Day 309: Doctor Strange (2016)

2016 has truly been the year of the superhero and I am glad that I have been able to share this year with all of you on here. That is why I am happy to share the last superhero film of 2016 with all of you. Ever since the announcement of Doctor Strange to the big screen, I could wait to see it and now it’s today’s film. Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) could be considered one of the best surgeons in the world and he definitely knows it. One day while on his way to accept an award, he ends up getting in a car accident and he loses the ability to fully use his hands. After exhausting every option possible, he heads out to Kathmandu to learn to heal himself through magic thanks to the teachings of the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton). Not to far into the future, his teachings are put to the test when an old protege Kaecilius (Mads Mikkelsen) comes back to destroy the world we know to allow a more sinister being in. The film also stars Rachel McAdams (Spotlight) as Christine Palmer, Chiwetelu Ejiofor (American Gangster) as Mordo, Benedict Wong (Moon) as Wong, Michael Stuhlbarg (Boardwalk Empire) as Dr. Nicodemus West, Benjamin Bratt (Traffic) as Jonathan Pangborn, and the film was directed by Scott Derrickson (Sinister). 

Spoiler Alert: There may be information contained in this Article that could potentially spoil the plot of the film so continue with caution or do not read any further if you do not want to know. I think that when Marvel/Disney tries something new that maybe not everyone in the world knows about, it becomes a hit. I definitely feel that it’s going to certainly be the case for this film which was just absolutely amazing from beginning to end. I saw somebody described the film like looking through a Kaleidoscope and that is partly true with the buildings bending and turning like gears in a machine right before your very eyes. The film is absolutely visually stunning and captivating as you watch in awe with what the cinematographer and the editors of the film gave you. It’s a trip into a zone that Marvel has never been on before and I love it and want more of it. Benedict Cumberbatch is just absolutely amazing, funny, and witty in the film and I cannot wait for more films with him in it. Mads Mikkelsen does an amazing job playing a villain who is so obsessed with the idea of immortality that he sold out his own realm for it. One of the coolest sequences in the film that is off the hook is when Doctor Strange is trying to turn back time so he travels into the dark dimension to visit Dormammu. What happens next is just visual Ecstasy and you have to just soak it in. The film has everything you would want from a Marvel movie, it’s visually stunning, it has a great story, it has those funny moments we love, and it has some kick ass action. What are you waiting for? Go out and see it already! I think this film gives Deadpool a serious shot at the number one spot in my book cause it gets an A+ for a final grade.

Day 258: The Imitation Game (2014)

The past couple of days have all been about watching films that I have wanted to see either from my interest or from suggestions from other people. The film I chose for today is also based on a true story and it’s called The Imitation Game. The film stars Benedict Cumberbatch (Star Trek Into Darkness) as the very eccentric and smart mathematician Alan Turing. During World War II, the Germans were sending very hard to break coded messages that was called The Enigma.The British Government was desperate to try and figure out what the messages are so they hired Alan and other mathematicians to try and break the codes by building a machien that can do so. That is not his only issue as the biggest secret he is trying to keep may become exposed and it could ruin everything he has worked for.  The film also stars Keira Knightley (Pride & Prejudice) as Joan Clarke, Matthew Goode (Match Point) as Hugh Alexander, Rory Kinnear (Skyfall) as Det. Nock, Allen Leech (Grand Piano) as John Cairncross, Matthew Beard (Chatroom) as Peter Hilton, Charles Dance (Last Action Hero) as Commander Denniston, Mark Strong (Sherlock Holmes) as Stewart Menzies, James Northcote (Nymphomaniac: Vol. I) as Jack Good, and the film was directed by Morten Tyldum (Buddy). 

The movie is listed on IMDB as a thriller and I kind of don’t see that as much as I see drama and biography. I honestly believe that you have to be a fan of either World War II related stuff or a fan of Benedict Cumberbatch (which I am of both) in order to like this movie. Anyways, I didn’t really see too many thrills in the film unless you count them trying to decode messages as thrilling. The one thing you’ll find about this film is that people can be cruel and misunderstanding of those that are different. Alan had to live with a dark secret and was eventually punished in England for it. Now I wanted to look up what was fact or fiction about this film and there seems to be a lot of civil liberties that were taken by the writers of this film. For one, he is not the man who invented the computer like the film suggests, but rather it was invented by Polish men. He was also openly gay according to the site whereas the film has him very secretive about it. To read more fact vs fiction about the film, please click here. Benedict Cumberbatch was masterful as always in the film and so was Keira Knightley which is something I haven’t said too often. I am a huge fan of World War II films, but this one wasn’t exactly my favorite. I did enjoy it, but it does drag a little but for my liking.This is definitely a film for actors because you have to love the ones that are in it. That is why I am going to give the film an A-/B+somewhere in there for a final grade.

Day 172: Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)

For today’s film, I wanted to pay tribute to Anton Yelchin (Alpha Dog) who recently passed away by checking out one of his films that I hadn’t seen yet. Of course that film that I chose for today is Star Trek Into Darkness. In this latest edition, Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) finds himself without a ship and a crew due to a mission gone wrong. One day when Kirk and his Captain Pike (Bruce Greenwood) are being briefed about a recent attack, they too are attacked by a strange man who possess uncanny powers and strength. Kirk is then sent on a mission to recover the one man wrecking crew named Khan (Benedict Cumberbatch) before he destroys the whole entire world as we know it. The film also stars Karl Urban (Dredd) as Bones, Simon Pegg (Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation) as Scotty, John Cho (Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle) as Sulu, Anton Yelchin as Chekov, Zoë Saldana (Guardians Of The Galaxy) as Uhura, Peter Weller (RoboCop) as Marcus, Alice Eve (She’s Out Of My League) as Carol, Deep Roy (Charlie and The Chocolate Factory) as Keenser, Noel Clarke (Adulthood) as Thomas Harewood, and the film was directed by J.J. Abrams (Star Wars: The Force Awakens).

I honestly do not believe that there is anything J.J. Abrams touches that isn’t awesome. The first Star Trek film was amazing, Episode VII of Stars Wars was great, and this was an excellent sequel. This one starts off with a bang and it never lets up for two hours and that is what I loved about it. The film is essentially a prequel of what’s to come for all the films that were already made and most especially Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan. I thought Benedict Cumberbatch did an amazing job as the superhuman Khan, but I have to admit that I do have to watch the Star Trek films because I haven’t seen most of them. I need to at least see the Ricardo Montalban version to do my compare and contrast of the two. Anyways, One of my favorite things about these films is the CGI because we can do unbelievable things and create worlds tat would have been time consuming so long ago and sometimes impossible. The action sequences are amazing as well and there is plenty of it. One thing I have to say about J.J. Abrams is that he has made Star Trek likable in a sense that anyone will go see those films now whereas before it was Star Wars vs Star Trek. This film actually has me excited to see the next one, but it will be sad t know that it’s Anton’s last ride as the beloved Chekov. I am going to give this film an A- for a final grade.