James' Movie Blog

During the 1960s, there was a time when a new wave of directors came into existence, and forever changed cinema in ways one could possibly imagine. On the 50 th anniversary of the close of this wild and crazy decade, director and writer Quentin Tarantino decides to pay tribute to this time period by releasing “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt, along a lot of other big names (too many to list), the film captures what it means to be a celebrity during this time period. While the film isn't absolute perfection, the movie is quite interesting as well as entertaining at the same time. “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” is a look at the last year of the 1960s and how crazy the decade was in general. The story follows Rick Dalton (DiCaprio), a former TV star and his stunt double and best friend Cliff Booth (Pitt). Together, they have formed an inseparable bond, but as the years pass, Rick thinks that his career is over. Together, both Rick an...

Pixar Animation Studios have always delivered excellent quality in terms of their movies. But at the start of the 2010's, their films have not had the same high-quality of storytelling like the studio’s previous efforts. For example, 2012's “Brave” isn't on the same caliber as say 2003's “Finding Nemo”. This all changes with the studio's 2015 film “Inside Out”, a movie that pulls in both comedy and drama at the same time. With this movie, we get a return to the great form of storytelling that Pixar is known for, as well as some great animation to boot. “Inside Out” is a great reminder that Pixar can do good films; the public just isn't aware of that factor. The plot centers on 11-year old Riley (Kaitlyn Dias) who is moving all the way from Minnesota to San Francisco. But what she doesn't know, is that her emotions are coming along for the ride. Quite literally. These include Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Fear (Bill Hader), Disgust (Mi...

What happens when you take a toy meant for kids, and just splash a huge rainbow all over it? That, my friends, is “Trolls”, the latest animated film from DreamWorks. And the result is a visual masterpiece, but with a story that seems to get caught in confusion. This movie isn't terrible, by all means; there are a wide variety of issues that are present trust me. “Trolls” is a decent movie for kids, and that's pretty much all I can say about that. The story involves trolls, little creatures that are hunted by beings known as Bergen, evil creatures who want to eat trolls in order to become happy. Some trolls get captured, and it's up to two trolls to go and rescue them. Now, the trolls, named Poppy (Anna Kendrick) and Branch (Justin Timberlake), must learn to get along with each other, if they want to save their friends. “Tolls” is a relatively harmless movie that is targeted for kids to enjoy. The animation plays a huge role in this. Mostly because everyth...

Spider-Man is a very important character in fiction. His stories always center around him saving the day, with him being a hero and whatnot, and there are many interpretations of the character, as well. Case in point, the 2017 film “Spider-Man: Homecoming”, which not only introduces a new perspective of Spider-Man, but also a brand new story for the action hero to follow. This, however, leads to some problems, and while it isn't perfect, the movie is entertaining enough to watch multiple times. “Spider-Man: Homecoming” is a fun, and exciting adventure for the web crawler, but there are still issues that he needs to get through. The story follows Spider-Man, aka Peter Parker (Tom Holland) returning home from his battle with Captain America. Now that he's home, Peter looks up to his mentor Tony Stark, aka Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) for inspiration. This leads Peter to investigate a serious criminal named The Vulture, aka Adrian Toomes (Michael Keaton), and some high te...

In 1988, a little horror film known as “Child's Play” was released, and started up a franchise with its titular character Chucky. Since then, with each installment, the Chucky franchise has lost a little bit of credibility. Now, in 2019, Orion is back with the killer doll, and with the producers of 2017's “It” to bring Chucky back from the dead. The result? It's fine, but there are some creative elements that do work, and some that don't. While this update of “Child's Play” may seem somewhat unnecessary, there are some things that make it a fun time in the theaters. The story follows young Andy Barclay (Gabriel Bateman), a lonely kid who doesn't have any friends and spends most of his time on his phone. This changes when his mom Karen (Aubrey Plaza) brings home an interactive doll from the store she works at, with the doll's name being Buddi. Once opened, Andy starts operating the doll who calls itself Chucky (voiced by Mark Hamill). From there, Chu...

Golf is a hard game to master, but easy to follow. However, Hollywood hasn't really given audiences a good movie about the sport In fact, most of the time, the films that are produced are not that very well-received. Enter “Caddyshack”, a 1980 film that takes a humorous look at the spot and makes it very enjoyable to watch. With its memorable cast and wonderful nostalgic value, the movie both parodies and pokes fun at what happens on and off the golf course. Though there are some minor issues with the film, it is still incredibly fun to watch. “Caddyshack” will appeal to professional golfers as well as people wanting a good laugh by having a good time and feeling all right. The story has a young man named Danny (Michael O'Keefe), who wants nothing more than to go to college and get an education. Yet, he's undecided. Danny is working at a private club to get his tuition fee under way. At this particular club, there are certain members who have a distinct personality...

Halloween is a typical holiday where things tend to be a bit on the scary side. Then there's the Day of the Dead, a Mexican holiday similar to Halloween, but with a more remembrance and focus on those who are gone from the world. And Hollywood is known for releasing films that are focused on Halloween; not so much on the Day of the Dead. Enter “The Book of Life”, a great animated film that is perfect for the season. We need more films like this, and hopefully, in the wake (no pun intended) of this movie's release, we will see more soon. Though the film does haves some issues, they are minor to say the least. “The Book of Life” is an extraordinary animated film that will hopefully gain younger audiences to learn more about the holiday known as the Day of the Dead. The plot involves a love triangle between three people. We have Manolo (Diego Luna), a bullfighter who wants to be a musician, and Joaquin (Channing Tatum), an egotistical soldier but has a right mind for the p...