lomeli

"Focus" is definitely a step-up for Will Smith after his roles in the atrocities that were "Winter's Tale" and "After Earth", but just how big is that step? Sadly, it is only a very small increment. This movie falls into the kind of entertainment that you have to turn your brain off to enjoy, and where the absurdity of the plot is far funnier than the cheesy jokes written in the script.

while the first MAZE RUNNER film was a slow burn mystery, THE SCORCH TRIALS is essentially a roller coaster ride that's low on substance but big on action. it's grounded by a solid performance from dylan o brien, and offers a slight improvement over its predecessor, while boasting some impressive action set pieces and genuine thrills. wes ball's sweeping overhead shots give the audience a good idea of the big scale he's working with, and he does a particularly good job of world building here. as derivative as it might be, i really enjoyed it.

Director Wes Anderson finally ventures outside of the realm of youth-oriented films and brings us The Grand Budapest Hotel- a zany, outrageous caper composed of equal parts idiosyncratic humor and heart. The Grand Budapest Hotel contains riveting performances from a well-seasoned ensemble (notably Ralph Fiennes) along with newcomer Tony Revolori, and boasts such a taut, intelligent screenplay that is arguably Anderson's best work to date. The film is typically stylish, as Anderson employs the use of a vibrant pastel palette that succeeds in bringing the film to life. I cannot recommend it enough.

In a time when Hollywood mindlessly churns out reboots and remakes, Inside Out stands alone in its sheer originality and inventiveness. Inside Out is one of the most intelligent ideas Pixar (or any filmmaker for that matter) has ever put to screen, and possibly their most accessible film to date. Even when I felt some individual characters in the film begin to cloy, that feeling quickly dissipated, as I was soon blind-sided by their charm only seconds later. As with the universally acclaimed Toy Story 3, Inside Out clips along at a relatively fast pace, but never feels hollow, and is often hilarious throughout. Every moment of this film is truly a joy (no pun intended) to behold.

Avengers: Age of Ultron just plods along from fight sequence to fight sequence- while the down time in between fights is jam-packed with glaringly obvious fan service, a tepid romance, lazy character development, poor symbolism, bad accents, and an overabundance of one liners.

This may be nostalgia talking, but I have yet to find a film since The Polar Express that so perfectly encapsulates the sheer magic and spirit that accompanies Christmas time.

Although the film carefully dodges some YA bildungsroman cliches and is bolstered by such compelling performances from its leads, I couldn't help but feel that the story that's left is somewhat underwhelming. At the end I couldn't help asking myself "Oh... that's it?"

A sumptuous, impeccably mounted re-envisioning of the fairy tale classic, Kenneth Branagh's "Cinderella" occasionally struggles with its pacing, but the sheer elegance and dazzling, atmospheric quality of the film successfully obscure any minor flaws.

With all the traits of a John Green novel and an unusually erratic narrative structure, Perks of Being A Wallflower is thoroughly enjoyable, but never quite transcends anything else found in the YA bildungsroman subgenre.

Quvenzhane Wallis shines, but that can't help "Annie" from feeling like the result of what would happen if you took the plot from "The Game Plan" and made it into a musical where everyone sounds like T-Pain. Cameron Diaz is just unbearable; she needs to retire.

The formula for a perfect film is there: visual resplendence, decent casting, and it's even more sentimental and humane than your average Nolan film- yet it somehow fails to capitalize on all those assets, and subsequently manages to plummet to such great depths in the final act. Interstellar ultimately suffers from narrative inconsistency, under-developed characters, and sadly, the glorious spectacle can only compensate for so many of its glaring flaws.

This is a film that is ridden with flaws, but the breathtaking spectacle and innovative approach Zack Snyder takes with the classic superhero narrative is undeniably brilliant.

The WORST movie I have ever seen. EVER. I "went to the bathroom" several times in the film just to get away from this horrendous mess of a film. Words cannot describe how truly awful this film is.

Don't buy into the hype on this one, Nightcrawler is just a mediocre character study of a hackneyed, Norman Bates-type character masquerading as some profound social commentary regarding media sensationalism and the American Dream/capitalism at its most amoral. While Gyllenhaal gives it his all in what some would consider the most compelling performance of his career, I never entirely bought into his character because he was essentially an amalgam of every other brooding, reclusive sociopath in cinema history, and he was all too familiar a character to even remotely pique my interest. Nightcrawler is a film that teeters uncomfortably between being realistic and illogical throughout, with vague social commentary jammed somewhere in between. It seemed like the score was absent for over half the movie's duration, but it flutters in occasionally (and awkwardly, I might add) to remind the audience of its existence. Director Dan Gilroy also demands that the audience revel in the inhumanity depicted on screen, and is so focused upon unsettling the audience, that any message he may be trying to convey is completely diluted by this forced grittiness. This film pales in comparison to Gone Girl in all respects.

It has the atmospheric quality and incisive dialogue **** movie, but cleverly avoids falling into that familiar territory by subverting the gangster film genre entirely- this a film in which the protagonist has integrity, and is both incorruptible and determined to see his efforts in the local oil industry come to fruition, all the while intent on being an upstanding citizen. Director J.C. Candor masterfully depicts the struggle between either doing things lawfully, albeit with more difficultly, or succumbing to corruption with ease. The film ultimately suffers from some narrative issues, and director Candor seems ill-suited to deliver the final punch that the movie necessitates after its somewhat lethargic pacing, but overall it is an enthralling, well-acted piece of cinema.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is one of those rare movies that just has to be experienced. It speaks to the inner escapist in all of us and works on the most profound of levels. An absolute must-see.

Walking into the theater, I was completely unaware that this was a musical. And after the underwhelming Les Miserables, I had my share of qualms as soon as I heard the first musical number commence. But after watching the movie in its entirety- as the credits began to roll, I just knew that this was one of the best movie musicals in years. Notably, Streep and Blunt shine- while Sondheim's humor, wit, and melodies captivate. One of the better movie experiences I had in 2014.

It's a predictable, generic rom-com, but I can't deny that it had me smiling the entire way through. Sandra Bullock's charm and warmness permeate the entire film. Bill Pullman and Sandra Bullock have such great chemistry, and their interactions are always hilarious.

A tension filled, cerebral ride of a film with subtle yet effective social commentary, Gone Girl is a fine example of David Fincher at his directorial best.

Inglourious Basterds is a fine example of Quentin Tarantino trying his hand at revisionist history and for the most part, succeeding. The dialogue, character driven narrative, and cinematography are outstanding, but the film meanders a little too much for my liking here and there, and culminates rather underwhelmingly. However, the film showcases so many small glimpses of Tarantino's directorial genius at so many different moments, that even if all the story elements don't quite mesh together well as a cohesive whole, it is a somewhat forgivable offense.

The Age of Adaline is beautifully shot- but after being exposed to a combination of wonky pseudo-science, wooden acting, no chemistry between the leads, contrived drama, and a cliche ridden script, I found it to be an absolute chore to sit through. It is a film that does just about everything wrong.