Birdman movie review.

When we first meet Riggan Thomson, the lead character of Birdman, we see him contemplating his life decisions, wearing nothing but briefs, as if to expose his deepest insecurities, but floating by some psychic power. Is it really happening, or is it all hallucination. Is it the battle of expectations vs. reality, and merely living fantasy?

In this single image, the perplexing tone is immediately set for Birdman, the latest feature from director Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu. A step outside of Innaritu’s usual directorial style, which include films such as Babel and Biutiful, the film played in major festivals and circuits around the world, and has been universally praised as one of the best films of the year.

My answer to that: They’re absolutely right. In a year that has been overloaded by sequels and reboots. Birdman stands comfortably among the most wholly originally films of the year, and a career defining moment for much of its cast and crew, a marriage of perfect craftsmanship and thematic density.

Brief thoughts on The Boxtrolls.

Laika studios have quickly become a prolific name in the animation circuit, having helmed acclaimed films such as Coraline and ParaNorman. While I don’t consider them to be near the same level of Pixar, they’ve still made films that are undeniable feats of imagination.

However, ever since their debut with Coralne, it seems all of their follow up films have gotten progressively worse, all culminating in their latest release, The Boxtrolls. Leading up to the film, no one was really sure what it was about, and its enigmatic trailers fascinated us because of it. However, that promise of exceptional things to come turned out to be for naught, being the studio’s most technically masterful, but conceptually paper thin effort.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 movie review.

Hello, everyone! Well, it’s finally that time of year again. The time when I get to talk about a Young Adult novel series turned movies that I actually like.

For as much hassle as I give films in this vein, I won’t deny the films that have exceptional merits. Longtime readers will no doubt know of my fondness for The Hunger Games books by Suzanne Collins, and their subsequent film adaptations. Heck, Catching Fire made my top ten best films of 2013 list. I have always admired this series for its scathing societal commentary of obsession with reality television and the celebrity that comes with it, and its examination of governmental communism and manipulation.

So, you could see why I’d be so excited for today’s topic, Mockingjay – Part 1, based on what is my favorite book in the series. Of course, it still had its struggles to put up with. In what many assume was yet another money-grubbing attempt to cash in on the success of The Deathly Hallows, Mockingjay is the latest YA book to be split into two films, with the second half due out in November 2015.

And just like any of the tested alliances in the book, this decision turns out to be a necessary evil.

21 Jump Street/22 Jump Street double feature.

Today, I’m going to be doing something different. Recently, the hit comedy 22 Jump Street, the highly successful sequel to the highly successful reboot from two years ago, was released on Blu-Ray. Having never seen the first film, and having never gotten to see the second film in theaters, I decided to take this opportunity to watch both films back to back. Needless to say, I had myself one riotously funny time. The two films, based on the hugely popular television series, each turned out to be pleasant surprises in their own right, and without any further ado, here’s my take on both of them.

Brief thoughts on Fury.

Brad Pitt must really love to kill Nazis.

When it went into wide release a month ago, Fury was one of the year’s most surprising hits. Directed by David Ayer of Training Day and End of Watch fame, and headlined by megastar Brad Pitt, it garnered much acclaim and box office success. A film that takes inspiration from and emulates numerous films, most notably Saving Private Ryan, the film attempts to strike a balance between a visceral action thriller and brothers-in-arms drama. However, in its attempts at doing so, the final product is a bigger misfire than the tracker shell bullets in the film.

Interstellar movie review.

I’ve been putting this review off for a long time now, and now it’s time I finally start writing.

But really, how can I accurately get to the core of such a perplexing and polarizing film as Interstellar? Two weeks since I’ve first seen the film, I still don’t think I’ve cracked all of its secrets. Christopher Nolan has never been one to shy away from heady stylistics (such as in films like Inception and Memento), and with this film (originally intended to be directed by Steven Spielberg), he’s created his most head-scratching film yet. I find everyone either loves or hates this film for its intentions, and I can’t deny that I don’t see those same issues.

In many ways, Interstellar is very much Nolan’s 2001. An at once beautiful, but flawed piece of cinematic art, Interstellar ironically proves to be so ambitious that its heady concepts almost work against it. Is it a destined cinematic masterpiece that will grow in appreciation for generations to come, or is it a pretentious slog where Nolan’s intentions run more rampant than ever?

I have no clue, but let’s take a look at the film as is.

Big Hero 6 movie review.

After the Walt Disney Company acquired Marvel Entertainment, it was only a matter of time before the company would give us their first animated feature based off of one of their properties. Boy, did they pick an interesting one.

Big Hero 6 is an obscure member of Marvel’s classic archives, and one that makes Guardians of the Galaxy look as popular as Spider-Man by comparison. This would actually give Disney some much needed freedom to do what they wished with the material, and expand on the source material’s potential.

Disney, in a much needed rebirth, has been on a recent  hot streak with their latest animated offerings, including Wreck it Ralph and Frozen, and Big Hero 6 is a fantastic continuation of their strong output. What Big Hero 6 may lack in 100% originality, it more than makes up for with brilliant execution, heart, and fun.