THE BEST AND WORST OF SUMMER 2014

THE BEST AND WORST OF SUMMER 2014

I don't think the 2014 summer movie season will be remembered for the good movies that came out. Let's face it, it seemed like each week we succumbed to some pretty disappointing movies at your local cineplex. Like every summer, we had our fare share of comic book movies, sequels, and reboots. There were big action franchises that wanted to continue their reign. Some fared well (X-Men: Days of Future Past), while others left us shaking our head in frustration (The Amazing Spider-Man 2). Here are my picks for the best and worst of the summer season, plus some that were pleasant surprises.

THE BEST

1. BOYHOOD
Writer/Director: Richard Linklater
Starring: Ellar Coltrane, Ethan Hawke, Patricia Arquette, Lorelei Linklater, Marco Perella, Libby Villari

By now, you are probably aware of the fact that writer/director Richard Linklater spent twelve years filming this movie. The huge gamble paid off, and I obsessed over it after I saw it. I bought the soundtrack and am currently working on making the Beatles Black Album that Hawke's character created. It was the movie I plugged and championed for whenever anyone asked me for my recommendation. If you are sick of seeing the same kind of movies in theaters over and over again, Boyhood is your kind of movie. It will be one of the most unique and thought-provoking films you will see all year or of any year recently.

RATING: 5 out of 5 TICKET STUBS



2. LIFE ITSELF
Director: Steve James
Starring: Roger Ebert, Chaz Ebert, Martin Scorsese, Werner Herzog, A.O. Scott, Richard Corliss, Gene Siskel

Documentarian Steve James and Roger Ebert started working on Life Itself with the intention of it being an adaptation of Ebert's memoir of the same name. Unfortunately, Roger passed away before the film was completed. I have been a huge admirer of his dating back to when I was a kid watching Siskel & Ebert & the Movies. This film is a wonderful look back at his life and career. He is truly inspirational as he never once gave up or quit working when his health started to decline. It is one of the best documentaries that I have seen in years.

RATING: 5 out of 5 TICKET STUBS



3. THE FAULT IN OUR STARS
Director: Josh Boone
Starring: Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, Nat Wolff, Laura Dern, Sam Trammell, Willem Dafoe

I knew I would enjoy this teen romance as I had already read the book and fell in love with the story. What I didn't expect was that I would go on and do a full ugly cry at the theater. I rarely cry at movies, but this was the grand exception. I even tried to recreate it on Twin Cities Live when I reviewed it. Click HERE for the video.

RATING: 4.5 out of 5 TICKET STUBS



4. SNOWPIERCER
Director: Joon-ho Bong
Starring: Chris Evans, Tilda Swinton, Octavia Spencer, Jamie Bell, John Hurt

There were many films this summer that I wouldn't mind seeing a second or third time once they are available on blu-ray. I left Snowpiercer and immediately wanted to see it again as it was also available via On Demand at the same time it was in theaters. I never got around to writing a full review, but I will once I watch it again. It was a stunning visual feast for the eyes. I haven't seen any of Bong's other films, so I went in not knowing what to expect. For a film that takes place completely on a train, I completely awed by the fact that I never knew what was going to happen next! Plus, you've got the brilliance of Tilda Swinton giving her third performance this year alone.

RATING: 4 out of 5 TICKET STUBS



5. GODZILLA
Director: Gareth Edwards
Starring: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Bryan Cranston, Ken Watanabe

I admit, this is probably a strange pick that you didn't see coming. I had a hard time filling this fifth spot. Do I go with a trusty and easy choice like a Marvel movie or go in a different direction? I'm going with Godzilla as it was a film, like Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, that really took me by surprise. I had never seen a Godzilla movie before, but now I want to go back and rewatch those old black and white classics. Director Gareth Edwards gives the film its slow burn until our main character is finally revealed in a very Spielbergian way. It's sound and visual effects were top notch and made it a true summer popcorn creature feature flick!



*HONORABLE MENTIONS: it's a tie between X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST and GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

THE WORST

Stay FAR FAR away...I'm warning you.

1. TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION

What a piece of garbage. A nearly three hour piece of garbage. Yes, I expected that going in but I still don't think we can excuse Michael Bay and not hold him accountable because we now expect that out of him. I can't believe people keep throwing hard earned money at these movies.

RATING: 1/2 out of 5 TICKET STUBS



2. A MILLION WAYS TO DIE IN THE WEST

Seth MacFarlane is one of the funniest and smartest people in Hollywood. He can act, sing, direct, write and do voices as we have seen with Family Guy and Ted. It was a real shame that his attempt at a western comedy turned out to be a complete waste and really showed how lazy he can be.

RATING: 1.5 out of 5 TICKET STUBS



3. LET'S BE COPS

I didn't even give this film a full review as I saw it weeks after it opened. It should be one of those dumb comedies that's so dumb, it's funny or it's so funny that you don't mind it being dumb. This was all dumb and no funny. Okay, I take it back. There was maybe two funny moments, one of which involved a fat naked man running.

RATING: 1.5 out of 5 TICKET STUBS



4. JERSEY BOYS

It's a shame that this didn't work out in the end. Clint Eastwood was the wrong choice to helm the big screen adaptation of the hit jukebox musical about Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. They tried sticking close to the musical but in all the wrong places. They even forgot to include the music in the second half.

RATING: 2 out of 5 TICKET STUBS



5. TAMMY

It's good that Melissa McCarthy, Allison Janney, and Kathy Bates were all up for Emmys this year as it made me forget about this movie. We've seen McCarthy do this type of loud-mouthed, crass, and dirty character countless times. It's time for the otherwise talented actress to retire this character and move onto other more challenging roles that she is easily capable of.

RATING: 2 out of 5 TICKET STUBS



*DISHONORABLE MENTION: MILLION DOLLAR ARM

There you go! Those are my picks for the best and worst of the summer season. Here's hoping next summer gives us some better quality popcorn flicks. I'd love to hear from you! What are your picks for the best and worst? Feel free to comment below or you can find me and comment on my Facebook page by clicking HERE.

TWIN CITIES LIVE- July 9, 2014

TWIN CITIES LIVE
July 9, 2014

We've got two movies inspired by music with Begin Again and A Hard Day's Night and my favorite film of the year so far, Life Itself.

1. Life Itself, starring: Roger Ebert, Chaz Ebert, Martin Scorsese
2. Begin Again, starring: Mark Ruffalo, Keira Knightly, Adam Levine
3. A Hard Day's Night, starring: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr

Here's the video:




Video courtesy of Twin Cities Live/KSTP

You can find all of my past segments HERE.

As always, thank you so much for watching and your continual support. I truly appreciate it!

Movie Review: LIFE ITSELF

LIFE ITSELF
Director: Steve James
Starring: Roger Ebert, Chaz Ebert, Martin Scorsese, Werner Herzog, A.O. Scott, Richard Corliss, Gene Siskel

In 1994, Roger Ebert was a huge champion of the documentary Hoop Dreams by director Steve James. He included the film in his top ten of 1994 list and later placed it in the top spot on his favorite films of the 1990s list. It is only fitting that James is the man behind the camera for a documentary about Ebert. As a film critic and movie lover, my days of reading Roger’s reviews and watching him spar with Gene Siskel go back as far as I can remember to when I was a little kid watching movies instead of playing outside with the other neighbor kids. I actually do remember watching the episode where they discussed Hoop Dreams.

When this documentary was in its early stages, it was going to be an adaptation of Roger’s memoir “Life Itself”. I knew the potential of how fascinating and inspirational this film could be after devouring every page cover to cover. The film took a slightly different angle after he died five months into production. Like many documentaries covering someone’s life, it traces back to his early days. We get introduced to his family via old photographs and recalls his days as a student at University of Illinois. He was a young journalist that always seemed to be in control and was far smarter and arrogant than most people in his position. Many nights were spent drinking with friends and colleagues in the bar that led to his bout with alcoholism. As most people know, he later went on to become the film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times and gained notoriety with his TV show with fellow Chicago film critic and “rival” Gene Siskel.

Throughout this look back at his life and career, the film cuts back to Roger and his wife Chaz in his final months and weeks as he struggles to survive despite the many years of battling cancer and the numerous surgeries that he underwent as potential treatment options. You wouldn’t be able to tell Roger’s story without talking about his courageous and loving wife Chaz whom he met later on in life at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. There is no denying the love they had for each other and the love Roger gave to her children and their grandchildren. Some of the hospital scenes may be too hard to watch for some viewers as it can be a bit graphic. I give him and Chaz credit for being so open, honest, and raw about what he went through and allowing it to be shown on camera.

As a film critic, Roger Ebert was a critic for the people. He had a way of dissecting a film and commenting on it in a way that was easy for anyone to understand. You didn’t have to be a film scholar to understand his writing. He had a passion for film that he effortlessly displayed in his writing. He was known to crank out his reviews that felt personable and honest in under thirty minutes. I wish I could do the same thing. Another admirable trait that seems to be forgotten with other critics is that he knew out to review a movie in context. There is a wonderful episode of Siskel & Ebert & the Movies when Gene and Roger have one of their sparring matches over their reviews of Full Metal Jacket and Benji the Hunted. Gene was appalled that Roger gave thumbs up to Benji the Hunted and dismissed Full Metal Jacket. Roger went on to discuss reviewing them in context and that you can’t compare these two polar opposite movies. It’s a must watch episode for any fan of theirs. Other film critics like A.O. Scott and Richard Corliss discuss his legacy and the power he had over the art of film criticism. He even became friends with many filmmakers like Martin Scorsese and Werner Herzog and other independent filmmakers who also share the influence Roger had on their lives.

For someone that has been a huge admirer of Roger’s, his death touched me like it did for so many people that grew up aspiring to be like him or anyone else that loved going to the movies. Every Saturday night I sat down with my notebook and jotted down which way the thumbs went for every movie they reviewed. It didn’t matter if it was the big studio movies I was familiar with or the random independent films that I had never heard of. They all made it into my notebook. I remember going on strike with them after Independence Day came out. I was thirteen and vowed to stop watching if they gave it “Two Thumbs Down”. Sure enough, I went on strike, but it didn’t last very long. I wrote this article after he died as a tribute to someone that has truly influenced me and continues to do to this day. I still go back and read his past reviews on a weekly basis. I looked at Robert Altman’s 3 Women in a different light after reading his entry in one of his "The Great Movies" series.

Life Itself is further proof of his tenacity and fight to keep living. He didn’t let his cancer get in the way of his work as he found a new way to use his voice as a film critic. He continued to write on his blog and used social media to reach a whole new audience of moviegoers. He wanted to be open and honest without ever feeling like he had to hide or keep his waning health private. The film demonstrates that he speaks to a broader audience than just film critics and movie buffs. His philosophy and outlook on life is applicable to all. It’s truly inspirational to watch someone battle cancer, yet never give up on life thanks to his love of Chaz, the movies, and everything else life had to offer.

Is It Worth Your Trip to the Movies? Life Itself is one of the best documentaries I have seen in a very long time.

RATING: 5 out of 5 TICKET STUBS

Movie Trailer: LIFE ITSELF

LIFE ITSELF
Director: Steve James
Starring: Roger Ebert, Chaz Ebert, Martin Scorsese, Werner Herzog



One of Roger Ebert's favorite movies from the '90s was the documentary Hoop Dreams from director Steve James. It seems quite fitting that James has now made a documentary about the extraordinary life of one of the best film critics who had a tremendous impact on the film industry. Roger has been a huge inspiration to me ever since I was a young boy watching "At the Movies" every Saturday night. I own quite a few of his books, including his memoir, "Life Itself", which this documentary is based on. Last year when he passed away, I wrote this piece about his influence on me.

I am so happy to hear the film is getting a wide release after playing at numerous film festivals and receiving extremely positive reviews. I know I will love it, and I already get a little choked up just by watching the trailer.

RELEASE DATE: July 4, 2014

Here's the trailer