Insidious (2010)

            It started off like any other horror movie: a new house where the wife starts seeing things and the douchy husband doesn’t believe her. Creepy children and possessions and ghost hunters follow. Don’t get me wrong, I like a good scary movie, but that doesn’t mean it was a quality movie. The editing was weird, the acting was pretty bad, and the storyline was far from original. It followed the same equation that all horror movies follow (which are all the things I’ve mentioned above) plus something other plot point that prevents the movie from being a carbon copy of all the others.

            In this case, it’s the fact that the son, Dalton, can travel to a different dimension in his sleep, but he has gotten lost and he has left his physical body behind in a comatose state. Then (*Spoiler) his father, who has the same ability, has to go into the other realm and save his son. That concept would be extremely interesting, if it wasn’t wrapped around a clichéd horror story. I’ve noticed that James Wan’s style is to create a somewhat entertaining movie for the first two acts, and then blow it completely out of proportion during the third act. He did the same thing in The Conjuring. It just gets very silly and random during the climax and then I just lose respect for the movie.

            I was very entertained while I watched it, but the ending was too much. I’ll still probably see what happens in Insidious: Chapter Two, however, even though I will probably have the same opinion about the original.

IMDb rating: 6/10

X-Men: Days of Future Past

It’s been a while since I’ve seen a comic book movie that I’ve really liked. I think the X-Men universe is my favorite out of all the superhero movies, probably because it’s the one I have been a fan of the longest (other than Spiderman, but I hate the new movies, so…)

This movie’s plot wasn’t really that original, but I didn’t mind. There are horrible things going on so someone has to be sent back in time to stop one event that started it all, but first they have to pull a character out of drunken, depressed state and they have to break another character out of a high security prison in an elaborate scheme. It all seemed like it had been done before, but they still had fresh takes on things so I didn’t really care.

I thought the visual effects (the sentinels in the future timeline were so frightening!) and the action sequences were really good, and that is what is important in a superhero movie. What are even more important, however, are the characters. I have been geeking out about this movie ever since I heard that the cast from the old movies and the new movies were both going to star in DOFP. It was like The Avengers, only better because it joined together characters that I grew up with along with the new ones that I’ve come to love in First Class. I thought they pulled off the two simultaneous storylines very well.

The script also effectively balanced between dramatic and emotional, and light and comical. I thought this was going to be a very dark movie, which it was in some parts, but I liked how they kept the humor, which is a superhero movie must. I liked the Quicksilver character more than I thought I would, and his scenes were very entertaining, but I’m glad we only got a small dose of him. If he had a more prominent role in the film I probably would have gotten annoyed with him.

Someone give James McAvoy an Oscar! He is so freaking talented! Every movie I see him in he astounds me with how well he can make you feel for his character. He is so underrated and I hope he gets the recognition he deserves some day.

(*Spoilers) My initial thoughts toward the ending were not very good. I felt like it was a slap in the face to all of the original X-Men films. Now none of it ever happened! It also left a lot of open questions, but maybe I just need to see it a few more times. I would have been fine with the ending if this was the last X-Men movie they were ever going to make. Then it would have been a nice happy ending to the series. There is, however, going to be another X-Men movie. I read later that the director filmed it this way so they could get rid of all the inconsistencies in the X-Men world, which I agree with; they’ve been all over the place with their storylines. I guess that means that they are just starting with a fresh slate for any future movies, and all of the other movies that were “erased” are just different paths in time. Anyway, I loved the movie but the ending left me with a bad taste in my mouth.

Wow. I just proved my nerdiness by the long length of this blog post. Oh well, hope you enjoyed it.

IMDb rating: 8/10

Gravity (2013)

            When my friends and I first saw the trailer, we laughed and thought the movie would just be Sandra Bullock and George Clooney floating around in space. But once Gravity jumped onto the IMDb Top 250 and started getting critical acclaim, I started paying attention.

            The cinematography and visual effects were breathtaking, but other than that, I really didn’t think it was that mind blowing. Sandra was very good, and the whole experience felt like I was a part of it and gasping for air along with her, which I think was the filmmakers’ intention. The music was also incredible. The storyline just didn’t impress me that much. I did not see many differences from other space movies or survival stories I’ve seen. And I thought that George Clooney’s character’s departure was unfounded. There were ways that he could have been saved, but he had to be gotten rid of for the sake of the plot. It even seemed like he was happy to get out of the way; he just gave up to easily and that didn’t sit well with me.

            The last scene, on the other hand, I liked very much when (*Spoiler) Dr. Stone finally makes it to Earth and experiences life on land again. She chuckles when she can’t stand up right away because of the *hehe* gravity, and we smile along with her. It was such a clever and victorious scene to end with. Good choice, Alfonso.

IMDb rating: 7/10

Philomena (2013)

            I unintentionally watched this movie with my mom on Mother’s Day. While not the most cheerful of movies to watch about motherhood, it definitely demonstrated the fierce love that mothers have for their children, and the devastation they feel once they are taken away from them.

            Judi Dench was perfect, and absolutely deserving of her Oscar nomination. It was nice seeing her in a different role from her usual tough-as-nails characters that I’m used to seeing her in, like Lady Catherine in Pride and Prejudice and M in the James Bond films. She convincingly played an adorable, grandmotherly figure who owns up to her mistakes but is still determined to find her son.

            My favorite scenes were whenever Philomena would have a series of flashbacks of her early life with her son, and it would cut from the flashbacks and Philomena remembering. Dench’s acting and the editing of the scenes were very moving.

            Somehow it was a very feel-good movie, even though it was heartbreaking. I would recommend watching it with your mom, grandma, or any other mother figures you have in your life.

IMDb rating: 8/10

About Time (2013)

            I was a little skeptical of this movie. I thought it was going to be a ripoff of The Time Traveler’s Wife. They couldn’t even find a different female lead. It did, however, turn out to be quite a sweet story teaching a very powerful lesson in thoroughly enjoying every second of your life.

            The pacing was a little awkward at times, and there wasn’t nearly as much conflict as I would have liked. Everything went so perfect for the characters for most of the film, except at the end where (*Spoiler) Tim’s father dies from cancer. All of the other problems in Tim’s life, however, were easily fixed once he just went back in time. Seeing him get married and have kids was pretty boring; it was like watching one of those artsy, emotional commercials with perfect families. That just isn’t for me. I need more tension.

            I thought the script was very clever and beautiful, though, and the film dealt with time travel in a way I hadn’t seen before. It was a very cute movie but I highly doubt I will every watch it again.

IMDb rating: 7/10