An explosive action film, Fast & Furious returns the series to its roots. Fugitive Dominic Toretto seeks to avenge his former girlfriend Letty after she's killed while working undercover with newly reinstated FBI agent Brian O'Conner to take down a drug smuggler. The original cast returns and gives some very strong performances. The writing's also fairly good, and does an impressive job at developing the characters and at crafting a compelling story arc. And as usual, the action's especially well-done and is full of exciting, dynamic chase sequences. Fast & Furious is an intense thrill ride that breathes new life into the franchise.
John Travolta stars as the notorious New York mobster John Gotti, the Teflon Don, in the compelling crime drama Gotti. The film follows the rise of John Gotti from a low level henchman to head of the Gambino Crime Family, along with his ultimate conviction and incarceration in federal prison. Travolta gives a strong performance and has a solid supporting cast that includes Kelly Preston and Stacy Keach. However, the writing is kind of weak. Told in flashback, it’s not always clear when things are occurring or Gotti’s position in the family hierarchy. Still, the storyteller motif, of Gotti telling his story to the audience, works fairly well. And the soundtrack and score are especially good and adds a lot of energy to the film. It comes off as a little bias (highlighting the support that he had on the street), but Gotti provides an interesting look at one of the most powerful crime bosses of New York City.
A thrilling high-speed adventure, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift is an impressive addition to the series. After moving to Tokyo to live with his father, Sean Boswell gets into the underground street racing scene and becomes the driver for a local gangster named Han. The plot's fairly strong, and does a good job at building the characters and at making them interesting. The racing scenes are also really well-done, and are a lot more exciting and intense than in the previous film. Even though it doesn't have any ties to the original, Tokyo Drift is action-packed and feels very much like a part of the franchise.
A gritty crime thriller, Den of Thieves is too dark and ambiguous for its own good. The story follows an elite unit of the LA sheriff's department that investigates a crew that's planning on robbing the Los Angeles Federal Reserve Bank. Gerard Butler, 50 Cent, and O’Shea Jackson Jr. lead the cast, and give fairly decent performances. However, the characters are one-dimensional stereotypes and the plot is formulaic with all the usual tropes and clichés of a typical heist film. Also, the film goes out of its way to blur the line between good guys and bad guys; which makes it hard to root for anyone. Still, the action scenes are intense and exciting (particularly the final shootout). And a couple of the plot-twists are kind of clever. Den of Thieves is entertaining, but without with a compelling story or characters it ends up being a second rate heist film.
Keanu Reeves steps into the director's chair for the martial arts film Man of Tai Chi. The story follows a competitive fighter who's recruited to join an underground fight club due to his unique Tai Chi fighting style; but unknown to him the club has a secret agenda. While the fight choreography is pretty good and adds some excitement to the film, the plot's rather clichéd and trite. And there's a change in tone at the end (where the fights become mystical) that doesn't quite work. But despite its problems, Man of Tai Chi is still a fairly solid action film.
Down shifting into low gear, 2 Fast 2 Furious is a clichéd, stereotypical action film with no charisma. Former undercover cop turned outlaw Brian O'Connor is given the chance to have his record cleared if he goes undercover once more to help take down a Miami crime lord. The acting is just terrible; particularly the performances by Paul Walker, Tyrese, and Eva Mendes (which are cringe worthy). But the fault isn't completely theirs as the script is awful, with some truly atrocious dialog. Still, the action sequences and races are exciting and well-staged. While there are some thrills and it entertains a bit, 2 Fast 2 Furious is a clunker.
Mara is a poorly made and uninspired rote horror film. The story follows a forensic psychologist named Kate Fuller who comes to believe that a sleep demon named Mara is responsible for a series of bizarre murders and begins to work with a former vet to find a way to stop her. Olga Kurylenko is horribly miscast and isn’t the least bit believable as a forensic psychologist. And the director pulls out every hackney cliché and trope in the book, making the film look desperate. Completely ineffective, Mara isn’t at all frightening and doesn’t deliver any scares (even the jump scares are lame).
Dark and disturbing, Malicious is a creepy and atmospheric horror film. After having a miscarriage a young wife begins to see evil spirits, which starts a rift between her and her skeptic husband. Bojana Novakovic gives a strong performance and writer/director Michael Winnick does a good job at setting a mysterious and foreboding tone. However, the plot’s a little weak and leaves a number of things unexplained. Also, the make-up effects are rather lackluster and cliché. Malicious delivers some scares, but ends up being a mediocre thriller.
“In a world where the dead walk among the living, nothing is as it seems.” I Still See You is a chilling supernatural thriller based on a bestselling novel. When a lab accident kills thousands of people those killed return as ghosts called remnants that are stuck in an endless loop re-enacting moments from their lives, but 10-years after the accident a young girl notices that something has changed; the number of remnants are increasing and one may be out to kill her. Bella Thorne and Richard Harmon lead the cast and give pretty good performances; especially Thorne who has tremendous screen presence. And the script does a great job at constructing a world where seeing ghosts is a part of everyday life. Additionally, the mystery is very engaging and composer Bear McCreary provides an evocative score that heightens the creepy, atmospheric tone. A remarkably compelling horror film, I Still See You presents a disturbing vision of the supernatural.
Operation Finale is a rather mediocre true life drama that’s not very engaging. When former Nazi SS officer Adolf Eichmann, the man behind Hitler’s Final Solution, is discovered living in Argentina the Mossad launch a covert mission to extradite him to Israel to stand trial. Oscar Isaac and Ben Kingsley lead the cast and give fairly decent performances. However, the script doesn’t do a very good job at developing the characters or at showing why the mission was so important to them. Also, there’s not a lot of tension or suspense; it a pretty straight forward abduction that doesn’t live up to the importance of the event. Yet despite the poor execution, Operation Finale is an interesting story about one of the most significant war crimes prosecutions of the 20th century.
Searching is an intense and well-crafted found-footage crime thriller starring John Cho and Debra Messing. When his 16-year old daughter goes missing David Kim starts his own investigation to help the police by searching through all her online accounts and social networks, and is shocked to discover that he didn’t really know his daughter. Both Cho and Messing give strong performances and do a good job playing to the found footage medium. And the director does an impressive job at keeping the film moving and at using a variety of different apps and programs (Facebook, YouTube, Google Maps, etc.). However, there are times that the film pushes the bounds of believability and stretches a bit to have the entire story unfold through electronic media. Yet despite a few weaknesses, Searching is remarkably compelling.
Beatrix Potter’s beloved characters are brought to life in the family comedy Peter Rabbit. After Jeremy Fisher inherits a country farm from his uncle he gets more than he bargained for when a rabble of farm animals, led by a mischievous rabbit, begin pilfering his garden. Featuring Rose Burn along with the voice talents of James Corden, Margot Robbie, and Daisy Ridley, the film has a pretty strong cast. And the CGI is especially good, as are the character designs for the animals. Also, the comedy is really funny, with jokes and gags for all ages. Delivering a lot of laughs, Peter Rabbit is a fun and entertaining film.
The Fast and the Furious is a fast-paced and explosive action film that's incredibly entertaining. The story follows an undercover cop who attempts to infiltrate the underground street racing circuit in order to find a criminal group that's robbing semi-trucks on the highways of Southern California. The writing is pretty strong, and does an especially good job at developing the characters. Featuring Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Jordana Brewster, and Michelle Rodriguez, the casting's fairly solid; Diesel in particular has tremendous screen presence. And, the stunt work for the car chases is quite impressive. Exciting and action-packed, The Fast and the Furious is a thrilling, high-octane adventure.
A disappointing entry in this storied series, Cult of Chucky attempts to set a new course and makes a mess of things in the process. After her family is killed by Chucky, Nica is committed to a mental hospital but finds that Chucky has followed her there looking to finish the job. There’s also a worthless subplot with Andy (from the first three films) that the writers don’t seem to know what to do with but got boxed into by Curse’s end credit scenes. And all the old mythology about Charles Ray (aka Chucky) and his voodoo powers gets thrown out and replaced. Still, the kills are pretty entertaining (in a horror movie king of way), and there’s a bit of mystery as to which of the two dolls at the hospital is the real Chucky and what his plan is. Cult of Chucky lacks vision and ends up as just another dumb, pointless slasher film.
Though the plot's absurd, National Treasure is wildly entertaining. Treasure hunter Ben Gates endeavors to steal the Declaration of Independence and ends up on a quest to find the fabled treasure of the Knights Templar. The film has a great cast that includes Nicolas Cage, Diane Kruger, Sean Bean, and Harvey Keitel; who all give strong performances. As crazy as the plot is, it's a lot of fun, and is rather clever in how it strings together the Knights Templar, Masons, and the Founding Fathers into a vast conspiracy. Plus, the film is packed with thrilling chases and riveting action scenes. The film has its flaws, but National Treasure is an incredible fun adventure.
The Patriot is a magnificent and compelling Revolutionary War epic. The film follows the story of Benjamin Martin, who reluctantly joins the American Revolution in order to save his family. The cast is spectacular, and includes Mel Gibson, Heath Ledger, Joely Richardson, Jason Isaacs, and Tom Wilkinson. The actors all give excellent performances and have good chemistry together; which makes the story all the more dramatic and moving. Additionally, the costumes and set designs are quite elaborate and help give the film an authentic feel. And the battle sequences are breathtaking. The Patriot is a powerful and thrilling war epic that delves into the American Revolution as never before.
Toy Story 3 may be the best film of the series. In their final adventure Woody must rescue Buzz, Jessie, and the rest of the gang from a tyrannical daycare center. Once again Pixar delivers another poignant story about the life of a toy, and an inspirational message about friendship and loyalty. Though some of the material is derivative of the first two films, it works without coming off as a rehash or stale. For a generation that has grown up with Pixar, the Toy Story characters have become old friends and watching this film feels like coming home again. Toy Story 3 is a wonderful film that will entertain audiences to infinity and beyond.
Toy Story is a masterpiece, and one of those few films that changed the medium forever. It was the first fully computer animated film, and took CGI to a whole new level. But more than that, it created a whole new way of storytelling that could appeal to both children and adults. With a powerhouse cast that included Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Jim Varney, and Wallace Shawn, it’s clear that Pixar took the film seriously and wanted quality performers to bring the animation to life; and they did. Toy Story is a creative and imaginative film that elevated filmmaking to a new level.
Pixar strikes again with another brilliant installation of the Toy Story series. Woody, Buzz, Rex, Slinky and the gang return once more for another excursion into the world of toys. Toy Story 2 is one of those rare films that surpasses the original. Not only has the quality of the CG animation improved, but the story has more heart to it. Even the comedy seems a bit sharper and is a bit funnier now that we know the characters. Toy Story 2 is a shining example of a sequel done right.
Dark and atmospheric, Curse of Chucky is a return to form for the Child's Play series. A semi-reboot, the plot seemingly ignores some parts of the last few films but sticks to the overall continuity. Chucky reemerges once again and stalks a family with which he has a score to settle. It's pretty rote, tried-and-true horror stuff; a creepy old rundown house, heavy storms, people going missing/being murdered one by one, etc., etc. And while it's standard fare for this type of film, it works well enough in setting a mood. Additionally, the kill scenes are fairly creative and suspenseful. However, the script is poorly paced and doesn't flesh out the characters (which makes it hard for the audience to invest in them). Curse of Chucky has problems, but on the whole it delivers enough frights and scares to satisfy horror fans.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier is an ambitious and exciting film that takes on controversial real-world issues. Addressing the theme of security vs. freedom, the plot follows Steve Rogers as he investigates a possible cabal within SHIELD that's responsible for the assassination of Nick Fury. Starring Chris Evans, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, and Emily VanCamp, the casting is especially good and features some very strong performances. The special effects are also incredibly well-done and add an extra level of energy and intensity to the action sequences. Yet as strong an action film as Captain America: The Winter Soldier is, it makes some radical changes to the Avenger series and leaves it in an awkward place.
Marvel delivers its first female centric superhero film with Captain Marvel, a prequel to the Avengers series. After escaping capture by the Skrull, a Kree soldier named Vers gets stranded on Earth where she discovers that the Skrull are searching for something and during her investigation she unearths a past that she never knew about. Brie Larson gives a decent performance, though she’s clearly doing an imitation of a Tony Stark-like character (which there are already too many of in the MCU), and the supporting cast is pretty strong; featuring Samuel L. Jackson, Jude Law, and Djimon Hounsou. Unfortunately the script is rather poor, as it desperately tries to avoid telling an origin story while also ham fistedly forces one in at the same time. But the action-scenes and fight sequences are fun and exciting, and there’s some lighthearted comedy that works really well (particularly the Stan Lee cameo). Also, the soundtrack is incredibly well-done; using ‘90s music to set the tone and time period. Despite some flaws, Captain Marvel is yet another solidly entertaining pop-corn film from Marvel.
DC makes a hard turn toward the fantastical with James Wan’s Aquaman. When King Orm attempts to unite the kingdoms of Atlantis to attack the surface world Princess Mera seeks out the help of Arthur Curry, the king’s half-brother, to stop Orm’s coming war. Starring Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Patrick Wilson, Willem Dafoe, Dolph Lundgren, and Nicole Kidman, the film has an impressive cast. And, the special effects are pretty good; featuring a lot of interesting set and creature designs, creating a fascinating new world within the DC Universe. However, the plot is formulaic and the Atlantis mythology is rather bizarre. Still, despite some problems, Aquaman is an incredibly fun and entertaining action film.
Sony launches another Spider-Man franchise with Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, a fun, though bizarre, animated film. When the nefarious crime lord Kingpin opens up a dimensional portal he accidentally transports several spider superheroes from alternative universes who then team-up to defeat him. Unfortunately the animation style is incredibly poor; having a rotoscope type feel that often seems out of focus with a mesh filter (likely meant to resemble a newspaper comic-strip). Also, the multiple Spider characters kind of diminish the value and importance of Spider-Man. Still, it’s interesting to see alternate universe versions of Spider-Man, and the action is pretty exciting. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is entertaining, but it’s also a real mess that’s constantly getting in its own way.
Horrible in every way, Seed of Chucky is an atrociously awful piece of garbage. While the meta humor and jokiness worked in the last film, here it's completely out of control. The script is incredibly lazy and makes no kind of sense at all. Worse still is Jennifer Tilly's ridiculously idiotic performance as herself. Indescribably bad, Seed of Chucky is just so damn stupid that there's no fun in any of it.
Jennifer Tilly is the Bride of Chucky in this post-modern horror revival of the Child's Play series. In this chapter the former girlfriend of serial killer Charles Lee Ray, Tiffany, rebuilds and re-ensouls Chucky, who then transfers her soul into a doll. Co-starring Katherine Heigl, Alexis Arquette, and John Ritter, the casting isn't that bad; but their performances aren't very good. However, Tilly's charisma carries the film and gives new life to the series with her character of Tiffany. Additionally, the comedy really plays up the silliness and camp, which works rather well. Still, while this change in direction is refreshing and fun, Bride of Chucky is not a good movie.
Winona Ryder and Keanu Reeves star in the satiric romantic comedy Destination Wedding. The film follows two misanthropes who are paired together at a destination wedding as they critique each other, the wedding activities, life, and love. Both Ryder and Reeves give strong performance, and prove able to carry the film; which is entirely focused on their two characters. And, the witty banter is incredibly clever and has a nice rhythm and style to it. Still, it can get a little raunchy and nihilistic – which kills the romance vibe. It’s a bit of a gimmick film and is kind of limited by the two character format, but Destination Wedding is entertaining and delivers some laughs.
AnnaSophia Robb and Uma Thurman lead the cast in the supernatural horror film Down a Dark Hall. Based on a bestselling book, the story follows a rebellious teenage girl who’s sent to a reform school for troubled youth called Blackwood, but she soon discovers that something strange is going on and begins to suspect that she and her fellow students are being used for some nefarious purpose. Robb gives a fairly good performance and director Rodrigo Cortes does an impressive job at creating an atmospheric mood. However, the storytelling is a little weak and lacks strong villains. Also, the supernatural isn’t really played for scares, and the scares that are there seem a little out of place. Still, despite its problems, Down a Dark Hall is a creepy thriller full of mystery and intrigue.
Chucky is re-born in Child's Play 3. After Chucky's blood gets mixed into a vat of plastic his soul is transferred into a new Good Guys doll, and he then precedes to go after his old nemesis Andy Barclay. It's a trite story and is full of the stereotypical horror movie clichés. And the characters aren't that interesting; even Andy has lost his appeal as a sympathetic victim. Chucky however, is still pretty fun and some of the kills are entertaining. With Child's Play 3 Chucky's story has pretty much been played out, and the series doesn't really have anywhere to go.
Chucky's back for more mayhem and murder in Child's Play 2. The story continues as the Play Pals Company rebuilds Chucky in an attempt to find defects, but he soon escapes and tracks down Andy at a foster home. As far as horror films go, this is one of the more plausible resurrections of a villain. But, the rest of the script (with the exception of the final showdown) is pretty weak. Also, the film gives into the campiness a little more this time; with Chucky being more playful than scary. Even so, there's some excitement and suspense to the chases and fight sequences. Though not as good as the original, Child's Play 2 manages to stir up some scares.
