Jurassic World

In a time when CG was a new development and good stories sold tickets, the world experienced the original Jurassic Park and fell in love with it's simplicity, and it's complexity at the same time. Now, when every movie is over-saturated by special effects and the story has taken a back seat to expensive spectacles and cheap thrills, Jurassic World entertained but didn't satisfy.

For anyone who hasn't seen Safety Not Guaranteed, please go watch it and fall in love with the small-time director that is Colin Trevorrow. That movie will show what kind of great storyteller this guy really is. When I heard he was going to direct Jurassic World shortly after finishing Safety, I was really excited to see Universal/Amblin Pictures hire someone so new to a huge franchise. A lot of blockbuster films have recently been hiring smaller (cheaper) directors in the hope that ushering in fresh blood will bring new ideas and revitalize the industry. It has largely been successful as far as the box office has shown, but creatively I haven't seen much difference. We keep seeing extremely simple stories overloaded by unnecessary special effects. But who am I kidding. These big budgeted movies aren't meant for the artsy-fartsy crowds that fill in old dusty theaters showing Sundance films. Jurassic World has beautiful special effects and fast paced action that keeps the characters moving forward. Sometimes we don't need complex story lines to keep audiences attention. At the same time though, we do need to have compelling characters to cheer for, and that is definitely lacking here. Why can't we have both anymore? Can't we find a peaceful middle ground? Like Mad Max did?

Jurassic World doesn't offer much in the "interesting character" department. The main characters don't develop beyond who they were in the beginning. They all go on a life-changing adventure and still not much changes. Except for the dinosaurs. If you don't believe me, watch the movie again! None of the humans really make any big character leaps, but it's the velociraptors that grow the most. I don't think this was done on purpose but in the end I didn't really care about any of the humans. Sure Chris Pratt is funny and it's great seeing him in a tough guy role, and Bryce Dallas Howard is a fantastic actress but when they kiss in the end (not much of a spoiler there...) they don't deserve it. I was just annoyed that they tried to force a relationship between these two people when they really didn't have anything in common besides not wanting to be eaten.

You can have all sorts of special effects, plot holes and cheesy dialogue and still make a good movie if you have compelling characters, and they have some sort of arc. It almost seemed like Jurassic World tried to keep their characters as stoic as possible so they can keep playing the same games with the dinosaurs. Hide and run. Hide and run. SHOOT!! Hide and run. Hide and run. After a while it started getting boring watching people try to figure out a smart dinosaur, so they had dinosaurs fight each other. You would think having giant dinosaurs fighting would be great, but it actually wasn't all that epic.

In all reality, I had some fun watching this movie. Not a lot, but enough. Even though I laughed at some really awful dialogue and was disappointed with story plot lines, it was fun to watch. Maybe that was because I was in a theater with an audience that absolutely loved the movie or maybe it was because even with all of the disappointments, the highs were somewhat high and the low's weren't so terribly low. I'm not certain which is which. What I am certain of is that it doesn't deserve the billion dollars it's earned in the box office. It's nowhere near that good. That should be reserved for something as glorious as Star Wars Episode VII, because we all know that will set the new standard for everything good in this world.

To close, I would like to quote one of my best friends on his thoughts after walking out of the theater:

"In Jurassic World, a greedy corporation takes something that was once special and awe-inspiring and, out of their infantile understanding of what made the original thing so special, decides to cobble together a hideous monstrosity for no other reason than to attract an audience hungry for cheap thrills.

The irony is just sublime." - Daniel King

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Inside Out

I have always loved Pixar. They have the unique ability to tell compelling and original stories again and again without fail. Even the lesser of their movies are financial and critical successes. They can balance realistic relationships, they can nail both intelligent and silly jokes, they can pull on your heart strings, and they can advance the technology, sophistication and art that is animation. Pixar is easily the leading studio standard for Animation and in fact, Hollywood in general. Inside Out, is proof of that.

Pete Doctor writes and directs this beautiful movie that shows the inner turmoil of an eleven year-old's emotions. Influenced by Doctor's own daughters, Inside Out wonderfully illustrates the complexity of a young girl's mind while trying to find their identity transitioning into adolescence. Once again proving that animation is not a genre but a chosen medium/art form, we follow the emotions in Riley's head, Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Anger (Lewis Black), Disgust (Mindy Kaling), and Fear (Bill Hader) in a thought provoking and heart felt journey of discovery.

The greatest quality of this movie is it's story. Funny how rare that is nowadays... I absolutely loved every character and the journey they all went on. In the beginning, every emotion is purely that emotion. Joy is joy, and Anger is anger. They don't rely on each other, they just work together. As we progress these characters grow more complex and don't always represent their named emotion. Joy feels sadness, and Sadness feels joy. As they explore the mysterious corners of Riley's mind, they discover more of their own past and their potential future.

Inside Out doesn't portray what normally comes to mind when you think of an animated movie. Today, most animated movies are targeted to families with little kids, and then carefully balanced so that the kids and parents can enjoy the movie. They teach courage, faithfulness, love, self-respect, honesty, etc., all the while making jokes, singing songs and bringing life to inanimate objects. It's a very fine line that caters to two audiences at one time. While that kind of movie is great at times, this is not that movie. Sure, I did see kids in the theater. I saw courage, love, honesty portrayed in the main characters, and I did laugh out loud multiple times. I still don't think this is a "kids" movie. I honestly believe this must have been one of the hardest movies to produce and market for Pixar because it doesn't work like their past films. I think it's closest relative would be Finding Nemo because both movies have deep, emotional characters trying to find their way in a brand new world. Inside Out tackles crucial, resounding issues that every person on earth has felt: the pain of losing someone you love, the joy of success or a beautiful day, the confusion and frustration of changing everything you know, the anger and fear of not knowing what is going to come. Riley (Kaitlyn Dias), is just a young girl discovering her emotions and the importance of every single one of them.

As Joy and Sadness traverse Riley's mind, Pixar really shows off it's fun side. They play with common phrases such as "train of thought" and "abstract thought," then show how dreams are made and what happens to long term memories. It's a lot of fun to see how they can twist psychological terms and phrases and make them into useful story points. For example, the train of thought is an actual train that brings thoughts to the brain (they obviously needed to stock up on thoughts to daydream about later just in case school gets boring). Pixar has always filled their movies with little jokes and hidden secrets, and I think the way they used the landscape of the mind was one of them. It was fun to see how Pixar creatively weaved it's way around the mind and played with different types of consciousness, and how emotions effect your perception of your world.

What makes a great story even better? A fantastic cast. Animation is always difficult to cast because you have to try and find a voice and personality that fits your character, and yet follow the trend of casting high-profile names so that your movie has a little bit of star power behind it. Other animation studios seem to have trouble here as they usually go for the bigger names before the voice. While Pixar isn't afraid of casting big names (Tom Hanks in Toy Story and Billy Crystal in Monsters, Inc.), they focus on the soul of the character first and go from there. That is where the real magic happens. It also seems like they cast in teams. I'm not positive about this but I think they may even record actors together so they can play off of each other. So not only do they cast the voice and personality before the star power, but they also keep in mind the chemistry between the actors. Once you find that perfect pocket of chemistry and character soul, you're golden.

Normally when a big studio like Pixar/Disney/DreamWorks comes out with a new movie they advance the animation technology in some way. Inside Out didn't have any "wow" moments for me as far as the animation and design goes, because that aspect of the movie took a back seat. It honestly was slightly boring to look at because it was so empty. Now I realize that may be a story point because we're in the mind of a child who still has thousands of days to seize, but it wasn't anything exciting. What was more important was the acting. There were subtle acting performances that were just perfection. I don't think I've seen such awesome acting from an animated character since Toy Story 3, or even Dawn of the Planet of the Apes if you want to go that route. Subtle acting in animation is very difficult and Pixar's animation team should be very, very proud of themselves for accomplishing just that.

Now that I've spent a couple days sifting through my own thoughts on this I can positively say, I adore this movie. There are so many other positives that I can get into but I don't want to make this entry even longer. Inside Out isn't a game changer because of the technology, but it is a game changer for what should be expected of every animation studio, and filmmaker out there. This was a compelling and heartfelt story that I believe should be watched by every parent and teenager to better understand each other and themselves. We are all uniquely and beautifully made, emotions and all. It's funny how a "kids" movie can help us see that.

One more thing: Bing Bong.... The best imaginary friend a kid could ask for.

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Daredevil

Netflix, once again, hits it right on the nose with this fun, adventurous and engrossing story about a blind man beating the crap out of bad guys. It's rich character arcs, awesome practical and special effects, made me binge watch it over the course of a couple days. Daredevil is an awesome show that now has the unique problem of matching it's success with an even better second season. 

Completely forgoing the disaster that was the 2003 Daredevil movie and it's superhero shtick, this series was able to naturally capture the life and story of Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) without any comic book gimmicks or cheesy voice overs about having supernatural powers. It definitely helped that they had 13 hour-long episodes to explore their story, which gave them plenty of time to delve into everyone's side of the story. Within 13 episodes, not only do we get to know our hero and what makes him tick, but we also get to know our antagonist, Wilson Fisk, (Vincent D'Onofrio) really well. The humanity and humility behind the eyes of a madman, and the dark secrets of our hero are all pulled back for us to see. 

Overall, the series takes a pretty natural perspective with their world: there is the good guy who fights for what he believes is right, and then there are the bad guys who stand in his way. What would happen if our hero is a blind man that has to fight everything from a boxer to a ninja? It can easily get lost in translation, get super sloppy, or it could be so well balanced that it never crosses the line of absurdity. They really do come up with some spectacular fight sequences, as well as dramatic sequences, all while maintaining that balance. I know it sounds really weird but it's production value was so high, it felt like I was watching a movie for every episode. Every aspect of this show (costumes, camera, acting, directing, locations) was on point. Most TV shows have those really fake sets that are lit unnaturally and the walls all look paper thin, but with Daredevil everything seems to be grounded in reality. They don't overthink anything but approach every scene with how it would look/sound/feel in the real world and shoot it like that. What a crazy idea! The only disappointment I have is with the costume at the very end. I really loved the Dread Pirate Roberts black mask, and found the final Daredevil costume a bit weak. 

One of my favorite things about this series was that it displayed the differences between people's expectations of limitations, and then the reality of their advantages. Everything in his life gets torn up and tossed around multiple times and after a while most of us would throw in the towel. Most of us would give in, put our head down and just go with the flow. But what this showed reminded me of is that every person has some sort of advantage and disadvantage. While we may know some of our own limitations, it's never a good idea to assume what other people aren't capable of. Even a blind guy can kick some serious ass. 

Overall, this is a fantastic series that I completely devoured as fast as I could. I'm already looking forward to see how they incorporate the Punisher in the second season, and how they continue to flesh out Fisk's character. But before this ends, can I just take a moment and point out that not only is Netflix team a master of storytelling, but they also have incredibly awesome opening title sequences? I first noticed it on the first season of House of Cards with really great time lapse photography, next I noticed it with Bloodline with another unique take of time lapse photography, and then the hilarious Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt theme song that you just can't get out of your head. Daredevil follows in the same suite, with incredible images of locations and characters being slowly covered in what looks like blood. I actually don't fast forward through their opening credits but enjoy watching and listening to the tone they're setting. It totally works and I only hope Netflix continues with it! Even though the quality isn't all the great, this gives you an idea of what the opening titles look like:

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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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The Way Way Back

Do you want to see a movie with a main character that never makes a decision for himself until the very end? Do you want to see a movie that dives into the subject of teenage angst and then sits there forever without ever offering any way out? Then this movie is for you.

“The Way Way Back” tells the story of Duncan (Liam James), a very shy 14 year-old boy who is about to spend his entire summer vacation with his mother, her oppressive boyfriend, and her boyfriend’s daughter. As he sits in the reversed seat in the back of the car on the way to the lake, the entire movie is presented to you within the first five minutes. Trent (Steve Carell), the boyfriend, tells Duncan that he would rate him as a three out of ten. Duncan shrugs. That’s basically the rest of the movie. 

Duncan is someone who’s only reaction to something is to shrug and walk away. I can understand teenagers are sad, troubled, and misunderstood little human beings, and that can make an interesting character, but only if they choose to fight, survive and learn something.

Duncan spends his time riding his bike around the lake, until eventually he finds a small water park and ventures inside. As he walks around, he bumps into a couple people and they automatically want to become his friend, for no reason other than he’s currently standing in front of them. He forms relationships with the founder of the park, Owen (Sam Rockwell), Caitlin (Maya Rudolph), Roddy (Nat Faxon), and a couple other do-gooders who happen to work there. Owen in particular guides him through the park, and the rest of the summer, as he tries to instill some confidence and passion in the young man. He gives him a job at the park, encourages him to take risks, stand up for himself, and become the man he wants to be. Duncan just gives half smiles, and shrugs.

Besides Duncan, most of the characters in this movie are actually well thought out. I enjoyed watching Owen fight for his interests as living as a grown man-child, and yet wrestle with the necessity to handle issues as an adult. It was refreshing to see Steve Carell play the “bad guy” instead of the goofy hero.  A lot of this movie could have been so good if only the main character actually made a decision for himself. Liam James absolutely nailed that sad and depressed teenager look, but it’s just so boring to watch for almost two hours.  There are a couple characters in here that are actually worth telling a story about, but an introverted, sulky, teenager isn’t one of them.

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Mud

“Mud” proves, once again, that a great story has so much more value than a big budget. This movie is simply, all about love. Love can be deceptive, challenging, courageous, and it can bring out the best, or worst in people. At the core of this movie, it portrays a realistic version of love in many forms as we follow Ellis (Tye Sheridan) and his friend, Neckbone (Jacob Lofland), cross the line between boyhood and manhood.

Ellis and Neckbone discover the hideout of their dreams on an island in the middle of a river when they find a small boat stuck in a tree. Little did they know that an outlaw, Mud, (Matthew McConaughey) is currently residing in said boat, as he waits for the love of his life to run away with him. They quickly make a deal that if they help Mud get the boat seaworthy, down from the tree and into the water, the boys will get Mud’s gun. It doesn’t sound like a fair trade, but to two thirteen year-old boys, a gun of their own isn’t something they can say no to. As Mud begins to use Ellis and Neckbone to communicate with his love, Juniper (Reese Witherspoon), Ellis soon hears all about how madly in love they are, and from there, every decision for Ellis is based on the fact that he knows Mud and Juniper are in love and they deserve the love that lasts. 

As they gather materials, and run around town for Mud, Ellis begins to see Mud as a leader as his own personal life begins to unravel. His parents are talking about divorce, and his new girlfriend isn’t shaping up to be as great as he hoped for. Mud is willing to give him the guidance he has been looking for in love.  Everyone else in his life is struggling with love in some way, so Ellis begins to cling to this stranger and fight for the idea of perfect love. At the same time, Juniper doesn’t look to be as faithful or trustworthy as Mud made her out to be. Are they really in love or not? Questions begin to surface, lies begin to unfold, and Ellis discovers that the love he envisioned may not exist. Love doesn’t always conquer all. 

Matthew McConaughey is perfect in this movie. I never really was a big fan of his, but just respected his work. Recently though, he has made a conscious decision to star in smaller movies that will challenge him as an actor and that has definitely paid off. In “Mud,” he plays a dreamer, a hopeless romantic, searching for the love and connection he once had when he was young. I believed every moment, every sentence, and every emotion that he had. I believe the same of Tye Sheridan. He is such a gifted young actor, I am so excited to see where he goes in his career. He first arrived on screen in “The Tree of Life,” and ever since then has had a steady stream of roles. Tye is the one of the most gifted young actors I have ever seen, and this movie is worth a watch just because of him. 

Another one of my favorite things about this movie is how realistic they depict love. Just to name a few, they interpret love that once was and now forgotten, teenage love, love between friends, brotherly love, second chance love, and sacrificial love. At the same time, they handled the dialogue, sets/locations, cinematography, characters, in a beautiful and respectful way. They stay true to the story they wanted to tell and didn’t find themselves getting sidetracked on useless exposition or backstory. This movie is long, but it is well worth the time. With an exciting ending that left me literally on the edge of my seat, very strong characters, and a unique love story, I would strongly suggest seeing this movie.  

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Sherlock

After persistent demands from my little sister that I watch this show, I finally gave in, and five minutes into the first episode I knew I had stumbled onto something special. Special enough to elicit my attention for the next nine hours (two seasons). After those nine hours, I decided, or deduced, that "Sherlock" was the best television show that I have ever seen. To be honest, the BBC has never ever interested me in the least bit. I just don't get British humor. I never did. I have plenty of friends that watch their shows, and I have given them a fair shot. Some shows are okay, but most of them, I can't stand. "Sherlock," on the other hand, is a brilliantly crafted show that I can't get enough of. Maybe there's more to the BBC than misunderstood humor after all. Way to go BBC. You win.

My favorite part of this show has to be the casting. Benedict Cumberbatch completely owns this character. He successfully creates his own sense of who Sherlock is, and births an incredibly intelligent, observant, socially inept character. Martin Freeman doesn't play the classic John Watson that we are used to seeing as "Sherlock's sidekick," but instead plays John, Sherlock's only friend. He actually rarely offers insight into the cases that Sherlock can't already deduce himself, but is there instead for Sherlock himself. He keeps Sherlock on task by guiding him through the social norms, and sometimes interpreting his brilliance for others around. Both of these characters and names are so familiar to the audience already that we have grown accustomed to how they should speak, and act, but Benedict and Martin surely did not get that memo. They have, without a doubt, created something entirely unique, within this series. I loved watching the two of them grow together. In the beginning, like any relationship, there is miscommunication, frustration, second guessing, and mystery. John and Sherlock are not immune to this. They mature as a couple, not like that (they ensure you), of friends who depend on each other. Many times in life or death scenarios. Throughout the two seasons, these two fight again and again, but are always drawn back together as their relationship goes through the ebb and flow of life.

Normally television shows have an overall lower standard of production they set themselves at compared to that of most feature films. They don't have the budget, or the time to create something as complex as a feature film. "Sherlock," again, side steps this normality and holds itself at the highest level possible. They respected themselves and the audience with being able to handle complex issues and information. Everything was specifically designed to be something that Sherlock himself would be entertained by.

Much of the success of "Sherlock" has to go to the writers. Without the flawless modernization of the books by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, this show would not be as entertaining. They have seamlessly taken the characters out of their original time period and placed them in a world filled with computers, cell phones, televisions, etc. While being in the modern world helps Sherlock at times, he still relies, just as he should, on using the science of deduction. He uses his greatest strength above everything else: his wit. With this mentality, the writers have respected, and protected, the soul of the characters. One of the reasons I love this show so much is because it uses wit and intelligence as its driving force. It's not the sex, or violence, or special effects, it's the intelligent story.

The success of this program shows for itself the work of artistry it took to create this production. It pulls you in and won't let you go until you are dying for more. To everyone who worked on this in any capacity, job well done. This is truly a work of art.

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House of Cards

"Choosing money over power is a mistake almost everyone makes. Money is the big mansion in Sarasota that starts falling apart after ten years. Power is that old stone building that stands for centuries. I cannot respect someone who does not see the difference." - Francis Underwood

Be warned, as soon as you start the pilot episode, you will be hooked. This show has some of the most compelling and interesting characters I have ever seen on a television show. Francis Underwood (Kevin Spacey) is our "tragic hero" that we love, or hate, to watch as he deceptively destroys everything in his path. At the base of this show, it's all about the power in politics. I have never enjoyed the world of politics before because it normally bores me and I can't find a single person to cheer for. When most of America feels this way, it is actually fun to cheer for someone who is up front and honest about his unorthodox strategies. Frank's only value is his power to manipulate other people. It is astounding how little he gets done on his very own. He uses people left and right to spread ideas and thoughts throughout the government. One of my favorite lines that sums up his character is: "the best thing I like about human beings is that they stack so neatly."

Francis Underwood is a man all about power. He has calculated his every advance into Congress and has his sights set on the Presidency. He is cunningly supported by his wife, Claire Underwood (Robin Wright), and his trusted chief of staff, Doug Stamper (Michael Kelly). As Francis moves in and out of the closest circles within the oval office and congressional courts, he plants seeds of blackmail, misguided advice, lies, half-truths, prostitutes, drugs, affairs, and suicides in his wake. He will literally stop at nothing to obtain what he deems to be the highest calling in life: power.

With thirteen episodes to tell a story, the producers weren't shy about spreading the love to other characters. We get to know Claire Underwood through her very own career in humanitarian work and her working/loving relationship Francis. A young female reporter, Zoe Barnes (Kate Mara), is another critical character that could end up being Francis' best ally or worst enemy. Peter Russo (Corey Stoll) is a troubled politician from Pennsylvania who Francis blackmails in order to buy his votes and later guides him to run for governor. Many more characters come and go within this series, and somehow all end up being played one way or another by Francis.

One of the greatest tricks used in this series is how they use the fourth wall. Francis will momentarily pause, or turn from reality and discuss something with the audience. Whether he means to use that time to explain his plans for the next five episodes/minutes, show off his power over others by interpreting their next move, or just show us his annoyance of others when they say or do something slightly idiotic, it's always entertaining. By connecting with the audience in a one-on-one dynamic, you can choose to admire his passion, power, and intelligence, or hate his cunning, sly, and deceitful actions. When Francis says "I've worked too hard to get in arms reach of the prize only to have my hand cut off before I seize it," you either agree with him, or you just want to watch him fall back down. It's completely up to the audience whether or not they will cheer or scorn him. An audience rooting for him will want to watch him walk over people episode after episode. While an audience that chooses to hate him, will want to watch and see that there are still people that defy and overpower him anyway. Either way, audiences are left wanting to know what happens next.

You should give this show a shot. If you haven't already heard of it, or seen it, prepare yourself for an addiction. Once you start, it's an incredible ride.

Just as another example of who Francis is, here are a couple of my favorite quotes he has said:

"...and then he asked if I have no faith in God. I said you have it wrong. God has no faith in us."

"I pray to myself... for myself."

"That's how you devour a whale. One bite at a time."

And my all time favorite:

"I love that woman. I love her more than sharks love blood."

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Elysium

Neill Blomkamp is truly one of my favorite directors now because he doesn't cater to what the studios or trends tell him. He tells his story, his way. He follows his instinct. He won't back down to business executives when they start trying to guide his movie. He makes sure that he retains complete creative control. In Elysium, you can easily tell that this has Neill's creative stamp all over it.

This movie was pure entertainment. There weren't any hidden agendas or forced ideals shoved down my throat, it was just a fun movie. Sure there are ideas in this movie that should spark a conversation about how we are living in this world today and how that might affect our future, but I didn't feel like I had just watched Wall-e and was left feeling terrible about shopping at Walmart or sitting on my butt for longer than two hours. They simply presented a world with a problem, and then characters who decide to take action. That's what a movie is supposed to be! It's not always supposed to have a hidden agenda. It's okay to enjoy a movie simply because it's entertaining.

I only say that because the one thing that I hear people tripping over is that they keep comparing it movie to District 9, Neill's directorial debut. District 9 was an amazing surprise that came out of nowhere that garnered critical and financial success, along with a couple Oscar nominations. It didn't have an enormous budget, big name actors, or any big studios watching over them. But what really made that movie special was it's uniqueness. It was like capturing lightning in a bottle. A movie of that caliber, on that budget, and with a first time director, rarely ever happens. When people walked into the theater to see Elysium, they were already setting their sights on another District 9. I myself am at fault with this. I loved District 9, and I was hoping for something of that nature. What we got instead was a very expensive, explosive, entertaining movie, just without the poetry and heart that we were expecting.

With a budget of $100,000,000 ($70,000,000 more than what he had on District 9), I was surprised at how well they used the special effects. They were smart by only using it when it was absolutely necessary. The establishing shots, wide expanses, explosions, gore, etc were mostly CG, but they didn't rely on the availability of it to tell their story. They used practical effects and in camera techniques that made the believability of their world much stronger. Real sets, and props were used instead of dropping a green screen behind actors. This is something that I have to applaud Neill for because in today's day and age where CG is used for almost everything, using practical effects and actually going out and shooting something is brave. It always looks better to me and I love the fact that the money didn't get in the way of his style of storytelling.

One element in particular that I really enjoyed was the production design. The weapons, Elysium, and the exo-skeleton that Matt Damon and Sharlto Copley (who was awesome in this movie by the way) wore were spectacular. Neill has such a great eye for design that it gives his films a very unique perspective on the future. He doesn't just give them shape, he gives them special purpose. These aren't just toys or props, they are turned into story telling elements. The design of the robotics, ships, buildings, tattoos, weaponry, were all new. Some had a historical and classical base to them, but they were all twisted and given a new life through Neil's vision.

Obviously there are strong social elements and principles in this movie, that can't be ignored. Neill presents a social structure that is physically divided between the rich and the poor. The Earth has grown overpopulated and those in the upperclass of society have chosen to live in an eternal orbit of the Earth on the space station, Elysium. For those who live on Elysium, they want for nothing. Everything is taken care of, and you will never be hurt, sick, hungry, or in danger. Life is perfect. Life on Earth is the exact opposite. The split between those who have, and who have not, could not be seen in any easier way. It's even clearly stated at the very beginning of the movie just in case there is any way you missed it (which really wasn't necessary). What makes this issue special for Neill is that he has experienced this type of social rift personally as a young boy growing up in South Africa. I think one of the reasons he wanted to tell this story was to make people start asking questions about the social and economic structure of our world today.

Eve though I did enjoy this movie, there were a couple things that kept distracting me. One of them was Jodie Foster. Jodie is a fantastic actress, but for some reason they gave her a French accent. If you're going to do an accent, you'd better make sure your actress can do it, and then do it all over again in ADR. Most of her lines were so distracting, I was wondering the entire time why they didn't just case a French actress who could actually speak French! The ending was another problem I had. The entire time we're following Matt Damon serve no other purpose besides to better himself. Which is completely alright for a main character to do, as long as they learn something along the way, right? But right in the middle, they introduce another character that we assume he should start caring for. Does he do it? Nope. Not until the last fifteen minutes of the movie, does he start caring about saving others. I may have missed it, but I don't believe Matt's character had much of a story arc at all. It was all about saving himself and how he could do it the quickest. He really didn't care how it happened, he just wanted to survive. The ending threw me for a loop when all of a sudden they made his character have a change of heart. At that point I felt like I had just spent two hours with a character that I somewhat enjoyed, and then they flipped him over and made him something else. It was like they tied a nice pink ribbon over the end of the story when all it needed was honesty.

Overall, I would recommend seeing Elysium. It was a very entertaining movie that definitely belongs in the collection once it comes out on Blu-ray. If you have a problem with gore, or really poor ADR, you might want to skip this one then.

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Zero Dark Thirty

Lives are lost every day for an incredible amount of reasons. Death can be quick and silent, or it can drag on for years and years. It can be because of old age, or sickness, accidents, or even weather. In this case, lives were lost because it was someone's job.

Imagine having a job with the sole responsibility, the sole purpose, to kill a single man. To take the life of a human being. Someone who was a father, and a husband. A person who was loved by friends and family. A soul that my Christ died for. A man, who's name is Osama Bin Laden.

It was Maya's job for an entire decade to hunt down the man responsible for killing thousands of innocent American lives on September 11, 2001. Maya (Jessica Chastain), a young and seemingly inexperienced CIA operative, is put out in the the middle of a war zone to try and connect thousands of tiny pieces of information in order to track down "one of the disappeared ones." It quickly begins to look like an impossible mission. No one is talking. No progress is made. People are still getting killed, bombs are still going off and Maya isn't any closer to finding her target.

Years go by. Friends leave and friends die. People are tortured, a new president is elected, more bombs detonate, and Maya continues. With nothing going her way, she continues to slowly take step after step towards the front door of bin Laden. Once she finally think's she's there, they finally have the option to pull the trigger.

So far he had just been a face in a photograph. The face of the enemy. Then it becomes a game of odds. With very little to work off of, they jump at the idea that they actually found their target. For an entire decade he could have been regarded as a myth with the how little factual evidence there was to prove his location/existence. Now they have a possible location. What do they do with that? What if he really is there? Has Osama bin Laden really been found? Only one way to find out. Send in the Seals.

After a spectacular suspenseful raid on the home, all of their questions and concerns are confirmed. The decade long mission, accomplished. They have killed the face of terrorism.

The man they hunted for so long, is now dead. After looking at a face for a decade only in picture form, you lose sense of the real person. Then to see that face for the first time in a body bag with blood splattered over it, and it's eyes staring up at you, what must that feel like? How can you look into a man's face that you killed? Without ever placing her hand on a gun, Maya killed him. She ended his life. That fact finally hits her in the end. This was her job. She had even stated earlier, this mission was her "reason for being on this earth." Killing him, was her reason for being here. How the heck are you supposed to cope with that?

During the raid you see children and women at bin Laden's home. Could it be possible for people to actually love this man? Could it be possible that he has a family? We see him for the first time as an ordinary man. It is so polar opposite to how we have been raised to see him. When we see his face we are supposed to feel a prick of hatred. Maya had never actually seen him until his body was lying in front of her. Her mission, her purpose for being on this earth, is now complete. What does she do? She cries. She does not cry out of happiness or exhaustion, but what I believe to be as grief. For ten years her only focus was this mission. A mission to kill this man.

Kathryn Bigelow directs a very talented cast that delivers again and again by tackling a deeper issue than just killing a target. The story presented here doesn't get distracted by the hunt itself, but stays true to how Maya's character evolves through the hunt. Killing seems so easy when it's just a target and you're far away pushing a button, but to look in the eye of someone you just killed takes courage I do not have. They didn't make this movie just to cheer for Americans and brag about how they killed the "bad guy," but instead to show us what our thirst for revenge looks like.

We celebrated the death of this man as a country, and the one person who organized, directed, and lead the team that actually shot him in the forehead, cries. What does that say about us?

As I was leaving the theater, I could only think of saying thank you to Kathryn Bigelow and her incredible team for holding up the mirror to me and asking me, "why did you want to watch this movie?"

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