The Hitman's Bodyguard

Plot:

Michael Bryce (Ryan Reynolds), the worlds best bodyguard, gets a new client- hitman Darius Kincaid (Samuel L. Jackson), who's set to testify in court. 

Pros:

•Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson were  good in this. Pretty funny and played off each other well. I'd like to see them do another movie together. 

•Soundtrack was a little odd but it somehow worked. 

Cons:

•One of the cheapest looking movies I've seen in a long time. The budget was about $30 million I believe which is pretty low but it's still no excuse. I've seen so many low budget movies that look amazing. 

•Generic and poorly choreographed action scenes. 

•Gary Oldman is completely wasted here. 

•The actress who plays Elektra is in this. She was shitty in Daredevil/Defenders and she's just as shitty here. Really can't stand her. 

•Got a few chuckles out of me but overall it wasn't that funny and the jokes went on too long. 

•WOULDN'T FUCKING END! What should've been an hour and a half movie (tops) was nearly two hours. 

•Should've gone straight to Redbox. 

•Almost was going to give this the same rating as The Dark Tower but fuck that. At least The Dark Tower was so bad it was hilarious. The Hitman's Bodyguard was just bad. Avoid it at all costs. 

My Rating: 4.5/10

The Midwife

Plot:

A midwife named Claire (Catherine Frot) gets an unexpected call from her father's former mistress. 

Pros:

•What really stood out to me about this movie was the outstanding performances by the two lead actresses Catherine Frot and Catherine Deneuve. Their characters have such different personalities but it works and it was interesting seeing how their relationship developed over time. 

•There's several scenes where you get a look at what a typical day for a midwife looks like and all the amazing work they do. 

•Beautiful locations. 

•About two hours long and moves at a decent pace. 

•A surprising amount of humor. 

Cons:

•The story itself wasn't bad at all but at times was a little too predictable. 

•A few rough spots with the editing. 

•Generic musical score. I've felt like I heard it before in several other foreign movies like this. 

•While I liked the movie overall, it's not something I would rush out to see in theaters. 

My Rating: 7/10

Brigsby Bear

Plot:

A children's tv show called Brigsby Bear Adventures is made for an audience of one- James (Kyle Mooney). He sets out to finish the story himself when the show suddenly ends. 

Pros:

•Up until very recently I hadn't heard much at all about this. I vaguely remember hearing about a movie called Brigsby Bear but just assumed it was something for kids. It wasn't until my friends at Double Toasted reviewed it on one of their shows that I found out what it was really about. They gave it high praises so I figured I'd check it out. I'm so glad I did because Brigsby Bear is easily one of the sweetest, most heartfelt, charming little movies I've seen in a long time. 

•Aside from the summary I gave above, I'm not going to go into any details about the plot. It's best if you go into this movie knowing as little as possible. 

•Kyle Mooney gives an amazing performance that I don't think many actors could've pulled off. The character of James is very innocent and curious about this new world he's been thrown into and Mooney completely sells it. 

•Well written story (which Mooney did himself). You might've seen movies with similar themes but unlike some of those ones, it doesn't do those predictable plot points or stereotypical characters. 

•Great supporting cast. I especially enjoyed the young actors who played James' sister Aubrey and his friend Spencer. Mark Hamill is in this as well and he's brilliant as always. His character isn't in the movie all that much but he plays a key role. 

•There needs to be a real Brigsby Bear tv show. Someone please make that happen. 

Cons:

•Nothing really. This is surprisingly one of my favorite movies of the year so far. I strongly recommend if it's playing anywhere near you to go out and support it. We need more movies like this. 

My Rating: 10/10

The Exception

Plot:

A German soldier (Jai Courtney) is assigned as a guard at the home of Kaiser Wilhelm (Christopher Plummer) in Holland during World War II. He ends up falling in love with a young Jewish woman (Lily James), a maid in Kaiser's home. 

Pros:

•I know many won't believe me, but Jai Courtney actually gives a decent performance. He's not that bad when given the right material and direction. He and Lily James (who's also good in this) had good chemistry and there were some genuinely sweet moments between the two. 

•Very interesting story that up until now I hadn't heard before. 

•They got the look and feel of the time period right for the most part. 

•I'm pretty sure this is the directorial debut of David Leveaux. Consider this, he does a nice job. 

•You get to see Jai Courtney naked. I'm talking full frontal. Despite what you may think of his acting abilities, he's very nice to look at ;) 

Cons:

•Felt a little too rushed. I wish they had taken the time to develop the characters more. The movie could've benefited from being about 20 minutes longer. 

•The legendary Christopher Plummer (whom I've always liked) is in this and it felt to me like he was phoning it in. Or drunk. Or both. 

•Jai Courtney's attempt at a Germany accent. Kept going in and out. Not the worst I've heard but it was still distracting. 

•Musical score was beautiful but it kept overpowering certain scenes. 

My Rating: 7.5/10

Detroit

I'm going to try to make this quick since this movie has truly crushed my soul. Fuck man :( That being said, Detroit is hands down the best movie I've seen this year. 

Kathryn Bigelow does an amazing job directing this movie about the 1967 Detroit riots, specifically at the Algiers Motel where three African American men were murdered. 

Strong acting by the entire cast. Fuck Will Poulter! His performance as a racist, murderous cop was so convincing that I'll probably never be able to watch another one of his movies. 

The movie is divided into three parts- the riots in general, what happens at the Algiers Motel, and the trial. Be warned, the second part plays out like a horror movie. Such an emotional punch in the gut. I walked out of the theater feeling sick to my stomach. Sad thing is this happened 50 years ago and not much has changed since then. 

Much like 12 Years a Slave, this is a movie that everyone needs to see but it's so depressing you'll only be able to watch it once. 

My Rating: 10/10

The Dark Tower

I'm currently on vacation so I don't have time to do a regular review. Wasn't planning on doing one at all but I felt like I should warn you all about this movie. 

I saw this on Sunday and I still have no idea what the fuck I watched. This movie was such a mess. Poor direction, editing, and CGI. Haven't read the books yet but from what people have told me they totally butchered them. Matthew McConaughey is normally one of my favorite actors but he was awful here. Not that I blame him for this, it was the direction he was given that's the problem. 

The only reasons I'm not rating this lower is 1. Idris Elba is a badass. He's way too good for this shit. And 2. It's one of those movies that are so bad its hilarious. 

The only way I can recommend seeing this in theaters is if you do like I did and get a bunch of friends together and go. You'll laugh your asses off. Otherwise, wait until it's on Netflix. 

My Rating: 5/10