Friday, February 24, 2017

Oscar Predictions - Part Four

   The biggest night in Hollywood has it's biggest awards and that's where the focus is today. These are the awards that get remembered for years, whether it's for what amazing films they or for trivia night answers, these winners will be a part of cinema history. Will La La Land take the biggest prize of the night? Probably but let's talk about it anyway. The final award predictions of the 2017 Academy Awards:

Get Out - Review

   It’s always intriguing when an actor saddles up to make their directorial debut. It’s given us some great films over the past few years and yet the hopes for Get Out were moderate, providing a solid horror movie would be a good start for Jordan Peele’s career as a director. Who’d pick a longtime sketch comedian to dip his toe into the horror genre? What could go wrong? Nothing apparently as I can now report that Get Out is much more than solid, it’s exceptional.

Thursday, February 23, 2017

Oscar Predictions - Part Three

   The days are dwindling as the world moves towards Sunday night. The predictions today bring some heavier awards, and while everyone gets the same trophy, these seem (and are) more prestigious than those that have come before (Part One & Two). With a couple Best Features to hand out and recognizing the backbone of any great film, the writing, Part Three ramps up for the final heavy hitters.

Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Oscar Predictions – Part Two

   Another day, another round of predictions. While the Part One was fairly straightforward and not terribly difficult, Part Two is a bit harder to call. The sound categories and the short films can make or break your office Oscar pool entry but there are certain tropes that make predicting these categories not as bad as you think. So without further ado: day two of the I Am Sam Review Oscar predictions.

Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Oscar Predictions - Part One

   Well it's finally that time of year, when the best of the best come together for Hollywood's biggest night. With the ceremony less than a week away, I Am Sam Reviews will be previewing each and every category, giving a personal thought and a realistic prediction for all twenty-four awards. Will La La Land rack up the wins as it did nominations? Is there room for the other great films of 2016 to be recognized? Let's start with the first handful of awards and find out.

Thursday, February 16, 2017

The Great Wall - Review

   The Great Wall of China is one of the greatest man made achievements in human history and it’s ripe for exploration in film. The mysterious element of something so monstrous can be used at many different angles and genres, and yet we get stuck with The Great Wall. Though the premise is hardly a dull idea, the results are incredibly lackluster, without anything as engaging or wild, as it probably should’ve been.

Friday, February 10, 2017

The Lego Batman Movie - Review

 
   Animation is a tricky business. For a genre that’s largely associated with being “for kids”, it’s often hard to generate appeal for a larger audience. But throw in Batman and the nostalgic of LEGOs and it’s hard to ignore The Lego Batman Movie. The mass appeal of animation has only been truly mastered by Pixar, but what Warner Brothers and LEGO have done with their first two films is really exciting for their future.

Wednesday, February 8, 2017

John Wick: Chapter 2 - Review

   One of the biggest surprise hits of 2014, the original film, John Wick, gained enough critically and financially to earn a sequel. From that film coming out of nowhere to John Wick: Chapter 2 being one of the most anticipated films of 2017 is quite a far leap and pretty high expectations to live up to. And boy does it, far and beyond what’d you’d imagine from an action sequel.

Friday, February 3, 2017

The Space Between Us - Review


   When films get pushed back, it’s fairly safe to assume there might be issues, but when a film gets moved multiple times, it really doesn’t have much going for it. The Space Between Us, from the beginning, looked to be a cheesy romance that might capture a little bit of magic in putting a unique twist on the young adult romantic clichés. Instead, the film checks every single one along the way, making sure to get some sci-fi elements thrown in there as well for a mess of final product.