Bridge of Spies (2015)

Bridge Of Spies is a historical drama film starring Tom Hanks, co-written by the Coen brothers, and directed by Steven Spielberg. Even though its subject matter of the Cold War is something I know very little about, I thoroughly enjoyed it and I am now more interested than ever to learn more about it. I rank it among the best of Spielberg's most recent movies.

In a story based on true events, Hanks plays James Donovan (diverging somewhat from reality here) as an insurance lawyer dragged by his firm into defending Rudolf Abel, the accused Soviet spy played exquisitely by British stage acting legend Mark Rylance. Against this backdrop, the international blue touch paper is about to be lit by the shooting down over Russia of Gary Powers (Austin Stowell from "Whiplash") in his U-2 spy plane (sorry – "article"). Donovan becomes instrumental in unofficially negotiating on behalf of the US government the release of Powers in East Berlin. The deal is jeopardized by his boy-scout tendencies to also want to help another US captive Frederic Pryor (Will Rogers).

Spectre (2015)

Casino Royale and Skyfall are my two favorite Bond movies. Unoriginal I know, but whether you like Daniel Craig as Bond or not, you can't deny he has been an integral part of the series' highest points. Following the magnificent Skyfall, Spectre had some huge shoes to fill, and for the most part, it delivers exactly what you'd want. An attention-grabbing, tense opening fight scene, a lovely title sequence (whether the song is good is debatable), and an elaborate sinister plot surrounding James Bond that puts him up against his inner demons more than ever. Does it surpass Casino Royale or Skyfall? I don't think so, but as far as reintroducing the villainous organization SPECTRE into Bond canon after 40+ years, the film hits the nail on the head, pulls it back out, then slams it in even harder.

SPECTRE is revealed to have been affiliated with some of Bond's biggest threats - Mr. White, Le Chiffre, Raoul Silva - all under the control of one puppeteer, the head of SPECTRE and one of the most iconic villains of all time, Ernst Stavro Blofeld. It isn't much of a spoiler, as speculation was rampant ever since the first trailer (and hell, when the name of the movie was released). What's important is its execution, and Spectre leaves breadcrumbs for you to follow all the way through the belly of the beast. Not only is Bond under SPECTRE's crosshairs, but MI6 itself is experiencing a merger led by Max Denbeigh (Andrew Scott) who wants to eliminate the 00 division and focus solely on global intelligence. It's apparent early on that Blofeld has eyes everywhere, and while he works primarily in the shadows (Christoph Waltz only having 20 or so minutes of screen time), he poses a looming threat to Bond because of his sheer cunning and a past secret that unravels itself when the two finally meet.

The End of the Tour

The End of The Tour was a beautifully done movie that will not be widely seen or even heard of. This movie doesn't have explosions, or side splitting humor, or sex, or anything that sells in Hollywood these days. What this movie does have is a well written plot with fantastic dialogue, a great story, wonderful performances, and thought provoking themes that make you ponder what is really important. The End of The Tour is about the five day interview between Rolling Stone reporter David Lipsky, and acclaimed novelist David Foster Wallace (played by Jesse Eisenberg and Jason Segel). This five day interview took place right after the 1996 publication of Wallace's epic 1,000 page novel called Infinite Jest. An interview that would later turn out to be never published and not really heard about until Wallace's 2008 suicide.

This sounds like a very simple story, but it is much deeper than that. The End of the Tour not only shows the struggles that a writer can have, but it also has many different themes, particularly about jealousy, the sense of betrayal, and how much fame a person could have. All of these themes lead to some very heartbreaking moments, as well as the film talking about the culture that we live in. I don't want to say how, because I'm afraid that I might spoil scenes, for those who have yet to see this movie, but for movie that's nothing more than a conversation between 2 people, it really is consistently engaging, deep, and entertaining.

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015)

I had heard of the 60's television show "The Man from UNCLE", but like most of us under the age of 60, never got the chance to see an episode. I know, I know, there have been countless re-runs, it just never grabbed my attention. I am not familiar with the original show, it was way before my generation. However, with the dark tones of many blockbusters nowadays, it's refreshing to return to a lighter and more vibrant movie in the spy-genre. On top of that with Guy Ritchie directing, known for his witty dialogue and often odd humour, I had to check out his latest effort.

Let me start by saying, this is a good movie. The star of the show is undoubtedly the director, Guy Ritchie and like most film buffs, was more curious than excited about U.N.C.L.E.'s arrival. I was curious to see what Ritchie could do with a television program that has been dead and buried for over fifty years

Crimson Peak (2015)

Guillermo del Toro is a director and artist whose films fall into two distinct categories: big budget English language blockbusters like "Hellboy" and "Pacific Rim" and lesser known, low budget Spanish language horror films like "Devil's Backbone" and "Pan's Labyrinth". His latest film, "Crimson Peak" is what happens when these two worlds collide, in other words, a big budget English language horror film.

"Crimson Peak" is set in the late 19th century, first in New York, then in rural England. Edith Cushing (Mia Wasikowska) is a young budding writer who is intelligent, beautiful, and strong willed, refusing to allow Victorian sensibilities dictate what she can and cannot do, and as a result butts heads with those around her. Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston) is an English aristocrat and inventor who is in New York seeking financial backing for his mechanized clay mining business back home. When tragedy strikes, Thomas marries Edith and brings her to his home, Allerdale Hall in Cumberland, where his sister Lucille Sharpe (Jessica Chastain) is waiting. As Edith tries to fit into her new surroundings, she discovers that secrets abound and nothing is as it seems.

American Ultra (2015)

This late summer movie 'American Ultra' mixes a good stoner comedy with high octane action with a great cast and some decent laughs throughout. You can add to that a good amount of bloody violence in the second half of things. That all being said, 'American Ultra' seems to lose its steam far from the climax of the movie, and seems to just go through the motions until the end. Still, it's a fun popcorn film to end the summer on. Director Nima Nourizadeh, whose only previous film was the found footage party movie, 'Project X', leaves the hand-held camera on the table here, and delivers some decent long shots of violence and action, which is a step up in his career.

Mike Howell (Jesse Eisenberg) is an everyday small-town stoner, who works a bland job at a market, with the goal of marrying his girlfriend, Phoebe (Kirsten Stewart) but what he doesn't know, is that he's actually an experiment conducted by a CIA agent named Victoria Lasseter (Connie Britton) and that the CIA has put out a hit on him. With lots of time and money invested in Howell, Lasseter goes out to his little town and "activates" him, turning him into a stone-cold killer. But while he's the perfect killer, he's also a sweet guy who just wants to be with his girlfriend. Phoebe Larson (Stewart) didn't add much to the plot, but she was very believable as Mike's (Eisenberg) girlfriend. There was never a moment when the audience didn't believe they were dating. Although Kristen Stewart still hasn't proved she can act extremely well and she can be funny and all.

2015 AFI FEST LINE UP

The American Film Institute has put the finishing touches on AFI FEST 2015 by announcing the titles that will make up its final five screening programs: World Cinema, Breakthrough, Midnight, Shorts and Cinema's Legacy.

According to AFI, "World Cinema showcases the most acclaimed international films of the year; Breakthrough highlights true discoveries of the programming process; Midnight selections will grip audiences with terror; and Cinema’s Legacy highlights classic movies and films about cinema. World Cinema and Breakthrough selections are among the films eligible for Audience Awards. Shorts selections are eligible for the Grand Jury Prize, which qualifies the winner for Academy Award consideration."

2015 BFI London Film Festival Lineup

The Festival will screen a total of 238 fiction and documentary features, including 16 World Premieres, 8 International Premieres, 40 European Premieres and 11 Archive films including 5 Restoration World Premieres. There will also be screenings of 182 live action and animated shorts. A stellar line-up of directors, cast and crew are expected to take part in career interviews, ScreenTalks, Q&As and a new programme of Industry Talks: LFF Connects. The 59th BFI London Film Festival will run Wednesday 7 – Sunday 18 October 2015.

Taking place over 12 days, the Festival’s screenings are at venues across the capital, from the West End cinemas – Vue West End and the iconic Odeon Leicester Square; central London venues – BFI Southbank, BFI IMAX, Picturehouse Central, the ICA, Curzon Mayfair, Curzon Soho, Cineworld Haymarket and Ciné Lumière; and local cinemas – Ritzy Brixton, Hackney Picturehouse, Curzon Chelsea, Vue Islington and Rich Mix. Additional screenings and events will take place at Tate Modern. Audiences across the UK can enjoy the Festival via simultaneous screenings in their local cinemas.

Sicario (2015)

Sicario is a completely engrossing, beautifully shot, terrifically acted thriller that exceeds expectations. I didn't know what to expect from this film, but I was surprised that from the opening shot the film had me hooked. I won't give away the opening scene, but I'd find it hard to believe that you're bored after seeing that. Sicario is a completely engrossing, beautifully shot, terrifically acted thriller that exceeds expectations. I didn't know what to expect from this film, but I was surprised that from the opening shot the film had me hooked. I won't give away the opening scene, but I'd find it hard to believe that you're bored after seeing that.

As much as I hate to say this I have to, this film isn't for everybody. The trailers are rather misleading as I was expecting, the film is good if you give it your patience because it will be slow and "boring" for some so you have been warned. As far as my experience I can say that this film threw my heartbeat off by the end, there were times where it gets unbelievably tense and I can say that it made my heart skip a beat at a couple moments.

The Walk (2015)

The basic story of The Walk is this: a French street performer becomes obsessed with hanging a high wire between the two Twin Towers and walking on it. He flies to New York, recruits a few people to help him, and after weeks of of planning, is ready to perform an impossible stunt that will be remembered forever. The script is very well written and the story comes across very nicely to the viewer. It focuses on all the right moments for the right amount of time, which means the pacing is generally good. My only problem arises in the beginning as I felt it was a little rushed. Character development is also not the finest, but it is enough to make the viewer care about the characters. Other than that the story was told in a very captivating way that left viewer on the edge of their seat.

The Walk is a drama/thriller with a spice of romance and comedy. Because it is based on a true story, it makes this movie even cooler and much more intense! This is also an educational movie because I didn't know much about high-wire artists until this movie. I learned that there is a lot of science and math about how the wire is secured to provide safety for the walker.

The Intern (2015)

Robert DeNiro plays the title character, a retired 70 year-old widower who has become bored with his life. After 40 years in the business of printing telephone books and then losing his beloved wife of 42 years, he did his best to adjust to his new life, and it worked – for a while. He traveled the world and engaged in a wide variety of physical and intellectual pursuits to keep himself occupied, but it wasn't enough. When walking the streets of his native Brooklyn, he sees a flyer for a senior intern program at a young, but burgeoning internet clothing company. Ben feels that learning more about technology and working with young people feels like just the challenge he needs to occupy his mind and his time. He applies, via a terrific self-made video (the company's requirement), and sits through a series of amusing interviews with company employees young enough to be his grandchildren… and he gets the internship.

Ben ends up working directly for the company's very capable, but over-extended founder, played by Anne Hathaway. The senior intern program was her idea, but Jules is initially hesitant to deal with Ben personally on a daily basis. She's a perfectionist who's constantly on the go. She's difficult to work for and she knows it. She loves and respects all 220 of her employees, but her motto might as well be "If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself." Yet, it's hard to resist Ben's earnestness, strong work ethic and wise, calming presence. After a little awkwardness as Ben and Jules both try to figure out how he can best serve his new boss, he ends up becoming her driver. In this capacity, he gets to know Jules' stay-at-home husband (Anders Holm), their precocious, but adorable young daughter (JoJo Kushner) and, most importantly, Jules herself, in all her earnestness, anxiety and vulnerability.

Short Term 12 (2013)

I miss this movie beause I really want to watch ROOM and I need to remind my self how mazing Brie Larson is. Real heroes do not always end up with glory and parades. Heroism is sometimes reflected in small scale actions that no one ever hears about but occur every day in schools, hospitals, or wherever there are people who need compassion. Werner Erhard defines true heroism as "the kind which ends up in the truth, in what works, in what is honest and real being brought out and made available to others." This kind of authenticity is front and center in Destin Cretton's Short Term 12, the story of troubled teens living in a short-term group home who are the recipients of empathy from counselors only a few years older who may have faced similar situations in their life.

Winner of the audience award at the L.A. Film Festival and South by Southwest as well as the narrative feature prize, it is funny and sad with a wide range of emotions in-between. Coming from the director's own experience of working in a similar environment for two years, the film is permeated with an air of authenticity and it is rare that a film has such uniformly natural performances.

Southpaw (2015)

Southpaw follows Billy "The Great" Hope, the reigning junior middleweight boxing champion, having an impressive career, a loving wife and daughter, and a lavish lifestyle. However, when tragedy strikes, Billy hits rock bottom, losing his family, house and manager. He soon finds an unlikely savior in Tick Willis, a former fighter who trains the city's toughest boxers. With his future on the line, Hope fights to reclaim the trust of those he loves the most.

Jake Gyllenhaal giving a ferocious performance as a down on his luck boxer was truly a grand experience. He really stuck to his character by bringing such a mad man to the ring and a man who would strive to make his family a whole once again, one wondrous performance I must say. One person other than Jake that really stood out was Forest Whitaker, he easily gave one of the best performances of this year so far!

The Martian (2015)

Sir Ridley Scott is finally back on track. There's no argument that his last couple films have not been up to his standard. However, now he has gone back to his roots to bring us an adaptation of the sci-fi novel by Andy Weir The Martian.

The story itself is pretty straightforward. Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is presumed dead when stuck with debris during a storm on Mars. When the rest of his crew decides to abort and he turns out to be alive, Watney must ration his remaining resources in an attempt to same himself and make contact with NASA. Despite the familiar storyline (can you say Cast Away meets Apollo 13?), only a true mastermind behind the camera can give the story so much depth and make it so enthralling.

The cast is definitely one of the best ensembles of the year. Everyone does fantastic with the roles given to them, namely Chiwetel Ejiofor and Jeff Daniels. And while everyone does a great job in the movie, the man whose shoulders the film truly rests on is Matt Damon, and he excels in every scene he is in. The audience is always eager to follow Damon's successes and failures on Mars. Damon is so good at playing a wise- cracking scientist and showing us what it might actually be like to get left on Mars alone. With Damon's character, the movie is allowed to delve into themes about what makes us human and our drive to help one another.

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.

2015 New York Film Festival

The 2015 New York Film Festival has locked in its main slate of features, with a total of 26 films on the roster including the world premiere of Steven Spielberg’s “Bridge of Spies” with Tom Hanks, as well as festival-circuit buzzmagnets including Todd Haynes’ “Carol,” Michael Moore’s “Where to Invade Next,” Yorgos Lanthimos’ “The Lobster” and John Crowley’s “Brooklyn.”

The New York Film Festival has become an increasingly important stop for features angling for awards-season attention, lending a patina of prestige to the titles that earn a spot on the competitive, tightly curated main slate of 25 to 30 films. Recent NYFF alumni including “Gone Girl” (2014), “Life of Pi” (2012) and “The Social Network” (2010) went on to become serious players in the annual movie-industry trophy derby, as did “Hugo” (2011), which bowed as one of the festival’s “secret screenings.”

Celeste & Jesse Forever (2012)

Rashida Jones and Andy Samberg play a divorcing couple who remain best friends and inseparable until one meets someone new. The film is equal parts comedy and drama and actually allows both Jones and Samberg to show off their acting chops and do something a little more serious for a change. It was written by Jones as well, along with fellow actor Will McCormack (who also co-stars in the film). Lee Toland Krieger directed the film but Jones and McCormack were nominated for Best First Screenplay at the 2013 Independent Spirit Awards. The film has received great reviews as well and I think deservingly so. It's a funny and insightful film and both Jones and Samberg shine in it.

Jones plays Celeste, a trend analyzer who runs a media business with her friend Scott (Elijah Wood). Samberg plays Jesse, an unemployed artist still struggling to find work. The two were high school sweethearts who married young and have now been separated for several months (while they finalize their divorce). Their friends Beth (Ari Graynor) and Tucker (Eric Christian Olsen), who are engaged, think it's odd that they spend so much time together and act like they're still a couple. Jesse's friend Skillz (McCormack) encourages him to start dating. Jesse is reluctant to follow his advice because he believes Celeste will come around and they'll get back together. Celeste ended things with Jesse though because she thinks he's taken so long to find work and make something of himself. When Jesse tells Celeste he's having a baby with his beautiful new girlfriend Veronica (Rebecca Dayan) it throws her for a loop and causes her to reevaluate her life and her feelings for Jesse.

2015 TIFF Awards Winners

The Toronto International Film Festival has closed out its annual ten-day run with a star-studded awards brunch, which feiatured the announcement of the festival's various awards and prizes. Chief among them is the People's Choice Award, TIFF's most prestigious award and one chosen by audience members themselves (fans of the various films could log their vote either by depositing their ticket stubs in voting boxes available post-screening, or by using their individual ticket numbers to vote online).

Often viewed as a harbinger of awards season glory, the TIFF People's Choice Award winner has typically continued on to major Oscar attention. Since 2008, every single People's Choice Award winner, save for 2011 winner "Where Do We Go Now?," has been nominated for Best Picture. Of those titles, three -- including "Slumdog Millionaire," "The King's Speech" and "12 Years a Slave" -- have ultimately won the Oscar for Best Picture. Since TIFF's creation in 1976, five People's Choice Award winners have gone on to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards.

Black Mass (2015)

'Black Mass' is another is a line of crime dramas set in Boston. The film will inevitable be compared to 'The Departed.' And it falls short in the comparison. The acting is top rate, and Depp is much better, not as hammy, than the comic portrait of a crime boss by Nicholson in 'The Departed.' Depp is genuinely threatening in the film and the make-up job given him in the film adds to the fright.

The movie although fairly interesting in retrospect isn't as thoroughly interesting as I was hoping. The dialogue is decent throughout and I would go as far as to say it was great in a couple of scenes but at other times it wasn't as interesting. But the major drawback was the pacing, I was hoping for something similar to a Martin Scorsese gangster flick where it's fast paced and interesting from first frame to last and I didn't get that. Instead this film has lots of slow moments and I was actually dozing a bit and I don't get bored easy at all I love slow movies just as long as something semi interesting is happening. BUT dont get me wrong I think its a very decent movie eventhough I cant really enjoy because of the violent.

A Royal Night Out (2015)

I'd been looking forward to A Royal Night Out's release since first seeing the trailer a few weeks ago. Now, after seeing the film, I'm happy to report that I wasn't disappointed. The action begins slowly, but once the royal sisters become enmeshed in London's VE night revelries I found myself being carried along by events in ways that were at times funny, at times exciting, at times emotionally moving - even at times with feelings of national pride - but always with interest and anticipation.

A simply delightful story that beautifully reveals the shared humanity of the British people as they celebrate the end of the war against Nazism. A fine script and excellent direction stunningly recreate the spirit and details of the era and the lives of the royal family are skilfully made real. The two young women in the leads certainly do well in bringing their characters to life and Rupert Everet is quite good as King George. However, it is Emily Watson who shines in her role as Queen Elizabeth, later to become the Queen Mother.

Magic Mike XXL (2015)

Mike steps out of retirement and takes a break from his contracting business to help his stripper friends from the Kings of Tampa have one mega-memorable performance at the Myrtle Beach stripper convention. Just as men get Playboy magazine for the articles, women watch Magic Mike XXL for the captivating dialogue and plot lines. Just kidding, of course we don't, we watch it to see these handsome dudes shake their a$ses and take their clothes off! The sequel definitely takes the dance routines to the next level. Just ask Joe Manganiello if he woulda bet that in his acting career he'd be doing a stripper routine in a Quickie Mart to Backstreet Boys "I Want It That Way." That's just the tip…of the iceberg.

Mike Lane (Channing Tatum), now doing custom furniture designs in Florida, is drawn once again into the world of male entertainers (the preferred nomenclature). Although it's been three years since he gave up stripping, Mike decides to accompany his old crew, the Kings of Tampa, to the annual Myrtle Beach convention, where they hope to bring to a close their wilder youths in a final tsunami of dollar bills. But can Big Dick Richie (Joe Manganiello), Tarzan (Kevin Nash), Ken (Matt Bomer), Tito (Adam Rodriguez), and disc jockey/frozen yogurt food truck vendor/driver Tobias (Gabriel Iglesias) maintain their cool long enough to make it to the convention?

Me and Earl and Dying Girl (2015)

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl offers a very accessible, honest, and humorous look at not only how someone deals with being diagnosed with cancer, but it also turns the clichés of the coming-of-age story on its nose, and the people behind this film are able to do that by finding the perfect balance between drama and comedy within this unfortunate tragedy.

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl centers around Greg (Thomas Mann), a very sarcastic and self-loathing high school student going into his senior year. Greg believes that if he shuts everyone out of his life so that he won't have to deal with anything, then things will be okay, and this gives him a sort of self-gratification. So to uphold his philosophy, he doesn't try to be friends with anyone, but makes sure he's on low-key, good terms with everyone in his school. However, he does spend his time with his co-worker/"friend" Earl (RJ Cyler) making parodies of classic foreign cinema together. However, when Greg learns from his mother that a childhood friend of his, Rachel (Olivia Cooke) is diagnosed with Leukemia, Greg begins a blossoming friendship with Rachel; a friendship that would take him through the best of times, the worst of times, and eventually shape him into the person that he will become.

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.

The Maze Runner : The Scorch Trials (2015)

This film is the sequel to 2013's "The Maze Runner" and is the second adaptation of James Dashner's initial "Maze Runner" trilogy (which has since added a prequel and is about to add another). The story is even more divergent (pun intended) from its source material than the previous movie was, this time preserving not much more than the mythology, main characters and the most important of plot points.

The action picks up right where it left off at the end of the first film, with Thomas (Dylan O'Brien) and the remaining Gladers, Newt (Thomas Brodie-Sangster), Minho (Ki Hong Lee), Teresa Agnes (Kaya Scodelario), Frypan (Dexter Darden) and Winston (Alexander Flores), taken by those who rescued them to a large facility where there's food and fresh clothes. These teens find out that theirs was not the only maze and they become friends with fellow survivor Aris Jones (Jacob Lofland), who suspects that there's more to their new home than meets the eye. The facility's manager, Mr. Janson (Aiden Gillen), assures the Gladers that they're safe now and will soon be taken to a more permanent and more comfortable home. Meanwhile, their freedom is restricted and security is tight. Every day, Janson calls out a list of names and those young people head for their new home. Aris suspects that those who are called never really leave the facility, suffering a fate that is less than comfortable. Soon, Thomas is convinced too.

The Transporter Refueled (2015)

Is it a reboot or a sequel, who knows, the film never gives you any reason to care either way, what a piece of garbage. I quite liked the earlier Transporter films, I think the main attraction there though was the pure awesome that is Jason Statham, no such presence here. If your going to try replace Jason Statham you better go out and find the biggest badass you can find, not this guy. Ed Skrein is pretty terrible in this, I don't even think he's that bad of an actor, he's just too much of a pretty boy, he does his best to look and act tough and that's exactly how it comes off, as acting. He looks like he's trying for his best Jason Statham impersonation and it's a big fail.

While Jason Statham might not possess incredible acting, he's a great fit for Transporter. He looks suave and confident, more importantly he looks capable in action sequences. Ed Skrein only amounts to carbon copy lookalike with accent.

(500) Days of Summer (2009)

I know I haven't been here for a long time and I have watched a lot of movies. but I'm just too lazy to post some reviews. But I'm gonna start with this one. After this I will try to post more movie reviews that I have watched recently. This is one of my favorite film with lovable character and sweet but angts story. My kind of heaven lol. I just watched this movie again and I remember the hype and the quotes were all over tumblr back in the day.

For starters the charisma and passion between Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel works brilliantly on screen. Finding two actors who work so well together (in every way) is a rare thing. The style of editing is superbly original, at the beginning you might be skeptical, but you'll soon realise how marvelous it it really is. The soundtrack is a treat of indie classics that match the films tonality with perfection. If you try and change anything about this movie you'll soon see the level of class it really sits on.

2015 Venice Film Festival Winners

The winners of the 72nd Venice Film Festival have been announced and South America triumphed with the top two wins; The Golden Lion and The Silver Lion. The Golden Lion went to Venezeula’s From Afar from Lorenzo Vigas. The Silver Lion was awarded to Argentina’s The Clan from Pablo Trapero. From Afar is Vigas’s first feature and tells the story of an older gay man in Caracas who pays younger men for their company. The Clan details the story of the Puccio Clan, an Argentine crime family who were convicted of four kidnappings and three murders in the 1980s.

The Jury Grand Prize went to the animated film Anomalisa from Academy Award winning director Charlie Kaufman (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) and Duke Johnson.

Inside Out (2015)

Pixar returns to their high-concept roots with Inside Out, showing us how emotions work through the human mind in a whimsically metaphorical way. It's the kind of idea that Pixar would definitely take at some point as they have always been bringing us a variety of emotions in their films. This movie explores childhood and growing up into the perspective of a little girl's mind, how the emotions get confused by the changes in life and how they have to gain back the light. Inside Out represents this angst with a delightful, yet profound adventure; which indeed results to a totally heartwarming experience.

There are movies that need no introduction because you can tell from the trailer they are cool. Inside Out was cool out of the gate. Judging my the packed in house on a Monday night when I took my family to see it, people agree it's cool. There's something about a simple concept brought to the screen or television with a gang of hella talented people that wins the crowd every time. I compare it to Seinfeld that way. It has a simple premise: a little girl's mind going through the challenges of school and moving. Her mind is where the characters are and they produce some hilarious if not downright profound discussion material.

Fantastic Four (2015)

Over the last decade, we have seen a number of superhero movies get a much needed reboot. After the atrocious Batman & Robin, Batman was brilliantly brought back to the big screen in Batman Begins. When the Spider-Man franchise hit an embarrassing rock bottom with Spider-Man 3, it was reinvigorated with the very likable The Amazing Spider-Man.

Eight years on from the dud that was Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer and it's time that Marvel's first family got a reboot. With a lot of rumours flying around about trouble on set and the studio not seeming to have total confidence in their product, could 2015's Fantastic Four do these iconic comic-book characters justice?

2015 Toronto International Film Festival Line Up (second batch)

Just when you thought the lineup for the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival couldn’t get any better, the fest has announced even more promising films being added to its slate. Today’s additions include the world premiere of I Saw the Light aka the film in which Tom Hiddleston plays Hank Williams—and sings! Also making its world debut is David Gordon Green’s political satire Our Brand Is Crisis starring Sandra Bullock, screenwriter James Vanderbilt’s directorial debut Truthstarring Robert Redford as Dan Rather, and the Johnny Depp-fronted thrillerLondon Fields.

Additionally, Drake Doremus’ sci-fi film Equals, starring Kristen Stewart andNicholas Hoult, is making its North American premiere at the festival as is Natalie Portman’s directorial debut A Tale of Love and Darkness, Catherine Hardwicke’s drama Miss You Already is having its world premiere, and the world premiere ofPaco Cabezas’ Mr. Right, starring Anna Kendrick and Sam Rockwell, will close out the fest.

2015 New York Film Festival Line Up

Another year, another stellar lineup for The New York Film Festival. Following announcements regarding opening, closing, and centerpiece titles, the Film Society of Lincoln Center have unveiled the main selection for its 53rd year of bringing New Yorkers a very full, representative cinematic slate — as per usual, a mix of anticipated festival titles (just the amount of ground covered therein is terrific) and the year’s best mainstream cinema. In the case of Steven Spielberg‘s Bridge of Spies, there’s even a surprise premiere.

One can peruse the full lineup below, along with (where available) links to reviews of titles that we managed to see earlier in the year:

2015 Festival Film Bandung

Festival Film Bandung (FFB) merupakan salah satu ajang bergengsi bagi para sineas Indonesia. Di tahun ini, FFB akan diselenggarakan pada 12 September mendatang di Monumen Perjuangan Rakyat, Bandung, Jawa Barat.

Belum lama ini pihak penyelenggara telah merilis daftar film nasional Indonesia yang menjadi nominasi untuk kategori Film. Seperti dilansir dari laman FFB, untuk kategori film nasional, pihak penyelenggara telah membagi 11 kategori nominasi. Film besutan sutradara Garin Nugroho, Guru Bangsa: Tjokroaminoto mendominasi berbagai kategori dengan meraih delapan nominasi.

Guru Bangsa: Tjokroaminoto meraih nominasi untuk kategori Film Terpuji, Sutradara Terpuji, Penulis Skenario Terpuji, Penata Editing Terpuji, Penata Kamera Terpuji, Penata Artistik Terpuji, Penata Musik Terpuji dan Pemeran Utama Pria Terpuji. Di kategori Pemeran Utama Pria Terpuji, Reza Rahadian yang memerankan HOS Tjokroaminoto akan bersaing dengan Chico Jerikho, Deddy Sutomo, Rio Dewanto dan Vino G Bastian.

Trainwerk (2015)

In the opening scene Amy's dad is telling a young Amy and her little sister why he is getting a divorce in a way they will understand. I was curious as to where this movie would be going after his creative way of explaining his infidelities. Cut away to 20 or so years later and Amy's many "sexcapades", this movie was so aptly named "Trainwreck. I sat through this movie I wanted to become an Amy Schumer fan but she did not make me laugh if anything I was just waiting for it to end and blaming her for a wasted evening.

"Monogamy isn't realistic," insists Gordon Townsend (Colin Quinn) to his two young daughters, as he likens relationships to playing with dolls. What child only wants to play with one doll for the rest of her life? This advice sticks with Amy (Amy Schumer) as she grows up, subconsciously coercing her to filter through dispensable men at an uncountable rate. Her worldview is as cynical and crass as her elderly father (who is now getting moved into an assisted living facility), fueling her approach toward her career and the opposite sex with sarcasm and inconsideration. She can't really take anything seriously.

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.

Mission Impossible V (2015)

So I have finally found a time to go to cinema in the middle of very busy internship schedule that drives me insane. But that's another story, so today now i have finally watched Mission Impossible 5. Having seen the previous four 'Mission Impossible' films, I have to admit that none of them impressed me to the degree that I had hoped. I guess my expectations for action thrillers centering on secret agents were set too high because I saw the 'Bourne' trilogy and Daniel Craig's James Bond films first. The first three 'MI' films all seemed a little too slow, cheesy or convoluted on my first viewing. The fourth one was pretty good, even if the story does feel a little forgettable.

The central focus of Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation revolves around a mystery group called the "Syndicate" who basically work like an anti-IMF, with a sole focus of spreading terrorist attacks around the world, while working to establish a sense of new world order and overseeing the dismantling of the real IMF. Besides this group standing in their way, Ethan and his crew must also deal with Director Alan Hunley (played brilliantly by Alec Baldwin) who is bound and determined to think that Ethan is crazy and that the Syndicate is just in his imagination. Because of his doubts with Ethan, Hunley brings up his concerns to the oversight committee and it is decided that after the events of Ghost Protocol, which saw landmarks like the Russian Kremlin destroyed, that the IMF be dissolved effective immediately.

Before We Go (2015)

New York at night, a guy and a girl story. More beautiful is the script, the simple dialog and smart direction. Alice Eve is convincing. She doesn't overdo it but does it just right. Chris Evans has exceeded my expectations as an actor, as a director. Watch this with your loved one on a quiet night with a bottle of wine. You will not regret it. This is a simple story told beautifully. Do not watch this if need complex emotions that makes you wanna kill yourself. Chris makes you wanna write your own ending to his beautifully told story, letting you speculate what this might have been. That's the beauty of this film. Waiting for more such movies from this team. Adios.

Before We Go tries so hard to capture the style of Richard Linklater's Before Sunrise it plays more like a script read-through than a film with any genuine warmth and emotion.  The opening premise of damsel stuck in the city is nicely handled (several scenes are oddly reminiscent of Adventures in Babysitting), but the more the film tries to create an emotional connection between Chris Evans' and Alice Eve's characters the more they seem like brother and sister.

Aloha (2015)

Cameron Crowe is one of my favorite directors. He never fails to put a smile on my face, even if it's my 15th time watching the same film of his (Jerry Maguire). But with 'Aloha', it doesn't seem like his film at all. In fact, at times the film seems as though it's 3 different projects jumbled into one. Aloha was one of my most anticipated films this year, and with a cast that includes the likes of Bradley Cooper, Rachel McAdams, and Emma Stone, I didn't think there was any way this film would let me down. Boy, I was wrong. The trailer was fantastic. It had great music, great character drama, and a beautiful landscape, that's the makings of a great Crowe film. Unfortunately it was a bland and forgettable as a film can be. If you cant get a good film with all of the great things on your side, than there's something going on here.

I heard there was some serious behind the scene issues with Aloha. Ones that took Crowe out of the promoting of the film and even Sony's lack of marketing for the project. I mean there was only one trailer, ONE. I never bought into the Emma Stone-Bradley Cooper fling. I saw a reviewer talk about how her character thinks she's in a Will Ferrell comedy at first until toning it down later on, and that's completely true. The two seem like they are playing characters from different movies and somehow their dialogue matched up.

Suite Française (2014)

The movie tells the story of a french girl with a strict mother in law who falls in love with a Nazi officer. Well, the movie is not the cheesy love story between two people who simply cant and mustn't be together. Is way more than this. It's about the cruelty of the war and how everyone copes in the end, even if that means they have to give up on love or love the wrong people. The moral battle between the two main characters, who are stuck between their love and their loyalty to their country and people.

This is a rare thing nowadays and brings to mind the great heyday of romance in the Seventies. 'Suite Française' is set in Nazi occupied France during the start of World War II. You will therefore be crying with powerful and furious emotion. Michelle Williams is at the fore front of this film; gladly she does not fail or let the production team down in any respect. She plays a French Villager  called Lucile Angellier. I say this statement with doubt as last time I checked French people did not speak English as their first language. Her overbearing mother is played with severity by Kristin Scott Thomas. She outright leads her daughter's life for her and plays a prominent role in all of her decisions, whether they be little or large. Their village becomes ruled and dictated by German soldiers, some much more brutal than others. There are different personalities and beliefs to each of them. This is great to see, because it paints a broader and larger painting. It shows us that not everyone can be placed definitively into a category.

Hot Pursuit (2015)

Two people, one car, and what do we get? Lots of trouble! I've examined the road trip comedy before as at least two or three of these movies are released every year. We get a lot of these road trip movies all the time because this is something we have all gone through; the long stretch that never seems to end, the music that eventually becomes monotonous and the fact your going to loathe the people your riding with. Our transportation technology may have changed but the concept of a car trip has and will never go out of style. This is why we end up finding so much material for comedic possibilities.

What makes thins kind of story work is what kind of pairing that is going to be tackled upon. With movies like Vacation and We're the Millers, we've had a typical family. With The Guilt Trip and Sideways, we have groups of friends. Even with Planes, Trains, and Automobiles and Smokey and the Bandit, we set with people that hate each other from the start. All of these movies were able to develop dialogue that made the situation funny. All of these would be better road trip movies to watch then the astonishingly bad Hot Pursuit.

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.

2015 Venice Film festival Line Up

Kristen Stewart, Michael Keaton, Eddie Redmayne, Tilda Swinton, Ralph Fiennes and Dakota Johnson are among the stars in movies coming to the world’s oldest major film festival.

The world’s oldest major film festival in Venice, Italy will once again screen films from new and established directors, with 55 new films set for this year's 72nd edition.

Venice Film Festival director Alberto Barbera and Biennale president Paolo Baratta unveiled this year's star-studded lineup Wednesday morning at the Westin Excelsior Rome hotel. It includes much-buzzed about American films, a slew of Italian talent and various voices from world cinema. 

In the competition section, a number of U.S. titles are part of the lineup, which Barbara called one of the most diverse in festival. Among U.S. directors, the competition features Laurie Anderson's  return to directing with Heart of a Dog, a film about loss, Cary Fukunaga's Beasts of No Nation, starring Idris Elba as a warlord in the film about child soldiers in Africa, which Netflix bought global rights to for a reported $12 million. 

Also in the competition, Duke Johnson and Oscar winner Charlie Kaufman's animated film Anomalisa, starring Jennifer Jason Leigh and Tom Noonan, is not for kids. Centered around the crisis of the middle-aged man, the film was partially funded by Kickstarter.   

2015 Toronto International Film Festival (First Batch)

After the long line up of amazing summer movies, fall is coming, and we will have some award race with those fall film festival. TIFF has announced their first list. TIFF 2015 is going back to its Canadian roots for its 40th birthday, opening the festival with Quebec director Jean-Marc Vallée's Demolition. After critical successes such as Wild and Dallas Buyers Club, Vallée will kick off the festival with Demolition, starring Jake Gyllenhaal.

Gyllenhaal is just one of the A-list stars who have become fan favourites at the festival, returning to Toronto year after year. After her Oscar-winning turn in Still Alice, Julianne Moore will walk the red carpet again for Freeheld, a movie she starts in alongside Canadian Ellen Page. The film focuses on the real-life love story and fight for justice by two New Jersey women and is likely to be especially poignant in a year where same-sex marriage became legal in the United States.

Ant-Man (2015)

All the movies in the MCU have a little comedy in them. With the exception of Guardians of the Galaxy most of the movies however rely heavily on the action to pull people in. Ant-Man is much more relatable to Guardians of the Galaxy from that point. The jokes come flying from everyone, most notably Michael Peña.

I admit before even hearing about this movie I had no idea who Scott Lang was. To me, Ant-Man was Hank Pym, and that's all I knew. Although it was great to be introduced to a new character, I thought it was amazing that hey pay homage to the original Ant-Man with a flashback of Hank in the suit; also for the ride was Wasp; which of course everyone freaked out about.

67th Primetime Emmy Awards Nominees

The nominees for the 2015 Emmy Awards were announced Thursday morning.

Game of Thrones, Mad Men and House of Cards were among the shows nominated in the drama series category.

The comedy series nominees included Transparent, Veep and Modern Family.

Uzo Aduba (Orange Is the New Black) and Cat Deeley (So You Think You Can Dance) announced the nominations at the Pacific Design Centre in West Hollywood. The presentation was streamed live on the television academy’s website.

The 67th Primetime Emmy Awards will be held on September 20 at the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles. Andy Samberg will host the live telecast.

Drama series

“Game of Thrones”

“Mad Men”

“Downton Abbey”

“Orange Is the New Black”

“Homeland”

“House of Cards”

“Better Call Saul”

Comedy series

“Louie”

“Modern Family”

“Transparent”

“Silicon Valley”

“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”

“Veep”

“Parks and Recreation”

True Story (2015)

True Story is based on the true story (never would have seen that coming) of Christian Longo. I have seen Jonah Hill and James Franco take on non- comedic roles before and i know they are great at what they do, especially Franco. I never would have expected the duo who interacted in This is the End to take on these roles, especially together. The trailer was great and i was on board although early reviews made it seem like maybe i wouldn't be able to take them seriously. Well my worries were put to rest and i will explain exactly what my thoughts are.

Jonah Hill plays Mike Finkel of the New York Times. When he is fired for making things up in his article for dramatic effect he receives a mysterious phone call and finds out convicted murderer Christian Longo (James Franco) has been using his identity. This leads Finkel to meet Longo in prison who asks him to publish his side of the story. Finkel starts to believe that Longo could be more innocent than he seems, but is this the case? That is one of the things i really like about this film.

Far From the Madding Crowd (2015)

The fourth film adaptation of author Thomas Hardy's classic 1874 book, of the same name. This one was directed by Thomas Vinterberg  and it was written by David Nicholls. The film stars Carey Mulligan, Matthias Schoenaerts, Michael Sheen, Tom Sturridge and Juno Temple. It tells the story of an independent woman, living in Victorian England, that juggles romantic relationships with three different men. I think it's a well made film, but it's also (somewhat) emotionally shallow.

Bathsheba Everdene is an independent farm owner, living in Victorian England. She first attracts the attention of a sheep farmer, Gabriel Oak (Schoenaerts), who proposes to her, before she inherits her farm. Although Bathsheba likes Gabriel, she doesn't wan't a husband, so she turns him down; breaking his heart. After Bathsheba inherits her land, and Gabriel's life takes a turn for the worse, she employs him at her farm. She later attracts the interest of two more suitors; a wealthy, but older, bachelor, named William Boldwood (Sheen), and a military Sergeant, named Frank Troy (Sturridge).

Terminator Genisys (2015)

The Terminator is back with a strange title, Genisys. It is clear that they are eager to continue the franchise however they do not know how. Terminator Genisys shows promise to the visionary world of James Cameron but it is hampered by non-stop big and loud action scenes, it does not stop to develop the story further. That said, it still capture the interesting premise of time travel. It is better than Terminator Salvation but that is not saying much. What you get here is series of thrilling and big CGI heavy action set piece that propel the story forward.

I'm not sure what film the critics have watched, but as someone who queued all day to be one of the first to see T2, Genisys ticks all the Terminator boxes, time travel, morphing androids, liquid metal, Judgement Day, one liners, explosions, car chases, strong female lead, technology and prescient thoughts on handing over power over our lives to machines. Arnold Schwarzenegger returns to his signature role as the T800 at various ages, the CGI rendering of him as the "original" model is fantastic.