Sully

From Oscar-winning director Clint Eastwood (“American Sniper,” “Million Dollar Baby”) comes Warner Bros. Pictures’ drama “Sully,” starring Oscar winner Tom Hanks (“Bridge of Spies,” “Forrest Gump”) as Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger.

On January 15, 2009, the world witnessed the “Miracle on the Hudson” when Captain “Sully” Sullenberger glided his disabled plane onto the frigid waters of the Hudson River, saving the lives of all 155 aboard. However, even as Sully was being heralded by the public and the media for his unprecedented feat of aviation skill, an investigation was unfolding that threatened to destroy his reputation and his career.

Sully was an absolute fantastic movie and I was not expecting anything less from Clint Eastwood and Tom Hanks. This movie keeps you in suspense, even though you know you already know how it ends.  This I find is something very tricky about making a movie based off a recent event. Along with Captain Sullenberger's tale we get a glimpse of what it was like from the passengers point of view. 

Sully shows the aftermath of Captain Sullenberger, played by Tom Hanks, landing a plane in the Hudson River after dual engine lost because of bird strike.  When I first saw the trailer I was shocked to find out that there was a serious investigation with the belief that he could have made it back to the airport. All the news stories I had seen and read focused on how Captain Sully was an American hero and all the lives he was able to save with his quick thinking. Tom Hanks is really able to capture the stress Captain Sully must have been going through after both a plane crash and the possibility of losing his wings so close to the end of his career. Clint Eastwood 

I greatly enjoyed how we got to see the forced water landing from other people's points of view.  It was of course interesting to see it from Captain Sully, Co-Pilot Jeff Skiles, and the passengers.  Clint Eastwood made the passengers a great part of the movie by including their personal stories before and during the flight. I loved seeing, however, how everyone in New York City came to help from the ferry boat drivers to the police.  We also got to see how it affected the crew working in air traffic control. 

During the movie we got glimpses of Captain Sully's past and how he learned how to fly.  My mother and I both stated we wish we had seen more of his past.  However, my dad who read Captain Sully's book the screenplay is based on, said that his past was relatively boring and that they included the most relevant bits. So maybe it was a good decision to cut that from the movie. Sully is one of those rare movies where I felt the length was perfect. It completely told the story without dragging.

After watching this movie I may not want to travel with Tom Hanks, or maybe he's the only person I want to travel with? He does seem to get out of all his travel problems in his movies.  I do recommend it. It has a capturing story that was told wonderfully. Make sure to stay for a mid credits scene showing a reunion between the real Captain Sully, co-pilot Skiles, and passengers from the flight.  

If you are interested, you can find Captain Sully's book that inspired the movie here : https://www.amazon.com/Highest-Duty-Search-Really-Matters/dp/0061924695 

Kubo and the Two Strings

Kubo and the Two Strings is an epic action-adventure from acclaimed animation studio LAIKA. Clever, kindhearted Kubo (voiced by Art Parkinson of Game of Thrones) ekes out a humble living, telling stories to the people of his seaside town including Hosato (George Takei), Hashi (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa) and Kameyo (Academy Award nominee Brenda Vaccaro). But his relatively quiet existence is shattered when he accidentally summons a spirit from his past which storms down from the heavens to enforce an age-old vendetta. Now on the run, Kubo joins forces with Monkey (Academy Award winner Charlize Theron) and Beetle (Academy Award winner Matthew McConaughey), and sets out on a thrilling quest to save his family and solve the mystery of his fallen father, the greatest samurai warrior the world has ever known. With the help of his shamisen - a magical musical instrument - Kubo must battle gods and monsters, including the vengeful Moon King (Academy Award nominee Ralph Fiennes) and the evil twin Sisters (Academy Award nominee Rooney Mara) to unlock the secret of his legacy, reunite his family and fulfill his heroic destiny.

I cannot stress enough how much I adored this movie. It is one of those children's movies where you forget that it is a movie meant for children when you're watching it.  They do not dumb the movie down for children, I heard a few very young ones asking their parents questions during the movie, but I could tell for the most part all the children followed the movie well.  My friend and I would even lean in and go "Do you think?" "Yea I totally saw that!" from time to time, trying to figure out where the story was going. It was refreshing seeing a children's movie that did not spell everything out for the kids.

Kubo, voiced by Art Parkinson, lives alone with his mother who he cares for.  He goes into town each day to tell stories with the help of his magical shamisen and origami. However, Kubo is never able to finish his stories because his mother stresses that he must never be out after sunset. One evening Kubo decides to stay out in the village after the sun sets. He then quickly finds himself inside his own stories. He travels with his monkey talisman come to live, voiced by Charlize Theron, and their new friend Beetle, voiced by Matthew McConaughey.  

One thing I really enjoyed about Kubo and the Two Strings was the focus on Eastern values. The movie shows the young taking care of the elderly and the focus on the community instead of the individual.  Overall it taught us to  have compassion for everyone.  Hollywood is very Western-centralized and children grow up watching movies about their own culture.  I think it is absolutely fantastic to have a movie that show's them a glimpse of history and how people live in other parts of the world.  Kubo and the Two Strings is a Hollywood movie with an completely original story, I think it is important to know that it is not based on an existing Eastern folklore.  

The claymation and animation blended seamlessly together to give a truly one of a kind feel that fit the movie's mood perfectly. (There is a mid-credits scene showing behind the scenes that made my jaw drop!)   I know when someone says claymation a lot of people think of the old Christmas classics like Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer, but the art style has greatly improved over the years.  It is extremely smooth and thinking about all the time and effort they must have put into making the movie takes your breath away. A very important part of the movie is the fact that Kubo can magically control oragami with his shamisen and it was so beautiful watching the paper come to life.  I could not get over the style the whole movie.

I really encourage people of all ages to go see this movie! Even if you are not a fan of animation I think you will enjoy it. It is beautiful to watch with a fantastic and unique story. Everyone needs to see this movie!

You can watch some of the behind the scenes of the stop motion here (I encourage you to watch the movie first before watching this video):

War Dogs

Based on a true story, “War Dogs” follows two friends in their early 20s (Hill and Teller) living in Miami Beach during the Iraq War who exploit a little-known government initiative that allows small businesses to bid on U.S. Military contracts. Starting small, they begin raking in big money and are living the high life. But the pair gets in over their heads when they land a 300 million dollar deal to arm the Afghan Military—a deal that puts them in business with some very shady people, not the least of which turns out to be the U.S. Government. 

I went into War Dogs expecting a Hangover -styled comedy with lots of laughs and everything that could go wrong going wrong.  However, I was pleasantly surprised with a much more serious movie.  It reminded me of a modern day American Hustle.  It also helps that Bradley Cooper looks like he walked off the set of American Hustle into War Dogs. 

David Packouz, played by Miles Teller, is a college drop out struggling to make ends meet when he finds out that his girlfriend, Iz, is pregnant.  Despite not supporting the United States being in war he decided to go work for his old school friend, Efraim Diveroli, played by Jonah Hill.  Efraim supplies guns and ammo to the United States army.  David struggles to keep what he is doing a secret from his girlfriend while making a considerable amount of money to raise is new family.  David and Efraim make the deal of a lifetime when they illegally partner with a terrorist, Henry Girard, played by Bradley Cooper.  David wants to play things safe but Efraim only sees how much money he could make, and wants to make more. 

I really enjoyed this movie, I felt the story was fresh and original and still interesting.  Like I said earlier, I was expecting this movie to be more of a bro-comedy then the drama that I got.  While the trailers showed David and Efraim partying and laughing it up the part I was really drawn to in the movie was David's home life.  While his girlfriend Iz and his daughter were more of a subplot they helped put into perspective everything he was putting on the line by living the life of a gun runner. The movie has some pretty dark turns you would not expect after such a fun marketing campaign comparing it to The Hangover. I highly recommend this film if you enjoyed American Hustle. 

If you are interested in learning more about the real life duo, you can read the Rolling Stones article that the movie is based off of here : http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-stoner-arms-dealers-20110316 

Final Fantasy XV: Kingsglaive

The magical kingdom of Lucis is home to the sacred Crystal, and the menacing empire of Niflheim is determined to steal it. King Regis of Lucis (Sean Bean) commands an elite force of soldiers called the Kingsglaive. Wielding their king’s magic, Nyx (Aaron Paul) and his fellow soldiers fight to protect Lucis. As the overwhelming military might of the empire bears down, King Regis is faced with an impossible ultimatum – to marry his son, Prince Noctis to Princess Lunafreya of Tenebrae (Lena Headey), captive of Niflheim, and surrender his lands to the empire’s rule. Although the king concedes, it becomes clear that the empire will stop at nothing to achieve their devious goals, with only the Kingsglaive standing between them and world domination.

Final Fantasy XV: Kingsglaive is Square Enix's third Final Fantasy movie to date preceded by The Spirits Within and Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. While like the others, Kingsglaive is visually appealing with breathtaking graphics, the plot is lacking. The movie depends on how lifelike it has made it's CG characters and it's impossible and flashy fights. The movie will soon find itself dated and re-watched purely for nostalgia as graphics and technology improve.

Final Fantasy XV: Kingsglaive is a prequel for the upcoming video game Final Fantasy XV. The movie helps set up the plot and explain the complex political situation in the new fantasy world. While the game will focus on Prince Noctius and his friends on a road-trip to save the world, Kingsglaive is set in the capital of the kingdom of Lucis. The movie focuses' on a group of protectors called the Kingsglaive who borrow magic from their king, King Regis played by Sean Bean. King Regis's kingdom Lucis has been under attack by an empire called Niflheim. After an attack Niflheim proposes a treaty to end the war all together. A soldier from the Kingslaive, Nyx, played by Aaron Paul, is sent to rescue a kidnapped Princess, Lunafreya, played by Leana Headey, and discovers the treaty is simply a distraction before Niflheim's final attack on the capital.

My major complaint is the lack of female characters. I knew going in this might be a problem as only two females have been introduced in trailers for the video game. I was pleasantly surprised at a female Kingsglaive member appearing to be a main character at the beginning of the movie. However, she was the only one and it was soon apparent her only use in the movie was to be a little sister character to the male heroes who needed a little push. Princess Lunafreya mentioned multiple times that she wanted to help and fight and would not stand back as the males in the movie tried to rescue her. That was simply talk as she moved around doing what the men told her to do. I only hope that she will have a stronger role in the game. So far this feels like a step backwards from Square Enix who had two sisters, Lightning and Serah, as the main heroes in the Final Fantasy XIII saga. This was extremely discouraging to me throughout the movie.

The movie does a great job setting up the game Final Fantasy XV and the theatrical release is wonderful for keeping the hype up. I do not see this movie, however, standing alone. You need to go into it knowing the basic plot for Final Fantasy XV and an understanding of Final Fantasy games in general. Following the plot gets confusing between all the battles and fights and they expect you to already be familiar with the characters. As an avid Final Fantasy fan I enjoyed the movie and got excited to start playing the game when it comes out in November. The movie will be a nice companion to the deluxe edition of Final Fantasy XV but that is all I see it as. If you cannot wait to play the game I recommend going to see Kingsglaive in theaters (also stay through the credits for an extra scene), otherwise I suggest waiting till you play the game.

If you are interested you can watch the first twelve minutes of the movie below as well as a list of participating theaters:

http://www.kingsglaivefinalfantasyxv-movie.com/site/