Bridge Of Spies

Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks reunite along with the Cohen brothers as screen writers for Bridge Of Spies, a historical account of the spy exchange during the Cold War.  This was a larger than life movie with set pieces fitting the bill and it was expertly directed and conveyed by the above mentioned along with the rest of the cast and production.  Bridge Of Spies has the feel of that old school Hollywood film making and Hanks has always exemplified that old school, everyman, acting feel in his performances.

Carol

I will literally watch anything Cate Blanchett is in. She's a very first rate actress that conveys so much in her roles.  Pairing her with the talented Rooney Mara is a fine cocktail indeed.  The story of a young innocent Rooney (think Audrey Hepburn) finding her sexuality in the sophisticated and older Blanchett in the 1950's, Carol is full of great performances.  As in The Danish Girl, the cinematography interplays with the acting and beckons the audience with that grainy, 16mm, limited color spectrum seen in many pictures of the era.  It's a mesmerizing look coupled with mesmerizing performances for many scenes seemingly so simple.  In many ways, these elements remind me of Wong Kar Wai's In The Mood For Love. It's a great exercise in minimalism for maximum effect.

Legend

Tom Hardy can do everything. Nothing new here, except he's playing twin brothers who were real British gangsters.  I thought it was a comedy from the trailer, but it's an actual biopic.  The problem here is that it often plays like other British gangster films with it's over the top nature and there's nothing really to take away from it.  Even the fictional Goodfellas had a certain weightiness to it, that made you believe it could have been a true account.  It also doesn't help that half the time, you can't understand what the fuck everyone was saying, which I don't normally complain about.  But I didn't wanna have to resort to subtitles for a UK film.

The Big Short

I wasn't particularly interested in the subject matter of The Big Short dealing with the financial crisis of the 2007-8 era, but the this film made it much more palatable a narrative from the point of view of the insiders and had a great ensemble of talented actors.

The Danish Girl

The range of the actor Eddie Redmayne is really amazing and The Danish Girl certainly exemplifies that equally as well as The Theory Of Everything.  Director Tom Hooper (Le Miserables and The King's Speech) is also at his best here.  It explores the transgender story of Danish artist Lili Elbe during a time in a more hostile time and climate in the early 20th century.  Most notable in what I liked about the movie, was not just the great performances in Redmayne and Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina), but the cinematography and beautiful landscape settings that punctuates the story.

Captain America: Civil War

Captain America: Civil War is not just a great action blockbuster full of surprises, but it is also the best put together superhero movie in terms of character development and dramatic narrative. Directors Anthony and Joe Russo do a superb job of holding this 2 1/2 hr. ensemble together, albeit a bit haphazard and rushed in introducing The Black Panther and Spiderman. There's a lot, and I mean a fuckin' lot going on in this movie.  It's very easy to forget that it's a Captain America movie and not an Avengers movie.  But we are reminded with the omission of Thor and the Hulk, which actually in a way serves the movie well, dare I say.  This is because the abilities of Captain America are more scaled down than those two titans.  It's gritty, close quarters combat and athleticism and so the playing field is more even keeled with the likes of Black Widow, The Black Panther, Bucky, Falcon, and Hawkeye getting a chance to shine more. Sort of like a passing of the torch from Iron Man, Thor, and The Hulk - the originals with larger than life abilities to heroes with more relatable abilities.  The writing and directing team of Winter Soldier ain't no joke and Marvel has just really outdone itself here with plenty of film/television plots to carry on from here.