Reviews by BAMF

So this is written, directed, and starring legendary actor Tommy Lee Jones. That being the case with his experience in film this should be something to look out for. This isn't his first bout with directing (Sunset Limited & The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada), but it will probably be his most well known to date. So I decided to check it out for myself. The cast is incredible as well and the trailer gives us a look at a promising new Western. This is a pretty gritty story that could only work in the time period given. The beginning has a bit that can be pretty disturbing to most people. In fact the whole movie has a dark tone to it. If you have a week stomach I suggest skipping this one. It was not what I expected it to be at all. The acting was amazing. There were some unexpected twists and turns that made this one hell of a watch. Briggs is definitely a unique character. This kind of had the feeling of True Grit which I also liked and I don't really watch Westerns too often. I definitely suggest checking it out.

Paul Haggis is an excellent director and writer in my opinion. I had to see this not only for that, but he pulled together a rather incredible cast for an interesting looking story. The characters are flawed and realistic. It's interesting how some of the stories interconnect. I wish James Franco was more than just a filler character because I think his story could have been more flushed out. The different subplots were interesting to see unfold. There are so many emotions in the writing that the actors portray excellently. We get love, lust, anger, hate, envy, fear, loneliness, regret, happiness, sadness, trust, and more. Some thematic elements can be a bit disturbing for most. The ending was remarkable and intriguing. The twist wasn't quite what I was expecting, but it was in fact better than I was thinking. It's an incredible and thought-provoking gem of a movie. I am surprised to see it rated so low. It's definitely worth checking out. Make sure you pay attention to the details as this movie isn't the kind to just observe at a glance.

I think I am one of the few people who actually enjoys Michael Bay and his crazy explosion fetish haha. Now this one is a fresh new cast which I think was a good move. I enjoyed the previous three films because sometimes it's just nice to watch a movie that doesn't make you rack your brains trying to figure it out. It's cool that Youtube stars are starting to expand into the film industry like RWJ, Emmanuel Hudson, Spoken Reasons, and now Kassem G. So in the mythology of the Transformer universe that's what caused the dinosaurs to be extinct? I don't know that seems a little silly to be honest. I think it's funny that one of the characters mentions how ridiculous remakes and sequels are! At least Michael Bay knows how silly he can get. I think that this installment is definitely one of the darker more violent entries to the series. It still has a good amount of humor though. I even thought that the jokes and Bumblebees pop culture phrases however cheesy caused a few chuckles and smiles. I also notice this has the longest runtime so far for the series, but for me it's quite entertaining. The new transformers were pretty awesome. My new favorites being Hound and Crosshairs. There is some great action scenes as I would have expected. I consider Stanley Tucci's character as John Turturro's replacement from the previous films. The Dinobots were pretty epic and a good addition to the Transformer series. I will always enjoy Bumblebee although I feel he should have been in this more. Optimus Pride no matter what always ends up as a badass. I thought it was quite fun and entertaining. If you loved the first 3 you may enjoy this just as much or more.

I like watching dance movies no matter how typical or cliche they can be. I think Katerina Graham is absolutely stunning and sexy. The dancing is the best part about this of course. Story wise this is basic dance fodder though. Also it is an unnecessary sequel just to cash in on the name. The funny thing is I never actually even saw the original. I do like that instead of violence the characters mostly resort to dance battles. That sends a good message that violence isn't always the answer. There is a nice selection of familiar faces like Randy Wayne, Seychelle Gabriel, Mario Lopez, Brandon Molale, Audrina Patridge, and Casper Smart. I also like that they had a real people familiar to the dance scene like Comfort Fedoke as part of the cast. I like all the sounds the various groups make on the stage for Battle Zone. The final choreographed dance routine from the HD crew was definitely the last one which I guess would make sense. Despite being cliche I actually still liked it. It wasn't special, but it was enjoyable.

When I watched the trailer for this I was thinking this was similar to Shaun of the Dead and Warm Bodies. I was surprised to see a good amount of the actors were familiar names like George Lopez, Sarah Hyland, and Mark Rolston. I love me some zombie films so I hope with the cast and the cute story doesn't fail at entertaining my love of the genre. I love the idea of mixing genres like road trip, zombies, and coming of age. They spend a little too much time establishing the story before we see the first zombie which was kind of disappointing. This movie isn't a very long one so having the zombies show up sooner would have been better. The church scene was pretty funny and different. I love how at times it is completely unpredictable, although sometimes you could see what was coming from a mile away. . The ending was incredible and made my jaw hit the floor. What a great little hidden gem of a zombie movie. I really liked it especially due to the ending. I think it could have been a little bit longer and gave some of the characters some more screen time. I recommend it for any fans of the zombie genre.

Well it's a Clint Eastwood directorial so I expect this should be pretty good. It has a pretty large cast, but only a handful of them I recognize. I just listened to a Four Seasons song to compare the voices and the actor was just about spot on compared to real Frankie Valli. The music was pretty fun and unusual to what I'm used to. I mean I didn't grow up in the era of the music featured in this. I guess that's where this shines and where it doesn't. The older audience will probably appreciate hearing something familiar, but the new generation may not be gripped in the same way. The cast of unknowns and small names prove they have acting chops that may get them in more roles in the future. I wish there was more Walken. I think he was just in this for pulling more of an audience. He in fact is barely in it, but his presence is definitely notable. I'm sort of glad Clint Eastwood didn't pop his face into this one because if he did I have a hunch that the atmosphere of the movie would have been altered in a negative way. It's interesting how nearly every band has problems with a member getting a big head, a member who causes problems, a member who doesn't want to pick sides, and a member who is devoted. I've seen it in The Temptations, Get on Up, and The Sapphires. Sometimes they even have money problems, drinking problems, and even deal with abuse. Anyways it's always interesting to see what bands deal with through their years in the game. I like how it was about the band instead of having Frankie being the main focus. Each of the members gets their time as the narrating fourth wall breaker. Some of the songs I actually realized I knew of them before this films like "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" and "My Eyes Adore You". I thought the ending was really cute and had the feel that of the live musical version that most of the actors in this are actually in. Until that point it was more of a drama with music in it and not an actual musical like say Rent, Hairspray, or Grease. I thought it was pretty good and had it's moments of joy and despair. It isn't the best Clint Eastwood movie out there, but it was still quite enjoyable. It was good to see something a little bit different from him.

I saw the trailer for this and it looked interesting enough. The thing about it that sold me though was Rose Leslie. Since we won't be seeing her in Game of Thrones anymore then this is the only other option to get my fix of this red headed beauty haha. It's a bit of a slow burner and a strange one. It keeps the mystery of what is going on hidden pretty well. I'm not sure how I felt about it. It doesn't really make any sense or anything. The acting is good at least. The good thing about this is that they tried to do something new. The bad thing is that it fell short. It's a weird one that's for sure. Honestly though I'm not sure I would suggest this one.

Brenton Thwaites is really making a name for himself in the film industry having only just started making films in 2013 (at least in my books). I also think the cast is a pretty good selection, although, I haven't read the book to actually confirm that the choices are spot on. I do think it's weird that Taylor Swift is in this, but I think everyone deserves a shot to try something different. I admire the look and feel of the film. It's nice to see some black and white in this day and age. It's interesting to see how color can effect the look and atmosphere of a film. It kind of compares to Divergent or the opposite of The Hunger Games. There is always a twist to living in a perfect society. The truth is the perfect society can never really exist. People may theorize of ways to reduce the clashes of society, but reducing is the only thing that is actually possible. Taylor Swift didn't have much she had to do so it worked just fine. It was well executed and well acted. Jeff Bridges really knows how to pick the right roles. Mankind needs emotion in my opinion. The ending was interesting, but a little cliche to be honest. I was a little annoyed when they constantly said the equivalent to watch your language. I felt something was missing though. It could have used some tweaks and also replaced Katie Holmes. Anyways it's a good watch.

I saw the trailer for this and was instantly intrigued by how original and interesting it looked. It isn't your typical romance, coming of age, mid-life crises, girl next door type of movie. It has it's own taste of originality which is hard to come by these days. It's a fitting role for Juliette Lewis. Jonny Weston is definitely somebody who will be worth looking out for in the coming years. The music in this is pretty good. The acting is great and the characters are really interesting. It had a few slight things that reminded me of American Beauty. I am never sure if Juliette Lewis is attractive or not. Sometimes she is cute and sometimes she is odd looking. I do think she has a nice body and that is still noticeable in this. There were some interesting and unexpected moments. It ended a little too cliche in my opinion. I liked it though. It probably will end up being a movie that is under the radar, but it's worth checking out.

I remember watching the first one because I love zombie films. I remember that it was pretty low budget and not really that good in my opinion. So I saw the trailer for this and the budget looks bigger and better. Hopefully it doesn't disappoint and proves to be more interesting than the first one. I do find it funny that the description on IMDB states the first one as a hit. This is visually rather stunning and full of great shots. The acting could have been a bit better. The lead looks like a discount Frank Grillo. It takes place in India so it felt pretty Bollywood which I'm not sure if that was intentional. I like the parachute scene as it seemed like something I hadn't seen before. The father has to be one of the most obnoxious and idiotic characters ever. Some of it was bittersweet. I like how things that were left unsaid were still understood. I have to say I didn't expect the way it was going to end. I did think this was much more entertaining than the first one and even better than I had expected. I think the Ford brothers read World War Z before they decided to make The Dead movies. I am actually hoping to see a third one maybe set in Asia or Europe. Don't expect the new generation of fast zombies though or overused CGI. This was good old fashioned original zombie type fun. Anyways give it a shot it could surprise you.