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.

12.15.13
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The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

My rating: ratings5

The dwarves, along with Bilbo Baggins and Gandalf the Grey, continue their quest to reclaim Erebor, their homeland, from Smaug. On their way, they meet Legolas and Tauriel, two elf archers who help battle the orc invasions from Dol Guldur. They also meet Bard, a bowman who is determined to kill the dragon after his ancestor failed to when Smaug took over Erebor and Dale. Meanwhile, Gandalf and Radagast battle the Necromancer and discover his true identity. Eventually, Bilbo and the dwarves reach the mountain, and finally battle Smaug. The film’s cast includes Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Luke Evans, Orlando Bloom, Evangeline Lily, Lee Pace, Benedict Cumberbatch, Cate Blanchett, and Sylvester McCoy.

I saw this movie on Friday (Dec. 13) with my friend, my dad, and my brother. We all really enjoyed the movie. I thought it was way better than the original Hobbit movie. The visual effects and soundtrack are just amazing! I enjoyed every moment of the movie! My favorite characters were Legolas and Tauriel. You can tell that they both have that bad-ass spirit that other movie characters have, such as Richard B. Riddick (played by Vin Diesel) from the Riddick movies, and Hit-Girl from the Kick-Ass movies. The film’s ending (don’t worry, I won’t spoil anything) is such a cliff-hanger that I absolutely cannot wait another year to watch the trilogy’s finale (which hits theaters next December). I think any fans of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movies should watch this movie, since it’s a prequel to them. But you should only see it after you have seen the first Hobbit movie. I would recommend this movie for kids 12 and up, since there is a lot of violence, including slicing off heads (no blood shown).

Here is the film’s site and trailer.

Below is a picture of my friend, my brother (they both saw the movie with me), and I standing near a poster of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.

20131213_193105_resized

12.07.13
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Frozen

My rating: ratings3

Frozen, Disney’s latest animated movie, follows the story of princess sisters Elsa (soon-to-be Queen) and Anna in Arendelle. Elsa can create snow and ice, but has repressed her ability since a childhood accident. The climax of the movie occurs when Elsa let’s her powers get out of hand and freezes Arendelle into ice, cursing the kingdom with eternal winter. One of the movie’s antagonists, the Duke of Weselton, attempts to turn the people against Elsa, for personal gain. Anna, embarks of a journey to save her sister and the kingdom, meeting a handsome ice seller named Kristoff, his reindeer Sven and a snowman named Olaf along the way. The film’s cast includes Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff, Santino Fontana, Josh Gad, and Alan Tudyk.

I saw this movie this week with my family. We all liked the movie but my parents enjoyed it especially! The film has great animation, great songs, and a great story-line. I think kids and adults of all ages will enjoy the film!  I have to admit that I enjoyed the film more than Tangled, another Disney animated film with the same elements as Frozen, but not as much as other animated films this year, such as Despicable Me 2 and The Croods. I also have to admit that Frozen was better than I expected. At first when I saw the trailer for the movie, I thought it would just be another predictable Disney princess movie, but eventually I decided to give it a try. And then I watched the movie, and enjoyed it!

The animated short film that accompanies Frozen, a Mickey Mouse short titled Get a Horse, was very hilarious and clever, in ways that I don’t know how to explain. It is kind of like you are watching it in a theater, and when Mickey and other characters burst out of the screen, they are in CGI and no longer in black and white.

Here is Frozen’s trailer.

11.24.13
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The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

My rating: ratings4

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire begins as Katniss Everdeen has returned home safe after winning the 74th Annual Hunger Games along with fellow tribute Peeta Mellark. Winning means that they must turn around and leave their family and close friends, embarking on a “Victory Tour” of the districts. Along the way Katniss senses that a rebellion is simmering, but the Capitol is still very much in control as President Snow prepares the 75th Annual Hunger Games (The Quarter Quell) – a competition that could change Panem forever.

I saw this movie this week with my friend. We both really enjoyed it, even though it was really long and slower than the first film. The costume design and soundtrack are both great. Jennifer Lawrence pulls off an amazing performance as Katniss, but the rest of the casting is okay. For example, the actress who played Wiress looked a little too old to have the role. But overall, the movie was great. I think it was even better than the first film. I think any fan of the book series (like me) will enjoy the movie. But if you haven’t read the books, I still think you will enjoy the movie. I would recommend this movie for kids 12 and up, because their is some action in the movie, but it isn’t bloody, except for one scene when Gale (Katniss’ childhood BFF) is being whipped in public because he tackled a Peacekeeper to save an old lady, and lots of blood is shown on his back after getting whipped.

Here is the film’s site and trailer.