Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows

 

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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows is the sequel to the 2014 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie. In this movie, the turtles have to deal with the Shredder’s escape from prison, the inter-dimensional being known as Krang (voiced to perfection by Brad Garrett), Baxter Stockman (a completely miscast Tyler Perry), a mutagen that could turn them human, and Bebop and Rocksteady. What I just described is all set up in the first 20 minutes, showing that what’s to come is likely going to be a bit of a mess. Weirdly enough, this is the same sort of problem that some of the other superhero movies of the year have fallen into (especially the previously reviewed Suicide Squad, also a bit of an enjoyable mess) Admittedly, it is. However, this movie rides on being enjoyable guilty pleasure popcorn fun, at least for me. I think whether or not this is actually a “good” movie is debatable. I want to compliment the actors who play the turtles through voice and motion capture. These four actors bring a believability to the idea of being brothers. Though my favorite turtle is usually Raphael, I really think this movie is a Mikey showcase. He’s got some of the best lines in the movie. I do have to admit that the writing is the best, which shows even more the talents of Noel Fisher. Like the first movie, Megan Fox is fine in the role (perhaps the highest compliment I could ever give her acting “talents.”) As I already said, Tyler Perry is miscast as Baxter Stockman, but enjoyably so. What I mean by that is, it’s in the same way that Jim Carrey and Tommy Lee Jones were miscast in Batman Forever. The movie’s visual effects are generally hit-and-miss. I think the turtles look good, but I didn’t think Bebop and Rocksteady looked all that great. The fight between Casey and the foot ninjas was pretty cool and well choreographed. The best way I can describe the final result isn’t good, so much as a lot of stupid fun.

6 / 10 

The Bad Seed (1956)

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The Bad Seed is about what happens after the death of a young child who was believed to have been murdered. Afterwards, the mother begins to wonder whether the young girl may have murdered the boy. The music in the opening sequence is fantastic, and perfectly sets the mood for the story to come. There’s a mix of darkness and innocence, and immediately puts you at unease. As the film unfolds you learn more about the little girl, named Rhoda. Actress Patty McCorack is the film’s standout performer. She does a great job at appearing sweet and innocent, but having a cold heart, clearly feeling nothing towards the events that continue to transpire as the movie goes on. It can be difficult for child actors to deliver a performance of such a caliber, and Ms. McCormack absolutely does so here. The movie has clever use of foreshadowing throughout, often setting up plot points throughout that will come to light later, as the movie goes on. The cinematography is gorgeous, and I love the use of shadows in certain scenes. The movie has a slow pace that occasionally bogs the movie down a touch. For the most part, however, this works in the film’s favor. The horror to The Bad Seed is very psychological, often exploring whether evil is hereditary, fostered by environment, or possibly a little bit of both. One of the things this movie has that I love is actual characters that feel real. The mother of the dead boy appears in a scene, drunk. This is what I would expect from a woman who just lost her only child. The evil little girl’s mother naturally grows more and more suspicious. Again, this feels like a genuine reaction. The settings to the movie are limited, and fairly contained, with some possibility of inspiring other thrillers such as Psycho or, more recently, Buried. There’s also a sense of subtlety by showing the reactions to deaths in the movie, as opposed to the deaths themselves. Everything seems to blend together to make a good horror-thriller that’s enjoyable for a watch. 

8 / 10   

Suicide Squad

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Suicide Squad is the third film in DC’s Extended Universe. Overall, these movies have been very divisive. While I didn’t hate Man of Steel or Batman v Superman, neither of them really wowed me. They both felt a bit dour. Suicide Squad, on the other hand was a blast. That’s not to say it was perfect. It definitely had its flaws. Let’s start there. The character development was pretty thin. Deadshot and Harley Quinn both had complete arcs. The other characters in the movie were mostly likable due to the actors and their talents coming through naturally while portraying them. Props should really go to Jay Hernandez as El Diablo, as I really felt his pain. The plot does feel a bit choppy. I never really felt a clear motivation for the main villain. I feel like there’s a lot that ended up on the cutting room floor, and it makes me wonder what the relationship was between director David Ayer and Warner Bros. Let’s just say I’m curious to see if this one’s gonna get a director’s cut too. I didn't hate the music by any means (I think it's one of the best soundtracks I've heard since Guardians of the Galaxy), but I do feel like the constant music changes were a bit jarring. Slipknot was a useless character whose fate EVERYONE got right. Katana is an interesting character already, and I wish she wasn’t so underused. Speaking of underused characters (and things that I suspect got cut), nowhere is this more evident than in the appearance of The Joker. This is a version of the character I feel is going to divide a lot of people. I didn't really mind it because it was something different, though I can understand why other people don't like it. So, the question is: What did I like in the movie? Well, David Ayer is a good director when it comes to action, and this movie is no exception, even if it does feel a bit muddled at times. The cast is fantastic. Will Smith does even better at Deadshot than I could have imagined. Jai Courtney actually gives a performance that I thought was genuinely good. Joel Kinaman, another actor who’s never really wowed me also does a solid job as the stoic Rick Flag. Viola Davis was perfectly cast as Amanda Waller. But, in my opinion, the best character in the movie was Harley Quinn. Margot Robbie has the mannerisms down and even nails some of Harley's punchlines. While Suicide Squad occasionally stumbles, it never really falls. 

8 / 10 

Jason Bourne

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 So, The Bourne Legacy didn’t really thrill that many people. But, with Jason Bourne, Matt Damon, Julia Stiles and Paul Greengrass are all back in their capacities, and the story picks where The Bourne Ultimatum left off. Now, I was really excited for this movie, pretty much from the word go. Overall, I did like the movie, but it’s definitely got some rough patches here and there. Julia Stiles felt a bit underused to me. While it isn’t necessarily a flaw, and without delving too much into spoilers there was a character I like that they killed off early on, and I wish that character would have stuck around a little longer. There’s a subplot in the movie involving a social media guru and the website he’s trying to build. Needless to say, I didn’t like it. The first time it came up, it was a little bit jarring, and it felt like I just switched over to a completely different movie altogether. The attempts to tie it into the main story felt really forced. The movie does utilize shaky cam during its action sequences. However, Paul Greengrass is one of the few directors who knows how to use the technique well. The performances all work. Matt Damon practically owns the role of Jason Bourne at this point. Tommy Lee Jones plays the Director of the CIA, and delivers a cold, calculated performance that works in the movie’s favor. The same goes for Vincent Cassell as the Asset, another person in the Treadstone program, who holds a grudge against Bourne. The villains in the movie have a personal connection with our hero, something common for a good villain. I’m curious to see if they have plans to take this franchise any further. They ended it in a way that I wouldn’t mind if this was the end of the series, but I also wouldn’t mind if they told another story in this world. Yes, the rough spots in the writing were noticeable, but the rest is good enough that they can easily be overlooked. 

7 / 10  

Batman: The Killing Joke

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 The first real reviews I got of this movie were that it was a bit of a mixed bag and that it was a great movie. So, I went into this movie a little cautious, more-so than I usually do with a movie in the DC Animated Universe. Overall, I actually did like the movie. It’s not perfect by any means. First off, let’s start with negatives. The two halves are very disjointed, and feel like two separate movies. Neither half is necessarily bad, but I do believe that the second half is superior. The first half of the movie does some things with Batgirl as a character that just didn’t work, which I can’t really go into without giving spoilers. I do respect them trying to flesh her out a little more because The Killing Joke movie doesn’t have benefit of years of comic backstory that the graphic novel did. I am aware the original story gave the Joker an origin through flashbacks. Honestly, I prefer the Joker with a bit more mystery. It just makes him more terrifying. There’s also a bizarre musical number near the end of the movie involving the Joker. The reason I don’t hate this is because it absolutely fits in with the Joker’s character. Alright, let’s move on to the positives. The animation is up to the usual quality of the DC Animated Universe movies. The voice cast led by Kevin Conroy, Tara Strong, and Mark Hamill are all excellent with their performances. The returns of both Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill as Batman and the Joker respectively was one of the first things that honestly got me excited. Then, they gave the movie its anticipated R rating. In the end, while a good movie, The Killing Joke just couldn’t live up to the hype. My final recommendation would be to watch it at least once, but with a little caution. 

7 / 10   

Sharknado: The 4th Awakens

 

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Well, here’s a series I never in a million years would’ve said was going to reach four movies, but here we are. Part four delves completely into the realm of science fiction, and has completely jumped the shark (no pun intended). The strange thing is: this franchise has only gotten more entertaining the longer it has gone on. The effects are as bad as you expect, as is the acting. At this point, you know exactly what you’re going to get from a movie like Sharknado: The 4th Awakens. Like the first three movies in the Sharknado franchise, this movie falls squarely into the category of being so-bad-it’s-entertaining. I can’t really say that the actors in the movie are good, but they do give entertaining performances (especially David Hasselhoff and Gary Busey). In my opinion, the cameos in this movie are some of the best, the series has ever seen. For example, you get appearances from Andre the Black Nerd, Gilbert Gottfried, Dog the Bounty Hunter, and Carrot Top. It’s about as well-directed as your typical Syfy original movie produced by the Asylum  The movie has in-movie references to Star Wars (aside from the reference in the movie’s title). Aside from Star Wars, you also get references to Star Trek, Titanic, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. There’s even a car named Christine in the movie (and it looks very familiar). I do have to question this movie’s decision to turn Tara Reid of all people, into a superhero, no matter what kind of god-awful editing they can use. Pretty much, if you enjoyed the other three movies, you’ll enjoy this one. If you hated the other movies, why would you even consider watching it? Since I enjoy this as a guilty pleasure series, I absolutely had a blast with the stupidity. 

6 / 10       

  

Sing Street

 

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Sing Street is about a kid living in Dublin, Ireland who wants to impress a girl he thinks is pretty. He unintentionally tells her that he’s in a band, and asks her if she wants to be in a video. He and some friends then form a band, and things kind of take off from there. There’s not really anybody huge in this movie (which is kind of refreshing). I think Littlefinger from Game of Thrones is the most recognizable actor in the movie. The characters all feel real. They have good moments and are generally pretty likable, but they also have their flaws and imperfections too. You easily understand the chinks in the armor. A lot of this has to do with the fact that we all kind of face a lot the issues the characters in the movie face. For example, the main character Conor deals with being the child his parents practically put on a pedestal. Teenagers often face having to deal with being viewed as the perfect child, and they often feel strained because they have something to live up to. He’s part of a poor family. His parents spend almost every waking moment fighting. Jack Reynor is incredible as Conor’s older brother, a pothead who is also a college dropout, whom Conor idolizes, despite the two showing their differences. This movie proves that Mr. Reynor should stay away from Michael Bay movies from here on out. Lucy Boynton is the standout here, to me, though.She plays Raphina, the girl who incites the creation of the band Sing Street. Ms. Boynton delivers what I believe to be the movie’s most layered (and best) performance. She’s funny, and there’s a potential darkness to the character that’s hinted at every now and then. The girl has her hopes, but she also has her insecurities. The movie’s soundtrack should also be commended too. It’s incredible, almost being a character in and of itself. Some people may be turned off by the movie’s slower pace, but I didn’t mind it. The movie is directed by John Carney. After seeing his work on this movie, I’m curious to go back and see some of his earlier work because I loved what he did here. This is one of those movies that I had no problems with, whatsoever. 

10 / 10