The Patriot

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The Patriot is a 2000 action-war movie directed by Roland Emmerich and featuring a cast that includes Mel Gibson, Tom Wilkinson, Jason Isaacs, and the late Heath Ledger. Benjamin Martin (played by Gibson) is a man who was a soldier, and now just wants to live a normal, peaceful life. Things change for him when his eldest son, Gabriel (played by Ledger) joins the Revolutionary War for Independence. Throughout most of the movie, Martin finds himself at odds with the villainous Colonel Tavington (played by Isaacs). This is a movie I enjoy watching around the Fourth of July quite a bit. I would advise anyone not to go into this movie expecting it to be historically accurate, because it's not that kind of movie. There's a surprising amount of character development to the character of Benjamin Martin and his son Gabriel. They both have differing viewpoints, but you really understand where each man is coming from. Martin was a solider in his past, and knows what the atrocities of war can look like. Gabriel is still very youthful and optimistic, seeing the potential good in gaining independence. Both Gibson and Ledger play these parts to a tee. Unfortunately, the strong development doesn't really branch out beyond these two characters. Isaacs gives a fantastic performance as Tavington, I won't deny that. However, I'd be lying if I said he wasn't a little thin in terms of development. To be fair, I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing. A similar observation could be made of the movie's overall story. This movie came out in 2000, so in its own way, it fits more as an  action movie of the 80s and 90s era. The hero is a retired soldier with a dark past. The villain threatens him and his family, and this puts the two at odds. The hero ultimately must come out of retirement to put a stop to the main villain. As I said earlier, The Patriot should not be viewed as a historically accurate epic. If you watch this movie with that thought process in mind, you are probably going to hate it. However, if you watch this from the aspect of an 80s-style action flick that just so happens to take place during the Revolutionary War, you'll probably have a lot of fun.

7 / 10 

Incredibles 2

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Incredibles 2 begins almost immediately after the end of the first film. In this movie, a billionaire tycoon (voiced by Bob Odenkirk) wants to bring superheroes back into the limelight, and hires Elastigirl (voiced by Holly Hunter) to help with superhero public relations. In the meantime, Mr. Incredible (voiced by Craig T. Nelson) agrees to watch the kids while Elastigirl is off trying to make the world a better place for superheroes. Before long, a mysterious villain known as the Screenslaver arrives on the scene to make things difficult for Elastigirl. Much like the first movie, Incredibles 2 truly feels like the Fantastic Four movie we should have gotten a long time ago. The animation is still amazing to look at. The family dynamic is still some of the best stuff in the movie. I like that Elastigirl is excited that she was the one chosen to go fight crime. I like that Mr. Incredible is conflicted because he wants to support his wife, but is also bitter that he's not the one chosen to fight crime. I like that Violet isn't sure what she wants to do because she is a 12 or 13-year-old girl, and pretty much bases her decisions based on her emotions in a given moment. I like that Dash just wants to fight bad guys because he's a boy, and I like thay Jack-Jack does whatever he wants to do because he's a baby. The story honestly worked for me because it fits in with recent movies like Captain America: Civil War and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. There is some political views on the ideas of property damage. Similar to the first movie, I like that this one isn't really afraid to put characters like Dash or Violet in danger even though they are both kids, and you legitimately feel fear because they do. If there is one thing about this movie I think could have been handled better, it was the villain. I don't think they did a bad job, I just think the villain of the movie could have been a little stronger. Overall, I really loved Incredibles 2. It may not have been as good as the first movie, but it was still worth the wait.

9 / 10 

Ocean's 8

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Ocean's 8 follows Debbie Ocean (played by Sandra Bullock), who is the estranged sister of Danny Ocean. She has spent some time in prison. When she is released, she gets a bunch of women together to perform a heist because, in her owns, it's what she's good at. I'm somebody who enjoys a good heist movie, and this really is no exception. The cast all pretty much excels. As usual, Sandra Bullock knocks it out of the park when she is given the right role, and, for the most part, Debbie Ocean really feels like the right role for her in this movie. There were points in the movie where she did concern me a bit, and I wasn't 100% sure that she would pull the role off, but her performance worked overall in the end. Rihanna was probably the biggest surprise in this movie for me. She was the one that probably had me the most worried. But, she manages to improve with each performance she gives. But, if I'm being honest, Anne Hathaway owns this movie. She plays a character who shows some cunning, acts like a ditz, plays innocent, and acts like she has no clue what's going on. Sometimes, she does it all at the same time. Some of the characters legitimately had some development to them, and I felt like I understood their places. There are characters who could have been developed a little bit better than they were, but the characters worked because the actresses portraying them were charismatic enough to pull the performance off and make that particular character likable. The twists, turns, and surprises all worked for me, and actually made me glad I saw the movie. It was really funny when it needed to be. There are moments where I do feel the movie drags, but those moments never lasted very long for me. This was a movie that could have gone wrong, but I am so glad it didn't. It may occasionally stumble a little bit, but I never felt like it fell flat on its face.

8 / 10 

Game Night

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Game Night stars Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams as a married couple who find themselves roped into a dangerous game than is more dangerous than they initially thought. This was a very enjoyable movie, easily carried by the chemistry between Bateman and McAdams. The supporting cast should be commended just as well. Everyone brings something to the table in this movie. Jesse Plemons is extremely funny as a creepy, slightly obsessed neighbor. Billy Magnusson is also a scene stealer as a dimwitted friend that constantly brings dates to these game nights that are even dumber than he himself is. Props should also be given to Kyle Chandler as the older brother to Bateman's character. One thing this movie does that I appreciate is the idea that the characters in this movie actually have some development to them. There is an actor in the movie that I wasn't expecting to see, and was more than happy to see this actor show up when he did. The movie also utilizes some pretty clever filmmaking techniques. The transitions are shot to make it look like the players are movie around like pieces on a game board. If I had to really pinpoint a flaw, it would be that I don't necessarily think every joke lands. But, I also kind of expect that out of a comedy. Game Night is one of the best comedies I've seen so far this year, and I highly recommend giving it a watch.

9 / 10 

Solo: A Star Wars Story

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Solo: A Star Wars Story is an origin story of sorts for Han Solo, following how he became the smuggler Star Wars fans know and love. The cast is practically perfect in this movie. Donald Glover as Lando Calrissean steals the movie. The man carries charisma and swagger to spare. Alden Ehrenreich was a solid Han Solo. He shows himself to be a young Han Solo, but doesn't feel like a carbon copy of Harrison Ford (even if I still prefer Ford in the role). Woody Harrelson worked in the role of Han's mentor, Tobias Beckett. Emilia Clarke also worked in the role of Han's longtime love, and you were never fully sure whose side she was on. The relationship between Han and Chewie was very well handled as well. There are references in the movie, and they don't really feel forced to me. They actually felt pretty natural. The pacing mostly worked for me. There were points where I thought things could have sped up a little bit, and the movie did drag in spots. There were also some pretty predictable beats too. There were points where I could kind of figure out where things were going to go, and that is exactly how they went down. I don't think this 100% true however. For example, there is a twist near the end of the movie, and it is awesome enough in my opinion that this twist alone is worth the price of admission.

8 / 10  

Deadpool 2

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Deadpool 2 follows Wade Wilson / Deadpool (played by Ryan Reynolds) as he tries to become a better person after a life-altering event in his life. He is primarily trying to help a kid named Russell (played by Julian Dennison) who is being hunted by time traveling bounty mutant Cable (played by Josh Brolin) because Russell has a dark future ahead of him. Perhaps, the biggest flaw Deadpool 2 suffers from in my opinion is that it can easily feel too big at times. A smaller flaw that ties into this bigger flaw in my opinion is that some of the supporting cast can feel underused. For these reasons, I still think I prefer the first movie just a little bit more. It never really goes overboard with feeling too big, thankfully. In Deadpool's own words "Deadpool 2 is a family movie," and in many respects this is true. It is about Deadpool hitting rock bottom and being forced to work his way back to where he was before. He has to find his own form of "family." The stuff with X-Force is easily one of the best parts of the movie, without giving too much away. I also love the mid-credits scene. I recommend staying for that scene if you are able to. As usual, Ryan Reynolds practically owns the role of Deadpool, and is perhaps the best example of being the perfect marriage between actor and character. Deadpool 2 may not be as good as the first film in my opinion, but I do still find it to be a worthy follow-up.     

9 / 10   

Super Troopers 2

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Super Troopers 2 is the long awaited sequel to the cult comedy classic from 2001. This sequel deals with the boys returning to potentially phase out a team of mounties because of a geographical and political fuck-up. From there, the typical shenanigans start happening. I honestly enjoyed myself with this movie. I think it made me laugh almost as much as the first movie. I really appreciate that, especially when that's the purpose of a comedy. The troopers all have some good chemistry with one another, and are clearly enjoying reprising their roles. Much like the first film, Brian Cox proves to be the perfect straight man to the insane antics (even if he does occasionally get himself involved). I think it could have been easy to rehash a lot of the jokes from the first movie, and really come off as a greatest hits. At times, they can do that, but I think they take some of the jokes they bring back in something of a new enough direction. First example, they bring back the meow gag, and it starts off seeming like it's just a cheap rehash, but they offer up just enough of a twist at the end to make the joke work in something of a new way. The mystery subplot is probably the weakest part of the movie. When it's first brought up, I picked out who I thought was going to end up being villain almost immediately. Without giving it away, I was right in the end. I also can't say this is nearly as quotable as the first movie either. I remember laughing a lot in this movie, but couldn't exactly tell you any lines that stood out. Does this movie work on the same level as the first movie does? No. But, I also didn't find it to be the piece of shit a lot of critics are making it out to be either.

6 / 10