Movie Review: Joy (2015)

At first I was going to take a pass on Joy. I have never been the biggest fan of David O. Russell, although I did like Silver Linings Playbook was pretty good (American Hustle on the other hand…. well, let’s say it was not so). The trailers for this movie didn't exactly leave me thrilled, there was a scene it that just makes me cringe just like the Rosie O’Donnell quip in the Deadpool trailer, in other words, not good. Still, I found myself sitting in the theater watching Joy unfold before me. It did not exactly bring me joy, but it was a bit better than I was expecting. I still won’t be lining up to sing the praises of Russell, but at least I was entertained.

Movie Review: The Hunger Games - Mockingjay: Part 2

Well, the series has come to close, not with a bang, but a whimper. This is not to say I did not enjoy the film, but it is certainly not without its flaws. I can say I was entertained, but considering how the series got off to a roaring success with its first two entries, the final two seem a little tired and worn out by comparison. I seriously think the franchise would have been better off, creatively, if the Mockingjay pair of films were just one film. The studio got greedy, and as they are wont to do with their high profile franchises, split the final book into two films (following Harry Potter, Twilight, and you could probably toss The Hobbit in there as well). Both final films felt stretched and padded with material to meet run time requirements.

Movie Review: The Hunger Games - Mockingjay Pt. 1

So, the first half of the final chapter for The Hunger Games franchise has arrived in theaters. With it, it snagged the biggest opening of the year, just as it fell well short of its predictions and expectations. I always wonder about things like that, with a franchise as well received and popular as it is, to open up some $36 million less than its predecessor, where did the people go? Granted, I am not all about the opening weekend as I am about the quality, but it begs the question what resulted in the disparity? I guess it really doesn't matter, the movie is going to make plenty of bank. So, aside from the money, was the movie any good? Yes and no.

Movie Review: X-Men: Days of Future Past

It is rare, at least in my experience, to see a franchise really begin to catch its stride this far in to its run. It is especially rare when you consider that said franchise did not start out all that bad, in my estimation. In fact, I thought they did a really good job with the first couple of films. 2000's X-Men and 2003's X2 were both pretty strong adaptations. Definitely not exactly like the books, but they did a good job of keeping true to the source while adjusting to the movie format. Then there was a steep stumble with X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

Critical Capsule: American Hustle

So, David O. Russell's latest has arrived in theaters around the country, a little Christmas gift for his fans all over the country. There is no doubt the guy has been on a bit of a roll, his last two films have each won Oscars (The Fighter, Silver Linings Playbook), was it too much to ask for the luck to continue? Probably not, but then again... His new movie is called American Hustle and it features an all star cast and arrives with plenty of hype to get the public excited for it. So how did it do? Well, sadly, my reaction was rather meh.

Movie Review: The Hunger Games - Catching Fire

To be honest, the fact that director Gary Ross declined to return for the sequel to the hit Hunger Games from last year made me happy. While I felt he acquitted himself well on the film, it was pretty clear he was not very good at handling action, especially when you need to disguise the level of violence for a PG-13 rating. In his place is Francis Lawrence, a former music video director who has done well with genre fare such as Constantine and I Am Legend. He does a far better job with Catching Fire than Ross did on the first. As an added bonus, Lawrence will be on hand for the two part finale.