Girl

 

Girl stars Bella Thorne in the title role as a young woman who makes her way to a small town with a score to settle. It doesn't take long before she learns that not everything is what it seems. Going in to this, I only knew the basic plot. I had an idea of what I expected the movie to be. So, when the plot beat I saw coming happened within the first third, I had reached a point where I wasn't entirely sure how things were going to progress. That said, there were still some pretty predictable elements to the movie's plot. Some of the more obvious plot beats are kind of where I would like to start. These moments are the main issue I have with the movie, though they are few and far between. I knew right away who was going to be the villain as soon as the character was introduced, and not just because of the actor playing the role. The movie's greatest strength is the acting, particularly Bella Thorne in the lead. Initially, I was a little bit worried. Those worries were put to ease as the film went on. Overall, Girl works because of its performances, and some legitimately good tension. It isn't a movie I see going down as a modern classic or anything, but it did keep me invested as I watched it. 

7 / 10  

Identity

Identity follows a group of strangers stranded at a motel who must eventually work to stay alive when a mysterious killer begins picking them off one by one. This is a movie I had heard of but had never seen until recently. Now that I have had a chance to check it out, I am so glad I did. For starters, I love the cast. The actors in this film include John Cusack, Ray Liotta, Amanda Peet, Alfred Molina, and Jake Busey. This movie starts off fairly simple, and you think it's going to go one way. But, there are a couple of solid twists in the movie that I won't spoil in my review. Props should also go to director James Mangold. The man does an excellent job building up atmosphere in this movie. I could potentially pick apart the characters for not being too deep. However, in this movie it almost feels like it's by design. That's not me saying they're super shallow either. I personally feel that this movie gives the characters just enough depth. Overall, Identity works as a mystery-horror movie with some legitimately clever twists. It's not one I hear talked about a lot in day to day conversations, But I honestly think it deserves to be. If you get the chance, give this movie a watch.  

9 / 10 

Apt Pupil

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Todd Bowden (played by Brad Renfro) discovers that his neighbor, Arthur Denker (played by Ian McKellen) is a Nazi war criminal. Todd has an obsession with the awful things the Nazis did during World War II. Todd blackmails Denker into telling him all of these horrible stories. So, Apt Pupil is a movie I had been interested in for a while. Now that I have finally seen it, I will say this. I absolutely loved this movie. It's based off a story by Stephen King, and I suppose I should start there. I have not read the story this movie is based off of. That said, this is a type of horror that I don't really see Stephen King explore all that often, meaning real world horror. The acting is excellent all-around, especially from the film's two leads. A lot of the tension comes from the cat and mouse game between these two. It also helps that you're never fully sure who is who in this scenario. Yes, Denker is a former Nazi war criminal who had been suppressing a lot of his more sadistic urges. However, Todd shows a lot of his own sadistic tendencies throughout the movie, and you feel each of them trying to attain a sense of control. In my opinion, this was a great little movie, even if critics and audiences didn't really respond to it.

9 / 10 

Joker

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Joker feels like it’s something of a potential origin story for the infamous. The film follows Arthur Fleck (played by Joaquin Phoenix) as society beats him down until he takes on the persona of the Joker. The film sort of borrows elements from various stories in the Joker’s mythos, namely The Killing Joke and The Dark Knight Returns. Yet, the movie has some pretty major deviations from the comics. I don’t mind this because one could argue that this film is something of an Elseworlds story. Phoenix excels in the role, and truly feels as though he owns this film. However, I also don’t believe that the rest of the cast should be overlooked. In particular, I would also like to commend Brett Cullen, Frances Conroy, and Robert De Niro. I find it so interesting to see Thomas Wayne portrayed as much more of a jerk. I think there could easily be some merit to this possibility as other incarnations only show him from Bruce Wayne’s perspective. The film is primarily a slow burn, showing a man’s descent into madness. This is a film that clearly takes influence from Martin Scorsese’s work from the late 70s and early 80s, in particular Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy. Overall, I really liked Joker as a small-scale, grounded, haunting look at one of comics’ most enduring villains. 

9 / 10 

The Fanatic

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The Fanatic is an experience of a movie. I mean this in both the best and worst ways possible. This movie feels like it has the loosest semblance of a plot. The film is written and directed by Fred Durst (yes, lead singer of Limp Bizkit, Fred Durst). Durst’s screenplay is surface-level at best. Perhaps the most fascinating thing is knowing that this is not Fred Durst’s first directorial effort. Yet, watching this movie, you would never know that. I really think this is a movie that will ultimately be placed on the same level as films such as Birdemic, Troll 2, and The Room. The lead performance by John Travolta may just be the ultimate proof of this. I mean the man breaks one of the biggest rules of acting. He “went full retard.” The film never really gives a distinct protagonist and antagonist. Travolta’s character, Moose (yes, that’s his name) is clearly on the Autism Spectrum. Adding on to that, if this film were anything more than just trashy entertainment, I would probably find this more offensive. If you do, I can’t hold it against you.  You also know that his actions are obviously too far over the line. At the same time, Hunter Dunbar (played by Devon Sawa) is just kind of an asshole from the beginning. The dialogue is laughably bad. John Travolta’s first line in the movie is “I can’t talk long. I gotta poo.” I wish I was making that up. Another wonderful line in this film is: “Moose didn’t just cross the line. He fucking nuked it.” The climax (if I can actually call it that) is difficult to put into words. It’s not even that I’m worried about spoiling it. Keep in mind, this only me scratching the surface of this film. It’s more-so that it’s almost indescribable. The Fanatic is a movie in the loosest sense of the word, and is so laughably bad, it’s honestly worth seeking out. 

0 / 10 

The Terminator

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The Terminator follows Sarah Connor (played by Linda Hamilton) as she is stalked by a seemingly indestructible killing machine, or terminator, known as the T-800 (played by Arnold Schwarzenegger). She is helped by a man from the future named Kyle Reese (played by Michael Biehn). One of the most interesting aspects of The Terminator, especially in comparison to the rest of the films in the franchise that would follow it is that this movie actually has more of a horror feel to it. Don't get me wrong, the action elements are still there, but they feel downplayed in comparison. As a villain, Schwarzenegger feels more like a stalking slasher than anything else. Part of the reason for this could easily be the fact that this is probably the closest a Terminator movie could possibly look and feel to being low-budget. However, James Cameron really makes it work. I love the arc that Sarah Connor goes through. For most of the movie, she's just this helpless victim, until she's forced to save herself. The end seems to set the stage for who the character is going to become, and Linda Hamilton is really good. I like the idea Michael Biehn as Kyle Reese has sort of this wiry look about him too. It makes sense as to why nobody would believe him. The one thing that could potentially be seen as a flaw is some of the time travel logic. But, that's kind of a thing you just tend to get when you have movies that incorporate time travel. With this film in particular, it's the idea that if John Connor doesn't send Kyle Reese back in time to protect Sarah Connor, then John Connor is never born. It's a bit confusing when you think about it. It doesn't really detract from the movie by any means. The Terminator is a classic for good reason.

9 / 10 

Jessica Jones - Season 3

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So, I have now finished the third and final season of Jessica Jones on Netflix. This time around, Jessica has to hunt down a serial killer, all while attempting to mend the relationships she had left broken following the events of the show's second season. I suppose I should start with the issues I had throughout the season, because they are honestly very minor problems. Some of the supporting characters act in ways I really don't feel they should act, as it doesn't completely feel like the characters we have come to know throughout the entirety of the series. On the other hand, the ending doesn't really feel like a series finale, so much as a season finale. I have no idea if this third season was written and filmed with the possibility of a fourth season in mind. While I don't particularly mind the show's slower pace, there actually were points where I wanted things to speed up a little bit. Okay, now I should talk about the things I liked. For starters, the actors all do a good job. Naturally, the standout to me is Krysten Ritter as Jessica Jones. I like Gregory Sallinger as a villain. Because Sallinger doesn't have superhuman gifts, he brings a very different kind of menace to this show. He forces Jessica to use her intellect more than her brute strength. I also want to compliment the writers on how they handled the character of Trish Walker this season. They took her to a whole new place, and it made sense to me after how unlikable she was during the second season. Her character arc actually makes sense, and feels completely natural. Is this my absolute favorite when it comes the Marvel Netflix seasons? No, but I still think it is genuinely worthwhile. The third and final season of Jessica Jones has some stumbles, but it also has a lot working in its favor as well.

B+

Daughter of the Wolf

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Daughter of the Wolf stars Gina Carano as a mother with a military background searching for her 13-year-old son who has been kidnapped by a group of villains led by a man known only as “Father” (played by Richard Dreyfuss). What I am about to say is going to sound strange. I kind of enjoyed this movie. OK, I’m not going to say it’s really anything special, but I was never really mad while I watched it. The acting is serviceable. It’s nothing award-winning. However, it isn’t the worst acting I’ve ever seen either. By far, the best part of this movie is Richard Dreyfuss as the villain (as if it would be anything else that deserved the most praise). Carano herself is decent enough. She kind of does what she needs to do. I also appreciate that this film is only 90 minutes. It feels about as long as it needs to be. I like the setting of the mountains during the Winter time for an action movie, even if I don’t know that this film utilizes the setting to its fullest potential. On the flip side, this movie also has a lot of problems. For one thing, the title Daughter of the Wolf doesn’t really make sense. The film is also poorly edited (and is the primary issue I have with this film). For one thing, this film kind of just throws you into the film, and then reveals the backstory in one scene, told in through a flashback. The son is the most aggravating part of this film. He honestly doesn’t do much more than annoy me, even if I can’t say he’s the most annoying character I have ever seen. Even though I honestly kind of liked this, that doesn’t make this film good. I found it to be a fun enough time for me to watch as a fan of bad movies. 

6 / 10 

Murder Mystery

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Murder Mystery is a new Netflix film starring Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston as a bumbling married couple that find themselves accidentally drawn into a murder plot when a billionaire played by Luke Evans invites them to spend the weekend on his yacht. I had reached a point where I had begun to write Sandler off. So, let me just say that Murder Mystery was one hell of a surprise for me. Considering the fact that practically every single one of his Netlfix comedies has sucked up until this point, I really wasn’t expecting much. But, this was one of the first movies he’s done in a while that legitimately made me laugh, and that I don’t really feel ashamed to admit it made me laugh. OK, the laughs weren’t belly laughs so much as a series of chuckles and snickers throughout. But, it’s better than nothing. I also legitimately found myself invested in the actual mystery, legitimately trying to guess who the killer was. The characters all feel appropriate for the film they are in. Most of these are kind of quirky and weird (as well as being genuinely bad people). I also have to admit that this film actually plays with some of the tropes of murder mysteries in ways I didn’t see coming, and I kind of love that. The cast all seems to be genuinely invested in this film (yes, even Adam Sandler for the first time in a while). Do I believe this film is going to be ranked alongside some of Sandler’s classics like Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore? No. I also don’t think it quite ranks alongside murder mystery comedies like Clue and Murder By Death. I do give Murder Mystery something of a soft recommendation, mostly because it’s the first Sander film I have seen a while that I thought was genuinely funny, and I can’t really argue with that. 

7 / 10 

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile

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Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile is a biopic starring Zac Efron as infamous serial killer Ted Bundy. The film deals with his relationships with two women, as well as his trial, and all the insanity that this would entail. I have to admit that I don't necessarily know how much I actually have to say about this film, so it is best for me to just get right into talking about the film. When talking about this movie, I think it is best to start by talking about the negatives, because I really don't have very many. The main issue I have is that there are some points where the film jumps around in the narrative, and it doesn't really flow nearly as well as it probably could or should. Honestly, pretty much everything else about this film actually kind of worked for me. The movie's greatest strength is the acting. Zac Efron is the film's greatest strength. He owns this movie. He really nails the charm and charisma that Ted Bundy was actually known for. The other true standout for me was Lily Collins. I really buy the mental and emotional torture her character Liz seemed to be put through. I have to say that I was kind of glad to see Haley Joel Osment in this film, as he really hasn't been in the limelight in a very long time, outside of some occasional film roles here and there. There is one element of this film that I wasn't sure what to expect with this film. The movie is directed by Joe Berlinger (the same man who directed Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2). I mentioned that I had some problems with the first act, though I don't honestly know exactly where the blame should placed. But, I actually didn't mind Berlinger's direction here. Of course it helps that he's clearly passionate about this film. Overall, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile works thanks to its acting (especially from Zac Efron and Lily Collins), and has a couple of stumbles near the beginning before really finding its footing. This film is on Netflix, so I have to recommend giving it a watch if you can.

8 / 10    

Escape Room

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A group of strangers find themselves invited to participate in a series of increasingly immersive and increasingly dangerous escape rooms. This is a film I was actually pretty intrigued in from the beginning. The concept actually seemed really cool. The execution was…OK. I definitely didn’t hate this film, and I wasn’t really disappointed when I saw it. The actual escape rooms were genuinely unique, and I actually liked watching the characters have to try and find their ways out. The acting is solid, even if the characters themselves weren’t the greatest. I think there might have been one character I enjoyed more than the rest of them. I also have to appreciate that there was an attempt to develop our protagonists, some of them more than others, I will admit. Ultimately, these issues are a byproduct of the main issue I had with this film, the writing. As per usual with a film like this, there are attempts at levity. If anything, they mostly felt strange to me. It didn’t seem natural, so much as feeling like these characters are being forced to say certain things. The twist at the very end sets things up for a sequel, and as I write this review, I genuinely don’t know how I feel about it. There isn’t really much more for me to say. Escape Room feels best described as just good enough. It shows up and does its job. Am I curious about the sequel? Yes. Am I highly anticipating it? No. Escape Room feels like it is perfectly fine. It isn’t great. It isn’t bad. It’s somewhere in the middle. 

6 / 10 

The Haunting of Sharon Tate

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The Haunting of Sharon Tate stars Hilary Duff as the murdered actress. The movie is about the nightmares she had in regards to her untimely death. I can see why this film was released direct to on-demand. From the very first shot, the film just had this cheap look to it. The film’s poor acting certainly didn’t help matters either. To be fair to the actors in this film, most of the blame need placed on writer-director Daniel Farrands. The dialogue in this film is so atrocious that any actors would struggle to make it work or sound natural. “In movie speak…” This is how an actual line in the film starts. It’s honestly so bad, I think I legitimately blocked the rest of it from my memory. The writing in this film is so bad, it makes George Lucas look like Quentin Tarantino by comparison. Think about that. Aside from that, the movie throws in themes of fate and destiny. Because this film is horribly written, it comes off as incredibly forced. Going even further into the sins of the film’s writing, the screenplay feels largely padded. The film is 90 minutes long, and nothing of note really happens until the half-hour mark. of course, when it actually looks like something is going to happen, the film falls back on the lazy, forced, tired dream sequence cliche. I almost wish that I had more to say about this movie simply because I hated it that much. The problem is that when a film that is bad meanders this much doesn’t really leave me with that much to say. The last thing I really think I can say about this piece of shit is that it is the worst movie I have seen so far this year. It is a film with no redeeming qualities whatsoever, and I feel bad just for potentially drawing attention to it. 

0 / 10 

Glass

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Glass serves as a sequel to both Unbreakable and Split, and is effectively the final chapter of M. Night Shyamalan’s Eastrail 177 Trilogy. Following the events of Split, David Dunn (played by Bruce Willis) is hunting Kevin Wendall Crumb a.k.a. The Horde (played by James McAvoy). When they cross paths, both men are captured and institutionalized alongside Elijah Price a.k.a. Mr. Glass (played by Samuel L. Jackson). While the three are institutionalized, they are studied by a a doctor (played by Sarah Paulson). Her goal is to convince them that they are not super powered, like they believe they are. First things first, the performances in this film are excellent all around. The one that I think makes me the happiest is Bruce Willis. In the past several years, the man seems to have stopped caring. So, I’m happy that David Dunn is a character that Willis himself seems invested in. One of the biggest criticisms I have heard levied toward this movie is that there isn’t enough of Glass in this movie. I can certainly understand that criticism, but I personally don’t agree with it. Glass is sort of the mastermind, pulling strings behind the scenes for a lot of the events within the movie. The other criticism I have heard levied heavily against this film is the ending. The ending for this film didn’t bother me either. If anything, it felt bittersweet to me. Neither Unbreakable nor Glass were particularly happy movies to begin with, so the ending to the film actually made sense in my eyes. The trailer actually makes this film look a little more action-packed than it actually is. Don’t go into Glass expecting this to be a major action film. I will admit that some of Shyamalan’s awkward dialogue does slip here and there. Fortunately, it feels incredibly limited in this movie. I have to give Glass a recommendation, though I would advise cautious optimism due to this movie’s divisive nature. 

9 / 10