Twenty Sixteen

Happy New Year! I was away for Christmas holidays in Seoul. Walked around. Ate a lot. Saw a lot. Veni Vidi Manducavi(?). I ended my moviegoing year with Justin Kurzel's stylish adap of Macbeth starring Michael Fassbender which is basically the extremely hard level of English listening exam: Scottish accent combined with Shakespearian vocab. I understand the gist of every sentence (or paragraph) but if I were to recite one perfectly, I'll give up. Then I started this year with an unfinished Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation while on a 1 hour flight and went on a successive viewings of Sicario and Sherlock's Christmas Special (more on that later!). So, as the annual ritual (rhyming point!), every year must be opened with a preview of what's to come. 2015 was big but 2016 has films to match 2015. You know the drill: bold titles mean must-watches and unmarked means negotiable. I just copied and pasted that last sentence, because plagiarizing your own work is totally acceptable.

JANUARY
- The Hateful Eight with Samuel L. Jackson and director Quentin Tarantino
- The Finest Hours with Chris Pine and director Craig Gillespie
- Kung Fu Panda 3 with Jack Black (voice) and director Jennifer Yuh Nelson
- Jane Got A Gun with Natalie Portman and director Gavin O'Connor

FEBRUARY
- Hail Caesar! with George Clooney and directors The Coen Brothers
- Pride and Prejudice and Zombies with Lily James and director Burr Steers
- Deadpool with Ryan Reynolds and director Tim Miller
- Zoolander No. 2 with actor director Ben Stiller
- Eddie the Eagle with Taron Egerton and director Dexter Fletcher
- Triple 9 with Aaron Paul and director John Hillcoat

MARCH
- Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice with Ben Affleck and director Zack Snyder
- London Has Fallen with Gerard Butler and director Babak Najafi
- Allegiant with Shailene Woodley and director Robert Schwentke
- Midnight Special with Michael Shannon and director Jeff Nichols
- Whiskey Tango Foxtrot with Tina Fey and directors Glenn Ficarra and John Requa
- The Brothers Grimsby with Sacha Baron Cohen and director Louis Letterier

APRIL
- The Huntsman: Winter's War with Charlize Theron and director Cedric Nicolas-Troyan
- The Jungle Book with Neel Sethi and director Jon Favreau
- Collide with Felicity Jones and director Eran Creevy
- Before I Wake with Kate Bosworth and director Mike Flanagan
- Demolition with Jake Gyllenhaal and director Jean Marc Vallee

MAY
- Captain America: Civil War with Chris Evans and director Russo Brothers
- X-Men: Apocalypse with Michael Fassbender and director Bryan Singer
- Neighbors 2 with Seth Rogen and director Nicholas Stoller
- Alice Through The Looking Glass with Johnny Depp and director James Bobin
- Money Monster with George Clooney and director Jodie Foster
- The Nice Guys with Ryan Gosling and director Shane Black
- The Free State of Jones with Matthew McConaughey and director Gary Ross
- Snowden with Joseph Gordon-Levitt and director Oliver Stone

JUNE
- Independence Day: Resurgence with Jeff Goldblum and director Roland Emmerich
- Finding Dory with Ellen DeGeneres (voice) and director Andrew Stanton
- The Conjuring: Enfield Poltergeist with Patrick Wilson and director James Wan
- Now You See Me 2 with Jesse Eisenberg and director John M. Chu
- Warcraft with Travis Fimmel and director Duncan Jones
- Central Intelligence with Dwayne Johnson and director Rawson Thurber
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows with Megan Fox and director Dave Green

JULY
- The Legend of Tarzan with Margot Robbie and director David Yates
- The BFG with Mark Rylance and director Steven Spielberg
- The Purge 3 with Frank Grillo and director James DeMonaco
- Star Trek Beyond with Chris Pine and director Justin Lin
- Bourne 5 with Matt Damon and director Paul Greengrass
- Ghostbusters with Kristen Wiig and director Paul Feig
- La La Land with Ryan Gosling and director Damien Chazelle
- Genius with Colin Firth and director Michael Grandage

AUGUST
- Suicide Squad with Will Smith and director David Ayer
- Ben Hur with Jack Huston and director Timur Bekmambetov
- Sausage Party with Seth Rogen and directors Conrad Vernon and Greg Tiernan
- Spectral with James Badge Dale and director Nic Mathieu
- Arms and the Dudes with Jonah Hill and director Todd Phillips

SEPTEMBER
- The Magnificent Seven with Chris Pratt and director Antoine Fuqua
- Sully with Tom Hanks and director Clint Eastwood
- Deepwater Horizon with Mark Wahlberg and director Peter Berg

OCTOBER
- Inferno with Tom Hanks and director Ron Howard
- The Girl on the Train with Emily Blunt and director Tate Taylor
- Jack Reacher: Never Go Back with Tom Cruise and director Edward Zwick
- Gambit with Channing Tatum and Lea Seydoux
- The Accountant with Ben Affleck and director Gavin O'Connor

NOVEMBER
- Doctor Strange with Benedict Cumberbatch and director Scott Derrickson
- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them with Eddie Redmayne and director David Yates
- The Great Wall with Matt Damon and director Zhang Yimou
- Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk with Garrett Hedlund and director Ang Lee
- Moana with Dwayne Johnson (voice) and director Ron Clements

DECEMBER
- Passengers with Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence, director Morten Tyldum
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story with Felicity Jones and director Gareth Edwards
- Assassin's Creed with Michael Fassbender and director Justin Kurzel
- Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children with Eva Green and director Tim Burton


There are currently undated films like Denis Villenueve's scifi Story of Your Life and Martin Scorsese's Silence. But it is shaping to be another solid year for movies. Like every other year there are unnecessary remakes like Ben Hur or The Magnificent Seven but their cast is solid so I'm actually excited for both. The blockbusters are crazy exciting. Also new films from Scorsese and Eastwood pretty much made the year strong. Jodie Foster's Money Monster is looking good too. Here are my top 10 anticipated films for next year!

10. Passengers - Chris Pratt x Jennifer Lawrence!
9. The BFG - Spielberg!
8. Fantastic Beasts - still not sold but magic
7. Bourne 5 - Damon is backk
6. Assassin's Creed - still got that Macbeth hype
5. X-Men Apocalypse - just gettin that Fassy-love and Olivia Munn
4. The Legend of Tarzan - I loved the trailer too much
3. Suicide Squad - Margot Robbie!
2. Civil War - looks great
1. Batman v Superman - looks awesome

NYResolution: I want to write more posts here. 2015 was a new low for posts number since 2012. I have five drafts and all were unfinished because a) I got bored b) I postponed it too long it lost it relevance. And also Imma do more work. But still watch a lot of movies.

Just Letting It In

So, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens is here guys! You can now browse the Internet in peace and you can stop pretending you need all those Star Wars-tie in products to buy, because you don't. You watched the movie, and the only thing logical thing to do is watch it once again. Recently before opening day, I wondered whether the movie would match the crazy hype. If it doesn't what would happen with the spin-offs and the sequels? But at least we can go watch it in peace because one of Hollywood trustiest directors JJ Abrams is on the helm. For me, he has never made a bad movie in his career. He even starts straight from the highly under-appreciated Mission: Impossible III. He was handpicked by Tom Cruise for goodness sake. The movie stars old favorites Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Mark Hamill as well as new generation of heroes and villains Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver and Domnhall Gleeson. Probably mild spoilers will follow.

The story is about a new threat in the galaxy led by the organization First Order which was very much inspired by the Empire. The First Order seeks a map to the now vanished Luke Skywalker which was obtained by The Resistance's best pilot, Poe Dameron. This map eventually brings new faces and old, Rey, Finn, BB8, Chewie and Han Solo together on board of the junk Millennium Falcon. They need to face the First Order and the villain Kylo Ren in order to stop the new bigger, badder Death Star called Starkiller Base from destroying the planets.

The movie is amazing. In terms of filmmaking, it is the best modern blockbuster I've ever seen. This and Mad Max: Fury Road is this year's best blockbuster films. Starting from the use of film, not digital, it has a very nostalgic look that is very fresh but also serves as a good continuity for the original trilogy. The creature designs, location shooting and set designs are very vital to this film because it is perfect. It improves upon the original trilogy and probably serves as a big middle finger to the blue-screen extravaganza of the prequel trilogy. Note to self: seeing this movie after a prequel trilogy marathon is a bad idea. JJ Abrams directed this film masterfully, he would get the respect he didn't get when he directed the Star Trek films. I'd probably prefer him to direct Episode IX rather than Colin Trevorrow. Rian Johnson is a safe choice though for VIII. What I like from JJ Abrams is that he seemed to learn from his tenure in Star Trek, he relied to much on nostalgia on that one (featuring the original Spock twice is too much) but here he kept the nostalgia to the minimum that it doesn't feel like the filmmakers are wiping the original's ass or being too meta like in Jurassic World. This one feels natural.

The cast is great! I was so scared that the newcomers would ruin the film but Daisy Ridley and John Boyega fit in nicely. Daisy Ridley is a scene stealer in her major breakout role as Rey. She could be vulnerable but also powerful, it's so good. Oscar Isaac is cool in his role, he's probably programmed to be the 'new' Han Solo-type character for this trilogy. I still need more convincing on this Kylo Ren character, in my opinion he doesn't belong in the Darth Vader-great category, but definitely better than all the prequel villains combined, especially that stupid General Grievous. Oh, there are also three stars from The Raid films making very brief appearances in this film. It's so good. Overall, this movie has the same beats with the original Star Wars back in 1977. The stakes are not that high yet, and the story is pretty basic. But it's the characters that draw us in the movie and make us love the series. We just need to get to Luke fast. And we can all agree that the Starkiller Base is pretty garbage right? It took more effort to destroy the Death Star honestly. Also, what's up with R2D2? Anyway, the movie is worth at least 90% of the hype. There's space action. Lightsaber battles. Family drama. Nostalgia. Many Force action. Cool effects. Great majestic music by the legendary John Williams! (Check out Rey's Theme!) It's a satisfying adventure that leaves you wanting more. Bring on Episode VIII! Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens: rated 3.5/4.


In all seriousness, do you guys really want the spinoff films? Because I don't. Am I the only fan who doesn't like the idea of spinoff films? You die-hard fans say that less is more but wants the spinoff films? Those spinoff films belong at Netflix or an HBO special. It should serve as a companion piece to the main events. But we'll see the first trailer for Rogue One and let's see where that goes.


Next; probably Creed. or more Star Wars.

Trailers Galore

2015 is ending. So 2016 movies are invading us with trailers. Like they chose the same week to release all that. But which one caught your attention the most? Which one made you cringe? Which one is just bad? These orders are based solely on my reaction to the trailer and the movie presented in the trailer.

8. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows

I just remember the first one being a lot of harmless fun. And Megan Fox still being hot. It's a popcorn movie. I don't even care if they have Adult Mutant Wrestler Rhino in this movie. I don't even care about this movie. I just hope it's the same amount of popcorn fun.

7. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

I'm a huge fan of the Harry Potter films. But as of right now, this film seems like a cashgrab for me. Even for author J.K. Rowling whose inability to move on from her beloved franchise has tarnished the goodwill of the legacy. Why is it set in New York again? I probably am going to see this on opening day but still, why doesn't anyone learn from The Hobbit films?

6. Star Trek Beyond

It's more probably the tone of the trailer that makes it weird. The trailer sells it as Guardians of the Galaxy-type film, while the visuals is basically the two previous Star Trek films. Given all the promises, I was hoping they were going with the exploration theme rather than JJ Abrams' action-oriented films. But the rebooted timeline films are among my favorites (I've never watched the old ones except for The Wrath of Khan), so fingers crossed.

5. Independence Day: Resurgence

I actually didn't want this movie to happen because the original film is so badass it doesn't need a sequel. But this trailer is pretty okay. It sucks that Will Smith couldn't/didn't want to return. He returned for the mediocre sequels to Men in Black, why not this one? Everyone's coming back. (I read somewhere that his character died while 'testing' the alien tech, that's a crappy way to write off someone). Anyway, I'm actually psyched. I hope Liam Hemsworth doesn't ruin the film.

4. X-Men: Apocalypse

It's a solid trailer, but it didn't have the same awesomeness like the first Days of Future Past trailer, which makes me less excited, but still very excited for this film. I just wished we could see more Olivia Munn though. The trailer is normal but I'm actually really hyped for the film.

3. The BFG

I'm very much so-so with the idea of a big friendly giant. I didn't have a childhood with the character but the movie looks amazingly gorgeous from the trailer. It's Steven Spielberg and his full team with legendary composer John Williams, editor Michael Kahn, cinematographer Janusz Kaminski, producers Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall and screenplay written by the late Melissa Mathison. It's so promising. Big Spielberg fan here.

2. The Legend of Tarzan

The poster for this film was hideous and this could be another Warner Bros misfire. But the trailer is crazy good. The music and visuals are on point. The cast is great--Christoph Waltz, Sam L Jackson, Djimon Hounsou and YESS, Margot Robbie! After Battleship I need more convincing from Alexander Skaarsgard but this movie looks rad. I hope it's not a flop.

1. Captain America: Civil War

This trailer is awesome. I don't really care about the heroes clashing scene with Black Panther, Hawkeye and all the B-grade Avengers but that last shot with Iron Man vs. Bucky and Cap is life. They could sell that as a 10 second trailer and would still get 30 million hits on YouTube.


Also looking good for 2016: The Huntsman Winter's War with Charlize Theron (yes!), Emily Blunt (yes yes!), and Jessica Chastain (YAASSS!) Whiskey Tango Foxtrot with Tina Fey and Margot Robbie (YEAAAH!) and Now You See Me 2 despite Isla Fisher being a no-show but Lizzy Caplan's in it now (YESS!). And you know we're all excited for all the big movies of next year. Yeah you two red cape and black cape. And also you, merc.

Spy Day

That title is a pun on spa day, or Spidey.. I'm sorry. That's not funny. Alright, so last Friday I had a spy day. I probably should stop saying spy day. So on spy day, I watched Guy Ritchie's stylish adaptation of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and James Bond's latest Spectre. I enjoyed both of them immensely. This has been a good year for spies. Kingsman: The Secret Service is still one of my favorites of 2015 and then Tom Cruise's Rogue Nation is also this summer's best. And the four of them remind me to get to the gym and work out. Unless Alicia Vikander or Lea Seydoux is also in the gym with me, going to the gym would probably be a dream.

The Man From U.N.C.L.E

The only reason I can think of as to why this movie flopped is that not many people care for this movie adaptation of a 60s TV show. Because, this movie is awesome. Guy Ritchie has been making stylish, cool movies since his first feature Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. His studio features are also amazing. Warner Bros has been struggling to produce a hit but I must commend them for keep shelling out quality movies like this. The premise is genuinely intriguing. A Russian spy and an American spy team up to stop a terrorist threat. Add that with great (and beautiful) actors at the lead Armie Hammer, Henry Cavill, and Alicia Vikander. Supporting cast include Jared Harris, Hugh Grant and the forever stunning Elizabeth Debicki. It's set in Europe, most particularly in Rome. What more do you need? According to Guy Ritchie and his writers, apparently so much more. The film has the coolest editing, score and soundtrack, costume design, and story. It's just the type of style you have come to expect from Guy Ritchie and I hope he can still maintain and repurpose it for next year's King Arthur. The score by Daniel Pemberton is amazing. The soundtrack is expertly chosen. The movie is a welcome attack of visual and audio that is gorgeous to enjoy. I hope Armie Hammer lands a hit though, he's actually the Taylor Kitsch in movies with two leading men (this and The Lone Ranger). If I didn't enjoy one thing from this film, that would be the half-assed romance between Armie's Ilya and Alicia's Gaby (I'm on first name basis yo). The Man from U.N.C.L.E.: rated 3.5/4

Spectre
I'm a big Bond fan. Casino Royale is royalty and Skyfall set the sky for its standard. Spectre has a lot of pressure to follow the $1 billion Skyfall. But right from the start, from the gunbarrel at the very beginning(!!), and the Day of the Dead sequence, the filmmakers have put us in the very top entertainment quality and they would gladly let us fall down gradually from there. Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace might shy away from being 'your dad's' Bond film by doing a different variation of the gunbarrel opening, doesn't give a damn on vodka martini, and drinking Carlsberg. Skyfall tried to embrace the tradition back by numerous easter eggs and that mandatory Aston Martin DB5 cameo and of course the Bond tune all over the movie. Spectre is a full-fledged Bond film. The gunbarrel is at the very beginning, awesome opening sequence with women's bodies, Bond themes, shaken-not-stirred vodka martini, Aston Martins, mono-syllabic bad guy and of course Blofeld and his Spectre supervillain group which is like the white people ISIS in our modern day (is this racist? tell me if it is). The action is amazing starting from the nonsensical helicopter fight, majestic car chase in Rome, and the climactic MI5 maze. Best-directed sequence though is when we first see Oberhauser Blofeld for the first time in the Spectre meeting. It is intense af.

While all the action sequences, direction and acting are on point, the story might be a little unoriginal. It's like Fast & Furious 6 meets Star Trek Into Darkness. I hate to admit that. I hate to say that a Bond film copied Fast and Furious but it's true. Blofeld is the author of Bond's pain through Le Chiffre, Greene and Silva, much like Furious 6 baddie, who is like the big baddie who killed Letty and is the leader of this criminal organization. And Blofeld is Oberhauser but is Blofeld much like Cumberbatch's Khan is John Harrison but is Khan. Daniel Craig is so good at being Bond, that I don't see anyone but Idris Elba is worthy enough to succeed him. Damian Lewis? Come on, I'd be out of breath listening to him speak. Lea Seydoux is born to be in a Bond movie. She's so pretty but her romance with Bond is unlike Bond-Vesper, that when she suddenly says 'I love you' it doesn't make any sense. It's a good plot to see Bond in love again but I wish it would've been done better. And of course, I'd like to see more of Christoph Waltz terrorizing people and oozing menace on the screen more. He's just not given enough stuff to do and say. I hope they do him justice next time. Oh and Sam Smith's song isn't that bad when used in the film, because it fits the theme of the movie. And be happy it's not as bad as Madonna's. I'm giving 3/4 but I like this movie so much (objective reviewer point!). That Day of the Dead sequence alone is enough to guarantee a second viewing (which I will do). Spectre: rated 3/4.

Update December 20 I'm very much convinced that Dan Stevens of Downton Abbey or The Guest or Night at the Museum 3: Secret of the Tomb should be the next James Bond.

White Roses

I've been a fan of The Hunger Games films. I loved the first two books, but not the last one. I was hoping that the film could elevate the bad source material. This last film is still directed by Francis Lawrence and starring Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth, Josh Hutcherson and an array of amazing supporting cast like Julianne Moore, the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, Donald Sutherland, Woody Harrelson, and Elizabeth Banks. I had an okay-ish expectation for this film and the promotional material for this film doesn't hype me so, so I wasn't all that hyped. And most importantly, the movie scored a day-and-date release date for Japan that hasn't been seen since February's Fifty Shades of Grey, which is weird. The next day-and-date is more sensible though, you know, that film about people carrying long lightsticks they use as swords.

The film picked up right where Part 1 left off, after Katniss' being strangled by the Manchurian Candidate Peeta. Katniss then swore to kill President Snow herself and go to the Capitol. But rebel leader President Coin still wants her to be the symbol so she went with the star team, which is a waste of talent, considering you really need to fight and these guys know how to fight. President Snow knows this plan and rigged The Capitol with traps and weapons ala his annual Hunger Games.

If you hear other fans of other YA complained about how the Divergent series and Maze Runner series deviate totally from the book, you won't hear that with this The Hunger Games. The films have been so faithful to the book that even a crucial moment that I hoped to be more clarified is just like in the book. But not that it's a bad thing, because as a whole this film is great. From the performance, I almost forgot how I love Jennifer Lawrence in her usual kick-ass, awesome-acting mode and at last, I'm sold by Josh Hutcherson's acting in this film. However, Liam Hemsworth should consult his Norse God brother on how to share the screen with acting greats like people in this film. Donald Sutherland is creepily good and Julianne Moore is just as good. I also loved the fact that more and more TV people are creeping to the big projects like this. There are Natalie Dormer and Gwendoline Christine from Game of Thrones, Mahershala Ali from House of Cards, Mira (I forgot her name) from Homeland, and Robert Knepper from Heroes season four. 

The action is great in this film and it is expertly paced. The visual effects is so good. This series remains the best produced film from Lionsgate in terms of quality. The CGI or green screen is seamless unlike Divergent series. The ending for this film is grim just like people say, but it has so much more meaning than your average kick-ass ending. We've seen happy endings too much and Mockingjay Part 2 is taking the logical and mature way. This put The Hunger Games way further than the average young adult films. It has a class-of-its-own. I guess put it this way, the trendsetter is always the best one out of the trend, like Harry Potter films are of another level compared to Percy Jackson and so is Hunger Games, compared to Divergent or Maze Runner. Especially seeing that this post-apocalyptic dystopian setting has exactly the same plot points in general. Still the decision to split the film might hurt creatively if not economically. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2: rated 3.5/4

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