It’s hard to sit here and write a review when all I want to do is walk right back in the theatre and watch director Zack Snyder’s glorious Man of Steel all over again.

Yes, Henry Cavill is completely dreamy and watching him in that navy blue and red suit does make my heart ache just a bit, but the film exceeds in every level a ...]]> Note: The film was converted into 3D and the 3D doesn’t enhance the film at all. I recommend seeing the film in 2D, which I will be doing again this weekend. This is a spoiler-free review.

It’s hard to sit here and write a review when all I want to do is walk right back in the theatre and watch director Zack Snyder’s glorious Man of Steel all over again.

Yes, Henry Cavill is completely dreamy and watching him in that navy blue and red suit does make my heart ache just a bit, but the film exceeds in every level a superhero film should. It’s action-packed, has an incredible ensemble of talented actors, all of which have led their own films at one time or another, and above all, the film has more heart than anything else that’s come out this year. Heart is what transforms a summer blockbuster into memorable movie status.

Unlike the Batman, Spider-Man and Avengers origin films, Man of Steel is told in non-linear order; it’s risky, but is brilliantly done by screenwriter David S. Goyer with the help of co-storyteller Christopher Nolan. Nolan had an advantage with Batman Begins since no one had really tackled a full Batman origin story in a live feature film before. The director certainly brought his visionary and story telling talents to Man of Steel, which he co-produced as well.

Man of Steel begins on the Planet Krypton, where Jor-El (Russell Crowe) and Lara Lor-Van (Ayelet Zurer) are preparing to launch their newborn son Kal-El to Earth. Krypton was taken over by General Zod (Michael Shannon) and the parents knew their planet was doomed and wanted more for their son.

When the spaceship crash-lands in a Kansas field, it’s the Kents (Kevin Costner and Diane Lane), who find baby Kal-El, name him Clark, and take him in as their own son. In non-linear fashion, the film jumps to a bearded and young adult Clark Kent (Henry Cavill), who wanders from town to town, lacking self-confidence and burying his superpower identity.

From there, Snyder gives us several flashbacks of Clark’s childhood, showing how Clark was bullied and how his powers saved the lives of many, even at a young age.

Snyder’s Superman reboot is brilliant because heavy action is balanced by the superhero’s journey of self-discovery. We get an equal balance of summer action fun and follow Clark as he discovers how he came to be on Earth. This Superman is sure to be the first of an amazing trilogy.

We’ve seen Henry Cavill before, in Showtime’s The Tudors and in 2011’s Immortals, but as the title role in Man of Steel, Cavill gives the breakout performance of the year. I swear, even when the actor doesn’t have lines, it’s some of the best acting I’ve seen all year. He completely understands and captures the emotional back-story of Clark Kent and his journey before wearing the suit.

Amy Adams also does great work here as Lois Lane. Adams’s Lane is no damsel-in-distress. In her very first scene, she enters badass territory telling off the guys who won’t allow her to see the spaceship. What’s great about Lois in this Superman film is that the screenplay actually allows her to do things besides fall out of a helicopter and have Superman catch her! Imagine that! Look out for the scene with Lois and Jor-El (Superman’s dad). She’s a complete badass.

As much as I adored Cavill and Adams in this film, the winner for best supporting role must go to Kevin Costner as Jonathan Kent, Clark’s human father. Costner grounds the film and provides the story with a ton of heart, the most significant factor in making a superhero film a great one. It’s Costner’s character that teaches young Clark not to reveal himself to the world, until the word is ready for him. The theme of Man of Steel revolves around this character and it’s Costner that brings the theme to life. Every scene he is in is fantastic.

When Man of Steel ends, take a few minutes and sit through the entire end credits so you can listen to the beauty that is Hans Zimmer’s score. And make sure to take a breather because you’ve just been hit with one of the best films of the year.

Jay Baruchel, Seth Rogen, James Franco, Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson and Danny McBride all play heightened versions of themselves. It’s really quite a brilliant idea for a movie, especially with the entire craze in movies about the apocalypse.

Jay Baruchel visits his buddy ...]]> Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s newest film, This Is the End is the type of comedy that will please both critics and fans alike. If you enjoy the comedy style of the duo’s earlier films (Superbad and Pineapple Express), you will more than likely laugh out loud several times during this dark comedy about the end of the world.

Jay Baruchel, Seth Rogen, James Franco, Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson and Danny McBride all play heightened versions of themselves. It’s really quite a brilliant idea for a movie, especially with the entire craze in movies about the apocalypse.

Jay Baruchel visits his buddy Seth Rogen in Los Angeles. The two end up going to James Franco’s house for a party, even though Jay is reluctant to go, thinking that Seth’s friends don’t really like him. When the two get to the Hollywood Hills mansion, a wasted and smiling James Franco gives Seth a hug, but can’t quite remember Jay’s name. Jonah Hill seems to be going out of his way to make Jay feel extra comfortable and Craig Robinson is also there, sporting a t-shirt that says, “Drop Your Panties.”

Michael Cera, Christopher Mintz-Plasse enjoy a little Superbad reunion, that involves a good amount of cocaine and Rihanna is singing away near the piano with Craig Robinson. A lot of celebrities pop up here and there including Emma Watson, Mindy Kaling and Aziz Ansari, all having some drinks, conversing and having a good time.

Jay is clearly not having fun, feeling left out of the loop around Seth and his group of friends, so he makes an excuse to get out of the house and go to the closest convenience store for cigarettes. Seth goes with him, accusing Jay that he isn’t trying hard enough to be friends with his buds and just as the two start an argument, the apocalypse hits. The ground shakes heavily, balls of fire are flying up from underground and people are being sucked up into the sky by blue streaks of light. Jay and Seth are scared out of their wits and run back to James Franco’s house for shelter.

Everyone starts to run out of the house like mad and the ground starts to sink right in front of James’s house, taking down several celebs and actors with it. The five guys end up surviving and to their surprise, their friend Danny McBride ends up alive too. The six actors barricade themselves in James’s house, doing what it takes to survive, even though cabin fever eventually sinks in, testing the strengths of all their friendships.

This Is the End has a few surprising cameos that are just too good to giveaway. What made it a hilarious and enjoyable film was trying to figure out who was going to pop up next. You many know who the cameos are, but it’s a surprise where they actually pop-up.

The film tends to get a little long about ¾ of the way through and I found myself thinking, when are they going to get out of that house and start venturing outside?? It does take a while to get there, but once the story does get there, it leads to a fun ending.

If you are a fan of these funny guys, dark comedies, apocalyptic nonsense or gross-out humor, This Is the End has all of the above.

Well, it really could not have been more of a disappointment for Crashers fans. Not only is The Internship not really that funny, its annoyingly safe and one big fat advertisement for Google.

Nick (Owen Wilson) and Billy (Vince Vaughn) are two salesmen who soon find themselves out of a job. Desperate to get something ...]]> There’s no doubt that Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson have impeccable chemistry. 2005’s Wedding Crashers is considered one of the best comedies of the last decade and its certain that audiences and critics alike were excited about an onscreen reunion for the funny duo in The Internship.

Well, it really could not have been more of a disappointment for Crashers fans. Not only is The Internship not really that funny, its annoyingly safe and one big fat advertisement for Google.

Nick (Owen Wilson) and Billy (Vince Vaughn) are two salesmen who soon find themselves out of a job. Desperate to get something new and exciting, Billy browses the web, searching for sales jobs and stumbles across an internship at Google. He convinces Nick to apply with him and before they know it, the two are making their way to Mountain View, CA to compete among several college kids for a full-time job at Google.

The fact that these two middle-aged sales guys made their way into an internship at Google is goofy within itself, but the screenplay doesn’t allow for much explanation about what type of job the internship is for. The college kid interns are top of their class and super tech-savvy, yet Nick and Billy don’t have any computer skills at all.

On the first day of the internship, the interns are told to form groups by Mr. Chetty (Aasif Mandvi), the head boss of the new interns. Because of their age, no one wants to take part in Nick and Billy’s group and the two are left with a few other misfit interns. Google employee and super-nerd Lyle (Josh Brener) heads up the misfit group, which includes the loner jerk (Dylan O’Brien), the quirky smart girl (Tiya Sircar) and the Asian nerd (Tobit Raphael), who is the best character in the movie. When the summer is over, the group who wins the most competitions gets the jobs at Google.

The Internship almost feels like a continuation of Wilson and Vaughn’s characters from Wedding Crashers. They are still smart, rambunctious and love to flirt with women. In full Crashers fashion, Nick begins a flirtation with Dana (Rose Byrne), a hard-working, career-orientated Google gal. The best scene in the movie is when Nick takes Dana out to dinner; its hilarious and heartfelt. In fact all of their short scenes together were better than the majority of the film. I just wish we got more from Byrne’s character, rather than the stereotypical love interest for Nick.

And as much as I adore Max Minghella (10 Years), his portrayal of the one-note over-the-top villain is boring and just too much. There is no presence of him when he isn’t on the screen and in comedies, the villain usually is pretty funny, but here his character just wasn’t anything memorable. He was no Ben Stiller in Dodgeball, that’s for sure!

Directory Shawn Levy’s (Date Night) The Internship gives a few laughs, but isn’t the comedy everyone was hoping for. Vaughn and Wilson attempt to give it their touch of slapstick comedy, knowing that’s what their fans like, but the screenplay is no match for their talents.

It’s the year 2022 and the United States government has sanctioned one night a year where any and all crime is legalized and emergency services suspended. This 12-hour period is known as the Purge.

As the film opens, it’s 5:58 p.m. one hour and two minutes before the Purge begins. James Sandin ...]]> The Purge is one of the movies that has an intriguing premise, but is cheapened by clichéd thriller scares and stupid decisions made by the characters. What could have been one of the most memorable and intense films of the year turns out to be just another typical “scary movie.”

It’s the year 2022 and the United States government has sanctioned one night a year where any and all crime is legalized and emergency services suspended. This 12-hour period is known as the Purge.

As the film opens, it’s 5:58 p.m. one hour and two minutes before the Purge begins. James Sandin (Ethan Hawke) and his wife Mary (Lena Headey) prepare to lock down their home with their two children Zoey (Adelaide Kane) and Charlie (Max Burkholder). James sells top-notch security systems and he assures his family this year is nothing new; the security system will work and they will all be free of harm.

Just when the family is settling down for a prepared safe night, a stranger forces his way into the Sandins’s home and the family is tested to see how far they will go to protect themselves from the wicked outside.

The Purge has some piercingly good moments and Ethan Hawke and Lena Headey give strong performances, it’s just a shame that the screenplay didn’t allow for more exploration of the idea. Director and writer James DeMonaco (Skinwalkers and Assault of Precinct 13) focuses solely on murder and how in one particular family’s case, it turns into a home invasion. It would have been interesting to see what else was going in the country that night, even if the director just decided to include short clips here and there.

It also doesn’t help that the characters make the most idiotic decisions in order to survive. Yes, let’s all split up in a mansion while a bunch of psychotic people in masks try to find us! The film has a hint of 2008’s The Strangers, another film about a home invasion starring Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman. If DeMonaco decided to take a more realistic approach on the idea of one night of chaos and leave out the clichés it would’ve been a much better film.

The motivation behind the final and unsatisfying twist doesn’t make any sense. The villains’ reasoning in attacking the Sandins is dull and laughable.

Hawke and Headey move the story along like pros, but I really should have been on the edge of my seat much more than I was. I would love to see this idea in a completely different screenplay because the idea is excellent; the way it was executed was disappointing.

Lauren Bradshaw (ClotureClub.com): I just wanted to tell you guys first off… I just started doing movie reviews six months ago and it was because of Sound of My Voice. I was like, “I need to tell people about how great ...]]> I sat down with a few other DC film critics to speak with Brit Marling, Ellen Page and Zal Batmanglij to discuss their newest film, The East. Marling and Batmanglij, both graduates of Georgetown University returned to DC to film scenes for the movie. The duo both wrote 2012′s Sound of My Voice, which Marling starred in and Batmanglij directed.

Lauren Bradshaw (ClotureClub.com): I just wanted to tell you guys first off… I just started doing movie reviews six months ago and it was because of Sound of My Voice. I was like, “I need to tell people about how great this movie is!” I just wanted to tell you that before I ask my question.

Marling: Thank you! That’s so nice to hear!

Batmanglij: We’ll take any questions from you now.

Lauren B: I’m not trying to kiss your butts, I just had to tell you!

Batmanglij: No! That’s why we make movies so that it can move people like you!

Lauren B: Okay, so I was wondering… in the “buy nothing” summer, that you were talking about last night at the Q&A, was there anything that you took from this “buy nothing” summer that you still do today? Could you talk about your “buy nothing summer”? [Batmanglij and Marling participated in a “buy nothing summer” while living for a summer in freegan collectives. A “buy nothing summer” is when you literally spend no money and instead recycle the public’s “waste”. For example, there is a lot of dumpster diving for expired food that is still good but can no longer be on shelves.]

Batmanglij: That’s a good question.

Marling: I think the thing that is still with me so much is the desire for community and collective living and maybe that’s part of why I’m so attracted to filmmaking, because it’s inherently collective and you sort of live as a tribe for awhile while you’re making something. After I experienced that that summer, it was really hard to go back to sort of normal life which can be a bit isolating… alienating. So that really stuck with me.

Batmanglij: I think for me, it’s spin the bottle… I’ve tried to initiate unsuccessfully other… we experienced spin the bottle on the road; it’s a nice, free way to get kisses.

Marling: [laughing] free way to get kisses.

Lauren B.: [to Marling] Except for your character I guess.

Batmanglij: [to Marling] Yeah! You got a hug!

Lauren B.: I felt so bad for her!

Marling: [to Page] I got one kiss!

Lauren B: Yeah! You got a kiss.

Batmanglij: I didn’t mean a free way for kisses, I guess I meant a free way of entertainment.

Page: What am I, chopped liver?

Marling: I got a very good kiss.

Batmanglij: Yeah, it’s free entertainment. That’s the cool thing; it doesn’t cost any money. Movies cost a lot of money.

Lauren B. [to Page]: And did you do the kind of “freegan” lifestyle at all?

Page: No, I went to Oregon and studied permaculture design and eco-village development when I was, like, 22 so it was very similar ideas and you know, all kinds of different people living there and coming to take that course. It was new-freegans and new people that lived that lifestyle and experienced communal living in that way and also just the sort of radical reshaping of ideas and perspectives in your head because it often just sort of flips everything upside down in a good way.

Lauren Veneziani (www.DCfilmgirl.com): Sarah is able to infiltrate The East because she’s a professional and she’s trained and she’s able to kind of get in pretty smoothly. This question is for Brit and Ellen, which of your previous characters do you think would have been able to successfully infiltrate The East easily and which do you think would have had a really hard time infiltrating it?

Marling: Past characters we’ve played? [to Page] I think Hard Candy girl would have infiltrated very well.

Page: You totally just got it. Yeah, she would have. And you want to know the worst? The worst? Maybe.. oh you know who would’ve been great in The East? Maybe Libby from “Super”! Probably, I played a young Republican in a movie called Smart People. She’s a little bit of a… [Laughter]

Marling: Um, I think probably who would have had a difficult time, oh this character maybe from The Company You Keep. Because she’s more… I can’t imagine her going that far.

Batmanglij: Or the girl from Arbitrage.

Marling: Oh gosh the girl from Arbitrage could have never… she has to straighten her hair in the morning. She needs something to plug her straightener into. She couldn’t have done it. And I’m sure Rhoda from Another Earth would have had… I mean, she’s already in a sort of janitor coverall and never takes that off so I think she would kind of blend in.

Batmanglij: I want to see the Maggie/Benji showdown.

Marling: Maggie would have been just fine. That’s a good question!

John Hanlon (www.johnhanlonreviews.com): This movie deals with a lot of environmental issues, a lot of health issues, what would you advise a viewer who goes to the movie and is passionate about these ideas. Where should they go like a website that has ideas about where you can get this information. Do you use any sites in terms of pharmaceuticals you use?

Batmanglij: I can’t believe no one has asked that question. You guys keep upping the ante. I will tell you this, I think any time you get prescription for any drug–from antibiotic to any drug– you should definitely look up its side effects on the internet, which means not just the first page (which can be heavily curated from the pharmaceutical company because they can buy their way into that first page of Google searchability or whatever) but in the pages afterwards and see which side effects are temporary because temporary ones aren’t so bad and which side effects are permanent because if you’re going to take a medication that has permanent side effects, you should make sure that you really need to take that medication and that it isn’t for a suspected something or for something that isn’t life threatening. I think that’s an important thing to do.

Marling: And there are sites like Truth Dig or there’s a corporate watch site. Is it corporatewatch.org or something? Source Watch is great too. There are sites out there….

Page: Democracy Now is awesome. Amy Goodman is amazing.

John: Do you guys use these sites because it’s definitely interesting and viewers are going to go in and they’re going to say “what drugs am I taking and are they healthy for me?”

Batmanglij: The first time Ridley [Scott] saw the movie, that’s what he did… he got his drugs checked.

Lauren B: I love the twists in all of your movies, like Sound of My Voice and Inception, and I was wondering what all of your favorite twists are in a movie? Either yours or another movie?

Batmanglij: I can tell you mine. My favorite twist is The Sixth Sense.

Marling: I knew that’s what you were going to say! This isn’t really a twist but I think it is a similar breathlessness I feel about the end of Krzysztof Kieslowski’s movie Red. It has this beautiful moment at the end where it’s just metaphysically transcendent. It’s a beautiful film.

Page: I don’t know! Can I think about it?

Lauren V: Ellen, since this was Zal’s and Brit’s story, how involved were they in helping create your character or was it more a character that you understood right from reading the script?

Page: Yeah, it was just a great character to begin with and as Brit will attest, there is not always a bevy of roles for young women that are this interesting and different and strong and angry and showing lots of different spheres and dimensions of a person so I just jumped at the opportunity and hoped they let me land somewhere.

Lauren B: I was excited to see D.C. places like Clyde’s and we got to see scenes of you [Brit] running in Georgetown, so I was wondering, were there other scenes filmed in DC that you cut? What were your favorite places in the area when you guys lived here? [To Ellen] I don’t know if you have ever visited DC before, but what kind of things do you like to do here?

Marling: I loved being at Clyde’s! We went to Georgetown and spent a lot of time at Clyde’s so it was fun to shoot a scene there. We kind of did it spontaneously so Zal literally… it [Clyde’s] was closed so he walked around the back through the kitchen and asked “Can we shoot here?” The manager said no so Zal went online and Googled the headquarters and called someone at headquarters. The guy was like “oh yeah, Zal, you used to work here! Yeah, sure, you can shoot.” And Zal’s like, “the guy isn’t going to believe me”, walks back through the kitchen, finds the manager again, hands him the phone, and got permission to shoot there. We didn’t even have a costume so we went next door to J. Crew and bought a costume at J. Crew, that argyle sweater, and shot a little scene in the front of Clyde’s. It was fun.

After Earth isn’t completely terrible, but it’s more terrible than it is good or enjoyable. The one redeemable quality of the film is the performance of young Jaden Smith, who is certain to have an acclaimed career in acting with performances like this one. It’s been 7 years since father and son Will and Jaden Smith have been on screen together ...]]> Who would’ve thought that director and screenwriter M. Night Shyamalan would eventually become a laughing stock? The director who made films like The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable then made films like The Happening, The Last Airbender and now After Earth.

After Earth isn’t completely terrible, but it’s more terrible than it is good or enjoyable. The one redeemable quality of the film is the performance of young Jaden Smith, who is certain to have an acclaimed career in acting with performances like this one. It’s been 7 years since father and son Will and Jaden Smith have been on screen together (2006’s The Pursuit of Happyness) and I was really hoping for an incredible reunion on the big screen since the two are so good together!

The planet Earth was evacuated 1,000 years prior and everything has evolved to kill humans. Young space ranger Kitai (Jaden Smith) and his cold military dad Cypher (Will Smith) crash land on Earth. Cypher is injured very badly and it’s up to Kitai to retrieve the rescue beacon located on the tail end of the ship, which broke off in the crash and is hundreds of miles away.

There’s ton of plot holes in After Earth, the visuals are limited and dull and for a summer movie that could have been a blockbuster, its just another Shyamalan let down. For a science-fiction thriller, I really expected the visuals to pop and add to the story, but overall it looked like a TV movie. And the similarities to Star Trek just don’t help at all.

Although After Earth isn’t the Shyamalan comeback we hoped for, the film clearly belongs to Jaden Smith. In fact, his performance as young Kitai is what lifts the dull screenplay into a semi-watchable movie. The best scene in the film is the climatic scene involving Kitai and the alien. J. Smith’s character arc is incredible and as the audience we root for him from the beginning to succeed.

It’s pretty clear that Will Smith stepped back and let his son take over and be the true star of the film, but I really wanted more from his character. W. Smith’s character isn’t a likable one from the start and I kept hoping he was going to achieve a character arc somewhere in the film, but he never did. I understand why his performance was so one-note, but it doesn’t make for an entertaining film.

If you are a Shyamalan fan, like I am, After Earth will be a huge disappointment and if you’re a science-fiction space-adventure fan, I would just wait for the Blu-ray rental. The film might actually look better on an HD TV than in a dark movie theatre.

Director Louis Leterrier’s (Clash of the Titans) film is a compilation of several genres. It’s a mystery mixed with some comedic elements and near the second act turns full-on thrills. Anyone who appreciates magic, an excellent ensemble and Dave Franco’s gorgeous face will have a great time in the theatre.

A mystery man brings four of the world’s greatest illusionists together ...]]> Now You See Me is a mind-blowing and entertaining story that will keep you guessing till the end. Although at times, it’s a little too smart for its own good, the star-studded cast is fantastic, especially Jesse Eisenberg and Dave Franco.

Director Louis Leterrier’s (Clash of the Titans) film is a compilation of several genres. It’s a mystery mixed with some comedic elements and near the second act turns full-on thrills. Anyone who appreciates magic, an excellent ensemble and Dave Franco’s gorgeous face will have a great time in the theatre.

A mystery man brings four of the world’s greatest illusionists together to form a group called “The Four Horsemen.” The four magicians who specialize in a plethora of stunts including evading flesh-eating piranhas, mind-reading, pick-pocketing and physical trickery consist of Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher), Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson) and Jack Wilder (Dave Franco).

A year later, The Four Horsemen are headlining a show in Vegas where their prize magic trick is to teleport a random audience member to his bank and rob it, bringing back the money for the entire audience. Are the Horsemen thieves or does this ring a Robin Hood vibe?

FBI agent Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) and Interpol officer Dray (Melanie Laurent) aim to capture the Horseman and figure out just how they are stealing money from a bank across the country.

As the film unfolds, we welcome the talents of Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman into the picture, although Caine’s screen time is surprisingly short. There’s a lot of fun, many cool stunts and several twists and turns that make the screenplay of NYSM. The twists and turns may be a bit too much as the film climaxes somewhere in the middle and loses touch as we strive to find answers near the end.

You might be surprised when you watch Now You See Me, because as much as the story revolves around the magicians, it’s really Mark Ruffalo and Melanie Laurent’s characters that guide the audience through the story. Ruffalo and Laurent have impeccable chemistry as the duo trying to take down the magicians, but I really wanted to see more Eisenberg, Harrelson, Franco and Fisher during the second part of the film.

The magic and mystery elements dominate the second act and we lose track of the most interesting characters in the film! The screenplay takes the audience into the thriller element of the story, but denies us the connection we want to the Four Horsemen.

Jesse Eisenberg is fantastic as the arrogant and egotistical Atlas. Eisenberg isn’t shy to playing a character who believes he is the best at what he does (Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network), but this is a role he has never done before and shows how versatile he is as an actor. Eisenberg has a wonderful screen presence and his chemistry with Fisher is allows for the appropriate comedic elements.

There is an amazing five-minute sequence with one of my favorite actors who I absolutely adore: Dave Franco. Franco’s character is a pickpocket, quick on his feet and fast with his hands. He single handedly wipes two cops off their feet when they attempt to arrest him. The camera work is well done and the stunts Franco does are pretty incredible. Certainly one of the best scenes in the film and one to look out for.

Now You See Me has its problems, but the cast, stunts and visuals are fantastic and makeup for the confusing plot-points. Did I mention I’m also obsessed with Dave Franco?

Listen to my interview with Jesse Eisenberg here.

It’s a warm day in Washington, DC and I enter the interview suite of the Ritz Carlton in Georgetown with a few other WAFCA members. Eisenberg is leaning back on the couch twirling his curly locks and talking flight ...]]> I’ve seen The Social Network more times than I can count, Zombieland was the first Blu-ray I ever owned and Adventureland is totally my jam. Love that film! It was my pleasure to sit down with Academy Award nominee Jesse Eisenberg to discuss his latest film, Now You See Me. And I must say, it’s probably my favorite interview I’ve ever done.

It’s a warm day in Washington, DC and I enter the interview suite of the Ritz Carlton in Georgetown with a few other WAFCA members. Eisenberg is leaning back on the couch twirling his curly locks and talking flight details with his publicist. He immediately gets up and shakes my hand as I walk into the room and sit next to him on the couch.

As we get to talking, its easy to tell that Eisenberg had a blast filming Now You See Me with the rest of the star-studded cast including Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher, Dave Franco, Mark Ruffalo, Melanie Laurent, Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine. He particularly mentioned how hysterical Fisher is, claiming “not many people know how funny Isla is and that she loves dark comedy.”

Eisenberg and I discuss the difference in playing a real-life person versus fictional characters, the crazy stunts he had to do while filming and his fantastic career as both a writer and an actor.

Director Justin Lin brings the sixth installment to the Fast & ...]]> The Fast & Furious franchise is certainly a peculiar one. An extremely fun time at the theatres, no doubt about that, but how is it that average-ranking films about racecars, muscle guys and half-naked women make its way to blockbuster status? Usually a series of films doesn’t last this long, especially when the third installment didn’t involve a single member of the original cast. But the Fast & Furious franchise slowly transformed from movies about racing cars to action-packed heist films and added tons of star power in the mix.

Director Justin Lin brings the sixth installment to the Fast & Furious franchise to life just two years after releasing Fast Five. It’s been 12 years since the original film The Fast and the Furious debuted in 2001, which was followed by 2 Fast 2 Furious, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift and Fast & Furious. And be prepared Fast & Furious 7 is set for a release sometime next year.

The Fast & Furious franchise succeeded at the box office because fans enjoy watching its charismatic characters, insane action sequences and beautiful fast cars. With each additional film (even Tokyo Drift), the writers have been able to add at least one memorable character into the mix, making the recent Fast films the best of the franchise.

Fast 6 reunites the original crew including Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel), Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker), Mia (Jordana Brewster) and Letty (Michelle Rodriguez). Almost everyone from Fast Five returns including Ludacris, Tyrese Gibson, Gal Gadot, Sung Kang and Elsa Pataky.

Agent Luke Hobbs (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) gathers Toretto and his team to take down a former Special Ops soldier Owen Shaw (Luke Evans). Hobbs has a new partner, Riley (Haywire’s Gina Carano), who helps fill in Toretto about Shaw’s vehicular warfare crimes. As we’ve figured out from the trailers, Letty is back, even though everyone thought she died in a car crash in Fast & Furious. Letty is now linked to Shaw, which confuses the heck out of her ex-hubby Toretto, who thought she was gone for good.

It’s no secret that Fast 6 is action-packed, but there is one scene that stands out above the rest. The best scene in the film involves the Fast crew taking down a rogue tank on a highway. It’s crazy, yes, but Vin Diesel and Tyrese really make this scene work. Diesel has created such a memorable character as the strong and furious Toretto and Tyrese brings us tons of comedic relief as the egotistical Roman. Out of all the characters, these two were the most notable in the film.

And yes, most of the action scenes in the Fast films are over-the-top, but the scene involving the airplane (there is a short clip shown in the trailer) is almost too implausible to be considered cool. It lasts almost ten minutes longer than it should and its crowded by all the fighting going on inside and outside of the plane. That runway just lasts forever and it ends up hurting what is supposed to be the most climatic scene of the movie.

Although its not as good as its predecessor, with all the colorful cars, zealous characters and energetic action sequences, Fast & Furious 6 will please fans and attract new ones.

The Hangover Part III is a step up from the sequel, has a few good laughs, but nothing can touch the first film of the Wolfpack franchise. Although I enjoyed much of Part III, the sequels should have never been made, as nothing can live up to the first film that is a masterpiece.

The first Hangover debuted in 2009 and is one of the funniest films I’ve ever seen. The cinematography is beautiful, the screenplay witty and the actors create a group so memorable and ...]]> Note: Stay after the initial end credits for one of the best scenes in the franchise.

The Hangover Part III is a step up from the sequel, has a few good laughs, but nothing can touch the first film of the Wolfpack franchise. Although I enjoyed much of Part III, the sequels should have never been made, as nothing can live up to the first film that is a masterpiece.

The first Hangover debuted in 2009 and is one of the funniest films I’ve ever seen. The cinematography is beautiful, the screenplay witty and the actors create a group so memorable and fun that Danny Ocean’s boys would be jealous. As much as I wish the first film were left alone, Part III makes for a fine conclusion to the wild series and wraps everything up nicely for the fans.

Part III picks up where Part II left off (in Thailand); Mr. Chow (Ken Jeong) makes a prison break in quite a hysterical opening scene, eventually making his way to Tijuana. Meanwhile back in Los Angeles, in the aftermath of Alan’s (Zach Galifianakis) father’s death, his family and friends decide to stage an intervention. After all, he is 42 years old and still living in his parents’ house.

Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms) and Alan’s brother-in-law Doug (Justin Bartha) agree to take Alan to a hospital to get treatment for his issues. While the guys are driving to the hospital, they get run over by a gang, led by bad guy Marshall (John Goodman). Marshall is looking for Chow and believes that the “Woldpack” can find him, since Alan has remained in contact with him via email. Marshall and his boys kidnap Doug and threaten to kill him if they don’t find Chow.

There are a lot of funny scenes in Hangover III, but there are also a lot of dark and disturbing ones, particularly the scenes with animal violence (which is just completely unnecessary). The screenplay, written by the director Todd Phillips and Craig Mazin, has some pretty wild scenes including ones surrounding a giraffe, a chicken and a pair of dogs. These scenes are supposed to come off as funny, but they come off as cruel and unneeded, which ends up hurting the film. What happened to the light and cheery scenes that made the first one comedic genius?

The references to the first film are quite enjoyable. I particularly liked the scene where we see the lovely escort Jade (Heather Graham) and her son Tyler, who is now 4 years old. It’s the same baby, by the way, and he is adorable. I can’t be the only one that wanted Stu to end up with Jade, right? Alan and Tyler have a lovely (and weird) moment in the living room that is too precious. It’s a perfect “awe” moment. There are also some cameos of characters from the first film that won’t be given away in this review, but keep on the lookout for them!

The scene after the credits is hysterical! It’s a wonder why the screenwriters didn’t write that plot point into the story mid-way through and finish the film from that point on. It probably would’ve been a much funnier and less dark close to the trilogy.

If you’re a fan of the first one, or for some reason a fan of the sequel, go see Part III at a matinee. The references to the first film and Bradley Cooper’s blue eyes alone are worth the price of admission. Todd Phillips gives us a fine close to the story, but it really could’ve been so much more memorable.