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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***

Thursday, September 24, 2015

Sicario Movie Review (2015)

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The Trailer
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The Good:

The collection of actors in this film work together in a great way. We're taken down the rabbit hole through Emily Blunt's character, only having some of the mysteries unravel as the movie progresses. Josh Brolin's character will draw some curiosity due to his nonchalant attitude and unorthodoxed methods. It's just hard to figure out whether he's good or bad. For the entire duration of the movie, Benicio Del Toro's character ("Alejandro") is probably the most mysterious and intriguing character. You'll be wondering about his true identity and his motives for the majority of the film. As for the story, it's pretty interesting given the fact that you're kept in the dark along with Blunt's character, and it blurs the line of many morally gray situations. 

The Bad:

Some moments in the film use a bit too much "government jargon". There was a certain reveal, or twist, in the story that gets explained but it's muddled up with all of the "government talk". They throw in a bunch of legal stipulations and terms, that seem to overcomplicate what happened in the story. It would have been better had some scenes just been explained in layman's terms. Lastly, the film is slowly paced, which will make it feel like it's longer than it actually is. (2 hour runtime)

The Reason:

This film can be summed up as the Netflix Original series Narcos (which I recommend) + Zero Dark Thirty. If you're a fan of movies about the Mexican drug cartel, and the government's "war on drugs", then this movie is right up your alley. There was a nice blend of mystery and suspense, mixed with with some intense action scenes. If the trailer interests you, you'll like the movie. If it doesn't appeal to you, then you probably wouldn't like these niche types of movies anyway. So you can use your best judgement. However, in my book, Sicario was a good movie, and worth seeing.

The Rating: 7.5/10

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Saturday, September 19, 2015

Black Mass Movie Review (2105)

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The Trailer:


The Good
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Johnny Depp finally plays a non-kooky, weird, animated type of character and simply delivers in this role as "Whitey Bulger". He is menacing, terrifying, and captivating whenever he's on the screen. It's probably safe to say that the "Dinner scene" was probably the most intense and suspenseful moment of the movie. Besides Depp, almost every single supporting actor in this film does a really great job of making their characters stand out in their own unique way. Some of the most engaging moments are when the characters don't even speak, and their body language alone speaks volumes. (Signs of great acting.) The film is gritty and the plot is just overall interesting, especially for those who aren't familiar with the story of Whitey Bulger.

The Bad
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There are only two things that I think some people may find fault within this movie. 1.) It felt kind of long (2 hours) due to some of the slow pacing of the movie. 2.) Some people just may not like this genre of "Boston gangster" films.

The Reason
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If I had to compare, I'd say Black Mass is like a combination of The Departed + American Hustle. I'd probably say that Black Mass could better be described as "The Departed-Lite". It's a really good movie, filled with a lot of talented actors, who all do a great job overall. I think this could easily be Johnny Depp's long awaited comeback movie, given the fact that (outside of Pirates of the Caribbean) his last great movie was 14 years ago. (Blow). Dare I say, Depp may even get nomination considerations for this role too. Either way, I'd recommend this as worthy of being seen in theaters, especially if you enjoy these mobster type of movies.

The Rating: 8/10




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Friday, September 18, 2015

Maze Runner The Scorch Trials Movie Review (2015)

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YouTube



The Good:

One thing's for sure, this movie was all over the place when it came to the action and suspense. There was rarely a dull moment. If there was, it was only to set you up for the next intense action sequence that was about to unfold. You literally feel as though you're taken on a wild adventure as the main characters travel from location to location. Each time we're given a different sense of danger, or a different enemy, or some other thrilling obstacle to watch them overcome. It was very enjoyable to see that they didn't recycle and repeat the same action scenes (such as running to a door and narrowly making it through). Without giving anything away, be on the look out for those "Cranks"! The Cranks are one of the most thrilling and creepy additions to watch. They also provide plenty of well timed jump-scares. Lastly, you can expect the many mysteries of the story to keep you both intrigued and guessing from beginning to end.

The Bad:
There were times when this movie seemed a little too "High School", and felt ridiculously similar to Divergent, Insurgent or even The Hunger Games. (The cafeteria scene comes to mind) If you're the impatient type, then you may get a little annoyed with how much the story will constantly pull you deeper in, but only answer some of your questions. Not to mention the fact that the story in this sequel will raise even more questions than the previous film did. I also personally found the character of "Teresa", played by Kaya Scodelario, to be kind of annoying. (You'll know why) -_-

The Reason:
Three movies that come to mind when describing this movie are The Maze Runner + Mad Max: Fury Road + this movie *SPOILER ALERT*. (Don't click if you don't like spoilers) I think it's very easy to say that this sequel is a lot better than the previous Maze Runner. (Read my Maze Runner Review here) As I did before, I came into this movie without reading any of the Maze Runner books, and I'm certainly happy that I didn't. I've heard from others, who have read the books, that the movie was different, so I don't think it will spoil a lot for fans of the book series. Either way, The Scorch Trails is fun, entertaining, thrilling and an exciting film overall. The sequel picks up right where the last one left off, so if your memory is sketchy about what happened, or who certain people are, then a refresh won't hurt. You can either rewatch the last 30 mins of The Maze Runner, or you can just catch up by reading the wiki here. Please go watch this. I think you'll more than enjoy it. Oh  and go watch the previous Maze Runner too while you're at it, if you haven't already.

The Rating: 9/10



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The Perfect Guy Movie Review (2015)




The Trailer:



The Good:

You get exactly what you expect from the trailers. Michael Ealy does a pretty good job of playing the psycho stalker in this role. There were some moments of high suspense throughout as we are shown just how crazy Ealy's character really was. For the most part, his character was the most interesting. Sanaa Lathan also did a nice job of playing a relatable character who I think many women could probably identify with her situation. (You know, having a guy be one way the first day, then become something completely different the next. Ignore the crazy stalking stuff.) One thing that was enjoyable, was the small subtle twist in the relationship between Ealy and Lathan's characters towards the end of the movie.

The Bad


The story is ridiculously easy to predict. There's very little room to be surprised with the majority, if not all, of the movie.

The Reason
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The Perfect Guy is probably exactly what you think it is. There's nothing flashy or special about it. I think you could easily compare this to movies like  No Good Deed and The Boy Next Door. (Click those links to see my past reviews) You know exactly what's going to happen. The thing is, you're coming into this movie to see just how crazy does Ealy's character go, and how does Lathan's character react. Oh, and I suppose some of you ladies may be interested in Morris Chestnut taking his shirt off. (That's pretty much the majority of his contribution to this movie) Despite the fact that this movie entirely predictable, it was still actually enjoyable to watch. You already know, based off the trailer, if you would be interested in this movie. So rather than me recommending you to see it or not, I'd say go off the trailer. It's not a horrible movie, in my opinion, and it's an okay "date night matinee" (or Redbox) flick for me.

The Rating: 7/10




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Thursday, September 10, 2015

The Visit Movie Review (2015)




YouTube:


The Good
:


The most surprising thing about this movie was how it uniquely found a way to be scary, but still include funny moments throughout the film. It knew when to be funny, and when to be scary, without mixing the two together. The scary parts will provide quite a few jump-scares, and in some scenes they will simply disturb you. The young boy, "Tyler" (played by Ed Oxenbould ), will quickly become a favorite in this film with his various remarks, "swearing",  and "skills". I think it's fair to say that "Nana", played by Deanna Dunagan, does a really good job of playing the crazy grandma given all the versatile things she did in the movie. For some, the plot twist in the story will be mild, but good nevertheless.

The Bad:

As we've come to know from director M. Night Shyamalan (The 6th Sense, Signs), the "big twist" is to be expected. Because of that, if you're an over-analyzer of movies like me, you'll probably see the twist coming from a mile away. So in that aspect, the story is mildly predictable. (That doesn't ruin the movie though) Many of the scary scenes you'll see coming, and for the most part are not terrifying to the point that will give you nightmares. It's very generic horror and scare tactics that we've seen before.

The Reason:

Okay, so here's the real deal about this movie. M. Night Shyamalan is known for having a really bad reputation for putting out movies like Lady in the Water, The Village, The Happening, and others. He started off great with The 6th Sense and Signs, but since then, audiences have been generally disappointed. Luckily for The Visit, this movie was not one of his bad films. It was disturbingly funny and scary at the same time. This film is like his "makeup movie" to audiences. For example, in a relationship, if a guy messes up and constantly disappoints his girlfriend, he may give her flowers as an apology. Now the girlfriend may like the flowers, but that doesn't mean the boyfriend is completely forgiven. Shyamalan is in the same boat. The Visit is his "flowers" to audiences. We'll take it, but he's still got a lot more work to do to make up for all the other not-so-great movies he's given us.

Take caution if you decide to see it. It's a unique movie. Not a hollywood blockbuster by any means, but I wouldn't be surprised if many would enjoy it. To see this movie I recommend: Go in with low expectations, pay the matinee price, and go with a friend or date. (You'll want to talk about it afterwards)

The Rating: 7/10



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Friday, September 4, 2015

Transporter Refueled Movie Review (2015)

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The Trailer
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The Good
:


Ed Skrein
, who plays "Frank Martin Jr", does a nice job of giving us his own version of the Transporter. In other words, he doesn't come in as a replacement Jason Statham. It was kind of like how you have different Bond characters who bring their own flavor to the table. For all of you action junkies, get ready for tons of chase scenes, and plenty of fights where the Transporter seems to have the odds stacked against him. Lastly, this time around we're given a little more insight about Frank Jr's character as we see him interact with his father Frank Sr., played by Ray Stevenson. Their onscreen chemistry worked out nicely.

The Bad
:


This movie must've taken notes straight out of the pages of Fast and the Furious because so many scenes were terribly unrealistic. Even though with most action films you give them a pass, some of the scenes may just have you rolling your eyes. In this movie's case, the writing is just inexcusable. It failed numerous times to explain why or how it was Frank Jr gets caught up in random fights. I mean it was literally like they ran out of ideas on how to smoothly transition into a believable fight scene.  Instead it went something like this: "Frank walks in. Random thugs appear. FIGHT!" In the previous Transporter films, trouble found Statham's character in a somewhat meaningful way. In Transporter Refueled, some of the fight scenes just felt extremely generic, cliche, and unbelievable. (And that's by action movie standards.) Worst of all, the big finale scene was a kind of anticlimactic. I couldn't tell if the fight was supposed to be funny or just sad.

The Reason
:


If you're a fan of great looking Audi cars, then you may like this movie. Most of the movie felt like watching an extended car commercial for Audi. Hell, I want an Audi now. (But the way my bank account is set up...) :-/  To be honest, I'm not really sure why this movie was created to be a reboot in the first place. Yes, a reboot, which means don't expect Jason Statham to show up. I don't think that I could find a way to recommend this to people to go see, and that includes even for the matinee price. If this comes on TV (probably TNT), then it'll be worth a watch. In the mean time, you can find better things to do.

The Rating: 6/10

BONUS:

Check this out! I was recently featured on a podcast by a prominent Chicago film critic, Ian Simmons, from Kicking The Seat. We got a chance to sit down and chat about this film in a little more detail. You can listen to the podcast here. (Be warned, this chat does contain spoilers) Guys...I'm almost famous. Momma, I made it! :-)





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