Caro the Movie Critic

Olivia Cooke and Thomas Mann.  How do you react to a person you admire or a person that you pass by saying that the person is suffering from a life-threatening disease? It is complex and difficult to understand and process because 1) if it is a person you just pass by and sometimes interact with, the reactor is sympathetic and the person with the disease can realize that he or she is a burden to them. 2) If it is a friend that you cared about your whole school career, then, it is not an obligation to make the best for the victim but to know that he or she is dying and just live the best of times with the person and make the victim feel better. This film is a slice of heaven from the coming-of-age genre. The journey will evoke a certain feeling inside that will alter yourself to become a better person towards certain people. Greg Gaines (Thomas Mann) is a high school senior telling a story of what describes the quote, "it was the best of times, it was the worst of times....

The Adventures of John and Ted with Amanda Seyfried. The cuddly, foul-mouthed talking bear is back trying to make us laugh with his pop culture references and political hubbub that made us appreciate the character and the first movie. I do not know whether Ted was an inspiration to many people wanting a bear like him and pretend to either play with it or maybe smoke weed from a bong and/or get high. But, a motivation for the audience to be entertained by him again has to prompt Seth MacFarlane to create a story with twisted and loathsome humor to persuade us to laugh. I laughed at some moments at the very least but it was redundant to the plot and McFarlane pushes the story to become too self-serious that it becomes forgettable movie of little importance. The movie brings us to Ted's (Seth MacFarlane) and Tami-Lynn's (Jessica Barth) wedding as Sam Jones is presiding over their nuptials and we also find out that John (Mark Wahlberg) is depressed because he divorced Lori (M...

It is paradise, well, not really for Brian Wilson.  An explorational voyage of a musical icon can take you on a distinctive route than other biopics can take you. This movie, in particular, is an odyssey of self-conflict with themselves and also with other people. Musical biopics can take an artist's story and turn the artist into a narcissistic dignitary who has it all. But, this movie is different because it deals with one side a different way as when that icon is at the height of his success, his world is turned upside down being manipulated by a haze of drugs prescribed to him to "help" him. The movie creates a sound of profound and auditory experience with  raw emotion wrapped around it. The movie interweaves in two time periods in the 1960s and in the late 1980s. In the 1960s, young Brian Wilson (Paul Dano) is staying home to write music while his clients and friends, The Beach Boys, are going on tour. He assures them that the song will great. He plays part of...

RIP James Horner. Today, we lost one of the great composers at the age of 61. Obviously, he converts his own music into something magical when we listen to his soundtracks and listen while watching the movies, especially during Avatar . He collaborated with James Cameron and Ron Howard multiple times and some of their movies were handled and created beautifully thank to James Horner's contribution to the movie industry. He created some of the best and memorable scores and also won an Academy Awards for one of the highest-grossing films of all-time. So, here are some scores that were composed by this talented music aficionado. May he rest in peace. Braveheart - For the Love of a Princess Braveheart - Freedom Glory - Closing Credits Aliens - Futile Escape Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan - Main Titles (his debut) Apollo 13 - Re-Entry & Splashdown Legends of the Fall - The Ludlows The Boy in the Striped Pajamas - Remembrance, Remembrance A Be...

What are the winners and what are the losers so far? It's about that time that we're about halfway through the year again (boy, it went by fast) and so far, this year's movie season has been ok at best because there have been many disappointing motion pictures. 2015 was defined the blockbuster year because many franchises were coming back and there are a few later that I'm excited for later as I would do my anticipated list for fall 2015 at the end of the summer, which I'm hoping the second half of the year is a lot better. The 5 best movies were pretty easy to list but the worst was not easy so without further ado, I'll start with... The 5 Best Movies of 2015...So Far 5. Love & Mercy It is a musical biopic like no ordinary other and the movie is basically a sonnet to music and to the music industry itself as one songwriter and musician has had fame in the 1960s and goes into isolation subconsciously as he is a paranoid figure of depression and d...

Sadness, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Joy in one brain. We all have inside voices in our head and we, ourselves, individually, process on what's going on on how we think about certain subjects, what we are imagining, what we remember and what we are dreaming about. I am not a psychology expert but we can also look and observe people on their behavior by the way they produce their own body language, facial expressions and tone of people's voices. How do certain people know when they have to speak? Do you know the expression: think before you act or say something? How do we know what to say? Based on animation, five emotions control our mind on what to say. It is a unique and original concept created by Pixar and their latest film is an exceptional and brilliant piece of work. Five physical forms of emotion are created in Riley's (Kaitlyn Dias) mind: Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger and Disgust (voiced by Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Bill Hader, Lewis Black and Mindy Kaling). The e...

It's time to make some money...by selling dope. You've had a great and balanced life until some "magical" invitation stands in front of you or better yet, interferes with your future. When something or somebody comes along that you do not know about, sometimes, you can either take a chance or by popular demand, decline and/or move on with your life not knowing what it is about. However, this movie thrives on a grand future for one fellow, but, an invitation comes along his way and his friends and that all of a sudden, deceit will catch up to him and has to face it. But, this is a fresh take of how he and his friends deal with "dope" or drugs, so to speak, and the movie, even though it has a predictable arc, balances drama and humor quite well with some fine performances. Malcolm Adekanbi (Shameik Moore) is a high school senior with big aspirations to go to Harvard, however, his essay regarding Ice Cube's "Good Thing" is analyzed and the s...

When they are going to release Inside Out  this Friday, Pixar is going to release its 15th animated feature. Also, I have noticed that it has been 20 years since their very first movie, Toy Story , was released. Boy, they have gone a long way but most of their movies now are classics and kids and adults alike enjoy some of their work and contribution. I say this almost every time regarding a Pixar film that the creators, writers and directors do a great job of blending emotion into realistic situations and problems which gets the characters into certain places of the next chapter of your life, which is a prime example from a clip I'll show in a little bit. I am not going to compile a list of my favorite Pixar movies, which I may do later in the weekend after I see Inside Out , but I'm going to show you a list of my favorite Pixar movie scenes from certain movies, so here is the list: 10. Toy Story 2 Intro This is a great, unpredictable and funny way to start a sequel ...

Prepare for the Dinos! The park is open! Don't you hear, the legendary composer's, John Williams' iconic score in your head after you watched the very first trailer of Jurassic World ? That and along with the visually striking dinosaurs, literally and figuratively, can bring you back to the 1990s era when Steven Spielberg created his vision of how dinosaurs live on their land and with humans. That film created a sense of awe and a sense of adventurous scares. But, also filmmakers and fans focused on the detailed special effects created by Stan Winston and it was ingenious because they mostly used animatronics than CGI. Now, we had the sequels and the 2nd movie was ok at best and the 3rd movie was boring and not very entertaining. Now, 14 years later after the 3rd movie, are we tired of these dinosaurs? After the movie was over, the experience was like fixing a ride and even though there are some kinks to be worked out on that ride, the ride was fun once again. Trouble...

What defines a summer movie? What defines a summer blockbuster? How do I define it? I define it as  just a fun flick that you can munch some popcorn with your family and friends and not think too much and experience the adventure and thrills. You want to throw away the logic and enjoy the movie. (Hint: Inception will not be on the list because even though the movie was fun, it was a challenge to solve the movie first-hand and also you have to pay attention or will it be on the list? INCEPTION.) These summer movies you don't have to pay attention. I do mind ridiculousness (I'm talking about The Last Airbender , the worst of the summer movies) but I don't mind it to a degree as long as you're having fun. Now, here are the "summer" movies that you should experience: Fun movies and acclaimed blockbusters that should experience once more, then head off to the pool, beach, park, wherever. National Lampoon's Vacation Independence Day Speed Top Gu...

Melissa McCarthy as a spy and Rose Byrne as the villainess. James Bond, Ethan Hunt, Jim Phelps, Jason Bourne, I can keep going with these spy characters but the question is can you have a spy with not much qualifications both physically and mentally? Well, I'm not sure. However, in this movie, it exists because the agents are compromised and nobody can go on the mission except for one person. Do I have a problem with it? Sort of. However, director Paul Feig adds a jolt of energy to his next project and thanks to the star and some supporting actors, this movie delivers with brisk excitement and superb action. Susan Cooper (Melissa McCarthy) is a CIA analyst who works at her desk guiding an agent, Bradley Fine (Jude Law) on a mission to Bulgaria from the office, using a radio from her earpiece. Fine accidentally kills his target by sneezing simultaneously as he fires his gun, so, Cooper guides Fine on an escape route back to the United States. The next day, at CIA Headquarter...

Uh oh! The crew is watching Turtle being pounded by Ronda Rousey. I personally never have encountered Los Angeles, however, any event when heading there for vacation or business can be of interest. Whether or not you visit the walk of fame, glancing at all of those stars on the ground and what each of the artists have contributed. Also, you never know whether or not you are going to bump into a celebrity. Plus, there are many shopping centers and places that you can look around. But, the biggest flaw will be the traffic, so...anyway, the movie attempts to glamorize the guys' lifestyles in a friendly and macho way, however, it is more like a longer episode of the TV show than a stand-alone movie. Also, it was not that interesting nor that funny. Drama, E and Turtle (Kevin Dillon, Kevin Connolly and Jerry Ferrara) are on their way via motorboat to a yacht party for their buddy, Vincent (Adrian Grenier), who has been separated from his wife after nine days of marriage. Vincent c...