Cindy Prascik's 2015: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly!

Dearest Blog: I suppose it wouldn't be the New Year if I didn't weigh in--alongside, you know, everyone else in the world--with my thoughts on the best and worst of the year just ended. So, without further ado: my top ten pictures of 2015, along with a few also-rans, and, of course, the bottom of the barrel! 

 

10. "Desperate times. Desperate measures." Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation The year's best thrill ride, with an action sequence for the ages, Rogue Nation is about the most fun you could expect to have at the movies. 

 

9. "I know you're probably feeling a lot of emotion right now, but please refrain from using the term 'thunderc**t!'" Spy Melissa McCarthy may be locked into a certain kind of character, but when a movie's this laugh-out-loud hilarious from start to finish, it's hard to argue with the formula. Throw in the year's funniest turn from Jason Statham, and Spy is easily 2015's best comedy. 

 

8. "Sports were, in a way, a kind of warfare." Red Army At a time when it's difficult to imagine the NHL without its Ovechkins and its Malkins, this documentary presents a compelling look at the Cold War glory days of the Soviet hockey machine, and the first Russian players to break into the National Hockey League. 

 

7. "Grizzly? Not particularly. Mind you, I haven't seen him in the mornings!" Paddington England's favorite bear tries to find himself a home in this joyful romp, a delight for all ages. 

 

6. "Chewie, we're home." Star Wars: The Force Awakens Advertising often makes bloated claims, but Star Wars: The Force Awakens truly is the movie event of a generation. This superb sequel met or exceeded nearly everyone's expectations, and has effectively redefined the word "blockbuster." 

 

5. "This man is obviously crazy." The Walk An achievement in both technical wizardry and great storytelling, the Walk is, at its heart, a love letter to the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. A terrific narrative and a charming leading performance by Joseph Gordon-Levitt make this one of the year's best. 

 

4. "Speak a little truth, and people lose their minds." Straight Outta Compton Straight Outta Compton is a well written, brilliantly acted biopic of rap pioneers NWA that will leave you feeling like you can take on the world, one of my very favorite cinema experiences of 2015. 

 

3. "Musicians play their instruments. I play the orchestra." Steve Jobs A brilliant but incomplete portrait of the legendary founder of Apple, Steve Jobs features whiplash-inducing exchanges, penned by Aaron Sorkin and smartly delivered by Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet, and an exemplary supporting cast. It is the very definition of "must see." 

 

2. "I've been fighting my whole life. It's not a choice for me." Creed Full of heart and peppered with hold-your-breath fight sequences, Creed is the sequel Rocky has always deserved. Michael B. Jordan admirably carries the leading mantle, and Sylvester Stallone delivers one of the year's best performances in a role that he could just as easily mail in by now. You'll want to see this one more than once, I guarantee it. 

 

1. "So hail Satan, and have a lovely afternoon, madam." Kingsman: The Secret Service Kingsman: The Secret Service is a perfect movie. It's action packed, smart, and funny, with a great cast, a handful of fantastic twists, and what just might be the greatest single scene ever to grace the big screen. Released all the way back in February, in the ten months that followed, it never faced a serious challenge for my top spot. Side notes: I have yet to gain access to Macbeth and Spotlight, two films that undoubtedly would be on this list (probably very near the top) had I seen them. 

 

Runners-Up: The Peanuts Movie. My sentimental favorite of the year. Spectre. Bond gave MI5 a good run for its money for that number-ten spot. I'd have liked a second go at both for a fresher perspective, but that didn't happen. And, yes...Pixels. Go on and roll your eyes, I see you! Pixels' worst crime was having Adam Sandler at the helm, so many decided it was terrible even before seeing it, but its effects were stunning and its pop-culture nods fun and funny. Critics be damned, if you're within ten years of my age either way, I promise you'll get a kick out of it. 

 

And, drumroll, please! 

 

My least favorites/biggest disappointments of 2015: 

 

Jupiter Ascending. Hot off an Oscar win and probably on his way to another, Eddie Redmayne turned in one of the most perplexingly awful performances of the year, in a picture that features a chase scene so long and boring I fell asleep three times and woke up while it was still going. An unmitigated disaster.  

Chappie. Two of my favorite people who make movies--Neil Blomkamp and Sharlto Copley--somehow managed to make the most irritating film of the year. Pan. A cluster of epic proportions, and a shameful waste of the multi-talented Hugh Jackman. 

 

Finally, ever shall it rank among my greatest regrets of 2015 that two of my very favorite actors--Johnny Depp and Jake Gyllenhaal--both turned in extraordinary performances in a year when the leading actor categories are just too stacked to offer them proper accolades. 

 

Kudos to Johnny and Jake for two of the year's most mesmerizing turns. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to have a look at this blog over the past 12 months, and especially to my blog partner, Daniel, for all his hard work in getting our Very Important Writings out there. Remember, kids: everyone's entitled to our opinions! 

 

Happy 2016 to one and all! Until next time... 

 

Cindy Prascik's Review of The Hateful Eight

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dearest Blog: If the truth of Awards Season is sacrifice, the truth of the holiday season seems to be haste. Hurry here, hurry there, never enough time to fit everything in. Thus, at the ungodly (movie) hour of 9:30 this morning, I found myself at "not my" cinema for a screening of Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight. 

 

Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers. 

 

Dear Reader(s), every December, I visit New York City. Every December, without fail, someone in my group gets 9:00 a.m. Rockettes tickets, so we have to set out at stupid o'clock to see they get to Radio City bright and early for all those peppermint-stick costumes and high kicks. 

 

A person can reasonably be expected to handle just so much of certain things at that hour of the day; the enforced chipperness of the Rockettes is one of those things, and Quentin Tarantino is most certainly another. I have never, ever understood 9:00 a.m. Rockettes tickets. 

 

I am neither a fan nor not-a-fan of Quentin Tarantino. I know what I'm always getting in a Tarantino flick: gratuitous violence and scenarios that shock for the sake of it. 

 

Sometimes that's just stray garbage scattered about a great picture, sometimes the entire movie belongs in the dumpster. 

 

Unfortunately for The Hateful Eight, it appears to be trash day. This muddled mess does nothing to earn or justify its over-three-hour runtime. 

 

Uniformly despicable characters prattle on endlessly, only a fraction of their willfully repulsive dialogue necessary to provide backstory or propel the film forward. The graphic, incessant brutality is no less abhorrent for being expected. 

 

The Hateful Eight has a handful of terrific moments, mostly courtesy of Walton Goggins, as well as a wonderful score and top-notch sound editing, but, generally speaking, this one's a dud. The Hateful Eight runs 167 minutes and is rated R for "strong, bloody violence, a scene of violent sexual content, language, and some graphic nudity." 

 

A bloated exercise in ego, The Hateful Eight neither enlightens nor entertains; it only bores and disgusts. 

 

Of a possible nine Weasleys, The Hateful Eight gets two. 

 

Until next time, I wish a happy New Year to anyone and everyone who ever takes a moment to read my ramblings. 

 

May 2016 be peaceful, healthy, and prosperous for you all. See you at the pictures! 

 

 

Cindy Prascik's Reviews of Concussion, Joy & The Big Short

Dearest Blog: A point I've previously belabored: Awards Season necessitates sacrifice, and, thus, yesterday I found myself drowning in a triple-bill of critical darlings at Marquee Cinemas, rather than enjoying the second Star Wars viewing I'd have preferred. Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers or, I guess, from real life, as all three of these films are based (at least loosely) on actual people and events. 

 

First on my agenda: Concussion. After uncovering the disturbing results of repeated head trauma among former players, a medical examiner faces off with the National Football League. Dear reader(s), I gotta be straight with ya: I don't like football. 

 

There, I said it. In a place where the sun rises and sets on the Pittsburgh Steelers, where many fans would sacrifice a virgin, cut off a limb, or bop their neighbors on the head with a hammer for that seventh Super Bowl ring, I couldn't possibly care less. Thus, I figured Concussion for the lemon in yesterday's lineup. I figured wrong. 

 

Will Smith is extraordinary as Dr. Bennet Omalu, the Allegheny County coroner who first discovered the potential link between the game's violence and former players' mental and physical troubles. As enthusiastic for new knowledge as he is horrified by his findings and determined to prevent further damage, Smith is sincere, believable, and fierce. A non-believer myself, I found it oddly comforting that Omalu is portrayed as both a man of science and a man of faith, two things that seem almost mutually exclusive in today's world. 

 

Concussion's supporting cast is solid, and the story is fascinating and well executed, as Omalu and a few allies butt heads (see what I did there?) with a juggernaut reluctant to acknowledge a very serious potential black mark on its image. 

 

Concussion clocks in at 123 minutes and is rated PG13 for "thematic material including some disturbing images, and language." Concussion is a well-written, well-acted film that will have no trouble holding your attention from start to finish, even if you don't know the difference between a quarterback and a cornerback. 

 

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Concussion gets eight. 

 

Next up: Joy. A young divorcee hopes to improve her complicated life with a new invention. Joy is essentially a showcase for Jennifer Lawrence, who is fantastic in the title role, yet the constantly-exaggerated circumstances leave her looking a bit like a female Forrest Gump. The supporting cast includes notables like Robert DeNiro, Virginia Madsen, Diane Ladd, Isabella Rossellini, and Edgar Ramirez, but their characters are little more than paper dolls, every move entirely predictable. 

 

Bradley Cooper turns up for a cup of coffee, only because, of late, it seems director David O. Russell doesn't want to make a movie without him, a sad waste of his talent and charm. The story's a jumble that always seems to be moving, yet never gets anywhere, making the movie feel longer than it is. All in all, Joy is much more interested in showing off its star than it is in being a great movie. 

 

Joy runs 124 minutes and is rated PG13 for "brief strong language." It's nothing special, but Joy is still an enjoyable watch. 

 

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Joy gets six and a half. 

 

And the final item on yesterday's docket: The Big Short. A handful of financial fringe operators predict (and attempt to cash in on) the big bust of 2008. 

 

The Big Short is a hard film to pin down. It's funny, but it shouldn't be. These guys the film would have you rooting for? They're in the market to rip someone off just as much as the ones you're rooting against. 

 

The terrific cast has already nailed down some awards love, but nobody turns in a game-changing performance. Smart, funny dialogue gets lost in a sea of gratuitous swearing. (Deadwood fan here, so I'm not timid about bad words, but they're not always the right fit.) The story is frenetic, yet the movie seems slow and long. 

 

The narrative setup is interesting, I love the way the film marks time, and, though the characters are comical, The Big Short eventually brings home the gravity of a disaster that destroyed millions of lives. The Big Short runs an excessive 130 minutes and is rated R for "pervasive language and some sexuality/nudity." A comic take on a story that's anything but funny, The Big Short is depressing and entertaining at the same time. 

 

Of a possible nine Weasleys, The Big Short gets seven. 

 

Until next time...may the Force be strong enough to scare off unwanted holiday visitors, so I can squeeze in another Star Wars screening before going back to work! 

 

Cindy Prascik's Review of The Inbetweeners 2

Dearest Blog: Seldom would I bother reviewing a film that was released almost a year and a half ago, but I've only just managed to catch up with the Inbetweeners 2, and it's definitely worth a mention. Not sure a spoiler warning is in order at this point, but if you haven't seen it yet, I shan't ruin it for you. 

 

With Will and Simon off at separate universities, and Neil and Jay in the midst of other pursuits, the boys reunite for a holiday Down Under. The Inbetweeners 2 makes no attempt to reinvent the wheel. Just like the TV series and its previous big-screen endeavor, it's rude, vulgar, gross, and often uncomfortable, yet somehow it still has great heart. 

 

The four young stars--Simon Bird, Joe Thomas, Blake Harrison, and James Buckley--are such a fantastic ensemble that I only hope they'll continue to work together in the future, be it on more Inbetweeners projects or something else...anything else! The movie's "plot" is mostly just another series of misadventures, but by no means is that a negative; on the contrary, I didn't laugh out loud half as much at any other comedy I saw this year. 

 

The Inbetweeners 2 clocks in at 96 minutes. If you purchase the DVD, there are loads of extra features, including cast and directors' commentary, deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes footage, and a gag reel. 

 

Far as I can find, the movie has not been rated by the MPAA, but there are enough F-bombs and other mature content for me to judge it "not for the kiddies." So...as it happens, my favorite comedy of 2015 is actually from 2014. 

 

Of a possible nine Weasleys, the Inbetweeners 2 gets eight. Until next time... 

 

 

MOVIE REVIEW: DADDY’S HOME

A mild-mannered radio executive strives to become the best stepfather to his wife's two children, but complications ensue when their freewheeling biological father arrives, forcing him to compete for the affection of the children.

Director: Sean Anders

Cast: Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Linda Cardellini, Thomas Haden Church, Hannibal Buress

Release Date: Dec 25, 2015

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, crude and suggestive content, and for language

Runtime: 1 hr. 36 min.

Genres: Comedy

Review:

Daddy’s Home is a comedy that keeps you entertained enough to give it some time to find its footing.  Unfortunately it’ never really does.  It’s funny in parts and on rare occasions laugh out funny but it never does either consistently.  It’s a shame considering the strong comedic chemistry Ferrell and Wahlberg share on screen.  They are both game to roll with the punches but the film’s script and direction prefers to play it safe for the better part of the film.  As such, most of the plot plays out in a predictable manner with some bright spots here and there such as Thomas Haden Church and Hannibal Buress adding a bit of life to the proceedings.  Sadly it starts to drag towards the end, feeling much longer than its sparse runtime, never a good sign for a comedy. 

C

MOVIE REVIEW: SISTERS

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler reunite for "Sisters," a new film from "Pitch Perfect" director Jason Moore about two disconnected sisters summoned home to clean out their childhood bedroom before their parents sell the family house. Looking to recapture their glory days, they throw one final high-school-style party for their classmates, which turns into the cathartic rager that a bunch of ground-down adults really need. Fey produces the comedy alongside Jay Roach ("Meet the Parents" series), and Poehler executive produces from a script by Paula Pell (TV’s "Saturday Night Live," "30 Rock").

Director: Jason Moore

Cast: Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Ike Barinholtz, John Leguizamo

Release Date: Dec 18, 2015

Rated R for crude Sexual Content and Language Throughout, and For Drug Use.

Runtime: 1 hr. 58 min.

Genres: Comedy

Review:

Sisters lives and dies by the chemistry of its two leads.  Tina Fey and Amy Poehler take a recycled plot and keep it engaging enough to make it watchable and fairly enjoyable.  The comedy is fairly broad and leans more on the vulgar side especially coming from these two.  The film moves along at a steady pace with a sharp script keeping the whole thing from falling into too many dead zones, even though there are a few here and there.  When the film works it really work, resulting in some seriously laugh out loud moments.  Even when it’s not landing the way it should its likable enough because of the leads.  Tina Fey plays against type and does surprisingly well.  Poehler is a bit more predictable with her character coming off as a variation of Leslie Knope.  The supporting cast is a whose who of SNL cast mates with Maya Rudolph, Rachel Dratch, and Bobby Moynihan leaving the best impressions.  Sisters isn’t a classic but it’s strong enough to have you leaving the theater grinning especially if your fans of the films two stars.

B