Focus Movie Review

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The Trailer: 

The Good: Will Smith reminds you quickly what makes you like him as an actor. His charm, wit, humor, are all on full display. Margot Robbie does a great job in her supporting role as well. Both her and Smith exhibit great onscreen chemistry together. What's great about the film is that you never really who's getting played or conned...including you the audience member. They are moments of comedic relief so it balances out the film nicely. Lastly, there are some twists and unexpected turns that will undoubtedly have you shocked.

The Bad: I think the main issue some may have about this film is that it's not what it's really portrayed to be by the trailers. You're given the impression that it's mainly a con-artist movie but it's a little bit more of a drama. While there are some cons and thievery throughout the film, there's more of a potential love story mixed in there as well. While that may not actually ruin the movie, it may go against most people's expectations.

The Reason: Finally! Will Smith rebounds from the not so great movie After Earth. From the very beginning I couldn't help but think that this movie was Hitch  starring in Ocean's Eleven. Take from that whatever you want, but overall this was very entertaining to watch. Unfortunately due to the twist ending, this is one of those types of films where you can probably only watch it one time. (Kind of like Now You See Me) I do recommend seeing this in theaters seeing as though I doubt anyone will leave after viewing with any regrets. Check it out.

The Rating: 8.5/10

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The Lazarus Effect Movie Review

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The Good: The plot had a slightly different take on horror. Without giving much away, what happens to Olivia Wilde's character is left to interpretation rather than a clear cut premise as the trailers and posters suggest.

The Bad: This wasn't really the scariest of movies and it was pretty predictable. You knew what was going to happen for the majority of the time. It's pretty basic when it comes to the plot too.

The Reason: This was a quick and basic horror film. Most of it was jump scares but nothing that will leave you with nightmares if you're an avid horror film fan. This film was like Lucy meets Freddy Kruger. It's not a horrible movie, but you could definitely wait on this to watch in the comfort of your own home. IF you decide to still go watch it, pay as little as possible to reduce possible fits of annoyance and frustration.

The Rating: 6.5/10

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The Captive Movie Review

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The Good: The story revolves around a very disturbing world that no one really wants to know or think about (especially if you're a parent). Despite the slow pace of the movie, there always seemed to be something interesting, or weird, that keeps your attention.

The Bad: One thing that seemed kind of confusing was the timing of some of the scenes. They try to do flash backs, and jump from scene to scene. However, the only way you're able to tell the dates is by seeing the age of the daughter. Outside of that, you may find yourself asking, "Wait when did this happen?" or "Is this 8 years back or a few months?". Usually in films you'll see things like a timestamp or year, or you would at least see the age difference in the characters.That's not really the case here. Also, the really slow pacing of this movie may discourage some viewers from finishing the movie. Seeing as though it's almost two hours long, that pace may have you doing a couple slow...heavy...blinks if you watch... (yawn)...late at night.

The Reason: So this is not a blockbuster film in any regard. You probably never heard of it either. This film is for the people out there who like to find random, unknown movies that show up on RedBox. It's just something to watch, when there's nothing else on to pass the time. If you're going to watch it, don't spend too much money on it.

The Rating: 6.5/10

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Get on Up Movie Review

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The Good: Chadwick Boseman does it again! I thought he was great in 42, but this film gave him the opportunity to really showcase his talent. From James Brown's southern drawl to the dance moves, it becomes really difficult to believe you weren't watching the actual James Brown on your TV. The entire supporting cast did a nice job and there honestly were just too many people to list. Overall, one of the best parts of this movie were the many classic James Brown songs and the dancing performances. I personally thought that they did a good job with the make up and costumes too. Chadwick really started looking more and more like James Brown the more you go into the movie.

The Bad: This sure was a long movie! (Or at least it felt that way) It's perfectly understandable that someone as iconic as James Brown would have a lot of story to tell, but don't be surprised if you have to watch this film in two sittings. (about 2 hrs 18mins)

The Reason: If you were like me and knew about James Brown, but didn't know his life story, then this film may be pretty interesting for you to watch. It's not really a traditional biopic because the film jumps back and forth through various highlights in Brown's life. How much of it was actually true or not, I'm not sure. Either way it was entertaining to watch. You may also appreciate director Tate Taylor's interpretations in various scenes. (They'll be pretty obvious especially with scenes of the young Brown) Overall, I definitely think that this is a perfect movie to rent, download, or add to your collection.

The Rating: 8.0/10

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Fifty Shades of Grey Movie Review

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The Good: The on-screen chemistry between Jamie Dornan (Christian Grey) and Dakota Johnson (Anastasia Steele) really seemed to work well. Grey seemed to maintain a certain level of mystery from beginning to end that manages to keep your interest. You just can't help but wonder, "What is going on with this guy?" or "What is he really hiding?". I think fans will appreciate Christian dropping his famous farewell line too. On the flip side, Anastasia shows a nice sequence of maturity and growth in her character development. Of course, the biggest highlight of this film are the erotic, sex scenes. Thankfully, the scenes were done in a very tasteful manner, and not made out to be a hardcore porn that sensational hype makes it seem. FInally, I thought that they ended the film perfectly.

The Bad: N/A

The Reason: The reason why there isn't a "BAD" listed is because it was hard for me to find anything really bad at all. The only thing I could suspect as being bad would be if they deviated from the books. Granted, I have not read the books which allow me to judge the movie on its own merit. But if I had to guess, I would say that this probably stayed true to the book and its content. I already know that fans of the books aren't going to need this review to go watch the film, so right now I'm talking to those who haven't read the books. After hearing all the hype, I can certainly understand the excitement of the fans. So don't be shy, go see this for Valentine's day, or any other date-night. When the film is over, there's definitely plenty of material to talk about. It's well worth the watch in the theaters. Call me crazy, but I have the sneaky feeling that a few stores may run out of  batteries this weekend. Lol

The Rating: 9/10

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Kingsman: The Secret Service Movie Review

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The Good: This film wastes very little time to throw you into the thick of things. It's not the amount of action that gets you, it's more so the quality of it that will draw you in. Each fight scene is like a normal action scene, but on steroids. The high-speed camera shots were a nice touch, while not losing you completely with all of the chaos going on during the scenes. (The church scene is a perfect example.)  There's rarely a dull moment either. The plot had some interesting twists that you may not see coming. You'll probably also enjoy all of the characters as well. Taron Egerton looks like he's going to have a bright future in action films. Colin Firth, Michael Caine, and others all did a nice job as supporting characters. One of my favorites was Sofia Boutella who plays Gazelle, or as I'd like to call her, "Lady Tink-Tink". Every hero needs a good villain/henchman to fight, and she stepped up to the plate quite nicely.

The Bad: While the action is certainly off the charts, and a huge part of this movie, some people may not like how animated the film gets. The film is rated R (for good reason) however, rather than staying consistent to its rating it often times goes down a whacky, cartoonish route. Some may like it, but I think others will think it deters from the movie in some regards. Also, while it's not really a huge factor at all, some people may get lost with some of the english accents and vernacular. Again, it's not a big deal, but it could be slightly distracting for some.

The Reason: I absolutely loved this film. It was fun to watch, kind of funny, and engaging in a bunch of areas. If you didn't know, it is based on Mark Millar's comic book The Secret Service: Kingsman. If I had to give you an idea of what this film was like, you could think of it as Kick Ass + James Bond + Crank. I don't think many will regret watching this, and I think it's more than worthy of watching in the theaters. Do yourself a favor and check this out sooner rather than later.

The Rating:  9.0/10

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Jupiter Ascending Movie Review

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The Good: The absolute best thing about this film are the visuals. From beginning to end, the 3D special effects will simply captivate you. The Wachowskis (directors of the Matrix Trilogy) do a superb job of really bringing to life original alien worlds. They even managed to make those traditional big head aliens we're all accustomed to seeing really look creepy. Overall, if you watch the film in 3D be prepared for a visual buffet for your eyes. Oh, and Channing Tatum wasn't half bad either with his action scenes and those really cool boots.

The Bad: The story was just blah and all over the place. There were no real twists or turns that keep your interest or keep you guessing. It's a pretty basic story line that honestly holds this movie back in many regards. In other words, if they played this movie on mute, it would probably be slightly better.

The Reason: I suppose you could think of this movie as Cinderella meets the 5th Element with a sprinkle of Star Wars. I hardly see this movie going down in history as one of those sci-fi cult classics or anything. I do think that if you are interested in seeing this film then watching it in the theaters, in 3D, for the matinee price, is the best way to go. It just seems that if you wait to watch it on a regular tv then you'll be missing out on the visual experience. IMAX 3D is NOT necessary and NOT worth the cost in my opinion.

The Rating: 7.0/10

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Fury Movie Review

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The Good: The individual characters probably stand out the most for this film. Brad Pitt's character is, of course, the most intriguing. You didn't know whether to hate, respect, or feel sad for him in different parts of the movie. Shia LaBeouf, Jon Bernthal and Michael Peña had really good chemistry with one another. Logan Lerman's character almost steals the show, and you can't help but to feel some level of sympathy for his character. When the characters are together, they each find a way to show some interesting insights of the toll of war. Besides the characters, it was also interesting to see the tank warfare. Each conflict was uniquely intense; even with the Star Wars colored gunfire. The last scene was especially suspenseful and will have you tensing up until the very end.

The Bad: It was actually kind of difficult to find anything bad about the film with out being nit-picky.

The Reason: If I had to give you an idea of which films came to mind when watching this, I'd have to say this was like Inglourious Basterds + 300, except with a more serious tone. The deeper you get into the movie, the harder it is to pull away. There's just always something interesting, or strange, or curious that will keep you engaged. Kudos to director David Ayer (End of Watch, Training Day) for really doing a good job on that note. While I don't regret not seeing this in theaters when it came out, I think it would be a mistake not to see this movie. It's a really good movie that deserves to be rented, downloaded or bought. Either way just see it!

The Rating: 9.0/10

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The Boy Next Door Movie Review

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The Good: Guys will probably really enjoy the constant, intentional reminders of Jennifer Lopez's "best asset " throughout the entire movie. Don't worry ladies, you get your fair share of eye candy with Ryan Guzman too. There's a great deal of suspense once you finally get to the halfway point of the movie. Guzman's character gets pretty intense and crazy, but that's not the most interesting part. What is interesting to watch are the depths he goes to continue his obsession with J-Lo's character.

The Bad: You'll probably predict a good majority, if not all, of the entire movie. So much so, that you'll probably think that you saw this same film in the 1990's.

The Reason: You already know what's going to happen, but it still doesn't take away any the suspense. This may be better suited as the type of movie you watch on DVD or download in the comfort of your own home. If you did want to go out to see it though, I would recommend going during matinee hours or whenever your local theater is doing a special weekday deal.


The Rating: 6.5/10

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Project Almanac Movie Review

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The Good: Even though it's been done before, the 1st person camera view for the entire movie is a nice touch. Seeing everything from that one camera really adds to the realness of the film. Story line is interesting, and there are some moments (not a lot) of comedic relief with some of the "time trials" the main characters go through. (The Chemistry class scene is rather funny) It's nice to tag along with the teens to see how they try to make all of their dreams come  via time travel. That's probably because most of the things they do, you would do too.

The Bad: Majority of the story line seems like something we've already seen. If you've watched any other time travel movie then you'll obviously predict the golden rule: You shouldn't time travel or else!

The Reason: This movie reminded me of Looper + The ButterFly Effect + Chronicle. It's not a must watch by any means, but for those of you who love a good time travel movie, this one is not bad. If there's nothing in the theaters to watch, I'd say save your money by watching this as a matinee or go when your theater is doing a $5 Tuesday special or something. Otherwise, you can probably wait for this on DVD.

The Rating: 6.5/10

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