Wolf of Wall Street - 5/10 Only redeeming quality this film had was Leo's performance, which was superb. The scene on the yacht with him and the FBI agent was amazing. Look, I think Goodfellas was one of the greatest films ever made...but every Scorsese film since then... it seems like he tries too hard to recapture that Goodfellas magic (long scenes with improvised dialog, music always playing in the background, etc.) and fails. Wolf of Wall Street just seemed like Goodfellas VI. All sizzle, no steak. Just like much of Scorsese's work post-Goodfellas.
Snowpiercer - 7/10 - I saw the great reviews for it so I made sure I got a chance to watch it. It's definitely not as good as I expected from the reviews but enjoyable overall. The film doesn't explain much at the beginning and so you're left with asking a lot of questions and for the most part they are explained pretty well. It has a very South Korean-film feel to it, which allowed me to overlook some of the weirdness/plot holes.
Boyhood - 9.5/10 - I really liked pretty much everything about the movie. The entire concept, the nostalgia it brought on to me, and the way it allowed me to imagine what my own son (11) would be going through in the next 7 years. Casting was great and acting was great.
Lucy - 7/10 - Interesting from beginning to end. But had a hard time believing she isn't trying to get out of her situation at the beginning of movie, and running like a bat out of hell. So almost too willing. And the same with the Cop, while believable he would follow her, there's almost too much willingness to help her out. Then the end goes off the deep end. Think they could have helped the film by bridging more scenes. The ending could never be done well, because, well, how do you explain everything, but a gooey flash drive, lol. Running Scared 7/10 - This was surprisingly witty and funny. Turned out to be a lot of fun. Silver Lining Playbook 9/10 - The chemistry and craziness was hilarious, and yet their a lining of real life in it.
Birdman 10/10..... "This place smells like balls" Keaton returned to form. Much better than My Life featuring Michael Keaton.
Boyhood - 8.5/10 Easily one of the best films I've seen in many years. It's funny when I started watching it I didn't think much of the movie. As the movie progresses though you become more invested in the characters with one poignant scene after another. I kept waiting for the movie to fall into a rut that is so familiar of many contemporary films today but it just never happens. By the time the film is over you realize you've just watched something amazing. I can't say enough about this movie. With all the cliche crap that's out there these days and rehashed movie plots and themes, this movie is a breath of fresh air. It's a tremendous piece of movie making.
Just watched Dinosaur 13. Hard to rate documentaries but I really enjoyed it as I love dinosaurs. Would highly recommend others watch it, and I don't typically watch documentaries. Pretty f'd up what happened to the paleontologists. If you want to learn more about it, look up the T.rex Sue on Wikipedia.
SELMA!!!! 10/10 The Best Movie I have seen in quite some time. Great pacing. Great Cinematography Rocket River
I've been getting that same feeling with all the Oscar bait this year. Whiplash 7.5/10 - Dat drum solo doe! The Gambler 7/10 The Imitation Game 8/10
Babadook. Pretty entertaining scary creepy movie for sure. It just looked cheesy when the dook showed up.
Taken 2: 6.5/10 Enter the Void: 8.5/10 (You have to have an extremely open mind to get even half way through this long movie, but for what is is, its a great movie. Really makes you think beyond your normal state of mind) Momento: 8.5/10. Will probably watch again so i can understand how everything ties together better since its one of those inception make you think at the end type things.
A Most Violent Year (2014) 10/10* *I'm prejudiced by love for Michael Corleone...reflected in the rating. Watching this, i felt this was Michael in a different, more modern circumstance (the '80s) - enjoyed it!
Monsters University I liked the world building and animation as there is plenty to look at. Ultimately though the story is too predictable and it lacks the heart of the first one. 6/10
Nightcrawler - 5/10 Didn't do it for me, really. Gyllenhaal was terrific as usual, but the plot was pretty dull IMO and nothing really stood out for me. Enjoyable but forgettable, outside of Gyllenhaal's performance.
Taken 3 1/10 Spoiler The movie wouldn't have happened if Liam Neeson didn't run away from the cops after he got framed because it was obvious he was framed. And the detective basically admits this at the end.
