Okay, since the OP hasn't been active since last year, I decided to take over this iconic thread, give it a new look and (hopefully) revive it. I want to start watching more movies, and I hope this can serve as some sort of motivation.
Batman v Superman: Ultimate Cut - 7/10
I watched this one a couple of days ago for the first time, as I didn't get the chance to catch it in theaters. I decided to go with the director's cut (which is 3 hours long!!!). It's too dense, overstuffed, too gloomy, but I appreciated some of the themes they wanted to tackle and there are some great visuals there. It has issues, but it never bored me, so that's at least decent in my book.
This is the definition of a perfect summer movie. The story, the characters, all top-notch. I was smiling throughout, very few movies nowadays are able to engage the audience with such charm and give you just good, old fun. I feel like this is one of those flicks you can re-watch the hell out of it and never get bored.
Continuing the Spielberg week, yesterday I decided to go with E.T., as it's been YEARS since the last time I watched it and only really remembered that iconic scene. And because I didn't grow up watching this one, I couldn't appreciate it the way many do. Still, a very decent movie with a great message of friendship.
Okay let me post some little mini reviews for the first time in quite a while Just watched 3 movies today so I have plenty to talk about.
Months ago: Central Intelligence [C]
I'm always down for a good action-comedy mix, and I'd say that Central Intelligence fits the bill... in terms of being good, but not great or amazing. The dialogue is full of overly silly, "awkward" branded comedy which is usually hit-or-miss, and it showed quite a bit (especially with The Rock's character, as he was basically a teenager in a grown man's body.) While the writing could've been improved, Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart are a tight duo, and I'd say they're the main reasons why this movie really worked. There were not enough thrills to keep you fully invested, and there wasn't enough solid jokes to keep you constantly laughing, but if you come into this with your mind completely turned off, this should be a fine watch.
The Boss [F-]
When I saw the trailers for this, I was super pumped for another Melissa McCarthy comedy. It was actually among my top 3 most anticipated releases for the whole year. Then the reviews came out, but I just brushed them off because I know plenty of hilarious movies critics have bashed... and then I watched it (thankfully online, so I didn't pay money for this.) It takes absolutely no time to get completely unfunny and even give you some secondhand embarrassment, as McCarthy "raps" on stage just a few minutes in. Then after that it's just a boring, cringy mess and when you think it's going to get better, it just simply doesn't. Now this belongs in the collection of other "films" I had to stop watching before they ended, how unfortunate.
September: Now You See Me 2 [C+]
While this is a sequel that nobody really asked for, I think it's a pretty decent continuation from the first, though this definitely has more flaws. The beginning and ending are significantly choppy, it somehow managed to be more confusing, there were a few too many things going on in the plot, and the use of unrealistic effects is bigger than ever before. Meanwhile, the addition of Lizzy Caplan (aka Janice from Mean Girls) really spiced things up for me, the Four Horsemen were still fun to watch, and there were some truly badass moments sprinkled around. If you liked Now You See Me, this should turn out the same way for you.
Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates [A-]
The story and setting in this aren't necessarily original, but there's still plenty of positives that make this a great movie. The cast/characters are generally likeable, the comedy is on point, and the gags are pretty much non-stop all throughout. It was also very entertaining to see all sides of the crazy wedding situation between the two brothers, the girl friends, as well as the bride and groom. So far it's the first rated R comedy (not counting Deadpool) that I've fully enjoyed in 2016.
Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising [B+]
The original film in this series was a great comedy, and luckily this follows right in its footsteps, though with slightly less funny results. I liked how they handled this sequel with the sorority replacing the fraternity and how everything was all #GirlPower, but it was a little more clear this time around that there was some potential missing (in terms of the new characters, joke opportunities, etc.) Overall, it still provided plenty of laughs and will easily keep you amused.
How to Be Single [B+]
This movie is super super suuuper cute, which is certainly an important feeling to get from a rom-com. How to Be Single definitely focuses more on the romance side of the genre, but there's nothing to really hate about any of it. The characters are enjoyable, the couples formed are usually ones you want to root for, and I just got this really fuzzy feeling during certain parts, especially the ending. The only two little negatives that come to mind are that the pacing was a little slow at times, and there was a pretty overwhelming amount of break-ups and make-ups in this.
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Best of 2016 SO FAR:
1. Deadpool [A]
2. Captain America: Civil War [A]
3. Zootopia [A]
4. Finding Dory [A-]
5. Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates [A-]
6. How to Be Single [B+]
7. Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising [B+]
8. Now You See Me 2 [C+]
9. Central Intelligence [C]
10. The Boss [F-]
Haven't watched any 2016 movies since September, now I'm just starting to catch up as I watched 2 tonight
Sausage Party [A]
If you've seen the trailers, then you know what you're getting into with this one (in a good way.) There's tons of laugh-worthy lines, outrageous scenes and everything in between, while also being paired with some cleverly insane writing. The voice cast was also very good and the plot is actually deeper than you might expect. Plus,
the massive orgy scene
at the end is hilariously epic + likely one of my favorite movie moments of the year thus far.
The Secret Life of Pets [B+]
A really cute, inoffensive, fast-paced and fun family film with a very solid set of voice actors and main characters. So far it's my least favorite of the 4 animated movies I've seen this year, but I was pretty entertained and still left with that usual warm, fuzzy feeling when it ended.
2 weeks ago~ Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping [C]
I mainly watched this because of the fantastic reviews as i'm not a huge fan of The Lonely Island, and I've also never seen a mockumentary before. The first 30 minutes or so were really solid. There were tons of funny moments, clever topics were parodied, and I even laughed out loud several times (which is relatively rare.) It was pretty much a perfect balance of dumb and hilarious. Then after that half hour, the movie started going downhill as that balance started tipping, and even got somewhat boring. Things recovered a bit later on, but the middle portion still greatly affected how entertained I was.
Yesterday~ Bad Moms [A-]
This movie is basically just like 2015's Sisters with Amy Poehler and Tina Fey: Has an amazing female cast, had a bad trailer, got pretty solid reviews (which interested me again), and then exceeded all my expectations in the end. Bad Moms may have a major focus on motherhood, but even as a 21-year-old male I was fully invested while watching. Nearly every scene has a laugh-worthy line or moment in it, most of the lead characters are likeable, and everything is just so incredibly FUN to watch.
Nerve [A-]
I had high expectations for Nerve ever since the trailer came out, and luckily it did not disappoint. The biggest thing that reeled me in was the concept, and I loved seeing how it was executed throughout. Watching the two leads go around the city doing all these challenges was very entertaining, and even quite intense as they got riskier as time went on. Speaking of time, I really enjoyed how everything took place in the span of 24 hours because it made things fast-paced and free of boring moments. My only slight complaint is that the ending was kinda iffy. Things were noticeably rushed, the message started leaning towards the preachy side, and it was left on a lowkey awkward note - though luckily it didn't really ruin my experience.
Watched this on HBO while feeling pretty bored this weekend. I thought I'd enjoy a mindless action flick with some romance thrown into the mix. I was wrong. This movie was absolute and utter trash. From the poor casting choices (Viola Davis must've owed someone a big favor--this was a ridiculous waste of her talent), the unbelievable hacker hero (yeah, someone who looks like Thor is the first person that comes to mind when you think coding wizard), the terrible acting from the two leads (Hemsworth is terrible in everything, and the young woman who was so awesome in Lust, Caution leave a lot to be desired), to the pseudo-intellectual plot line, this movie was disappointing and required the viewer to leave any sense of logic behind. The storyline is full of cliches, one-dimensional villains, and very convenient solutions to complex problems. The final showdown scene is pathetic: the locals keep marching like hypnotized zombies even though there's a madman waving a gun and shooting, and the bullets fly left and right but the casualties don't matter as long as our hero is safe. Two hours of ******** is what this was.
The Accountant [B+]:
This one is the opposite of Black Hat. It doesn't pretend to be smart and it knows well that there are some silly moments sprinkled here and there. And while there are many plot holes and scenes where you must suspend all disbelief, the script, the performances, the plot twists, and the movie as a whole actually work pretty well. Affleck, Kendrick (who gets to deliver some funny lines throughout the film), and the supporting cast make it very enjoyable. The fact that the movie actually makes you root for both anti-heroes is a testament to its success.
Just watched 3 movies today so I have plenty to talk about.
