Taxi Driver (1976)

Image Source

Taxi Driver is directed by Martin Scorsese, and stars Robert De Niro as a man, a taxi driver, if you will. I went into this movie having heard of it, but not really knowing the full extent of what it was about. Having seen it, I understand why so many people consider Taxi Driver one of the greatest movies ever made. The movie takes you on Travis Bickle's journey from everyman to vigilante/hero. One of the most interesting things I noticed as I watched this movie was realizing that even though I realized how disturbed Travis Bickle was, I was rooting for him the entire time. Martin Scorsese is a masterful director. Every shot in this movie gives off different feelings, and each time, I felt that was what Mr. Scorsese was aiming for. Robert De Niro is great, as he almost always is, playing Travis Bickle. He seemed socially awkward, and a little disturbed. Not once did I really, truly see Robert De Niro in this movie. I saw this character. Jodie Foster plays a teenage prostitute in this movie. This was one her early roles. The talent she come to be known for is on full display here, as she easily able to go head to head with the likes of De Niro and Harvey Keitel. The score has a very haunting, and atmospheric tone to it that serves as the perfect backdrop to this world that has been set up. I loved this movie pretty much from the opening shot right up until the last five to ten minutes. Therein lies the one little flaw I have with Taxi Driver. The very end of the movie felt a little bit tacked on to give it a happy ending, but I don't think it completely meshed with the rest of the film. Other than that, Taxi Driver is a fantastic film that I truly believe is worthy of being called the classic it is.

9 / 10   

The Huntsman: Winter's War

Image Source

 The Huntsman: Winter’s War is sort of a prequel/sequel to 2012’s Snow White and the Huntsman. It focuses on Chris Hemsworth as the Huntsman. The first thing I want to do is compliment the performers. While the chemistry between Chris Hemsworth and Jessica Chastain isn’t the strongest, it is noticeably there. I mostly feel this is because Hemsworth and Chastain are talented actors, and the chemistry is able to shine through thanks to their abilities. But it’s the chemistry and performances by Charlize Theron and Emily Blunt that really stand out for me. I think that Theron and Blunt have a believable sisterly bond. Blunt, in particular, is able to shine, pulling off the tragic ice-cold villain in her role, even if it's admittedly not my favorite performance of hers. I personally feel that her character gets the best treatment out of all of them. There are some noticeable gaps and holes in the movie’s plot that a somewhat rushed voiceover from Liam Neeson tries to fix, not always to the greatest success. As I watched the movie, I also noticed some continuity errors. I’ll admit, I did like this movie, but much like the first one, it falls squarely into the category of guilty pleasure. Mostly, this is due to the inconsistent writing and storytelling. The movie’s look and style is great. The visual effects are pretty solid. The production design is gorgeous. The movie was directed by a first-time director. He struggles to direct the story-based elements, but shines when it comes to action sequences.

6 / 10     

Game of Thrones S6E1: The Red Woman

Image Source

The Red Woman is the sixth season premiere of Game of Thrones. I am a huge fan of this show. From what I can tell, the goals of this episode seem to be to both set up the rest of the new season (as all season premieres are supposed to do) and to answer a lot of the questions from the season five finale that fans were left with. At this point, I would like to issue a spoiler alert for anyone who is not yet caught up, as I will be addressing some major plot points. First off, let's talk about the big one. At this point, yes, it does look as though Jon Snow dead (even though I'm personally holding out hope that he'll be back). We see that there were, in fact, people who were loyal to him. They don't seem to care much for the situation they are stuck in. On that note, Tyrion also seems to be in a situation he doesn't much care to be in. With Danaerys gone, the kingdom she had built seems to be crumbling. Tyrion also has a bit of a mystery to solve. Who are The Sons of the Harpy, and who do they answer to? Danaerys, meanwhile now finds herself as a slave to the Dothraki. Arya seems to be trying to work through her current situation, and we see that, finally, Brienne of Tarth is now under the service of Sansa Stark. There's also a quiet moment between Cersei and Jamie after the death Myrcelle from the previous season that actually manages to make me feel sorry for a character as loathsome as Cersei Lannister. Many of these stories also bring about questions of their own. I've talked a bit about some of the questions related to Tyrion. Will Jon Snow return? If so, when? Will war break out between Westeros and Dorn? But, most importantly, who will wnd up on the chopping block this season? There are also a few conflicts set up that could have a rippling effect throughout the rest of the season, and possibly the rest of the series, the aforementioned war between Westeros and Dorn and splintering of the Night's Watch. I didn't really talk much about the storylines involving Margery Tyrell and Jorah Mormont. This is because these are the only stories within the episode I didn't care for as much. They didn't really seem to tell me much more than I already knew, and dragged on a little bit for me. Overall, this was great introductory episode and I can't wait to see where the season goes next.

9 / 10     

Little Dead Rotting Hood

Image Source

 Little Dead Rotting Hood is another of those movies I’m reviewing because I just happened to find it on Netflix. Three little words told me exactly what I needed to know, and what to expect from the movie. Those three words were: “The Asylum Presents.” This really is a trademark Asylum production. The acting is beyond wooden. The writing is atrocious. The cinematography has a piss-poor quality. The list drags on and on. The story is kind of clever and  interesting, or rather, it has potential in my opinion. Spoiler alert, it kind of takes the idea of Little Red Riding Hood being a badass werewolf hunter to the next level by actually turning her into a werewolf. At points, the movie reaches a slow pace, which really bogs it down.  The problem is that this movie is about a werewolf Little Red Riding Hood as a werewolf hunter. The movie should be able to be faster paced than it is, that is until the half hour mark. A group of guys go out and start hunting a bunch of wolves, and the movie kind of starts to enter into that enjoyable level of bad. It should also be pointed out that the movie’s more enjoyable if you don’t think about it because there are a lot of things that don’t make sense. It’s interesting. This is a first for me. I’m not going to rate this movie because I honestly have no idea where I would even begin.

Hush

Image Source

 Hush is a horror-thriller film currently available on Netflix. It centers on a deaf and mute woman who is an author living in a secluded cabin in the woods that is being stalked and tormented by a sadistic killer. Actress Kate Siegel is great in the lead role. I don’t know if the actress is deaf in real life or not. Either way, she pulls the role off with apparent ease. Hush isn’t the most groundbreaking movie in the horror genre, but it’s not really trying to be, either. It’s a movie that is smart and clever, but also harkens back to movies like When a Stranger Calls and Wait Until Dark. John Gallagher, Jr. plays the movie’s nameless antagonist, and is really damn good. This is a man who seems to be doing what he’s doing for no real reason, which may just make him one of the best horror movie villains of the past few years. I really have to compliment the director Mike Flanagan, who also made Oculus, the writers, Flanagan and Siegel themselves. These two show that they really know what they are doing. I also have bring some praise to the movie’s slow pace, as I feel it allows the tension to build into something meaningful. As I’ve said before, this movie is on Netflix. If what I said in this review peaks your interest at all, then check it out. You might be surprised. 

9 / 10      

Justice League vs. Teen Titans

Image Source

 Justice League vs. Teen Titans is the second DC Animated movie of the year. The movie’s animation quality is pretty good, though not the best I’ve seen out of the DC Animated catalogue. The area where I feel the animation shines the best is in the action sequences, which is common for the DCAU. The voice cast was hit and miss at first in my opinion. For example, I personally loved Shemar Moore, Jason O’Mara, Christopher Gorham, Taissa Farmiga, and Rosario Dawson as Cyborg, Batman, The Flash, and Wonder Woman respectively. On the other hand I didn’t dig Jerry O’Connell, Kari Wahlgren and Jon Bernthal as Superman, Starfire, and Trigon respectively at first. They did eventually grow on me, however. As with the other DC Animated movies I’ve seen, I can’t stand the Damien Wayne character, now matter how hard they try to make me sympathize with him. Raven is my favorite character in the movie, and in my opinion, has the best development. There were elements of humor here and there that I think worked pretty well. The soundtrack is a bit generic. Overall, I feel that this was a solid movie, despite some flaws.  

8 / 10 

Mr. Right

Image Source

Mr. Right is an action-comedy that stars Anna Kendrick and Sam Rockwell. In the movie, Anna Kendrick plays a woman who goes through a breakup, and finally finds her “mr. right,” a hit man played by Sam Rockwell. Now, I want to preface this by saying I am 100% aware this movie is not going to be for everybody. The sense of humor is pretty twisted and dark. I have a dark sense of humor, so that works for me. I like Anna Kendrick and Sam Rockwell in the movie. I think the two of them work well on their own, but I also feel they have good chemistry together. I also have to compliment Tim Roth, who plays the antagonist of the movie. The movie is directed by a man named Paco Cabezas. I only bring this up because I feel that the action was well shot. On the more negative side of things, the writing isn’t always the strongest. This movie carries an R rating, but at one point, Rockwell uses the word “poopy-head” to describe one of the guys trying to kill him. I thought only three-year-olds used that word as insult. There are points where the pacing slows down, and the movie starts to drag a touch. RZA’s in the movie, and I like him in this movie about as much as I like any of his other performances, which For me, the movie does have more positives than negatives, though I only recommend this one as a strong rental.

7 / 10     

10 Cloverfield Lane

Image Source

 Producer J.J. Abrams described 10 Cloverfield Lane as a blood-relative of the movie Cloverfield. I do want to warn fans of the first Cloverfield not to go into this automatically expecting a direct sequel, because it’s not that. If there was one word I would choose to describe this movie, it would have to be mysterious. I didn’t really know what to expect from this movie. Hell, nobody seemed to really know this movie was coming out until the trailer came out of nowhere two months before the movie was released. You follow Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s character in the movie, and you really only learn things as she learns them. You know what she knows, and that’s it. Winstead makes for a strong leading lady, and I really buy into all of the emotions she feels throughout the movie. John Goodman is equally as good, if not better. He gives a performance that kept me guessing throughout the movie. I never really knew whether or not he was telling the truth or lying, sane or insane. I get the feeling he’s at least a little bit unhinged, and you become legitimately terrified and uncomfortable the more and more you are around him. The movie is a slow burn, which is going to turn some people off already. It worked for me, though. This movie is directed by a man named Dan Trachtenberg. This is his first film. For all intents and purposes, 10 Cloverfield Lane feels like a contained psychological thriller, and the movie is directed with a masterful level of tension. I would also like to compliment the production design on the bunker the main characters are staying in. It genuinely feels lived in, like a home. I do think the ending could have been stronger, though I didn’t hate it or anything like that. Overall, I think 10 Cloverfield Lane is a pretty solid movie that’s worth a look. 

9 / 10 

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Image Source

 Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is one of those movies that I personally didn’t expect like at all. While I did like the movie for the most part, I think it is a deeply flawed movie. I want to start with what I didn’t like in the movie. I didn’t care much for how early they brought in and used the Doomsday card. The character of Mercy Graves was pretty much a throwaway part, when her character was quite a bit bigger part of the comic book universe. As far as whether or not I liked Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor, Jr., the jury’s still out. The first half of the movie was very slow paced, almost to the point it could be called boring. Some of the storytelling is a bit weak, largely because Zack Snyder isn’t the greatest director when it comes to story. On that note, I like the idea that Superman seems like he’s trying to be better. For the most part, it is clear that he doesn’t kill anybody (one guy is a bit debatable). Gal Gadot and Ben Affleck are the best performers in the movie. Batman does kill in the movie. However, I didn’t have a problem with this because the movie does borrow from a version of Batman in the comics that does kill. Some of the action in the second half of the movie is pretty solid. In the end, I did like this movie. There are elements of good and bad in the movie, but for me the good just barely outweighs the bad. I kind of hope for stronger movies than this one in the future of the DC Cinematic Universe. 

7 / 10    

Eye In the Sky

Image Source

The world of drone strikes is something of a gray area, and Eye In the Sky tackles this subject very well, in my opinion. The movie shows multiple sides, without really choosing one, and demonizing the other. The movie also kind of explores how the politics can get messy, and how people can have different reactions throughout. My favorite line in the movie was said by Alan Rickman: “Never tell a solider the costs of war.” The film is very well-acted, particularly by Helen Mirren, Alan Rickman, and Aaron Paul. These three all give award-worthy performances in my opinion. This movie has a lot of characters, and managing to find the right balance between all of them can be a very tricky thing. Fortunately, Eye In the Sky pulls this off with ease. The pacing is slow, but the movie is able to build up tension well enough, the movie never drags. As far as flaws go, I really only have a minor nitpick, and it is minor. The movie itself, without getting into any spoilers, has a fairly depressing ending, which kind of made me say to myself that I couldn’t really see myself watching the movie again, though I do think this was an overall excellent movie.

9 / 10        

Pee-Wee's Big Holiday

Image Source

 Pee-Wee’s Big Holiday is the third film in the Pee-Wee Herman movie series. Much like the other movies in the series, your enjoyment of the movie will come from the level of enjoyment you get out of the character of Pee-Wee Herman.  I’m one of those people who can only really take the character in small doses. This movie is no exception. This is a movie that has taken me a while to get through it (many, many days) because I can only take the character for 5 to 10 minutes at a time. Aside from that, this movie feels like it’s trying to mesh a bunch of different story lines, and most of them don’t seem to have good payoff, at least for me. Something I found interesting was that True Blood’s Joe Manganiello plays himself in the movie. I don’t really have a problem with this because it can easily help him break away from type-casting. As much as I don’t really care for the Pee-wee Herman character or this movie, I do have to compliment Joe Manganiello on his performance as an exaggerated version of himself. He brings this sort of swagger and charisma that makes him the most enjoyable thing to watch in his limited screen time. I will say that there were a few jokes here and there that honestly did make me laugh, but just not enough for me to say I like the movie. At a point, it seems to become Pee-wee Herman meets Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and I’m not sure whether I think this is a positive or a negative. As I’ve said, your enjoyment of the movie will come with your enjoyment of the Pee-wee character, and I’m honestly not the biggest fan of the character. 

4 / 10