In no particular order:
CINDERELLA
It just works. Casting was perfect lead by Lily James as Cinderella. When you watch it for the first time or when you get a chance to watch it again just watch her movements, watch her arms, she says so much without saying a word. Richard Madden as a kind prince, not a snotty full of himself prince. Cate Blanchett as the evil stepmother, an over the top Oscar worthy performance.
Throw in a lesson at the end of forgiveness.
Cinderella will be released for home viewing September 15th.
EX MACHINA
It plays out like a stage drama.
It is like nothing you have ever seen before.
A young programming geek Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson) is selected to visit the lab/house of Nathan (Oscar Isaac) an eccentric inventor. While there, Nathan is excited to show off his beautiful AI invention Ava (Alicia Vikander) and have Caleb put her(?) through a series of tests.
Using a wonderful screenplay by director Garland; Rob Hardy's grey/dark fantastic Cinematography; and a haunting constant score by Rupert Coulson which brings a very intense feel throughout the film. The film is 110 minutes and it seemed to fly by.
Throw in fantastic performances by all three leads, mainly highlighted by Isaac.It simmers to a boil, in a film that asks the question: how smart or realistic do we want our electronics/AI?! Who or what is playing who? It would not even work if Vikander wasn't so believable with out saying much.
Ex Machina is playing in a few theaters still it will be released for home viewing July 14th.
JURRASIC WORLD
Do not be fooled. There is a reason this film has taken in so much money. Yes the Dinosaurs are realistic, however you have to believe and want to cheer for the actors and Bryce Howard (Ridiculus in those high heals) and Chris Pratt deliver!!
It is what a summer film should be...fun, scary; mindless; exciting; and BIG!!!
Of course you can still catch it in the theatres. It will be interesting to see how well it transfers to a smaller screen for home release.
INSIDE OUT
Who would of thought an animated film that adults and teens kind of relate to more than the little ones. In fact when I watched a second viewing a young girl was crying and her mother took her out, she may have been too young to understand the concept of the film, that sadness and tears are important and memories fade...but more fun memories are waiting.
Therapist all over the country are applauding a film that teaches sadness and joy can be together and it is healthy for them to go hand in hand. I read one interesting article by a therapist that was noting that parents are so busy protecting their children from sadness it may hurt them because they need the lesson of working through sadness and talking about sadness to find joy. So in that light the film teaches this also.
A great comeback for PIXAR after some missteps, a slow climb to number one after 3-4 weeks out; which shows great word of mouth and people going back to watch it again.
In my review of Inside Out I did not mention a particular scene in the film. Just a beautiful scene, and maybe my favorite, when Riley is dreaming, and Joy is watching over her. Riley is dreaming about skating and Joy watches and skates along with her. The colors and beauty and love in that scene tells you that this is a classic PIXAR film.
Again, the number one film in America this week, so you can catch it......save money on 3D...3D fades out the wonderful PIXAR colors. Bring tissues.
ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL
High schooler Greg (Thomas Mann), who spends most of his time making parodies of classic movies with his co-worker Earl (RJ Kyler), finds his life forever altered after befriending a classmate Rachel (Olivia Cooke) who has just been diagnosed with cancer.
The film is based on a very popular book which I did not get a chance to read, so I am glad I went in without that much knowledge of what lies ahead.
The script is terrific by Jesse Andrews. Casting is spot on: RJ Kyler in his first film. Thomas Mann is so dry/and uncomfortable as Greg. But then there is Olivia Cooke as Rachel. She is incredible without over playing the part, she is so soft and quiet in this role. When her character smiles the screen lights up. My only fault with the film is she is not in the film as much as I hoped and I could have watched her and Greg stay in her room and just talk and watch movies. Their chemistry is that good.
I originally gave it 4 1/2 out of 5 stars. I watched it again and I started finding some small faults...now maybe 4 out of 5....still go see it if it is playing near you...a wonderful movie about a girl excepting death and a boy who is forced to attach to someone. The film is still out in theatres. Bring tissues.
Well from the shadows, there are my top five so far. Later on in the week I will be giving out some half of the year shadow awards so don't forget to check back in!!
Thanks for your time.
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