I love the characters and the way the story takes place over the course of two nights. You can really feel the time passing in real time and their relationship seems to form organically. The conversations feel real and the filmmakers are unafraid to be frank and mature when discussing sex, which is refreshing for the genre. Unfortunately the ending tries too hard to tie everything up with a pretty bow in the most conventional of rom-com styles, going against its off-beat style that was so perfectly set up to that point. The film still made me smile and was a fun watch, despite its unearned ending.

3 Stars (out of 5)

I have enjoyed Jason Reitman's earlier films, but this one feels incomplete, or at least unbalanced. The narration (by the wonderful Emma Thompson) is completely unnecessary and always feels out of place. I can see that they're trying to tie together all of the ensemble storylines but it comes off as sloppy. The acting is fine and I like how they show the on-screen communications over the actors. It's a nice way to avoid always displaying close-ups of screens, similar to how House of Cards displays text messages. Oftentimes this film reminds me of Disconnect from two years ago, another movie about people trying to connect in a digital world. Both these films feature too many characters to really delve into one story fully. Maybe it's because we're already well aware of the dangers of cyberspace and the films offer nothing new, but these movies are like The Net from the nineties, they will be forgotten quickly as technology evolves at a rapid pace, leaving them dated and hard to relate to.

2.5 Stars (out of 5)

This film kept me guessing and on the edge of my seat for its entire running time. It never felt long and it was always interesting. David Fincher directs the shit out of it, as usual, and the screenplay by the original novelist is fantastic as well. Technically the film is magnificent in every way and stunningly beautiful, even when it's trying be bland. The acting from everyone is spot-on, as is usually the case in a Fincher film, and the casting seems perfect. The story uses false narratives and misdirection to weave a plot that meanders in the best of ways, keeping you on your toes and well entertained. The score is a good mix of unsettlingly comfortable happiness and psychotic chaotic madness, much like the situations it plays over. I can never get enough Fincher. I wonder if he's going to be sticking to works based on novels from here on out? I'm certainly not opposed, and I'm loving the mystery genre when helmed by this genius.

4 Stars (out of 5)

The all-star cast does a good job of grounding this outrageous dramatic comedy whenever it starts to go off the rails. The story, based on a best-selling book, is pretty solid, but the film is made in such a by-the-numbers way that hardly anything is ever a surprise when it happens. This is most evident with Jason Bateman's character's story with his old flame being rekindled, which plays out like an old rom-com and hardly seems to fit the style of the rest of the film. The wacky family is entertaining and the cast hilarious, but the movie falls flat on its face too many times to count.

3 Stars (out of 5)

This felt a bit too manipulative to be enjoyable. Chloe Grace Moretz gave an incredible performance, but it wasn't enough to save the film from its shortcomings. I enjoyed some of the editing technique, especially some montage work and flashbacks. It really had a life-flashing-before-your-eyes feel. Walking out of the theater I couldn't help but think about how unsuccessful this movie was compared to The Fault in Our Stars, which is another recent teen-tearjerker, but one that is built on a more solid foundation.

2.5 Stars (out of 5)

This was a really cute film. Finally a believable romantic comedy filled with things that could actually happen in the real world. The chemistry between the two leads feels genuine and the romance happens subtly, which is a switch from the usual by the numbers rom-com. The film even throws in a couple twists to keep you on your toes. Most of comedy comes from quirky banter between the main characters and their best friends, but the film also has a few laugh out loud moments. And they don't even need to resort to gross-out potty humor to be hilarious. I rather enjoyed this mostly down-to-earth movie, and now I want to try a fool's gold sandwich.

3.5 Stars (out of 5)

If only the characters and plot were as well constructed as the special effects surrounding them. Computer generated tornadoes have come a long way since 1996's Twister, but other than the found-footage angle, this film doesn't offer us anything the 90's version didn't. Watching this film, I couldn't help but think of similarities between it and Jan de Bont's Twister. Sure, a film about storm chasers is going to easily be compared to its predecessor, but it specifically features new technology one of the main characters has waited his whole life to try out: for Twister it was the Dorothy II, designed to study the center of a tornado, and for this one there was the Titus, a heavily armed vehicle designed to study the center of a tornado. There were countless action-sequence setups that were similar throughout, and unsurprisingly the film's climax is about a gigantic F5 tornado, bigger than any seen before. Once the main characters are securely anchored to the ground they get to witness something miraculous, the center of the storm. We've seen this film before, only the previous incarnation had more heart, story, better acting, and a great score. Into the Storm is held back by its quasi-found footage style and its lack of moral footing. It sometimes comes off as a high-budget Sharknado, but that doesn't mean it isn't some fun disaster porn.

2.5 Stars (out of 5)

I had a good time watching this movie. It's nice to see a movie not afraid to be fun. The opening sequence felt like a space version of Raiders of the Lost Ark and really hooked me out of the gate. The prison break scene was clever and extremely compelling. After that the film's action scenes got more and more droning and I found myself bored now and again, that is until the next joke or Groot did something funny or cute. It's a fun superhero movie with some funny moments and a great soundtrack, but it's no masterpiece. It is an origin story and they did a great job of explaining everyone's motivation and back-story, so hopefully next time we can just jump in guns blazing.

3.5 Stars (out of 5)

I'm a big fan of Zach Braff's first film Garden State, but this one just didn't do enough to really grab me. The story is written well enough and the characters are acted well, especially Kate Hudson and Braff himself, but this film lacks the clever visuals that his first film had. Gone are the intricate camera rigs or well-thought out shot lists and in their place are locked cameras and stiff special effects shots meant to be endearing but end up being easily forgettable. The film often plays out as a melodramatic television show and not the heartfelt movie it's trying to be. I enjoyed it, but it was not great.

3 Stars (out of 5)