Interstellar Movie Review

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The Good: As expected, Matthew McConaughey shows off his Oscar Award winning acting chops as well as the supporting cast. The visual effects are great, especially with the help of the 70MM camera used to film it. (Movie purists will appreciate that) One of the most interesting things was the unique look at the effect of space-time relativity and various philosophies that impact our relationships with others. Of course Christopher Nolan delivers a multi-layered story filled with philosophical and scientific nuggets to leave you thinking, wondering, and questioning things even after you've finished watching. It was also enjoyable to have a bit of comedic relief from the military robots. (They may remind you of R2-D2 from Star Wars)

The Bad: Typically with Christopher Nolan films, you're in for a 2-3 hour movie. It's not necessarily the length that is troublesome (because the plots usually keep you locked in), but rather it's the complexity of the many layers buried into the plot. Watching a Nolan film is like going to a university lecture with actors doing the presentation. I'm not saying that it's a bad thing to have deeply intellectual storylines, but I do think that it's fair to say that the average movie goer (who doesn't like sci-fi) isn't always trying to overthink things while trying to watch the film. Some of the concepts in the movie will either require for some people to rewatch the movie again, or go back and read a wikipedia page about it to make sure you really understood what happened. (Like yours truly did)

The Reason: The honest truth is that this movie is for us sci-fi lovers. If you're a fan of Nolan, you'll love this automatically. If you're an average movie goer, who hates the Syfy (SciFi Channel) and couldn't care less about special relativity, then I'd say take caution before watching this film. Similar to the movie Gravity, I believe that this is the type of movie that should be watched on a big screen so that you can get the full experience intended by the director. ONLY go see it in IMAX if you know that you'll appreciate good camera work. This is not like Avatar or Transformers, because nothing is in 3D or all in your face. (3D wasn't needed for the film anyway) This is probably the best and most authentic sci-fi film that we have to date outside of the typical Star Wars and Star Trek series, in my opinion.

The Rating: 8/10


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Edge of Tomorrow Movie Review (2014)

The Good: Tom Cruise doesn't disappoint with his delivery of sci-fi action. Surprisingly, there was a bit of comedic relief with all the "repeats" that occur in the film. One of the best aspects of the movie is how they don't really waste that much time with all of the time loops. You get the idea that he has to repeat the day, and the well planned editing allows us to explore all of the possibilities in the film's story.

The Bad: The supporting cast really didn't seem all that...well supportive. They seemed to just be extras who only become relevant later in the film. Beyond that there may be some out there who find issue with the ending. You will have to pay attention to detail, so there may be some confusion with some of the storyline if one isn't careful. Because of that, some people some may view the ending as a bit anti-climactic. Finally, the movie does seem to feel a little long with all of the continuous time loop possibilities that it seeks to explore.

The Reason: This movie could be easily summed up as Groundhog Day + Elysium+ Oblivion + The Matrix 3. The story is original but you can't help but feel as though many parts of it are recycled. Either way, if you're into sci-fi movies and a decent amount of action, it's worth your time. I'd say it makes for a solid rental to watch at home.

The Rating: 7.5/10

Nightcrawler Movie Review (2014)

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The Good: Jake Gyllenhaal does a great job with his character, "Lou". He really makes you believe that his character is truly disconnected from the normal world. So much so, that some scenes may make you feel slightly uncomfortable the more you realize just how strange "Lou" really is. His overall development is probably the main thing that will keep you interested. Another highlight is the moral ambiguity that the movie tries to press. Was "Lou" wrong for recording "news" the way he did or was it just part of the business?

The Bad: Outside of Jake's character, there really isn't very much to help this movie stay interesting. From the supporting actors to the plot itself, there's just nothing else to really keep you actively engaged. So if you are disinterested in his character, you pretty much have very little reason to continue watching the film altogether.

The Reason: I think that despite some really good acting from Gyllenhaal, this movie just isn't worth your money this weekend. I honestly don't think that many people will want to rent it either. But for movie enthusiasts, who appreciate good acting and a dark suspense genre, this may be something you simply add to your iTunes queue in the far future. Save your money for now.

The Rating: 6.5/10

Repentance Movie Review (2014)

The Good: Forest Whitaker plays the "crazy" role fairly well.

The Bad: The writing, the directing, the acting, the story line, Anthony Mackie, Mike Epps's New Orleans accent, and so much more.

The Reason: This movie was an embarrassment to "black movies" and probably the reason why they get stereotyped in Hollywood as not being successful. It was almost like all of the actors in the movie had a meeting and agreed to collectively dumb down their acting skills. Sanaa Lathan disappointed because her character was flat and didn't really demand much acting talent. (Sanaa can and has done much better.) Anthony Mackie proves once again that he's not ready to carry a movie as the lead actor. He just simply over acts his parts. (See Crossover... no wait, don't go see that.) There are so many parts in this movie that simply don't make sense, or are so easily predictable, that you'll probably prefer to schedule root canal before watching this movie. I strongly suggest avoiding this movie, and if it comes up your Netflix recommendations, feel free to write a very angry letter to Netflix for polluting your queue with garbage.

The Rating: 4.5/10

John Wick Movie Review (2014)

The Good: Action galore. One of the best things about this movie is the gun fights. Keanu Reeves does a great job at showing us a rather unique fighting style of close combat gun fighting. He uses a gun almost how a martial artist uses their hands. It's really entertaining to watch. Which leads to the next point about the fighting choreography. In a weird sense, it almost looks unscripted and lends itself to seem a little more realistic. When you pair the fighting choreography up with the MANY bloody, fatal gun shots, you've got an interesting recipe for a gun toting action flick. Also, there's a splash of humor throughout the film that will get you to chuckle a few times.

The Bad: The story was kind of basic. You've seen it in the trailer so there's nothing much to build on beyond them killing his dog from his dead wife. (Trust me, that's no spoiler) While the action is great for the majority of the film, the ending is pretty blah.

The Reason: Keanu is back! This was a good movie for him to do, even though he still comes off as a grumpy Neo from The Matrix. This was an enjoyable movie, especially if you enjoy action films. Is it worth going to see in the theaters? I'd say yes ONLY if you're an action junkie. If you're not that big of an action fan, then you can wait for this to hit Netflix in the future. I'd probably only recommend watching this for the matinee price at the very most.

The Rating: 7/10