Top Ten 2014

Now since this is my top ten films of 2014 this is all my personal favorite films. This means even thought I didn't give it a perfect rating it still may out beat other movies. Also I didn't see everything. So sorry if your favorite film isn't on the list.  I will also post the rating out of how many ticket stubs I think the movie deserves because I didn't do full reviews of all them. Sorry for the last few months with no reviews. November and December a lot comes out and its hard to see everything plus school. So thank you for your support it truly means a lot.

Honorable mentions- Nightcrawler, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Captain America: Winter Solider, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

10) The LEGO Movie- 3.75 out of 4. This pair of directors were on fire this year. They would send a joke minute at you and all of the would hit. They would also put is in tandem with making fun of themselves and actually having a very heartfelt story and great voice acting. If you are of age of course you should there other hit film this year 22 Jump Street.

9) Edge of Tomorrow- 3.75 out of 4 This film was the original film to come out of Hollywood this year. It was well told and had an amazing character arc. It also had a great and very strong female lead in Emily Blunt. Which I always like to see. It was very sad to see that this film underperformed at the box office. It should have made so much more. It's Groundhog Day with Mech suits what is not to like about that.

8) Snowpiecer- 3.5 out of 4. Chris Evans killed it in this film. Another super well made indy film that had a great idea and was very well done. Powerful ending and great action. With another great character arc. This film also underperformed and should have much more then it did. If you are looking for a film to watch and you what action and great story I recommend both 9 and 8. You will not be mistaken.

7) The Raid 2- 4 out of 4 Easily the best martial arts film I have ever seen. I have even been quoted as calling this the Godfather of martial arts films. It will change the face of action with its high intense hand to hand fighting. The other thing is the story and character is are so good you will find yourself lost in this world of crooked cops and gangsters.  

6) John Wick- 3.5 out of 4. Maybe a dumb and really to simple premise for a film, but the style and world and just the overall great action fun that happens in this film is a must see for action junkies like myself.  Keanu Reeves is completely back after seeing this film. This is just a super COOL film and is a great film to watch for both silly fun and great style.

Here we go everyone the Top 5 films of the year for me. There were so many good films this year. I wish I could make much longer list, but ten is the norm for critics. Doing this was very hard this year. Also I am happy to be reporting my next film review will be Kingsmen. I have a early screening passes so look for that. I am love doing this and its been a great year for me as a film fan to go see this great pieces of work.

5) Interstellar 3 out of 4. Great film for me personally. I loved all the 2001 a space odyssey like moments and Nolan fixed all the problems that I had with him in the past. That being of his characters. I never cared about any of the characters that Nolan created. Till now. I was near tears at the end of this film. I know it was bit hard to follow, but I had no problem with this and maybe just a little to long for some, but I had no problems at with this film as well, but still there are 4 films that I thought were much better.

4) Gone Girl- 3.5 out of 4. David Fincher you smart and crazy man you. It was perfectly done dark thriller that would keep you guessing all the way to the end of the film what is going to happen next. Has a super dark and real ending. Also has completely turned me around on an actress that being Rosamund Pike. I never really liked her till I saw her performance as Amy. This is one of those few films were I left the movies going darn I wish I made that film. It looks good, great story and great acting what more do you need.

3) The Babadook 4 out of 4 This film should be called the horror film that could. This film is going to go down as a horror classic. It makes me so happy that is film is getting a lot of love on sites like Reddit and has close to perfect 100 on rotten  Its not just a great horror film, but a great film. It has a great story with amazing acting from the leads. This film also takes the horror genre very serious and wants you look at the deeper into it. It also is truly terrifying. We truly can't get rid of the babadook.

2) Under The Skin- 2.75 out of 4. Don't let that score fool you I absolutely loved this film. It was a horror film with many dark and great symbols. It truly asked the question what do we think is beauty. Top it off with a great lead actress, score and look this is and my number one pick are almost interchanged as best films. This one is just a bet harder for some to digest. Hence it being put back to number 2.

1) Birdman- 4 out of 4. Easily the best film of the year. Not just for the style, the film would have been just as good without it. Funny and insightful this film is truly a masterpiece that you have to see once in your life. I don't want to say to much else about it just see it if you are a fan of films. You will not be upset. This is the film I will be rooting for when awards come around

Interstellar

Interstellar is the next Christopher Nolan film starring (oh boy here we go) Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, and Michael Caine. There are more stars in this film that you will see but I don't really want to spoil parts of the film, because they are so important to the plot. The film is simply put, the earth is dying and we need to find a new place to live. So McConaughey goes and searches for a new planet.

I am a big Nolan fan. I wouldn't go as far as saying and calling me a Nolan fanboy because I do actually hate one of his films and see some flaws on one of his "greatest" film. I will admit thought that the man is somewhat of a genius. I think this film thought maybe his best film to date. I like it more the dark knight as of right now. So if you know me you can probably see where this review is going.  Nolan tells a great realistic space travel film. Which is amazing in of itself. All the characters in the film feel like real people and you want to see them all get thought this. Which is something I think Nolan sometimes has a hard time with. The film looks great. Not just because of the great CGI but the actual look of the shots and how they are composed looked amazing. McConaughey continues to amaze as he has done that past few years. He gives us some great moments with his on screen daughter were you can just feel the emotion going thought the man. I honestly would give this film just a view for his performance. The score was very good. I do have problems with that but I am pretty sure it was just the theater that I was in because I have had this problem with my local theater before, but I am going to mention it just to be sure. Also the fact that I saw the film on a actual film stock just made me love the film even more. Just hearing the flickering of a projecter it in the background just made me feel like a kid again.

Now, this is the section were I usually talk about the problems I see with the film. I personally have no problems with this film. I will repeat. I HAVE NO PROBLEMS WITH THIS FILM. I will let that sink in for a minute. But there are a few problems that I can see many people having issue with. This film is super hard to follow. It really dives a lot into wormhole theory and all that jazz. I was able to follow and keep up, but I know many people will hate this film for it. This is basically the same problem that I have with Under The Skin which I loved.  The film is also 3 hours long, but it needs the time to tell the story and set up the world and explain how all this world works. So I am going to give the film a personal score of perfect 4 out of 4 and a second score for everyone else.

RATING
3 out of 4 Ticket Stubs

John Wick

John Wick is the first film directed by David Leitch and Chad Stahelski. They were the team that gave us the action scenes for the Matrix films. So needless to say these guys know how to make a cool action scene. The film stars Keanu Reeves in the title role in John Wick. The film is about an ex hitman who's wife has recently died. With her dying wish she gives him a dog. When a group of  man come and kill said dog it sends Wick back into the underground of the city.

Leich and Stahelkis did something that is truly amazing. They made Reeves relevant again as an action star. I have to say every action scene in this film is absolutely perfect. I loved every action scene in the film. They all had a great style to them and just all around cool factor that a lot of action films of this day and age are sorely lacking. Another thing I can say about the team is that this film has a great style a loved it. You guys know that I am huge sucker for anything with a cool style and this film has that in spades. Also something that I would like to mention is the fact that the world that these guys made is completely and totally realized in this two hour film. There are a lot of moments in the film where characters talk and they have age behind them. I really loved that about this film. It also leads me into the fact that I would really like to see a sequel to this film. Just so I can see more of the world that the two had created. I hoped this film makes a lot of money because it truly earns it these guys really made a great action film. I want to see more from them. Don't let these guys go into unknown territory. I used to love the Boondock Saints, I have rewatched it and didn't age well with me. The reason why I mention this is because I think this film really is what Boondock Saints should have been. Now Reeves is 50 years old and it is great to see him kick some serious butt thought out the whole film. He also gives one of his best performances that I have personally have seen him give. He also does a ton of the stunt work which is always just great to see.

Now this film was really for lack of a better word completely geared toward someone like me. It does everything that I like in a film. Super style, great music, and a great hero that is very gray character. Just look up my Drive review and you see that I had the same problem with that film as I do this film. It is so perfect in what it does that it truly alienates and goes for a specify group of people. So if you are into films that are big on action and style this film is for you. But if you don't like films of that type you are going to have a real hard time sitting down and watching this one. With that, my finally thoughts are this if you like a film with the style of Drive and the action of The Matrix. Go see this film. Go see it now. But if you hated both of those films stay far away.

RATING
3.75 out of 4 Ticket Stubs

Fury

Fury is the next World War II film this time directed by David Ayer of End Of Watch fame. This one centering around a group of 5 men that pilot the US tank Fury. The film stars Brad Pitt, Logan Lerman, Shia LaBeouf, Micheal Pena and Jon Bernthal.

There were 2 WWII films that came out this year. One of them being Monuments Men. I personally didn't really enjoy that film and was very let down by it. I was very excited for this film. It really did a great job of being a war film. I also have to really stress that I went into the this film hoping for just a very good war film. What we got was one of the darkest and grittiest war movie I have ever seen about war.  When it comes to WWII films that are about the war. Saving Private Ryan is one of the best if not the best. Now the D-Day scene in that film is the darkest that film gets I would say, Fury hits the tone of that scene and stays with it. I really got to hand it to David Ayer for this. With that tone he was able to create a group of characters that are very well rounded. You may not like every create in the film and I don't think Ayer really wants you to. He really wanted to show the darkness and the evil that is created from war. He does this with flying colors. Another thing that I really enjoyed about the film was pretty much everything on the production side.  The film looked and sounded so real. I loved the look of this film. I mean I really loved the look of this film. The shots done by Roman Vasyanov(so happy I didn't have to say that because I would have screwed that one up) were beautiful looking. He does my favorite thing again. Giving the film a gray and colorless look until the end. The sound design of the film was also great. It felt like I was being shot at. There was very little that I honestly hate about the film. I loved the score from Steven Price he put a lot of choir singers giving every action scene this super mythological feel. I thought it was a great choice.

The only that I haven't really touched on is the cast. A film with this good of a production crew. Needed a cast that could bring it all to life. I will admit they did it. There is not a bad performance in the bunch. All of the actors really give a great performance.  It's hard to pick a favorite because they are all so very good. Brad Pitt again plays a great war character that is just a leader and someone that the men that has seen the darkest side. Lerman gives a great performance of a good man in a bad situation. The other three also give great and character pervading moments. I have to say my only real problem is the end of the film and the story of the film. The end is a hard topic to talk about without spoiling stuff, but here it goes.  A character escapes a very hard, dangerous spot in a very unbelievable way.  That is all I will say about it just because I don't want to spoil the film. The other part is more of a preference. There is much of a story or mission I would say the crew is doing. I personally don't mind this because it lets the world, characters, and area build and tell the story which is something I love, but I can see if you want a more story driven film.

Fury is a star studded WWII film that shows the real darkness of war. It doesn't glorify these people. It lets the characters tell the story and also has some great tank warfare action. So if you are looking for a dark slower, but a powerful war film this the film for you. I would not be surprised to this film on my top 10 later this year.

RATING
3.5 out of 4 Ticket Stubs

The Judge

The Judge stars Robert Downey Jr. and Robert Duvall as a strained father and son. Jr. is a hot shot lawyer who comes from a small town where is the father is a Judge (Duvall). Duvall was out one night after a funeral of his wife. They wake up and find that there is a dent in his car and that he may have run down a man. So Jr. most come to help is father and save him from jail time.

Now, that the story is out of the way I have two huge things to say about this film. The casting was great in this film. Downey and Duvall are great in this film. Both actors go thought the whole cycle of emotions. All the from happy and laughing to sad and angry. I will also say the characters are both very good and feel like real people. At least the characters themselves do the plot and way it's handled is different. I can really see that both of these characters are related. I really enjoyed it for that reason and that reason alone. You really get that the writers and director really wanted to tell a family drama more than a courtroom drama. Just this court thing is the background noise to the real story that is Duvall and Downey's relationship. The other thing that I really enjoyed about this film was cinematography done by Janusz Kaminski. If Roger Deakins is my all type favorite cinematographer, then Kaminski is easily my second. He really works a lot with Steven Spielberg. Shot some of his best work in Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan. This movie looks absolutely amazing. Going into the film I didn't know he had shot it. Leaving the film I knew it had to be him. He does some of my favorite things with low lighting in the courts for the dark moments and bright and sunny for the great out doors moments. There are so many very good looking shots. There was only one that I really didn't enjoy,  but nothing that is distracting when it comes to the image.

My big problems are the pace and how the overall story is handled. The pace of the film is very slow. I mean that is a big problem for a film with a run time of two and a half hours. There are two characters that I will not mention because they serve to the overall film. It doesn't focus on the relationship or the court room parts. It just slows the film down and adds more screen time that isn't really needed. The trailer is another thing that I had a huge problem with they are really trying to sell this huge courtroom drama. I never really got that from this film. It shouldn't have been the center or the main focus. The court room part actually kind of bored me except for the last one, but that is because that was mostly about the relationship between the father and son. I think that if they wanted to sell courtroom drama, it should have been a lot more intense.

I think overall this film is very okay. You get two great performances from the leads and some great looking scenery, but the overall story is just too heavy handed with the story and long. I think if you are looking for a descent family drama and good leads, then you have found your movie. But if you are looking for a 12 Angry Men or A Few Good Men. You sadly won't find it here.

RATING
2.5 out of 4 Ticket Stubs

Horns

Horns stars Harry Potter, I am sorry I mean Daniel Radcliffe as Ig Perrish, who has be wrongly of accused of killing and raping his girlfriend. He goes on a bender on the night of a candle light vigil for her. He awakes with Horns coming from the top of his head and giving the power to know and tempt people to do their darkest wishes. The film is directed by Alexandre Aja, who has made The Hills Have Eyes (2006) and Piranha 3D. It is also based off the book of the same title written by Joe Hill.

I have read the book, but I will do my best to keep my opinion on just the film. Because we all know how bad I am at letting things that I have read first get in the way of actually viewing the film as just the film. I am looking at you almost every comic book movie. Well to start Aja is one of the directors that I think is a little under liked. I think if you are a horror junkie like me, you will like his style and tone of his films, but if not he is always a tough sale. Here he isn't in full gory, over the top horror mood like the The Hills Have Eyes. He hits more of a middle ground between that and Piranha 3D. He has some really dark moments, but really hits the really dark comedy that is all over the place in this film. I also really have to give him props for his imagery as well in the film. It's not a great looking film, but there are shots in the film that look great. Two really come to mind, one is of Radcliffe walking out of a barn and another is of Radcliffe just sitting in a car with a burning building behind him. It just looks very cool. There was a major problem with pace at the beginning of the film. It felt very fast. Like nothing really got a chance to breath, but then about at the half way point of the film it slowed down and gave us some real character moments. The thing the strongest part of the film is the story. It is very unique kind of. We have all seen a revenge movie before, but this one differently has its own style and look to it. Which I personally really dug, but I can see people having a hard time getting into. 

The acting of the film is good for the most part. There are a few people that just stick out like a sore thumb one of them being Heather Graham. I really think she was just there for the paycheck, not her best. The two stand outs really are Radcliffe as the lead and I would say Juno Temple playing Merrin Radcliffe's dead girlfriend. Those two on screen really looked good together and had great chemistry on screen and I wanted to see them happy. Radcliffe really impressed me sporting an American accent. The only part where his acting feels a little off really is in this Voice Over parts, but overall he is very good. He really has stopped being Harry Potter. I never really saw Radcliffe or Potter for that matter. Which is one of the best comments you can get from someone like me. He did a great job at the bar scene with Juno Temple. It is easily his biggest moment, but he really gives it his all and makes you feel very bad for the character.

Overall, if you are a fan of the book I think you like the film version. It does  some things different and cuts and moves things around, but it all works for the overall film.  Now if I was going to recommend this to people.  I would say if you like Aja you should see it. I think you will really enjoy this. It fits very well with all of his other films, being a fan of him myself. The casual viewer, however it would be a tough sale. You have to like dark humor or a dark story. If not you should stay away, but if you like the story elements and don't mind a dark story I think you would find something to enjoy.

RATING
2 out 4 Ticket Stubs

Gone Girl

Gone Girl is the next Ben Affleck film. The film was based on the book with the same title written by Gillian Flynn. The film tells the story of Nick Dunn (Affleck) waking up in the morning of his and his wife's Amy (Rosamund Pike) anniversary. The happy morning for the couple turns to dread when Nick finds his wife is missing.

Let me start this review off saying this I am a huge David Fincher fan. He is one of my top three favorite directors of all time. I have seen all of his films and will say Seven is one of my all time favorite films. So if you want to take everything I say with a grain of salt you can. David Fincher knocks the film out of the park with his direction of the film. The tone of the film is perfect nothing truly feels out of place. He also wisely really chooses a great subtext about the film concerning how the media (oh the irony of writing this) can really control how people think of you. The script of this film is great. It has a great three act structure. Each act truly has a point and has a end. Which is super important to the story. I also really enjoyed the fact that I had no idea how the film was going to end. I know the book ending was changed, but I loved the ending to the film. It does one of my favorite things which is ending where it started.

The acting and characters were very well done. Affleck was so good in the film. He gives a great performance. He doesn't have a very big moment, but he makes you really see the character and what he is going through. You know every emotion the man feels, but the film doesn't just tell you. Affleck physical posture does that. Pike for me was always a really hard pill for me to swallow. I just never thought she was that good. Well after this film Pike and the character of Amy makes me want to review everything she has ever done. Amy maybe one of my favorite female characters of all time. This is one of the characters I wish I should have written. I loved everything about her. Pike just kills it as her. Affleck maybe getting all the press, but the performance from Pike was just pure amazing. I do have one character and actor that I have problems with. No, its not Tyler Perry he was very good in the film. It's sadly NPH (Neil Patrick Harris) I felt like he was just missed casted as him. The first time he speaks feels very wooden. Then after that he has this really odd moment with Pike. I am not sure if he was supposed to come off as creepy or just a nice guy. The character just felt very off.

This film is perfect thriller and a perfect way to start off my favorite season for movies. I do have some minor nitpicky problems. The third act of the film felt very slow. It maybe because all the thriller aspects and the what's going to happen next feeling had left. It really a was a great ending, but it had a lot of loose ends to tie up and I felt like that part was poorly handled. This film will fit perfectly into Fincher's filmography. It will go right alongside of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. It is not as good as Seven or Zodiac, but better than Panic Room.   This film is great for a weekday out at the movies for a weekend if you are looking for a perfectly crafted thriller.

RATING
3.5 out of 4 Ticket Stubs

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For

Sin City when it first came out had a very unique look and style. Which of course made me love it. I really enjoyed its use of Film Noir like stories with its beautiful use of black and white style. Now that movie came out in 2005 and now it's 2014 and the Sequel has finally come out. Most of the actors return from the first film. Like Micky Rourke as Marv and Jessica Alba as Nancy and there a few others, but there are some new names added to the list being Eva Green, Joseph Gordan-Levitt and Josh Brolin. Much like the film before it is broken up into 3 main stories and one very short opening story. The thing that is different about this one is that. The A Dame to Kill for being the centerpiece and takes up a lot of the screen time. Unlike last time where they were all pretty equal in length. The acting in this film was very really the highlight of these films, but they are a few in the bunch that I think do very well in their characters. Those two being Micky Rourke returns as Marv and Eva Green as Ava Lorde. Marv is an awesome character and whenever he is one the screen something really dark and cool happens or something really action packed fun happens. He shows up in every story of the film be it for a bit but he is still there. Rourke really looks and feels like the character and just like last time knocks out of the park. Eva Green, is like the Queen of Frank Miller sequels last year she had 300 and now this. She was great then as a warrior and here as a femme fatale. Places it perfectly and is very enjoyable to watch all the way thought her section. Now my problem with the film really comes to how Rodriguez put the film together. The pace is really off. The look and the tone are great. Still feels like sin city and looks like sin city. I really think the three story motif hurt them here. The two added sections and a Dame to kill for just did flow together and just weren't woven very well. Levitt's story felt very underdeveloped, be it a cool story just by the end felt very unnecessary. Alba's story was also good, but makes a huge plot hole in the first film. I think the only really well done story is the center piece, but even that has its own problems. The ending of it felt very rushed. Overall I think the film would be a solid rent. If you liked the first one you will enjoy this one as well, but it doesn't live up to what the first one did.
Are you guys a fan of stylized films like this or do you prefer the more modern look?
RATING 2.5 out of 4 Ticket Stubs.

Alice In Wonderland (1951) (The Disney Collection)

Alice In Wonderland is Disney's take on the Alice in Wonderland book series. It is a actually really dark for Disney in the 50's. Talking about beheading and other dark themes. It tells the story of Alice, who gets transported to this place called wonderland.

Now as a kid I was never the biggest fan of the movie. So now that I am grown up and have gone though it again, I am still not a fan of the film. I think the film works a lot better as a series of shorts. I mean the film (I use film lightly here) really doesn't make much sense. I know that it isn't supposed to, but this one really doesn't. The film just moves from one event to the next without connecting one from the other. None of the songs are great or memorable either. I really don't like a lot of the characters or much of the lack luster story. Even when I compare this to Tim Burtons Alice in Wonderland (which actaully makes some sense with a three act story) I still don't like it. Maybe it's the world or the fact that it isn't meant to make sense, but I really can't get into these stories. The only thing that I really found some enjoyment in was the animation. I can tell the animators really had to a lot of fun with this film. They created some very cool looking creatures and just a cool world over all. The one character that I can say that I enjoyed is the Cheshire Cat. I thought he was a very cool character and had an awesome design. He actually got me to laugh. Now I really don't hate this film. I think some kids can really get into this world, because it can let there imagination fly. It has that spark that lets you go crazy with your imagination and go to any place. So I think that is one of the best things about this film. The film really understands children and how their minds go to places. I mean, all kids create worlds in their minds. You did and I did to (I did it a lot). I can relate to the story for that aspect and that aspect alone.

So the question does the film hold up now that I am 22 years old. Not really. I was never into it as a kid and it hasn't changed now that I am older. I can really only recommend this to children. I think they would really like it, but if your an adult there isn't much there. I know that in the books there is more substance so maybe try those.

RATING
1 out of 4 Ticket Stubs

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is the sequel to Rise of the Planet of the Apes. It is also the 8th Apes film. So we have seen a lot of talking Apes at the movies. We get the return of the star of the last film back. No, not James Franco even thought he wasn't bad in the last film. Andy Serkis returns as the Motion Cap ape leader, Caesar. We also get two new characters in Jason Clarke and Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman). This film takes place about 8 years after the first. The terrible virus has spread all over the world and has left the world in a post apocalyptic state.

To start off we had a change in director to Matt Reeves (Cloverfield, Let Me In). I love his work I think he is a very good director. That hasn't seen much light from hollywood. He is perfect as the director of this film. The pace of the film is great. It's a two hour film that flies by and is so tease that you are on the edge of your seat the whole time. The tone never feels wrong and has its darker moments when it needs it and has its lighter moments when it needs it. So director did a good job, check. Now to the story. I really liked the story of the film. It has a lot of themes that you can really read into if you want, but still has that summer blockbuster fun that we need at this time of the year. It really is a great blend and writer and Reeves do a great job at blending these two things. It also never does what you expect it to do. It takes little twists and turns to keep you guessing. So the story is good, check. Acting... Andy Serkis deserve a oscar nod or something. I mean I was rooting for him in Rise. He is even better in this. You see Caesar go thought a ton of emotions and you can see the human that is inside the CGI Ape. He is more human and performed better then some of the characters that are just straight up human in other films this year. The CGI is insanely good. Not once did I go that is a CGI Ape. I always thought they were real Apes the whole film. So the acting is good.

So Kyle what didn't you like about this film? A very little actaully. On my drive home I was trying really hard to find a problem and I just couldn't. Every time I thought I found something. I would be able to defend the problem. I think it is a great summer film. That improves on everything that Rise sets up. It is also as deep as a movie with Apes on horses can be. If you are fan of the first one or you are just looking for a really good film. Go see Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.

RATING
3.75 out of 4 Ticket Stubs

The Little Mermaid (The Disney Collection)

I know I am skipping here, but since this is the return of The Disney Collection. I wanted to write about one that a lot of people know, but kind of don't know a lot of the full story of the film. Now The Little Mermaid is a classic. I mean who hasn't seen this film. Guys, admit that you have seen this film and actually liked it. What I find to be the most interesting thing about this film is the fact. For awhile disney films started to become boring and stale. Not just boring slipping in sales (Oh No Disney slipping in gross). So they decided to change up there style with this film. The made the princess more of a go getter. When watching it again I can totally see that. The last princess film they made was Sleeping Beauty. Which has the lest memorable princess of them all. Does nothing in the film. Just falls asleep.  Princess Ariel actually goes out of her way and makes her own destiny. It's a big breath of fresh air. They also made it more of a musical. Yes, their are songs in all the films well most, but they don't actaully play any part in the film. These songs do. The also started to use computers (CGI) to help and move the camera. Giving us more of a cinematic feel instead of having the camera at a fixed point. Now this started the era that is know as the Disney Renaissance in which they would release hit after hit after hit thought the 90's.

Now the film itself I would say still works to this day. The animation looks great. I watched it on blu ray and I can say some of the images look amazing. The songs all really work. I mean still really work. "Under the Sea" and "Kiss the girl" work the best in my mind. I mean they are good songs. Well wrote and fit the film and are just good songs all around. The pace of the film is actaully slower. When I say slower that is compared to Disney films which move so fast you can blink and miss them. You can actually see that the film is plainly set into a three act film. Which is pretty cool to see. The voice acting is so memorable. I mean the voice of Ariel and Ursula are just so unbelievably good. This film really is a classic and doesn't have many faults. I do have my problems thought. That's in Prince Eric. A lot people thing Ariel is crazy for falling in love within a day and plus she is 16 doesn't know any better. Eric also falls in love within 20 seconds. Ariel saves his life and he wakes up and says I am going to marry that girl. He doesn't remember anything about her, just her voice. So who is the crazier one? I also just don't like him as a character he feels more of plot point then a character. Also you can tell were the CGI came in now I have to give them a pass on this because it was made in 1989.

The Little Mermaid changed a lot up things in Disney and did it show? Yes, it did and do I still enjoy the film. Yes I very much enjoy the film. I just don't love this one. So with that I am going to give it a

RATING
3 out 4 Ticket Stubs

Guardians of the Galaxy 17 Minutes footage

So what I saw was basically a full scene of the film and a clip show. The scene ran about 10 to 15 minutes and the last little bit was a long trailer. I will mostly be talking about the scene without spoilers. So don't worry. I will just refer to the scene as the jail scene. What I can tell you guys about the film is very simple. I can tell that James Gunn absolutely is killing the tone in the film. It has that same fun and comic book feel that The Avengers had. So I think they have found there lighting in a bottle again. The scene I watched was very funny, but also completely action packed. I really have a lot of faith after seeing this. It had that turned up to 11 feel. All things were moving fast and perfect. I think if the tone of the trailer kind of put you off. You don't really have to be to worried. It isn't just a straight comedy. Which so many blindly said it would be. I knew it would have funny moments, but I knew it was going to be action packed. The CGI on Groot and Rocket is amazing. I believe every moment that they were on screen. I can also tell that they really got the outer space feel really down. I feel like if we didn't have another Star Wars film coming out. This could be have been the Star Wars of this Generation. I know thats is saying a lot and this all sounds like a fluff piece, but it truly isn't. Anyone that was worried shouldn't have to worry we are in good hands and I think we could have a classic on our hands.  So when it finally comes out go see it. I know I will be right there with you.

Transformers: Age Of Extinction

Age of Extinction is the 4th in this film series. It has no returning characters from the 3rd film. The only thing that returns are voices in Optimus Prime and Bumble Bee. Instead we get all new characters. The actors in this film is Marky Mark as a Cade Yeager and his daughter Nicola Peltz. Those I would say are the main characters. You also have Stanley Tucci as one of the villains and John Goodman (I don't know why they didn't market that) as a Autobot (Hound).

Now Michael Bay, I am one of the few people that actaully enjoys some of his film. Like the Rock is a great 90's action film. I also really enjoy the first Bad Boys and the second Bad Boys be it really bad is still a guilty pleasure of mine. I also think he can be a really good director (if he wouldn't shoot myself in the foot all the time). Now Marky Mark is easily one the best things about this film. I actaully really bought him in his character. Well at least one half of his character he plays a junk man that makes things into inventions and a father. Now the inventor I had a hard time believing, but the father I could get behind easily. So most of the really good acting and dialog you will see come out of Marky Marks mouth. I also really enjoy John Goodman as the Autobot that he played and thought I have seen Peltz give a really bad performance in The Last Airbender. She is not to bad in this, actually the only other part that I really enjoyed acting wise. Oh and before I forget to mention this the action is cool and CGI is very good.

Now to the problems. I am not going to bash the film, I will admit is has a ton of flaws. To many to mention in this review. For starters the script is all over the place. The story is so bloated and completely all over the place that the story of this film really doesn't matter. The pace of the film is terrible. I mean its a 2 hours and 30 minutes and I got bored at the 1 hour mark So it was a long night for Kyle in the theater. It's just very slow or felt very slow. I don't know how he did that when at least half of the film is action. The characters once again besides Marky Mark are just stereotype after stereotype. The dialogue can go from not to bad to, me rubbing my eyes bad.  Some characters are very annoying like Peltz boyfriend who does absolutely nothing for the film and Tucci who started off very good but soon became a character that yells and screams the whole time. I can see this time that Bay actually tried to change things up. Marky Mark is a great lead character and you can really get behind him the action sense. Which really helps,because that was my one my problems with the other the main character couldn't do anything. Now he is in the middle of the action doing stuff.  There are even some darker parts, but over all this is the same film as the last 3 nothing any different. So its really hard for me to recommend this film to anybody. Besides die hard fans of this film series.

RATING
.75 out of 4 Ticket Stubs

1st half of 2014 Top 10 list/ The Grand Budapest Hotel

This is my top 10 of the first half of the year as of June 19, 2014. This list is most likely going to change with in the next 6 months, but this year has been so good with really good action films and just good films over all. That I felt like I need one of these at the half way point. I also want to see how this list will change when 2015 comes around. Now since this is my list your favorite of the year may not be on here. Also just because it is a 4 out 4 does not mean that will be better then a 3 out 4. Also there will also be a quick review of The Grand Budapest Hotel. Which I know is super late but is one of the best of the year and I need to talk about it a little.

1) Under The Skin- http://quickfilmreviews.blogspot.com/2014/04/under-skin.html

2) X-Men: Days of Future Past- http://quickfilmreviews.blogspot.com/2014/05/x-men-days-of-future-past.html

3) The Raid 2- http://quickfilmreviews.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-raid-2.html 

4) Captain America: The Winter Solider- http://quickfilmreviews.blogspot.com/2014/04/captain-america-winter-solider.html

5) The Grand Budapest Hotel- So this is were this list is going to get very long. So I will try to keep this part as short as I can. The Grand Budapest Hotel is the next film Wes Anderson. I personally really love his films. This one is easily one of his best. It has the same style as Moonrise Kingdom had, but what this film had was a lot better writing and much better story. The story is about a the concierge of the hotel and his misadventure. It has some of the best humor that I have ever seen I laughed a lot in this film very quotable. The film is very well shot. I mean really well shot. The framing alone was just great. The acting done by the whole cast is very good. So I give this a very high recommend. I will admit it does have its faults. The film is very odd and not very mass marketable not every one will like this. I can see some people will just find it very weird. Much like last year's Her( also adored that movie). So it just misses a perfect getting 3.5 out of 4 ticket Stubs.

6) Edge of Tomorrow- http://quickfilmreviews.blogspot.com/2014/06/edge-of-tomorrow.html 

7) How to Train Your Dragon 2- http://quickfilmreviews.blogspot.com/2014/06/how-to-train-your-dragon-2.html 

8) Enemy-http://quickfilmreviews.blogspot.com/2014/04/enemy.html

9)The LEGO Movie- http://quickfilmreviews.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-lego-movie.html

10) Godzilla- http://quickfilmreviews.blogspot.com/2014/05/godzilla-2014.html

How to Train Your Dragon 2

How to Train Your Dragon 2 is the continuation of the story of Hiccup. This film takes place 5 years after the first film. Much has changed since the last time we saw our hero and this is the new story. All the voice actors return from the first film. I was a super fan of the first film. This was one of the first two movies I have ever bought on BluRay (looks great by the way).

To start off, I was really hoping this film would be just as good as the first one or at least in the same realm as the first one. What I got, to say the least, was one of the best sequels I have ever seen. And one of the best kids movies to date. My all time favorite CGI animated film is Toy Story 3 (non CGI is a whole other story). I loved this film. Absolutely loved it.  The animation was so beautiful and extremely well shot, thanks once again to Roger Deakins who was the visual consultants on this one and the last one. Giving this once again a very, for lack of a better word, epic look. This whole film felt epic. It was like the Lord of The Rings, but a kids film. The voice acting was great just like the last film. The characters are back and better then ever. They even have a lot of character development for all the main cast. The theme and over all pace of the film are very good.  The theme is between family and coming of age, which I really enjoyed. The film is almost made for the kids of teenage age because there are some very dark moments. The story just over all had a very mature way of telling itself and it really doesn't talk down to kids at all.

This is one of the few films that I can say that I have almost no problems with. I mean, I'm typing this right now and still have none. The only problem that I had thought was during the film and it was the villain. I didn't think that he was imposing or very threatening. Then the film does something that I honestly didn't see coming. Which really fixed that problem. This film is a very good and well thought out. It has a great sense of humor and has one of the most epic story lines for a CGI film. It has a great score and just overall is a great time at the movies and once again is one of the best of the year. I am getting really sick of saying that. Wait, no I am not. This year has been so great that I am going to do my Top 10 of this almost half of year just because there have been so many good ones. I also want to see how it changes once the Oscar season comes around, but for now go see How to Train Your Dragon 2 it will not be a mistake.

RATING
4 out of 4 Ticket Stubs

Edge Of Tomorrow

Edge of Tomorrow is a film that stars Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt. This film is based in the near future were an alien invasion has happened and we are at war with these creatures. Now there is anther aspect to this film having to do with time travel. Not time travel per-say, but a time loop which Cruise finds himself in. Much like the film Groundhog Day or Source Code.

Now to start off a lot of people don't like Cruise. I get it. He is a bit off I will admit. I still think the man is a great actor and really knows how to pick pretty good films. Now this film had a good idea and looked like it could be a lot of fun. I walked out of this film easily seeing probably one of the bigger surprises of the year. This film is carefully directed by Doug Liman, the man behind Bourne Identity, so I was really worried about the Shaky cam in this film. It actually wasn't to bad and actually made a lot of sense where it was used. Mostly.  There are a few spots were I would have preferred something else done with the camera but for the most part its good and used well. Also the Liman's direction of the film is perfect. He balances a great tone between dark and serious action with some great lighter moments. It really does have some good comedy infused with the film. Also his pace is perfect. Nothing ever takes to long or isn't long enough and you are never once sucked out of the film. When the film starts the two-hour run time  it will fly by. Then finally and biggest pieces of this film that I really enjoyed is the characters. More the way the characters get developed and progress though the film. Cruises character has a big arc in the film and has a lot of symbolism placed with him. The film has just a enough artier moments to catch my eye. Unlike Enemy and Under the Skin where its just put in your face. This one is more in the subtext, which I really enjoyed.

I don't have a lot of negative criticism toward the film. It really is a great ride for a summer film. You get almost everything you want in summer blockbuster with this film. You get a great story, with good characters, and a lot of action and humor to keep your eyes glued to the screen. My only true real fault is like the last 30 seconds of the film. It creates a plot hole and muddy ups a great character arc. It doesn't ruin the whole film so I want bring it down much for it, but it is still there. Overall go see the film it is one of the better films this year ( which there have been a ton) and is easily going to be seen on my 10 top later this year.

RATING
3.75 out of 4 Ticket Stubs

Maleficent

Maleficent stars Angelina Jolie in the title role. Sharlto Copley is also in the film and plays the films villain. The film is really the retelling of the old classic story of Sleeping Beauty. It was trying to show the film from the what was the villain of the story in Maleficent.

The thing that really drew me to this film was the star in Jolie. I saw her in the trailers and saw that she was going to be good. That is what I got. Jolie is very good in the film and is truly having a lot of fun with the role.  Plays it near perfect. I never really saw the Jolie, but just the character of Maleficent. Another thing that I really enjoy is the how the director (Robert Stromberg) shot the film. It really looked great. The way he shot Maleficent in the film gave her a great imposing and powerful look. Also I enjoyed how just the whole film looked and I really have to hand it to him for trying to tell a more visual tale with the relationship between Maleficent and Aurora. The feel of the film is great. Like it really feels a classic fairy tale. Not one of the dark ones we have seen a lot of recently, but just a good old fashion fairy tale.

 It really wants to be a great film. I truly does. I can see that people really did give it there all in the film. My first problem is the pace of the film. It isn't a slow film, but its just to fast of a film. None of the scenes really get to breath or have any true tension. This leads to my second problem the film is the script. It nails the feel of the film, but mess up the characters. Your really don't get to know any of the motives of Maleficent at a big moment in the film. I feel like the director wasn't clear enough. You also really don't get to know any of the characters because of how fast paced the film is.  The film could have been a really good film, but is just a really good renter. If you like Jolie or the idea of villain in the main role of the film then this is for you. If that doesn't sound like you then wait for dvd or skip this one.

RATING
1.75 out of 4 Ticket Stubs

X-Men: Days of Future Past

X-Men 7 should really be the title of this film. There have been seven, and I repeat, seven movies in this series. We get the return of so many people that it would be easier for you to just go and look it up on IMDB( It's pretty much everyone).  The biggest return in my eyes is the man in the chair (not the wheel chair), Bryan Singer. The one who started this crazy new era of comic books in my eyes. A basic overview of the film is that robots have taken over the world and the X-men need to send Wolverine back in time to save it.

Now a lot of people were worried that Singer had lost his touch after X2. Now most of the films weren't completely terrible. They just weren't that great of films. Also, the X-Men series hit a few rough spots without him. He is back in complete form with this film. It was almost as if he had never left the series. The film starts off and I could already tell who directed it. Singer moved the film at nearly perfect pace. I mean I haven't been this sucked into a action/comic book film in a long time. He does everything right. All the moments that need to be dark and dramatic work and all the parts that could have humor do and the action is tense. Everything works, nothing feels out of place or really off. He puts a theme through out the whole film. Which is something my critic mind loves. The acting is needless to say amazing. I mean when you have Sir Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian Mckellen and James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender, should you really be worried about their performances? The film is basically a perfect way you want to see a X-Men movie and a summer film.

I do have a few nick picky complaints. I don't like the way Singer handles some of the characters. Don't get me wrong, everyone gets their time to shine. And they shine greatly. The only problem I have is the addition of a couple of characters in the future parts. You don't really get to know them. I mean like at all. Now it doesn't hurt the film. Its already two hours and the only way they could fix it is to just make more of the film. Which would throw off the other parts of the film. So like I said it's just a thing I noticed. With that being said this movie is a great summer film. You will be really happy after you leave the theater.

RATING
4 out of 4 Ticket Stubs

Godzilla (2014)

Godzilla is about... How do I say this without sounding dumb? It's about a giant dragon-like monster that comes from the depths of the ocean and starts to basically ruin everyone's day. Now if you didn't know that, don't worry you won't feel out of place in the film.

I am not that big of a fan of Godzilla movies, when I say that understand that means I haven't seen that many of his movies. Actually I have only seen the old cartoon and 1998 version which is not that good. This film was made by Gareth Edwards and he is a big fan of monster movies. See his debut film Monsters which was a very character driven monster film. I would say the same  about this one. It is very much about the characters. Which is a good thing! I personally loved this film for that. The tone and pace that he sets are perfect for the film. Everything felt very real in the film and how the world would actually react to seeing a giant monster attack. The score and look of the film are extremely well done. I would say the look of the film is one of the strongest points. Now the thing that I have to say I really liked best about this film is the way that it was marketed. Not much of the story was told in the trailer and you basically went in pretty blind. This was a great thing for this film. There are a lot of big moments that no one has seen yet and I am really excited for people to see this. Also one scene I do have to talk about, don't worry no spoilers, is the scene where you see Godzilla for the first time. It is amazing! They make Godzilla seem very powerful and just awe inspiring.

 The film is very sound and I am giving my highest recommendation of see it in the theater. Trust me you will want to hear that roar. My big issue with the film is there doesn't seem to be enough of it. Like the characters are good, but you really could develop them more or make them just a bit more interesting. The action is good and I mean very good. Just you want to see more of the action in the film. Now those are just my own personal problems with this film. I think that most people will enjoy this film very much and won't find many flaws. So go see it when it comes out and you won't be upset.

RATING
3 out of 4 Ticket Stubs

Neighbors

Neighbors is basically a prank war film. I am not sure if that is a genre of film, but it is now. Thats basically all that really happens in this film. I will admit there is actually a story and actaully pretty good one. It stars Seth Rogan and Zac Efron.

I think I  should really start with the star of this film. Seth Rogan, really is a comic genius in my eyes and is very good. He can do both a very powerful comically role, write and even do some drama as seen in 50/50.  He really brings his charm to this film. He makes scene work, that just wouldn't work written down on paper. I mean he is very funny in this film. This whole film is very funny from start to finish. You will be laughing and having a very good time. Now I would also like to say the director of the film was good. I mean really good actually. He does a lot of things with to give it a great style. Which is huge complement coming from me since this is a comedy film. The tone is really knocked out of the park. I have no real complaints in the tone department. I do have a minor complaint about the pace of the film. I think it slows down for a little bit, but not to many will notice it. I just have to make it known.

Now my problems aren't really problems with the film. The first thing I want to say that I noticed is the story. It actually has some underline stuff which I thought was very smart. Like the story is good, but I don't think they really went far enough with in the story. The film really knew its audience so to that I have to give them a thumbs up, but they were trying to tell the audience something and I don't think they will notice. Also another thing is Zac Efron, who is good in the role. I mean he really is good. Nothing but praise from me, but I think other people could have given the same performance. He, to me, really didn't bring much to the role. Like I could see (pre Jump Street) Channing Tatum play this role  and get the same result. Also I don't think the film is very memorable. Not saying that its bad. Just not memorable. So with that the film will leave you with a smile on your face, but then you will make wanting to see another comedy with in the next few days.

RATING
2.75 out of 4

The Amazing Spider-Man 2

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is the follow up to Marc Webbs The Amazing Spider-Man. The film stars Andrew Garfield in the title role of Spider-Man and Emma Stone in the role of Gwen Stacy. So from besides the cast of the original film we get the addition of 3 villains. Paul Giamatti as the Rhino, Dane DeHaan as the Green Goblin, and Jamie Foxx as Elecrto. This is also the start of the summer season, so let us hope that this film is a good sign for the season.

Well, to start off Spider-Man is my favorite superhero of all time. I love character to death. He is one of my fictional heroes. So with that being said, this version of Spider-Man was perfect. I am talking about the character here not what I think of the film overall just the character. It really felt like Spider-Man and it felt like I was watching a Spider-Man film. Like Webb honestly for me, nails the tone of a Spider-Man film. Light hearted with just enough drama in Peter Parkers life to keep people interested and having actually dealing with the problems of being a superhero. You don't need to make him a dark character like the first one. He is not Batman, don't try and make him that. So in regards of tone and character. I think it really hits it out of the park. Also the score done by Hans Zimmer is one of my favorite scores of the year. It really is great music and feels like a Spider-Man theme.

Here we go and people this really hurts me. Like it hurts me so much I don't even want to write this part of the review. I didn't like this movie as a whole. Sadly. The story of the film is awful. I mean bad, way to bloated. There is at least 6 story lines in this film. It could have been easily cut down to 2. The way that the characters are done and built is very well done. I mean almost perfectly so, but the when the action starts you would blink and you would miss it, because it has to do 5 other stories to tell. Also all the cool action was shown in the trailer. So I won't be putting the trailer in this review just because I want to save some of your enjoyment. There was just so much of what could have been a really good and lovable film it just hurts me to see what we got. So if you are a fan of the characters and good music go see it. Just so I can see a better 3rd try at my favorite web head.

RATING
1.75 out of 4

Enemy

Enemy is the next film from the director of my personal favorite film of last year, Prisoners. The film stars Jake Gyllenhaal (by the way, that name is really hard to spell), Melanie Laurent, and Sarah Gadon. Now, I can't tell you much about the story without revealing too much. What I can tell you, however, is that Gyllenhaal finds an actor that looks just like him and becomes obsessed with finding him.

This is another film where you have to read a lot into it to full get the story. This one isn't as bad as last week's Under the Skin so you won't see two scores. I feel like this one isn't as symbolic as Under the Skin is, but it is still a really good film. There was a lot to like about this film and very little that I did not enjoy.  Gyllenhaal's performance is very good and since he is playing two people for most of the film, we get two really great performances out of him. There are moments where I got so into the character because of Gyllenhaal that I didn't even see Gyllenhaal at all, which is one of the biggest things you can say to an actor. He is slowly becoming my favorite modern actor.  Denis Villeneuve once again directs this film with care. You can tell that the guy really knows what he is doing behind the camera. He knows how to tell a really good story. The film is shot really well. In the cut I watched, everything has this yellow hue to it that looked  really amazing. The pace and the tone are, once again, great. You will be guessing all the way through the film, again much like Prisoners.

Now, the problem that I have with this film is that if you don't read into the film and look at symbolic nature of the film you really won't understand the film. However, symbols aren't as effective and well done as in Under the Skin. I know I  am really comparing Enemy to Under the Skin in this review, but it's the only way I can tell you about it. The only thing that is like is 2012's Drive. It has a lot of very good Art House tricks thrown in the film and you can read a lot into  those  things which is always good, but the film allows most people to get it without reading too much into it anyway. It creates this sorta of mixed bag of not fully commenting to a full art house film or a mainstream film. With say and done, I can actually give this one more of a recommendation then Under the Skin, but not by much. Overall I really enjoyed the film and is easily on my top 5 so far this year, but I can see this film being over looked.

RATING
3.25 out of 4 Ticket Stubs

Under the Skin

Under the Skin is about...ahh how do I tell you the story without really ruining the film. Well here let's actually start with this film stars Scarlett Johansson. It only stars her. She is a alien on the hunt for lonely men. I am mixing it up this time around. I am going to talk about how this film is and then talk about if I enjoyed it or not.

This film is art house film or at least has a ton of art house qualities. So this film really knows its audience. It treats the audience as an adult and lets you know figure out the film on your own. It doesn't try and spoon feed you the story. It also lets the acting and visual aspect tell the story. I didn't even catch Johansson's the character name (Laura). I had to look it up on IMDB. Jonathan Glazer the Director puts you in the shoes of Johansson. So with all that said if this sounds like you would enjoy a film were you have to thing and having every little detailed explained to you. This film will not be for you.

Now personally, I enjoyed the hell out of this film. I mean I have been waiting to see a film done like this for awhile. Johansson to start is amazing in her role. The last half of the film you don't even hear her actaully speak words, but you still feel like you know what is going on in the this characters mind. Glazer did an amazing job with all the shots done in this film. They are all done with purpose and give the tone of this very dark and tense film. Not a lot actually happens in the film, but at the same time you don't need much to happen and you are never once bored thought out the film. The character is always changing with all the things she learns and sees. The pace of the film is slow, but like I said it is never boring. You will be locked in your chair for a good hour a half.

Now with that all said and done. You are most likely excepting I high score from me. Well my personal enjoyment of the film is very high (I mean I really loved this film). This film is not for everyone like I have stated earlier. You don't watch this film to loose yourself for a bit. You go to see this to think and talk about film. So basically if you like to look at film and say this means something. This film is tailor made for you, but for everyone else you should most likely skip it.

RATING
2.75 out of 4 Ticket Stubs
Personal Rating 4 out of 4

The Raid 2

The Raid 2. This is the follow-up to the first film the The Raid: Redemption. The first film was a very simple film super action packed and just all around a good watch. Even if it was just for the martial arts. Now these films are both are Indonesian. So yes, that means subtitles people. This one isn't dubbed and I thank god for that. The story follows Rama (the main character from the first film). He goes undercover to find dirty cops. So he enters a world of gang war and violence.

I personal love a good martial arts. I think they have some of the best action scenes out there. The thing that they always lacked in my book was a good story, style and acting. (The only exception to this would be the IP man series which I also recommend.) Now when I say this I say with is all the weight that it carries. The Raid 2 is the Godfather of martial arts film. Everything in this film just works. I mean everything. The music the fighting the story the acting all perfect. Let's start with the fight scenes, saying that they are good isn't enough. They are easily the best fight scenes I personally have ever seen. Also the way the shoot the fight scenes is good and wide so you can see the whole thing go down. The DOP on this film has a great eye and does a lot of long takes that are just beautiful lit. The acting for this film is good, easily best I have seen for martial arts film. The actors all really care for the story and the characters and it shows.

The director of the film is also the writer and the editor. This film has to be his baby. I mean all the cuts are done at the most perfect of times and the writing is great. He uses slow mo and pushes the camera in for the right reasons. Not just because it looks cool because it creates this feeling of intensity that the film needed. The tone is perfect all the scene follow perfectly into the next and nothing feels truly out of place.

Now I personally loved this film. This is my favorite film that have seen all year. I liked it more then Captain America: The Winter Solider. But I do have my warnings to people. This film is violent. I mean violent. It's at the levels of Django Unchained and Drive. Also the film does have a slow part in the middle, but this does not make the film slow. I just needed time to set up the 3rd act. So people go see this film. I don't want to hear "But Kyle I don't want to read," trust me people this film is well worth reading lines of dialogue.

RATING
4 out 4 Ticket Stubs

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Captain America: The Winter Solider is the sequel to Captain America: The First Avenger. Now I don't want to tell you to much of the story, but the film is the mix of a Bourne film with superheroes. It of course stars Chris Evans as Captain America. It also has Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow), Samuel Jackson (Nick Fury), and Anthony Mackie (Falcon). There is one more person, but he needed his own sentence Robert Redford.

Well to start the acting is very good. I enjoyed everyone in this film. I think the real standouts are Johansson and Redford. Johansson just kills it as Black Widow, as she always does. I mean she kicks some serious butt through out the film, but still holds your attention during the drama parts of the film. Redford is Redford. I mean the dude chills it in his role. He just commands every scene he is in. Now the reason why I didn't want to tell much of the story is because the writing in this film is amazingly good. The story and characters work so unbelievably well. This is the Captain America film fans have been wanting for a long time. The film makes the dude completely rock. Personally I couldn't wait to see that on screen. The story really is a superhero movie, but is also more of spy movie. The director change in the Russo bothers was aboustley perfect. They got these shots that look amazing. The pace and tone are perfect for the film. It feels like it is set in our world and nothing feels truly out of place. Now I will admit they do change some stuff, but this change was so good that if the writers would have put it in the comic book it would have fit. Also there is a lot of drama, so when the action in the film happens (all shot extremely good) it makes it all the more tense. I want all the action films to look the way this one looked.

I really don't have too many complaints about this film. I mean, I really enjoyed the film. It really works for everyone. If you aren't a big fan of a comic book movie you will really enjoy it. If you are a big fan of comic book films you will like it even more. This is easily one of the best (if not the best) Marvel film. The biggest thing I can say is that they really understood Captain America and I am so happy that they did.

RATING
3.75 out of 4 Ticket Stubs

Noah

Noah is the next Darren Aronofsky film. It is a retelling of the story of Noah's Ark from the bible. You know, the one where he builds an ark and gets two of every animal on it. And then he watches the world around him drown to death. It stars Russell Crowe as Noah, along with Jennifer Connelly, Anthony Hopkins, Logan Lerman, and Emma Watson.

I am going to do something a little different this review. I am going to talk about a criticism of the film or at least a criticism to certain people. The story is based off the story in the bible. Now if your looking for an epic Noah film that is just the story put on film, this is not your movie. They do take liberties with the story. I personally really enjoyed it for that. Now the acting in the film is very well done. Some don't really get their chances to shine, but everyone does very good in their roles. The big ones in my eyes were Crowe and Connelly. Both had big moments and both knock it out of the park. With Crowe you can see how some of the things he had to do really effected him. Which I found to be amazing. It made the character part of the film amazing.

Although Crowe had top bill, Aronofsky was the star of the film. He knocks out of the part with this film. The film is almost like two films to me. The first half of the film felt like that big bible Cecil B. DeMille epic and the second half of the film felt like The Black Swan and The Wrestler. Now I don't think the two films mixed very well, but if we are looking at them as different movies both are done perfectly and with class. My major problem with the film is the script. I'm not saying that the script is bad though. They use symbols, dialogue and themes perfectly through the entire film.  The thing that it does wrong though is the huge plot holes in the film. Now I don't know if that is source material or the writers, but they are problems with the film.

This is a very good film. All together, if you like Aronofsky's other films you will feel right at home with this one. I would also like to add if you aren't a religious person this film keeps you mind and you should still be able to watch this film without feeling like you betrayed your beliefs.

RATING
3.25 out of 4 Ticket Stubs

Top 13 Favorite Horror films

Those that know me know what my personal favorite film of all time is, Pulp Fiction. The thing is gangster/ crime films aren't my favorite genre of film. That award goes to the one and the only the Horror film. Yes, horror films are my favorite. They catch a lot of bad heat for being one of the worse genres of film. Which I understand there is a ton of stupid and just plain bad horror films out there and also people who say they are bad because they scare them. To that I say isn't that the point. So if your not a fan of genre I have decided to make a list of my personal favorites and thing they represent the best the genre has to offer. Horror is a huge genre having many sub-genres, but I will be including all genres so hopefully nothing will be excluded. This is also my favorite not what I say is the "scariest" since scary may not mean the same to everyone. I will admit the films on this list do frighten me.  I will also do a micro review of each film basically just a few thoughts I have on the film. What I like and the basic of basic plots.

  

The Horrible 13

13) The Silence Of The Lambs- This film gave us one of the most interesting characters in all of cinema.  That being Hannibal Lector. Yes, I am aware that Hannibal Lector was in another film before based off the book "Red Dragon", but the performance done by Sir Anthony Hopkins is so legendary that it in my eyes is the first time we truly saw the character.  The story is Clarice Starling is looking for the killer Buffalo Bill and needs Lectors help to find him. The film is a horror film. I don't care if people say "But its a thriller,” NO I am sorry its horror. 

12) The Shining- What hasn't been said about the Shinning. You have Jack Nicholson going crazy. You have the great Stanly Kubrick behind it and you have one of the creepiest settings of all time. This film is tense and the viewer feels it all the way thought the film. It truly is a masterpiece. The story is Jack Torrance becomes the overseer at a Hotel that has to close down for the winter. He brings his family along. Then all of sudden some pretty odd things start to happen. 

11) Paranormal Activity 3- I personal thing this is the best this series had to offer. The first in my opinion started this found footage style craze we seem to find ourselves in. I will admit The Blair Witch Project also gets credit. This film did a lot for the genre it added humor with the super intense scares and also had a very powerful ending. 1 and 2 are just as good as each other but 3 is where the series hit its highest point and its best point. The story is about a family of 4 are living there normal lives in 1988 and when ghosts or something else start to terrorize them.  

The Big 10 

10) Halloween (1978) John Carpenter's- Okay people this is like the slasher film. I mean it started the crazy. Who doesn't know this film. Everything it does. It made a genre of film. I will repeat that so people can understand how important that is. IT MADE A GENRE OF FILM. When this film came out people couldn't sleep and eat for like a week. It had a huge impact on our culture and I am happy to say that is one of the few films that I will watch every Halloween till the day I die. The story Michael Myers (not Austin Powers) stalks a bunch of babysitters. Simple story and it is still effective to this day. 

9) The Conjuring- I think this is the scariest modern horror film to date. I was terrified after watching this film. This is a film that paid homage to 1970s ghost films. This is a film were everything works. The performances are all so good. The story is very good and the scares all feel real and genuine. It works on every level. The story is a family of 7 moves into a new house and once again ghost come after them. (is anybody noticing a trend here) Full review-http://quickfilmreviews.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-conjuring.html

8) The Descent- This is the film that spawned two great and personal loves in film. One being the horror film. For a while I really didn't enjoy horror films too much. After a watched a few in like a marathon. I got more and more used to them. Then I saw this masterpiece and it is when I became a horror junky. The other one is a powerful female cast/characters. The all female cast is amazing in this film. The film does one thing that I personal find very hard to do makes you feel like the walls are closing in on you. It is almost split into to films. The story starts off as a group of friends go spelunking and gets cut off in a cave system. Then they have to fight there way out but they soon find out they are not alone. 

7) The Evil Dead- "Groovy" That is all. 

6) Let The Right Ones In- This is the only foreign horror film to make the list and it just missed the top 5. This film really brought back what it meant to be a vampire after Twilight came out. It has one of the best stories ever put to film for horror. I enjoy all the acting and the scares are some of the most memorable. I will also mention Let Me In, this would be the American version of the film. It also does a lot of great things for the genre. If you haven't seen them you should because it’s not a great horror film but a great film.  The story is about a little girl that is a vampire and a boy who meets her. 

The Big 5 

5) The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)- Even thought this film came out before Halloween. It would still go under the genre of slasher. I think this is the most brutal film I have ever seen. The imagery and the way it was shot just combine to make one of the realest looking films without applying the found footage style. Tobe Hooper was a mad genius with this film. The film is about a bunch of friends on a road trip to a grave site when they come across there old home. They find a new family there and that is all I will say. 

4) Jaws- "Where gonna need a bigger boat" This film started shark week. This film started the summer blockbuster season. This film started STEVEN SPIELBERG. It also has one of the greatest horror themes of all time. (If not the greatest horror theme of all time.) The film is about a shark. This film needs to be seen by everyone. Not just horror film fans, but fans of film. It works to this day. It is still fun to watch and quote. 

3) A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)- Just saying my high school was on Elm Street. I didn't sleep much in class because of this film. It gave us the best slasher killer of all time in Freddy Kruger. It is also done by the great Wes Craven. It has one of the greatest ideas in film. It is about dreams within dreams (oh wait sorry that's that dumb Inception film) but all jokes aside. The film is about a killer that you can't escape a man that gets you when you sleep. Talk about a way to keep you up at night. When I was a kid this film scared me so bad that I had to run to my mom. 

2) Psycho(1960) - The shower scene alone would have made it on to this list. It is the most infamous film scenes of all time. It only clocks in at 3:21 (at least the scene on YouTube). Then there is the rest of the film. I don't really know what else to say about Psycho. I mean if you haven't seen it. See it. This is another film that will last forever and will never be forgotten.

Now after all that Kyle's Favorite Horror film of all time is 

1) Cabin In the Woods- Cabin is the woods is the perfect horror film for the horror film fan. It does everything and pays homage to all the films I have just mentioned. It also has one the best stories out there. I won't spoil it for you so just see it. It also has a great sense of humor. The only problem with my favorite horror film of all time is that it isn't really that scary. I love this film still and watch it almost every year. It is a parody that works on its own that as a horror film what more can I ask for. Full review-

Now after that is all said and done. I have on more thing I would like to say. People yes horror films have a bad rep and people don't like them because they are scary or gory. I just want everyone to see this without the horror film I probably wouldn't want to become a filmmaker or a film reviewer. So they hold a very special place in my heart.  I will leave you saying this. Everyone can always use a good scare.