Everest (2015)

Got the chance to see Everest early in IMAX 3D. I'll start off by saying this, if you get the chance, definitely see this movie in IMAX. It adds to the experience and you feel like your on the mountain. That aside, let's dive into one of my most anticipated films of the year.

Everest is chalk full of star power. Jason Clarke, Josh Brolin, Keira Knightley, Jake Gyllenhaal, the list goes on. Everyone is believable in this hostile environment, going from optimistic and adventurous to mortified and forced to fight for their lives. Each character is given a back story, some more drawn out and centered than others, and you get attached to most but not all of them. When the emotional blows hit, they hit hard for some, but not as much for others.

The visuals are, as you might have guessed, stunning. The shots they get of climbers and the way the camera gives you an an idea of how dangerous this is are breath taking. The cinematography is definitely award worthy. IMAX only added to it, putting you in this environment and taking you along for the ride.

Paper Town (2015)

Maybe I'm getting old. These over-serious, platitude-filled teen dramas used to only mildly annoy me. Now, with Paper Towns, I feel myself getting irrationally angry at its desperate plea to be this generation's The Breakfast Club. From where is that resentment coming? Maybe it's that I'm a 30-year-old married-father who's not meant to like this movie. Maybe it's that I'm coming off the high of the teen drama Me and Earl and the Dying Girl. Whatever it is, Paper Towns irritated much more than it charmed. The premise has potential: nerd spends one magically frivolous night with the enigmatic girl of his dreams, Margot, before she inexplicably disappears. Instead of being unique, stylish, or progressive, it becomes the lament of the rich-white-teen and the manic pixie dream girl. Our "hero" is drawn to her magnetic mystery, but that appeal never reaches the audience

The film follows Quentin (Nat Wolff) , or "Q" as he is more popularly called, a highschool boy who has been nursing an unrequited love for the girl living next door, Margo (Cara Delevigne) since childhood. Even after when they turn 12, when Margo suddenly becomes distant, "Q" never loses the affection, and it only becomes even stronger when one day she climbs again to his window, the way she did when they were still kids. The next events follow an eager "Q" savoring the moment as he escorts Margo in her series of "small revenge" against those she thinks have betrayed her, including her ex-boyfriend. But the levitating moment would only last overnight, because the next day, the ever mystifying Margo, disappears.

Dark Places

This film tells the story of a woman whose mother and her two sisters were murdered on their farm at night. Her brother is convicted of murdering the three family members. She gets contacted by a club that is intrigued by mysterious murders, and she is forced to confront her multilayered traumatic past.

Ever since I saw the trailer I was driven towards seeing "Dark Places". Firstly, I always like Charlize Theron as an actress and a woman and I enjoy seeing her characterizations which often are full of depth and underline subtext, which divides great actors from good ones. The poster itself was quite interesting to look at. It's Charlize as the protagonist Libby Day being in the fetal position trying to find peace and serenity. The screenplay was adopted from the Gillian Flynn's novel by the same name who is also known for his contribution to very well executed movie of 2014 in "Gone Girl". "Dark Places" might not be equal to the standard and quality set by David Fincher movie but it is enjoyable enough to justify seeing it.

Child 44 (2015)

I was really looking forward to Child 44, a movie starring Tom Hardy, with Gary Oldman supporting, does the content even matter? The answer yes, the content still matters. Since I'm not sure whether it was poorly adapted or somehow the idea of murder in the soviet union, at a time when murder 'wasn't possible' in a communist state, turned into a boring film.

The problem with Child 44 can be sufficed in a simple statement - It tires to capture the novel and not the essence of the novel. That's about it. Oh! Add to that the absolutely ridiculous decision of changing the most interesting plot twist of the novel and in place adding a thematically wayward orphanage gradient to it.

Fifty Shades of Grey (2015)

Keep in mind that I've read the book. The writing is laughable and sophomoric. It's the literary version of redtube. If you pay close attention, you'll realize that it's Twilight fan fiction. As for the movie, this is ndoubtedly the most hyped film of the year so far with much anticipation from the millions who've already read the book, and those with 'singular' interests. There are so many poor qualities in the film, it has little or no redeeming features.

The cinematography looks fine, but the film lacks substance. Many other reviews will point out the flaws, but the main problem is I wasn't able to engage with the story or the characters. The exercise seems to have been just to fling parts of the book on the screen and see if it sticks. The film is always choppy, with many unanswered points left dangling - but the sex scenes are introduced to distract the audience from these discrepancies.

Still Alice (book and movie)

I read the book way before thye announced about the movie. I read this because I'm always curious with Alzheimer. It's interesting topic for me. and when I goggled it I found Still Alice. It's interesting book. The book was told by Alice POV, the victim of the Alzheimer. It's rare and good. It felt like I couldn't  trust the book, because it was told by Alice POV. But it;s a really good book. One of the best book I have read, and I love it because it's not Y/A fiction and I;m kinda done with Y/A era.

Before this book, I'd always seen Alzheimer as disease which only attach the elder. Bt I'm wrong. Alice had everything, amazing career, family, and kids. with the exception of Lydia. She is the black sheep of the family. Not really the black sheep to be honest, she is just different from The Howland family. Everything changed when Alice started forgetting a few things like a word and where she put her things. And she became curious about it, and when she forgot how to get home. It's very sad part, I could feel Alice emotion. The book it self is a very breathtaking, how Alice's family deal with it. Her husband chose to avoid it it and he still wanted to everything he would do. Her kids the oldest wanted to treat Alice as if she was the fragile thing. Same as the boy. But the most interesting kid is the younger one, Lydia. Alice and Lydia never got along before, but it surprised me that Lydia was the one who cared that much about Alice. She had the patience, she treated Alice like usual, but with more loves. She was mad at her mother when her mother invaded her privacy, she let her mpother did what her mother needed without complains. She did everything for Alice, she didn't want to go to college before, but she chose to do it. I don't know if it was her decision or she did it for Alice. And her husband was kinda jerk. I don't know, maybe he had his own issues and didn't want to watch his loving wife teared apart in front of him. 

Fifty Shades of Grey vs Secretary

Secretary vs Fifty Shades of Grey. Tbh, I think there is no versus. for me Secretary all the way. I mean... just watch Secretary. I'm not going to lie that I hate FSOG, but I just can't stand it, the book is getting worse. I read it to enjoy my holiday, but that doesn't mean its' a good book. Other than badly written book, the book is not moving. but I really enjoy read it. But I don't want to read the series, I just watch the first book. And I don't want to go thru the same thing all over again.