22 Jump Street (2014)

Well as I said in my review for A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, my family watched a couple of films for Thanksgiving, and unlike the other films, there was one that I had not seen yet, but was not in a hurry to see since, while getting a few good laughs from the first movie, I wasn't all that into these kinds of films. But I watched it all the same with the family, and this is the result.

Plot: After failing to arrest a group of drug dealers, Schmidt and Jenko are reassigned back on the 21 Jump Street program, which has now been changed to 22 Jump Street. So Captain Dickson assigns them to go undercover again, only this time they are going to college. Their mission is to find the drug dealer who is selling students a new drug called WHYPHY. But in the process, their relationship as partners are challenged when Schmidt falls in love with a student, and Jenko joins the football team.

This is actually, freaking funny. I'm just going to say that right off the bat. The first film was a nice movie that had some funny moments, mainly during the second act. But with its sequel, it's just nothing short of very funny. From what I've heard, people seem kind of split as to which is better between 21 Jump Street and 22 Jump Street, especially since they have the exact same plot and everything. For my money, it is no competition. This film was so much more funny hands down. 22 Jump Street for me was much smarter and well constructed with its humor, and they did a much better job with Schmidt and Jenko's relationship. Which is not to say that their relationship wasn't good in the first film, but they were just beginning to form a partnership then, and now we have them questioning it despite everything that they've been through together. Is what happens between them still cliched? Well...yeah, you pretty much know what's going to generally happen from beginning to end, especially since, again, it's the same story as the first film. But I think the chemistry between their bromance is much better here because it comes of much stronger and much more believable. And while the story is essentially the same thing as the last film, they do change a couple of things to their credit, and some of it really works for not just the story, but most importantly, for the comedy. Now does that mean that there aren't moments where they go too far with the jokes? Absolutely. It's honestly kind of expected at this point for there to be some sex related joke or something that I would not enjoy. But with the comedy as a whole, they felt much more clever and well delivered, and so because of that, I felt more comfortable with watching this film then I did with the last one in a way. Some jokes are good for a pretty nice laugh, but then you have moments like this one plot line that has to do with Schmidt and Captain Dickson, that will make me laugh, and it'll make me laugh hard. I will not DARE give anything away about it, but what they do about this plot line concerning them was so funny just on the idea alone. The more jokes for it we got, the funnier it got. And there's also the end credits which is also very funny. Both of these moments are definitely the highlight of the film personally. But that doesn't mean it wasn't enjoyable still with just its characters and action as well.

And that's my review for 22 Jump Street. It may still have some cliches, but where people debate on which of the 21 Jump Street films are funnier, my vote is on 22 Jump Street, no questions asked. Not all of the jokes work, but at the end of the day, I'm glad I say it, but even more, I'm glad for the laughs that it made that I think outweighs the comedy for the first film easily.

Rating: 85%

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (1973)

Yes, Thanksgiving has been over for a while now, but this is one review that I want to get out of the way after finally watching my DVD copy of this movie. You see my sister got me a Peanuts holiday collection which contains this film along with It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown and A Charlie Brown Christmas. Since then, I have made it somewhat a tradition to watch them every year for their respective holiday, but the thanksgiving film was never used. Whether I had time or just forgot about it or whatever, the film wasn't played for Thanksgiving. But finally this year, while my family and I were watching movies, I took the oppertunity to have this film be one of the films to see as a family. And now that I've finally made use of my DVD for this movie, it's only fitting that I finally review it just like the other two Peanuts holiday classics.

Plot: Charlie Brown and his sister Sally are planning to go to their grandmother's for Thanksgiving dinner. But when Charlie Brown's friend Peppermint Patty invites herself and some her friends over to Charlie Brown's house for Thanksgiving dinner, he, Linus Snoopy and Woodstock try to set up their own Thanksgiving dinner for Peppermint Patty and her friends before Charlie Brown goes to his grandmother's.

Of the three most commonly known Peanuts specials, I think this one is arguably the most unique but also the least popular. Everyone practically knows the stories of It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown and A Charlie Brown Christmas, making them such classics for their respective holidays, but while this special is considered a timeless classic for the holiday that it's representing too, I honestly feel like it's the one with the least love. I'm not saying this to really attack the film. Far from it. I just feel I should address that it feels like this one isn't getting as much respect as the other two. With that said, this is a fun, lovable special to watch for Thanksgiving. The real heart of the special is pretty much the heart of really anything from Peanuts; the Peanuts gang themselves. Charlie Brown is the kid where almost nothing goes right for him no matter how he tries, which I sometimes find really depressing looking at Peanuts again all grown up. (Also, I noticed while I was writing the plot paragraph how they never call him just Charlie. I mean yes, Peppermint Patty calls him Chuck and I remember in the comics that there's one girl that calls him Charles, but aside from that, he's always called by his full name, Charlie Brown. I just realized that really.) Linus is the smart one who always has the right thing to say about the certain holiday (as long as it doesn't concern The Great Pumpkin). Peppermint Patty is the tomboy who... has something of a crush on Charlie Brown. And then you have my favorite character from the comic strips, Snoopy. Who in the world doesn't like Snoopy? I"m not sure if I can even properly describe what makes him so likable. There's just so many different elements to his character. The two that are definitely in this short are how he seems to have a lot of stuff mysteriously inside his dog house, and how he can be a very slapstick kind of funny character. Heck, we even see him with Woodstock, who has that really weird but kind of cool and unique voice for when he's speaking. But what also makes this film memorable, is how the characters play out the situation is unique. They are making this Thanksgiving dinner with this completely non-Thanksgiving related food that is so...unexpected. In fact I can see people finding this special to not really act like it's Thanksgiving enough because of it. I mean the actual dinner is what most people think of when they think Thanksgiving. But at the end of the day, it still tells a story about Thanksgiving while also at some point in the short, still telling what the holiday is all about. And that's really all that's needed for it to be as loved as it is for this holiday.

And that's my review for A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. I really don't know what more there is to say about it. Most of you already know the story, there's hardly anything to not like about the characters, it's just a fun, animated short film about Thanksgiving that is easily one of the most unique classic for that holiday.

Rating:100%

Dallas Buyers Club (2013)

Next among the films I have recently borrowed from Blaine but haven't gone around to watching until now, the film where somehow Matthew McConaughey's is not a comedian like I usually see him in...even if I don't watch a whole lot of films of him. But I digress, here's Dallas Buyers Club.

Plot: Starting in 1985, electrician and rodeo cowboy Ron Woodroof is diagnosed with HIV (or in other words AIDS) and is expected to have 30 days left to live. So he starts finding ways to steal some pills in order to try to get better. Eventually, he finds some drugs that are more helpful in Mexico than the drugs that are approved in the U.S. and imports them to sell them to other people with AIDS with the help of a trans woman, named Rayon, thus forming the Dallas Buyers Club.

This was a really good movie. It had a very interesting yet somewhat educational story about medicine and AIDS with its biggest strength is the performances from the leading cast. The story is inspired by true events about how things where back them when it comes to medicine for AIDS and how things worked with what was approved for medicine for people in the U.S. and what wasn't, and how the FDA's choice for medicine might be wrong for people with AIDS. And it really succeeded in making me care about what was happening to all of these people who have AIDS and for the people that are trying to help them. The situation felt very real, as did the people in the movie considering both their sickness and the time period that this all takes place. But as I said, the biggest strength to this film, as other reviewers have no doubt pointed out, are the performances from the stars of the film. First, you have Jared Leto as Rayon, who did a great job as this trans woman. I haven't seen Leto in a lot of movies, but I can say that just by looking at his picture on Wikipedia, he looks almost nothing like he is in this film. He was very believable in his role and he deserved to at least have gotten nominated for Best Supporting Actor. And then we have the person most people talk about when it concerns this film; Matthew McConaughey as Ron Woodroof. I haven't seen a lot of movies with him in it either, but I know him mostly from playing the lead role in Ghosts of Girlfriends Past. When I reviewed that film, I said that he wasn't that bad of an actor while his character pretty much was. But if I didn't entirely believe that then...and I'll admit I was trying to be polite while sort of meaning it at the same time when I said that in that review- I believe it so much more now after seeing this film. Like Leto, I couldn't even recognize him as himself save for his voice. Most of the films I've seen him in are comedies/romantic comedies, and yet here he is, practically starving to death to shape his body in a serious role of a man who is trying to keep himself from dying while helping others who are going through the same thing. And he takes us on this great journey of seeing this man grow as a person throughout the movie. It was a terrific performance that made it no wonder that he won for Best Leading Actor. If I had any problems with the movie, it's that it would feel a little cliched at times and it does have moments where it's a little too graphic for me personally, but neither of them where so bad that they hurt the film as a whole.

And that's my review for Dallas Buyers Club. It's a great movie to invest your time in with the subject that it tackles while giving us performances that brings what is happening in the story to life. If you have not seen it yet, it's worth taking a look at.

Rating: 90% 

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)

Well, while I may have gone to far as saying a few words about how great Miyazaki's work is and how it's sad that he retired from writing and directing full length films during the end of my review for The Wind Rises, the fact remains that I said all of that knowing that there was still one movie he wrote and directed  that I had yet to watch. Luckily, my friend Blaine recently bought the film shortly after first seeing it himself, so he let me borrow it along with some other films that I hope to get to watching and reviewing before the week is out. So here at last is my review for the second movie Miyazaki ever wrote and directed (even before Studio Ghibli was founded apparently) Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.

Plot: A thousand years ago, an apocalyptic war destroyed human civilization and created a toxic jungle filled with mutated insects and deadly plants. Now there only a few scattered human settlements left where the toxic jungle hasn't grown yet. In one of these settlements called The Valley of the Wind, Princess Nausicaä tries looks after her kingdom while her father is ill. But when an airship that belongs to the kingdom of Tolmekia, carrying an ancient powerful weapon, Tolmekia troops attack the valley and kill Nausicaä's father, she is forced to be join the Tolmekian princess to go to another kingdom, all while Nausicaä tries to keep people from killing each other.

While I expected this movie to be good, I had no idea that the story would be so epic. I may not be saying a whole lot in my plot paragraph, but trust me when I say that there's a ton more to that. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is a very big step for Miyazaki to have taken for just his second project in writing and directing, and it pays off. There is a lot of things that make this a very epic film with its story, animation, action and characters. As I said, there is a ton of things that are happening in the film, and there's also a lot of explaining how this world works and how its relevant to the story. But it also makes it a film where you have to pay close attention to what is happening in order to understand it. Part of it is because it is a Miyazaki film, and so like most of his work, he tells his stories with a unique structure to it. But even then, there still is so much to know to the point where the film may feel like it's longer than it really is. One of the most creative things about this film, at least in my opinion, is the idea that this apocalyptic world mainly consists of this growing, dangerous toxic forest with only places where humans can survive, as apposed to a normal apocalyptic world where everything is completely destroyed. It is more interesting, because it is more of a fantasy kind of destroyed world. I won't even bother going to detail about the animation aspect of this movie, because there really is no point, it's great Miyazaki animation plain and simple. And like many of Miyazaki's films that Disney has an English sub, this film has a very nice collection of actors to voice these characters. From Patrick Stewart as Lord Yupa, to Mark Hamill as the mayor of  Pejite, to Shia LeBeouf as Asbel, there's just a lot of actors that you can enjoy hearing them voice act for this film. On top of that, the characters are very likable too, the primary example, Nausicaä herself. I personally really like that she's a princess in this film, because in a way, it makes it even more likable how strong and independent she is. She always has a plan, she cares very much about life, she's very smart and she's even a very spirited fighter in the case of one scene. So I really admire that despite the fact that she's a princess, Miyazaki made her this very active and determined character, especially at a time where I think the only other princess like that was Princess Leia. True, there are times where she also can be emotional, but it's very understandable when she does considering how she's trying so hard to help her people and her valley. Granted, one personal problem I have with the film, is that I feel there should've been more time with certain characters. I mean the other characters are very well developed and interesting, but I feel there are times where I felt I didn't get enough of some of them. Like Kushana and Kurotowa have this interesting relationship together, where they seem to admire each other and yet hope the other one dies at the same time or something like that. It's all done well, but I felt they didn't really give some sort of conclusion, for lack of better term, between them. But more than that, I honestly feel there was hardly any time with Asbel as a character. I mean, again, his goals and personality is clear, but I really felt that they just established that, and then moved on with the rest of the film, not giving us too much to work with him. Another problem I personally have with the film, though it's really a nitpick, is that the music would feel off at times. Like on occasion, there would be this odd sort of 80s music would play, and it would be during a dramatic or emotional scene. I will grant though, that it's probably something where you just have to consider the time period and how it might've worked back then.

And that's my review for Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. There are some characters that I think could've been done more and some of the music doesn't work at least to me, but it's still a very intriguing and epic story with this unique apocalyptic world, great animation as usual, and a very strong main character. I'm glad I finally saw it, and if you haven't seen it yet, I say defintiely take a look.

Rating: 85% 

Good Will Hunting (1997)

As many of you know already my now, Robin Williams died a couple of months ago, likely committed suicide. I have not been able to bring this up until now because of how busy I more or less have been with work and starting to go to a university for my bachelors in film and TV. But I have been wanting to write a review that in some way honors this great actor and comedian that is already sadly missed. Originally I was going to do Flubber and then something else. But after re-watching that movie and writing most of the review for it, I realized that while I was giving it a somewhat positive rating, I had a lot of negative things to say about it, and I don't want to post a review like that as part of trying to honor him. So I'm putting that review on hold for a few more months at the least before I'll eventually finish and post it. In the meantime, Candra and I had another movie night before The Heat, which I brought up in my review for that, and the film we saw was a film that neither of us have seen but wanted to see because of Robin Williams and that we've heard a lot of other stuff about it. So here's how it turned out.

Plot: 20 year old Will Hunting is a self taught genius intellect who works as the janitor for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and spends a lot of time with his friends. When a professor in the institute, Lambeau, posts a difficult algebraic graph theory problem for his class, Will anonymously solves the problem, but Lambeau figures it out. So shortly after Will is arrested for assault, Lambeau arranges for Will to avoid jail time in exchange for studying mathematics under Lambeau's supervision while also simultaneously seeking psychotherapy. Lambeau has trouble finding a therapist that he can open up to, but eventually he calls on his old estranged college roommate, Dr. Sean Maguire, who slowly begins to reach out to Will.

While I admit that the all around setting about a person who has this unique ability and is only now discovered by someone isn't all that new, this is still an all around enjoyable film. The story, while it needs to pick up sometimes, delivers in giving us an emotional experience about Will and the people in his life. What comes out is a story that revolves around the choices Will makes, while the people around him, such as his girlfriend, Skylar, Lambeau and eventually his friend Chuckie all try to lead him to they each believe is the right path, while Maguire tries to get Will to open up about himself. And the moral of the film is given very differently with the story given in a somewhat unique structure, even if, again, it does so to the point where it would need to pick up once in a while. But the biggest strength and the most entertaining part of the for me personally was the moments between Will and Maguire. Their relationship was interesting, the things they would talk about kept me invested, and it was through them that I felt we got the most development with Will as a character. But a lot of that comes from the actor that was the real reason Candra and I where interested in this movie, Robin Williams. And honestly, why shouldn't he be? I was interested in what his part would be in this movie even before he died and really, he gave the best performance in the film. I said before in my review for Awakenings that I wanted to see more films like that particular film because it shows that he really was a great dramatic actor. Oh don't get me wrong, he still has moments where he was fun and has one particularly cute line at the end. So there's definitely some of the fun personality that we've loved Williams for. But still, this was more a drama, and he did a spectacular job doing it. I liked Maguire, I liked how he was helping Will, I liked his backstory, I liked watching him fight for Will, there was so much to like about him. The best scene in the movie, at least for me, was when Williams delivers this monologue about Will and his refusal to open up to Maguire. The monologue just by itself is very well written, but Williams delivered it beautifully. It was strong, it was meaningful, and it was a terrific means for Maguire to go deep into what he thought about Will. Williams may have never won an Oscar for a leading role, but I for one am content knowing that he at the very least got an Oscar for a supporting role with his performance in this film.

And that's my review for Good Will Hunting. While Candra and I thought the plot needed to be picked up sometimes, the film still gives us a clever, very well acted story about Will's life and the people around him. But it is also a film that gave us a terrific performance from Robin Williams that makes me feel all the more sincere that he was a great actor and that I really feel he deserved more movies like this film, or Awakenings, or Good Morning Vietnam (which I intend to review someday). And it really is a tragedy that he didn't. He was a great actor, he was a loved comedian, and he already is painfully missed. Rest in peace Robin Williams, and thank you for all the memories you've given so many of us.

Rating: 85%

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 (2014)

Well while I don't think they're bad, I didn't really get that invested in the first movie or either of the books. So it wasn't until the second movie that I actually felt really invested in what is happening in the series. So let's see how the third movie turned out.

Plot: Taking off shortly after the second movie, Katniss and her family are now hiding in District 13 where it turns out the people of that district have been hiding to secretly plan a rebellion against The Capitol. The leader of District 13, President Coin, wants Katniss to be the symbol of the rebellion through her reputation as The Mockingjay. But The Capitol is fighting back using Peeta, who is still captured, as their own representative to speak against the rebellion. So Katniss is torn between helping District 13 begin their rebellion, while wanting President Coin to find a way to save Peeta.

While it wasn't quite as pleasing in the action department, this film succeeds just as well as the last film in keeping me interested in what is happening and wanting to see more. Like the last film, this one this one delivers with building the suspense of what is happening and making the situation very compelling. A lot of that of coarse comes from the cast with Jennifer Lawrence who is still doing great as Katniss, Phillip Seymour Hoffman who of coarse we all miss, and even Julianne Moore who gave a great performance as President Coin. And what they discuss is very believable with all of the political propaganda they are trying to do to help start the rebellion and stop The Capitol. This leads to a lot of emotional moments where we see more of what The Capitol has done to the people in the other districts on top of (spoilers) District 12 being destroyed  (which by the way, am I the only one who felt like they should've made District 12 look more destroyed then it appeared to be in the movie?), and then what I think was the most emotional part of the movie, is when Katniss and these other people are singing this deep song while the district people are about to fight. Now a lot of people find the biggest problem, which I brought up briefly in the beginning of this paragraph, is the lack of action in this movie. Now it's no surprise that this movie is basically all build up, I mean it's part 1, and on the whole I didn't really mind it that much. But even I'll admit that at the same time, as much as I enjoyed watching the discussions of political propaganda, there where moments where deep down, I wanted more action. Heck, there's a moment where Peacemakers are bombing an area, and we only see them from the radars inside the district 13 base. But I think a bigger problem I discovered was from when one of my best friends, Candra saw the movie shortly after I did. She found it to be disappointing because she found the fact that it's mostly propaganda stuff to be so boring, but she said that with the fact that she hasn't read the book in mind. And...yeah that actually brings a really good point: if you haven't read the book, you might not find this to be all that interesting like Candra did. In fact, the more I thought about it from after she said what she thought of the film, I did realize that a good portion of what made this film interesting, was that I did read the book. And by knowing a fair portion of what happens, I was more on board with what I was watching on top of the great acting and so on. So, you might not like this movie because of how it has more of the characters just building things up instead of seeing some action. I mean there is a tiny bit of action in this movie, but...yeah, none of those moments are Battle of Helm's Deep amazing.

And that's my review for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1. if you haven't read the book and want more action, you might not be all that fond of this film. But otherwise, it's a very compelling film with excellent performances from the case and an all around interesting build up to the conclusion of the story. It's not as good as Catching Fire, but it's still an enjoyable film.

Rating: 75% 

The Heat (2013)

So recently, Candra and I watched a couple more movies - one of which I hope to get to reviewing soon, but for now I"ll be focusing on the one that we just finished watching: The Heat.

Plot: FBI Special Sarah is a skilled and professional agent who is trying to get a promotion in her department, but she has to prove that she can work with other people. So she is sent to work on a case in Boston, but finds herself having to work with Shannon, a loudmouthed and rebellious cop. The two of them have to find a way to work together while trying to track down a drug lord.

At the end of the day, I found this movie to be fairly entertaining. I mean true, it was a little predictable considering it's a buddy cop comedy film, but for what they had, they pulled it off. What really makes this film is naturally, the chemistry between the lead actors; Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy. For a lot of people, including Candra, McCarthy's performance as Shannon is what people like the most about the film. She does go completely out there with her performance, giving us the most inventive and memorable quotes of the entire movie. But for me personally, as I'm sure this might surprise some of you like it surprised Candra, I honestly found myself more entertained with Bullock's performance. Don't get me wrong, McCarthy was good and I see why people like her more. But for me, Bullock was the one that made me laugh the most. A lot of the stuff that she does in the second half of this movie especially, I thought was really funny. There's a scene where she has this kind of quiet outburst during a police meeting that especially made me laugh out loud to the point where it's my favorite part of the film. With that said however, there are some moments where the comedy does not work, especially where they take things too far. One scene in particular that has to do with a guy chocking on a pancake that both Candra and I felt should've been cut from the movie. And there are some serious moments int he films that mostly work, but I also felt there might've been a little too much of...at least from what I was expecting. But for the most part, those moments didn't happen all that frequently.

And that's my review for The Heat. It's really up to the person as to whether or not it's funny or if the serious moments work despite it being a comedy. But for me, it has its moments that I personally am not a fan of, but at the end of the day, this was an entertaining buddy cop movie that does deliver with its comedy all around. If you're not a fan of the style of comedy that this movie uses, then you should skip it. But if you like its style of comedy well enough, then check this movie out and see what you find to be funny.  

Rating: 70%