Big Hero 6

TAKE 1: One Man’s Opinion

…because film is largely subjective

by Frederick William Springer III

Big Hero 6 in 3D

Release Date:  7 November 2015                                                        Runtime:  102 Minutes              

Review Date:  24 February 2015                                                         Rating:  5 (of 6)

     I went into Big Hero 6 pretty blind, only having seen the dopey looking marshmallow airbag (Baymax, pictured on the poster above) in a short trailer, not exactly leaving me with high expectations.  However, I was very pleasantly surprised by a solid story and entertaining characters.

     One thing that did stick out to me was that the content really seemed geared more towards tweens and young teens rather than the younger set Disney usually targets.

     Other than a very generic bad guy, who's movements reminded me of Pitch from Rise of the Guardians at times, there's not a lot I can fault (other than, maybe, making my namesake an equally generic surfer/valley type!).  FYI: If you're one of those knuckle-heads that doesn't watch the ENTIRE movie, you're going to miss an additional scene after the credits.

     Fortunately, I had the pleasure of seeing Big Hero 6 in 3D in the theater the day it was released on home video.  When I got home and looked it up online to see about possibly purchasing it in the future, I was dismayed* to see Disney didn't release the Blu-ray in 3D.

     (Which leads me to a side rant on how Disney likes screwing around with its consumers.  If you already produced the film in 3D for theatrical release, does it really cost you any extra money to release it that way that for home consumption?  Frozen, the highest grossing animated film of all time, has still yet to be released in 3D in the United States, though it came to home video nearly a year ago.  Yet, in other world markets, the 3D version is available.  Why?  When Oz the Great and Powerful was released to home video, they sold the 3D version separately which was--and still is--unheard of, every other 3D film released previously from Disney and all other studios normally including the regular version as well.  And let's not even get into all the games they play re-releasing their old films with changed lyrics, cut scenes or digitally altered characters and scenery.  I think Disney started George Lucasing their films long before Lucas himself became notorious for doing so...)

     *Though, I concede, my outrage is almost purely principal based, nothing too razzle-dazzle about the 3rd dimension presentation here.

 

Kingsman: The Secret Service

TAKE 1: One Man’s Opinion

…because film is largely subjective

by Frederick William Springer III

Kingsman: The Secret Service

Release Date:  13 February 2015                                                   Runtime:  129 Minutes 

Review Date:  21 February 2015                                                    Rating:  5 (of 6)

     I liked the shooting style of Kingsman, the cinematography well done.  The interactive opening credits were cool.  Humor was sometimes over the top but, whereas in other films it would come across as cheesy or corny, here it wasn't offensive.  The only issue with this picture was one set of special effects that just looked ridiculous but, in the vain of the movie, it played into that humor.  All-in-all, I'd call it "whimsical".

     This writer & writer/director team (Jane Goldman & Matthew Vaughn) has a good pedigree, providing us with both Kick-Ass and X-Men: First Class in the past.

 

Black Sea

TAKE 1: One Man’s Opinion

…because film is largely subjective

by Frederick William Springer III

Black Sea

Release Date:  23 January 2015                                                            Runtime:  115 Minutes              

Review Date:  22 January 2015                                                             Rating:  3 (of 6)

     The premise sounded intriguing:  A sunken WWII Nazi submarine filled with gold attracts a recovery mission wherein the crew of profiteers realize that their take will be larger if there are less people to share it with.

     Unfortunately, the story itself wasn't too exciting.  Bland even.  And none of the characters are too compelling.  Writer Dennis Kelly leaves me unimpressed.

     But should you decide to see it yourself, be prepared to listen closely as there are so many different accents going on here that it often can be difficult understanding their English.

Horrible Bosses 2

TAKE 1: One Man’s Opinion

…because film is largely subjective

by Frederick William Springer III

Horrible Bosses 2

Release Date:  26 November 2014                                                      Runtime:  108 Minutes              

Review Date:  13 January 2015                                                           Rating:  5 (of 6)

     If you're looking for an off the wall comedy, Horrible Bosses 2 may satisfy your appetite.  Though it feels like Charlie Day's Dale is only the slightest evolution of his Charlie Kelly in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Jason Bateman's Nick a close facsimile of Michael Bluth in Arrested Development, the story and characters are fun nonetheless.

     (However, I am worried about Jennifer Aniston as her appearance here looks as though something has gone very wrong, whether it be some botched cosmetic work or a bad makeup artist.  I hope it isn't permanent.)

Gone Girl

TAKE 1: One Man’s Opinion

…because film is largely subjective

by Frederick William Springer III

Gone Girl

Release Date:  3 October 2014                                                           Runtime:  149 Minutes              

Review Date:  13 January 2015                                                          Rating:  5 (of 6)

     While I (partially) suspected the truth of the matter, Gone Girl had enough going on to keep you on your toes.  Though I would have personally liked a tidier ending, the story was well written (adapted by Gillian Flynn from her own novel bearing the same name)--the film seamlessly integrating several different perspectives, including those of the suspect, law enforcement and the victim--and well executed by the actors under David Fincher's direction.  All the performances were top-notch, but Rosamund Pike as Amy was especially well done.

Hunger Games: Mocking Jay-Part 1

TAKE 1: One Man’s Opinion

…because film is largely subjective

by Frederick William Springer III

Hunger Games:  Mocking Jay-Part 1

Release Date:  21 November 2014                                                      Runtime:  123 Minutes              

Review Date:  18 December 2014                                                       Rating:  5 (of 6)

      I'm not usually a fan of the corporate greed that leads a company to milk the last novel of a series by making 2 films based on it while every other previous entry is condensed into 1.  It was a complete failure, in my opinion, when done with the Harry Potter series, Part 1 of the Deathly Hallows two and a half hours of completely unnecessary exposition, the important elements capable of being more concise and included in Part 2 for one WHOLE movie. So it was a pleasant discovery to find that Hunger Games: Mockingjay-Part 1 was worthy of its own standalone picture.

     They kept with the same director from the last chapter and, though they hired a new batch of writers for the screenplay, the original author Suzanne Collins did the initial adaptation.  Much to her involvement I'm sure, Mockingjay seems to reasonably follow what happened in the novel.  And while I still would rather watch one supersized movie in one sitting than 2 viewings a year apart, I walked away more than satisfied with the final product.

 

Guardians of the Galaxy

TAKE 1: One Man’s Opinion

…because film is largely subjective

by Frederick William Springer III

 

Guardians of the Galaxy

Release Date:  1 August 2014                                                               Runtime:  121 Minutes              

Review Date:  16 December 2014                                                         Rating:  3 (of 6)

      While those that can't get enough of superhero films may bask in Guardians of the Galaxy, it failed to capture my interest.  Not that it was bad, per say, just didn't interest me in the least.  Which is too bad, because I've loved raccoons since I was a kid...

     On a side note, while I think Zoe Saldana is decent enough looking--she made an attractive Uhura--the green make-up job for Gamora made her pretty unappealing (despite the fact, it's worth noting, that green is my favorite color).  I don't know if it's meant for the whole "beauty is in the inside" sentiment or to convey that not all kick-ass warrior women have something going on in the looks department, but I thought it was a shame.  They could have gone more the route they did for Karen Gillian and her minor character of Nebula who was looking quite hot for an alien.  Just saying.