The BFG

Directed by :  Steven Spielberg  
Written by :  Melissa Mathison  
Starring :  Ruby Barnhill, Mark Rylance, Jemaine Clement  
Release Date :  June 30, 2016  

First, a full disclosure about my knowledge of "The BFG." I never read the original 1982 book written by Roald Dahl, nor have I seen the 1989 animated movie that adapted it. In all honesty, besides the fact this is directed by Steven Spielberg, I didn't really have any true interest in what appears to just be a silly fantasy children story. To my pleasant surprise, I found this movie charming enough to like. Considering the premise, there isn't even much in the way of scariness, and it all feels a little too innocent, with a tone that is definitely on the whimsical fantasy variety. Basically, it's safe enough for kids to see. 

The movie focuses mostly on two characters. Sophie; as wonderfully played by Ruby Burnhill, is the precocious young girl, who acts as our audience surrogate for the plot. BFG; as he is called by Sophie, is the big friendly giant that took her from an orphanage and brought her to giant country. Mark Rylance does a stand out phenomenal job as BFG, and his chemistry with Sophie is the true heart and appeal of the movie; despite the fact he did technically kidnap her. The story also plays with themes about loneliness, self-worth, as well as a commentary against bullying, which is covered by their common enemy in the bigger but meaner giants who love to eat people. 

While there's definitely an interesting story that is told here, there isn't really much in the way of pure excitement and joy that wowed me. In terms of how it looks, the world of giant country may look great, but there's no fooling anybody that the gigantic characters are just CG creations, and that fact distracted my suspension of disbelief multiple times. Thankfully there are genuine moments in the movie that were spectacular to see and grabbed my attention. Like BFG's amazing ability to hide in plain sight, or this elaborate massive brunch that brings with it some nice levity. 

In a cinematic world of epic franchise story telling, and over the top extravaganzas, "The BFG" may come off as being too simple, or not engaging enough for some people. While I did find several things to like about the movie, it just didn't capture my imagination like I would have liked it to. It might just be like a dream that I can just as easily forget about. 

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The Legend Of Tarzan

Directed by :  David Yates  
Written by :  Adam Cozad, Craig Brewer  
Starring :  Alexander Skarsgård, Margot Robbie, Samuel L. Jackson, Christoph Waltz  
Release Date :  June 29, 2016  

The best thing about "The Legend Of Tarzan" is that this just might be the best live-action take we've seen of this classic character yet; that was created by Edgar Rice Burroughs way back in 1912.  It's all thanks to the large production value, plus the screen presence and physique of Alexander Skarsgård. The worst thing about the movie, is that it doesn't really justify a true reason to go out of the way to see it. I regret to say that this film is serviceable at best. There's just no wow factor to it at all. 

I like the fact that this is at the same time a sequel and an origin story; although that's told via several flashback sequences. The issue about this movie just being average, is that the story simply plays off as expected. Everything about the plot is just typically standard. One could argue that the action sequences should be entertaining enough, but the problem there is that there isn't enough action sequences, let alone truly memorable ones. The best and most memorable scene in this film isn't even an action scene, but one that actually just involves two characters having a conversation over a meal. 

There's a certain level of appreciation to be given to the filmmakers for bringing this story and characters to life, even if the final product may not appear to reflect it. The world building and the mythology surrounding Tarzan's history and the characters genuinely interested me. I'm just disappointed that this looks like a case of having too much content that's just been squeezed down to a movie's length of time. I simply wanted more of what could have been, and the movie just couldn't meet my expectations. It was also a little bit more serious than I preferred, and even some of the levity that it did have wasn't enough. 

Even though I'm calling out "The Legend Of Tarzan" as an adequate movie, at least I'm not saying it's a bad movie. The primary cast were entertaining to watch at least. Alexander Skarsgård is good as Tarzan, Margot Robbie is great as a spunky Jane, Samuel L Jackson is Samuel L Jackson, and Christoph Waltz is playing a toned down version of Hans Landa. This may not have been this epic blockbuster of a movie, but at least it wasn't horrible. 

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Swiss Army Man

Directed and Written by :  Dan Kwan, Daniel Scheinert  
Starring :  Paul Dano, Daniel Radcliffe  
Release Date :  June 24, 2016  

Without a doubt, "Swiss Army Man" is probably the most unique and most inventive film of 2016. The premise of a man on the verge of suicide, who finds a corpse, and discovers that it has special abilities that can help him survive in the wilderness, definitely sounds insane. It is definitely quite bonkers. Even so, it is a fascinating movie to watch because of the premise. Not to mention the film looks spectacular, with visuals that just grabs your attention. The soundtrack is also a major highlight, and it's even cleverly integrated into the story. 

Paul Dano is spectacular here as Hank, who is this pathetic socially inept man. Daniel Radcliffe is the swiss army man of a corpse that is named Manny, and is likely the main reason to see this movie. You go into this thinking that it will be a series of clever scenes that features Manny's particular skills, of being used as a jet ski, to create sparks for fire, to become a ballistic weapon, etc... While you do get to see those abilities being used, the majority of them are relegated into brief montage sequences, with the main focus of the movie being more about Hank and Manny commenting about life, companionship, existentialism, and acceptance. 

There's a lot to admire about this film and the Directors' vision, but there's also a lot that I found frustrating about it, and was pushing my patience. I'm not even talking about it's crude sense of humor that involves farts, feces, or erections, because those didn't really bother me. It's the fact that the film's overall thematic and underlying message is very much one note, not subtle, and just drags on too long. It didn't help that the creative, nonsensical, quirky, whimsical, outrageousness, preciousness, of this movie just wore out it's welcome for me. It's like this should have just been made into a short film, and not a full length feature. 

Some people might find "Swiss Army Man" to be absolutely charming, sweet, and exhilarating anyway. While there were many aspects about the movie that I didn't like, I did find appeal to it's comedic nature and it's inventiveness. I also dug the Jurassic Park jokes. 

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The Neon Demon

Directed by :  Nicolas Winding Refn  
Written by :  Nicolas Winding Refn, Mary Laws, Polly Stenham  
Starring :  Elle Fanning, Jena Malone, Abbey Lee, Bella Heathcote, Keanu Reeves  
Release Date :  June 8, 2016  

The first thing that I need to emphasize about "The Neon Demon" is that it is absolutely not something a lot of people will like. It's a bit on the artsy side in terms of direction, seems to be all style with no substance, and too self-indulgent. While the premise may seem to be very simple in appearance alone, the story telling deliberately relies on it's nuances a little too much. Many will likely find this movie to be very frustrating to watch, with a slow pace that will test most people's patience. Even if you understand what this movie is going for, you still may not like it. With all that said, I couldn't help but be riveted by this film. 

There were several scenes in this film that I found myself incredulously asking "why am I seeing this?," to me going "OMG WHY THE HELL AM I SEEING THIS?!" for certain other scenes. Yes, there are scenes that you might find boring and tedious, and then there are scenes you will find absolutely shocking and disturbing, all in the context of this movie's underlying message. This movie is a commentary about our society's obsession on beauty, plus the power it gives people, and the destruction it can cause as well. In many respects, this is a cautionary tale about a societal problem that shouldn't be ignored. It's just framed in a very heightened reality, dream-like, dehumanizing and cynical version of the fashion and modeling world. 

Despite this film's tendencies to split the opinions of the audience, there are two elements that I think the majority of people can agree on that is absolutely great about this movie. The visuals and the soundtrack. This is absolutely a beautiful movie through and through, with a soundtrack that completely sucks you into the film. If there's a third element about the movie that people should all agree on as well, then it's the great cast. Elle Fanning is absolutely captivating in the lead role, and does a great job with the task of giving us subtle glimpses to her character's psyche. Jena Malone also deserves praise for some of the things she needed to do on screen here. Plus Abbey Lee, Bella Heathcote, and even Keanu Reeves also played their roles well. 

With "The Neon Demon," Director Nicolas Winding Refn continues to showcase his talent as a visionary filmmaker. Like his other films, this can be rather polarizing. If you're the kind of person who is inclined to like these kinds of darkly toned art films, then you should check this out (avoid the spoilers from the trailers). However, if you're not part of the target audience, then steer clear away from this movie. 

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Free State Of Jones

Directed and Written by :  Gary Ross  
Starring :  Matthew McConaughey, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Mahershala Ali  
Release Date :  June 16, 2016  

Despite the value of telling the tale of this important and historical story, "Free State Of Jones" is at best just a competent movie. This film is based on a true story that lasted for years, filled with many different characters and circumstances, and it probably should have been told in a more epic and cinematic fashion than what we actually got. What we got here instead felt like a 12 part TV mini-series that's just been condensed down to a 139 minutes movie. 

As directed and written by Gary Ross, this movie is simply a pretty straight-forward historical biography. In terms of facts, there are liberties taken with certain events and characters, but that doesn't really tarnish the spirit of this story, which is what appears to be the true point of making this film. For a movie based in the American Civil War, this isn't trying to focus too much on battle sequences, but on the themes and lessons from this story. It doesn't mean it shies away from showing graphic violence in the few battle scenes it does have however. 

Even with a huge ensemble cast, Matthew McConaughey as Newton Knight, still seems to be carrying most of the weight of this movie by himself. The rest of the cast from Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Mahershala Ali, to Christopher Berry, all do a great job standing out among all the many actors, but this is still very much a McConaughey-centric movie through and through. There's no denying that he is at least very good in this. McConaughey also has to do a lot of monologues in this one, which is part of the reason this movie may feel a bit dry and didactic to viewers. 

Despite the fact "Free State Of Jones" turned out to just be an adequate film, this powerful story should still resonate very well with people. If all this movie did was educate people about this historical story, and the actions of Newton Knight, then this film most definitely needed to be made and did it's job. 

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The Shallows

Directed by :  Jaume Collet-Serra  
Written by :  Anthony Jaswinski  
Starring :  Blake Lively  
Release Date :  June 24, 2016  

When it comes to watching movies, sometimes you just want to get exactly what you expect. No more. No less. That's what "The Shallows" accomplishes. You want to watch a movie about a bikini clad female surfer try and survive a shark attack? Well, here you go. The movie may not appear to be that deep plot wise, but it's also not that shallow either (pun intended). There is actually some establishing backstory given to the primary character, and there are plot points to suggest why this shark is so unusually aggressive. 

Although you would think this movie would be simply described to be a "shark movie," it's really closer in the realm of being a story about survival. There are a series of life threatening ordeals; plus pure bad luck, that Blake Lively's character faces here, and she will have to use her wits and courage to overcome them. You'll see her do some clever things in this movie, and those are some celebratory moments, but the movie does not shy away from relying on some plot conveniences to help move the story along either. 

Visually this film is absolutely wonderful to look at. From the waves in the water, the island and it's beach, the bird's eye view, the underwater shots, to the picture in picture mode that visualizes the use of her smart phone and wrist watch. The cinematography and those camera angles found here are spectacular to see, with picturesque views that would look great as desktop wallpapers. The shark being a CG character looks awesome too, and then there's also the fact that Blake Lively looks absolutely amazing in a bikini. All that beauty contrasts the painful scenes of seeing Blake Lively get physically hurt over and over again. 

"The Shallows" is a survival-thriller that's simply a solid summer movie to watch. As the sole primary character, Blake Lively carries this movie on her own remarkably well. Although I should mention that the shark and a particular seagull (I loved that bird!) do a good job as her co-stars. 

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Independence Day Resurgence

If you've seen the first "Independence Day" movie, then you more or less already saw "Independence Day: Resurgence." You would think that this sequel was actually a pseudo-remake of the previous installment, since it attempts to capture the same story beats and visual spectacle from that movie. That wouldn't be too much of an issue if it wasn't for the fact that it didn't really add anything truly noteworthy to this hopeful franchise series of films. 

This movie has that extended montage sequence of mass destruction via an invasive attack from a large alien spacecraft. Just like the first movie. This movie has scenes of humans feeling overly confident in their retaliation against the enemy, but then gets the rug pulled from under them. Just like the first movie. Scenes of significant characters making huge sacrifices. Just like the first movie. It's got a rousing and inspirational speech. Just like the first movie. Odd pairings of characters helping each other out? Just like the first movie. Plot conveniences to help move the story along? Just like the first movie. Jokes that just fall flat? Just like the first movie. 

Despite the obvious retreads, there are a couple of new characters that might be noteworthy to the story, like the ones played by Liam Hemsworth and Maika Monroe. That's me being too generous however, because the better and more interesting characters were from the first movie. Thankfully Jeff Goldblum and Judd Hirsch are back, but this is kinda still a passing-of-the-torch type of movie. I should also mention that there's also an additional significant plot point that is intended to expand on the story and potential future direction for more sequels, but it's reveal doesn't meet it's full potential yet. 

Basically "Independence Day: Resurgence" can be entertaining and enjoyable because it wholeheartedly embraces what worked in the first movie, and accepting the campy nature of it all. However, that could also be the reason why it's not as entertaining and enjoyable as you might have wanted it to be. 

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Finding Dory

You know how people say that Pixar animated movies can make adults cry? Well, "Finding Dory" shares that same ability. The whole premise of this movie is already pretty tragic as it is, as it's about a young girl (fish) that has a mental disability, that gets lost, and is separated from her parents. Years later, she goes to look for her missing family. If you were ever lost when you were a child, or you are a parent whose child wandered off and got lost, this movie just might affect you emotionally. 

As good as this story can be, it is admittedly similar to the previous entry; "Finding Nemo." Although it has those touching and poignant flashbacks that shows a young Dory and her parents, the plot is pretty much mostly just a silly and wacky adventure, that has tons of sight-gags and some broad comedy. There are scenes that you might have to hold back tears to, scenes that are enjoyably fun to see play out, to scenes that are absolutely ludicrous and pushes your suspension of disbelief. 

If there is one element that bugs me about this film, is that for a movie that celebrates being understanding, patient, and accepting of people who are "different" (like a mental or physical disability), this movie itself makes fun of them in a rather insensitive way. I'm talking about a certain Sea Lion character, or a certain Loon character. If there are other things to complain about, the story itself relies too much on several plot conveniences and familiar story tropes. The whole movie just felt a bit all over the place with it's story telling and tone, that it kept it from being the great film that it could have been. 

Despite my issues with "Finding Dory," the true strength of this movie really is the character of Dory and the emotional core of her backstory with her parents. Everything else is either a nice distraction or just a distraction, from the undeniable enjoyment of watching this animated movie. 

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Central Intelligence

Directed by :  Rawson Marshall Thurber  
Written by :  Ike Barinholtz, David Stassen, Rawson Marshall Thurber  
Starring :  Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Amy Ryan, Danielle Nicolet  
Release Date :  June 15, 2016  

Being in the action-comedy buddy movie genre, "Central Intelligence" doesn't exactly break any sort of new grounds. The familiar plot progression is present. The pairing of two opposites working together is expected. The mysterious premise is not that original. However, Director Rawson Marshall Thurber seems to be aware about how this movie may come across from initial impressions, and works with that knowledge to the benefit of the film. Then there's also the movie's secret weapons that are Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart. 

It's hard not to find the charm and entertainment value of seeing Dwayne Johnson as a former teenage fat kid turned into a muscle bound strong guy CIA secret agent, and Kevin Hart as the average guy facing a sort of mid-life crisis who realizes that his glory days were way back when he was in High School. Johnson has an infectious energy of positivity, while Hart is the cautious straight-man that we get to relate with. These two together is just a winning combination and their chemistry is absolutely top notch here. 

Despite the fact that the whole movie has that air of familiarity, it's the fun banter between Johnson and Hart that should keep you watching. The movie is filled with scenes and moments that I simply found enjoyable to see play out. Moments like when Agent Bob Stone conveniently ignores Accountant Calvin "The Golden Jet" Joyner's protests against doing anything that will put him in trouble. Then there are scenes when Bob Stone display incredible feats of spy tricks that defy explanation, all at the expense of Calvin Joyner's bewilderment. 

While the actors and the premise might get you to check out "Central Intelligence," I should point out that there are some important story themes that adds a little bit of weight to the fun story. Even then, if you can basically ignore any of the flaws the movie does have, then you should be entertained by it. 

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Now You See Me 2

Directed by :  Jon M. Chu  
Written by :  Ed Solomon  
Starring : Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Lizzy Caplan, Morgan Freeman, Daniel Radcliffe  
Release Date :  June 2, 2016  

As a heist movie mixed with magic, I figured that "Now You See Me 2" should be a relatively entertaining watch as I thought the previous installment was. I was apparently mostly wrong to think that. Despite the visual flair that Director Jon M. Chu was able to bring to the franchise, the movie has way too many flaws. It almost dares you to suspend your disbelief at the ridiculous plot developments of the story. It also doesn't help that the magic tricks just lack genuine excitement or interest. Plot and Magic are two important elements to master for this movie's premise, and it fails at both. 

The whole story relies on us to be invested enough to want to see where the story is going. How are the characters going to pull off the heists? What magic tricks are they going to incorporate? Unfortunately, the answers given to those questions were just disappointing. There are many plot mechanics and resolutions that are just too ridiculous to feel any sort of satisfaction. The whole thing comes off so nonsensical, that the movie's only true trick was that it succeeded in convincing me to see it through to the end. I don't know how it managed that, because the final act and the conclusion was just beyond stupid. 

If there is any upside to this film, it's the cast. I genuinely like this whole cast of actors, so it's unfortunate that the script by Ed Solomon doesn't really give them much to work with. Woody Harrelson at least seems to get to have fun in his dual roles, and Lizzy Caplan gets to bring her enjoyably manic energy into the ensemble. Daniel Radcliffe did show promise as the main villain, until the plot eventually undermines the potential of his character. The movie's characters really are just there to serve the plot, and it wouldn't be too bad if it wasn't for the fact that I didn't care for the plot all that much. 

I'm just so disappointed with how "Now You See Me 2" turned out, as I was at least hoping for it to be a guilty pleasure like the previous one was. What's worse is that the movie thinks it's pretty clever, but in reality it's just dumb. 

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