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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***

Saturday, January 28, 2017

Resident Evil: The Final Chapter Movie Review

The Trailer:
The Good:
Milla Jovovich once again solidifies herself as a legit action star. There were a couple of notable scenes where she gets to show off her kick-butt skills. As you can come to expect with these films there are a couple of jump scares to keep you on your toes. Luckily you'll probably see them coming so you won't have too bad of a heart attack.

Unlike the more recent Resident Evil films, The Final Chapter actually does a nice job of drawing from the same style and feel of the first film. As you can probably see from the trailer, the story comes full circle. As a matter of fact, the plot is more sound compared to the last couple of movies. We do get a couple of twists in the story and some interesting connections revealed at the end.

The visuals for this film were also a highlight. There's plenty of action and gore with the zombie creatures. The combination of zombies and explosions give the impression that this film definitely had a higher budget and wasn't afraid to let loose.

The Bad
:

Right off the bat, the biggest disappointment I had with this film was that it merely skips the huge battle that culminated at the end of Resident Evil: Retribution. While the film does try to catch you up with a little bit of narration covering all of the previous films, starting the movie without even showing the big fight scene was a little discouraging. Another issue was the pacing of time within the movie itself. At one point in the movie, time is quickly running down, and then towards the end time simply crawls (despite a lot of events taking place.)

Another disappointment was the character of "Wesker". In the previous two films, Wesker was a formidable opponent and villain. Without going into too much detail, he was a completely wasted character. I don't even know why he was in the film. -_-

The Reason
:

If you've been invested in watching the previous five films, I know what you may be thinking. "Was this better than the first two movies?". Well I think it's safe to say that the first two Resident Evil films were easily the best of the franchise, and The Final Chapter comes right into 3rd place. It wasn't as good as the first two films, but it wasn't as bad as the last three. If there was ever a The Walking Dead  movie directed by Michael Bay, Resident Evil: The Final Chapter would be it. 

I saw the film in standard 2D and not in 3D. I didn't feel like I missed a thing, so if you want to save some money don't feel overly pressured to see it in 3D. I do think that it's worth the watch in theaters at a discounted price or matinee at the very best. I don't believe that fans of the series will be disappointed in this.

The Rating: 7/10

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My [Loosely based] Ratings scale
10-9 = A Must watch at any cost. 
8.5- 7.5 = Theater worthy 
7-6.5 = Matinee/rental worthy at best
6 = Watchable (If it's free)
5 - below = Avoid at all costs

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Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Split Movie Review

The Trailer:
The Good:
It certainly looked like James McAvoy really put some serious effort into making these characters work. It's difficult enough for any actor to portray a believable character, but to be able to clearly distinguish between alternate personalities within seconds is just really good acting in itself. Every time McAvoy is on the screen, he's clearly the most interesting person that grabs your attention.

One thing I appreciated about the film were the educational moments. Since the movie does deal with a mental disorder, it was really interesting to hear about the potential theories surrounding the mental illness that may go beyond our normal understanding. It was a great way blurring the lines of normal psychology with that of maybe even the supernatural.

Another aspect of the film that I appreciated was the uniqueness of both the themes and message of the movie. I like to give credit for originality in films, so whether I actually agree with the message/theme is irrelevant. I just like the fact that the movie attempts to communicate something different to help it stand out.

Best of all, director/writer M. Night Shyamalan returns with yet again another classic twist. Obviously, I don't want to ruin that big reveal, so the only thing I'll say is that if you're not familiar with M. Night Shyamalan's movies, then you'll probably miss the significance of the big surprise.

The Bad:
The movie deals with some pretty heavy subject matter. More specifically it deals with abuse (sexual, physical, mental, etc.) While the issues that are explored are disturbing to some degree, it was a little awkward to continuously see the main actresses portrayed in certain situations. Just keep in mind that the main three girls are supposed to be playing high school students, but often times they're placed in situations that are just awkward or uncomfortable to watch. There were even some questionable camera shots that make you just wonder "of all the places to zoom in on her, why there?".

Aside from the moments of awkwardness, the majority of the movie is kind of predictable. Some of the characters do things that are just plain dumb, but we all know they have to be dumb to make the movie interesting.

The Reason
:

The concern about M. Night going overboard with the unexpected plot reveals or crazy stories can probably now be laid to rest. It appears that the director has taken a more settled approach of surprising audiences and it's apparent in Split. In M. Night's last film, The Visit (Video Review), we see a similar safe approach to main stream audiences too.

If you've been cautious to seeing M. Night films, or if you've been overly scarred from his previous films, then consider Split as a make-up film. Yes, there are some eye rolling moments, but overall the movie is pretty solid. I'd recommend giving it a watch especially if you're a fan of his earlier work.

The Rating: 7.5/10

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My [Loosely based] Ratings scale
10-9 = A Must watch at any cost. 
8.5- 7.5 = Theater worthy 
7-6.5 = Matinee/rental worthy at best
6 = Watchable (If it's free)
5 - below = Avoid at all costs

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Tuesday, January 24, 2017

A Cure For Wellness GIVEAWAY

The Trailer:

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CHICAGO: Here's your chance to see the mystery thriller film A Cure For Wellness early and FREE! I've got a limited number of passes to see the film February 02, 2017, at 7:30pm in downtown Chicago. HURRY, these tickets go super fast and they are first come, first serve.

Be sure to arrive early because the screenings are overbooked intentionally to fill maximum capacity. Seating is not guaranteed, so again ARRIVE EARLY!

Screening Location:
Kerasotes Showplace ICON
150 W Roosevelt Rd
Chicago, IL 60605
Time: 7:30pm CST

LINK:   A Cure For Wellness Studio Code

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About the Movie:
Release date: February 17, 2017 (USA)
Director: Gore Verbinski
Cinematography: Bojan Bazelli
Production company: Regency Enterprises
Story by: Gore Verbinski, Justin Haythe

Plot: An ambitious young executive is sent to retrieve his company's CEO from an idyllic but mysterious "wellness center" at a remote location in the Swiss Alps. He soon suspects that the spa's miraculous treatments are not what they seem.