Author Archives: filmtoppings

04.16.16
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The Jungle Book (2016)

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Rudyard Kipling’s beloved story of Mowgli, Baloo, Bagheera, and Shere Khan returns to the big screen in Disney’s latest live-action remake, directed by Iron Man‘s Jon Favreau. This trend has been very frequent lately, with Disney trying to reboot every one of their animated movies with a live-action feature film. I’ve seen it fail many times with films like Alice in Wonderland and Maleficent. Over the rest of 2016, we will be getting three more of these remakes from Disney (an Alice in Wonderland sequel in May, a Spielberg-directed BFG adaptation in July, and a Pete’s Dragon remake in August). However, The Jungle Book is the one remake I anticipated and expected a lot from because with The Jungle Book, there is an enormous scale of where a director can take a live-action CGI-filled remake today, and the idea of a Jungle Book remake felt filled with many opportunities to make a rarely excellent remake. I am slightly surprised that this movie did not let me down. The visual effects are gorgeous and like nothing I have ever seen. Some of the film’s shots made my jaw drop. It’s easy to differentiate between what’s real and what isn’t, but the visuals in this film still paid off and really impressed me. The scenery is magnificent here and sets a new boundary for blockbuster CGI, but most of the animals felt very unrealistic because they all got human-like characterization, and it would have turned out better if the only animals with a voice cast were the main characters (Bagheera, Shere Khan, Baloo, etc.). Either way, there was a lot of CGI here that made me wonder exactly how they did that. This movie’s visuals were truly incredible and set a new bar for computer-generated imagery.

My favorite part of this movie was the stellar cast. The casting choices in this film were perfect; the actors were well known in order to attract families and audiences of all ages. None of the actors in this movie let me down. Bill Murray was a fantastic casting choice as the voice of Baloo, as he delivered the humorous and charming spirit that Baloo had in the original 1967 film. His character entertained me as much as I wanted him to in this movie. Ben Kingsley also didn’t disappoint as Bagheera. He was cast very well and I feel that he gave the character a great personality and a lot of life. Idris Elba may have been my favorite part of this movie, as he blew me away as Shere Khan. His villanous voice fit perfectly and truly intimidated me in the movie. Christopher Walken was another one of my favorite voice actors in this movie. I loved his take on the classic Jungle Book song “I Wan’na Be Like You” and character’s fun yet intimidating attitude. Scarlett Johansson and Lupita Nyong’o also knocked it out of the park in their smaller but still wonderful roles that you definitely remember from the original movie. Not to mention newcomer Neel Sethi, who portrays Mowgli in his feature debut. Sethi did an overall very good job as Mowgli, as he was very entertaining to watch and to embark on an adventure with him.

The Jungle Book did not only impress me, but it also entertained me a lot. It’s a challenge to bring such a beloved story back to life, master such visuals in a live-action movie that’s dominated by CGI, and to make a great family feature as well. This movie manages to bring back many of the elements we loved in Disney’s 1967 classic, as well as new elements to bring a somewhat new story as well. The humor is very well written and the pacing is very good too. You can tell the movie isn’t trying too hard to be a family movie, but isn’t willing to sacrifice its heart and family entertainment for VFX, which is what makes Disney able to do a remake of their own better than other fantasy studios like Warner Bros. (who happen to have a Jungle Book film in the making as well). Expect a lot of humor and throwbacks to the original movie, like a few of the score’s elements, and what’s better than Scarlett Johansson singing “Trust in Me” during the credits?

The Jungle Book is one of the rare remakes that is able to top its predecessor(s). This one feels a lot more like another adaptation of the book rather than a remake of the 1967 version, bringing back elements from the older film, yet still delivering a new and unique story within. The visuals are fabulous, the directing is perfect, the cast is superb, and there is no reason why you should not go and enjoy this movie with your family, ideally in formats like 3D and IMAX.

Official artwork poster of the film

04.06.16
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Eye in the Sky

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A military officer in command of an operation to capture terrorists in Kenya sees her mission escalate when a girl enters the kill zone triggering an international dispute over the implications of modern warfare.

Eye in the Sky delightfully surprised me with its strong performances, great writing, and the themes it delivered. It’s not simply a war film about a drone strike, but also about what legal and ethical dilemmas must be faced, and its toll on human nature. The movie is set in real-time instead of being a war adventure, and this fictional movie felt like it could have been a true story. The performances are all great, as both Helen Mirren and Aaron Paul give it their best and make their characters feel as deep and realistic as they should be. My favorite performance in this movie, however, is from the late Alan Rickman, who was still able to entertain and charm in a rather serious role, even in a posthumously released film.

What helps Eye in the Sky achieve its goals more than anything else is its power to open your eyes to what is going on in our world today. This movie make you realize that its situation could be what happens every day, as our soldiers and governments must make moral decisions and take in mind the amount of collateral damage, public effect, and most importantly, how many lives may be lost. Carried by its great performances, the movie manages to remain politically thrilling while giving you a glimpse at what problems our world is facing in the present. The movie also features drone technology used in today’s warfare, making the situation more timely. Not all of the visual effects and lighting feel real, but what can you expect from a movie made by a smaller studio (and the director of one of the worst superhero movies ever made)? What matters is that this movie was able to keep me on the edge of my seat, and impressed me with its themes on morality and war.

Nail-biting, uncompromising, and thought-provoking, Eye in the Sky is a one-of-a-kind film that gives you a glimpse at modern warfare and the ethics of situations in drone warfare. The ensemble cast is superb, and the thrills are definitely enough to make this movie worth a ticket.

Eye in the Sky (2015) Poster

03.25.16
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Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

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Fearing the actions of Superman are left unchecked, Batman takes on the man of steel, while the world wrestles with what kind of a hero it really needs.

It’s such a surprise that a film like Batman v Superman, announced three years ago and over 3 years in the making, fails to live up to films like Deadpool and Mad Max: Fury Road, movies that took a lot less longer to make and marvelously paid off. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was unfortunately a huge disappointment. The action is at times awesome and the directing is somewhat appreciable, but the movie’s unfocused and confused narrative and story make it a complete mess. Zack Snyder is generally a fantastic director, as he has put some incredible scenery to film with movies like Watchmen, Man of Steel and 300. Here, he decides to put his style over any substance, especially in the first half, where the movie feels empty and overdone. The first act constantly flashes through scenes without connection to the rest, and often confuses with its many conflicts and minimal substance. Ben Affleck managed to deliver as Bruce Wayne/Batman. The rage within him felt so real, and he also rocked as a badass caped crusader. Henry Cavill wasn’t anything special in his returning role of Superman, and Amy Adams wasn’t any good, either. Jeremy Irons was great as Alfred and definitely delivered. Gal Gadot worked as a badass Wonder Woman, who has some great action scenes with Batman and Superman. Jesse Eisenberg did not work for me as Lex Luthor. He wasn’t miscast, but he was too over-the-top at times and was hard to stand. Lawrence Fisburne felt shoehorned into the cast for the sake of reprising his role, but unfortunately does not feel relevant here.

It’s hard to believe that with such high expectations for so long, the only thing about this movie that impressed me were the action scenes. The plot takes too long to become interesting, and by the time it does, it all feels so familiar and emotionally flat. The first act is filled up by a bunch of scenes that hardly connect, and never stick with you. There are always these conversations about the hero the world needs, and how corrupt power can be, and although the messages Snyder tried to convey through dialogue could have been interesting, they instead end up repeating themselves too often. The first act also requires a lot of patience, as it brings in a huge plot line about capturing terrorists without getting to what we actually want to see, Batman and Superman knocking each other out, until later. The movie is shot very well, and the score from Hans Zimmer is phenomenal. The action is pretty awesome, so if you want to go see this movie just for the action, then you should, but be aware that the good action doesn’t start until about an hour through the movie. The excitement rises to a high level at the third act, but either way, by then there is nothing unpredictable or emotionally powerful that happens. The movie often gets too caught up in trying to set up the rest of its movies that it forgets to bring a good story within its own film. Almost every moment in this movie involving superheroes feels so focused on teasing something that is yet to come, and at a point towards the end does that get very frustrating. There is much to appreciate about Zack Snyder’s directing in the film, but it often does not work in some scenes, especially the movie’s introduction. There is nothing in this movie that is worth going to the theaters to see that hasn’t already been given away by the trailers, unfortunately. I really wish we would have gotten a solo Batman film starring Ben Affleck and Jeremy Irons this time around, as that would have been a much more awesome and less complicated film to have released in the new age of DC.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is a huge disappointment, with no interesting story or messages within, but has some great visuals, score, and action. If you want to go see this film for some epic action toward the end, then you should go see it, but I was one of the people looking for an amazing underlying message within the movie, and instead I got a dull philosophy lesson followed by an enormous gladiator fight. It is so busy setting up the next films in its franchise that it ultimately did not fill my expectations with what I wanted from the two most iconic superheroes in America finally on screen together.

The two titular heroes, Batman and Superman, are confronting each other, with the film's logo behind them, and the film's title, credits, release date and billing below.

03.15.16
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10 Cloverfield Lane

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10 Cloverfield Lane is a movie nobody had any idea existed until two months ago, when the trailer was released and the movie was no longer kept a secret. The trailers (whose very secretive style comes from producer J.J. Abrams) did not reveal anything about the story but still intrigued me. It was only referred to as a “spiritual successor” to Cloverfield, and never a sequel. We never knew what to expect, and with such an incredible style of marketing, 10 Cloverfield Lane ultimately did not let me down. The thrilling plot buildup always kept me on the very edge of my seat, thanks to spectacular cinematography and directing from first-time feature-length director Dan Trachtenberg. The movie almost felt like a mystery, but much more like a thriller with lots of twists and suspense that kept my eyes on the screen. The cast is outstanding, with a great leading role played by Scott Pilgirm vs. the World‘s Mary Elizabeth Winstead. She conveys her character very realistically, and felt like a terrific protagonist. John Goodman is fantastic in his role as a man who may or may not be a psychopath, and John Gallagher Jr. is also very good in the one other role in the film. There is also a voice cameo in the film that I was not able to catch, but I was informed by the credits, so stay on the lookout for a familiar voice toward the beginning of the movie.

The movie pulled me in from the very moment it started, and I was always guessing how the movie would turn out to be, as many pot points turn out to not be what they seem. The reason I did not mention the plot in the beginning of this review is because it is best to walk into this film without any expectations at all, like I did. The movie’s trailer tells you nothing about the movie’s plot, and I had no idea what the film was actually about. The trailers don’t give you anything about the story, and only teases a few scenes from the movie. I was glad I knew nothing about how the movie would play out or even the basic plot, because part of the great experience sitting through this movie was the suspense and the feeling of oblivion throughout. The movie’s genre and story-line is nothing like Cloverfield‘s, so don’t walk in expecting another found footage film filled with destruction and monster madness. This movie is a claustrophobic thriller with a cast about as large as Gravity‘s, and it’s a much better film as well. My one issue with the movie is that the ending could have been handled a bit better, as it feels like a mystery that can only have two outcomes, and it ends in the one way I was really hoping it wouldn’t. I feel it ended that way for fans’ sake, but it may have been a better film with the other outcome. I did not hate the ending though, it was enjoyable (but also rushed), and leaves a few loose ends for you to guess for yourself. I am so glad I had the opportunity to watch a film like 10 Cloverfield Lane in theaters, it’s definitely worth a watch if you are a fan of thrillers, and want a movie to keep you on the edge of your seat.

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03.06.16
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Zootopia

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In a city of anthropomorphic animals, a fugitive con artist fox and a rookie bunny cop must work together to uncover a conspiracy.

Disney strikes again with Zootopia, a buddy cop comedy, a political crime thriller, an urban mystery, and everything else you would not expect from a movie of its kind. Zootopia reminds us why animated movies are made. The clever humor, fantastic cast, and thoughtful messages make this Disney’s best animated feature since Wreck-It Ralph. I honestly did not expect this much from the movie, especially since the marketing didn’t make it look like anything great. Instead, I got a very smart, mature, and insightful animated tale that families can enjoy, and I even feel that adults would enjoy and understand this movie more than kids. It has tons of references, jokes, and concepts that adults would especially understand and take in. But it does still have a good touch that kids will enjoy as well, including promoting tolerance and teamwork and has a fast pace and great humor for younger audiences, including a hilarious scene with a DMV office run entirely by sloths. The animation is also splendid, with very vivid settings, colors, and tons of different mammal species.

Ginnifer Goodwin is great in the strong lead role: a bunny who aspires to be more than she is, and to make a difference. Her character is easy to sympathize with, and is put down by many peers but always tries harder. Although this aspect of her character at first seems very cliched, it becomes unique once the big message kicks in. Goodwin’s voice performance was very charming, and she was able to carry the movie along very well. Jason Bateman was the perfect choice to play con artist-turned sidekick fox Nick Wilde, as he fantastically delivers Wilde’s charm, sneakiness, and heart. Idris Elba was also perfectly casted as the angry police chief Bogo, who steals every one of his scenes in possibly my favorite performance in this film. It’s no surprise that J.K. Simmons is also great, voicing a lion who is also the mayor of Zootopia. The overall message of the movie very well relates to our modern society, and how politics can shape the way our community lives through fear. The movie discourages things like racism and drugs, and ultimately delivers a great moral about tolerance and being whatever you aspire. However, the first ten minutes of the movie are very unnecessary, and the movie falls flat for a couple of minutes in between the second and third acts. But overall, Zootopia is still an awesome animated movie that, like its protagonists, dares and succeeds to be much more than it is. One of Disney’s best recent features (excluding Star Wars), this one is definitely recommended for the entire family to go see and enjoy.

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02.29.16
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The Oscars (88th Academy Awards)

Yesterday, the 88th Oscars took place. I really enjoyed this year’s Oscars, as Chris Rock was a mostly entertaining host, and the awards were delivered in a clever way. I really enjoyed Louis C.K. and Jacob Tremblay as presenters, Louis was especially hilarious! C3P0 had a great moment with his pals R2D2 and BB-8, perhaps one of them should host next year! Some wins really fulfilled our expectations, but others disappointed some of us. In this post, I will share my full thoughts on the wins and awards, but first, here are the winners:

Best Picture: Spotlight
Best Director: Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu – The Revenant
Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio – The Revenant
Best Actress: Brie Larson – Room
Best Supporting Actor: Mark Rylance – Bridge of Spies
Best Supporting Actress: Alicia Vikander – The Danish Girl
Best Original Screenplay: Spotlight
Best Adapted Screenplay: The Big Short
Best Animated Feature: Inside Out
Best Original Score: The Hateful Eight
Best Original Song: “Writing’s on the Wall” (from Spectre), by Sam Smith
Best Cinematography: The Revenant
Best Film Editing: Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Production Design: Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Costume Design: Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Animated Short: Bear Story
Best Visual Effects: Ex Machina
Best Sound Editing: Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Sound Mixing: Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Documentary Feature: Amy
Best Documentary Short: A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness
Best Live Action Short: Stutterer
Best Foreign Language Film: Son of Saul (from Hungary)

I was satisfied with most of these winners, especially the fact that Leo DiCaprio finally win his first Oscar! He definitely deserved the prize for his painfully realistic and marvelous performance in this year’s The Revenant. It’s about time he earned such an award for not only his performance the film, but for his fantastic career, as he is definitely one of my favorite actors alive, and was already nominated five times before this year! Brie Larson definitely earned her Oscar for how moving and deep she was in Room. Mark Rylance was very good in Bridge of Spies, but I don’t see how he won over Tom Hardy in The Revenant. Although I have yet to see The Danish Girl, and although I really wanted Kate Winslet to win for her outstanding performance in Steve Jobs (the year’s most underrated movie), I find it quite awesome that Alicia Vikander won an Oscar for a movie in her breakthrough year in film. I am surprised by how many technical awards Mad Max: Fury Road swept away, almost as much as Gravity two years ago! Fury Road is a great action adventure, but it really only deserved half of the awards it won. Film Editing should have gone to The Big Short or The Revenant, the latter of which should have won at least one of the sound categories. I am also disappointed that Don Hertzfeldt’s beautiful animated short World of Tomorrow didn’t take home the trophy for its category, as it’s by far the greatest animated short I’ve ever seen. Ex Machina winning Visual Effects over Star Wars and The Martian was a surprise as well, although Ex Machina was a great film in its own way, but much less deserved to win the category. Inarritu deserved a second directing Oscar for this year’s The Revenant, but I was taken aback when Best Picture was lost to Spotlight, a story about the Boston Globe’s uncovery of a scandal within the Catholic Church. I have yet to see Spotlight, but I feel that The Revenant took so much effort and had so much emotional power and incredible filmmaking, and that it was suited to win Best Picture more than any other movie. I’ll definitely have to see Spotlight to find out which one was actually worth it, but I feel disappointed that such a difficult and incredible movie filmed in a desolate location lost over a movie filmed in a comfortable location and made for a low budget.

What did you think about this year’s Oscars? Do you agree or disagree with the Academy? Let me know what you thought by commenting below! Hopefully we’ll have much less to complain about next year!

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02.27.16
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The 2016 Golden Slice Awards

The Oscars are coming up tomorrow night, so over the past month, I held my own Oscar ceremony! Instead of simply the FilmToppings Oscars, I have decided to call my Oscar ceremonies the Golden Slice Awards from now on, as it’s a fun name that also relates to my site’s name and theme! I’d like to thank my followers on Instagram for voting for these categories, so you guys are the ones who determined these results! Not all my nominees for categories that are also in the Oscars are exactly the same, I took some movies and performances that you guys especially loved as well. I held most of the same categories as last time, including a new category that I started this year. So without further ado, here are the winners of this year’s Golden Slice Awards:

Best Supporting Actress: Alicia Vikander- Ex Machina

Best Action: Mad Max: Fury Road

Best Cinematography: The Revenant

Best Character: Kylo Ren – Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Best Scene: The Bear Attack – The Revenant

Best On-Screen Duo: Rey and Finn – Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Best Animated Movie: Inside Out

Best Visual Effects: Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Best Screenplay: Steve Jobs

Best Score: The Hateful Eight

Best Supporting Actor: Tom Hardy – The Revenant

Best Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu – The Revenant

Best Actress: Brie Larson – Room

Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio- The Revenant

Worst Picture: Jupiter Ascending

Best Picture: The Revenant

Those are the winners that you guys selected! I feel that the results of the Oscars will be very similar to most of these, although some of the performances/movies that won here weren’t nominated in that category by the Academy. Anyway, the Oscars are tomorrow night, and hopefully all our predictions are right!

02.21.16
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Deadpool

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In this hilarious, non-formulaic superhero action comedy, former Special Forces operative turned mercenary Wade Wilson is subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers, adopting the alter ego Deadpool.

Deadpool is nothing you would expect out of its recycled genre. Instead of being a cliche, dull, limited superhero movie like others are criticized for, Deadpool chooses to have tons of clever humor, wild and over-the-top violence, and other R-rated content to make it the Deadpool movie fans have been wishing for all along. Ryan Reynolds redeems his career as the hilarious, wisecracking hero who constantly breaks the fourth wall and makes us crack up. He always entertains and feels like the best part of the movie. Morena Bacarrin is also great in her role as Wade/Deadpool’s girlfriend Vanessa, and although her character was great, she eventually became a “damsel in distress” by the end, and that’s the one part this movie decided to keep from the superhero formula. However, I was still very convinced by Wade and Vanessa’s love story, as it does not feel like another dull romantic relationship, and it was mostly done well, even though Vanessa’s role became very cliched by the end.

The directing from first-time director Tim Miller is fantastic, as this movie always feels so well-realized and different in such a great way. This movie is self-aware about the path it takes, averting the  classic superhero formula that is still recycled today. The fourth wall breaks are always so brilliant, as Deadpool loves to blurt out everything his audiences are thinking. The script is probably the best thing about this movie outside of the cast. This movie’s script made a superhero movie so enjoyable in the most unimaginable way. The script keeps throwing unpredictable humor at you, most that will definitely make you laugh out loud. The opening credits are absolutely hilarious, and from there, the fun doesn’t stop. There is never a dull moment in this movie. In the end, I felt like the movie could have used a little more length, but mainly because I was having so much fun. Also, stay for a hilarious end-credits scene that brilliantly teases the recently greenlit sequel.

Deadpool is an achievement for mainstream superhero blockbusters, with a dirty, raunchy sense of humor, as well as awesome action sequences and a fantastic cast and crew. Deadpool redeems Ryan Reynolds as an actor, and feels so different than other films of its genre that I bet it will soon be considered a superhero classic. If there’s one movie out there right now you should see, it’s Deadpool, so see it to have the best time ever with a superhero movie!

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02.18.16
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Bridge of Spies

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During the Cold War, James B. Donovan, an American lawyer portrayed cleverly by Tom Hanks, is recruited to defend an arrested Soviet spy in court, and then help the CIA facilitate an exchange of the spy for the Soviet captured American U2 spy plane pilot, Francis Gary Powers.

Bridge of Spies is what may be the finest period piece of 2015. Nobody knows how to make these movies like Steven Spielberg does, and his directing highly pays off in this film. Instead of delivering us a huge history lesson of the Cold War, Spielberg gives us a small court drama that takes place during the Cold War. Both Tom Hanks and Mark Rylance deliver great performances, with Tom Hanks digging into his character and making him feel real, and Mark Rylance completely disappearing into his role and providing a slight sense of humor. Although he isn’t too much in the film, Rylance delivers a very realistic performance that he deserves an Oscar nomination for, at the most. Hanks, who has the most screen-time in the movie, entertains and carries on the movie with great humor and monologues, and his character feels very challenged but motivated while defending a member the opposing side of the war. This may be one of Hanks’ finest performances in a Spielberg movie.

What makes Bridge of Spies stand out more than anything else is its directing. Spielberg is doing what he does best with this movie, developing an interesting thriller from such a small subject within a bigger one in our history. It teaches you enough about the setting, but just the right amount to let it focus on the smaller story as well. The way the movie is finds such a thrilling and interesting story within a larger subject as done very well and in a very focused way by Spielberg. In most scenes, he lets the camera flow without many cuts, and it works perfectly in many shots. The story never drags, and there  isn’t ever a dull moment or a scene that doesn’t feel as realistic as the rest. The script from the Coen Brothers is also fantastic, and the writing always felt alive and very thoughtful as well. The script did a great job at delivering every scene’s point clearly, and did well at conveying the movie’s message. The movie’s ending was very satisfying, as the movie has an excellent climax, as well as a delivering ending.

As a Best Picture nominee of this year, Bridge of Spies rewarding enough to be considered worthy of its nomination. With great performances, directing, and writing, Bridge of Spies is one of the must-sees of 2015. See this movie expecting a very talky movie, and not much action, but I think most younger viewers will enjoy this movie, so you should check this one out soon, as it is now on Blu-ray and other home media.

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02.06.16
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Hail, Caesar!

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In the most recent film from the Coen brothers, Eddie Mannix (Josh Brolin) is a Hollywood “fixer” helping the production of the film Hail Caesar, starring famous actor Baird Whitlock (George Clooney). When a drugged Whitlock is kidnapped by a group named The Future, Mannix is the one in charge of collecting $100,000 and rescuing him. This hilarious comedy also stars an ensemble of Scarlett Johansson, Channing Tatum, Tilda Swinton, Ralph Fiennes, Jonah Hill, and Frances McDormand.

Hail, Caesar! aspires to act as many things: a love letter to the golden age of Hollywood, a hilarious and insanely fun comedy, and an interesting look at Communist beliefs of Hollywood’ hypocrisy. Mostly, this movie succeeds at that. Hail, Caesar is the kind of movie that casts the most famous faces from other Coen brothers movies in only cameos, that has a lengthy but awesome dance number from Channing Tatum (which the other scenes have really nothing to do with), and that loses some sense in its climax with a goal to merely entertain. There was never a dull moment in the movie, I was always pulled in and very entertained. The directing is always spot-on. The tension is always built up perfectly, and every scene cuts to the next right when it needs to. The cinematography from Roger Deakins was great, and he helped bring the style of old Hollywood to life with his camerawork. There were some shots that really impressed me, a few longer than the others, and the cinematography barely ever felt out of place. The score also fits the theme of the movie, and doesn’t ever get too repetitive.

Josh Brolin delivers a spot-on performance as the lead, and he always entertains with his witty dialogue and charm. George Clooney was quite hilarious as a kidnapped actor, who shines in every scene he’s in. Alden Ehrenreich plays a cowboy actor in quite a funny role as well, and the small but more well-known ensemble are great. Scarlett Johansson, Tilda Swinton, and Channing Tatum were all so great in their small roles, and I loved the way their characters were handled. However, they could have been in the film for long, especially Johansson, to better handle their subplots. I loved all the visual imagery of the film, and like I said, it tries be many different things, and thankfully succeeds. The movie’s short length ultimately pays off, considering how silly and fun the final act turned out to be. In many ways, this movie reminds me of 2014’s The Grand Budapest Hotel, with both their ambition, comedic tone, witty screenplay, and relatively short runtimes. Both of them have early release dates, but they are both begging for Oscar love, that of which Grand Budapest Hotel has already received. Although the movie has a specific target audience, and may not be for everyone, I think most moviegoers will love Hail, Caesar! like I did.

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