Movie Reviews

2016 film log for /u/wallfloweriam, sideblog for slayingthestars.

[slayingthesilverscreen]

Movie 94: Zootopia

Directors: Byron Howard, Rich Moore

Year Released: 2016

MPAA Rating: PG

Qualifier: Actor - Idris Elba (Chief Bogo)

Review:

Rating: /10

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Movie 93: A Serious Man

Directors: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

Year Released: 2009

MPAA Rating: R

Qualifier: Director - Coen Brothers

Review:

Rating: /10

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Movie 92: The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement

Director: Garry Marshall

Year Released: 2004

MPAA Rating: G

Qualifier: Actor - John Rhys-Davies (Viscount Mabrey)

Review:

Rating: /10

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Movie 91: The Princess Diaries

Director: Garry Marshall

Year Released: 2001

MPAA Rating: G

Qualifier: Actor - Anne Hathaway (Mia Thermopolis)

Review:

Rating: /10

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Movie #90: A Streetcar Named Desire

Director: Elia Kazan

Year Released: 1951

MPAA Rating: PG

Qualifier: Director - Elia Kazan

Review:

Rating: /10

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Movie #89: A Most Violent Year

Director: J.C. Chandor

Year Released: 2014

MPAA Rating: R

Qualifier: Theme - Period Piece

Review:

Rating: /10

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Movie #88: 22 Jump Street

Directors: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller

Year Released: 2014

MPAA Rating: R

Qualifier: Actor - Jonah Hill (Morton Schmidt)

Review:

Rating: /10

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Movie #87: Ghostbusters

Director: Paul Feig

Year Released: 2016

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Qualifier: Actor - Bill Murray (Martin Heiss)

Review:

Rating: /10

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Movie #86: A Beautiful Mind

Director: Ron Howard

Year Released: 2001

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Qualifier: Actor - Russell Crowe (John Nash)

Review:

Rating: /10

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Movie #85: A Knight’s Tale

Director: Brian Helgeland

Year Released: 2001

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Qualifier: Actor - Heath Ledger (William Thatcher)

Review: 

Rating: /10

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Movie #84: 2001: A Space Odyssey

Director: Stanley Kubrick

Year Released: 1968

MPAA Rating: G

Qualifier: Theme - Movie With A Number Between 2000-3000 In The Title

Review: A group of astronauts set off to space in search of an artifact.

I think going into this I had feelings it wasn’t going to be my style, and I was right. I don’t know if it was just too unsettling, or if Kubrick isn’t my taste, but while I can see how this is regarded as a classic, it wasn’t for me.

I wasn’t a fan of the more minimalist style (especially in the beginning and end); I just didn’t find it interesting. My anxiety also shot up during those parts, that might have had something to do with it. When there isn’t much going on, but what is going on is unnerving, that’s not something I want to be a part of.

I liked the points raised about humanity and artificial intelligence, I guess I just wish it had been explored further. For a two and a half hour long movie, it felt like there were a lot of points that weren’t fully delved into for the amount of screentime.

I see the points that this movie makes, and I see how people connect to it, but I just don’t. Maybe in another time, another setting.

Rating: 5/10

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Movie #83: 16 Wishes

Director: Peter DeLuise

Year Released: 2010

MPAA Rating: NR

Qualifier: Theme - Movie With A Number Between 0-100 In The Title

Review: On her sixteenth birthday, a teenager gets the chance to make wishes from her younger self come true.

This is a Disney Channel movie that I remember watching when I was kind of older, but still sort of young. It’s nowhere near one of my favorites, but rewatching it, it wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been.

The protagonist is kind of a brat, but that’s also kind of the point - she learns how to grow from that. The unrequited-turns-requited love was lackluster, but satisfying enough for a 90 minute movie. This movie is just kind of enough, but not enough to be good.

It was interesting to see how her life went with her wishes coming true, and how things came around in the end once things worked out. The middle was kind of boring, though - unless you’re into seeing people get what they want, then what they (kind of) deserve. I didn’t hate this, but I won’t be watching it again.

Rating: 6/10

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Movie #82: Finding Dory

Director: Andrew Stanton

Year Released: 2016

MPAA Rating: PG

Qualifier: Actor - Diane Keaton (Jenny)

Review: Pixar returns to the sea and focuses on Dory’s life after Nemo and Marlin, and the search for her family.

Having grown up with Finding Nemo, it was emotional for me to see Dory’s story portrayed more seriously in the sequel. I loved that her memory loss was treated fairly as mental illness, because that is a conversation that needs to be had in society. I don’t think it addressed it as well as Inside Out, but I really liked that the characters recognized that it wasn’t Dory’s fault, and that it was just something about her that they worked with.

While I liked the story, I thought the narrative was weaker for relying on multiple flashbacks to move the story forward. It didn’t seem as strong as the first movie, like they were scrapping to put the story together.

The humor was here and there for me, but it was generally fine. Not one of my favorites, but not one of the worst animated films I’ve seen, either.

Rating: 7/10

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Movie #81: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

Director: John Hughes

Year Released: 1986

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Qualifier: Actor - Matthew Broderick (Ferris Bueller)

Review: Ferris Bueller and his friends do all that they can to make the most of one skipped day of classes.

This movie is iconic in a lot of ways, my favorites being breaking the fourth wall and the dance scene (which I’m pretty sure are everyone’s favorites). But at the same time, I feel like more of it didn’t hold up as well over time for me.

I wasn’t a fan of most of the characters; they aren’t good people, but more than that, they just didn’t interest me as much. I think my taste has just changed over time: what I like to watch, and what I’m comfortable with.

Like, I don’t like watching the adults get hurt. I like watching what the teens choose to do, but not any of the conflict that comes as a result of it. It gave me too much anxiety. The movie has an underlying tension that I wasn’t a fan of, especially in a comedy.

I liked the story, but I don’t know that this is special to me in the way that it is to most people. Ferris Bueller is an icon, but not one that I hold close to my heart.

Rating: 7/10

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Movie #80: 21 Jump Street

Directors: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller

Year Released: 2012

MPAA Rating: R

Qualifier: Actor - Johnny Depp (Tom Hanson)

Review: In a meta-commentary on its own adaptation, 21 Jump Street takes the cops back to high school (while poking fun at how the times have changed).

The humor at some parts was a little in-your-face and overdone for my taste, but generally I enjoyed it. I’m a fan of Lord and Miller’s work, and I’m glad they’re getting more recognition outside of their animated works.

I think what really drew me to it was that at the end of the day, it was silly and good-hearted. It reminded me of Super Troopers in that way, which is why I think it was so appealing to me, even if not all of the jokes were my taste. It meant well, and it played well, so it was all good.

I also loved the meta references - I’m not familiar with the original TV series, but I love breaking the fourth wall. I loved how much effort they put into this movie, and I’m excited for teh sequel.

Rating: 8/10

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Movie #79: 27 Dresses

Director: Anne Fletcher

Year Released: 2008

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Qualifier: Theme - Romantic Comedy

Review: In a classic case of “always the bridesmaid, never the bride,” 27 Dresses nails nearly every romcom trope when a wedding journalist and recurring bridesmaid go from enemies to lovers.

Even though this was extremely cliche, I enjoyed most of the tropes, at least at the beginning. Heigl and Marsden have a good chemistry together, so it just seemed cheesy instead of overdone. Towards the end, however, a lot of the tropes fell flat, which was kind of to be expected. It set things up well, but couldn’t carry them out.

And while I enjoyed the enemies-to-romance main plot, I really couldn’t stand the B plot with her sister. It was skeevy to have her lie in her relationship, it was skeevy for her sister to expose her at the wedding, and the entire arc just felt wrong. It felt really dishonest and out of place in an otherwise genuine movie.

I think this same premise could be done well with some reworking, and I’d consider rewatching it on a whim, but this movie, sadly, is pretty forgettable for all of its charms.

Rating: 6/10

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Movie #78: 12 Angry Men

Director: Sidney Lumet

Year Released: 1957

MPAA Rating: NR

Qualifier: Director - Sidney Lumet

Review: Twelve jurors debate the innocence of a defendant accused of murder.

This is already recognized as a classic film, but it’s so incredibly well-put together. They compose so many arguments (many that are still used today) and destroy every last one with regular logic. Each character is so well-rounded and developed, even though we only see them in the contexts of this trial. Every movement is deliberately designed, just like the play.

This also has so much commentary on the judicial system, which I love - there are people who call guilty even before the facts are given, there are people who don’t care, and there are people who want the truth. All three have to collide, and somehow, find that truth.

Even more than debating, the tension builds and builds among the jurors, and everything becomes more personal than the trial. Everything becomes more than the facts.

This is obviously adapted from the play, and is the better for it. Every move is deliberate in its part, and when they come together for the whole, this becomes one of the best courtroom dramas to date.

Rating: 9/10