The Hateful Eight

This is the first movie I saw in theaters for 2016 and I’m so glad I got to see it with a friend of mine. I’m a big fan of Tarantino movies and I had heard a variety of reviews, so I was definitely interested in seeing it.

I would most describe the film as a murder mystery western. The film mainly takes place in a stagecoach stopover called Minnie’s Haberdashery, where eight people seek shelter from a blizzard. But then the characters begin to realize that one of them is not who they say they are and this person may have nefarious intentions. 

What I enjoyed most about the film was the acting. Tarantino has always done a good job of writing great dialogue for his characters and this film definitely contains that. Each character stands out and all the performances were great. My particular favorites were Daisy Domergue (played by Jennifer Jason Leigh, who received a Golden Globe nomination for this role) and Major Warren (played by Samuel L. Jackson), though everyone else did a great job. The acting was what kept the film progressing and they never blurred together or fell into the background.

While I did enjoy the acting, the movie just didn’t “wow” me like many of his other films. The movie is just over 3 hours, and there were points when you could definitely feel that it was a long movie. Though the length of the movie allowed for the slow build-up of events in the narrative, it just felt really long. And because the movie mainly took place in the haberdashery, much of the movie relied on dialogue and less on action and scenes that didn’t really add much to the story, which did at points make me feel like this movie was going to be a really long one. The slow story definitely allowed for the building of conflict and the fleshing out of the characters, which allows viewers to try and figure out who the murderer is, but other than that, it just made me feel the length of the film. 

Overall, I did enjoy this movie, I just didn’t enjoy it as much as his other films. The film definitely felt long, and it took a long time for things to happen. Though the slowness let characters be developed over time, some of it could have been cut down. Don’t get me wrong, the acting was great and it was an intriguing story, but I just can’t rate it as highly as I would his other films. If you have never seen a Tarantino film before, I do warn you to be prepared for scenes of bloody violence. The violence is not as consistently present as it is in his other films, but it does begin to pick up about halfway through. I recommend this film to anyone who enjoys Tarantino and I would love to hear what you all think of this film and how it falls in your ranking of Tarantino films, feel free to let me know in the comments below!

If you’re curious about my rating of this film in terms of stars, you can check out my 2016 Film Diary located in the right sidebar.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_UI1GzaWv0

Guardians of the Galaxy

I went to go see this recently with one of my best friends. The film was getting good reviews, but I tried not to go in with really high expectations. I didn't go see this movie in 3D, but it did seem like it could be pretty cool in 3D, but I also think it could be pretty nauseating during some of the more heavy action scenes, so I would say invest in the extra dimension at your own discretion.

While I'm not the biggest fan of sci-fi films, this movie was an exception for the genre. Though the movie takes place in various planets and places in the galaxy, it was never too absurd and the straightforward plot helped make sure it wasn't too confusing or overwhelming. If you're not sure if a Marvel sci-fi movie is for you, I would recommend checking out the Thor movies and/or The Avengers. These movies add a decent amount of sci-fi elements to the plot (and the Thor movies largely take place on other planets). The only other thing I would recommend is Thor: The Dark World does contain a mid-credits scene of Guardians of the Galaxy, so if you get through to that, you can kind of get an idea of what this movie may be like. You don't need to see any of the previous Marvel movies in order to understand what goes on in this movie, but if you are interested in appreciating some of the details that they mention, watching The Avengers and the two Thor movies would be my recommendation. That being said, if you are a Marvel fan, they do tie in other Marvel movies and details from them for fans to appreciate.

What I enjoyed most about the film was that the main characters were all different and stood out from each other while being well-acted. Though all the characters were great, Chris Pratt (who plays Peter Quill) was definitely my favorite out of the Guardians. He acted his character so well in my personal opinion, that it didn't even seem like he was acting, just having a great time singing to classic songs and sassing a lot of the other characters in the movie. I also enjoyed that the plot was simple to understand, yet well-done and entertaining. The humor was present throughout the whole movie, which really kept it light and helped balance out the more serious moments in the movie (which were also well-done). Though this film had the standard big bad, borderline generic, villain (played by Lee Pace), it allowed for more attention to be sent towards the Guardians, who were more complex and had a stronger onscreen presence.

Overall, I really enjoyed the film and was really entertained by it. It had great moments of humor, action, and serious moments as well. The soundtrack of the movie is also a really great element in the film. It contains classic songs from the 70s and 80s (which is much of what I grew up listening to), and after leaving the theater, I can honestly say that I had the soundtrack on repeat for a long time. The movie had a straightforward plot that helped make sure the setting was never too overwhelming, and the main characters were well-acted and unique. I recommend checking this movie out if you're looking for a fun movie to see or if you really enjoy Marvel movies.

*There is an ending credits scene, but no mid-credits scene that other Marvel movies tend to have. Most of the ending credits scenes are usually just funny scenes or don't really contribute to the plot. This ending scene falls under this, it's nothing really mind-blowing, but you can stick it out to see it if you want.*

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTZ2Tp9yXyM

The Amazing Spider-Man 2

I really enjoyed the first Amazing Spider-Man film, so I was really excited to see the sequel even though it was getting mediocre reviews. My friends and I decided to see it as our one last fun thing before our finals week began. We even decided to go see it in 3D because it looked like a cool movie to see in 3D in comparison to other movies that have been released in the summer so far.

Though I happened to enjoy the first movie, I found the majority of this movie to be lacking in comparison. The biggest issue I had with this movie is that there were way to many villains for just one film. Though they did give an adequate enough background on each villain in the movie, it still felt like there was too much going on, and sometimes felt like there was a lot of remembering of what did Peter do to this guy again? Even though there was a lot of villainy going on, Dane Dehaan, who plays Harry Osborn, plays his character with complexity and emotion, that you really see and understand his transition into the person he becomes later in the movie.

What I did enjoy about this movie was the chemistry between Peter Parker (played by Andrew Garfield) and Gwen Stacy (played by Emma Stone). They really bounce jokes off of each other and help to keep the film grounded at points when the movie tends to drift towards lots of action.The 3D was also utilized better than other films that I had recently seen in 3D. Sometimes the 3D can be a little dizzying during the heavy action scenes but I enjoyed the use of it overall.

All in all, while I did enjoy this movie but I was also disappointed in the same way. This movie, in comparison to the first, felt like more of a set-up for the upcoming third movie than being able to stand alone in this franchise. While the acting was pretty much well-done across the board, the plot could have used some work to make it an easier transition between movies yet make it stand alone as it's own movie. While most of the villains had decently ironed out backstories, there were too many villains for just this one movie. I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in seeing the sequel to the first Amazing Spider-Man movie and anyone who enjoys superhero movies.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbp3Ra3Yp74

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

After seeing this movie I have to say that I liked this one a lot more that the first (Captain America: The First Avenger). It had a much more detailed and entertaining plot and the characters that were returning really grew and new characters were well-developed.

While the first Captain America film was mostly a set up for The Avengers, this sequel really aimed to show Steve Rogers (played by Chris Evans) more transitioned into modern society. What I also enjoyed about this movie was how the plot focused on a much more realistic idea: government corruption and paranoia, which are things we all fear and read about in our modern society. Instead of having one major big bad villain, it's a bit more complicated, which is something you don't see a lot in superhero movies today and was something I really enjoyed in watching this movie.

What I will say is that I recommend watching the first Captain America film before watching this one. There are a lot of plot points and other references that are made that watching the first film will help make more sense of. The other thing I would say is that I saw this movie in 3D, and the 3D didn't really do anything or add anything special to to film. I know that this movie is now out of theaters, but I would say that I wouldn't waste money on the 3D version.

Overall, I definitely think this Captain America film is a real step up from the first one and may be one of the best movies that has been put out by Marvel in recent years. I would really recommend watching it if you get the chance, it has a great amount of action that is equally equated with a well-developed set of characters and plot. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a good action movie or someone who really enjoys superhero movies.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SlILk2WMTI

The Lego Movie

What I will first say about The Lego Movie is the fact that it did live up to the hype and good reviews that it was given. The animation was really cool and interesting because it really matched with how Legos are assembled in reality and the plot really does appeal to both kids and adults.

While this film is mostly geared towards children, there are messages and satire in this film that adults can take away from it too. Though the some of the messages in this movie are a bit cliched, the movie times them well enough where they fit right in with the story and adds a sort of powerful effect to what is going on in the film. There is also a large amount of satire and messages that poke fun on American society as a whole, whether it be from the quick scenes of overpriced coffee or the larger message of conformity and control that stand out in the beginning of the film but also plays out throughout the entire plot. This movie can be read on many levels, which is what sticks with me still to this day.

The plot as a whole is interesting, following an ordinary guy named Emmet (voiced by Chris Pratt) who suddenly discovers that he is the central figure in a prophecy to stop the evil Lord Business (voiced by Will Ferrell). The humor and jokes throughout the film can be found as funny to both kids and adults and the characters in the film are all unique and very fleshed-out.

My only critique is the sometimes dizzying animation. I did go see this in 3D, and the effects weren't anything special. I really liked how the animation was a form of stop-motion, fitting really well with how Legos can be assembled or taken apart. There are points though, when this animation can get a bit nauseating, especially in 3D. There is one scene that takes place on open ocean, were it did at a point did make me feel like the animation was a bit too much for my eyes to take in.

Overall, I really enjoyed this film. The plot, though it was a bit cliched at times, was really fun and it was really interesting to be able to view the plot on so many different levels. The animation, though it was a bit dizzying at certain points in the movie, was really cool and matched really well with the idea of how Legos are used. I would really recommend this to anyone who is looking for a good movie to see with kids or something that is unique from most movies currently out there.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yj4GeCk5SBk

Captain Phillips

The trailer for this movie makes the film look really intense, so I was a little skeptical in how suspenseful this movie could be before watching it the other day. This film is based on a true story that happened in 2009, but I did not recall much of the details from when it actually happened, so I didn't really have an idea of how it would end going into it.

This movie did a really good job of creating and keeping tension throughout. I found myself getting really nervous and tense for certain scenes, not knowing what would be the outcome. By the time the movie ended, I let out a sigh of relief, not because the movie was bad, but because I had tensed up so much because of what went on during the movie that I was finally able to relax. Tom Hanks does a really good job of portraying a person who is trying to stay strong while experiencing a dangerous situation. Barkhad Abdi (who plays the leader of the Somali pirates who hijack the ship) does a great job of creating a character who can be threatening but also adds a layer of desperation and sympathy to his character as well.

Overall, I really enjoyed this movie. It did a good job of being very suspenseful yet grounded and realistic. I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a movie that is based on current events and is looking for a good and suspenseful movie to watch.

Oscar nominee: Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Barkhad Abdi), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sp6jpeDeQmE

The Avengers

I just watched this recently with my sister because she had never seen it before. This is probably the 6th time I've seen this movie, and I still enjoy it.

The first time I saw this movie, I had not seen every movie that was made setting up for The Avengers.The movie does a good job of making sure that everything is pretty easy to understand, highlighting what moves the plot and having a clear-cut hero versus villain scenario. If you have not seen the movies that set up The Avengers, I would recommend watching Thor in order to understand the origin of Loki, who is the villain in The Avengers.

The plot of this movie is really well-done and entertaining. Each character stood out, and there was a lot of action to keep the plot moving.The villain was also well-played (portrayed by Tom Hiddleston), and it is easy to understand his motives in the movie.

Overall, I still really enjoy this movie. Each character is well-acted and stand out well as individual characters. The plot is pretty to understand and is well-paced. It's filled with a good amount of action that is fun to watch. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys superhero movies and is looking for a good action movie to watch.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIR8Ar-Z4hw