I have always heard about this movie, even played the video game a few years back, but never got around to seeing it until now. I loved it. Such a great film to close out the end of the 1970’s. And I had no idea Walter Hill directed this. Hill is one of those underrated directors that I’ve always loved but never seems to get the credit he deserves. He directed 48 Hrs with Eddie Murphy a few years after The Warriors and it’s one of the seminal buddy cop movies. He was a producer on Ridley Scott’s Alien also. And that’s not even scratching the surface.

I specifically watched the director’s cut which has this comic book framing device going on. At first, I didn’t think it was working but after about 30 minutes in, I saw what Hill was going for and ended up really liking that. I know the original film didn’t have that in it but so much of this film is like a comic, over the top costumes, ridiculous street gangs, etc. that for me, it actually worked. Maybe having not seen the original version made me less critical and more open to this approach.

Some reviewers complained that this film has no plot which is just crazy. It’s not that there’s a lack of plot, it’s that the plot is so economical and streamlined, that maybe it was too clear for some viewers. On the other hand, I felt like the plot was one of the film’s biggest strengths.

The music is particularly amazing here, recalling John Carpenter-esque synth scores. I also loved that nearly the entire film is set at night, on the wet streets of New York of the era. Great stuff. Highly recommended.

I’m not sure what happened to nearly everyone else on the Internet when they went to see Chappie this past week but whatever it was, it didn’t happen to me. I really liked this. I kept wondering why critiques and review boards were trashing it so much. What movie were they all seeing because it wasn’t what I saw.

Here’s what Chappie has going for it: Some of the best, most seamless CG I’ve seen this year, a brilliant motion-capture / vocal performance by Copley, some amazingly staged and executed action set pieces, Hugh Jackman as a bad guy with a mullet, some crazy-fun street thugs trying to be parents to a robot, and interesting take on a robot with emotions trying to figure out what is right and wrong in a confusing world.

Are there some plot holes? Sure, it’s a sci-fi action movie. But there aren’t nearly the number of issues that others seem to be trumpeting. I was a little disappointed that Sigourney Weaver didn’t have a bigger part but at least she was in it. Jackman maybe got a little overboard in his “bad guy, evil laugh” routine but that was fine. Beyond that… honestly I can’t think of anything else that might have been weak here. Don’t believe what you’ve heard. At least for me, I’d definitely recommend this.

After watching this, I’m not sure how this ended up winning an academy award. It’s well done and definitely has its moments but there are also a lot of cliches and obvious plot turns that just don’t seem to justify it being held up as the best animated film of the year.

That being said, it’s fun and absolutely a crowd pleaser. There are some good ideas here, interesting characterizations, and a heavy dose of obvious but still useful themes. The animation looks great and maybe that’s all the academy was judging it on. Disney is upping its game with each release, easily surpassing DreamWorks quality by now and getting closer to something Pixar might offer. It’s not there yet but it’s on its way and that’s a good thing. If you haven’t seen it, you’ll have fun with this one.

This is totally passable family entertainment. It’s not some brilliant masterpiece and it didn’t need to be. It felt like a good ending to a trilogy that no one knew they ever wanted. I was somewhat entertained which is I think, exactly what this film was shooting for. My kids loved it and that’s a good sign.

It was nice to Robin Williams one more time. Ben Stiller has honed his straight man act to perfection long ago. There are quite a few familiar faces and some new ones. It has just enough to justify itself. Perfectly reasonable way to pass a few hours with the family. That’s about it but that’s fine.

I’ve seen a lot of Westerns but amazingly, I’ve never seen The Magnificent Seven (1960). It’s so good. What a classic. There’s a remake planned with Denzel Washington taking over the role that Yul Brynner made famous but the 1960 film is actually a remake itself of the Japanese masterpiece Seven Samurai.

The music is so good in this. No wonder it won an Oscar for the soundtrack and this score has been used countless times since. I can’t get it out of my head.

The cast is flawless with especially notable performances by Steve McQueen being his ultra-coolest and Eli Wallach (of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly fame) as a perfect bad guy to root against. Brynner is the anchor, the old Western stunts are so fun to watch, the charisma oozes off the screen. So many memorable scenes. This is one of the best Westerns ever made.

This is a Russian film that was nominated for a Golden Globe in the best foreign film category. In typical Russian filmmaking style, there are extremely long, ponderous takes, at times, put there seemingly to weed out any of the audience who lacks patience and yet there are many compelling elements to this film.

The cinematography is lush and breathtaking at times. I’ve never seen a film that better captured the natural beauty of Russian landscapes and shores. There is some solid acting here, especially from the lead woman protagonist.

Where things break down a bit is in the story department. I guess we are to take this as a tragedy and that’s fine for what it is. But many of the story lines developed in the film are just abandoned along the way as if the director was following whatever story interested him at the time and “finding” the film in the edit. That is what’s going to be hard to swallow for a lot of people that watch it. I thought it was good, not great. If you love Russian panoramas, it’s probably worth watching just for that. If you are a fan of Russian films like Solaris (as I am), then you will have no problem enjoying this. Otherwise, it’s probably a pass.

Kevin Costner is a national treasure. I know he mostly plays the same type of character but darn it all if I don’t love that character. He’s got a screen presence that’s magnetic and I absolutely believe he is the character he’s playing in nearly every movie he’s been in. McFarland is no different. He provides a weight that anchors the whole film.

This is an inspirational sports movie that’s been done a hundred times before and yet, this film has some unique moments that elevate it above the cliches. For one, it strikes a nice balance between the outsider “white guy” and the local hispanic townspeople, each sharing their talents and culture with each other. It’s based on a true story and by the end, I really cared for each of the characters and felt an emotional connection to them as they ran the final race (the story is about a cross country team).

I lived down in El Paso, TX when I was younger. Most of my friends & acquaintances were hispanic there and they absolutely were the kindest, most thoughtful and giving people I’ve ever been around. This film nails exactly what it felt like to be an outsider coming into their culture and how they embraced me. That’s totally accurate to how welcomed I felt.

The film is appropriate for the whole family (rated PG and made by Disney). It’s got emotional weight. It’s highly recommended.

This was super compelling. It’s a Swedish film that had a lot of buzz going for it last year and I’m glad I finally had a chance to watch it. The acting is great. The set up for the story is about a family who go on a ski vacation and there is an avalanche. They believe they are going to die and at the last minute, the father runs and leaves his family behind, trying to save himself. Well, the avalanche was a false-alarm but now the family must come to terms with a father who wasn’t there for them at their most dire moment. It just gets more interesting from there.

There’s no action so if you don’t like dialogue, beautiful snowscapes, and long takes, you will probably hate this. Definitely recommended for anyone else.

Sure, it’s dramatized. Sure, it’s exaggerated. But it’s still great. I’ve loved this film since I saw it in high school and it’s stuck with me ever since. The acting is superb. The story of the growing Nazi movement in Germany at the end of the 1930’s is powerful, poignant, and vital.

Even at this young age, Christian Bale dominates every scene he’s in. The music is contagious and the ending is heart-breaking. If you’ve never seen this film, I highly recommend it.