Steve Jobs (2015) - 8 stars out of 10

Steve Jobs (2015) - 8 stars out of 10

"Steve Jobs" is a surprisingly unbecoming look at the cofounder of Apple.  This was nothing like what I expected.  The film is based on the biography of Steve Jobs in which he encouraged the interviewees to be honest and waived his right to preview the book before its release.  The honesty of this film is vivid.  Rather than detail the life events of Jobs, this film examines the character of this man.  We expect to see Jobs portrayed as a successful billionaire but it actually shows him to be an arrogant workaholic with an inability to communicate with his coworkers and daughter.  The story takes place in three acts and tells his story through the lens of three major product launches during his career – the Apple Macintosh, the NeXT Computer, and the iMac.  Danny Boyle's approach to creating a portrayal of Jobs is successful in that it is unique but it also falls short of expectations because we were all expecting a traditional biopic.  As long as you know what to expect, you will be blown away by the impeccable performances by Michael Fassbender and Kate Winslet that were both worthy of their Oscar nominations.  Seth Rogan, Jeff Daniels, and Katherine Waterston also turn in great performances that enhance this film’s realism.  The nonstop energy that permeates the film comes straight from the complex relationships between the various characters.  It is as if every relationship could be categorized into its own conflict: Man vs. Caring Assistant, Man vs. Freeloading Ex, Man vs. Friend (whom he treats terribly), Man vs. Inferior Coworker, Man vs. Boss, and most interestingly, Man vs. Mistreated Daughter.  There are so many emotions in this film and they all filter through Fassbender as he distributes them toward the appropriate party.  2016 was an incredibly strong year for film so it is no surprise that this film missed out on nominations in the directing, editing, and production categories, but it is a quality film with amazing acting performances and it is worth two hours of your time.

[Pictured: Incredible acting energizes the entire film]

OSCAR PREDICTIONS 2016

OSCAR PREDICTIONS 2016

Disclaimer: These are the films that I personally believe should win in each category, not my prediction of who I believe The Academy will choose.  Also, I did not see Boy & the World, Shaun the Sheep Movie, Straight Outta Compton, The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared, or When Marnie Was There

Best Picture – 1st Pick: Room, 2nd Pick: The Revenant (but Spotlight will win)
Best Actor – 1st Pick: Leonardo DiCaprio, 2nd Pick: Bryan Cranston
Best Actress – 1st Pick: Brie Larson, 2nd Pick: Saoirse Ronan
Best Supporting Actor – 1st Pick: Tom Hardy, 2nd Pick: Sylvester Stallone
Best Supporting Actress – 1st Pick: Alicia Vikander, 2nd Pick: Kate Winslet
Best Director – 1st Pick: Lenny Abrahamson (Room), 2nd Pick: Alejandro G. Inarritu (The Revenant) should win, but George Miller (Mad Max: Fury Road) will win
Cinematography – 1st Pick: The Revenant, 2nd Pick: Mad Max: Fury Road
Film Editing – 1st Pick: The Big Short, 2nd Pick: Mad Max: Fury Road
Original Screenplay – 1st Pick: Inside Out, 2nd Pick: Spotlight (will win)
Adapted Screenplay – 1st Pick: Room, 2nd Pick: The Big Short (will win)
Best Animated Feature – 1st Pick: Inside Out, 2nd Pick: Anomalisa
Best Documentary Feature – 1st Pick: Amy, 2nd Pick: Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom
Production Design – 1st Pick: Mad Max: Fury Road, 2nd Pick: The Revenant
Costume Design – 1st Pick: Cinderella, 2nd Pick: Mad Max: Fury Road
Makeup and Hairstyling – 1st Pick: Mad Max: Fury Road, 2nd Pick: The Reventant
Visual Effects – 1st Pick: Star Wars: The Force Awakens, 2nd Pick: Mad Max: Fury Road (but they all deserve to win)
Best Original Score – 1st Pick: Carter Burwell (Carol), 2nd Pick: Ennio Morricone (The Hateful Eight) will win
Best Original Song – 1st Pick: Writing’s On the Wall (from Spectre), 2nd Pick: Til It Happens To You (from The Hunting Ground)
Sound Editing – 1st Pick: Mad Max: Fury Road, 2nd Pick: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Sound Mixing – 1st Pick: Star Wars: The Force Awakens, 2nd Pick: Mad Max: Fury Road

Movie Reviews for 2016 Oscar Nominees

45 Years - http://jonnysdailymoviereview.blogspot.com/2016/01/45-years-5-stars-out-of-10.html
Amy - http://jonnysdailymoviereview.blogspot.com/2016/01/amy-2015-8-stars-out-of-10.html
Anomalisa - http://jonnysdailymoviereview.blogspot.com/2016/02/anomalisa-5-stars-out-of-10.html
The Big Short - http://jonnysdailymoviereview.blogspot.com/2016/02/the-big-short-9-stars-out-of-10.html
Bridge of Spies - http://jonnysdailymoviereview.blogspot.com/2016/02/bridge-of-spies-8-stars-out-of-10.html
Brooklyn - http://jonnysdailymoviereview.blogspot.com/2016/02/brooklyn-10-stars-out-of-10.html
Carol - http://jonnysdailymoviereview.blogspot.com/2016/01/carol-8-stars-out-of-10.html
Cartel Land - http://jonnysdailymoviereview.blogspot.com/2016/02/cartel-land-7-stars-out-of-10.html
Cinderella - http://jonnysdailymoviereview.blogspot.com/2015/04/cinderella-2015-10-stars-out-of-10.html
Creed - http://jonnysdailymoviereview.blogspot.com/2016/01/creed-10-stars-out-of-10.html
The Danish Girl - http://jonnysdailymoviereview.blogspot.com/2016/01/the-danish-girl-2015-4-stars-out-of-10.html
Ex Machina - http://jonnysdailymoviereview.blogspot.com/2016/01/ex-machina-9-stars-out-of-10.html
The Hateful Eight - http://jonnysdailymoviereview.blogspot.com/2016/02/the-hateful-eight-8-stars-out-of-10.html
Inside Out - http://jonnysdailymoviereview.blogspot.com/2015/06/inside-out-2015-10-stars-out-of-10.html
Joy - http://jonnysdailymoviereview.blogspot.com/2016/01/joy-2015-7-stars-out-of-10.html
The Look of Silence - http://jonnysdailymoviereview.blogspot.com/2016/02/the-look-of-silence-7-stars-out-of-10.html
Mad Max: Fury Road - http://jonnysdailymoviereview.blogspot.com/2015/12/mad-max-fury-road-8-stars-out-of-10.html
The Martian - http://jonnysdailymoviereview.blogspot.com/2015/11/the-martian-2015-9-stars-out-of-10.html
The Revenant - http://jonnysdailymoviereview.blogspot.com/2016/01/the-revenant-10-stars-out-of-10.html
Room - http://jonnysdailymoviereview.blogspot.com/2016/01/room-2015-10-stars-out-of-10.html
Sicario - http://jonnysdailymoviereview.blogspot.com/2015/12/sicario-2015-7-stars-out-of-10.html
Spotlight - http://jonnysdailymoviereview.blogspot.com/2016/02/spotlight-2015-8-stars-out-of-10.html
Star Wars: The Force Awakens - http://jonnysdailymoviereview.blogspot.com/2015/12/star-wars-episode-vii-force-awakens-10.html
Trumbo - http://jonnysdailymoviereview.blogspot.com/2016/01/trumbo-2015-8-stars-out-of-10.html
What Happened, Miss Simone? - http://jonnysdailymoviereview.blogspot.com/2016/02/what-happened-miss-simone-7-stars-out.html
Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom - http://jonnysdailymoviereview.blogspot.com/2016/02/winter-on-fire-ukraines-fight-for.html

Spotlight (2015) - 8 stars out of 10

Spotlight (2015) - 8 stars out of 10

I had really hoped that "Spotlight" would live up to the hype of 6 Oscar nominations and its status as the front runner for Best Picture.  It did not.  Expectations aside, I found this film to be interesting and well-done but not at the same level of Oscar contenders like “The Revenant,” “Room,” and “The Martian.”  The only nomination that I would have given to this film is to Tom McCarthy for his screenplay and its treatment of this sensitive subject matter.  The statistics are shocking and the stories of the victims are sad but the film never seems like an attack on the church.  The use of strong sexual language is limited to the first half of the movie, serving as a reference point that we can remember throughout the story without having to hear those words over and over again.  I think that the shock of hearing some of those terms is necessary to grasp the levity of the allegations but I appreciate that the script didn’t continually hit us over the head with graphic sexual explanations.  The film focuses on exploring investigative journalism instead of pushing a hidden agenda, and it is impressive that a story about new research could be so riveting.  The acting is above average, especially the Boston accents, but I disagree with the Oscar nominations of Rachel McAdams and Mark Ruffalo in the Supporting categories.  In fact, I enjoyed the acting of Stanley Tucci, Michael Keaton, and John Slattery more than either of them.  Ruffalo gets to shine in one emotional scene but his acting throughout the rest of the film is average when compared by this year’s performances by Steve Carrell and Idris Elba.  I’m not even sure what stood out about McAdams’ performance to bring her so much acclaim.  Outside of the acting, the atmosphere and sense of authenticity adds to the realism of the story.  It was appropriate to film on location at The Boston Globe where the Spotlight team's findings transpired.  “Spotlight” is a very good movie that handles sensitive events in a creative, informative, and nearly unoffensive way.  Just prepare yourself for two hours of depression and a film that may fall below your expectations for an Oscar contender.

[Pictured: The acting is good but the screenplay is great]

Hardball (2001) - 3 stars out of 10

Hardball (2001) - 3 stars out of 10
1350th Review

“Hardball” is everything that you expect from a “Bad News Bears”/”Mighty Ducks” story.  A reprehensible human is tasked with organizing a group of misfits into a sports team, and the coach is the one who is transformed in the end.  The story is formulaic but satisfying.  The acting of Keanu Reeves, however, is not satisfying.  His emotional moments feel overacted and the other 95% of him performance is completely emotionless.  The script gave him little more than a single monologue to prove his acting chops and the result is lackluster.  The whole gambling aspect of the story is rather overdramatic.  The ballplayers in the film are cute in a “kids say the darndest things” sort of way.  DeWayne Warren puts on a nice performance (though much of it is due to the “cuteness” of such a small child using profanity) and it offers a chance to see Michael B. Jordan 15 years before “Creed.”  There is a nice message in there about seeing the potential in a group of kids from the projects but it has been done better in other films.  “Hardball” provides a moderate amount of entertainment and a few heartwarming moments, but I’d recommend any great movie about teachers (“Mr. Holland’s Opus,” “Dead Poets Society”) before this one.

[Pictured: Gotta love Dewayne Warren!  He has most of the best lines in the film]

The Look of Silence - 7 stars out of 10

The Look of Silence - 7 stars out of 10

"The Look of Silence" is the second documentary by Joshua Oppenheimer with regard to the Indonesian Killings of 1965-66.  It's a tough sell because it presents the same information as "The Act of Killing" but in a less thorough way.  It's interesting to tackle this chapter in history through a personal narrative since the main character is emotionally invested due to the direct effect of these killings on his family.  He is an ophthalmologist and uses his profession to question each of his brother's killers under the guise of giving the individuals an eye exam.  It is an extraordinary circumstance, for this man to interview the killers without them realizing their hand in his brother's death.  Each killer demonstrates the remorselessness seen in “The Act of Killing” as, even once they realize that they were responsible for killing his brother, they continue to defend their actions and heartlessly justify the mass killings.  It is similar in tone and content to its predecessor but is less poignant because there is no moment of regret experienced by the killers.  All of the emotion comes from the victim.  Those emotions create a lot of empathy but it would be more powerful to see a transformation in the wrongdoers as they accept what they have done.  The film is not as captivating as “Amy” but manages to keep pace with the bold risks taken by “Winter on Fire” and “Cartel Land.”  Its crew stands in the face of danger as the anonymous main character and videographer confront some less than savory ex-soldiers.  “The Look of Silence” works as a nice supplement to “The Act of Killing” by relating the action of several murderers to a specific victim but it isn’t a strong enough standalone documentary to take down “Amy” for the Oscar.

[Pictured; The lack of remorse in the interviewees is disturbing]

Cartel Land - 7 stars out of 10

Cartel Land - 7 stars out of 10

"Cartel Land" is a gritty look into the Mexican drug trade and the resulting vigilante self-defense group, the "Autodefensas."  The creators of this documentary are fearless.  Following around meth-cooking members of drug cartels and soldiers in vigilante groups in Mexico is a pretty tall order.  Throughout the documentary, they are witnesses to shootouts, house raids, and the torturing of potentially innocent people.  The story is fascinating as the heroes become the demons that they fight against.  The attitude shifts from protecting their towns to killing anybody who might pose a threat in the future.  The documentary is incredibly relevant as the spilling over of this gang violence into the United States is a daily threat.  There are only a few instances of disturbing imagery but the language should definitely be a deterrent for younger audiences, even though this material would be of interest to the high school age group.  I had no idea that these threats were occurring in Mexico but this documentary does an excellent job of painting a vivid image.  I don't believe that "Cartel Land" deserves to win an Oscar but it is certainly worthy of its nomination.

[Pictured: That awkward moment when the bad guys are given government uniforms]

Pan - 2 stars out of 10

Pan - 2 stars out of 10

I approached "Pan" with the lowest of expectations.  After seeing the critics rip it to shreds, I was positive that just about anything would exceed those low expectations.  And then they started singing singing Smells Like Teen Spirit.  Not just a subtle reference.  Like, ten thousand people belting it out hardcore for a solid minute.  You may ask, what does Nirvana have to do with a family-focused Peter Pan origin story?  I would tell you, but the film never explained it.  That seems to be the case with a lot of the content in this film.  Typically, the purpose of an origin film is to explain the origins of well-known characters and places so that sequels can be produced based on this reinvigorated popularity.  "Pan" just creates a lot of questions without explanation and fails to create the connection to characters that might justify a sequel.  It would be really interesting to know how nuns in World War II London were able to summon pirates from a magical realm to kidnap their orphans as punishment.  Yes, that actually happens in this story.  So how can a film with great special effects and a talented cast be so disappointing?  "Pan" is just another reminder that even Oscar-nominated actors can't save a poorly written story.  Hugh Jackman offers his most Johnny Depp-ish impersonation of a pirate, not because he lacks the originality and talent to create an interesting character with depth, but because the script requires the role to be played this way.  Likewise, Rooney Mara just received her second Oscar nomination but her performance as Tiger Lilly is static because of her limited dialogue.  This is the sort of screenwriting that gives family-friendly movies a bad name.  We don't need an anachronistic telling of a classic fairy tale or a heroic interpretation of a classic villain ("Maleficent," anyone?) to draw in audiences; instead reimagine a classic in a way that enhances our favorite stories without changing them.  That's why "Cinderella" has an 84% on Rotten Tomatoes and "Pan" has a 26%.  Family films can be worthy of Oscars when done the right way.  If last-name-titled movies based on Peter Pan are going to be a thing, I'm sticking with "Hook."  The latest iteration of the Peter Pan story had potential with a great cast and a huge budget but the final result is another cheapening of a classic story.

[Pictured: Even Hugh Jackman can't save this poorly-written character]