Brigsby Bear - Movie Review

Brigsby Bear

Review by Ryan Davidson

Score: 6.75/10

This is definitely a film made for a very specific group of people. Brigsby Bear tells the story of a twenty-something-year-old man who grows up with a TV show made just for him. After finding out that the show doesn't have a proper conclusion, he sets out to find closure and create the last episode. This movie is weird but in a quirky/comedic way. I enjoyed the creativity on display here, from the premise to the script. The acting was pretty solid across the board, too. Some of the problems for me were found in the narrative structure of the film as well as the lack of character consistency. The movie felt as if it were split into two films, which made the movie feel very uneven. The movie tries to hit emotional beats that it doesn't earn. The main character is very inconsistent. The film establishes the character a certain way, and then, later on, there are entire sequences where he acts completely out of character. Despite some of my problems with Brigsby Bear, I still enjoyed it. This is definitely a movie that certain people are going to like a lot more than others, so please go see it for yourself!   

Locke - Movie Review

Locke

Review by Ryan Davidson

Score: 7.75/10

One man. One car. One destination. Locke tells the story of a man named Ivan Locke (Played by Tom Hardy) who leaves everything behind to follow a path of redemption. The entire film takes place in one car ride, with the plot progressing through a series of phone calls. I heard that they took 4-5 takes of the entire runtime of the film, and spliced together the highlights from each take. Tom Hardy is absolutely amazing in this, His performance is really quite captivating and very impressive overall. As you can probably guess, given my score and the premise, the script is really great. I really feel invested in the character and in the conversations, to where the film doesn't drag or get boring. Another standout is the cinematography, which is quite incredible to say the least given that the entire movie is single-location. It's able to visually hold interest by remaining fairly fast paced with its' imagery and creative with its' camera placement/movements. Overall, I recommend this film. It's fun to see movies that are willing to take chances, even though it might very well fail. 

Interstellar - Movie Review

Interstellar

Review by Ryan Davidson

Score: 8.75/10

This is one of the most underrated films I've seen in a while. Yes, I know, most people like to say it's overrated, but I'm standing firm in saying that I really enjoyed this movie. The direction is amazing, the score is jaw dropping, the acting is superb, the story is ambitious, Interstellar is truly a spectacle. Hype is what really derailed Interstellar from getting the praise it deserved, and although some of the plot elements aren't universally loved (no pun intended), I think people unfairly critiqued the film because it wasn't perfect. There was a lot to love in this movie. Christopher Nolan is one of the greatest directors of our time, and he definitely showed up for this one. His direction is outstanding. Hans Zimmer's awe-inspiring score left me breathless. I'm still bitter that it lost to The Grand Budapest Hotel at the Oscars for Best Original Score. Matthew McConaughey is amazing throughout, and his relationship with his daughter is one of the driving points of the entire movie. The script is also very ambitious, although often times goes over the audience's head. It's very dense with accurate scientific depictions of relativity and singularities and worm holes and a bunch of other topics that are much too complicated to the average movie-goer. I also can't praise the cinematography enough, as the space travel sequences look breathtaking. No Time for Caution (the song and the scene itself) is just incredible, and is maybe my favorite part of the whole movie. My only gripe with this film overall is the way it handles love, but it isn't nearly enough to tarnish the rest of this, in my opinion, masterpiece. I think the majority of people should revisit this again, without all the hype, and really see it for what it is.

Swiss Army Man - Movie Review

Swiss Army Man

Review by Ryan Davidson

Score: 8/10

This film is one of the weirdest films I've ever experienced. I really liked it, though. A lot of weird and wacky humor, surprisingly emotional moments, and very creative direction from both Daniels. In Swiss Army Man, Daniel Radcliffe plays a dead body that washes up onto the beaches of a deserted island, where he is found by Paul Dano, who is seemingly stranded on this island about to hang himself. The film quickly turns wacky when Paul Dano's character "Hank" notices that maybe the dead body he just found isn't so dead and useless after all. It's well directed and well written, but the strange nature of the premise, and the weird ideas that come from it are what turned off so many viewers at 2016's Sundance Film Festival. I really enjoyed it, for what it is. We don't often get such creative movies nowadays, and this one is undoubtably creative. It's also hilarious, which is a major bonus with a premise this crazy. I think you should at least give it a shot, if the trailers didn't immediately turn you off. 

Spotlight - Movie Review

Spotlight

Review by Ryan Davidson

Score: 9.5/10

What an incredible true story this is. Spotlight is about the priest molestation scandal of 2002 in Boston, and the team of reporters from the Boston Globe's Spotlight team who uncovered the story. Let's just get this out of the way, this is one of the best scripts I've seen in a while. This could've easily been the biggest snooze of 2015, but instead it won Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay. Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schrieber, and Stanley Tucci round out one of the better ensembles in recent memory. All of them do a wonderful job in this film. I'm also very surprised at how wonderful the music is in this film. This movie is dramatic, and smart, and emotional. After the 2015 Oscars, I was confused as to why this one won, but after seeing it, I'm deeply impressed.

Room - Movie Review

Room

Review by Ryan Davidson

Score: 9.25/10

I cried so hard during this movie. One of my favorite films of 2015, Room tells the fictional story of a woman (played by Brie Larson, who won Best Actress for this role) who was kidnapped and held captive in a garden shed for seven years. Two years into her captivity she has a child (played by Jacob Tremblay), who grows to the age of five inside of the garden shed. The film explores the psyche of a child who grows up in this situation, where the only world they've ever known is what's inside "Room." Incredibly powerful, and very emotional. Brie Larson gives us a truly incredible performance, and Jacob Tremblay really should've been nominated for Best Actor. The direction of Lenny Abrahamson is brilliant, and the music is outstanding. Although this isn't a true story, it might as well be. The story was very grounded, and felt completely real. The script was superb, and really brought out the emotion from the audience. Yes, please do yourself a favor and see this movie. You'll end up wanting to own it.    

Annabelle: Creation - Movie Review

Annabelle: Creation

Review by Ryan Davidson

Score: 6.75/10

From the director of Lights Out, we get this unwanted prequel to the prequel that was Annabelle... and it's actually not bad. Yes, there are a few cheap jump scares, but much like The Conjuring, Annabelle: Creation used a creepy atmosphere alongside some creative scares to bring the prequel series out from the grave. I'm really liking what director David F. Sandberg has been doing recently. Both Lights Out and this are exciting new horror films. The acting is pretty solid in this, but the characters suffer from something a lot of horror film characters suffer from... stupidity. There are a handful of "why on earth would you ever do that?" scenarios in this film, which are seemingly inevitable in the horror genre these days, but the scares are creative enough to make me forget about these moments overall. The sound design is incredible here, as this is a prime example of how sound can play such a vital role in a horror movie. There's a specific scene that stands out where the suspenseful music wells up and increases the anxiety within the moment and then, before the scare happens, hits dead silence, which only amplified the pure anxiety in the audience. It was quite wonderful to see this type of creativity riddled throughout the sound design. Overall, horror fans should be pleased with yet another solid horror flick. Definitely go out and see this if you aren't too scared.

A Ghost Story - Movie Review

A Ghost Story

Review by Ryan Davidson

Score: 9/10

I don't recommend this to everyone. If you can appreciate the art of film, as well as Art House in general, then this is a must-see. While it isn't the most exciting movie of the year, A Ghost Story is about a man (played by Casey Affleck) who gets in a fatal car accident and comes back as a time-traveling ghost dressed in a white bed sheet to witness his life, both in future and past. This movie is a truly deep look into life's meaning, death, grief, and even time. The acting is phenomenal. Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara turn in outstanding performances, and truly carry this film. David Lowery does a great job directing, and was able to bring us a surprisingly amazing film. The music was also fantastic, which was awesome. If you're not into Art House type films, then this will most likely be a boring experience for you, but with your deep-thinking caps on, this is a must watch. Side Note: Please do not go into this expecting a horror movie. It's not. 

Detroit - Movie Review

Detroit

Review by Ryan Davidson

Score: 8.25/10

This is most likely going to be nominated for Best Picture. It's good, but I don't love it like I thought I might. First off, The directing and editing are off the charts. Expect Oscar nods in both those categories. The script is interesting, yet at the same time, not very unique. I totally left the theater feeling like I've seen similar movies before. John Boyega is good in the movie, as well as Will Poulter. It's actually a really solid cast from top to bottom, and everyone performed well. The film takes place in Detroit in the late fifties during the Detroit Riots, but it's not about the riots themselves. This tells the story of the very dark events that took place at the Algiers Motel in Detroit during those times. I can definitely see where the Oscar consideration comes from, but it's not going to be my favorite film of the year by any means. Go see it, but temper your expectations.

Monsters, Inc. - Movie Review

Monsters, Inc.

Review by Ryan Davidson

Score: 9/10

This is what Pixar is well known for. Created in 2001, Monster's Inc. is the story of Sully and Mike, a couple of monsters going for the all-time scare record who get thrown for a loop when a human child enters their world. If you haven't seen this movie at this point, then you've been living under a rock. This is a classic in animation, and so it's not hard to believe that I'm going to heap praise onto this film. To start, the voice acting is phenomenal. John Goodman and Billy Crystal turn in fairly iconic roles as James P. Sullivan and Mike Wazowski, and the rest of the cast is pretty great as well. I adore the creativity in the story and characters. The ending, quite dramatically, brought me to tears. It's extremely clever in it's humor, and execution. Pete Doctor, who has gone on to direct other Pixar classics such as Up and Inside Out, is amazing in the directors chair. You most likely have already seen this film at least once, but for those who haven't, I strongly recommend you get your hands on a copy and watch it.  

Atomic Blonde - Movie Review

Atomic Blonde

Review by Ryan Davidson

Score: 6.25/10

I liked this movie, but didn't love it. Nothing about the story, to me, grabbed my attention. This is a problem when there aren't action sequences to keep me locked in. This felt a lot like a 007 film with a female lead, which is cool and all, but it was nothing Oscar worthy. I didn't hate this movie, though. The action scenes are what kept me invested at all, as they are very well done and very engaging. Charlize Theron is awesome in this role, and I'm interested to see if this has any chance to become a franchise. James McAvoy was surprisingly amazing in his role, and contributed a decent amount to why I was still able to enjoy the film overall. If you're a fan of violent action movies, then this is the one for you. 

Dunkirk - Movie Review

Dunkirk

Review by Ryan Davidson

Score: 9.75/10

Christopher Nolan does it again. Dunkirk is the story of the evacuation of allied troops in Dunkirk, France as Nazi forces push closer and closer. This film is gorgeously directed, from the often little dialogue, to the incredible sound design. Hans Zimmer turns in another incredible score, using minimalistic tracks and often incorporating sounds of war into the music. I'm going to keep gushing about the sound design, because it's spectacular. Never before have I been so frightened by the sound of a war plane dive-bombing a beach; it's incredible. Something that really stood out to me is just how effectively Nolan portrays the horrific nature of war with only a PG-13 rating. He can't rely on bloody corpses and bodies exploding everywhere to capture the atrocities of war, instead he uses superb sound design as well as great directing techniques to do this. The acting is incredible as well, although the character development is lacking quite a bit. That's the biggest problem with the film, and it's going to weigh differently with each individual who sees it, but for me, the film was focused on the event itself and not the individuals it was following. I really loved this movie, and I will personally hold it up there with the great war films like Saving Private Ryan. If you're a fan of Nolan or just well crafted films in general, then this is a must-see.  

Silence - Movie Review

Silence

Review by Ryan Davidson

Score: 9/10

This was one of the most unappreciated films of 2016 (Yes, it came out, in wide release, in 2017, but I saw it in 2016). I get it, it's long and it's slow. Coming in at 2 hours and 45 minutes, it's not an easy film to handle. In my opinion, however, this is one of Martin Scorsese's best films. This is a masterclass of direction, and Scorsese kills it. Andrew Garfield is also amazing in this movie, as he plays a Jesuit priest who goes on a deadly mission trip to Japan in search for his mentor, who is rumored to have apostatized (Which means to denounce faith). He's joined by Adam Driver, who is also great in the movie. The cast is well-rounded, and some of the most interesting characters in the entire movie are actually Japanese characters that you meet along the way. The cinematography is outstanding, and full of beautiful nature shots. Some of the negatives I had with the film are its' slow pace, and inconsistency with some of the acting. The movie is 2 hours and 45 minutes long and it feels every bit that long thanks to the very slow pace. It's at least very consistent in its' pace, but this is what turned off most people from the start. It wasn't a turn off for me, simply because I was engaged in the subject matter and script the entire time. Some of the actors, including Garfield and Driver, struggled to consistently keep their Portuguese accents throughout the movie, not to mention they weren't even great accents to begin with. All in all, this is one of the most well made films of the past few years, and I believe it should get credit as such.