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The VVitch: A New-England Folktale (2015)
If you're a true horror fan, you have got to watch THE WITCH
A cinematic achievement in horror. THE WITCH is superbly crafted. Writer/director Robert Eggers has given us the perfect blend of psychological and supernatural thrill that will terrify you to your core. You'll never stop talking about THE WITCH long after it's done.
A family in 1630s New England was banished from their settlement, and so the couple and their five children are out living in the wilderness, struggling to survive. Faith is the only thing that keeps them together. But their newborn son mysteriously vanishes and their crops fail, and the family begins to turn on one another, as they are torn apart by the forces of witchcraft, black magic and possession.
What's brilliant about THE WITCH, on top of its excellent attempt on trying to be accurate to the period it portrays, is that it's very different from any of the other horror movies we get out there. No jump scares, no cheap gimmicks, no pointless plot. Everything is built up to lead you to creepy and unnerving discomfort and much of it also reminds me of dark paranoia thrillers of the '70s, where there are plenty of suspicions and blame to go around. Writer/director Robert Eggers successfully messes with his characters' and the audiences' minds. In addition to that, great choice on using the olde English mixed with excellent costume design and chilling cinematography, and young talent Anya Taylor-Joy is a revelation, THE WITCH gives a unique and refreshing take on this genre. It's frightening, it's terrifying, full of twists and turns you don't see coming a mile away.
Deadpool (2016)
Hell yeah!
In a world.. where superhero movies are often unnecessarily dark and gritty, #Deadpool comes along and shows you how it's done! It's the perfect combo of action, comedy, and R-rating that really don't give two sh*ts about your sensitivity. Do you remember that warm blueberry pie that your grandma made for you when you were younger or the time you saw that girl you've been crushing on during chemistry class in high school? Well, you can throw those memories out the window now and make way for DEADPOOL.
Ryan Reynolds plays a skilled special forces operative turned mercenary Wade Wilson, Morena Baccarin plays his hot-ass girlfriend, Vanessa. This woman is the embodiment of sexy. They are a match made in Marvel Comics' heaven. But their dream is crushed upon discovering that Wilson has cancer all over, a situation that forces him to sign up to a rogue experiment that subjects him to accelerated healing powers. The lab is run by Francis/Ajax (Ed Skrein) who himself is a bit of a mutant. The brutal experiments turn Wade Wilson into an ugly dude but an indestructible one. He's now bent on revenge, especially after Ajax kidnaps Vanessa. Meanwhile Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead from the X-Men, try their best to convince Deadpool to join their team and become one of the good guys. But let's face it, that ain't DEADPOOL's style! The first people we have to thank of course would be the original comic book writers/creators Fabian Nicieza and Rob Liefeld who brilliantly gave us this very unique superhero unlike any other. The next people in line to thank are screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick who remind us why we loved "Zombieland" back in 2009, they inject the same brand of humor into DEADPOOL and keep the character faithful to the comic books, yes, by that I mean none of that crap version of Wade Wilson in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" anymore! Applause goes to Tim Miller as well, what a helluva feature directorial debut, clearly when you give a superhero project to a geek who loves the material and knows it inside out, if you just let him run with it, it's like giving G.I. Joe toys to a kid who can name them all by heart, great things can happen.
For those of you who are not familiar with DEADPOOL, just a heads up, this movie, just like the comics, is extremely over the top graphic in terms of sex, violence and humor, and that's exactly how we like it. Wade Wilson is a chatterbox, he talks a lot, to some this can get annoying, while to the rest, it's music to our ears, mainly because of the sh*t he says. And he breaks fourth wall, meaning he'll talk to you the audience. But what's even more epic than that is the fact that he is AWARE of the universe that he's in and the universe that you're in, and those two collide in the most epic way possible, so Ryan Reynolds' character, Wade Wilson, makes fun of Ryan Reynolds the actor and also mocks Ryan Reynolds' previous poor decisions like Green Lantern and People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive This movie is a dream come true for those of you hardcore fans, it even has what I think is one of the greatest most hilarious opening credit scenes in the history of cinema. For a while, I heard that the studio wanted the film to include more mutants, but I'm glad the filmmakers kept things to just a few characters for this first installment a.k.a origin story, so it's simple enough for the new fans to follow. I love how the humor is so brash and unapologetic, it's like insult comedy or one of them roast shows, everybody is fair game. The fights are rock 'em sock 'em and the VFX is impressive! And I can't be happier for Ryan Reynolds, I'm sure he had been wanting to redeem himself since "Green Lantern" and whatever the hell that was in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," so with this DEADPOOL movie, he finally got it right, you can tell he desperately wanted to be part of this superhero genre, and so now he's really part of the gang. He was born for this role. He was destined to play this. In many ways, Deadpool is kinda like Van Wilder on crack. And actress Morena Baccarin as Vanessa
well, let's just say that after watching this movie, every guy on earth will wonder, 'Why can't my girlfriend be more like that!' If you're looking for a date movie, DEADPOOL is it. if you're looking for an action-packed movie, DEADPOOL is definitely most certainly it.
Hail, Caesar! (2016)
Baffling!
For every part of HAIL CAESAR that's attractive and entertaining, there's an equal part that will leave you baffled. Don't get me wrong, I'm speaking as a fan of the Coen Bros' brand of comedy ("O Brother Where Art Thou," "Intolerable Cruelty," "Burn After Reading") but I just don't think HAIL CAESAR's oddity would resonate with audiences.
Starring Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Alden Ehrenreich, Ralph Fiennes, Jonah Hill, Scarlett Johansson, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton and Channing Tatum, Hail, Caesar! follows a single day in the life of a studio fixer who is presented with plenty of problems to fix.
At times HAIL CAESAR can be a quite goofy, it's more or less a nod to the golden age of Hollywood, those old movies that would have the characters suddenly bust out in song and dancing, Channing Tatum gives a scene-stealing performance in this department with his little sailor number, it's definitely the scene that audiences would mostly talk about after the end credits roll.
George Clooney plays the biggest star in Hollywood who gets kidnapped by a group of writers that happen to carry a certain ideology of their own, so HAIL CAESAR somewhat also pokes fun at that whole communist witch-hunt back in the day even prior to Trumbo era. Josh Brolin plays a studio fixer that has a lot on his plate, juggling frustrated directors and arrogant stars and untalented actors, and now he has to also deal with this kidnapping. But if there's one thing that Coen Bros' comedies have in common is that without the lead character having to try too hard, everything seems to work itself out in the end.
Yes you'll laugh, there's no doubt you'll have a bit of fun watching HAIL CAESAR especially with the characters buying so much into their buffoonery because almost all of them think that they're all that, their ego is wildly amusing, and Josh Brolin's character, the studio fixer, is no different. Co-star Tilda Swinton is also another one that's going to crack you up even though her face is not on this film's poster. Great costumes and marvelous production design that take you back to the enchanting days of Fred Astaire and Ginger Ross. HAIL CAESAR also gives you pause to wonder if Hollywood, in many ways, is still as controlling as they were in the golden age. But I think what the Coen Bros' are trying to really convey, what they're really trying to satirize often gets lost in the film's attractive choreography. So yes, you will laugh, but you'll also be massively confused.
Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016)
Just as awesome as the first two. Skadoosh!
There's a reason why the "Kung Fu Panda" franchise is one of the most successful of all-time, and I'd like to believe that that reason is because the writers and the creative talents behind it know how to solidly move the story forward, even with the same characters, they know how to make them evolve without losing the charm and the heart that made the first and the second film effective.
In KUNG FU PANDA 3, Master Shifu appoints Po as the new teacher, a responsibility that of course Po is not able to handle, because he feels more comfortable just being the dragon warrior that saves the village whenever they need help. But that's the thing, once you've felt comfortable and you do only what you can, then you close any room for growth. But being a teacher is not Po's only new challenge. We know that it was just a matter of time until Po reconnects with his family, it was teased at the second film's end. Po's long-lost panda father reappears, just as the supernatural villain Kai, from the spirit realm, returns to the mortal world and vows vengeance. Each film has a certain kung fu style or a goal that Po must achieve, and in this one he has to master the Chi while at the same time learning to know what it means to be a panda.
I had concerns at first because "Kung Fu Panda 3" is released this month, and you know that January is a dumping ground for terrible movies. But now I see that this may actually have been a smart move on the studio's part because this is quite possibly the only great film this month, people will turn to "Kung Fu Panda 3" because everything else will disappoint them.
Just like the first and the second film, KUNG FU PANDA 3's animation is sharp and beautiful. The action sequences are fun and entertaining, and there's a little bit of a fish-out-water situation as well because our hero Po is pretty much new to this whole Panda village and they way they do things over there. But what rings true throughout all three films is that it's ultimately about Po's journey to become one with who he is. He accepted his destiny despite people's doubts, he let go of the past and found inner peace, and now he's put to the test once more, his confidence will be tried once more, and so seeing him be the underdog again is why root for Po. And on top of that, KUNG FU PANDA 3 never runs out of ammo to get you to feel emotional and they do it without trying too hard because it's done in a way that serves the story and the characters, the emotional scenes make sense, I often say that "Kung Fu Panda" movies faithfully follow Pixar's manual the undeniable importance of a well-written story; one that goes straight for the heart and aims to inspire. KUNG FU PANDA 3 is simply awesome! And it's so cool if you think about it, this is an animated family film franchise that gets more and more solid with each installment, and that's rare.
Moonwalkers (2015)
Laugh out loud hilarious!
MOONWALKERS is the first funniest movie of this year even though we just started on 2016 but I'm confident enough to shout that aloud because it really is going to be tough for other comedy films from this point forward to top MOONWALKERS. It's so outrageously funny, you're going to be gasping for air from laughing too hard.
Written by Dean Craig and directed by Antoine Bardou-Jacquet, the legendary Ron Perlman plays an unstable CIA agent, he's a Vietnam war vet suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, but he's been assigned by the agency to locate and hire filmmaker Stanley Kubrick so that Kubrick would film a fake moon landing just in case America's actual moon landing fails. One unsuccessful rock band manager (Rupert Grint) and his confused friend (Robert Sheehan) see this as an opportunity. But things get complicated.
It's part con man comedy, it's part gangster comedy, MOONWALKERS is basically something that Guy Ritchie would concoct back in the day. And on top of that, the story is set in a psychedelic era, so it adds to how fun and unpredictable MOONWALKERS can get, you see these characters who are in way over their heads, and a war vet who's just aching to unleash his frustrations. It's a comedy that relies on mistaken identity, misunderstanding, and ignorance, MOONWALKERS doesn't try too hard to make you laugh because the characters themselves are already doing a fantastic job at that. Well-written, well thought out and well-acted, Rupert Grint and Robert Sheehan have excellent comedic timing, Perlman's take no-prisoner-approach is entertaining. I haven't laughed this hard since 2007's "Death At a Funeral," it's good to have that feeling back.
13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (2016)
'Murica!
I had my worries at first, I thought 13 HOURS: THE SECRET SOLDIERS OF BENGHAZI may end up being too political, especially with the current election season, there may be pundits/opportunists who may use "13 Hours" and stretch its purpose. But I'm glad director Michael Bay doesn't focus on that, I'm glad he makes it be about the heroes and I think that's the right way to go about telling this tragic story. 13 HOURS: THE SECRET SOLDIERS OF BENGHAZI is intense, it's explosive, it's the best war movie since "Saving Private Ryan" and "Black Hawk Down" and it's one of those movies that solely aims to make you feel patriotic.
Based on Mitchel Zukoff's book and adapted by Chuck Hogan who gave us 2010's "The Town," 13 HOURS is about those long bloody 13 hours when the U.S. embassy and compound in Libya were under attack, it's about the security team defending their place, it's like a modern day Alamo story.
With the timing of this film's arrival, will the mainstream media blow this out of proportions again with theories on whether or not Secretary Hillary Clinton did all she could to send help, if the attack was motivated by anti-Islam video protests and so on and so forth, will it spark the controversies again? I don't know, that's out of my control. What I do know and what I do appreciate about 13 HOURS: THE SECRET SOLDIERS OF BENGHAZI, although it slightly touches on those possible theories, it keeps the focus tight on these few men, these few former soldiers who have families, who have real struggles, but they're willing to protect the lives of others first.
13 HOURS: THE SECRET SODLIERS OF BENGHAZI has everything you'd expect in a Michael Bay, it's action-packed, it has that signature spinning shot, heavy emphasis on explosions, lots of firepower, beautiful women, it even has similar VFX shots that Bay applied on his 2001 war film, "Pearl Harbor," but minus the lovey dovey romance, thankfully. Those who know me well know that I'm not a Michael Bay fan, but this 13 HOURS is just a good old fashion good guy vs. bad guy. Very testosterone-driven. Of course real life conflicts in the real world are much greyer and more nuanced than that, so perhaps audiences would be divided over this but this film, for what it's trying to do, it does its job, and it doesn't demonize the Muslims, and it doesn't shy away either, it's as gritty and as violent as it gets, it will make you feel uncomfortable about the idea of war or killing somebody without diminishing the courage of these few men who at the end of the day just want to go home to their families. Finally, a Michael Bay movie I can be proud of watching.
Ride Along 2 (2016)
Wish I could've been laughing more
Surprisingly, the action and the cop drama aspects of RIDE ALONG 2 are worth watching, but if you're hoping to laugh out loud just as much as you did watching the first film, you might want to take that hope down a notch.
Once again directed by Tim Story, Ben (Kevin Hart) heads to Miami with his soon-to-be brother-in-law James (Ice Cube) to take down a drug dealer who's supplying the dealers of Atlanta with product.
In a funny way, I feel that the set up for the story is done in such a way that just gives this project some excuse to go to sunshine Miami, an excuse for it to film great lookin' women in bikinis like there's no tomorrow. That said, I have to give credit where credit's due, although the car chase isn't completely well-staged, the film does a fascinating job of blending it with video game images, making it seem like you're playing grand theft auto, it's definitely a whole other experience seeing that on the big screen weaving in and out from the live action to the video game rendering of it.
I was a huge fan of the first "Ride Along" movie, I thought it was a great buddy cop duo, in its most traditional sense, Ice Cube playing the serious Clint Eastwood Dirty Harry type while Kevin Hart was the comic relief who unintentionally kept messing up. RIDE ALONG 2, in my opinion, does a decent job of advancing the story and the characters, without diluting either, you get to see how these two characters evolve in their unlikely friendship, as Kevin's character faces an upcoming wedding and having to prove that he's detective worthy while Ice Cube's character faces a potential female interest of his equal. The cop drama and the action are definitely worth your time, the comedy however, since this movie markets itself as one, is unfortunately weak.
Again, RIDE ALONG 2 does a decent job of presenting an added layer to this cop duo, you really see that the road to their eventually appreciating each other is not an easy one, and I think Benjamin Bratt is so smooth and charming as the villain, but then again, that kind of performance doesn't come difficult for Bratt who is naturally charming. I feel like the comedy only serves as fillers, they'd insert them in here and there, some of them are also bit of a rehash of the first film's jokes but in this one, they miss the target eighty percent of the time. I think part of it is also because Kevin Hart's hyper neurotic cocky brand of comedy for his movies can get old if this is all he's got going for him. But I understand the man's just riding the wave, he's currently at the height of his popularity, right now everybody is eating it up, we'll see how long it'll last.
Sherlock: The Abominable Bride (2016)
Marvelous!
The following are my thoughts on #Sherlock special, #TheAbominableBride so I'm just looking at it from the perspective of a fan. Now, keep in mind that I'm not a loyal watcher of "Doctor Who," I'm aware that die-hard fans out there have said a thing or two about how they may not have liked what Steven Moffat had done to "Doctor Who," I don't know anything about that, but what Moffat and Mark Gatiss had given us through "Sherlock" is a worldwide cultural phenomenon in my book. But again, heads up, the following review of mine may contain spoilers BUT I won't reveal any pivotal plot twists.
In this new special, SHERLOCK: THE ABOMINABLE BRIDE, the story takes our heroes, Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) and John Watson (Martin Freeman) to 19th century Victorian London, the case at hand is a spooky one because it involves a bride with a grudge, Elena Ricoletti. She commits a shooting spree, and then kills herself and then after that she's seen killing her ex husband. So it leaves the city baffled and terrified. Can ghosts be real? Our hero Sherlock of course is all about logic, he's like Spock with deductive reasoning, sharp investigative skills, e's highly observant. What's interesting about this special is that all of our favorite characters are also in this Victorian era, so you see them in period piece costumes, some even rock that old school facial hair and those classy hats, the filmmaker, cast and crew really get to have fun with this one. If Sir Arthur Conan Doyle had been alive, he would've regarded this as somethings close to the Sherlock he created, or at least the setting is. Part of why we love "Sherlock" series is because Gatiss and Moffat successfully transported this world famous fictional detective to our present/modern time, surrounded by technology. This time, however, we see him in his original element.
There are many twists and turns in SHERLOCK: THE ABOMINABLE BRIDE and I'm not going to reveal every last one of them, those of you who've seen this special would know what I'm talking about, but I do want to point out a few things. I notice that for the first hour or so, it makes it seem like John Watson is incompetent or a dim wit, someone who quickly jumps to conclusions and presses all the wrong buttons on Sherlock, I didn't like that at all, because the Watson that Martin Freeman had played in previous seasons was a strong compadre, more than just a supporter. But luckily the special ultimately reveals something that explains the whole Watson ordeal.
Another thing I noticed is that they take the humor up a notch. They made Mycroft literally look obese, like he ate the previous Mycroft whole. And there's a scene in which Watson psycho-analyzes Sherlock because sometimes Watson does that, and that makes for one of the most hilarious scenes ever, not to mention a moment of misunderstood sign language. It's as though they (writers/filmmakers/cast) want to you the fans to also have as much fun as they did in making this special and ya know what, it works. I mentioned the word 'spooky' earlier because SHERLOCK: THE ABOMINABLE BRIDE also carries that tone, you're made to wonder whether or not you're watching a Halloween special, since it borderlines the supernatural, but remember, nothing is ever what it seems on this show, and you can take comfort in Sherlock explaining it all at the end, in details that would make sense.
For those of us who've faithfully followed the series, you recall that last season left us with the big question of.. is Moriarty alive? Has he come back from the dead? If you think this SHERLOCK: THE ABOMINABLE BRIDE is just a brief detour, you're in for a big surprise. Let's just say that it links to what happened AND what will happen next. This special, more than anything is about Sherlock Holmes' not realizing the negative impact that he has on other people Often times, because of his logical self, without realizing it, he ends up USING everyone around him and so this is the culmination of his irresponsibility, backfiring. He has to face it head on, make right with it, and in the process figure out the big Moriarty mystery which will surely entertain us in the next season,.. I cannot wait.
Concussion (2015)
Will Smith at his best
#Concussion has made me see what athletes go through from a different angle and I'm saying that as a man who didn't grow up a fan of American football. CONCUSSION is a compelling David Vs. Goliath story, it's a true great American story, and it's Will Smith's best performance since 2006's "The Pursuit Of Happiness" Written and directed by Peter Landesman, based on the GQ article "Game Brain," you've all seen the trailer for CONCUSSION which has Will Smith playing real life accomplished forensic neuropathologist, Dr. Bennet Omalu, who discovered a disease called Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) which a progressive degenerative disease found in people with a history of repetitive brain trauma, and it's commonly found nowadays in pro-football player because they get repeated bows to the head every time they play, this is a heavy contact sport, as we all know.
So the film is about this immigrant doctor with high ethical standards and he truly loves America and yet the America he loves seems to be trying to shut him up because he's basically going up against the sport Americans live and breath for and one of the biggest most capitalistic organizations in the country. When you're messing with a giant business because you've discovered a truth about them that they don't like or a truth that might hurt their profit-making, you're bound to get bullied by the giant.
I had my worries at first, I thought Will Smith's attempt on Nigerian accent may distract or it may make him into a caricature instead of an embodiment but fortunately, that's not what happened. Will Smith's performance in this film really burns with convictions, he will have you take his side in a heartbeat. There's a bit of "A Few Good Men" 'tell me the truth you can't handle the truth' sorta moment mixed with Denzel Washington's 'love's gonna bust me out' moment in "Hurricane" so it's clear that over the years, Will has learned from his fellow masters and honed his skills or his artistry to perfection. Somebody told me once that Will is a big fan of the Philadelphia Eagles team, so it's interesting to see him play the role of a man who takes on the NFL.
The film itself is set in a way that makes you feel like you're going on an uphill battle. I think writer/director Peter Landesman approached it in a way that doesn't demonize American football, but sheds a light on the truth about it, just like what the real Dr. Omalu did. It is also a story about immigrants, a fact which sadly a lot of Americans today seem to forget, that we are a nation of immigrants.
CONCUSSION will surely give rise to discussions not just among NFL players and team owners but also among audiences and football fans. But will the discussion only last a dinner table's length and then be forgotten once Sunday game comes around again? I read up after watching the movie and found that the NFL still makes excuses in admitting the impact CTE has on their players. They've done settlements, they've paid millions of dollars to families, they've changed some things about the way the game is played but keep in mind that this is a big money-making business, so when money is at stake, unfortunately human lives get negotiated over.
The way the NFL handles this reminds me of how right wing politicians try to repudiate climate change, by hiring their own scientists, some of whom may not even be experts on the field study, because those politicians have been bought by fossil fuel businesses. So point being, change in America can happen but it does not happen overnight, it's a slow and painful process as long as there's money involved.
Point Break (2015)
Pointless Break
If I wanted to watch videos about people doing extreme sports, I can just do that via YouTube. #PointBreak remake is essentially about Brian O'Connor infiltrating Dominic Toretto's gang and we start to question where his loyalty lies.. o, my bad, that's actually the plot for "The Fast And The Furious" It's been years since I saw the 1991 Kathryn Bigelow-directed original "Point Break" starring Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze and this remake pretty much has similar logline in that Luke Bracey plays an FBI agent infiltrating a team of criminals. But instead of Bank Robbers and only surfers, this time it's more than just heists and it also features all kinds of other extreme sports activities from motocross to wingsuit skydiving to snowboarding to climbing angel falls, and the team is headed by Edgar Ramirez's character who's determined to reach spiritual enlightenment. And at one point, Luke Bracey's character also fires his gun to the air out of frustration, Keanu probably would look at that version and go, 'Really?!' Again, it's been a long while since I watched the 1991 film, so I won't make the comparison here, but what you need to keep in mind is that this POINT BREAK is style over substance. It's all just about looks and daredevil stunts, there's nothing about the story that anchors you in, the performances of the actors are mediocre, it's one of the most badly-written films I've seen all year, and watching this film would be the most time-wasting way to spend your holidays. Not to mention the film leads to a pointless meaningless ending. So much for that search for enlightenment. The only winners out of all this are the stuntmen and the green screen background.