by filmtoppings

Paper Towns

Quentin “Q” Jacobsen lives next door to Margo Roth Spiegelman, his childhood friend from whom he has since drifted, but still has feelings for. One night, when she climbs through his window and summons him on an all-night road trip of revenge, he cannot help but follow her lead. The next day, however, Margo doesn’t come to school, and after a few days it becomes apparent she’s missing. Q soon learns that there are clues in her disappearance that seem to be meant for him to make sense of. But as he gets deeper into the mystery and discovers more about the person Margo actually is, he becomes less sure of who and what he’s looking for.

As a big fan of the book, and one of the people who was impressed by last year’s The Fault in our Stars, I had high hopes for this movie. Although it falls slightly short of what I expected, it’s still very charming, funny, touching, and often entertaining. There are a few changes made from the book, but none that bothered me or affected the story’s quality. Nat Wolff does a great job playing a funny, likable and realistic teenager, portrayed very well. However, Cara Delevingne steals the show as the fascinating Margo, beautiful and perfectly casted. The rest of the cast also do a great job. The teenage protagonists are all very charming, funny, and are portrayed in a very realistic way, in the aspect that they are all facing normal teenage emotions and maturing in a believable but very interesting way. Paper Towns is able to not only entertain and make audiences smile, but also conveys a coming-of-age message, ultimately. It teaches about friendship, desperation, and ultimately understanding what life is about. In addition to this nice story, the soundtrack is well-composed and great to listen to, like The Fault in our Stars‘ soundtrack.

Like I said before, Paper Towns was a slight disappointment. The main problem is that it is way too short. It not only feels rushed, but doesn’t take the time to explain important points of the story, like Q’s relationship with his parents (who only get five seconds of screen time), the bonding between the teenagers the film focuses on, and many people getting involved in Margo’s mysterious disappearance, which were all very important in the book. The movie should have taken at least 20 more minutes to convince us that the protagonists’ mission is worthwhile, and about their entire personality. They weren’t the changes in the book that brought the film down a little, but the pacing and uneven narrative the film has.

Like many teenage movies, Paper Towns is very funny, charming, and well-written, but doesn’t completely have the aim for the main characters that I was searching for. But I would recommend the film for any fans of the book or the film’s genre.

07.21.15

by filmtoppings

Big Game

After Air Force One is shot down by terrorists in Finland in an attempt to kill the President of the United States (Samuel L. Jackson), the President (who survived the crash) teams up with a 13-year-old Finnish hunter (Onni Tommila) to take down the terrorists who are trying to hunt the President.

Lately this summer, most movies I’ve watched were very disappointing, and were either bad or decent at the most. However, Big Game is a movie that I enjoyed at moderate level. I actually had very low expectations for this movie. The marketing and trailers made the film look incredibly awful and cliche. It is, without question, a very cliche movie, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be more than a boring, predictable action flick. The action actually happens to be pretty fun, and even though it isn’t anything we haven’t seen before, it does have an entertaining factor. The action is well done, and not as predictable as most recent films of its type. It has some fun comic-book styled violence, and feels a lot like a 80’s or 90’s action-adventure movie. The performances from Samuel L. Jackson and young Finnish actor Onni Tommila are both good. Their characteristics are convincing, with Samuel L. Jackson conveying an interesting point about being the president, and Tomilla acting as a relatable character my age.

The story is constructed well, despite the fact that the movie is extremely short, especially for an action movie (it’s only an hour and a half long). There is one point at the end that remains a loose end and isn’t quite clear. Some of the dialogue doesn’t work, and some sound extremly familiar, being previously used in action movies of its type. The movie does use one-liners, but they mostly work. The movie also has a limited humorous factor, which works as well. Like I said before, many plot points turn out to be cliche and familiar, but the movie is still entertaining and not completely predictable.

Overall, Big Game is a very fun movie with great action and good performances, but not much more. If you simply want to have fun at the movies, then this movie is a good recommendation.

07.16.15

by filmtoppings

Ant-Man

The next movie of the Marvel Cinematic Universe finally brings Ant-Man to the screen. Armed with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, master thief Scott Lang must embrace his inner-hero and help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym, protect the secret behind his spectacular Ant-Man suit from a new generation of towering threats. Against seemingly insurmountable obstacles, Pym and Lang must plan and pull off a heist that will save the world.

As Marvel begins to enter a darker phase of films, with films such as Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War coming out, it’s starting to adapt to a very likable new style, with tons of unpredictable humor being thrown into their movies. Ant-Man is able to partly convey it, but is a letdown considering the fact that its from Marvel Studios. Paul Rudd is a superb star, as he coveys all the humor and heart I wanted from him. Michael Douglas gives a decent performance as mentor Hank Pym. I was let down by Evangeline Lily and Corey Stoll. I was expecting a deeper and more emotional character from Lily, and a villain that was more incorporated into the script and convincing enough from Stoll. Michael Pena is able to deliver a charming performance as one of Lang’s buddies, and Bobby Cannavale does an awful job, not to anyone’s surprise.

The style the film takes on is fun, but doesn’t fulfill the story’s needs and character developments. The subplot involving Scott’s relationship and connection with his daughter (and his hatred of his ex-wife’s new fiance, who also happens to be a cop played by Bobby Cannavale) is extremely cliche and has been used hundreds of times in the past decade in cinema. Same with Scott’s training to become Ant-Man, it’s not anything we haven’t seen before or wouldn’t see coming. The dialogue needs a lot of improvement, with too much awkward dialogue and things that kept repeating themselves. I never felt so close to the characters, since they aren’t given enough time to connect with the audience, because the movie is way too rushed, not to mention it’s very short, with a run-time of only 115 minutes. However, the film still keeps the humor from its preceding Marvel movies, and does not fail to entertain. The movie even has a few callbacks to the Avengers to remind you that it’s a Marvel movie, and a post-credit scene worth staying for.

Overall, I was let down by Ant-Man due to its lack of convincing character development, its run-time, and its script, but it is still able to entertain and make you laugh. The film would’ve been much better with Edgar Wright sitting in the director’s chair. Moving forward, I have faith in Marvel that they will do a great job with Phase Three, but I was disappointed with Ant-Man, as it’s meant to be a more moving finale to Phase 2.

07.13.15

by filmtoppings

Terminator Genisys

By the 2020s, a program named Skynet has taken over the world and wiped out billions of humans via nuclear apocalypse. The remaining humans, fighting for survival against Skynet’s forces, are led by John Connor (Jason Clarke). When John sends Sgt. Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) back to 1984 to protect Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke) and safeguard the future, an unexpected turn of events changes the past completely. Now, Reese finds himself in a new timeline, where he is faced with unlikely allies, including “Pops” (Arnold Schwarzenegger), a Terminator programmed to protect Sarah, dangerous enemies, and an unexpected mission: To reset the future by preventing a sinister app named Genisys from going online.

Terminator Genisys ultimately doesn’t do a great job reviving the beloved classic franchise, but I’m not surprised. The storyline isn’t very good. It takes everything we love about the originals and turns it to crap, with bad characters, performances, and a terrible script. Arnold Schwarzenegger still does great as The Terminator. Even at an old age, he is still very charming and entertaining as his iconic character. Even though his performance is great, none of the other cast members managed to impress me. Jai Courtney didn’t do a terrible job in this film, but he was so uninteresting and I disliked the fact that the story is told from his point of view. Like I predicted, he couldn’t capture the heart and badass of Michael Biehn’s Kyle Reese. Emilia Clarke sure does make a good female badass, just like Linda Hamilton, but she doesn’t deliver her lines and her character’s personality to the audience well. Most of the time, she feels like a teenage girl constantly complaining and hard to stand. Jason Clarke doesn’t actually do such an awful job as John Connor, but he isn’t good, either. The twist with his character is pretty clever, but unfortunately, the trailers ruined it by giving it away. J.K. Simmons’ supporting character is useless and barely used at all. But from the entire cast, the worst performance comes from Lee Byung-Hun: The Korean actor casted to play the iconic T-1000 from Terminator 2. In this movie, the T-1000 is completely underused (he only delivers one line, but it’s enough to convince you he was a horrible casting choice), horribly written, and felt very forced into the script.

I was let down by the cast of this film, but that’s not the only disappointing thing it did to the franchise. The story messed up a lot about what I loved about the original 2 films, and I explained a lot of it in the previous paragraph. I didn’t like the new perspective or stars. The action is very entertaining, and the pacing is just right. However, the dialogue is so predictable, and the movie keeps throwing in these messages about time and the future that are so constantly used in film, that they’re more than just cliche. It doesn’t have the tone of the original movies, and is simply a copy-paste of expensive action movies that failed to impress me (G.I. Joe, Jupiter Ascending, etc.) that Hollywood doesn’t know when to stop making. It’s best to leave this franchise alone forever, and just appreciate its original movies, which helped shape films of its time and genre.

Overall, Terminator Genisys is a disappointment for fans, so I wouldn’t recommend it for any of you Terminator die-hard fans like me, but if you aren’t one, you may think differently about the film…

07.05.15

by filmtoppings

Minions

Minions tells the origin story of the hilarious, adorable, lovable yellow creatures from the Despicable Me movies. They have existed since the beginning of time (starting as single-celled yellow organisms living underwater), eventually evolving and serving villains for ages (accidentally killing every one, however). The soon isolate themselves and build a new society, but feel meaningless and depressed by 1968. Three brave Minions, going by the names Stuart, Kevin, and Bob, decide to go on a journey in order to find a new master. They find themselves in Villain-Con in Orlando, and soon end up working for female super-villain Scarlet Overkill (voiced by Sandra Bullock), who has the most menacing heist planned.

As a fan of the Minions and the Despicable Me franchise, I found Minions to be a big disappointment. Obviously, the Minions are still hilarious and lovable, and never failed to crack me up. I loved the references to popular ’60s music (don’t worry, The Beatles are in there), and the soundtrack of ’60s hits rocked. Their origin (leading up to the main plot in 1968) was set up very well and crafted in a great way, with good narration and great humor. After that, the plot starts to gradually fall out of place, and by the end, its incredibly predictable. There are a few plot points that aren’t quite clear, and a few points that don’t deliver. The ending is a good set-up to Despicable Me and further, but is incredibly predictable, with tons of cliches being thrown into the screenplay. The final 20 minutes of the film simply recycle events from the final battle of Despicable Me 2, and I really didn’t enjoy it. Despite Inside Out being a great original hit, almost all family movies nowadays recycle the same ideas that have been used forever, and unfortunately, this movie is an example. Despite the humor being great, I was let down by the story and originality of the movie. I also felt that the pacing was very uneven. The movie is about an hour and a half, but feels more like an hour, and is very rushed after the first 20 minutes.

Overall, Minions is a huge disappointment, with uneven pacing and a bland plot that lacks the originality of its predecessors. However, its one redeeming factor is its awesome humor (enough to earn it a decent rating), which the franchise holds onto, and hopefully still will in the future, as well as polishing up the flaws from this film.

06.30.15

by filmtoppings

The Terminator Franchise

In honor of Terminator Genisys being released tomorrow, I will share with you all my thoughts about James Cameron’s beloved Terminator franchise.

First, let’s talk about the original 1984 classic that started it all. The Terminator is an absolutely amazing movie. The performances from Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, and Michael Biehn are all unforgettable. They all do a perfect job in their roles, especially Arnie as the iconic cyborg antagonist. The action is beautifully done, and the character development is always excellent. James Cameron wonderfully depicts the film’s setting and the dialogue, and the way he directed the film is beyond compare for its time. A few of the visual effects do look fake, but it’s not like they had that much editing technology at the time, like we have today. The one problem I do have with this movie, and it’s a very minor problem, is that when everything in this movie is finally warmed up, it ends very soon after! The battle that ends the film is definitely a great one, but I think there could have been some more action with the Terminator before the concluding fight. But nonetheless, this movie is amazing, and definitely had a huge legacy over action and science fiction movies to this day. The Terminator is one of my favorite movies and receives a rating of:

Next, let’s talk about the movie’s sequel, which came 7 years later, and was even more acclaimed by fans. Terminator 2: Judgment Day is easily another one of my favorite movies. Linda Hamilton’s transformation of Sarah Conner from a helpless young woman in the first movie to a trained bad-ass in the second one is amazing. Edward Furlong also delivers a great performance as Sarah’s son, John Conner, and of course, Arnie is fantastic with his return as the Terminator, this time sent to protect Sarah and her son. James Cameron’s directing is once again brilliant, and so is the script and dialogue. The action is way better than the first, given a longer run-time, which means more time for the action to develop and warm up, and there are so many great lines in the movie, including the iconic, “I’ll be back.” Terminator 2 is a brilliant action movie, and is without question on the top 5 movies of my favorite movies list. It is a huge improvement over the first, and earns a rating of:

I have decided to avoid Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, given that I have heard awful things about it, and I have seen Terminator Salvation, the failed attempt at a reboot, that I pretty much hated, and would give a rating of (Arnie’s absence and Christian Bale and Sam Worthington’s terrible performances contribute to that rating). Now here’s what I think about the upcoming reboot. To me, Terminator Genisys looks like a very bad movie, overall. First off, I love the fact that Arnold Schwarzenegger reprises his iconic role as the T-800, but it doesn’t look like he’ll be able to capture the charm of his character like he did back in the old days. None of the other cast members look good, either. Emilia Clarke looks a lot like Linda Hamilton and fits the role of Sarah Conner well, look-wise. However, I am still concerned about her acting skills. Jason Clarke as John Conner looks alright, overall. I’m not a huge fan of him, despite his amazing performance in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, and I don’t like the twist they add to him, since the trailer gave that away. I am not a fan of Jai Courtney at all, and he looks horrible as Kyle Reese. I loved Michael Biehn as the role in the original Terminator movie, and Jai Courtney just looks like this guy in peril with no fighting skills, instead of the protective soldier he’s supposed to be. The story doesn’t look so good. I don’t like the director, and I think instead of going with this new story, they should’ve sticked to the original plot. Hollywood can’t quite always make a perfect reboot, and this is an example of one that will most likely fail. I love the original franchise, and we should appreciate the amazingness of the original films instead of trying to hopelessly remake it in search of more money. Find out what I thought after I watch and Review Terminator Genisys in the very near future.

06.28.15

by filmtoppings

Inside Out

Growing up can be a bumpy road, and it’s no exception for 11-year-old Riley, whose family must relocate to San Francisco. Like all of us, Riley is guided by her emotions – Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust, and Sadness. The emotions live in Headquarters, the control center inside Riley’s mind, where they help advise her through everyday life. As Riley and her emotions struggle to adjust to a new life in San Francisco, the emotions conflict on how best to navigate a new city, house and school.

Just like every Pixar movie, Inside Out is a very original treat that both children and adults would enjoy. Its depiction of the brain and what happens inside it is brilliant, and it all ties up with scientific accuracy. The animation is beautiful, from depicting real-life issues to situations in the brain. The cast are all stunning, especially a joyful Amy Poehler as the lead (the only positive emotion of the five), a perfectly casted furious Lewis Black, and a sweet, tearful Phyllis Smith. All the stars are able to carry the movie along in such an excellent way, I never wanted to turn my eyes off their characters. Inside Out is less of a fantasy or science fiction movie than most recent animated movies, and I love how realistic the writers made this movie. Director Pete Docter definitely put in a lot of hard work into this movie, and it sure does pay off (considering that he took inspiration from the movie from his preteen daughter’s behavior, and that he also directed Monsters, Inc. and Up) Unlike Pixar’s last three films, Inside Out is more of a mature drama than a family comedy. I am very glad Pixar is aiming this direction once again, and that by next year, it will be as successful as it was 10 years ago.

Overall, Inside Out is brilliant, hilarious, touching, and definitely brings Pixar back in its game – bringing Joy to us all.

06.12.15

by filmtoppings

Jurassic World

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Twenty-two years after the events of Jurassic Park, Isla Nublar now features a fully functioning dinosaur theme park, Jurassic World, as originally envisioned by John Hammond. After 10 years of operation and visitor rates declining, in order to fulfill a corporate mandate, a new attraction is created to re-spark visitor’s interest, which backfires horribly.

Jurassic World is a very exciting and entertaining blockbuster, visually. The action is very intense, and I found myself highly enjoying the movie. There is a lot of suspense, great use of sound, intensity, and fright. I was intrigued by the movie’s setting, especially the way they depicted Jurassic World and these people’s plans to revive dinosaurs. I also loved the score, especially because they brought back the theme from the original movie, and how they unexpectedly revive things or moments from the original movie.

Chris Pratt is great in the lead role. His character is engaging and he does great performance wise. None of the other actors did a good job at all, Bryce Dallas Howard was a fun female lead but not as good as Laura Dern’s role in the first film. The two children in the film are also bland and had way too much screen-time, and despite the director’s efforts to make his main character’s intriguing, they instead come out as overused and practically annoying. There is a human character in the film that the movie tries to make look like the villain, and this is the part where the movie fails the most. This “villain”‘s plot was completely bland, familiar, and unnecessary.

The movie is able to remind you well of the original film with the score and visuals, but often the visual effects feel out of place. They’re often done well but not impressive like before. The first one did it well because not only was it something we had never seen before, but they were not overused, and were in the right place. Here, almost everything is CGI, it feels less realistic but you can still sit back and have a great time with the amazing action that’s offered.

Jurassic World manages to entertain, but fails to live up to Jurassic Park’s incredible story, characters, and use of visual effects. I would recommend the film for fans of the saga who simply want to have fun at the movies.

05.25.15

by filmtoppings

Mad Max: Fury Road

In the stark desert wasteland populated by a broken humanity driven with survival and the unending ravage for gasoline, a loner named Max Rockatansky finds himself unwantedly caught in the middle of a chase while aiding the heroine Furiosa, and her female companions, she struggles to return to her homeland and escape the clutches of a ruthless dessert gang leader, Immortan Joe. With the harsh desert sands in front of them and marauders behind, only the maddest will prevail the storm.

2015 has been a great year for action movies. This and Kingsman: The Secret Service have proved so. But Mad Max: Fury Road has truly taken it to the next level. And by next level, I mean level of action, stunts, practical effects, and insanity. George Miller’s way of storytelling is incredible. He comes up with great ways to explain his settings and characters. I was very pulled in to the setting, and loved the portrayals of Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron’s characters. Tom Hardy has a completely different personality than all his other movie characters, he feels mysterious and doesn’t say much, and even though you don’t know much about him, you care for him. Charlize Theron does an amazing job as a strong female character who you deeply care for. She isn’t your typical action heroine, she steals every scene she’s in, and is more of a lead heroine with a heart rather than simply a hot female bad ass.

The action is so entertaining, crazy, and nothing like you’d imagine it to be. The visual effects are beautiful, not only because of the set, but because all the action is practical, without any CGI. This is another reason why the action is so amazing and fun. The way the action is directed is awesome. George Miller makes the action as insane as possible, for example, an albino on top of a huge truck, surrounded by speakers, playing an electric guitar that spits out fire every couple seconds! The beautiful soundtrack and loud dialogue add to the quality of the action. There isn’t much character development where I felt there was supposed to be the most of it, but honestly, this movie is just supposed to be about cars crashing into each other, and crazy people killing each other. Miller deserves a lot of credit for his efforts in casting, filming, choreographing action, and bringing his popular classic franchise back to life.

Overall, Mad Max: Fury Road is action at is wildest, craziest, most entertaining, and with the adrenaline at its highest level. George Miller has done an amazing job with his Mad Max saga, and this one is his best. An awesome ride that will keep you on the edge of your seat, and highly recommended for action fans ages 13-14 and up!

05.22.15

by filmtoppings

Tomorrowland

Bound by a shared destiny, a teen bursting with scientific curiosity and a former boy-genius inventor embark on a mission to unearth the secrets of a place somewhere in time and space that exists in their collective memory.

Without question, Tomorrowland is the most inspiring, thoughtful, and interesting movie I’ve seen in a long time. With excellent directing from Brad Bird (The Incredibles, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol), and wonderful acting from Britt Robertson and George Clooney, Tomorrowland perfectly captures Walt Disney’s imagination, and inspires audiences that they can all make the world a better place. Personally, I was very attached to the film’s sci-fi setting, characters,and screenplay. The movie’s setting is not your cliche, post-apocalyptic world, but a very original and intriguing setting. I loved the way the future is depicted. It symbolizes what we can do if we reach high enough. Britt Robertson does a great job portraying a young, curious heroine. George Clooney also does a great job in front of the camera, despite the fact that his character is unlikable at first. There are a few scenes that aimlessly drag on and don’t deliver the information that they are meant to, but other than that, I do not understand why everyone is complaining so much about this movie (it has an unbelievable score of 50% on Rotten Tomatoes). People haven’t quite understood it for what it is, unlike me, who deeply appreciated the movie and disagrees all the critics who are ranting about it.

Just when we thought Hollywood ran out of originality, we received this movie. Tomorrowland is truly astonishing, fascinating, brilliant, well-acted, and definitely a must-see for audiences age 12 and up. Brad Bird, you deserve your applause once again.

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