Shmee.Me

January 4, 2016January 4, 2016

Shmee’s 5 Most Anticipated Movies For 2016!

Well I ended the year with my favorites from the previous year, so it is time for me to give you my list for what films I am most looking forward to this year! There are a lot of high profile movies coming out in 2016, so this list was hard to narrow down, but here we go!

5: Star Wars: Rogue One

Disney gave us a very good film with Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and I can’t wait to see how the first ever non-Skywalker film turns out. I am a little hesitant to have another prequel film. They often come with prequel problems. Still, it easily lands on my list for movies I am looking forward too.

4: X-Men: Apocalypse

Bryan Singer revived the modern superhero movie, so I am very excited to see how he closes out his X-Men universe. It drops a couple of spots on this list because I am not a huge Apocalypse fan, but I am sure Singer will come through.

3: Captain America: Civil War

X-Men: Apocalypse and Civil War kept flip-flopping on this list, but the Disney Marvel movies have too much momentum not to make it to number three. I really hope this movie turns out because the quality of the Marvel movies has been dropping lately. Still, Iron Man versus Captain America sounds awesome. I hope Stark gets it!

2: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

The wife and I have been watching a lot of Harry Potter lately, and that has got me super jazzed to watch a return to that universe! A prequel that I am super excited for, I can’t believe it! Well you will know where to find me come this November.

1: Batman V Superman

They have been hyping this movie for what seems like forever, but come this March we finally get Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and more all on screen together! Even if this movie is terrible (though preview leaks say it is very good), that is something to be excited for.

That is my list, and like I said there are a ton of movies coming out this year, so it could have very easily been a top ten list. What movies are you excited for this year?

December 30, 2015December 30, 2015

Shmee’s Top 5 Movies Of 2015!

It is that time of year when everyone gives a top (insert number here) list of whatever, so who am I to buck tradition?! No-one that’s who! So here is my top five movies of 2015 in reverse order.

5: Crimson Peak

Gothic Period Romance with a twist of Horror? Yes please! I guess I am one of the few people that thought that way since Crimson Peak bombed in the theaters, but I like what I like, and Crimson Peak was a lot of fun provided you knew what you were getting in too. If you thought you were going to see a thrilling horror flick, I could see being disappointed. If you haven’t seen it, you should give it a try.

4: Inside Out

Inside Out proved that Pixar still has a little something left in the tank. Pixar seems to get rich making us all cry, but Inside Out reminded us that a little sadness is important. This was a wonderful movie, and it will easily sweep all the top Animated Film honors this award season.

3: The Martian

Every time we have to save Matt Damon from something it makes great cinema. He should just be in peril 24/7. This was also the film that showed that Ridley Scott still knows how to make movies that people want to watch, and reminded film makers everywhere that one man we know in danger is much more gripping than ten’s of thousands that we don’t.

2: Star Wars: The Force Awakens

This may surprise a few of you that this came in at #2 and not #1, but that is only because #1 was so blindsidingly good. Star Wars: The Force Awakens lets geeks everywhere be unashamed to love Star Wars again and judging by all the box office records they are not alone. Star Wars: The Force Awakens is my third favorite Star Wars film and that is high praise.

1: Mad Max: Fury Road

Oh man this movie! When I heard they were making a new Mad Max, I could not have cared any less, but then there was this perfect trailer. That got me interested and then everything they showed of Fury Road after only made it look better. There was no way it was going to live up to all the hype it was building. It turns out people weren’t hyped enough! With the positive buzz that Mad Max: Fury Road is still getting it may when some awards that are usually saved for boring addiction dramas. One more thing, it something I thought was impossible: it was progressive without being preachy. No smug here!

I kind of surprised myself by not having a comic book movie on this list this year, but with like eight million coming out next year that will probably change for 2016. What did your list look like? Let me know!

December 18, 2015December 18, 2015

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Takes Us Back To A Galaxy Far, Far Away!

With the letdown of the Star Wars prequel trilogy, and after years of excitement and anticipation, the bases were loaded for J.J. Abrams. All he had to do was not strikeout, and he did better than that. It wasn’t quite a grand-slam, but it was at least a bases clearing triple, and it is hard to be upset about that. For all of you that don’t understand baseball, what I am saying is that Star Wars: The Force Awakens is amazingly good!

I usually give some sort of blurb about the plot of the movie with this paragraph, but this is a Star Wars film, so you should kind of know what you are in for. If you haven’t seen a Star Wars movie yet, this is not a good place to start because a lot of Star Wars people do a lot of Star Wars stuff, and if you are like me and wanted a lot of Star Wars Stuff, you are in luck because The Force Awakens is lousy (as in, has a lot of) with it!

Which is one of the reasons this movie wasn’t quite a grand-slam, it may have had a few too many nods to the original trilogy. The other nitpicks would be that a few of the computer animated characters looked a little off, and that some of the dialog was a little info-dumpy. Like I said, those are all nitpicks in an otherwise great movie, and they do not ruin the experience at all.

The old cast was enchanting, and looked like they were thoroughly enjoying themselves. Yes, even grumpy old Harrison Ford looked happy to be Han Solo again. It was wonderful to see original gang back on screen. The new cast was excellent as well: J.J. really got the perfect people to fill all the roles. I can’t wait to see them in movies for years to come.

The special effects in The Force Awakens were fantastic, and the use of practical (real) effects really helped this movie feel like one of the originals. You can tell the difference when they build a real ship versus just having someone sit on a green box. Unfortunately like I mentioned earlier, those practical effects and set pieces did make some of the CGI stand out more, and not in a good way. Still, overall they did a great job.

Even if Star Wars: The Force Awakens was terrible, it still would have been one of the biggest hits of the year, but I am elated to report that it is an event movie worth watching, and a must see in theaters. J.J and his gang revived a classic franchise for a new generation, and I can’t wait to see what happens next in my favorite galaxy far, far away!

December 14, 2015

Okay, Just One More Trailer Today! Star Trek Beyond!

I wasn’t going to post this trailer today because it was a leak, but it looks like the leak has forced Paramount’s hand, and now we get to watch the official one. It looks like things are going to get Fast and Furious (sorry) for Justin Lin’s turn in the directors chair with Star Trek Beyond. The crew once again manages to destroy their ship, and Kirk finds a sexy alien to help him, so at least it is maintaining the status quo. Even though I had issues with Star Trek Into Darkness, I am still super excited for this movie. I hope it turns out well.

November 30, 2015November 30, 2015

The Mockingjay Comes Back For Part 2!

The Hunger Games series has finally come to an end with the Mockingjay Part 2. It is crazy to think that a series I was so hyped for after the end of Catching Fire, I almost forgot about this year. Some of that is because of a movie involving space ninjas with laser swords, but most of it is because of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 almost ends the series on a high note, but being half of a movie definitely hurt it.

The Mockingjay Part 2 picks up exactly where Part 1 left off with Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) recovering from her attack by the brainwashed Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson). She then sets out to help the rebellion finish the war with The Capital, and take out her own personal vengeance on President Snow. Though it will be complicated with cameras in her face, and as she has to deal with District 13’s harsh methods.

The narrative arch in the first act of the movie really suffers because all of the build up is in Part 1, so they have to try and build up again in Part 2, but with far less material to use. It also makes the two hour and fifteen minute running time of the Mockingjay Part 2 feel stretched out. It was one thing for Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows to be split up. Its series’ epic scaled and loved characters earned its second bow. Even then Part 1 of the Deathly Hallows is one of the weakest movies in the series. With the Hunger Games, splitting up the final book was simply a naked cash grab that hurt their franchise’s legacy. Thankfully once Mockingjay Part 2 does get moving it almost makes up for the weak start.

The actors all continued their good work. Jennifer Lawrence plays Katniss to perfection. She is suffering from severe trauma, PTSD, and more than a little survivors guilt, but she still finds the strength to do what needs to be done. The rest of the actors are all wonderful as well, but this movie more than any of the others is about Katniss, so Lawrence’s wonderful portrayal makes this movie work.

The Hunger Game: Mockingjay was always going to be hard movie to get right thanks to the oppression of its characters, and its divisive ending, but splitting it up made it even harder. If it had been one movie with this cast and creative team I think they could have nailed it, and given the brilliant Catching Fire the sequel that it deserved. Still, as it is the Mockingjay Part 2 is a good movie, very good even, but it could have been great, and that is disappointing.