August 2015 Watchlist

Article by Gabe Zia
So July is coming to an end, and if you're a regular reader, you know what that means. It's time for me to take a look at some of the most intriguing or interesting films coming out this month. Since we're nearing the end of summer, we're also getting closer to my personal favorite time of the year, which is oscar season. But, before we can get to that, we've still got some movies to see. And by some, I mean holy god there's a ton of movies in August.

August 7th

Fantastic Four

Much like Terminator Genisys, this is another movie coming out that I'm not entirely sure about. From the mixed messages all the trailers are sending, to the review embargo being the day of release, to simply the fact that it's yet another needless gritty reboot. Just to be clear, I'm on Josh Tranks side here, I want this movie to be good. However, the closer we get to release, the less likely that seems.

Ricki & the Flash

Much like with Big Game and putting Samuel L. Jackson as the president, there are some movies that I will arbitrarily go see simply because a certain actor is in a certain role. Another example is Meryl Streep in any role ever, because she's fantastic. In Ricki & the Flash, she plays a rock star guitarist. Thankfully, this is one of the few movies I've managed to avoid any trailers and plot details for, so I'll be going into this movie knowing absolutely nothing, aside from Meryl Streep plays the guitar. If you ask me, Meryl Streep playing the guitar for a rock band is more than reason enough to see this movie.

Dark Places

Last year, I went into Gone Girl completely blind, I had no idea what the book was about, the only thing I knew was it had some talented people behind it. And now another book by Gillian Flynn, Dark Places, is being adapted to film. While I have no clue who this director is, just about everything in this movie looks promising. You've got a stellar cast, good cinematography from what I've seen, and a rare trait for modern mystery thrillers, which is that I can't tell what the big reveal is going to be from the trailer. Knowing Gillian Flynn, it's going to shock me, whatever it'll be.

August 14th

The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

I've never watched the original tv show this movie is based on, in fact up until about a couple of months ago, I head no idea there was an original series. But even before that I was pumped, this movie's got fun spy action, Henry Cavill as basically American Bond, Armie Hammer as a badass Russian, a lot of talented actors, and it's handled by Guy Ritchie. So, I was already on board for this movie before I knew anything else.

Straight Outta Compton

NWA is one of the most controversial groups of all time, so to say that an NWA movie was to be expected is frankly an understatement.  There was so much surrounding this group, between news controversy, their lives in Compton, public backlash for the topics of their songs, and how iconic it all was. This movie has a lot building up to it, and I think it looks really good, from both an entertainment and critical standpoint.

Backcountry

The survival horror film genre is usually one of two things. Intriguing and complex, or zombies, and there's no in between (except for 28 Days Later). However, much like The Grey, Backcountry is a man vs. nature survival film, only instead of wolves, it's a bear. The film follows a couple, whose hiking/camping trip goes wrong when they find themselves in a black bears territory, and have to survive because bears are terrifying.

Air

Air looks kind of like a dream come true for me. It looks kind of similar to the movie Moon, which is one of my favorite movies ever made, and it's got Norman Reedus and Djimon Honsou in the leading roles. Granted, this isn't the biggest blockbuster of the summer, so, like a lot of movies unfortunately, it may be a while before I actually see this movie. That being said, I've been waiting for it for a while now, so I'm willing to wait.

Eden

Apparently August 14th is the big day for August, this is the fifth film hopefully coming out then. Eden was a movie I was trying to see at last years Toronto Film Festival, and although I couldn't see it then, it's now getting a limited release, and unlike way too many limited releases, I know this one will be coming out in my area. Like Ricki & the Flash, I know nothing about Eden. In fact, I know less about Eden than I do about any movie coming out this year, I know nothing about this movie.

August 21st

American Ultra

When I first saw the trailer for American Ultra, It seemed like the director of this movie watched Dazed and Confused, and said "I wonder if this was an action movie". That's exactly what American Ultra is, the premise for this movie is that a stoner cashier guy is a sleeper cell, who gets activated by the CIA, but is still a stoner, only now he can do CIA stuff. Jesse Eisenberg looks funny, Kristen Stewart looks a lot funnier than she usually is, and I'm really looking forward to American Ultra.

Auguest 28th

Regression

Regression is one of the few movies coming out this year I know close to nothing about, even after watching the trailer, and hearing about script details from a friend. The plot synopsis on IMDB makes it sound like one thing, the trailer makes it look like something completely different. I'm not sure if it's about a cult of some sort, or about recovery from trauma, or it could very well be both. All I know is I've heard it's a fantastic movie.

Best of July 2015: Ant-Man

Ant-Man is probably one of Marvels biggest, toughest moves yet, and it absolutely pays off in the form of one of their best films as of yet. This, along with Guardians of the Galaxy, is Marvels funniest movie so-far, and the action sequences are fantastic. The way the Ant-Man gimmick is used here is fantastic, it's so original, and so well-done. I hope that in the years to come we can see some more Ant-Man films, because Paul Rudd as Ant-Man is one of the most compelling characters in Marvel films right now. I liked Ant-Man a lot more than I thought I would, far more than Age of Ultron, and I would even put it up there with Winter Soldier.

Ant-Man Movie Review

Article by Gabe Zia

Lazy Film Critic Movie Reviews: Ant-Man

Ant-Man is the latest Marvel movie, within the Avengers universe, set shortly after the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron. It stars Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Michael Pena, and Corey Stoll. Ant-Man follows a man named Scott Lang who, after recently being released from prison, is trying to support his daughter, and through a series of events, meets Hank Pym. Some stuff happens, I'd rather not get into the details, and Scott becomes the Ant-Man, a guy who can shrink and control ants.

When thinking of the actors who one would pick to play a superhero, rarely is someone like Paul Rudd the first that comes to mind. So, I went into this movie knowing Paul Rudd would commit a lot to this project, as Marvel's kind of a big deal. And, as I expected, he was fantastic in this movie. He was funny, he has great comedic timing, and he sold a lot of the action as well. As for Michael Douglas, going into this movie, I didn't expect much. But after seeing this movie, by god, I hope Michael Douglas was the most payed actor in this movie, because he completely nailed it as Hank Pym. 

Hands down the highlight of Ant-Man is it's absolutely brilliant action sequences. After Age of Ultron, and every Marvel movie between that and the first Avengers, essentially consisted of the entire world being at stake, so it's nice to see a Marvel movie with a much more toned down scale. Whatever effect they use for Ant-Man shrinking and growing back looks really good, and it works really well for a lot of the action here. As for the heist sequence, because despite Edgar Wright leaving the film, it's still a heist movie, it's a pretty great heist sequence, even if it's a bit unsatisfying.

Another highlight of Ant-Man is its sense of humor. Where Guardians of the Galaxy had a lot of humor in it, Ant-Man is essentially an action-comedy, with heavy emphasise on the comedy. What's great about the sense of humor in Ant-Man is that it has all the jokes you would want in a funny marvel movie. You get a lot of superpower related comedic moments, you get witty dialogue, Paul Rudd provides a lot of much needed dry wit to the Marvel Universe, and all this comes together in what is - even having seen Guardians of the Galaxy - Marvels funniest film yet.

What I really like about this movie is how much of a bold move it is. Sure, not many people knew about Guardians of the Galaxy, but it was still a space movie, which people were familiar with. Ant-Man is a movie about a guy who can shrink to the size of an ant, control other ants, and has the strength of a 200 ton man while the size of an ant. That's a completely absurd premise, and it's probably why it took this long for an Ant-Man movie to come out. Like I said though, it completely pays off in what is one of Marvels best films to date.

Final Rating
Ant-Man is a huge surprise, I didn't expect much of anything going into this movie, but it's one of my favorite current Marvel films, right up there with Winter Soldier. The film has a few minor gripes, but at the end of the day, they are minor gripes, and don't do much to this movie. I loved Ant-Man, I would totally see it again, and I highly recommend that you go see Ant-Man right away, especially if you're a fan of Marvel.

Ant-Man

4.5/5

Big Game Movie Review

Article by Gabe Zia

Lazy Film Critic Movie Reviews

Big Game is an action film starring Samuel L. Jackson and Onni Tommila, and it's the directorial debut of Jalmari Helander. The film more or less follows two different stories. One of them follows the President, as he struggles to survive a terrorist attack that crashed Air Force One in the middle of the woods in Finland. The other follows a Finnish kid named Oskari, as he goes through a right of passage of sorts, and has to survive in the woods for one day and one night, while hunting. The two of these characters meet, and we have what is essentially Air Force One meets Cliffhanger.

Before I get to the action,  I've gotta talk about Samuel L. Jackson and Onni Tommila. First off, Jackson is pretty decent as what is arguably the lead role of this movie. Really, at this point in time, that shouldn't come off as much of a surprise, I mean he's Samuel L. Jackson, he's rarely a forgettable part of a movie. However, the real standout of Big Game was Onni Tommila. It's especially surprising that this is one of his first films, because he's a surprisingly good actor for his age. When it comes to kid actors, they're either terrible or amazing, and Onni Tommila is fantastic in this movie.

However, acting aside, Big Game is a movie that exists for one reason, and that reason is the action. A recent sub-genre that's been becoming increasingly popular is the modern day 80s action movie, which essentially amounts to cheesy one-liners, over the top action, and ridiculous set-pieces. While movies like Kung Fury tend to go way over the top with this, Big Game is one of the few films in this genre that I think has successfully recreated the overall tone and feel of an 80s action movie. It's got the one-liners, it's goes over the top, and it works.

However, while I really enjoy Big Game as an action movie, it has one issue that, as a critic, It'd be weird if I ignored it. Yes, Big Game is a fun movie, but even though it was intentionally made this way, the film lacks in most critical lines of thinking. The cinematography is passable, the soundtrack is forgettable, the special effects look fairly fake, and the writing was a little too serious for a film which is mostly cheesy action. Big Game doesn't take itself too seriously though, so it's easy for me to look past these and enjoy a fun movie. I still have to talk about them though, or else I'd just be "Lazy Guy Who Watches Films Then Talks About Them A Bit", which doesn't really have the same ring to it.

Final Rating
Big Game, from any critical standpoint, is far from a perfect movie. Hell, to anybody who has seen this movie can agree, this isn't the kind of movie that'll win any oscars. However, from a strictly entertainment standpoint, Big Game is some of the most fun you'll have all year, which is why despite any negatives the movie has, I'd absolutely recommend that if it's playing near you, go check it out. I guarantee that at the very least, you'll have a good time.

Big Game

3.8/5

Terminator Genisys movie review

Article by Gabe Zia

Lazy Film Critic reviews....

Terminator Genisys is the fifth film in the Terminator series, and finally brings Arnold back into this series after Salvation thought It'd be fine without him. Along with Arnold Schwarzenegger, this reboot/prequel/sequel (I don't even know) also stars Jai Courtney, Emelia Clarke, Jason Clarke, J.K. Simmons, Byung Hun-Lee, and Matt Smith. This film is more or less set during the events of the first Terminator film, only this time everything has changed, leading to a completely new story for this series.

Overall, most of the cast in this movie do a pretty good job, especially with taking on really iconic roles. While Jai Courtney is about exactly what you'd expect he'd be in this movie (this could be good or bad depending on whether or not you like him as an actor), but one of the bigger surprises in this movie was Emilia Clarke. Linda Hamilton is so iconic and fantastic as Sarah Conner, so no matter how good she is, this is a difficult role to tackle. To my surprise, she actually did a pretty good job, and managed to stand on her own with a daunting role like this. Another big surprise, and the one I was worried the most about, was Arnold Schwarzenegger returning to the role of the Terminator, and he did a really good job. He's aged, sure, but he still totally works as the terminator.

As for the rest of the movie, it certainly has its ups and downs. The good part of this movie is mostly in the action, which is pretty well made and well filmed. The action sequences in this movie do a really good job of keeping the tension high, and really putting you in the scene, making them more intense and engaging. However, Terminator Genisys also suffers from some flaws. For one, the story of this movie isn't all that well-written, and becomes needlessly convoluted around halfway through.

However, that isn't the biggest flaw, and doesn't really damage that movie to a certain degree. Which brings to question why this movie is so badly received. In my opinion Terminator Genisys, on it's own, is a decent enough movie. However, this film suffers from a major issue, which is it's unfortunately godawful marketing campaign. Everything, from the trailers, to commercials on tv, to interviews about the film, even the posters have a ton of spoilers about the film. While this usually wouldn't change the quality of the film itself, it hurt my overall enjoyment of the movie, and presumably anyone else who has seen any advertising for this movie.

Final Rating
Even with its spoiler heavy marketing campaign, and despite what seemingly everyone else says about Genisys, I had a good time with this movie, it was a decent film. Nothing too impressive, and I can certainly tell why most critics don't like this movie, it's fun if that's the sort of thing you're looking for. Again, nothing to get too excited about, or rush to the theatre to see, but if you want to see this movie, I really don't see why not.

Terminator Genisys

3.5/5

July 2015 Watchlist

Article by Gabe Zia
So with June over tomorrow, I'm going to take a look at some movies coming out this month. Some movies from June I didn't post any reviews of. I saw Slow West, but haven't found the time to write my review, and Dope never came out where I live, so that was an obstacle for obvious reasons. However, I'll try to see Dope sometime this month. In the meantime, here are some new releases to look forward to.

July 3rd

Terminator Genisys

This was the movie that, for the longest time, I had given the benefit of the doubt. But in more recent days, I have all but entirely given up on this movie. Especially with this whole thing where John Conner has been somehow transformed into some kind of human/terminator hybrid (which is really weird and not at all needed), I've pretty much lost hope in this movie. I have a few reasons for keeping this on the list, the only big one being that the T-1000 is in the movie, which is pretty awesome.

The Overnight

This is another film I heard of from Sundance, and I've heard nothing but good things about it. First off, it's got a fantastic cast, with Taylor Schilling from Orange is the New Black, Adam Scott, and Jason Schwartzman, all usually hilarious actors in whatever they're in. Based on the trailer, this movie looks really funny as well, featuring a sense of realistic humor, which is something I always love to see in films. It's one of the more underground films of the month, but one I'm certainly looking forward to.

July 10th

Big Game

I've been waiting for this movie for so long, it looks like a total cheesy 80s action movie, which is never a bad thing. In case you haven't heard of it before, the plot here is that Air Force One has been attacked, the president escaped, and landed in the middle of Finland. This Finnish teenage hunter meets him, and the two of them have to survive against the terrorists trying to kill the president. Oh, did I mention the president is played by Samuel L. Jackson? Because the president is played by Samuel L. Jackson.

Self/Less

This movie is a bit of a difficult situation for me, because I honestly have no idea of what to think of it. On the one hand, I really like the premise, and Tarsem Singh has shown us that he can deliver a film with a unique visual style (for example, The Cell). However, this film also looks a little confusing, and Singh has also been known to be a little pretentious and confusing (for example... also The Cell). The trailer it intriguing enough, but I'm still reasonably skeptical.

Minions

When I heard there was a Minions movie being made, I was really conflicted at first. Because it could be hilarious slapstick, but it could also be really stupid, with the main characters never really speaking any comprehensible language. The trailers have surprised me though, and the more trailers come out, the more surprised I am by this movie. Normally, the idea of a bunch of characters who speak gibberish getting their own spinoff would seem really dumb, but I keep finding myself wanting to see this movie.

July 17th

Ant-Man

Ant-Man is one of those movies that, the closer we get to release, the more excited I am for it. I started out really skeptical about this movie, especially with Edgar Wright no longer being attatched to the project. However, with more trailers and a better look at the film overall, I gotta say, Ant-Man looks fairly impressive to me. I still have a bit of cautious optimism, but as of right now, I think it looks really good.

Trainwreck

Judd Apatow movies can go one way or the other for me. They can either be really good and really funny, or they can get way too serious in the final act of the film and drag on for 30 minutes way too long. Hopefully, Trainwreck is the former. I like Bill Hader, I like Amy Schumer, and from the trailer it looks like they have good chemistry. This is another movie I'm hoping is good, despite fairly mediocre expectations.

The Stanford Prison Experiment

This movie caught my attention a while back. Not just due to what I've heard from Sundance, but the fact that it's about an interesting story. The Stanford prison experiment is one of the most controversial and one of the darker experiments at Stanford, the results of said experiment being fairly terrible. So, it's fair to say that I'm interested to see this story and this experiment brought to life on film.

July 22nd

Sharknado 3

I feel as though I should feel ashamed about myself when I talk about the Sharknado movies. They're, in my opinion, the ultimate guilty pleasure. They're so stupid, and so over the top ridiculous. The first movie was the average, run of the mill, B movie, which was fun enough. Sharknado 2 was straight up Army of Darkness territory, with ridiculous action and hilarious cameos. Sharknado 3 just looks off the rails bonkers, and I can't wait to watch it.

July 24th

Paper Towns

I'm usually not in any way a fan of the "teen drama" sort of thing, however having recently finally watched and surprisingly enjoyed The Fault in our Stars on Netflix, I'm pretty interested to see some of John Greens other work put to film. Keep in mind, I haven't read the book for either Fault in Our Stars or Paper Towns, but nonetheless I'm interested.

July 31st

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation

The Mission Impossible series has been slowly getting better and better over time, with the last film, Ghost Protocol, being easily the best in the series. So, with that, Rogue Nation has a lot to live up to. I was fairly surprised when I found out Brad Bird wouldn't be returning to make this movie, seeing as how he did such a good job with the fourth film. However, I trust that they won't mess this up, and I trust that Rogue Nation will live up to the hype.



Vacation

I love the original Vacation, hands down one of my favorite comedies. So when I found out there was a remake, at first I was really worried, because comedy remakes can be either really good or really bad, usually the latter. However, having recently seen the trailer, my thoughts on this movie have completely changed, and I'm really looking forward to it. I'm not sure how Ed Helms will do if being compared to Chevy Chase - which he will, it's inevitable, he'll be compared to Chevy Chase - but I have high hopes for this movie.

Best of June 2015: Me & Earl & the Dying Girl

At first, I absolutely thought this movie would end up as just another Fault in Our Stars teen drama. However, I was delightfully surprised with Me & Earl & the Dying Girl. It was one of those movies that had a near-perfect balance of comedy and drama, with some of the most hilarious bits of narration I've seen in a while, and later some of the real somber and unexpected moments where you feel absolutely broken inside. It's entertaining, it's memorable, and it makes you feel all sorts of emotions. It's one of the pleasant surprises of 2015, and it was my favorite film of last month.

Inside Out movie review

Article by Gabe Zia

Lazy Film Critic reviews...

Inside Out is the latest animated film from Pixar, and seems to me like a major comeback for this awesome animation studio, after a while there where everything they made wasn't all that good. Inside Out tells a fairly familiar idea, basically it follows the emotions of a young girl, as she moves from Minnesota to San Francisco, which as you could have guessed causes some emotional termoil. The film stars Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Lewis Black, Mindy Kaling, and Bill Hader as the central emotions.

Now with an animated film, the first thing that would need to be addressed is the animation, and if this movie does anything, it proves that Pixar can still make a film with stellar animation. The visuals in this movie have both high detail and fluid movement on screen, but also rich and vivid colors. Pixar isn't a studio known to slack off with their animation, and Inside Out presents some of their best work yet, with a film that has both incredible visuals, and an original art style for said visuals.

I doubt I've ever seen a role in a film more fitting of Lewis Black.

However, all that being said, animation isn't everything, and each animated film also has to have both good voice acting and good writing. In recent years, this is where Pixar has heavily lacked, however thankfully they're stepping up their game with one of their best scripts and voice casts since Monsters Inc. The actors in this movie are all perfect fits for each of their roles, and play them in a hilariously believable way, especially Lewis Black. As for the writing, it's funny, it's witty, and it has tons of jokes that will likely go right over most kids heads.

On that point, there's another thing I really loved about Inside Out, and it's something I love about most Pixar films, which is that this movie is by no means at all a kids movie. Most Pixar films are usually enjoyed by people of any age group, however (although the look of the film may suggest otherwise) adults will likely enjoy this movie way more than kids will, because this movie has a lot of themes and deeper meanings that kids won't understand, but adults will, and will probably love this movie way more for that.

Final Rating

If you have ever experiences any kind of emotion in your life, chances are you will be able to relate to this movie on some level. It's funny, it's charming, it has some really effective themes, and it's surprisingly mature, even for a Pixar movie, a company known for making movies more for adults than for kids. If you can find the time, go see Inside Out. If you can't find the time, make time, because this movie is worth it.

Inside Out

5/5

Jurassic World movie review

Article by Gabe Zia

Lazy Film Critic reviews...

Jurassic World is the reboot of the Jurassic Park series, having been fourteen years after the last film, and twenty two years since the last good film in the series. This film is directed by Colin Trevorrow, who also made Safety Not Guarenteed (a film I love), and stars Chris Pratt & Bryce Dallas Howard. This film is set way after the events of the first movie, and essentially ignores the other two (rightfully so), being set after Jurassic Park (now called Jurassic World) has opened to the public. However, as theme parks do, they have to keep adding more stuff because people are stubborn and get bored easily, which leads them to creating this super predator, which of course manages to break out and causes mass terror.

Now, the first thing you gotta know about Jurassic World is that this is by no means a Jurassic Park movie. A better way of describing it would be that it's a monster movie set within the storyline of Jurassic Park, because everything about this movie works like a monster movie. The genetic hybrid known as the "Indominus Rex" is essentially the deadliest thing ever created, and causes chaos throughout Jurassic World. So, in that, if you go into this expecting riveting discussions about nature, and evolution, and playing god, you won't get that. However, it's clear that that's not what Jurassic World was trying to be, this movie is trying to be a monster movie. And in being a monster movie, I think Jurassic World mostly succeeded, and turned out to be a pretty entertaining movie, even if it has some big flaws.

Jurassic World has a lot of good things going for it, I don't want this to sound like a bad review. For starters, the action in this movie is really well done, whenever this monster of a dinosaur is on or even off screen, you feel a lot of tension for the characters trying to survive this thing, which is the ultimate predator. There's also the fact that it's not the only dinosaur in the movie, which leads to some pretty cool action sequences, most of which involve Chris Pratt. Speaking of Chris Pratt, he did an awesome job in the lead role of this movie. He was likable, he was funny, but he was also a bit of a badass, but he also isn't typecast in this role, this is a very different role from Guardians of the Galaxy, which I liked to see. This and Guardians have essentially solidified Chris Pratt as an action star, and I'm glad that has happened.

However, this movie is far from perfect. One of the biggest problems to me with this movie was the writing, both dialogue and character wise. In terms of the dialogue, there are a lot of really cheesy and cartoony moments with some of the lines in this movie, and not cheesy in a good "Army of Darkness" way, because it doesn't work with the rest of the films serious tone. As for the characters writing, these characters are very carbon cut characters, and seem really cliched. Chris Pratt essentially plays the adventurer tough guy, Bryce Dallas Howard plays the obsessive business person, and the two kids in this movie are almost no different from the kids in the first movie, except here they serve even less purpose.

Final Rating

I know I just listed a lot of flaws with Jurassic World, however that should by no means mean you shouldn't go. It's not a great movie, but it's certainly a good movie, and probably worth your time. If you want to see a good monster movie this weekend, or just something entertaining that may give you some callings to your childhood, then totally go check out Jurassic World.

Jurassic World

3.7/5

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl movie review

Article by Gabe Zia

Lazy Film Critic reviews....

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is a comedy/drama based on the novel of the same name by Jesse Andrews. It's directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, and stars Thomas Mann, RJ Cyler, and Olivia Cooke. The film follows a socially awkward teenager named Greg, and his friendship with Rachel, a girl who has been recently diagnosed with cancer. Alongside that, it also follows his friendship with Earl, a guy who he makes these Be Kind Rewind style parodies of popular movies with.

Watching this movie, the first thing that will catch everyones eyes will be the films style. This movie has a really unique style, seemingly like nothing I've really seen before in a movie like this. This movie uses really quirky characters to its advantage to bring this movie to life, as well as some of the best and most well thought out shots I've seen in a high school movie. It has some of the stuff you'd expect from a high school movie, such as narration, and cutting the scenes into parts with text separating every part, but what makes this movie so great is how it uses these things to its advantage.

If you remember from my Ouija movie review (worst movie of 2014), I said in that movie I didn't think much of Olivia Cooke. So, when I saw she was starring in this movie, I wasn't optimistic by any stretch of the imagination. However, a lot apparently changed for Cooke in the time between Ouija and this movie, as she's surprisingly good, and plays the emotional centre of this film. A lot of her scenes really hit you where you live, and not in a bad way. Thomas Mann as Greg the lead, he's also really good in this movie. I mentioned earlier that he's socially awkward, and I mean really socially awkward. And he plays it really well, he's really convincing, and you feel for him as well. All the characters in this movie also have really good back & forth, the chemistry here is fantastic.

What I love about this movie is how well balanced it is. As I said, this movie deals with the subject of cancer, and I think this movie deserves a lot of credits for handling this topic in a really mature way. It's never too sappy, and it's never a straight up comedy. In fact, even with it's quirky characters and quirky world, this movie has this feeling of being apologetically real. Even better is how well the two themes of comedy and drama are blended, and how high those points are. When this movie is sad, it is downright depressing, and when it's funny, it's hilarious. It can go from a really funny moment to an absolutely heartbreaking one in a second, and the transition is just about seamless.

Final Rating
Really, I had no problems with this movie. I'd say it's the best high school movies I've seen since The Perks of Being a Wallflower, which anyone who knows me knows I love that movie. In fact, I'd say this goes even further than that movie. It's touching when it needs to be, funny when it needs to be, and by the end, downright heartbreaking. Really, regardless of whether or not you like high school movies, I think pretty much everyone should go see this movie. It should come out June 12th, and I highly recommend you see this as soon as possible.

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

4.7/5

June 2015 Watchlist

Article by Gabe Zia
We're a quarter way into Summer 2015, May was absolutely packed with some pretty cool movies, and one godawful movie *cough, Hot Pursuit, cough*. But enough about that, because June is just around the corner, and looks just as packed. So, here are some of the movies I'm looking forward to this month, indie and blockbuster alike.

June 1st

Kung Fury

In the realm of cheesy, intentionally ridiculous movies, some of my friends and I have no equal to Kung Fury. We've been looking forward to this movie for at least a year and a half now, because this movie looks completely nuts. I would tell you what the plot of this movie is, but instead I'm just going to post a link to the trailer, I guarantee you this movie does not disappoint in terms of being completely ridiculous.

June 5th

Entourage

Entourage is one of those shows I haven't watched much of, seeing as how I live in Canada and it's not available on Netflix here. However, from what I have seen, I really enjoyed it. So, with a movie based on the show coming out, I'm honestly really intrigued to see how it'll turn out. Again, I have very little frame of reference regarding the show, so there's that too.

Love & Mercy

I didn't really know all that much about this movie until very recently, but from what I've read, I'm intrigued. I don't know much about Brian Wilson, and I don't know anything about the Beach Boys, other than the fact that they made some fairly popular songs. I've never seen Paul Dano in a leading role before, so I'm guessing with him at the helm this film will probably be interesting.

June 12th

Jurassic World

This movie has been slowly ramping up in terms of how hyped I am waiting for it. They got a really good director, some really good cast members, and then Chris Pratt which almost sealed the deal for me. However, the real seller here is the tone of the movie that I've seen from the trailers, this movie looks like it has a really fitting tone. And the closer we come to release, the more I understand the plot. At first, the whole genetic modification thing seemed stupid, but now It seems like it makes sense to me in a weird way. Not to mention, it kind of feels like the movie Aliens, which is never a bad thing.

Me & Earl & the Dying Girl

I heard about this movie awhile ago from Sundance, hearing that it was getting great reviews all around, and that people loved it. From the trailer, I'm honestly not surprised people really enjoy it, because it looks like an interesting movie. This movie looks like what would happen if you took The Fault in Our Stars and mashed it with Be Kind Rewind. That's not a combination I ever thought would happen, but having seen the trailer, it makes perfect sense.

Slow West

This is yet another big Sundance hit, so much like the Me & Earl, I'm really looking forward to seeing this movie. And there are other reasons as well, such as the fact that it's a western and I really enjoy Westerns. Or the fact that it has Michael Fassbender and Ben Mendelsohn who are both actors I really enjoy watching. Maybe it's all of the above, but the point is I'm looking forward to this movie.

June 19th

Inside Out

Pixar has been on a bit of a downhill spiral recently. Cars 2 was lame, Brave was disappointing, Monsters University was unnecessary, so I'm really hoping Inside Out will be the movie that turns things around for them. And it looks interesting enough, granted it's not Pixars most original concept, but it's worth enough that it'll probably be entertaining.

Dope

I don't mind high school movies, just as long as they're good. The problem is, most of them are kind of unoriginal and cliched. However, thankfully, Dope looks like it has the originality it needs to be a memorable high school movie. The characters seem well written, it seems really funny, and I love the way they've executed the style of this movie, just everything about this movie looks really well done and... Well, dope.

Best of May 2015: Mad Max: Fury Road

Mad Max: Fury Road is a rare variety of action film, the kind that only shows its face every couple of years. This movie is packed with insane non-stop action, unique set-peices, and amazing practical effects. Tom Hardy totally kills it as the new face of Max Rockatansky, and Charlize Theron completely steals the show, and makes for an amazing and interesting protagonist for this film. Nicholas Hoult is fantastic, playing what is hands down his most complex and intriguing character yet. This film creates a whole new world to explore for the Mad Max series, and creates some fantastic characters to keep the audience interested. The pacing is spot in, with no action scene dragging on too long, and never taking too much time with it's slower parts. This is the single most entertaining and memorable movie of the year so-far.