A disclaimer up front: I’m not a big Amy Schumer fan. Her jokes are meant to shock you because we aren’t used to female comedians talking like that, but if a male comedian were to make the same jokes, most people wouldn’t laugh. That being said, Trainwreck is a pretty funny movie, and towards the end, it has a lot of heart too. Amy plays the typical “guy” role, in that she sleeps around and is deathly afraid of commitment. When she meets Bill Hader’s character, her rules are tested, as she geniunely likes him. Hader is great and seriously underrated as as serious actor (go find last year’s The Skeleton Twins). I almost gave up on this film halfway through, but stuck it out and the second half is definitely worth it.
The newest Terminator movie, Genysis, kinda sucks. I wasn’t expecting much, so it’s not like it disappointed me or anything. It’s half sequel and half reboot, so I’m not sure what the next movie will do, if there is another one. It is pretty heavily a rehash of the previous films in the franchise and brings no new ideas to the table. Die hard fans alone should bother with this one.
The Gift is an interesting movie. Simon (played by Jason Bateman) accepts a new job and moves his wife Robyn into a nice new house. They run into one of Simon’s old school friends, Gordo. Gordo starts stalking the family though, creating tension between Simon and Robyn. Robyn however finds that perhaps Simon is at fault too. A pretty thrilling and quietly tense movie, with a couple plot twists that you do not see coming.
No Escape is another thriller, but there is nothing quiet about this one. Jack (Owen Wilson) moves his family to a tiny city somewhere in southeastern Asia, very remote and very much a “developing country.” He is there for his job as a contractor, but they are only there for a day before a city wide riot breakes out, with citizins angry at Americans for perceived wrongs. When a gang starts going hotel to hotel killing Americans, Jack must take his family and hide. The movie is full of eye-rolling coincedences, but not a horrible film, and definitely gripping to the end.
Infinitely Polar Bear got some pretty rave reviews, but honestly it is a better acted movie than a movie by itself. Mark Ruffalo plays a man diagnosed as bipolar (his young girls at the time pronounce it “polar bear”) in the late 1970’s. He refuses to take his medicine, leading to a rift with his family. His wife has to go back to school to hopefully one day earn enough money to support the family, leaving Mark’s character at home to raise the girls. The movie is a year in their life together. The acting is truly superb. Ruffalo is in my opinion one of the most underrated actors around, and he shines here again. Truly not a memorable or profound movie, but definitely worth seeing for Ruffalo’s skill alone.
Jons Movie Takes 