The Hateful Eight

THE HATEFUL EIGHT (2015)

written & directed by Quentin Tarantino

[wrote & directed Django Unchained (2012), Inglourious Basterds (2009), Death Proof (2007), Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004), Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003), Jackie Brown (1997), Pulp Fiction (1994), Reservoir Dogs (1992); screenplay for From Dusk Till Dawn (1996), True Romance (1993)]

starring  Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen & Bruce Dern

ENJOYMENT: **** (out of 4)

"Insanely funny, incredibly entertaining & extremely violent – one of my favorite Tarantino films"

The Big Short

THE BIG SHORT (2015)

directed by Adam McKay

[filmography: Anchorman 2 (2013), The Other Guys (2010), Step Brothers (2008), Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006), Anchorman (2004), "Saturday Night Live"]

written by 
Charles Randolph [Love & Other Drugs (2010), The Interpreter (2005), The Life of David Gale 2003)], Adam McKay [Ant-Man (2015), Anchorman 2 (2013), "Saturday Night Live", The Other Guys (2010), Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006), Anchorman (2004)]

starring Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Marisa Tomei & Brad Pitt

ENJOYMENT: ***½ (out of 4)

"A creative and funny film about complex topic; super entertaining & smart"

Joy

JOY (2015)

written & directed by David O. Russell

[filmography: American Hustle (2013), Silver Linings Playbook (2012), The Fighter (2010), I Heart Huckabees (2004), Three Kings (1999)]

starring Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Virginia Madsen, Isabella Rossellini & Bradley Cooper

ENJOYMENT: *** (out of 4)

"Entertaining, creative and funny, but probably not at all what you're expecting"

The Revenant

THE REVENANT (2015)

directed by  Alejandro González Iñárritu

[filmography: Birdman (2014), Biutiful (2010), Babel (2006), 21 Grams (2003), Amores Perros (2000)]

written by 
Mark L. Smith [some campy horror films], Alejandro González Iñárritu [Birdman (2014), Biutiful (2010), Babel (2006)]

starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Will Poulter & Domhnall Gleeson

ENJOYMENT: **** (out of 4)

"A masterpiece; never seen anything like it before nor have I seen a film that is so obviously difficult to make. Favorite of the year so far"

The Revenant is about a group of American frontiersman on a fur trading expedition during the 19th century and one man who is mauled by a grizzly bear, left for dead and ends up struggling for survival alone in the middle of winter. Only filmmakers absolutely dedicated to their craft and infinitely talented could have produced a film this breathtaking despite the obvious challenges they would have faced while making it. The Revenant is the first film from Iñárritu since winning three Oscars for Birdman and is validation that he is one of the best filmmakers working today. Leonardo DiCaprio admitted that this is the most challenging film he has ever made (eating raw buffalo liver, swimming in freezing rivers and having only 90 minutes per day to film because they used only natural light) and, dare I say, this is the one that will finally earn him his long-awaited Oscar.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS (2015)

directed by J.J. Abrams

[filmography: Star Trek Into Darkness (2013), Super 8 (2011), Star Trek (2009), Mission: Impossible III (2006) & "Lost"]

written by 
Lawrence Kasdan [The Bodyguard (1992), The Big Chill (1983), Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1983), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)], J.J. Abrams [Super 8 (2011), Mission: Impossible III (2006), Armageddon (1998) & Michael Arndt [The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013), Oblivion (2013), Toy Story 3 (2010), Little Miss Sunshine (2006)]

starring Daisy Ridley as Rey, John Boyega as Finn, Harrison Ford as Han Solo, Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia, Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker, Adam Driver as Kylo Ren, Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron, Lupita Nyong'o as Maz Kanata & Andy Serkis as Snoke 

ENJOYMENT: ***½ (out of 4)

"A worthy addition to the Star Wars saga, full of surprises and questions"

The new addition to the Star Wars franchise starts off three decades after the death of Darth Vader where a new enemy called The First Order now threatens the galaxy. As before, it is up to a group of rebels, who now call themselves the Resistance, to return balance to the Force (and please let this be all you know about the plot before you see this film). As the fastest movie to ever make $1 billion and having scored an incredible 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, this will likely be the most successful Star Wars of all time and could be the most successful movie of all time. Despite its flaws, it was still able to recapture the nostalgia and build on of the most famous film franchise of all time – and it entertained the hell out of me.

The End of the Tour

THE END OF THE TOUR (2015)

directed by James Ponsoldt

[filmography: The Spectacular Now (2013)]

written by Donald Margulies

[filmography: TV movies]

starring Jason Segel, Jesse Eisenberg, Anna Chlumsky

ENJOYMENT: *** (out of 4)

"Amazing portrait of a brilliant man & refreshing in its simplicity"

This is a film about an interview David Foster Wallace, the author of the famous book in the 90s Infinite Jest, had with Rolling Stone about a decade before he ended up killing himself. I was very impressed by how simple the story was and yet still be so captivating. It'd been awhile since I'd seen a film with so much dialogue. Still, the dialogue was thought provoking and entertaining. The casting was probably perfect. There were bits of the story that left me a bit perplexed, like why they made this movie in the first place, but maybe that's because I never read David Foster Wallace. 

Straight Outta Compton

STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON (2015)

Directed by F. Gary Gray

[filmography: Law Abiding Citizen (2009), The Italian Job (2003), A Man Apart (2003), The Negotiator (1998)]

Written by Jonathan Herman [writing debut] & Andrea Berloff [World Trade Center (2006)]

starring  O'Shea Jackson Jr., Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchell & Paul Giamatti

ENJOYMENT: ***½ (out of 4)

"Great biopic & thoroughly entertaining"

Even as a child of the 80s, I somehow missed out on NWA. Still, of course, I knew Ice Cube, Easy E, Dr. Dre, Suge Knight, and Snoop Dogg, but from their later stuff. Therefore, Straight Outta Compton was incredibly enlightening in telling their story, from rags to insane riches, and all of the dysfunction along the way. The acting, directing and music were all incredible. Somehow they included nearly a dozen characters and it never felt too cluttered. Since most of these guys are still alive though, I was left wondering whether they really went into all the gory details of how extreme their lives got.