by filmtoppings

Captain Phillips

(Blu-ray review)

Captain Phillips is the amazing true story of Captain Richard Phillips and the 2009 hijacking by Somali pirates of the US-flagged MV Maersk Alabama, the first American cargo ship to be hijacked in two hundred years.

I have to admit, I did not expect to love this movie like I did. It is breathtaking, suspenseful, beautifully shot, written, and directed. Not to mention Tom Hanks’ flawless performance is Captain Phillips. I cannot believe he didn’t even get nominated. The person who played Muse, the leader of the pirates, was also good. The action is very suspenseful and kept me on the edge of my seat for almost the whole time. I could not look away for a second! The pacing is also very good. It never feels to rushed or too slow or boring.

I think that overall Captain Phillips is an amazing film with a high level of suspense and a beautiful performance from Tom Hanks.

09.22.14

by filmtoppings

The Maze Runner

My rating:

When Thomas wakes up trapped in a massive maze with a group of other boys, he has no memory of the outside world other than strange dreams about a mysterious organization known as W.C.K.D. Only by piecing together fragments of his past with clues he discovers in the maze can Thomas hope to uncover his true purpose and a way to escape.

The Maze Runner is not what you would expect it to be. You might think it’s one of those dumb YA rip-off failures, but it’s actually an intriguing action story that is enjoyable from start to finish. All the cast is great, and so is the plot and the action. At first when I heard who the actors were I was a bit worried but actually they all did great.

I thought the movie was so fun and suspenseful, and I loved it. It lived up to my expectations and it does not disappoint. Many people are complaining about the ending, but I had no problem with it. I absolutely can’t wait for the sequel! I wish they would just play on instead of having to wait another year! Overall, The Maze Runner is an awesome movie that does not disappoint.

09.17.14

by filmtoppings

Dolphin Tale 2

My rating:

In this family-friendly sequel, Winter’s story continues when her dolphin companion dies, and her condition is deteriorating, so the people at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, including Sawyer, the boy who discovered Winter in the first film and serves as the main character in both films, do their best to help her. Soon a baby dolphin named Hope is found and rescued, and Winter and Hope form a unique friendship.

Dolphin Tale 2 is a fun family flick that both kids and parents can enjoy. It’s a cute movie that does not disappoint much. I don’t think it was better than the first one, but I still liked it. It’s problem is that some parts just feel to much like the first one, and it feels like the same movie twice. I think the cast was good, except I thought Hazel, the girl who is Sawyer’s friend, was annoying at times. Our main story is supposed to be Winter and Hope, but that only happens for the last half hour of the movie, and I wanted more of Hope. Overall I think Dolphin Tale 2 is a cute family film that is enjoyable but feels too much like the first at times.

09.05.14

by filmtoppings

FilmToppings Summer Movie Awards 2014

So I held this summer movie awards thing on Instagram, where there was a couple of categories and people had to vote. So now I will announce the results:

Best Movie: Guardians of the Galaxy

Best Actor: Andy Serkis – Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Best Actress: Emily Blunt – Edge of Tomorrow

Best Visual Effects: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Best Badass: Rocket Raccoon – Guardians of the Galaxy

Worst Movie: Transformers: Age of Extinction

I hope you all had a great Summer and that you saw a lot of great movies during it.

08.19.14

by filmtoppings

A Tribute to Robin Williams

A week ago, the world lost Robin Williams, a hilarious comic genius who made the whole world laugh. He was admired and beloved by all his fans, who are all very sad now. He managed to make the whole world happy, but apparently not himself. Robin committed suicide because he was in deep depression. On August 12, a day after he was found dead, a police officer confirmed that Williams had hanged himself with a belt.He may have had a great time onstage, but behind the screen his life was completely different. He was very sick and he was depressed, so I guess he killed himself.

I have not seen all of his well-known films but I have seen many of them. My favorite is Mrs. Doubtfire, a comedy about an actor (played by Robin Williams) disguises himself as a female housekeeper to spend time with his children held in custody by his former wife. That movie seriously cracked me up! It’s one of my favorite comedies! Also, he really rocked as the Genie in Aladdin. The movie itself was OK but the Genie stole the whole show! I’ve heard about many other of his great movies, like Good Will Hunting and Good Morning Vietnam. I haven’t seen those ones yet but now I plan to. Robin Williams was definitely one of the funniest actors I know and he will always be remembered, along with his movies and his roles.

08.07.14

by filmtoppings

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

My rating:

Darkness has settled over New York City as Shredder and the evil Foot Clan have their intentions on unleashing a chemical attack on the city. The future is grim until four unlikely outcast brothers rise from the sewers and discover their destiny as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The Turtles must work with fearless reporter April O’Neil and her wise-cracking cameraman Vernon Fenwick to save the city and unravel Shredder’s diabolical plan.

I didn’t think this movie would be good at all but I have to admit, I kind of enjoyed it. The action is fun and some of the humor is good, but it is a dumb movie, too. I didn’t like Will Arnett’s character, he was a bit annoying. Megan Fox was good as April O’Neil, and I felt that even though she’s been in bad movies, this role was fine. The 3D visuals are what surprised me (they were really good). I felt that I could relate to the turtles at some points.

I really liked the Shredder. He is an awesome villain who reminded me of the Winter Soldier from Captain America: The Winter Soldier, because they both have a mask and they are both super bad-ass! The battle between the turtles and Shredder was pretty awesome.

Overall, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is an enjoyable movie but it is really dumb. I would recommend it for kids age 12 and up.

07.31.14

by filmtoppings

Guardians of the Galaxy

My rating:

Intergalactic adventurer Peter Quill finds himself the object of an unrelenting bounty hunt after stealing a mysterious orb coveted by Ronan, a powerful villain with ambitions that threaten the entire universe. To evade Ronan, Quill is forced into an uneasy truce with a quartet of disparate misfits – Rocket, a gun-toting raccoon, Groot, a tree-like humanoid, the deadly and enigmatic Gamora and the revenge-driven Drax the Destroyer. But when Quill discovers the true power of the orb and the menace it poses to the cosmos, he and his team must find a way to stop Ronan’s madness and save the galaxy.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is improving as it goes. And this movie is definitely it’s best yet. I have to admit, it’s even better than The Avengers! It’s smart, funny, entertaining, and full of heart. The pace is good (it’s never too slow), the characters are all very funny, and best of all, the action scenes are extremely fun to sit through. It really has a Star Wars feel to it, with all the spaceship battles, the fact that the Guardians keep traveling from planet to planet, and I sort of felt that Ronan was sort of like Darth Vader, with a helmet, a low voice, and an ugly face.

One thing that didn’t turn out like I thought it would be but didn’t really bother me was that Thanos (a god-like figure who works with Ronan and is Gamora’s adoptive father) had a smaller role than I expected (just a one minute cameo), but that’s OK. Maybe he’ll have a bigger role in the Avengers 2!

My two favorite characters to see onscreen were Rocket and Groot, the hilarious duo who know how to kick ass. Lots of the other characters were also very charming and funny, especially Quill (the space outlaw who calls himself “Star-Lord”).

In conclusion, Guardians of the Galaxy is brilliant, smart, wonderfully silly, and is as entertaining, awesome, and fun, as any other Marvel movie. I would recommend it for any Marvel movie fans!

07.24.14

by filmtoppings

Hercules

My rating:

Having completed his twelve labors, Hercules, accompanied by his team, his hired by the King of Thrace to defeat a tyrannical warlord who threatens the people of Thrace. But soon Hercules relaizes that this war isn’t what it seems.

From the trailers, this movie looked bad. I didn’t think it would be good mainly because I don’t trust the director (Breet Ratner, director of movies that haven’t been good, including X-Men: The Last Stand), but this time, Ratner surprised me. I found myself enjoying this movie from the beginning to the end. The action scenes managed to enteratain me a lot. Dwayne Johnson (AKA The Rock) does what he’s best at: kicking ass. And when the Rock kicks ass, he’s an awesome action star.

When I saw the first trailer of this movie, I was thinking, “Not another Legend of Hercules!” The Legend of Hercules was dumb, had terrible acting and visuals, and felt more like a B-movie than a Hollywood movie. This Hercules flick is nothing like that. This one is actually entertaining, the actors are well-casted, and this time, it doesn’t fail to tell the epic legend of Hercules.

In conclusion, this movie is fun, entertaining, and has great charcters and action scenes. Brett Ratner has finally found himslef a good job.

07.22.14

by filmtoppings

The Fault in our Stars

My rating:

Hazel and Gus are two extraordinary teenagers who share an acerbic wit, a disdain for the conventional, and a love that sweeps them – and us – on a unforgettable journey.

I saw this movie after reading the book. I wasn’t disappointed at all. Nothing from the book was messed up or left out. Hazel and Gus are a great couple just like in the book and the duo who played them were great. I also really liked the actor who played Isaac, Augustus’ best friend who lost his eyes to cancer. I also liked the humor in this movie. It makes you laugh in a way than other comedies don’t.

The end was very sad and emotional and I cried a little bit. You’ll probably see it coming but this movie made me emotional more than any movie I’ve ever seen. In conclusion, fans of the book will not be disappointed by this movie, because of it’s accuracy to the book, it’s acting, and it’s humor. So if you’ve read the book and haven’t seen the movie yet, then you should go ahead and do it! If you haven’t read the book, no problem! You would enjoy it anyway. I would recommend it for ages 13 and up.

07.17.14

by filmtoppings

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

My rating:

A decade after the virus created by the apes killed most of humanity, the remaining humans and the apes find themselves at the brink of a war that will determine who will become Earth’s dominate species.

This film is absolutely awesome. The CGI of the apes looked very realistic (I could tell they weren’t real apes becuase the director would never be able to get real apes to do those stuff, but the CGI looked pretty real). Some scenes were very emotional and made me almost cry (not really cry, but feel very emotional inside). I really liked the story between the humans and the apes, and it kept me interested and excited the whole time.

I loved Andy Serkis’ performance as Caesar, and I think it’ s his best performance yet. He definetley deseves an Oscar nod for this role. I also really liked Jason Clarke as Malcolm. He had the heart that James Franco had in the previous installment. He was a good choice to play the role. Gary Oldman’s character was great, although it was a very small role, but with a very important position. I think whoever played Koba was awesome. Koba is bascially this very tough ape who holds a grudge against humans for his mistreatment. Koba will do anything to take down the humans and he will make any ape unwilling to follow him pay for it. Overall, the cast is great and nobody in this movie does a bad job.

Here’s my conclusion: This movie has amzing visual effects, awesome action scenes, great acting (especially Andy Serkis), and and it has a great plot that keeps you excited and interested the entire time. I would recommend it for anyone 12 and up!

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