The Movie Reviews & Discussion Thread

[Mitch Henessey]

The Belko Experiment- 7/10

2017 is off to a good start for horror.

Towards the end, they run out of places to go with the moral conundrums for murder, and certain members of the more peaceful crowd make the decision to abandon their objections to the game. The cast is solid, and John C. McGinley provides some good comic relief, but Tony Goldwyn easily steals the show. Goldwyn really owns his character, as the vicious leader for the group that wants to kill, and Goldwyn delivers some of the best moments in TBE, when he's chewing the scenery.

If you're looking for a thought-provoking storyline about everyone looking out for themselves, or (and I'm jumping into hyperbole here) a movie that gives a whole new meaning to the "it's a dog eat dog world" saying, then you'll probably walk out of this one disappointed.

But The Belko Experiment really works as a bloodbath horror film with more than enough mayhem and carnage. It's sick and twisted fun, and kudos to James Gunn for some good morbid and tongue-in-cheek humor. There's a scene, where a Latin version of California Dreamin' is playing in the background during an execution for a select group, and you just have to laugh at the irony of that song playing in the background during an execution. Basically, you should know what you're getting into with TBE after watching the trailers and the commercials, and there's a reason why the "Office Space meets Battle Royale" quote is at the top of one of the movie posters for this.

The Belko Experiment made its budget back during its opening weekend. The current total sits at $5,470,995, and that's off of a reported production budget of $5,000,000. TBE had a decent amount of buzz surrounding it, and I'm not complaining about Greg McLean's work here, but I have to believe the movie would've had more hype behind it of James Gunn directed it. My only guess is, he's been too busy with Guardians Of The Galaxy over the past couple of years. That, and TBE being sandwiched between the releases for Beauty & The Beast and Power Rangers back to back didn't help matters.

March 17-19 & The Upcoming Weekend

As expected, Beauty And The Beast had a strong opening weekend with $174,750,616, and the current worldwide total sits at $461,999,926.

I can't say I'm all that excited about the two big releases for the weekend. Life looks like a run-of-the-mill sci-fi/thriller about an alien life form threatening earth. The fight to survive on the space station looks like a played out scenario I've seen one too many times, but I'll watch it for Jake Gyllenhaal and Ryan Reynolds.

I'm really not sure what to think about Power Rangers. For a number of reasons, I can understand why you really can't make a campy and more cartoonish Power Rangers film that captures the spirit of the show in 2017, and I understand they're not targeting someone, who's close to my age or older than me. But some fans of the show, or people, who grew up loving all things Power Rangers are looking for some nostalgia.

Also, going by the trailers, I'm not too crazy about the approach to turn the Rangers (or some of them) into the stereotypical rebellious teenage punks, or lost causes, who are running out of second chances. I get the need to go for a more serious tone, but so far, the footage with Elizabeth Banks as Rita Repulsa and Bryan Cranston as Zordon are the only promising parts of the trailers and commercials for me.

Apparently, Becky G's Trini is gay, and RJ Cyler's ( playing the Blue Ranger) Billy is autistic, and it's considered to be another attempt to create more realistic characters. David Yost (the original Blue Ranger) is praising the changes, and this is something I didn't know about until I ran across the interview today, but Yost was harassed on the set of the original show for being gay.

According to reports, Haim Saban is saying they have a planned story arc for six movies, but there's no guarantees that it'll happen. I'm not too surprised, but so far, the negative reviews for Power Rangers are starting to pile up, and the movie has a 45% on Rotten Tomatoes. On top of that, according to Box Office Mojo's predictions, Beauty And The Beast should come in at #1 in the week to week charts for an easy repeat that's close to the $77,000,000 mark for the weekend. Meanwhile, Power Rangers is expected to pull in $38,000,000. Power Rangers has a reported production budget of $100,000,000, and if BOM's predictions are right, then we're looking at a big flop, or it'll be a tough uphill battle to make a real profit, and justify more sequels.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Logan - 9.5/10

I'd finally managed to get some time to watch Logan earlier this week. Everyone I've talked to, any reports I've read about the movie have had nothing bot extreme praise for it and the praise is well earned. I'll try not to give away any major spoilers, just some basic stuff, most of which was already known before the flick came out.

The film is set in the year 2029 and the future of mutants is about as bleak as possible as there hasn't been one mutant birth in some 25 years. Logan is visibly much older and his body is all but worn out due to the fact that his healing factor is petering out. He still heels quickly, but not nearly as extensively as before as his body a veritable road map of scar tissue. One reason why his healing factor is failing is because his body is being poisoned by the adamantium bonded to his skeleton, which is a nice little nod to long time comic book fans as that's something that was taken straight from the comics. Logan makes a living as a chauffer and consumes great amounts of alcohol as a means of dealing with his pain wracked body; Logan lives in an abandoned smelting factory on the Mexican border where he cares for an ailing Charles Xavier, who's about 90+ years old now and himself is suffering the ravages of old age and suffers from a neurodegenerative disease that causes him to periodically have seizures, memory loss and various other symptoms that affect his telepathic abilities that Logan is able to keep under control via medicines that he purchases.

Logan is soon offered a job, one he reluctantly accepts, from a woman named Gabriela Lopez who wants him to escort her and an 11 year old girl named Laura to a place called Eden in North Dakota. They're on the run from a company Lopez worked for called Transigen in which the head of the company, Zander Rice, has hired a team of cybernetically enhanced mercenaries called the Reavers to retrieve Laura. Laura is eventually revealed to have been cloned with Logan's DNA and she was carried to term within Lopez which means that, technically, she's Logan's daughter and has quite a bit in common with him.

Logan was given an R rating with damned good reason as it's packed with graphic violence, language and just blood on top of blood. While some of the violence might be gratuitous in most other cases, there are reasons for it in the movie as it's all part of the story. The story itself is never outshined by the violence and is only enhanced by it because when you get right down to it, Wolverine is an R rated comic book character with powers that included enhanced strength, stamina, agility, senses, an accelerated healing ability that completely regenerates destroyed tissue in minutes or seconds, retractable bone claws and an unbreakable metal infused to every bone in his body. The guy's literally designed from the ground up to engage in brutal, savage hand to hand combat.

If you're looking for a happy go lucky sort of movie where the heroes all ride off into the sunset together, then isn't for you. It's a dark, stark, heavily dramatic movie in which Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart give what may well be the best performances of their careers. There are a number of touching moments in the movie that are legitimately tear inducing when you factor in the general dark atmosphere of the movie itself and the right on the surface symbolism of what's going on. When you see the ravages that time has taken on Logan and Xavier, it's easy to catch yourself thinking about people in your own lives that you've lost; if you allow yourself to think about that, it allows a movie about one man that's a brilliant, peaceful old man with a powerful mind that's now becoming as crippled s his body and another man who's essentially the physical embodiment of physical vigor, toughness suffering as the things that made him so touch are now turning on him and causing him to slowly die to hit home in ways you don't expect from movies of this genre.

If this is Hugh Jackman's very last time playing the character, then he's gone out on just about the highest note possible. In my opinion, both Jackman and Stewart put on Oscar worthy performances even though Oscar season is almost a year off. There's not a lot of CGI in this film and I was surprised to find out that it cost less than $100 million to make. The lack of CGI, focus on the storytelling, the brutal action, etc. does put me sort of in mind of westerns like Unforgiven where the aged gunslinger out of necessity has to take care of business one last time.

 

[Hard Hit Prince]

Power Rangers was cool. The third act was bad, but until there it was really good. Chemistry, it's funny, sometimes cheesy like the TV Show and I had a good time. The Blue ranger is my favorite. It has potential, but seriously, before they suit up, it's a good movie. After they suit up, logic went to another planet and it was bad.

Rating: 3/5

I've seen the Ghost In The Shell live action adaptation and I did not like it one bit. I was really hyped and excited for this movie mainly because I am such a big fan of the material, but it just doesn't translate all that well in the big screen.

The visuals are stunning and the action sequences are as good as one would expect, but it's the tone of the movie. It's so boring, so empty and seriously it's robotic. The dialogue between the characters is pretty much a play by play of the plot. No emotional depth or in the very least, no sign of empathy towards anyone from the cast.

Scarlett is fine I guess. She even masters the robot walking, but the long stares and the close ups, really dragged the movie down. Don't expect to watch an entertaining movie, because it's not a popcorn flick. It's an arrogant movie, filled with CGI, that tries to be more than what it is.

They tried to have a "Blade Runner" or an "A.I" and ended up having a slow "Transformers". Transformers is already bad, but at least, one can watch it on a Saturday afternoon and think: "meh, time went fast though". With "Ghost In The Shell", you'll expect the same result in the very least, and instead you'll have "nope, not watching it again for sure".

Rating: 2/5

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Kong: Skull Island- 3/10

Kong is awe-inspiring, and he's more imposing than he's ever been. Still, I had a hard time getting into this one. KSI is loaded with some good visual eye candy and grandiose set pieces, but the movie is short on any real thrills or genuine excitement. Samuel L. Jackson is Samuel L. Jackson, and John C. Reilly is good for a few laughs, but Tom Hiddleston, John Goodman, and Brie Larson are stuck with dull and one-dimensional characters.

For me, KSI peaks after Kong attacks the helicopters in the early stages of the movie, and I honestly believe I could've left the movie after that scene without missing anything special. Maybe it's another case of me getting my hopes up too high after the trailers and all the hype, but KSI definitely ranks high up on my list of disappointments for 2017.

The post-credits scene is good, but I can't say I'm looking forward to Godzilla VS Kong and the planned MonsterVerse. According to reports, eight writers are working on the script for Godzilla VS Kong. I want to have an open mindset, but eight writers working on a screenplay for a Godzilla VS King Kong film has all the makings of everything devolving into a big mess.

Life- 2/10

Boring.

Life is very, very boring, and it's a paint-by-numbers "bad things happen, when a space crew finds signs of life from, or on Mars" sci-fi/thriller. Basically, Life just goes through the motions, following the patterns of so many sci-fi/thrillers about Mars, alien life forms, and the fight to survive on a space station, when said alien life form tries to kill everyone. Life is one of those movies, where the main characters make one stupid mistake after another, and a few close calls couldn't save this tedious film.

Life's ending delivers a decent enough surprise, but I can't say it's a genuinely shocking ending. When the survivors are going over their plans to stop Calvin (the alien), it's not too hard to figure out what's going to happen, as the final moments of the movie unfold.

March 24-26 & The Upcoming Weekend

It's two weeks in a row at #1 for Beauty And The Beast. BATB pulled in $90,426,717 over the weekend to bring the current worldwide total to $751,163,125. Power Rangers debuted at #2 with $40,300,288, and the current worldwide total sits at $67,400,017. Life opened up at #4 with $12,501,936 ($31,757,305 for the current worldwide total), and it's no real surprise, but CHiPs (awful, awful trailers) debuted at #7 with $7,722,802 ($11,571,720 for the worldwide total).

Out of all the new releases, The Zookeeper's Wife is the only film I'm truly interested in. The Boss Baby? I just get the feeling I've seen everything I need to see in the trailers. Ghost In The Shell is the big release for Friday. Going by Box Office Mojo.com's predictions, Beauty And The Beast will have an easy three-peat at #1 in the week to week charts, and there's a chance the movie won't see any real competition until Smurfs: The Lost Village hits theaters next week.

 

[Hard Hit Prince]

The Fate of The Furious: Good popcorn flick. F. Gary Gray did an excelent job directing the movie. It's not about the tunning lifestyle anymore, it's not about the cars. It's a movie about super-heroes and it's not a bad thing. It's not original either, but the franchise does have it's place in the market. It understands that isn't winning any awards and they don't even try to do it. They want the mainstream attention and the big bucks and not all franchises know how to present it's value and just be flat out entertaining. (Transformers, looking at you). The plot has big holes, it's very focused on Vin Diesel's Dom and the secondary characters lost a LOT because of it. Yet, it was a joy to watch. The artwork department deserves a lot of praise and the stunts too. It's FGG's vision and I dug it. Charlize Theron was terrible. - 3/5

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Power Rangers- 6/10

I had some doubts about Power Rangers trying too hard to be an overly serious superhero film with a darker tone, but there's a good amount of humor and a lot of goofy antics throughout the movie. The product placement is annoying (the final act literally revolves around the local Krispy Kreme), and the movie falls off the rails a little bit towards the end, but this revamped version of Power Rangers delivers some good harmless fun, laughs, and Elizabeth Banks plays an entertaining villain with an appropriately hammy performance. I'm really glad they didn't go for a brooding style of storytelling with the characters to match, and Power Rangers actually pokes fun at itself a few times.

Power Rangers' current worldwide total sits at $129,010,590, and that's off of a reported production budget of $100,000,000. It's a disappointment, when you consider the heavy marketing campaign and all the big expectations for the return of Power Rangers.

Haim Sabin hinted at plans for a six movie story arc, and according to various reports, Lionsgate had high hopes for Power Rangers to fill the void left behind by The Hunger Games as their next big cash cow franchise. It's one of the reasons why Lionsgate decided to resurrect Saw for a new film later this year, and apparently, things aren't working out with Divergent. Alleigant was panned by the critics, and the movie had an underwhelming run at the box office. The series was supposed to come to a conclusion this year with the final film, but plans for the big finale are too murky now. Plans are in place to end Divergent as a TV film (or series), but the big problem with that is, Shailene Woodley reportedly won't return as Tris, and she backed out of the project altogether, when the plans for a possible move to TV were announced.

Power Rangers surprised me, but I honestly don't see an upside for any sequels. The superhero market is pretty crowded now. Power Rangers really needed to make a bigger splash with this film, and the nostalgia buzz to bring in older fans will only last for so long.

The Zookeeper's Wife- 7/10

Yes, it feels too contrived every now and then, but The Zookeeper's Wife is a tense, emotional, and well-crafted war drama. Jessica Chastain gives a good effort in the leading role, and The Zookeeper's Wife features a solid cast from top to bottom.

 

[Randy Orton's Head Blood]

I got around to watching Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping the other night. I'd wanted to watch it ever since it came out last year because I love Andy Samberg in The Lonely Island & Brooklyn-99.

I was surprised. It was definitely a lot better than I expected it to be. In terms of one of these kinda films with all it's original music/performances, I think it's slightly better than Get Him To The Greek. The songs themselves are not only ridiculous, but also fucking hilarious sometimes. "Finest Girl (The Bin Laden Song) & "Ibitha" are two that stand out to me.

I'd definitely recommend watching it once, it might be all you can handle, but I'm sure you'd enjoy it.

6.5/10

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Going In Style- 6/10

I had no idea this was a remake, and I honestly didn't expect too much from this, but Going In Style really surprised me. Matt Dillon is at his best, when he's playing a callous prick (Nothing But The Truth, Crash, etc.), and he's a good fit for the pesky FBI agent, who's determined to catch the trio. It's predictable, and Going In Style goes through the motions from start to finish, but it's a good, heartfelt story about three friends coming together for one last adventure. Yeah, they're robbing a bank, but it's easy to root for three working stiffs, who basically dedicated their lives to their job. But in the end, they won't have anything to show for their years of hard work (they're going to lose their pensions), so it's easy to root for them. And showing the relationships between the friends and their families builds more sympathy for them.

The story of the blue-collar working man fighting back and taking on a big bad corporation has been done before, but the performances from Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, and Alan Arkin and the hilarious chemistry between the three is more than enough to overlook the usual cliches and tropes.

Open Windows (2014)- 2/10

I was going through my piles of DVDs, I found this one, so I finally decided to watch it. I was ready to go with an 8/10 or a 9/10 for this, but the barrage of twists towards the end just ruined the movie for me.

Elijah Wood delivers a good performance, playing the nerdy and insecure die hard fan. Sasha Grey's performance starts out good. She's believable as the narcissistic, pretentious, and self-absorbed actress, but everything goes downhill after the kidnapping. On one hand, I understand the reasons for doing a complete 180 with Grey's character. You're supposed to feel sympathy for her, because a lunatic is threatening her life, and it's not Grey's fault, but a lot of potential was squandered for a tedious stretch of Grey falling into the damsel in distress act.

You'll see everything through security cameras, webcams, computer screens, and cell phones, and Open Windows deserves credit for an ambitious effort to do something unique, but I can't overlook all the twists. The first set of reveals and plot twists were genuinely shocking, but when you throw in another twist, and another reveal, and another twist, and more twists and reveals after that, it's just too much. The twists and reveals start to lose their shock value after a while, and it's kind of hard to stay in suspension of disbelief mode, because the final set of twists and reveals are so ridiculous and over the top. All in all, Open Windows starts out as a promising techno-thriller, but the movie eventually devolves into a convoluted mess, and it's a bad case of a movie trying too hard to be smart and clever.

April 28-30 & The Upcoming Weekend

The Fate Of The Furious held on to the #1 spot in the week to week charts for a three-peat with $19,936,540, and the current worldwide total sits at $1,101,948,803.

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 debuting in the #1 spot is a foregone conclusion at this point. Vol. 2 has a current international total of $154,000,000, and according to Box Office Mojo.com's predictions, Vol. 2 is expected to surpass the $158,000,000 mark over the weekend. To add an extra tidbit, 558 theaters are including the original film in a double feature that started tonight a couple of hours ago, and the double feature showings will be included in the final total for the weekend.

Upcoming releases:

5/5: Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2
5/5: 3 Generations (limited)
5/5: Chuck (limited)
5/5: The Dinner (limited)
5/5: The Lovers (limited)

 

[Hyorinmaru]

Train to Busan

I like to article surf on the internet which is how I found out about this movie. I'm not usually a big fan of foreign films (I've only enjoyed 1 other) but love zombie movies and this one had me hooked from beginning to end.

Not to many movies whether foreign or not make me feel as many feels or get as emotionally invested in the characters as this one did. Throughout the movie I went from happy to sad to angry and everything in between. Honestly by the time this 2 hour long movie was up I was emotionally drained but in a good way.


The plot is a simple one. A father is taking his daughter to see her mother in Busan when a zombie outbreak happens. An infected woman jumps on the bullet train they're on which of course means most of the crew and passengers get infected as well. Those that don't do their best to survive on a train full of Zombies. By the end of the movie only 2 people are left alive and you'll be surprised who it is.


This movie borrows heavily from World War Z in their zombie style but unlike World War Z this movie makes it work. I can sing the praises of this movie all night but that would get boring for everyone real quick. If you have Netflix and like foreign films and/or zombie flicks I strongly urge you to take 2 hours out of your day to watch this, I promise you won't be disappointed.

Train to Busan: * * * * * out of 5.

 

[Hyorinmaru]

The Rezort​

Another Zombie film I found on Netflix this one being British instead of Korean.

This movie takes place 7 years after humans won the zombie war. The only place they can be found is an Island called The Rezort where people pay to hunt the undead on safari. A group meets up on the island but unknown to the rest of the group one of them is a zombie rights activist who stole some files but unwittingly uploaded a virus that shut down the entire security grid on the island. The group, which is out on the island, has to make it to the docks before the entire island is incinerated. During their mad dash to safety they find out how the finite number of zombies keeps getting replenished. By the end of the movie only 2 people while the rest get burnt to a crisp.

I love this movie I just wish it was longer. 1.5 hours just doesn't seem like enough time. Everything happens way to fast

The Rezort: * * * *1/2 out of 5

Up next: JeruZalem

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Alien: Covenant- 4/10

Fassbender is the only reason why I'm not going with a 2/10.

Solid performances from Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup, and Michael Fassbender delivers the best performance again, but Covenant is just a big disappointment. I heard this on a horror movies podcast I listen to, and apparently Ridley Scott wanted to follow the blueprint from Prometheus for this film, but the powers that be intervened, because they wanted an Alien film. Covenant is not a pure Alien film, but that doesn't bother me, because they had to tie up some loose ends from Prometheus. It's a prequel series, so you know they're going to make that transition at some point, but overall, Covenant is a tedious and dull film.

You could say the Alien prequel series needs more time and films to build momentum, so they can piece everything together for the ultimate payoff, but Covenant takes a few steps backwards, and there's no way around it. Yeah, you can tear Prometheus to shreds for an illogical story and stupid characters, but the movie had some redeemable qualities as a visual spectacle, and it's hard to forget about Shaw's C-section scene. Another problem is Alien and Aliens are praised as classics, and Alien 3 is highly underrated, so the chances of topping or coming close to all three films are very slim. And after Resurrection and two shitty crossover films, there's no real reason to get your hopes up for any future Alien films.

Questions are answered, but Covenant is short on any real thrills and the movie lacks tension, and stupid choices from certain characters are another problem. Covenant is better than Resurrection, if we're ranking Alien films, but that's nothing to brag about.

The Upcoming Weekend

A random update on the Power Rangers sequel, but it looks like the toy sales might save the future of the potential series. Looking back, the trailers really didn't help Power Rangers. The trailers showed a brooding superhero drama about a bunch of teenage punks/lost causes, but the movie was a lot of fun with s good amount of laughs.

It Comes At Night is the only film I'm truly looking forward to, but The Mummy's release is the big story for the weekend. The critics are tearing The Mummy apart, the movie currently holds an 18% on Rotten Tomatoes, and some critics are calling it Tom Cruise's worst film. I can't say I'm too surprised. The trailers were awful, and Cruise's days as a box office draw are long gone.

Universal's attempt to start their own cinematic universe (the Dark Universe) with famous movie monsters is off to a bad start. I guess we're supposed to forget about Dracula Untold? I didn't have a problem with it, and I know it's another one of those movies that doesn't live up to the potential of a unique premise, but it's a harmless film. Numerous movie sites are predicting Wonder Woman will easily repeat at #1 in the week to week charts, so The Mummy can forget about bragging rights for a big debut weekend.

Upcoming releases:

6/9: The Mummy
6/9: It Comes At Night
6/9: Megan Leavey (limited)
6/9: My Cousin Rachel (limited)
6/9: Beatriz At Dinner (limited)

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Baywatch- 2/10

I had slim hopes for this, but it's a dud. Although, I can't say I'm too surprised, because next to The Mummy, Baywatch had some of the worst trailers I've seen this year.

Everything feels too forced in Baywatch. The humor, the jokes, the gags, the setups, and after a while, Baywatch devolves into a one-track formula for a repetitive and juvenile style of humor. Rock working at a Sprint store was good for a few cheap laughs, but outside of that, Baywatch is an unfunny comedy for the most part.

To make matters worse, the movie is loaded with too many subplots. Rock trying to fill the role of a big brother/mentor for Zac Efron is the only storyline that really works. Rock and Efron had good chemistry together, with Efron playing this egotistical dick, but you can still feel some sympathy for him, because he eventually reaches a point, where he realizes he needs to change.

Priyanka Chopra is a boring villain. I know she's supposed to have that combination of sex appeal and power, and her performance is decent at best, but she's stuck with a dull and cliched character.

In the 90's, a major Baywatch film could've had some success, when Baywatch was still a thing, and the movie would surely have a cult following as a nostalgic guilty pleasure today, but it just doesn't work in 2017. The Rock gives a good effort as usual, but Baywatch is a huge misfire. Also, Baywatch is supposed to be an R-rated comedy, but it feels too tamed more often than not, so in the end, you're left with a film that's basically a cheap thrill for horny teenagers.

June 9-11 & The Upcoming Weekend

Wonder Woman is still #1 in the week to week charts, pulling in $58,520,672 to bring the current worldwide total to $466,026,730. The Mummy debuted with $31,688,375, and the current worldwide total sits at $183,367,746 and that's off of a reported production budget of $125,000,000. The Mummy's overseas box office total ($140,757,046) might've saved the Dark Universe's future, but it's almost impossible to ignore the apathetic response.

Cars 3 debuting at #1 in the week to week charts is one of the bigger layups this year, and All Eyez On Me might have a shot at debuting in the #2 spot after a tight race with Wonder Woman.

All Eyez On Me continues to receive bad reviews (a 24% on Rotten Tomatoes). After watching the trailers, I just get the feeling the movie will be a run-of-the-mill biopic, and Jamal Woolard returning to play Biggie was the only positive sign in the trailers for me.

47 Meters Down is the annual mainstream shark horror film, and I'm sure it'll be forgettable. I have no interest whatsoever in Rough Night. Basically, it's another case of the copycat syndrome in Hollywood after Bad Moms, and Rough Night has a 53% on RT.

Upcoming releases:

6/16: Cars 3
6/16: All Eyez On Me
6/16: Rough Night
6/16: 47 Meters Down
6/16: The Book Of Henry (limited)

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Transformers: The Last Knight - 1.5/10

This is the first of the Transformers movies that I've gone to the theaters to see. My niece wanted to see it, it gave me a chance to spend some time with her so I was happy to take her. I'm glad she enjoyed it and there's still the kid in me that loves Peter Cullen and Frank Welker voicing Optimus Prime and Galvatron/Megatron as they did for the animated series I loved as a kid.

If you're looking for a movie that tells a great story, is packed with interesting characters, is well acted, well written and makes you want to see it again, then Transformers: The Last Knight is most definitely NOT the movie for you. It follows the Michael Bay formula of mindlessness to an even more absurd degree than the four previous films in the franchise, which took in a total of roughly $3.8 billion worldwide at the box office. Even a lot of the hardcore fans haven't gone to see it; it's only taken in about $70 million domestically so far and while I doubt it'll reach the $1 billion mark like the last two films in the franchise have, I'm sure the overall worldwide returns will be more than enough to warrant making another one. The CGI is impressive, no question about that and it's a massive CGI fest and that's all the movie really has going for it. In the past movies, we've sort of seen Bay kinda sorta try to combine the whole aliens/robots/outer space type of sci-fi with sword & sorcery type of fantasy by portraying a lot of the Transformers with weapons like swords, shields, battleaxes, etc. In this one, Bay goes all out and tries to combine the whole Transformers stuff with Arthurian legend with King Arthur, Merlin, Camelot, Excalibur, sorcery, the whole nine yards and it just doesn't work at all for me; Bay's not remotely good enough of a director to mesh these wildly different sci-fi/fantasy genres in any sort of coherent way. There are directors who can do it, but Michael Bay isn't one of them. Of course, it's not entirely Bay's fault as he's ultimately taking what screenwriters have written on pages and put it on film, but the buck usually stops with the director as he/she is the honcho.

If you can entirely just switch your brain off, if you can just simply not think about the plot holes, how lame the overall characters in the movie are and just enjoy the CGI, then you'll be fine

 

[shooter_mcgavin]

Transformers: The Last Knight - 1.5/10

Glad I avoided this movie then. I am a huge Transformers fan and actually liked the 1st Bay film but it's obvious Hasbro, Bay, or Paramount has no idea what to do with this franchise.

Some movie's I've seen over the last 2 months

Get Out - very good movie, atmospheric and beautifully shot and creepy

Loving - good movie, has historical significance but straight forward and bland as far as drama goes. Great performances though.

Wonder Woman - It's DC's Captain America: The First Avenger only much better. Still suffers from the over done final climax

The Beguiled - Kind of loved this, starts out as a power play between the women to get Firth's attention then it just goes bonkers 2/3 through the film.

Spider-Man Home Coming - 2nd best MCU movie behind Guardians of the Galaxy

 

[Mitch Henessey]

It Comes At Night- 6/10

Solid performances from Joel Edgerton and the supporting cast, and Trey Edward Shults didn't feel the need to rely on a lot of blood and gore. The terror and the fear in It Comes At Night comes from Paul's (Edgherton) decisions and how far he's willing to go to protect his family from the disease. The tension is great here, because Paul is an overly paranoid character with serious trust issues. It's understandable, because most people would do whatever they had to do protect their families, so It Comes At Night has a sense of realism for unprecedented situations.

I didn't have a big problem with It Comes At Night, but at the same time, I just don't get the heaps of praise for this one. I'm going into slight spoilers here, but most of the bad and spooky stuff throughout the movie happens in Travis' (Paul's son) dream sequences. Looking at the trailers and listening to Paul's warnings with all the teases, It Comes At Night leads you to believe something truly disastrous and terrifying will happen at night. But if you take out that one scene with the dog and Will (the father and husband of the other family) breaking into the house, It Comes At Night is short on thrills during the nighttime scenes.

It's a thought-provoking film, but I just don't see a game-changer. If you're into post-apocalyptic horror flicks, It Comes At Night is worth a try, but in the end, it's not good enough to stand out amongst the pack.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)- 6/10

I revisited this one for the first time in years, and TCM '03 is still one of my favorite horror remakes. TCM '03 is loaded with horror cliches and stupid character mistakes. Splitting up, falling down, while running, picking up a hitchhiker, and squandering numerous opportunities to escape.

I always go back to the scene, where Morgan is in the van with Sheriff Hoyt, and Hoyt's doing everything he can do to push his buttons. Morgan tries to fire the gun, but Hoyt took the bullets out. Morgan had the chance to smack him across the face with the gun and run, but he just sits there with this stunned look on his face, giving Hoyt a chance to pull out a loaded gun. And for some bizarre reason, the group doesn't suspect something fishy, when a SHERIFF asks them to help with wrapping a dead body in plastic.

If we're talking about production values, the look and the feel of the original TCM was more rough and gritty, while the remake has more of a polished presentation. Jessica Biel is a decent final girl, but Marylin Burns is widely recognized as one of the first final girls in one of the all-time great horror films with a legendary reputation, so Biel will always take a backseat to her.

TCM has some truly grotesque visuals (i.e. Leatherface's workshop), and I forgot how much I loved the documentary style intro. The narrator, the presentation, and the set up gives the movie a touch of realism, and you know it's coming, but Leatherface attacking the cops works as a good cliffhanger, because you know he's still out there and waiting. The sequence in this video is out of whack, because in the movie, the title pops up before the actual film starts, and the scene at the end happens, when Leatherface attacks Erin and Pepper:

[YOUTUBE]suQdZNLzl8g[/YOUTUBE]

Leatherface is a hulking brute in the remake, and they scarped the cross-dressing to give Leatherface the ironic look of a butcher. The Hewitt Family is a sadistic bunch ("Thomas Brown Hewitt, you get in here right now!"), so you don't get the impression they're a bunch of kooky hillbillies. R. Lee Ermey stays in his comfort zone here, but he easily delivers the best performance as "Sheriff" Hoyt.

Yes, it's another unnecessary remake, but TCM '03 works, if you're a fan of slashers that stick to the old school formula, and TCM delivers more than enough blood and gore.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Predators (2010)- 7/10

After one bad sequel (Predator 2) and two shitty spin-offs, it's safe to say Predator falls into that group of film series, where nothing really comes close to the original.

Still, Predators is a solid sequel, and it's much better than Predator 2. With Adrien Brody leading the way as a decent main character, Predators returns to its roots with a familiar setting, and I've always enjoyed the little nods and homages to the original. The dead soldier's failed trap, Hanzo's last stand mimicking Billy's last stand in the original, and Brody covering himself in mud during the final battle. Oddly enough, Predators works as a standalone film and a sequel, because the movie is able to form its own identity, and they only make slight references (Alice Braga's character telling the story of Dutch's debriefing) to the 1987 film. All things considered, I prefer the vague approach. The nostalgia winks are there, but it never reaches a point, where they feel the need to rely on it in every other scene.

Predators is predictable and generic, and a Predator film featuring a storyline about the protagonists fighting multiple Predators on their home turf doesn't live up to its full potential, but it's a fun ride, with a lot violence and gore. Looking back at the series, Predators truly is a breath of fresh air, when you compare it to the other films, and Walton Goggins and Laurence Fishburne are hilarious.

Casino (1995)- 8/10

De Niro is the leading man, but Casino is Joe Pesci's film, because he simply steals every scene he's in. I can't remember the last time I watched this one from start to finish, but man Sharon Stone plays one of the most genuinely detestable characters you'll ever see. With Lester Diamond pulling the strings and Nicky dumping her like yesterday's trash, she's someone you want to feel sympathy for, but at the same time, it's damn near impossible to ignore her malicious treachery. The downward spiral for Ginger's looks pulls everything together, because during the early stages of the movie, she's this desirable and irresistible woman, but as the story progresses, she slowly turns into a toxic trainwreck/junkie.

If we're ranking Scorsese's crime dramas, I might put this one behind The Departed, but there's no denying Casino is one of Scorsese's best films. An outstanding cast from top to bottom with De Niro, Pesci, Sharon Stone, Frank Vincent, James Woods, and others. For a movie that has a runtime that goes 2hrs. & 58 min., Casino never drags and it's not a chore to sit through. Excellent pacing, and so many great moments and scenes, including Piscano's rant, Nicky warning the rude cowboy ("You took your boots off? You put your feet on the table... you shit-kicking, stinky, horse-manure-smelling motherfucker you! You fuck me up over there, I'll stick you in a hole in the fucking desert! You understand?"), Nicky confronting Sam in the desert, and for a number of reasons, Nicky and Dominick still have one of the most brutal death scenes I've ever seen.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Annabelle: Creation- 8/10

It's not a rarity, but before Creation's release, the movie was sitting at a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes for a few days, but that rating dropped, fast. Creation currently holds a 68% on RT, and it's kind of hard to ignore the screwy system for the Tomatometer.

More reviews pour in over time, so there's a always a chance for the score dropping, and usually, the overall Tomatometer score for said film really isn't an accurate reflection for the collective reviews from the critics. If said film has a 95%, that doesn't mean the counted reviews are all overwhelmingly positive. A critic could give a 3/5 or a C+ for their review, and so many critics use different rating and grading scales, so it's basically impossible to condense everything into one single system

There's a good a chance I'll drop this to a lower score, when I buy the movie, but Creation really surprised me. Annabelle 2014 was a decent horror flick in my eyes, and I still don't understand all the hate against it. My only real complaint about the movie is, John and Mia are horribly bland and boring characters as the all-American 60's married couple. Well, that and the cringeworthy moment, when the demon disguises himself as Father Perez and shouts "MAY GOD HAVE MERCY ON YOUR SOUL!"

Creation gives you characters you can care about, with a little more depth, and the movie features some good spooky and tense sequences and a lot of solid scares. Creation is definitely an upgrade over the original, and Annabelle really works as this creepy conduit of evil. On the surface, Annabelle looks harmless, and well, after all it's just a doll. But the complexion, the make-up, and sticking to a "things that go bump in the night" formula gives Annabelle the looming presence of a threat. She's not a harmless and innocent child's toy, because you know something evil is lurking beneath the surface.

After Creation, I don't think I need to see another horror film, where a demon or an evil entity vomits black goo into another character's mouth to posses them, and if we're looking further down the road, I'm not too excited about this planned cinematic universe for The Conjuring.

Annabelle 2014 was a prequel.....and Creation is a prequel to the 2014 film. I didn't stick around for the mid-credits or the post-credits scenes in the theater, but the post-credits scene teases the upcoming solo film for the main demon (The Nun) in The Conjuring 2. I just don't know what to expect from a cinematic universe for The Conjuring. What's going to happen? Ed and Lorraine unite with other priests from around the world to take down some super demon after four or five more films? Sorry, but that's not enough to blow my skirt up. Or maybe I'm just overthinking things, because creating more spin-offs, prequels, and sequels might work as a formula to keep fans interested and hooked in, without sinking the franchise with boredom after too many straightforward Conjuring sequels.

Atomic Blonde- 5/10

Charlize Theron delivers, as the fierce, ass-kicking assassin, but Atomic Blonde doesn't work without James McAvoy's performance. McAvoy plays this skeevy loose-cannon, and you're never really sure which side he's on, so it's a good guessing game before the big reveals at the end.

With all that said, Atomic Blonde is basically an average spy thriller with cool and stylish action. A good amount of entertaining action sequences, but it's nothing you haven't seen before, with Theron fighting her way through hordes of disposable henchmen, complete with bloody headshots.

The love story between Sofia Boutella and Theron feels forced. On one hand, I get the point behind feeling the need to humanize Lorraine (Theron). She falls in love, and she genuinely cared about another person, so she's not some cold-blooded killer with a black heart, but for me it's just one storyline too many. Hell, Atomic Blonde ends with a plethora of twists, so in the grand scheme of things, Lorraine falling in love with Delphine is insignificant.

But I'll say this, Atomic Blonde has a killer soundtrack. Atomic Blonde is set in the 80's, each track is a perfect fit, and Atomic Blonde probably features the best usage of I Ran (So Far Away) in a movie during the car chase.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Wonder Woman- 5/10

Probably my top pick for the most overrated film in 2017.

I had a hard time getting into this after Diana left Themyscira, and the big Ares reveal was disappointing and one of the bigger plot holes in the movie. Batman VS Superman was trying too hard to be this epic spectacle, and Suicide Squad was trying too hard to be cool. Wonder Woman is a more polished film, with Patty Jenkins behind the camera, and it's a step in the right direction for DC's cinematic universe, but I just didn't see anything special here. If you're telling me Wonder Woman is an upgrade of BVSS and Suicide Squad, I can go along with that. But I'm not buying into the hype, if you're telling me it's one of the all-time great superhero films.

I also find it laughable how so many DC fanboys were fully against Rotten Tomatoes, and someone started a petition to shut RT down after Suicide Squad. But Wonder Woman holds on to a 92%, and it's basically crickets.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Baby Driver- 10/10

I didn't want to buy into the hype for this one, and I wasn't sure about Ansel Elgort. In The Divergent films his character comes off as this rigid and inept buffoon, but Elgort showed a lot of potential here as Baby. He really nails the character, playing this cool and smooth getaway driver, and the casting is just great here. Everyone from Jamie Foxx to Kevin Spacey, Jon Hamm, Lily James, and Eliza Gonzalez were perfect fits for their respective characters.

Baby Driver maintains some excellent tension from start to finish, with a lot of good close calls, and Edgar Wright's interweaving with the music and the chase scenes works as a two for one punch. One of the better soundtracks to listen to, working with Baby's character, his choices, his mood and his mindset. Laughs, thrills, and stylish action from Edgar Wright, Baby Driver is just a lot of fun, and it's definitely one of 2017's best films.

The Upcoming Weekend

Box Office Mojo.com's predictions have It debuting at #1 in the week to week charts to end three consecutive weeks at #1 for The Hitman's Bodyguard. It is expected to debut with an estimated $85,000,000 for the weekend, the movie has an 88% on Rotten Tomatoes, and I can't wait to see it.

I always take praise from authors, actors, actresses, and directors for an upcoming film with a handful of salt, because a. they're trying to hype up the movie, and b. more often than not, you have to believe they're not going to be 100% honest or completely shit on a movie, when they're receiving a big paycheck for it. But Stephen King is a straight-shooter, and he doesn't hold back. It's no secret he pretty much hates Kubrick's The Shining, a praised horror classic, and he's not going to bite his tongue, if he doesn't like something. I heard this on a podcast, but apparently, King has 100% creative control and final say on all of his adaptations after The Shining, so he's very hands on with everything.

Home Again is one of the other wide releases for the weekend, but I'm really not interested in watching another forgettable romantic comedy starring Reese Witherspoon.

Upcoming Films:

9/8: It
9/8: Home Again
9/8: 9/11
9/8: Anti Matter (straight-to-video/streaming)
9/8: Fallen (limited)

 

[Codename Bags]

So I've been doing Sci-Fi September, which is a different Sci-Fi movie every day during the month. I've been taking the chance to watch a lot of movies that I've never seen before. Well, last night was Judge Dredd.

Judge Dredd was not my favorite Stallone movie, if I even have to say that. I look forward to rewarding myself with Blade Runner today.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Spider-Man: Homecoming- 8/10

Michael Keaton plays the best villain in the MCU so far. Keeping his character grounded in reality really helps to separate him from the rest. Of course, he's delusional, and the way he goes about it is all wrong, but Toomes is a man, who wants to provide a good, comfortable life for his family, and he won't let anyone get in his way.

Tom Holland really nailed Spider-Man/Peter Parker, and it's refreshing to see someone, who's actually enthusiastic and happy about being Spider-Man and taking on the challenge. I'll always love Sam Raimi's Spider-Man films (with the exception of 3), but Toby Maguire's Spider-Man was so miserable and depressed all the time, and I just had the feeling of looking at a guy, who was waiting to be put out of his misery. Garflied was a cocky and arrogant show-off, but I never had a big problem with his portrayal.

Homecoming feels fresh, and that's a good sign for the future after a second reboot. I'm also glad they didn't feel the need to include Uncle Ben and show his death again, because Uncle Ben's death is up there with the murder of Bruce Wayne's parents for "been there, done that" retreads in superhero films. Homecoming is a lot fun, and his screen time is basically limited to cameo status, but I'm more interested to see how Holland holds his own without RDJ in the sequels.

The Mummy- 5/10

Tom Cruise is beyond annoying here. His star power is not what it used to be, but Cruise is still a big name. Nick (Cruise) never comes into his own as "The Chosen," so you're basically stuck with Cruise playing this bumbling buffoon, with an incredible streak of luck throughout the movie.

Sofia Boutella is on a short list of positives as Princess Ahmanet. I loved the look, with the pale, white skin, the double pupils, and the hieroglyphic markings covering her body and her face. It's a case, where trying something new actually works, but if I had one complaint, it's the approach to make Ahmanet a cool and sympathetic villain. She murdered a baby and her father in his sleep. There are no ifs, ands, or buts. Ahmanet is a terrible person.

I might drop this to a lower score, when I watch it again. It's not that bad, but The Mummy is just a decent popcorn flick at best. It's an underwhelming film overall, with an anticlimactic final showdown between Ahmanet and Nick, and I couldn't buy into the forced love story between Cruise and Annabelle Wallis. Jake Johnson constantly reappearing as a zombie in every other scene, as a guide for Nick? It's funny the first couple of times, but after that, they really abused the "OMG he's dead, but he can appear anywhere, and he's still giving Nick advice! LOL!" joke.

Russell Crowe really doesn't add anything to the movie, and the Hyde transformation was a big disappointment. Unless I'm missing something, the last time I remember seeing Hyde was in The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and he looked ridiculous. Crowe's Hyde doesn't look like someone, who took an obscene amount of steroids, but it's basically Russell Crowe with a deeper voice, his eyes change, and that's about.

Going back to the ending.....

Spoiler

So Tom Cruise just takes the dagger away from Ahmanet, because she lowered her guard for a few seconds? Yeah, I'm not buying it. Ahmanet literally slaps Nick around with no problems, and Ahmanet closely guards the dagger, when she comes back to life, but somehow Nick just grabs it from her, and she doesn't notice? Complete bullshit.

I know they're trying to build a cinematic universe, so the chances of killing off Cruise or Ahmanet were slim, but Nick, a guy, who's basically clueless and a borderline nitwit, somehow overpowers Set's possession to defeat Ahmanet? Come on now. They can always cook something up to bring Ahmanet back as a stronger character (I'm pretty sure I spotted The Book Of The Dead in one scene), BUT at some point you have to give people a reason to believe Nick is capable of defeating (and literally sucking the life out of) Ahmanet. I never did.

I watched a behind the scenes featurette, and you can tell Sofia Boutella put a lot of hard work into Ahmanet, but a character with some real potential is wasted here. Things are not off to a good start for the Dark Universe (a "meh" reaction for the logo reveal before the movie), and they can't just ignore this film. I guess I'm one of the few people, who didn't have a problem with Dracula Untold. A solid action/horror flick, and the ending was clearly a tease to set up future films, so I don't buy into the reports/interviews that deny it.

The early stages of the Dark Universe mirrors what happened with DC. A lot of hype for a dud, and if the second film (if it happens) is a failure, then they're going to need a Wonder Woman to dig themselves out of the hole.

 

[Fire Marshall Bill]

Baby Driver- 10/10

I didn't want to buy into the hype for this one, and I wasn't sure about Ansel Elgort. In The Divergent films his character comes off as this rigid and inept buffoon, but Elgort showed a lot of potential here as Baby. He really nails the character, playing this cool and smooth getaway driver, and the casting is just great here. Everyone from Jamie Foxx to Kevin Spacey, Jon Hamm, Lily James, and Eliza Gonzalez were perfect fits for their respective characters.

Baby Driver maintains some excellent tension from start to finish, with a lot of good close calls, and Edgar Wright's interweaving with the music and the chase scenes works as a two for one punch. One of the better soundtracks to listen to, working with Baby's character, his choices, his mood and his mindset. Laughs, thrills, and stylish action from Edgar Wright, Baby Driver is just a lot of fun, and it's definitely one of 2017's best films.

I was wondering if anyone was ever going to review this movie on here. This was just a fun movie. Sure the plot is pretty cliche - main protagonist is strong/good at something and gets involved with the wrong people and has to work his way out while still being a good person, etc. I can think of one movie this copies off the top of my head just being on a wrestling forum: The Rundown. Obviously this one has a love story along with it, which does further add tension.

All that aside, it's still a really good movie. Even with the story being retold another time, the characters get you invested. Each one adds their own flair to the movie. They're all colorful in their own way. Let's face it, Kevin Spacey pretty much just has to play Kevin Spacey to make it work. But the other characters all make you want to see what's going to happen. And you're just waiting for things to explode with Jamie Foxx, which makes how everything plays out that much better, at least for me.

I'm not sure I'd go 10/10, but I'd go at least 9. I'd recommend this movie to anyone. Even if you're just into mindless action flicks, the driving scenes alone are worth a watch.

As an aside, it seems to me that since GOTG came out, more movies are being conscious about how their soundtrack can add to the overall experience. This movie, like GOTG, used it as a plot device.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

I can't say enough about how good Baby Driver's soundtrack was, and the GOTG comparison is spot on. It's one thing to use music to make a movie look and feel cool, but the usage and the methods behind each song separates the good and the quality films from the films going for a moment here and there, when there's a point, a purpose, or a story behind each song.

Carlito's Way (1993)- 7/10

I haven't seen Danny Collins yet, but The Devil's Advocate and Carlito's Way feature two of Pacino's last quality performances. Although, Pacino is upstaged by Sean Penn in this one. David Kleinfeld is a sleazy two-faced weasel, and Penn really nails the character, because you just want to punch Klenfeld in the face. Carlito's Way is basically a throwback film now, but it's still refreshing to see Penn having fun playing a scumbag before he moved on to chasing Oscars with more serious roles in drama films.

Carltio's Way follows just about every cliche you can think of in a crime drama. Carlito wants to get out of the life and start over with Gail, BUT he has to do one more job (freeing Tony. T) before he's out for good, and of course something goes wrong. And to top it all off, Carlito never suspects any foul play with the backstabbers he chooses to surround himself with until it's too late.

Carlito's Way is predictable (the movie opens with the ending) and Penelope Ann Miller is grating as Gail, but it's a case, where the cast, the performances, and Brian De Palma helps a formulaic screenplay rise above average and forgettable. Pacino, Sean Penn, James Rebhorn playing the asshole District Attorney, who's willing to do anything to nail Carlito and Kleinfeld, even if it means playing them against each other. Jorge Porcel (Saso, or Ron!), Luis Guzman, and Viggo Mortensen are good for some laughs, and John Leguizamo's Benny Blanco (from The Bronx) adds an entertaining sub-plot to the movie. It's a slight spin on the old young lion vs the old lion storyline, with Leguizamo playing the young, mouthy hothead, who's ready to take over, and Pacino plays the old and respected veteran, but he doesn't feel the need to respect Blanco, or give him the attention he's looking for.

You know what's going to happen, but the final chase/gunfight at Grand Central is easily the highlight of the movie. A nail-biter from one shot to the next, and Carlito is a guy you want to root for, because he wanted to take advantage of his second chance for positive changes. He was so close to finally catching "the dream," but he was deceived and dragged back into a world of shit.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Mother!- 8/10

It’s a lot to digest with all the metaphors and religious allegories and the big questions, but Mother! is a dark, unnerving, and tense psychological horror film. A solid cast all around, with Michelle Pfeiffer playing a nasty and cold jerk, and the chaotic frenzy during the last 40-50 minutes of the movie reaches levels of wild absurdity, but it’s one good tense sequence (the standoff between Lawerence and Bardem) after another. I’ll have to watch this again at some point, because Mother! and Black Swan are the only two Aronofsky films I actually want to watch more than once.

Flatliners- 5/10

As a horror film, Flatliners follows just about every cliché you can think of, if we’re talking about jump scares and the set ups for said jump scares. And as a sci-fi film, Flatliners really squanders the whole “coming back from the dead” premise. Before they confront the demons from their pasts, the main characters don’t have a problem with partying and living it up, when they’re stuck in limbo and when they come back to life, because dying is fun and you can do a lot of cool stuff! And for some reason, certain characters are smarter, and it’s implied they basically have superpowers. They actually reach a point, where Sophia (Kiersey Clemons) starts whining, because she wants to die, but the group thinks it’s too dangerous. Basically, her big tirade boils down to “Everyone gets to die and see cool stuff, but I don’t? It’s not fair!” Huh?

Another big problem is, Flatiners is short on likeable characters. If you pay attention to the trailers, it’s not hard to guess the real why reason why Ellen Page’s character wanted to experiment with death, and it’s a selfish reason, when you look at the big picture. You can feel some sympathy for Sophia, because she’s a nice kid, with an overbearing and controlling mother. Of course, everyone, who dies reaches a point, where they need closure and they’ll need to face their demons, if they want to stop the evil forces, but you won’t see any real surprises, because it’s a predictable series of events.

With all that said, I did have some fun with Flatliners as a guilty pleasure. Jamie (James Norton) is being haunted by someone, who’s still alive, and somehow, Ellen Page is capable of flying, when she dies for the first time. It’s absurd, and Flatliners is a heavily, heavily flawed film in so many areas, so I can understand the 5% on Rotten Tomatoes (started out with a 0%) and the overwhelming amounts of negativity surrounding this one. I need to watch the original one day, but bringing people back from the dead is a tricky premise to tackle, because The Lazarus Effect, a movie with a similar story and premise (pegged as a rip-off of the original Flatliners), was a lousy film.

It (1990)- 6/10 & It (2017)- 9/10

Tim Curry was genuinely creepy as Pennywise, but compared to Bill Skarsgard, he’s more of a jokester overall. Skarsgard on the other hand, brings the combination of being menacing and creepy, so I have to give the nod to Skarsgard for being the better Pennywise.

The miniseries is one of the better Stephen King adaptations, but there’s no denying it’s dated, and It 2017 is superior in every way imaginable. A more polished film, with top notch production values, some good 80's nostalgia, and a better cast. I’d give a slight edge to Michael Cole’s Henry Bowers over Nicholas Hamilton’s Henry, but that’s about it. Another problem with the miniseries is, it’s exhausting, if you try and sit through it in one viewing.

It 2017 really benefits from the R rating. The miniseries had restrictions, but It 2017 was able to go further with the blood, gore, dialogue, and the relationship between Bev and her father. Disturbing, creepy, and tense, It 2017 has to be the best horror film in 2017, because I don’t see any real competition from upcoming films (Jigsaw looks terrible).

It 2017 is a damn good film, but I’m worried about the sequel. With all the praise and success at the box office, it’ll be damn near impossible for the sequel to live up to the hype. In the miniseries, when The Loser’s Club takes on Pennywise as kids, their story is told through flashbacks, and the miniseries loses a lot of momentum, when the second half of the story starts. It’ll be interesting to see how they handle the adult actors, and I can already see complaints about too much CGI, when It reveals its true form.

Happy Death Day- 5/10

A satisfying throwback to 80’s whodunit slashers with a Groundhog Day twist (they actually mention Groundhog Day towards the end), and you can see the similarities to Scream. Happy Death Day truly was made for and marketed to horror fans. A slasher released in October on Friday The 13, and the poster definitely has an 80’s horror-esque feel to it. The humor is hit-and-miss (i.e. a lame Subway dick joke), and Jessica Rothe delivers a solid performance, but she starts out as an unbearably annoying character, complete with a predictable “I need to change” redemption tour.

It’s a fun slasher, but it’s almost impossible to ignore two MASSIVE plot holes, and the reveal for the killer, and their motivations for wanting to murder Tree (Rothe)? Oy vey. I understand they were going for the SHOCKING reveal, because anyone on Tree’s list of suspects would’ve been too obvious, and you can say the same thing about Tree’s dad. The reveal is a genuine surprise, but “Really? That’s why you did it?” was the best I could do for a reaction. I just rolled my eyes, when the killer gave their explanation to hatch this elaborate plan to murder Tree, because they’re holding a silly, jealous grudge over her.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Jigsaw- 4/10

I've seen it all before. The teamwork for the players in Jigsaw's game is a little bit more cohesive, but you still have one or more players, who don't want to work together. Certain players would've made it out safely or alive, if they just played by the rules, and listened to Jigsaw's warnings, but they don't, so they have to deal with consequences (losing a body part, lots of blood, etc.).

If you've seen more than one Saw film, you basically know how things are going to play out, when the game starts, and of course, the movie ends with a plethora of twists and reveals to leave things wide open for future installments. They could EASILY make another three or four films, and the movie ends with another apprentice reveal, because you know, someone has to continue Jigsaw's work.

Hannah Emily Anderson's Eleanor is a red herring, but she's a nice change of pace, when you consider the usual set of characters in a Saw film. She's in the movie to facilitate a nostalgia kick (hard to believe the original Saw was released in 2004), because her studio is filled with traps from previous Saw films, but still, it's refreshing to see someone, who's not a sleazebag, a conflicted and tortured soul, or someone, who snapped after a personal tragedy in their lives.

The big return and the set up for said character's big return caught me off guard. I'll try and tip-toe around spoilers, but You Know Who returns during the final stages of the movie, and it's a genuine surprise, because he's supposed to be dead. There's more to it, but I'll basically spoil the whole movie, if I go too deep into what happens. Although, the more I think about, they used a similar trick in Saw II, so it's been done before to a certain extent.

Billy The Puppet's eyes light up, Jigsaw probably has some of the best traps in the series, but if you've seen one Saw film, then you know what to expect, and Jigsaw basically follows the same routine. Boring, dull, and to add to that, it's damn near impossible to suspend disbelief and buy into the high stakes after seven sequels, because you know they're going to leave things wide open for another set of films.

A fan asked Leigh Whannell about the ending to Saw III on Twitter, and he confirmed what I always believed. Saw III was supposed to end the series with John's death, but Whannell had to write in the parts with Amanda and the letter and John pouring wax on the tape after orders from the powers that be. In Hollywood, it's basically standard procedure to milk a film series for all it's worth with as many sequels as possible, especially a horror franchise that doesn't require a big budget for each film.

I've never been a big fan of the original Saw, and Saw III is still my pick for the best in the series. Saw IV was terrible, but VI is an underrated film in the series. Using the social commentary with the problems for health care in the US, and plugging that into Saw's usual formula during the game gave a Saw film a creative twist for the first time in years. Saw 7 (or Saw 3D) was underwhelming and mediocre, and the movie didn't pack the powerful punch of a big finale. Again, it's just hard to buy into high stakes, when you know they're going to throw two or three twists at you during the final moments of the movie, ANOTHER apprentice reveal, and the usual flashbacks with Jigsaw.