Bloodline

After binge watching the likes of "House of Cards," "Orange is the New Black," and "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" I'm basically in the palm of Netflix's hands. They could release a show about anything and I'd just about watch it. Netflix has proved time and time again that they know how to tell stories, and with Bloodline, Netflix continues their domination of original storytelling and sets their new standard.

The Rayburn Family is a very well-respected family in the Florida Keys, and not because of their wealth or power, but because they are known to be good people. They're a family that never thinks of themselves. Everything they touch seems to be blessed with good fortune. That is, until Danny comes home. Danny is back to churn up the past and reveal the true family legacy.

Leading the Rayburn family and the beginning of stunning casting decisions, is Kyle Chandler, the proud Sherrif John Rayburn. His loving mom (Sissy Spacek) and dad (Sam Shepard) run a vacation home in the Florida keys, where his beautiful sister Meg (Linda Cardellini) is a lawyer and brother Kevin (Norbert Leo Butz) is a fisherman. They are the perfect family living on a picture perfect beach with no worries in the world. But there's also the long lost eldest brother Danny, portrayed with incredible depth by Ben Mendelsohn, who is a drug addict with a disturbing past of obstacles and failures. When Danny comes back home to celebrate the anniversary of his parents, he instantly becomes the thorn in everyone's side. Slowly but surely the Rayburn's start deteriorating until their weaknesses are revealed. In the end, all Danny wants is to be accepted back into his family and to be seen as a brother instead of a nuisance, but after numerous rejections and near successes, maybe only revenge will satiate his appetite.

In this first season, the familial bond of love and forgiveness is tested around the Rayburn's past. Every character in this series has a history they are struggling with, and Danny is the only one that makes them confront it. It's impressive to see a story interweave all of it's characters through so many highs and lows that in the end you love and hate every single one of them.

The entire cast was phenomenal, but there were two that stood above the rest and that was Kyle Chandler and Ben Mendelsohn. Their balance between delusion and devotion was so well directed as they embraced and chased each other. I don't remember the last time that I've seen a stronger or more complex relationship displayed onscreen.

With the ideal cast, an elaborate and engaging story, absolute beautiful locations juxtaposed against a destructive family, everything about this was absolute perfection. There are still so many other things about this series that I wish I could describe but I don't want to give too much away. This may be the best produced series I have ever seen and I cannot recommend this highly enough.

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Mad Max: Fury Road

This is the perfect summer movie for me. Mad Max: Fury Road doesn't try to overcomplicate it's story or take itself too seriously but deliveres an action packed movie for all, men and women, to enjoy.

This movie is basically one giant car chase, and I never was bored or saw the same thing twice. Colorful explosions all over the place, cars flying through the air, gun fights, insane stunts, this movie has it all. Everyone and everything is in constant motion. They're either chasing someone or being chased. Reading that over again, it makes the movie sound pretty boring but with so many different moving pieces, a huge stockpile of explosives and giant cars suited up for war, you can't help but have a great time. There's a guy playing a flame-throwing guitar in front of a wall of amps! It doesn't get much better than that...

If we look a little deeper at the story, we see that everyone is fighting for their own personal version of freedom. Max Rockatansky (Tom Hardy) fights for his own personal freedom. Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) fights for the freedom of others. Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne) fights for his control over others'  freedom. Everyone's freedom and control is constantly shifting back and forth between each other and what makes this so exciting to watch, along with all of the absolutely insane practical effects and stunt work, was how the story was so unpredictable.

While Max is the first person we see and the first person we're trained to route for, we soon meet Furiosa and from then on, the story belongs to them both. They're strong characters from the very beginning, both physically and mentally. While Max seems to be the typical tough guy we're always supposed to cheer for in big action movies, Furiosa is definitely the one who steals the show. It's almost her story with Max acting as the passenger. They start out as strangers and are forced to trust each other as they have a common enemy. Their connection doesn't come from awkward hand touching, second glances or long monologues about love or anything like that, it comes from their mutual respect and dependance on each other. They hardly ever speak as it is! Hardy and Theron are truly transformative in these roles. It's been a long time since I've seen such strong and capable characters with so little dialogue.

The biggest news making it's rounds regarding this movie is how it treats it's female characters. This, in of itself is very sad. Why can't an action movie, let alone any movie, treat their female characters with strength and integrity? I don't believe this movie has a feminist lens or is purposefully shoving feministic propaganda down anyone's throat. There is so much more to it than that. The combination of relationships between Max and all of the women is fantastic because it's codependent. They both need and save each other. It's a perfect representation of an actual relationship! All of the women in this movie are strong, beautiful, smart, and resilient. No one is sexualized, or given the normal archetypes that women are unfortunately always placed in. Instead director George Miller gives them an actual purpose and treats them with respect and maturity. It's sad that these kind of characters are so rare. We'd all be better off if we heard/saw more stories with respected female characters such as this.

Even though I've said very little about the story itself, there is already so many great things about this movie that make it worth seeing in theaters. It's certainly a spectacle, and that deserves the movie theater experience for sure. The story is solid and emotional. The practical effects are game-changing.  There were a few 3D gimmicky moments, but the special effects are mostly amazing. Literally everything about this movie makes it the perfect summer blockbuster and it deserves all of the accolades it's receiving. I hope it stays in the top of the box office for weeks to come! It is easily the most fun I've had at the movies this year!

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Pitch Perfect 2

Well that was a disappointment.

Without comparing this movie to it's shining predecessor, it's barely passable. I tried giving this one a fair shot. I really did. But after all of the reoccurring fat and racist jokes, bland songs with poor choreography, and dull direction, I realized this was simply a cash grab for all involved.

Nowadays sequels are normally already cash grabs but I was hoping that newcomer (to the directors chair) Elizabeth Banks would have been able to challenge everyone, upset the established order and give us all something interesting to watch. Instead, Pitch Perfect 2 was Pitch Perfect without the heart and forced drama.

This movie begins three years after the first one ends with the Barden Bellas on top of their a cappella game, with mash-master Beca (Anna Kendrick) at the helm. Following her every move is the same crew as before with Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson), Chloe (Brittany Snow) and new to the group, Emily (Hailee Steinfeld). Right off the bat we see the group performing for the most prestigious of audiences: the President of the United States. And as per the Barden way, an embarrassing costume malfunction disrupts the performance and lands the BB's in hot water. They are disbanded and no longer allowed to perform in any further tour obligations. Everyone sees them as the sore thumb of the a cappella world and the only way the can win back their reputation and respect is to win the world championship, which no American team has ever won.

So to recap the plot, something terrible happens in the beginning during a performance, they are shamed and then find a seemingly impossible goal to get back on top. Then, they have to regroup, bring in some new blood, rework their set, randomly battle with other a cappella groups, have a fight about life and priorities, and then come together again just in time for the final battle and win everything. Sound like a familiar plot line? It should. It's basically the same as the first movie. The only parts of this movie that were actually interesting, was the relationship between Bumper and Fat Amy and Beca's real life questions/concerns about what to do after graduation. Those were real moments that I wish they would have explored more. Instead they put those in the background just so they could say the movie was different than the first, when in all reality, it was beat for beat the same.

Irregardless of everything above, there were moments that I really enjoyed. Some of their jokes landed hard and had the entire audience in stitches. Some musical numbers were great, but the choreography wasn't as impressive as the first. One thing I think Elizabeth Banks really brought to the table on this one was her eye for random humor. How can you make a sing-off more entertaining than the last movie? Bring in the Green Bay Packers! Do you have a character that doesn't bring a lot to the table and could be too serious? Bring in Keegan-Michael Key to ad lib and just go for it! Those were the funniest parts and what seemed to be direct decisions from Banks. When the actors just ad libbed and did their thing, the audience was laughing. But with so many fat jokes, racist jokes, and sexist jokes, I didn't know what to do. It felt as if they looked at the first movie, made a note of whatever got a laugh, and then did that same exact joke about forty more times in this one.

This movie is definitely not worth seeing in theaters, but it may be fun to put in when a group of friends are over so it plays in the background. Without any characters to really bond with and some fun music, it's perfect for background noise. It's nowhere near as entertaining as the first, but still has something there.

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