Author Archives: filmtoppings

10.10.16
by

Deepwater Horizon

ratings4

Deepwater Horizon is a thrilling dramatization of the April 2010 disaster when the offshore drilling rig, Deepwater Horizon, exploded and ultimately created the worst oil spill in U.S. history. The movie focuses on the crew’s struggles to make it off the rig alive.
Deepwater Horizon re-teams director Peter Berg (Lone Survivor) with star Mark Wahlberg for another intense true story that does not disappoint. Berg impressively recreates the tragic events focused on in the film, and brings in well-written and emotionally powerful characters. Wahlberg, Kurt Russell, John Malkovich, and Gina Rodriguez make up a great ensemble cast of workers fighting for their lives to get back to those they leave. The characters are all given a good touch of development, and the choices they make in attempt to survive feel very human. There’s also a great message about human nature that I won’t ruin for you, but you’ll catch it in the first act. Berg also bring us some incredible cinematography, making the disaster feel dangerously realistic. The sound editing and visual effects pull you into the oil disaster and often take your breath away. It’s easy to make a disaster film like this a mindless visually packed thriller (for example, this year’s The Finest Hours), but when you are able to make the technical aspect of the film something truly special, and have an interesting script, it can turn out to be something unique. Deepwater Horizon dares to be brutal, heart-racing, and ultimately gut-punching, which makes it an unpassable adventure worth seeing on the big screen.
Deepwater Horizon is intense, marvelously shot, emotionally powerful, and kept me on the edge of my seat of the entire second half of the film. Peter Berg has proved himself a master of covering dramatic events like this through film, and I can’t wait to see what he’ll bring us with Patriots Day later this year. If you’re looking for a movie to go see in theaters, you should definitely consider Deepwater Horizon.
Deepwater Horizon (film).jpg
09.27.16
by

The 2016 FilmToppings Summer Movie Awards

Summer is always an interesting season for movies. Now that summer has ended, I bring you my 3rd annual summer movie awards! You guys all voted on Instagram for your favorite of each category, and here are the results:

Best Cinematography: Star Trek Beyond

Image result for star trek beyond movie stills

Best Visual Effects: Kubo and the Two Strings

Image result for kubo and the two strings

Best Score/Soundtrack: Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping

Image result for popstar never stop never stopping movie stills

Best Director: Anthony and Joe Russo – Captain America: Civil War

Image result for the russo brothers captain america civil war set

Best Actor: Ryan Gosling – The Nice Guys

Image result for ryan gosling in the nice guys

Best Actress: Angourie Rice – The Nice Guys

Image result for angourie rice the nice guys

Worst Movie: Independence Day: Resurgence

Image result for independence day resurgence movie stills

Best Movie: The Nice Guys

Image result for ryan gosling in the nice guys

These are the winners of this summer’s awards ceremony! This summer had some unexpected disappointments but also some pleasantly outstanding films, including ones that won these categories. What did you think about this year’s summer movies?

09.11.16
by

Sully

ratings4

After successfully landing U.S. Airway Flight 1549 on the Hudson River, saving all 155 lives on board, captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger is deemed a hero by the news and everyone around him, but soon, a new investigation forces Sully to put his job, family, and reputation on the line.

The 2016 Oscar season continues to soar with Clint Eastwood’s Sully, based on the famous and heroic Hudson River landing January 15, 2009. Tom Hanks is no less than I expected from him as the heroic pilot and protagonist of the film. Don’t expect that single show-stealing scenes you get from most Oscar-hopeful/nominated performances, but Hanks becomes Sully throughout the film and watching him in this movie was nothing like watching an actor recite lines in front of a camera. One of the reasons Hanks is my favorite actor currently working in Hollywood is that he never needs to “overact” in order to deliver a great performance. He exaggerates his the way the script tells him to feel, instead you are able to understand his emotions with the smallest expressions from Hanks. Aaron Eckhart also delivers an impressive performance as Sully’s co-pilot Jeff Skiles, delivering a great personality and some humor as well. This movie is also very prestigious from a technical standpoint. The editing is marvelous and the cinematography is quite remarkable, especially in the plane-landing sequence that had me on the very edge of my seat, even though we all know the outcome. Eastwood directs and constructs the sequence to make the audience feel as if they are on the flight and really experiencing the scene, without needing to use loud sound effects and excessive use of cuts. The rest of the scenes are also directed so well that for a while, it’s even hard to believe that it all actually happened. Whenever a scene ends triumphantly, most films will have people cheering and clapping to indicate that something great has happened. Instead, the way Sully would bring you a scene like this is by having you listen to the exchange of dialogue, and ending the scene afterwards. Sully never exaggerates but is still so powerful with storytelling and emotion. This movie is not only a celebration of the miraculous event that occurred on the Hudson 7 years ago, but a celebration of human nature and how selfless and great us humans can be.

Tensely shot, incredibly acted, and magnificently directed, Sully is easily one of the greatest films this year, with Tom Hanks marvelously portraying a heroic pilot that the film proudly honors, and Eastwood directing a true story to its true potential. Don’t have anything else to do? Go watch Sully.

Sully xxlg.jpeg

09.07.16
by

The Light Between Oceans

ratings4

After a lighthouse keeper and his wife living off the coast of Western Australia rescue a baby from an adrift rowboat, they must decide whether to keep her and raise her as their own or report her to the police. Derek Cianfrance has brought us something truly beautiful with The Light Between Oceans, a poignant, tear-jerking, well-acted piece of film that will impact you emotionally like no other movie this year. Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander are astonishing in the film’s lead roles. Fassbender conveys every little emotion his character feels without having to use words. I don’t know if his performance here can beat what he gave us in last year’s Steve Jobs, but this film is undoubtedly another great example of how incapable Fassbender is of delivering anything less than great. Vikander fabulously helps carry the film and delivers what is by far the greatest performance of the year. It was hard to imagine her out of character for a moment because of how impeccably and marvelously she portrayed her role. She brings so much emotional strength that it even becomes disturbing in a few scenes. I haven’t seen too many performances like her’s in recent years. Rachel Weisz is also emotionally exquisite in her strong supporting performance.

The Light Between Oceans doesn’t only bring the best out of its A-list actors. The cinematography is dazzling and the score from Alexandre Desplat is easily the best this year. Every shot in the film is captured so gorgeously and perfectly, and it’s all accompanied very well to Desplat’s marvelous soundtrack. The movie tries very hard to get you emotional and depressed, and thankfully it doesn’t miss. Some scenes in this film managed to break my heart and almost made me shed a few tears. There are parts that are very tough to watch, so I’d only recommend this film for teens and older, but every one of these scenes are boasted by the cast’s strong performances and nearly flawless directing. I’m so impressed by how Cianfrance was able to put all of this to film and capture it so powerfully. All of this is what ultimately makes The Light Between Oceans a modern cinematic achievement.

The Light Between Oceans is gorgeously shot, acted, and directed, and is easily one of the best and most depressing films I’ve seen in theaters this year. It slows down a tad in the final act, but there’s no doubt to say this is the first true Oscar contender of the year. I can’t understand what critics find to be so mediocre about this movie, and I’d highly recommend you go see it if you’re 14 or older.

The Light Between Oceans poster.jpg

08.27.16
by

War Dogs

ratings4

War Dogs is based on the true story of two young men, David Packouz and Efraim Diveroli, who won a $300 million contract from the Pentagon to arm America’s allies in Afghanistan.

War Dogs is surprisingly one of the smartest and most entertaining movies of the year. With two excellent leading actors and superb writing, this movie is very hard not to enjoy. Jonah Hill and Miles Teller both kill it as two twenty-something-year-old arms dealers who became millionaires by forging their way to million-dollar deals and eventually, driving Porsche’s too. Hill is unforgettable, bringing so much fun and wit to his role, and Teller is filled with soul as Hill’s partner-in-crime, as well as the film’s narrator.

This movie is being sold as a comedy, and as much gut-busting humor that’s included in the film, I would look at it in a more broad way as a hybrid of The Big Short, The Wolf of Wall Street and Catch Me If You Can. I was especially reminded of Spielberg’s Catch Me If You Can because of the idea of young men making bad decisions, as well as an awful lot of money, with Hill and Teller’s roles resembling DiCaprio’s portrayal of con man Frank Abagnale, Jr. Although the characters in this film weren’t always in illegal business, but in both films the characters decide to cheat their way to the American dream. Even though this movie is from the director of the Hangover trilogy, don’t expect goofy and nonsensical humor, because War Dogs is a LOT more than that.

If you like watching movies about true stories that you wouldn’t believe actually happened at first, then this is the movie for you. The plot is heavily fictionalized but the overall story is true, and it was a story that was not just interesting to watch, but entertaining as hell to sit through. The movie is less than two hours long, but not a moment felt rushed. The script never provides a dull moment, and there are some scenes and lines that will be difficult for you to forget. Don’t expect much action from this film either, because that’s not what War Dogs is about. War Dogs is a dangerously true story, that’s more of a dramatic than a comedic or thrilling movie, and that may be hard to believe but also very hard to forget. Please give this one a watch in theaters if you want a remarkably awesome time at the movies.

War Dogs 2016 poster.jpg

08.16.16
by

Pete’s Dragon (2016)

ratings3

A reimagining of Disney’s cherished family film, Pete’s Dragon is the adventure of an orphaned boy named Pete and his best friend Elliott, who just so happens to be a dragon.

Disney is continuing their surprising streak of great live-action remakes with Pete’s Dragon, which is based on the 1977 live-action classic, instead this time, the dragon is given a visual update with CGI instead of being hand-drawn. And once again, Disney succeeds at bringing a charming, family-friendly world of CGI to life. Although there isn’t as much visual weight and realism to the dragon as there was to the incredibly photo-realistic environment and characters in this year’s Jungle Book, there’s enough charm and fun to make it another solid and spirited Disney family flick. The is a splendid cast that helps carry the film that includes Bryce Dallas Howard, Wes Bentley, Karl Urban, and Robert Redford. Oakes Fegley, the child actor who plays Pete, does a remarkable job acting in front of his costars and sometimes in front of nothing (in the scenes in which his character must interact with Elliot). The majority of the film, however, didn’t require as much interaction with computer-generated surroundings as the leading child actors from The Jungle Book and The BFG, hence making Fegley’s performance less impressive and unique as the other actors and overall, I felt much more connected to the leads from the other two films. The standout of the cast is definitely Howard, who brings lots of life and energy to her character and delivers a notable performance from the film.

This movie may be a great time for families and especially younger kids, but that’s really the only target audience for the film. If you watch this film looking for a great story, you might not be satisfied. The story has lots of soul, but the film’s second half starts to slow down a little bit before entering familiar territory and following a formula used by too many family films.The story of a kid trying to protect an extraordinary being while the adults’ greed and fear prevents them from understanding the situation as well as the protagonist has already been used plenty of times. E.T. and How to Train Your Dragon are just a few examples of films that follow the exact same formula during most of their runtime. When the movie tried to get exciting during the final act, it was hard for me to care because of how cliched it mostly was. However, the film concludes with a great message about family and preserving your surroundings.

Although it does get too familiar at times, I can bet you Pete’s Dragon will be a great time if you go see it with your family, with lots of soul and great underlying messages, as well as outstanding cast members and writing. I wouldn’t recommend this if you’re looking for the best movie out there, but if you want to see a fun and touching family film, then Pete’s Dragon is unlikely to disappoint you.

Petes dragon 2016 film poster.jpg

08.12.16
by

Jason Bourne

ratings4

Jason Bourne (Matt Damon), the CIA’s most dangerous former operative, is drawn out of hiding when old ally Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles) finds him, to uncover more explosive truths about his past.

Jason Bourne reminds us that the series it belongs to is still one of the greatest action franchises out there, especially with Paul Greengrass in the director’s chair, and Damon in the spotlight. In 2012, we got The Bourne Legacy, which starred Jeremy Renner instead of Damon and failed critically because it didn’t feel much like a Bourne movie because of Damon’s absence and the lack of everything that distinguishes a Bourne movie from a regular action movie. In this film, Greengrass shows us that this series can still return to form after a mistake like that. Jason Bourne follows the formula set by the first three films, with lots of impressive shaky-cam action while Bourne is running from the CIA. However, it gets even more personal this time around, as he starts to uncover a final secret from his past. The story isn’t very new but as a huge fan of the series, I never lost interest thanks to the pacing and intense action. Damon is still fantastic as the titular character, even fourteen years after portraying the character for the first time. He never loses character both physically and emotionally, and it’s so much fun to watch him constantly kick ass in all four of these films. Tommy Lee Jones portrays a ruthless CIA director who’s as perfectly written and developed as Chris Cooper’s antagonist in the first film, while Alicia Vikander is superb as a CIA agent that, in a way, resembles Joan Allen’s Pam Landy from the previous movies. Although both characters feel familiar, they are most skillfully portrayed by two excellent casting choices for their roles. Vincent Cassel is also a great villainous newcomer to the series, with an interesting backstory and great writing to his character. It’s so impressive that even though the main characters are part of the franchise’s formula, each one of them was written so profoundly, and I loved the way they were developed and portrayed.

If you’re hoping to get some spectacular action sequences from this movie, then you won’t be let down because there is plenty of intense bone-crunching and heart-racing action that’s just as great as what Greengrass gave us in Supremacy and Ultimatum. There’s an epic motorcycle chase during a riot that glued my eyes to the screen, as well as an enormous car chase in Vegas that kept me on the very edge of my seat. The incredible use of practical stunt and shaky camera work definitely hold up. Cinematographer Barry Ackroyd is more reliant on shaky cam than Oliver Wood, who shot the original trilogy; Ackroyd has however proved to be a master at capturing exquisite action and scenery with his style in films like The Hurt Locker and Captain Phillips. Here, his style may feel overdone to some, but I believe the camerawork was done impeccably, especially during the action scenes. A lot of critics have sadly been disappointed by this movie, saying it doesn’t live up to the previous work of Damon’s Bourne pictures, but let me tell you that skipping this movie is not the right move for fans of action movies and especially of the saga. Jason Bourne gave me everything I wanted and even more. It’s strikingly written, phenomenally acted, and stunningly shot and directed. It’s definitely on par with the first three films, probably even better than Supremacy. The Bourne movies have truly raised the bar for action movies, and I haven’t seen many others like them. Jason Bourne is another fantastic example that did not disappoint, so please, despite what many critics have said, go see this movie with an open mind like I did, and who knows how much you may end up liking it?

Jason Bourne (film).jpg

08.05.16
by

Suicide Squad

ratings2

In DC’s latest attempt to recover from the backlash received by this year’s Batman v Superman, A secret government agency recruits a group of imprisoned supervillains to execute dangerous black ops missions in exchange for clemency, which inevitably leads to chaos.

Suicide Squad was easily one of my most anticipated movies of the year, but I was also expecting so much from it, and unlike other films that unsurprisingly disappointed, I was almost certain I was going to get everything I wanted from this film. With great casting choices and an intriguing story, I didn’t think anything could go wrong. However, despite a few perks, Suicide Squad is ultimately a chaotic and poorly constructed supervillain extravaganza. This movie isn’t completely bad, as most of the action is tons of fun and the film’s cast is packed with awesome and entertaining performances. Will Smith leads the cast with great humor and writing, and Margot Robbie steals the movie with her insane and lively performance as Harley Quinn. Robbie always seems like she’s having so much fun in the role, as she’s always full of energy and she definitely lived up to what I expected from her. Joel Kinnaman, Jai Courtney, Viola Davis, and the rest of the cast are solid and mostly funny. I expected more, however, from Jared Leto. His take on the Joker is nowhere as memorable as Heath Ledger’s take on the psychotic villain in Nolan’s The Dark Knight, and his role is of little significance in the film. The DC universe just wastes this character in the film and I didn’t like his use in the film, although I liked Leto’s performance. Another thing I enjoyed about the movie was the amount of humor incorporated in the movie, and how much it delivered. Characters like Deadshot, Harley Quinn, Killer Croc, and Captain Boomerang were hilarious and delivered some great lines. I was impressed and overall satisfied by how much the movie made me laugh. The action mostly entertained me as well.

I was hoping Suicide Squad could help DC recover from Batman v Superman‘s terrible failure this year, however, I was wrong. Like its predecessor, the movie suffers from many continuity errors and plot holes. Many things happen that don’t make any sense later on, and although the movie tries hard, there is ultimately no emotional weight that got to me, and by the end, the story felt completely empty and pointless. The editing is too choppy and flashy, all the takes are transitioned through too quickly, and I could tell that too much was cut from the film. Not much is explained and regarded that I wish was addressed to have made more sense. A lot of the development for more minor characters was not there, so emotionally there was nothing this film gave me. Despite the backstories provided for more major characters like Deadshot and El Diablo, nothing hit me deep like other films of its genre, like Guardians of the Galaxy and other films in the Avengers saga. The film’s villain also did nothing for me, as the villain’s plot and presence were dull and effortless. The ending of the movie makes the plot and even the film itself feel so pointless and nothing seems to be in its place anymore. You may want to watch Suicide Squad for a few fun action sequences and good laughs, but don’t expect a redeeming summer blockbuster for DC, or anything close.

Official poster

07.28.16
by

Star Trek Beyond

ratings4

In the third of the Star Trek reboot franchise, the  crew of the USS Enterprise explores the furthest reaches of uncharted space, where they encounter a new ruthless enemy who puts them and everything the Federation stands for to the test.

Star Trek Beyond brings to the screen everything we love about Star Trek and more, even without J.J. Abrams in the director’s chair. Beyond is packed with great action, laughs, writing, cast chemistry, and editing. Justin Lin surprised me by how well he was able to direct this film without losing the energy, heart, and extraordinary style that Abrams brought to the first two films. You can’t get enough of Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, John Cho, and the late Anton Yelchin (who sadly passed away due to an accident last month) as the crew of the Enterprise. They are all filled with so much energy and fun. The chemistry between all of them is golden, the writing for their characters is outstanding, and they always seem to be having so much fun in front of the screen. Sofia Boutella (who you may remember as Samuel L. Jackson’s henchwoman in last year’s Kingsman: The Secret Service) surprised me in her newcoming role to the series, and although her role wasn’t the most original character the writers could have come up with, I didn’t expect as much from her and enjoyed watching her onscreen. Idris Elba delivers a favorable performance as an evil alien warlord named Krall, but can’t nearly top Benedict Cumberbatch’s menacing Khan from Into Darkness. In the film’s last act, Krall is given a backstory that only complicates things and makes him less intimidating. The backstory they gave him felt too familiar and flat, and didn’t work well with the rest of the film.

Can a Star Trek movie ever disappoint me visually? Not quite. The effects in this movie are splendid, and although it lacks the glamorous touch Abrams gave the visual atmosphere and look of its predecessors, there is some marvelous cinematography and visual surrounding in the film. This experience was especially enhanced for me because I saw this in IMAX 3D, which explains why I felt so sucked into the movie’s setting, which was always animated beautifully. The action is shot and choreographed very well, and it’s all very fast-paced and fun to sit through. The action definitely holds up to the excitement and intensity in the first two films. This movie is a thrill ride packed with tons of sci-fi violence throughout, even though it doesn’t forget to provide the character development we want from a Star Trek movie. Expect plenty of nostalgia and throwbacks to the original Star Trek franchise and cast, the film doesn’t get rid of the great feeling that you’re watching Star Trek, a different kind of enjoyment than most other action films. If you’re a fan, you definitely won’t get let down by how much the original franchise is paid homage to, and by how much this saga still feels like Star Trek did decades ago. Although it’s not as great as the first two films, Beyond is still tons of fun to watch, with a stellar cast, plenty of vivid action and effects, and doesn’t forget to pay tribute to the late and great Leonard Nimoy, and of course, Anton Yelchin. Go see Beyond if you’re a fan, or if you simply want to have a great time at the movies.

The USS Enterprise flying through the universe, with the film's title "Beyond", and the film's billing below.

07.25.16
by

Snowden

ratings4

Snowden follows American computer professional Edward Snowden (played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the film), who leaked classified information from the National Security Agency to The Guardian in June 2013.

Snowden is a movie I got to see two months before its release this September, and I’m glad I took the opportunity to watch it. Director Oliver Stone delivers an interesting, complex, and well-done biopic that taught me a lot more about who Edward Snowden really was, what he did, and why he did it. The film works as both an excellent biopic and a great political thriller. I’ve seen Joseph Gordon-Levitt shine in many films over the years, but I’ve never seen such outstanding work from him like in this film. I couldn’t see Gordon-Levitt in the film, I could only see Snowden. He completely changes his appearance, behavior, and most remarkably his voice to perfectly match the figure in real life. Towards the end of the film, an interview with the real Snowden is compared to one with Gordon-Levitt’s portrayal of him, and the efforts the actor made to become the character are unbelievable. Although I don’t think Shailene Woodley was the best choice to play her character, I feel like she gave the role her best and her performance didn’t turn out to be too bad. The movie also has a great supporting cast (including Melissa Leo, Zachary Quinto, Tom Wilkinson, and Nicolas Cage), and most of them deliver strong and interesting performances. Snowden works as a biography, a thriller, and an interesting drama. The movie gives us a better glimpse at the gravity of what Snowden did, and exactly why he did it. We get some depth inside the threat of our security at the time, and the controversy behind whether the NSA was doing the right or wrong thing by looking at our actions and personal information. Oliver Stone convinced me that Snowden was doing the right thing, and for the right reasons too, which wasn’t exactly what I believed before. This movie did what a great biography should do, which is change your view and opinion about the person being focused on by learning and understanding more about them. In the first twenty minutes of the film, the editing and cinematography feels off and not the way it’s supposed to be, but it’s all polished up afterwards, despite a few moments throughout where the editing feels somewhat odd. But the film’s great performances, storytelling, and effect are what matter the most. Instead of giving us all the information about the topic that happens after the film through closing cards, we get most of it through fragments of real newscasts about what happened, which isn’t something we always get in biopics, and I thought that was a different but much more effective way to deliver the audience information. Walking out after the film ended, I was left thinking a lot about the subject and what I had just watched, which proves the film succeeded at doing its job for its audiences.

Snowden is a well-done, excellently directed, and powerfully executed biopic that you should definitely watch in theaters when its released this September, and although the editing has a few moments that needed some more polishing, its performances and writing are what make it stand out from most of the other movies I’ve seen this year. I sure hope this movie gets the audience and praise it deserves once it’s released.

Snowden film poster.jpg