My Own Little World

Manchester by the Sea makes me grieve. This is a powerful tale of emotion, a tale of life being so relentlessly brutal in the blows it deals – and in how often a single man can be reminded of those blows. It is a real film – real in the way it portrays the process of grief, the desensitization it causes to the outside world, real in the motivations and reactions its characters have. It all starts with Kenneth Lonergan. The writer-director shows here his uncanny intuition for sculpting characters in respectful, complex, and subtle ways. Manchester does not have one scene out of place: every moment has purpose and builds something into the story. Sometimes films like this one can become bloated due to their complicated character building and the many necessary subplots for doing so, but that is not the case here. In fact, as the film went on and introduced more elements I longed for all of them to be explored more – which does happen – just because these characters became s...

One of the things I hate most in the film industry is blatant cash grabs. Adam Sandler does it, reboots do it, and superhero movies do it all the time (*cough* Fant4stic *cough*). It might not surprise you, then, that one of my least favorite sections of Hollywood is the Christian film industry. The fact that Pureflix (the most prominent Christian independent studio of recent years) is making a sequel to God’s Not Dead makes me sick because I know that it will be just as bad as (but most likely worse than) the original and pander to its target audience in the same way. I try to give them a chance with most of their new releases, but it’s getting really hard to do so, especially after the last film of theirs I saw. I’m Not Ashamed is one of the worst films I have ever seen. It’s very poorly acted, overly sterilized to where it cannot land its emotional punches, and is made in a way that makes it a complete waste of time. Films like this that talk about my Christian faith in such...

Let's wind the clock back just a few weeks to the 89th Academy Awards ceremony. My girlfriend and I were watching them, having seen the front runner for Best Picture,   La La Land , and desperately wanting it to win. For two minutes and thirty-eight seconds, it did. Then, chaos ensued. In an unprecedented gaff, the wrong card was handed to Warren Beatty and he announced the wrong film as the winner. In its place was Moonlight , a low-budget indie film based on an unpublished play that chronicles the life of a gay black man in the projects of Miami. Nobody saw this coming, including us. I'm not going to lie: I was a little devastated that one of my favorite films of all time, let alone last year, did not win Best Picture. That being said, the fact that Moonlight  won Best Picture made me want to see it more than I already did, so I made a point of seeing it over spring break. And it was brutal. I usually don't struggle with giving films scores and ranking them, but Moonl...

Generally, I go into some elaborate introduction about how I go into a film and what I expect from the people in front and behind the camera. However, I don't really have a whole lot of thoughts of that variety, so I'm just going to give you my thoughts in a nutshell. Hidden Figures is a perfectly fine film. It's not perfect, it's not incredibly artistic, and it's not an instant classic. But if there's one thing you can be sure of, it's that you will enjoy Hidden Figures  more likely than not. Most of this is due to the film's tone. Hidden Figures  has a very positive, uplifting, inspirational tone that instantly attracts and allows the viewer to very easily buy into the story the film is trying to tell. This is a rarity among good films these days, with the majority of audiences seeing darker tone as emotional complexity and depth. I actually completely disagree with this, despite my preference for darker films, so I greatly appreciate Hidden Fi...

In closing the door on 2016, I realize that there are a lot of films that I have seen that unfortunately I was unable to review for one reason or another. That doesn't mean, however, that I don't want you guys to know what I think of most of these films, so just like the last couple of years I will be doing a few posts over the next month or so wrapping up all of the films I got a chance to see from this past year. This time, I've got one of this year's most prominent sci-fi releases and a non-Transformers Michael Bay film... Arrival  - Buy it.  Arrival is one of the most thought-provoking sci-fi films I've ever seen. The direction from Denis Villeneuve is ridiculously visually rich and very artistic with its long takes and steady shots. Amy Adams turns in the best performance of her career, and the way the film reveals her character's true nature in the third act is stellar. The design of the aliens and their language is beautiful, and I love the film...

In closing the door on 2016, I realize that there are a lot of films that I have seen that unfortunately I was unable to review for one reason or another. That doesn't mean, however, that I don't want you guys to know what I think of most of these films, so just like the last couple of years I will be doing a few posts over the next month or so wrapping up all of the films I got a chance to see from this past year. This time, I've got an animated Disney film that packs a punch, Woody Allen's latest film, and a Western featuring Chris Pine and Jeff Bridges... Zootopia  - Buy it.  This is one of the most insightful and timely animated movies ever made. Zootopia is a little too on-the-nose about its contemporary themes at times (and there might be too many moral lessons to keep track of), but otherwise their execution is perfect. The voice acting is top notch, and the animation of the animals is incredibly detailed and lush. The story is different for a Disney film ...

In closing the door on 2016, I realize that there are a lot of films that I have seen that unfortunately I was unable to review for one reason or another. That doesn't mean, however, that I don't want you guys to know what I think of most of these films, so just like the last couple of years I will be doing a few posts over the next month or so wrapping up all of the films I got a chance to see from this past year. This time, I've got a Tim Burton fantasy book adaptation, Tom Hanks and Clint Eastwood, and a surprisingly good duo of Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children  - Not a waste of time.  This was a surprisingly entertaining fantasy film. Miss Peregrine's definitely has its own share of writing and editing problems, but the solid visual effects and generally good performances (especially from the child actors) mask them pretty well. The pacing is a little variable and drags a bit in the second act; however, the clim...

In closing the door on 2016, I realize that there are a lot of films that I have seen that unfortunately I was unable to review for one reason or another. That doesn't mean, however, that I don't want you guys to know what I think of most of these films, so just like the last couple of years I will be doing a few posts over the next month or so wrapping up all of the films I got a chance to see from this past year. This time around, I've got an unexpected sequel that's not really a sequel, a weird but stellar indie flick, and Natalie Portman... 10 Cloverfield Lane  - Buy it.  10 Cloverfield Lane is one of the best thrillers I've seen in the past several years. It builds tension incredibly well between good and bad, truth and lies, and character vs. character. John Goodman and Mary Elizabeth Winstead are fantastic and give very believable performances in their respective roles. Dan Trachtenberg's direction is stunningly good for a first-timer as well. Ju...

In closing the door on 2016, I realize that there are a lot of films that I have seen that unfortunately I was unable to review for one reason or another. That doesn't mean, however, that I don't want you guys to know what I think of most of these films, so just like the last couple of years I will be doing a few posts over the next month or so wrapping up all of the films I got a chance to see from this past year. This time, I've got Emma Watson, some birds with hot tempers, and musical Irish boys for you... Colonia  - Skip it.  Quite bland. Emma Watson is decent as usual, and Daniel Bruhl does a pretty good job too. However, they're not able to really do that much with their characters because of a poorly written script and a lot of cliched moments. The filmmaking isn't terrible, as the pace works quite well, but on the whole there's a lot more justice that could have been done to make this interesting topic an interesting movie. Grade: 39   The Angr...

In closing the door on 2016, I realize that there are a lot of films that I have seen that unfortunately I was unable to review for one reason or another. That doesn't mean, however, that I don't want you guys to know what I think of most of these films, so just like the last couple of years I will be doing a few posts over the next month or so wrapping up all of the films I got a chance to see from this past year. First up, a trio of big blockbusters from early on in the year... Deadpool - Buy it, and eat some chimichangas while you're at it.  Deadpool is not your parents' superhero movie, and it also is one of the few superhero movies you wouldn't want to watch with your parents. Ryan Reynolds might have just saved his career with his witty delivery, and the way this film pokes fun at itself and other superhero movies is impeccable. The direction of these action sequences is also really solid, and the effects are done well too. It's a wild time an...

There are times when I sit down to watch a movie, expecting the world, and I get something that underwhelms me. I really don't like that feeling of being disappointed by films I really look forward to. On the other hand, there are times where I'll sit down with no specific expectations besides a film being good and get absolutely blown away. La La Land  is definitely one of the latter. I didn't have any idea what to expect from this movie. I loved director Damien Chazelle's last film Whiplash  because of its editing and incredibly tight pace, and I have really enjoyed what I have seen from Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone recently; however, I still had no idea what I was getting into with this film, aside from the fact that it would be good. From the opening frames, my jaw dropped. La La Land  is a film from a bygone era and harkens back to the musicals from the 1950s such as Singin' in the Rain . This is seen so easily through the direction of the musical number...

I love science fiction films. The Star Wars franchise has a near and dear place to my heart, as well as more recent films like Interstellar , The Martian , and Gravity . I love how people are getting really interested in these films again and also that the special effects used on such films are getting really, really, really good. I couldn't even tell that Gravity  was using CGI, even though I knew it was. So, naturally, I was looking forward to Passengers . Chris Pratt is a really solid actor who has charisma like crazy, and Jennifer Lawrence is Jennifer Lawrence. Morten Tyldum also seemed like a good director from the one thing I've seen from him, 2014's Imitation Game . It was a pretty decent biopic with some minor issues, but the visual front was very well-executed, something that I knew this film would need. And to be fair, the visuals in Passengers  are great, and they're probably the best part of the film. The effects are magnificent and blend well with the...

So, Star Wars. We all know and love it, especially me. I have seen the original trilogy more times than I can count, the prequels just enough times so I can not completely hate them, and The Force Awakens  about half a dozen times in the year it's been released. I also love what Disney has done with the place, aiming to release one film a year for the next several with the anthology films and the saga continuing. That being said, I was a little nervous going into Rogue One . A spin-off film has never really been done in the Star Wars universe before, and I had no idea what to expect. How similar would it be to the saga films? Would it add to the franchise in a meaningful way, or would it simply hold me over until Episode VIII  is released next December? To be honest, Rogue One  caught me by surprise in a lot of ways. I really ended up enjoying this film, but it was not by any means perfect. It does have a killer finale and some very well-directed moments, as well as...

I was practically raised on Disney animated films. I watched ones like Aladdin , The Lion King , and Beauty and the Beast growing up, and recently I've rediscovered how magical they can actually be thanks to my girlfriend and I watching them all the time. Their (mostly) timeless scores get stuck in my head so easily, and the stories, despite their target audience of children, seem to have a transcendent nature and punch way above their age bracket. However, as of late Disney has had a little trouble finding its animated musical mojo.  Yes, recent films like Tangled and Frozen have begun to turn this trend around, but forgettable films like Brother Bear and Home on the Range  still are a large blemish in the Disney catalog. To some extent, the name "Disney" in front of a film lost some of its magnitude and power. Meanwhile, studios like Pixar and DreamWorks have come alongside (and in some cases, jumped ahead of) Disney in the race for kids' attention spans....

Harry Potter is something that is very near and dear to my heart. I grew up reading the books and watching the movies, loving every second of it. In my freshman year of high school, a few of my friends and I actually watched all eight films in one sitting.  So, naturally, when I heard that a spin-off was in the works, I got really nervous and really excited at the same time. On one hand, I really like the world that J.K. Rowling has created and wanted more from it; on the other hand, I was nervous that this new chapter might spoil my memories with the wizarding world. Harry Potter is just one of those things that seemed so self-contained and so complete on its own that anything else additional ran the risk of bringing my opinion of it down in my own mind.  That being said, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is absolutely the right next step for the Harry Potter universe. It recaptures all the magic of the original franchise but doesn't come from any of the sam...

A few months ago, a British worship artist by the name of Ian Yates got in contact with me, asking me to review his upcoming album. I jumped at the chance to get a bit of an early look at a (at least in the United States) relatively unknown artist while also getting to form a bit of a relationship directly with people actually making their own music. I went and listened to all of Ian's back catalog to make sure I had a proper perspective on this new album. To be honest, I'm not really a huge fan of a whole lot of his older stuff, as it fits into the modern worship box way too snugly. There was definitely some evident improvement as I went from album to album, but on the whole it's by the books worship music. I didn't think his material was bad; it just didn't grab me in any meaningful way. That being said, Ian's new project Awaken to Love  has a lot more to offer than his prior work. It's got some solid lyricism and musical composition that are just in...

House of Heroes always has a knack for making albums that are very listenable. I began listening to the band several years ago and instantly was caught up in their album Suburba  and its catchy post-grunge rock. There was a little more pop than I preferred, but for that record it really worked. I didn't really move on from Suburba  and haven't listened to them much since then, but I do have some fond memories of driving home from work on country roads and just blaring that record. Fast forward to today, and House of Heroes is releasing their latest effort and first "official" concept album, Colors . A completely fan-funded record (that I got the privilege to support a couple of years ago), this is a new chapter for the band's evolution, both musically and lyrically. That being said, musically this effort is not always far off from the classic "House of Heroes sound" that fans have come to know and love. Lead single "Colors Run" as well as...

If you're around my age, there's a pretty good chance that  Finding Nemo  was a part of your childhood, and there's also a good chance that you really enjoyed it both then and now. It is an incredibly heartfelt and emotionally rich story that just happens to be incredibly well-animated. It also stands quite well on its own. So, naturally, when Disney announced that they were making a sequel entitled Finding Dory , I was more than a little skeptical of how they were going to proceed. Finding Nemo  to me was so self-contained that there wasn't much of anywhere to go with the story. I mean, I know that Pixar has done some good work with sequels before, but they've also misfired big time (anybody else remember Cars 2  or Monsters University ?). Thankfully, Finding Dory  definitely fits into the better half of Pixar's filmography. It is surprisingly engaging and a natural progression of the first film's story, and also has some of the best animation Pixar h...

Kings Kaleidoscope is one of the rare bands in Christian music that isn't afraid to do whatever they want. Looking at their discography makes this plainly obvious. In addition to recording church-focused worship music (most of it from their days at Mars Hill Church in Seattle), they have also created what I cite as one of the most game-changing albums in all of Christian music, their full-length debut Becoming Who We Are . It combined the sonic complexities of the incredibly dense indie rock created by bands like Broken Social Scene, The Polyphonic Spree, and Arcade Fire with incredibly poignant, heartfelt, vertical lyrics. Here's the question, though: how do you follow that absolutely perfect, widely acclaimed monstrosity? Well, in Beyond Control , Kings Kaleidoscope has given us the answer, and I don't know if it's the one that everyone (especially me) was expecting. You see, one of the things I loved about Becoming Who We Are  is its sonic density and complex...