7/10 - Frances Ha is a charming little comedy-drama from director Noah Baumbach that certainly is easy to identify with given the struggles of the main character. Though she is certainly flawed, she has a feeling of being entirely real and authentic. Great Gerwig is fantastic, as is the rest of the cast, but Gerwig soaks up the screen and kills it the entire time. Truly plotless, Franches Ha could certainly be seen as being a touch pretentious by some, but I enjoyed it very much. It never drags and always engages you and makes you feel invested in the life of this girl who is in a bit of a rough patch of her life. However, as I said, it could certainly be called pretentious and you would have a leg to stand on. Making her attend Vassar College does not help this cause. However, on the whole, Frances Ha is a cute little film that really sweeps you in and charms you the entire time. This is the first film I have seen from Baumbach and it certainly underscores that I need to watch more.



8/10 - I cannot explain how much this movie pissed me off. From the baseless accusation to the brainwashed belief of clearly unfounded lies to the way he is treated in the aftermath is just so aggravating. In this way, the film is brilliant. I had to pause many a time to just try and collect myself a bit and not punch my computer screen. Mads Mikkelsen is absolutely stunning in this film and turns in a terrifically believable and authentic performance as the accused teacher. The film does a great job portraying the hysteria that surrounds an accusation of this magnitude and the resulting anger and confusion. The cinematography is absolutely breathtaking at times and the direction from Thomas Vinterberg is fantastic. Overall, The Hunt is a great film that may move slow at times, but really sucks you in and makes you feel something for the protagonist as you watch this injustice take place.



2/10 - The film has a very anti-Christian and anti-authority message that regardless of what you believe, is intensely creepy and over the top. These girls scream of trying to be edgy and unorthodox, but are plainly typical and incredibly annoying. Truly, I have never hated characters as much as I hated these girls. They just drove me up the wall. I hate the two lead girls and the nonsense they talk about and the way they act. The whole thing is so unsettling, cringy, and weird. I am shocked to find out this one had the level of acclaim it did.



8/10 - Though an imperfect film, Creed is the perfect boxing film. If I were to envision the best possible product of the majesty, mystique, and intensity, brought to the table by boxing, Creed captured it all. From the brilliant walk-out music (the great soundtrack in general), the training, and absolutely stunning fight choreography and cinematography, Creed has it all. The non-boxing parts can feel a bit disjointed at times and then of course it has classic Rocky cheese, but it does enough to honor the original, while going out on its own. Ultimately, the fight for respect faced by Adonis "Donnie" Creed is a similar one faced by the film as a whole. Fortunately, it is entirely successful in forging its own legacy thanks to the fantastic direction from Ryan Coogler (I would be hard pressed to name a better new director right now) and phenomenal performances from Michael B. Jordan and Sylvester Stallone. Overall, Creed is a great film on its own, but an absolutely phenomenal boxing film.



7/10 - U-571 has a lot going for it. Now, it may not be the most historically accurate film ever made, but is certainly damn good entertainment. Incredibly tense and thrilling, there is rarely a moment you are not clinging to the edge of your seat for dear life. The tension built by director Jonathan Mostow certainly pays off too, with a great third cast. Additionally, the sound in this film is fantastic. It nearly surrounds you and would be a fantastic film for IMAX nowadays. The cinematography is also very good, as is the cast led by Matthew McConaughey, Harvey Keitel, and Bill Paxton. Now, U-571 certainly is not a groundbreaking film in any way, but that does not mean it is bad. Quite the opposite actually, as it manages to entertain throughout even if the path it takes it quite familiar.



8/10 - The Force Awakens is a great film. Not only does it brilliantly set up Episodes VIII and IX with some great story material, it has some great characters. Finn, Rey, BB-8, Poe Dameron, General Hux, and especially Kylo Ren, are some seriously great characters. Even more, John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson, and Adam Driver, are fantastic actors and do a great job here. I cannot wait to see where the series goes from here. JJ Abrams does a great job blending new and old here by giving diehards the nostalgia they crave and giving the new generation the new adventures they crave. The writing was strong and the special effects were out of this world. The score was great, but should not win the Oscar for Best ORIGINAL Score due to just being a copy-paste of previous Star Wars scores with some new tracks alongside the ones of old. My main problem with Episode IV and then the prequels were the whiny characters and thankfully that is not the case here. At no point are they whiny and this really elevates the film. I think much of the criticism in regards to characterization and story are kind of stupid admittedly because this is the first of a trilogy. Of course nothing feels explained or fleshed out...there is nearly five more hours of story to be told.