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Hate movie spoilers? Good! You'll get straight to the point, quick, and spoiler-free movie reviews to help you spend your time and money wisely on movies. I'll give you the Good, the Bad, the Reason, and the Rating about each movie. ***Please disable any popup blockers***

Friday, June 19, 2015

Dope (2015) Movie Review


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The Good: The film does an amazingly good job of blending both drama and comedy together. The comedic moments are well timed, unpredictable, and don't disrupt the serious moments of the movie. Writer and director Rick Famuyiwa (The Wood, Brown Sugar) does an excellent job of having the over arching themes all connect seamlessly with all of the side stories that happen within the the film.  The plot itself is layered with ironic twists and a satisfying ending. Best of all, there's an even greater message that this movie portrays for the audience that ties everything all together. Each of the actors do a really good job of playing their roles. Shameik Moore (as "Malcolm") does an especially good job of portraying the role of a true geek. His character's development and maturation process will have you on his side from beginning to end.

The Bad: The film dives  into some really technical computer related topics (i.e. online currency, black market websites, etc) that may just go over the heads of the average movie goer. Hell, I'm an IT professional, and some of the topics discussed were things I only recently learned about last year. Granted, the techy things they discuss are explained to an extent, and they don't necessarily ruin the movie. However, I do get the feeling that some people may miss the full implication of what happens during one specific scene. Lastly, there are a lot of "N-words" dropped throughout the film. While it does stay true within the context of the film, I believe that it will also alienate the film to being stuck in the "black movie" category.

The Reason: Overall, I fear that many will not see this movie, but many should see this movie. I came into it with EXTREMELY LOW expectations, and I left the theater pleasantly surprised. (Matter of fact, I went back to see it again) The trailers do it no justice, and make the film seem like some random straight to dvd rental. In my opinion, this film accomplishes what most movies today lack; good writing, good directing, original story, and most importantly something to think about when the movie is over. Take this review with a grain of salt because I feel a little biased due to the fact that I can personally relate to this movie. I'm black and I grew up as a nerd (I know this is probably a shock to most, but I wasn't always this cool.) Even if this film doesn't appeal to most, I'll still stand behind it and I do recommend checking it out. It may be cliche` to say, but Dope was dope. (Theaters or at home, whatever you choose)

The Rating: 8/10





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Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Ted 2 (2015) Movie Review



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The Good: Similar to the previous Ted (2012) film, this film doesn't miss a beat with it's comedy. It doesn't go over the top (like they did in Hangover 2), and probably the funniest jokes were saved for the movie and not spoiled by trailers. The running jokes are a nice plus, and the film has a bunch of other surprises that I cannot even begin to mention without spoiling it. It's comedic strength will be the constant pop-culture and movie references. As for the plot, it manages to sneak in a pretty relevant social justice message that many will be and to relate with.

The Bad: While the multiple pop culture references can help the jokes, it can also hurt them. As with any joke, if you don't get the reference, you won't get the joke. For example, if you're not at least familiar with Lord of the Rings trilogy, then you're going to miss out on a funny running joke, while everyone else is laughing out loud. Quoting a friend of mine, this film is filled with "crass male humor". So if jokes about male reproductive appendages bother you, avoid this film. Lastly, it was a little disappointing that there wasn't another fight scene similar to the one between Ted and Johnny (played by: Mark Wahlberg) from the first film.

The Reason: If you loved Ted, you'll definitely enjoy Ted 2. Sequel keeps the same humor going along with the same level of randomness you could expect from Seth MacFarland. So if you are a Family Guy fan, this is right up your alley. Now should you go pay to see this? That really depends. You don't have to at all, because it's a comedy, and it's not like there's a ton of special effects or anything  that. But, if you're in the mood for some great laughs and want to get out of the house, this is more than worth your money to see.

The Rating: 8/10



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Friday, June 12, 2015

Eman's Movie Reviews is on Youtube!



That's right, after all this time, the youtube channel for Eman's Movie Reviews is finally up and running! Please go check it out. Click Here to be taken to the Youtube Channel. Don't forget to share any videos that you may like, and subscribe so that you can enjoy future videos. And by all means, comment on the videos and let me know what you think about anything. Thank you for your support.


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Thursday, June 11, 2015

Jurassic World (2015) Movie Review



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The Good: The plot continues 20+ years from the events of the original Jurassic Park (1993) film, and it may give you a feeling of nostalgia in the process. Director, Colin Trevorrow, does a good job of keeping the vision and the tone of the original Jurassic Park, while completely disregarding the 2nd and 3rd sequels that didn't do so well. They don't hold back from showing you just how wild these dinosaurs are, but show just enough without having the film get too gory. There's an above average level of action and suspense, with just a few scenes that turn it up a notch. Despite the fact that Jeff Goldblum is not in this movie, Jake Johnson does a decent job of filling in with some comedic relief. Chris Pratt also does a good job of portraying a completely different character rather than just being a recycled version of his previous roles in other movies.

The Bad: Bryce Howard's character, "Beth" seemed a bit unrealistic a few times, simply because it just takes her way too long to comprehend just how dangerous the situations become. (She does get bonus points for doing all that running in the jungles with those high heels though.) There are also a few parts, mainly towards the end of the movie, that made the dinosaurs a little cheesy and unbelievable. It doesn't completely ruin the movie, but it did seem to undo all the effort that was put into convincing you that the dinosaurs are wild animals. Unfortunately for this movie, it was not shot with a 3D camera, and the 3D effects were added in after the fact. That makes the 3D element highly questionable at best.

The Reason: All in all, Jurassic World is definitely better than Jurassic Park 2 and 3, so you may as well forget those even happened. It's a fun ride that will bring you back to the days of when the first Jurassic Park film hit the big screen. I personally don't think that it's better than the first Jurassic Park, because the first film will always maintain that edge of being the first of its kind. Jurassic World does a great job of being a sequel fans will enjoy, and a safe reboot to potentially continue the franchise. Due to the questionable 3D, I would recommend saving a few dollars and avoiding to see it in IMAX 3D. Regular 3D is optional. Other than that, you can feel confident in seeing this film.

The Rating: 8/10



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Friday, June 5, 2015

Insidious: Chapter 3 (2015) Movie Review




The Trailer: 

The Good: Director, writer, and actor Leigh Whannell was intent on giving us more background story about the psychic Elise Rainier (played by: Lin Shaye) and her cases fighting ghosts. The goal was accomplished because the backstory does give more depth into Elise's character. The plot overall did a nice job of tying in the previous 2 films and keeping the story relevant. Since this movie was a prequel to the previous Insidious films, the plot explains just enough to the point where this film can stand alone.  You can expect plenty of jump scares and suspenseful moments from beginning to the very end. Some of the best moments are probably in the bedroom scenes where the creepy levels are probably at their highest. It's also nice to see that the film stayed true to its explanation of the "Further" and the horror universe that makes this film unique.

The Bad: Unfortunately this film strays away at key moments to capture the true essence of what made the previous films truly creepy. The ghosts are not eased into the movie as they were in the first film, and that kind of takes away from the mystery that would shroud them. You know what the ghost looks like, so it's appearance becomes less shocking the more it appears on screen. Next, the camera angles kind of make the scary parts a tad bit more predictable. Instead of centering the camera on the character, and then hiding the ghosts in the background (to mess with your mind), the camera is purposely angled to the side which compels the audience to look into the background and expect something to pop out. While the film does have a good amount of jump scares throughout, they are bit predictable. Overall, the creepy factor(which made Insidious so good), just wasn't there.

The Reason: I think the best way to describe this movie is not to compare it to other horror films because the Insidious franchise has transcended the horror genre and raised the bar. So it's only fair to judge and compare it to the previous films. Of all 3, this movie is probably more scary than it is creepy. It's important to understand the difference between scary and creepy though. "Scary" means that it will have moments that shock you with jump scares. "Creepy" is all about the overall feeling and atmosphere that sticks with you well after the movie is over. Unfortunately for this film, even though it will scare you, it will not linger afterwards and the fear will wear off rather soon. It's not a bad movie at all. However, it does fall victim to going back to formulaic scare tactics rather than staying consistent and evolving the horror genre as it did with the previous films. I'd say it's still well worth the watch because it's still an above average horror film and MUCH better than Poltergeist. -_-
If you're in the mood for a scary movie, this makes for a good watch either for the matinee price or at home.

The Rating: 7/10



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