Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice Review (2016)

Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice

  Today I review one of the most anticipated movies of the year, Batman vs Superman. I know a lot of people had some concerns about Ben Affleck replacing Christian Bale, but I personally didn't share those concerns. Going in, I was confident that he would do a solid job and that if the movie failed, it wouldn't be because of him, but because of Zach Snyder. Unfortunately, my predictions were true. Ben Affleck did a solid job, but the messy screenplay and the mediocre directing is what failed us all. Following in the footsteps of Man of Steel, Zach Snyder opened his film with annoying shaky-cam, unnecessary close ups, and CGI galore. 

  The best and worst thing that ever happened to the DC universe was Christopher Nolan's Batman movies. They weren't just good superhero movies, they were good movies in general. The gritty, realism that Nolan used has gained popularity with all of the wrong heroes. The Amazing Spiderman first, and now Superman. While Batman lends itself to the sort of realism found in the Dark Knight trilogy, Superman is simply too campy of a character. From his glasses that disguise Clark Kent, to the endless powers he possesses, to the invincibility of his character with only the exception of kryptonite; Superman is a character better suited to kitsch, fun, summer action. Unfortunately, Zach Snyder doesn't go this route and isn't talented enough to give Superman even an ounce of the depth that The Dark Knight trilogy possessed. The script is filled with stupid comparisons to God and the devil, and biased, Athiest views on morality and goodness, all in the name of "profundity" and all delivered to us by Jessie Eisenberg, whom I've never wanted more to punch in the face. Generally I am a fan of Eisenberg's borderline annoying, fast talking, nerd characters, but casting him as Lex Luther was the biggest mistake the movie made. Luther's calculated, smarts are replaced by a skinny, psychotic, Heath Ledger-inspired punk.

  Another flaw of the movie, is the lack of dimension any of the characters have. I don't care about Superman, I don't care about Batman, I don't care about Lois, or Superwoman, or anyone. Batman vs Superman is a narrative mess with only a little more entertainment value than it's predecessor. 4 out of 10 stars. (One Time See)

Beasts of no Nation Review (2015)

Beasts of no Nation

  Better late than never, right? Today I review Beasts of No Nation which I actually saw several weeks ago. As usual, I'll talk about my expectations going in. I knew this movie was set in Africa, that it starred Idris Elba, and that it had something to do with wars against tribes. Boy, was there a lot more to it than that.

  One name: Abraham Attah. This kid needs to be put in several movies after this. Debuting in his first feature film, this actor absolutely blew me away. There was never a single second where I doubted that he was this character and, in my opinion, he even out shined Idris Elba. Everyone in this film did brilliant.

  What I really loved about this film is the way it really brings out the humanity of people from Third World countries who are considered barbaric or uncivilized in our Western eyes. 

  The story is incredibly gruesome, violent, and hard to watch most of the time. Never does it define any of the character's morally, but it instead treats them as real complex humans. 

  At times, Beats of no Nation feels very long-winded, which isn't surprising considering it took the screenwriter so long to perfect. Condensing the film would've given it an even bigger impact. 

  From a regular child, to a captive, to a killer, we are taken along with our main character on a introspective, emotional journey for those with the stomach to handle it. 7 out of 10 stars (Very Good)

Room Review (2015)

Room

  Now that I've finally stopped crying, I can write this review. 

  Room stars Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay. It is the story of a woman held captive in a shed for over seven years with her son Jack, their escape, and how they learn to rediscover the outside world. 

  I didn't know too much about the film before watching, except that it had loads of Oscar buzz and that it was going to make me cry. After seeing it, I can understand why it had been hyped so much. And yes I did cry. Several times.

  Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay are both incredible in this movie. They break your heart with their subtle, but powerful performances. I've said it before, but I'll say it again, rarely do young actors impress me. Tremblay, however, managed to really nail all of his emotional scenes without overacting. I foresee big things for this kid.

  Room is a relentlessly heavy film, not for your casual Saturday night lounge. It makes you see the world through the eyes of an innocent child in a vigorously dark circumstance, yet embraces a strong theme of hope. 

  It's hard hitting, but completely worth the watch. 10 out of 10 stars. (A Must See!)

The Finest Hours Review (2016)

The Finest Hours

  This true story of a rescue mission at sea, takes place in 1952. A storm splits the SS Pendleton in two, trapping 30 sailors in the stern of the boat. Now Chris Pine must now go out into the storm and rescue them. Sounds exciting, huh? Well, it's not. 

  We are introduced to the main characters, Bernie Webber and his soon to be wife Miriam. From the beginning I never really cared about the characters, and if anything I found Miriam (played by Holliday Grainger) quite irritating. It's not that the acting is bad, it's that all of the characters are one-dimensional. This means, that when they're sent out on their dangerous mission, I could care less who makes it back. 

  It is a big problem for a movie like this to have flat characters, because it takes all of the tension out of the story. 

  In the end, the movie is safe, by the numbers, and ultimately lifeless. I wanted to like it, but instead I left the theater unmoved by anything but the cool CGI. 3 out of 10 stars. (Not Very Good)

The Revenant Review (2016)

The Revenant

  It's official, Ladies and Gentlemen, Leonardo Dicaprio might be taking home the Oscar.

  Inspired by true events, The Revenant takes place in 1820's America. During a hunting expedition, Hugh Glass (Leonardo Dicaprio) is mauled by a bear and then left for dead by his own team of fur trappers. Glass must now survive the brutal elements and take revenge.

  Before I get into why I think Dicaprio should win best actor, let me first talk about the real star of the film, Alejandro González Iñárritu. I mean, talk about visionary directing. Shot with all natural lighting, Iñárritu demonstrates breathtaking visual storytelling that immerses us from the very first shot to the last. The Revenant is truly an achievement, somehow making a 2 hour and 36 minute film never feel overlong. 

  I must also mention Emmanuel Lubezki's stunningly brooding cinematography! Definitely up there with 2015's Macbeth in it's grand scale and epic landscapes.

  While The Revenant can be hard to watch, due to the brutal nature of it all, you simply can't look away. Most of Leonardo Dicaprio's emotions are conveyed strictly through his eyes, since he has hardly any dialogue. Still we are with him the whole time, feeling everything he feels. It's an impressive performance to which Dicaprio fully commits, even to the point of eating raw bison liver despite being a vegetarian. 

  On the subject of acting, I can't not mention my boy, Tom Hardy. In a role, very different from his usual roles, he completely shines! Definitely worthy of a Best Supporting Actor statue.  

  Will Poulter also hangs in there with his fellow cast mates, exhibiting bright potential and emotional range.

  In the end, The Revenant strips all of its actors of their glamour and really brings out the savage, gritty nature of what it might have been like to survive in uncharted American wilderness. It is an uncompromisingly, impactful experience, 10 out of 10 stars. 

Starwars: The Force Awakens Review (2015)

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

 

  The most anticipated movie of all time came out last night, pulling in a record breaking $57M. All Star Wars fans wanted for Christmas this year, was for this film to be good or even just better than the prequels. So, did they get what they asked for?

  I think so! First, let me start off by saying that there are a LOT of problems with this movie. I know that's not what you wanted to hear, because it's not what I wanted to say, but I must be objective in this review.   

  Secondly, there is a lot to love about this movie too. SO, I will start with the things I love. 

  Guatemalan/Cuban actor Oscar Isaac. Boy am I excited to see him as Apocalypse in the new X-men movie. This dude is extremely likable and even in the brief screen time he was given in Force Awakens, he displayed very Han-Solo-like charisma and big acting range. Most people think Isaac is new to the scene, but he actually has quite the resume, including 2014's indie gem, A Most Violent Year. 

  Another thing I loved, was Adam Driver as Kilo Ren. Aside from a comedic drama called While we're Young, I can't bring to mind any memorable performances I've seen from this guy. When I heard he was going to be playing the menacing villain of the Star Wars universe, I was really curious to see what would happen. He had the height, the deep voice, and the emotional range, but could he compete with Darth Vader, Palpatine, and General Grievous? This will probably be the most debated thing among fans, but I think he competed pretty well. Driver brought a humanity to the character and really tried to make him redeemable. I feel like he's going to be the Prince Zuko of Star Wars characters, which granted, may bother some people who didn't find him so sympathetic. The only thing I didn't like about the character, was not being able to completely understand his motives. We are told he is seduced to the dark side and then it is presumed that the reasons will be revealed in later movies, but certain plot points in this movie don't have quite the impact they want because his character isn't fleshed out enough. There is an inner battle going on between dark and light, and in order for us to really relate to the battle, I think we need to be given more insight into why Kilo Ren is the way he is. Driver is given a big job with this character, but he brings his A game and really gives us an expression-filled, unforgettable performance. 

  Daisy Ridley. This was the first movie I've seen with her in it and I really liked the fact that she isn't a big name actor. That way, you see her as her character only and nobody else. The movie really hinges on whether or not you like Ridley or not, which thankfully her character is written and acted extremely well. I wouldn't say she's the most amazing actress in the world, but she was solid and likable.

  BB-8. SOOO cute. I loved this little bot. Not only was it a great R2D2 replacement, but it was funny and had a big personality. I really enjoyed this character.

  John Boyega. I won't spoil whether or not his character is a Jedi or a Storm Trooper, or just some random dude, but I will say, I'm not quite sure what I felt about him. He's probably the most different character in the Star Wars universe that we've seen so far. You can tell he's excited to be here, but sometimes his dialogue was a little clunky, which made it harder to deliver. They laid his relationship with Daisy Ridley's character on pretty thick, and sometimes it felt a little too rushed for them to be so emotionally attached, but aside from those things, he was an interesting character.

  Domhall Gleeson plays General Hux and really models his character from the old trilogy generals. I know to some he seemed to be a bit over the top, but I actually really liked him. I was unaware that he was in this movie until I saw it, and I'm a big fan of his acting style, which is ironically pretty similar to Adam Driver. He's usually super likable characters in movies like About Time or as Bill Weasley in Harry Potter, but here we get to see a different side of him, which I really appreciated! He looked like he was having so much fun being in a Star Wars film and it showed.

  Harrison Ford was AWESOME as you probably expected, and slipped back into the role of Han Solo effortlessly. So many cool nostalgic moments in this film, and he was probably my favorite of all. 

  Now that I just vomited fangirl all over you, time for the things I didn't like so much. Predictability and the rewatchability factor are the two biggest problems for this film. It is very derivative of A New Hope which comes off as very safe. J. J. Abrams is trying so hard not to rehash the prequel movies, that he isn't very ambitious with this one. Some fans may like that he didn't try to make it a completely different thing, but for me it felt a little unoriginal. The rewatchability factor comes into play because, as shocking as this might sound, there isn't really any huge action sequences. Weird for a Star Wars movie right? Aside from one lightsaber battle, a CGI monster, and some gun fights, there was never a scene in this movie where I thought, I need to go back and see that scene again. 

  One thing I absolutely hated, was the way they handled one particular scene (don't worry I won't spoil). For those who've seen the movie, I'll just say that it's on a bridge and they'll know exactly what I'm talking about. This scene is between the villain and a main character. As I said before, Kilo Ren isn't developed very well, so when we have this big, critical moment, it doesn't impact us emotionally the way it wants us too. This is a huge disappointment, because it's such a critical moment to the Star Wars Saga and it could have been done so well.

 The only other problem I had with the film was some of the comedy. It would have been fine if the comedic dialogue was limited to only one or two characters, but everyone seemed to get at least two one-liners. This had a very Marvel Avengers type affect. Sometimes the jokes landed, mainly when it was without out dialogue and just action, and other times, it just took me out of the film a bit.

  Once the high of the movie wears off for fans, I think they might realize that this is a good film, but not a great one. However, to be fair, I don't think any movie can live up to the decades worth of nostalgia Star Wars fans have had stored up for themselves. For this reason, I'll give Star Wars: The Force Awakens an 7 out of 10 stars (Very Good)

Bridge of Spies Review (2015)

Bridge of Spies

  Tom Hanks is arguably one of the best actors in Hollywood with quite the resume of amazing movies. Because of this, I didn't really question whether or not Bridge of Spies would be good, despite the somewhat ambiguous trailer. Throw Steven Spielberg in the mix and you really have a winner. 

  The true story of the American lawyer, James B. Donovan, takes place during the Cold War and walks us through what it might have been like to defend an accused soviet spy. While never painting any of its characters as black and white villains and heroes, we get an objective view into the war as Donovan orchestrates an exchange for American spy, Francis Gary Powers.

  The acting of course was excellent. Not an Oscar worthy performance for Hanks, but good none-the-less. Aside from the slightly long-winded opening, Bridge of Spies managed to entertain me for the whole rest of the 2 hour run time. 

  What we have here is a very solid film that makes you proud to be American, but lacks in realm of ambition on a film-making level. It's polished, uplifting Oscar bait that will score high with critics, but possibly bore your generic audience. I, however, quite enjoyed the film. 7 out of 10 stars (Very Good)