothing crazy happens in the boy's life we just 12 different glimpses into time periods of his life and certain "normal" events that happen around him.  We even get to see him grow into his personality and philosophies as he becomes a way more interesting character as he ages than he was a kid - which is kind of the point with life. 

This movie works on all levels: acting, story line, believable characters, directing, pacing, and production design to create an intimate epic movie of boy's journey through life.  If you are a movie fan of all genres this is a movie you have to see.