Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) — MOVIE REVIEW

Michael Keaton leads a star-studded cast in the terrific Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

Michael Keaton plays an actor who is trying to escape his image as a superhero from a film series he acted in over 20 years ago. So…Michael Keaton is playing himself. Birdman mirrors Batman in so many different ways, and that is intentional. But that is only part of th

The Imitation Game — MOVIE REVIEW

Alan Turing and company race to break Germany’s encrypted coded messages in The Imitation Game.

I can just picture all of the Academy Award nominations this film is going to get. It has pretty much all of the necessary ingredients for an Oscar winner. It has great performances, a good script, and it targets an older audience (like the Academy voters). Plus, extra points for being a historical and tragic true story. The Imitation Game is definitely going to get award recognition, and rightfully so.

Nightcrawler — MOVIE REVIEW

Jake Gyllenhaal as Lou Bloom in Nightcrawler

I’ve seen many different versions of Jake Gyllenhaal. I’ve seen creepy Jake Gyllenhaal and I’ve seen serious Jake Gyllenhaal. I’ve seen him play two different characters in the same movie and I’ve seen him do some weird stuff when he was a younger actor. But, in Nightcrawler, this is a Jake Gyllenhaal unlike anything you’ve ever seen. He sinks into this role so much that you don’t even recognize him. Creepy doesn’t even give his character justice as a descriptor. One thing is for sure with Nightcrawler; this movie is not like anything you’ve ever seen. And that’s a good thing.

Wild — MOVIE REVIEW

Reese Witherspoon as Cheryl Strayed in Wild

Wild teaches us very many life lessons. If you are an attractive female, anybody will help you on a long hike. If you’re an average looking male, not so much. Wild is Jean-Marc Vallée’s follow up to his Awards-hit Dallas Buyer’s Club and I gotta say, having those two films on your resumé is a good problem to have. But a movie like this rests entirely on the strength of the main actress. Luckily, Reese Witherspoon decided to bring her A-game for this one.

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies — MOVIE REVIEW

Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

Well, The Hobbit is finally done. After taking a barely 100-page book and turning it into 9 hours of film, we are finally done with this Middle-Earth saga. There have been epic battles, eye-rolling CGI, and some good performances all-around. But did the final chapter go out with a bang…or a whimper?

Gone Girl — MOVIE REVIEW

Rosamund Pike and Ben Affleck in Gone Girl

Well that escalated quickly. The events that take place in this film definitely get out of hand fast, and a nearly three hour movie never quite feels like it. The reviews for this movie are done by two differents kinds of people; the ones who read the novel that the film is based on and the ones who did not. I fit into the category of the individuals that have read the novel. So you can say I definitely went in with impossibly-high expectations and a certain level of bias.

Guardians of the Galaxy — MOVIE REVIEW

Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper (voice), Chris Pratt, Vin Diesel (voice), and Dave Bautista in Guardians of the Galaxy.

Andy Dwyer, a tree, a raccoon, a professional wrestler, and Zoe Saldana in green skin instead of blue: these are the guardians that we are supposed to love and follow for two hours. But the real question is “does it work?” Yes. Yes it does. This may not be the best Marvel film I have seen, but it is definitely up there.

A Most Wanted Man — MOVIE REVIEW

Philip Seymour Hoffman and Rachel McAdams in A Most Wanted Man

In the last performance of his career, Philip Seymour Hoffman gives us a damn fine one. That is for sure. This role wasn’t an easy one to take on. John le Carré always gives us these rich and difficult characters to latch onto in his novels. Just look at The Constant Gardner and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. They all had these big actors playing the main character, but it was never flashy or showy. They have to sink into these roles in order for the true character to be present. And from what I’ve read, le Carré wasn’t completely sold on Hoffman playing his character right away. But leave it to Philip Seymour Hoffman to be the one to truly stand out.

Begin Again — MOVIE REVIEW

Mark Ruffalo and Keira Knightley in Begin Again

Music can be a funny thing. It is an art, of course. But that doesn’t stop individuals like myself from being stuck in a moment when listening to different kinds of music. I can put on my iPod and listen to every single song on it. But for a few key songs, I can imagine where I was when I first experienced that song. The songs that move you as a person or have an impact on your life will always be important to you. There is another thing to appreciate about music. You can sense and feel the raw emotion certain artists put into their music. You can listen and just know that all of their heart and soul was put into that very song. They put every ounce of themselves into that song, and they just want to share it. I love artists that don’t give in to the temptation of money or fame. I love the artists that know the music that makes them unique and sticks with it, no matter how long it takes. And this is an element that is explored by John Carney in his new movie Begin Again.

Under the Skin — MOVIE REVIEW

Scarlett Johansson in Under the Skin

What the hell did I just watch? That statement is probably what at least half of the people who watched this film said. You ever go to see a movie at a theater with people you love discussing films with and have the entire car ride home be silent because you don’t know what to say? Yeah, that probably happened a lot here.