The Usual Suspects

Spellbinding all the way from the nail-biting script, to Kevin Spacey's captivating performance, to a twist that pulls no punches.

4/4

A Most Violent Year

Similar to Whiplash, A Most Violent Year is a movie about the great American dream; to become successful, and the less then beautiful things we have to do to achieve it.

Oscar Isaac & Jessica Chastain were completely screwed out of Oscar nominations for this movie, they're spellbinding. Both actors ooze such a fire in their performances in a completely different way. The couple resembles a volcano; Isaac as the firm, steady base with the capability to explode but still a way to go before it, Chastain is the tip of the volcano, oozing such a flame you better stay away.

What's so great about the writing is how authentic it feels. Neither character is a bad person which makes their behavior feel more realistic, good people are capable of the worst things. Every scene keeps the viewer on the edge of their seat, like a horror movie, you're constantly expecting the worst to happen. 

From the beautiful imagery, to the top notch performances, to the terrific script, A Most Violent Year is a most stellar movie.

4/4

Whiplash

There's something consistently pounding watching Whiplash and it's not Andrew on the drums; it's your heart racing faster and faster as you're consistently astounded by the amount of tension in a movie that's practically bloodless (with the exception of a brutal training).

What's so fascinating watching Whiplash is the dynamic between Andrew (Miles Teller) and Fletcher (J.K Simmons) is that the movie really never gives you a clear Black and White answer over who is good and who is evil. Is Andrew doing the right thing by pushing himself to the maximum limit to achieve his dream? Or is he foolish, allowing himself to go down a path of blocking out everything and everyone else just to succeed? Is Fletcher just an asshole who pushes people to the utmost extreme? Or is he someone that wants his students to achieve and knows how to push them to get to that point of perfection? Both actors are at the top of their game and their scenes never register as any less then dynamic.

Watching Whiplash is nothing less then inspirational; inspiration to achieve your dreams even when they feel a million miles away, and inspiration that movies out there still have the power to get inside our heads like this one does.

4/4

Fifty Shades of Grey

Beat me. Considering the hot mess that the novel is, the movie really should have been a lot worse then it was.

One of the movie's biggest strengths in the early scenes is its sense of restraint. There's restraint watching Anastasia (Dakota Johnson) and Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan) that's apparent through the performances and the script. The scenes of the characters using their words to entice the other are far more sexually appealing then later scenes when the clothes come off. 

I've read complaints that the actors lack chemistry but in a way I feel like that works here. These two characters are far from a match made in Heaven so the restraint feels genuine as you're watching two people lose control; whether it be in a physical way from her, or on a mental way from him.

It's a shame that once the action starts, the fun stops. I can't imagine anyone finding these sex scenes appealing as everything comes off so ridiculously forced and contrived you would swear you're watching a production as opposed to anything feeling genuine. The later scenes also struggle with really advancing the characters, as their developments seem to drive in circles, making the conflicts feel stilted and repetitive. Still, there is something about this franchise that leaves me wanting more.

2/4

Guardians of the Galaxy

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The galaxy is the limit for how inventive and energetic Guardians is from start to finish.

3/4

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

In the end, it's hard to make apes that fascinating especially when you feel like the movie was written by one.

2/4

Nymphomaniac Vol. II

All pun intended, but this entry just feels completely limp and stiff at the same time. All the tension, all the intrigue and fascination into watching Joe's sexual tale unfold on screen has no been reduced to a deflated balloon. I feel like the problem is that Joe's younger self is more interesting then her older self. Granted, Charlotte Rampling is great as the title character, you totally believe her in every scene, the problem is, what you're believing just doesn't feel that fascinating. Everything including an odd, misguided and terribly unmoving scene with Jamie Bell as her dominant just feels like punishment to watch. Add in an ending that ties up the story about as well as a shoelace on the Titanic, and you have something that just felt like a big tease that lead you on to nothing.

1/4