'The Finest Hours' Review

The Finest Hours is based on true events and shares the tale of a United States Coast Guard rescue mission.

For the most part, The Finest Hours was a very solid film with great performances that creates a believable ocean environment thanks to proficient practical and visual effects. Unfortunately, The Finest Hours biggest fault is dull exposition that drags the first act of the film, but it all leads to the venturous rescue that puts the audience on the edge of their seat. The core rescue mission is the highlight of the film as tensions are high and the the stakes are believable.

The standout performances were most definitely Casey Affleck and Chris Pine. Affleck portrays Ray Sybert, the engineer aboard the oil tanker, and commits to his character's conflicted leadership role. I especially liked how the character was willing to commit to what was best for the crew despite how unpopular his viewpoint tended to be.

On the other side of the narrative, Chris Pine exhibited some versatility in the role of Bernie Webber, where he demonstrated some of his more serious acting, since the character is quite reserved yet daring at the same time making for a great protagonist with a golden heart. Alas, the remaining characters are static caricatures and the performances don't transcend their bland characters.

The Finest Hours is being heavily promoted a a 3-D experience but I saw the film in 2-D and felt it was just fine in the format and couldn't quite see very many advantages to a 3-D post conversion.

I can't quite recommend The Finest Hours as a theatrical experience, but it's certainly worth checking out on Blu-ray or as a rental. As I said earlier, The Finest Hours makes for a solid film with great performances and a pleasant combination of practical and visual effects for a gorgeous sea aesthetic that pays the due service to the real life rescue.

Film Assessment: C

Throwback Thursday Review: 'Kung Fu Panda 2'

This week continues and completes my Throwback Thursday Reviews of the Kung Fu Panda films leading into this week's Kung Fu Panda 3.  Next week I will review
Zoolander to get ahead and review it leading up to it's sequel the following week since Zoolander 2 and Deadpool are coming out the same weekend. Therefore I will review Zoolander next week, followed by X-Men Origins: Wolverine the following week.

'Kung Fu Panda 2' Review

Nominated For: Best Animated Feature.
Kung Fu Panda 2 picks up after the original and strays from feeling like a retread, which can be a problem for many sequels, but rather an extension of the story that began in Kung Fu Panda. The sequel elevates so much of what the original introduced. The animation once again is top notch and the action sequences are even better than before accompanied with great humor once again. The voice cast once again nails it as they perfectly match their respective characters. Jack Black is so entertaining as Jack Black, providing so much charisma and heart to the character of Po. Dustin Hoffman is great in his limited screen time but when onscreen brings the wise demeanor of Master Shi Fu. Meanwhile on the other side of the coin, Angelina Jolie's role as Tigress becomes significantly more important as opposed to the first film. The film's villain is a great standout as Gary Oldman provides the voice for Lord Shen. Shen is so menacing and makes for a complex antagonist for our heroes. I can't speak too much for the rest of the voice cast as the remainder have very limited speaking roles and didn't particularly standout. Now speaking for the film as a whole, Kung Fu Panda 2 does something few animated sequels can accomplish in that it escalates the fun of the franchise to a new level bringing with it a new layer of sophistication and depth putting it with some of Dreamworks' best work alongside the Shrek films, How To Train Your Dragon films, and the original Kung Fu Panda.

Film Assessment: B+

'The Danish Girl' Review

Nominated For: Best Actor; Eddie Redmayne, Best Supporting Actress; Alicia Vikander, Best Production Design, and Best Costume Design.
Won: Best Supporting Actress; Alicia Vikander.

The Danish Girl is a film adapted from the fictionalized novel which follows the tale of a Danish painter who becomes one of the first transgender icons. I'm sure this film will be a figure of controversy due to it's subject matter but I must say it's a beautifully made film with some stunning performances. Tom Hooper directs and restrains the film from really diving too far into the subject matter so it never really connects with audiences. However he manages to capture some gorgeous imagery through the cinematography. The film also has some elegant costuming and the production design. The film's core cast of Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander are phenomenal. Eddie Redmayne follows up his Academy Award win for The Theory of Everything last year with another transformative performance. Redmayne is incredible as he embraces the dual personality of his character and not only becomes Einar Wegener but allows himself to follow the film's narrative and allow Lili Elbe to be brought to the surface as well. It comes at no surprise that he's received another nomination this year but I'm not quite sure he'll get the consecutive win. However to my surprise, Alicia Vikander was the real standout star and she's had a phenomenal year for film last year starring in Ex Machina and The Man From U.N.C.L.E.. Vikander is given such a compelling character arc throughout the film that really brings out such an emotionally grounded humane performance. Her character is certainly the emotional core of this film and drives the narrative. The Danish Girl is a very beautiful film with some captivating performances but much like The Theory of Everything, I don't think it quite has the depth necessary to cause the subject matter to stick with the audience afterwards.

Film Assessment: C

'Brooklyn' Review

Nominated For: Best Picture, Best Actress; Saoirse Ronan, and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Brooklyn is now the seventh of the eight Best Picture nominees I will have reviewed, leaving just The Big Short for me to see and review. Brooklyn is a 1950's period period piece that follows an immigrant's journey to America based on a 2009 romance novel. Brooklyn is a very well made film but nothing in particular real stood out to me, not to say there isn't any enjoyment to found in the film, but rather the film seemed like a generic romantic period piece. The direction and cinematography are well reserved and so neither stood out and fascinated me. The film's greatest strength is in fact the performances, which are all terrific. In particular, Satires Ronan makes for a great female lead bringing such a great layer of humanity to the role and never seeming too fictional but rather "very authentic". Emory Cohen and Domhnall Gleeson, who portray the two love interests to Ronan's Eilis, are both great in their limited screen time and each have a few moments to shine with some great charisma. In retrospect, I did in fact enjoy the film but probably won't ever feel compelled to watch it again, or purchase it, and I don't quite agree that it should have been nominated for Best Picture when there are so many other films that were released last year I felt were much more deserving of a nod. (ie.  Inside Out, Sicario, Creed, The Hateful Eight, Ex Machina, and maybe even Star Wars: The Force Awakens). Overall, I can say that as a whole it's a very well made performance piece that does have some entertainment value but I wouldn't quite recommend it unless you want to see all the Best Picture nominees or are a huge fan of romantic period piece films.

Film Assessment: B-

Throwback Thursday Review: 'Kung Fu Panda' Review

This review begins what will be my brief series of Throwback Thursday reviews leading up to  Kung Fu Panda 3  Next week I will continue with my review of Kung Fu Panda 2.

'Kung Fu Panda' Review

Nominated For: Best Animated Feature.

Kung Fu Panda, just the idea of a Panda learning Kung Fu seems at least a bit intriguing. Essentially, that is a basic outline of the plot. Kung Fu Panda isn't quite at the level of any of Pixar's films, although it's a Dreamworks Animation film so it's not exactly expected to, but that means that while the film is quite entertaining it doesn't exactly have the mature themes and depth that many Pixar films contain. As I said, the film is quite entertaining and that's in large part to a number of things.  The animation is beautiful, there's some decent humor, and some really cool action sequences. The major martial arts action sequences are the main draw to the film and are all particularly enjoyable. I can't speak too much about the voice cast but everyone seems to be perfectly cast paired with their respective characters. In particular, Jack Black is quite amusing as Po. Overall, I can say Kung Fu Panda held up to how I remembered it and certainly remains among some of Dreamwork Animation's greatest animated films, alongside the Shrek and How To Train Your Dragon films.

Film Assessment: B

'Room' Review

Nominated For: Best Picture, Best Director; Lenny Abrahamson, Best Actress; Brie Larson, and Best Adapted Screenplay.
Won: Best Actress; Brie Larson.

Room is one of the final films I needed to see of the Best Picture nominees, and fortunately, my local AMC Theaters brought it back into circulation this week along with a few other awards contenders. Now that I've seen Room, I have two Best Picture nominees left to review so you can expect reviews on The Big Short and Brooklyn relatively soon. The premise of Room is that a five-year old boy named Jack and his mother Joy Newsome have been isolated from the world, held captive in a shed, to which is referred to as"Room". I found the film's plot to be very front loaded as my main interest was captivated in learning about "Room" and how the two could possibly escape.

After the first act of the film, the plot got bogged down and I was slowly losing interest as the film progressed. However, that's not to say that this isn't a great film because in many ways it's a brilliant piece of art. One of the best parts of the film is that it's mostly from the perspective of a child, and this allows the film to delve deeper into the novel upon which it's based. What makes this so fantastic is that the viewer much like Jack are left in the dark and very curious as to what exactly is occurring throughout the film. now of course the audience understands a bit more since they're older and are more knowledgable than young Jack who thinks that all that exists outside of "Room" is outer space. Now this is huge credit to the screenwriters and the director Lenny Abrahamsson who manages to execute the film quite well.

Abrahamsson is primarily assisted by his wonderful core cast of Jacob Tremblay as Jack and Brie Larson as Ma. Jacob Tremblay was a wonderful discovery and probably one of the best child actors I've ever seen in film. Now for Brie Larson, she is stellar and makes the relationship of mother and son between her and Jacob Tremblay quite convincing. I can say with the upmost confidence, without having even seen all the other Best Actress nominees, that she deserves to be awarded the Oscar.

One other thing to note regarding Room is that it's very depressing at times, but as the film progresses, the oblique setting brightens both literally and figuratively. I can't quite say I loved room but at the same time I didn't walk out of the film regretting having watched it. It fits perfectly in that "enjoyable award contender film I probably won't feel compiled to watch again" and for me that doesn't quite diminish the film.

Overall, I enjoyed it and thought Brie Larson is one of the best female performances I've seen onscreen in a long time, and aside from her phenomenal performance, the film bolsters a great script, directing, and cinematography.

Film Assessment: B+

'13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers Of Benghazi' Review

Nominated For: Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing.

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers Of Benghazi is directed by Michael Bay and divulges the true story of the attack on the diplomatic compound and CIA base in Benghazi. Throughout his career, Michael Bay has been severely criticized for his directorial style, but his style fit quite well with 13 Hours and this is certainly his best directorial effort to date.

All of Bay's typical tropes are present in the film ,but instead of being cranked up all the way like in the Transformers films, he holds back and pays the due respect to these true events. The film has a very similar feel to previous war films like Black Hawk Down and Zero Dark Thirty, and at times feels like an amalgamation of the directorial style from the two films. Bay and the cinematographers do a great job injecting the audience into the battle and action on display.

The film's ensemble is incredible and each cast member provides a great performance. The standout to me was John Krasinski who really sheds his persona from The Office and built up quite a bit of muscle to become a very convincing soldier with some great charisma and dramatic acting. Pablo Schreiber brings a lot of comedic relief and great humor to the film that helped to alleviate the film from seeming too dark.

Now be forewarned that this is a rated "R" war film therefore there is some very intense action and appalling violence and gore that actually made a member of the audience cry out that what was on the screen was horrible. However, I'm quite certain she has military relatives or something along those lines, but if you are sensitive to that, then I'd have to say that the ending of this film may be a little too much for you.

The film certainly isn't perfect, and I'm sure there is potentially a better film that could have been made from this story, but it's a solid military film that does pay due respect to the true events and the soldiers that fought in Benghazi.

Film Assessment: B-

Throwback Thursday Review: 'The Bourne Identity'

This week I begin reviewing the Bourne series with the first installment in the franchise leading up to the fifth still untitled Bourne film, which will be released on July 29, 2016. I have spaced out my reviews on these films throughout 2016 and will be reviewing one every other month so my next Bourne review will be in March over The Bourne Supremacy. In a few weeks I will unveil my entire Throwback Thursday Review schedule that I have mapped out for the year in my blog's second anniversary post. The next two weeks of Throwback Thursday Reviews will be for Kung Fu Panda and Kung Fu Panda 2 leading up to Kung Fu Panda 3.

'The Bourne Identity' Review

The Bourne Identity is the first amongst the Bourne franchise, that takes the spy genre and injects it with steroids giving the film high energy action and extremely well coordinated stunt work. It's clear to me that the Bourne films were a great source of inspiration for the Daniel Craig led Bond flicks in regards to changing the genre and making the action more gritty and realized. Doug Liman directs as he dips his toes into the action genre, only to later direct Edge Of Tomorrow, and he does a fine job but doesn't quite bring any of his own vision into the film as more a laid-back director who wants to allow the film to speak for itself. Matt Damon steps into his first action hero performance and manages to craft a new hero that is the ultimate spy. Damon's best moments to shine are when Jason Bourne is discovering himself and the high energy action to which he's quite involved in. Franka Potente serves purely to be Bourne's love interest and she doesn't quite deliver as their chemistry seemed quite awkward throughout the film and it's once her character exits the story for a bit when the story picks up. The film's antagonist is essentially the CIA, who created Bourne and want to retrieve him. They send one of their own agents, The Professor, to take Bourne down. The Professor played by Clive Owens makes for a great physical threat due to his training which matches Bourne while Ted Conklin, portrayed by Chris Cooper, makes for a great verbal sparring partner for Bourne towards the end of the film when they have a confrontation. I would have preferred the screenplay found a way to morph those characters together to create one menacing agent who can "talk the talk and walk the walk" demonstrating a wide skill set and making for a compelling villain rather than two separate characters who lack the other's traits. At face value The Bourne Identity is a thrilling action popcorn flick and unfortunately never dives much deeper than that, with little charm or substance to match the energized action sequences.

Film Assessment: B-

My Thoughts on the 2016 Oscar Nominations

My Thoughts 

This morning the Oscars nominations were released so I will once again cover them in similar fashion to my post last year (2015 87th Academy Award Nominations and My Thoughts). I've gone back and updated all my reviews with the nominations they've earned as well as updating the Academy Award Nominees tab with this years nominees. So I noticed that this year I did a much better job in reviewing awards contenders as I reviewed 5 of the 8 Best Pictures nominees compared to 0 last year at the time the nominations were released. I will once again like last year review or share a review (since I've already reviewed a few of them) each of the Best Picture nominees, spaced out till the Academy Awards. That weekend I will once again make a post with my predictions of who will likely win and who I personally feel should win and then the night of the Academy Awards I will write out a post as winners are announced that will show my predictions and the actual winners. So as to my thoughts on this year's nominees, I obviously haven't seen every film nominated in each category (however in a few categories I have seen each of the nominees/nominated films) therefore I can't quite provide my full thoughts on each nominee. I was't quite expecting certain films to get as much love from the Academy as they did (notably Bridge Of Spies and Mad Max: Fury Road). I'm also surprised by the absence of a few films from the visual effects category including Avenger: Age Of Ultron, Ant-Man, and the lack of any of the spy films released last year. As I spoke of in my review of Mad Max: Fury Road I feel it's slightly over rated and I don't quite see why it's regarded by many critics as the best film of 2015 and thought it was simply an awesome action film. However, I do understand and appreciate the nominations it was given in the technical categories. I didn't feel there were many snubs this year in regards to nominations but in year's past some incredible animated films were also given a Best Picture nomination and I would have liked to see Inside Out be gifted that honor as well. I also was surprised Will Smith wasn't nominated for Best Actor given his phenomenal performance but all of the actors nominated were incredible and there's some stiff competition amidst that category so I understand why he wasn't nominated. All in all, I'm quite pleased with this years nominations and can't wait for the Oscars.

Nominations

Best Picture

"The Big Short"

"Bridge of Spies"

"Brooklyn"

"Mad Max: Fury Road"

"The Martian"

"The Revenant"

"Room"

"Spotlight"

Best Director

Adam McKay, "The Big Short"

Alejandro G. Ińarritu, "The Revenant"

George Miller, "Mad Max: Fury Road"

Lenny Abrahamson, "Room"

Tom McCarthy, "Spotlight"

Best Actress

Brie Larson, "Room"

Cate Blanchett, "Carol"

Charlotte Rampling, "45 Years"

Jennifer Lawrence, "Joy"

Saoirse Ronan, "Brooklyn"

Best Actor

Bryan Cranston, "Trumbo"

Matt Damon, "The Martian"

Leonardo DiCaprio, "The Revenant"

Michael Fassbender, "Steve Jobs"

Eddie Redmayne, "The Danish Girl"

Best Supporting Actress

Jennifer Jason Leigh, "The Hateful Eight"

Rooney Mara, "Carol"

Rachel McAdams, "Spotlight"

Alicia Vikander, "The Danish Girl"

Kate Winslet, "Steve Jobs"

Best Supporting Actor

Christian Bale, "The Big Short"

Tom Hardy, "The Revenant"

Mark Ruffalo, "Spotlight"

Mark Rylance, "Bridge of Spies"

Sylvester Stallone, "Creed"

Best Adapted Screenplay

Adam McKay, Charles Randolph, "The Big Short"

Nick Hornby, "Brooklyn"

Phyllis Nagy, "Carol"

Drew Goddard, "The Martian"

Emma Donoghue, "Room"

Best Original Screenplay

Matt Charman, Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, "Bridge of Spies"

Alex Garland, "Ex Machina"

Tom McCarthy, Josh Singer, "Spotlight"

Pete Docter, Ronnie Del Carmen, Josh Cooley, Meg LeFauve, "Inside Out"

Jonathan Herman, Andrea Berloff, S. Leigh Savidge, Alan Wenkus, "Straight Outta Compton"

Best Foreign Language Film

"Mustang" 

"Son of Saul" 

"Theeb"

"A War"

"Embrace the Serpent"

Best Documentary Feature

"Amy"

"Cartel Land"

"The Look of Silence"

"What Happened, Miss Simone?"

"Winter of Fire: Ukraine’s Fight For Freedom"

Best Animated Feature

"Anomalisa"
"Boy and the World" 
"Inside Out" 
"Shaun the Sheep Movie" 
"When Marnie Was there"

Best Film Editing

"The Big Short"

"Mad Max: Fury Road"

"The Revenant"

"Spotlight"

"Star Wars: The Force Awakens"

Best Original Song

“Earned It” from "Fifty Shades of Grey" (written by The Weekend, Belly, TBD, and Stephan Moccio)
“Manta Ray” from "Racing Extinction"(written by J. Ralph and Antony Hegarty)
“Simple Song #3” from "Youth" (written by David Lang)
“Til It Happens To You” from "The Hunting Ground" (written by Diane Warren and Lady Gaga)
“Writing’s On The Wall” from "Spectre" (written by Sam Smith and James Napier)

Best Original Score

Ennio Morricone, "The Hateful Eight"

Thomas Newman, "Bridge of Spies"

Carter Burwell, "Carol"

Jóhann Jóhannsson, "Sicario"

John Williams, "Star Wars: The Force Awakens"

Best Cinematography

Robert Richardson, "The Hateful Eight"

Edward Lachman, "Carol"

Roger Deakins, "Sicario"

Emmanuel Lubezki, "The Revenant"

John Seale, "Mad Max: Fury Road"

Best Costume Design

"Carol"

"Cinderella"

"The Danish Girl"

"Mad Max: Fury Road"

"The Revenant"

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

"Mad Max: Fury Road"

"The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out A Window and Disappeared"

"The Revenant"

Best Production Design

Adam Stockhausen, "Bridge of Spies"

Eve Stewart, "The Danish Girl"

Colin Gibson, "Mad Max: Fury Road"

Arthur Max, "The Martian"

Jack Fisk, "The Revenant"

Best Sound Editing

"Mad Max: Fury Road"

"The Martian"

"The Revenant"

"Sicario"

"Star Wars: The Force Awakens"

Best Sound Mixing

"Bridge of Spies"

"Mad Max: Fury Road"

"The Martian"

"The Revenant"

"Star Wars: The Force Awakens"

Best Visual Effects

"Ex Machina"

"Mad Max: Fury Road"

"The Martian"

"The Revenant"

"Star Wars: The Force Awakens"

Best Short Film, Live Action

"Ave Maria"

"Day One"

"Everything Will Be Okay"

"Show"

"Stutterer"

Best Short Film, Animated

"Bear Story"

"Prologue"

"Sanjay’s Super Team"

"We Can’t Live Without Cosmos"

"World of Tomorrow"

Best Documentary, Short Subject

"Body Team 12"

"Chau Beyond the Lines"

"Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah"

"A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness"

"Last Day of Freedom"

'Sicario' Review

Sicario was one of the films that I spoke of in my list of the 5 movies I wish I had seen 2015 and I  purchased it on Blu-Ray recently so thought "Why not review it?"

'Sicario' Review

Nominated For: Best Original Score, Best Cinematography, and Best Sound Editing.

Sicario is a thriller that follows a black ops border mission that aims to end some drug cartels. The film is directed by Denis Villeneuve, who does a phenomenal job collaborating with cinematographer, Roger Deakins, and composer, Jóhann Jóhannsson, to build suspense and intrigue. Sicario's finale especially contains an interesting mix of camerawork and a chilling score that culminates to build waves of suspense. 

The film's central cast also give some great performances with Emily Blunt as a very capable female lead, Josh Brolin as mysterious Department Defense contractor, but Benicio Del Toro is the one who steals the show, quite literally. 

Overall, Sicario is an incredibly well made film with with great direction, some awesome cinematography, spectacular performances and a petrifying score. I'd recommend it for any whose interests were peaked regarding the film or anyone that just enjoys a suspenseful thriller. I'm doubtful the film will be significantly recognized by the Academy, but I'd be glad if it were indeed nominated. I guess we will have to wait and see what happens Friday when the nominations are announced. 

Film Assessment: B+

'The Revenant' Review

Nominated For: Best Picture, Best Director; Alejandro González Iñárritu, Best Actor; Leonardo DiCaprio, Best Supporting Actor; Tom Hardy, Best Film Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Production Design, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Visual Effects.

Won: Best Director; Alejandro González Iñárritu, Best Actor; Leonardo DiCaprio, and Best Cinematography.

The Revenant tells the story of American frontier fur trapper expedition that quickly goes awry after an indian assault and the expedition's navigator Hugh Glass undergoes significant trauma, both physically and emotionally, and then is left for dead. The remainder of the film follows his quest for vengeance against those who wronged him (I won't go into details because I'd rather refrain from spoiling the film). 

Alejandro González Iñárritu directs The Revenant hot off of his Best Director Academy Award victory last year for Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue Of Ignorance) and I can confidently say that Iñárritu has now been cemented as one of my favorite directors working today as I loved both Birdman and now The Revenant. Iñárritu's proven he's quite a visionary director looking to stretch the boundaries of filmmaking and once again teams with cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki to create a visual pièce de résistance after their collaboration on Birdman. 

All of the cinematography in the film is breathtakingly gorgeous and very awe-inspiring. Something interesting to note about The Revenant is that it was filmed using only natural light, which lead to a prolonged production period since the cast and crew depended on sunlight to create the film. Iñárritu and Lubezki manage to bring some incredible sequences that borrow from some of the techniques used in Birdman, where in The Revenant one of the beginning action sequences appeared to be filmed in one take, rather than be piece milled together. 

All of the performances on display are terrific and in particular Leonardo DiCaprio just needs to be handed a golden statuette already (of course I'm referring to the fact that he has yet to win an Oscar). DiCaprio is given an opportunity to bring a unique more physical performance as Hugh Glass and he is spectacular. One scene in particular that I felt I should touch on in the review is one involving a gruesome bear attack on Hugh Glass. DiCaprio's dedication is present as he's so convincing in the scene making you actually believe that Glass was being brutally mauled by a bear. 

Tom Hardy portrays the film's antagonist John Fitzgerald and he certainly becomes a despicable human being. Hardy's infamous The Dark Knight Rises Bane voice slips in at some points along with some of his grunting seen in Mad Max: Fury Road but gives a outstanding performance nonetheless. The remainder of the main supporting cast Domhnall Gleeson and Will Poulter are superb each bringing great supporting characters to the film. 

The Revenant is not only a visual delight but is involves some sensational direction and performances that will maintain interest in it's two and a half hour runtime. I recommend it for fans of DiCaprio and  Iñárritu's work but be forewarned that there are some gruesome gory violence and blood so if you're sensitive to this, then I'd be wary of watching The Revenant  I loved the film and as of now it's one of my favorites amongst the film award contenders and certainly hope it will be appreciated by the Academy as well but we'll see in the coming weeks as nominations are announced, which I will cover  in a few blog posts including the announcement of the nominations, my predictions and the actual results. Once again, The Revenant is a phenomenal film that fans of cinema will certainly appreciate. 

Film Assessment: A+

Throwback Thursday Review: 'The Wolf Of Wall Street'

Wolf Of Wall Street will be my first Throwback Thursday review of 2016 and my reasoning behind reviewing the film was to review a film starring Leonardo DiCaprio since The Revenant will be given a wide release in theaters this Friday. Therefore, I wanted to review the most recent film in which Leonardo DiCaprio was nominated for an Oscar. I have mapped out most of my Throwback Thursday Reviews for the year so next week I will start reviewing the Bourne films, I will review about one a month or so till the upcoming untitled Bourne 5, then the next two weeks I will review Kung Fu Panda and Kung Fu Panda 2 to lead up to Kung Fu Panda 3.

'The Wolf Of Wall Street' Review

Nominated For: Best Picture, Best Director; Martin Scorsese, Best Actor; Leonardo DiCaprio, Best Supporting Actor; Jonah Hill, and Best Adapted Screenplay.

The Wolf Of Wall Street is based off of Jordan Belfort's memoir that tells of Belfort's life, providing an intriguing perspective on Belfort's assent and descent in his career as a stockbroker.

First off, I feel it should be stated that this film is outright repulsive in the sense that it is filled with drug use and sexual content, but I actually feel that it's justified for the film as it adds an intuitive layer to the film showing just how corrupt and depraved Jordon Belfort became.

Martin Scorsese directs and brings his message about the rotten core of American society to the forefront though elaborate setup and some hilarious comedy.

The performances on display are all delightfully despicable. The Wolf Of Wall Street showcases Leonardo DiCaprio in another Oscar worthy lead performance to which he was once again teased with another mere nomination. DiCaprio really manages to delve into the role of Jordan Belfort and not only plays the part but becomes the character while onscreen, which I believe to be a tremendous strength of DiCaprio's acting abilities.

Jonah Hill is a scene stealer as an overweight nerdy hasty type of character as Donny, Belfort's neighbor and business partner, providing quite bit of the comedic relief aside from DiCaprio.

Margot Robbie is another shining supporting cast member who proves that her casting in Suicide Squad was spot on. The remaining cast are each terrific in their limited capacity, but still collaborate to elevate the film.

Despite the film's three hour runtime, the film never drags and will keep you entertained through it's comedy, characters, and the outrageous message. I recommend it for those who aren't appalled by the premise of the film or are huge fans of DiCaprio.

Film Assessment: A+

'Spotlight' Review

Nominated For: Best Picture, Best Director; Tom McCarthy, Best Supporting Actor; Mark Ruffalo, Best Supporting Actress; Rachel McAdams, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Film Editing
Won: Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay.

Spotlight tells the true story of an investigation undertaken by the Boston Globe's Spotlight team to uncover a horrendous scandal amongst the Catholic Church. This story broke shortly after the events of 9/11 and was the first major news story since that horrific event and the story earned the Spotlight team a Pulitzer Prize in 2003. Tom McCarthy directs and does a terrific job ensuring the film has a tangibility to it in the sense that I felt that I was watching an actual news reporter team investigation. Spotlight was a unique cinematic experience for me because the film's tension continued to snowball, deepening my interest and intrigue as the film progressed.  The film's story is very engaging and only draws more interest throughout the film. The entire ensemble cast of Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber, John Slattery, Stanley Tucci were spectacular. I'm sure a few members of the cast will likely at least earn a few awards nominations but I felt that Mark Ruffalo was the huge standout. Mark Ruffalo definitely gives one of the best performances of his career as his character becomes a workaholic, which provides Ruffalo with some great character moments. There was never a moment that I felt I was watching these high profile actors but rather a group of very dedicated investigative reporters. The acting is also great in another regard because it all feels so real because all of the actors act like actual people in these situations rather than expressing over the top emotions, which would feel awkward in this film because of how the performances are subtle and tangible. I enjoyed Spotlight significantly more than I thought I would, as usually some of the awards buzz heavy films are either a hit or miss with me, and I'm fairly certain that Spotlight will receive a plethora of Academy Award nominations and won't be surprised to see it win in a few categories. I'd highly recommend the film for those interested in "Oscar bait" films or those who just want to learn about an intriguing true story.

Film Assessment: A-