Saturday, March 28, 2015

2015 Films So Far!

Hey everyone, I’m the girl you know and love, the one, the only (as far as I know) TheCinemaChick!  And before you say anything, yes, I’ve been sick again.  I don’t know what’s going on with 2015 but I have spent most of this year incredibly sick.  So far, I’ve had pneumonia, bronchitis and the flu.  Each illness has lasted longer than I have ever been ill before, so I’m starting to think I might have another health issue.  So, while I’m not feeling like death, let’s look at some movies I’ve seen this year. 
The sad thing is, I haven’t seen anything that’s gotten me excited.  Everything has been mediocre at best.  I am disappointed because there are some huge titles that have been released this year.  Nothing has lived up to its hype.  What do I mean?  Well, let’s have some mini reviews so you can understand what I’m ranting about this time.

First off, let’s start with Blackhat.  It was supposed to be this cyber-crime thriller starring Chris Hemsworth of Thor fame.  However, it fell short of its intentions.  It wasn’t terribly exciting nor was it really about cyber-crime.  Sure, the criminal activities were mentioned and they were a huge focus but the film just kept going off track.  It would start going into the pasts of the hacker and the detective and how they were best friends at one point.  The detective even admits he’s partially responsible for this virus and no one penalizes him.  Then his sister gets involved and her and not Thor have a fling.  Why is there always time for a sex scene in action movies?  Seriously, it’s even true in James Bond movies.  He’s in the middle of a top secret mission but still has time to nail the hot chick.  To be fair, he gets killed later on, so I guess he does get punished for his actions.  But even then, I couldn’t be sympathetic because they add in so many characters I forgot who he was.  It’s so hard to keep track of everything going on but they never give you time to acclimate to one part of the story.  It starts off slow, then gains more and more speed that just rushes it to a highly unsatisfactory happy ending.

Then there’s Jupiter Ascending.  I know, this one was supposed to be huge.  It was meant for release last year but the date was pushed back so there could be some post production 3D conversion.  I will admit there are some highly positive things about this movie.  The visuals are absolutely gorgeous.  You can tell the Wachowski clan put a lot of time, thought and effort into how they wanted this movie to look.  I was blown away by the beauty of it.  The costumes, while a bit odd, are also beautiful.  If I had to base this movie solely on visuals, it would be amazing.  However, I do think the story suffered.  I mean, we’ve seen intergalactic politics in other films and honestly, the other movies handled it much better than this did.  I get it, Jupiter (Mila Kunis) is the reincarnation of the mother of the Abraxos family but let’s not forget, she inherited the galaxy.  For the most part, she is useless and relies on Cain (Channing Tatum) to save her from the ridiculous situations she puts herself into.  By the end, I was just confused and unimpressed.  Other than being pretty to look at, Jupiter Ascending did not wow me.  I was left with too many questions.  Also, Eddie Redmayne, you just won an Oscar.  You are better than a role that reduces you to a weirdly dressed man who either whispers or screams.

Now, let’s move on to The DUFF.  This is basically another cheesy teen sex comedy.  I know it’s supposed to be about accepting who you are and being proud of yourself and all but it goes about it in all the wrong ways.  It was very awkward and clunky, so the flow wasn’t so great.  Plus, it tried to include this side message of cyberbullying being wrong but that never really panned out for me.  Honestly, it never really had resolution.  It went exactly how I thought it would happen so there wasn’t anything special about it.  What I really hate is when they do stories like this, the nerdy, awkward “ugly” girl always ends up getting this amazing makeover so she becomes attractive.  I’m sorry, but isn’t this supposed to be about accepting yourself and your unique quirks?  Why does it always have to happen like this?  Why does the girl have to change herself to make a man or rival female happy?  This has always bothered me to no end.  If you want to make a movie that’s inspiring or even more realistic, show me a film where the lead female doesn’t have to undergo a makeover and change her personality in order to find love.
Here’s my lesson to all teenage girls.  Embrace your oddities.  Don’t let anyone change you to make you into something you’re not.  Be you, be beautiful and be happy.

Now let’s look at the Kingsman: Secret Service.  I actually really enjoyed this movie.  It was fun and fast paced and somewhat ridiculous.  It was sort of like a spoof on James Bond but in a more serious manner.  Plus, Colin Firth is kicking some major ass in a suit and looking good doing it.  The story is solid, albeit a little far fetched.  Samuel L. Jackson is really good as the villain.  What made me love this character is that he is so sensitive to violence.  What bad guy gets physically ill at the sight of blood?  Even when he does finally kill one person, he has such a negative reaction that you feel sorry for him.  I was angry that he had murdered a very important character but his immediate show of remorse and disgust made me like him.  It’s not every often we find a sympathetic evil guy…unless you count Loki but that’s another blog for another day.  My only problem with the movie was the amount of cursing and the ending.  I understand, spies normally don’t have to watch their language but the amount of F bombs I heard in the run time was almost appalling.  Not to mention, people brought their young children to this movie!  Fry and I were at a late showing, so it was well past midnight when we left.  Why are you bringing your kid to a movie this late?  They were getting cranky and kept asking questions.  Not to mention, they basically show the beginning of two people having inappropriate relations.  The ending could have been so much better, but they went with the smutty route.  Overall, not bad.  I wish they didn’t curse so much but in general, I enjoyed it.

And finally, let’s talk about Cinderella.  Maybe it’s me and I’m jaded but I can’t stand fairy tales.  This is another one of those things were lying proves to be beneficial.  I admit, I did like a lot of things about this film but overall, it did nothing for me.  They chose to focus on the darker side of the story so much that it brought a fairly depressing tone to it.  I love Cate Blanchett, don’t get me wrong.  I want to be best friends with her but this wasn’t her best role.  She’s supposed to be the wicked stepmother but at most, she was just annoying.  In the animated version Lady Tremaine had this air of evil about her so you automatically didn’t trust her.  In this one, however, she just came off as a gold digger with two daughters dumber than my lovely dog Hammy.  And believe me, Hammy’s an idiot.  I wanted to like it because it is meant to be a masterpiece.  And here’s where I will praise it.  The visuals and setting are absolutely gorgeous.  I mean, that gown Cinderella wears at the ball is to die for.  Seriously, this should be considered during awards season for the costuming.  Everything was done perfectly, down to the smallest details.  One thing I loved is how Anastasia and Drusilla are always dressed similar but not the same, just like in the animated film.  And if you’ve seen the movie, you know just how breathtaking that pumpkin carriage was.  Oh!  Can we talk about Helena Bonham Carter as the Fairy Godmother?  How awesome was she?  I love that she’s slightly absent minded and makes mistakes with her spells.  I make no secret of my love of Helena Bonham Carter, I would love to be friends with her as well.  To me, she is the best part of the film. 
So yes, there are multiple redeeming qualities and overall, it is a good movie  It’s not too long, it’s sweet, it’s great for little girls but for me, I just don’t care for the “happily ever after” feel good flicks like this.  Cinderella was never my favorite fairy tale anyway.  I admit, I am stoked to see the upcoming live action Beauty and the Beast remake with Emma Watson and Luke Evans.  I was liked a good fantasy with magic and monsters and strong(ish) female characters.  I give Belle more credit because she fell in love with the prince because of who he was, not because he was hot.  Sure, we could get into the whole Stockholm Syndrome thing but I’d rather not.  If you don’t know what that is, google it.


I do have one more movie to look at, but I have purposely waited for the hype on this one to die down.  Yes, I did see Fifty Shades of Grey but I did not want to immediately jump on the bandwagon.  So many people were excited to see it that I didn’t want to ruin it for them.  Apparently, my opinion can hold some sway over people.  I’ve had people tell me that they chose not to see a movie just because I did an unfavorable review.
Folks, I can’t decide what you do and don’t see. Everything I say here is just what I think.  Hell, I’m not even a professional.  I am simply a blogger who loves movies.  I appreciate knowing that you actually take the time to read my blogs and think about what I’ve said.  However, I would never discourage anyone from seeing a movie they want to see…unless it’s that bad.  I know I’ve seen several movies where I have flat out said “Stay away!”

Well, that’s all for this time guys.  Much love and thanks for sticking with me all these years and through multiple hiatuses.  I’ll try not to get sick again and soon, I should have some horror movies to look at and you know what?  Just for the fun of it, let’s make a list of movies I’m geeking out about this summer.  That’s right, summer movie season is coming and that’s when a lot of big movies are released.  We’ve got the second Avengers to look forward to, Pitch Perfect 2, Fast 7, just to name a few.
What are you excited to see?  What summer movie blockbuster has you amped up?  Let me know!  Talk to me, send me some feedback!  Is there a movie out now that you think I need to see?  IS there something on Netflix that you think is worth a look?  I’m always open to new suggestions.


I’m TheCinemaChick and I may or may not be a Cyberman.

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