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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