DerekShooster

Whiplash 9:45PM Thursday, December 4th The Coolidge Theater Theater Capacity: 12 (yes, twelve)... (sold out, although there was an empty seat in front of me, so officially 91.7% full... a bunch of students/couples in their mid 20's made up the audience, some of us struck up a conversation before pic started about other pics this season... it's been a great fall season so far) Ticket Price: $7.25 Concessions: PB&Chocolate cookie, coffee, $6.50 TRAILERS: The Imitation Game - same trailer I've seen, but it works and looks good. No reaction. THE FILM: Speechless. [okay, not speechless] My jaw actually hurts from the multiple reactions it made as I watched Whiplash, with the most affecting movements coming from jaw-dropping scenes one least expects to come from a film about music school. But there you have it: against all odds a story about a music student (Miles Teller) striving for greatness and his ruthless, unforgiving, Machiavellian instructor (J.K. Simmons) might be the most powerful display I witnessed in theaters this year. Don't get me wrong--I'm still giddy and defensive about the awesomeness that is Interstellar. It's just in a year that brought us a spaceship entering a black hole, soldiers performing a HALO jump into San Francisco, Spider-Man slinging a web down the chute of a clock tower, and Optimus Prime wielding an excalibur atop the back of a prehistoric dinobot, I think the most intense movie scene I witnessed all year was a teenage drummer and his instructor performing in on a stage in front of an audience. J.K. Simmons has always been a welcome, complementary feature in the films he's worked on (especially for Jason Reitman). The veracity, shamelessness, and method with which Simmons performs here, however, is unprecedented. The only performances I would dare to compare this to are Meryl Streep's 'Miranda Priestly' in The Devil Wears Prada and R. Lee Ermey's 'Gunnery Sergeant Hartman' in Full Metal Jacket, but even these may be a disservice to how special it is. Miles Teller, on the other hand, makes a message very clear with this role: I'm a star and I'm here to stay. While other actors around his age like Robert Pattinson and Zac Efron have made a concerted effort to take on more serious film roles and get more respect from their peers, Miles Teller has actually succeeded in proving his abilities here with an award-worthy performance that aspiring artists will refer to for inspiration generations from now. As an admitted jazz ignoramus, I was in love with the music here. The direction was exceptional. The story managed to be unpredictable and incredibly satiating. The audience engagement during this screening was awesome: there were clearly at least two drummers in the crowd because they were tapping along to the tempo of the pic as the two stars repeat it over and over (and over) again. Nothing but smiling faces, great reactions, and a lot of "Wows" or "Whoas" from the crowd when the movie ended. Just such a special picture. Experience - 30/30 Story/Writing - 20/20 Acting - 15/15 Tech Specs (Editing, Effects, Cinematography) - 14/15 Directing - 10/10 Music - 10/10 THE VERDICT: 99/100, A+; a nearly flawless picture (***And for the record, I know it seems I tend to LOVE the pictures I crowd report on. But I've actually seen 7 other pictures in the last month, most of which underwhelmed me, and I realize lately I've really only felt compelled to write crowd reports when I felt this good about a picture after watching it. With that said, I hope to be more active in writing crowd reports moving forward. I enjoy writing them as long as people enjoy reading them) Likes, comments, shares, and feedback are always welcome. Thank you!

Hello, Boys! I'm Baa-aack!!! Interstellar - IMAX (***and SPOILER FREE***) 8:00PM Thursday, November 6th Jordan's Furniture IMAX Reading Theater Capacity: 500 (100% full; crowd was mainly adults 20's and older, probably a 3:1 male to female ratio... typical Nolan crowd) Ticket Price: $11.50 Concessions: n/a TRAILERS: n/a THE FILM: After a three-month drought of writing a crowd report, I felt compelled to share with the world how amazing this movie is. Like me, a lot of people have been reading mixed reviews about Interstellar, which has a noticeably lower Rotten Tomato score than any other Christopher Nolan picture from the last six years (***but still certified fresh!). Please, everyone, do yourselves a favor: stop reading the reviews and GO SEE INTERSTELLAR. Interstellar is the movie everyone's going to be talking about through the holidays. Like Inception, this conjures up the thoughts and ideas that really stick with you for a very, very long time. The cavalcade of talent, intellect, and awe Interstellar features is mesmerizing. Changing it up a bit, I think Hans Zimmer's score on this film is perfection. The intensity this music exudes fits excellently with the weight of the subjects this story explores. And the experience the whole theater enjoyed when those intense scenes were taking place--that sensation of our seats vibrating like crazy from the sound as if we were along for the ride--that experience will never be replicable on your home television. Seriously, GO SEE INTERSTELLAR! The cast was very smartly selected. Obviously the names given top-billing (McConaughey, Hathaway) put up terrific performances. But as the plot thickens and we meet everybody, my jaw literally dropped on a couple occasions from sheer geekdom recognizing who was playing what, why I recognized them, and why their performances elevated the film that much more. American Beauty, Requiem For A Dream, Silence of the Lambs, Cloud Atlas, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Good Will Hunting, Zero Dark Thirty... it's like Interstellar was the sum of pieces from so many of my favorite movies. Again, GET OFF YOUR BUTTS AND GO WATCH INTERSTELLAR!!! I'm going to need to watch Interstellar at least a couple more times before I can decide where it ranks on the scale of Christopher Nolan movies, but I can definitely confirm this is his most ambitious project yet. The whole production team puts a lot of faith in the audience--A LOT--to keep up with the science as it's explained through the picture (both narratively and visually). Amazingly, Interstellar was light enough in all the right places story-wise, including some great comedy--an unexpected but welcome move from team Nolan. At a nearly 3-hour running time, this is definitely a movie you want to make sure you're prepared to sit through. A group of friends and I went to see this together, and I don't think any of us got up for a bathroom break. In fact, after the movie (applauses and all), the line for the bathroom was especially long and had people commenting to each other, "There was no way I could get up during that movie. Totally worth holding for the last hour!" (haha) I don't want to sound preachy anymore. I'm clearly a fan of everything Christopher Nolan directs. And I'm actually going to get of my butt now and probably buy another IMAX ticket to see this as soon as possible. Experience - 30/30 Story/Writing - 19/20 Acting - 15/15 Tech Specs (Editing, Effects, Cinematography) - 15/15 Directing - 10/10 Music - 10/10 THE VERDICT: 99/100, A+ Comments, Likes, Shares, and Feedback are always appreciated. Thanks!

It has been a while... I've seen a lot this summer, but been busy. Anyway, enjoy: Snowpiercer 7:00PM Wednesday, July 23rd Coolidge Theater Theater Capacity: 440 (15% full... honestly, not a bad turnout for a Wednesday evening in summer. Mixed audience, not especially older) Ticket Price: $11.00 Concessions: n/a TRAILERS: A Most Wanted Man - great cast, but kind of long, uninteresting trailer. Weak reaction. Calvary - looks like a great dark comedy... either that, or I completely misread the trailer. Okay crowd reaction THE FILM: Tonight was one of those increasingly rare instances where I went to see this movie with almost no knowledge of who the stars were, what it was about, and what the critics thought. I just assumed it must be good because The Coolidge theater was playing it and because at least a couple friends had encouraged me to watch. As it turned out, Snowpiercer is one of the most interesting and thought-provoking films I've seen all year. For a story as confined to its surroundings as this one is--completely taking place on a train circumnavigating the globe--Snowpiercer is surprisingly broad in its ideas and boundless in its creativity. Chris Evans stars as the methodical steerage passenger aboard the back of the titular snow-piercing train in a post-apocalyptic Earth covered in snow and ice. It's hard to compare with his performance in this year's Captain America: The Winter Soldier, but based on these two roles I think Chris Evans has mastered both the physical prowess and emotional stability that make for a worthy movie hero. Although he's the central character and has no shortage of memorable supporting stars, it is Tilda Swinton who stole each of her moments on-screen and really impressed considering how uncharacteristic the role was (who knew she could be so funny?!). Considering Snowpiercer was more or less an independent film (I think), I was very satisfied with the special effects employed to believably create the world on this train and the frozen world around it. A long list of unforgettable shots and stunning set designs are outweighed only by the sociologically compelling story the film explores. I've since spoken to a few people about the film: one person compared it to The Hunger Games; and another compared it to The Fifth Element. All things considered, I actually think the Fifth Element comparison is pretty spot-on, even though the subjects are so otherwise different, and this film is arguably further evolved. I really enjoyed this, as did the person I watched with. There wasn't applause or anything when the film ended, but it's hardly the kind of movie you'd expect applause from at the end either. I certainly hope more people watch this than the box office so far would indicate. It's one of the only interesting movies playing in theaters right now. Experience - 29/30 Story/Writing - 20/20 Acting - 14/15 (I wouldn't be surprised if Tilda Swinton gets awards buzz for this) Tech Specs (Editing, Effects, Cinematography) - 13/15 Directing - 10/10 Music - 9/10 THE VERDICT: 95/100, A+ Comments, likes, shares, and feedback are always appreciated. Thank you!

Edge of Tomorrow in IMAX-3D 8:00PM Thursday, June 5th Jordan's Furniture IMAX Natick Theater Capacity: 250 (50% full; heavily male-leaning audience of all ages) Ticket Price: $14.25 Concessions: n/a TRAILERS: Interstellar - Wow. On the proper IMAX screen, this feels amazing! Complete silence across audience. Guardians of the Galaxy - some laughter throughout trailer, looks beautiful in IMAX 3D; silence at end, though. Transformers: Age of Extinction - new trailer, and these keep getting better and better. Seriously, though, in this theater you feel everything you hear, and this trailer alone was worth the experience of going to the theater tonight. I've got high hopes for Transformers 4. THE FILM: Edge of Tomorrow was FREAKING INCREDIBLE!!! I don't just mean good for a Tom Cruise film or great as far as action movies go. I mean District 9, high octane, freaking genius INCREDIBLE! Every single critic has outlined the Groundhog Day tactic this movie employs, which in essence is our protagonist reliving the same day over, and over, and over again. What they're not bold enough to admit is that Edge of Tomorrow does it better... much better. Usually I reserve the second paragraph of my crowd reports to discuss how the acting and/or effects were on screen, and although those features in this movie were excellent, I cannot stop gushing about how fantastic this story was. From beginning to end, Edge of Tomorrow moves at a breakneck, action-packed pace while simultaneously unfolding a complex idea, and adds so much legitimacy and purpose to the narrative that within no time you're literally sitting on the edge of your seat cheering on the characters to win their war. It echoes WWII films in a way no contemporary war film has succeeded to; it employs elements from the monomyth (AKA The Hero's Journey) so subtly most would never think to make the positive connection; and the understated love story somehow remains ever-present, which is baffling because Emily Blunt's character's memory of Tom Cruise's character is wiped clean every time they interact with each other. The score was awesome. The 3D effects in IMAX were incredibly immersive. The humor was unexpected, surprising, and clever. The annoyances one would expect from the repetition in the story just aren't there... this is no Source Code (***I see now the flaws in that film). I love that this film has its Ned Ryerson character in Bill Paxton... perfect casting! The direction ruled! The crowd liked it, said positive things at the end. A couple people clapped. I've gone to the movies 20 times so far this year and this was probably my favorite film I've seen. So watch it! Experience - 29/30 Story/Writing - 20/20 Acting - 14/15 Tech Specs (Editing, Effects, Cinematography) - 15/15 Direction - 10/10 Music - 10/10 THE VERDICT: 98/100, A+ Comments, Likes, Shares, and Feedback are always appreciated. Thank you! :-)

Godzilla in Lie-MAX 3D 10:00PM Thursday, May 15th AMC Asssembly Row 12 Theater Capacity: 250 (70% full; very mixed crowd, but no children) Ticket Price: $8.50 (+ $10 in Stubs rewards) Concessiosn: kid size white cherry ICEE, $2.25 TRAILERS: X-Men: Days of Future Past - can't wait, looks great... weak reaction, though. ????? Transformers: Age of Extinction - looks great in IMAX, sick trailer and great reaction; lots of talking Jupiter Ascending - looks awful, but got some talking "Please put on your 3D glasses." {WHAT? Where's the Interstellar trailer?! Surely Chris Nolan wouldn't let the marketing for his film be screened in 3D. Aww, shucks!} Maleficent - looks like Snow White & the Huntsman or Robin Hood with Russell Crowe... not very interested, but got some talking and a great reaction from the two women sitting next to me. "Please take off your 3D Glasses." {WAIT! SERIOUSLY?!?! They must be showing the Interstellar trailer in IMAX <cough... Lie-MAX... cough> after all!} Edge of Tomorrow, an IMAX exclusive - looks cool in IMAX and certainly does more to make the story appealing. Lots of talking from the crowd, too... good reaction. "Please put on your 3D glasses." {F*CK! F*CK! F*CK! ARE YOU KIDDING ME, AMC?!?! WHY DO YOU TEASE US?!?!?! HALF THE REASON I WENT TO SEE GODZILLA TONIGHT WAS FOR THIS ALLEGED INTERSTELLAR TRAILER!!! GAAAAWWWWW!!!!!!!!} THE FILM: Firstly, it's worth noting that the usual "IMAX 3D" countdown before the pic started was modified for this picture, including some giant thumps throwing off the countdown a bit and a giant Godzilla roar before it ended... very, very cool, and the first time I'd ever seen something like this. After quite the marketing campaign and some very favorable critics' reviews, I got to say that my feelings about Godzilla are mixed. Overall, I guess the movie was good. There were some fantastic shots that were both poignant and illustrative of the gravity of the situation. However, there were some really freaking annoying shots and circumstantial disparities that annoyed the sh*t out of me and left me frowning angrily at the screen. (For example, if there's a torrential downpour and a monster wreaking havoc on downtown San Francisco, it makes no freaking sense that it'd be sunny and 90's in Oakland just 3 miles across the bay. I'm sorry, but come on!) The cast was great considering what they had to work with. I guess considering the good work we've seen from this film's stars you'd expect more from them working together, but there just wasn't any chemistry among any of these characters... except maybe Aaron Johnson and Bryan Cranston. The visual effects in this film are very praiseworthy. Despite the fast cuts between shots in the film, the grandiose presentation of each site of destruction more than overcompensates for these short comings. Again, though, with the annoying shots... there a couple continuity errors abound (almost all of them in the San Francisco scenes) that I found incredibly frustrating. I'd go into it more, but frankly don't want to spoil this for anyone. As far as creature features and disaster films go, I do salute director Gareth Edwards for making the best film of this ilk since Independence Day and Jurassic Park, at least of what I've seen. Again, it wasn't without it's flaws, but it works overall with a pretty great story at its core and even a few surprises/twists to keep things interesting. I'd recommend going to watch it--the crowd seemed to really dig it based on some claps and lots of talking when it ended. Experience - 20/30 (some jerk next to me kept checking his text messages on full brightness throughout the pic... only major drawback besides Interstellar trailer noticeably being omitted) Story/Writing - 15/20 (this would've been higher if those darn annoying errors weren't there in writing) Acting - 12/15 Tech Specs (Editing, Effects, Cinematography) - 14/15 Directing - 8/10 Music - 10/10 (perfectly fitting score... thank goodness they got this and the sound right) THE VERDICT: 79/100, B Comments, likes, shares, and feedback are always welcome. Thank you. :-)

YOU GOT AN INTERSTELLAR TRAILER?!?!?!

Neighbors 9:00PM Friday, May 9th AMC Assembly Row 12 (***this theater is brand new and rules!) Theater Capacity: 124 (95+% full; about 2/3 guys in their 20's/30's, typical fratpack audience) Ticket Price: $12.50 Concessions: n/a TRAILERS: The Purge: Anarchy - cool concept, broader-appealing sequel it looks like Tammy - funny trailer, lots of talking 22 Jump Street - best reaction, awesome trailer Chef - great cast, okay idea; some talking from crowd Obvious Child - quirky romcom, weak reaction from crowd. A Million Ways to Die in the West - excellent reaction from crowd, looks like a lot of fun Let's Be Cops - trailer ran too long... I'm worried we saw too many of the jokes, but there were many heavy laughs THE FILM: Neighbors was about as funny as I'd hoped it would be. I've liked Seth Rogen's and Zac Efron's work for different reasons, and thought it worked really well here for these two (and supporters) to be juxtaposed against each other. Although not every joke won over the entire audience, the majority of them hit it out of the park. There were even a handful of quick, witty, offensive lines that left my friend and me laughing really hard (especially a line about happily married parents). The main thing that bugged me about this was that a couple shots from the trailers apparently didn't make it into the final cut. Overall, everything works. I just feel like the movie could've used that slightly extra push to make us really feel the tension between these two homes. The comedic chemistry between our two main pairings was pretty great too--Seth Rogen & Rose Byrne, as well as Zac Efron and Dave Franco. McLovin's screen time is brief but legendary, and the token black fraternity member Jerrod Carmichael actually steals the show in all of his scenes. Cameos galore also make the film worth it. I wouldn't go so far as to say Neighbors is one of the funniest films I've seen in a long time, but I'm also not the greatest gauge of comedic lasting power. For instance, I remember seeing The Hangover, Bridesmaids, and Tropic Thunder and thinking they were only kinda funny, but had no idea what big hits they'd become and how they'd resonate with wider audiences (***I did see a following coming after Ted, though). As far as R-rated comedies go, this one's funny enough and worth going to enjoy with friends at the theater. Experience - 28/30 Story/Writing - 16/20 Acting - 12/15 Tech Specs (Editing, Effects, Cinematography) - 8/15 Directing - 7/10 Music - 6/10 THE VERDICT: 77/100, B Comments, likes, shares, and feedback are always welcome. Thank you! :-)

I appreciated the playful interaction between the story, music, and score. For example, the scene where Electro is bouncing between power towers at the hydroplant, the sounds become the beat of "The Itsy Bitsy Spider". I thought that was clever and funny, although I'm not sure everybody in the theater caught it. And if I remember correctly, the score merged from that beat into the theme throughout the movie really well--almost like when Hans Zimmer merged content from the dreams to the overarching score in Inception​. Also, director Marc Webb has his roots in directing music videos, and from this and his other films it's clear he has a gift for pairing sounds with the content on screen. One of Zimmer's best scores? No. But as a whole? I thought the music overall worked really well.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 in Lie-MAX 3D 7:00PM Thursday, May 1st AMC Boston Common 19 & Lie-MAX Theater Capacity: 654 (80% full; very diverse crowd made up of teens, 20- and 30-somethings, and families... more male-leaning than female leaning crowd) Ticket Price: $18.75 Concessions: n/a TRAILERS: The Expendables 2 - pointless teaser, no reaction from crowd X-Men: Days of Futures Past - A more refined trailer that clearly outlines the story--this just looks better and better with every new piece of footage I see on screen. Loads of talking from crowd and great reaction. 22 Jump Street - very funny trailer, got a great reaction (the best reaction) and lots of talking Annie - some talking; the trailer was okay but not as good as the first Annie teaser Transformers: Age of Extinction - this looks stunning in IMAX... I may've said it before, but it was worth repeating. Awesome trailer and good reaction Godzilla - there was lots of whispering and even a couple laughs from girls throughout the theater... I guess it's silly to some people that there's yet another Godzilla film. Guardians of the Galaxy - a balsy trailer that always leaves a smile on my face and others'. Lots of talking from crowd, solid reaction. THE FILM: I'm trying to wrap my head around why so many movie critics are split on this film (Rotten Tomatoes score of 56% at time of writing). The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is a great movie. In terms of acting quality, I think TASM2 featured the best ensemble performance of any superhero film I've watched since The Dark Knight... and maybe even better than that. Call me a feminist, but I think the writing and acting from female characters in this film (principally Emma Stone and Sally Field) was better than in any superhero films I can remember from the last 15 years. Andrew Garfield is far more fun, athletic, and at ease in the role of Peter Parker and Spider-Man than Tobey Maguire ever was. And although the character has always been a bit more family friendly and light-hearted than some other superheroes, I feel like this Spider-Man comes off as a great role model for young children and adults. Similarly, I believed the performance from Emma Stone and the choices her character mades are exemplary and make a real statement. Dane DeHaan and Jamie Foxx play their emotionally neglected villains spot-on, and Sally Field's Aunt May adds so much humanity to the story. At first I wasn't sure what to think about the music... there are a number of scenes where schmaltzy, sad piano music is playing like they want you to cry or be sad... but then overall there are so many cool and experimental uses of sound integrated between the mood the film's aiming to establish and the situations unraveling on screen. I found myself nodding my head on so many occasions thinking, "Wow! I LOVE what they did with the sounds/music there!" The overall narrative doesn't exactly break new ground--it's generally your run-of-the-mill hero's arc. However, the effort everyone else puts into their work--editors, cinematographers, sound mixers, make-up, director, ACTORS (great on-screen dynamic between Stone & Garfield)--their work is commendable. There was a very loud applause from our crowd when the movie was over and lots of good thoughts shared by people while we waited during the credits... (FYI, there is a teaser during the credits about 3 minutes into it... it may not be what you're expecting, but certainly worth staying for). TASM2 is a very fun night to the movies with laughter, suspense, drama, and action. Go check it out! Experience - 28/30 Story/Writing - 13/20 Acting - 15/15 Tech Specs (Editing, Effects, Cinematography) - 14/15 Director - 9/10 Music - 10/10 THE VERDICT: 89/100, A Comments, likes, shares, and feedback are always appreciated. Thank you. :-)

Transcendence in Lie-MAX 8:00PM Thursday, April 17th AMC Boston Common 19 & Lie-MAX Theater Capacity: 654 (9% full, like about 60 people... I wasn't expecting the rotten tomato score to impact the turnout this badly... this should have been at least a half full crowd. There was a surprisingly large ratio of Asians in the crowd) Ticket Price: $14.75 Concessions: n/a TRAILERS: Expendables III - meh teaser, got some talking Transformers: Age of Extinction - I LOVE this trailer, and it looks fantastic in Lie-MAX too. Either the editor of this trailer deserves a medal for doing the unimaginable or Michael Bay very well may have actually made a good Transformers film... I'll have to see this when it comes out. Guardians of the Galaxy - another excellent trailer, although I'm curious to see if this marketing campaign backfires or proves to be a stroke of genius. Silent reaction from crowd. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 - this was the first good trailer I've seen for the new Spider-Man, and translated to a great reaction from the crowd. A couple people behind me said it actually looks better than the others... maybe they're right. Godzilla - again, a fantastic trailer, but it only drew whispers from the crowd Edge of Tomorrow - I'm very intrigued by the concept of this picture, but weary of how it'll be executed as an action film. No reaction. THE FILM: I vow to put as much effort in describing this film as director Wally Pfister did in every aspect of this film not related to cinematography. Experience - 12/30 (there were 3 a**holes in the audience texting during the film with their phones on full brightness... I don't care how bad the picture is, that's a dick move!) Story/Writing - 10/20 (part garbage, part brilliant) Acting - 10/15 (Rebecca Hall rocks, but everyone else's talents--or lack thereof--were wasted) Tech Specs (Editing, Effects, Cinematography) - 10/15 (great effects and cinematography, but awful editing) Directing - 2/10 Music - 6/10 THE VERDICT: 50/100, D (That's "D" as in "Don't waste your time or money on this movie") Comments, likes, shares, and feedback are always appreciated. Thank you. :-)

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (3D) 8:00PM Thursday, April 3rd Regal Fenway 13 & RPX Theater Capacity: 225 (30% full; mainly college students and couples in their 20's) Ticket Price: $18*** (***I went to a marathon showing of Captain America at 5:30PM and Captain America: The Winter Soldier--both in 3D--with the joint ticket at $18) Concessions: medium popcorn and medium soda, $5 (great deal with the marathon showing ticket) TRAILERS: Godzilla - impressive trailer, lots of talking/good reaction The Amazing Spider-Man 2 - looks good, but I hope they're not spilling too much about this thing before it comes out Guardians of the Galaxy - funny trailer, and definitely scores points for originality (Chris Pratt's on fire right now, huh?) X-Men: Days of Future Past - these trailers get better and better... definitely top of my "most excited for" list this summer. Great reaction. Maleficent - CGI-heavy film, I wonder if it'll pay dividends or go the way of Lone Ranger. Tepid reaction. THE FILM: I'm so glad I decided to re-watch Captain America right before watching The Winter Soldier because I was really able to appreciate the wit and finesse Marvel Studios screenwriters executed beautifully to further this story. Captain America: The Winter Soldier simultaneously knits together loose ends from the first film & The Avengers, and also plants countless seeds (via easter eggs) that shall complicate, enrich, and deepen the Marvel universe even further. And all the while, I feel like this film more than any of the others has gone to thoughtful lengths to synchronize its story with the very timely debates the United States is grappling about privacy and freedom. Chris Evans is an admirable Captain America, taking on the character's personal challenges with sincerity and exhibiting the physical prowess that will cause many a man to reassess their life choices. Scar- Joh- fits very comfortably as Black Widow (more so than in the other Marvel films) and Samuel L. Jackson does a great job adding depth to Nick Fury as well (**BTW, SLJ fans should watch VERY closely for a homage to one of his more popular film roles late in this film). The rest of the supporting cast was on par with other Marvel films, and Anthony Mackie's debut as the Falcon is pretty cool. The smorgasbord of special effects and fast-paced action sequences never mute the high stakes purpose of the battles Captain America & Co. are fighting. About a dozen reviews I read called The Winter Soldier's direction sharp, and I agree with them. I actually really enjoyed the score for this one, certainly noticing it a bit more than the scores for the Thor & Iron Man films, and I think the rewatchability quotient for this film is very high as well. Here's hoping you all go enjoy Captain America: The Winter Soldier and that it makes a killing at the box office... it deserves it. Experience - 25/30 Story/Writing - 20/20 Acting - 14/15 Tech Specs (Editing, Effects, Cinematography) - 15/15 Directing - 8/10 Music - 10/10 THE VERDICT: 92/100, A Comments, Likes, Shares, and Feedback are always welcome. Thank you! :-)

The Lego Movie 11:25AM Friday, February 7th AMC Boston Common 19 & Lie-MAX Theater Capacity: 300 (10% full; almost entirely families with young children) Ticket Price: $7.00 (Still cannot believe how much cheaper early morning shows are) Concessions: N/A TRAILERS: (*side observation - every time a new trailer would start, the same group of kids in the theater would say, "The movie's starting!", quickly followed by, "NO! That's another preview." It was kind of adorable.) The Boxtrolls - great little featurette about how the stop motion movie is made; some whispers from the kids watching. Muppets Most Wanted - lots of talking and laughing; best reaction from kids. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 - great trailer, lots of talking, and the kids like it a lot too. I can't wait for it. Mr. Peabody and Sherman - funny trailer... very loud laughs at the quick "Ooh La La!" line. Island of Lemurs: Madagascar - shot in IMAX and looks very stunning. No reaction from crowd. THE FILM: "Everything is awesome!" These three titular lyrics of The Lego Movie's signature song very accurately summarize the movie best. The imaginative-yet-familiar Lego universe projected on screen is such a feast for the senses, it feels like a mash-up of the Toy Story and Wreck-It-Ralph universes... in LEGO! But the line delivery and overall screenplay are real treats as well for people of all ages and genders. The A+ voice cast did spot on work for each of their characters, especially Will Arnet as Batman and Elizabeth Banks as Wyldstyle. Some of the jokes alluding to big industry aimed for the older viewers (Lord/President Business, moments of B-rated stop motion/puppetry) left a few others and I belly laughing in the theater. But so much of the humor was non-crude slapstick and situationally awkward, everyone in the theater really identified with it. Also, whomever came up with the names for one of the Lego lands based on Middle Earth deserves a medal. The music was very catchy and changed expectedly for multiple Lego realms/worlds that the characters ended up in, but I guess I would've liked it more if there was better cohesion there. The direction was spot on. All things considered, the graphics were phenomenal. And the screenplay is a slam dunk. Everyone in our theater loved this movie, and by the sound of it every child and adult walking out of that film wants to play with Lego bricks immediately. If you enjoyed Toy Story (1-3), Wreck-It Ralph, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, and have watched any major, big budget blockbusters in the last 20 years, you will fall in love with The Lego Movie. Experience - 27/30 Story/Writing - 19/20 Voice Acting - 15/15 Tech Specs (Editing, Effects, Cinematography) - 15/15 Directing - 10/10 Music - 8/10 THE VERDICT: 94/100, A Comments, Likes, and Feedback are always appreciated. Thank you! :-)

Off topic, but I watched Disney's Hercules and The Artist this afternoon.

That Awkward Moment 3:45PM Friday, January 31st AMC Boston Common 19 & Lie-MAX Theater Capacity: ~250 (25% full, everyone looked to be in their 20's and crowd was a bit female-leaning... no surprise for this genre of film, though) Ticket Price: $10.75 Concessions: Powerade, $4.25 TRAILERS: See No Evil - pretty scary trailer, good reaction Veronica Mars - never watched the show, but the trailer was funny and got a good reaction Neighbors - awesome trailer, lots of talking, and great audience reaction About Last Night - looks okay I guess, got some giggles from the ladies A Haunted House 2 - very funny trailer and great reaction, lots of laughs The Other Women - more giggling, looks interesting Bad Words - YES! JASON BATEMAN!!! SO FUNNY!!! THE FILM: Whomever wrote this movie should be banned from writing screenplays ever again. That Awkward Moment was such cheesy, predictable garbage story-wise that I'm left wondering why the talented young actors in it agreed to participate in the first place. The movie was funny in doses and dramatic in others, but so much of it feels disconnected and improbable. I really do believe Zac Efron, Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan, Imogen Potts, and Mackenzie Davis are talented actors and have believable chemistry with each other on screen. I just cannot get past the garbage scenarios they had to work around. When awkward moments were played for comic effect, they worked brilliantly. But any time there was an awkward moment that was sad, dramatic, or just plain wrong, you could actually hear audience members commenting disapprovingly in the theater (*actually, there was this moment when two people "break up" in the film that a guy in our audience shouted, "NO!" like Carl Fredricksen in the first couple minutes of Up... that was funny!). The film's music is great--it has some sort of 1980's, John Hughes vibe which I really dig. And based on my own personal experiences in New York City, I liked that they shot seemingly everything on location and actually show the city for how it is--not how some movies make it out to falsely be. But overall, the pic ended with me giving a big thumbs down to the screen. It works 50% of the time as a comedy--that might be enough for some people, but it wasn't enough for me. Experience - 25/30 Story/Writing - 4/20 Acting - 13/15 Tech Specs (Editing, Effects, Cinematography) - 11/15 Directing - 5/10 Music - 9/10 THE VERDICT: 67/100, C Comments, Likes, and Feedback are always appreciated. Thank you. :-)

- Tron Legacy is fantastic, especially after multiple viewings. - Ellen Burstyn should've won Best Actress for Requiem for a Dream over Julia Roberts in Erin Brockvich. - Cameron Diaz is hot. - Cloud Atlas was the best film of 2012. - Zac Efron is a promising, talented actor. - Claire Danes is overrated. - Christian Bale in Empire of the Sun should've been nominated & won Best Actor at the 1987 Academy Awards over Michael Douglas in Wall Street... he should've been nominated and won for countless other roles over the years. - Cars 2 is a good movie. - The Breakfast Club is overrated. - The MPAA ratings system is nonsense; parents should be able to teach their children what is appropriate and inappropriate.

Thought I'd share this here: "The Boston Common AMC Loews Theater was evacuated at 4:30 p.m. when a pipe burst, according to AMC spokesman Ryan Noonan. The theater is temporarily closed and it is unclear if it will be reopened tonight, Noonan said." The rest of the story about bursting pipes around Boston can be found here. I know this is just 1 multiplex, but it's one of the highest grossing ones in the country. If these record-breaking cold temperatures continue wreaking havoc throughout the weekend, I think they'll have a noticeable dent on the weekend box office.

I actually did this earlier today for my Facebook friends (I share my crowd reports with them and they always ask for a year-end list). This year I saw 60 new films in theaters. My top 16 were A- or better in my book: 1 - The Way Way Back2 - 12 Years a Slave3 - The Wolf of Wall Street4 - Gravity IMAX 3D5 - Mud6 - American Hustle7 - Blue Jasmine8 - Frozen9 - The Hunger Games' Catching Fire10 - Side Effects11 - The Iceman12 - Much Ado About Nothing13 - Despicable Me 214 - Oblivion IMAX15 - Don Jon16 - The Place Beyond the Pines

I believe the added song was "Human Again". Fits in very nicely.

Her 7:05PM Thursday, December 26th AMC Boston Common 19 & Lie-MAX Theater Capacity: 194 (65% full; audience was pretty diverse, and I was very excited to spot two friends of mine in the row behind me before the movie started) Ticket Price: $12.50 Concessions: n/a TRAILERS: Lone Survivor - this featurette is way too long, got no reaction August: Osage Country - great cast, but misleading trailer (they make this look like The Family Stone, but every review I've read says it's way more unpleasant); no reaction Endless Love - "Boo." This trailer got a lot of talking and pity laughs from the crowd The Other Woman - I thought this looked good when I saw the trailer last week, and my friend finally pointed out why. "It's John Tucker Must Die 20 years later." Spot on, and good reaction. Winter's Tale - time travel romance with an awesome cast; can't wait! Mediocre reaction from crowd, though. Edge of Tomorrow - some talking, okay trailer THE FILM: Ehhhhhhhh... I don't feel like writing a whole crowd report on this now... lets see how this goes. It's artsy. The music's amazing. The skyline shots of "future Los Angeles" (AKA Present Day Shanghai) are pretty cool, especially for a nerd like me that studies city planning and has dreams about the day LA's subway system connects the whole city like it does in this movie. The acting is great, ScarJo's voicework is mostly believable. There are sexy parts of the film that are awkward to watch in a crowded room full of people--not uncomfortable, just awkward. Also, some of the coolest/funniest fake video games you'll ever see are in this movie--they left the whole crowd laughing hysterically. One of my personal favorite quotes is the following: "Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events, and small minds discuss people." Throughout much of Her, the innovative story discusses ideas about what makes a relationship and socially acceptable behavior. There are some scenes, though, where I thought the story became too juvenile or gossipy, and it was a little too light considering the context of the rest of the film. When it was over, I sort of sat down scratching my head thinking about it. My friends said they liked it. In terms of smart, art house love stories, I guess the most similar film I would compare this to is Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind; however, the films are drastically different in terms of execution, outcome, and plausibility. Still, I'd tell people this is worth watching... just maybe wait for it to come out on Netflix. ;-) Experience - 21/30 Story/Writing - 17/20 Acting - 11/15 Tech Specs (Editing, Effects, Cinematography) - 12/15 Directing - 9/10 Music - 10/10 (EXCELLENT music!) THE VERDICT: 80/100, B Comments, Likes, and Feedback are always appreciated. Thank you.

" I cannot remember the last time I watched so many people joyfully relish in the reprehensibly sinful content of a film at the theater like audience members did tonight watching this saga." "The whole audience ate it right up--laughing through the majority of it, gasping when appropriate, sitting on the edge of their seats during some surprisingly action-packed moments, and clapping when the credits began rolling." Maybe read it next time.

The Wolf of Wall Street 8:00PM Wednesday, December 25th The Coolidge Theater Theater Capacity: ~500 (60% full; adult audience of all ages, and mostly Jewish... big surprise [sarcasm]) Ticket Price: $10.25 Concessions: regular coffee, $3.00 TRAILERS: Inside Llewyn Davis - some talking during trailer, then whispers Her - great trailer, no reaction THE FILM: So. Much. Cocaine. Eat your heart out, Tony Montana. As expected, Scorsese directs another film for the history books. His adaptation of Jordan Belfort's memoirs of the same name is dark, lewd, offensive, objectionable, perverse, despicable, but above all... delightful! I cannot remember the last time I watched so many people joyfully relish in the reprehensibly sinful content of a film at the theater like audience members did tonight watching this saga. Leonardo DiCaprio once again gives a spot on performance that transcends the efforts of his Hollywood peers as the criminally devious, incredibly likable Jordan Belfort. The supporting cast--Jonah Hill, Cristin 'The Mother' Milioti, Margot Robbie, Joanna Lumley, Jean Dujardin, and P.J. Byrne (among several others)--act the sh!t out of their roles and effectively make you love everything you're watching on screen. I have seen some very f*ck*ed up events on screen in movies this year (Movie 43 and 12 Years A Slave come to mind), but now the illicit content of The Wolf of Wall Street effortlessly tops that list. (Quaaludes + cocaine + crack cocaine + morphine + more quaaludes = ... use your imagination, or watch this movie to find out) The music selection was great... almost as good as American Hustle. At 73 years old, Thelma Schoonmaker continues to outdo her previous best works at film editing. The film may run for a very disheartening 3 hours, but by the time it ends you're just grateful film legends like Martin Scorsese continue to grace audiences with skillfully crafted and infectiously entertaining movies like this one. The whole audience ate it right up--laughing through the majority of it, gasping when appropriate, sitting on the edge of their seats during some surprisingly action-packed moments, and clapping when the credits began rolling. Anyone who loves a dark comedy or can appreciate good filmmaking when it's served to them on a silver platter needs to watch The Wolf of Wall Street. Experience - 29/30 (loses 1 point because I got two phone calls for work during the movie... BOO!) Story/Writing - 20/20 Acting - 15/15 Tech Specs (Editing, Effects, Cinematography) - 14/15 Directing - 10/10 Music - 9/10 THE VERDICT: 97/100, A+ Comments, Likes, and Feedback are always welcome. Thank you.

Saving Mr. Banks (*Can everyone just pause and admire this poster for a moment? I know it's not the first time a poster has played with shadow like this, but it's really done to great affect here) 7:15PM Monday, December 23rd AMC Boston Common 19 & Lie-MAX Theater Capacity: 214 (40% full; mainly families, couples, and teenagers) Ticket Price: $12.50 Concessions: n/a TRAILERS: (put my phone away at someone's request, so didn't write down the trailers/reactions) THE FILM: I've been trying to watch this for a couple weeks now; I try to watch everything Tom Hanks comes out with these days. With its plot revisiting the making of a Hollywood classic, Saving Mr. Banks is very similar to last year's Hitchcock. The main difference is this picture is more sentimental and less funny than that picture. But the movie is rescued by some very likable performances. Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson get top billing for good reason, and they both act quite well in the picture. However, I think the standout performance comes from Colin Farrell. I was just thinking I'd write this is his best dramatic work since In Bruges, but that's a disservice to his performance in Seven Psychopaths (yes... technically a comedy, but so was In Bruges... and Saving Mr. Banks). If this wasn't such a competitive year for supporting actors, I'd think Colin Farrell would have a shot at awards glory. I liked the set designs and the choice to shoot at Disneyland for a couple scenes; this definitely captured its era. The music seemed a bit lazy, relying too heavily on Mary Poppins and the motifs from that film--could've been more. And again, the film aims very much for sentimentality. Unfortunately, there's not enough depth in this story for the common cinema goer to get all gooey and sad, which is a little surprising considering sentimental Disney films can usually go for that. A few people walked out during the movie (an old man, and a couple in their 30's), and the laughs in this were pretty light. There are a couple other movies out right now I'd put higher on my list if you're looking for something family friendly (Frozen, The Hobbit: DOS), but this isn't a bad choice (especially if you're interested in film history). Experience - 21/30 Story/Writing - 12/20 Acting - 14/15 Tech Specs (Editing, Effects, Cinematography) - 12/15 Directing - 5/10 Music - 4/10 THE VERDICT: 68/100, C Comments, likes, and feedback are always appreciated. Thank you!

American Hustle 8:30PM Thursday, December 19th AMC Boston Common 19 & Lie-MAX Theater Capacity: 215 (65% full; mostly adult and college student crowd, even split men and women) Ticket Price: $2.50 Concessions: small Icee & nachos, $12.50 TRAILERS: Lone Survivor - this was a closer look featurette, but pretty uninteresting; no reaction Sabotage - great action cast, but weak reaction and mediocre trailer Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit - boring trailer, whispers from crowd Million Dollar Arm - Don Draper does a Disney movie? This should be interesting... nice trailer, lots of talking, and looks good Endless Love - a lot of ooooooohs and aahhhhhs from my crowd, lots of talking Robocop - good reaction The Other Woman - clever plot for a female-skewed romantic comedy, lots of talking The Monuments Men - no reaction THE FILM: American Hustle is really good, but to be 100% completely honest I am the tiniest bit bummed that the film merely met my expectations rather than exceeded them. With David O'Russell's The Fighter and Silver Linings Playbook, I was impressed and even had my expectations exceeded. American Hustle is right there with those pictures quality-wise, so I don't know what more I was hoping for. The movie is definitely a funny one, it's just a completely different kind of funny from other comedies out there right now (Anchorman 2, et al). The starring cast members in this are sensational, once again demonstrating their range and abilities. Christian Bale: I love you! I LOVE YOU! Hahahahaha. There is nothing the man cannot do, and his performances make me believe that anything is possible ("If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything."-Marty McFly... sorry, had to). Amy Adams: I WANT YOU! Between the innocent nun in Doubt to the hustling seductress in this picture, Amy Adams is perhaps the most underrated, under-talked-about actresses of this generation. Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper are brilliant here, too, but--again--we wouldn't expect anything less from either of them. While the humor is variant, it is dispersed excellently. The costume and set designs really do put you in the 1970's (THAT HAIR!!!). The most memorable thing about this picture, though, is the music. I don't know who selected the soundtrack for this picture, but they deserve gold stars on their resumé. David O'Russell directs flawlessly, probably because he's assembled the best teams of people in front of and behind the camera making the genre of movies his work falls under. The crowd really dug the movie, too, with a few people clapping afterwards and everyone laughing throughout. I recommend American Hustle very highly, especially if you liked O'Russell's other films or Ocean's 11 (has kind of an Ocean's vibe). Experience - 28/30 Story/Writing - 18/20 Acting - 15/15 Tech Specs (Editing, Effects, Cinematography) - 13/15 Directing - 10/10 Music - 10/10 THE VERDICT: 94/100, A Comments, Likes, and Feedback are always welcome. Thank you.

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues 9:00PM Tuesday, December 17th Regal Fenway 13 & RPX Theater Capacity: 225 (50% full; overwhelming majority of audience were guys in the 20's) Ticket Price: $9.50 Concessions: small popcorn and hot chocolate, $4.50 TRAILERS: Land of the Dinosaurs - lots of talking, mediocre trailer Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit - looks bad, got lots of talking from crowd Welcome to Yesterday - a Michael Bay-produced found footage time travel movie? I'm in! Rest of the crowd had mixed reactions Mr. Peapody & Sherman - mood went from disinterest to very good as the trailer progressed; looks pretty funny 22 Jump Street - very funny trailer, lots of laughing and talking, good reaction Blended - some laughs and lots of talking, although not the relationship dynamic I think people want/expect between Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler Neighbors - best reaction of all the trailers, looks fantastic I, Frankenstein - boring trailer and no reaction That Awkward Moment - awkward trailer, but good reaction THE FILM: Ehh, what's there to say? While Anchorman remains one of the most quoted movies of my adolescence, it was also one of those movies that drive you absolutely crazy for how absolutely stupid it is, and Anchorman 2 is exactly the same. I guess the glaring difference between these two films is that Anchorman 2 has a story with a purpose (or so it seems), and the discussion it raises is as timely as ever. The four core actors fell right back into their roles and were great, although I'd have loved to see a little more Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd) and Jack Lime (James Marsden) in the film. Steve Carrell's Brick Tamland got the loudest laughs in the room (especially from me), but the idiot love story they wrote in for him seemed a little too ridiculous at points. While the advertising for this movie has reached a fever pitch as of late, I have to admit how impressed I was at the cavalcade of star cameo performances featured throughout this movie that weren't leaked to the public. The movie ends up in some strange, silly places that could've very well ruined the whole thing, but the amount of comic star power from every corner saves the day. The 70's music and jabs at the era were really fun, and--again--the story about 24/7 news networks strangely captivated me at parts. You go into the movie expecting Anchorman: The Sequel, which you receive; but you also get Anchorman: The Tongue-In-Cheek Satire. The direction is very much by the book, and the editing & effects they employ are awful almost obviously intended to enhance comic effect. At this they succeed, and overall Anchorman 2 is the laugh fest everyone wanted it to be. I know anyone that is planning to see Anchorman 2 had their minds made up before taking a gander at my crowd report. :-) Experience - 24/30 Story/Writing - 15/20 Acting - 11/15 Tech Specs (Editing, Effects, Cinematography) - 7/15 Directing - 6/10 Music - 10/10 THE VERDICT: 73/100, B Comments, Likes, and feedback are always appreciated. Thank you.