The Hunger Games: Catching Fire NR #59

So after my top 10 list, and this slow January month, I've decided to do catch-up with reviews! This week's movie you already know I love, but now you get to see why! This one is a sequel to one of the most popular movies of the last few years. This is my review of...

PLOT
Taking place right after the first film, "Catching Fire" picks up with Katniss and Peeta touring the districts after their dramatic win during the Hunger Games. While their win was was a way to survive in Katniss' eyes, the rest of the world saw it as a spark for rebellion against the capitol, including President Snow. He tells Katniss that if she does anything to further this rebellion idea during the tour, he will kill her family and friends. Now Katniss must deal with Snow's threats, keeping her relationship with Peeta looking real, and stopping revolts from breaking out in her name.



PROS
Jennifer Lawrence never ceases to amaze me. In every movie I see her in, I'm wowed by her performance, and "Catching Fire" is no exception. Luckily, she's not the only one doing a great job. Everyone gives their best and never falters.

President Snow, who was kinda of an afterthought in the last film, steps up and becomes a truly menacing villain. He's the kind of bad guy where he doesn't yell, he doesn't get angry, but that makes him even more terrifying. You don't know if he's actually happy with you, or if he's been planning to stab you in the back the moment you entered the room.

The romantic triangle plot is actually handled very well and never became boring. In the first film, the romance was there but never really explored. Here, they do a much better job with the whole thing.

Thankfully, the action scenes are actually visible this time! No more shaky cam crap, the action is there for all the see. While they still don't show most deaths, director Francis Lawrence hides these in more clever ways that never become distracting.

The special effects have greatly improved since the last film. It obvious a lot more money was put into the effects, and it pays off.

As you've probably guessed, there's another Hunger Games style tournament. Luckily, this one is different from the previous arena. The battleground has a unique gimmick to it that I won't spoil here, but it does add more death traps, many of which are quite scary.

The other players in this new Hunger Games are much more interesting then the previous contestants. These players are veterans of the Games and are more interesting to watch. My personal favorite is the tag team of Wiress and Beetee, two technologically inclined tributes who are very weird and very fun.

The cliffhanger ending of this film is spectacular, it rivals that of "The Empire Strike Back". It perfectly sets up the stakes, gets you excited and pumped-up, then cuts off at the perfect moment, leaving you angry yet ultimately excited for the next film.

CONS
We don't spend enough time with the other tributes in the Games, which means we never get to know anyone outside the core group. This is a shame, since a lot of them seemed to have interesting personalities are stories behind them.


CONCLUSION
When I walked out of "The Hunger Games" I thought "That was good, maybe I'll see the next one". When I walked out of "Catching Fire" I thought "WHY DO I HAVE TO WAIT SO LONG!!!!" This does what all great sequels have done before, improve on every aspect of the previous installment. I became more involved with the story, the characters, the world itself. I know understand why everyone and their mom loves this series, and now I'm one of them. If you've yet to try out this series, stick it through the first film, because at the end of it you get to see the greatness that is "Catching Fire"


RATING
RUN TO!!!

My Top 10 Movies of 2013

While I still haven't completely caught up with all of my reviews, but I decided I may as well get my best films of the year out of the way. Now, just to clarify, these are movies that I've actually seen, which means other highly regarded movies like "Dallas Buyers Club" are not on the list. Also, all of the movies, except for number one, are in no particular order, these are just 10 movies that I personally felt we're the best of the year. Now let's begin with...

Number 10

Now I know what you might be saying, "How can this be on the list? It's not nominated for an Oscar, it's just some dumb summer blockbuster." All of that is true, except it's an incredibly fun summer blockbuster. One of the funnest times I had in a theater this year was in "Pacific Rim". While certainly not a perfect movie, "Pacific Rim" is like last year's "The Avengers", where it's just so much fun and awesome to watch, I had to love it and put it on this list. If you've yet to see this, buy it on Blu-ray, get your friends together, and have a great time with this blockbuster.

Here's a link to my review: http://newandclassicreviews.blogspot.com/2013/07/pacific-rim-nr-47.html

Number 9 

 I'll admit it, this is another guilty pleasure. I love Joss Whedon, so when I heard he was doing Shakespeare, I got excited. When I heard the cast, I was dying to see it. After finally seeing it, "Much Ado About Nothing" can stand up there with some of the best Shakespeare adaptations. It's funny, dramatic and works extremely well in the modern day. It's also great to see all these actors, who are all friends in real life, get together and have some fun. While my bias might be fueling this choice, I still love this movie.

Here's a place to put my eventual review!

Number 8

What is up with all of these oddball choices? Well this one is not based on any personal bias. "It's a Disaster" is a criminally unknown black comedy that came out last year that's one of the funniest and most clever movies I've seen. While it has a slow start, once the ball gets rolling, it never stops. There's always a new twist or character revelation that keeps you invested in these horrible people, and everyone reacts in ways that almost anyone would react in an end of the world situation, just in a more selfish way. With a twist ending that makes the whole movie, "It's a Disaster" is a movie that's a must see. Also, I believe this is still on Netflix streaming, so you really have no excuse.

I'll probably put a link to the review here, you know, if it ever comes out.

                      

 Number 7

If you know me in real life, you know how much I love this movie. I love it so much, I saw it three weeks in a row, no joke. "Gravity" is a visual masterpiece that masters tension and realism. Every time I saw the film, even though I knew what was going to happen, I still felt tense and excited. There's also a ton of excellent camera work here, with many shots going on for over 10 min. But, let's not forget both of the actors, with Sandra Bullock carrying this film mostly by herself. While not the deepest in terms of storytelling, "Gravity" is an experience that will not soon be forgotten, especially when seen in 3D.

Here's a link to my review: http://newandclassicreviews.blogspot.com/2013/10/gravity-bling-ring-nr-52-cr-43.html

Number 6

Believe me, I'm just as surprised as you probably are. While I wasn't a huge fan of the first film, and I've never read the second or third "Hunger Games" books, "Catching Fire" is the definition of a great sequel. Not only did it improve on everything wrong with the first film, it got me excited for the next installments. Full of great performances, action, story, special effects, characters, villains, and twists, I was fully enthralled by this film. And, with one of the best cliffhanger endings since "The Empire Strikes Back", "Catching Fire" is easily one of the best films of this year. Now let's hope the other two can live up to this one.

Once again, I'll put a link here when I get to my review...maybe...

Number 5

I'm so glad that I'm starting to discover Woody Allen now rather then earlier. "Blue Jasmine" is Allen at his finest, packed to the brim with great performances and incredible dialogue. Of course, the person who steals the show is Cate Blanchett, Jasmine herself. She is what brings this movie above the greatness is already was. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, and hope that the next Allen film can keep the trend going.

Here's a link to my review:http://newandclassicreviews.blogspot.com/2013/09/blue-jasmine-nr-49.html 

Number 4

Being as huge a fan of Edgar Wright and his Cornetto/ Blood and Ice Cream trilogy (Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz) as I am, how did you not expect this on the list? It has everything you could ever want from an Edgar Wright film. Fast paced hilarious comedy, check. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, check. Nerdy and clever references, check. Call backs to the original two films that range from the obvious to the obscure, check. What this film brings to the table is an unexpected drama aspect and spectacular action scenes. The dramatic moments are just as good if not better then the comedy, and the actions scenes are some of the best put on the big screen this year. If you love "Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz' and still haven't seen this masterpiece, what are you waiting for?

Here's a link to my review:http://newandclassicreviews.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-worlds-end-nr-48.html

Number 3

The most fun I've ever had with a movie, "The Wolf of Wall Street" is another classic under Scorcese's belt. This film, while it does have an underlying message, is more about having fun for 3 hours then it is about enlightening you on anything. Funnier and crazier then most movies released this year, "The Wolf of Wall Street" deserves to be seen by those who can handle to vulgar material.

Here's a link to my review:http://newandclassicreviews.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-wolf-of-wall-street-nr-56.html

Number 2

While I only recently saw this film, "Her" has already left a huge impression on me. It's been nearly 24 hours since seeing it, and I can't get the movie out of my head. The acting, the filmmaking, the style, the message, everything is done masterfully. It's a Sci-fi film that, ironically, tells a more human and relatable story then most romantic movies attempt to do. It's also funny and heart-warming, while making you question yourself and relationships in general. "Her" is the reason why I love film, because every once in a while, you get a movie that changes the way you look at things and leaves a huge mark on you. Obviously, "Her" is one of those films.

Here's a link to my reviewhttp://newandclassicreviews.blogspot.com/2014/01/her-nr-58.html:

Number 1

Of course it's "12 Years a Slave", what else could it be? No other movie this year has made me feel so depressed, so angry, and yet made me want to see it again and re-experience this all over again. This movie made me cry, which I go into in my review, let's just say that's a big deal for me. Spectacular acting, direction, dialogue, everything. This is also just an important movie. For people like us who live in this modern era, we have no real idea what slavery was actually like, and "12 Years a Slave" might be the closest we get to seeing this dark time in American history. Every person who is of age should see this movie, even if you can't handle torture or pain, I still say see this movie, it's that important. This is one movie I will never forget. 

Here's a link to my review: http://newandclassicreviews.blogspot.com/2013/11/12-years-slave-bad-grandpa-captain.html

Her: NR #58

I know I should be doing my catch-up reviews, but I just had to talk about this movie. It's one I'd been dying to see ever since I saw the trailer, and my excitement went up the more I heard from critics. From acclaimed director and regular Jackass cast member Spike Jonze, this is my review of...

PLOT
Taking place in probably the not too distant future, "Her" follows Theodore, a man who's job is to write personal cards for people. He's recently divorced and hasn't been able to get back out there in the dating scene. One day, he decides to buy the newest operating system that is touted as the most intelligent and ever evolving A.I. ever made. After taking a short survey, Theodore is introduced to Samantha, his new operating system. Theodore soon starts to fall in love with Samantha, and has to deal with everything that comes along with this type of relationship.


PROS
While we all like to laugh at Joaquin Phoenix and try to forget about that documentary stunt he pulled a few years ago, nobody can deny that this man has some serious talent. Phoenix gives a stunning performance in this film, playing a character who, while low in his life, is not a loser and is instead a human being. Most of movie is just him acting along side a voice, and when taken in that context, his performance becomes something much more.

Serious props should also be given to Scarlett Johansson, who plays Samantha. While we only hear her voice, she still gives an incredibly human performance, which is a feat unto itself. If anyone doubted her acting ability, this is the movie to prove them wrong.

While "Her" does have the initial draw of watching a man fall in love with his computer, the film does so much more with that concept then anyone could expect. It becomes a deconstruction of relationships and love, a character study of a character we genuinely like, and a love story that's more believable and sweet then anything hollywood could dream of. While I could go on and on about how great these aspects are, which believe me they are, the real accomplishment here is that all of them are in this movie at once and are done so much better then most films that try to tackle just one of these subjects.

Speaking of great relationships', Theodore and Samantha's relationship is one of the most believable and sweet I've seen on film. Even though it's a man talking to his phone, their love feels real and the movie does a great job at making you believe this could actually. I mean, I don't know about you, but if Scarlett Johansson replaced Siri, I might fall in love with my phone too!

It may seem like a very high-brow movie from the way I've been describing it, but "Her" is smart enough to have human moments in it as well. For example, Theodore plays this video game where he meets a tiny creature on an alien planet. This creature only talks in curse words, for example, "F*ck you you sh*t eating sh*t face!". And you know what, that's funny. It's great to see that this film isn't so obsessed with it's message that it can't have silly moments like that in-between the intellectual parts.

One aspect of the film I really enjoyed was how nicely everyone reacts to Theodore's relationship. This also leads to world building, where it shows that many other people are developing other relationships with their OS' and that Theodore isn't a special case. The only one who reacts negatively to their relationship is Theodore's ex-wife, which has some meaning and context in the film that I won't spoil here.


CONS
I hate to keep doing this, but I honestly have nothing negative to say about this film.



CONCLUSION
"Her" is one of the best films released in 2013, maybe even in this decade, and yes I know it will be a while before the decade's over, but I still hold it in that high regard. This film does what the greatest Sci-fi stories have done in the past but have rarely done as well, tell a story and convey a message that could only be done in a Sci-fi setting. It's a smart, funny, romantic, and analytical movie that does all of those tones and aspects almost perfectly. "Her" is one of the most original movies I've seen in a long time, and you owe it to yourself to experience this masterpiece of a film at least once.


RATING
CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT!!!!

 

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues: NR #57

Continuing this week of reviews, I'm going to critic the newest Will Ferral comedy that has been, in many people's minds, long over due. Does it live up to the original, or is it too late. Let's find out in my review of...

PLOT

Set in the year of 1989, "Anchorman 2" continues the story of Ron Burgundy and his San Diego news crew. In this chapter of the legend, we find the crew being introduced and becoming apart of the new way of reading the news, 24 hour news. But when the crew ends up in the 2-5 a.m slot, Burgundy decides that they should start telling what the public wants to hear and not what they need to hear.

PROS

While the humor is different from the 9 year old original, "The Legend Continues" is still very funny. I found many moments where I was laughing hard, and annoyingly loud.

Will Ferrell falls right back into the roll of Ron Burgundy, it's almost as if he never stopped playing this character.

One thing the movie has over the original is that it has a message to it. While it is obvious, you could probably figure it out by the plot description alone, it's done very well and takes a few good shots at modern news stations.

CONS

While the movie is funny, there are slightly more misses then hits. One reason is because the humor is so different from the original. It's much more random and non-sensical, which means there are a ton of throw away lines. There are also a lot of scenes that go on way to long, the biggest offender being the dinner scene between Burgundy and a black family. While it's kinda funny at first, it gets almost racist by the end of it's long run.

While they are prominent in the beginning, everyone who's not Burgundy or Brick are thrown by the wayside. The people given the biggest shaft are Paul Rudd and David Koechner. They are given nothing to do and just stand around and...look.

CONCLUSION

While not as funny or memorable as first, "Anchorman 2" still supplies plenty of laughs and silliness to please fans, like myself, of the first one. Just don't go in expecting a masterpiece of comedy

    

The Wolf of Wall Street: NR #56

I've decided that from now on, whenever I go on a long hiatus or don't update one week, I won't even acknowledge it. I've done it so many times now I'm starting to run out of things to say. So this time, in order to make up for the break, I'm going to review a movie everyday this week to bring in the new year! 

So to start out this game of catch-up, I'll be reviewing a new release from this past Christmas, the new and highly anticipated film from Martin Scorces that almost didn't come out this year. A film I'd been dying to see ever since I heard the concept. This is my review of...

PLOT

Starting in the late 80's, "The Wolf of Wall Street" tells the real life rise and fall story of Jordan Belfort, a Wall Street big shot who's love of money brought him to Wall Street and his shady business practices gave him his near billions. While his love for money pushed him up in the world, his equal love for drugs and sex will be his downfall. That doesn't mean he can't have fun on the way down!

PROS 

While I'm sure no one will be surprised by this, Leonardo DiCaprio gives a knockout performance. He seems to be having a ton of fun with the role and brings his all. This fun aspect comes from all the other actors as well. The other stand-out in this film is Jonah Hill, who gives a funny yet solid performance.

Rounding out the cast is a plethora of excellent supporting characters played by the likes of Rob Reiner, director of "Princess Bride" and "Stand By Me", Jean Dujardin, and Matthew McConaughey in a criminally short role. While these people aren't in the film too often, they do give it their all.

While you may think this film will be comedy-drama, it actually is a straight up comedy, and one of funniest ones I've seen all year. There's always something hilarious happening and it always gets a big laugh, at least out of me. There is one scene in particular where DiCaprio takes some strong drugs. It's the funniest thing I've seen all year and it goes on for 10 minutes,  never losing it's ability to make me laugh.

Not only funny, this movie is also a ton of fun. I haven't had this much fun in a movie all year. There are many party scenes and other scenes of debauchery that are just amazing to watch.

While the film is one minute short of 3 hours, it never feels that long. There's always something happening that I didn't feel the time until I got out of the theater and checked the time. 

CONS

Really there's nothing I have a problem with here.

CONCLUSION

I'm not sure if I got this across in my review, but this is one of my favorite movies of the year. While it's not trying to have a big message or reinvent the wheel, it is trying to be crude, crazy, controversial and have fun while doing it. In that aspect, it succeeded with flying colors and blew me. I haven't stopped thinking about it ever since I saw it yesterday. If you can handle copious amounts of cursing, nudity, drugs, and partying, then this film is perfect for you.

RATING

RUN TO!!

 

Akira/ My Little Pony: Equestria Girls: CR #43/44

This week, I was planning on tearing a movie apart, until a golden opportunity appeared out of the blue. I was able to see one of the most highly regarded animated films of all time in amazing quality. Yet, I didn't want to drop me original plan. So I decided to put them together. This is my double review of...

Akira

PLOT
Taking place in 2019, 30 years after WWIII and the destruction of old Tokyo, Neo-Tokyo is on the verge of destruction. Kaneda is the leader of a youth bike gang with his friends. When chasing after a rival gang, Kaneda's best friend, Tetsuo, gets into a wreck and is kidnapped by the government and entered into a secret project. At the same time, there's a group of rebels who are trying to save the children in this program who have been given essentially super powers. Tetsuo, armed with these unmastered powers, escapes and runs rampant in the city while Kaneda, the rebels, the governement, and the other super-powered children try to stop him from destroying the whole city and finding out the truth of the Akira project.



PROS
The animation in "Akira" is simply amazing. It's fluid, detailed, and even impressive by today's standards. The film earns the title of "greatest anime film" with its animation alone.

"Akira's" story is very original, at least for its time. It's full of big ideas, symbolism, and large scale destruction.

The film's pace is extremely fast and never lets up. There's always something going on in "Akira", whether it be extreme violence, story revelations, or world building, no frame of the film goes unused or feels wasted.

The score for "Akira" is also great. It's surreal and tribal, with a lot of chants and odd noises and instruments. It adds an odd feeling to the whole movie that somehow fits.


CONS
The plot can be a little convoluted at times. A lot of the bigger moments and their explanations are more hinted at then anything. While I'm glad the whole thing wasn't spelled out, I just wish there was a little more to help the viewer fully understand what's going on.



CONCLUSION
For years now, I'd always heard of "Akira" and how great it was, how it changed animated films forever and inspired so many other films like "The Matrix" and "Chronicle". Now that I've finally seen, I can agree with those statements 100%. While not the most cohesive movie, "Akira" is a marvel of animation and still holds up 25 years after its original release. I was enthralled by the film and couldn't stop watching. If you love animation in any way, shape, or form, this is a must see.


RATING
RUN TO

Equestria Girls... Uggghhhhh....

PLOT
Twilight Sparkle and her friends have been invited to the Crystal Empire for a celebration. That night, Twilight's crown is stolen by a bitter former student of Princess Celestia, ruler of the land of Equestria, named Sunset Shimmer. She escapes through a portal that leads to a world that no one has ever seen before. Twilight must go in alone, except her pet baby dragon Spike runs in after her, to retrive the crown and save Equestria from destruction. Once through the portal, Twilight discovers that she has been turned into a human and Spike has become a dog in this new world centered around a high school that human versions or her friends all attend. Now, Twilight must become princess of the Fall Formal dance to win the crown and save both her world, and this human one.



PROS
The first 10 minutes of the movie are great, because they take place in the pony world. This part also serves to tie up some loose ends from the recent season finale.

The animation, like on the show, is great. It's very colorful and fluid with a lot of stuff going on in the background.

The song "Helping Twilight Win the Crown" is a great song. While I realize it's insanely simple and probably not that well done, I still found it to be incredible catchy and fun.



CONS
Where to start. The plot, once we've entered the human world, is horrible. There are many plot holes and useless things that are really distracting. There's a whole soccer scene that's not funny in anyway, and turns out to have nothing to do with the movie. It's supposed to move the plot along, but without the scene the plot would've just kept going. The whole thing feels rushed and lazy.

The humor in the movie is extremely cliched and bad. This is a real disappointment, since the show is usually really clever and funny. Yet, most of the jokes here fall flat and have been done to death before.

Flash Sentry, who's a new love interest character for Twilight Sparkle, is a horrible character. He's whole personality is that he plays guitar, that's it. He contributes nothing to the story except for one thing that could've easily been resolved without him. It's also revealed at the end that he has a pony counterpart. While it has been said that he won't, thankfully, play a role in the show, this makes his character even more worthless.

Besides the song mentioned in the "Pros" section, all of them are forgettable and bad. A lot of them don't even have a place in the film. Another problem with the songs is that three of the four songs are all in the last 20 minutes. They don't give you enough time to soak in the songs, which are already bad, so this makes them even more forgettable.

Near the end of the film, the whole thing goes off the rails. The villain and her plan are reveled in their true form, both of which don't make any sense. If you think about her plan for more then a minute, there's a huge flaw that I won't go into since it's a spoiler. It's just poorly done.

There are a tons of in-jokes and references to the brony fandom, which I'm not quite sure how I feel about. On one hand, they stop the movie to a screeching halt for these references which contribute nothing to the plot and are gone just as fast as they appeared. On the other hand, they stop the movie to a screeching halt, which I desperately wanted each time these jokes appeared. Either way, these references feel like the animators and writer Megan McCarthy are jingling keys in front of our faces so we don't pay attention to what's actually going on in the film.


CONCLUSION
I know what you're probably thinking "Sam, why are you so mad at this film? It's a straight to dvd movie, what did you expect?" Well, being a big fan of the show, I expected at least something decent from this movie. What I got was a rushed mess of film made to capitalize on the recent "animated girls in high school" craze going on in kids entertainment. Whatever advancements the show had made on making little girls entreatment not sound like a bad thing, this film has nearly crushed them. While I'm still going to watch the show, I'll hopefully never see this movie ever again.


RATING
RUN AWAY!!


If you missed last weeks round up of reviews, you can check'em out here:http://newandclassicreviews.blogspot.com/2013/11/12-years-slave-bad-grandpa-captain.html










 

12 Years a Slave/ Bad Grandpa/ Captain Phillips: Triple NR's #53/54/55

…Hello?

…Is anybody there?

…..

I guess I'm all alone here, just me and my blu-rays.

Good think I remembered my remo-…

Where…where's my blu-ray remote? I swear I packed it.

It…it's gone…

no…no… it's not fair….IT'S NOT FAIR!!!


Hey people, sorry I've been away for, what, four weeks now? Yeah, every sunday after I saw a movie, I was either too busy or just too tired. So today, I'm up and early, and I'm reviewing three of the biggest movies out this fall season. These movies may have been out for a while, but they've yet to be judged by yours truly. This is my first triple review of…

Captain Phillips

PLOT
Our story follows Captain Richard Phillips, a cargo ship captain who's commandeering a ship going on a normal route on the Atlantic ocean. At the same time, there are a group of Somali's who are almost forced by their situation and higher-ups to capture a ship and gain some profit from its contents. These pirates just so happen upon Captain Phillips' ship and manage to get on board and capture the ship. Now Captain Phillips must try to survive and reason with these desperate pirates to save not only himself, but his crew as well.


PROS
The main actors of the film, Tom Hanks and the people playing the pirates, give knock-out performances. The Somali's, even though they're from Philadelphia I think, look very convincing and also manage to be sympathetic. Tom Hanks, even though we've seen many time how great of an actor he is, gives an Oscar-winning performance, especially near the end. I won't spoil it, but let's just say "Captain Phillips" covers a side of tense and violent situations that little no film covers.

"Captain Phillips" is extremely tense and never losses this tension throughout its over 2 hours running time. While there isn't a lot of explosions and action, it manages to be engaging and entertaining while still being character based.


CONS
While "Captain Phillips" is tense throughout, it does drag a little once they enter the life boat. While it's not a huge problem, I did find myself becoming bored during this time.


CONCLUSION
First of all, let me apologize for how short this review is, it's been about a month since I've seen this film. Yet, I don't want this review's length to take anything away from how I feel about "Captain Phillips" It's a character driven thriller that will have you at the edge of your seat the entire time, and by the end you may even have a tear or two in your eye. I thoroughly enjoyed the film and will be shocked if no one from this film doesn't get at least a nomination at this year's Oscars'.

RATING
RUN TO

Bad Grandpa

PLOT

Spinning off from the infamous Jackass skit, "Bad Grandpa" tells the story of 86-year old Irving Zisman who's just lost his wife. Instead of having a mourning period, Zisman see's this as an opportunity to finally do all the debauchery he's always dreamed of. That is until his daughter forces him to take his 8-year old grandson, Billy, cross-country to his real father. Now Zisman must deal with his grandson as they go on a road trip full of accidents, pain, and hilarity

PROS

"Bad Grandpa" is just like any Jackass movie, except this time it has a story. Now, that's not a bad thing. I personally love the Jackass movies and crack up at least once in every one. While this is more of the prank side of Jackass then it is the crazy stunts, it is still funny.

If there's one thing that will live on past this movie, it's the kid. Jackson Nicoll is his name and he is a pro at this stuff. He never hesitates, never does anything half-way, he goes all in and gets the best factions out of people. I feel this kid is going places, and we'll all remember that the role that got him his fame was the chubby kid in "Bad Grandpa"

CONS

Unfortunately, like a lot of comedies, the best jokes are spoiled in the trailer. While there are a few surprises here and there, in particular a scene in a male strip club, most of the scenes that would've had me singing this movie's praises are in the trailer.

The point of "Bad Grandpa" is to be a Jackass movie with a story, and this story is bad. While I did enjoy the movie, the story would have to come in and just bore me. It's extremely cliched and is saved by the film's style of comedy.

CONCLUSION

While not the best Jackass movie in the series, it is definitely a solid one and had me laughing throughout. Yet, it's not something you need to rush out and see. If you have a bunch of friends over one night and just want something to put on and laugh at, "Bad Grandpa" is perfect for just that.

RATING

WALK TO

Well I've already used the Intermission poster…

How about this…

Now that's over…

Let's get serious…

12 Years a Slave

PLOT

Based on a true story, Solomon Northup is a free black man living i Saratoga, New York in 1841 who has a family and is a skilled violinist. One day, two men invite Northup to join their circus as a violinist and wine and dine him. When Northup wakes up the next day, he's been abducted and chained up, ready to be sold. Now, Northup must try to survive his slavery as we watch the horrible atrocities done to him and many other slaves during a 12 year period.

PROS

Everyone brings their A-game in terms of performances for this film. Chiwetel Ejiofor plays Solomon Northup and give a quiet but powerful performance. All of the white actors; Paul Giamatti, Sarah Paulson, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Paul Dano are all despicable human beings and give equally amazing performances. The stand-out in terms of white actors is Michael Fassbender who plays the main plantation owner who's known as the "N-word breaker", and he earns that title and then some. If I see Fassbender on the street in the next few weeks, he's dead, I hated him that much. Luckily, that's how I was supposed to feel.

"12 Years a Slave" holds nothing back when showing slavery during this time period. Luckily, it never feels gratuitous, since we care about Northup and know that slavery really was this bad and maybe even worse. The film is so dark and brutal that in the first 10 minutes I had to look away at one point.

The cinematography, like director Steve Mcqueen's (no not that Steve Mcqueen) two other films, is beautiful. Even though the images are horrible and hard to watch at points, they're shot so well that it emphasizes the horribleness and almost forces you to watch.

CONS

Really there's not much wrong with this film besides the occasional nit pick. 

CONCLUSION

"12 Years a Slave" is not only and honest and extremely well made film, it's also a very important film. This is a film that dares to question this horrible time in American history, that is not afraid to go all out for the sake or proving a point. The reason I know this is movie that everyone who can stomach it needs to see is that this is the first movie since becoming a serious film fan I actually cried in. I've always come close to crying and teared up in movies, but this was the first time a tear or two fell down my face. If you have any interest in seeing this film, drop everything and do so.

RATING

CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT!!!!