Avengers: Age of Ultron

The first film of the 2015 summer movie season is officially out, and it's awesome! They do need to figure out how to settle on a genre with these movies, because I'm not sure what they were going for. At times it felt like I was watching a cartoon, and other times a sci-fi movie. I will say that James Spader's performance as Ultron was chilling. I got chills down my spine every time he spoke. The advantage of Disney owning Marvel is they can have villians sing otherwise happy Disney songs and ruin people's childhoods by making them creepy. Now, concerning the characters of Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch. Neither of their actor(esses) sounds genuinely Russian, and at times you can tell the accent is fake, because half the sentence will be in an American accent and the other half a "Russian" accent. I did enjoy the witty banter between all the members of the Avengers, and surprisingly, even Ultron had some witty dialogue. He is probably the best villain in any of the MCU films. Now, one more thing. I didn't put the "One does not simply leave a Marvel movie before the end of the credits" meme like I usually do, because there's only one scene after the first 2 minutes of credits, but nothing at the end, so don't wait for the very end of the credits.
Grade; A-  9/10  4/5 stars

Unbroken

Why, Academy? Why didn't you nominate this for anything? This movie was amazing, and if I had seen it before 2014 ended it would have been on my top 10 list for sure. Jack O'Connell did a phenomenal job as Louis Zamperini, and rivals Benedict Cumberbatch's portrayal of Alan Turing in "The Imitation Game." I can't decide whose acting I liked better. I felt a range of emotion watching this film that I haven't felt in a long time. I was actually yelling at the screen at Takamasa Ishihara who plays Col. Watanabe, the antagonist of the film, because he felt genuinely evil. I wanted to reach through the screen and punch him in the face. This is such a powerful film, and it's a shame it wasn't nominated. I was so amazed at the hardships Louis had to endure, and genuinely felt for him. Everything about this film is amazing. The acting, the writing, even the score. There's something very unusual about this film that was a pleasant surprise to see. Religion is a key factor to the films plot, and it isn't mocked. That's something we need in more films.  It's a shame that the real Louis Zamperini passed away before this film was released. I'm sure he'd be proud. This is one of those films that you absolutely must see before you die. It's so inspiring, and puts everything in perspective. Bravo, Angelina Jolie. Bravo.

Grade: A+  10/10 5/5 stars.

Jupiter Ascending

Once again, Rotten Tomatoes lies. 25% is way lower than it deserves. While it is a bit slow in some parts, it's got enough action to make up for it. The plot is original-ish, and the CGI was amazing. I really liked Eddie Redmayne's acting as the villian. He reminded me a lot of Loki. The whole time I thought of Channing Tatum and Eddie Redmayne as Thor and Loki, because it just worked so well. I don't understand all the hate. Critics these days just give negative reviews to almost everything. If you hate movies, why waste your time being a movie critic? This is one of the best sci-fi movies I've ever seen. I was absolutely blown away. Everything from the acting, to the visual effects, to the score was perfect. It's not only one of the best sci-fi movies I've ever seen, but one of the best movies of 2015. (So far, This is still early 2015, so that may change) Eddie Redmayne did not deserve the Oscar for "The Theory of Everything", but I wouldn't mind seeing him get at least a nomination for this movie. 

Grade: A  9/10  4.5/5 stars

Home

Other than this film being a 90 minute commercial for Rihanna songs (seriously, every song in this film is sung by Rihanna. It wasn't enough that she voices one of the main characters?) I really enjoyed this film. It is one of the most original films Dreamworks has done. The trailers are false advertising. This is not E.T.  It is completely different. I put this right up there with Turbo and Penguins of Madagascar. Dreamworks' films just keep getting better. 5 years ago it was Dreamworks putting out sequels every other year and Pixar doing original films. My, how the tables have turned. One day, Dreamworks may dethrone Pixar as the king of animated films. Why in the world did this only get 49% on Rotten Tomatoes? Further proof that most of the time it is inaccurate. This was originally supposed to come out in late November 2014, but due to production problems was delayed to late March 2015, and it shows, because there are Christmas decorations everywhere you look and Christmas plays a minor part in the story. Other than that, the film was excellent. The film was absolutely hilarious and had great writing. It most likely won't get nominated for Best Animated Film at the 2016 Oscars simply because it's Dreamworks, but it deserves to. Granted, this is the only animated film in 2015 right now, so my opinion my change once films like Inside Out, Peanuts, and Minions come out, but for now it deserves a nomination.

Grade: A-   9/10  4/5 stars

The Theory of Everything

I still say Benedict Cumberbatch should have won the Oscar for Best Actor, but Eddie Redmayne did a good job. He makes you believe that he is Stephen Hawking. This movie is very emotional, heartfelt, and beautiful. If I had seen this prior to making my Best of 2014 list, it would have been on there. I really enjoyed the score, and everyone acting did a great job. I really enjoyed the 2 "Doctor Who" references, and the theory that was used in the movie "Interstellar." It was amazing seeing how Stephen Hawking was suddenly diagnosed with this disease, and was expected to live for only 2 years as of the day of diagnosis, but defied those expectations and is still alive today. I really appreciate the care that the filmmakers took in making the film as accurate as possible. The real Stephen Hawking even said that at certain points of the film he thought he was watching himself. While I do disagree with the Academy, I still thoroughly enjoyed this film and am happy that it at least won some awards, even if I don't agree with the Best Actor win.

Grade: A+  10/10 5/5 stars

Insurgent

The usual case with me for sequels is I usually enjoy them more because they don't need to spend as much time developing the characters and can jump right into the action. Not so with this film. I enjoyed "Divergent" more. That's not to say I didn't like this movie, just not as much. I still thought it was great. Some parts were a bit unnecessary and slow, I thought the way they filmed the action sequences was great, though. The ending made me wonder "How are they going to continue this?" and I'm excited to see how, whenever that may be. There was a bit of overacting by Shailene Woodley in this film (her crying felt forced and unrealistic) but the other actors did a great job. It's not the best YA series out there, but it is still enjoyable. I'm excited to see part 3 (and possibly 4).
Grade: B  8/10, 4/5 stars

Divergent

Despite what most people think this is nothing like "The Hunger Games." Are there similarities? Yes, but there are also similarities to the Giver and I don't hear people calling plagiarism on that. While some of the dialogue is a bit cliche, and it felt like I'd seen some of the movie before, as a whole, I enjoyed it. They could have chosen a better actress for the main character, Tris, because at times it feels like Shailene Woodley is not delivering the dialogue as she should be. Sometimes she sounds bored, and sometimes she overacts, but Kate Winslet portraying the evil leader of their post-apocalyptic world saves it because she's almost as creepy as Donald Sutherland's portrayal of President Snow in the Hunger Games. I enjoyed the subtle bits of humor sprinkled throughout what is otherwise a dark film. The first hour or so was a bit slow, but the third act was great. I was really enthralled by Hans Zimmers' score, and the electronica music inserted here and there, even though it makes no sense to have it there. I have never read the books (and don't plan to because I want to be surprised) but still enjoyed the film. This is one YA novel film adaptation series I hope succeeds.
Grade: B  8/10  4.5/5 stars