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Showing posts from 2018

A look Back: Night of the Living Dead

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*photo from mentalfloss.com*      "Night of the Living Dead" is the film that started the Zombie genre. Before 1968 the word didn't really pertain to film. It really was not until the posters came out for the sequel "Dawn of the Dead", that the term came to furunition.  How good is it?      Several people lock themselves inside a farm house to try  to survive the night. Outside;  hordes of  zombies who are only killed by destroying the brain.   I very much loved the fact that a black man was cast in the lead of the film. Duane Jones who plays Ben, is also the actor of the film.  At this time in history, this was completely unheard of unless your name was Sidney Poiter. It was a way great to show up the society they were living in at the time. There is a lot of talk about the social commentary that people seem to find for the film. This be surrounding the ending of the film. It does give a very Black vs white vibe off for it. This was how it was in the day. 

A look Back: Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2

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*Photo from collider.com*     We have to nearly the eighteen year anniversary of this much "loved" film. This is the first time thst I have crossed paths with it, " fresh eyes" are now upon it. Why do I watch movies like this?  So you do not have to. Let's discuss one of the worst sequels ever made.     The film follows, five people fixated on "The Blair Witch Project," the movie.  After a film set tour,  perception grows increasingly uncertain  as the night they spend together after the tour becomes more than they can bargain for.  First of all, not to get off track, but I found it quite hilarious that it seemed like the film, "Human Centipede 2".  Both basis start with the obsession over the original film. This is the quality we have here.    I would like to further discuss the story, here. I feel like it made no sense. After the events of the tour bad thing start to happen with no real explanation as to what was going on, than it e

Old man and the Gun

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    I will admit, when I heard that great Robert Redford was retiring, it was a bit of a downer. That really put the pressure on it to be good. Does it deliver?     At 70 years old , Forrest Tucker (Robert Redford) escapes from San Quentin. He goes on a string of robberies that somehow got the support of the public.    The film did something for me I am not sure any other has. By the end of the ninety or so minutes I felt so happy to have watched it. I think it came from the fact that this was such an optimistic film. This is a man that is looking to do what makes him happy. He just wants the money, He does not want to hurt people.    To be able to pull this off it landed square on the shoulders of Robert Redford. I have to say that he delivered. He pulls off such a charismatic performance, that is sure to get him his final Oscar nomination.   If I had to say one thing about this that would be the pacing at times felt a bit off. The nintey minutes did feel longer.  This is one

Pre oscars oscars 2018

Before we head into the heavy oscar season I thought it be fun to share who has the awards for me so far. I won't be doing every category but ill cover the big ones. Best Picture - "Leave No Trace" Best Director- Damien Chazelle "First Man" Best Actor - Robert Redford "Old Man and the Gun" Best Actress-  Lady Gaga   "A Star is Born" Best Supporting Actor - Sam Elliot "A Star is Born Best Supporting Actress-  Sissy Spacek  "Old Man and the Gun"

The Haunting of Hill House

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*Photo from meaww.com*    It has been a while since I have taken a crack at television. I have at this point seen the entire season, so I will be taking a look back.    The series follows a family who, grew lived in what would  become the most famous haunted house in the country. As adults, they must go back to Hill house to confront the past.    The story of this series was based loosely on the 1959 novel of the same name. Before this series, it was adapted twice into film, both called "The Haunting". I do love that creator, Mike Flanagan took it in his own direction. As, I have said countless times, movies, or horror shows that focus all on making you scared, do not work. You need to create a good story, the horror will come. This is very much what this show accomplished. I was impressed with the angle it took to explain the horror. By the end, it is up to the viewer to decide what was real.   I loved the designs of the monsters through out the series. Not to give an

Halloween (2018)

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*photo from usatoday.com*     I have to admit with the countless "Halloween" sequels out there and their "quality", I was not expecting much.    The story picks up forty years later with laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), nearly cut off from the outside world. She is estranged from her daughter (Judy Greer). Michael had been imprisoned since his killing spree in the original film. What happens when Michael escapes during a prison transfer? I think you know.   I do think it was a smart decision making this film a direct sequel to the original. That way you can cut out the fat that is the sequels. I have to admit, I was a bit concerned when I heard Danny McBride and David Gordon Green were taking on this project. They are known for their comedy work, in case you don't know. What we got from the story was a combination of horror and comedy, that for the most part works. Something I really liked, it does play subtle with some of its slashing. Not trying to go al

Trailer of the week- Pimp

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  This one is something that caught me off guard, but in a good way.  Wednesday (Keke Palmer) learns the way of the pimp game from her father. Through a series of events, she is forced to take over the game.   The film drops November 9th.

Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween

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 *Photo from vulture.com*   As a kid growing up in the nineties, I was a big fan of the show and the books. I was excited as to the possibilities of the 2015 film. I have to say it does delivers. What does the sequel bring?     While in an abandoned house,  Sonny and Sam meet Slappy. Wanting to start his own family, Slappy brings all of his "friends" to life.  Let the craziness begin.   First, the biggest thing is, the entire story in general. The end of the 2015 original, set up interesting idea for a sequel. Fast forward to 2018 we get an entirely new cast, with just a cameo by Jack Black. If they had trouble securing him for the entire length, I honestly would have said not to do it. Wasted good potential.   With Slappy releasing all the monsters it felt like a serious rehash of the first film. Not giving anything away, but the slight difference in the reasoning why he did it did not feel like enough.   The last big issue I had with the film was the CGI. Sony shru

Gosnell: The Trial of America's Biggest Serial Killer

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*photo from wingclips.com*   This movie has a subject matter that has been a hot button issue for ever, abortions. These days people look at films like these and try to look for a political motivation. Like I have stated here in the past that will not be discussed. We will be looking just at the quality of the film.    The film tells the story of Kermit Gosnell, a doctor that over thirty years, performed an unkown amount of illegal abortions in the state of Pennsylvania. This is the story of his takedown.   As a whole, I feel the story barely glossed the surface. I will not take this as my own idea, but I saw a Forbes review of this film that called this "an extended "law and order" episode. I agree with this, the show barely glosses on it's case to usually deliver a less than compelling story. This film could have been so much more, if it took a deeper dive. There is a compelling story here.   When it comes to the acting of this film, it can be summed up in on

First Man

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*image from marysue.com*     As October rages on, we come to the next big Oscar contender. In this day and age when people hear the name Damien Chazelle. His first two films, "Whiplash" and "LaLa Land" were critical masterpieces. The question is, will it continue his winning streak?   For those that don't know, "First Man" tells the story of Neil Armstrong (Ryan Gosling). The movie chronicles his journey to the moon (spoiler alert).  This movie is filled with great performances, lead by Ryan Gosling. His turn as Armstrong is one of strongest performances of the year. He was really able to convey this quiet, closed off man convincingly.   Something that really blew me away was how well it was shot. The film was shot nearly all hand held. It made it feel like you were there. Throughout my viewing of this film, I was looking for something to "wow" me. In Chazelle's previous films there was always something in those films that made the

Trailer of the week- Pet Sematary

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One of the most iconic Stephen King stories is making a return to to the big screen.  Louis Creed ( Jason Clarke) and his family move to the country to start over. When the families cat tragically dies, the family buries it in the local pet sematary. After this strange things begin to happen. The film drops April 5, 2019.

Three Identical Strangers

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*photo from imdb.com*   As my year of documentary film watching continues, I have come across something of an insane story.   The story revolves around i dentical triplets that became separated at birth. They reunite after ninteen years. This reunion blows up on a global scale but the consequences of looking for answers brings  repercussions.    What I liked about this, was how much it felt like an investigative piece. The way it reveals shocking detail after shocking detail in a well paced 96 minutes.  The content is what sells this film for me. Siblings do get separated when it comes to being adopted. When it comes to these three, the cover up that comes along with this, is astounding.   Something that makes a great documentary is the people that are in the film itself. If they are there conveying real, true emotion it will sell the story. Before this year, my experience with documentaries. Watching this one, the footage gotten with the brothers was indescribable. The pain that

A Star is Born

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 *Photo from biography.com*   Oscar season has come into full swing this week with "A Star is Born". The question is, how good is it?     Jackson Maine (Brad Cooper) discovers, and falls for a struggling artist, Ally (Lady Gaga). She has  given up on her dream to make it big as an artist, until Jackson builds her confidence. Eventually, she joins him on stage.  When Ally's career takes off, the relationship between Ally and Jackson is breaking dow n. In the end, can love conquer it all?    If I had something to really gush when it comes to this film, it be the performances. It  is lead by a great performance by Lady Gaga. For a women that is relatively new to acting, she knocks this out of the park.  This is my favorite performance of Brad Cooper, and Sam Elliot kills it as his brother. There should be acting nominations once award season comes around.    In terms of Cooper's directing, I was really taken by how he filmed the concerts. It really feels ike you a

A Look Back - Jason X

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*photo from imdb.com*    Today I go the distinct pleasure of sitting down to watch the heavily shit on movie. I would like to take my crack at it. This is the last Jason film before the reboot in 2009. This film made 17 million at the box office, so its no surprise the  series died.   The year is 2455.  Earth is now a  planet abandoned for centuries. Humans now return, not to live, but to research the artifacts of the ancient civilizat ions that caused the end. Guess who is waiting.  It is hard to even decide where to start with this movie. We can start with the script. The whole premise that gets them to the future  is so stupid and pointless,  spoiler, Jason gets frozen alive for four hundred and fifty- five years, just cause. It than is revealed that once Jason is aboard, it is revealed he is just there to be sold on this new earth. Now throughout the film, you get atrociously terrible dialogue. To go off a bit this film has some of the worst acting I have ever seen in a film.

Trailer of the week- Vice

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  Here we have the follow up to Adam Mckay's "Big Short". By the look of it we have another Oscar bait film on our hands.  The movie surrounds the rise of Dick Cheney and his rise to power as Vice president. This film is supposed to tell the "untold" true story, so we will see how that goes. The movie as Christian Bale as Cheney and Sam Rockwell as George W. Bush, just to name a few. The film officially drops December 21st.

Fahrenheit 11/9

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  This is a bit of a late review, but here we go. As with the previous political documentary I will refrain from making this about politics. This documentary is the spiritual sequel to "Fahrenheit 9/11". This time around Michael more takes on Donald Trump and Michigan governor, Rick Snyder.   When it comes to political documentaries, it is difficult to separate what is true, and what is not. That does take away from some of the impact it could possibly have. The one thing this movie does well, is how compelling this was. It made you want to see how he ended the documentary. One thing  I truly appreciate about the film was it did not just take the side of the democrat party. It examined how politics  is failing the American people.   In the end, political documentaries are a dying breed. That is probably why the film did close to nothing at the box office. You can see a lot of what is seen here on television each night. It does a great job presenting it though.   GRADE:

Smallfoot

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*photo from imdb.com*     When it comes to Sony animation, I always tend to be very hesitant because the overall quality is not really there. So does this streak continue?   Migo (Channing Tatum)is a  Yeti whose world gets changes when he discovers  a human. He gets banishment from his home when the rest of the villagers refuse to believe him. He sets out to prove them wrong.  When it came to the story, I was overall pretty happy with it. The message of the film was surprisingly powerful, in a great way. It does take a bit to get there, just because the script was not quite there in being well rounded. This is not to say there isn't a lot of fun and great songs. Characters just did not seem as developed as it could.   One thing I can say, as a whole, when it comes to Sony's animation style, I'm not a fan. This continues to this film. It was really tough to think about how to explain this, but here it goes. I don't like that if you looked at "Smallfoot" a

HellFest

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*photo from comingsoon.net*   We have come to end of September, which means we get our few Halloween themed horror films.   The film surrounds a serial killer that uses a horror theme park to stalk four friends. No one tries to help them because they think it is part of the show. It made things very predictable all the way up to its painful ending.   When it came to the story, it follows classic horror cliches to the T. On top of the cliches for a movie that was eighty- nine minutes long, nothing happened for the first thirty- five minutes.   Something that made this movie harder to watch was the score. It tried a hell of a lot to make me feel scared. Thanks to all the jump scare prompts. A side note, I feel like there is a serious lack of any sort of party music. This is suppose to be a party after all.   In the end, this movie is a terribly generic, with a disaster of an ending. GRADE:C-

Trailer of the week - Creed 2

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 As strange as it may be, the second trailer for "Creed 2" has premiered today, and it's fantastic. People may be thinking, you used the first trailer for the trailer of the week. You would be correct. The thing is, this is by far the best trailer of the week.   For those that don't know, the story surrounds Adonis (Michael B Jordan), as he goes up against the son of Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren), the man that killed his father. "Creed 2" drops November 21st.

House with a Clock in Its Walls

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   This week marks a first in the career of director Eli Roth. He now has directed a family film! Considering his filmography, shocking does not quite capture the gravity of this situation.     The movie surrouds Lewis (Owen Vaccaro), as her  goes to live with his uncle ( Jack Black) in a cr house that has a strange ticktock noise. It does not take long for Lewis to figure out his uncle is a warlock.    Out of everything with this film, I think that the acting is what stood out the most. In particular the interactions they have with each other.  For a film that had a heavy reliance on the effects, they lacked a lot. There were many instances where things were unbelievable because of the effects.   Through about half the movie there was a great kids movie tone. It takes a drastic turn, becomes almost scary. I would go so far as to say it is too scary for young kids.   Overall, this is by far the best Eli Roth film. If he pulls back from the horror films, who knows what can hap

Assassination Nation

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           For my return, I have to admit I picked a bit of a tricky one. I will always do my best to give the best review I can.    The movie surrounds Lily (Odessa Young) and her three best friends. The town they live in gets turned upside down when an  hacker starts to reveal everyone's personal messages and secrets.   The thing that stood out to me the most was the cinematography. There are two scenes towards the back half of the film that were so well shot. There was a shot that goes continually around a house for multiple minutes without out cutting. For those that do not know, the amount of planing that goes into this is astounding. I would go as far as to say this scene is something that makes this film.   This film is a satire on what it is like to live in the age of the internet. To put it lightly, things get very violent. This would be fine if it did not try to tackle so many other topics along with the internet age. It did get confusing in the last half of the fi

Trailer of the Week - The Apostle

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   First I would like to apologize for my lack of being here the last few weeks. I really am going to work on this. I am going to try and get back on track with this.   I will start out with my new trailer of the week. I go the way of "The Apostle", a new Netflix film, staring Dan Stevens.    Thomas (Dan Stevens)  returned home to learn that his sister is being held for ransom by a religious cult. Devastated, Thomas travels to  island where the cult lives, under the leadership of Malcolm (Michael Sheen). When Thomas becomes part of the community, he discovers a secret far more evil than he could have imagined. The film premiers on Netflix October 12.

A Look Back: Captain America: The Winter Soldier

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 This week, theaters are showing all Marvel movies in IMAX. So obviously, I got to sit in on "Captain America: The Winter Soldier". Even though it has been out for a few years, I will not spoil anything for those who have not seen it.    With the alien events of New York behind him, Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) sets up residence in Washington D.C.. While trying to catch up on the last several years,  Nick Fury ( Sam Jackson), is attacked for unknown reasons.  Rogers teams up with Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) to discover a conspiracy that would change the world forever.  This movie broke the superhero mold by taking more of a spy route to its story. When it came to the action scenes, they felt "super hero" like.  To try to make sense of what I said, I am saying that it had changed the way superhero movies are done.   I also feel like this film has a message that has not been matched in any of the subsequent films. I won't ruin it for the people that h

Little Stranger

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  When heading into "Room" back in 2015, I did not know what to expect. Along with many others, I was thoroughly impressed with what I saw. When I found out that "Room" director, Lenny Abrahamson was coming out with a new movie, I was hooked.   In the summer of 1948, Dr. Faraday (Domhnall Gleeson) is called to Hundred's hall. The home belongs to the Ayer's family for the last 200 years.  Faraday, as a child, had taken a liking to the house. When the chance to come back to the house to treat Roderick (Will Poulter), he jumps at it. As the treatment goes on, his life becomes very intertwined with the families.    The big thing that I liked about this film was the sets and costumes. It made me feel like I was in the 1940's. Personally, I love anything that can take me back in time. This film is able to nail gothic horror very well. Having said that, this is a very slow movie. If you are coming for thrills, this is not where you should go.  In the en

Kin

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   When it comes to movies about family, they for the the most part land in the way to cheesy department. When you watch a trailer for this movie it seems like a family movie that is about a gun. What could possibly go wrong?    The story revolves around Eli (Myles Truitt) and his brother (Jack Reynor) running from a vengeful criminal (James Franco). The only thing that can protect them, a giant alien gun.   The best thing about this movie was the design of this super weapon. It does some cool things, and looks great doing it.   The story is a bit of a rough ride. It is pit as a science fiction film, and it is, a little. It mostly sticks to the family drama portion. it feels like it does not exactly know what it wants to be.  I wont give away anything, but there is a central plot point, not related to the gun, that is so ridiculous, it should never happen. If it does not, you do not have a movie. You see where the problem there.   In the end, there are a lot of good pieces, but

Classics Reviews:2001 A Space Odyssey

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  It has been a while since I have written anything, so why not come back with something I have not done in a while. I was lucky to be able to catch an IMAX showing of this film for its fiftieth anniversary.    The story surrounds Dave Bowers ( Keir  Dullea) and a group of astronauts are on the first trip ever to Jupiter. During the mission, the on board computer, Hal, begins to behave strangely.   My biggest negative for the film is the acting.  Through the speaking parts of the film, it just seemed so stiff. If they had just loosened up, the emotions would have come across better. It was hard to tell what the difference between the tense and, well not, tense scenes   For a movie that filmed in the 1960s, the special effects are incredible. Watching it in 2018, they still hold up pretty well. There are movies that were made a few years ago that do not old up today. With "2001", I can still watch it, and wonder how it was made.   I could talk about what I think this mo

Mile 22

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  "Mile 22" brings the fourth team up between Mark Wahlberg and director Peter Berg. Will they be able to keep the streak alive of great films?   James Silva (Mark Wahlberg) is the head of small military unit that is charged with taking an asset from the American embassy in Southeast Asia to the air field. As obvious as it may seem, this is a distance of twenty- two miles. To say that is resistance to their efforts, would be a big understatement.    The biggest thing that almost ruins the movie for me was how it was shot. Through the whole movie it was shot with a lot handheld. This is fine at some points, but when you have as many action scenes as this does,  not the best idea. This film, also, has a deep fear of wide shots. This destroys potentially great fight scenes from the legendary Iko Uwais. For those that do not know, this man was the lead on both of the "Raid" films a few years back. This man really knows what he is doing. When you watch the fight sc

Movies of the Weekend 8-17-18

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  This is a bit of a slower weekend in terms of how many there are to see. First up is "Mile 22", it tells the story of an elite militay unit that must transport an important asset out of the country to prevent nuclear war. The final one is "Alpha", which tells the story of how "man's best friend" came to be. Whatever you decide to watch, I hope you enjoy!

Crazy Rich Asians

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   When it comes to romantic comedies, in general, one could say that I am far from a fan. When I saw the trailer for this, I really did not like it. I felt like it was going to be the same as every other one of the romantic comedies. I can say, I was mostly wrong.   Rachel (Constance Wu) is a professor of economics at NYU, and she has the perfect life with her boyfriend,  Nick (Henry Golding). When Nick's friend is ready to get married, he figures its time for her to meet the family. The catch is, she doesnt know how rich he really is.  There is a second storyline that really adds to the story and helps take away from the formula. This would be the family drama that rings through the film. People could say, is that not part of many romantic comedies? You would be right in some sense. I feel like the friction between everyone in the family. I also feel like the implications that being rich, and what it does on relationships.   Overall, this film uses its scenery was some of t

Trailer of the Week - Climax

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 I know what you are thinking, where has the trailer of the week been? To put it simply. I have not seen anything in the last few weeks that I have not really been a fan of. Along comes "Climax", a French film about hip hop dancers. The story revolves around a night of coming down from a bad trip for the dancers. What I liked about the trailer is how the trailer was put together. It is really hard to explain, it is something you will just have to see for yourself. The movie will be released September 19th

Slenderman

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  In 2009 Slenderman was first discovered on the creepypasta website. To say that it became an internet phenomenon would be a big understatement. So why are we now just getting a movie?  The film revolves a group of friends who discover the craze that is slenderman. As most people do when they want to find out more, search the web. They find a video that supposedly summons this entity. The girls do not believe this, and, of course, watch it. Strange things begin to happen..  The biggest problem with the movie is the story. They made it a "monster" movie when really should have been about not seeing him. In the movie, at least the beginning, it was all about not seeing him. As it goes a long you see slenderman more and more. It turns the movie into a "boogeyman" type film. Building anticipation for slenderman could have made it so much better.  To add onto the story issues, I felt like the movie lacked suspense. Anytime there was suppose to be a suspenseful mome

Blackkklansman

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Photo from imdb.com  Spike Lee has been known for several great films over his career. It's just these films have not really come recently. Does "Blackkklansman" fix this funk?   Ron Stallworth (John Washington), is the first black cop in Colorado Springs. He is quickly promoted to detective. Ron, with the help of his partner Flip (Adam Driver) infiltrate the KKK.  I think the biggest positive about this film is its relevance. In this day there is a lot of hate over race. I feel like it really makes you question what the point of the hate was.   On the technical side, I thought the movie was put together well. This was most prominant for me in a scene for a college rally. It definitely made me feel like I was there.   I did want to comment on John Washington's performance. There is such a charisma to his presence. He up and down steals this movie.   If I had to pick something to say against it, I would say that it seemed a little long. With a two hour and fift

The Meg

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Photo from collider    Giant shark attacking a group of scientists, what kind of movie should you expect?    The story surrounds Jonas Taylor (Jason Statham), a deep sea rescue diver. In the beginning, he is outcasted for saying that one of his rescue efforts was interrupted by some giant monster. Five years later, he gets called back by a friend to help rescue his ex- wife. Guess who decides to join the party?  From the trailer, people generally expect this is not a movie to be taken seriously. Not to sound crude, but movies like this are watched for two reasons, nudity and great death scenes. Unfortunately, this movie has heather of these things. For those that do not know, this is pg-13. That means none of the things people want to see from this movie, are in it. Having said that, the ending was pg-13 cool.   Building on what I was saying previous paragraph, plot and characters tend to fall to wayside. When things are more focused on the shark you get an eh plot, and paper thi

Films of the weekend 8-10-18

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This week we have a decent variety for everyone. First, what happens when a prehistoric shark comes from the depth? Jason Statham has to come and set things right in "The Meg". Next, the internet phenomenon is brought to the big screen with " Slenderman ". Finally, what happens when a black detective infiltrates the KKK? Find out in "Blackkklansman". Whatever you choose, I hope you enjoy!

Castle Rock Season 1 - Episodes 4 and 5

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     To be honest when you get into Stephen King movies and television, you get good and bad. When this started out I was not sure on which end this was going to go. Even when the first three episodes dropped, I feel like I was on the fence. With the release of the next two episodes things really began to pick up. On a side note, with this series I am purposely keep the details scarce to keep the mystery alive for people that want to watch it can. This way they people can get the best of the show.   The episode surrounds Henry's past and present. Through the present, he is preparing to get the mysterious kid from Shawshank out. In his personal life, he is increasingly worried about his mother. With his mother's dementia as bad as it is, he thinks the best thing to do is to take her to Huston when he leaves. This is met with friction from both his mother and her boyfriend. He also does some digging into his disappearance. He comes across a man that lives deep in the woods,

Dog Days

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  We have now made it into the August movies of 2018. It is the period of the summer that is called the dumping ground. As you may guess it is where the bad movies go, or the films where they are not certain where to put them. I feel "Dog Days" fits into the second category.  This is one of the movies where it has many seperate stories that all somehow end up meeting at the end. Some of the stories include: An old man loosing his dog and a fundraiser to keep local dog rescue open..   This movie follows the same logic that all huge cast movies do, caring about the characters is not on the top of their lists.. When there are so many characters, there is not not enough screen time for everyone. What I mean by this is, the less time you spend with the characters, the less time you would care about them. When it comes to this movie, I feel like they try to fix this issue with dogs.  They knew that if you cared about the dogs, you would be more invested in them and not so much

Succession Season 1- Episode 10

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  It has all lead to this, the pot has been boiling for nine episodes. What do we end up with? Let us find out!   The episode begins with who should be the one to deliver the letter to Logan telling him of the takeover. Stewie is worried that Kendall can not do it, he thinks of Logan as an unarmed soldier. Kendall says that he was the one who shot him first. Kendall is clearly terrified of what is going to happen. The takeover was to buy Waystar from Logan for one hundred and forty dollars a share. This went as about as well as people would expect. Kendall did crumble under the pressure.   The satellite launch that Roman has been running for most of this season, blew up before it even left the ground. What will be the fallout of that? Logan Roy is in a bit of a panic about the possible takeover. But the key is to not looked panicked. Connor has come to the decision that he wants to run for president. Will it be against Shiv's boss?   It is revealed that Roman did everything

Succession Season One- Episode 9

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  With the show winding down in its first season, who will end up on top. There is so much double crossing, it could be anyone's game right now.   This episode surrounds the day before Shiv's wedding. The episode starts with the roy children's mother (Harriet Walter). She is set up as a big scary character, but we will see where that goes. Kendall's bid to take the company from his father has been fast tracked to throw logan off guard. There seems to be doubt in whether he actually wants to do it. The financial backers do not have faith that if the takeover is successful, that Kendall would be good for the head position.    Logan is looking for any reason not to come to the wedding. When he can not find anything that would not hurt the the company's image, he goes. Tom begins to doubt what is going on between him and Shiv. She tells him it is all real, despite what the rumors have been going around. As apart of the "trust" agreement between Ton and Sh

Eighth Grade

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 The one thing that got me interested about this was the writer/ director. For those of you that do not know, Bo Burnham is a stand up comic. The thought of a stand up comic writing and directing a movie about growing up. Once you get past that thought, you ask well is it any good?   Kayla ( Elsie Fisher) is an introverted kid looking to make some changes in her life. It is the last week of eighth grade for her. The year has not gone great, but she is looking to end it on a high note.   The biggest thing about this movie was how relatable this movie is. It doesn't matter if you are a man or a woman. The scenes that take place in school, everyone can relate to these scenes in some way.  The performances of the film were also really well done. This was especially the case when it came to Elsie Fisher. She was able to capture the pain and the awkwardness of being thirteen. I would go as far as a star making performance.   If I had to knit pic the film, I would say the arc of K

Death of a Nation

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 As my time of being a critic continues, the more the documentaries that seem to come my way. This week the infamous documentarian Dinesh D'Souza. He has put out many documentaries in the last few years including "2016: Obama's America" and "Hilary's America". So obviously, this is a political documentary. I do swear to keep this as politics free as possible.    The idea that the documentary has is that America is at a crossroads, same as in the Lincoln era. It tries to say that the country needs to be pulled together. It further explores what is the root of the evil that is the Democratic Party.   First thing to look at with any documentary is the entire picture. If you are arguing one point, you must come back and give the counterpoint. It is up to the viewer to make up their mind. This documentary goes very one sided the whole way. When this is done, it all but ruins your credibility.    Through this documentary there is many uses of skits to cov

Darkest Minds

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 Young adult adaptations were a craze, after the success of the original "Twilight" film. Since then, when people see that young adult novels are made, it is looked at as a joke. But as you know, they still get made, but that is why I am here.   The story takes place in a world were 98 percent of the children haven been killed thanks to a mysterious illness. The ones that did survive where left with powers. The story surrounds Ruby (Amandla Stenberg), a girl that erased herself from her parents and then was taken to a camp. These camps were used to study the effects of the disease on the kids. After six years in the camp, a big shift begins to happen.   The biggest thing about the movie that stinks, is the story. The novel was originally published in 2012, and obviously, I have no idea what changed from story to screen, but things seemed rather familiar. There is a hell of a lot of "Divergent" story mixed with, surprisingly "X-men". I will not get int

Upcoming features 8-3-18

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 Another week, another set of films to watch. First we have "Darkest Minds".  It is another, in a long list of young adult adaptations to come through the theaters in the last ten ten years. This one surrounds a girl that has escaped a camp of teenagers who have super powers.   Next up, is "Eighth Grade". The film surrounds a shy girl that just wants to end her eighth grade year on a high note.   "Death of a Nation" is a documentary that tries to draw similarities between the presidency of Abraham Lincoln and Donald Trump.    To round out the list, "Christopher Robin" tells the story of how Christopher Robin gets help from his friends in the hundred acer wood.  What ever you choose to see, I hope you enjoy!   

Sharp Objects Episode 4

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  With the revelation of  a recent personal tragedy Camille has faced while in the mental institution, it begs the question, what else will be revealed.    The start of the episode has Detective Willis trying to bridge the communication gap with the Chief (Matt Craven). He believes that Camille knows something that she is not saying. He tells the chief that if he can get it from her, he will pass it a long, and he would appreciate if the same was done for him.   Camille goes to lunch with Adora's (Patricia Clarkson) friends without her mother. This is because of her cut on her hand, according to her, her friends believe differently. When Camille gets to the restaurant all the friends, are asking who she believe killed the girls. It is thrown around that the Nash father was involved and John Keane as the other possibility.      There is a strange scene towards the middle of the episode where Amma turns on the Tupac song "Dear Momma". What was strange to me was that

Blindspotting

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Photo form nytimes.com   Hollywood has seen a recent rise in the their use of racial tension for the use of entertainment. Question is whether or not it gets preachy?   Collin (Daveed Diggs) is three days away from being off of probation. On his way home he witnesses a cop shoots an unarmed black man. This shakes Collin to his core, so much so that he begins to reevaluate his friendship with Miles (Rafael Casal).   One thing that I learned, and very much appreciate about this movie is that it was made before it was picked up anywhere, and was shown at festivals until someone decided to grab it.  I have respect for people like that.   What I most liked about this was the way that it was written. It was able to be funny, but not overly. On top of that, it was able to tackle such an important topic without being preachy, which is not an easy thing to do.   The acting was also a lot better than I thought it would be. Especially, from that of Daveed Diggs. He was able to play someone

The Spy Who Dumped Me

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    When buddy comedy films work, I am a huge fan of them. When I heard of this, I have to say that, I felt like there was a possibility for something that could have at least been a fun time. Then, I came across the fact that there was a public advance screening for it tonight. For those who do not know, generally that is not a great sign.    Audrey (Mila Kunis ) has been recently dumped by Drew (Justin Theroux). Her best friend Morgan (Kate McKinnon) has been by her side the whole time getting her through this. When Drew comes back to try and talk to her, he brings her into a big worldwide conspiracy.    This is the film debut for writer/ director Susanna Fogel, so how does the story pan out? Well, to put it simply, not great. This felt like a by the books spy comedy. I felt like,  anytime they tried to pull the wool over my eyes, I could call what would happen . So, is it at least funny? Again , I have to kill this hope. Through the film I did not laugh once. I do mention at l

Mission Impossible - Fallout

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  I love the fact that when you into a "Mission Impossible " film you can not be crazy to ask "how intense will this be?" Started back in 1996, as the series goes a long, Cruise always tries to top himself. So for "Fallout", does this remain true?  The story picks up a few years after the events of " Rogue Nation". The remnants of the syndicate are still at large, and Ethan is on their toes.  After watching five of these movies, it is interesting to watch one of these movies where they have to spend their time fixing the fact that they failed.    This is the first time in the history of the series that a director has done two movies. It was always a one and done thing because the producers always wanted to keep the series fresh. Christopher McQuarrie needed to come back and not just make it as good as "Rogue Nation", but better. There will be haters no matter if he did or did not. What I will say about that is, do not be quick to