The best – and most iconic – photographs tell stories. They’re single frames, but they tell so much about their subjects and the emotions that ran during the moments that were captured. That’s why the photographs of French high-wire artist Philippe Petit walking between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in 1974 are so breathtaking, and you can’t be faulted for wondering why a non-documentary film about this pivotal event even needs to be made. Director and writer Robert Zemeckis (Forrest Gump, Cast Away) has a response to that sentiment with The Walk, which seeks to tell a story about the man on the wire and place the audience in his shoes. While it’s an unremarkable film for most of its running time, it does soar when it absolutely needs to.

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What a time it is for those who desire to be among the stars. Just a little over a week ago, the public looked to the sky to witness a total lunar eclipse, AKA a blood moon. The following day, NASA announced that new findings provided the strongest evidence yet of liquid water flowing on Mars. Public interest in space programs probably hasn’t been this high for a long time, and what better to boost that interest than a blockbuster movie about the brilliant men and women who explore and research what is beyond our planet? Why, if said film turns out to be an entertaining, inspirational, and a mostly scientifically accurate one, which The Martian is.

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Sicario is a film that doesn’t beat around the bush. From this, you may get the impression that it’s a film raring to get in our faces and show us what it’s got, but that’s not exactly the case. Yes, it’s direct and possesses a thrilling story, but what’s so striking about this picture is its calculated, restrained approach. Before it detonates, it hints and teases, and in doing so, it uses every element and tool it has in its arsenal. It’s a controlled, disciplined film, and to watch it unfold is marvelous.

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You know what’s criminal? Turning a compelling story into a monotonous one. Sure, it can look pretty and show off enough flair to attract attention, but those won’t completely cover what it lacks. That was the issue for last year’s American Sniper (which doesn’t hold up to repeat viewings), and it’s the same case for this year’s Black Mass, which takes the fascinating true story of James “Whitey” Bulger, one of America’s most notorious criminals, and makes it pedestrian.

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Good readers of MediaBrewPub, it’s time for another e-mail exchange! You’ve read what ensued when we paired Andrew and Jason (5 times, to be exact), and also when we paired Andrew and Jun for the last e-mail exchange. Andrew and Jun are back again, and they’re here to tackle Straight Outta Compton, currently the #1 movie in America. WARNING: Spoilers ahead. 

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It’s incredible how far the Mission: Impossible film franchise has come along. From bursting into Hollywood in 1996 to being brought to its knees in 2000 with an underwhelming sequel, to finding some hope in a third film in 2006 before coming back strong in 2011 with Ghost Protocol, the series has been through both the best of times and the worst of times. What a life it has had, especially with the one who has been with it through thick and thin: Tom Cruise himself, whose passion for the franchise never died out. This sounds like either a marriage or an inspirational sports tale, doesn’t it? Whatever it may be, it’s clear that the series continues to stride forward with its latest entry, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation.

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Ant-Man may just be the most interesting film that Marvel Studios greenlit. Gone are the destruction, the scale, the clash of gods and titans, and taking their place is an ordinary bloke in a extraordinary suit doing his thing across a number of rooms. Talk about unusual, right? Throw in the film’s long and tumultuous production, and it becomes the one film set in the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) that moviegoers aren’t completely sold by and keep a wary eye on. Now that it has arrived, how does it stand? Well, it turns out to be a safe and serviceable flick – nothing more, perhaps something less depending on who you are.

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If you were to judge Me and Earl and the Dying Girl – one of the favorites from this year’s Sundance Film Festival – based on first glance, you’d be forgiven for thinking that it would be either a “girl with cancer” movie á la The Fault in Our Stars or a quirky, wannabe Wes Anderson flick, or perhaps a combination of the two. What you may not expect is a creative, idiosyncratic film that balances laughs and heartfelt emotion – and that’s exactly what this film is.

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Inside Out is Pixar’s greatest achievement. To many, this will come across as a bold statement; after all, it’s only been about a week since the film’s release. However, I’ve had fruitful discussions with friends about the picture and put much careful thought into it, and while it may be early to say it, I’m quite confident in my opinion. The film rivals Toy Story as the best feature film to date from the studio, and it’s also its most ambitious, creative, moving, and smartly written one to boot. But above all, what makes it such a tremendous film is its empathy.

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I’ve been compromised; I admit that I cannot completely enter into a critic’s state of mind when reviewing the long-anticipated Jurassic World. I watched a ton of movies when growing up, but Jurassic Park was one of the three that anchored my childhood (with Star Wars and Free Willy being the other two). Watching dinosaurs come to life was a magical experience like no other, and that had me hooked for the rest of my life. I bought the toys, I played make-believe Jurassic Park and video games with my friends, I wanted to be a paleontologist, I don’t fully hate the sequels, and I caught the film’s re-release back in 2013.

Emotional attachment is a funny thing, as it clouds judgment and evokes fond, personal experiences and memories, and it’s difficult to resist. It’s like telling your child that you loved his or her performance in the school play, even though it actually wasn’t great. That’s exactly how I feel about Jurassic World. It’s tailor-made for the fans who were shaped by the franchise, and I suspect that they will react to so strongly such that the act of being transported to this familiar world outweighs the film’s flaws.

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