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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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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Predestination Movie Review

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The Good: Without giving anything away, I think Sarah Snook did a nice job with her character's role. The film introduces a new twist in the time-travel genre. It's really interesting to see the complexity of time travel, without completely going over your head. The concept in itself is probably the most intriguing aspect because it'll have you still thinking about what really happened, or could have happened. (Chicken or the Egg?) There are some mild plot twists that will take the story down a very interesting path.

The Bad: Unfortunately, the mild plot twists weren't really concealed very well. You'll probably start to catch on sooner rather than later just what exactly is happening (or happened). Maybe it's the writing, but if you pay attention, there are so many clues dropped by the characters. However, this could be because I saw the trailer, and it may have given away a little too much information. I would advise NOT watching the trailer, but for those of you who like to go against the grain here it is.  Lastly, as with most time-travel movies, it can get rather confusing for many people. The film introduces a few different time-traveling theories, that the average person may not be really familiar with.

The Reason: This was actually based on the short story, "All you Zombies" by Robert A. Heinlein. (Do NOT read up on this short story or else it will ruin the movie!) The two movies that come to mind when I watched this were Looper and Splice. Yes, Splice. (You'll see the connection if you have the guts to watch Splice.) While Ethan Hawk has made some decent films (The Purge), this movie may not be for everyone. If you enjoyed Looper, or even another time-travel movie like Primer, then you may enjoy this. If you're like me, and haven't majored in quantum physics, then maybe reading this site about the plot may help.

The Rating: 6.5/10

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Lincoln Review

The Good: An excellent display of acting from Daniel Day Lewis. He has you believing he's Abraham Lincoln from beginning to end. The story is pretty much during the Civil war and after the Emancipation Proclamation was passed. It shows more of an insider's look at the politics behind what it took to get the 13th amendment (to abolish slavery) ratified. It also shows President Lincoln's political genius in how he manipulated the political parties to achieve his goal for abolishing slavery. How historically accurate that may be, I cannot say however. Oh and Tommy Lee Jones comes in, surprisingly, and almost runs away with the show. His portrayal of Thaddeus Stevens was definitely worthy of Best Supporting actor nomination for the Oscars in my opinion.

The Bad: If you're not into politics then this movie is definitely not for you. The political dialogue is long, and sometimes hard to follow. (Subtitles may be your best friend for this) Took me about 3 tries to finish the movie. The back and forth from both political parties felt like I was watching the 1860's version of Fox News vs msnbc.

The Reason: While this was a solid movie, I'm hard pressed to believe that the average movie goer will go for this. I think that movie purists will definitely love it, and give it the due credit that it so rightfully deserves. I'd say it's rent worthy if you REALLY want to see it.

The Rating: 8/10

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The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete Review (2014)

The Good: Really nice performances from Skylan Brooks (Mister) and Jennifer Hudson. They do a pretty nice job of portraying the dynamics of a strained mother/child relationship affected by drug use and poverty. I suppose if I have to say something good about Anthony Mackie I'd say he did a great job at looking like NBA star James Harden in this film.

The Bad: The character development of many of the supporting cast just didn't seem well grounded. For example Jordin Sparks' character seemed to just pop out of nowhere, and her friendship with Mister just didn't come off as natural. Seemed like the director just put her in the movie as a favor or something. Not only was the character development lacking, but so were many other issues in the story itself. There seemed to be more holes in the overall story than actual resolutions. (e.g. The store keeper's actions at the end, or Anthony Mackie's character entirely)

The Reason: This wasn't an entirely bad movie to watch, but it wasn't something you could plan your night around either. It has some rather depressing or sad issues that it deals with, so it's far from a "pick me up" type of movie. This would movie would probably be best for someone who's taking a sociology class or someone who can relate to being in the inner city. It's on Netflix and is ONLY worth the watch if you like the trailer. It is also available on DVD here as well. Otherwise, you're not missing much if you don't see this.

The Rating: 6/10

Django Unchained Review

The Good:   There was blood, comedy, drama, and more blood. ALL of the actors did a phenomenal job.  Samuel L. Jackson and his "Stevie" character (may as well have been Uncle Rukus from the The Boondocks) will definitely have you either hating him or laughing. There is a lot of use of the N-word and such, but people must keep in mind that this movie was done with the intent of it being during one of the most UGLY times in American (if not even human) history...AND it was in the South of all places.

The Bad: I honestly had the hardest time finding something negative to say about the movie.

The Reason: I'd like to address all the controversy about this movie...(constant use of the N-word, physical abuse, and such) STOP it. All of that is unnecessary, and I'd say unfounded. There was more physical abuse in The Passion of the Christ, and probably just as many N-bombs in any Ice Cube Friday movie. And if someone were to mention the "race card" of a beaten black slave seeking revenge on evil slave masters, then I'd love to hear the out cry for the abused women in movies who are herald as heroines when they seek revenge on those who have done them wrong. ( Kill Bill, Enough, etc)

Simply great! Just think of Kill Bill meets Roots and that pretty much sums this movie up. This was yet another CLASSIC Quentin Tarantino film. This is a DEFINITE must watch. If racial issues bother you, you may want to steer clear of this. Buy it, download it, whatever. Just see this!

The Rating: 10/10

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