blarglznoflo Reviews

Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

Great, but a bit chaotic at times

[8/10 · 1 May 2015]

First off, I'll get this out of the way. Is it better than the first Avengers movie? Not quite, but it's almost as good. In my opinion, of course.

One issue--too many characters for the time they had! They bring in new heroes and you barely have time to remember the name before we've moved on. They bring back minor heroes from past movies, but don't have the time to actually use those characters much during battles. Honestly, if it had been a bit longer, it might have felt less chaotic. I understand that this is just a fact of the comic world, there simply ARE that many heroes involved. But it's hard to keep them straight on a movie screen.

The comedy was decent. Better than in past Marvel movies, where during a climactic battle everyone pauses for some wisecracks. That didn't happen this time, but of course there were still plenty of jokes. I like that, it just needs to be the right time.

It was confusing, I'll be honest. I want to watch it a couple more times. Certain parts were never explained, but again that's comics. So I need to watch it over again to really "get it".

That all being said, I did love it. Each main Avenger got their screen time. Of course it's RDJ-heavy, because this is a storyline based around Iron Man. But no one is really neglected. There was plenty of action, lots of joking, some drama and fun...to me, it's very close to the level of the first Avengers movie. Not quite there, but almost. And that's about what I expected, so I was satisfied.

Jupiter Ascending (2015)

Not bad, but feels like it could have been very good.

[7/10 · 9 February 2015]

First of all, yes, this movie is entertaining. A lot of other reviews are going on about how it could have been this or that, but I was reading them to find out if it would be fun to watch. And yes, it is.

I went in with very low expectations, and it met them. Lots of explosions? Yes. Cool sci-fi weapons? Of course. Kick-ass fighting? Duh. Channing Tatum shirtless and looking hotter than ever? Definitely. That's all I really wanted from this film, and I got it.

However, I did leave quite confused. I still don't quite "get" the story. I'll see it again when it comes out on DVD and hopefully it'll make more sense then. But it didn't take away from the entertainment value. I agree with other reviewers...it seems like they wrote this complex story in a complex world, and then gave us the condensed, rushed version in the movie. I feel like there's more that we should have been told/shown. I'm wondering if there were some deleted scenes, because some parts felt pretty rushed.

In summary, if you want an in-depth, well-explained new story...it's maybe not for you. But go see it if you want explosions and sexy men (plus a couple sexy women) and CGI beauty and an entertaining ride.

Foxcatcher (2014)

Compelling, depressing, frustrating, and beautiful

[9/10 · 17 January 2015]

This is one of those movies that you don't enjoy watching but when it's done, you loved it and want to see it again.

Nearly every moment hurts because of how wonderfully the roles are played. Steve Carrell deserves all the praise he's received for his role. You never know what to think about his character, and I believe that's supposed to be the point. He creeps you out, but you can't stop watching.

Channing Tatum may be getting some flak, but I loved his performance. Everyone's saying that Steve made some major changes to his appearance, movements, speech, etc...but Tatum did just as much, in my opinion. The charismatic, confident leading hunk transformed into an awkward, quiet, slumped-over man for the role, and I loved it. He plays it so well and with a lot of depth. I don't know much about the actual person he's portraying, all I can speak on is the character in the movie, and I think he did a wonderful job. Honestly, I'm sad that he was not the one nominated for the lead role Oscar, but I understand why.

Everyone else was just as wonderful, of course. I'm not going to pick apart every role, but I can say that the acting was never an issue for me. I can't really say what I'd change, although I suppose it had a weird pace at times. But it's dark, it's disturbing, and yet it's completely interesting and you can't look away because you just HAVE to see what's going to happen to everyone...even though it's a true story and unfortunately we already know.

I don't regret seeing it in the slightest, and I plan to see it many more times.

The Interview (II) (2014)

Another wonderful Rogen/Franco creation

[9/10 · 25 December 2014]

I am a fan of Seth Rogen's comedies. They're not groundbreaking, they don't change the way I live my life...but I find them consistently amusing. So I expected something similar to his previous films from this movie--plenty of jokes, some cringe material, and a lot of beautiful back-and-forth between Seth and James.

And I got exactly what I wanted. It's hilarious, it's actually an interesting plot, and their conversations are just as great as you've come to expect. Sure, it's not the most realistic premise. But it's a comedy movie. Once you just accept that, it's much more fun to watch. Some of the physical gags go a bit too far at times, but then again that's normal for these two. That's the only reason it gets a 9 instead of a 10 from me, I don't like stepping over the line *quite* that much.

Great acting and great comedy. I'm glad I paid the $6 to "rent" it online, and I would not have regretted paying full ticket price to see it in a theater. If the company of my local theater decides to show it on the big screen, I will gladly see it again there.

Into the Woods (2014)

A wonderful adaptation that I quite enjoyed

[9/10 · 25 December 2014]

For context, I have not seen the stage musical in years. Roughly 10 years ago (I think?) I watched a high school stage version, so that's not an ideal comparison anyway. Basically, I knew the general story and a few of the songs, but that's all I had going into this movie.

And I loved it. The casting was great, I didn't disagree with any of their choices. I was slightly skeptical of Chris Pine beforehand--I love the man, but I was afraid they put him in just because he's a popular hot-guy actor right now. But once I truly remembered the character he portrays, I realized that it was a perfect choice. No acting issues, even the kids acted wonderfully. And I was very grateful that this didn't get modernized with a bunch of "inside jokes" or modern pop culture references like some things can.

The singing was nearly perfect, in my opinion. There were a few weird parts, but I believe it was mostly from the children, so that's excusable. I already adored Sondheim's music, so I fully expected to love the songs. They kept all the songs I knew, and I don't know if anything was added or a song I didn't remember was taken out. Basically, all the "big" ones are there as far as I know.

I walked out already waiting to see it again. I'll probably go again before it's out of theaters, and will definitely buy it the day it comes out on DVD.

Horrible Bosses 2 (2014)

Everything I loved about the first, without being horribly "meta".

[9/10 · 28 November 2014]

I loved it. I cracked up nearly the entire time, even though my husband next to me wasn't quite as amused. But he liked the first one slightly more. I guess we just have different tastes.

Anyway, if you enjoyed the first one, I swear this isn't one of those comedy sequels that spends the whole time going "hey, remember our last movie and how we did this one thing and it was funny? Right? Remember that joke?" (22 Jump Street being one example). Yes, HB2 makes some shout-outs to the first movie. Duh, it's a sequel. But it's nowhere near annoying, in my opinion.

The story is funny and *mostly* believable, and to me that's good enough for a comedy. The cast is still just as on the ball as they were in the first, and I even found their chemistry better this time. Those 3 men work wonderfully together, and when you add in Chris Pine it becomes even more hilarious. Plus several other great names.

In summary, I found myself breathless with laughter during about 90% of this movie, and to me that makes it absolutely worth the ticket. I plan to buy it the day it comes out.

Big Hero 6 (2014)

The best of all worlds, adorable!

[9/10 · 14 November 2014]

This movie is everything I expected it to be. As adorable and also heart-wrenching as any Disney movie, it takes you on a roller-coaster the whole way. All the cute little Pixar touches are there. And, of course, Marvel isn't forgotten. It's a wonderful combination, giving us a movie that you'll want to see again just to take the ride one more time.

Baymax had me cracking up so many times, and I'm sure I'll be quoting him for days. You'll want to be best friends with Hiro, he's that relatable. And the rest of the group isn't as cliché as I was afraid of--I was dreading another movie where the group of friends contains "the nerd", "the girly-girl", "the tough guy", you get the picture. They made the characters individuals and you feel like you're there with them, kicking butt and having fun.

The only complaint I had was that it was slightly too short. Certain parts felt a little rushed. It was fun, I was getting into the story, and then suddenly "oh, OK, we're done with that now". Another half hour spread across the story world have been about perfect for me.

All in all, I will definitely buy this the moment it comes out and watch it forever, just like all other Disney stories. Great movie.