Usually, the ideal time to be searching for real Oscar contenders is closer to the last quarter of the year, but it’s not uncommon for films released earlier in the year to become frontrunners, or for that matter, winners. Films such as The Hurt Locker, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and even films like Toy Story 3 and Inception are clear examples of this. If this truly is a reoccurring trend, then I feel almost certain that Love and Mercy will be such a film to follow this rule in 2015.

The film focuses on the life of Beach Boys singer/songwriter Brian Wilson, and the periods of his life during the recording and aftermath of the album Pet Sounds (where he is played by Paul Dano), and the end of his turbulent psychological treatment by Eugene “Gene” Landy (played by Paul Giamatti) with the help and support of Cadillac saleswoman Melinda Ledbetter (played by Elizabeth Banks) (John Cusack portrays Brian during this latter period). Both Dano and Cusack are wonderful as the genius and tormented Wilson, but it’s Dano who outshines in their shared role, perfectly displaying the immediate tragedy that befell him as his journey for artistic perfection tore himself away from his family and friends. Paul Giamatti is absolutely terrifying as Landy, his fake charm and episodes of monstrous rage giving me chills that I didn’t think I’d experience again in years following J.K. Simmons’s performance in Whiplash, yet alone months. The performance of both Pauls deserve Oscars above all.

The writing in Love and Mercy is about as perfect as perfect can be. The earlier period of Wilson’s life is easily the most entertaining of all, providing a glimpse at a Mozart-level musical genius in his prime that’s flooring to watch, while comfortably easing the audience back into heartwrenching melancholy when Brian’s relationship to his band and father reaches its breaking point. Cusack’s Wilson’s story may possibly be the most emotionally harrowing, showing a broken, still-suffering soul as he is systematically leeched off by Landy. The film doesn’t have quite the harmonically cathartic cutaways between the two stories like last year’s The Imitation Game had, and I felt as though Cusack’s Wilson’s story didn’t really begin going full-throttle until a scene involving a barbecue (which, to be fair, is early on), but as a whole, this is easily one of the most emotionally arresting movies I’ve seen in recent memory.

There is little to no shortage of brilliance in this film. Even when we aren’t focusing on the musical aspects or the scene stealing performances of Dano and Giamatti, the direction and cinematography still captivate the audience through the slower moments. The above mentioned barbecue scene in particular features some of the best blocking of actors you’ll see in a movie all year. Both periods of the film appear as if it was made in the time period it was set in, the 60’s piece looking grainy with an abundance of blues and yellows, while the 80’s period uses very bright, low-contrast colors. It’s a film that jumps around but is impossible to lose focus on.

Love and Mercy is a biopic masterpiece, providing a touching, moving tribute to a brilliant musical mind thanks to award-worthy performances, sharp, hard-hitting writing, and amazing visual storytelling. It astounds me that I’ve only given two other movies this year the following rating, but it fully-deserves it, and it may hint at a wonderful rest of the year for cinema to come.

Final Verdict:

It seems that with all of the horror films I’ve managed to see this year, I sit on the wrong side of the fence. Where many people called It Follows a modern-day masterpiece, I found it was a disappointing case of nostalgia over true terror. Where many people called Unfriended boring and tedious, I saw a very visually creative and tense cautionary tale. With Insidious 3, many people have said that unlike most horror trilogies, Insidious manages to be fully solid. Now, I haven’t seen the second Insidious (which is not a problem considering this film is a prequel), but I have to say that once again, I sit on the wrong side of the fence.

One of the film’s strongest suits is its acting, which actually shows noticeable and convincing looks of terror and fright from its cast, unlike the last horror film I begrudgingly saw. The two main performers, Stefanie Scott and returning Insidious cast member Lin Shaye, playing Quinn and Elise, respectively, are the best of the bunch, which is good for any film. Quinn’s father and brother, played by Dermot Mulroney and Angus Sampson, are fine, but their characters are very cliché and, in the case of the latter, virtually pointless storywise.

As you might tell, the weakest part to this film is the writing. Not only are all the characters who aren’t Quinn and Elise cliché or unnecessary to the plot, but if you have seen the first Insidious, you’ve more or less seen this one, only the smallest of details keeping it from being a complete carbon copy. This makes the story, and thus the scares more predictable, and a horror film with a boring story is already dead on arrival. Despite the similarities that Elise’s character arc shares with Patrick Wilson’s character from the first film, however, there are some decent developments to Elise’s character that do provide some insights into her motivations, at least making for a strong main character. As well, the film is supposed to take place a few years prior to the first film (which should mean around 2007), yet the way they reference online blogging and web-series throughout the film suggests that it’s set closer to present day, making for a disappointingly lazy ride.

If there’s one thing more unforgivable than a predictable story in a horror film, though, it’s predictable jump scares. This film is chock full of them, and the only real jolting you’ll experience is from the manipulatively loud banging from the orchestra or some unrealistically loud noise (such as a lightswitch in one particular scene). The film’s atmosphere and score are both about as eerie and chilling as the first Insidious, and could have provided a lot of the thrills that made that film a success for James Wan, but writer/director Leigh Whannell is no James Wan, who opts to not trust in these aspects and take the easy way out nearly every time.

With the state of horror films as it is in this day and age, to call Insidious: Chapter 3 a failure would be unfair, but it’s far from a triumph. Even with the grim look of the film taken straight from the first installment, Scott and Shaye appear to be the only other above average thing in here. I certainly hope that this film series might just stop as it is instead of embarrassing itself further as the Saw franchise did and the Paranormal Activity series is. Otherwise, the fate of horror as a genre is just going to get darker from here.

Final Verdict:

One of my first reviews for this site was the first Jurassic Park, which I had the pleasure to see for admittedly the first time when it was re-released in 3D for it’s 20th anniversary. I hardly remember The Lost World and Jurassic Park 3, and I do remember the vitriol early developments of the fourth installment received. Now, the wait is over and Jurassic World has come into fruition. How does it stand among the others?

One huge strength the movie has to offer are its actors, because they face the daunting task of trying to tackle roles that are frankly very bland and archtypical. The one noticeable exception is Chris Pratt playing Owen, who keeps the charisma that made him likeable in Parks and Recreation and Guardians of the Galaxy, while portraying a far more serious and convincingly strong character than either of his other works. Give props to Bryce Dallas Howard as the park manager Claire, who spends the first half of the film as your run-of-the-mill workaholic, blinded-by-greed business woman only to gain a heart of gold and nerves of steel instantly at the halfway point. Her nephews Zach and Gray (played by Nick Robinson and Ty Simpkins, respectively) are completely generic as a teenage angsty dick and a know-it-all-brainiac whose dialogue is spouting useless dinosaur trivia that helps no one throughout its two-hour running time. More about that now.

For those expecting the same uncanny smarts that made Jurassic Park an instant sci-fi classic, prepare for disappointment. It’s very clear early on that this film is focused more on the spectacle than about what it’s trying to say at the end. Much like The Lost World, this film seems to think that making a human the villain in a movie about man vs. nature will drive the point home, but it only dilutes the point and comes off as preachy. The film could have functioned just fine as a story warning of the dangers of genetic enhancement for the sole purpose of entertainment, but they had to go and throw in useless anti-war sentiments, and it’s depressingly stupid. There’s also a scene where the Gray tearfully discusses his parents impending divorce despite there being nothing convincing throughout the film to support this and how it’s never brought up again afterwards. Just letting you know.

I’m sure that many of you will still see this as an action/sci-fi escapist flick, and to be fair, it delivers in spades in this aspect. The effects in this film are top notch, and the action is just as good, particularly the pteranodon rampage through the plaza and the climax being two of the biggest and best the film offered up. While a vast majority of the effects are CG, there are a couple of times where animatronics are used, much like a particularly good moment when Owen and Claire sooth brontosaurus as it succumbs to its wounds after the Indominus Rex attacks it. Surprisingly enough, even the CG creations are very well utilized. The raptors that Owen trains have a lot of character to them, and actually provide a lot of sadness when some of them get lost in the battle.

But even with the stellar visuals and impressively committed performances, there’s still too much wrong with Jurassic World to call it a truly great film. Many will still like it for the experience alone, but Jurassic Park was something that offered both an experience visually and intellectually, and I wished to see it more utilized here. I suppose you could go worse this summer.

Final Verdict:

If my schedule doesn’t change (again), I should have reviews of Testament of Youth, Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl, and Inside Out by Tuesday.