The 20 Greatest Summer Movies

That's a very opinionated title, right? Nothing says classic summer film more than a (mostly) feel-good epic blockbuster. But there's so much more that defines a movie as a good summer film. Sure, many were released during the summer, take place during summer, there's often some magical element to them, and many times they follow an adventurous adolescent. They're nostalgic, but mostly there's just this underlying undefinable factor that feels... well... summery. So enjoy the summer of 2016 by watching (or rewatching) these timeless films to fully immerse yourself in the season of summer.

Video Game Review - Uncharted 4: A Thief's End

Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
Developed by Naughty Dog

Out of the of the scores of video games I've played and loved, most tend to heavily rely on high-concepts and convoluted plots, vapid stories and shallow heroes that have been devoid of carrying much emotional weight or connection with the gamer. None of those things describe this game. This is a 15 hour interactive movie that will rival any blockbuster film you'll see in the theater this summer. Amongst the most cinematic video games, it stands as king. (In which case, The Last of Us would be queen).

16 Movies to Look Forward to in 2016

I'm really concerned about the trend I'm creating here, because it was already too much work to find 16 movies this early on that I'm really anticipating, but alas, I've compiled a list, so that you don't have to! The year 2019 will be 3 movies more difficult! Most films I see I end up rating 6 or a 7 out of 10, and I'm assuming 90% of these films will fall into that rating, but every year there are one or two gems that really stand out. I'm excited to see which ones those end up being. Anyways, here's 16 movies that look great this year in order of my excitement (least to greatest).

Boba Fett Sucks

Boba Fett Sucks

Yes, it's quite a bold and potentially controversial statement, but I stand by my words.
Why is it that if we hate something, no one else can like it? I'm not sure, nor do I want to discuss the psychology behind it, but I am certainly one of those people. I suppose I don't hate Boba Fett, I'm fairly apathetic about the character, but the fact that everyone else seems to love him drives me nuts. Please continue reading, as I persuade you to embrace my opinion, which is the correct one.

Film Review - Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation
Directed by Christopher McQuarrie

*This is a SPOILER-FREE post, so read away*

Summary: Following the events of the disavowed IMF team and the wake of their destruction in the past film, the CIA has decided to shut down the IMF. However, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) believes there is a rogue syndicate, an IMF of sorts run by a terrorist network, and decides to operate on his own accord to bring down the syndicate. Meanwhile the CIA is hunting him down, alive or dead.

10 Comic-Con Inside Jokes

10 Comic-Con Inside Jokes

These are the 10 things every San Diego Comic-Con goer is well familiar with. If it's not the lines, it's the crowds. There are so many things to love and hate about SDCC, but I find that even though it may sounds like I'm complaining, I kind of love it all. Here are the 10 best inside jokes understood by Comic-Con attendees.

The Best and the Worst of Jurassic World

The Best and the Worst of Jurassic World
Jurassic World
Directed by Colin Trevorrow

Smashing box office records, it was only necessary to compile a list of the best and the worst parts of this incredibly financially successful film.

Summary: Some 20 years after the destruction of Jurassic Park, the park has been rebuilt under new management and is now fully functioning and operating. Until a genetically modified dinosaur breaks out of its cage and wreaks havoc on Jurassic World.

*Minor SPOILERS follow*

11 Movies to Look forward to in 2015

This is going to be a HUGE year for movies. We're talking some of the biggest numbers the box office has seen in a decade. Sequels galore, two brand-new Pixar films, and a few others.

Really these are just movies that I'm looking forward to, but you should too.   Here are my picks, starting with least excited (although it's still in my top 11 movies to look forward to!)

Film Review - Guardians of the Galaxy

Guardians of the Galaxy
Directed by James Gunn

*This is a SPOILER-FREE post, so read away*

Summary: When the rogue outlaw, Peter Quill, comes across an item that has the power to destroy the universe, he is forced to team up with a group of renegade criminals to keep the item from the hands of an evil psychopath.

Sounds crazy, huh? It is, and you will love it.

Film Review - How to Train Your Dragon 2

How to Train Your Dragon 2
Directed by Dean DeBlois

*This is a SPOILER-FREE post, so read away*

Summary: Picking up 5 years after "How to Train Your Dragon", Hiccup uncovers a plot of a mysterious deranged man bent on capturing all dragons to form a dragon army. In order to protect his home and their dragons, Hiccup and his pet dragon, Toothless, venture out to find this man and stop him before it comes to war.

Film Review - Elysium

Elysium
Directed by Neill Blomkamp

Summary: Elysium is a tale of two worlds.  Los Angeles looks a bit different in 2154, in fact the entire earth is a diseased and overpopulated slum.  The earth's wealthiest have relocated to a large satellite orbiting earth, a paradise where there is no disease, crime, or struggle. This is Elysium.  On earth, the hardworking ex-convict Max (Matt Damon) is given five days to live after a mishap exposes him to excessive radiation.  Five days to live and nothing to lose, Max, makes it his goal to get to Elysium, the only place he can find healing.  And he is willing to get there by any means necessary.

The Work of a Critic

"In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little, yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face, is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so. But there are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of the new. The world is often unkind to new talent, new creations. The new needs friends...Not everyone can become a great artist; but a great artist can come from anywhere." - Anton Ego [Brad Bird, Ratatouille]

Film Review - The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Directed by Peter Jackson

There's been a considerable amount of skepticism surrounding The Hobbit movies.  And rightfully so... following up the masterpiece of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, there are pretty high expectations to meet.  Can Jackson successfully bring us back to Middle Earth again?  And why is he shooting it in HFR 3D on digital cameras? Why is a 300 page book being made into 3 films?

Summary: The film, based on the beloved novel The Hobbit written by J.R.R. Tolkien, takes place 60 years prior to The Lord of the Rings trilogy, following Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) as the main character.  Bilbo, a part of a community of homely cheery people called hobbits, lives a quiet life in his home, until a wizard and clan of dwarves visit his home and pique his curiosity when they invite him to join them in an adventure to take back their home from an evil dragon.

Film Review - John Carter

So far "John Carter" has been a flop.  To the critics that is.  And to the box office.  But both groups have failed me before, as was the case with Disney's last sci-fi blockbuster "Tron Legacy" which has become a favorite movie of mine.  It always irritates me when people decide what is good or bad before it is even released.  Google "Oscar predictions 2012" and I bet you that more than half of the movies on that list haven't premiered yet and will end up in the Oscars.  The same preconceived perceptions goes for Hollywood's blacklist, and John Carter was added to it long before anyone had seen it.  Perhaps the horrendous marketing is at fault for that.

The Purpose of This Blog

What is this blog about?  This blog is about giving personal film reviews.  I haven't yet, but may eventually get some flack for my less-than scholarly reviews of films or television.  And so I think it's important that I take a moment to discuss why I created this blog in the first place.

I read all these reviews from critics and can't connect with any of them.  Sometimes they are very accurate in their reviews, sometimes not so much.  But there is one thing that the critic lacks - humanity.

As I have begun to see, no film is flawless, yet by critics, they are treated as though the should be. But I wonder if the flaws of a film are part of why we can connect with them?  If we as humans, are flawed and imperfect, then even our artwork will be, in some capacity, flawed.

Critics look at movies from a critic's perspective, not from a human perspective, not as a weak, vulnerable, faulty, real person with feelings and emotions.  Films were made for people not critics.  So why do we rely so heavily on their opinions?  Because we have no human voice to listen to.  I'm not saying I expect this blog to become some huge thing that "speaks for the people," but you should know that the reviews on here come from someone who watches and appreciates films from a human perspective.  These are reviews from an ordinary person.