Here you find opinions

These are film and television reviews by a 20-something student who needs a place to post opinions. Enjoy! Let me know what you think - I like to discuss.

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Trainwreck (2015) Directed by Judd Apatow and Written by Amy Schumer I will admit first that I am biased prior to seeing this film because I personally really enjoy Schumer's work. Inside Amy Schumer is fantastic. Also, I literally saw at least one advertisement per week since March and that expectations were out the roof. Yes, it's been hyped. No, it had not been over-hyped. All previous Schumer fans will go home happy, as well as any watcher simply looking for a fun and fresh romantic comedy. Schumer delivers a refreshing and hilarious insight into the dating world in a genre that often is the same plot redone time and again. Not only has she made a film that turns the stereotypical gender roles of romantic comedies on its head, but she's done so with incredible heart and feeling. This is no in-your-face feminist manifesto, but simply a film where the lead woman has brain, wit and faults that she (and no man) has to save herself from. With a stellar cast and amazing comedic writing, this film is a to-watch for all and any comedy lovers.

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Ballet 422 (2015) Directed by Jody Lee Lipes There's something to be said for a documentary almost complete void of interviews, titles and voice-overs that can keep you enraptured for over an hour. This largely is credited to Lipes' about stellar cinematography and Davis' quality of editing. The lack of narration leads to unique sense of intimacy, as if you are peeking at exclusive behind the scenes footage of the life of a young NYC ballet choreographer. It's that fulfillment of every human's voyeuristic needs paired with a film pace that is somehow feels simultaneously meticulously slow and metronomically quick that makes this film irresistible. A definite to-watch for anyone with a love for the arts and dance.

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Wish I Was Here (2014) Directed by Zach Braff and co-written with Adam Braff

I wanted so much for this film. As did all the Kickstarter backers and lovers of Garden State.

Don't get me wrong, this film is heartfelt, funny, sad, and well-shot. But overall, it leaves the audience wishing there was just...more.

Relying on well-trodden cliches and spoon-fed-to-you life lessons, this film's messages are all over the place. Braff's lead character is feeling lost: see the scene where he notices an empty pamphlet holder saying "This pamphlet will save your life". However, he is also the mouthpiece and omniscient voice of life lessons in this film as well, which creates a conflicting picture of where the meaning is really coming from. Redeemed by a masterful performance by Mandy Patinkin and much too-short cameo by Donald Faison, this film can be considered a luke-warm feel-good movie that any Zach Braff fan should definitely see. 

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Boyhood (2014) Directed and Written by Richard Linklater

Linklater is incredibly smart. Not only relying on his expert concept to film one year of life over a twelve year span, he masterfully executes this concept with a supremely talented cast delivering keenly-written dialogue with a sprinkling of pop culture references that make the watcher have to remind themselves this isn't cinéma vérité. It could be debated that Boyhood is your run-of-the-mill coming of age film just shined up with its real-time gimmick, but I find Linklater's skillful dialogue and pacing makes Boyhood transcend all other films of this genre. It never feels forced or cliche, however this also makes the film (that clocks in around 164 minutes) feel incredibly long.

In one scene, a young Coltrane asks Hawke, "Dad, there's no real magic in the world, right?" To which Hawke explains that at this exact moment there are no elves in the world, but that doesn't mean something like a whale couldn't be considered just as magical. It was one of the most genuine and heartfelt moments of the film, and it immediately reminded me of asking my mother when I was young if Santa truly existed. The balance of maintaining a child's imaginative possibility with the facts of their world is a reality we all experience at some point in life. 

It's Linklater's ability to recreate those human moments that make this film so great. Humans innately love nostalgia, and seeing a boy live out Halloweens, bad haircuts and sleepovers suddenly rehashes the individual memories of each and every viewer's childhood. For that reason, I give this film a resounding to watch, as it will probably be one of my favorite films of 2014.

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Obvious Child (2014)

I will admit, I love quirky romantic comedies, a la Amelie, Annie Hall and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Throw in the fact that it revolves around a one night stand leading to an abortion, and this liberated woman has found one of her new favorites. While the pace can feel slow and the jokes may be too crude for some, Jenny Slate delivers a stellar comedic performance. This film succeeds in balancing the delicate subject of abortion in a witty, mature and honest way with the budding romance between a completely self-deprecating comedian and the most unrealistic thoughtful 20-something man you've ever seen. Heartfelt, sincere and wonderfully offbeat, this is a must-see for any 20-year-old woman who likes romantic comedies. Also, anyone who appreciates a film that pushes the envelope with a genre of film that frequently becomes antiquated and over-done.

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Snowpiercer (2013)

Without a doubt, Snowpiercer is one of the few quality action films coming to the U.S. this summer. Although its plot operates under the reluctant-leader-of-a-revolution-in-a-have-and-have-not dystopian-society, it manages to break through and create something new and fresh in an utterly ambitious manner. This film doesn't fail to captivate the viewer for its length with its bizarre pace, audaciously strange characters and twisting plot. This credit is mainly due to an amazingly well-crafted setting on the train barreling around an icy earth, that feels simultaneously outrageous and completely passable as real. While the performances are shaky, Swinton is sometimes overdone and Evans is Captain America in every role, the stylish and well-crafted allegory definitely delivers original film-making and an adventurous spectacle.

I will fully admit to my lack of knowledge on all things relating to comic books, so I can't comment on this film as a comic book adaptation. But I will say this film is a definite to watch in a film industry currently laden in action movies using visual effects and explosion as a crutch for story-telling and saturated with all the Hunger Games and Divergent movies that make an original and fresh dystopian film a rare feat. 

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The Other Woman (2014)

I normally wouldn't waste my breath on a film like this, however I received tickets to an advanced free screening, as a fan of Leslie Mann and occasionally Cameron Diaz, I assumed this would be a fun romantic comedy to see with the friends. However, this was not the case. I don't want anyone to waste their money or Saturday evening seeing this with their friends, so here's my cautionary review.

With a cast of great comedic actresses like Cameron Diaz and Leslie Mann, I was  disappointed at this film. Leslie Mann's portrayal of the airhead, bumbling and completely oblivious wife was perplexing -- simultaneously hilarious, expertly acted, offensively stereotypical and borderline sexist. To be taken with a grain of salt (obviously this is a light-heartened rom-com), it was still unsettling at points during watching this film, that is oddly & awkwardly over-the-top in its humor. I laughed several times uncomfortably at how awkward and odd the pacing was. One horrific scene features slow-motion Leslie Mann throwing her ring into the ocean and Diaz and Upton (still in slow motion) walking out to her and comforting her in a sequence overlaid with cheesy inspirational music that lasts far too long (in slow motion) and completely clashes with prior pacing in the film. Overall, this film is a blatant rip-off of the story line of the 2006 film, "John Tucker Must Die", right down to the hormone-sabotage that causes the man to suddenly become irrational. (It's funny because women are irrational!) Yet, it does nothing to update and improve on that trope, and only delivers the occasional laugh-out-loud moment.

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Upstream Color (2013) Written and Directed by Shane Carruth

I realized this film was on Netflix instant today and immediately sat down to watch it. What intrigued me most about this film was the ambition of the storytelling. It is incredibly raw and human in this beautiful but also intimate and grotesque way. Just like the structure deviates from that of the average film, the plot confuses and disturbs you, almost in a slow, inching way that gets under your skin while the film carries on.

That being said, if you watch this film, prepare to be disoriented and uncomfortable. However, there is also something so vulnerable and sincere about what it means to be human and yourself and interconnectedness that makes you want to watch this multiple times until you finally grasp the abstract plot.

This film definitely isn't for everyone. There isn't much dialogue, but I love a film that doesn't hand the audience its meaning on a silver platter. You really have to dig inside your own brain for the meaning, making this an incredibly personal and thought-provoking film to watch. For a film full of emotion and enigma and color, I would say this is a definite to watch.

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Cloud Atlas (2012) Based on the novel by David Mitchell, Adapted Screenplay and Directed by the Wachowski siblings and Tom Tykwer

Cloud Atlas is a film I waited to see because 1. I wanted to read the book first and 2. The reviews weren't very good. Being myself, I never got around to reading it. Recently though, I decided to finally sit down and watch the three hour film.

The payoff was well worth it. This is one of the most beautiful, enthralling, and mesmerizing films I have ever seen. I can't really comprehend the reasoning behind negative reviews except for maybe the reason that it is mentally tedious and feels very long. However, for someone who appreciates storytelling and film, this is an amazing cerebral experience that is so easy to fall in love with. It is full of philosophical pondering of life, an epic soundtrack and impressive visuals. The sheer scope of this film is impressive and begs for your appreciation and attention.

I always have a difficult time explaining to people what kind of films are my favorite. It's never a specific genre, but it is those films that resonate so closely to your life and the overall human experience that you are left with that wonderful feeling of catharsis when it finally ends. I would say this film with its epic monologues and awe inspiring score is the epitome of this type of film. This film is complicated and brilliant, perfectly balanced by the Wachowski brothers & Tom Tykwer and definitely one of my new favorites.

Obviously, this movie is to watch for anyone who loves film and storytelling. (And has three hours of their life to devote to an attentive watch) This movie isn't for the passive, absent-minded viewer however, so caution to those simply looking for casual entertainment. This isn't for you.

"And all becomes clear. Wish I could make you see this brightness. Don't worry, all is well. All is so perfectly, damnably well. I understand now, that boundaries between noise and sound are conventions. All boundaries are conventions, waiting to be transcended. One may transcend any convention, if only one can first conceive of doing so. Moments like this, I can feel your heart beating as clearly as I feel my own, and I know that separation is an illusion. My life extends far beyond the limitations of me." - From the above scene, my favorite in the film

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Seven Psychopaths (2012) Written & Directed by Martin McDonagh

"You can't let animals die in a movie...only women."

Marty (Colin Farrell) struggles to write his screenplay titled "Seven Psychopaths". In the process, he becomes entangled in underground crime with his oddball best friend, Billy (Sam Rockwell) and other various off-the-wall characters. To someone who is looking for a film full of dark comedy and banter, Seven Psychopaths is to watch for sure. However, the dialogue and plot gets distracting and complicated, barely pushing past contrived at certain points. What I find refreshing in viewing this film is it's undefinable genre (it struggles to fit into action-comedy) while also offering a commentary on film-writing for genre within its own plot line. For film lovers, an obvious to watch. For those less open to lengthy dialogue and genre-bending, to not watch.

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In the Flesh (TV series)

As someone who feels the zombie/world apocalypse genre is a major dead horse as of late, I actually really enjoyed this show’s first season, comprised of three episodes. It occurs when the country has found a medical cure for the zombie apocalypse. Zombies are now referred to as having “Partially Dead Syndrome”, but can basically live normally again with no desire to eat humans. This show expertly explores the societal and personal issues that arise from the reintegration of PDS sufferers into their old lives and towns. Exploring issues such as family, prejudice and homosexuality, this show delves into very human issues for a show all about monsters. For those reasons (and a guaranteed second series), I give this show a definite to watch.