Regression

Directed and Written by : Alejandro Amenábar  
Starring : Ethan Hawke, Emma Watson, David Thewlis, David Dencik  
Release Date : October 1, 2015  

In all honesty, I wanted to see "Regression" because Emma Watson is in it; most famously known for her role as Hermoine Granger in the Harry Potter series. The movie isn't primarily about her role as Angela Gray however, but her plot is the focal point of the main character's story. The main character being Bruce Kenner, a local police detective played by Ethan Hawke, who gets heavily involved with her case, which involves subject matters such as satanic cults, conspiracies, and rape. Some people might think that this is a horror movie; and some scenes might justify that description, but it's really closer to a neo-noir psychological detective thriller. 

As an investigative story that deals with dark and unnerving topics, this film forces you to deal with the themes of obsession and assumptions. Because the evidence that is revealed throughout the movie has no real basis of proof, the investigation becomes a case of what the detective believes to be real or fake. We're led through several scenes were we have no idea whether it's actually the truth or a lie. This general mystery of the film is designed to be intriguing to us in the movie audience, but it's questionable as to whether it's really as interesting as it thinks it is. While I myself was generally curious to see how the story plays out until the end, the methodical pacing and the dark tone also came off as obnoxious. 

The cast for the most part are good in their roles. Ethan Hawke is effective in the role of Detective Kenner who gets obsessed in the case that puts him in a rabbit hole of confusion and frustration; which the movie audience are suppose to feel as well. David Thewlis is important to the theme of the story, as the psychoanalyst who puts a lot of stock in the evidence of the hidden memories uncovered by the psychological technique of "regression therapy." Emma Watson's character background involves the Christian belief that the Devil walks the earth, which leads to a science vs faith debate that surfaces throughout the movie. 

Based loosely on true events, "Regression" gives us a lot of fascinating topics to think about. The over-all mediocrity of the film's direction however, diffuses the strength of how interesting the story really is. Chalk this up as another example of a movie that could have been done better. 

loveditenjoyedititsokay  IT'S MEH  itsterrible

The Bronze

Directed by :  Bryan Buckley  
Written by : Melissa Rauch, Winston Rauch  
Starring : Melissa Rauch, Haley Lu Richardson, Thomas Middleditch, Gary Cole, Sebastian Stan  
Release Date :  March 18, 2016  

If people were to give medals to movies, "The Bronze" would definitely not get the gold or silver medals. I'm not saying it's a bad film; because it's not a bad film, but there's a certain mediocrity to it that prevents it from truly standing out. Most people will see this because it's main character is a foul mouthed, angry, rude, and raunchy former Olympic gymnast. I'm sure that has to be some sort of fantasy for some to imagine the traditionally wholesome gymnast to be somebody that fits the description of Hope Ann Greggory. 

From the beginning scenes, this movie immediately makes a point to show how outrageous and inappropriate it's going to be. We've got our former Olympian stealing, being verbally abusive towards her Father, and being absolutely frank about sexual matters. There is in fact a sex scene done "gymnastic style" that may or may not be what you may have imagined it to look like. It's comedy is definitely not targeted towards aspiring young gymnasts, but even though only adults should see this, it's not exactly sophisticated humor either. The over the top offensiveness can get tiring however, and often times it's just more amusing than something rightfully hilarious. 

Melissa Rauch is fantastic as Hope Ann, and she really sells how toxic her character is. As the movie moves along though, I grew to really appreciate the story arc that she goes through, and the thematic statement that she brings to the movie. This film does have a certain conventional story progression that it follows however, with the young new talent, the antagonist, the romantic interest, and the challenge that needs to be conquered. Even though there are predictable elements to the story, it still manages to go in certain directions that I didn't expect to see as well. 

"The Bronze" may not be the greatest movie about gymnastics around, but it's a welcome change to how they usually are. It's worth checking out for Melissa Rauch, and for that crazy sex scene that I won't be forgetting anytime soon. 

loveditenjoyedit  IT'S OKAY  itsmehitsterrible

Gods Of Egypt

Directed by :  Alex Proyas  
Written by :  Matt Sazama, Burk Sharpless  
Starring :  Brenton Thwaites, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Gerard Butler, Elodie Yung, Courtney Eaton  
Release Date :  February 24, 2016  

There are a lot of things to complain about "Gods Of Egypt." First and foremost is the whitewashing issue of the primary cast, which is an old Hollywood way of thinking that should really be done and over with by now. There's the ridiculous amount of scenes that involve actors in front of or running away from very sub-par green screen work. This movie also uses a lot of disappointing CGI effects and creatures that already looks poorly dated. The screenplay isn't that great either, containing some lazy writing for the dialogue. The story feels messy and clumsily told, with it's share of plot holes and flawed logic. 

Unfortunately, the characters aren't all that great in this movie either, and only adds to why this can be such a disappointment. Gerard Butler looks like he's at least having some fun hamming it up in the role of the antagonist, but the main human protagonist played by Brenton Thwaites is just so uninteresting, while Nikolaj Coster-Waldau looks like his heart isn't really in it playing the role of the God Horus. The two main female characters as played by Elodie Yung and Courtney Eaton are also pretty much just eye candy for the male audience. There is some underlying depth and complexity to these characters, but the movie doesn't really take too much advantage of that fact. 

Now even though I said all those negative things, I admit that it is far from being the worst movie I've seen. There's actually some entertainment to be found here, despite the flaws. The most positive thing I can honestly say about this film, is the world-building aspect of it. I liked this idea that these Gods are just strong men and women who are twice the size of humans, that possess magical abilities, are not immortal, and whose blood is the color of gold. This world of Egypt is also fantastically imagined, showing us different locations and facets about it's reality, from what happens when people die, to what happens when day turns to night. 

If you want to watch "Gods Of Egypt" then it's important to go in with low expectations. There are thankfully some elements about it that actually makes it qualify as a decently entertaining popcorn-flick. It's just the thought that it could have been better, makes it seem that much worse than it really is. 

loveditenjoyedititsokay  IT'S MEH  itsterrible

The Brothers Grimsby

Directed by :  Louis Leterrier  
Written by :  Sacha Baron Cohen, Phil Johnston, Peter Baynham  
Starring : Sacha Baron Cohen, Mark Strong, Isla Fisher  
Release Date :  February 24, 2016  

When I was watching "The Brothers Grimsby," there were several times where I was thinking that it was so outrageously stupid that it made me question why I bothered seeing it. Then there were several times where I was also thinking that it was so outrageously stupid that I was actually glad I did bother seeing it. There were also scenes that I thought were offensive just for the sake of being offensive, and came off as laziness. However, there were also scenes that I thought were definitely offensive, but I was glad it was as offensive as it was, and even made the movie seemed brilliant for taking it as far as it did. 

Going into this movie, it should be expected that this is a Sacha Baron Cohen film. He likes to try and push the boundaries of what makes an outrageous comedy, and this is no different. A lot of what happens in the movie are a bit nonsensical and verges on almost being a parody of itself, which isn't really that clever. Thankfully the story or it's logic isn't really as important as the comedic set pieces that this movie has. A lot of the humor in it is quite offensive, and some of it are just outright gross to watch. One things for sure, I definitely won't be forgetting some of those gross-out scenes anytime soon. Quite the highlights there. 

Directed by Louis Letterier, he does a good job in giving us a hyper kinetic pace that really kept the movie moving fast. With that said, I should mention that there are some very energetic first person point of view action sequences that might make people sick to see play out though. Mark Strong fits right in the role of a top spy, and a great action star, but at the same time he is also able to put himself in some very embarrassing comedic situations. Sacha Baron Cohen tows the line between obnoxiously idiotic to charmingly stupid, which is something he is really good at doing here. The two together is very much a typical odd couple pairing, but I did find their relationship as estranged brothers to actually be heartwarming at times. 

I don't think it should have to be said that "The Brothers Grimsby" is absolutely not made for everyone. It's sense of humor is definitely for a specific audience. In my case, I thought the comedy was a bit all over the place, but I did find a good amount of it to be quite funny anyway. 

loveditenjoyedit  IT'S OKAY  itsmehitsterrible

10 Cloverfield Lane

Directed by :  Dan Trachtenberg  
Written by :  Josh Campbell, Matthew Stuecken, Damien Chazelle  
Starring :  Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Goodman, John Gallagher Jr.  
Release Date :  March 10, 2016  

The issue with a movie like "10 Cloverfield Lane" is that it relies a lot on secrets. It expects people going into it to have preconceived notions on what it's about, then takes advantage of that fact. Because of the secrecy, there's a lot of obstacles that needs to be addressed in order to write this spoiler-free review. Explaining the title of the movie is arguably a spoiler. Explaining the premise is arguably a spoiler. Explaining who these characters are is arguably a spoiler. Even the trailer for the movie does it's best towing that fine line as well.

This film definitely plays with being mysterious throughout, and that's likely influenced by Producer J.J. Abrams' "mystery box" story telling technique. That is part of the fun though, although some might consider it frustrating. From the get-go, the story only teases us on what's going on, by showing us a suspenseful and alarming sequence, that's straight out of a genre thriller. It allows us to use our own imagination on what's transpiring, before it provides an explanation. Then insert the next scene of story exposition, and character development, before moving on to the next suspenseful sequence. Repeat throughout. 

Mary Elizabeth Winstead is our surrogate character who is uncovering the mystery along with us, and does a great job playing the role of someone put in a confusing situation. John Goodman is fantastic as the person who seems to know the answers to what's going on, but also comes off as a highly suspicious character. John Gallagher Jr is pretty much the designated comic relief of the cast, and while some funny moments do exist, the movie isn't completely filled with them. Directed by Dan Trachtenberg, he does a great job of keeping us invested into wondering where this story is taking us, via conventional and unconventional plot points. 

I'm afraid to say that there will be people that will be disappointed with "10 Cloverfield Lane" and it's likely not going to be because of the movie itself, but because of expectations. As a suspenseful mystery thriller, I thought it did as good a job as it needed to be, even with the fact that it purposefully tries to manipulate our emotions and assumptions. 

lovedit  ENJOYED IT  itsokayitsmehitsterrible

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

Directed by : Glenn Ficarra, and John Requa  
Written by : Robert Carlock  
Starring : Tina Fey, Martin Freeman, Margot Robbie, Christopher Abbott  
Release Date : March 4, 2016  

Based on "The Taliban Shuffle: Strange Days in Afghanistan and Pakistan;" which is a memoir by American international journalist Kim Barker, "Whiskey Tango Foxtrot" is not your typical movie about the war in the middle east. Despite the fact that this is a loosely based adaptation of a true story, there are still some familiar character archetypes and movie plot points that does show up here. What sets this story apart is that tonally this is a "dramedy," and isn't afraid to have lighthearted takes on the war in Afghanistan and some cultural aspects about it's people. 

Tina Fey as Kim Baker; which is a slight name change from the real Kim Barker, is fantastic in the role as someone who starts the movie off as a fish out of water facing some culture shock. Her comedic timing and how she interacts with the other characters is quite entertaining to watch. The story itself kept my attention, juggling between scenes of journalists having parties in between lulls in the war, and scenes of attacks by insurgents. I thought the film however did feel a little bit rocky at times balancing between the comedic and serious moments, but I thought it more or less got it's points across. 

The writing itself also had to play around balancing the unconventional aspects of the story with the conventional. There are some unique moments that I thought were fun elements that were included in the story, like a small plot point about a certain child beggar, to a village well that always gets destroyed. On the flip side, the very familiar story points, that involve the tragedies of war, to the romantic subplots, kinda bogs down the uniqueness of the film's premise to something a bit more average in nature. 

Besides the strong performance by Tina Fey, the other aspect I really liked about "Whiskey Tango Foxtrot" is how it portrays war correspondents like they are somewhat on vacation at summer camp, even if their lives are in danger on a daily basis. I also appreciated how frank it can get during the conversational scenes. It's not necessarily a must-see movie, but it has it's good merits. 

loveditenjoyedit  IT'S OKAY  itsmehitsterrible

Zootopia

Directed by : Byron Howard, Rich Moore, Jared Bush  
Written by : Jared Bush, Phil Johnston  
Starring : Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Idris Elba, Jenny Slate, Nate Torrence  
Release Date : February 11, 2016  

One of the main highlights in "Zootopia" is the incredible world building that this movie brings. The creative team behind such animated hits from Tangled, Wreck-It-Ralph, to Big Hero 6, have created a sprawling world that imagines what a modern city would look like if it was inhabited by evolved anthropomorphic animals. From places like rural town farms, to the department of motor vehicles, and citizens like elephants working in an ice cream parlor, to a cheetah who is a radio dispatcher at a police station. There's a certain charm to how lived-in Zootopia is, that it just invites the audience to want to just stay in that world. 

The main plot of the story involves an under-appreciated but highly motivated rabbit police officer named Judy Hopps; voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin, and a clever fast talking con-artist fox named Nick Wilde, voiced by Jason Bateman. This is basically a buddy-cop movie, where two characters of very different and conflicting personalities, are forced to work together to solve a mystery, and will learn from each other in the process. Yes, it's not the most original story, and yes it does have it's fair share of expected plot tropes, but it's done very well and is highly entertaining, with some fun comedic sequences as well as good action set pieces. 

As it goes with most animated movies, there is always something that young audiences will learn from the story. The typical life lesson of pursuing your dream to be whatever you want to be, despite what other people say you should be, is very much on the nose and obviously present here. However it's the many other thematic subtext that was even more fascinating, as this story deals with subjects such as discrimination, stereo types, social class structures, fear mongering, nature vs nurture, etc... There's definitely some ideological ideas in this movie, as well as certain jokes, that I don't expect the kids to understand at all. 

While there are some heavy subject matters that "Zootopia" plays around with, it shouldn't distract from the fact that this is a fantastic movie, with two lead characters that have great chemistry, in a well developed and very imaginative world. It's such a fun movie, and I want to see more! 

LOVED IT  enjoyedititsokayitsmehitsterrible

London Has Fallen

Directed by : Babak Najafi  
Written by : Creighton Rothenberger, Katrin Benedikt, Christian Gudegast, and Chad St. John  
Starring : Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman  
Release Date : March 02, 2016  

Although "London Has Fallen" is a sequel to "Olympus Has Fallen," it actually can completely stand on it's own as an action movie that involves a Secret Service Agent, that's protecting the US President, on foreign soil, while under terrorist attack. It has a very simple plot, and is purely meant to entertain the audience by it's action sequences. Judging it on it's own merit, it's a standard, unremarkable, and generally forgettable action thriller. Now if you're judging it as the sequel that it is, then it's a rather disappointing follow up. 

Just like it's predecessor, this movie has a huge cast of actors, from Morgan Freeman, Angela Bassett, Radha Mitchell, Robert Forster, Jackie Earle Haley, to Melissa Leo. Unfortunately, they are all relegated in very supporting throwaway roles. This is primarily a Gerard Butler and Aaron Eckhart driven movie. You see Butler being the unbelievably skilled Agent, that's gunning down, blowing up, or stabbing terrorists, multiple times during the movie. Eckhart however is pretty much mostly just there to listen to Butler's one-liners, or be the damsel in distress. Basically the majority of the character development was left in the previous movie.

Filled with your action movie cliches and plot conveniences, this film doesn't really elevate the genre by any means, but it isn't offensively horrible either. It does have some thematic commentary about drone strikes and the motivations of terrorists, but thankfully it didn't focus on that too much, and was content on being mostly an action thriller. With that said, I don't think we need another movie about these characters, especially after this lukewarm installment. Although I would say that I actually wanted to see and know more about the character Charlotte Riley played. Do a movie about that character instead. 

While not the best sequel, nor is it that compelling of an action movie, "London Has Fallen" ultimately serves it's purpose of just being a forgettable excuse to blow things up and kill terrorist villains on screen. 

loveditenjoyedititsokay  IT'S MEH  itsterrible

The Witch

Directed and Written by :  Robert Eggers  
Starring :  Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson, Harvey Scrimshaw, Kate Dickie  
Release Date :  February 19, 2016  

I feel like I need to warn people into what they are getting into if they plan to watch "The Witch." This is absolutely not your typical modern scary/horror movie, that are designed to attack you with a bunch of jump scares, or shock you with violent gore. In fact, some people might find this extremely boring and uninteresting. This movie is a very slow-burning period piece based in 1630 New England, about a puritan family who experience a series of unfortunate tragedies that seem nefarious in nature. Maybe saying that this is an "art-house-horror" film would help describe what kind of movie this is. 

Although this will only appeal to a very particular type of audience, I have to give Director/Writer Robert Eggers a lot of credit on his vision for this film. The pacing, the choice of camera angles, the haunting imagery, the musical score, the tone, all together help give this movie that unsettling feeling of suspenseful dread. Because of the fact I actually wasn't sure where the story was going, it also gave me an unnerving feeling, but also kept me glued to the screen in anticipation to what's going to happen next. There's a point in the movie when the whole situation goes from bad to worse, and then just keeps building up and building up to the horrific. Fascinating stuff. 

The cast of actors here are fantastic and deserves praise for their work. From the eldest daughter played by the captivating Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson as the prideful father, Harvey Scrimshaw as the conflicted son, to the distraught mother played by Kate Dickie. They even had to speak their authentic-to-that-time-period dialogue, which unfortunately meant that I only truly understood about 70% of what was said, and that proved problematic as it made it seem like I was watching a foreign film that lacked the English subtitles. 

It may not be heavy on special effects or easy scares, but "The Witch" was big on things involving faith, ignorance, temptation, fear, anxiety, paranoia, hypocrisy, plus an unraveling religious family. The movie didn't really scare me out of my mind or anything like that, but I was thoroughly creeped out by the time I got to the end credits. 

lovedit  ENJOYED IT  itsokayitsmehitsterrible

Zoolander 2

Directed by :  Ben Stiller  
Written by :  Justin Theroux, Ben Stiller, Nicholas Stoller, and John Hamburg  
Starring : Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Penélope Cruz, Will Ferrell  
Release Date :  February 6, 2016  

Going into this review, you're probably wondering why I bothered watching "Zoolander 2," when it clearly looks dumb and stupid. Ironically, this movie is relying on the fact that we'll see the humor of how dumb and stupid it is. Unfortunately it fails so much in creating anything remotely funny with how dumb and stupid it is. Did I mention this movie is dumb and stupid? Because it's dumb and stupid. Heck, I feel a little dumb and stupid for seeing this movie. Why did I bother watching this dumb and stupid thing?! 

Finding any sort of entertainment from the first Zoolander movie is regrettably not a valid reason to see this sequel. That was my mistake. This movie tried so hard to recapture any kind of comedic magic that it's predecessor had. It's too bad it didn't realize that having a bigger budget, and flashier visuals, do not make up for everything unfunny that's in this movie. I probably chuckled once, and was slightly amused by something possibly two times, throughout the whole film. Some of the jokes were so bad, I was literally face palming multiple times. 

Besides the nostalgia factor, and the constant winking towards the camera at how much we all supposedly love this "franchise," there was another primary gimmick that this movie really relied on, and hoped would win us over. Celebrity cameos. Holy crap were there a lot of celebrity cameos! From Justin Bieber to Benedict Cumberbatch, there are so many surprise appearances; check out IMDb, that it's like we're all suppose to just be wowed by who shows up in this. Some people did catch me off guard, but then I just felt embarrassed for them being in this movie. 

The story is over the top stupid, the actors look like they are just phoning it in, and the comedy is nonexistent. Simply do not bother seeing "Zoolander 2." What a disappointingly awful experience. 

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