Ex Machina

GENERAL INFORMATION
Release Info: Theatrical Debut 24 April 2015
Running Time: 108 Minutes
Starring: Domhnall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac, Alicia Vikander,
Rating: R
SPOILERS? NO WAY! You need to see this one for yourself!

REVIEWS
IMDB: 7.8 of 10 Link
Rotten Tomatoes: Critics: 91% Audience: 87% Link
MY RATING: 10 fo 10! Perfection!

MY REVIEW:
I am not going to say too much about this movie and do not want to ruin it for anyone.

I describe this movie as Kubrickesque. That's the only description that even makes sense in my head! Painstaking perfection in every detail. Ultimate care in each scene to make every angle a work of art. The quiet dialogue between the characters is beautifully unsettling. There are so many feels that this film gave me during the short 108 minutes that I left the theater with a sense of awe.

See this movie! See it now! You will be amazed by every piece of visual art.

Unfriended

GENERAL INFORMATION

Release Info: 17 April 2015

Director: Levan Gabriadze
Writer: Nelson Greaves
Running Time: 83 Minutes

Staring:  Heather Sossaman, Matthew Bohrer and Courtney Halverson

Rating? R

SPOILERS? YES

REVIEWS

IMDB: 5.9 of 10

MY RATING: 1, only because my ranking doesn't go to below 0!

STORYLINE

A group of online chat room friends find themselves haunted by a mysterious, supernatural force using the accent of their dead friend.

MY REVIEW

I love a good horror movie. They generally don't scare me, but I love the adrenaline and the surprising bits that make you jump in your seat.

If I had known that this entire film would be "as seen through the eyes of a Skype" screen cast, I would have likely bowed out gracefully and went along my merry way. I did not. I paid, well, we paid our $12 each to sit in a lovely theater and watch this hot pile of garbage!

What I DID LIKE about this movie:

• This would have made a damn good movie idea if only written/directed by someone who knew what the hell they were doing!!
• The idea of using social media as a catalyst to propel the point of the movie was interesting. It's about someone putting a not so flattering video of a girl online and then she kills herself. That in itself gave it the one and only reason that I actually decided to do this review!

What I DID NOT LIKE about this movie:

• This is NOT a HORROR film!
• The characters were no where near cultivated and interesting. That IS the one piece in horror that MUST be correct. There has to be at least one person who is redeemable. To make that, you have to have empathy for them. This was not the case. There was no empathy built for these group of idiots at all. I could care less if they all died. I would have rather had them all die in the first scene so I could get my night back!

On a more personal note..... Got some awesome selfie time with my little Isabella. Terry and I drove to Newport News and I played Plants vs. Zombies and finally, Jinxie sat and watched Avatar for like 20 minutes.

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It Follows

GENERAL INFORMATION
Release Info: Theatrical Debut 27 March 2015
Running Time: 100 Minutes
Staring:  Maika Monroe, Keir Gilchrist, etc.
Rating? R
SPOILERS? NO

REVIEWS
IMDB: 7.0 of 10 Link
Rotten Tomatoes: Critics: 96% Audience: 66% Link
MY RATING: 8 of 10

The STORY:

For nineteen-year-old Jay, Autumn should be about school, boys and week-ends out at the lake. But after a seemingly innocent sexual encounter, she finds herself plagued by strange visions and the inescapable sense that someone, something, is following her. Faced with this burden, Jay and her friends must find a way to escape the horrors, that seem to be only a few steps behind

MY REVIEW:
This was surprising. I wasn't expecting much based on the movies these days and whats passing for a scary movie. THIS was a movie, finally, that seemed to be made for fans of the horror genre. Let's just say, YOU SHOULD SEE THIS MOVIE!! The right pieces fit together in the perfect way!

What I loved:

1. Very light on the jump-scares. I typically enjoy those, but this movie was good without a ton. It was psychological.
2. Music and Atmosphere was absolutely perfect! Outstanding cinematography.
3. Simple plot that seemed unique.. an odd game of tag with some twisted ruled and disturbing consequesces.
4. The seventies-esque feel is remarkably fitting and the dialog is simple and heavy synthetic music is deeply relevant to the movie.
5. The ending was spot on!! 

What wasn't sold on:

1. The actors. I am not sure if it wasn't a directorial choice to go with this calibre of actor. All were decent, but not great. I do think they were able to sell the story. Typical teens doing typical teen things with emotion kind of off center.

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Evita

GENERAL INFORMATION
Staring:  The Governors School for the Arts Musical Theater Department
Rating? Unrated
SPOILERS? NO

REVIEWS
MY RATING: 10

MY REVIEW:

This was a performance put on by the Governor's School for the Arts Musical Theater Department. (http://www.gsarts.net)

Just knowing that some of these students were younger than 15 and performing a wonderful story such as Evita with the fervor and thoughtfulness was the most amazing. These high school students were absolutely amazing in telling the story of Evita Peron.

Originally, an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, it tells the story of a young Argentine woman's early life, rise to power, charity work and eventual death.

The staging was a work of art and the acting/singing was well above par. I was lucky to have been able to see this wonderful musical!

The Lazarus Effect

GENERAL INFORMATION
Release Info: Theatrical Debut 27 Feb 2015
Running Time: 83 Minutes
Staring: Mark Duplass, Olivia Wilde, etc
Rating? R
SPOILERS? YES. Whatever though, you're not gonna want to see it anyway!

REVIEWS
IMDB: 5.2 of 10 Link
Rotten Tomatoes: Critics: 13% Audience: 25% Link
MY RATING: 3 of 10


MY REVIEW:
I so wanted this to be an awesome movie. I did. I gave it the old college try. Serious fail!

It was the typical scary "new Hollywood" movie with lackluster scares and all too common horror movie happenings. Everything that was meant to make the crowd jump was so foreshadowed that each thing was just too much! There were no surprises.

Take a few movies from the past and string them together and you're gonna get this movie. It was like one of those mad-libs with plot ideas and character development.  Cheap and gimmicky.

If you'd rather see a decent scary movie with the same general idea, go watch Flatliners from 1990.. at least that has Kevin Bacon and Keifer Sutherland!

Project Almanac

GENERAL INFORMATION
Release Info: Theatrical Debut 30 Jan 2015
Running Time: 106 Minutes
Staring:  Jonny Weston, Sofia Black-D'Elia, Sam Lerner, Allen Evangelists, etc.
Rating? PG-13
SPOILERS? Yes-ish

REVIEWS
IMDB: 6.3 of 10
Rotten Tomatoes: Critics: 34% Audience: 47%
MY RATING: 4 of 10.



MY REVIEW:
I am NOT a fan of shaky-cam style of filmmaking. I for one find myself getting angry that the motion is just too obviously shaky. Seriously, just pay someone to hold the camera still!!

This movie had great POTENTIAL to be amazing with the subject matter.  For me, there were way too many plot sidesteps that always lost me interest.

I'm gonna put on my old-woman hat and ask the real question that was going through my mind the whole time. WHERE WERE THEIR PARENTS? Seriously!!

So, yes, this is about a bunch of super-smart kids building a time machine with a Prius and a metric ton of car batteries. That being said, the first thing they say is that going back in time is not about money, but the first thing they do is go and win the lottery? Really? I guess so, since they are kids. They say they want to make a change to better mankind. What to they do? They go to a concert, skip school, pass failed tests, get a girlfriend, etc.

Just not enough to redeem this movie. 4 is the highest that I can go.

American Sniper

GENERAL INFORMATION
Release Info: 16 Jan 2015
Running Time: 133 Minutes
Staring:  Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller, etc.
Rating? R
SPOILERS? NO

REVIEWS
IMDB: 7.4 of 10 Link
Rotten Tomatoes: Critics: 73% Audience: 86% Link

MY RATING: 8 of 10

MY REVIEW:
I give the movie an 8. The MOVIE. Bradley Cooper does an amazing job of playing deceased Navy Seal Chris Kyle. This may be the single greatest role that I have ever seen him take on. The "war" scenes feel true and real and really show the "dirty" side of war to the masses who have never seen the military life. This movie was well written, well acted, and emotional. I can remember a few times sitting in the theater that I realized I was gripping the arms of my seat so hard that my fingertips were falling asleep.

I am not addressing any controversy surrounding Chris Kyle in this post. The man served his country and is due his reverence for doing so.

Into the Woods

GENERAL INFORMATION
Release Info: 25 Dec 2014
Running Time: 125 Minutes
Staring:  Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, Anna Kendrick, Chris Pine, Johnny Depp...etc
Rating? PG
SPOILERS? NO

REVIEWS
IMDB: 6 of 10
Rotten Tomatoes: Critics: 71% Audience: 50%
MY RATING: 3 of 10. 
Maybe drunk.

MY REVIEW:
Truth- I gave in and vacated the theater with 20 minutes left in the film.

This was just painful! I felt like I was sitting in there for 10 hours. I kept looking down at my watch thinking that it was at least 3 hours since I looked last, but NOOOO! Ten Minutes!

So, this is based on a Broadway PLAY. Someone made a Broadway play into a MUSICAL. I like musicals, and I knew what I was getting into when I went. Not one real memorable song!

Johnny Depp is a pedophile wolf, well he's Jack Sparrow dressed as a wolf playing a pedophile. Weird sexual undertones, weird sexual encounters with the Bakers Wife... Not really fully understanding wha the hell was the point of this movie.



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This is my disappointed face:)

The Imitation Game

GENERAL INFORMATION
Release Info: 25 Dec 2014
Running Time: 114 Minutes
Staring:  Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightly, Matthew Goode...
Rating? PG-13
SPOILERS? YES

REVIEWS
IMDB: 8.1 of 10
Rotten Tomatoes: Critics: 89% Audience: 92%
MY RATING: 10 of 10! Perfection!

MY REVIEW:
X\As a student of History, I've come across the name Alan Turing on multiple occasions and with each one, I am saddened to hear of the atrocities done to him. {Read about him here at Biography.com} I had to wipe the tears away more than once in this movie.

Back to the movie, it was a masterpiece. The story of the Enigma has been told a few times.. {Enigma-2001, All the Queen's Men- 2001 and U-571-2000}  Alan Turing was brilliant and Benedict Cumberbatch plays him to perfection.

This film speaks to the early days when Prof. Turing was recruited as a last resort to end the war. The movie spends the majority of the time watching him crack the code and build a special relationship with Joan Clarke, played by Keira Knightly. It was in Turing's brilliance that the code was cracked and then the second act hits like a bomb as you see Turing exposed as a homosexual and at the time, it was a crime in England and he was rewarded for his efforts to save England and all of the other Allies with Chemical Castration in lieu of prison. The film ends with what those of us who know about Turing was the end of something amazing.

See this movie. I cannot give a strong enough reccomendation!

The Interview

GENERAL INFORMATION
Release Info: 24 Dec 2014
Running Time: 112 Minutes
Staring:  James Franco, Seth Rogan, etc..
Rating? R
SPOILERS? YES, but it's not like you should watch it anyway!

REVIEWS
IMDB: 6.7 of 10
Rotten Tomatoes: Critics: 52% Audience: 49%
MY RATING: 3 of 10. Watch it Drunk.

MY REVIEW:
And after all of the controversy, the hacks, the threats, the ridiculousness, I watched this.  Turns out that it's a horrible piece of poop! It's nothing more than a C level attempt at a drunk or high group of man-boys to lengthen a SNL Sketch. FAIL!

This was predictable garbage.  Throughout the whole thing, I kept wondering what I was missing.  Best line of the whole movie.. "He's motherf***ing peanut butter and jealous."

Waste of my time.