Clouds of Sils Maria

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Clouds of Sils Maria is a movie I wanted to like more than I actually did, though that's not to say I didn't like or that hated it. I actually did like the movie. The film was very well shot. Juliette Binoche, Chloe Grace Moretz and even Kristen Stewart were all good in the movie (yes I actually said I thought Kristen Stewart was good in the movie, sue me). The plot was interesting to a point, but after a while, I couldn't help feel a touch of style over substance. The constant use of fading to black as scene transitions was a touch lazy to me. If it was intended to be symbolic of how life is a show, I didn't get it. At points the movie drags on a little too much for my taste, too. The ending, in particular was way too long, and didn't really work for me. The characters were generally likable to me, and relatable. As much as I genuinely did like Chloe Grace Moretz in the movie, I never felt that her character added a whole lot to the overall film. Was this a bad movie? No, I would actually say it was a good movie. It just is something I'm perfectly fine seeing once, and never having to watch again. I don't feel that the movie has any replay value. I can appreciate quite a bit of what it tried to do, but it easily could have been executed better.

7 / 10 

Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!

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At this point, everyone knows exactly what Sharknado is. So, there’s not much surprise left. But, that’s where Sharknado 3 shines. It’s the same trashy entertainment as the first two movies. It has the same laughable effects, awful direction, bad writing, and stilted acting. That’s why we want to watch these movies. This is the one I probably had the most fun with because it embraced the absurd premise even mores than the first two movies did. One of my problems with Sharknado 2: The Second One was that I don’t feel that that movie did anything particularly fun with all of the celebrity cameos. Sharknado 3 fixes that problem for me, in spades. It’s a terrible movie, but that is exactly why I think people (especially bad movie aficionados) should see this movie, should they ever get the chance.

6 / 10 

Pixels

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Pixels is probably the best movie Adam Sandler has made in a while, though that may not be of much comfort. I did enjoy the movie quite a bit, but I can’t quite bring myself to call it a good movie. The acting and direction are, for the most part alright, but the screenplay is, weirdly enough, where the movie suffers the most. On the one hand, Adam Sandler seems to have such an ego that he consistently allows himself to get the girl who is already way out of his league. Peter Dinklage is easily the best part of the movie, and the actor who seems to be having the most fun with his role. The effects aren’t the strongest, but they could have been much worse. So, yes I guiltily enjoyed the movie, and and fairly guiltily found myself laughing at quite a few parts of the movie, though I don’t recommend this movie to everyone. 

6 / 10 

Ant-Man

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It should first be said that Ant-Man has a much smaller scale than previous movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but that’s actually a little refreshing. All of the actors in the movie bring their best, and some of the action sequences are pretty fun. I was a touch worried about what would happen with some of the behind the scenes stuff. The final result was, in my opinion still a very good film. The parallels and dynamic between Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang and Michael Douglas’s Hank Pym was very well handled. Peyton Reed did the best he could with what he was given. However, the motivation and description of the Yellowjacket character was far too rushed, and easily the weakest element of the movie. The movie does have points where it drags a touch too long. While I don’t think this is necessarily my favorite of the Marvel movies, I still thought it was a lot of fun, and definitely worth checking out. 

8 / 10 

Trailer Reviews: Suicide Squad

Suicide Squad is a movie that, from the moment I heard about it, I have been anticipating. The trailer for the movie got me even more psyched than I already was. The trailer didn't exactly sway my worries about Jai Courtney and Joel Kinnaman, but everything else looks pretty good. Everything I see tells me David Ayer and the writers really nailed Harley Quinn. One thought that definitely did come to my mind was just how frightening I thought Jared Leto was as the Joker in the brief moment you saw him. Most of the things I've seen from the trailer has confirmed my overall faith in the movie. In my opinion, this movie looks amazing because of what I think was an amazing trailer, even if it didn't necessarily sway the few worries I actually did have regarding the movie as a whole.

9 / 10 

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

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It should be said that The Texas Chain Saw Massacre has little to no gore. Its scariest elements are reliant entirely on other factors, which is one of the highest praises I can give the movie. There is little to no musical score throughout the film, which really adds to some of the more unsettling moments. One scene that comes to mind for me is one near the beginning of the film where our group of victims pick up a hitchhiker, leading to something very uncomfortable to watch. The moment involving the tourist is amplified by ten when it comes to the last few minutes with the Sawyer family, in particular the infamous dinner scene. The movie has a gritty look to it that adds to the movie as a whole. This is the movie that made Tobe Hooper a master of horror, and for good reason. There’s a very distinct almost home movie documentary look and feel to it. The acting in the movie is pretty good, especially by slasher flick standards. The late Marilyn Burns as Sally Hardesty, in particular, is very good in the movie, as she carries most of it. The other actor who I feel deserves strong praise is Gunnar Hansan as Leatherface. This is one of those movies I feel genuinely uncomfortable and unclean as I watched it, and that actually is a positive towards the movie for me, as I do think that is largely what the filmmakers were aiming for with this movie, and I’m truly disappointed in myself that I didn’t see it sooner. 

10 / 10   

Terminator: Genisys

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Is Terminator: Genisys a good movie? The answer: No. But, I still enjoyed the hell out of the movie. The plot twist involving John Connor was something I thought I would hate, but I bought it in the context of the movie. For the most part the acting was pretty solid in my opinion. Arnold Schwarzenegger still shows that he owns the role of the Terminator. Emilia Clarke and Jason Clarke were really good as Sarah and John Connor respectively in my opinion.  To his credit, Jai Courtney tried. He just didn't do anything to make the character his own. While I also liked J.K. Simmons and Matt Smith in the movie, I couldn't help but feel that they were wasted. On the more negative side of things, the effects weren't the best. I couldn't help but think they could've easily been cleaned up a lot better. The movie does drag quite a bit at points too, and I would wish for the movie to quit dragging. There are a lot of things in the movie that just don't add up and plot points that are actually never answered. Terminator: Genisys isn't exactly the breath of fresh air this languishing franchise needed, but it is a loud, stupid, fun movie that I believe the term 'guilty pleasure movie' was made for.

6 / 10