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A young African-American man visits his Caucasian girlfriend's mysterious family estate.
Storyline
A young black man visits his white girlfriend's family estate where he learns that many of its residents, who are black, have gone missing, and he soon learns the horrible truth when a fellow black man on the estate warns him to "get out". He soon learns this is easier said than done.
Director: Jordan Peele
Writer: Jordan Peele
Stars: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford
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A jazz pianist falls for an aspiring actress in Los Angeles.
Storyline
Mia, an aspiring actress, serves lattes to movie stars in between auditions and Sebastian, a jazz musician, scrapes by playing cocktail party gigs in dingy bars, but as success mounts they are faced with decisions that begin to fray the fragile fabric of their love affair, and the dreams they worked so hard to maintain in each other threaten to rip them apart.
Director: Damien Chazelle
Writer: Damien Chazelle
Stars: Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Rosemarie DeWitt
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In Ancient Polynesia, when a terrible curse incurred by the Demigod Maui reaches an impetuous Chieftain's daughter's island, she answers the Ocean's call to seek out the Demigod to set things right.
Directors: Ron Clements, Don Hall | 2 more credits »
Writers: Jared Bush (screenplay), Ron Clements (story by) | 6 more credits »
Stars: Auli'i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Rachel House
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In the near future, a weary Logan cares for an ailing Professor X somewhere on the Mexican border. However, Logan's attempts to hide from the world and his legacy are upended when a young mutant arrives, pursued by dark forces.
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Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)
30 years after the defeat of Darth Vader and the Empire, Rey, a scavenger from the planet Jakku, finds a BB-8 droid that knows the whereabouts of the long lost Luke Skywalker. Rey, as well as a rogue stormtrooper and two smugglers, are thrown into the middle of a battle between the resistance and the daunting legions of the First Order.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)
Have you ever disagreed with someone about the quality of a production so intensely that you've wondered if the two of you even watched the same film? I'm sorry, everyone in the world, I thought The Force Awakens was a real snoozer. I'm not surprised that my eight year old nephew loved it, but I can't for the life of me figure out why the degree-holding adults I associate with aren't offended at what we've been offered by Abrams as the continuation of the world's foremost loved space epic.
There was virtually zero discussion within the movie itself as to what happened after episode Vl and how we got to where we are now, making this production feel like a desperate lurch to be a stand-alone and to appeal to an audience who is too young to have appreciated the Spice Girls let alone the originals. This direction may be satisfying for some, but for those of us who were expecting more we may find ourselves doused in dissatisfaction. Furthermore, I was saddened by the obvious deficiency surrounding the exploration of the mythology of the Force. One of the elements that so intrigued viewers about the originals was the underlying spirituality and the metaphysical forces at play within the Star Wars universe; however, in this version of Star Wars Abrams seems to care more about the characters ceaselessly running away from things and having meaningless, often silly conversation (like in one scene the character Finn asks Rey in the goofiest way possible if she has a boyfriend—I laughed but I was so ashamed) instead of exploring the depths of some of the most intriguing supernatural philosophy in all of moviedom. However, this fact is not surprising as the masses seem to be entertained predominantly by action, comedy, flashing lights, and explosions, not exploring the psychological latitudes of light and dark within the human soul, and definitely not sitting through slow scenes of dialogue which could (God forbid) give us an understanding of the depths of the Star Wars legend and mystery. I suppose in this regard (and in too many others) Abrams gave the people what they wanted.
Not only was the confined exploration of the Force disappointing but so was the serious lack of emotional poignancy. At no point, AT LITERALLY NO POINT, did I feel sad, frustrated, anxious, worried, or exhilarated during its belabored two hours and sixteen minutes. The characters felt like they could be potentially cloned from any PG-13 teen movie you've seen since Twilight hijacked the world and forced it's twisted, disgusting version of acceptable adolescent stereotypes upon us. You could almost swap out the light-sabers, tie-fighters, and storm troopers and you'd have a great sequel to whatever the hell number Hunger Games we're on these days (because that's how interesting the rest of the plot was).
Another thing that really annoyed me was the way in which the galaxy was too American. Of course I get it, it was made by Hollywood IT IS American, but guys, this is supposed to be in a GALAXY FAR AWAY, so why was there very little attempt made to try and hide that? Between the all too familiar mannerisms, jokes, and language I just couldn't fully suspend my disbelief. In my opinion, the originals managed to avoid most overt use of cultural indicators, I mean sure, it's impossible to avoid all due to obvious limitations, but watch the main character Finn carefully during the movie and you'll see that he's dripping with 21st century western American dude. Like literally drenched. Where was the otherworldly authenticity among the main characters?
Of course it wasn't all bad. The visuals were beautiful, much of the topography and effects were breathtaking, and I have to admit that I did feel pangs of nostalgia over any scene that included an X-wing, but overall it wasn't enough. Really a lot of what it comes down to is expectation (and perhaps a sprinkle of intelligent awareness). So many people have told me that they went into it not expecting too much and that they had "fun" watching it; and then there's me sitting here thinking: what on Tatooine are they talking about? With all the media hype this film received, not to mention the disappointment of the prequels, I was expecting a hell of a lot out of this movie, and simple "fun" ain't gonna cut it. Abrams seemed to have carved the profundity and soul out of Star Wars with a lightsaber— the same soul we've been waiting to enter our lives again ever since the prequels ruined them.
The Force Awakens was half way there, but it felt forced (pun intended), shallow, in need of a more refined plot, more mature characters, a deeper spirituality, moral complexity and depth; it needed to resonate more deeply with the IMPORTANT themes of the original, and to not have felt like a chaste teen romance with some old faces in there used like a box office tractor beam. If you're content with having your childhood favorite epic turned into a lovable, easily digestible icon of twenty-first century pop culture, marketed intentionally at young people to delight, entertain (and make many million corporate dollars) whilst simultaneously causing you to cringe at the fact that the original actors are okay with such a disservice to a time-proved story then you will love the continuation of this franchise!
Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Driver, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Oscar Isaac, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker,Peter Mayhew, Domhnall Gleeson
A new philosophy professor arrives on a small town campus near Newport, Rhode Island. His name, Abe Lucas. His reputation : bad. Abe is said to be a womanizer and an alcoholic. But what people do not know is that he is a disillusioned idealist. Since he has become aware of his inability to change the world, he has indeed been living in a state of deep nihilism and arrogant desperation. In class, he only goes through the motions and outside he drinks too much. But as far as sex is concerned, he is just a shadow of himself now: depression is not synonymous with Viagra! For all that, he can't help being attracted to one of his students, pretty and bright Jill Pollard. He enters into a relationship with her which remains platonic, even if Jill would not say no to more. The situation remains unchanged for a while until, one day, in a diner, Abe and Jill surprise a conversation that will change the course of their lives dramatically...
Joaquin Phoenix plays a brilliant and drunken philosophy professor who contemplates the perfect crime as a way to get a new jolt of energy to his wipe out existence.
Woody Allen is not really my cup of tea, but I dig some of his work. The movies that jump out at me that I really like are Magic in the Moonlight that also stars Emma Stone and Midnight in Paris.
What I saw of Irrational Man on the surface that was being portrayed in trailers is nothing compared to what was being passed off as the real plot of this movie.
Phoenix give such an magnificent performance I feel that it's more his vehicle than a Woody Allen movie. Adding to his performance was what he shaped his body into, which was ironically impressive. I can't remember the last time I saw such a fat gut being exploited in a movie, It literally help him to become the center of attention.
Similar to the Hitchcock classic, Strangers on a Train (especially in plot), The movie gives a very interesting take on the perfect crime. It's not coming from a cops perspective at all, or about solving the perfect crime, It's all about the emotion of the man who tries to commit such a crime, and how easily he can blend into our society.
It starts as very lighthearted movie about a self-loathing over thinker and then turns really dark without actually becoming dark.
It made me laugh and it held my interest. I'm very impressed with what Woody Allen put together.
