Fiurilli Reviews

Kidnap (I) (2017)

Halle Berry's worst performance yet

[1/10 · 5 June 2017]

Kidnap tells the story of Karla Dyson, who on a summer day the local park together with her son Frankie to blow of some steam and strengthen their mother-son bond. However disaster strikes when Frankie is kidnapped from under everyone's noses. Before all hope is lost Karla is able to catch a glimpse of a man and a women forcing Frankie into their car. The kidnappers quickly make their escape, however what they don't know is that they have chosen the wrong person to mess with as Karla wills top at nothing to recover her lost son.

If this small synopsis got you excited please curb your enthusiasm as this pretty much describes the entire movie. Right from the start it is clear that the movie itself is as generic as the title would suggest. The first act is a very obvious attempt at establishing the mother- son bond such that we as an audience actually care about what happens to Frankie. This is executed so poorly however that it almost reaches an adverse effect and kind of makes you wish Frankie gets kidnapped. When this finally does happen the movie turns into a weird action movie that goes on for what feels like an eternity. When the movie finally reaches its conclusion it does so in an incredibly predicting manner and throughout the film there are no interesting twists to the story.

Most of the action in the movie comes from a very long chase scene in the middle of the film. This sequence is however not very riveting since it is very obvious Karla will eventually catch up with the kidnappers because otherwise the movie would just end then and there. During these scenes the writers felt it necessary for Karla to spell out what is happening, often she would scream "They've got my baby" or "My son is in that car". It's about as stupid as it sounds and these are just a few examples. As much as Karla cares about her son as little does she seem to care about others, while chasing her kidnappers she causes many traffic accidents for instance when she is backing up on a highway where people are driving at 100 km/h. She must have caused the death or at the very least severe injury of many innocent people, however everyone seems to forget this when everyone calls her a 'true American hero' after she, spoiler warning, saves her son from the kidnappers.

Kidnap is directed by Luis Prieto who makes a lot of weird creative decisions throughout. The chase sequences for instance are intercut with several aerial views of the two cars driving along the highway. These shots often go on for what feels like several minutes in what appears to be an attempt to pad the movies runtime. This was obviously necessary since the movie just barely exceeds Hollywood's' self- imposed 90 minute minimum, however it still manages to outstay it's welcome and bores halfway through. Furthermore Prieto never tries to make the movie visually interesting and hardly puts any focus on the emotional side of things as the only emotion Karla shows is anger, she never seems desperate or afraid.

Halle Berry, the actress portraying Karla also hardly appear to put in any effort. Kidnap by far marks her worst performance of those I've seen and if this is representative of her future work then I really hope her role in the new Kingsman movie is limited to only a few scenes. However considering her multiple Golden Globes nominations and even an Academy Award win I really think that his terrible performance has more to do with the source material not giving her anything to really work with. Halle Berry for me is an actress that is best suited in the supporting category while in Kidnap she is on her own monologuing most of the time.

Kidnap is by far the worst movie of the year up until now. The acting is terrible, the story is bland and predictable and nothing interesting is happening on the screen. I cannot recommend this movie to anyone, however if you really want to know the story of Karla and Frankie then watch the trailer instead and save yourself 90 costly minutes of your life.

My rating: 1/10

Whiplash (2014)

An absolute masterpiece

[10/10 · 25 March 2017]

There have been great directors in the past such as Stanley Kubrick, Sergio Leone, Alfred Hitchcock and many others. Often times people fondly remember these directors and their movies and wonder which of the directors working today will be considered one of the greats in the near future. In my opinion there are many great candidates such as Wes Anderson and Christopher Nolan, however there is a new kid in town. Damien Chazelle has officially put his stamp on the movie scene with his latest film 'La La Land' which has already received six Academy Awards and seven Golden Globes. I've already watched 'La La Land' in cinemas twice and can't recommend it highly enough and so I was curious what his other movie 'Whiplash' had to offer.

In 'Whiplash' Chazelle tells the story of a teenage boy Andrew who's dream it is to become the world's greatest drummer. In order to achieve his dreams he enrolls at a music conservatory known for its very competitive jazz band helmed by Fletcher. Fletcher is no ordinary conductor and has a rather unorthodox style that does not always resonate with every member of the band. There's a lot more to this story than this, however part of the experience is not knowing what to expect. I'd hate to ruin this for anyone, but what I can tell you is that this is one of the most original stories I've seen in a long time. It's very well put together and unfolds masterfully with a lot of fun and unexpected twists and turns. Characters are very well defined and always seem to act according to their beliefs. Both Andrew and Fletcher are very interesting characters and their story lines interact beautifully. The dialogue itself is also very realistic and often appears as if it's been taken from everyday life. The script is also very well balanced as it's very serious at times but also funny when it needs to be.

Behind the characters of Andrew and Fletcher are Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons. Both characters were already interesting enough however the actors give them an incredible amount of depth. Teller really makes you feel for his character and when he is pushed to his limits you can't help but want to reach out through the screen and give him a helping hand. In any other movie Teller would easily have been the star of the film, however it's extremely hard to pick favourites with Simmons in the supporting role. His character is a very strict music conductor and Simons gives his all to portray this fact. If the actor is anything like his character than I would advise anyone to stay far away from him. However one of the best things about Simmons his act is that he always makes you feel as if there still is a human being hiding inside Fletcher. I would argue that with 'Whiplash' both actors have come very close to reaching the top of their abilities, but I would hope that the future will prove me wrong.

What ties 'Whiplash' together is Damien Chazelle with a directional style that is absolutely stellar. Although the movie may be slow for some, in my opinion the pacing is very well thought out. The story progresses very steadily and there is never a moment where it feels as if nothing is happening. With the use of low level lighting Chazelle pulls you into every scenario and combined with the constant use of the drums this creates a sensation unlike any other movie. The drumming especially gets under your skin and the constant sense of tension this provides perfectly mirrors that which is present between the character. Even though the movie is not classified as such it most definitely feels like a thriller and I would personally rate it amongst movies such as 'The Shining' and 'The Silence of the Lambs' solely in terms of suspense.

Damien Chazelle has literally created a masterpiece and if I would have to point out a flow I'd first have to watch it countably many times. However 'Whiplash' is so captivating that I would probably forget to look. The movie is extremely well directed with acting performances that are amongst some of the best I've ever seen. It features a unique story with an ending that's the cherry on top of the an already delicious cake. This movie is perfect in every sense of the word and gets a perfect five stars out of five.

Split (IX) (2016)

A return to form

[8/10 · 29 January 2017]

Almost every director has a period one can call their 'golden years'. For some directors these last their entire career, while for others it merely consist of one or maybe two movies . A few years back director M. Night Shyamalan experienced his 'golden years' with three consecutive movies much loved by fans. Back then it was no wonder that Shyamalan was often given the nickname ''the golden boy''. As a fan of his earlier work it was sad to see that he never came close to accomplishing the wonderful craftsmanship he showed during his 'golden years' with movies such as The Sixth Sense. Every film released by Shyamalan after Signs was a major disappointment and after just a few movies he fell from grace reaching his lowest point in 2010 with The Last Airbender.

However in 2015 something changed when Shyamalan released the comedy/horror movie The Visit. Although this still wasn't a very good film it did provide a very fun experience and it seemed as if Shyamalan was beginning to understand what made his earlier work so much fun to watch. All the more reasons to be excited about his latest film Split, which follows actor James McAvoy in the role of Kevin Crumb, a man with 23 distinct personalities. In the beginning of the movie one of these personalities kidnaps three young women who he holds hostage in some sort of underground facility. These women must try to survive while facing Crumb's many personalities. Things take a turn for the worse however, as Crumb starts to develop a monstrous 24th personality.

If one were to judge this movie based on its premise it's easy to disregard this film completely. Another dumb movie by Shyamalan that will probably be just as terrible as his earlier film 'After Earth', right? While the trailers may give this impression, just a few minutes in it is clear that 'Split' is a different beast altogether. Right off the bat Split takes a hold of the audience and exerts a grip so tight that one can only forget its ridiculous premise and suspend their disbelief altogether. The story of Kevin is very interesting to watch especially since the mystery surrounding him seems to be growing by the minute. The manner in which questions are answered is perfectly balanced between conversations and even though the dialogue is exposition heavy as a result it never actually seems that way. This can be attributed to the fact that most conversations have a certain sense of realism such that it never appears as if the information is being told to the audience instead of to the characters on the screen. For the first time in a few years Shyamalan has created an amazing story and although it does take a few twist and turns that seem out of place it is incredibly fun to experience.

Shyamalan's story is also very well presented on the big screen. The eeriness of the events surrounding Kevin is very well framed by the slow moving shots that often linger a little bit longer than usual. Combined with the story itself this in turn provides some great psychological horror with a tension that almost always appears to be at a boiling point. This sense of tension never lets up and it alone is what can pull one through the few moments where the scrip falters. Scattered throughout the film are some beautiful shots and a lot of times what is actually happening on the screen is very well mirrored with the manner in which it is framed. Shyamalan and cinematographer Mike Gioulakis have created a very good looking film but by far the most noteworthy aspect of Split is the amazing acting by James McAvoy in the role of Kevin and seven of his personalities. McAvoy really owns the part and presents every personality very much as its own character. Every second with McAvoy on the screen was a delight to see and his performance alone made Kevin's journey worth the watch.

All in all Split is a very solid movie that is definitely worth the price of admission. Both the script and the direction by M. Night Shyamalan are very good and on top of that all is the amazing acting performance by James McAvoy. If you are a fan of the horror/thriller genre then Split is a must watch for you, however even if you are not it is worth checking out regardless.

The Founder (2016)

The rise of Ray Kroc

[6/10 · 13 January 2017]

Batman, Birdman or, as he's more commonly called, Michael Keaton is back on the big screen. This time the Bat steps into the shoes of a mister Ray Kroc, the protagonist in 'The Founder' directed by John lee Hancock. The movie has us follow a Ray Kroc who went from being a fairly unsuccessful salesman to becoming the owner of the largest restaurant chain in the entire world called McDonald's.

The story of 'The Founder', written by Robert D. Siegel, is very linear in its structure. It starts out with Ray Kroc at his lowest trying to sell milkshake mixers to drive in burger shops across America and takes off from there. From there on out the movie never makes any interesting twist and turns and slowly progresses until it meets its conclusion. Going into this movie one should not be expecting a film with a lot intriguing elements and it ultimately conveys no message whatsoever. Following Ray Kroc in his journey was still a very fun experience mostly because MacDonald's origins were fairly unknown to me at the time. There are some attempts to liven up the story, such as Kroc's relationship with his wife, but most feel shoehorned in and aren't given enough time to fully develop. If one were to watch this film a second time its story will hardly be as interesting and I really see no reason why one would.

John Lee Hancock's directional style also leaves much to be desired. Now it isn't necessarily bad, but the problem with it is that for the most past it just feels flavourless. There are hardly any scenes or shots that stand out aside from a minor few also used in promotional material. Ultimately this movie could have been directed by almost any no name director and it most probably would not have changed anything. One thing that does make 'The Founder' stand out amongst the crowd is the great acting from Michael Keaton. The persona of Ray Kroc seems to fit Keaton like a glove and the unique mannerisms and quirks he brings to the character make his performance incredibly fun to watch. The other actors also put in a considerable effort, especially John Carroll Lynch and Nick Offerman as Mac and Dick McDonald. Not a single actor comes close to Keaton however and completely manage to create the sense that they are actually living in this world.

In the end 'The Founder' is a very bland movie. The story of Ray Kroc is interesting enough to make it worth the watch but without the superb acting from Michael Keaton this would have been a simple throwaway movie.

My rating: 6/10

Arrival (II) (2016)

Amongst the best movies of the year

[9/10 · 11 December 2016]

The year 2016 has not been a very good one for any avid moviegoer as it is filled with mediocrity. It has not been a complete disaster though and there were still quite a lot of movies that were worth the watch. The ones that can be considered as the cream of the crop however have been few and far in between. For these reasons it almost feels like a small celebration when a movie releases that appears to fit into the last category. In a lot of ways this seemed to be the case for 'Arrival' as almost everything surrounding this movie seemed to suggest that this was going to a modern- day masterpiece or at the very least the greatest movie of the year. It featured an amazing cast and all of the media released beforehand was beautiful to look at. If the past has thought us anything it is almost a fact that movies with sky high expectations like these can only be a disappointment. Can 'Arrival' live up to the hype?

The story of 'Arrival' is centered around Dr. Louise Banks, a world renown linguist played by Amy Adams. The life of Dr. Banks changes dramatically when aliens land in twelve different locations around the globe. The United States calls upon Dr. Banks to find the answer to one simple question: "Why are they here?" At the helm is the critically acclaimed director Denis Villeneuve who has been on fire in the last couple of years with movies such as 'Incendies', 'Sicario' and one of my personal favourites 'Prisoners'. Once again Villeneuve, together with cinematographer Bradford Young, has managed to create a gorgeous looking movie. Almost every shot is simply mesmerizing to look at and a few made my jaw figuratively drop in amazement. All the shots merge together into one interwoven web of beauty and it isn't hard to argue that 'Arrival' is the best looking movie of the year. Ever present throughout the film is a great sense of tension that will keep many sitting on the edge of their seat. This tension paired with the relative slow pace of most shots and a soundtrack that is often oozing with theme represents a firm grip that never lets go once it has gotten a hold of the audience. My eyes were simply glued to the screen wanting to take in everything this movie had to offer.

Part of this can also be attributed towards the story this movie tells. The idea of aliens landing on the planet is not very unique, however the manner it is presented in is anything but. Following Dr. Banks' journey in understanding these aliens was incredibly fun and the manner they interacted with one another felt very realistic. Most events surrounding Dr. Banks also feel very real and it isn't hard to imagine that should aliens visit us in real life it'll look similar to how it is presented in this movie. The story 'Arrival' tells could easily have been one of the best we've seen in recent years, but there are certain elements which keeps it from reaching its full potential. Certain events feel forced or are simply glossed over, present are a handful of potholes and quite a few characters feel useless in comparison to Dr. Banks. There's also a bit of narration present in the middle of the movie which feels very awkward and misplaced and when the story of 'Arrival' meets its end it wraps up a little too neatly. A bit more polish should have gone into the storytelling however as it stands this still is one of the most interesting stories you'll be able to see in cinemas this year with a final act that makes the entire movie appear in a different light.

Something I cannot speak highly enough of is the superb acting from the main cast. Amy Adams in particular really gave her all with a performance that was absolutely stellar. Often without words she shows that there is more to her character than meets the eye and there is always a sense of an emotional struggle going on within her. Jeremy Renner, as Dr. Banks' love interest and physicist Ian Donnelly, also brought a great performance and the only real criticism would be that Renner does not always convey the sense that he understands what he is saying when he's talking about science related topics. Given his performance it is sad to see that the movie did not give his character the attention it deserved and that, in the grand scheme of things, his character did not attribute to all that much. The performances of Renner and Adams on their own are superb, what's even better though is the great chemistry between them and overall it was a lot of fun to see them interact with one another on the big screen.

Ultimately 'Arrival' did not achieve my unrealistically high expectations and it certainly wasn't the masterpiece it very easily could have been. It still is a very solid movie that most definitely deserves its spot amongst the best movies of the year. The acting performances 'Arrival' has to offer are incredible and the visual style of Denis Villeneuve is even more amazing. I do think that this is a movie that can only be fully appreciated after a second watch and as of right now I can only rate it a slightly conservative 8 out of 10.

A Street Cat Named Bob (2016)

A generic feel-good movie

[4/10 · 17 November 2016]

'A Street Cat Named Bob' directed by Roger Spottiswoode tells the true story of James Bowen, a homeless recovering addict whose life changes significantly when he meets a street cat called Bob. This street cat is literally the catalyst for James to kick his addiction to the curb, get his act back together and start appreciating life as a whole.

The movie starts out presenting James at one of his worst moments, however quite early on Bob the cat is introduced. The relationship between James and Bob is quite charming at first, however the novelty of the fuzzy red haired cat quickly wears off. Halfway through it felt as if the writers had used up most of the tropes possible to make Bob seem interesting and it just recycles them from there on out. The story itself has a similar problem as it reuses certain story elements quite often. For the most part the movie just flows between feel-good moments with a few "hitting rock bottom"-moments in between. The dialogue between characters is also not that convincing and the many small jokes never achieve anything more than a minor chuckle.

Luke Treadaway as James Bowen is fairly well cast and is quite convincing in his role, however his acting performance did leave something to be desired for there are many moments where his acting felt off. The same is true for the rest of the cast and overall the acting side of things is not that solid. Furthermore Spottiswoode as a director is not very good. When actors are interacting with something off screen it is very clear they were not given any clear instructions. For example, Luke Treadaway never appears to be looking at anything specifically when his character James is supposedly chasing Bob through his apartment. Spottiswoode's directional style is also very bland, conversations are for the most part generically framed and the few shots from Bob's point of view fail to mix things up a bit.

Ultimately 'A Street Cat Named Bob' is not that interesting of a movie. It is not that well directed, the performances aren't all that great and the story is very predictable.

My rating: 4/10

Captain Fantastic (2016)

Solid across the board

[7/10 · 3 November 2016]

With 'Captain Fantastic' writer/director Matt Ross tells the tale of what one might consider a dysfunctional family. Viggo Mortensen stars as Ben Cash a father of six children, together they live in their own paradise in a forest somewhere in North America. For the most part the Cash family has to fend for themselves, they gather their own food, built their own tools and the children are all homeschooled. When they hear the news that their mother has committed suicide they are forced to return from their paradise. What follows is a journey in which the lifestyle of the Cash family is put to the test.

Matt Ross has done a terrific job at bringing this family alive. The story is very well centered around the family and more so the manner in which their upbringing has influenced their lives. The family itself is presented in a very eccentric fashion however it is never pushed to an extreme that would make one stop suspending their disbelief. For the most part the story progressed in a very natural fashion aside from just a few moments where certain events or character progression felt extremely forced. The minor plot holes are also few and far in between and for the most part Matt Ross's storytelling is very solid. That does not mean it is without flaw though. For instance the movie is filled to the brim with examples of what effect this abnormal lifestyle had. While a few of these examples were important there are simply so many of them that it takes away from the main storyline. This combined with some unnecessary slow moments led to a few minor pacing issues. Furthermore when the movie reaches its logical endpoint it just did not feel as satisfying as it could and should have been. The journey itself was still fun to experience and in the end presented some great food for thought about how one should go about raising their children.

The lifestyle of the Cash family was not only well presented in the writing side of things, but also in the way it was brought to the screen. When a scene featured an environment well known to the family it was always presented in a different way in comparison to environments where the contrary holds true. This contrast was ever present throughout the film however the effects were only minor and in my opinion underutilized. What was very well implemented was the pacing of most shots as they were carefully framed to represent the family's slower way of living. On top of that all were some beautiful environmental shots and all of this paired with a well fitting soundtrack led to a movie that was both visually and audibly quite appealing.

Viggo Mortensen fits his character like a glove and his performance as Ben Cash was very convincing. For the most part the same holds for the rest of the cast, they all seemed to be having a lot of fun which helped cement the feeling that they were all one big happy family. The only child actor this does not apply to is Nicholas Hamilton who stars as the middle child. His performance felt a bit off and unconvincing while his character plays an important role in the main story. Furthermore the movies script has the children often talk about big concepts however the child actors never gave off the impression that they themselves understood what they were talking about. Overall the acting side of things was pretty solid aside from a few minor issues.

In the end 'Captain Fantastic is a movie that is solid across the board. It's fun to watch and provides food for thought.

My rating: 7/10

Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016)

A mixed bag

[5/10 · 31 October 2016]

The Ouija board has been a staple in the horror genre dating all the way back to 1944 when the very first horror movie featuring this spiritual boardgame was released. The premise is almost always very simple, a group of people get together and, sometimes as a joke, use the Ouija board to get in contact with the afterlife. The Ouija board however has a small set of rules one must abide by in order to play without any troubles. More often than not these rules are broken and as a result one of the players becomes possessed with an evil spirit. 'Ouija: Origin of Evil', directed by Mike Flanagan, follows a similar premise and has a story centered around a small family consisting of a widowed mother and her two daughters. By means of an Ouija board the family tries get into contact with their father who passed away a few years ago. What they don't know is that they unwittingly invite pure evil into their homes causing the youngest daughter to be overtaken by a merciless spirit.

A problem with the story of 'Ouija: Origin of Evil' is its predictableness. If you've ever seen a horror movie and more specifically one featuring an Ouija board then you have pretty much already seen this movie. Every side characters is pretty much disposable and the major plot twists never appear as a surprise. The horror side of the movie is also very hit or miss. There are some very well done psychological horror moments that definitely create an eerie feeling and the sense of tension is often times extremely high. Sadly the many predictable jumpscares present in the second half of the movie do not manage to capitalize on this and quite often have an almost jarring effect that can pull one out of the movie. Mixed in are also some minor attempts at gore horror which felt extremely misplaced.

The movie starts out a little slower than most horror style movies as it really takes its time to set up most of its characters. A lot of times this was done through conversations characters had with one another by dropping a lot of not so subtle hints at their past. This heavy use of expositional dialogue is extremely blatant, however unlike most horror style movies it isn't crammed into a mere five minutes. The movie really takes its time to at least try and get the audience invested into the characters before moving on to the spooky part of the story. It fails to execute this properly considering the family as a whole does not feel genuine whatsoever. The mother Alice and the oldest daughter Lina never actually seems to care about their family and these characters are ultimately extremely forgettable. By far the best acting amongst the main cast comes from the eleven year old actress Lulu Wilson in portraying the youngest daughter Doris. Her character definitely conveys a great sense of creepiness that really adds to the horror vibe in this film.

All in all 'Ouija: Origin of Evil' is a mixed bag. The horror moments are extremely hit or miss, the acting overall isn't very good and the story is extremely predictable however with low expectations this one is definitely fun to watch.

My rating: 5/10

The Daughter (2015)

A boring drama film with few redeeming factors

[4/10 · 18 October 2016]

'The Daughter' written and directed by Simon Stone is the big screen adaptation of a screenplay from the late nineteenth century. In this film we follow a character Christian who returns to his hometown only to discover an old family secret that can ruin the lives of those involved should this news come to light.

This movie features many different subplots that slowly unfold while the bigger overarching story is taking place. These subplots are mostly meant to give the many characters some much needed backstory. One problem with them however is that most of them do not seem to develop in an organic way and appear forced. Another problem is that more often than not the outcome is extremely predictable. As soon as a situation is set up it is almost always clear how it will end and quite a few times characters would act out of character just to make this ending possible. The same is true for the main plot considering one of the main characters only exists to set up certain story elements. This character never has a concrete reason for most of his actions while a lot of times his behavior does has a very emotional impact on some of the other characters. Just like the many subplots the main story is as predictable as can be. There is never really a moment where you're left wondering what is about to happen and what is left is a movie that is slowly progressing towards its end.

Over the course of the film a heavy emphasis is put on the characters. Most of the actors did a decent enough job to portray their character however the performance of Paul Schneider as Christian was simply abysmal. His performances never seemed genuine and whenever he appeared on the screen I was immediately taken out of the movie. This in turn made the performances of the other actors seem a lot worse than they actually were and ultimately there really is not a single performance that can be considered memorable. The directional style of Simon Stone also leaves much to be desired. There are some incredibly weird cuts during conversation and a lot of times the camera is focused on characters with their mouths closed while their voice can be hear from a shot that is about to follow. Now Stone did not fail completely as there are some gorgeous shots present in this film. These shots are mostly environmental ones and even though they are quite beautiful they almost always feel out place. The movies soundtrack also does not seem to fit the movie very well and a lot of times it appears to be forcing a certain emotion way to obviously.

The basic premise of the film could have provided some interesting scenario's however the convoluted story, terrible soundtrack and poor writing have made this an impossible feat. In the end 'The Daughter' was a complete waste of time with few redeeming qualities.

My rating: 4/10

The Magnificent Seven (2016)

Run of the mill western flick

[5/10 · 1 October 2016]

'The Magnificent Seven' is the latest product created by Hollywood's "remake machine". Hollywood has been cranking this machine a lot lately and it is unclear when the handle will completely fall off. It has gotten close before with movies like 'Ben Hur', 'Point Break' and many others. The amount of remakes being made does not seem to decrease and there are still a lot in the pipeline. Remakes are not necessarily bad though for there are quite a lot that are much better than their predecessor. 'The Magnificent Seven' however is fighting an uphill battle since the original released in 1960 is considered by many a western classic. At its core this movie is a run of the mill western flick. It has us follow a man going by the name of Sam Chisolm who is a bounty hunter employed by the government. Chisolm is quickly confronted by a damsel in distress who is on a quest for revenge since almost half her village was murdered by an evil man called Bartholomew Bogue. Chisolm rounds up a group of six other men to battle Bogue and together they form the titular magnificent seven.

Characters with an evil nature are almost always present in western movies, usually they still have an underlying sense of goodness which makes them feel human. This sense of inner goodness is non- apparent in Bogue who is presented as a mustache twirling villain. Most of the characters that form the magnificent seven are also very two-dimensional. For instance the so called "outlaw" Vasquez only seems to exist to set up some stereotypically racist one-liners. Roughly the same holds for almost every other character and overall there are only three that are given any sense of backstory. This is mostly done via the many conversations that are present throughout the movie. One problem with this though is that it does not feel natural and most times it seems like it was forced into otherwise normal conversations. What also feels forced are the handful of jokes that are spread throughout the movie. This film did not need all of those jokes and if it really wanted to add in some comedic relief it should have done so in a much more clever way rather than simply inserting them into certain conversations. It is for these very reasons that the dialogue never seems to flow in a natural way and it can even be perceived as boring at times. The writers of this movie have not done a very good job which is sad considering the fact that characters and dialogue are almost always the most important aspect of a movie set in the old west.

As stated before the movies main bad guy is not particularly well done, however Peter Sarsgaard, the actor starring as Bartholomew Bogue, at the very least put in his best effort by presenting Bogue in a very slimy fashion. Behind the magnificent seven also are some very well-rounded actors. This movie features none other than Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke and Vincent D'Onofrio among others which is nothing short of a stellar cast. In spite of their flat characters and bland dialogue almost every actor did do a very decent job in portraying their on screen persona. The entire cast seemed to have had a lot of fun in playing an old school gunslinger which helped create some much needed chemistry between the magnificent seven and overall it was quite enjoyable to see them all together on the big screen.

Typically most western style movies contain a few environmental shots to set up the countryside as a character itself. The movies director Antoine Fuqua tries to do the same and as a result there are some very beautiful shots present in this film. One problem however is that instead of leaving one wanting more they're cut short before they could have been fully appreciated. Another part where Fuqua fails to deliver is in the framing of the many conversations present in the first half of the movie. The camera is always focused on the person that is talking making it almost impossible to see other characters react to what is happening. Something that is also not very well executed are the many action sequences scattered throughout. The magnificent seven never miss any of their shots unless the plot requires them to and after almost every kill the gunslingers feel the need to spin their gun around before holstering it. Furthermore the many enemies thrown at the main characters seemed to have had the same weapon training as a Stormtrooper and miss almost every shot they take. The action sequences themselves are also very rough around the edges, the movie cuts to a new shot almost every second and because of this it is very hard to get an understanding of what is happening at any given time. As a result the grand finale, spanning almost a quarter of the movies runtime, becomes tiresome to watch and overstays its welcome by a long shot.

In the end 'The Magnificent Seven' is a movie that is incredibly bloated. It attempts to set up an overarching story, present quite a lot of characters while being forced to leave enough time for a grand finale. By trying to focus on too many aspects all at once it fails to execute a single aspect to perfection. It is for these very reasons that 'The Magnificent Seven' gets a not so magnificent five out of ten.

Nerve (I) (2016)

Fun along the way

[6/10 · 13 September 2016]

The movie 'Nerve' is set in a world much like our own. Teenagers are all following the newest craze, a mobile application also called 'Nerve' This application takes the dare aspect of a game like truth- or-dare to a new extreme. People playing the app can earn money by executing dares send by those who are watching, however if they ever fail a dare they'll lose everything. 'Nerve' has us follow a teenage girl called Vee (Emma Roberts) who decides to became a player. She quickly teams up with another player called Ian (Dave Franco) and together they discover the hidden truth about 'Nerve'.

The whole idea of a mobile application like Nerve is not the most believable one. Supposedly someone somewhere created the very basics after which it evolved on its own by allowing users to update it by adding in their own code. The movie also has us believe that every little thing Nerve does is completely automated, except for the dares sent by the watchers. While this does seem plausible at first it quickly becomes apparent that in a real world scenario this simply cannot be the case. Often times dares sent by watchers are far too complex and without some micro-managing it is quite frankly impossible that the players were able to interact with one another the way they did. It is also very clear that little to no thought has gone into certain technical details. The hacking scenes are downright laughable especially for people who have a technical background. For these reasons it is extremely important that one completely suspends their disbelief. Despite its ridiculousness at times this actually wasn't that hard since this movie was surprisingly well made.

The two directors Henry Roost and Ariel Schulman have done a great job. There is never really a dull moment even at times when in retrospect nothing seemed to have happened. The pacing is almost always on point and pretty much every scene was interesting to watch. Often times this was because of the great chemistry between Emma Roberts and Dave Franco. The way these actors and subsequently their characters interacted was a lot of fun to see and both acting performances were very decent. Not all characters were all that great though and some of them should not have been in the movie as they are of no importance to the overarching story. Most characters were given some form of backstory, but this was mostly presented by means of some very exposition heavy conversations.

One of the best parts of this movie though is its great use of lighting. The neon style the directors were aiming for is very well executed and it was even used in a functional manner. Characters that seemed to be enjoying Nerve as a whole were mostly lit by using blue lighting, while on the other hand red lighting was used for characters who were more rebellious towards Nerve. This use of colour was not restricted to just the lighting however. 'Nerve' is filled with visual clues ranging from a mere red exit sign to the colour of a character's hair. Exploring these hints was a lot of fun especially since almost every scene contained quite a few of them.

Despite its ridiculous premise 'Nerve' achieves what it sets out to do and is a pretty well-made action movie that's fun along the way.

My rating: 6/10

Sausage Party (2016)

A missed opportunity

[5/10 · 7 September 2016]

Animation type movies have been increasing in popularity over the last couple of years. In 2016 alone more than 50 animation style movies have been released. These type of movies are mostly for children to enjoy and, although they're still fairly enjoyable for adults, are never really meant for an adult audience. Seth Rogan and consorts have set out to change that by creating the first ever R-rated animation movie called 'Sausage Party'. In this movie we follow a living hotdog called Frank who lives in a supermarket together with other food products who are also amongst the living. All of them view us humans as gods and are joyfully awaiting the day they are picked up, placed in a shopping cart ready to go towards the promised land. When they get there though they'll quickly discover that things aren't what they thought it would be as they are devoured by their revered gods without remorse. Eventually Frank and his friends get chosen, but they are quickly separated after a horrible shopping cart incident. The rest of the movie has us follow Frank and a few of his friends as they try to find each other while discovering more about the terrible gods us humans actually are.

As an animation style movie 'Sausage Party' really isn't one of the prettiest of the bunch. That does not mean all that much though since Pixar has really spoiled us as of late. The universe that they were able to create was still very colorful and it did actually feel like a living and breathing world. This is really quite an accomplishment considering it was done with a budget that is only ten percent of the one 'Finding Dory' had. The way some characters were animated was also pretty good, but it is quite clear a little more thought should have gone into their overall design as the universe of 'Sausage Party' is not all that consistent. Sometimes the food itself is alive while other times it's just the packaging that's alive and in some special cases this holds true for both of them. The manner in which the characters are presented also varies a lot. Most characters only have a cartoonish face with stick figure hands and feet while others feature a design that actually suits the type of food they are. An example of this would be Sammy Bagel Jr. whose mouth is the big gaping hole in the middle of his body. All of this does not take away from the overall enjoyment of the film, but a little more polish would have gone a long way.

Scattered throughout this film are some amazing comedic moments. For instance the aforementioned shopping cart incident was brilliantly framed as if it was a scene taken straight out of 'Saving Private Ryan', with some minor alterations of course. Even some small moments were very well done. The very first time the f-word is uttered is a great example of this since it was initially presented as if one was watching a PG-rated movie. Most of the jokes do not reach this level however and a lot of them just aren't that clever. It is quite clear that the creators wanted to use their R-rating to the fullest extent and the supposedly funny part in a lot of jokes wasn't really the joke itself but more so the absurdity of it. Initially this works really well however after just a few jokes this novelty quickly wears off causing a lot of jokes to feel repetitive and most of them are dead on arrival. The jokes are also not that well distributed throughout the film. There are almost no jokes in the second act which was probably intentional in a failed attempt at trying to go out with a bang. A lot of jokes seemed forced in and it is obvious that a lot of characters were only created for some minor food puns. What does work really well is the very decent voice acting done by Seth Rogan, Jonah Hill, Michael Cera and many others. To me it seemed as if they themselves were having a lot of fun recording their voices which definitely helped make some hit-or-miss jokes succeed.

What plagues this film are some weird creative decisions. Riddled throughout the movie are some of the worst attempts at social commentary I have ever seen. Now social commentary itself is not a bad thing and it can really enhance a movie when it is presented with some subtlety. That is not the case in 'Sausage Party' though as almost every scene kept hammering on the idea that one should never have faith in something without questioning it. It is possible that this decision was made in an attempt to parody most animation movies since a lot of them feature social commentary to some extent, but it misses its mark regardless of intent. What could also be considered a parody to some extent would be the movies main antagonist. This character is extremely annoying and only has a minor influence on the overarching story. Again the creators of 'Sausage Party' make a weird creative decision since the overall scenario was already a perfect villain. The movie really did not need a physical one.

Ultimately 'Sausage Party' is a missed opportunity. The few good sequences really hint at what could have been an excellent comedic movie. If a little more thought and polish had gone into its creation this certainly would have been the case, but as of right now it's just a mediocre summer flick.

My Rating: 5/10

Mommy (I) (2014)

A unique cinematic experience

[8/10 · 2 September 2016]

The movie 'Mommy' written and directed by Xavier Dolan takes place in an alternate version of Canada where any parent has the option to rid themselves of their troublesome children by sending them to an institution. One of the movies main characters Diane Després finds herself in exactly that situation when her son Steve who has ADHD gets out of a youth detention center. Immediately Diane is presented with the option to send Steve away, but his undying love for his mother paired with her own stubbornness and pride stops her from making such a drastic decision. Right from the start this unique family seems to be heading into a disaster but things change when a mysterious neighbour inserts herself into the lives of Diana and Steve.

The concept of a mother struggling with a troublesome child is not all that unique, and even though this movie has quite a few interesting story elements up its sleeve, at its core it still is a film about a dysfunctional family that has been told many times before. That is not to say that this movie is as mundane as possible since the manner the story is presented in is anything but generic. Characters are extremely well defined and never seem to say or make any decisions which one could consider inconsistent with their usual behavior. The exposition necessary to set up these characters is masterfully woven into the dialogue. The movie never really goes out of its way to tell the viewer something about the characters and instead lets it happen naturally throughout its runtime.

What makes the characters even better are the amazing actors portraying them. The actress Anna Dorval does an excellent job at showing the human side of Diane. Often times when her character is either laughing or crying it comes off as genuine so genuine in fact that it is not hard to forget that you're watching a movie and not a documentary. Even when her character is not speaking it is quite clear that internally she is struggling with the decision to send her son away in order to live a normal life. This struggle also resonates within the viewer via Antione-Olivier Pilon's portrayal of Steve. There is always a noticeable sense of built up frustration and when his violent nature paired with his ADHD sends him on a tantrum his anger seems real and almost scary at times. Afterwards there is always a small sense of regret when he sees the fear he induced into his mother. The mysterious neighbour Kyla is not as on the forefront as Steve or Diane as she is more of an introvert. That is not to say that this character is very forgetful as Suzanne Clément, the actress behind Kyla, masterfully shows that there is more to her character than first meets the eye. Every performance on its own was very good, but what's even better is the way the director shows the relationship they have with one another. As a family, albeit a dysfunctional one, Steve and Diane really come off as one that probably exists somewhere in this world and the interplay between them and Kyla is also very believable.

Almost the entire movie is filmed with an aspect ratio of 1:1. Characters are literally locked up in a little box in the same way as they are locked up in a lifestyle they cannot get out of. Instead of it being a gimmick this feature almost comes off as its own character. Because of this small frame in a lot of scenes there really is only one character that appears on the screen at any given time. This really puts the emotions being portrayed at the forefront and further enhances the already great acting performances. As a viewer the small frame made me feel as if I myself was cramped into a little box. When things are looking up for Steve and Diane the frame widens and when the characters finally get their breath of fresh air the viewer experiences the same as they are finally able to escape from that little box they were trapped in. This aspect ratio does have its side effects though as it comes at the cost of the quality of some of the set-up shots. Some were still fairly well done however, but others probably would have turned out a lot better if it had been done in a regular aspect ratio. This is just a minor thing though as it really does not matter in the grand scheme of things.

What the movie also does not do well is the pace in which the story is told. The movie slows down tremendously just halfway through its runtime and again just before it reaches its ending point. These moments don't last long however as they are over just before the viewer would lose interest but the movie in its entirety would probably have benefited a lot if a good twenty minutes was scraped of its 139 minute runtime. All in all 'Mommy' is an extremely solid movie with great acting performances at its forefront. Xavier Dolan's incredible use of the aspect ratio provides a unique cinematic experience that is absolutely worth the watch.

My rating: 8/10

Ben-Hur (2016)

A failure of a Hollywood blockbuster

[2/10 · 30 August 2016]

The story of Ben-Hur is back on the big screen this time directed by Timur Bekmambetov starring Jack Huston, Toby Kebbell and Morgan Freeman. The movie is set in Jerusalem and tells the story of a prince who goes by the name of Judah Ben-Hur. Judah's adopted brother Messala Severus is part of the Roman army that occupies the city. Both brothers have a different idea of what is needed to keep the peace in Jerusalem and this eventually causes the brothers to directly oppose one another. Ultimately this causes the enslavement of Judah and his family made possible by the betrayal of Messala himself. What follows is a story about Judah trying to regain his life and his road to revenge.

The movie starts out trying to establish the relationship that Judah Ben-Hur (Jack Huston) and Messala Severus (Toby Kebell) have. This is however not done in a very convincing manner due to the very stupid screen writing. It seems as if no thought has gone into the writing of the dialogue as almost every conversation feels fake. The story itself is presented in an incredibly dull fashion with story- arcs that have no real purpose paired with an ending that is completely ridiculous. What also does not help is that the acting is never really anything to write home about. The two main actors at least seem to have tried to bring some depth to their characters, but the same cannot be said about the many supporting actors. This is especially true for Morgan Freeman who seems to bring as much life to the screen as a decapitated sock puppet.

The direction of the film also leaves a lot to be desired. Almost every scene was shot by using hand-held camera and instead of enhancing a certain aspect of the story this achieves the opposite effect. During the many conversations the director puts a heavy emphasis on the characters through excessive use of close-up shots. Once again this achieves the opposite of what it sets out to do as no one is really interested in seeing characters that are as flimsy as possible.

Most of the times the only redeeming factor of these kind of movies is the action itself, but Bekmambetov's incompetent direction also finds a way to ruin this part of the movie. Quite a lot of action sequences only seem to exist to liven up certain parts of the movie, mostly to no avail as the movie still manages to come to a crawling pace halfway through its runtime. The action sequence themselves are filled to the brim with shaky cam and quick cuts. This in turn causes the action to be extremely hard to follow as it is never really clear what is going on. This was of course the intention of the director to be able to hide the poorly choreographed stunt work. In a lot of scenes characters pull of certain moves that they would not have been able to if they did not have control over the power of editing. For these reasons it is very hard to become invested into the action especially since we never really see the actors do certain stunts themselves.

In the end 'Ben-Hur' is a complete and utter trainwreck. Nobody really asked for another retelling of Ben-Hur's story and I am fairly certain that nobody really wanted to create it either as it seems that almost no love and devotion has gone into making this failure of a Hollywood blockbuster.

My Rating: 2/10

War Dogs (2016)

Another disappointing summer movie

[4/10 · 22 August 2016]

In 'War Dogs' we follow Miles Teller and Jonah Hill as two young men trying to make money from the war in Iraq by selling weapons to the US army. The movie is directed by Todd Phillips who is better known for the 'The Hangover' trilogy.

Right of the bat the movie tries to seem more clever than it actually is. Via a flash-forward that shows one of the main characters in a predicament the movie tries to create a sense of tension that would otherwise have been non-apparent. This quickly fades as the story is very predictable with characters that are not all that interesting considering their motives are never properly explained and very flimsy. Throughout the movie is some narration paired with title cards indicating different chapters. Most of the times the chapters do not seem any different which made these title cards unnecessary and it is clear they were just added afterwards in as a last ditch effort to make the movie more interesting. Halfway trough the movie almost comes to a grinding halt and from thereon out it never really manages to get the viewer's interest back.

The directing was very bland, considering not one scene was shot in a very interesting fashion. Often times it seemed as if the movie does not really know what it wants to be. Sometimes character's respond to a certain situation in a comedic fashion while other times the tone is shifted to a more serious one. Todd Phillips never really tries to mix in some of his own style and with another director the movie would've probably turned out roughly the same.

The only redeeming factor of the movie are the actors themselves as they did a decent job at portraying their characters, though ultimately not one performance was very memorable. In the end 'War Dogs' joins the 2016 collection of disappointing summer movies.

My rating: 4/10

The Shallows (2016)

A disposable summer horror movie

[3/10 · 9 August 2016]

Sharks are back in Jaume Collet-Serra's latest movie. Starring as Nancy is Blake Lively in a horror movie that goes by the name of 'The Shallows'. The movie starts out with the girl Nancy traveling towards the sea to go surfing at a, for her, important location. Her surfing trip takes a turn for the worst however when an enormous white shark appears that traps her on a tiny island.

The story of 'The Shallows' is not all that original, movies where a shark is tormenting a group of surfers have come and gone in the past. In this day and age though where horror movies are trying to up the stakes at almost every release it was quite refreshing to see one that is as contained as this one. For the most part the movie features only one actress and the shark only really makes a visual appearance during some of the different jump-scares the movie has to offer. A lot of these scares felt very artificially set up however and only a few manage to create the necessary tension a horror movie needs. This tension fades quickly however due to the incredibly slow pacing of a lot of scenes. The performance by the movies main actress does not aid the horror aspect as she never manages to convince the viewer that her character is really frightened and in pain. I've never seen a character scream for help in such a unconvincing manner and when the movie has her break down and cry the actress has to hold her hands in front of her face to make this seem at least a little bit convincing.

Riddled throughout the movie are some terrible attempts at gore, comedic relief and some very obvious attempts at foreshadowing which made quite a few moments very predictable. Though the underwater scenes were quite wonderful the movie overall is not all that well directed. 'The Shallows' is filled with a lot of terrible close ups of Blake Lively often times overly sexualizing her character. This even happens during some scenes where the viewer is supposed to built an emotional connection with the main character. The CGI is not all that great due to the movies low budget. During the different action moments and surf scenes it is very obvious that Blake Lively's face is plastered onto a stunt women causing a disconnect between the viewer and the character.

In the end 'The Shallows' is a very disposable horror movie as deep as the title suggest. There was not one aspect that really stood out, though watching it wasn't a total waste of time as it was still an enjoyable (and sometimes laughable) movie to watch with friends.

My Rating: 3/10

Lights Out (II) (2016)

Interesting concept, terrible execution.

[4/10 · 8 August 2016]

'Lights Out' is the feature length adaptation of a similar short film created by David F. Sandberg starring Maria Bello, Alexander DiPersia, Teresa Palmer and child-actor Gabriel Bateman. In this film we follow a disjointed family that is being haunted by an evil being.

At it's core 'Lights Out' is not a very unique movie as more often than not the recent horror movies feature a monster haunting a family. The movie does however use an interesting concept for the implementation of the monster. When the lights are on the being is powerless, however in the dark it can move around and do whatever is necessary to torment the family. This concept is certainly put to good use as it does feature some interesting scenes, sometimes though it seemed as if the creators forget about it as often times certain events happen that could not have happened since all the lights were on. The concept could've have provided for a very good psychological horror movie, though sadly almost all of the scares are nothing but jump-scares. These jump- scares are for the most part fairly well executed however, though when you've seen a few they all kind of look alike.

What the movie does not do well however is the dialogue as almost all conversations feel unnatural. Sometimes characters will make weird decisions that are only there to setup a scare later in the movie. The different subplots and the main story itself is not all that interesting and when the movie reaches it's ending point it is very predictable what is going to happen. I must commend the movie for at least trying though as most horror movies recently tend to forget an accompanying story altogether.

Another aspect of the movie that is not that great is the acting. Not one actor portrayed their character in a convincing manner. Maria Bello's performance as the crazy mother was downright laughable, Teresa Palmer's character often spoke as if she was developing a sore throat and the child actor Gabriel Batemen never really seemed honestly scared.

Had the acting and dialogue been a little bit better 'Lights Out' would've been a pretty decent horror movie. As of right now however it is a sub-par horror movie and a downright terrible movie on it's own.

My rating: 4/10

Suicide Squad (2016)

A forgetful super hero movie

[3/10 · 5 August 2016]

Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Jared Leto and others star in Suicide Squad, the latest movie by writer/director David Ayer. The movie has us follow a group of bad guys who are forced to work together and defeat other evil incarnations. It is however not in their nature to team up, but they are forced to with a remote controlled explosive device that is planted into their neck, if they do not follow their orders the device is activated and they die. Not obeying their leader would be equal to committing suicide, hence the name Suicide Squad.

In the first hour of the movie all the different characters are introduced. This does not work all that well however as it is very hard to become invested in a character when all you know about them is information that other characters say trough expositional dialogue. Not all characters get a proper introduction however as some are just shoved in there. One of the characters is only introduced with a simple line of dialogue for example. The introductions, though lengthy, really do not provide a lot of background and when the movie wants you to care about them more it throws in a simple flashback.

The actors portraying the different characters overall did a great job. Sometimes the performances felt a bit off, but I got the impression that the movies director was more to blame for this. This is especially true for Jared Leto's character 'The Joker' who felt more like a simple thug with a mental disorder rather than the bad-ass mobster he should have been.

The movies main villains felt a little bit overpowered (which forced them to not use their power to their full extent when fighting the Suicide Squad) but the action sequences between them and the Suicide Squad were all fairly well done. There are a few moments where slow motion is lazily used to create a bit more tension but never enough that it becomes a major problem. There isn't really an action scene so good that you'll remember it in a few years time though, but on the other hand there also isn't one so bad that'll accomplish the same either.

In the end 'Suicide Squad' works fine as a brainless action movie and fans of the characters will certainly enjoy it to some extent. People who do not know the characters will probably enjoy it a lot less though as the movie never establishes a good connection between them and the viewer and for a movie that should be just about the Suicide Squad themselves this is a major flaw.

My rating: 4/10

Jason Bourne (I) (2016)

A bad sequel, but on it's own it is just a mediocre action movie

[5/10 · 1 August 2016]

Matt Damon is back as the titular character in Paul Greengrass' latest movie 'Jason Bourne'. This time Bourne is brought back into the world of espionage to discover the secrets of his past while trying to avoid being caught by the CIA.

The movie basically starts of with one of the best action sequences I've seen this year. Through the use of quick cuts and shaky cam the chaos of the entire situation is brought to the screen in an amazing way. This does not work all that well in other action sequences however as it causes the action to become very hard to follow. Moreover it quickly becomes apparent that Bourne can pretty much fight his way out of every scenario which makes it very hard to become invested into Bourne's journey.

This journey itself is also not that interesting as in the previous Bourne movies. Bourne's motives to come out of the shadows aren't all that strong and when his story is ultimately wrapped up it just wasn't as satisfying as it was in the original movie. Bourne's main antagonist is also not that interesting. In the previous movies the agents Bourne came across all seemed to have some character to them and it was very clear that they were just following orders. This time though the agent is a very stereotypical bad guy who has no problem killing civilians and other people of the law.

In the end 'Jason Bourne' is a very mediocre action movie. On it's own I probably would've enjoyed it a little bit more, but when compared to the other Bourne movies it is a slight disappointment.

My rating: 5/10

Star Trek Beyond (2016)

A mediocre summer blockbuster which is fun to watch, but ultimately pretty forgettable

[5/10 · 30 July 2016]

'Star Trek Beyond' marks the third installment in the Star Trek franchise ever since it's 2009 reboot. This time the directing was done by Justin Lin who has an excellent crew of actors at his disposal. Once again Chris Pine stars as the captain of the USS Enterprise better known as James T. Kirk, alongside him are Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, John Cho, Anton Yelchin and Simon Pegg who co-wrote the story.

What the director and the actors do really well is create a whole lot of chemistry between the main characters. The fact that the main crew has been living with each other for the last three years is really noticeable as it is quite clear that friendships have started to form. Often times characters will make jokes with one another and these jokes never really seem forced in any way. Though there were a few moments where the acting seemed a little bit off overall the ensemble cast did an amazing job.

What is not all that great however is the writing. Most of the times a characters story-arc is a thin as possible. Often times such an arc is set up with only one line of dialogue and after maybe mentioning it once or twice get resolved again with also only a single line of dialogue. The dialogue itself is also not that great, often times it did not make any sense at all. Sometimes when, though unimportant, members of the crew die the main characters do not seem to care at all and would rather make a joke instead of addressing it. The same goes for when certain events happen that directly impact the main characters, then again the movie would rather throw in a joke rather than having the characters ask the appropriate questions. Spread out throughout the movie is a lot of expositional dialogue and some major plot holes. The main villain Krall is as cliché as can be and when his motives are finally explained the character becomes downright laughable.

What sets the movie apart from other blockbuster movies this year however is the amazing CGI and effects. Over the course of the movie it works really well and there really are only a few moments where it looks quite ugly. Together with the great soundtrack, beautiful costumes, awesome set design and amazing sound effects Justin Lin has created a very appealing movie both visually and audibly. Sometimes though it seemed Lin wanted to exploit this a little bit too much which resulted in some set up shots too use way to much screen time. In the end 'Star Trek Beyond' is a pretty mediocre summer blockbuster which is fun to watch, but ultimately pretty forgettable.

My rating: 5/10

The BFG (2016)

Great acting and stunning visuals that couldn't quite offset the bad pacing.

[6/10 · 20 July 2016]

Considering Mark Rylance great performance in Steven Spielberg's previous production 'Bridge of Spies' it really came as no surprise that we would be seeing more of him in one of Spielberg's films. This time Rylance stars as the BFG, short for Big Friendly Giant, alongside child actress Ruby Barnhill who plays a little girl called Sophie. At the start of the movie Sophie gets kidnapped by this aforementioned giant and what follows is movie where the main focus is the growing friendship between her and the giant.

To properly capture the magical world created by Roald Dahl on the big screen Steven Spielberg uses a blend of real life footage and computer generated images. Although we've come a long way with CGI as a whole, the minor differences between images captured from the real world and those generated on a computer were just large enough that they were often times off-putting. Spielberg does do an amazing job to get the amount of times this happens to a minimum however by using certain techniques that make the real life footage seem more like computer generated ones rather than the other way around. That does not mean that the CGI in 'The BFG' was bad though, it's because they were so good that these moments happened. In fact a few times the visuals were so stunning that it could make almost everyone's jaw drop in amazement. That is not to say that the directing was flawless however.

Over the course of the movie it becomes quite noticeable that there is a problem with the pacing. Quite a few times this has the effect that scenes which were mesmerizing at first drag on for too long, so long in fact that often times they will have overstayed their welcome. This is especially true for the few action scenes the movie has to offer. The bad pacing also causes the story to fizzle out and what is left is a movie that gets a little bit boring after only half of it's two hour running time.

One of the movies redeeming factors however is the amazing acting by the aforementioned actor Mark Rylance who does a really good job at getting the viewer to care about this big and friendly giant. Another great performance is given by Ruby Barnhill who really shines as this little girl Sophie. Although there were a few moments where I think her acting felt a little bit off I am really curious where her career will go next. Together these two actors make the building friendship between their characters seem very believable and they are the reason the viewer will stay engrossed in the movies story.

Overall the movie featured some amazing acting with stunning visuals, but sadly there is only so much that can be done to offset the bad pacing.

My rating: 6/10

Don Verdean (2015)

Well acted with a mediocre story

[4/10 · 16 July 2016]

In this movie Sam Rockwell plays the titular character Don Verdean who is an amateur archaeologist hunting down religious artifacts. When Don is asked to retrieve the skull of Goliath things spiral out of control.

Although the jokes did not always work that well the writers did a great job at implementing them in the movie as most of the dialogue based jokes came very naturally and never really felt out of place. The story itself is where the movie falls apart though. Characters almost never really act out of character and it really felt as if they were living in that world instead of on a comedy set. However it quickly becomes very clear that the story is artificially set up. In fact the events that happen in the end of the movie seems so out of place and sudden that it's clear the screenwriters didn't really know where to go and just needed an ending.

The one redeeming factor about the movie is the acting. Although I think their acting qualities were severely underutilized Sam Rockwell, Jemaine Clement and Amy Ryan really put down a believable performance. The chemistry between the actors/characters does seem to be there but the director does not seem to be able to capitalize on that.

I do think that the recipe behind 'Don Verdean' could have provided a pretty fun comedy movie. With a better director and a better story the movie could have been a pretty good comedy, sadly as of right now it is just a well acted flick paired with a very mediocre story with some good laughs here and there.

My rating: 4/10

The Neon Demon (2016)

A beautiful film but not quite a masterpiece

[7/10 · 15 July 2016]

Before going into 'The Neon Demon' I really did not know what to expect. The trailers made it look like I was about to see a beautiful movie, but as Nicolas Winding Refn's previous movie 'Only God Forgives' showed beauty is not everything.

The movie states the opposite however and claims that beauty is the only thing. Well if this is true than 'The Neon Demon' should be considered as a movie that is almost close to perfection. The 'Neon' part from the title really shines throughout the movie as every scene is gorgeously lit. Furthermore almost every set is carefully constructed, when combined with the amazing soundtrack by Cliff Martinez and the neon what is left is a movie that without an accompanying story would be worth the price of admission on it's own.

The movie does have a story however as it tells the tale of a fairly unknown model who goes by the name of Jesse. Jesse is one of the most beautiful women you'll ever meet. Her rise to fame is fairly quick as all of the designers and photographers want to work with her while on the other hand most of the models go to great lengths just to be more like her. The story really shines in the first half of the movie and, despite the surreal way some scenes are, seems very realistic. As the second act begins the events start to become quite abnormal and really contest the viewers suspension of disbelief as certain characters undergo an enormous shift in character. Although this was foreshadowed in earlier parts of the film it would have been a lot better if this change happened a little more gradually throughout the movie. Also even though their resolution would have no real effect on the story there were still some loose ends by the time the credits appeared on the screen.

Speaking of foreshadowing the movie does this a lot. Scattered throughout the movie are a lot of breadcrumbs in terms of visual clues and a few lines of dialogue causing certain events to be foretold. The movie hardly does any hand holding however as these breadcrumbs are just large enough for the observant viewer to notice. Although I have only seen the movie once I am certain I missed a lot that were hidden in plain sight.

The actress Elle Fanning who portrays Jesse does so in an amazing and unique way, with another actress in Jesse's shoes the movie probably would have turned out quite a bit differently. I hope to see more of here as she certainly established herself in a leading role. Supporting Ella Fanning is Jena Malone as well as Bella Heathcote and Keanu Reeves. Although Malone's performance really sticks out amongst the four they all acted out their role extremely well.

Overall I can say that 'The Neon Demon' is a real treat for those who enjoyed Nicalas Winding Refn's previous movies or are fond of artsy movies in general. The movie is well acted, well directed with an amazing soundtrack on top of it all. Beauty is certainly not it's only thing!

My rating: 7/10

Ghostbusters: Answer the Call (2016)

A mediocre summer comedy

[4/10 · 15 July 2016]

The reboot of the famous 1984 movie 'Ghostbusters' stars Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, Kristen Wiig and Leslie Jones who over the course of the first act get together and form a crew called 'The Ghostbusters'. With a few special weapons and the well known Proton- Beam they have to work together to hunt down and capture ghosts.

Working together is what the main characters do fairly well. Although the acting is a bit rough at times the four ghostbusters all seemed very likable and in my opinion they did have some good chemistry going on between them. The other characters in the movie are pretty dispensable however as they are mostly there for a quick joke.

The ghosts they're hunting were fairly well crafted however with a cartoon-ish design while also looking fairly menacing. Accompanying the ghosts were some well placed jump scares, though at it's core 'Ghostbusters' is of course still a comedy movie. The comedic side is sadly not that good as a lot of the jokes fell flat. Occasionally there were some gags that made me audibly chuckle though often times these jokes were later on repeated multiple times without achieving the same effect.

The overarching plot is decent enough and it would've allowed for a fun story to be told, though due to the poor writing what is left is a very predictable story with a downright ridiculous villain whose sole purpose is to set the necessary events in motion. Overall the 'Ghostbusters' reboot wasn't the train wreck some people though it'd be, but sadly it also wasn't the great comedy movie other people hoped it'd be.

My rating: 4/10

Ice Age: Collision Course (2016)

Despite it's cold setting it's a hot mess

[2/10 · 13 July 2016]

With 'Ice Age: Collision Course' we have arrived at the fifth installment 'Ice Age'franchise. Once again we join Manny, Diego and Sid on a journey this time their objective is to save the world from an incoming meteor that will decimate all life on earth. However despite it's cold setting 'Ice Age: Collision Course' is a hot mess.

Once again Blue Sky Studios have created a visually good looking world. While it pales in comparison to Pixar's latest movie Finding Dory it still provides a rich world that allows a fun story to be told, however it is exactly here where the movie fails to deliver. The main characters we know and love from the earlier movies hardly get any screen time. Instead the movie shifts the focus to the many side characters and forces the main characters from the earlier movies into supporting roles. Sadly most of these characters just are not as like- able and because of this the impending danger of the meteorite seems small since the viewer won't care what happens to them. When the annoying possums Eddie and Crash are in every scene while main character Diego only says a handful of lines you know the movie has a problem.

Other than the main story-line the movie is filled with unnecessary side stories such as the one where the mammoth Julian is trying to get his future father-in-law Manny to like him. Now if the movie was at least somewhat funny it would've gone down as a mediocre animation movie, but the problem with almost all of the jokes in the movie is that they feel extremely forced and are very predictable. Most of the times they are nothing more than simple fart-jokes.

Now young children will probably have enough fun watching this movie, but for adults there really is nothing there and I feel really bad for the parents that will have to sit trough this one because their kid wants to see it.

My rating: 2/10