This is the End + True Story

Here me out: what started as a joke became a full-on analysis of personal honesty. The characters that James Franco & Jonah Hill play in both movies are convinced they are essentially good people trapped in horrible circumstances. In This is the End, James & Jonah are too self-obsessed to understand why they didn't get into heaven. In True Story, James is a heartless murderer who manipulates people with emotion. Jonah abandons journalistic integrity in favor of a great story. In each situation, the lies the characters tell themselves create the foundation for a (im)moral universe. 

A Most Violent Year

"I can think of at least 2 things wrong with that title." The story takes place over a month and the violence was, well...brief. Not that I require Liam Neeson level brutality from every film, but I was anticipating a Goodfellas-ish underbelly. It's 1981 New York and hardworking immigrant, Abel Morales, is repeatedly having his oil trucks hijacked. There's a great moment where he sits down with the "Oil Families" of NYC to make peace. It's The Godfather, with Abel portraying Micheal Corleone. The difference being Abel stays the course and never fully embraces the reality of his business. 

Furious...7 ?

This movie is absurd--from the action sequences to the dialogue to their need to employ bald, muscle-bound actors (5 by my count). Absurd, pandering, but Jebus help me...I liked it.