My Brief Opinion on American Sniper (2014)

            I know that the popular mass opinion is that American Sniper is a great movie. Many even consider it to be one of the best war-related movies we’ve had in a while. But to me, it is just a good movie. Not great, not phenomenal, just good. Honestly, it is a B movie at best. The only times I enjoyed watching the movie was when Chris Kyle (protagonist) was at war. Every time he was home simply irked me. I could not believe that his own wife could not recognize that her husband, having gone through so many tours, had an illness which was essentially PTSD. Once they did find out, she did not try to help him. Instead, she would keep saying that she wanted her old husband who was the man she married before Chris had gone to war.

            Another main issue that bothered me was that there was no character development. Because of this, I felt no real attachment to anyone in the movie. Even Chris, the man you’re supposed to root for throughout the ordeal, did not change much at all throughout the film. When his fellow soldiers are shot and killed, I understand that you’re supposed to feel bad, but because those characters were never really developed, I did not feel the way the directors probably wanted me to feel. Basically, I was just indifferent throughout the entire movie.

            Don’t get me wrong, I did not hate this movie, I simply didn’t love it. There were many more issues (including the fake baby which I will not get into) that really downgraded the film from being an A-movie. I actually recommend audiences to watch recent movie Lone Survivor because I feel that it was able to present a much more balanced movie with better development both character and plot-wise. Other than that, it is a okay movie. I do not believe it deserves its Oscar nominations at all. I do not think that it was good enough to be considered an Oscar caliber movie especially one that was able to edge out Foxcatcher or even Nightcrawler. Even Bradley Cooper’s performance is not one that warrants a nomination over the powerful performances of David Oyelowo in Selma and Jake Gyllenhaal in Nightcrawler. But that does not matter anymore. Again, American Sniper is good, but I recommend you save your money and simply rent it first to truly determine for yourself.

My Issue With Korra from The Legend of Korra - Informal Essay

          She complains every season about how she’s not strong enough. She gives up too easily when this happens instead of training to be stronger. This at times made her appear mentally weak to me. It always has to be about her over others never fully realizing how she’s supposed to be there for the nations. Same for when she’s in a relationship with Mako. Always has to be about her. I feel bad for Asami haha.

          She’s too rash and makes really poor decisions. She never thinks things through which always leads to her downfall. And like always, Tenzin is there at the end of the season telling her what to do even though he kept telling her what to do in the beginning, but she never listens to him anyway because “she knows better” I guess. She always has to fight alone because she’s the avatar and only she can do it, but she has a strong group of friends she can depend on but hardly ever uses them. She only uses them when there’s a fight.

          Just this season alone (Book 4), it irritated me how much I couldn’t like her. I understand she went through a near-death experience, but when you go through it alone, of course you’re not going to get better. You need time to heal, but even so, she did the opposite and just fought herself because she was too afraid during a time when people needed her the most. She kept the mercury inside of her because she was too afraid to keep fighting because she didn’t want to die. Her role is that of the Avatar who is supposed to think of protect the world no matter if your life is at risk.

          Then there’s the situation when Kuvira is attacking Republic City. They never really planned out a strategy for fighting Kuvira which was really dumb on the creators part because all it took was to wait an episode or two to finally come up with one which during the events of the show probably lasted like 30 minutes after Korra escaped. I mean the best they could come up with was that they believed a tiny army of benders could take out Kuvira, but Kuvira has a freaking Gundam with a spirit laser cannon that can pierce through mountains.  -__-   I still don’t understand why she was even there if they were just going to make her run away to hide at their base to come up with a solid plan when she could have just been there making one while Kuvira was telling President Raiko to surrender.

          I kinda compare her a lot to Aang which is kinda my fault because you never really see these types of faults in him since he actually relied on his friends and listened to guidance from Roku and others. Korra had Tenzin, but she hardly ever listened to what he had to say or really bothered to give him a chance every season (i.e. book 2). He was there to be her Roku but she didn’t use him most of the time! Aang had to bear the weight of losing a whole nation while having to risk his life in order to stop the entire fire nation when he was 12!!! THEN FIGHT THE FIRE LORD ON THE DAY FIREBENDERS WERE AT THEIR STRONGEST!!!!! I understand that he came with his faults, but he never complained at the extent Korra did (Korra complains A LOT). He cared about others more than Korra did, and he actually trained harder than Korra did.

          That’s why I thought it was gutsy of the creators to cut off Aang from ever appearing again because I bet there were a lot of people like me who constantly compared her to Aang which is really unfair to her character. But when you’re coming off a show as good as the original, you really shouldn’t waste your time developing a character in a show with only 12 episodes. You have to grow quickly, but they just never let her grow. I do feel bad because it can also be attributed to how strong of a supporting cast the show had which only get better as the show progressed.

The Boxtrolls (2014): Charming and Delightful

            I found the Boxtrolls to be one of my favorite animated movies of this year. It might even have the potential of making my top 10 animated films of this new decade, but it’s still too early for that thanks to the powerhouses known as Disney and Pixar. It felt refreshing to finally watch an animated Claymation based movie. I am a big fan of this art-style for movies because I feel like it adds something unique and special because of the dedication and patience needed to finish a feature film of this scale. I sincerely hope this art-form does not die off and continues.

Back to the review, it takes place in a world where humans live in the outside world while creatures known as Boxtrolls live underground. These Boxtrolls only come out at night to take random objects they find appealing be it junk or household items. One night, a man known as Archibald Snatcher tells the mayor of a Boxtroll who has taken a human child which starts a chain of events as a deal was set in place between the mayor and Snatcher that ultimately leads to the hunting of boxtrolls every night until every boxtroll is eliminated in exchange for membership in the White Hats. These White Hats are a prestigious group of men who love cheese and eat it at every meeting. That child that the boxtrolls took soon becomes one of their own as he later becomes the bridge between the upper human and the underground boxtroll worlds.

The Boxtrolls is such a heartwarming animated feature that is about these misunderstood creatures that they happen to call “Boxtrolls” because they look like trolls who happen to be wearing boxes as clothing.  It was charming and at time gross, but I had a lot of fun watching it. Every character had a purpose and fit right in the movie where at times the Boxtrolls appeared to resemble the minions from the Despicable Me franchise. It’s themes of not trusting a book by its cover works well throughout the film against the poor Boxtrolls. Ironically, you could not hate the Boxtrolls at all because they expressed the simplest form of human nature which was innocence. It was even stated in the movie that they would never hurt anyone or fight back. I empathized with them while also hating some of the humans of the upper world. Their greed and arrogance was also a common theme that the creators explored in a world where cheese determined wealth and social status. Other themes I found were the importance of a parent or guardian, the value of family as well as what makes a family, learning to fight for what is right, and taking a stance for what you believe in.

I absolutely loved this movie and I’m pretty sure so would a lot of children given that it has wonderful creatures and a great cast of characters. Besides Snatcher’s severe allergic reactions to cheese which are the grossest parts of the movie, this is a delightful movie for all ages to enjoy. I would give this movie a B+/A-. I’m split on this movie because there are parts where it could appear a bit boring and the plot lingers for a while especially in the last 30 minutes of the movie. Either way, I recommend giving the movie a watch with the entire family.

Movies Left to Watch From 2014

Here are some of the films from 2014 I still have to watch before I start making a “Top # List” (I'll continue to add and delete as I finish some of these or find more I should add; might push me into 2015 because I've missed quite a few of these):

·         A Walk Among the Tombstones

·         Begin Again

·         Big Hero 6

·         Birdman

·         CitizenFour

·         Dracula Untold

·         Force Majeure

·         Foxcatcher

·         Fury

·         Get On Up

·         Ida

·         Jersey Boys

·         John Wick

·         Life Itself

·         Locke

·         Lucy

·         Magic in the Moonlight

·         Men, Women, and Children

·         Mommy

·         Mr. Turner

·         Only Lovers Left Alive

·         Sils Maria

·         St. Vincent

·         The Babadook

·         The Book of Life

·         The Double

·         The Equalizer

·         The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

·         The Imitation Game

·         The Judge

·         The November Man

·         The One I love

·         The Tale of the Princess Kaguya

·         The Theory of Everything

·         Two Days, One Night

·         Whiplash

New:

·         If I Stay

·         The Mazerunner

Nightcrawler (2014) Review

            When it comes to movies, what matters to you? Do you care more for performances and characters or the story?  I, for one, can only answer this once I’ve finished the movie because no matter what, my answer will always change. In this case, I don’t really know which one I’d choose. I really can’t say much about this movie without spoiling parts of the movie, but what I can say is that Jake Gyllenhaal deserves an Academy Award nomination for his role as Louis Bloom. It’s his role in Nightcrawler that made me wish he would be the Joker for the DC Cinematic Universe. It’s seriously that good.

            Nightcrawler is basically about a man named Louis Bloom who drives around Los Angeles recording accidents and crimes in order to sell it to local news stations. It doesn’t really sound all that appealing, I know, but then you have to take into consideration that Gyllenhaal is playing a sociopath and it becomes an incredibly dark and creepy movie. Because of this, Lou does not feel what he does throughout the course of the movie is wrong even though some of his actions are illegal. Yet, you can’t help but want to watch how far his character is willing to go in order to get what he wants. And let me tell you, he gets what he wants. He never went to college, yet he talks as if he has a major in English, but he also has a vast knowledge of many things due to constant attention to his computer. It’s through these skills which he has mastered that he is able to dominate at being a “nightcrawler”.

            The supporting characters are great, especially Rene Russo. She’s the only one Lou really respects and trusts throughout this movie, and she’s quite a powerful character herself. Given that she controls her news station, she has to be strong in order to gain control over her business with Lou. Then there’s Rick who’s played by Riz Ahmed. He’s a man who desperately needs money, so he becomes Lou’s assistant throughout the movie. He essentially is what humanizes the movie for me. Without Rick to constantly tell you what Lou is doing is both ethically wrong and illegal, you wouldn’t even realize how insane Lou really is. Because without Rick, all you’re witnessing is a madman prowling the night for a lead in order to sell it to the highest bidder. Rick essentially assumes the role of the viewer and how any sane person would react in a night out with Lou.

            When it comes to the plot and script of the story, I have to admit that it’s not the best in the world. It does drag on with some unnecessary scenes in a movie that relies on its images. Since it has to heavily rely on what it’s showing you, the dialogue is at times weak especially when an exchange is happening between a character and Lou. I attribute this to how developed and focused they made the Lou character without really taking the other characters into consideration. There’s a detective, for instance, who is supposed to be tough and can take on Lou’s personality, but she ultimately fails pretty badly. It’s through these instances where I feel they never really fleshed out the rest of the cast, but then again, all anyone cares about, including the viewer, is Lou. Even the plot could have had some work done, but like I said, we’re only really watching it for Lou.

            Nightcrawler isn’t about a man’s descent into madness. The man is already mad. It’s his actions that really define the movie. This along with the powerful Renee Russo and the humanizing Riz Ahmed as Rick, make the movie an enjoyable watch from start to finish. I give it a B+ for an original yet creepy story about a sociopath who has to get what he wants. Overall, I don’t feel like it deserves a Best Picture nomination, but it does deserve some Best Actor and Actress nominations for some amazing performances.

Boyhood (2014) or Adulthood

My Take on Boyhood

            First off, I enjoyed Boyhood for the simple fact that it was in fact a cinematic achievement. One can not ignore this especially when watching the movie as it runs its course through the lives of its characters.  Given this, I understand why many consider it to be the best film of the year, but then I also understand why some may call it a gimmick.

For those who aren’t familiar with the movie, it’s simply a slice-of-life, 12 years in the making film “project” about a young boy’s growth and experiences. However, we do not necessarily witness the major experiences in his life. How I saw it, it mostly takes place, almost at random times, between those key periods. You never really see him have his first beer, his first girlfriend, driving a car for the first time, or even his first time having sex. It’s simply a “what is currently going on with this boy this summer” type of movie. The transitions of him growing up are incredible because you don’t fully realize them until you start to see changes in the characters even if they are minor like Ethan Hawke’s character growing a moustache. Couple with great performances by Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke made the movie incredibly relatable and all the more heartfelt.

Now, it’s time I start explaining the faults I had with it. The main problem for me was that the two children characters were either too annoying or too depressing. The daughter, played by Lorelei Linklater, was extremely annoying as she herself continued to grow older. It then became painfully obvious that she was a useless character in the movie. I understand that it is a slice-of-life movie and that nothing really should happen, but her character hardly even talked. Plus, she was hardly even in it. I really could have done without her whiny character. It wasn’t even her movie, and she added some truly insensitive moments such as when her mom is going through financial hardship. You could even tell her character did not care at all towards the end about how her mom felt. I just really could not stand her. Ellar Coltrane’s character of Mason wasn’t as bad as Linklater’s Samantha, but it was mainly due to the fact that it was accumulating instead of being shoved in your face all at once. He was very depressing in his too carefree attitude and his sometimes pessimistic view at the world. His “I don’t care what people think” attitude just continued to grow as he aged to the point where I did not care about the character at all. Towards his final three years, I just wanted the film to be over. It literally became almost unbearable to watch because no person can act the way these two children, because that’s how they acted, in real life. Given that I graduated a big high school a few years ago, I don’t ever recall anyone that resembles either of these two.

The story of Boyhood should have been called Adulthood. To me, it was the tragic story of a single mom who has to care for two children while not having a well-paying job, and when she does decide to go to college, it becomes her downfall. You simply assume that college will help you towards a better life, but Olivia Evans, Patricia Arquette, was not that lucky. Either through a teacher or a student, she never found the husband she truly deserved. The one she did deserve, however, came at a time too late for her simply because she did not have the patience to wait for him. Ultimately, the movie ends with her realizing that her life was for nothing except to have two children who did not really care about her, and now she was to live alone having had terrible luck with men.

If Boyhood was all about Olivia Evans, I would have loved this movie more. Ethan Hawke’s character of Mason Evans Sr. would have served well if the movie was also called Adulthood. You see the growth of his character from a single dad who has to ultimately grow up to be the father his children need even if that means having to give up his prized car for a minivan. His character humanized the movie even more for me because you witnessed what it was like for the other half of a divorcee that really wasn’t struggling by having to raise two children. Even though he did not have stable jobs as he matured as a person, once he had to take care of two more people in his life, his character was given the satisfaction of finally being an adult that is able to care for his family by being the husband his family needed. In the long run, divorcing Olivia was the best decision Hawke’s character could have done because it enabled him to grow.

All in all, this movie was great watch and a solid A. You feel invested in these characters’ lives and how they themselves grow both physically and mentally. Despite having issues with the two children, Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette’s performances are what made this movie worth watching. Because it is a slice-of-life movie, it can appear as a gimmick. But once you really delve into the movie’s meanings, it is so much more. Overall, this movie deserves an A both for its simple story, yet its breathtaking cinematic achievement. I did not want to talk much about this achievement because I feel it would have detracted from the movie if you only saw it as a 12-year film in the making. But once you've watched it, you'll see how much of an achievement it really is.

Golden Age of Comic Book Movies

            I am a fan of Twitter. You know why? I’m able to get tweets sent directly to my phone as texts. Yes, I know I can just check the Twitter app, but when you follow a lot of people, getting to see what you really want to see might take a while. That’s why I like getting notifications sent to my phone. Probably my favorite one’s to get these type of notifications from are Schmoes Know. They are an awesome group of people that love movies as much as anyone. And thanks to them, I am fanboying to its fullest extent right now. That’s because I just read that Warner Bros released the full DC movies lineup and oh boy! (Yes, I know the CEO stated the lineup, but I’m just saying I read it from Schmoes Know first.) Let’s do this. Here’s the lineup :

·         Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice – March 25, 2016

·         The Suicide Squad – August 5, 2016

·         Wonder Woman – June 23, 2017

·         Justice League Part One -November 12, 2017

·         The Flash – March 23, 2018

·         Aquaman – July 27, 2018

·         Shazam – April 5, 2019

·         Justice League Part Two – June 14, 2019

·         Cyborg – April 3, 2020

·         Green Lantern– June 19, 2020

First off, we are set until 2020 guys! That being said, I don’t see a “Man of Steel 2” or a Batman movie. I’m actually surprisingly OK with that. Over the many years since the creation of Superman and Batman, all we got on TV or in movies were Superman and Batman. That’s part of why everyone knows who these two characters are. We have been exposed to just these two titans which is why they’re so iconic. It’s come to the point where our lives have become oversaturated with Batman and Superman.

By giving stand-alone movies to these other DC characters, Warner Bros is planning to show off what the lesser-known characters are all about. Seriously, Cyborg or Shazam (be it Black Adam or Shazam) are the least recognizable to the general public. If you take a moment to look at the schedule in the eyes of a person who isn’t as well-versed in the DC universe, they are looking at the schedule like this:

·         YAY! BATMAN V SUPERMAN! Superman is going to kill Batman. There’s no way Batman has a chance. It’s not even a contest. Batman’s stupid if he thinks he’ll last more than 10 seconds with Superman. Why are they even fighting? Aren’t they best friends?

·         Suicide Squad? I don’t know how I feel about that. Suicide Squad is not an appropriate title especially for children to go out and see.

·         Finally a Wonder Woman movie!

·         Justice League! So it’s a movie just like the Avengers? How do you think it’s going to go? Are they going to come together to fight aliens? So it’s just like the Avengers then. Oh, they’re supposed to fight an alien that is really smart and is crazy good with technology and stuff like that? Then it’s Avengers 2.

·         The Flash? Isn’t there already a TV show about him where lightning gave him abs? What’s his name? Bart Allen?

·         Aquaman sucks. They’re giving a movie to a guy who can’t fight on land! The Big Bang Theory would always say he sucks.

·         Shazam sounds really lame. Imagine you’re at a football game and you yell out Shazam when your team scores a touchdown. You’re gonna look stupid.

·         Another Avengers movie?

·         Is he the Terminator?

·         HEY! I KNOW HIM! IT’S THAT MOVIE WITH RYAN REYNOLDS!

So basically, these movies have to be great in order for the public to truly accept them. One thing I’ve noticed is that the Shazam movie isn’t until 2019. I just don’t understand why we kept getting teased about the Rock as Black Adam if his movie isn’t until 2019. Yes, I know he’ll be in the first Justice League movie, but that just seems really odd to me. Also, the fact that they’ve casted Ezra Miller as the Flash isn’t sitting well with me. Don't get me wrong. I've enjoyed his performances everytime he's onscreen. It’s probably because I’m a fan of the Flash TV show (so far), and I just really like Grant Gustin’s character as Barry Allen. Because of that, I feel that Miller might end up playing Wally West. This, to me, seems very likely especially if the Flash continues to air and continues to be a positive success for the CW. WB has to keep in mind that the new movie Flash will have an effect on TV Flash. Just like if they ended up casting a separate Green Arrow for their movie universe or if a different person is casted as Batman for the Arrow TV show.

All in all, I’m just crazy excited knowing that we could potentially have 6-7 (2-3 Marvel, 2 WB, 1 or 2 Fox, and 1 Sony if they can ever make a proper plan for Spidey) comic book movies every year until 2020. That’s not even counting movies based on graphic novels or other lesser known comics such as a possible Hellboy 3 that might not ever be made unfortunately. Otherwise, there is a lot to look for to if you are a fan of comics in general.