Early last week Marvel Cinematic Universe released its latest film in their franchise, Doctor Strange. Based off the comic book of the same name, Doctor Strange follows main character Dr. Stephen Strange, played by Benedict Cumberbatch, an esteemed neurosurgeon who ends up in a horrific car crash, which ends his career after his hands are injured beyond repair. Following the crash, Dr. Strange finds himself studying the possibilities of fixing his hands, in which he ends up studying the mystic arts, entangling himself between the fight of good and evil. read more
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justifiably Mixed Feelings
By Mark Ramos | Observer Contributor
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is a film movie goers and comic lovers alike have been waiting 3 years to get their eyes on. Now that we have, the film is sure to leave many with more questions than answers and also left to struggling with not liking a film they wanted to love.
Let’s get the elephant in the room out of the way first. Many fans were uneasy with the casting of Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne/Batman and it needs to be said, Affleck is the shining star of this film. Not only does he nail the role of both Bruce Wayne and Batman, something none of his predecessors have been able to do, but he is the only actor cast in the role who physically matches the sheer size of the character from the comics. Affleck also gives us the greatest fight sequence that has ever been filmed in live action for the iconic character. read more
After losing a fight with a grizzly bear, frontiersman and all-around-tough-guy Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio, The Wolf of Wall Street), crawls, hobbles, and fights his way over the frozen unforgiving wilderness back to the fort and the men who left him for dead.
The Revenant is harrowing and enjoyable to watch, but it seriously missed the mark when it comes to character development. The movie does not give the audience much detail about DiCaprio’s character other than painting him as a tough as nails survivor and loving father, making Hugh Glass seem like an unfinished character. read more
Pee-Wee’s Big Holiday Photo courtesy: press.netflix.com
If you know me, you may know of my love for Pee-Wee Herman.
I grew up watching Pee-Wee’s Playhouse, Pee-Wee’s BigAdventure, and Big Top Pee-Wee with my Brother, and the Pee-Wee Christmas special we owned on VHS is close to its demise thanks to our incessant desire to watch it again and again. It’s safe to say that Paul Reubens’ brainchild that originated as a character in his, how you would say nowadays, “NSFW” stand-up comedy routine, was a big part of the cultural exposure of my childhood. All of this paved the way for an excitement comparable to a small kid on Christmas morning, for the release of Pee-Wee’s Big Holiday, the newest installment of the Pee-Wee Empire, and one of the newest Netflix originals.read more
Deadpool is definitely Ryan Reynolds’ best acting yet. This role is very different from anything he has played before. He typically plays a character in a romantic comedy, but this film brings out his true comedic side. This is a must see film whether you like comic books or not!
This film was written by Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, and directed by Tim Miller, starring Ryan Reynolds as the superhero and Ed Skrein as the villain. Of course, there is also Vanessa, Deadpool’s love interest, played by Morena Baccarin. Based on its R rating, vulgar language, and racy comments, it definitely isn’t a movie for a family night out. read more
Roger and Me. Bowling For Columbine. Fahrenheit 9/11. Sicko. Capitalism: A Love Story. And now…Where To Invade Next? Michael Moore, everyone’s favorite Detroit Tigers cap-wielding documentarist is back, and he is pulling out all the stops in his new film, Where To Invade Next?, which paints a comparison of aspects of the American way of living to those of countries all over the world.
Moore travels to places like Italy, Germany, France, and Norway to compare their standards of living to those in the States in regards to things such as paid leave and vacation time, tuition costs, food quality in public schools, health care costs and quality, and the education and prison systems, to name a few. And from a viewer standpoint, he hit the nail right on the head. I feel Where To Invade Next? is Michael’s most intense work. While I am always a fan of Fahrenheit 9/11, which is the film responsible for getting me interested in political activism and the rest of Moore’s catalogue, and Bowling For Columbine, which I didn’t see until many years after it was released, but still made me feel as if I was there for that situation., this effort certainly lives up to the expectations of someone who was looking for a moving, informative, and brutally honest view of what America looks like from other countries around the world. I needed my feelings to be validated, and to simply say that “they certainly were” is a gross understatement. It showed just how universal the perception of America is, except in America. We seem to be putting on the rose-colored glasses all too often, that is if we ever take them off. We are not, especially in the eyes of these other countries, the land of opportunity. People actually laugh at us. And Moore discusses why.read more
Introducing the new Star Wars villain, Kylo Ren. Courtesy photo / flickr.com/David_Eckelman
I might receive some slack for this, but this movie was not all it was hyped up to be. Was it good? Absolutely. Easily one of the best Star Wars films ever. But why wasn’t it great? Well, here’s the thing: not even including the fact that this movie followed a very similar formula that Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope had, this movie’s storyline was dull and predictable. J.J. Abrams did an excellent job reviving the Star Wars series, but the story was his greatest (and only) fault. read more
I’m going to start this review off by saying that The Hateful Eight is one of the best movies I had the pleasure of seeing in 2015. Quentin Tarantino, the mastermind behind this film, is one of Hollywood’s underdog directors that deserves more credit than is given to him, and his eighth film, The Hateful Eight, is no exception compared to his earlier masterpieces, which include Inglorious Bastards, Django Unchained, and Pulp Fiction to name a few.
Starring an superior cast from the likes of Samuel L. Jackson (Star Wars Episodes 1-3, The Avengers), Kurt Russell (Poseidon, Furious 7), Jennifer Jason Leigh (Weeds, Revenge), and Channing Tatum (Dear John, 21 Jump Street, Magic Mike), The Hateful Eight just glimmers from the performance of the actors and actresses in the film. Dialogue between characters is rich and enticing; unpredictable and alive. These characters seem like real people living back during the post-Civil War era, where the story takes place. read more
Coexist is a documentary about the Hutus and Tutsis in post genocide Rwanda and having to live together in peace. What I learned while watching this film was that the Hutus wanted power over the Tutsis and decided to start taking over their property and killing anyone who stood in their way. After the government stepped in and stopped the genocide the Tutsis and the Hutus now have to abide by a law to live with each other as neighbors and church gathers called “reconciliation.”read more
Newly released on DVD, The Town is an action film that will not disappoint. This is Affleck’s third movie as director and it is on its way to having equal if not more credit than his other works including Gimme Shelter and Gone Baby Gone, which has received multiple awards that include the Hollywood Film Festival Award for Breakthough Director of the Year.
The Town also has a cast full of talent including Ben Affleck, Jeremy Renner, and Pete Postlethwaite. Afflecks character, Doug MacRay is the ringleader of his crew. MacRay’s childhood friend James “Jem” Coughlin is the hard-headed thug of the group, who has no remorse toward his victims. Pete Postletwaite plays the owner of a local flower shop and is the master mind behind all of the robberies MacRay and his crew complete.read more
