Movie Review: Guardians of the Galaxy

Sooooo I've been sooo busy with traveling and school and such that I have been a complete jerk. I haven't written anything on here in over 6 months. I am SUCH A HORRIBLE PERSON I'M SORRYYYYYYY

But anyways, I'm back! For now at least. While I still have time before school gets rough -_-

So here we go! 

ACTING

I liked the actors in this film. It was really sarcastic, yet there were good sentimental moments too. It wasn't overly cheesy, but some of the lines were portrayed in the awkward "feel the feels" way that you have seen time and time again. But no matter, I still liked the actors :) Bradley Cooper was awesome as Rocket, Chris Pratt was awesome being a nerdy jerk throughout the whole thing, and Zoe Saldana was just..amazing!

TOTAL OSCARS: 3.5

SET DESIGN/MAKEUP

Most of the stuff was CGIed, but what they did build looked pretty intergalactic. I was really impressed with the set of Knowhere. It was a more modern and grungy version of the sets of Star Wars. The makeup was alright, but I feel as if Gamora (Zoe Saldana) had a little too much makeup on her. I almost feel as if the makeup artists put on a lot to cover up the prosthetics on her face. I feel as if there could have been a better transition from the face to the rest of the body. It just looked too caked on in spots and then smooth in others. 

TOTAL OSCARS: 3

STORYLINE

Peter Quill, a human from planet Earth, was abducted by aliens and grew up as a thief in order to make his way through life. He's one of the best ones in the entire galaxy...so of course he has a warrant on his head. He discovers a little trinket on a planet he visits and tries to sell it, but it turns out that it's being searched for by a guy named Ronan, one of the most notorious villains in the entire universe So Peter gets into a fight about it with Gamora, and ends up meeting bounty hunters Rocket and Groot and prisoner Drax. All 5 of them decide to try and turn it in for profit, but things don't turn out and an intergalactic war begins.
There were quite a few cheesy moments that I felt were a little out of character and unnecessary, and they disrupted the flow of the story a bit because of this. 

TOTAL OSCARS: 3.5

OSCAR SUM: 10

Movie Review #14: Her

I am making a decision.
Right here,

right now. 

I, Katie O., vow that I will never watch emotional movies with people I have emotional connections with.
Because while yes watching movies with people you have feelings for (mother, brother, cousin, significant other, etc) is considered custom in America, it does make for awkward instances when certain adult material pops up on the screen.

(I made the mistake of watching Black Swan with my mother when it first appeared in theatres. In case you didn't know, there is a lesbian sex scene in this movie.
I have never felt so incredibly embarrassed and confused in my life.)

By Warner Bros. Pictures Annapurna Pictures
(www.herthemovie.com)
 [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Therefore, I shall now be taking homeless people to the movies, even though they most likely will smell like a mixture rotten bananas and sweaty feet. I shall buy them popcorn. The aroma of freshly buttered, popped kernels will mask the stench of their street journeys and I can fulfill my French obsession with carbohydrates.

Now, the movie I shall be reviewing today: her by Spike Jonze

ACTING

Now I know Joaquin Phoenix has had a bit of a problem with his anger in the past, but watching him onscreen was absolutely delightful. He plays Theodore, a freshly divorced middle-aged man living in futuristic Los Angeles who falls in love with his computer program, Samantha (aka Scarlett Johansson). You can really see the adoration their characters have for one another and it felt realistic to me. I really enjoyed watching them together, along with the other members of the cast.

Total Oscars: 4.5

By aphrodite-in-nyc from new york city
(P1040640  Uploaded by stemoc)
[CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)],
via Wikimedia Commons

SET/MAKEUP

Now I know that the film is supposed to be set in future Los Angeles, but I did notice that a lot of the scenes were shot in China. Not sure which city, but it definitely was giving the into-the-future feel that the director was going for. I did like the use of resources there.

As far as makeup goes, there were a few times that I found it distracting. For instance, there was a picnic scene with Theodore, Samantha, and some friends and Theodore had stains on his shirt. It could just be my prior job training as a film editor kicking in, but it was moments like that throughout the piece that seemed to interfere with my watching of the film. 

Total Oscars: 4

STORYLINE

Theodore is a freshly divorced/separated man who is trying to date again in an advanced society where computer programs are a part of everyday interaction. He gets a new program, called OS, whose personality is named Samantha. Theodore and Samantha end up becoming super close and dating, but this isn't easy as the couple finds issues with intimacy, opening up, and being a couple in general. They both experience trying events that make them question their relationship, but the real question of the film is this: will true love ever be possible?

Total Oscars: 5

Oscar Sum: 13.5

Movie Review #13: Wolf of Wall Street

I found this pic here but it was originally by crqsf and posted to gushmag.it

You know I never thought a movie would offend me, but there is just something about seeing a man sniff cocaine from a woman's lower extremities as an opening shot to a film that just rubs me the wrong way.

Don't get me wrong, it's a great attention getter, but I would like to be warmed up to the use of drugs in the movie. It threw me off quite a bit, and to be honest, I didn't like it.

But enough about the complaints, here's a review of Scorcese's Wolf of Wall Street.

ACTING
The performances in this film were top notch. It's no surprise that Leo D got an Oscar nod from his character in WOWS. Seriously. Like I was afraid that he might have actually overdosed at some points in real life because it was just so realistic. That and Jonah Hill was hilarious as always and made majority of the comedic quips in the film. Props Mr. Hill, props.
Total Oscars: 4.5

SET/MAKEUP

By Margot_Robbie.jpg: Eva Rinaldi derivative work:
Jbarta (Margot_Robbie.jpg)
[CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)],
via Wikimedia Commons

There were definitely some points where I laughed at the realism in the film. For instance, Leo D's character having a house in the Hamptons and living it up almost every weekend. I also really appreciated the fact the Margot Robbie's makeup wasn't ever overdone. She's quite a lovely looking person and I liked that the makeup artists didn't go overboard making her look like a porcelain doll even though she was treated like one in the movie.
Total Oscars: 4

STORYLINE
Jordan Belfort (Leo D) is a man struggling in his first marriage, straight out of college, who just got his first big job working as a broker on Wall Street. He was pretty successful until the giant crash in the 80's, in which he really struggled to make the bills. He ends up building his own stock broker firm with Donnie Azoff (Jonah Hill) and becomes a multi-millionaire. Enter Naomi (Margot Robbi) and now you have a divorce and another marriage. But then Jordan gets investigated by the FBI and his whole life becomes out of control. He has to find a way to make things right or the life he once knew will be out of reach.
Total Oscars: 
4

Oscar Sum: 12.5

As good as this movie is, I cannot give it a full rating because of my amount of dislike towards the amount of f***s said in this film (it actually set a record, just FYI). That and the INSANE amount of drugs will stun you into submission. If I can't handle it, I can't give you warning enough. Seriously.

Movie Review 12: Hable con Ella

I discovered that I have a director crush.

A director crush is a movie director that you respect and admire, but are not physically attracted to them because majority of the time they are WAAYYYYY too old for you, but you have a crush on their awesomeness and their ability to portray a story in magnificent lights that have never been attempted.

My director crush is Pedro Almodovar.

He's just got so much ingenuity I can't even describe how talented his neurons are.

His movie that I watched is called "Hable con Ella."
 In case you can't tell, this movie is done in Spanish. And yes, I understand Spanish so it was a completely enjoyable film.

ACTING
I had never heard of majority of the cast before, but I looked up their credentials.
And they're all pretty bad ass.
So they get 4 Oscars for just being cool.
Total Oscars: 4

SET/MAKEUP
The setting was set in modern day Spain, so everything was pretty much normal looking. Although one critique I have is that Marco should not have been wearing jeans. Maybe he wasn't, maybe he was, and yeah he's a journalist, but come on. I've been to Spain and NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD OF JEANS OR CASUAL WEAR.
Whatever.
He just looked too laid back.
Although I WILL give props for the matador costume for Lydia because it was pretty damn cool.
Total Oscars: 3.5

STORY LINE
Marco is a journalist that is doing a piece on a matador (bull fighter), named Lydia. Things were going well for them until she gets spooked at something in her house and they end up roadtripping together and becoming a couple. Well one day, Lydia goes into a match and gets into a pretty bad accident, making her go into a coma. She gets transferred to a special care hospital where Benigno works at. Benigno is a middle aged man who happens to be in love with one of the patients, Alicia. Marco and Benigno become best friends but things take a sudden turn when Benigno becomes imprisoned. Marco then has to piece together his friend's life and his love, Alicia.
It's ridiculously complicated, but completely genius.
Total Oscars: 5

OSCAR SUM: 13.5

New Project coming soon!

Ahhh, it has been SUCH a long time since I have written for you all. I am soooo sorry. School is a bit of a succubis, so I haven't exactly had the time nor feeling of vivacious desire to do anything other than sleep after I finish my homework.

BUT

I do have good news.

In one of my classes, I have been asked to do a presentation on Spanish and Latin American films and directors. SO I will be reviewing a few of those next!

I am soooo excited to finally do something I know a LOT about again and can't wait to share the new info with you all.

Keep yourselves on alert as more movie reviews will be coming your way! :)

Movie Review #??: Despicable Me 2

Oh dear.

I haven't been on here for a while now, haven't I?

ooohhhh soooooooo sorry about that.

As soon as I set foot in the "States" again, it was as if I had 90 million planes to catch and I just got back from a family emergency mandated "vacation" only 5 days ago and already I am preparing for another family oriented trip in just a week or so.

Power girls don't stop!

But on the last trip I had with my fam, I went to the movies with some of my nieces! And being as they are quite young, we went to go see "Despicable Me 2."

Minions, rejoice.

ACTING
Well, see, it's a bit of an animated film. So the acting is all computer generated and so are most of the things I would normally critique. But NONETHELESS, I was thoroughly entertained by Steve Carrell's Russian accented voice over technique. Being a Russian accent connoisseur myself, I appreciated the heavily foreign linguistics.  
Total Oscars: 3

SET DESIGN/MAKEUP
As previously mentioned, this was an animated film. So there's not much to go on for this field. Although I do have to admit, I REALLY WANTED TO BE AT THE MEXICAN THEMED BIRTHDAY PARTY! Taco hats are genius! 
Total Oscars: 3

PLOT SUMMARY
Gru (Steve Carrell), has been hired by an anti-villain organization to retrieve a very powerful serum that can destroy the world, which happens to be conveniently located in his local mall. The agency he is working for has located several suspects in the mall that own shops. Gru and his new partner, Agent Whild, have to search the shops and get to know the owners in order to find the special serum.

Sorry if I got the agent's name wrong. It's been 2 weeks since I've seen it. O.o

Hopefully, I'll get more on top of writing reviews for you. Sorry about the long delays! 

Movie Review: Wreck It Ralph

Hola hola!

Sorry I haven't been posting stuff lately! I'm currently in a really intensive language program overseas and I have not had time to watch movies because of all of the homework that I have been doing.

I am sooooo sorry!

But thankfully on the way over here, I was able to watch a movie on the plane, Wreck It Ralph.

It was quite honestly one of the cutest movies I have ever seen in a long time! :)

ACTORS
Well, I can't say much about the acting because it was an animated film. But I guess this means I can talk about the animation! It was really well done. Like REALLY well done. And the voice actors were pretty awesome! I loved Sarah Silverman (shockingly; normally I'm not a fan of her material). Her personality matched her character!
Total Oscars: 3.5

SET/MAKEUP
AGAIN, there wasn't really a set to critique because it was animated, but some of the scenes that had to be animated must have been INTENSE in the editing room! There was this one scene where these giant, vicious bugs were attacking these high tech warriors and it was action packed! I'm sure the animators had a fun time putting in all of the frames for everything. There was also this land completely made out of candy and my inner fat kid was screaming for me to go buy a Hershey's bar after watching it.
Total Oscars: 4

STORY LINE
Ralph is this giant character in a video game called "Fix It, Felix." He's the antagonist of the video game and is always smashing the building that Felix, the handyman, has to fix. His video game is one of the most popular in the arcade, but one day Ralph gets tired of being the villain. He just wants to hang out with Felix and his neighbors because they get to do cool stuff. He hears about this medal that will deem him a hero and travels through various video games trying to get the medal, but ends up messing up the story lines of other games along the way. He also makes a friend in Vanellope, a "glitch" in a candy cart racing game and tries to make her biggest dream come true, but there are a lot of issues that come with trying to help a glitch and has to decide if his friendship is worth more than the medal.
Total Oscars: 4

Oscar Sum: 11.5

It really is a cute movie and I encourage you to watch it whenever you have some free time and just want something fresh and light humored to watch! :)