Day 309: Doctor Strange (2016)

doctor-strange-city-bending-1798552016 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). 

doctor-strange-still-1Spoiler 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 231: Hail, Caesar! (2016)

hail-ceasarSometimes there are films that come out that either get a bad review or there just not in the theaters that long that I overlook them. That was definitely the case with today’s film Hail, Caesar! which was gone before I got around to seeing it. The film stars Josh Brolin (The Goonies) as Hollywood Fixer Eddie Mannix who works for Capitol Studios. Eddie has a lot on his plate with having to take a western star (Alden Ehrenreich) and shuffle him to a completely different genre, trying to hide a pregnancy out of wedlock from the public eye, and even trying to figure out who kidnapped his lead star (George Clooney) during the middle of filming a really big epic movie. It’s either that or he accepts a job to work in a completely different field. The film also stars Ralph Fiennes (The Grand Budapest Hotel) as Laurence Laurentz, Scarlett Johansson (The Avengers) as DeeAnna Moran, Tilda Swinton (Moonrise Kingdom) as Thora/ Thessaly Thacker, Channing Tatum (22 Jump Street) as Burt Gurney, Frances McDormand (Fargo) as C.C. Calhoun, Jonah Hill (22 Jump Street) as Joe Silverman, Veronica Osorio (Diego And Valentina) as Carlotta Valdez, Alison Pill (Milk) as Mrs. Mannix, Fisher Stevens (Short Circuit) as Communist Writer, and the film was directed by Ethan and Joel Cohen (No Country For Old Men).

hailI am a huge fan of the olden days of Hollywood and America at the time with the fashion, hairstyles, and just the way of life. So it’s easy for me to say that I really enjoyed that aspect of the film, but as far as the overall film was concerned, I didn’t think it was a great film. I thought the film was relatively OK for a Cohen’s brothers movie. The film for a while seemed to be a behind the scenes look at what went down in the classic Hollywood era of the big studios and the way they covered up scandals from the press. The kidnapping of George Clooney’s character to me seemed more like a side story than the main focus of the film which kind of bothered me, but usually anything that was happening it always went back to it. Some of the things I enjoyed watching was how the films were made and the big scenes that we saw like the pool scene with Scarlet or the bar scene with Channing. Those were some of the cool moments of the film that maybe people overlooked. The film was also commentary on the ideals of those times especially with the paranoia of communism. That was a big issue back in those days and the writers are the ones that organize it in this film. They feel they need more recognition than they get which was also maybe a sign of the times then. It’s not a terrible movie, but it’s not great either. That is why I am going to give the film an B for a final grade. Rent it from Redbox or On demand if it’s available.

Day 11: Trainwreck (2015)

trainwreckStand up comedian Amy Schumer was on the rise in 2015 from getting her own movie Trainwreck to a huge comedy special on HBO. As you can see I chose Trainwreck as the film for today it was directed by the amazing Judd Apatow (Knocked Up). Int he film Amy plays a woman who believes that Monogamy is just not realistic in life. So, it’s safe to say that she sleeps around a lot and she’s more focused on her career thanks to some advice from her dad (Colin Quinn). That is all about to change for Amy when she meets a good guy in the form of sports doctor Aaron (Bill Hader). Will Amy continue on her ways or will Aaron change her for the better? The film also stars Brie Larson (21 Jump Street) as Kim, Tilda Swinton (We Need To Talk About Kevin) as Diana, Lebron James as himself, John Cena (The Marine) as Steven, Dave Attell (Funny People) as Noah, Ezra Miller (We Need To Talk About Kevin) as Donald, Randall Park (The Interview) as Bryson, Vanessa Bayer (Despicable Me 2) as Nikki, Jon Glaser (Assy McGee) as Schultz, and Evan Brinkman (The Owl) as Allister.

trainwreck 2I want to start off by saying that this is quite the movie folks because it sort of matches her brand of comedy. It can be really funny and raunchy at the same time. One of my favorite scenes in the whole film is Amy’s time spent with John Cena. That is some of the funniest material and I have to give it to John Cena, the man is a natural. The film is this wild journey of discovery for Amy who believes that life is all about one thing, but when she meets something great it gets turned upside down. She begins to discover that Love is a possible thing that people can experience when met with the right ones. The film is two hours long, but there is enough going on to keep your attention going the whole time. One thing I also have to say is that I didn’t realize her boss was Tilda Swinton. Tilda did such an amazing job as this bitchy British stereotypical boss of a huge magazine. The movie has all your typical moods of a romantic comedy film where it’s funny, has plenty of drama, and has it’s happy ending where everything turns out OK. This was definitely one of my favorite comedies of the year and it’s actually up for an award on my other blog site which you can check out here. Matthew Broderick (Ferris Buehlers Day Off) makes a cameo in the film along with others from the comedy world. Check out the movie, I am giving it an A- for a final grade.