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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, May 28, 2015

Ex Machina (2015) Movie Review


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The Good: The unique plot of this film is probably one that will have you wondering and thinking throughout the film, and maybe even after. It's interesting to see how the film consistently makes you question the various characters' motivations too. You never really know who, or what, to trust. All three of the main characters draw you into them in some unique way. Caleb (played by Domhnall Gleeson) will have you share his journey down the rabbit hole. Nathan (played by Oscar Issac) does a good job of blurring the lines of being either a good or bad guy because his actions and intentions are completely left to interpretation. One of the most intriguing characters is obviously Ava (played by Alicia Vikander). The CGI used on her character is amazing, and every time she's onscreen, you can't help but to be fixated on her. A further highlight to her character is that she may also challenge you on whether she passes the "Turing Test" or not. (Turing Test is basically a test that determines whether or not Artificial Intelligence would pass compared to that of a normal person's personality/mind.) That level of wonderment and engagement will keep you locked in until the very end.

The Bad: While this may be a very well written story, the pacing of this film just feels really slow. I wouldn't recommend making this a late night watch because you may be catching some Z's like yours truly did. This also pushes the limits of science fiction with just how much they do blur the lines of humanity and robots with artificial intelligence. In other words, it may just be a little too weird for people who aren't used this level of science fiction.

The Reason: This isn't the type of movie that the casual or average movie goer will dive right into. It's not full of action or suspense on a level that will get your heart racing either. What this movie will do is get you thinking, wondering, second guessing, poking your arm, touching your face, and thinking some more. I wouldn't recommend paying for this in theaters because it really isn't theater worthy. It's the type of movie that, if you're a true sci-fi fan, you'll enjoy in the comfort of your own home. You can rent or download it. Oh, and I hear that the books are pretty good, even though I personally have not read them.

The Rating: 7/10


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Friday, May 22, 2015

Poltergeist (2015) Movie Review


The Trailer: 

The Good: Similar to the movie Insidious, this film presents a nice, creepy interpretation of the spirit world. It also tries in many ways to pay homage to the original Poltergeist (1982) film. You'll notice some memorable scare tactics are used and some quotes as well. The film also makes a decent attempt at utilizing the 3D special effects in combination with the scary scenes.

The Bad: This was what I call, "ABC-123 Horror". It followed the typical formula of the horror movies we're already accustomed to, and that takes away a lot of the scare factor. You'll see the setups for the scary parts coming a mile away. They'll still get you with a jump scare, but you won't be having any nightmares later that night. (Unless you're afraid of clown dolls. If you are, you're screwed.) The movie also has some points where it tries to lighten the mood with very subtle humor, but it only further distracts from the overall feel of horror. There are some scenes that seem to have some serious potential for being really creepy and then...nothing. (Kind of reminds me of this).  Carrigan Burke (played by Jared Harris) serves as the spiritual expert in this film, but falls short of filling the shoes of the late Zelda Rubinstein. (You'll miss her famous line even more now.) Last but not least, I cannot forget to mention the characters. One minute they seem rational and brave, and the next minute they're just stupid. The kids are all bad and annoying. I'll just say this... I couldn't be their parent. -_-

The Reason: One would think that this film would be modernized for this generation but sadly it just doesn't come close. It almost seemed like the film was stuck on using 1990's horror tactics, and not even come close to the likes of The Conjuring, for example. The jump scares are there, but again, you get over them rather quickly. I feared that this film had much more expectations riding on it due to it's hype back in the 80's. The movie just misses the mark at being a solid horror, and I expect it will sadly be forgotten rather quickly. If you do decide to go see it in theaters, (which I'm not recommending), see it as a matinee. Oh, and save your money on the 3D. It just wasn't enough to justify even the few extra dollars. On second thought, I'm not sure I'd recommend this even as a watch at home/rental/download. Just writing this review is making me feel even more disappointed. *sigh*

The Rating: 6/10



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Friday, May 15, 2015

Mad Max: Fury Road Movie Review


The Trailer:

The Good: Oh there's just so much action in here it's just maddening! (Get it?) There is literally non-stop action from beginning to end, and luckily director George Miller is generous enough to give you about 20-30 mins of breaks to catch your breath. The car chases are bigger, badder, and more explosive than anything I've seen on the big screen to date. Tom Hardy does an adequate job of taking up the mantle of Max. Charlize Theron on the other hand, dare I say, almost steals the show with her performance. You may find yourself gravitating to her character more than you would to Max. The cinematography was exceptional in the fact that the shaky camera shots will make you feel as though you're also losing your mind along with the characters on screen. The 3D was done in a simplistic way that isn't overkill, and doesn't get lost as the film progresses.

The Bad: While Charlize was great, it almost seemed as though Max's character takes a "back seat" to her throughout the film. (Oh I'm feeling very punny today! "Back seat"...You love it.) While the action films are INTENSE and all in your face, sometimes there's so much going on you may feel like your brain is just overloading. Don't get me wrong, it fits in perfectly with the theme of this film (everybody is MAD/Crazy) but a few of the action scenes are shot so fast that it may be difficult to process what's happening. It's not a big deal though.

The Reason: Confession: I had not watched any of the previous Mad Max films until just this week. (I know, I know. Forgive me.) I made it a point to watch Max Mad (1979), which was like a prequel, and Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, which was a much better sequel. (You can skip/forget Mad Max 3: Beyond Thunderdome) If you're not familiar with Mad Max, you could liken this movie to what would happen if Fast and the Furious were to happen in a post-apocalyptic world, surrounded entirely by desert. I would caution the average movie goer who's new to this series before watching this film. This movie serves as a good stand alone for the Mad Max franchise, because it gives you just enough bits and pieces of Max's backstory so that you're not completely lost. However, unless you watch the previous films I mentioned, you simply won't have as much of a connection and appreciation for what was done with this film. Let me put it this way. This film is a really, really good action film. (If you don't know about the previous films.) But it is an AWESOME "Mad Max film" within it's own right. The cult following may just deem it "epic". I think that if you're a Mad Max fan, and you choose skip watching it in theaters, then you're doing yourself a great disservice. The 3D, big screen, and enhanced audio is the best way to view this, in my opinion.  The audience member sitting next to me said after the film, "Wow, I felt like I just got off a rollercoaster!". And that sums up this movie perfectly. Mad Max isn't just a great action film, it's an EXPERIENCE! Go see it.

The Rating: 9/10

Mad Max: Fury Road
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Friday, May 1, 2015

Marvel Avengers: Age of Ultron Movie Review

Image by IMPawards.com
The Trailer: 

The Good: The film starts of with exactly what you want to see. Super hero action galore! Unlike the previous Avengers film, the super-powered team-ups were one of the best highlights to the action. As seen from the trailers, you can believe that the Hulk vs Hulkbuster fight will live up to the hype. (Think of Superman vs Zod in Man of Steel, but you could actually visually make out the action.)

This time around, we get a bit more development with the under utilized characters. Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) is much more relatable, and  Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) both develop their character's struggles by piggy backing off one another.  Both Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) were introduced with a more realistic explanation of their "special abilities" compared to other comic book films. One thing that stood out with Quicksilver was that he's not ridiculously overpowered like the Quiksilver in X-Men Days of the Future Past.

As for the plot, there is A LOT going on; Old characters, new characters, new villains, setups for future movies, all within the time frame of a little under 3 hours.  Director Joss Whedon seemed to actually juggle and hold it all together. (Think the complete opposite of the Spider-Man 3 movie.) Lastly, there was a lot more comedy throughout the film. The banter, side comments and running jokes from the characters were quite enjoyable.

The Bad: Ultron (James Spader) never seemed to reach his full potential of badness. It seemed like he was more interested in playing mind games, than actually following through with his devious plans. He seemed much more menacing in the trailers than he did in the movie. Some of the action was a bit too fast paced. Similar to Man of Steel, it was a little difficult to keep up with all of the fast moving action on screen. This is being said under the consideration that it was viewed in IMAX 3D, in which case the glasses may have played a bigger role. (So take that with a grain of a salt) During some of the more tense, action filled moments, there were some comedic scenes. They weren't terrible, because they still made you laugh, however, it took away from the tense vibe the drama/action was building up to. Some of the comedic scenes seemed like bloopers that should've been deleted.

The Reason:
I know what you're thinking: "Was this better than the first Avengers film or not?" To answer that I will say, NO...because it's different. The one thing that the previous film has over this film is the fact that Avengers 1 was the first of its kind. The originality factor is huge and will always solidify its place in movie history. Now as for this film, it was incredibly successful at being a great sequel. It took all the good stuff you loved and gave you more of it. It also did a good job of bridging the gap for future films to come. This movie, I believe, is made to viewed in the theaters, or else you'll miss out on much of the visual experience. One way to save some money is to see it in REAL 3D, and not in IMAX 3D. Reason being is that this is a long movie. With the REAL 3D version, if you tilt your head, or change positions in the seats, your glasses won't blur the movie. Oh and there's only ONE mid-credit scene to wait for, so don't bother wasting your time for another scene at the very end of the credits. So is this film epic? Probably not so much. Is it worth the watch? Absolutely! Why are you still reading this? Click the big button below and buy your tickets!

The Rating: 8.5/10


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