2014 Summer Movie Reviews - June

I'm finally done with the biggest chunk of my summer grad school work! It didn't allow me time to write reviews, but I did still manage to see most of the movies so far this summer. So in the next few posts I'll write up some quick reviews of the movies I've seen so far, as well as previews of the movies I haven't yet watched.

Reviews of What I've Seen

June 6th

Edge of Tomorrow: An officer is caught in a time loop while at war with an alien race. His skills increase as he faces the same brutal combat scenarios and his union with a Special Forces warrior brings them closer to victory.

Opening Weekend: $28.8 million
Rotten Tomatoes: 90%
Trailer here.

Review: Tom Cruise jumped on a couch once, had a couple divorces, and has a different religion than you. Why they hell that matters to anyone I don't know, but for some reason people have decided they don't like one of the best actors of our time and, unfortunately, many of his recent films have not received the box-office numbers they deserve. I'd like to point your attention above to the relatively weak opening gross for Edge of Tomorrow compared to its astoundingly high Rotten Tomatoes score as proof of this premise. Do not let this inventive, engrossing, and thoroughly entertaining film - one of the best of the summer - slip past you unseen.
The Final Word: 3.5/4 - Go buy a ticket.

2014 Summer Movie Reviews May

I'm finally done with the biggest chunk of my summer grad school work! It didn't allow me time to write reviews, but I did still manage to see most of the movies so far this summer. So in the next few posts I'll write up some quick reviews of the movies I've seen so far, as well as previews of the movies I haven't yet watched.

Reviews of What I've Seen:

May 2nd

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 - Peter Parker runs the gauntlet as the mysterious company Oscorp sends up a slew of super villains against him, impacting his life.

Opening Weekend: $91.6 million

Rotten Tomatoes: 53%

Trailer here.

Review: The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is another reboot that fails to live up to previous works, held back by writing, directing, and acting that makes it feel more like a 90's Batman film. The chemistry between the two leading characters, however, make the film bearable. Full review here.

The Final Word: 2/4 - Wait to rent it.

Okay...

Review: The Fault in Our Stars

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"Men at some time are masters of their fates.
The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,
But in ourselves..."

So says Cassius in the famous line from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. The lesson he imparts on the conflicted Brutus is that we have the ability, and in fact the responsibility, to reclaim our lives from a destiny written in the stars and instead forge our own fortunes; that a life worth living is not bestowed by providence, but pursued by those who have the courage to do so.

In The Fault in Our Stars, Gus thinks this way also and, just as Cassius passes this mindset on to Brutus, so Gus is inspired to share his worldview with Hazel. Both Gus and Hazel are victims of cancer - Gus is a survivor, minus one leg, while Hazel remains in the midst of her battle - and, despite being too tragically young to have to do so, both are forced to deal with notions of life and death and destiny as normal parts of their day-to-day existence.