TRAVIS BYRAM'S MOVIE REVIEWS

It's hard to believe Jennifer Lawrence hasn't been in more movies, isn't it? Or rather, that she hasn't been around longer than she already has. Two massive franchises, an Oscar and... The Beaver ? Did anyone see this movie about Mel Gibson and the beaver puppet? It was actually kinda cute. Anyway, IMDb lists Lawrence as being in 15 movies since she broke out in Winter's Bone . She's the it girl of Hollywood now and she was born in the 90's. What am I doing with my life? But this movie is important for one reason. The Hunger Games and X-Men  were both series, franchises with fans (one of the book series, the other the previous films) built in. Silver Linings Playbook was her and Bradley Cooper's movie. She had a supporting role in American Hustle . Joy can be considered the first original movie that Lawrence has carried...pretty squarely on her shoulders, much like her titular character in this film. So is she effective? My initial response is yes. I l...

A lot has been said over the past week about last week's number one movie and best picture nominee American Sniper . It's absolutely unprecedented total of $107 million over the weekend has everyone analyzing its formula, and while its detractors are watching it with falcon eyes I'm sure movie studios have just ordered a slew of military biopics we can expect in the years to come. I have my own reasons why, and they're pretty sound. It was up for six Oscars, which has never hurt a movie's sums. It has arguably one of the best stars working right now in the lead. It appeals to military audiences, Faith-based audiences; Kyle's Christian beliefs are prominently displayed. Red-state audiences.  Action-movie lovers. War-movie lovers. A respectable, certified fresh score of 73% on Rotten Tomatoes. With a demographic as wide is that, how could Eastwood and co. not have hit their mark? But these are summer blockbuster numbers after all. Nobody blinked an eye...

I saw this film this past Saturday, which means I had no earthly clue that Clint Eastwood's American Sniper  would pull in an unheard of $90 million. That's a better weekend than Dawn of the Planet of the Apes , The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies and 22 Jump Street , all blockbuster sequels with established franchises. What's the reason for this unheard of success? Patriotism: people love seeing films about American war heroes. Buzz: Sniper got six Oscar nominations last Thursday including best picture, actor and adapted screenplay. But most importantly: word of mouth. A movie can have great reviews and Oscar nominations, like The Hurt Locker , and nobody will see it until it sweeps the Oscars. But, if not for Bradley Cooper's performance alone, the film's mammoth box-office returns are well justified. The film largely chronicles the time Chris Kyle spent in his oversea tours, mostly in Iraq. After seeing the '98 embassy bombings on TV, Kyle, like a good Am...

It was almost bittersweet going to see GOTG. My most hyped about non-Oscar movie, featuring a cast of characters I know nothing about by the director of an extremely weird 2006 horror movie backed by the biggest movie studio in the galaxy right now. I'll still go see  Thor 23 and all the other sequels but I love nothing more than seeing a new superhero movie, and this folks, is one for the books. Adding to the magic and mythos of this excellent movie was coupled with the fact that it was my very first film I've seen before the general release date...not a midnight movie (it was only 7:50) but wow it was a cool feeling buying those tickets online. I don't even think I've seen a movie opening day, but my friends and I decided it was simply the only way to go to see a movie of this caliber. Gleefully diving into the unknown, we got seats third from the front (get there early, boys and girls) and took in a deep breath as the last of the 80 trailers ceased playing. The l...

The Golden Globe, SAG Awards and Critics Choice Awards have all gone nuts over a little David O. Russell picture called "American Hustle." Exceppt for Jeremy Renner, there isn't a cast member among those Big 3 that hasn't been up for something, probably taking into account that Renner's character, Carmine Polito, is the most upright/righteous among this stellar cast of rather deceptive con folk. So here's my job, to deliver to you good people: is "American Hustle" worth the hype, and the rivalry status it has against "12 Years a Slave" for the Best Picture race this January? In a word, no. "American Hustle" is the more entertaining of the two, obviously, but it's nowhere near as accessible as director David O. Russell's proceeding, realistically charming romantic dramedy "Silver Linings Playbook." Its setting is the polyester, toupee, plunging neckline world of the 1970s. If "Hustle" and Russell did o...

Here is the blessing and the curse of awards season: you see these extremely well received films you hear so much about, that are going to go down in film history possibly....and some of them disappoint you.  I had the problem with "War Horse" in 2011, with "True Grit" in 2010 (it was just like the original!) and "A Serious Man" in 2009.  All of those were up for Best Picture...and you know...they were OK.  You can't help it!  Going into these Oscar hopefuls, your expectations are insurmountably high, and when they don't deliver, boy, is it a letdown.  David O. Russell's "Silver Linings Playbook" doesn't have that problem, however. The film opens pleasantly enough in a mental hospital, where Pat (Bradley Cooper) is just being released from.  His friend Danny, (Chris Tucker, who retrospectively doesn't add much to the film besides diversity, but he's still funny!) hops a ride with him and his mom, Oscar nominee Jac...