Inferno

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Inferno is directed by Ron Howard, stars Tom Hanks and Felicity Jones, and is based off the novel by Dan Brown. It is the third film in the Robert Langdon series. In this film, Langdon (played once again by Tom Hanks) teams up with a doctor that was treating him (played by Felicity Jones) to solve a code involving Dante’s Inferno (hence the title). Amidst all of this, Langdon is recovering from retro-grade amnesia. While they weren’t perfect movies, I actually enjoyed The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons. Inferno, on the other hand, lacks the competent direction of the previous two films in the series. The look and quality is kind of cheap. Normally, Ron Howard is a fantastic director. Here, he tends to lean on confusing images and unbelievably ugly shaky cam. This comes from the same man who directed Cocoon, Apollo 13, and A Beautiful Mind. The writing here feels the weakest, and strands a great cast genuinely trying to give good performances in the middle of a subpar thriller that lacks overall intrigue. Part of this comes from taking away one of the things that was incredibly interesting in the first two movies. Langdon was the type of character who used his mind to figure things out. Here, he doesn’t really have that, and Hanks’s skills as one of the greatest actors of all time are overshadowed by bad writing. The twist at the end of the movie was horrible, easily one of my absolute least favorite twist endings of all time. Overall, despite a good cast that is trying, the writing and directing bog the rest of the movie down, making for a dull, lifeless, soulless movie with a terrible twist ending that pales in comparison to its predecessors, which is saying quite a bit. 

3 / 10  

Ratchet & Clank

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Ratchet & Clank is based off of the popular video game franchise of the same name. Idealistic lombax (a type of alien species) Ratchet gets his dream when famed heroes the galactic rangers open tryouts to bring in a new recruit. I’ll admit, I’m not overly familiar with the Ratchet & Clank franchise on the whole. I was not very excited to see this. The trailers didn’t do much for me. Ultimately, I was pleasantly surprised. The voice cast worked pretty well for me. Paul Giamatti and Sylvester Stallone got some laughs out of me as the voices of the villains. John Goodman briefly pops up as the voice of a gruff mechanic. But, my favorite character was easily Captain Qwark. He was just an egotistical, childish moron, and got a lot of the best lines in the movie. However, the movie is far from perfect. It has its share of flaws. The animation was solid, not quite on the same level as Pixar or Dreamworks, but solid enough. The comedy is hit-and-miss. For every joke that does land, there’s another that doesn’t. Overall, Ratchet & Clank is a decent movie. It’s a recommended rental from me. I don’t recommend repeat viewings. It’s a nice little one-and-done movie.

7 / 10   

Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children

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Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children is directed by Tim Burton, and stars Asa Butterfield, Eva Green, Samuel L. Jackson, Judi Dench, and Chris O' Dowd. Teenager Jake (Asa Butterfield) has trouble fitting in. His grandfather, whom he was close with, dies. Jake travels to Wales with his estranged father (Chris O' Dowd) as a way for Jake to deal with his grief. I am a Tim Burton fan, even things have been a little bit rocky for him lately. One of the things that always manages to shine through in his films is how they look. This movie is now exception. The makeup, costumes, and set designs are fantastic. Many of the actors should also be commended for their performances. Samuel L. Jackson is practically a one many army of charm and charisma. When Dame Judi Dench comes to play when she's in a movie, it's clear she's going to give a good performance. Chris O'Dowd gives a very understated performance that feels very different from anything he's done before. But, the standout absolutely is Eva Green. As Miss Peregrine, Green provides the right balance between motherly love and otherworldly mystery. This was the character that I felt invested in the most. That said, Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children is far from a perfect movie. It has its share of flaws. Much of the first act feels very exposition-heavy, and can feel like a bit of a chore to get through. The peculiar children themselves are interesting, but they feel underdeveloped. I wanted more of them, but they feel almost pushed too far into the background. Asa Butterfield is a good actor. He's proven this before. Here, he doesn't seem to have much to work with. The protagonist of the movie is boring. The character is just kind of bland, so Butterfield plays him blandly. Despite Miss Peregrine's stumbles, the overall movie is decent, and worth at least one watch.

7 / 10 

Arrival

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Arrival is directed by Denis Villeneuve and stars Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, and Forest Whitaker. It is based on the short story Story of Your Life by Ted Chiang. Twelve alien pods land in different positions around the globe. The military brings in linguist Dr. Louise Banks (Amy Adams) and numbers guy Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner) to communicate with the aliens and figure out what it is they want. Director Denis Villeneuve crafts a science fiction drama that manages to keep you invested the whole time. This whole movie has a slow pace to it, but there are moments of tension sprinkled throughout. Amy Adams is fairly understated. Her performance doesn’t scream “Give me an oscar.” But, that’s exactly why she deserves one. Adams and Renner shine together, bringing a fair amount of heart to Arrival that I didn’t expect. This movie cares about crafting its characters. As she is trying to solve this alien language, you’re with her the entire way. Forest Whitaker should also be commended for his performance as the army general wiring with Banks and Donnelly. You know exactly what this man’s goals are. He makes it clear what he has to do. The whole time he feels like a fully realized character, never really a cardboard cutout, or a villain for the sake of being a villain. There are some twists and turns the movie takes on occasion, and they actually do work for me. Overall, Arrival is a smart, clever science fiction movie that focuses on learning language, and puts good characters into the forefront. There’s a sense that each step taken was meant to be, like there’s no other way these characters (or this story) could have gone (or been told). Arrival is one of those movies that made me think, and makes me want to watch it again.

10 / 10 

The Other Side of the Door

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The Other Side of the Door stars Sarah Wayne Callies and Jeremy Sisto as a couple living with their daughter, Lucy in India. They had recently lost their son Oliver in a car accident, and are trying to movie past this tragedy. When I saw that there was a dream sequence with the first five minutes of the movie, I groaned. It was enough to tell me what I was in for. Jeremy Sisto and Sarah Wayne Callies are both good actors. They’re both talented. Here, their performances feel inconsistent. At points, they put plenty of emotion into their lines. At other times, it’s clear they’re reading from a script. The actors playing the children are awful. I almost feel bad picking on child actors, but it’s a major issue with this movie. The movie looks cheap. This was released theatrically, but it looks like one of those direct-to-video movies you come across on Netflix, watch once, and then never think about it again. The Other Side of the Door is also predictable. The main characters have all of the brain capacity of a slasher flick victim. The Indian housekeeper warns the mother (Callies) not to open the door. Spoiler alert: she does. The “scares” in this movie don’t work either. They never really feel earned or built up to. They just sort of… happen. I feel like this movie is trying to go for that slow burn aspect, but the execution is far too weak for me to ever truly care or become invested. They probably said the main character’s name five times in the first 20 minutes of the movie. I’m glad for this because I honestly had forgotten what it was until that fifth time, which shows just how much I honestly was invested in what I was watching. Overall, the occasional emotion being put into performances is nowhere near enough to save this dull, lifeless piece of cinematic nothingness. The Other Side of the Door isn’t even an interesting sort of bad. 

1 / 10 

Doctor Strange

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Doctor Strange is the newest Marvel movie. It is directed by Scott Derrickson and stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Rachel McAdams, Tilda Swinton, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Mads Mikkelsen. Stephen Strange (played excellently by Cumberbacth, who also bears some resemblance to the character) is an acclaimed and arrogant neurosurgeon who loses the use of his hands when he gets in a car wreck. His search for a cure leads him to the mystical Ancient One (played with an excellent level of otherworldly enigma by Tilda Swinton). Right off the bat, we are struck with a visually outstanding action sequence. That is one of the highest compliments I want to pay to Doctor Strange. The action sequences in this movie are unlike the action scenes in any other movie within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The story itself isn’t the most original. It’s just kind of your standard hero’s journey. Granted, it’s still told in a way that keeps you invested in what’s happening on-screen. Mads Mikkelsen plays the movie’s villain, Kaecilius. Mikkelsen himself gives a strong performance, as he typically does. However, Kaecilius as a character proves to have little to do, isn’t much more than another generic Marvel villain. The comedic elements of the movie can be hit-and-miss. For every joke or quip that does land, another one doesn’t. Is Doctor Strange one of Marvel’s absolute greatest efforts? The pacing of the movie is a little clunky at times, as well. What I mean is that you don’t really get a good idea of exactly how long Strange’s training takes, even if training is fairly interesting to watch. No, it isn’t. The movie has its flaws and shortcomings. But, the ride is still a fun mind-trip of a movie that comes recommended, especially if you get the chance to see the movie in theaters.

7 / 10       

True Memoirs of an International Assassin

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True Memoirs of an International Assassin is a Netflix original movie starring Kevin James. James plays Sam Larson, an accountant who dreams of being an author. He writes a book about an assassin that accidentally gets published as a non-fiction story. From there, the CIA enlists his help, putting Sam in way over his head. I’m not going to lie. This movie doesn’t work. The shenanigans that Larson gets himself into are played a little too straight for a story like this. Kevin James himself isn’t the greatest actor in the world, and the writing never feels strong enough to prop him up or support him. To be fair, Kevin James is more understated than he usually is. He doesn’t fall too hard into his slapstick schtick. Part of the problem with this movie is that it’s predictable. A character says something early on in the movie. Right there, I knew what the twist with this character was going to be. Admittedly, Ron Rifkin, the actor who plays this character, does a decent job in the movie. There are elements of this movie that I did like. Kelen Coleman as Sam’s publisher got a couple laughs out of me here and there, and the actress actually had some charisma to back her up. Andy Garcia shows up as the movie’s villain. While he is entertaining enough, I have to ask how he went from being in a Godfather movie to this. The action scenes don’t play up a comedic aspect nearly as much as they really should. There are elements to this movie I did enjoy to a degree, but the overall movie just does not work. Is this the worst movie I’ve seen this year? No. But True Memoirs of an International Assassin still isn’t a good movie, and I recommend just skipping this movie. 

4 / 10       

The Finest Hours

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The Finest Hours is the story of a Coast Guard rescue at sea, and stars Chris Pine, Casey Aflleck, and Eric Bana. Based on a story and cast like this, I was excited to see this movie. I wanted to know what The Finest Hours had to offer. The cast feels hit and miss to me. Chris Pine is the best actor in the movie. He actually puts his all into his performance. I also want to compliment Casey Affleck, who does the same thing. A lot of the actors playing the crew ship didn’t work so well for me. They should’ve put a lot more emotion into their performances than they did. Unfortunately, the story is nowhere nearly as engaging as it should be. It’s kind of slow and dull. When the ship actually gets stuck, I felt little to no investment in what was happening. This moment lacked the intensity it really needed. This movie’s biggest issue is easily the writing. The first fifteen to twenty minutes of the movie are dedicated to building the romance between Chris Pine and Holliday Grainger. The problem is the writing doesn’t really make it feel natural, so much as corny. The cinematography didn’t work so well for me either. I understand what they were trying to go for. The movie takes place in 1952. The reason it doesn’t work for me is because it just looks drab. On the other hand, I loved the production design that went into the ship itself. There’s sort of a grungy, grimy look and feel to it. It looks like an oil tanker. The costume design is solid enough to. The costumes actually do have that early 1950s look to them. Overall, the best word I feel describes this movie is bland. Some actors put their all into their performances, while others don’t. The costumes and set design are strong, while the writing, directing, and cinematography were corny and bland. The Finest Hours had a lot of potential to tell a fantastic story, but just didn’t seem to know how to tell said story. 

5 / 10  

Stranger Things - Season 1

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Stranger Things debuted on Netflix in September. I have finally finished watching the first season. Basically, a kid named Will Byers disappears after a night of playing Dungeons & Dragons with his friends. Mike, Dustin, and Lucas go searching for him, and come across a girl named Eleven. Stranger Things plays out like an eight hour long movie. There's sort of an 80s Spielberg vibe to this show, with a dash of Stephen King for good measure. Most of the characters feel well-rounded. There's a sort of mystery to the character of Eleven. She's odd, but carries a likability and loyalty to the people she perceives as her friends. She speaks very few words. All of this, actress Millie Bobby Brown portrays excellently, and I hope to see more from this young actress in the future. Winona Ryder as Joyce Byers, the missing boy's mom, is the best she has been in a very long time. This is a character who may or may not be going crazy, and Ryder pulls it off with apparent ease. David Harbour portrays police chief Hopper. This is a broken man who is trying to help Joyce, due in part to his daughter dying of cancer prior to the show's beginning. The one character who I felt was a bit too one-note was Troy. He was a bully that didn't really have any depth to him, or any redeeming quality. I never understood why he was the way he was. He was just a bully. The show takes place in 1983, which makes that 80s feel work in the show's favor. Great pacing, awesome writing, and generally excellent characters make for a show that I highly recommend. There's a second season coming in 2017, and I can't wait to see what's coming next.

A      

Top 50 Favorite Songs (40-31)

#40: Stressed Out by twenty one pilots: I love that this song deals with the idea of just wanting to go back to a point in someone's life where they could be carefree, and didn't have to worry about anything. But, as we grow up, we're told different things than we were told when we were children.

#39: Swimming Pools (Drank) by Kendrick Lamar: In a time period where most rap songs that deal with drinking and alcohol present no consequences whatsoever, Swimming Pools (Drank) is somewhat refreshing because it presents the negative side.

#38: American Pie by Don McLean: American Pie effectively deals with two stories, and blurs them together. First and foremost, Don McLean uses the song to address "the day the music died" when Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper were all killed in a plane crash. He also brings up a story where a jester steals Jesus Christ's crown of thorns.

#37: Yeah! by Usher, Lil Jon, & Ludacris: Somehow, Lil Jon's beat and background hype yells, Usher's voice, and Luda's chilled back rhymes bring this song together to make a fun, catchy listen.

#36: Kryptonite by 3 Doors Down: For someone in my early 20s, Kryptonite is a nostalgic song. I like the singer's darker take in this song about someone's personal Superman going crazy. I also like the comparison in a potential romantic relationship of two people, comparing themselves in their own minds as Superman and Lois Lane.

#35: X Gon' Give It to Ya by DMX: Compared to more complex songs like American Pie, X Gon' Give it to Ya is decidedly simple. But, I love it as an angry haze of a hype song that's pretty easy to work out to.

#34: Hail Mary by 2Pac: Hail Mary has a sort of ominous sound and feel to it. It deals with Pac's death and resurrection (the music video actually was released after the rapper was shot and killed). He then begins to take vengeance out on his enemies. The guest verses on the song aren't bad per se, but they compare to the work that 2Pac himself puts into the track.

#33: The Outsider by A Perfect Circle: A Perfect Circle's The Outsider deals with the narrator talking with someone, clearly wanting to get them help. Whether it's for drugs or suicide is never explained, but I feel like the song works equally with either one.

#32: Killing in the Name by Rage Against the Machine: Given Rage Against the Machine's typically politically charged messages that they pour into every song can just as well be applied to this bombastic track. I could be wrong, but I feel like this song deals with the idea of soldiers in a war that kill, but with no real idea of why.

#31: Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes: I love this song's strumming beats and anthemic feel. Jack White's voice and lyrics compliment the instrumentation that he and Meg White put into the song.

   

Meet the Blacks

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Carl Black (played by Mike Epps) and his family come into money illegally, and they move from Chicago to Beverly Hills. Carl has to deal with the people he stole the money from, as well as the purge. I almost want to say this movie is a parody of the Purge movies. The problem with that is, Meet the Blacks isn’t smart or funny enough to convince me that it’s a parody instead of a cheap knock-off. The direction is awful. In his brief appearance, George Lopez (playing president El Bama) appears lost and confused as to what he is supposed to do. This movie doesn’t feel written, so much badly improvised. Within the first ten minutes of the movie, I was hit with insensitive racist jokes that didn’t work because they just weren’t funny. Hell, most of the time, the jokes are just incredibly confusing, and come off as wasted potential. One of the purgers trying to kill the main character is a bouncy house clown worker played by Mike Tyson. In theory this could’ve worked. Instead, I was just asking what was happening. The characters aren’t really characters. They’re all stereotypes and cliches. Carl Black is horrendous as a protagonist. He comes off as an unlikable moron. In fact, half of the characters in this movie feel like that. I can’t really say that Meet the Blacks ever pissed me off. More than anything, I just thought this movie was boring. Despite the fact that this movie was boring and just didn’t make me mad, it’s a stretch to find even one redeeming quality about Meet the Blacks. 

0 / 10   

Hacksaw Ridge

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Desmond Doss is a conscientious objector who enlists in the army during World War II, under the condition that he doesn’t carry or fire a weapon. He wishes to serve as a medic, opting to save lives rather than take them. During the course of his service, he rises from being mocked to being respected as a hero. Essentially, this is two movies joined seamlessly into one. The first half deals with Desmond Doss, the shaping of many of his beliefs, and his relationship with his parents, and with the woman who will become his wife. Director Mel Gibson and screenwriters Andrew Knight and Robert Schenkkan have crafted a powerful, impactful, and incredible war movie. Gibson films the war scenes with a horrific level of intensity, without really glorifying or relishing in it. Every actor brings their A-game. Andrew Garfield and Teresa Palmer give some their best performances, even showing great chemistry and what I believed was genuine affection. Vince Vaughn plays a drill sergeant, and completely avoids his usual Vince Vaughn persona. The quiet moments in between the war sequences work because they help build and define the characters. Many of the characters actually go through arcs and change. The absolute standout has to be Hugo Weaving. He plays the father of Desmond Doss, a man who was a veteran of the first world war. He is the character that truly shows how much war can change a man. If I have but one flaw, the CG fire used for the explosions and burning was a little distracting to me. I know it’s a nitpick, but everything else was just amazing. Hacksaw Ridge works as a powerful war movie that tells an incredible true story that I highly recommend.

9 / 10 

Boo! A Madea Halloween

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First off, let me just say that I know I’m not the audience for this movie. That said, I can't call this a GOOD movie. The humor in the movie is dull, immature noise. This is coming from someone who actually kind of enjoyed the movie Pixels. Tyler Perry is one of those directors who just never was able to appeal to me. Again, I’m not his target audience. The actors all just seem to talk over each other without much of any guidance. Perry as Madea doesn’t seem to do anything besides ramble on and on. By the fifteen minute mark, I could feel a headache coming on. Anyways, the direction and writing feel uninspired and nonexistent, respectively. The constant noise and rambling makes it feel less scripted, and more poorly improvised. The whole thing kind of looks and feels cheap. As an actress, I kind of like Bella Thorne, who is barely in the movie. She looks bored more than anything, almost as though she has no idea what she’s doing here. The funny thing is, I couldn’t even get too mad at this movie beyond mild irritation. It’s just kind of boring. I remember breaking out a mild chuckle at one joke in the movie, but I don’t exactly remember what the joke I laughed at was. Overall, Boo! A Madea Halloween offered little laughs, and was just an unfunny, boring (something I feel like I’ve said a thousand times in this review alone) slog of what I feel I could barely call a movie.

3 / 10