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.
The Fault in Our Stars: Gus and Hazel's sweeping romance is all the more miraculous given that Hazel's other constant companion is an oxygen tank, Gus jokes about his prosthetic leg, and they met and fell in love at a cancer support group.
Opening Weekend: $48 million
Rotten Tomatoes: 80%
Trailer here.
Review: The movie certainly picks up in a stirring climax which delivers delivers both strong performances and genuine emotional weight, but even the epilogue is a somewhat drawn out endeavor, as if the filmmakers themselves weren't sure how to cope with finality. Yet in being neither overwhelming nor underwhelming, The Fault in Our Stars reveals itself to be an authentic portrayal of love and loss. Full review here.
The Final Word: 3/4 - Go buy a matinee ticket.
June 13th
22 Jump Street: After making their way through high school (twice), big changes are in store for officers Schmidt and Jenko when they go deep undercover at a local college.
Opening Weekend: $57.1 million
Rotten Tomatoes: 85%
Trailer here.
Review: Two years ago, 21 Jump Street found itself among my Top 10 Movies of 2012. 22 Jump Street is a very solid follow-up, if not quite as inventive as the original. Schmidt and Jenko go through many of the same motions from the first film, which allows them to parody sequels trying to exactly copy their predecessor. Yet 22 can get a little too caught up in being self-aware at times and forgets that it should be able to stand on its own as well, ironically a frequent fault in the movie sequels that 22 critiques. It's still hilarious, however, and just as funny in a second viewing.
The Final Word: 3.5/4 - Go buy a ticket
How to Train Your Dragon 2: When Hiccup and Toothless discover an ice cave that is home to hundreds of new wild dragons and the mysterious Dragon Rider, the two friends find themselves at the center of a battle to protect the peace.
Opening Weekend: $49.4 million
Rotten Tomatoes: 91%
Trailer here.
Review: You may not be as likely to cry in How to Train Your Dragon 2, like the first film made many tear up, but the second outing of Hiccup and Toothless is still vibrant and engaging. It's got a few pacing issues and Hiccup's relationship with Astrid is put on the back-burner in favor of new character developments, but Dragon 2 is a self-sustaining sequel that is filled with vivid imagery and exciting aerial adventures and refuses to shy away from an emotional maturity typically reserved for Pixar films (well, the 10 good Pixar films).
The Final Word: 3/4 - Go buy a matinee ticket.
The Signal: On a road trip, Nic and two friends are drawn to an isolated area by a computer genius. When everything suddenly goes dark, Nic regains consciousness - only to find himself in a waking nightmare.
Opening Weekend: $155,642
Rotten Tomatoes: 56%
Trailer here.
Review: Following a possible alien encounter, Nic awakes in a mysterious underground facility, beginning a promising sci-fi plot with a couple very inventive twists coming a bit later in the film. Unfortunately, for all its creative potential, The Signal largely fails in its execution of its ideas, lacking a better paced, more finely tuned story. It could have been the next District 9 in both originality and technical prowess, but instead gets tangled up in its own needless web of attempted complexity instead of focusing on character development and questioning what it means to be human.
The Final Word: 1/4 - Maybe catch it on tv if you're bored.
June 20th
Jersey Boys: The story of four young men from the wrong side of the tracks in New Jersey who came together to form the iconic 1960s rock group The Four Seasons.
Opening Weekend: $13.3 million
Rotten Tomatoes: 54%
Trailer here.
Review: Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons revolutionized the music industry, providing a cornerstone for almost all subsequent rock and pop music to follow them. The story of how the group came to be is invariably interesting, yet it is the music, not the men, who truly transcend the decades. This is where I take issue with director Clint Eastwood's adaptation of the hit musical Jersey Boys. The film is a decent drama between characters, but I wanted Jersey Boys to go beyond the typical musician biopic and truly celebrate the music in the way I'm sure the Broadway version does. Eastwood's film lacks the joy of musical ballyhoo and doesn't give us an accurate feel for what it would have been like to live in those moments.
The Final Word: 2/4 - Wait to rent it.
The Rover: Ten years after a global economic collapse, a hardened loner pursues the men who stole his only possession, his car. Along the way, he captures one of the thieves' brother, and the duo form an uneasy bond during the dangerous journey.
Opening Weekend: $69,302
Rotten Tomatoes: 65%
Trailer here.
Review: There's a scene in The Rover in which the two main characters watch a passing train. In a world lacking rule of law and basic infrastructure, this is an uncommon sight. But without knowing where the train is going, the characters don't pay it much mind. As a film, The Rover is similarly interesting for its unconventional stylings, but equally wearisome for its aimlessness. It's a brooding film that you definitely need to be in the mood for, but good enough if it catches you in the right moment.
The Final Word: 1/4 - Maybe catch it on tv if you're bored.
Transformers: Age of Extinction: An automobile mechanic and his daughter make a discovery that brings the Autobots - and a paranoid government official - down on them.
Opening Weekend: $100 million
Rotten Tomatoes: 17%
Trailer here.
Review: For the sake of any cinematic taste left in the world, please, I'm begging you, stop encouraging Hollywood to make such vapid drivel like Transformers 4 by giving your money to this franchise when it would be better spent on literally anything else. The fourth film is louder, longer, and more nonsensical than even it's predecessors, and that's saying a lot. The fact that this movie might be the biggest of the summer is almost enough to make me cry. On the other hand, a good laugh can be found reading other reviews on the film's Rotten Tomatoes page. (Here's a hint: People hate it and are hilariously unafraid to show their disdain.)
The Final Word: 0/4 - Take a stand against the worst in mainstream entertainment and demand better from the industry. Avoid at all costs.
Previews of What I Haven't Seen
June 6th
Obvious Child: A twenty-something comedienne's unplanned pregnancy forces her to confront the realities of independent womanhood for the first time.
Opening Weekend: $77,315
Rotten Tomatoes: 88%
Trailer here.
The Sacrament: A news-team trails a man as he travels to an undisclosed location to find his missing sister. Upon entering "Eden Parish" and meeting the community's leader, it becomes apparent to the newcomers that this paradise may not be as it seems.
Opening Weekend: $583
Rotten Tomatoes: 64%
Trailer here.
June 13th
All Cheerleaders Die: A rebel girl signs up a group of cheerleaders to help her take down the captain of their high school football team, but a supernatural turn of events thrusts the girls into a different battle.
Opening Weekend: n/a
Rotten Tomatoes: 48%
Trailer here.
Hellion: When motocross-obsessed thirteen-year-old Jacob's increasing delinquent behavior separates him from his brother, Jacob and his emotionally absent father, Hollis, must finally take responsibility for their actions and for each other in order to reunite their family.
Opening Weekend: $7,601
Rotten Tomatoes: 61%
Trailer here.
Policeman: A member of an Israeli anti-terrorist unit clashes with a group of young radicals.
Opening Weekend: $7,379
Rotten Tomatoes: 69%
Trailer here.
June 20th
Think Like a Man Too: All the couples are back for a wedding in Las Vegas, but plans for a romantic weekend go awry when their various misadventures get them into some compromising situations that threaten to derail the big event.
Opening Weekend: $29.2 million
Rotten Tomatoes: 24%
Trailer here.
Third Person: Three interlocking love stories involving three couples in three cities: Rome, Paris, and New York.
Opening Weekend: $38,856
Rotten Tomatoes: 20%
Trailer here.
Venus in Fur: An actress attempts to convince a director how she's perfect for a role in his upcoming production.
Opening Weekend: $24,761
Rotten Tomatoes: 89%
Trailer here.
June 25th
Yves Saint Laurent: A look at the life of French designer Yves Saint Laurent from the beginning of his career in 1958 when he met his lover and business partner, Pierre Berge.
Opening Weekend: $24,500
Rotten Tomatoes: 45%
Trailer here.
June 27th
Drones: Two soldiers are tasked with deciding the fate of a terrorist with a single push of a button. With time running out, the soldiers begin to question what the real motives are behind the ordered lethal attack.
June 6th
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.
Opening Weekend: $48 million
Rotten Tomatoes: 80%
Trailer here.
Review: The movie certainly picks up in a stirring climax which delivers delivers both strong performances and genuine emotional weight, but even the epilogue is a somewhat drawn out endeavor, as if the filmmakers themselves weren't sure how to cope with finality. Yet in being neither overwhelming nor underwhelming, The Fault in Our Stars reveals itself to be an authentic portrayal of love and loss. Full review here.
The Final Word: 3/4 - Go buy a matinee ticket.
June 13th
Opening Weekend: $57.1 million
Rotten Tomatoes: 85%
Trailer here.
Review: Two years ago, 21 Jump Street found itself among my Top 10 Movies of 2012. 22 Jump Street is a very solid follow-up, if not quite as inventive as the original. Schmidt and Jenko go through many of the same motions from the first film, which allows them to parody sequels trying to exactly copy their predecessor. Yet 22 can get a little too caught up in being self-aware at times and forgets that it should be able to stand on its own as well, ironically a frequent fault in the movie sequels that 22 critiques. It's still hilarious, however, and just as funny in a second viewing.
The Final Word: 3.5/4 - Go buy a ticket
Opening Weekend: $49.4 million
Rotten Tomatoes: 91%
Trailer here.
Review: You may not be as likely to cry in How to Train Your Dragon 2, like the first film made many tear up, but the second outing of Hiccup and Toothless is still vibrant and engaging. It's got a few pacing issues and Hiccup's relationship with Astrid is put on the back-burner in favor of new character developments, but Dragon 2 is a self-sustaining sequel that is filled with vivid imagery and exciting aerial adventures and refuses to shy away from an emotional maturity typically reserved for Pixar films (well, the 10 good Pixar films).
The Final Word: 3/4 - Go buy a matinee ticket.
Opening Weekend: $155,642
Rotten Tomatoes: 56%
Trailer here.
Review: Following a possible alien encounter, Nic awakes in a mysterious underground facility, beginning a promising sci-fi plot with a couple very inventive twists coming a bit later in the film. Unfortunately, for all its creative potential, The Signal largely fails in its execution of its ideas, lacking a better paced, more finely tuned story. It could have been the next District 9 in both originality and technical prowess, but instead gets tangled up in its own needless web of attempted complexity instead of focusing on character development and questioning what it means to be human.
The Final Word: 1/4 - Maybe catch it on tv if you're bored.
June 20th
Opening Weekend: $13.3 million
Rotten Tomatoes: 54%
Trailer here.
Review: Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons revolutionized the music industry, providing a cornerstone for almost all subsequent rock and pop music to follow them. The story of how the group came to be is invariably interesting, yet it is the music, not the men, who truly transcend the decades. This is where I take issue with director Clint Eastwood's adaptation of the hit musical Jersey Boys. The film is a decent drama between characters, but I wanted Jersey Boys to go beyond the typical musician biopic and truly celebrate the music in the way I'm sure the Broadway version does. Eastwood's film lacks the joy of musical ballyhoo and doesn't give us an accurate feel for what it would have been like to live in those moments.
The Final Word: 2/4 - Wait to rent it.
Opening Weekend: $69,302
Rotten Tomatoes: 65%
Trailer here.
Review: There's a scene in The Rover in which the two main characters watch a passing train. In a world lacking rule of law and basic infrastructure, this is an uncommon sight. But without knowing where the train is going, the characters don't pay it much mind. As a film, The Rover is similarly interesting for its unconventional stylings, but equally wearisome for its aimlessness. It's a brooding film that you definitely need to be in the mood for, but good enough if it catches you in the right moment.
The Final Word: 1/4 - Maybe catch it on tv if you're bored.
June 27th
Snowpiercer: In a post-apocalyptic future, a lucky few survive aboard the Snowpiercer, a train that travels around the globe, as a class system begins to evolve.
Opening Weekend: $1.5 million
Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
Review: Released a year ago in South Korea and a few other international territories, Snowpiercer was only recently in America - and only in a little over 150 theaters at that - because of writer/director Joon-ho Bong's refusal to make significant cuts demanded by U.S. studios. I'm glad Bong held his ground, even if it makes the film harder to find and watch, because the film is outstanding as it is in original form. Based on the French graphic novel Le Transperceneige, Snowpiercer is a rather simple action-driven film, reminiscent of classic science fiction movies. The battles that ensue as lower-class passengers attempt to fight their way toward control of the engine are as exciting and innovative as the characters are intriguing. Chris Evans (Captain America) is a wholly capable lead whose monologue in the closing scenes is an accomplishment in itself. Surrounded with an astoundingly talented cast (John Hurt, Octavia Spencer, Tilda Swinton, Jamie Bell, Ed Harris), Evans leads both passengers and audiences on a journey of mystery and adrenaline that leads with an incredible introductory first-half and an admittedly less succinct, but still pretty good conclusion.
The Final Word: 3.5/4 - Go buy a ticket.
Opening Weekend: $1.5 million
Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
Review: Released a year ago in South Korea and a few other international territories, Snowpiercer was only recently in America - and only in a little over 150 theaters at that - because of writer/director Joon-ho Bong's refusal to make significant cuts demanded by U.S. studios. I'm glad Bong held his ground, even if it makes the film harder to find and watch, because the film is outstanding as it is in original form. Based on the French graphic novel Le Transperceneige, Snowpiercer is a rather simple action-driven film, reminiscent of classic science fiction movies. The battles that ensue as lower-class passengers attempt to fight their way toward control of the engine are as exciting and innovative as the characters are intriguing. Chris Evans (Captain America) is a wholly capable lead whose monologue in the closing scenes is an accomplishment in itself. Surrounded with an astoundingly talented cast (John Hurt, Octavia Spencer, Tilda Swinton, Jamie Bell, Ed Harris), Evans leads both passengers and audiences on a journey of mystery and adrenaline that leads with an incredible introductory first-half and an admittedly less succinct, but still pretty good conclusion.
The Final Word: 3.5/4 - Go buy a ticket.
Opening Weekend: $100 million
Rotten Tomatoes: 17%
Trailer here.
Review: For the sake of any cinematic taste left in the world, please, I'm begging you, stop encouraging Hollywood to make such vapid drivel like Transformers 4 by giving your money to this franchise when it would be better spent on literally anything else. The fourth film is louder, longer, and more nonsensical than even it's predecessors, and that's saying a lot. The fact that this movie might be the biggest of the summer is almost enough to make me cry. On the other hand, a good laugh can be found reading other reviews on the film's Rotten Tomatoes page. (Here's a hint: People hate it and are hilariously unafraid to show their disdain.)
The Final Word: 0/4 - Take a stand against the worst in mainstream entertainment and demand better from the industry. Avoid at all costs.
Previews of What I Haven't Seen
June 6th
Opening Weekend: $77,315
Rotten Tomatoes: 88%
Trailer here.
The Sacrament: A news-team trails a man as he travels to an undisclosed location to find his missing sister. Upon entering "Eden Parish" and meeting the community's leader, it becomes apparent to the newcomers that this paradise may not be as it seems.
Opening Weekend: $583
Rotten Tomatoes: 64%
Trailer here.
June 13th
All Cheerleaders Die: A rebel girl signs up a group of cheerleaders to help her take down the captain of their high school football team, but a supernatural turn of events thrusts the girls into a different battle.
Opening Weekend: n/a
Rotten Tomatoes: 48%
Trailer here.
Opening Weekend: $7,601
Rotten Tomatoes: 61%
Trailer here.
Policeman: A member of an Israeli anti-terrorist unit clashes with a group of young radicals.
Opening Weekend: $7,379
Rotten Tomatoes: 69%
Trailer here.
June 20th
Think Like a Man Too: All the couples are back for a wedding in Las Vegas, but plans for a romantic weekend go awry when their various misadventures get them into some compromising situations that threaten to derail the big event.
Opening Weekend: $29.2 million
Rotten Tomatoes: 24%
Trailer here.
Opening Weekend: $38,856
Rotten Tomatoes: 20%
Trailer here.
Venus in Fur: An actress attempts to convince a director how she's perfect for a role in his upcoming production.
Opening Weekend: $24,761
Rotten Tomatoes: 89%
Trailer here.
June 25th
Yves Saint Laurent: A look at the life of French designer Yves Saint Laurent from the beginning of his career in 1958 when he met his lover and business partner, Pierre Berge.
Opening Weekend: $24,500
Rotten Tomatoes: 45%
Trailer here.
June 27th
They Came Together: When Joel and Molly meet, it's hate at first sight: his big Corporate Candy Company threatens to shut down her quirky indie shop. Plus, Joel is hung up on his sexy ex. But amazingly, they fall in love, until they break up about two thirds of the way through, and Molly starts dating her accountant. But then right at the end...well you'll just have to see. (Hint: Joel makes a big speech and they get back together.)
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