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.

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.”

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.