11.05.16
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Doctor Strange

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An arrogant yet skilled former neurosurgeon embarks on a journey of healing only to be drawn into the world of the mystic arts.

Has Marvel or any superhero film ever created something as visually spectacular as Doctor Strange? The answer is no. Doctor Strange is immersive, breathtaking, and more visually impressive than almost any film this year, nearly on par with Disney’s The Jungle Book. As our hero, Stephen Strange, explores vast dimensions in our universe, we are presented some marvelous effects, like nothing I thought I’d ever see in a superhero movie. From a visual standpoint, this movie is so different than what you’d usually expect from a Marvel movie, as buildings change their physical form and sorcerers travel from one continent to another in the blink of an eye. The visual concepts in this movie even feel like nods to dimensional sci-fi films such as The Matrix, Inception, and Interstellar. Doctor Strange introduces the world of magic into the Marvel universe, expanding limitations of what to expect in future films. As well as tie-ins with previous films, Doctor Strange is interesting to watch as its own story, as our protagonist goes from selfish and conceited to protective and selfless. Speaking of Dr. Strange himself, Benedict Cumberbatch does a phenomenal job playing him, witty and fun as the cocky and brilliant surgeon who reminded me so much of the actor’s titular role in Sherlock. He brings so much life and personality to the role and I think he was cast perfectly to play him. Chiwetel Ejiofor’s character definitely has one of the more complex character arcs in the MCU, and his performance is quite interesting as well. Rachel McAdams plays a less formulaic female character who felt more like an actual person than a typical superhero female lead, as the marketing hinted she would be. Another remarkable cast member was Benedict Wong as a no-nonsense but I expected Tilda Swinton’s role to be one of the most interesting characters in the film, but instead she’s hardly given anything to do, and her connection to the main villain was borrowed and cliched. The villain is unfortunately not as memorable and well-developed as I hoped he would be, and his writing and plot are the weakest part of the film. Some of the plot points feel too predictable and borrowed to be acknowledged, but the story is overall intriguing and the visual payoff is beautiful. It’s definitely worth paying for to watch in 3D. Also, there are two post-credit scenes that tease what Marvel will bring next, that you should definitely stay for.

Doctor Strange is an epic, mind-blowing adventure that isn’t like anything Marvel has brought to us before. The story has some minor problems, but the visual quality alone makes this movie worth seeing and enjoying on the big screen.

Doctor Strange, wearing his traditional costume, coming out from a flowing energetic portal, and around him the world and New York turning around itself with the film's cast names above him and the film's title, credits and billing are underneath.

10.30.16
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The Accountant

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An autistic but brilliant young boy grows up to be a skilled accountant – whose clients work for some of the world’s most dangerous criminal organizations.

Out of the two films Ben Affleck has starred in this year, I’d only look forward to a sequel to one of them, and that’s this one. The Accountant is one of not very many movies to come out this year that keeps you on the edge of your seat without constantly featuring loud gunshots, screeching cars, and a large body count, although there’s a mix of all of that in the film’s touch of action sequences. Affleck is spot-on as a protagonist who’s personality is quite complicated due to his condition – friendly to some but dangerous to others. His character’s complexity is what makes him so fascinating and sympathetic. Affleck is incredibly committed and mentally balanced in the way he portrays his character, leading to his character to feel very real and deep in the way he was developed. I can definitely say his role in this film is up there among his other excellent work this decade in The Town, Argo, and Gone Girl. Anna Kendrick, J.K. Simmons, and Jon Bernthal lead a decent yet interesting ensemble of supporting characters and all play their parts remarkably well. There’s a lot to their characters that you don’t know by only watching the trailers, which is something that helps keep the thrills going throughout. There’s a compelling aspect of the film in the way it examines its characters, revealing things to you one by one, and even though it one point it gets about too complicated and you wish it just wasn’t, there’s a gripping aspect to every big character in the film, even themes that are similar to those in director Gavin O’Connor’s previous films. Speaking of O’Connor, he directs the film very well, notably the film’s action sequences, with excellent sound editing and choreography, making it feel less like a Hollywood-style action scene and more like a scene featuring action that advances the plot. Even though there aren’t many throughout the movie, I like that it was constructed as if it were an action movie, although it’s hard to put it under the action genre, I’d rather say it’s a drama thriller with some mystery thrown in there, too.

The Accountant plays out as if it’s an episode of Daredevil, crossed with the Jason Bourne franchise and with a little bit of Rain Man in there as well. It’s somewhat a vigilante thriller but at the same time, it’s a deep character drama that features an autistic protagonist. I really liked the mix of the two genres. Although this movie is far from perfect, I can’t say critics have been praising it enough with its underwhelming reviews. I feel like most critics were let down by their expectations rather by their films, as the trailer advertised the film as one thing and instead it was something much bigger. The Accountant turned out to be very different than I expected, and I was alright with that. It gets over-complicated at one point and some of the plot points and the tone aren’t balanced like they should be. However, I was still very entertained by The Accountant, and I appreciate the cast and directing. You may be let down if you’re looking for just an action movie or just a drama, as this movie is a mix of many great things, but I’d recommend this film for movie-goers looking for a great movie to keep them on the edge of their seat.

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10.16.16
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The Magnificent Seven (2016)

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The past few years have been packed with remakes and reboots of all sorts of classics, and not many of them have turned out to be very original. The Magnificent Seven, unfortunately, is lacking of the originality I expected from a similar yet distinct remake. This film feels a lot more like a re-imagination than a remake, as the only thing kept from the original is the concept. In The Magnificent Seven, a group of seven men (as the title suggests) are hired by a woman to avenge her husband’s death, so they set out against a corrupt industrialist and his ruthless army. Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, and Ethan Hawke lead the cast as mercenaries fighting for righteousness. Having seen the original Magnificent Seven starring Yul Brynner, I can say I am satisfied in terms of a remake like this one. The directing is mostly on-point, with impressive cinematography and entertaining action. The score from the late James Horner, who was tragically killed last year in a plane crash, is a great one for his last. My main problem with the film is that despite the film’s efforts to take its concept to a new place, new isn’t the right word to describe this film. Everything feels to familiar and tacked on. The story feels cliched but it also loses itself in the third act. One thing I noticed was how over-the-top everything was, from the dialogue to the story to the performances. The dialogue is too obvious and the humor unsuccessful, and none of the jokes seem to hit their mark. Denzel Washington doesn’t get much to work with besides a handful of guns loaded with bullets. Chris Pratt delivers an underwhelming performance as a constantly joking character who seems to be the most over-the-top of the cast, as well as Vincent D’Onofrio and Ethan Hawke who make jokes out of their performances. Some of the characters could have been more interesting, if only they had more development. One thing that isn’t surprising, as a film released in the 21st century, is that everything is too over-dramatized and it doesn’t flow as well as it did in the ’60s when it was directed by John Sturges. The final battle is an epic shootout between armies of heroes and villains but ultimately drags for too long. I’ve come to love the Western genre more every time I watch a Western film. Get a good story and script, and you can even make a perfect one today (see True Grit, Django Unchained, and The Hateful Eight). However, it’s difficult to work with one that lacks originality and reliability on anything but lengthy action sequences. Perhaps this film would have been better if it wasn’t limited to a strong PG-13 rating, and was written by someone more reliable in the world of Hollywood (yes, I’m thinking about Tarantino, even though he wouldn’t ever sign up for something even twice as original as this).

The Magnificent Seven is a fun Western action film directed solidly by Antoine Fuqua, but not much more. It tends to slow down, the attempts at comedy always miss, and everything feels way too over-the-top and out of place. I wouldn’t recommend this one for a watch in theaters, but I can’t say I didn’t enjoy it for most of its runtime, despite its major problems.

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10.10.16
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Deepwater Horizon

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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.
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09.27.16
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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

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Best Visual Effects: Kubo and the Two Strings

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Best Score/Soundtrack: Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping

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

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Best Actor: Ryan Gosling – The Nice Guys

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Best Actress: Angourie Rice – The Nice Guys

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Worst Movie: Independence Day: Resurgence

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Best Movie: The Nice Guys

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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
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Sully

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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.

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09.07.16
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The Light Between Oceans

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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.

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08.27.16
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War Dogs

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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.

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08.16.16
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Pete’s Dragon (2016)

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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.

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08.12.16
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Jason Bourne

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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?

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