03.28.14
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Divergent

ratings1

In a post-war Chicago, the population is divided into five factions: Abnegation (selfless), Amity (kind), Candor (honest) Erudite (intelligent), and Dauntless (brave). Tris Prior (Shailene Woodley) finds out that she is Divergent (which means that she doesn’t fit into any of the five factions) after a test, and to hide this fact (since the government has been hunting Divergents because they think Divergents are threats), she joins Dauntless at the Choosing Ceremony. In the Dauntless initiation, she trains to become a true Dauntless member and makes some new friends, including Christina (Zoe Kravitz) and she makes a romantic relationship with one of the instructors, Four (Theo James). Things become more complicated when one faction turns against the other, and Tris and Four must stop the battle and fix everything.

Divergent is neither a fun nor interesting film. From the first 20 minutes, I knew I wouldn’t like the film, and from there it became worse. The story is a complete rip-off of The Hunger Games, there wasn’t anything about it that didn’t feel familiar. The sets, characters, and everything felt so borrowed and uninspired. The cast are all terrible and very overused, not to mention uninteresting. All the characters are boring, and there are some moments that the actors make very embarrassing. Although I admire some of the actors in this film, including Shailene Woodley and Kate Winslet, that is no excuse for their awful job in this film, as Tris was not good protagonist, and Kate Winslet’s villain felt so forced, bland, and unoriginal. Nothing in the film felt new, surprising, or even intense. Everything feels so generic and tries too hard to make you understand things you don’t want to. I don’t know how this will move on as a series without any of the sequels being as awful as this.

If you are a huge fan of the novels, you might want to try this one out, but if you’re not, you should definitely avoid it.

Lead characters Tris and Four stand above a futuristic Chicago.

 

03.18.14
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Need for Speed

My rating: ratings4

Former race car driver turned car mechanic Tobey Marshall (Breaking Bad star Aaron Paul) sets out to avenge a friend’s death, which resulted in Marshall unjustly spending 2 years in prison. Marshall travels to California to face off against his rival racer Dino Brewster (Dominic Brewster), who was also responsible for Marshall’s friend’s death. On their car-explosive-packed trip to California, they battle against Brewster’s henchmen, and some cops as well.

To be honest, this movie isn’t a movie I was really excited for. It wasn’t one of those movies that I would just watch the trailer over and over again to just witness how cool it looks. I just decided to watch it because it looked pretty cool. Now, I have to admit, I really underestimated this movie. Filled with non-stop car crashes and races, what could go better in a car-racing/criminals-who-use-cars-to-pull-off-schemes-themed movie?

Aaron Paul and his insanely awesome crew make a great cast. I have never watched a single episode of Breaking Bad, but after watching this movie, I am now a huge fan of Aaron Paul! Some people might consider this movie a Fast and Furious spin-off, or just a movie based on the video game of the same name, but I like to look at it as Grand Theft Auto: The Movie. With many vehicles getting destroyed, many twists and lots of trying to avoid cops, how could it be too different from GTA? In conclusion, Need for Speed is one hell of a movie.

P.S: Please do not consider taking young kids to this movie. I think it would be suitable for kids 12-13 and up. Otherwise, too many car crashes and explosions!

Need For Speed poster.jpg

03.04.14
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The Oscars (86th Academy Awards)

This Sunday, the 86th annual Oscars ceremony took place. Ellen DeGeneres hosted it for the second time. In my opinion, she was very funny! She sure did make the audience laugh a lot. This year, Alfonso Cuaron’s space adventure Gravity won the most Oscars (7 of them!). The Best Original Song nominees performed their songs (Despicable Me 2’s “Happy” by Pharrell Williams, Her’s “The Moon Song” by Karen Orzolek, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom’s “Ordianry Love” by U2, and Frozen’s “Let It Go” by Idina Menzel). Also, 12 Years a Slave’s Lupita Nyong’o won her first Oscar (Best Supporting Actress). The cool thing is that 12 Years a Slave is also Nyong’o’s first film! Presenters included Jim Carrey, Harrison Ford, Kerry Washington, Matthew McConaghey(who also won an award the same night), Amy Adams, Robert De Niro, Penelope Cruz, Daniel Day-Lewis, Jennifer Lawrence, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Will Smith (who presented the Best Picture award.) Here is the list of winners:

Best Picture: 12 Years a Slave

Best Actor: Matthew McConaughey for Dallas Buyers Club

Best Actress: Cate Blanchett for Blue Jasmine

Best Supporting Actor: Jared Leto for Dallas Buyers Club

Best Supporting Actress: Lupita Nyong’o for 12 Years a Slave

Best Director: Alfonso Cuaron for Gravity

Best Original Screenplay: Her (written by Spike Jonze)

Best Adapted Screenplay: 12 Years a Slave (written by John Ridley)

Best Film Editing: Gravity

Best Sound Editing: Gravity

Best Sound Mixing: Gravity

Best Costume Design: The Great Gatsby

Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Dallas Buyers Club

Best Production Design: The Great Gatsby

Best Cinematography: Gravity

Best Visual Effects: Gravity

Best Original Score: Gravity

Best Original Song: “Let It Go” from Frozen (performed by Idina Menzel)

Best Animated Feature: Frozen

Best Animated Short: Mr. Hublot

Best Foreign Language Film: The Great Beauty (from Italy) in Italian

Best Documentary Feature: 20 Feet from Stardom

Best Documentary Short: The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life

Best Live Action Short: Helium

Do you agree or disagree with the winners? Comment below and let me know what you think. I think this year’s Oscars ceremony was one of my favorites. I can’t wait until the next Oscars!

02.17.14
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RoboCop

My rating: ratings3

In 2028 Detroit, when Alex Murphy – a loving husband, father and good cop – is critically injured in the line of duty, the global corporation of OmniCorp, which Alex had worked for, sees their chance for a part-man, part-robot police officer. The film’s cast includes The Killing’s Joel Kinnaman, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy‘s Gary Oldman, Batman’s Michael Keaton, Sucker Punch‘s Abbie Cornish, The Avengers‘s Samuel L. Jackson, Watchmen‘s Jackie Earle Haley, Snitch‘s Michael K. Williams, The King’s Speech‘s Jennifer Ehle, and This Is The End‘s Jay Baruchel.

I enjoyed this film, mainly because its action; some scenes seem like a campaign level of Call of Duty, with all that shooting and moving around going on. But I didn’t love this movie.  There is a sense that the director didn’t do a good job remaking the original. Some parts are a little slow, but others are very entertaining. There were also some funny parts.  I would recommend this movie for kids 13 and up, because there is lots of violence (some blood, but hardly any), one sex scene (no nudity), and some language.

Here is the film’s site.

Robocop poster.jpg

02.12.14
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Saving Mr. Banks

My rating: ratings4

This enchanting Disney movie tells the true story of P.L. Travers (portrayed wonderfully by Emma Thompson), author of Mary Poppins, who, in 1961, travels to Los Angeles to negotiate with Walt Disney (played by Tom Hanks) about the rights to turn  Mary Poppins into a movie. Throughout the movie, Travers argues a lot about how to make the movie and how not to. Also, throughout the movie, flashbacks are shown from Travers’ childhood in Australia, and the inspiration for her book.

I enjoyed everything about this film: The scenery, the costume design, the acting (especially Emma Thompson, who delivers an amazing performance as Travers, and I cannot believe she was not nominated for it), and the film’s pace. It’s not as slow as other historical/biographical dramas that are at least 2 hours long. This movie might make you want to watch the original Mary Poppins movie again, since after watching this movie, you understand Mary Poppins in a different way. I would recommend this for adults who enjoyed Mary Poppins and want to know the story behind it, but there is some iffy content that is inappropriate for young kids (mainly drinking). I think anybody 13 or 14 and up would understand and enjoy this film.

Here is the film’s trailer.

Saving Mr. Banks Theatrical Poster.jpg

01.28.14
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The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

My rating: ratings3

Walter Mitty (played by Ben Stiller, who also directed the film) is a negative assets manager for Life Magazine who frequently daydreams of fantastic adventures, and has a crush on his coworker Cheryl (played by Kristen Wiig). For the final issue of Life, photographer Sean O’Connell (played by Sean Penn) sends Mitty 25 negatives and says that the 25th one captures the “Quintessence” of Life and that it should be used for the cover. The 25th one, though, is missing, so Mitty must track down O’Connell and travel the world, and makes some stops, including Greenland, Iceland and the Himalayas.

I was not disappointed by this movie, since I was very excited about it when I first saw the trailer. Walter Mitty is filled with comedy and heart, but some parts are a little slower than others. The film has a great plot and great cinematography, but Mitty never really changes throughout the movie. Instead of becoming a better person who doesn’t daydream that often, all he really does is travel the world and make a new friend (an eHarmony employee). I think adults would like this movie just like I did, but it does have some iffy content that might be intense for kids, including some violent scenes and swearing, despite its PG rating. It deserves a PG-13 rating, but I think it would be appropriate for kids 12 and up.

Here is the film’s trailer.

A side profile of a man running with a silver briefcase in hand. Behind him a cityscape.

01.20.14
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Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit

My rating: ratings4

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit is a reboot of and with a different plot than the original Jack Ryan movies (The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger, and The Sum of All Fears), which starred Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, and Ben Affleck as the CIA analyst. In Shadow Recruit, Ryan (played by Chris Pine this time), who is also a veteran Wall Street executive,  finds out about a Russian plot, led by Viktor Cherevin (played by Kenneth Branagh, who also directed the film) to crash the US economy and start the second Great Depression. Ryan travels to Moscow, and with the help of CIA agent Thomas Harper (played by Kevin Costner), he must stop Cherevin.

I really enjoyed this movie and sat on the edge of my seat at some points of the movie. The movie was kind of slow, though, at other points. The action is great and tense and will definetley satisfy fans of other Jack Ryan movies. This movie is well-acted and very entertaining, but like I said, a little slow. I think all action/spy fans will enjoy this movie like I did. I would recommend this movie for all actions fans 13 and up, since I think it is too violent for younger kids.

Here is the film’s site and trailer.

Jack Ryan Shadow Recruit poster.jpg

01.14.14
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The 71st Golden Globe Awards

This Sunday, the Golden Globe Awards took place. For those of you who missed it, here are the winners (from the movie categories):

Best Picture – Drama: 12 Years A Slave

Best Picture – Musical or Comedy: American Hustle

Best Actor – Drama: Matthew McConaughey in Dallas Buyers Club

Best Actress – Drama: Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine

Best Actor – Musical or Comedy: Leonardo DiCaprio in The Wolf of Wall Street

Best Actress – Musical or Comedy: Amy Adams in American Hustle

Best Supporting Actor: Jared Leto in Dallas Buyers Club

Best Supporting Actress: Jennifer Lawrence in American Hustle

Best Director: Alfonso Cuarón  from Gravity

Best Screenplay: Her (written by Spike Jonze)

Best Original Score: All Is Lost

Best Original Song: “Ordinary Love” by U2, from Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom

Best Animated Feature: Frozen

Best Foreign Language Film: The Great Beauty (from Italy)

I am predicting that the Oscars might turn out very similarly, with 12 Years A Slave or American Hustle winning Best Picture, Jennifer Lawrence winning Best Supporting Actress, and Frozen winning Best Animated Feature. The Oscar nominations will be announced this Thursday.

01.05.14
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Best and worst movies of 2013

Hey, everybody! To celebrate the new year, I have also decided to post my top ten best and worst movies of the year. I have decided to also post the top ten highest grossing movies of the year, and some box office bombs this year, just for your information. Here are my top ten favorite movies of 2013 and why I liked them (not all of these movies have been reviewed on FilmToppings, since I didn’t watch all of them in the theaters):

1. Gravity: This movie has breathtaking cinematography and visual effects, and is possibly one of my favorite movies of all time. (5 out of 5 pizza slices)

2. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug: This movie has amazing visual effects, especially the dragon, and has lots of suspense. It is way better than the first Hobbit movie. I can’t wait to see what happens next. (5 out of 5 pizza slices)

3. Thor: The Dark World: This movie is very entertaining, and is possibly my favorite Marvel movie other than The Avengers. (4 out of 5 pizza slices)

4. Fast and Furious 6: Very entertaining, but not as good as the 5th movie in the trilogy. (4 out of 5 pizza slices)

5. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire: Slower but way better than the original, and has an amazing soundtrack. I absolutely cannot wait to see Mockingjay – Part 1.(4 out of 5 pizza slices)

6. Ender’s Game: Very satisfying for a fan of the novel, and has a great soundtrack. (4 out of 5 pizza slices)

7. Pacific Rim: This film has awesome graphics and  cool action scenes. Any action fan would enjoy this movie just like I did. (4 out of 5 pizza slices)

8. The Wolverine: The action is great and very entertaining, and much better than I expected, since I thought it would be boring. (4 out of 5 pizza slices)

9. Red 2: Very entertaining and funny. I recommend it for all Bruce Willis fans. (4 out of 5 pizza slices)

10. Saving Mr. Banks: This movie is well-acted and has great costume designing as well. (4 out of 5 pizza slices)

Here are some of the worst movies of 2013 and why I hated them (not all of these movies have been reviewed on FilmToppings, since I didn’t watch all of them in the theaters):

1. Paranoia: I expected this movie to be an action movie (since the trailer made it look like an action movie), but when I saw it, it hardly had any action! (1 out of 5 pizza slices)

2. After Earth: I expected this movie to be cool, but the action scenes don’t last that long, and neither does the movie!  It lacks suspense and is too serious of a movie. (1 out of 5 pizza slices)

3. Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters: This movie is extremely disappointing and dumb, and has terrible visual effects. (1 out of 5 pizza slices)

4. R.I.P.D.: This lifeless movie has bad visual effects, and isn’t funny like I thought it would be. (1 out of 5 pizza slices)

5. The Lone Ranger: This movie is very disappointing, slow, and stupid, especially Johnny Depp’s character. (1 out of 5 pizza slices)

Here are the top 10 highest grossing movies of the year and how much they earned:

1. Iron Man 3*: $1,215,439,994

2. Frozen: $1,000,236,000

3. Despicable Me 2: $970,761,885

4. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug: $894,052,000

5. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire: $863,767,855

6. Fast and Furious 6: $788,679,850

7. Monsters University: $743,559,607

8. Gravity: $704,865,000

9. Man of Steel: $668,045,518

10. Thor: The Dark World: $641,162,958

*Iron Man 3 is currently the 5th highest-grossing movie of all time

Here are some of the biggest box office bombs of the year, their budget, and their box office:

Ender’s Game: Budget: $115 million, Box office:$87.9 million, Total loss of money: $27.1 million

The Fifth Estate: Budget: $28 million, Box office: $8.5 million, Total loss of money: $19.5 million

R.I.P.D.: Budget: $130 million, Box office: $78.3 million, Total loss of money: $51.7 million

Oldboy: Budget: $30 million, Box office: $4 million, Total loss of money: $26 million

The Incredible Burt Wonderstone: Budget: $30 million, Box office: $22.5 million, Total loss of money: $7.5 million

Bullet to the Head: Budget: $55 million, Box office: $9.4 million, Total loss of money: $45.6 million

Getaway: Budget: $18 million, Box office: $10.5 million, Total loss of money: $7.5 million

Battle of the Year: Budget: $20 million, Box office: $13.7 million, Total loss of money: $6.3 million

Machete Kills: Budget: $33 million, Box office:$15 million, Total loss of money: $18 million

Tyler Perry Presents Peeples: Budget: $15 million, Box office: $9 million, Total loss of money: $6 million

01.01.14
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Some interesting stats on FilmToppings in 2013

Happy new year, everybody! To celebrate the new year, I have posted some interesting stats on FilmToppings in 2013, including most commented posts, countries this blog was viewed in, and much more!

Here’s an excerpt:

A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 2,500 times in 2013. If it were a cable car, it would take about 42 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.