Atomic Blonde

Atomic Blonde is probably the best movie I'll see all year, which is unfortunate since it's only February. It's directed by the same guy who did John Wick, and it has a similar feel. It's really a love letter to Charlize, Berlin, and a slick modern/future version of the '80s. The action is solid, there are some inspired song choices, and the cinematography is striking. I recommend seeing it on the big screen if you can.

I'm not a huge fan of Charlize Theron, but I don't think I've ever seen James McAvoy in a movie that I didn't like. And the action for Atomic Blonde looked like it would be cool. It turns out that it was directed by the same guy who did John Wick. I can see that.

The first 20 minutes of the movie are definitely the best. The first three songs that they play are great, the action is nice, it looks good overall, and the characters are interesting.

Mad Max: Fury Road

You know from the trailer exactly what you're getting with Mad Max: Fury Road. The action isn't that spectacular, but the world of Mad Max is always interesting, I liked the characters/actors, and the plot was fine.

I have a lot of nostalgia for the original Mad Max series, from forever ago. I'm pretty sure I watched it about 15 years ago and didn't like it. But I don't remember that anymore, so it's basically just back to the nostalgia. I didn't see the point in watching Fury Road. It didn't seem like the movie was necessary, or anything that was going to be that great. I do like Tom Hardy, but I'm not a huge fan of Charlize, and "Furiosa" is the dumbest name ever. I guess it *might* kind of fit in with the Mad Max univerise, though.

The opening of the movie is pretty cool. It's hard not to get behind Max's narration. I did like the look of the war boys. And the canyon people's outfits were cool, too. I thought Nux looked like Nicholas Hoult. I keep confusing other people for him, but I was like, "No, this time that really *has* to be him." Some of the car stuff was cool I guess. I wasn't super impressed with it, or the guitar player, although I did like the war drums. I could've done without the sped-up footage effect.

Snow White and the Huntsman

Snow White and the Huntsman was captivating to watch just for the way it looked. The story wasn't brilliant and some of the acting sucked, but the visuals made it worth seeing.

I don't think The Huntsman actually had a big enough role to be in the title with Snow White. More aptly, it should've been "The Queen and Snow White." But that doesn't have quite the same ring to it. I was kind of interested in this one, but I don't think I would've followed up on it if I hadn't seen Roeper's review. I don't remember what he said anymore, but I decided it was okay enough to watch. 

I was mostly interested in the visual aspect, and that's the part that paid off. Visually, it's a great movie. A feast for the eyes, if you will. I loved the cinematography, the costumes, the landscapes, the sets, all of it. It didn't all work; some of the camerawork seemed a little pretentious. But for the most part, it was really interesting to watch. I wish I had seen it at the theater.

Kristen Stewart sucked, though. I mean, she's just terrible. She doesn't act. She isn't pretty. Her eyes don't even have a color. It's bizarre. I don't understand why anyone would want to cast her in anything.