Friday, June 30, 2017

Baby Driver

Plot:
A talented young getaway driver named Baby (Ansel Elgort) is coerced into working for crime boss Doc (Kevin Spacey). He finds himself in a doomed heist which threatens to destroy everything and everyone he loves. 

Pros:
•I wasn't sure if I wanted to see this movie at first. But after hearing all the amazing reviews and being a fan of Edgar Wright I decided to give it a chance. I'm so glad I did. This was such a fun movie. 
•For the most part I've always liked Ansel Elgort. I'd say this is his best role yet. I always knew he could play charming but now I know he can be badass as well. I'd love  to see him do more roles like this. 
•Edgar Wright has another hit on his hands. Wonderful job directing, especially the action scenes which he manages to lineup perfectly with the kick ass soundtrack. 
•Strong supporting cast. Kevin Spacey was his usual awesome self. 
•Clever dialog and humor. 
•A lot of the movie was practical effects which I always appreciate whenever a movie goes this route. It looked really good here. They were able to do a lot with a fairly low budget. 
•Some of my favorite scenes aside from the action were actually Baby interacting with his foster Dad. Very touching which I wasn't expecting in a movie like this. 
•One of the very few movies in which shaky cam was used and I didn't walk out of the theater wanting to puke. 

Cons:
•Nothing I'm going to take major points off for. However, it did drag a bit for me in the beginning. Luckily the last two thirds more than made up for it. 
•While it's definitely one of the more original movies you'll see right now, it does follow a few of the same beats you usually see in this genre. 

My Rating: 9/10

Sunday, June 25, 2017

Slack Bay

SPOILER ALERT: It's almost impossible for me to review this movie without giving away a few slight spoilers. Nothing major though I promise. Honestly, this is one of those movies that I'm sure most of you won't see. 

Plot:
Set in 1910. A wealthy family visits their summer house in Slack Bay for an extended vacation. While there, the come across a police investigation into the disappearance of several tourists in the area. 

Pros:
•I'll give director Bruno Dumont credit for doing something different. This was unlike any other movie I've seen this year. 
•Most of the acting was fine. 
•The movie was shot well. It had this almost dreamlike quality to it. 
•Nice locations. 

Cons:
•Had a very odd, dark sense of humor that, while not necessarily bad, I personally didn't care for. I can see why others might like it though. In many ways it reminds me of The Lobster. 
•Random incest and cannibalism. I seem to be seeing more and more movies and tv shows doing that these days. What's up with that?
•The only actress I recognized in this was Juliette Binoche (she's worked with this director before). Normally I'm a big fan of her work but her character in this was so over the top and downright annoying. Eventually more is revealed about her backstory and you can understand why she is the way she is but still. Take it down a few notches. 
•Didn't need to be two hours long. It drags so much at times. They could've easily cut out a good 20-30 minutes. 

My Rating: 6/10

Sunday, June 18, 2017

Chasing Trane

Plot:
Documentary about the life and music of John Coltrane. 

Pros:
•Major props to director John Schienfeld for creating this wonderful documentary that not only showed you Coltrane's impact on music but who he was as a person. You can tell he did his research. I felt like it was a very loving tribute. 
•Doesn't shy away from the not so great moments in Coltrane's life, including his heavy drug use at one point. 
•Insightful interviews with his family and friends as well as the many people he's influenced over the years. 
•While it does follow a lot of the things you see in a standard documentary there's several moments where they do some cool things visually to tell his story. Very creative. 
•Narration by Denzel Washington. How cool is that?
•If you're a Coltrane fan or just a music fan in general, you're going to love this. If you're like me and are lucky enough to have a theater near you playing it, go see it. So worth the money. 

Cons:
•Nothing major, just a few moments in the middle and towards the end where I felt like it dragged a bit. 

My Rating: 8.5/10

Saturday, June 17, 2017

All Eyez On Me

Plot:
Biopic of rapper Tupac Shakur. 

Pros:
•If I'm being honest, the only positive thing I can say about the movie is the guy they got to play Tupac looks so much like him it's scary. And he does a decent enough job. Had he had a more competent director he probably would've been even better. 

Cons:
•Where do I even begin? I don't know a whole lot about Tupac. I mean, obviously I know who he was and like some of his music. I do know he deserves way better than this shit. 
•For a movie that was damn near two and a half hours, it sure felt rushed. They glossed over his entire story. Seriously, within the span of about 15 minutes (if that) it went from Afeni Shakur being pregnant with Tupac, him as a kid, to when he made his first album. 
•Who the fuck thought it was a good idea to let Benny Boom direct this? Up until recently I hadn't even heard of him. Clearly he's incompetent and didn't give a fuck. This felt like one of those awful biopics that Lifetime likes to do, just with a bigger budget. 
•Horribly written script. 
•Poor acting by the supporting cast. 
•Don't even get me started on the way they handled Tupac's murder. 
•I can't believe I'm saying this but King Arthur is no longer the worst movie I've seen this year. While technically speaking King Arthur was worse in the sense that it was edited in a fucking blender and I had no idea what was happening on screen half the time, at least I only walked out of it confused and not angry like I did with this. I can only imagine how hardcore Tupac fans must be feeling right now. 
•Benny Boom should never be allowed to make another movie again. 
•Avoid this at all cost. I'm begging you. 

My Rating: 2/10

Sunday, June 11, 2017

My Cousin Rachel

Plot:
A young man named Philip (Sam Claflin) plots revenge against his mysterious cousin Rachel (Rachel Weisz) whom he believes had something to do with his guardian's death. 

Pros:
•Beautiful locations, cinematography, and costumes. 
•Sam Claflin, while I wouldn't call this his best role, gives a pretty decent performance. I liked his scenes with Holiday Granger and felt they had good chemistry. 
•The ending is kind of ambiguous and while I don't always like when a movie does this I felt like it worked here. I enjoy a good mystery. 

Cons:
•I like Rachel Weisz but I feel like she was miscast here. She also had zero chemistry with Sam Claflin. 
•One of the love scenes was so cheesy (you see part of it in the trailer) and bad that I couldn't help but laugh. 
•I haven't read the novel that this is based on, but it felt very rushed. Like I was getting the cliff notes version. 
•Trailer pretty much gives most of the movie away.
•While I wouldn't call this a terrible movie, it's not something I would suggest seeing in theaters. If you think you might be interested, wait until it comes to Netflix. 

My Rating: 6.5/10

Friday, June 9, 2017

It Comes At Night

SPOILER ALERT: While I don't think anything I've said in my review would ruin the movie for you, I'm going to add this just in case. If there are any spoilers they're only VERY minor. 

Plot:
While an unknown threat is terrorizing the world, a man named Paul (Joel Edgerton) has established a secure home in the remote forest with his wife Sarah (Carmen Ejogo) and son Travis (Kelvin Harrison Jr.). Things are put to the test when they encounter a desperate family. 

Pros:
•Joel Edgerton continues to be one of my favorite actors. Here he delivers another brilliant performance. Yes his character ends up doing some horrific things but honestly, if I were living in that world and put in the same situation I'd probably do the same. 
•Doesn't rely on blood and gore. It's very tense but in a subtle way with the long shots and music. 
•I loved the way director Trey Edward Shultz shot this movie. It has the look and feel of something from the 70s/early 80s. Nice cinematography. He's also very good with actors which I was already aware of having seen his debut movie Krisha. While I remember not really caring for that movie overall I could see his potential. I'm glad he got another chance to direct because with he's gotten even better. I'll definitely go see his next movie. 
•It's a slow burn but not once was I bored or felt the need to check the time. 

Cons:
•If you go into this expecting your typical horror movie (the way the trailers have been marketing it) then you're going to be disappointed. This is more of a post apocalyptic, atmospheric, psychological thriller with some horror elements. I'm totally fine with this type of movie and it in no way affects my rating. Just something you should be aware of if you're thinking about seeing this. 
•A few too many dream sequences for my liking. 
•The way it ends leaves more questions than answers. Not that I needed everything answered but I would've liked just a little more explanation. I walked out of the theater wondering what exactly it was the director was trying to say. 
•Be prepared to watch a lot of comedies after you see this movie. You're going to need it. This was one of the most depressing things I've seen in a long time. 

My Rating: 7.5/10

Sunday, June 4, 2017

Norman

Plot:
Norman (Richard Gere) is a small time operator living in New York who befriends a politician and suddenly his left from changes. 

Pros:
•Richard Gere gives a rather interesting performance. I mean that in a good way. His character does come off as annoying but by the end you also sympathize with him. 
•Great supporting cast as well, including Lior Ashkenazi, Michael Sheen, and Dan Stevens. 
•Clever script. 
•I liked what the director did in terms of shooting some of the scenes. 
•Some people might not care for the ending but I thought it worked here. 

Cons:
•This movie is divided into four acts. It had some issues in terms of pacing especially in the beginning. Also, I didn't feel like it needed to be almost two hours. It would've worked better had they cut out maybe fifteen minutes (mainly in acts two and three). 
•If you think this is something you would like to see, I would wait until it comes to Netflix. Overall I liked this movie but it's not something I would pay money to see in theaters. 

My Rating: 7/10

The Lost City of Z

Plot:
Based on the true story of Percy Fawcett (Charlie Hunnam)- a British explorer who, at the dawn of the 20th century, discovers evidence of an advanced civilization that at one time may have lived there. 

Pros:
•A wonderful, epic adventure that reminded me very much of the ones I use to watch growing up. They don't make too many movies like this anymore. I wish this had done better at the box office. 
•This is definitely the better of the two Charlie Hunnam movies I've seen this year. He's amazing here and it was interesting to see how his character developed from the beginning of the movie until the end. 
•I appreciate that director James Gray not glamorizing the jungle the way other directors might and instead showing just how brutal it is. You see men sweating and covered in dirt, getting eaten alive, wounds getting infected, and so much more. 
•Robert Pattinson does a good job as well and is unrecognizable. Had I not known ahead of time I never would've guessed it was him. He's a great actor when given the right material. 
•Some of the scenes were very dimly shot which might normally bother me but I felt it worked here. 

Cons:
•Nothing major really. Just there were a few moments where the actors were speaking low and with such thick accents that it was hard to understand what they were saying. 
•Tom Holland, who I think is great as Spider-Man, annoyed me a little in this. 

My Rating: 9/10 

Friday, June 2, 2017

Wonder Woman

Plot:
Before she was Wonder Woman she was Diana (Gal Gadot)- Amazon princess and fierce warrior. One day a pilot (Chris Pine) crashes on her island and tells her of the Great War going on in the outside world. Believing she can help, Diana leaves home where she discovers her true destiny. 

Pros:
•COLOR!!! Glorious color. Seems silly to get excited over something like this but I'm sure if you're like me and have seen all the DC movies since Snyder took over you'll understand. 
•Gal Gadot, who in my opinion was one of the few good things about BvS, really shines here. It's always nice to see a bad ass female superhero. Patty Jenkins really brought her to life for me. I hope they continue to let her direct movies in this universe. She's really good at it. 
•Chris Pine was really good in this as well. Not only does he do drama well, but his comedic timing is great. He and Gal Gadot also had very good chemistry. Never felt cheesy at all to me. 
•Most of the action scenes were well choreographed. 
•I wasn't crazy about the Wonder Woman theme when they first introduced it in BvS, but after this I have to say it's grown on me. It was used way better here. 
•Almost two and a half hours but it sure didn't feel like it. Kept me entertained. 
•I opted to see this in 2D and it looks just fine. 
• I can't even begin to tell you how nice it is to have a decent DC movie again. Lord knows they needed it. 

Cons:
•Villain was extremely disappointing. 
•The final showdown/battle scene was such a mess. Reminded me very much of BvS (but please don't let this stop you from seeing Wonder Woman. Overall it's a great movie). If it wasn't for this I would've rated it much higher. 

My Rating: 8/10