Hell or High Water (2016)

It’s rare for such a well received movie to slip through the cracks time and time again when trying to fill in the gaps of your movie watching resume. But with Hollywood releasing over 700 titles a year, not all movies are as accessible as others. 

On that note, Netflix has come through with a great list of movies to kick off the 2019 year! One of which is Hell or High Water, Taylor Sheridan’s story of two brothers who must resort to robbing banks in order to keep their property. And while that is captivating enough to watch, the real brilliance of the film is realized by Jeff Bridge’s detective work and country charm as he tries to anticipate the brother’s next heist. Another positive takeaway is the excellent cast. Every actor is given the chance to show their chops and there isn’t a weak link in the chain.

The most impressive aspect of this film is how contained, yet layered it is. There aren’t a dozen characters to keep track of and the world isn’t ending, but for these characters, the stakes have never been higher. The movie does a great job of presenting a moral dilemma that dictates the rest of the movie. And although I know Chris Pine’s solution is wrong in the law’s eyes, he does it for the right reasons. Few movies try to rationalize the “bad guy’s” motivations, but Hell or High Water earns points here because it isn’t afraid to give us both (good and bad) perspectives throughout. Overall, this is an A+ big recommend from me. Until next time, Happy Watching!

Tusk (2014)

After cringing my way through this film, I can assuredly tell you this is not the movie you’re looking for. Whether it be for horror or suspense, Tusk has both of those elements, but the content is so disturbing that finishing the movie feels like a chore more than a relief. 
I am an emerging Kevin Smith fan. I enjoy his writing and his characters, but regrettably have only seen a small portion of his work. I know he wrote and directed Tusk, so I wanted to give it a shot. Compelling dialogue and interesting characters aside, this movie turns dark fast and it doesn’t wait for you to catch up. I believe Kevin Smith made the freaky nightmarish movie he wanted, but after one viewing,  I don’t think I’ll ever want to return to it. You’ve been warned… 

tl;dr it’s like The Human Centipede, but with walruses.

Deadpool 2

If you liked the humor and action in the first movie, but weren’t the biggest fan of his sexcapades, you’re going to enjoy this movie a whole lot more. I wasn’t the biggest fan of Deadpool, but this sequel solidifies his “Hero” in my mind. Ryan Reynolds has essentially become this character and you can tell from his performance that he’s having a lot of fun.

Be ready to laugh out loud! This movie dialed up the humor to 11 and it kills, sometimes literally! There is so much to unpack from this movie, I can only see it getting better on repeat viewings. I’ll give it a solid B for now. Happy Watching!

Solo: A Star Wars Story 2018

Solo is a charming movie with a Falcon load of action, but it’s not your typical Star Wars movie. If you’re looking for lightsaber battles and force wielding Jedi, this is not the movie for you. When you boil Solo down to it’s nuts and bolts, you’re watching a lighthearted heist movie. And I mean that as a compliment! This movie was flat out fun the more I think about it, and there’s plenty of entertainment to get me back for repeat viewings.

Although Solo is removed from the other Star Wars movies, it does it’s best to remind you you’re still in a galaxy far far away. From introducing fan favorites such as  Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover) and Chewbacca, all the way down to those lucky golden dice that seem to be popping up everywhere. Not to mention the Millennium Falcon which may or may not make the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs. And while these are pleasing moments, there isn’t a sense of earned gratification because everything feels so rushed! This will end up being a trilogy, so why not space out those character defining moments that make Han Solo the space smuggler we’ve come to know and love? I don’t have the answer to that, but I do know that the actor portraying Solo, Alden Ehrenreich, has excellently captured the essence of Harrison Ford’s older portrayal.

Overall, this movie is a solid B for me. It’s not going to change your life, but it is a welcome addition to the Star Wars franchise. Happy Watching!

Lord of the Rings (2001-2003)

Few trilogies can hold a candle to Lord of the Rings and even fewer hold up as well over time.  Whether you’re a die hard fan of the books and the world J.R.R. Tolkien created or just a casual movie goer (such as myself), there is plenty for everyone to enjoy in this trilogy. Let’s discuss each movie in depth……

The Fellowship of the Ring

It’s plain to see that these movies were extensively planned out and executed to perfection. I say this because the first movie is not in any hurry to advance the plot as much as it is introducing characters and backstory. It may start off slow and with narration, but the next two movies benefit tremendously from all the backstory we’re given. This is why the first movie in a trilogy, or origin story if you will, tend to be better than their successors. Because, like the characters, the audience is learning the rules of the universe and the movie can take it’s time setting up those rules. For instance “the one ring to rule them all”.  We learn right away about this powerful evil ring, but only gradually throughout the movie do we see the extent of it’s powers. Invisibility seems to be a side effect from putting on the ring, but what I found particularly interesting on my latest viewing is how the ring affects EVERYONE that comes into contact with it. It brings out the worst in people, sometimes even without their knowledge. This of course takes it’s toll on Frodo the ringbearer, but it makes it easy to understand his broken spirit in Return of the King.

The Two Towers

The second and possibly best of all three movies, The Two Towers gives us a sense of just how vast Middle Earth is. While it may seem that The Fellowship of the Ring ended rather abruptly, The Two Towers picks up the pieces and does not slow down! With the Fellowship broken up, it’s up to our heroes to overcome even greater challenges than they imagined. Not just to “win” but for survival. This movie is responsible for one of the greatest battle segments in film, The Battle of Helm’s Deep. Not only packed with action, but realistic effects and moment of greatness. This is by no means a rushed battle scene and it’s a stark reminder of what’s at stake in this world. Relative to The Battle of Helm’s Deep, Frodo’s story line may seem a bit “filler”, but we continue to see his journey and the ill effects of the ring on his judgement. It is also in The Two Towers that we see Frodo sympathize and even defend Gollum to others.

Return of the King

The final installment or climax gives us several battles, as well as a much needed resolution for the story and our beloved characters. The first two movies do an excellent job of setting up the characters and story, and Return of the King delivers the cinematic finale that this epic journey deserves! Aragorn accepts his fate as Isildur’s heir and summons an army of the dead to save Gondor from Sauron’s forces. The hobbits are all split up for a time, but each gets their moment to shine, especially Samwise Gamgee. After my latest viewing of these movies, Sam quickly turned into one of my favorite characters. No nonsense, honest and loyal. And without Sam, you could argue, Frodo doesn’t make it nearly as far and the ring survives. Loved the hobbits in Return of the King and how Aragorn, King of Gondor, kneels to them at the end. Goosebumps every time! Part of me wishes the movie ended right there, but it’s kind of nice to see the hobbits come home and resume their peaceful life in the Shire.

Love, love, love these movies! I have to watch the trilogy at least once a year. Happy Watching.

“One does not simply walk into Mordor”

Happy New Year! 2018

I have a feeling that 2018 will be a most productive year! I haven’t seriously considered any resolutions, but I would like to read at least 5 books this year. It’s not much, but I’d actually like to achieve my goals. I’d also like to watch more movies in 2018 than in 2017. I found a new passion in movies last year and would like to continue down that path. So far I’m averaging 1 movie per day of this new year! Whether each movie gets it’s own post is another story. I will keep up with my blog as often as possible, but I’m not going to let life pass me by! New years bring new challenges, but also new opportunities. I’m blessed to have left 2017 on a high note, so I may continue that positive momentum into the new year. I wish you all the best in 2018 and hope you are looking forward to it as much as I am! Happy New Year! 

Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)

The Last Jedi has undoubtedly polarized the Star Wars fan base. After only one week, it’s apparent that people either have to love or hate this movie. There is no in between and yet, like the Force, there is balance. Two passionate groups of people, that are trying to sum up a movie that has hardly been out long enough to truly digest. It won’t be for several years, perhaps until Episode IX, before we understand the significance of The Last Jedi, but I’ll do my best to share my experience with the latest Star Wars.

I generally liked this move, and would rate it as a B. There are plenty of things to love about it, but it has some BIG flaws (emphasis on BIG). Let’s discuss the good, the bad, and the ugly…. 

GOOD

Our new Star Wars characters (Rey, Ren, Finn, Poe) are phenomenal in this movie! It feels like where The Force Awakens hesitates, The Last Jedi goes for it, and the result is engaging performances that put you right in their galaxy. The new cast is easily one of my favorite aspects about this movie, and I already can not wait to see their next adventure. Poe and BB-8 share a great moment in the opening space battle, and I can’t help but be giddy, because of how it reminds me of Luke and R2-D2 in the original trilogy. Poe isn’t a Jedi, of course, but Rey also has a moment, reminiscent of Luke’s training with Yoda on Dagobah. It’s at this moment she’s learning about her force abilities that I can’t help but like this movie. It’s as if she’s a superhero just discovering her powers, and we get a completely new perspective of the force, which is worth the price of admission alone, in my opinion.
This movie also challenges the way we view their space ships. Until now, it seems that the pattern has always been for a smaller ship to be fleeing or avoiding the Republic and then jumping to hyperspace to get away for good. Without getting into spoilers, let’s just say that hyperspace isn’t an option in this movie, so we essentially get a giant space chase! It’s definitely a new idea and worth recognizing. That, along with compelling space battles and well choreographed light saber fights, there are many more good things I can say about this movie. Good. Good. Good.

BAD

The original characters (Luke, Leia, C3-P0, R2-D2) need to not be in these movies anymore. I love the original cast and I understand the need to include them; to make a seamless transition from old to new, but the plot continues to focus on the Skywalker’s and the story suffers for it. The “reveal” of Rey’s parents is underwhelming and somewhat confusing, but it’s an small detail that can be addressed in the next movie. Porgs are harmless creatures that don’t necessarily offend me either, but every other new creature in this movie is uninteresting and uninspired.
Finn was a great character in The Force Awakens, but unfortunately is underutilized in this film. By the time he has something to do to propel the story forward, I was checking my watch to see how much time was left. That is another gripe I have with this movie. Scenes noticeably linger and the time adds up fast! The “space chase”, while fascinating to me, nearly last’s the entire length of the movie which causes the end to feel rushed. Bad. Bad. Bad.

UGLY (Spoilers)

Luke Skywalker milking a space cow and drinking said milk. It’s an image I never wanted to see, and even typing it just now fills me with disgust. It’s not that bad, but it’s definitely not pretty!
Supreme leader Snoke is made out to be a near omnipotent Sith villain, but meets a swift demise without us ever learning anything about him. I understand they can only spend so much time on each character, but this character deserved a backstory (and better CGI)… Or maybe he doesn’t, considering how easily Kylo Ren betrayed him. Either way, it’s ugly.
And last, and quite possibly least: Leia. Leia has a moment in The Last Jedi that is so unbelievable, that it’s almost unforgivable. After being blown up and sucked into space, Leia is not only impossibly alive, but able to fly back into the spaceship. This is the sole reason why this movie could never be above a B for me. This stunt, while amazing, isn’t explained (at least not in this movie). It might be the director Rian Johnson, showing us another new perspective of the Force, but it completely pulls me out of the movie and I don’t know how to get over it. Generally when I can’t stop thinking about a movie, it’s for a good reason, but this scene vexes me to no end. It helps me understand why people are so divided on this movie.

As atrocious as these moments are, they don’t completely ruin the movie for me. I believe that although there is resistance right now, The Last Jedi will hold up well in the next couple of years. And be made only stronger by the next movie, Episode IX. Love it or hate it, this is the newest Star Wars we have and I believe there is great potential with the new direction it’s heading. May the Force be with you.