2016
My ratings here doesn't really affect where I place the movies on the list. You may see 8/10 movies being placed below 6/10 movies for example.
The ratings are objective.
The order of the list is subjective.
The ratings are objective.
The order of the list is subjective.
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- DirectorTom FordStarsAmy AdamsJake GyllenhaalMichael ShannonA wealthy art gallery owner is haunted by her ex-husband's novel, a violent thriller she interprets as a symbolic revenge tale.What a f'king ride! I'm writing this just as I've finished the film and I need to digest alot of it. What I can tell you is this. The acting is phenomenal on all parts. Not a single bad or just decent performance from Amy Adams to Karl Glusman. Arrival will probably get Amy her Oscar but I would not protest to her winning for this one. Jake Gyllenhaal deserves a nod as well but probably won't get one because it's the Oscars. Michael Shannon will get a nod and will probably win as well. Tom Fords directing is amazingly articulate. The way he sets up shots and the decision he makes of when to use stationary or handheld is completely flawless in this movie. The way the script is written so that you get completely immersed in the story's story is mind-blowing. And Tom Fords other professions definitely plays a pivotal part in this movie. I'm telling you, if this doesn't get an Oscar for best make-up I will be furious. Somehow they manage to do what has seemed to be impossible before: Somehow they made both Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal look like they're in their 20's. Nocturnal Animals will be written down in the history books for that aspect alone.
Ladies and gentlemen, we have our first 10/10 film of the year. - DirectorRichard LinklaterStarsBlake JennerTyler HoechlinRyan GuzmanIn 1980, a group of college baseball players navigate their way through the freedoms and responsibilities of unsupervised adulthood.I love movies like this. Movies that are just set in a small time period and then just walks us through the events taking place in that small time period. Movies with alot of characters, movies that doesn't focus on a specific plot, but heavy on dialogue. After witnessing how high I placed this film on my list I don't think it comes as a surprise when I say that Dazed and Confused is in my top 5 favourite movies of all time. This movie is very similar to that one which is another reason to why I loved it. All the characters aren't that likeable no, but the fact that they're all pretty much shown in that way makes me really appreciate it. The true a-holes in the film aren't exactly glorified. But the camaraderie of the characters makes me feel all warm inside. Also very glad that there wasn't any clichéd fight between two main characters for no reason that then gets resolved later. Objectively this may not be one of the greatest movies of all time. But for what it was I think it hit the nail on the head.
9/10 - DirectorBarry JenkinsStarsMahershala AliNaomie HarrisTrevante RhodesA young African-American man grapples with his identity and sexuality while experiencing the everyday struggles of childhood, adolescence, and burgeoning adulthood.This was a heavy movie. It was one of my most anticipated movies of the year and it really delivered. Despite the movie being so heavy it was possibly one of the easiest viewings in my life. I was not expecting it to end when it ended because I thought I'd only seen about an hour of it. If Barry Jenkins keeps this level of filmmaking up in the future he will be a superstar. The way he takes actors from f'king nowhere and directs them to help give amazing performances, the way he set up shots and works with his DoP, the way he tells a story through both his visuals and through his dialogue is so admirable. Even though I kinda knew tonally what kind of film I was getting into I did not expect for the movie to be what it was. I don't think this story has ever been told in this way. The score was also fantastic and it amplified the movie in a very profound way. If I were to bet money on who'll win best supporting actor at the oscars I would actually bet on Mahershala Ali. I want Michael Shannon to win but Ali has an absolute green light for me. Objectively this is, after my first watch, a flawless movie. It's only my third favourite now but I can see it rising after a couple more watches.
10/10 - DirectorDenis VilleneuveStarsAmy AdamsJeremy RennerForest WhitakerA linguist works with the military to communicate with alien lifeforms after twelve mysterious spacecraft appear around the world.I am so amazed that Denis Villeneuve can consistently pump out movies of this caliber every f'king year. This movie in particular was extremely suspenseful. Like Sicario we get to learn information the same way as our main character does and this is something I really like. In my opinion this way exposition through TV news reports doesn't feel as forced as it usually does. And in a situation like this who wouldn't be tuned in to the news 24/7? The fact that Louise doesn't just happen to turn on the TV every time the most significant things are being reported - but instead for example wakes up in the middle of the night with her TV on showing just some event connected to the entire situation also gives the film a more genuine feel to it.
And speaking of Louise Amy Adams did a great job portraying her character - as did everyone else, although no one else really got the opportunity to shine at any point.
The cinematography was great even though I would have liked to see Roger Deakins behind the camera. Still I can't complain.
But what really floored me about the movie was the soundtrack. The music playing when we first see the entire ship in frame really hit me deep inside my soul as I was watching. As did the music playing when they first made their way into the communications chamber.
As far as story goes this one was obviously very well formulated and thought out. To find any flaws or inconsistencies I would have to go through the movie again which is something I will have to do anyway but not for those reasons. After experiencing the ending I am confident that I will get more out of the movie on a second watch. It may also explain a weird part in the middle concerning some sudden narration and sort of a change of tone that disappeared again after a couple of minutes.
I'm not sure if this movie is better than Sicario or Prisoners but it's nevertheless a fantastic movie and one of the best of the year.
8/10 - DirectorPark Chan-wookStarsKim Min-heeHa Jung-wooCho Jin-woongA woman is hired as a handmaiden to a Japanese heiress, but secretly she is involved in a plot to defraud her.One of the most intriguing and engaging stories of the year. All of the performances were great and the directing was amazing. I really like Park Chan-Wook's style of directing, even though I haven't been the biggest fan of any of his other films. This one is definitely my favourite of his. And as a heterosexual man I must admit to enjoying certain scenes in this movie. It was very explicit so don't watch this with your parents or anything. But it wasn't just there for shock value or pretentiousness, it actually had purpose for its explicit content. And the acting in these scenes were more than amazing, I really bought the chemistry between the actors in those scenes. The story was also very unpredictable and it had the perfect amount of turns where it could very easily derail - I'm looking at you Wild Things. The movie also balanced it serious and mystical moments with witty humour, especially in the more gruesome scenes. It's sad that it wasn't picked as South Koreas entry for best foreign language film to the oscars. It's also sad that every country has to give only one entry. But if that wasn't the case then South Korea would possibly have three nominees right now. This is their best movie from their best year since 2003.
9/10 - DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsAndrew GarfieldAdam DriverLiam NeesonIn the 17th century, two Portuguese Jesuit priests travel to Japan in an attempt to locate their mentor, who is rumored to have committed apostasy, and to propagate Catholicism.I can't believe that this was directed by Martin Scorsese. It's so different from his other films. Proving that he is still a versatile master behind the camera. This was a passion project and it showed through every frame. Sure there were some continuity errors here and there but that was pretty much the only flaw I can think of.
During one gruesome scene my sound accidentally got cut off for some reason. After finishing the film I went back to watch that scene again and sure enough, there the sound was. However, being that the title is Silence and being that it's a reference to the silence of God, I actually would've preferred if the scene was completely lacking of audio. I found it to be much more effective and sensical. In case you want to try it yourself, it was a scene where Andrew Garfield witnesses a gruesome event from captivity - about 1 hour 40 minutes in. And speaking of Andrew Garfield his acting was amazing. Even better than in The Social Network. All of the actors were great in fact. I fear that this is a movie that will be ignored by the oscars though. This and Nocturnal Animals I think will be the unfortunate movies to fall into that category. Let's hope not.
9/10 - DirectorRobert EggersStarsAnya Taylor-JoyRalph InesonKate DickieA family in 1630s New England is torn apart by the forces of witchcraft, black magic and possession.A modern The Shining. Will get back to you with a more focused review after my second watch.
So far:
8/10 - DirectorJohn CarneyStarsFerdia Walsh-PeeloAidan GillenMaria Doyle KennedyA young lad notices a beautiful girl who begins to occupy his thoughts. While struggling with poverty, personal relationships and life's woes, he starts a band, hoping to catch her attention.Really warm and enjoyable movie. I think everyone with a creative and artistic mind should watch Sing Street. Most of the songs were good. I especially liked that one song they filmed playing in the living room. One of the songs will probably get oscar nominated. The story was pretty good, not flawless but good. I do have some issues with the story. It feels like the natural progression of the band would take far more than a year or less (the movie doesn't specify how much time passes). For Conor to not even knowing anything about music to writing songs left to right would realistically, and I don't think I'm exaggerating here, take up to about 5 years. The story also planted these seeds in the beginning and middle of the film that never really got a climax. One of them was altered and very quickly resolved. The other one was just sort of dropped at the end. I think those aspects could be dealt with slightly better.
But other than that I really liked the film. And since I'm quite fond of 80's music I really loved the soundtrack. As an aspiring screenwriter, frantic film nerd and music listener this movie really inspired me to do all those things.
7/10 - DirectorByron HowardRich MooreJared BushStarsGinnifer GoodwinJason BatemanIdris ElbaIn a city of anthropomorphic animals, a rookie bunny cop and a cynical con artist fox must work together to uncover a conspiracy.Fun movie. Not the greatest movie of all time and it did follow the standard animated Hollywood formula. But I mean what can you expect from a movie like this? It was still pretty funny and unpredictable at parts. Idris Elba and JK Simmons stole every scene they were in, of course. And the main characters were likeable.
7/10 - DirectorNa Hong-jinStarsJun KunimuraHwang Jung-minKwak Do-wonSoon after a stranger arrives in a little village, a mysterious sickness starts spreading. A policeman, drawn into the incident, is forced to solve the mystery in order to save his daughter.There was alot of dicking around in the first act. Like characters being stupid and useless, especially our main one. There were some unnecessary flashbacks. And the acting wasn't all that great. The acting did get better as the movie went on. But I think that the lead role should've been played by Song Kang-Ho instead. The acting wasn't all that got better though. The whole movie in general got better the more it went on. Yes the first act did have some great moments. But it was the third act that really made the movie shine. It was as if the director made the movie just for the third act. Sure he had some good ideas for scenes along the way. But as a man who writes his own scripts I suspect that alot of scenes were just written with the flow as he was getting towards the scenes he had in mind in the first place. So it didn't shock me when I saw that the screenwriter is also the director. The cinematography was pretty f'king awesome as well. Beautiful nature photography going on in this movie. They're in the woods quite a bit and I can only be grateful for that.
The movie could use some improvements, especially in the first act when it looked as if the director was a bit too inspired by Memories of Murder. The voodoo scenes were also a bit annoying and repetitive. And the ending got kind of confusing. But other than that this was a great movie.
7/10 - DirectorClint EastwoodStarsTom HanksAaron EckhartLaura LinneyWhen pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger lands his damaged plane on the Hudson River in order to save the flight's passengers and crew, some consider him a hero while others think he was reckless.Sully was probably Clint Eastwoods best movie since Gran Torino. Sure it was a little bit Oscar baity, but there was enough competence and professionalism to cancel that general feel out. The middle segment where you got to see the whole landing and direct aftermath through several perspectives had a genuineness and realism to it - very much like Steven Soderbergh's Contagion. It got me invested in the story and had my eyes glued to the screen without giving me the need of checking the time. But for the love of god, why did you give so little screen time for Holt McCallany?? I wanted to see him throughout the entire film but he only appeared briefly in the first act, so disappointing.
Anyway, this was so far the most pleasant surprise of the year considering Clint's latest filmography.
7/10 - DirectorTaika WaititiStarsSam NeillJulian DennisonRima Te WiataA national manhunt is ordered for a rebellious kid and his foster uncle who go missing in the wild New Zealand bush.Fun movie. It's always nice to see that this plot can still have freshness to it. Was never bored or rolling my eyes because of stupid clichés - maybe slightly with the weird trailer dude. The movie was pretty well directed, written and shot. Cool visual style and funny visual jokes that had me thinking Wes Anderson was a major influence on the film. It had some cool montages, maybe one too many, but a very nice one accompanied by music from Leonard Cohen. The kid did pretty good when it comes to his acting. He's no Millie Bobby Brown but he holds up. I can't wait to see where Waititi goes from here - after Thor: Ragnarök.
7/10 - DirectorWhit StillmanStarsKate BeckinsaleChloë SevignyXavier SamuelLady Susan Vernon takes up temporary residence at her in-laws' estate and, while there, is determined to be a matchmaker for her daughter Frederica--and herself too, naturally.Love & Friendship was an odd experience for me. I think it looks and feels like a student film with a very high budget. In one scene I'm pretty sure I saw asphalt in the background. It looked so much different than any other period pieces like this I've seen. Which wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing, but this had a true sense of amateurism to its look - even though it still looked pretty good aesthetically. The story in the first half of the movie was very confusing and hard to follow due to the dialogue and its delivery. Like alot of lines would leave my brain the minute they were finished. And that is after I've watched the movie twice.
Yes, despite having all these issues with the film I have seen it twice in the course of about a month. I can see that the movie has flaws but I have in fact become a Whit Stillman fanboy. So no matter the material I'm given I'll most likely enjoy it anyway. And I can see myself watching this movie again in the future. I don't think this was a better movie than The Accountant but I did enjoy it more.
6/10 - DirectorJim JarmuschStarsAdam DriverGolshifteh FarahaniNellieA quiet observation of the triumphs and defeats of daily life, along with the poetry evident in its smallest details.This is a Jim Jarmusch movie. If you haven't seen any of his films, what that means is that it's quirky, weird and somewhat poetic. This one more of the latter obviously since it's about a bus driving poet. I found the movie to be very amusing and funny. Not that much happens but I wasn't expecting that much to happen. My favourite Jarmusch movie is Night on Earth and not much really happens in that movie either. All actors did really well although there aren't any scenes where they have to do heavy lifting. If I were to do a comparison of the subject matter there's another movie that also deals with the banalities of your everyday life called Somewhere, directed by Sofia Coppola. Both similar ideas but executed quite the opposite from each other. While Somewhere emphasises the tediousness of those moments in life, Paterson instead focuses on the beauty of these moments. And throwing in the Jim Jarmusch style of comedy in the mix the movie, unlike Somewhere, ceases to become a boring film. We'll see how much of a rewatchability it has though. I would recommend this film to people without a short attention span and that can appreciate quiet and quirky movies.
7/10 - DirectorTodd SolondzStarsGreta GerwigKeaton Nigel CookeTracy LettsA dachshund passes from oddball owner to oddball owner, whose radically dysfunctional lives are all impacted by the pooch.Funny movie. I liked it. The first part was my least favorite. The last part was probably my favorite. And the Greta Gerwig part was also pretty great.
- DirectorKim Jee-woonStarsLee Byung-hunSong Kang-hoGong YooKorean resistance fighters smuggle explosives to destroy facilities controlled by Japanese forces in this period action thriller.I watched this movie with the worst subtitles in the history of subtitles so it was extremely difficult to follow the plot. Half of the time I didn't know what was happening, who was who, why that person did that etc. A second viewing is necessary. I managed to understand the rough plot so I can still give a half-decent review. The parts I did understand were all very engaging. The script seemed to be pretty tight and the directing was pretty great. Kim Jee-Woon is indeed talented at what he does. The acting was also great, Song Kang-Ho in particular is a master at what he does, I always enjoy watching him in action. The movie also had a really intriguing score that amplified the tension of certain scenes incredibly well. Not sure if the movie was better than The Wailing or not, that'll have to be decided on my second watch. So far:
7/10 - DirectorDenzel WashingtonStarsDenzel WashingtonViola DavisStephen McKinley HendersonA working-class African-American father tries to raise his family in the 1950s, while coming to terms with the events of his life.Passion project, no doubt. Really heavy on great dialogue, layered depth and backstory. Great acting on all parts. I hope this is the return of Mykelti Williamson because he was fantastic. I thought Jovan Adepo did a very good job as well and I hope that he'll choose the right projects in the future. I absolutely loathed Denzel's character though. The movie kept trying to portray him as a good man - especially in the end. They reaaally tried to glorify him at the end which I hated. Nothing to me could excuse what a racist, bigot, a**hole he was. This was a good movie but I'll probably never watch it again.
7/10 - DirectorNicolas Winding RefnStarsElle FanningChristina HendricksKeanu ReevesAn aspiring model, Jesse, is new to Los Angeles. However, her beauty and youth, which generate intense fascination and jealousy within the fashion industry, may prove themselves sinister.Masterfully shot and directed. It looked beautiful. The acting was great and it had alot of great scenes. I kinda wish we saw more from Karl Glusman though. And I didn't particularly care for Elle Fanning to be honest. I honestly liked Jena Malone and Abby Lee more - I mean at least they had character. Elle Fanning was pretty much a blank slate in my opinion. And Karl Glusman of course was my favourite in the film.
Also, the ending left me a bit empty. I understand what it was going for, completely, but I didn't really get any closure from it.
7/10 - DirectorKen LoachStarsDave JohnsHayley SquiresSharon PercyAfter surviving a heart-attack, a 59-year-old carpenter must fight bureaucratic forces to receive Employment and Support Allowance.I, Emil, found this movie to be a perfect example of kitchen sink realism. This was a movie that really made me think how lucky I am that I was brought up in middle class society Sweden and that I have a steady job. And wow Britains system for job appliance seems kind of f'ked up if all of this is accurate - which I would assume since it's a Ken Loach film. This was the second film of his that I've seen, first one being Looking for Eric. This was very similar to that movie but also very different. I think I like Looking for Eric a bit more but that's only because I tend to like uplifting movies a bit more than melancholic movies where the characters are doomed from the very start. I think this is a better movie objectively though. The acting was great and the characters were really sympathetic. Even though I work in "item switch?", "product switch?", "goods return?", I don't know the english translation - where you return sh*t you've bought, at a giant store where I usually hate the people who get aggressive when they don't get what they want. But I could fully sympathise with them here and I could tell you that the clerks did not act as how you should in that kind of situation.
This was the first movie nominated for the Palme d'or this year that I've seen so I'll have to wait and see if it deserved it or not.
8/10 - DirectorDamien ChazelleStarsRyan GoslingEmma StoneRosemarie DeWittWhile navigating their careers in Los Angeles, a pianist and an actress fall in love while attempting to reconcile their aspirations for the future.Opening scene: exceptional. The fact that it not only consisted of so many people on a very limited space, but that it also was made in one single shot was so impressing. Setting the bar high indeed. How did it follow up?
Unfortunately I don't think it rised to that level ever again. I mean it was still really good. The fact that my disinterest for musicals in general wasn't an obstacle at all I think is a good sign. The movie had me for the first and second act - and for most of the third act. But the ending dun goofed. There was a passage of time that occurred that ultimately left things unanswered for us. And I'm all for movies leaving an ending up for interpretation. But this particular one was handled rather questionably. So the events leading up to that time passage all made sense and were handled really well. But the way they set up that final climactic musical number didn't resonate with me at all. I didn't get an emotional connection with it because the explanation the movie gave me felt illegitimate. Yes it's been a long time so anything could've happened. However I think that's something that should be mentioned in the script in this case. I think the sequence still holds weight in that it capsulated the entire genre of movies and gave it sort of a twist. But the human part to it got lost completely because I didn't exactly believe what I saw literally. And if this was in any other place in the movie I wouldn't make such a big deal about it, but because it was The climax I have to call the movie out on it.
Anyway. The dancing, music and directing/coordination behind it were great. The acting was great and the movie looked awesome. If the movie wins oscars for production design, cinematography and editing I wouldn't be upset. It definitely will win best picture, probably best director and best score which I don't think it should. This was a very fine movie and one of the better ones of the year.
7 or possibly 8/10 - DirectorChris RenaudStarsLouis C.K.Eric StonestreetKevin HartThe quiet life of a terrier named Max is upended when his owner takes in Duke, a stray whom Max instantly dislikes.Rather forgettable, but a pleasant watch. I would probably not mind watching it again.
- DirectorTim MillerStarsRyan ReynoldsMorena BaccarinT.J. MillerA wisecracking mercenary gets experimented on and becomes immortal yet hideously scarred, and sets out to track down the man who ruined his looks.Deadpool was an enjoyable movie, easy to get through. I enjoyed the story, the characters and the fight scenes. It got a few laughs out of me, most of them came from the movies visual jokes. However I could very well do without the slapstick punchlines that appeared every 10 f'king seconds! A few of them were funny - most of them were not. And the profanity.......
Look I'm all for comic book movies being rated R, but this movie REHEHEHEHEALLY wanted us to know that it was rated R. It's like they got permission for it and just couldn't control themselves. "Sh*t this, f'k that, a*ss over here, b*lls over there". Virtually every time someone cursed it felt like it was just there because the movie was rated R. And can you please answer me why you felt the need to spoil 127 Hours, a movie that is much better than yours? It's like in Trainwreck when Amy Schumer felt the need to spoil The Usual Suspects for the sake of pointless "comedy". Here it wasn't as random but I just don't understand the purpose of doing it. People who haven't seen 127 Hours and want to will now know how things will play out and their viewing experience will not be as mesmerising. Just because it was mentioned in one of your 100000000000 one-liners.
The movie was still as said enjoyable, the villain wasn't a very powerful dude with no character who wanted to rule the world which was a big positive. The movie was toned down in scope. But if you want to make more rated R comic book movies in the future then you seriously need to show some restraint.
6/10 - DirectorGavin O'ConnorStarsBen AffleckAnna KendrickJ.K. SimmonsAs a math savant uncooks the books for a new client, the Treasury Department closes in on his activities, and the body count starts to rise.Let's see.
The score sounded way too much like Prisoners at times - bordering on plagiarism. The sort of twist towards the end was pretty predictable. Some of the characters motivation for doing certain things is beyond me. The narrative was pretty confusing at times. The presence of Jackson Pollock really made no sense. And given the fact that he was also a presence in Ex Machina last year I can only assume that was the only reason they did it. But in Ex Machina he had a purpose for being mentioned. Here he was just mentioned. The editing in some action sequences were also a bit confusing at times. Like the way they were directed and edited made me confused as to who was who.
But besides all of this I still think the movie deserves a positive rating because it did quite a few things right. And being that I just saw Rogue One it was refreshing to see an action movie without all of the standard clichés.
7/10 - DirectorDavid MackenzieStarsChris PineBen FosterJeff BridgesToby is a divorced father who's trying to make a better life. His brother is an ex-con with a short temper and a loose trigger finger. Together, they plan a series of heists against the bank that's about to foreclose on their family ranch.First half:
The opening scene was pretty good. After that it was repetitive, generally uninteresting, stupid at times and very slow.
Second half:
Much more unpredictable and subtle. I think the turning point was when they hit the last bank. The actions suddenly mattered and the characters were suddenly more vulnerable - hence more likeable. I did not care for the characters that much in the first half of the movie. Ben Foster was a stereotypical rude and violent hillbilly. Chris Pine was the stereotypical calmer partner with more dignity and honor. Jeff Bridges was the stereotypical old southern cop reaching his retirement. And for the love of god, do not nominate Jeff Bridges for an Oscar for playing basically the same role he did in True Grit. If he gets a nod over Michael Shannon I will be furious. The reason I think it's possible is because they played very similar characters and it's either gonna be one or the other. Michael Shannon was so much better in his role, I think mainly because he was a more well written character.
And speaking of which, if you're confused about my criticism on stereotypes because I gave Nocturnal Animals a 10/10, allow me to explain: In the wrong hands those characters could've been just average stereotypes but they were put in the right hands and were given much more depth, background and moments to shine. Not to mention that their story was a fictional story within the movie.
These hands were not as good. Even though the script was written by the writer of the best movie of 2015. The direction also had amateur mistakes like they would take out a whole bunch of loose cash from their shirt inside a moving vehicle with the windows rolled down - which was not acknowledged by anyone. Also I picked up on some continuity errors. Characters worrying about things they shouldn't really be worrying about. Characters not being concerned over things that they should realistically be very concerned over. The movie was okay but not worth the buzz and praise it currently has.
6/10 - DirectorJeff NicholsStarsRuth NeggaJoel EdgertonWill DaltonThe story of Richard and Mildred Loving, a couple whose arrest for interracial marriage in 1960s Virginia began a legal battle that would end with the Supreme Court's historic 1967 decision.A movie that was much more tame than what I'd expected. It had some good moments but overall it was the definition of average. I also didn't like the comic relief lawyers, they didn't add anything to the story at all. My favourite part was when Michael Shannon showed up and he only showed up for like 2 minutes. And talk about a underwhelming Oscar nomination for Ruth Negga. Please tell me, at what point in the film did her acting deserve a nod more than Amy Adams? I can only assume that she was nominated because "Oscars so white" - f'king cry-babies. Sh*t happens! Listen to what Ice Cube has to say about it.
Going in to this film I was expecting a raw, brutal and heart-wrenching depiction of the American south in the fifties. Instead I got an Oscar bait filled to the brim with mediocracy.
6/10 - DirectorOliver StoneStarsJoseph Gordon-LevittShailene WoodleyMelissa LeoThe NSA's illegal surveillance techniques are leaked to the public by one of the agency's employees, Edward Snowden, in the form of thousands of classified documents distributed to the press.This was one of my most anticipated movies of the year. So naturally I was a bit underwhelmed by it. A lot of amateur mistakes in the films technical aspects such as normal conversations in a loud environment, continuity errors etc. During a very crucial part of the story the choice of music was completely outrageous. They played a inspirational piece where all I could think was: This part of the movie should be nerve-wracking, not relieving.
I didn't get the feeling that I'm watching an Oliver Stone film for the most of it. I did get that feeling during some of the interviewing parts and the "montages" really had that JFK feel to them - something that is more than okay for me. But the rest of the film had a lack of professionalism and artistic merit.
I think the movie would've been better if it was set entirely in the hotel room and if they had skipped the romance part of the story. I mean I have no complaints with Shailene Woodley but for the sake of the story I would've wanted less of his personal life and more of his professional life and his paranoia.
All of the acting was fine, especially from JoGoLe. And I really liked the touch of having Edward Snowden actually appear in the film.
I wouldn't call the movie bad but it could most definitely use some improvements.
6/10 - DirectorJames WanStarsVera FarmigaPatrick WilsonMadison WolfeEd and Lorraine Warren travel to North London to help a single mother raising four children alone in a house plagued by a supernatural spirit.Has the same problems as the first one. "Based on actual events". It gets way too much over the top towards the end. I told my friend by the end of the film that I'd probably only remember one scene. Here we are about a week later and I only really remember one scene. James Wan can do so much better than this.
5/10 - DirectorNate ParkerStarsNate ParkerArmie HammerPenelope Ann MillerNat Turner, a literate slave and preacher in the antebellum South, orchestrates an uprising.The Birth of a Nation by Nate Parker was a pandering, race-bating and boring version of 12 Years a Slave. It was a movie that was trying to be 12 Years a Slave - without Nate Parker knowing what actually made 12 Years a Slave a great movie. I mean I did feel a sense of direction, he obviously has his own visual style for which I appreciate. But the story movie so incredibly slowly and really didn't hit any beats that I wasn't already expecting it to. It took about 1,5 hours for the movie I wanted to see to start. 45 minutes could've been removed from the film, 45 minutes should've been removed from the film. And the good part only went on for about 15 minutes until it got unrealistic and cheesy.
The acting was fine on most fronts, I mean young Nat was atrocious and his father wasn't the best either. But the rest managed to give decent performances.
The problem was the script and a big one it was. I'd like to see Nate Parker take on someone else's script and see him expanding his range as a director because there's obviously some potential there.
5/10 - DirectorDuncan JonesStarsTravis FimmelPaula PattonBen FosterAs an Orc horde invades the planet Azeroth using a magic portal, a few human heroes and dissenting Orcs must attempt to stop the true evil behind this war.It was as if the Lord of the Rings Trilogy was pushed together into one 2 hour film. Don't know if I've seen a movie this rushed in my entire life. Characters were introduced and later died in a way that supposed to be really dramatic. But all I could think was "I barely know who this is, how am I supposed to be emotionally involved with his/her death?". Also I found the movie to mimic the Game of Thrones formula. The "killing off all the famous actors to prove that our franchise can stand on its own legs" formula. But they didn't pull it off the way that Game of Thrones did. The only thing going for the film was its great visual effects. There was one nice shot in the beginning where someone was narrating on top of two guys preparing to battle each other. But I most likely won't pay the ticket price to see the sequels in the theatre.
5/10 - DirectorGarth DavisStarsDev PatelNicole KidmanRooney MaraA five-year-old Indian boy is adopted by an Australian couple after getting lost hundreds of kilometers from home. 25 years later, he sets out to find his lost family.Key words to describe this movie: Forced, repetitive, cheesy and boring. God damn I'm not sue if I've ever seen a plot stretched this f'king thin. Okay so quick plot synopsis: Boy gets separated from his family when a train takes him from his home village to Calcutta, boy is taken to authorities and is adopted by Australians, boy grows up and wants to go back and find his family, boy finds his family, the end. I mean did you really expect anything different than that from reading the description here on imdb?
The first part when he's a boy is probably the best, far from perfect however. It felt as if it was trying really hard to be like Slumdog Millionaire. Not a good idea though since alot of the stuff shown in that part could be left out of the movie without affecting it. And either the people of India are the most rude and indifferent people in the world or the script is full of plot conveniences. Seriously, if you see a dirty child sleeping on a cardboard cutout on a bridge wouldn't you take notice? Also the driver of the train probably didn't give a sh*t about his job because somehow the kid got onto the train while it was stationary - so it probably wasn't locked. So the driver didn't check if the train was filled with homeless people before leaving. So if the doors were unlocked the how come the boy couldn't escape? And if the doors were locked then how come the boy could get onto the train in the first place? Let's not forget that the whole ordeal could've been avoided if the brother didn't leave his 5 year-old brother alone on a f'king platform in the middle of the night.
And then the Australia part was so f'king forced and repetitive. Like wtf was the point of the ridiculously forced relationship with Rooney Mara? What purpose did that romance serve the story? And talk about actors without any chemistry. Both her and Dev Patel are fine actors but I didn't buy a single scene with them. And since the plot is so stretched out it got so insanely repetitive and boring. The story kept reminding us that he miss his family at least every 5 minutes. Eventually it just got annoying. And the way they decided how he found his hometown is in my opinion entirely implausible. Like India is a huge country and his search radius was pretty f'king big. I can't believe that he just scrolled one way and coincidentally found it after recognising a dark square on Google Earth. And then when he finally got there the sequence was like 5 minutes long. And I actually heard several people around me crying. People were actually eating this garbage up.
The movie is now nominated for several oscars, idiots. It doesn't deserve any of its nominations. The score was good but not better than Arrival. Dev Patel was good but he shouldn't be considered as a supporting actor. Nicole Kidman was alright but A: Her plastic surgery was really distracting. And B: She wasn't better than Rachel Weisz.
5/10 - DirectorGareth EdwardsStarsFelicity JonesDiego LunaAlan TudykIn a time of conflict, a group of unlikely heroes band together on a mission to steal the plans to the Death Star, the Empire's ultimate weapon of destruction.Where do I f’king start?
OH MY GOD! I can now relate to how fans of the original trilogy felt like when they saw The Phantom Menace. This movie was a complete piece of sh*t In terms of story then the only reason this movie exists is so that they can give us a reason to why the Death Star was so easy to blow up. You can break down this movie into two pieces: Half of the movie is like ”HEY REMEMBER STAR WARS? STAR WARS WAS A FUN MOVIE RIGHT? HEY DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN THIS HAPPENED IN STAR WARS?” and the other half is every single goddamned piece of sh*t Hollywood blockbuster made in the last 20 years. But I’ll get more into the story in just a minute.
Let’s talk about the characters or lack there of. Felicity Jones was Oscar nominated a couple of years ago and I guess she’s just going to coast on that now and not even try to give a decent performance in the the future? Or she is completely reliant on the director and doesn’t really have any of her own guidelines as how to act at all. Either way it makes sense after watching this movie because she was f’king terrible! Her character was the most boring one in the entire movie, how riveting that she also happened to be the main character which we are supposed to relate to and feel for. But how the f’k am I supposed to do that when you write the movie like this, direct the movie like this and give this terrible performance?? All of the other ones were blank slates as well with two exceptions: Riz Ahmed who did the best job he could with the material that he was given. And Forest Whitaker who was just atrocious.
Now back to the story. Being that this was a direct prequel to A New Hope it already starts developing problems. Problems that should’ve cause the filmmakers to ask themselves. "How do we make the story exciting and unpredictable when everyone basically knows how the film is going to end?” Well apparently they thought that it wouldn’t be a good a idea to do that but to instead make the movie in the same cookie cutter way that every f’king Hollywood blockbuster have in the past 20 years!! Of course there has to be a comic relief character and being that it’s a Star Wars movie it has to be a robot, there is no other way! Of course our two main characters will get in an argument with each other for no f’king reason in the end of the second act and then make amends in the beginning of the third act - deeming the whole argument pointless to the entire story, there is no other way! Of course a main character will take a hit and fall a substantial amount and seemingly die only to come back and save the day and be totally fine, there is no other way! Of course our main characters will develop sort of a love interest between each other throughout the movie, there is no other way! Seriously just because you don’t show them kissing doesn’t excuse how f’king overdone and frustrating that cliché is. I know that I’m kind of spoiling some of the plot points but really does it matter? If you watch this movie you’ll know exactly where it’s going at every single point. Really I’m not spoiling this movie but rather state plot points of every other sh*tty Hollywood blockbusters.
There were several problems in the story that were ridiculously easy to fix. Breaking out of a prison cell for example took one stab at a little terminal conveniently placed just by the bars. And apparently they didn’t frisk the prisoners either because he took out a knife from somewhere on his body inside the cell. Gin or whatever the f’k she was called is up at the dish platform, I’m not sure what I should call it, to send out the plans but oh oh… the antenna has to be rotated the right way. This would seem to be a huge problem for their plan. But no she just goes to another device and press a button and everything is fine.
And speaking of their plan here’s another retarded decision. So everything appeared to be going smoothly when they stealthed their way into the imperial base. They even got through sh*t with Jyn & Tonic pulling her visor up on her helmet for no goddamn reason, you know, just in case you didn’t get that it was her in that trooper gear. So why the f’k did they start blowing sh*t up? Why couldn’t they try to stealth their way through the entire operation and just use the soldiers as a last resort? It was the commotion that alerted the empire and essentially caused the entire final battle. Realistically that would be the one and only plan that these WAR GENERALS would come up with. But if they would write that into the script then there wouldn’t be a final battle and the has to be a final battle because THERE IS NO OTHER F’KING WAY!
They started the movie with Mads Mikkelsen calling Vodka Tonic Stardust and immediately I think ”Okay, so how will this get reincorporated later?”. And later she gets called that again and I keep wondering this. And sure enough, the code word for the entire operation they’re looking for is Stardust. Because I guess the writers had no idea how else the characters would’ve been able to find the file that they were looking for. How convenient that it was the op-runners daughter who just happened to be the one looking for the file by reading their code names. Because if it had been anyone else or if she were killed on her way there then they would’ve been absolutely f’ked! All of this convenience just to make the movie more emotional - unaware that it only became incredibly cheesy.
I have more to say about the movie but I should wait for the Blu-Ray release to say them so I don’t slip up. I will also have to rewatch A New Hope or possibly the whole original trilogy.
This movie was gun shot to the head.
4/10 - DirectorDavid AyerStarsWill SmithJared LetoMargot RobbieA secret government agency recruits some of the most dangerous incarcerated super-villains to form a defensive task force. Their first mission: save the world from the apocalypse.Wasn't funny, wasn't intense, wasn't sad, wasn't cool, wasn't anything the filmmakers wanted it to be.
You only have like one guy with super powers and then just a bunch of unnecessary foot soldiers. Sure Will Smith never misses any targets but all the targets he got in the movie were coming right at him while he was aiming at them. And speaking of Will Smith, can someone please tell me what he did differently with this roll compared to every other role he's played in his career that made people praise his performance?
Anyway, Harley Quinn is useless and is only there to be "funny" and "cool" and to get people excited for a solo movie of her. Captain Boomerang had a boomerang that he threw twice and that was it for his character.
I didn't like that they promoted Slipknot as one of the squad members and then killed him off 5 minutes after he was introduced to the story.
I didn't like the clichéd way to make us care for Deadshot as a character. Instead of creative writing they just had a short scene in the beginning where we see his daughter and we see him caring about his daughter. And then throughout the movie we get constantly reminded that he has a daughter and the he cares about his daughter.
The Joker was a f'king embarrassing try-hard attempt to be as cool as Heath Ledgers joker.
I was really disappointed that Adewale Akinnuoaye-Agbaje was hiding behind CGI for his character. What a waste. The movie would've been so much better if he got to act for real. Side note: The only funny part in the movie was when he was watching a hip-hop music video.
The whole plot to send in these people was so incredibly stupid. I mean why didn't they just send in a SWAT-team to blow up Cara Delevignes spell or whatever? Because they just blew it up with dynamite anyway. Or you know they could've sent in someone with trained skills in combat and easily accessible firepower, armour and gadgets. Someone who can just barge in with his vehicle and blow the thing up. If only there was such a guy in Gotham........
There was too much music in the film. Which to me just felt like another attempt at making the movie cool.
This should've been called "Try-Hard the Movie"
3/10