"Point Break" stars Luke Bracey, Edgar Ramirez, Teresa Palmer, and Ray Winstone. Released on December 25, 2015, the film is about an FBI agent who goes undercover with a group of thieves who have a knack for extreme sports. The film is directed by Ericson Core, who served as the cinematographer for The Fast and the Furious. It is a remake of the 1991 film of the same name, which starred Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze. I find it a bit odd that an action film like this would be released around Christmas time, but hey, it's never too late to have a couple of thrill rides this holiday season. When I saw the trailer for this film, I thought it looked pretty cool in terms of the stunts. However, I have no experience with the original 1991 film, so I'm going to be reviewing this remake as its own film without comparing the two together. Luke Bracey plays the role of Johnny Utah, a former motocross star turned FBI agent who is assigned to go undercover inside a group of professional athletes lead by Bodhi, played by Ramirez. I thought Bracey was fine in the role, but he could've done a bit better with his performance. There were some parts in the film where he almost sounded like Chris Hemsworth when he's speaking a little deeper. I mean, for all I know, he could be the long-lost brother of Chris and Liam Hemsworth (Hemsworth Brothers, unite!!!). The only problem with this was the chemistry between the other characters, but I'll get to that later. The film is known for portraying extreme sports such as skydiving, surfing and free climbing. Now, to its credit, I really enjoyed watching these people perform these stunts, especially on how they were filmed. I also liked the choice of locations where these stunts were performed, but I wish the director would give us more time to express the dizzying sights of being high into the air. Even though the stunts were pretty impressive, I am not a huge fan on how they executed the story. At times the film's pacing can be a bit slow and at other times the narrative structure feels so rushed that it didn't give me enough time to grow attached to the characters or at least give them time to develop. There were also a couple of things that I think were a bit too forced. The first one being the relationship between Johnny and one of the members of the gang, Samsara (played by Teresa Palmer). It felt like they just put it there for the sake of moving the plot along. I think if you remove the unnecessary romance stuff, it won't change the film at all. There's also a scene that it felt like they tried to force some emotional depth in the film. I won't spoil it for you in case you haven't seen it yet, but if you have, you might understand what I mean. Like I said in my Victor Frankenstein review, they need to have the right amount of pacing and the right screenplay to give us time to care more about the main characters. Otherwise, what's the point of having these characters to begin with? Overall, the 2015 edition of "Point Break" offered some impressive stunt work and locations, but the story was so poorly executed and forced that it made The Fast and the Furious look like a masterpiece by comparison. Come to think of it, both Point Break and The Fast and the Furious share a similar storyline. Oooo, I just figured out the title for the next Fast and Furious film: 'The Fast and the Furious: Breaking Point' (LOL). But back to the topic at hand, I was really disappointed on how it turned out and I felt sorry for the people who worked hard on making a new version of Point Break for a new generation. I appreciate them for what they're trying to do, but sadly, it's not good enough. If you're still curious on seeing this, then I would say it's worth watching for the stunt work alone and nothing else. If you like this film more than I do, then I respect your opinion. EXTREME! (not really, LOL) D
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"The Hateful Eight" stars Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Demian Bichir, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, and Bruce Dern. Released on December 25, 2015, the film is about eight strangers who seek refuge in a stagecoach stopover on a mountain pass during a blizzard. The film is directed by Quentin Tarantino, who also directed films such as Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill, and Django Unchained, and it is nominated for three Golden Globe awards. It was originally going to be published as a novel due to a script leak back in January 2014, but with the success of the live reading, Tarantino decided to film it instead. Now this is his eighth film that he directed, which makes sense because the title is called "The Hateful Eight". Tarantino is known for expressing high levels of violence and offensive language while also creating engaging stories that reflect on the harsher side of reality. That's why I loved his last film, Django Unchained. It's violent, engaging, and very-well filmed. I managed to see a special roadshow presentation of the film on a 70 mm film format, which I will share my thoughts on later, and I got to tell you, Tarantino has done it again. The ensemble cast delivered some magnificent performances throughout, including Jackson as Major Marquis Warren. I absolutely loved this guy. He's been in almost every single film in his career, and he's still entertaining as hell. Jennifer Jason Leigh received her Golden Globe nomination for her performance as Daisy Domergue, a fugitive who is wanted dead or alive for murder. I believe she deserved that nomination because everything about her performance was just nothing shy of perfection. Her sense of insanity and calmness is just enough to make her character believable. I hope she gets nominated for an Oscar because her portrayal was just amazing. Seriously, though, I would not get on her bad side when she's in her acting zone. One of the biggest highlights of the film was the cinematography. The way it shows the snowy landscapes of Wyoming and the inside of the stopover was brilliantly executed for the right reasons. Cinematographer Robert Richardson was known for shooting other Tarantino films like Kill Bill and Django, and his work for this film deserves another Oscar nomination for Best Cinematography. What I also loved about this film was how engaging the screenplay was. The film is about almost three hours long, but the way they showcased the twists and the characters' motives managed to keep my attention until the very end. Overall, "The Hateful Eight" marks another win for director Quentin Tarantino thanks to its brilliant performances, an engaging and effective screenplay, and its Oscar-worthy cinematography. It is one of the best films I've seen in 2015 and it is worth seeing on the big screen for Tarantino fans. Also, I had a great time watching it in a 70 mm film format. It is longer than the original version with a musical overture and a 12-minute intermission. It is a great tribute to the earlier days of roadshow presentations, and it's the best format to see "The Hateful Eight" if it's playing at a local theater near you. A"The Big Short" stars Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, and Brad Pitt. Released on December 11, 2015, the film showcases the events leading up to the financial crisis of 2007-2010. The film is directed by Adam McKay, who also directed films such as Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Talladega Nights, Step Brothers, and The Other Guys. It is based on the 2010 book of the same name by Michael Lewis, and it is nominated for four Golden Globes as of this day. I find it a bit unusual that a comedy director such as McKay would direct something like this in terms of its concept. But hey, it's always good to try something new, right? With an all-star cast such as Bale and Pitt, does it fully capture the drama of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression? Pros: Some strong performances throughout, including Bale as Michael Burry. Steve Carell gave out one of his most impressive performances of his career as Mark Baum. Great screenplay that'll fit well for those who are into financial banking or those who are interested in it. Good direction from McKay. Cons: The pacing felt slow for some scenes. Some of the editing felt a bit choppy at times. The film offers a lot of financial talk, so it may confuse or bore some people who aren't really interested in that type of concept. Final thoughts: While it's short on greatness, "The Big Short" is big on performances (specifically Carell) and its relatable screenplay. I am really impressed on how McKay handles the drama and some comedy of the financial crisis, and I hope he makes some more films like this besides comedies soon. I also believe that this could be a helpful learning tool for financial banking college courses or those who are interested in this type of career to begin with. B"Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip" stars Jason Lee, Tony Hale, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Justin Long, Matthew Gray Gubler, and Jesse McCartney. Released on December 18, 2015, the film has Alvin, Simon, and Theodore going on a road trip to Miami to stop Dave's proposal. The film is directed by Walt Becker, who also directed Van Wilder, Wild Hogs, and Old Dogs. It is the fourth installment of the Alvin and the Chipmunks film series, which is based on the characters created by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. Truth be told, I am very familiar with the Chipmunks thanks to their television specials, direct-to-video films, soundtracks, and the 2015 CGI animated show that is currently showing on Nickelodeon. The live-action/CGI film series starring those mischievous rodents have been quite successful for audiences despite the negative reception from critics who still have absolutely no clue that they're made for kids. I happen to enjoy those films despite the childish humor and story lines. At first, I thought they were completely done with the franchise since Chipwrecked came out in 2011, but to my surprise, they decided to make a fourth Chipmunks film and have it open on the same weekend as Star Wars. For this review, I decided to have a special guest reviewer who actually saw this film with me: my mom. So how does this installment fare for us? Me: The cast delivered some pretty decent performances throughout the film. Most of the original cast from the first three films returned to portray their respective characters, such as Jason Lee as Dave and Justin Long as the voice of Alvin. I always thought that Lee did a nice job portraying Dave in the films and he doesn't disappoint in this latest outing. The Chipmunks and the Chipettes were still adorable as always, and the CGI works wonders with the characters. Like the first three films, the humor in this one was tolerable. There were times where some of the jokes can go over kids' heads and some of them were just plain dumb. While I do think they're funny, I just don't think it will suit well for people who want smarter comedies that don't involve a lot of potty humor. The film also involves some jukebox songs that were sung by the Chipmunks, such as "Uptown Funk", which were pretty catchy and fun to listen to. However, it would be nice if they had some more original songs by the Chipmunks. One of the flaws I have with this film, besides its humor, was the story. I can easily understand that they wanted to keep it simple for the younger crowd, but I think they made it too simple for the much older crowd, which could lead to some predictable moments. The pacing in this film is a bit consistent for the kids to follow along, although at times there were some scenes that felt a bit rushed to me. Then we have the new villain, Suggs, played by Arrested Development star Tony Hale. Yep, we don't get to see David Cross in this franchise anymore because he's far too busy saving China in Kung Fu Panda. Anyway, back to Tony Hale, my God…where do I begin? He tried way too hard to be a villain that it comes off as forced and cartoony, even his back story on why he's after the chipmunks was dumb. But hey, it is a kids movie, after all. I believe if you take him out of the film completely, it might not affect anything that occurred at all. Mom: I have to be honest, after Chipwrecked I wasn't quite sure what to expect. We definitely enjoyed the first 2 chipmunk movies making sure they were at the top of the to do list for Christmas Eve. This year we put this one on the top of our list for one of our "Christmas week" movies and I was not disappointed. They clearly went back to what worked in the first movie. The importance of family and how family comes in many different packages. The movie just pulled me in. The music was catchy and I found myself "bopping" and "toe tapping" in my seat. Always a good sign as far as I am concerned. I felt they did a very good job of pulling together the feelings of potential step brothers along with the feelings of not being wanted. As always it ends on a positive heart warming note with one last yell to "ALVIN!!!". There is no way to leave this movie without a smile on your face. Anytime I can leave the theater feeling good, I can't rate the movie any less than a B. Anyone who wants a fun, toe tapping, safe, family film should be taking their kids to see this one! Me: Overall, "The Road Chip" does show signs of the franchise going downhill, but it's still a fun, yet flawed, trip for those who enjoy the Chipmunks for what they were. Like the first three films, this one will definitely depend on your tolerance towards the high-pitched rodents. If you're looking for a harmless family film this holiday season or you have kids that are too young for Star Wars, this is probably the film you're looking for. For those who are still complaining about another Chipmunks film, you better get over it. CMy Mom's Letter Grade: B"Sisters" stars Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, and Ike Barinholtz. Released on December 18, 2015, the film has two sisters throwing one last party at their childhood home, which their parents are about to sell. The film is directed by Jason Moore, who is known for directing Pitch Perfect. After revisiting the galaxy far, far away with Star Wars: The Force Awakens, it is time for me to look at the other films that dared to challenge the Jedi Knights, starting with an R-rated comedy starring SNL stars/three-time Golden Globe co-hosts Tina Fey and Joy…uh, I mean Amy Poehler. These two actresses did a great job hosting last year's Golden Globe Awards, so now the big test is to see how they perform on the big screen. Fey and Poehler portray two sisters; one is considered childish and jobless (Fey) and the other is uptight and single (Poehler). Now this is the part where I say that I could not imagine someone else playing those two parts. Not only were they great in their roles, but their chemistry together was nothing short of perfection. What I liked about this kind of film is how the chemistry between the two actors mixed well with the characters who have different characteristics than the other. This film does that very well without getting too carried away. It's all about finding the right spark. The humor in this film was well-handled, although there were some jokes that were a bit forced or random. The problem with the humor is that it's not hilariously funny, it's just 'chuckle-funny'. Oh sure, there were a couple of jokes that were just flat-out funny, but they didn't leave a lasting impression. The story is pretty decent, but it does get a little predictable at times. By the time it reached the third act, everything else does get a bit…stale. The film knew what it was doing during the first and second acts, but later on, it got a little out of control like the sisters' house party. There were also times where some of the raunchy humor got in the way of some heartwarming moments. Overall, while it's not as hilarious as it could've been nor story-driven, "Sisters" is a type of film that's worth partying to thanks to some brilliant chemistry between Fey and Joy…(darn it), I mean Poehler, and some well-timed, yet a bit forced, humor. I apologize, I sometimes get Joy from Inside Out and Amy Poehler confused. Anyway, if you're in a mood for some laughs this holiday season, this is the film for you. The film's also good for a ladies night out, so grab some of your lady friends and get ready to party. C+ |
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