Kingsman: The Secret Service

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Harry Hart (Colin Firth) is the head of a elite secret spy organization called the Kingsman. When he finds a regular street kid named Gary “Eggsy” Unwin (newcomer Taron Egerton) down on his luck, he recruits him into the intense training program. Meanwhile, criminal tech mastermind Richard Valentine is planning a mass genocide by activating a rage-inducing mind-control app on everyone’s phone . When the Kingsman learn about the crime, Hart and Eggsy have to spring into action, track down the mastermind and his weapon and stop his plot.

Kingsman: The Secret Service is not your typical spy movie. From the beautifully done action sequences to the solid cast, this is one awesome movie you don’t want to miss. Director Matthew Vaughn adds a light and humorous tone to the film, and directs the movie’s action sequences so well. The action is amazingly choreographed and shot, and the music that goes with the scenes fits them very well. The cast are all hilarious and touching. The one thing it lacks is the heart that Kick-Ass had, and  I didn’t care as much about the characters, even though they’re mostly developed well. Also, I never had hatred of Samuel L. Jackson’s villain, who felt rather funny and charming than menacing and evil. His humor worked and his performance was great but he didn’t feel much like a villain. But other than that, Kingsman: The Secret Service is pure entertainment. Combine Austin Powers, Kill Bill, and James Bond, and this is what you’ll get. So go watch this hell of a film once you have the chance!

Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014) Poster

The 87th Academy Awards (The Oscars)

This Sunday was The 87th Oscars, and it was awesome! Neil Patrick Harris was a hilarious host, and I definitely had a fun time watching the awards. I was surprised by some of the results, but not unhappy with them. Here are the results:

Best Picture: Birdman
Best Director: Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu
Best Actor: Eddie Redmayne – The Theory of Everything
Best Actress: Julianne Moore – Still Alice
Best Supporting Actor: J.K. Simmons – Whiplash
Best Supporting Actress: Patricia Arquette – Boyhood
Best Original Screenplay: Birdman
Best Adapted Screenplay: The Imitation Game
Best Animated Feature: Big Hero 6
Best Original Score: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Original Song: Glory – Selma
Best Cinematography: Birdman
Best Film Editing: Whiplash
Best Production Design: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Makeup and Hairstyling: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Costume Design: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Animated Short: Feast
Best Visual Effects: Interstellar
Best Sound Editing: American Sniper
Best Sound Mixing: Whiplash

I think How to Train Your Dragon 2 should have won Best Animated Feature, Whiplash should have won Best Adapted Screenplay, and Interstellar should have won Best Original Score, Production Design, and Sound Editing. But other than that, I really enjoyed the Oscars this year! What did you guys think?

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Jupiter Ascending

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In a bright and colorful future, a young destitute caretaker gets targeted by a ruthless son of a powerful family that live on a planet in need of a new heir, so she travels with a genetically engineered warrior to the planet in order to stop his tyrant reign.

February brings another slight disappointment, although I wasn’t expecting much from this movie. I thought it would be pretty fun, and don’t get me wrong, it is pretty entertaining. But whenever there isn’t action, it’s sometimes painful to watch. The movie suffers from an abundance of characters, a not-so-talented cast, and a ridiculous story-line. The acting is all very bad, especially our lead, Mila Kunis. She is great in comedies, but she does not know how to do a serious role. Channing Tatum does fine, but the chemistry between him and Kunis’ character is absolutely needless. Eddie Redmayne is a weak and terrible villain, who doesn’t speak clearly and acts very bratty. I wouldn’t be surprised if he won an Oscar for his role as Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything, but he does not do good in this role. Douglas Booth’s character is confusing and unlikable. Sure, the visual effects are amazing to look at, and this universe imagined in the film is cool, but it isn’t delivered well, and the subplots are awful, are very painful to watch, and simply show us how bad of an actress Mila Kunis can be, not that she typically is.

Overall, Jupiter Ascending is a disappointment, having too many characters played by bad actors, too many stupid subplots and product placements, and a whole lot of wasted potential. Besides the Matrix trilogy, the Wachowski Brothers have not made any good movies in their career. This and Speed Racer are proof.

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Paddington

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Paddington tells the story of a young Peruvian bear who travels to the city in search of a home. Finding himself lost and alone, he begins to realize that city life is not all he had imagined – until he meets the kindly Brown family who read the label around his neck that says “Please look after this bear. Thank you,” and offer him a temporary haven. It looks as though his luck has changed until this rarest of bears catches the eye of a museum taxidermist.

Following this film’s great reception, I was expecting a lot more. Unfortunately, I didn’t get anything from what I expected. The movie is predictable, unfunny, weird, and terribly executed. First, the CGI is terrible. Second, the plot is exactly like any other family movie, which makes it so cliché and predictable. Third, the villain was very weak. She had no reason whatsoever behind her will to kill animals and stuff them into her museum. Third, none of the jokes are funny. They are very overused. There were parts when I was literally shaking my head because of where this movie was going.

Overall, Paddington may be appealing to kids, but if you’re over age 11, then don’t watch this film. January still isn’t the month for great movies, it probably never will be.

The FilmToppings Oscars 2014

2014 was agreat year for movies. Who cares if this year’s Oscar nominees were disappointing? I decided to hold my own own awards competition back from December to earlier this month, so here are the results, according to you guys:

Best Supporting Actor: J.K. Simmons – Whiplash

Best Character: Caesar – Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Best Animated Film: How to Train Your Dragon 2

Best Comedy: The Grand Budapest Hotel

Best Superhero Movie: Guardians of the Galaxy

Best Action: The Raid 2

Best On-Screen Duo: Rocket and Groot – Guardians of the Galaxy

Best Cinematography: Birdman

Best Visual Effects: Interstellar

Best Screenplay: Gone Girl

Best Score: Interstellar

Best Supporting Actress: Emma Stone – Birdman

Best Director: Richard Linklater – Boyhood

Best Actress: Rosamund Pike – Gone Girl

 

Best Actor: Eddie Redmayne – The Theory of Everything

Worst Picture: The Legend of Hercules

Best Picture: Birdman

I hope you all had a great year of 2014! The real Oscars are only 2 weeks away!