Movieman's Guide to the Movies
The Final Word on Physical Media
Species was a fun guilty pleasure. No, it wasn’t great but at least it gave us a quasi-star in Natasha Henstridge and some quality effects work. The sequel was dumb but had some minor entertainment value but as Hollywood tends to do, they milk a franchise for its worth. The third and fourth movies were, frankly, crap.
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The first movie was a fun guilty pleasure. Species II is just plain guilty of being a bad film all around. The writing is poor and the acting was at best phoned-in, though Natasha Henstridge at least seemed to give it her all and she might be the only reason it’s even watchable.
The Peanuts Movie isn’t great but more than satisfactory and will certainly please its core fans as it shows some of the classic scenes from the strip and various TV specials. All around it’s just a smile-enducing flick that kids will love and parents and passively enjoy, even those (like myself) who aren’t fans of the comic.
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Sisters had plenty of potential given the cast, writer and director all with impressive resumes. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, who don’t have a whole lot to work with and seemed to rely on improvising than anything from the script, do at least share nice comedic chemistry; outside of those two, though, there weren’t a whole lot of genuinely funny scenes.
My Science Project is somewhat of a gem, forgotten one at that, of the 1980s overshadowed by Back to the Future, Real Genius and Weird Science, the last two interestingly coming out the same year as MSP… Although it’s not as tightly written both in terms of plot and characters, it’s still a fun little flick.
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The Big Short was easily my favorite movie of 2015. The strong cast helped but the writing by Adam McKay and Charles Randolph was sharp and in conjunction with Christian Bale and Ryan Gosling’s performances made for one fun yet thoughtful flick that worked so well from beginning to its bitter end.
La bambola di satana might be a guilty pleasure of mine. The film isn’t very well made with one-dimensional characters, so-so performances (at best) and the plot is a bit silly culminating with a Scooby-Doo like ending; and this is not forgetting some piss-poor editing. That said, it did keep me entertained and under better talent, might’ve made for good mystery-thriller.
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Weaponized is the latest gem from filmmaker Timothy Woodward Jr. who seems to churn out 2-3 movies a year with the usual suspects, with return appearances of Tom Sizemore, Johnny Messner, Danny Trejo and Michael Paré. I guess technically it’s “better” than his previous movies but that really isn’t saying a whole lot.
Just Visiting is really the typical film to come from the early 21st century and, from what I’ve read, a poor remake of the French original where it appears filmmakers brought in John Hughes to “Americanize” the story and for that, it makes for a safe but utterly forgettable movie.
My bias for this movie aside, Disturbing Behavior is at least an entertaining little thriller with some fun moments that sets it apart from others of the like. The cast is a lot of fun especially for Nick Stahl and William Sadler in his brief role, not to mention seeing Katie Holmes playing against type.
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Spotlight might not be at the top of my best of 2015 list but it’s still a well made film all around from the efficient direction, tight writing and brilliant performances (save for Ruffalo in the one scene) so I have no qualms with its recent win for Best Picture and say it’s well worth purchase.
Miss You Already might be a clichéd drama but the performances, especially Toni Collette, and some of the writing, especially in how it relates to the battle with cancer – both on clinical and personal points – at least helps make it entertaining if not on an emotional level.
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No Way Out was a pleasant surprise of a thriller featuring good suspense and a solid performance by Kevin Costner with honorable mention to Will Patton. To cap things off, the ending had a nice and unexpected twist.
My All American is the clichéd sports drama but mostly well acted especially on the part of Finn Wittrock. I can’t say I recommend it considering it is the type of film that will eventually air on Spike or maybe even the Hallmark Channel in a few years but if you enjoy the genre, it might be a worthwhile rental.
Frankenstein is an interesting re-telling of the classic story and features great performances from Xavier Samuel and Carrie-Anne Moss and although there are certainly flaws with the script and a limited budget, it’s well worthwhile watching though it seems like this would be tailored for SyFy.
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