The Walk Review

October 2015 may go down in the history books as the "Dramatic Movie Massacre", a period where a horde of dramatic features debuted in a short window of time and basically trampled on each other, reducing the majority of the movies released in this time period to being major box office duds. Two of my favorite films of last year (99 Homes and Steve Jobs) ended up tanking big time thanks to the insane amount of competition, and one other victim of this brutality was the newest endeavor from director Robert Zemeckis in his 37 year long career in Hollywood.

Room Review

Note: Normally, my reviews are as spoiler-free as possible. However, for this review, I will be discussing plot points from later portions of the film that could be described as spoilers in the conventional sense, though the plot turns are revealed in the trailer for the film. Don't worry, I don't go into excruciating detail on such elements of the story, but this is one film where going into it cold might be the best option. Just know that I found Room to be great if you don't want to read my super mildly spoilery review.

Room proves to be a far more harrowing experience than the majority of modern day horror films, simply by having its entire premise hinge on a situation that all too tragically occurs in reality. The fact that its entire concept stems from a more pragmatic source already adds a disturbing undercurrent to its diegesis. Such a connotation would likely bend and crack underneath the weight of poorly developed characters, but luckily, Room goes through great and commendable strides to ensure that its two lead characters are the most engrossing parts of the entire production.

Our Brand Is Crisis Review

Man, Our Brand Is Crisis could have been something truly special. How do I know this? Because the elements in here that work are legitimately exceptional. But there just aren't enough aspects in this feature that excel, especially considering the meandering pace that consumes the story and stretches the movies 107 minute running time into what feels like eternity. Under a script by Peter Straughan and direction from David Gordon Green, Our Brand Is Crisis tells the tale of Jane (Sandra Bullock), a political strategist trying to get a successful presidential election campaign going for Pedro Castillo (Joaquim de Almeida).

Burnt Review

Bradley Coopers transition from character actor to leading man has been an interesting one, mainly because it's been interesting to watch how his typical personality (the assured, cocky scoundrel) is utilized in more layered motion pictures than Failure To Launch. Silver Linings Playbook brought Cooper to the field of commanding dramatic performances by making his phlegmatic personality be clashed against outbursts, with a similar sort of temperament surfacing again in 2013's American Hustle. Last years Guardians Of The Galaxy may have been the best dramatic use of Coopers disposition, with the seemingly endless bravado and snark of Rocket Raccoon hiding the characters relentless existential crisis.

Steve Jobs Review

Now that I'm juuust old enough to put my younger years into a larger context, it strikes me that 2010 may have been one of the most formative cinematic years of my entire life. That specific period of 365 days brought out a number of important films that shaped me, including Toy Story 3, The Other Guys and the first Coen Brothers, Christopher Nolan and Edgar Wright films I saw on the big screen (hell, I could ramble on for hours on the personal importance of just Scott Pilgrim vs. The World!). Another film from that year that has cemented itself in my subconscious? The Social Network.

Crimson Peak Review

God bless Guillermo Del Toro. He's such a fascinating filmmaker, so obviously in love with the worlds he creates, it's endlessly charming. Also fun to see is how much variety there is in his filmography in terms of what genres he'll explore. Fantasy for Pan's Labyrinth, sci-fi for Pacific Rim, and now dramatic supernatural romantic period piece horror in Crimson Peak. That description may make the project sound like a hodgepodge of a creation, but don't fret, it's instead a delightful mixture that utilizes each of its distinct individual elements to their fullest potential.

Goosebumps Sends Shivers Across The Box Office. Also; Crimson Peak? More Like Crimson Meek (Box Office)

Goosebumps was numero uno at the box office this weekend, grossing a decent $23.5 million in its opening weekend. That's a solid number for the book adaptation, though putting it below the opening weekends of other movies of its ilk (Ender's Game opened to $27 million for instance and this opening was about on the same level as the $23.2 million debut of Eragon from ten years ago). This one should perform well over the next two weeks considering how well timed it is to Halloween, though The Peanuts Movie will likely demolish it in its fourth weekend.

Goosebumps Review

Debuting in 1992, the 62 Goosebumps books written by R.L. Stine over a five year span were some of the most influential of all literature in that era, delivering thrills for younger readers to enormous sales numbers. After the original series concluded with Monster Blood IV (which seems to be a hard book to come by given the $25 price tag a used copy of the novel goes for on Amazon), the series endured into the 21st century with Goosebumps 2000 and Goosebumps HorrorLand keeping Stine and his scary creations alive and well in the pop culture consensus.

Goosebumps And Crimson Peak Blaze Uncertain Box Office Trails On Thursday Night

This weeks three new wide releases got their box office runs started last night, though it's hard to use their Thursday night numbers to foretell how exactly the films will do in the coming weekend for a variety of reasons. The largest of last nights performances was Crimson Peak, which grossed $855 thousand in Thursday night screenings. That's about 14% below the Thursday night grosses for Universal Studios most recent previous horror film The Visit, which grossed $1 million at these showings last month. It's likely Guillermo Del Toro's fanbase came out to see it last night, potentially making the film have a frontloaded weekend, though it's still too early to tell if that'll come to pass.

99 Homes Review

Michael Shannon is a top-caliber actor that, for my money, does not get enough praise for his acting accomplishments in his career. Here's a dude who has mastered the art of intense acting, but he always manages to bring a new angle to this type of performance. In Revolutionary Road, for instance, he has his intensity stem from indignation from those around him, whilst the David Koepp bicycle action film Premium Rush has him become one helluva hostile individual due to overwhelming desperation.

The Martian Remains In Orbit At The Top Of The Box Office While Pan Gets Hooked Off The Box Office Stage

Mark Watney (Matt Damon) has become a botanist, grown potatoes on Mars and now has starred in the biggest movie in America for two straight weeks. Yep, The Martian led the box office again, grossing an impressive $37 million for the frame, which is the sixth best second weekend for a 2015 feature. That's only a 32% dip from last weekend, a larger drop than the 22% dip experienced by Gravity in its second frame, but much better than the 40% drop Interstellar had in its second go-around.

Pan Review

Perhaps the worst thing about Pan is how even its own flaws aren't notable enough to warrant fiery indignation or scorn. Oh it's got an immeasurable amount of foibles in everything from plot structure to acting, but it's hard for me to work up any sort of extreme rage or disappointment towards this particular project. This is a film whose story is written and executed in such a perfunctory manner that I'm surprised an actual human being oversaw this entire production. It feels more like a sterile machine just organized the various pieces into place hoping to strike up a newfound franchise in the process.

Sicario Review

There are no easy answers to be found in Sicario and its examination of the War On Drugs, and believe you me, that's a good thing. It's lack of providing a concrete solution to this real life epidemic doesn't stem from a screenplay uninterested in providing a suitable resolution to its story. No, it's a symptom of the films bleak aesthetic depicting the ceaseless violence that's emerging from this conflict. There are no winners here, only people who miraculously survive one more day to continue the fight.

The Martian Review

Just before Mark Watney (Matt Damon) attempts to grow some food on the surface of Mars (the planet where he's been inadvertently stranded), he makes a video log where he declares that the planet "...will soon fear [his] botany skills". Some rock music follows that line immediately as he walks to a crate carrying human excrement that he'll use as soil for his crops. It's a moment that sounds preposterous when I describe it, but given how well the film, even this early on in the running time, has developed Mark as a protagonist more than worth rooting for, this potentially ludicrous occurrence instead becomes exceedingly exciting.

65 Years Ago Today, Peanuts Debuted And Changed Both Comic Strips And The World Forever

Growing up, I absolutely loved pop culture (shocking, right?), but it was hard to discover pieces of media that really spoke to me, that really understood what I was going through. Being bestowed with Asperger's Syndrome from birth seemed to leave me at a disadvantage at every turn, especially in the realm of social activities. Looking for refugee in films, TV shows and books, it was near impossible to find something that resonated with what I was going for. Oh, it was typical to see characters experience bullying, but most of the time, there was a neat & conclusion involving either competence for the antagonistic characters, or more likely, the bully and the bullied character becoming friends.

Pan Will Fly Off To Neverland In October

Looking over the 2015 release schedule, I was surprised to see Warner Bros. had nothing planned for October 2015. Considering they release more movies in any given year than any other studio, it was surprising they didn't have anything up their sleeves for October. That's changed today, as their reinvention of Peter Pan will arrive now on October 9, 2015.