Kingsman: The Secret Service

It's basically a British version of Kick-Ass meets Wanted meets Austin Powers and Charlie's Angels, but with noticeably less kick than any of those films, even despite the good supporting cast in Colin Firth, Samuel Jackson, and Mark Strong. The deficiency, even amidst the acknowledged humor,  is rounded out by a rather good backstory that fails to be delivered in a better way via the performance of a rather flacid lead in Taron Egerton. Even for a loose and common spy parody, there are certain required expectations that must be met to inject some originality.  Kingsman: The Secret Service here, is nothing new and it's a good thing that only time waiting for the DVD to be released, was the only thing I was willing to be exchanged for it.

Jupiter Ascending

Starring Channing Tatum and Mila Kunis, Jupiter Ascending is directed By the Wachowskis of The Matrix trilogy.  The Wachowskis and supporting cast members Sean Bean and Eddie Redmayne are the only reason I took an interest in this film.  Kunis stars as basically a Cinderella orphan who with the help of Tatum, comes to realize that she is the inheritor/heir to an aristocratic and ancient class in ruling the Earth, which is just a small part of an intergalactic world muddled in the same power hungry, political trappings of Earth's history.  The premise and back story to her character are so fucking underdeveloped that it is hard to see how she comes to embrace this new found role and in a relatively short amount of time, come to love Tatum's wooden warrior Prince charming.  The Wachowskis, who also wrote the script, also can't seem to make up their mind or the marketing trailers, if Jupiter Ascending is suppose to be a serious drama or a comedy.  Well, it's neither.  I was simultaneously scratching my head and bored at this folly of clear uninspiring shit.  This was especially so, in lieu of the fact that 100% better alternatives like Guardians Of The Galaxy, which I think the film was trying in earnest to illicit the tone of, make this film look like a futile first draft at best.  Like damn, how much more of it did they want us to choke down, minus only decent special effects as a chaser?

American Sniper

Starring Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller, American Sniper is based off the book of the same name by SEAL sniper Chris Kyle, and chronicles his life. Clint Eastwood does a superb job in directing the adaptation and Bradley Cooper is superb in his acting transformation.  More importantly than just a war story, the film brings light to the current generation of veterans wrestling with the trauma of war and trying to navigating integrating into the civilian world. The film shows a man consumed by war at each passing tour of duty and the irony of how that consumption ended his life.  It's a straightforward non-preachy movie on the guise of a story of a hero, but within it is a cautionary tale with implications far reaching in our society.  It is to Eastwood's credit as a director, that he does a great job of just letting the story unfold in that manner.

The Age Of Adaline

I'm such a sucker for movies about time and The Age Of Adaline is a beautifully told film about a woman (Blake Lively) who has been blessed/cursed with the ability to halt her aging and the life of this woman in navigating the loves and losses of her life.  Having wanted to see this movie with my love for what seemed like forever, I was left a bit muted in my enthusiasm about it after viewing it online alone. Probably because the narrative had the potential to go in a host of different directions and be told from numerous angles.  Instead, it is rather straightforward in it's approach from director Lee Toland Krieger.  The ideas of love, time, space, eternity, reincarnation, and more are all intertwined here, but in such a charmingly accessible way that it leaves me a bit empty even with notable performances by Harrison Ford and Ellen Burnstyn.  My opinion, however, about The Age Of Adaline at this juncture is not complete without you and you know who you are.......

Blackhat

Michael Mann's Blackhat stars Chris Hemsworth, Tang Wei, Viola Davis, Holt Mcallany, and Wang Leehom and explores the international world of  cybercrime and hacking. As is Mann's forte, he explores this world with his signature noir look of muted tones, sepia, and graininess along with a visceral soundtrack that substitutes for dialogue and pushes the narrative along. Blackhat is largely the hallmarks of Heat and the film adaptation of Miami Vice, set in mostly in China and southeast Asia.  The international flair and flavor of the movie is what I really enjoyed the most.  Though the plot isn't exactly new, the narrative suffers from being a bit foggy and aloof in the beginning and rather empty towards the end, as there isn't enough character exploration. It's near on par with Denzel Washington's Safehouse, but not quite. Hemsworth and the rest of the cast are great and more movies like this with international will hopefully be made. 

Dear White People

It's been 25 years since Spike Lee's School Daze took on the subject of race in a college.  Fast forward to now, and you have director and writer Justin Simien challenging that and then some in Dear White People. This is a great, honest, thought provoking satire that explores what it means to be Black in America through the prism of an Ivy League university. It's a seriously well balanced film that doesn't err on the side of letting the humor overshadow the subject matter or too serious enough to undermine the humor. There's a real need to have more films like this that are done honestly with class, humor, and realism and devoid of alienation. Bravo to Justin Simien and the talented cast.

Foxcatcher

This was a very tragic movie, with a chilling feel and twisted portrayal of multimillionaire and professed wrestling coach John  Dupont, played by Steve Carrell, who acted his ass off and was like totally unrecognizable. Other great performances were given by wrestlers Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffalo as the victimized Schultz brothers.