Movie Review Monday: They Came Together

Welcome to another awesome edition of Movie Review Monday!

This week's film is the 2014 romantic comedy satire, They Came Together, starring Amy Poehler and Paul Rudd.

A smart, silly send up of all the overdone, unrealistic tropes of modern romantic comedies, this movie is a lot of fun. It has two wonderful leads with Rudd and Poehler, two of my favorite actors. They fully commit to the shenanigans and they are supported by a cast of comedic cameos that further the brilliant spoof.

While the movie is short (not even an hour and half), it benefits from this since it has good pacing and the jokes never really stop. I watched it before it came on Netflix and watched it again once it was available to stream, and I enjoyed it both times. Movies like this that are quick and smart definitely benefit from multiple viewings.

While this movie may not be for those who adore your common romantic comedy movie, I think most people can appreciate the clever satire. I definitely recommend it as a short, enjoyable romp for a lazy day or perhaps to unwind after work.

Check out They Came Together, streaming right now on Netflix.

Thanks for stopping by!

Movie Review Monthly: April 2015

Welcome to this monthly wrap up of my weekly movie reviews!

This month had some classic '90s movies as well as some unique documentaries available to stream instantly via Netflix. Each week I hope to bring you a fresh new review of a great movie in the Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime streaming library. Recommendations are always welcomed!

• American Beauty
• Unbreakable
• Atari - Game Over
• Showrunners - The Art of Running a TV Show

Thanks for stopping by!

Summer Movie Musings: Avengers - Age of Ultron

This past weekend saw the wide US theatrical release of Avengers: Age of Ultron, the much anticipated Marvel team-up film that continued the momentum of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) started all the way back in 2008 and has continued with several awesome movies and television shows.

It's hard to top the unique movie event that was the first Avengers movie, but Age of Ultron (AoU) succeeds at being a ton of fun, just like all of the entries in the MCU. With some amazing action set pieces, cool new characters, and a global scale to the proceedings. Ultron is a suitable villain, but these movies still are struggling to create as good a villain (and as persistent a one) as Loki.

Even with a stuffed cast of characters, a frenetic pace, and some universe building to do, the movie doesn't feel as unfocused as other superhero films were trying to do the same (Amazing Spider-Man 2 comes to mind). We get precursors to future solo movies (most importantly Captain America: Civil War and Black Panther) as well as the Infinity War saga. I appreciated these nods as well as the introductions of Vision, Quicksilver, and Scarlet Witch. They're all cool new characters that fit right into the established MCU.

Ant-Man is the next entry in the MCU (which I am really curious to see) and it will continue to expand the history of the Avengers, SHIELD, and looks to keep the same vibe of action and fun. I'll continue to review all the movies I see this summer, which will (hopefully) include Pitch Perfect 2, Inside Out, and Ant-Man (there are other movies this year I'm looking forward to as well, they just come out way later).

What did you think of Age of Ultron? Did you see it in 2D/3D? IMAX?

Thanks for stopping by!

Movie Review Monday: Nebraska

Welcome to another awesome edition of Movie Review Monday!

This week's film is Nebraska (2013), starring Bruce Dern and Will Forte.

"An aging, booze-addled father makes the trip from Montana to Nebraska with his estranged son in order to claim a million-dollar Mega Sweepstakes Marketing prize."

This is the whole premise of this quirky no frills, black and white, simple movie. The focus serves the story well for the most part, but I found myself looking for more.

I usually like to showcase movies I enjoy but I was really looking forward to Nebraska due to what I knew of it and the critical acclaim. Unfortunately, the movie didn't live up to any of the hype for me. I always try to give movies nominated for the Academy Awards a chance due to their high rankings in each year's cinema (critically at least). There seems to be a continual growth in the gap between the sort of movies that most people enjoy and that resonate with people and what is nominated for most of the Academy Awards.

Nebraska is not a bad film. It has something nice to say about dignity but it could have been a short film in my opinion that had a bit more substance to it. It also had no people of color in it, and there were far better movies that came out during this movie's release.

I'd be interested to hear if others had a different opinion. I can appreciate minimalism (I'm a huge fan of the concept) but not when it comes at the price of substance.

If you'd like to see more of what I'm talking about, feel free to check out Nebraska, streaming right now on Netflix (but you may not want to sacrifice the time, and that's understandable).

Thanks for stopping by!

Movie Review Monday: Showrunners - The Art of Running a TV Show

Welcome to another awesome edition of Movie Review Monday!

This week's film is the 2014 documentary, Showrunners: The Art of Running a TV Show.

A film many years in the making (which I had to verify after watching the sort of outdated proceedings), Showrunners defines and explores this industry term for people who are an amalgam of roles for a particular show. Part head writer, part executive producer, part public relations face, the showrunner has become a popular personality in the Internet age that is attached to their show and is the leader that makes sure a show happens on time, on budget, and with a good story all at the same time.

Many people may take for granted all the tireless effort that goes into creating television, especially in the new Golden Age we're experiencing right now with some amazing shows being put out on networks and through various streaming services. This movie interviews several different showrunners with names you might recognize: Joss Whedon, JJ Abrams, Damon Lindelof, Kurt Sutter, and Hart Hanson among many others. They go through typical day-to-day of creating a show, the politics, and the heartbreak associated with a show, whether it is because of the long days or because after all the work that can go into something, it can get cancelled just as easily.

I'm a huge fan of entertainment (especially television and movies) so this was a neat look behind the curtain to see what actually goes into making these things happen. It's a very unique process that is more complicated (and simple at times) than people give it credit for. So many shows come and go for various reasons so this film does a fine job of telling the story of creating television currently, which of course is sure to change which the continuing advent of streaming media services.

If you're a TV junkie like myself who takes their entertainment very seriously, check out this documentary. It's not terribly long and it is very engaging.

You can stream Showrunners right now on Netflix.

Thanks for stopping by!

Movie Review Monday: Atari - Game Over

Welcome to another awesome edition of Movie Review Monday!

This week's film is the 2014 documentary, Atari: Game Over, directed by Zak Penn.

The premise of this adventure surrounds the urban legend of millions of Atari 2600 game cartridges being buried in the New Mexico desert due to the collapse of the company which was caused by the ill-fated E.T. The Extra Terrestrial video game. So the legend goes, but in this documentary, the full story is explored and we learn that there is more to the nerd folklore than is thought.

We get a pretty fun history of the Atari company, it's meteoric rise and fall, and how the rumor even came to be in the first place. We find that there are many people fascinated and obsessed with finding these supposedly buried pieces of video game history, and we see what they have to go through to even begin to try to dig them up and find them to put to rest the debate once and for all.

I liked the nerdy angle to this story and the depth that they go into it for the documentary. Penn (a legitimate nerd in his own right) gives a full history of what led to the rumor as well as the people and choices behind Atari's infamous game. I never knew any of the full story involved with this whole debacle so it was neat to hear it from the people who lived it back in 1983.

The documentary is short (it only runs a little over an hour), fun, and captures the geek spirit of being obsessed with things and needing to have answers. I remembered always hearing about this legend so I was excited to watch this and finally get an answer!

You can catch Atari: Game Over streaming right now on Netflix.

Thanks for stopping by!

Movie Review Monday: Unbreakable

Welcome to another awesome edition of Movie Review Monday!

This week's film is the 2000 thriller from M. Night Shyamalan, Unbreakable, starring Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson.

The movie surrounds David Dunn (Willis) as he begins to discover that he might possibly have superhuman abilities with the help of Elijah Price (Jackson) otherwise known as "Mr. Glass". Dunn has never been sick, has never been injured, and can sense danger when it is around him. Price bases his guidance on his encyclopedic knowledge of comic books.

In true Shyamalan fashion, there is an intriguing twist at the end, which happens in pure comic book fashion. The entire story is more focused on Dunn's personal struggles, discovery, and acceptance of his abilities. Robin Wright has a solid supporting role as Dunn's wife. Dunn's son also provides a strong push for him to accept and use his gift for good.

I have always wanted to see this movie so I'm glad I had the opportunity. It's a simple, interesting, and unique movie which holds up after over a decade past it's initial release. I like the different take on the super-powered, comic book inspired story. It also has some awesome cinematography, with very interesting framing for shots and neat camera angles. I recommend folks check this one out.

You can catch Unbreakable streaming right now on Netflix.

Thanks for stopping by!

Movie Review Monthly: March 2015

Welcome to this monthly wrap up of my weekly movie reviews!

This month had some cool independent movies as well as some classic cinematic adventures available to stream instantly via Netflix. Each week I hope to bring you a fresh new review of a great movie in the Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime streaming library. Recommendations are always welcomed!

• Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
• Harmontown
• Rain Man
• Groundhog Day
• Big Fish

Thanks for stopping by!

Movie Review Monday: American Beauty

Welcome to another awesome edition of Movie Review Monday!

This week's movie is the 1999 classic, American Beauty, starring Kevin Spacey and Annette Bening.

The story revolves around the Burnham family, who all are having struggles their own struggles with their identity and it focuses on the midlife crisis of the patriarch, Lester, played by Spacey. He is disillusioned with his job, distanced from his wife and daughter, and overall feeling like he has lost his passion for life in general.

Spacey carries most of this movie, but the supporting cast is very strong and helps lift the film even higher. Wes Bentley, Chris Cooper, Thora Birch, and Mena Suvari all give wonderful performances. The consistency of storylines for everyone is where they are with who they are and who they want to be. Some of them repress who they are, some of them pretend to be something they're not, and others have found freedom in the confidence gained by being yourself and not caring what others think. We witness Lester's journey through finding himself, which causes dramatic changes in his life and in those around him. Where before he suffered under the tyranny of the ordinary and routine, he begins to break free of these shackles and explore what it is he wants, rather than others.

This movie is a darkly dramatic one, with great character work and nuanced performances. It won several of the major awards when it came out and I can understand why. It's an emotional movie that makes you think but is also fun and cathartic at the same time. We can all relate to someone (or everyone) in the movie and it can stand the test of time (besides the use of pagers and VHS tapes.)

I highly recommend you check out American Beauty, which you can find streaming right now on Netflix.

Thanks for stopping by!

Movie Review Monday: Big Fish

Welcome to another awesome edition of Movie Review Monday!

This week's movie is the 2003 Tim Burton film, Big Fish.

The premise of the movie entails a journalist (Billy Crudup) exploring the larger than life stories of his dying father (Ewan McGregor and Albert Finney) to try the truth behind the fantastical tales he told.

I've had this movie in my queue for some time before I finally sat down to watch it (on the encouragement of several different people). I'd remembered hearing about it and knowing about it but I'd never really given it serious consideration to check out for whatever reason. I'm very glad I finally sat down and devoted time to it. It's a wonderfully beautiful and heartfelt movie that definitely succeeded in getting me teary eyed at the right moments. This movie has a similar tone and premise as another film I reviewed recently, Beginners.

The film explores the idea that we should all strive to live a big life, because we won't grow if we're kept contained in a small pond. The way the movie showcases the fantastical stories told to emphasize this point is the lure of the film. We all tell stories in our own way, maybe glossing over some details and exaggerating others. Big Fish takes this concept and runs with it to great success. The movie also is done in pure Tim Burton style, a bit quirky, fantastical, and many saturated, bright colors.

If you're looking for a heartfelt comedic drama to watch, I highly recommend Big Fish.

You can watch it streaming right now on Netflix.

Thanks for stopping by!