Nightcrawler

This is one of those films that come along every once in a while that make you wonder why can't all writers be this original? It is a very small idea turned into a very crazy two hours of entertainment. I do feel that Jake Gyllenhaal may be one of the best working actors today. He rivals the likes of Brad Pitt, Michael Fassbender, and Tom Hardy in my opinion. This is one of his best roles and it should earn him Oscar gold, and at the very least, a nomination. All the buzz that surrounded this film had me so intrigued I chose to go see it as soon as I could, only to realize I had no idea what the premise was. I knew Lou (Gyllenhaal) was a freelance video journalist, but other than that, it was kind of set up as a thriller. It was about 70% thriller, but it was mostly him adapting and evolving into the best, not necessarily most ethical, video crime scene journalist working in LA. I will say, there was not a single time Lou was on screen that I felt comfortable. In fact, this may have been the most uncomfortable I have ever been in a theatre. His character is just off a little and the writing was so good, we as an audience, didn't know if he was going to come unhinged and hurt someone or if he really was just an anti social, awkward man who just really enjoyed the career he had become so fond of. Lou has an outlook on life that many won't understand. The word sociopath comes to mind. The first hour of the film is pretty slow, but very intriguing. The second half of the film is fireworks. The direction is beautiful and very reminiscent of Drive with Ryan Gosling. Every aspect of this movie was very solid, yet I don't know many people I would recommend it to. I think people will enjoy it, but I also wonder how many will hate it because of its tone and tempo which I had to get used to during the film's first act. The ultimate goal is to understand how far Lou will go for the big story.

NBM rates Nightcrawler - Phenomenal

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

My desire to see this film declined every single time a new promo or trailer or clip was released. It looked serious and awesome then it began to look cheesy and silly and just plain stupid. However, I have kids who wanted to see it, and I had nothing else to do, so here we go. I cannot remember the last time I left the theater feeling so conflicted on how I felt about what I had just seen. I enjoyed the story, the look of the turtles, the action involving the turtles, and the comedy. I did not enjoy Shredder or Splinter. I will say Megan Fox was very lovely. She did fantastic as April O'Neil. The tempo of the film was its strong suit. It didn't take a half hour to meet the turtles. The action sequences were timed well with the comedic scenes, and the origin of the turtles flashback scenes I actually enjoyed. The dynamic of the turtles was mostly the same that I remember from the old days with the exception of Donatello. In this version he was a tech genius which helps a lot with their missions. Leo is still the leader and though Johnny Knoxville didn't steal the show, he did a good job with that character. Mikey provided 100% of the comedy and I really enjoyed his dialogue and jokes. He cracked us up loads of times. However, they absolutely nailed Raphael as the brooding second fiddle who is generally pissed off. He was awesome and his attitude worked well with the general lightheartedness of his 3 brothers. He had the look and provided the most ass whoopings. As good as the CG was for the turtles, it was equally awful for Splinter. I found myself loathing scenes when he was on screen. It looked like they copy and pasted him from the original movie in 1990. As for Shredder, I liked what they did with the character in the beginning, but what ruined him for me was his ridiculous suit of armor....and lack of cape. He had way too much going on, and it angered me when he was fighting. However, in my personal opinion  the bad does not outweigh the good. I had a fun time watching the turtles back on the big screen, seeing my kids sit completely still and laughing at Michelangelo's antics while quoting the jokes immediately after, so all in all, it's a decent movie experience.

NBM rates TMNT Awesome which relates to 3/5

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

I was so looking forward to this sequel until it received astronomically good reviews and then I made the decision that I would see it in the theater at any cost. Though it took me 4 weeks, it was worth the wait. This film picks up 10 years after James Franco released Caesar into the woods on good terms after the Golden Gate bridge debacle between the newly educated apes and the humans. Now, other than knowing the apes have evolved even more than when we left them last, I wasn't sure how much. I wasn't sure what the new ape society looked like. I didn't know how much time was between the end of the first film and the beginning of the second. Honestly, I didn't know a whole lot about this film. Why Franco wasn't in it? Who Jason Clarke and Gary Oldman played? Luckily, it does a fantastic job in the opening credits explaining everything you may have questions about and then into the film we go. I was actually really impressed how this was written. Being able to go that far into the future and seeing a world that has basically been all but extinct of human activity is awesome. The scenery of San Francisco all grown over with vegetation looked great, but I was surprised at how little the ape population had evolved. With the rapid brain growth in the first film, one would expect in ten years, they may be running the world, but it is a much different story than that. They are still establishing themselves as a hierarchy in civilization, though they aren't even aware how smart they have become. They still live among the trees (kick ass tree houses, but still the woods) and believe all humans are gone for good. This is when it gets interesting. Humans cross the apes path in the woods and decisions are made. Not by the humans, but by Caesar, leader of the apes. The relationship Caesar embraces with this film's hero, Malcolm (Jason Clarke) is quite astonishing. It is like two governments talking peace treaties. Caesar is the most intelligent ape, but some of the apes do not agree with his views on the humans and this causes strife among them. Not only do we get to see the evolution of the apes, but also of the relationships between the apes and humans, the humans and humans, and the apes and apes. It really is like watching the birth of coexisting civilizations. This is most definitely the second film in what could be wrapped up nicely in a trilogy, but could also extend to a fourth film. The digital effects are flawless and there is no better visual than apes riding horses. The film does not fall short anywhere in my opinion. It runs a little long, but I'm not sure what I would cut. It all seems relevant. A+ performances by all involved and Andy Serkis should be recognized for an Oscar as Caesar. The motion capture suit actors work as hard or harder than the other actors on the screen but are not recognized for any awards. If anything, add a new category to Oscar night specifically for these unsung heroes of today's CG heavy cinema experience. If you like the Franco film, you will LOVE this one. More action, more drama, flawless effects. The whole 9 yards of good movie making. I cannot wait for the third film and to see what direction they take it.

NBM rates Dawn of the Planet of the Apes - Phenomenal 

Guardians of the Galaxy

                           
Stay for the end credits scene!!! Do not expect anything magnificent or awe inspiring or, in my opinion, anything that even gives us a glimpse into future Marvel movies or future cameos. What it is, is the perfect end credits scene for a comedy like Guardians and I like it. 
   Now lets talk about the brilliant marketing scheme behind GotG. I knew without a doubt I was going to see this film. What I didn't know was what it was about. I never read the comics, ignored all articles based on plot points and theories, and I really tried to disconnect myself from the hype. What I now know, is Marvel gave us no indication of exactly what the Guardians were going to do, and that made the film all the more great. The super unknown to me as a viewer. I did know that we were supposed to get more Thanos (Josh Brolin voiced), and more of The Collector (Benicio Del Toro) as first introduced in Thor: The Dark World. What I didn't know was how little we would actually see them, and what little impact they would have on the actual plot. This movie is about Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace) and his fight for World Universe domination. Lee Pace surprised me with his casting. The role that stands out in my mind was the short lived TV Dramedy "Pushing Daisies", and to take that and make him one of the most evil villains in the Marvel Universe made me concerned. Put that to bed. He is AWESOME. 
    This is where I may surprise you. This is the funniest comedy of the year, and with a sold out crowd and uproarious laughter, I am afraid I missed the follow up jokes and quips that would make it even better. This band of misfits are the Galaxy's rejects and they must band together to stop Ronan.

   Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) is the only Earthling in the film and though all the trailers make him out to be the forefront of this film, he does get over shadowed. I'm not saying he isn't brilliant, because he is, but this cast just works fluidly together, he isn't relied on to carry the film on his shoulders. 
    Drax the Destroyer is played by professional wrestler Dave Bautista, and this casting made me nervous as well. All I was thinking was he may not have many lines or interaction other than being some visual muscle for the screen. Turns out, he was great as well. He delivered several memorable moments that adds to the whole of what the film wanted to be. Director James Gunn (who wrote the script as well) really got the best from all of his actors and sometimes that is difficult to do.

    Gamora (Zoe Saldana) is the least interesting character to me. She is a master assassin that was engineered which was neat, but with everything else going on, she didn't add that much for me personally. A few scenes of comic relief, Wait, can you have comic relief in a comedy? Ok, let's just say she had a couple jokes that were fun. 

    I saved the best for last. Groot and Rocket. These two come as a pair and that is the way it has to be. These characters stole the show, specifically Rocket. An engineered Raccoon who doesn't know what a raccoon is. His sidekick and BFF Groot, it a semi talking tree that only says 3 words no matter what he asked or told. I AM GROOT. If anyone wondered how you could make a viable character that is a walking tree and only have 3 words of dialogue, will love this. His inflection in the 3 words just change, but it is the emotions in his face that are so beautifully crafted. Hands down, He and Rocket got the most laughs, but what I was most interested in was the performances that Vin Diesel brings to Groot.  Voice over characters can make or break an entire film. Many times these performances are "phoned in" if you will. Merely seen as an easy payday for so many actors (I'm looking at you Megatron...Hugo Weaving). Bradly Cooper, however,  did the best I have ever heard. So much attitude, and sarcasm, and confusion, and emotion. He brought Rocket to life and I really appreciated it. Vin Diesel on the other hand is as much of an "A-Lister" as can be, and to have the faith in a project that only requires 3 words over and over is pretty amazing. He really embraced it though. So much so, that he dubbed his lines in 5 other languages for the international cuts of the film. Watch all 5 clips here. That is commitment that he probably wasn't contracted to do, but he gives his characters everything he has. 
   As an action film, the movie is flawless. As a comedy it is also flawless. To be able to combine these two genres and have a film that knows what it is, is amazing. I will watch it again and again, mostly to hear those jokes I may have missed while laughing at the other jokes. Also it has the best soundtrack ever. All those promos with the golden oldies paying, plays a major part of the film and it is just another nuance that made Guardians so great.

NBM rates Guardians of the Galaxy - A Cinematic Work of Art. 5/5...10/10...etc, etc,etc 

Thor: The Dark World

It is hard to make a sequel better than the first. Everyone knows it, and for film makers, it is an uphill battle. Thor: The Dark World, in my opinion, is a better film than Thor. Not just Better, but MUCH better. More entertaining, a better plot, and more action.....oh, and Loki of course. Lots more of Loki. I found it more entertaining mainly due to the fact that much of the film deals with the 9 realms as opposed to being 100% on Earth like the first film. I was very interested in the mythology, and they delivered a more in depth look at Asgard and the goings on with Thor's home. They deal with worm holes, different dimensions and an all powerful substance called the Aether. The Aether can be absorbed into ones body to make that being all powerful, and the dark elves plan to use it to bring their civilization back into existence. Once believed to be extinct, the dark elves are evil and want to destroy and pillage and abolish all light from everywhere. In the darkness is where they thrive and would be rulers. The Aether was also believed to have been destroyed, but leave it to a woman to rediscover the undiscoverable, putting the entire 9 realms at risk of termination. Way to go Jane Foster. Thor must now figure out how to stop the elves and destroy the Aether once and for all. A pretty daunting task but if anyone could do it, it would be Chris Hemsworth. After Loki was lost, essentially dead after the first film, only to show up and try and rule Earth in the Avengers, I was excited to see him again in this film. Imprisoned back on Asgard for his crimes, he is dealing with a lot of emotions pertaining to his brother Thor. Mostly hatred but when his help is needed, he steps to the plate and gives another A+ Tom Hiddleston performance. Loki is the ultimate villain. We love him and hate him, but as villains go, he has always seemed a little too PG-13. Just not quite bad enough to succeed. As an ally, we seem to forget how bad Loki has been. That is what makes a great character. The anti hero that we love to hate, but also just like in general. When Thor came out years ago, that seemed like such a pointless character to give a series, but he is more entertaining than most and Hemsworth is Thor. I also enjoyed the end credits scene introducing Benicio Del Toro as The Collector. I can't wait to see what role he has in future Marvel films. 

NBM rates Thor: The Dark World - Phenomenal

22 Jump Street

I was the first to say how bad 21 Jump Street was gonna be. Then I watched it, and it was my favorite comedy of the year it came out. Of course it was gonna get sequel. It was a sleeper hit that has continued it's fan fare on cable over the last year. I watch it every time I come across it. I didn't have to get on board with 22 Jump Street due to the fact I never exited the Jump Street train. I had to see this film and then the reviews came out better than the first one, and people seemed to love it. I will say, I LOVED it. it is brilliant in so many ways, that it is hard to even know where to begin. Maybe the fact that it makes fun of itself and its predecessor constantly. Maybe it is the complete unapologetic repetition of jokes and dialogue we already saw two years ago. Actually, I know what made it a step above the first one, but it needs to be seen and not read about. At the same time, the scenes that made 22 so good, would not be possible without 21, so I'm not sure where I stand in the strange conundrum I found myself in. Schmidt and Jenko are back at the undercover gig in college this time. It would seem that they would have more of a grasp on that generation with their age, but they are still just as lost. The main premise: Find the dealer, locate the supplier. Just like 21. It becomes quite enjoyable as a viewer to see how many lines they can repeat. They do it a lot and it is awesome. In fact, I cannot recall another film, that is not intentionally a spoof, that could get away with this kind of transparency. The writer/director duo who are also responsible for The Lego Movie may be my new favorite people in Hollywood. They have truly unique minds. I don't want to take anything away from my man crush (Channing) and his unique ability to be hilarious, athletic, and dumb simultaneously. He and Jonah Hill are superb and I cannot wait for 39 Jump Street: Ninja School. As fun as the movie was, even with a regurgitated story, I was so happy to see Ice Cube get more screen time after his limited time in 21 offered so many great lines. He does not disappoint. Jon Benjamin as the football coach was a pleasant surprise. To hear Sterling Archer screaming at players was pretty classic, and all I could think of was LANA!!!!!!! The film is not in depth but it is very hard to write about, because I don't like writing spoilers, especially spoilers about jokes that should be surprises for the first time viewer. That is why I am just gonna cut this short with this. GO SEE THIS MOVIE!!!  
P.S. Greatest end credits ever
NBM rates 22 Jump Street 3/4 of a point above Phenomenal. 

X-Men Days of Future Past

This film has an extremely long title, but there are a few other titles it could be known by. I'm aware of where it's title is derived from, but examples of alternate titles could be, "The Magneto show 2", or "X-Men First Class; second period", and I personally like "Beast Mode". Now, what is amazing about this film to me more so than the absolute fantastic script, and superb direction are the amount of phenomenal actors on screen throughout the film. Merging old and new is just so much fun for the audience who saw the first film in theatres back in 2000. As for the new generation who would not know what a good film was if it bit them in the ass, well, who cares what they think. I enjoyed it and that is all that really matters. The absolute cohesiveness of every aspect of this film is quite impressive, but more than that, is the fact that these guys made a "comic book" film that felt more like a science fiction drama than any of the other Marvel films. It is so apocalyptic, the opening scene feels like a post Skynet Earth. It is just depressing what they make the future feel like. I do consider myself a geek for the sci fi, but I am not that familiar with this story. Apparently Bryan Singer did it a very good job not only appeasing the uber comic book aficionado, but also making the 7th X-Men (if you count the two Wolverine films) super enjoyable to the popcorn eating, summer blockbuster going, casual movie lover. It was easy to follow which is also appealing. More drama than comedy, and the usual one line zingers were also enjoyable. 

Beast looks bad ass, and that's why this inserted picture

The plot revolves around Mystique, and her agenda to right the wrongs of the human population. One human in particular. Dr. Trask (Peter Dinklage; the little dude from Game of Thrones and Elf and In Bruges etc...) has a disdain for mutants and has developed the Sentinel program to hunt and destroy or capture all mutants on Earth. Mystique feels he need not exist anymore which causes the bleak future. The brilliance of this story is how it evolves as time runs by on screen. Every action results in a reaction sort of thing. In the future, Xavier and Magneto know what has to be done, but with sending Logan's psyche back in time, (sorry, should have said "spoiler" there) things get very discombobulated in the space time continuum. Apparently changing the future is a bit tricky. Magneto is up to his old tricks and Fassbender is brilliant in the role, but Nicolas Hoult as young Beast steals the show for me. He is so damn good, it is unfair to whomever is sharing the screen with him at the time. All in all, this film is near flawless. There are several new mutants introduced but not much fanfare. Most of them feel like side notes except for Quicksilver. I do actually wish he had more scenes. His scene was the most fun to watch. There is one F&@# bomb that is unnecessary, but in the specific context it is used, it's actually quite enjoyable. It just sucks because that one word may deter many parents from letting their kids watch this film, and that is the real travesty. However, this film is way more for adults than kids. Story wise more than anything. It does not have near the action sequences than its predecessors, and is way more cerebral than those as well. The younger people may not get it.

NBM rates X-Men DOFP - Phenomenal....it may even be just a tad higher but I have not come up with an adjective for that.

Neighbors

This may be one the most accurate portrayals of what it is like for new parents to transition in to their new adulthood and leave behind their youth. Neighbors is sort of a coming of age film. Instead of adolescents into adulthood, it is more like adulthood into parenthood. This is more of a subplot than what the film is really about. It is about having shit-ass neighbors. Adults buy homes in nice neighborhood because they are done with the college, party scene. Having a fraternity rent the house next door would be an absolute nightmare. Now throw a baby into the mix, and that is grounds for World War 3, which is basically the premise of this film. At only 96 minutes, it is quick to the point, but doesn't fail to payoff. The trailer actually does this film justice. It makes you want to see it because it is chock full of jokes, but there is so much more content available than what we have seen already. I knew I liked Zac Efron (probably because he doesn't seem like a douche in real life), but now I like him unapologetically for playing a douche so well on screen. As for Rogen, well, he is Rogen. Same guy, new movie. Not that that's a bad thing, but we know what we are gonna get, and this role suits him. The junior Franco is getting better with every role, and I like that he is inching his way up the ladder into leading role status with every film. It won't be long till he is top billed in a film of his own. The fraternity to me was an afterthought. I was more interested and intrigued by how the married people would handle the situations. They did not disappoint. It seems like the writers finally got early thirty married people right. We are not that different than we were before had kids. We just have less time to do stuff. Same people, no time. Mac (Rogen) and Kelly (Rose Byrne) want to be apart of life still, but are struggling, so when a frat moves in, they do not want to be the uncool, old people. When Mac has had enough, he makes a vital error. He calls the police. From here on out, hilarity ensues. Not only from the frat, but to watch the responsible adults go to such lengths to shut them down is just awesome. There are very few emotionally heavy moments in this comedy, but the couple that are present are necessary to make the film complete. It is a complete film and we enjoyed it immensely.

NBM rates Neighbors - Phenomenal 

Divergent

I am not sure I remember how to do this. I have not written in some time now, but I feel this film has enough chatter, controversy compared to the source material, and plenty of comparison to The Hunger Games to make it a fun write up. I will admit, I had very little knowledge of what this film was even about when I bought the tickets. With today's social media, it is hard to not know anything about a pop culture event, and yet I was clueless about Divergent. It doesn't take but a few scenes to know exactly what direction this film would go, but with its low Rotten Tomato rating, I was concerned about how the execution would transpire. Turns out, Very Good execution in my opinion. In this post apocalyptic world, the particular culture where this story takes place is made up of 5 factions. Sectors made up of people who have chosen what their particular lot in life will be. It sounds more complicated than it actually is. The film is about one girl's Journey into adulthood. Once the adolescents enter adulthood, they must choose to stay with their family in the faction which they were raised, or choose a new life path. Tris is our main character and her life is completely changed when she chooses to leave her faction for another. The problem is more about her mentality than her choice. This is not the easiest film to write about without spoiling some aspect of it, so I am going to go another direction and stop talking plot, and just give my insight about the film as a whole. I don't read books, so I cannot compare the film to the book, but at 2 hours 20 minutes, it didn't feel full of holes, and it also did not seem to drag on. I did not feel lost at any point, and I was just excited to see what came next. As for The Hunger Games comparison, I get it, and I don't. Post Apocalyptic world. Teenagers finding their way in life. One organization seeking control. These minor points aside, this film is nothing like Hunger Games. Kids don't have to hunt each other to feed their sector. Mostly, everyone gets along pretty well. Just a bunch of people trying to find their new way in life. Divergent refers to a certain type of person, and of course the heroine happens to be a divergent which is why the movie is interesting. All in all I cannot get it out of my head. Due to this fact, I have come to the conclusion that I enjoyed it as much as and maybe a hair more than Hunger Games. I am excited for the sequel and I hope the direction, adaptation, and acting live up to this first film.

NBM rates Divergent - Phenomenal