"Creed" *Non-Spoiler* Review

We may have a new film at the top of my list for best movie of the year. I heard a lot of good things about Creed going into the movie, and all I can say is that I echo those same high praises. Now just to get it out of the way; I am from Philadelphia, so Rocky will always be a favorite of mine, but if you are in the same boat, Creed will not disappoint and will make you emotional as hell. Not only does Creed have good direction, it has a great story, fantastic cinematography, and amazing performances. Director Ryan Coogler (Fruitvale Station) does a tremendous job of telling the story of Apollo Creed’s son that is compelling, emotional, and a pleasure to watch. The story of Adonis Johnson trying to escape from his father’s shadow was nearly flawless. Michael B. Jordan (Adonis) makes us forget about Fantastic Four with a performance so rich, I would not be surprised at all if we see his name come up around Oscar season. The real crown jewel of the performances is Sylvester Stallone (Rocky). Yes, you read that right. Stallone shows in Creed that he has more to offer in his acting arsenal. While Rocky was just a supporting character in Creed, it is his relationship with Adonis that makes this movie so great. Stallone gives us emotion, tension, and drama. He leaves us wondering where this kind of acting has been his entire career. I cannot believe I am going to say this…but I would not be surprised at all if he is nominated for an Oscar for “Best Actor in a supporting role”. He is just that worthy in this movie. Creed even throws subtle nods to previous Rocky movies for that nostalgic feel. Phylicia Rashad (Mary Anne) also gives an amazing performance as Apollo Creed’s widow, even though it is a rather limited role. My only complaint about Creed is the love story of Adonis and Bianca (Tessa Thompson). While Thompson gave an admirable performance, the story of the two of them just didn’t hit home like it was supposed to. Creed focuses so much of Adonis’ and Rocky’s relationship, which is not a bad thing, that the relationship of those two just seems to be rather unimportant.

Conclusion: Creed hits on the emotional scale perfectly. It is filled with a great story, astonishing boxing scenes, and absolutely tremendous performances. You can love Creed even if you are not a big fan of the Rocky films. Even though Rocky is a big part of the film, it does not feel like a Rocky movie. Michael B. Jordan and Sylvester Stallone knock it out of the park with their performances that they both could possibly be nominated. Creed gives us everything we loved about Rocky and then some. It was a impactful love storyline away from being a perfect score. Creed is unquestionably a must see.

SCORE:                        9.25/10  -  GREAT

"The Night Before" *Non-Spoiler* Review

The Night Before’s trailers come off as it is just another Seth Rogen comedy about doing drugs and getting chicks. To my delight, it was a lot more than that and was heartfelt comedy that was hilarious and just enjoying to watch. The Night Before tells the story of three friends of over 10 years are ending their Christmas tradition, so they want to go out with one big bang and hit all of their usual spots before heading over to the big party. The trios of Seth Rogen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Anthony Mackie have great chemistry and feed off each other very well. The underlining thread of this film is that each of them has their own issues that the others try to help them out with. Of course, while the three of them are going through the night, misfortunes and problems occur, but it makes for a great time with many laughs. There are some great cameos in the film that serve their purpose that make you laugh even harder. Outside the main trio, Michael Shannon (Mr. Green) practically steals every scene he is in, and is a constant throughout the movie. Lizzy Caplan (Diana) and Mindy Kaling (Sarah) are just as outrageous and funny as their male counterparts. The only downside of this movie was that some of the drama scenes just didn’t hit as hard as they were supposed to. The good thing is, the movie will be making you laugh so much, that is a flaw that is very easy to overlook. 

Conclusion: The Night Before is one of the better Seth Rogen films and is fun from the start until the credits roll. Seth Rogen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Anthony Mackie all bring different elements to the film but all give great comedic timing. The dynamic between the group is just another spark to a film that has you laughing from the moment it starts. While The Night Before did not make me laugh as hard as This is the End; It was by far the funniest movie of the year and an overall good time to watch. If you like Seth Rogen films, you will love this one!

SCORE:           8.3/10 - VERY GOOD

"Spotlight" *Non-Spoiler* Review

Spotlight lives up to the hype it is getting from the media. It tells the story of how the spotlight team unveiled the massive scandal of child molestation and cover – up within the local Catholic Archdiocese. While some will not like this movie because of their political beliefs, I found the story Spotlight told, was one of the most, if not the best, riveting stories of the year. It is a slow paced movie, but the story is engaging enough where it does not feel as if the movie drags on. The core cast (Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams, Brian James, Live Schreiber, John Slattery, and Stanley Tucci) all give in tremendous performances. Yes it is an ensemble cast, but the movie does an excellent job of giving each enough screen time to help us get to know each one of them. Even though they are pitted against the church, Spotlight shows the effects and tolls the assignment is taking on each character. They all had histories with the church, and the film does a brilliant job in perfectly showing the struggle each has to deal with as they continue to uncover the truth. The actual event in which Spotlight is about is a very big deal and the film does make us feel that. During the film, the magnitude of what these characters are working on is very prevalent. The story keeps us on the edge of our seats and rooting for the team and feeling for the victims that are portrayed in the film.

Conclusion: Spotlight is a film that we will definitely being here about around award season. The story telling is top notch and the cast give great performances. Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, and Rachel McAdams were the three that stood out the most in the film. While Spotlight has a big cast, it does not lose them throughout the movie, it gives you a sense of each character and how they are handling what the team in uncovering. The drama and intensity are very heavily felt and is one that will make you think a 2 hour movie feel like a 90 minute one. Spotlight definitely challenges The Martian as the best movie of the year so far. I would absolutely recommend seeing the film. 

SCORE:            9.2/10   -  GREAT

"Love the Coopers" *Non-Spoiler* Review

Love the Coopers offers a lot of heart felt moments in an otherwise very unsatisfying film. The incredible cast cannot save the movie from feeling like a bunch of clichés mashed up to create an odd and somewhat pointless of a story. Love the Coopers feels like it is moving sideways the entire time, rather than moving forward with its story. That is the main problem of this film; the story. It was dull, predictable, and cringe worthy at times. You can see how Love the Coopers is going to end from the moment you meet every character. It is very unfortunate a talented cast, lead by Diane Keaton and John Goodman, was wasted away trying to tell a story, that quite frankly, has been told hundreds of times before a lot better. Even though the whole cast is talented, there were some characters that felt out of place and ultimately unneeded. It felt as if they were just there. But again, that is a problem that stems from screenplay/story telling.Love the Coopers. While the story stinks worse than sour milk, there are some redeeming moments in the movie that are relatable and make you think about how holidays are always hectic when it comes to families.

The synopsis of the movie claims that 4 generations of the Cooper family come together, but don’t get your hopes up, because they do not get together until about the midway point of the movie. And by that time, you are bored and have stopped caring for the characters and their cliché problems. Heart felt moments, as I stated earlier, are the only saving grace of

Conclusion:  Love the Coopers has a talented cast that cannot save the movie from being predictable and boring. The movie is only 108 minutes but feels a lot longer because nothing exciting ever happens to the Coopers. There aren’t many laughs, but are plenty of times you will roll your eyes. The heart felt moments will make you smile but it will then instantly be wiped away from the boredom of having to continue to watch the movie. The movie is called Love the Cooper….but I don’t think many people will love this movie.

SCORE:                 3.5/10  -  BAD

"Spectre" *Non-Spoiler* Review

Hey everybody! Sorry for the long layoff. Some things had come up that kept me from writing more often but I'm glad to say I am back and ready to get the wheels started again with Spectre! Hope you enjoy my review. Remember to feel free to comment below if you want.

While Spectre may not live up to its predecessor’s quality; it is still a good movie. Spectre had many action pieces, good drama, and surprisingly a lot of well-done comedic jokes. The film seems to tie all of Daniel Craig’s previous 3 Bond movies together with a nicely wrapped bow. Spectre definitely had the feel of the ending of the Daniel Craig Bonds era. While it was not the perfect ending, it was good enough to end it positive note. As usual, Daniel Craig (James Bond) gives us another remarkable performance of portraying the iconic, smoothe talking Bond. He is not alone as Lea Seydoux (Madeline Swan) is not only beautiful but delivers a noble performance as well. Even though I was not the biggest fan of Sam Smith’s Spectre theme, the classic Bond music always gives me goosebumps.

Not all was well for Spectre. The biggest stain was its villains. Christoph Waltz (Oberhauser) and Dave Bautista (Hinx) portray their characters to a tee. Unfortunately, the movie does not utilize them well at all. Waltz’s character is not on screen for the majority of the movie and Bautista says one word the entire film. The strongest villain is the one that isn’t quite obvious at first but you can positively see coming by the midway part of the film. For spoiler reasons I will not reveal who that is. Another thing Spectre stumbles at is run time. There were points that director Sam Mendes seemed to want to drag out, that simply do not have to be.

Conclusion: Even though Spectre has its flaws, it is still a good movie. It seemingly wraps of the Daniel Craig era as Bond very nicely. While the villains are not that strong, they serve their purpose enough to get us to feel the drama of the suspense if Bond will pull it out. You will have to watch the first 3 Craig movies to get this one because they tie any loose ends from them in Spectre. It wasn’t the best one, or even the 2^nd best, but it was certainly not Quantum of Solace. Spectre is a fun movie going experience and an overall good movie.

Score:   7/10  -   GOOD

Brute's "The Martian" *Non-Spoiler* Review

The Martian lived up to my personal hype. It is just simply a great movie. Director Ridley Scott returns to his Gladiator form and takes us on the Journey of Mark Whatney (Matt Damon) having to survive on Mars for over 500 days. The story and flow of the film is one of the many things that make it great. The Martian is only 142 minutes, but it feels shorter. This is a movie where you will actually want it to be longer. There is so many great scenes and sequences you will want to see more of. There is a lot to love in this movie. This is not just an all drama, no fun movie. There is plenty of levity in the film to help even out to intense tragedy of the situation Damon is in. Speaking of Damon, he gives a great performance. He perfectly plays a stranded astronaut who is trying to make it out alive, make light of his situation, and not lose his mind. When things go wrong, you feel for his character and are on the edge of your seat to see what happens next. Damon makes his character relatable, witty, and charming. He is not the only one to give a great performance. His crew, The Hermes, consist of Melissa Lewis (Jessica Chastain), Beth Johanssen (Kate Mara), Rick Martinez (Michael Pena), Chris Beck (Sebastian Stan), and Alex Vogel (Aksel Hennie) all give wonderful performances and bring depth and insight to each of their characters. The most underrated performances may be of both Jeff Daniels and Chiwetel Ejiofor. Both characters are back at NASA working to bring Mark home, and the intensity they bring to such a task is brilliant. One thing not to be overlooked is the visual effects of The Martian. They are seamless and flawless. You would have thought that this movie was actually shot on another planet. Finally, the soundtrack is a marvelous on, probably not as good as Guardians of the Galaxy’s soundtrack, but pretty damn close to it.

Conclusion: The Martian is a must see movie. The story is gripping and will have you on the edge of your seat throughout. It is not all drama, prepare to have some laughs along the way with great performances around the board. You will nod along with its great soundtrack and be amazed by the visuals of the film. This a movie you may want to see in IMAX, it is that good. Director Ridley Scott conjures up his old form and brings you a movie you will want to see again right after you leave the theatre. It is an amazing experience. Do yourself a favor. Go see The Martian, the best movie of the year so far.

GRADE:    A

Most Anticipated October Movies

Welcome to the first day of October! In today's blog I will be giving you my top 3 most anticipated movies of the month. Last October gave us some pretty good movies such as; Gone Girl, The Judge, and Fury. Here's hoping that this year's October can meet those same standards, or hopefully exceed them. I based my top 3 off of simple categories; Trailers, actors, and what the movie is about. Remember, not everyone's list will be the same so feel free to comment below and share your top 3 most anticipated movies!


3) Burnt
Release Date: October 23
Director: John Wells
Cast: Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller, Daniel Bruhl, Omar Sy, Lily James, Uma Thurman, Emma Thompson
Trailer: Chef Trailer #2

In all honesty, when I first saw the trailer of Burnt, the first thing that came to my mind was Jon Favreau's Chef. But when I thought more about this movie, I realized that they were two completely different stories. Chef told the story of the main character rediscovering his love for making his own meals while Burnt tells the story of a chef who has destroyed his career through drugs and other means, and tries to work his way back to redemption. The story alone gets me excited, but add in that the movie has both Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller (Both starred in American Sniper), it just amps up the excitement level that much higher. Also, I love Daniel Bruhl. He is great in everything and can do nothing but help the overall quality of the film.

2) Bridge of Spies
Release Date: October 15
Director: Steve Spielberg
Cast: Tom Hanks, Alan Alda, Amy Ryan, Eve Hewson, Peter McRobbie, Austin Stowell
Trailer: Bridge of Spies Trailer #2

Tom Hanks and Spielberg. That is what initially first got me excited for Bridge of Spies. Hanks very rarely puts out a sub par movie. He does such a great job giving depth to his characters and fleshing them out in a way that we can latch onto them and connect with them. And what can I say about Spielberg that hasn't been said? The man can just make great movies. The movie takes place during the cold war era and tells the story of an insurance agent recruited by the CIA to help rescue a US pilot caught in the Soviet Union. I would probably say that the cold war period is probably the one period in US history that I am fascinated the least in. It never really hit me like the world wars, civil war, or the revolutionary war. But what I will say is that when I saw the first trailer, it captivated me with the story and the drama in just the trailer alone. Bridge of Spies looks to be a hit.



1) The Martian
Release Date: October 2
Director: Ridley Scott
Cast: Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Kate Mara, Jeff Daniels, Michael Pena, Sean Bean, Sebastian Stan, Chiwetel Ejiofor
 Trailer: The Martian Trailer #2

First and foremost.....that cast is simply amazing. Oddly enough though, the cast was not the first thing that had be really excited for The Martian. The story and the trailers got me right away. The story of an astronaut being stranded on Mars and having to survive without knowing when or if he will ever get help just grabbed my attention. The first trailer for the movie had it all; Drama, action, emotion, and laughter. During the trailer, when I saw the cast list, I knew that there would not be a lot, if any, bad performances. All the actors and actresses listed above have the talent to give great performances. I know director Ridley Scott can be hit (Gladiator) and miss (Exodus: Gods and Kings), but right now The Martian is rated a 92% on Rotten Tomatoes. I cannot wait to get out there and see it this weekend and review it.


*Let's hope that these 3 films live up to my hype and make it on my best movies of October and not one of them is my least favorite!*