Movie Review Monday: Batman v Superman - Dawn of Justice

Welcome to another edition of Movie Review Monday!

This week's film is the recently released Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, starring Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, Jesse Eisenburg, Gal Gadot, and strong (and large) supporting cast.

I talked about some of my initial impressions of this movie in my geek out last week, and I just wanted to go a bit more in depth with my thoughts here with this highly contentious movie. The critics have not been kind to this one, and many comic book purists are having issue with it as well. I will say that I think it is not as bad as some people are making it out to be, but it is not a great movie by any means. It is confusing, unfocused, and needlessly boring for the subject matter. While I don't need a MCU clone, I would have hoped for a more fun movie.

To balance things out, there were some things I enjoyed about the movie, and it seems are pretty universally appreciated. Ben Affleck did well as both Bruce Wayne and Batman where other actors seemed to do well as one or the other. He portrayal was his own and he succeeded where many thought he would fail. Gal Gadot makes the most of her (very) limited screen time as Wonder Woman, especially in the final fight sequence. I will admit to getting chills when she hit the screen and her music kicked in. It was really well done and I look forward to what is to come in her solo movie next year. Jesse Eisenburg did pretty well as the manic, eccentric, egotistical manipulative, genius Lex Luthor. While some of the confusion comes from his character's motivations, some of the plot holes could just be explained away by his paranoia and/or hubris.

While I appreciate the attempts of this movie to play catch up to the MCU, I felt like the nods to other Justice League members to be underwhelming and sort of forced. It leaves me wondering how it will all work in a bit of a bad way, but we are getting Justice League, Part 1 next year so maybe it will all be a bit of rush job. Looking back it was nice to have a movie to get to know each of the members of the Avengers before bringing them together. Part of what holds Dawn of Justice back is that we don't get to know Wonder Woman or Batman as well as we could have to have their big team-up really resonate. Wonder Woman will at least get her own movie before Justice League, but other than Superman with Man of Steel, she is the only one.

Dawn of Justice is a movie that has a lot riding on it. I would liken it to Amazing Spider-Man 2 in how it must have been viewed by the production people. They both wanted so bad to set up their own movie universes, that, especially with Spider-Man, they suffer under their own weight. We can see where Dawn of Justice falters with that weight at times, but it holds steady, despite many issues (like the ending, was not a fan! And all the dream sequences?!).

I am very curious to hear other people's thoughts, so leave them in the comments below.

You can check out Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice at a theater near you!

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Movie Review Monday: Room

Welcome to another edition of Movie Review Monday!

This week's film is the award season darling, Room (2015), starring Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay.

An intense, emotional drama, the story follows Larson and Tremblay as a mother and her son, Jack, who have been trapped in small room for years. As Jack grows older, Ma (Larson) begins to yearn for more for her son. As they devise a plan to escape, the outside world begins to look more harrowing than their simple existence inside.

Both Larson and Tremblay are incredible in this movie and have to be as they carry most of the story on their shoulders. We are up close and personal with both of them, getting an intimate glimpse into their unique way of life. We see the small joys, the hard moments, and the clever ways they make the most of their space. Something else I like about this movie is how timeless it is. It could happen anywhere at any time. It doesn't date itself in anyway. There is also some neat cinematography, as a lot of the shots inside the room where literally done in the small area itself, versus doing some type of camera wizardry. It helps to really give a raw, real feel and the give a sense of the claustrophobic nature of living in such small space.

I watched this movie with my partner, and we were both immediately invested, getting tense as the story unfolded and feeling everything right alongside the main characters. Watching movies that are award season fodder tends to be hit or miss for me, but I was very pleased with this movie. It is a dark, real look at how an experience would play out on all levels.

I recommend you check out Room, which you can rent from Redbox, or rent/buy from your favorite video on demand provider.

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Movie Review Monday: Hannibal Buress Standup Cluster

Welcome to another edition of Movie Review Monday!

This week, I'm highlighting three standup comedy specials from Hannibal Buress that are all available on Netflix, Animal Furnace (2012), Live at Chicago (2014) and Comedy Camisado (2015).

I've really enjoyed Hannibal Buress anytime I've seen him pop up on shows like Broad City or talk shows. These stand-up specials are all great and distinct shows with different material and bits. Hannibal's style tends to be a collection of smaller, quick one-liners and stories with a hyper focus on daily life and its quirks. His casual, dry demeanor also works in his favor do, since his delivery is so chill and simple. Other comedians may be more animated and energetic, but Hannibal succeeds with his low energy and unique perspective on things around him.

Each of these specials are equally strong, which is rare, as some comedians will have one strong set and once they do another special with all new material, it just never reaches the heights of their previous work. Hannibal's stand-up game is strong, and with more television and movie work coming down the pipeline, I hope he continues to foster his craft, since he is one of the best comedians out there right now.

Netflix is really upping their stand-up comedy game, and these three specials are some of the better ones they have available. They're helping to highlight all sorts of comedians, everyone from Hannibal, to Aziz Ansari, Chelsea Handler, and Bill Burr.

I definitely recommend checking out any and all of these Hannibal Buress comedy specials. They're all very fun!

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Movie Review Monday: Deadpool

Welcome to another edition of Movie Review Monday!

This week's film is the recently released Deadpool, starring Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, and TJ Miller.

I wanted to highlight this movie as it is the first big movie of 2016 that I have seen in theaters and it is something special indeed. Focusing on the fan favorite character from Marvel Comics, Deadpool is an origin story movie to get the movie-going masses acquainted with this unique character. With a hard R rating, the movie does the character justice, showcasing his full range of violent acts, vulgar language, and all around silly fun.

What I appreciate about this movie existing, is just that really, that it exists. It took a long time to get out of development hell, and we all should be thankful it did. It shines as a unique, original movie among the current comic book superhero movie landscape. It is like you mixed the awesomely visceral action of Netflix's Daredevil series with the fun and humor of Guardians of the Galaxy, and added a little self-aware meta material for good measure. Plus, it allows Marvel (or Fox more specifically) to explore another uncharted corner of their comic book universe. Deadpool's wacky adventures can be smaller scale and exist outside (and alongside) the exploits of the X-Men or possibly The Fantastic Four (since Fox owns movie rights to both of these).

I'm really pleased that Deadpool is opening very strongly this weekend at the box office. I highly recommend any fan of the character, any fan of comic book movies, or any fan of fun to go see this movie. You will not be disappointed. While it is not a perfect movie (and hardly any are) the good stuff far outweighs the weaker spots.

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Movie Review Monday: Hot Tub Time Machine 2

Welcome to another edition of Movie Review Monday!

This week's film is the 2015 comedy Hot Tub Time Machine 2, starring Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, and Adam Scott.

Following the moderate success of the oddball original, in true Hollywood fashion we got a sequel that no one asked for (five years later no less) that suffers from the law of diminishing returns. I enjoyed the first Hot Tub Time Machine (HTTM) enough to apparently have me be curious enough to check out the sequel, which is now available to stream instantly on Hulu and Amazon Prime.

Part of my curiosity comes from enjoying time travel stories, the other part comes from enjoying self-aware comedies, which seem to be having a moment right now with stuff such as the TV show Community and the Jump Street movies to name a few. This is certainly not as good as either of these two examples, but it was still a decent movie with a few good moments. I am a big fan of Adam Scott (especially his work on Parks and Rec) so he was a draw to check this out as well. He is a bright spot in his supporting role, and the main cast holds things together pretty well too. The plot of movie is where everything falls apart.

The crew sort of meanders their way through the film, not having much urgency or direction. The premise of them being in the future versus being in the past gives some space to play around, but they also stumble in their sense of logic since they only go ten years into the future but the world is a dramatically different place from where they came. I get that we have a lot of technology coming out all the time, but some the leaps HTTM2 makes are silly, but that isn't really the point of the film already short on logic (we are traveling through time in a hot tub after all).

I'd recommend this movie with reservations only to folks who like me, enjoyed the first one to some extent and enjoy (most of the time) these sorts of comedies. I would not have liked it as much if I had to pay straight up for it as a rental or at the theater, but for something to just put on and enjoy without having to think too much, this is a solid option.

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Movie Review Monday: Idiocracy

Welcome to another edition of Movie Review Monday!

This week's film is the 2006 comedy Idiocracy, directed by Mike Judge and starring Luke Wilson and Maya Rudolph.

I remember seeing this movie in bits and pieces when it aired on Comedy Central back in the day, and now, ten years after it's initial release, I finally sat down and watched the whole thing straight through with my partner*. Going in, I knew Idiocracy was a cult movie with a very specific point of view on the world (short version; stupid people are going to end up procreating more than smart people, dooming the world), which is a fun premise to be sure. Unfortunately, it starts to get pretty tired after a while and I ended up being disappointed in the end.

(*I rented it from Amazon Video since it is not available to stream instantly anywhere at the moment.)

We follow Joe Bauers (Wilson) as he and Rita (Rudolph) awaken from a military experiment gone awry, leaving them stranded in a future populated entirely of idiots. The movie takes this term and concept to it's comedic extremes, and Wilson's character, a literal average Joe from his own time, is considered a genius in this era of buffoons. He must try to help save them and also figure out a way back to his own time.

Like I said before, the premise runs dry by the end for me. In a weird, convoluted way, it is a dumb movie about smart people dealing with dumb people. I would have hoped for something with a little more substance, but what results is a bunch of sight gags and overuse of the word "retarded" in a derogatory way (or fag, or queer for that matter), which certainly dates the movie even in the ten years since it's release, since I feel like most people get that we shouldn't use that term so readily anymore. Maybe I expected too much from a movie called Idiocracy, but I have seen better smartly stupid comedy many times before, so it seems fair to hold this to a bit of a higher standard, especially given the epic scale of this comedy premise.

I'd recommend this movie with reservations. It is silly, but still funny at times, but just know going in that it is nothing more than its premise really. Don't expect for some great moral or lesson or message or any deeper meaning from this movie other than that people should try to do good (it really never gets much beyond that).

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Movie Review Monday: Misery Loves Comedy

Welcome to another edition of Movie Review Monday!

This week's film is the 2015 documentary, Misery Loves Comedy, from director and writer Kevin Pollak.

Pollak utilizes his industry connections to get a robust roster of comedians to sit and talk about the craft. Everyone from Tom Hanks to Jimmy Fallon, Chris Hardwick, Amy Schumer, Janeane Garofalo, and Judd Apatow among many others. I love movies like this since I really enjoy the art form. It reminds me of another movie I remember watching, I Am Comic, from a few years ago. It is always interesting to me to delve into what makes comedians tick since performing stand-up is such a unique brand of entertainment. I have seen a few shows in person, and I hope to see many more. In the meantime, I've watched a lot of specials on Netflix and elsewhere, so it was great recognize a lot of the faces in this movie and hear their thoughts.

They explore a lot of different topics about the craft. They examine how the comedians featured got started, why they persist, what being a comedian means, and how it all impacts their lives. It's fascinating to me, especially because of a few things. One, (and this isn't meant as a humblebrag) many people tell me I am funny and should do stand-up. I always try to tell them, being funny in conversation and funny on stage are two totally different things. Two, with all that being said, one of my life goals is to do comedy on stage during an open mic night at some point. I'd want to write jokes beforehand and have some material but even just doing it for a few minutes would feel like such an accomplishment. Hearing the stories of others and their successes as well as bombs, is inspiring. Here's to one day achieving this goal!

If you're a big fan of stand-up, or even just comedy in general, check out this documentary. It's very enlightening and fun!

You can check out Misery Loves Comedy streaming right now on Amazon Prime Instant Video.

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Movie Review Monday: Two Night Stand

Welcome to another edition of Movie Review Monday!

This week's film is the 2014 romantic comedy Two Night Stand, starring Miles Teller and Analeigh Tipton.

The plot follows Megan (Tipton) and Alec (Teller) as they get snowed in after a one night stand and have to spend far more time together than they originally thought. It's certainly a fun premise and while the film has some bright spots, it is ultimately a disappointing and inconsistent movie.

Trying a bit hard to be a new kind of romantic comedy for modern times, where Two Night Stand mostly fails is some very odd character choices throughout the movie which makes it all not very relatable. It feels like there was potential here sprouting out of the premise, but it falls apart by the end. I liked the two main characters, which is important since we spend most of the movie with them. The few supporting roles are decently done, but making a simple, realistic, relatable movie fell just out of reach with the absurd hurdles Megan and Alec have to overcome as they get to know each other. I also would have preferred if the whole movie was just the two days they had to spend together. Stretching it past that time didn't help the movie either.

I tend to be pretty critical of romantic comedies (the few that I do see) since they all seem to be so formulaic and generic. This film had potential but it squandered it. Real romance and love is not as simple or as complex and dramatic as movies tend to make it. I haven't seen a lot of instances of the true nature of relationships being done well on screen, but perhaps it wouldn't be as compelling if it were. There always has to be conflict to drive a plot.

Nevertheless, you can check out Two Night Stand for yourself if you'd like to form your own opinion. I had seen some promotion for it randomly and since I have a trial of HBO Now right now, I was able to check it out on there since I intrigued by the premise.

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Movie Review Monday: Secondhand Lions

Welcome to another edition of Movie Review Monday!

This week's film is the 2003 feel good, coming of age, family drama Secondhand Lions, starring Michael Caine, Robert Duvall, and Haley Joel Osmont.

My partner insisted we watch this one since it is one of her favorites, alongside similar movies like Big Fish. I can see why she enjoys them, since they make you feel all warm and fuzzy as well as being just fun to watch. I really enjoyed this movie just like I did Big Fish, and it even got me to get a little misty eyed. There just is something about these sorts of movies that does it for me every time.

The plot focuses on Walter (Osmont) who is abruptly left with his two eccentric uncles (Caine and Duvall) who he has never met for the summer while his mother goes off looking for work. What follows is a silly, fun, poignant, and transformative adventure for Walter. We also learn more about his uncles and their amazing and over the top lives which have become tall tales to everyone around them. The uncles are also rumored to have a hidden fortune that all of their relatives and random traveling salesman are hounding them for. Walter is the only person in a long time that isn't after them for their money, all he needs is a family and a home.

While this movie isn't available to stream anywhere that I've looked, it is definitely worth a rental in my opinion (also if you haven't watched Big Fish, I recommend you watch that too). This film is definitely a positive emotional release if you need that after a tough time, and it would be a great choice to share with someone you care about.

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Movie Review Monday: Obvious Child

Welcome to another edition of Movie Review Monday!

This week's film (the first of 2016!) is the 2014 comedy, Obvious Child, starring Jenny Slate.

An atypical comedy with a romantic angle, it focuses on comedian Donna Stern, who is a sort of dramatized version of Slate, as she struggles with losing both her job and boyfriend on the same day. What follows is a comedic, dramatic, and resonating story that is simple and unique. It's not uproariously funny or depressingly dramatic but it serves the small journey we go on with Donna.

A focus of the story hones in on Donna having a one night stand and becoming pregnant. She deliberates what to do and tries handle everything on her own. Where the movie ends up is a nice, minimalist story with a positive message (I won't spoil anything for you here about what happens). Just rest assured this is a good movie with an authentic plot and ending. I enjoyed this pure energy and it is what makes small, indie movies like this so good.

I could see this movie not being for everyone for some of the above reasons. It is sort of typical indie art (understated, slow moving), which I know isn't for everyone. It also does deal with the question of abortion, but I think it handles it very well. Some people who have a hard stance against it might be turned off though.

You can check out Obvious Child streaming right now on Amazon Prime Instant Video.

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