Movie Reviews: Holiday 2015

Since Thanksgiving I have been to the movies quite a few times. Here are my quick thoughts about them!

Horrible Bosses 2
If you liked the first film, you will probably still like the second. I went in with low expectations after reading a few reviews, but was pleasantly surprised to find I found the film different enough from the original. Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, and Charlie Day’s characters have now started their own business, but are screwed over when they entrust a rich investor (Christoph Waltz) to help get their product out there. The men once again attempt to plot their revenge, this time planning to kidnap the investor’s son (Chris Pine.) Craziness ensues, with brief returns from Jennifer Aniston and Jaimie Fox. Kevin Spacey was my favorite appearance, who is now in prison after the events of the first film. While the characters haven’t changed much, a highlight was seeing Chris Pine play such a maniac, who added a few twists to the story. 

Penguins of Madagascar
While obviously a bit silly, this movie brought quite a few smiles to my face. It’s hard to resist these little penguins, especially when the movie shows them as fluffy babies and how they came to be a team. The story picks up right at the end of Madagascar 3, and the penguins encounter an evil octopus (voiced by John Malkovich) who is bitter than penguins always stole the admiration of crowds at the zoo. He is on a mission to steal all the penguins at zoos around the world and turn them into ugly monsters. The penguins encounter a secret spy team of arctic animals, led by a wolf (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch.) The penguins attempt to use their bumbling skills to try to defeat the octopus, with lots of flipper smacking of course.

Wild
Reese Witherspoon plays Cheryl Strayed, a woman who is dealing with the loss of her mother. After betraying her husband multiple times and using drugs, she realizes that she must turn her life around, and become who her mother believed she could be. After seeing a book about the Pacific Crest Trail, she decides she will hike over 1,000 miles along it. Her journey is tough, but she comes through it a better person. It was nice to see Witherspoon in a more bold role, where she really had to bare raw emotions. Laura Dern (who I’m always delighted to see as a huge Jurassic Park fan) was wonderful as the mother, even if the age difference between her and Witherspoon doesn’t exactly add up. I did have some issues with the backflashes that show how Cheryl got to this point in her life. Since they were shown out of order, I sometimes struggled to piece the story together, and was left with some questions. The film has sweet, sad, and scary moments, all which come together to create a wild journey, but not necessarily one I found a true connection to.

The Theory of Everything
With perfect performances from Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones, The Theory of Everything is a feel-good film with a sweet romance and humorous moments. The story shows the young life of Stephen Hawking, just as the early signs of ALS begin to take over. He meets a woman named Jane while attending Cambridge, and they decide to marry once he is diagnosed. Jane understands the struggle that lies ahead, but she works hard to care for him. The story and execution made this film one of my favorites of the year.

Night at the Museum 3: Secret of the Tomb
While there isn’t necessarily anything new about the third film in the Night at the Musuem series, it remains a lot of fun to watch. This time the characters must go to London because the Tablet of Ahkmenrah, which is what brings the museum to life, is tarnishing. The exhibits are malfunctioning and causing mayhem because of this. New characters include a bumbling night guard at the British Museum (Rebel Wilson), Sir Lancelot (Dan Stevens), and a caveman (also played by Ben Stiller.) The film surprisingly ends on a bittersweet note, with the Ben Stiller’s character passing the torch and a touching speech from Robin William’s Teddy Roosevelt.

Into the Woods
With a great mix of actors, cool sets, and an interesting combination of characters, I was looking forward to Into the Woods, but ultimately struggled to connect with the film. Going in, I didn’t have much knowledge about the Broadway show, but had heard that the story was darker than most on-screen fairy tales. In the first half of the film, a baker and his wife (played by Emily Blunt and James Cordon) are hoping for a baby, but must go on a journey looking for objects for a witch in order to break a curse. Their search brings them to Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, and Jack and the Beanstalk. Meryl Streep (with a surprisingly strong singing voice) plays the witch, whose role helps carry the film’s story. Once the search for the objects ends though, the film slows down. Some of the best moments come from Chris Pine, who humorously plays a mindless Prince Charming. In the end though, I just didn’t find myself connecting with the characters, the story, or the music much, which was a disappointment.

Big Eyes

Amy Adams always delivers a great performance, and in Big Eyes she continues to show her talents. The story follows Margaret Keane, a painter who is recently divorced. She moves to San Francisco and meets a fellow artist named Walter (played by Christoph Waltz), who she believes will take care of her and her daughter. He soon begins taking credit for her “big eye” artwork, claiming that a woman’s artwork cannot be successful, and his true nature comes out. Unfortunately the film starts out delightful, but as the years go by and Walter continues his abuse, the film starts to drag. My mind started to drift and wonder when the truth would finally come out. Once Margaret finally fights for the truth, the final act takes place in a courtroom and Christoph Waltz performance becomes too over-the-top.

Unbroken

Directed by Anegelina Jolie, Unbroken is a grand story, but lacking a bit in depth. The film tells the story of Louis Zamperini, an American Olympian who endured many struggles during World War II. After a plane crash strands him in the ocean with two of his fellow comrades, he is captured by the Japanese and sent to a POW camp, where he is targeted by a man called “The Bird.” I found the performances strong (especially Jack O’Connell in the role of Zamperini), but I believe the film could have been framed better. Since the audience is only shown flashbacks the first 1/2 hour or so, we see very little about his younger self. It would have been more impactful to see his family before he left for war and to see a little bit of how he dealt with the trauma after he returned. At a certain point it seemed like the torture he faced was unending. Even though the movie wasn’t perfect, I still never lost interest and could feel what a special man Louis Zamperini was.

The Imitation Game

I was very unfamiliar with the story of Alan Turing, but based on this film, he was certainly a brilliant man. The film tells the story of how Turing and a team broke the enigma code that essentially led to the end of World War II. The story was intense, at times humorous, and also quite heartbreaking. As they all race against the clock to figure out the code (which changes each day), I waited full of anticipation to see them finally break it. The scene when that moment came was worthwhile and incredibly exciting. Benedict Cumberbatch plays the sometimes off-putting Turing brilliantly, and Kieira Knightly brings a solid performance as Joan, who becomes a kind friend to Turing. Amongst Turing’s brilliance, the story also shows the struggle he faced with his sexuality at that time. It is these scenes, and backflashes, that make the exciting story very bittersweet.