Youth

Directed and Written by : Paolo Sorrentino  
Starring : Michael Caine, Harvey Keitel, Rachel Weisz, Paul Dano, 
Release Date : May 20, 2015  

"Youth" is arguably one of the most beautiful movies I've seen in 2015, in soundtrack, visuals, and with the theme of the story. It's a philosophical drama, that's done in an artistic style, which might alienate some movie goers who aren't open to that. The film opens up with a couple of minutes showing The Retrosettes Sister Band performing their jazzy-disco-rock song "You Got The Love," which sets the tone on how a wide variety of music is integrated into the movie. Director Sorrentino seems to want to share his thoughts about life and living, and the use of music is a good artistic representation of that. 

Predominantly set in a luxury hotel resort and spa, it seems like a fantastic place to just lounge about, and the film loves showing picturesque shots of the location. This goes along with tons of other snippet of scenes showing miscellaneous characters in that hotel resort, from it's employees and it's guests, young and old. The movie does a great job in emphasizing that everybody, no matter how insignificant they may seem to the plot, do have their own stories to tell. There are many little moments involving some of these minor characters that I really enjoyed seeing. 

The main plot of this story is primarily seen through the eyes of two older men. Michael Caine as Fred Ballinger; a retired composer / conductor, and Harvey Keitel as Mick Boyle; his long time Director friend. The lead cast is rounded off by Fred's daughter / assistant played by Rachel Weisz, and a jaded actor played by Paul Dano. This is a movie that's more about the characters than the story itself, and is mostly filled with conversations that deal with philosophizing about life and living, feeling nostalgic about the past, concerns about the future, and just talking about people. Some of the dialogue may feel a little too on-the-nose at times, but I was completely captivated by what was being said. 

Filled with dream-like sequences, funny moments, and emotional reveals, "Youth" kinda caught me off guard at how much it resonated with me. It celebrates life, the good things and the bad things, because that's living. 

LOVED IT  enjoyedititsokayitsmehitsterrible

Concussion

Directed and Written by : Peter Landesman  
Starring : Will Smith, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Alec Baldwin, Albert Brooks, David Morse  
Release Date : December 25, 2015  

To put it bluntly, "Concussion" is an unremarkable movie. I'm not saying it's a bad film, but it's definitely not a great film by any means. It's just a very pedestrian movie that doesn't really do anything too cinematic, and plays out with the expected tropes of being an adaptation of a true story. Fortunately for the movie, it does have an interesting and important story to tell, which may even save someone's life. 

This movie is telling the story of Dr. Bennet Omalu's discovery of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), which is a progressive degenerative disease that is caused by repeated trauma to the head. This then becomes a David vs Goliath story, when Dr. Omalu brings this up to the NFL, which is an organization that would rather just not believe in the truth about CTE. This is the main crux of the movie, and the primary reason to see it. 

Will Smith does a good job playing Dr. Omalu, and it's as serviceable as expected. There are some side stories about the Doctor's personal life that I thought the movie didn't need to have bothered with, but it does admittedly make the character more sympathetic. He is a foreigner who really loves living in the USA, and this leads to a dramatic plot device of Dr. Omalu suddenly being persecuted because his scientific research could ruin one of America's favorite sports, football. One man vs a very powerful institution. Compelling stuff. 

It's unfortunate that "Concussion" couldn't just be a better movie than it is, because it does deal with a subject matter that's too important to ignore. 

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The Hateful Eight

Directed and Written by : Quentin Tarantino  
Starring : Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Tim Roth, Demian Bichir, Bruce Dern, Michael Madsen  
Release Date : December 25, 2015  

Director / Writer Quentin Tarantino makes his movies with a particular style, and "The Hateful Eight" is no exception. Tarantino's films can be polarizing; even among his fans, and this movie will probably be that case once again. What you're getting into here, is an almost 3 hours long movie, set in only two primary locations, that's 95% dialogue and 5% action. It's very offensive, vulgar, and the violence it does have are usually graphically bloody. It has that post-civil war Western genre backdrop, that's mixed with a whodunnit type mystery, with a good variety of politically incorrect characters. If that sounds like something you wouldn't mind seeing, then you might just enjoy this. 

The movie plays out in six chapters, with the first half of that specifically dedicated to character introductions and backstories. There's a lot of seemingly innocuous information that Tarantino tosses into the many conversations and monologues that are littered throughout the movie, which may seem pointless and boring for some audiences to put up with. I however found them absolutely engrossing to listen to, and only made me even more invested in what was going to happen to these characters. I also appreciated it's dark sense of humor, as well as the almost wacky comedy bits and running gags (like one involving a door). 

As for the characters in the movie themselves, I thought that they were all pretty fantastic. Well, maybe one or two of them weren't exactly on par with the rest, but I enjoyed what each character brought into the story. I loved the fact that each one of the characters had distinctly unique personalities and characteristics. Samuel L Jackson and Kurt Russell were easily the actors who stood out the most, but to my pleasant surprise it was actually Walton Goggins who I think steals this movie as the major highlight of the cast. 

Filled with conversation topics that ranges from the historical, political, and social, with tons of story telling, and characters making monologues of deduction, "The Hateful Eight" is very much a "talky." Despite some scenes that I thought could have been edited down, I was not bored at all with this magnificent Tarantino movie. 

LOVED IT  enjoyedititsokayitsmehitsterrible

The Revenant

Directed by : Alejandro González Iñárritu  
Written by : Mark L. Smith, Alejandro González Iñárritu  
Starring : Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson, Will Poulter,  
Release Date : December 25, 2015  

Director Alejandro González Iñárritu creates another powerful cinematic work with "The Revenant." Combined with the fantastic cinematography of Emmanuel Lubezki, this movie is a visual masterpiece, that showcases beautiful imagery of amazing locations. There are also multiple tracking shots of sequences that are just a marvel to see here. It's fantastic that this is great to look at; and the sound design is also quite excellent, because this movie has a very simple premise that honestly cannot carry the whole thing by itself. You should be watching this for the experience, and wow is this an amazing cinematic achievement to see! 

While the plot is generally very straightforward and not altogether original, it is worth noting that this story is actually based on true events; with several creative liberties taken. Some scenes worth mentioning here is a battle sequence during the beginning parts that features some serious violence, an incredible scene where a wound needs to be cauterized, and a lengthy bear attack scene that can be more graphic than what you would have preferred to have seen (it got pretty grizzly - pun intended). I had to wonder multiple times how these film makers pulled off doing some of those scenes. Amazing work! 

One of the main highlights of this movie, is seeing another stellar performance by Leonardo DiCaprio as frontiersman Hugh Glass. This has got to be one of the most physically demanding roles that DiCaprio has ever tackled as an actor. There are multiple scenes of adversities that his character had to be really creative in how he had to survive them, and that's part of what makes it worth seeing this story through. Some survival techniques showcased were quite eye opening, while others demanded a suspension of disbelief. Some of the plot developments also required suspension of disbelief, but this is such a strong movie that it's easy to ignore it's faults. 

Including a strong cast that includes Tom Hardy and Domhnall Gleeson, "The Revenant" is an instant classic in film making. There are lengthy scenes of personal introspection and long dialogue-less wilderness survival sequences that might alienate some viewers though. 

LOVED IT  enjoyedititsokayitsmehitsterrible

Joy

Directed by : David O. Russell  
Written by : David O. Russell, Annie Mumolo  
Starring : Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Isabella Rossellini, Édgar Ramírez, Elisabeth Röhm, Bradley Cooper, Virginia Madsen  
Release Date : December 24, 2015  

As typical as it is, Director David O. Russell once again gives us yet another look at a dysfunctional family with "Joy." Expect the usual wacky somewhat one-dimensional cartoonish characters, the madcap scenes where people are yelling at each other, and the usual precious moments that are suppose to either be humorous or somehow just relatable enough to the average movie goer experienced with dysfunctional families. Nothing new to see here right? Yes, and No.  

From the get-go, this movie felt to me to be pretty insufferable and obnoxious to sit through, and made me question why I even bothered watching it. Almost half-way through the story though, it suddenly became a movie that I actually didn't mind watching. The true point of the movie finally became more focused. I ended up becoming invested with how this story was going to end, and it did have some interesting plot developments. To my surprise, this was more than just another David O. Russell dysfunctional family story, and was an actual story that I should have been more familiar with than initially thought. 

Despite the strength of the main plot, this movie is still quite frankly all over the place. The only element that's really keeping the movie from falling apart is Jennifer Lawrence playing the lead character "Joy." She seems to get frustrated with how her life is playing out in this story, just like we in the audience get frustrated with how the movie can be. With that, we instantly find a common relatable ground with the film. It's not necessarily her best work to date, but she still deserves your attention here. 

There's a common theme with "Joy" about overcoming obstacles in the quest of success, as well as the strength of will that women can possess. The underlying message might be enough to recommend this, but I just wished it was a better movie than it really is. 

loveditenjoyedit  IT'S OKAY  itsmehitsterrible

The Big Short

Directed by : Adam McKay  
Written by : Charles Randolph, Adam McKay  
Starring : Steve Carell, Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling, Jeremy Strong, John Magaro, Finn Wittrock, Brad Pitt, Hamish Linklater  
Release Date : December 11, 2015

Based on a true story; with some liberties taken, "The Big Short" is at times exhilarating, can be confusing, and somewhat frightening, because it's amazing how the incredulous events that took place in the movie actually happened in real life. This is at the same time a history lesson, a cautionary tale, and a social commentary, about how the world revolves around money and wealth a little too much. As the movie proposes, greed is the enemy, but our protagonists are also essentially using greed to fight back against them. 

The way the story is told as directed by Adam McKay is kinetic and energetic, especially considering the subject matter. There's a running narration explaining things, characters who break the 4th wall, visual montages, and even some creative segments explaining some of the jargon and concepts that are essential to understand the plot. It blends a documentary style, to a dramatization, and even a comedy. The funny moments adds a much needed levity to some of the heavier themes that the movie tackles. 

At the heart of this movie are these separate groups of people who come across this alarming information about the eventual housing market crash. The strong ensemble cast does a great job in bringing our lead characters to life, and make them entertaining enough to follow. It becomes somewhat of a David vs Goliath story, as well as a Chicken Little tale. However the moral dilemma for the audience is that while we want to root for our protagonists to be proven right, it also means that we're essentially also rooting for a world economic disaster. 

I suppose the biggest achievement that "The Big Short" has, is that it made a story about a financial crisis entertaining to watch. Some may argue that it's more style than substance, but even if that's true, the subject matter is too fascinating not to check this movie out. 

lovedit  ENJOYED IT  itsokayitsmehitsterrible

Legend (2015)

Directed & Written by : Brian Helgeland  
Starring : Tom Hardy, Emily Browning  
Release Date : September 9, 2015  

The true story about the identical twin gangster brothers Reggie Kray and Ronnie Kray is very interesting and fascinating, which is probably why this movie is called "Legend." Unfortunately, this movie is just all over the place, ranging from tediousness to excitement, from being humorous to being melodramatic, with a pace that feels too slow or too fast at times. It's already a decently long movie at being 132 minutes long, but it felt even longer when watching it. 

Part of the problem with this movie is that it feels like it's trying to do too much for this medium. The story of the Krays is probably something that would have been better told as a documentary or a TV mini-series. What we got instead is yet another biographical film, and all the problems that comes with it. The movie just becomes a series of highlights that are told back to back to back. The voice over monologue explaining what's happening doesn't necessarily make things better either. 

At least there is one primary highlight and reason to watching this movie. Tom Hardy playing the roles of both Reggie and Ronnie Kray. It's incredible what he's done here, as it can be easy to fall into the idea that there are actually two different actors playing the two characters. In part it's probably because Hardy differentiates things by playing Reggie as this charming and focused individual, and plays Ronnie with this over the top performance of craziness. There are many other actors and characters to see here, like Emily Browning, David Thewlis, or Taron Egerton, but Tom Hardy outshines them all. 

It's unfortunate that while "Legend" is a good vehicle to showcase the acting talents of Tom Hardy, the movie itself is just mediocre. I liked some of it's humor and fight sequences, but I found the story telling to be rather flat. 

loveditenjoyedit  IT'S OKAY  itsmehitsterrible

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Directed by : J.J. Abrams  
Written by : Lawrence Kasdan, J.J. Abrams, Michael Arndt  
Starring : Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Driver, Harrison Ford, Oscar Isaac,  
Release Date : December 16, 2015  

*** No Spoilers here! ***  

If there are some things that are really obvious about "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," it's that not only is it a story continuation to an already established series of films; which expects it's audience to already be familiar with it's world and mythology, but it also serves as an homage and a tribute to those movies that preceded it. Some would argue that it can be a little too similar to what's come before, but there are new elements introduced here that make this movie worth checking out. 

I really liked the new characters, and I thought they were the main reason this movie even worked as well as it did. Daisy Ridley as Rey is a strong assertive protagonist worth following. John Boyega as Finn brings a nice sense of humorous awkwardness to his character. Adam Driver as Kylo Ren may seem like a typical antagonist, but there's a certain unhinged rawness to his character that I appreciated. Plus BB-8 is just too adorable as a droid character, that I absolutely enjoyed every moment it was on screen. 

There are a lot of things this movie was able to do right, which I thought easily outweighed any plot or logical issues that I had with it (that I won't get into here, because spoilers). Bringing back some of the familiar characters from the previous movies is always welcome, especially the always likable Han Solo as played by Harrison Ford. Having lots of solid action set pieces and crowd pleasing moments were very entertaining to see. The comedic lines and scenes that are in this were actually funny to me. Most importantly I suppose, is that it introduced a new story arc for this franchise that I'm genuinely excited to see more of. 

As the seventh installment of the Star Wars franchise of movies, I can easily say that "The Force Awakens" is not the best of the series, but it's also genuinely not one of the worst. The pacing worked for me. The characters worked for me. The story worked for me. This movie just worked for me, and that makes me happy. 

LOVED IT  enjoyedititsokayitsmehitsterrible

The Danish Girl

Directed by : Tom Hooper  
Written by : Lucinda Coxon  
Starring : Eddie Redmayne, Alicia Vikander  
Release Date : November 27, 2015  

If "The Danish Girl" has any true faults, it's that it adheres to the tried and true formula of a typical semi-biographical story, that tackles a sensitive ideological subject matter. The "based on a true story" premise is interesting and thought provoking, but there just might be some plot points that some people may wish the movie would have gone into more detail. With all that said, I thought the pacing, the story telling, and the visuals, are effective enough, as this movie only serves as a vehicle to highlight how amazing the two lead actors are. 

Eddie Redmayne does a fantastic job of playing a person with two different personas, the man that is Einar Wegener, and the woman that he becomes Lili Elbe. Watching Redmayne's journey through this story is fascinating, with the movie smartly focusing on some of his subtle mannerisms to highlight his transformation. As great a job as Redmayne did here though, I have to say that it's Alicia Vikander that completely owns this movie. There's a certain powerful subtlety that Vikander brings to Gerda Wegener. She is the woman who starts out as Einar's happy wife, but soon has to go through the struggle of confusion, anger, and abandonment, into a person who accepts and understands who the Love of her life truly is. 

The relationship between Einar/Lili and Gerda has got to be one of the best unconventional Love stories ever put in a movie, and it's really all because of Alicia Vikander. Vikander is remarkably convincing in playing Gerda as someone who is still in love with Lili, as she was with Einar. How much Gerda cares for Lili is the true heart of this story, which makes it all so effectively heartbreaking, and a testament to the power of true love. 

It's unfortunate that lots of people will avoid seeing "The Danish Girl" because of it's subject matter, because they are going to miss out on one the best acting performances of 2015. 

lovedit  ENJOYED IT  itsokayitsmehitsterrible

Carol

Directed by : Todd Haynes  
Written by : Phyllis Nagy  
Starring : Rooney Mara, Cate Blanchett, Kyle Chandler, Sarah Paulson  
Release Date : November 20, 2015  

If you are looking for a traditionally told romantic story, then "Carol" is not for you. This is one of those movies that lean more on the more artistic side of film making story telling, and you might just find it a little bit pretentious. I know I did. The premise of the story is technically interesting and thought provoking, but the direction of the movie just didn't work for me. 

A lot of the movie is done with a lot of nuances, subtexts, and pretenses. For me that translated to scenes that meander way too long, and constantly takes its time to establish the mood and tone of the movie over and over and over again. For well over half the movie, I was simply frustrated and bored out of my mind. I understood the thematic point this story was trying to make, but I just wished it wasn't putting me to sleep. 

This movie was riding on three factors. Rooney Mara, Cate Blanchett, and their unconventional relationship. Unsurprisingly Mara and Blanchett play their characters really well, but it's just too bad that I did not buy their romance at all one bit. I get that they were really attracted to each other, but I'm not convinced of their love. It was like some fairy tale romance that we would deride other movies for. The most incredible thing about their relationship is that the movie manages to be heavy-handed and obvious about it, but at the same time makes all the effort in the world to try and be coy about it throughout the majority of the story. It's obvious they are lesbians from the beginning, the movie doesn't have to treat it like it's a secret to us! 

If lesbians want to champion a movie released in 2015 that has a strong leading actress representing their sexual preference, "Carol" is not it. I would suggest taking a look at Lily Tomlin in "Grandma" instead. 

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