Trev's Movie Dump: May 2016

The Witch (2016)

If you haven't seen this film yet, put it on your backlog for Halloween. This is a great horror film about a New England family cast away from their 17th century puritan town and forced to start a life on their own. A man, a wife, several kids... and a witch lurking in the nearby woods. As this poor family attempts to keep on keeping on, they hit roadblock after roadblock causing their household to slowly self-destruct, until... 

We'll you'll just have to see. 

The film definitely has a slow build for the first two-thirds. Some people I know who saw it, this was their biggest complaint. I, however, was totally hooked. Growing up in New England (as we all did) something about our woods is eerily haunting and beautiful, and the film does an excellent job at exploiting the vulnerability I always felt when walking through the woods alone on an autumn evening. This isn't a blood and gore slasher film (although there certainly is some blood), this is a suspense film. A story that strives to drive you insane as you try to understand where the threats are coming from. Who to trust and who to cast aside. 

Definitely a good pick for a Halloween movie that will stand head and shoulders above any other formulaic crap coming to theaters during that time -- I'm looking at you The Ring 3... Oh, wait... It's The Ring 3D! Guys, the 3D that means it has to be good! Apologies, apologies. Clearly, we already have our Halloween all figured out folks! Hopefully we'll get another nonsensical crazy deers crashing into a car scene again. Ugh... what nonsense. 

But, seriously... catch The Witch. Good stuff.

Captain America: Civil War (2016)

Ah, another comic book movie. This really marks the first big blockbuster movie of the summer that dazzled me. Now, I'm not saying these Marvel (and when I say Marvel I mean Disney-Marvel) are the best things to hit theaters, but -- in general -- I'm excited to see these films on the big screen. They almost always deliver on that fun, exciting experience the movie theater was truly designed for. 

I also like that despite this film having a whole slew of characters packed in it (to the point they can felt like the spiritual sequel to The Avengers II), it was actually a fairly small story. A former bad-guy thought to be responsible for a massive crime is defended by his (former) best friend willing to fight like hell to prove his innocence. No big plot of some evil empire threatening to destroy the whole world. For as big as the picture was, it maintained a sense of feeling grounded. And I applaud it for that. 

Sure, there were some plot holes... (SPOILERS!) Like would Zemo's plan have worked if Iron Man didn't decide to follow Captain America out to that weird bunker with all those other super soldiers? Or how about multiple security cameras conveniently being placed around the murder site of the Starks -- let alone a high profile, super wealthy inventor/weapons manufacturer driving on an abandoned street at night with no security. But, hey... you suspend your disbelief while you let yourself get caught up in the excitement of the story. 

If you already haven't seen it, watch this in theaters. It's worth getting that larger-than-life experience... especially for gi-Ant-Man. (Ah, Paul Rudd. You are a treasure.)

Keanu (2016)

I'm a big fan of Key and Peele (both the TV show and the actors), and with this being their first major film together I was super excited to catch it. Simple, yet ridiculous story. Two suburbanite guys venture into the seedy underbelly of the LA gang, The Blips (a fallout gang for those unable to get into the Bloods and the Crips) in order to find Peele's stolen kitten, Keanu. In the end, it turns into a story about two guys growing a pair and finding the strength to take back control of their (respective) lives... while taking on several violent gangs and a pair of devious hit men in the process. 

While I did laugh. A bunch. The movie felt like bit from their TV show that just kept running on and on. It's totally worth a watch when you have the time. But, I wouldn't specifically make time to see this.

Favorite moment? Key accidentally goes on a hallucinogenic drug trip and has a conversation with the kitten, Keanu... who's voice appropriately enough by Keanu Reeves. 

The Do-Over (2016)

Oh... Why did I watch this? What was I expecting?! To be fair, I saw this while I was back east the other weekend and was just killing time while trying to fall asleep and unfortunately ended up watching the whole thing. 

But you know what, instead of actually leaving a review or anything on this, I'll give you a snapshot of the final image of the film. 

Sorry for the poor quality. Took this off my phone from my old tube TV in my old bedroom -- not that an HD-quality version would help sell this. 

Yup. That pretty sums up my experience with this one. 

The Nice Guys (2016)

Lethal Weapon? Last Action Hero? Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang? Who doesn't love a little Shane Black.

One of the leading screenwriters from back in the 90's, this guy is returning to his roots here with humorous buddy-cop romp. Set in LA during the 1970's, a hired tough-guy (Crowe) and drunk and dysfunctional private eye (Gosling) team up to solve a missing persons case that's connected to the death of a porn star. 

It's a super fun film that I'm sad is not having more success in the box office. Gosling is a riot and he teams up pretty well when opposite to Crowe. Also a shoutout to the actress who plays Gosling's daughter, who I kind of connect as Penny from Inspector Gadget -- it's the girl who's always told to stay home, never does, and ends up helping progress the case through her inquisitive nature despite her youth. 

I can sort of see why this film isn't for everyone as it's definitely a hard R. A fair amount of violence, cursing, and a whole lot of boobies (I mean, we're solving a murder mystery surrounding the porn industry), but it's still refreshing to see something fresh in theaters that's not already a part of a larger franchise. 

Speaking of original ideas...  

Hail, Caesar! (2016)

Now, this... this is a fucking movie. Easily the best film I've seen all year from the fuckers who time and time again deliver on how to tell a fucking story right. The Coen Bros. 

Set in the 1950's golden age of Hollywood (the era where studios didn't just hire actors, they owned them -- not that too much has changed between then and now), this movie follows Josh Brolin as the head of production for a major studio who's got his hands full making sure his studio and stars stay on track and keep churning out the good stuff, big-time motion pictures. But when their star for their next major motion picture, Hail Casear! (a Jesus Christ epic set in ancient Rome), is abducted by a group of communist-sympathizing, jaded screenwriters, Brolin's character has to put together the pieces to figure out how to get production back in working order -- all while a bunch of other ridiculous scandals and drama involving his studio ensue around him. 

On the surface, this is another dry-wit comedy that only the Coen Bros. could deliver. Not only does this film have humor, but it has two delightful musical numbers that call back to the golden age of Hollywood. One, a synchronized swimming routing, and the other a tap-dancing number with a bunch of sailors who sing and dance to a hilariously homo-erotic number. While this film certainly delivers on the laughs, it's also a noodle-scratcher.

I've only watched this film once, so far, but it's clear this film could easily be watched several times and one might still be missing on all the subtext and messages it's trying to impart. Whether it's commentary on religion, capitalism, communism, or personal relationships, there's a lot to uncover. But, fuck that... Just sit back and enjoy a film that got shafted with a weird ass release date of Jan/Feb and flew audiences relatively unnoticed. 

Also, the film features the new Han Solo himself, Alden Ehrenreich who's actually got some real chomps as a actor. Despite being a bit on the tiny size, I could definitely see him as Han Solo.