empire331 Reviews

Stan & Ollie (2018)

Beautiful and touching.

[8/10 · 1 April 2019]

This movie portrays a perfect balance between drama and comedy, it's about true friendship, it's about two legends. Both Coogan and Reilly delivered outstanding performances with their roles.

Mile 22 (2018)

Disappointed

[4/10 · 22 November 2018]

If you're a fan of Mark Wahlberg who plays the entire movie with his right eyebrow raised and half of the movie poking a plastic bracelet, then you'll be satisfied. I wasn't. A waste of actors in a film that's been made hundred of times already.

Alpha (II) (2018)

Beautiful landscape but silly plot

[5/10 · 13 November 2018]

The script is as simple as it can be, predictable storyline and climax. Although the cinematography was above average with very nice National Geographic worthy landscapes, the movie fails to deliver emotion. I felt it was more a children film and less for adults.

Room in Rome (2010)

Not for everyone

[7/10 · 23 October 2018]

Besides the abundant nudity scenes there is deep dialogue, emotion and soul. The viewer gets as a bonus two beautiful women. This film is definitely not for the action genre fans.

Reservoir Cats (2011)

What an useless remake.

[2/10 · 20 October 2018]

I wonder what's the purpose of this movie, maybe only an insult to the original. Do not watch!

Leave No Trace (2018)

Less words, more emotion.

[8/10 · 15 October 2018]

One of best movies I've seen in a while. It lacks CGI and bombastic camera work and explosions but it's full of emotion and feeling. Thomasin McKenzie is unbelievable convincing and impressive with her acting. A solid 8/10

The Predator (2018)

Better than expected.

[7/10 · 14 September 2018]

For a 2018 sequel of the Predator series it was exactly what I expected: lots of effects, more brutality (even gore-ish) and a sort of "evolution" of the predators mixed with human DNA. Well... What I didn't get though, were those two useless alien dogs and their instant friendship with Munn's character, the kind-of messy plot in the second half of the movie, the ambiguous reason why the normal-sized predator and the enhanced one were fighting and few others. The ending was a bit odd with that superhero predator suit. Hopefully, the future installments of the Predator franchise will not be linked with Alien series (again) or worse, with Marvel's collection of all-stars-avengers-superheros. 7/10 from me.

Loving Pablo (2017)

Almost boring

[6/10 · 21 August 2018]

While I like Javier Bardem, his character was annoying and here and there pretty hard to follow his Spanglish. It's not bad nor a masterpiece, perhaps a little too long for the story. 6/10 from me.

The Meg (2018)

The 'meh' Meg

[5/10 · 9 August 2018]

Went to see this movie having low expectations and unfortunately I was right, just another shark-film but the shark is bigger and the effects maybe better. What do you expect when Statham is fighting a prehistoric fish with nothing but a harpoon and his fearful voice. Yeah, he's saving his ex-wife from the bottom of the ocean but right after that he's ignoring her. Story is predictable even to a child, actors are far from convincing and acting is pretty flat, no developed characters but obviously spectacular CGI for a $150 million budget movie. There are lots of things I didn't get though. That whatever-called company invests billions of dollars to search what's underneath the Mariana Trench, they find a prehistoric fish undiscovered by humans for some million of years, they wake up the fish and then kill it. But why? Statham's character feels almost like a superhero as he stabs the meg in the eye with a tiny harpoon and scratches its belly with that glass-toy submersible. Well, hard to believe. The pressure down there at more than 11.000m underwater is life-supporting lots of tiny colored fish and coral and whatsoever joyful marine life. Well again, Cousteau and Cameron and many other scientists would have had a different opinion. Anyway, when I left the cinema I had the feeling I just saw another weak summer "blockbuster" made only for the sake of the box-office and the profit. 5/10 from me. Disappointing.

Hunting Emma (2017)

When Uma Thurman meets "Revenge"

[5/10 · 25 July 2018]

This movie was boring to watch and predictable from the very first scene. Actors were far from convincing but the setup was beautiful, reminding of Australian Outback. 5/10 from me.

White Bird in a Blizzard (2014)

Slowly unfolding story

[7/10 · 21 July 2018]

Main characters were all more or less disturbing, the only one I praised was the detective. Eva Green was creepy and she did overall a decent job with her role. Soundtrack was good and psychedelic, matching the story. Not a watch-again movie but not bad either.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)

Weak story, average visuals.

[6/10 · 15 June 2018]

The fifth installment brings nothing spectacular and different than the previous parts of the Jurassic franchise. I wish there were more from Jeff Goldblum's character, he did only a few short cuts. Bryce Howard had an outdoor costume this time, not a fancy dress and high-heels as she had in the fourth movie of the series. Another expensive movie that will soon be forgotten, it will remain only in the top of highest grossing films of 2018.

By the Sea (2015)

The opposite to Mr And Mrs Smith

[6/10 · 3 June 2018]

This movie is boring and very slow paced, maybe too long for the theme. Jolie's character is extremely annoying and depressive. Nothing emotional, just a couple trying to save the marriage as they go through the mid-life crisis and each of them share a bizarre passion for spying the younger neighbors. Awkward. The setting is beautiful though, southern France is fascinating, for sure. Melanie Laurent does a nice supporting role and the atmosphere is dark and melancholic.

The Salvation (2014)

Sequel required!

[8/10 · 3 June 2018]

Although far from being a masterpiece, The Salvation is a good movie in its genre. Besides that I would have preferred a more convincing villain, more realistic flames and fires and not an ever present sepia tone on all the shots, there are plenty of positive aspects. Actors did a good job, especially Mikkelsen and Green, the cinematography was marvelous, the plot was somehow of a cat and mouse game but enough to keep the tense mood for watcher. Thumbs up for a good western movie!

Permission (I) (2017)

Indecent Proposal revisited.

[6/10 · 2 June 2018]

It's an average movie that deals with an important issue of today's relationships. Unfortunately, names like Gershon, Sudeikis and Hall are not enough to make it a great movie and it's more like a drama than a comedy. There are many awkward scenes and dialogues but overall it's watchable. It reminded me of the much better "Indecent Proposal" from the nineties and the struggle between true love and just an affair with a random stranger. "Don't lose a diamond while chasing glitter" is now more actual than ever and I wonder why would someone break something that works so well only for satisfying a curiosity for an one night stand. Indeed, the two main characters lie each other with "I love you" while each of them has an affair and feels guilty inside. That's not how true love works and eventually they break up at the end.

A Quiet Place (2018)

Weak effort

[4/10 · 2 June 2018]

This movie has been done a zillion times before with slight variations. "A Quiet Place" brings nothing new to the table, not even the alien-like creature is convincing, nor the actors. I like Emily Blunt and her acting skills but she didn't shine here. Boring and very little entertaining.

The Hunt (2012)

Almost a masterpiece

[9/10 · 2 June 2018]

Another european film that's different in so many ways than the average today's movies. It's about humanity, about friendship, alienation and loneliness. Unfortunately, for me the whole cast was unknown, besides the leading role, but they all did a very good job, especially little Klara and her father. The story has a natural flow adding tension with every scene until the climax at the very end. Still, the plot is simple but raises so many questions to each one of us. How would I react to such accusation? How would I react being rejected from the society for a stupid reason and for a crime I did not do? Definitely a very good movie dealing with a sensitive subject!

The Body (2012)

Much better than the average thriller

[8/10 · 1 June 2018]

Arguably one the best movies of this genre I've seen lately. European films are usually love them or hate them, this one is definitely one in the first category. The scenario is full of tension, loads of details that bind the story together and the actors did a really really great job. The twist at the end is of course unpredictable and "delicious". A good movie!

Tomb Raider (2018)

Another predictable story with lots of visuals.

[6/10 · 31 May 2018]

Despite a pretty decent performance by Alicia Vikander, the scenario was simple and very obvious right from the start. This movie fails to deliver the thrill and emotion of an adventure-treasure hunt-fantasy film. Not sure if it's better or worse than the 2001 Tomb Raider, but it's definitely not worth seeing twice. Anyway, on the other hand, the underwater scenes were nicely done and some dialogue lines here and there.

Death Wish (2018)

Not spectacular but also not bad.

[7/10 · 24 May 2018]

It's funny to see Willis as a surgeon learning to shoot a gun after epic roles, such as Die Hard Series. Of course the storyline was predictable but not as flat as other films dealing with the same plot. Worth seeing once.

Revenge (II) (2017)

Pretty surprised by so many negative reviews.

[7/10 · 19 May 2018]

I'm sure all the people who rated this movie four stars or less are Marvel fans. And this is not bad, but Revenge is a movie, it's fiction. Visuals were above expectations while I bet this movie hadn't the same budget as Infinity War had, very nice close-up shots, acting well done especially when you see a half-naked young woman wandering in the desert all the time. Also the soundtrack was intriguing. I would rate this movie six stars but it gets one more for Matilda Lutz.

Geostorm (2017)

Flat and predictable.

[5/10 · 1 February 2018]

While more than half the movie the whole planet was searching for some sort of ambiguous code, the other half was full of shootings and reminded me of "Die Hard"-like action. Story is very similar to Armageddon except less emotions and in Geostorm the hero lives after the climax. Not good at all except the scenes of CGI, I was expecting more from a 2017 apocalyptic movie with big names like Harris, Garcia and Butler.

Two Lottery Tickets (2016)

Probably the best Romanian comedy since 1989

[9/10 · 8 January 2018]

While the communist feel is still present in most of the scenes, the movie depicts very well the life of the average Romanians of the last two decades. "Doua lozuri" was made with a very small budget but the storyline is brilliant, I can't remember laughing so hard watching an eastern-european comedy. Acting is well done, Dragos Bucur steals the show for sure, the story is thrilling and the very end is somehow predictable but overall I totally recommend watching this movie. Also I can only hope for more similar happenings in the Romanian film industry.

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017)

Not even close to the original movie

[5/10 · 2 January 2018]

While not as funny and intriguing as the original movie, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle delivers good visuals, a predictable storyline and a good performance by Jack Black. It's nice to see a remake of the first movie after 20+ years but I still prefer the first one. Mediocre movie not worth seeing more than once.