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.







  

The Shining Girls

The Shining Girls written by Lauren Beukes.

There was a lot of hype going into reading this book.  I like the concept of the time traveling serial killer.  But I can't say that by the books end I was completely sold on the execution of the story.  I also like answers, answers of any kind are better than just floating questions marks or answers that don't seem to fit into world created. No answers are given by the books end, so on that part I wasn't fully sold on this book.

The one thing this book does have going for it is the main character.  Once her story finally kicked in the book really took off as her character was, literally, the driving force of the story.  So much so that when she wasn't on the page the story was lacking.  I can't say as I bought into the whole analogy of  book being about women's issues and how society is keeping women subjugated.  I understand these women "shine" who the killer is killing but there needed to be more explanation as to why they were shining instead of just leaving it up to the reader to decide why they were shining.  If they were shining and the killer was killing them wouldn't the future or time be affected in some way?  These are the answers that need to answered or even have the questions brought up.  Sadly this book is lacking in those areas.

Beukes does have great story telling abilities, as at times her ability to drew me into the world of the story were very similar to Stephen King - this is by no way a bad thing either.  She was very capable of describing the different times without overdoing it.  The main problem was is that it took way over 100 pages before I was fully engaged with the story and I found the serial killers scenes rather boring as they took me away from the story of the main character - who's very presence was enough to propel the story forward.  Such was such a force of nature and thoroughly detailed person that she completely dwarfed the serial killer in all ways possible. 

What If

What If directed by Michael Dowse, starring Daniel Radcliffe, Zoe Kazan, Megan Park, Adam Driver, Mackenzie Davie, and Rafe Spall.

With any romantic genre movie the two leads must have good chemistry.  No good chemistry equals no good romantic movie.  Randcliffe and Kazan nail the chemistry out of the park in this movie.  Every scene they are in together is oozing and saturated with it.  They are the main reason to see this movie and completely make this movie watching.  Along with a good screenplay that doesn't misrepresent the two main characters but treats them as real characters.  The same goes with their friends in their lives, making every situation they get into not seem artificial but well thought out with some dialogue that doesn't feel contrived but flows with the characters.  Again this isn't a movie trying to break new ground but if you're in the mood for a good romantic movie, you can't really do any worse than this movie and you won't feel like you've wasted time watching it.  

A Walk Among the Tombstones

A Walk Among the Tombstones written and directed by Scott Frank, starring Liam Neeson, Maurice Compte, Dan Stevens, and David Harbour.

Finally Liam Neeson has found a movie that doesn't try to retread his movie Taken.  Don't get me wrong though it still is Neeson kicking ass and taking a few names but it's done in a completely different way than Taken.  That's a good thing.

This is basically a cops and robbers type of story where Liam Neeson is trying to find a serial killer.  This movie doesn't break any new ground but it's told in a good manner as the story line lets Neeson's characters take forefront in the narrative as he guides the viewer through the twists and turns of the detective story.  It's told well enough, with enough character touches, and back story that I wouldn't mind another couple of movies with this character as long as Neeson is playing him.   

The Drop

The Drop directed by Michael R. Roskam, starring Tom Hardy, James Gandolfini, Noomi Rapace, John Ortiz, and Matthias Schoenaerts.

This is a little gem of a movie I stumbled upon with little information about it except the name Dennis Lehane.  I can tell you that alone makes this movie worth checking out.

I have come to an understanding over the years that if a movie is either written by Dennis Lehane or based on a book by him - I had better check out that movie.  It is bound to be good.  This movie has a double whammy of Lehane - it's based on a short story by him and adapted to screen by him.  It's 90 minutes of good story telling, great characters, very good direction, and some great acting by Tom Hardy.  This is an underrated movie not talked about by a lot people.  It doesn't try to reinvent the wheel but what it does best is just use simple storytelling to tell a simple story.  It's not hard to get caught up with the action and storytelling going on nor to get fully involved in the characters.

Lehane has become a master at the gritty, crime scene that slowly boils under a city.  He writes some really good characters and uses them as a guide through the underbelly.  This story is no different as Tom Hardy plays the main character masterfully and continues to add to his filmography of different roles played.  This characters is soft spoken and for the most part gentle.  There is nothing loud or abrasive about him but Hardy manages to fully bring him to life in quietness and subtle eye movements that speak volumes without saying a word.  Lehane is really good at bringing characters to life without using much dialogue but what dialogue there is has to be paid attention to because its not just there for the sake of being there.  There's a purpose to it and every scene in this small, tightly paced movie is necessary.  Every move of a character has purpose as it helps to explain them and flesh them out.