by filmtoppings

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

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Thirty years ago, the Empire was defeated and now a new threat, The First Order, has risen from the ashes of the Empire. A scavenger named Rey has come into contact with a droid that contains a map to the legendary Luke Skywalker, who has vanished. Rey and a rogue stormtrooper named Finn find themselves in a monumental conflict between good and evil, that will unite them with both old and new faces from the legendary saga.

With not only high anticipation and high results at the box office, but also having everything we expected from this film to revive the saga, Star Wars: The Force Awakens is able to entertain, bring nostalgia to viewers, and deliver as the most rewarding blockbuster of the year. The movie reintroduces us into the galaxy far, far away with a perfect balance of the old and new generation. J.J. Abrams felt like the obvious choice to direct a modern Star Wars film from the beginning, and he rocked this movie just like I expected he would do. He is very dedicated, stylish, and loves to perfect his style to make the setting epic and remind us of the past films. I feel like Abrams is the only director in our decade that can handle Star Trek the right way, and right now I feel the same with Star Wars, although we never know how another director taking on the sequels could go.

The cast and characters in this movie are fantastic. Daisy Ridley killed it as our new female lead, and I love that this movie dares to do something big with a strong female character. John Boyega and Oscar Isaac also rock the new cast as amazingly likable characters. Adam Driver is successful with playing a complex, threatening villain that feels very real and interesting. The balance between old and new characters was great, as we also get great performances from returning stars Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher, who play the classic heroes Han and Leia. I immediately fell in love with this new world and characters, as well as this huge, fascinating setting that Abrams did such a great job with.

This new Star Wars movie feels like such a treat mainly because of how much it is able to remind fans of the past as well as do such a great job with the new generation of characters. The thing that has always made Star Wars so unique is that no matter who you are or what your taste in film is, Star Wars is the movie for you. The prequels released last decade, which I strongly dislike, lack the sense of fun, humor, and great setting that this movie was able to keep so well. I had such a great time with this movie, from the moment the Star Wars logo appeared on screen to when the credits rolled, after over 2 hours of amazing cinematic entertainment. I already cannot wait to see Episode VIII, as this movie left me with so much to look forward to. So as long as you love Star Wars, which you most likely do, and enter this movie with an open mind, The Force Awakens is absolutely the movie for you.

01.03.16

by filmtoppings

The Big Short

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The Big Short follows the true story of four outsiders in the world of high-finance, who predicted the credit and housing bubble collapse of the mid-2000s and decide to take on the big banks for their lack of foresight and greed.

Ever since I heard about this film, I knew I was up for something, especially because of the director and four main actors. This movie gave me everything I wanted from it. The stars, screenplay, directing, and humor were all excellent and made this film so entertaining. It follows in the footsteps of The Wolf of Wall Street, being another financial true story filled with cursing, humor, celebrity cameos, and fourth-wall breaks. The only difference from those basics is that this film is an achievement from a more amateur director in the genre. Adam McKay has directed some of my favorite comedies, including Anchorman and Step Brothers among others, and I loved seeing him venture into a more dramatic territory with this film. From beginning to end, the movie entertained the hell out of me, and even its ways of exposition to explain the financial laws of the story are made fun.

The stars in this film blew me away. Christian Bale completely transforms into the role, delivering a very realistic and human performance. Bale is one of my favorite actors and he was practically unrecognizable with his portrayal of Michael Burry and the character’s eccentric personality. Steve Carell also strikes with his performance as a somewhat mentally unstable broker who also finds himself able to profit from the economic collapse. Carell entertained and really delivered in his hilarious role. Ryan Gosling is also fun to watch on screen with his narration and nearly constant fourth-wall breaks. Brad Pitt is solid as well, but is not as frequent on screen as the rest of the main ensemble.

Even if you are not someone who would understand something as complicated as CDOs and other key financial items leading to the collapse, this movie’s script and directing makes this film entertaining and worth watching for everyone. I applaud Adam McKay for trying something new (especially not having Will Ferrell cast as his lead for the first time), and I hope I can see him do something like this again in the future. I am glad this movie got recognition at the Golden Globe nominee list, and hopefully it goes big at the Oscars this year as well.

01.02.16

by filmtoppings

My Awesome Year of 2015

My year of 2015 was quite huge! My site has thrived now, as I have been expanding it through lots of social media and have spreading it to many people I know and have yet to know! Thank you to all of you who are following and enjoy reading my reviews! I will make a Top 10 Movies of 2015 list once I am able to see every 2015 movie that deserves to be there, so expect reviews for films like Star Wars: The Force Awakens, The Revenant, The Hateful Eight, The Big Short, Room, and more on my site very soon, and after that I will rank my 10 favorites on YouTube. Looking forward into 2016, I will also make a video covering my 10 most anticipated movies of 2016. So thank you to everyone who stuck around for 2015, and I hope to see you all in 2016!

Here’s an excerpt from a consensus WordPress made covering my year of 2015 on this site:

A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 4,600 times in 2015. If it were a NYC subway train, it would take about 4 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

12.12.15

by filmtoppings

Brooklyn

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An Irish immigrant lands in 1950s Brooklyn, where she quickly falls into a new romance. When her past catches up with her, however, she must choose between two countries and the lives that exist within.

Brooklyn is without a doubt one of my favorite movies of the year. Brooklyn is incredibly stylish, sweet, heartfelt, emotional, and well-acted. Saoirse Ronan delivers my favorite female performance of the year as a very compelling and interesting character who immigrates across the globe and has her life changed in both New York and Ireland. Ronan conveyed every feeling and emotion so realistically, and allowed the audience to relate to her closely. Throughout the film, I felt myself emotionally compelled, at times I was laughing, smiling, and even almost crying at other times, all thanks to Ronan’s deep and strong performance, as well as the way this movie was able to convey every emotion into the film. When Ronan’s character has to make decisions, you are always provoked to think how you would make them yourself. The movie delivers with a great story and screenplay, with a necessarily moderate length, a tad less than 2 hours, but still fits the story perfectly. Everything about the set and costume designing was great as well. I found Brooklyn to be a movie that has something great that has something for everyone, so I definitely recommend a big screen experience for this film.

Brooklyn delivers a great story with fantastic emotions, performances, and has something for everyone, no matter what your taste in film is like. If you want a charming and amazing time at the movies, I would recommend you see this.

11.28.15

by filmtoppings

Trumbo

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Trumbo depicts the life and career of iconic but controversial screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, portrayed fantastically by Bryan Cranston. In the ’50s, during times of the Cold War, Trumbo and many other Hollywood celebrities were jailed and blacklisted for being part of the Communist Party, but against strong odds, Trumbo fights for what he believes is right and what he loves throughout the movie.

Trumbo is a one-of-a-kind film this year, with great performances, an entertaining story, and has an important history lesson. Bryan Cranston delivers a marvelous performance with every move he makes, every word he speaks, and every step he takes, literally, and forward into time. Cranston transforms into the character and is able to deliver the personality of such a complex icon. Diane Lane, Helen Mirren, and the rest of the cast are also great. Trumbo’s adventures and struggles throughout the movie are fascinating and entertaining. It was very exciting to discover the background of many classics such as Roman Holiday. Everything that had to do with movies was extremely interesting for such a film love like me. It may have felt longer than 2 hours, which is the film’s run-time, but I enjoyed the hell out of its nonetheless. In fact, I barely wanted the film to end at times.

Trumbo is able to also convey an important history lesson about a dark time for Hollywood stars, as thousands were blacklisted for their beliefs, something unjust for the American Congress to do. People like Dalton Trumbo had a hard time going through being blacklisted, and this movie does an excellent job conveying that. Trumbo’s redemption story is told very well throughout the film, and is boasted by Cranston’s outstanding performance. This is a movie that requires some patience and will to feel affected by such a thoughtful movie. It’s not a movie you go out to enjoy, but more of a film you see to learn, to understand, and to be touched.

Trumbo is an entertaining, moving, fantastic biographical film with a thoughtful message, great performances, and has a somewhat entertaining factor that still requires patience, but ultimately you will find yourself touched and very entertained by this movie.

11.25.15

by filmtoppings

The Good Dinosaur

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The Good Dinosaur brings an alternate timeline in which the asteroid that wiped dinosaurs off the face of the Earth missed the planet completely and giant dinosaurs never became extinct. Pixar Animation Studios takes you on an epic journey into the world of dinosaurs where an Apatosaurus named Arlo makes an unlikely human friend after a tragic accident that sends him on a journey to return to his family. While traveling through a harsh and mysterious landscape, Arlo learns the power of confronting his fears and discovers what he is truly capable of.

This year has been the first time Pixar, the best studio to ever make animated films, has made two films in the same year. I am quite impressed with how amazing both this film and this summer’s Inside Out turned out to be. With some of the best animation I have ever seen, and a touching and fantastic story, The Good Dinosaur once again brings the magic of Pixar to the big screen. The character development, especially of our protagonist Arlo, and his pet human Spot. In case that sentence confused you, in the film’s alternate timeline, dinosaurs have become more advanced in lifestyle and less primitive than humans. Both Arlo and Spot are developed fantastically, with the film being a coming-of-age story for Arlo, as he strives to “make his mark”, or accomplish something huge, according to Arlo’s “Poppa”, very well portrayed by Jeffrey Wright. Arlo is played by breakthrough actor Raymond Ochoa, who delivers a great performance, especially for a young actor like Ochoa. Arlo and Spot’s friendship was delivered fantastically, as I was convinced and incredibly touched by their chemistry. Arlo learns to love Spot and forgive him for a tragic event that he feels Spot was responsible for, and Spot, having lost his family years before, learns that he isn’t alone as he bonds with Arlo. Eventually they mean more to each other than anything else, delivering a heartwarming story from both sides.

The movie feels rather short, but fortunately this was not an issue at all, as the length of the film was perfect, always delivering a great amount of fun and heart. The film never dragged, and the ending gave me such a great feeling. However, it did take me a while to get attached and feel that it wasn’t going to continue like a cliche film. There was one tragic moment that sets up the rest of the film, and I needed more gut-punching emotion during that moment in order for it to feel more conveying of its emotion. However, the film is later able to convey a fantastic story line that so often made me smile. The animation in this film is some of the most beautiful and photo-realistic animation ever put to film. The CGI had me in awe at a large amount of times. It is a beautiful spectacle and feels so real and perfected.

The Good Dinosaur is overall a fantastic, heartwarming, and touching animated film, once again bringing Pixar’s magic to the big screen for good, with great character development, beautiful animation, and a positive story about family and bravery. It is a must-see on the big screen, ideally to be experienced as a family, and with the glorious 3D effects of the film.

11.21.15

by filmtoppings

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2

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In the final installment of the Hunger Games saga, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) teams up with her closest allies for the ultimate mission. Together, they leave District 13 to liberate the citizens of war-torn Panem and assassinate President Snow, who’s obsessed with destroying Katniss. What lies ahead are mortal traps, dangerous enemies and moral choices that will ultimately determine the future of millions.

As a conclusion to a strong and beloved series, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 is quite satisfactory. It is able to deliver great action sequences and a better premise than its predecessor.

The first 30 minutes of the film are as bland as Mockingjay – Part 1 was, but instead of going downhill after that, it brings in very exciting action scenes and some convincing emotion that redeems the film and brings in a strong level of suspense. Jennifer Lawrence once again brings her character to life fantastically, and gives the role her best. Josh Hutcherson does a decent job, as he doesn’t amaze anymore as Peeta, and his character often feels all over the place, as he constantly struggles to recover from the events of the previous film. Donald Sutherland is a great villain, being able to portray the hate but also soft side in President Snow. Woody Harrelson and Philip Seymour Hoffman are given enough time to shine in their roles, the latter of which’s last role was in this film, but many key characters, a few of which lacked screen time in the previous film, are not given too much development in this film, including Effie, Johanna, Annie, Caesar, and even Prim. I needed more development from these characters for their actions to be more effective and for them not to feel neglected. Gale, portrayed by Liam Hemsworth, once again feels too forced into the film, with lots of unnecessary development on his character, and he becomes more uninteresting throughout the film. This time should have been used to develop characters I wished more from.

Like I said before, after the first half hour, which is often rushed and feels too much like the previous film, with lots of unnecessary drama and an imperfect plot buildup, the film warms up a tad, bringing some more excitement, but still focuses on uneven development, like the first Mockingjay film. The cinematography is polished up but not quite perfected, and the visuals were alright. Throughout the film, the war against the Capitol is set up like a Hunger Games, and this felt very effective to both audiences of the film and the characters. The movie often rewards us with great sequences, and those that fans expect the most from often pay off. The way the movie concluded the saga lacked a lot. It was a tad rushed, and didn’t offer everything we still wanted from the saga’s setting and large story. I felt that the end should have tied some loose ends with a few of the characters.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 is a nice treat for fans that makes up for the disappointment of Mockingjay – Part 1, although not as strong as Catching Fire. With some exciting scenes but lots of problems with characters, it’s ultimately worth checking out on the big screen, only if you’re a fan.

11.07.15

by filmtoppings

Spectre

Daniel Craig returns as James Bond in his most likely final film as the iconic spy. In Spectre, Bond discovers that everything he has fought to this day has linked up to one organization – SPECTRE, lead by the menacing Franz Oberhauser (a magnificent Christoph Waltz), who has a dark past with Bond.

Spectre is everything I wanted from a possible Bond finale with Daniel Craig. Enormous, packed with excellent action and wonderful performances, and putting you on the edge of your seat, Spectre brings Bond to the big screen in a way that couldn’t be more satisfying for die-hard fans like me. It includes very familiar elements from the old Bond features, including the awesome gun barrel opening, which hasn’t been used in the very opening since the Pierce Brosnan days. The movie isn’t even afraid to make fun of some of these elements, including the famous “shaken, not stirred” Martini cocktail, and even includes some humor in the fight scenes. Sam Mendes once again does a great job in the director’s chair, previously having done a fantastic job with Skyfall. Roger Deakins did a great job shooting Skyfall, but in Spectre, Hoyte van Hoytema’s cinematography is something far magnificent. Having previously shot Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi epic Interstellar, Hoyte van Hoytema once again amazes with his ability to capture scale, perfect angles, and the need for as little takes as possible throughout scenes.

Daniel Craig once again delivers a strong and badass performance as the iconic hero that has been in and out of cinemas for over 50 years. He is able to convey the character’s emotion, motives, determination, and merciless tone. Léa Seydoux surprised me with such a deep, emotional, and strong performance as the new Bond girl. Christoph Waltz is by far the greatest Bond villain of the century. Having won two Oscars within 3 years, it’s no surprise that here, Waltz delivers a menacing, ruthless, extremely intimidating performance as such a fantastic and convincing antagonist. The movie did a perfect job saving up his character up until the last hour of the film, although he has a brief appearance before. It was very thrilling to see Bond get tortured psychologically by Waltz’s villain, rather than physically.

Sam Smith’s theme “Writing’s on the Wall” is not a great song, but is made such great use of in the opening credits of Spectre, with such amazing imagery like nothing I’ve seen in a Bond film before. The action is movies is so exciting, using such amazing cinematography, sound, and choreographed so well, I could never take my eyes off the film. By the time Waltz was onscreen, I was on the edge of my seat. I couldn’t believe how thrilled I was when Craig finally confronted Waltz, and what comes afterwords. The film ends very well, and I would be glad if it would end the saga, or at least Craig’s story. My one complaint of the film is that this movie and this summer’s Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation felt extremely similar, with very similar plot points, but I found Spectre to be a far greater film, much more thrilling, exciting, and nostalgic to fans.

Spectre may not be as great as Casino Royale, but it brings back Bond in such an awesome, exciting way, that’s definitely worth a trip to the movies, especially for fans.

10.22.15

by filmtoppings

The Walk

The Walk tells the fascinating true story of French acrobat Philippe Petit, who in 1974 hung a wire between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center and walked on it.

Since after Forrest Gump, my favorite drama movie, was released and stole the Oscars that year, not many of Robert Zemeckis’ films have been appreciated and recognized as being his (with exceptions like Cast Away and Flight). The Walk is hopefully a return for him. A visual spectacle with a fascinating topic, The Walk delivers a fantastic storyline, lots told through constant narration from an extraordinary protagonist (like in Forrest Gump). Joseph Gordon-Levitt delivers his best performance yet as the daring French artist, nailing a French accent and perfectly capturing the heart and soul of Petit. He captures every single emotion of the character terrifically and really transforms into the role. Knowing the movie is a true story makes you think more about the movie and the person Petit is. The supporting actors including Ben Kingsley are also great, but the spotlight always seems to be pointed on Gordon-Levitt, never pulling our interest away from him, but we are often wishing a few characters were a bit more developed.

The score by Alan Silvestri, who has frequently collaborated with Zemeckis on features like Back to the Future and Forrest Gump, is once again a wonderful score, brilliant, beautiful in many aspects, and soothing to listen to. The visual effects are, of course, flawless, and absolutely amazing to look at, with the Twin Towers being shown with amazing CGI, and although some details are obviously CGI, they are still very well done, which is a great accomplishment because obvious CGI is often irritating in modern cinema. Robert Zemeckis is a master of visual effects, having perfected them in every movie he has directed. Although the film ended up focusing more on the plot than the visual beauty, it still gives enough times for the visuals to shine. The plot is always sweet, heartfelt, and has entertaining narration from Gordon-Levitt’s Petit. It focuses on Petit’s life, love, associates, and especially his daring dream and soul. It is able to entertain, touch our hearts, and bring the setting to life, while being able to avoid overused biopic cliches such as closing title cards.

The climax of the film, in which Petit finally walks the wire, is the most well-put together, compelling movie scene of the year. With such thrills and 3D effects, you are pulled from your seat to the wire with Petit. In that final 20 minutes, you can feel your heart pounding as you watch this incredible moment in history brought to life in front of you.

The Walk is entertaining, touching, visually incredible, fantastically directed and acted, and easily one of the best films of the year, and one greatest 3D experiences of the decade, following the footsteps of Gravity and Hugo.

10.12.15

by filmtoppings

Sicario

Kate Macer (Emily Blunt), an idealistic FBI agent, is enlisted by an elected government task force to aid in the escalating war against drugs at the border area between the U.S. and Mexico.

Denis Villeneuve, the director of 2013’s Prisoners, has returned to the director’s seat with another thrilling and powerful flick. Sicario was often marketed as just another action flick with nothing more than cliche gunshots and explosions, but with a director like Villeneuve, I knew that wasn’t what Sicario would ultimately be. Instead, Sicario is thrilling, heart-pounding, powerful, fantastically acted, and beautifully shot. Emily Blunt delivers a strong female performance, probably the best of her career. I have never seen her as such a deep, driven character, and she portrays her role with lots of emotion and fear that feels real. Benicio del Toro’s performance felt very mysterious and dark, which I liked. Josh Brolin is also great, as a fun, laid-back character.

The movie’s cinematography stands out in such an amazing way. Roger Deakins shoots every single shot of this movie with such brilliance and detail. There are some simply breathtaking shots, whether they are large scale shots of a warring Mexico, or shots through night vision goggles of geared-up FBI agents traveling through dark tunnels. Some of these night shots are made terrifying with the effects of the sound and angle at which they are shot. This movie’s cinematography is the best of the year, and definitely deserves an Oscar.

Although not much besides the action happens within the first half of the film, it is often thrilling, and even when there is only the slightest amount of tension, it can be very suspenseful. By the time I was at the final half of the movie, my heart was pounding from all the suspense. The suspense builds up, and is ended in a perfect way. The movie’s ending sums up the film perfectly, and didn’t need to go any further. The movie has some pessimistic themes about the US/Mexico border’s danger, but conveys it in a very realistic way that makes you pulled in even more to the film’s setting and characters.

Sicario is a very powerful and thrilling film, and another strong picture from Denis Villeneuve. With a strong theme, excellent cinematography, and great performances, Sicario has thrilled me like no other film this year, and is a definite watch for ages 15 and up.

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