WinterbornTM Reviews

Sing Street (2016)

Sing Street (2016) Review

[9/10 · 10 July 2016]

Sing Street is a 2016 drama written and directed by John Carney and starring Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Lucy Boynton, Jack Reynor and Aidan Gillen.

Being directed and written by John Carney, the man behind movies like Once and Begin Away, it's clear from the start that music is going to be a huge part of the movie. The story is set in 80's Dublin and follows our main character, Conor Lalor, who, after he has a crush on a girl, he decides to start a band so he can win her over.

Even though the plot doesn't sound that original, it's the characters and the setting that really shine in this film. Ireland in the 1980's was a harsh place, with economic problems. Conor is forced to move to a school, where he faces bullying and teacher abuse. Also the state of his family is on thin ice, with his parents being on the verge of divorce.

All these things might make the movie seem a tad dramatic, but there is always a light shining on the main characters, mainly from the antics of the band members, how they struggle to film their music videos, and also the romance that's about to blossom between our protagonist and his crush.

Also, Conor receives a lot of support and training provided by his older brother, Brendan, portrayed by Jack Reynor. I was a bit skeptic about Reynor, knowing him from the last Transformers movie, but he really does a great job in portraying the older brother who refuses to conform, but is aware of the state of his family, and tries to take care of his brother at all costs.

Sing Street is guaranteed one of the best movies released this year, with great characters, epic music, a touch of drama and hints of comedy, with breakout stars like Ferdia Walsh-Peelo and Lucy Boynton. This movie is a must! Final Grade: 9 out of 10.

The BFG (2016)

The BFG Review

[7/10 · 6 July 2016]

The BFG is a fantasy movie directed by the great Steven Spielberg based on the Roald Dahl's book with the same name. The movie stars Mark Rylance as the titular character, Jemaine Clement, Rebeca Hall, Bill Hader and also introduces the young Ruby Barnhill.

The movie tells the story of a young girl living in an orphanage, who, during one night, sees a giant and gets taken by him in Giant Country. Mark Rylance performs the so-called giant via motion- capture, bringing much heart and depth to the role, revealing himself to be a, well… Big Friendly Giant. It's great too see Rylance work with Spielberg again, after they collaborated in Bridge of Spies (a role that brought Rylance the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor).

The young actress playing Sophie, the girl who gets taken by the giant, Ruby Barnhill, is wonderful in her role and shows lot of promise, although sometimes her performance seems to be more aimed at stage theater rather than the movie screen. Her acting is not bad by any stretch of the imagination however, she is only twelve and in her first major picture role she's directed by Steven Spielberg. All things considered, she does a fine job.

As soon as Sophie enters the Giant Country, she will see that not all giants all friendly, in fact some of them even want to eat children. The villainous giants are played wonderfully by Jemaine Clement and Bill Hader.

With this movie, Spielberg goes back to his more kid-friendly type movies, like E.T., Hook or The Adventures of Tintin, and even though this movie is lovely and will be perfect for children, I feel like the story is not engaging enough at times. Also, and I might be a little too picky, but the CGI doesn't work that well. There are some scenes in which the giant holds Sophie and the special effects are really obvious. Sure, the children in the theater won't notice, but for Steven Spielberg it will get a little distracting.

The movie has humour, adventure and a batch of lovely characters, but the sometimes dull plot elements and the distracting special effects won't make this the best Spielberg movie. It's not a bad movie and you should not skip it, but lower your expectations a tiny bit. I give The BFG a 7 out of 10.

Green Room (2015)

Good Horror-Thriller

[8/10 · 28 June 2016]

Green Room is a 2016 horror thriller film directed by Jeremy Saulnier and starring Anton Yelchin, Imogen Poots, Alia Shawkat, Joe Cole and Patrick Stewart.

The movie tells the story of a punk rock band that play a gig in a neo-nazi skinhead bar, but when they witness something they shouldn't have seen, the skinheads trap them in a room, and so begins a cat and mouse game between the members of the band the skinheads. Jeremy Saulnier directs this movie beautifully, creating a lot of tension and suspense, but also offering a great deal of violence, reminiscent of Tarantino.

All the performances in the movie are very good, especially with great praise for Anton Yelchin and Imogen Poots. But the one who really stands out in the movie is Patrick Stewart as Darcy, the leader of the white supremacists. It's great when you see an actor who usually plays wise, good characters turn into such a chilling villain. His performance is great because it never goes over the top, but it's subdued throughout the movie.

The tension in this movie is mostly created by the fact that most of the plot takes place in a single location. You get a sense a dread while witnessing how the members of the band try to survive, especially since they don't really have a place where they can escape to. They don't really have the survival skills necessary when dealing with a pack of maniacal skinheads that want to kill them. Aside from the tension, the movie is also very gory. If you're faint of heart, or simply not used with scenes of graphic violence, you will turn your head away from time to time. Green Room is one of the better horror movies I've seen in a while, mostly because it doesn't focus on easy jump scares or pointless violence. Jeremy Saulnier creates a very unease experience, and the performances work really really well. Green Room deserves a 8.5 out of 10!

Also, in closing, I would like to talk a little about Anton Yelchin. So far, this is his last movie to be released this year, considering his death on the 19th of June. It saddens me so much when I see such promising talent go at such a young age. I won't lie and say he was my favorite actor, but I will always remember him in a movie that I love very much and hold very close to my heart, and that's Hearts in Atlantis, in which he co-starred and held his own with Anthony Hopkins. He was only 12 when he made that movie, showing great talent from such a young age but also evolving in a great adult actor. You will be missed, Rest in Peace!

Warcraft (2016)

Visually Stunning, Lacks Characters and Story

[6/10 · 9 June 2016]

Warcraft is a fantasy epic based on Blizzard's video game franchise directed by Duncan Jones (Moon, Source Code) and starring Travis Fimmel, Dominic Cooper, Toby Kebbell, Paula Patton and Ben Foster.

Warcraft is set in the fantastical world of Azeroth and follows the race of orcs as they start to seek a new world in which to settle in, considering theirs is dying. The orcs are led by Gul'Dan (Daniel Wu) who uses dark sorcery called The Fel, a sorcery which requires sacrifices, thus keeping the portal to the new world open. One of the orc chieftains, Durotan (Kebbell) does not agree with Gul'Dan's methods and he starts to doubt his intentions. The world the orcs flee to is called Azeroth, the house for races like humans, dwarfs and elves. Thus, a conflict begins the two factions.

First of all, let me start by saying that this movies was savaged by critics. It currently holds a 22% rotten score on Rotten Tomatoes and some reviewers have even said this movie is as bad as Battlefield Earth. This is truly not the case. This movie is far from perfect and indeed it has some flaws, but to go as far as calling it a new Battlefield Earth is simply ludicrous. This movie is very good for what it's supposed to be: a fantasy epic with exciting battles, unique characters and a rich mythology.

Fans of the video game franchise will surely love this movie and will notice all the little easter eggs and references thrown throughout the movie. I myself am not a huge follower of the game series and I still enjoyed this movie. By far the weakest link of this movie are the characters, especially the human ones. Travis Fimmel plays Anduin Lothar, commander of the human army who is supposed to come off as witty and charming but unfortunately is just annoying most of the time. Dominic Cooper plays King Llane, a good king who cares about his people and wants to protect them from the coming invasion. Cooper is a great actor but he's not a good fit for this character. His looks are too boyish and make him seem like he lacks experience, thus not having enough gravitas. In fact, this is a problem for most of the human characters, as Ben Foster and Ben Schnetzer both play mages, but they don't fit at all in their roles.

One of the best characters in this movie comes from the orc horde, and that's Durotan played by Toby Kebbell. Kebbell does a great job in bringing to life a character that cares deeply for his family and people, a just and noble ruler. He is also the wisest from the Horde, as he realizes an alliance with the humans must be made in order to save his world. Kebbell plays Durotan using motion capture, his second role of this nature (he also did a fantastic job in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes). All the orcs in the movie are portrayed by this technology, and, for the most part, they look great. CGI is a must requirement in this kind of movie, and even if it falls flat in some of the scenes, the look of the orcs is very well achieved

Having said all that, Warcraft is a movie that's beautifully directed by Duncan Jones, with some great visuals for the most part, with beautiful looking landscapes and battles. Unfortunately, it falls short in the story and character depth departments, but the way I see it, I knew what I was getting in to. I was not expecting a Citizen Kane, I wanted to see crazy giant battles between orcs, humans and other beasts and I got all that. Warcraft is one of the best video game adaptations out there (not saying much) and I give it a 6.5 out of 10.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

Disappointment

[7/10 · 4 June 2016]

This is for the first time in movie history when we get to see on the big screen the two most important comic book characters of all time: Batman and Superman! Not only that, but they also fight each other!

Batman v. Superman is set in the same cinematic universe as Man of Steel, with Zack Snyder returning to direct and starring Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Henry Cavill as Clark Kent/Superman, Jeremy Irons as Alfred, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Jessie Eisenberg as Lex Luthor and Amy Adams as Lois Lane.

The takes place right after the events shown at the end of Man of Steel, when Superman makes himself known to the rest of the world in a, no pun intended, explosive manner. The ending to Man of Steel generated a lot of controversy among the fans of the character, many complaining about the mass destruction and the heavy civilian casualty shown. This is where Batman makes his entry. He was a witness to this battle, he was right there on the ground while Metropolis was destroyed and he starts to think that this alien has way too much power and cannot be trusted, therefore he has to be put down.

Zack Snyder proves himself again as a great visual director. Fans of his other movies like 300 and Watchmen will be very pleased to hear that this movie is visual feast. The fight scenes between the two titans look absolutely amazing and the special effects, for the most part, are grade A. Unfortunately, similar to his other movies, he rather fails in delivering a good plot and good character growth. The movie is edited in a sloppy way, the way some scenes transition makes no sense to the plot and might confuse a lot of people who are not really versed in the source material. Also, the way the want to establish connections with the rest of the DC Universe is really lazy and unoriginal. It basically hits you in the face with "heeey look who else is going to show up in future movies".

When it was first announced that Ben Affleck is going to be the new Batman the internet blew up in rage (I myself was not a big fan of the choice) but, I have to say, he is one of the best things about this movie. He is absolutely great in portraying an older dark knight, battle worn, with one foot in retirement. Affleck dedicated 100% to the role and it shows, he is completely transformed in both Bruce Wayne and Batman, at times showing a clear distinction between the two personalities. Henry Cavill is good as Superman, if you enjoyed him in Man of Steel, you'll also like him in this one. Jeremy Irons is a very different Alfred than what we're used with. He is not a simple butler for Bruce but more of a mentor and a field tactician during his missions. The one thing that did not work for me was Jessie Eisenberg as Lex Luthor, him being more of a hyperactive kid with a cartoonish demeanor. If you've seen him in the trailers, he's like that during the whole movie. If you like what you've seen from him, you're going to love him in the movie, bur for me it didn't work at all.

By far for me the biggest surprise in this movie was Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman. When I first heard of her casting as Wonder Woman I was a bit skeptical, I'll admit. I've only seen her before in the Fast & Furious movies where she didn't stand out at all acting wise. She doesn't have the biggest role in this movie, but still she manages to steal every scene she's in. Gal Gadot combines perfectly the diplomat, intellectual side of Diana Prince with the warrior, ruthless amazon side. Plus, she has the best character soundtrack theme from the whole movie. When she makes her entrance, it is absolutely amazing!

Overall, Batman v. Superman is a decent enough movie that has a lot of problems. The plot is not very good and sometimes downright silly but the movie is saved by the amazing performances of most of the actors and the visual spectacle in the vein of Zack Snyder. There was a lot of potential but sadly, they didn't know how to use it. Batman v. Superman gets a 7 out of 10!

Captain America: Civil War (2016)

A Hit!

[9/10 · 4 June 2016]

Captain America: Civil War is a superhero ensemble movie directed by the Russo Brothers and starring Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Anthony Mackie, Don Cheadle, Sebastian Stan, Jeremy Renner, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Paul Rudd and introducing Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther and Tom Holland as Spider-Man.

Just by the opening paragraph we see we deal with a huge cast, this movie almost being nicknamed Avengers 2.5 or 3 by some fans. It is really amazing how the Russo brothers managed to handle such a huge cast and yet make a movie that focuses on the main character, Steve Rogers/Captain America. This movie starts the Phase 3 of the MCU and now the heroes start dealing with the consequences of their actions. The United Nations comes up with a treaty called the Sokovia Accords that wants to oversee The Avengers and also control their actions. This will split the team into two factions, one led by Captain America (the ones who refuse to register) and the other by Tony Stark.

The Russo Brothers return in the directorial chair after the critically acclaimed Captain America: Winter Soldier and they keep delivering a winning streak. Their effort combined with a very good script deliver a fantastic movie about friends who turn on each other and fight for what they believe to be the right thing. The performances from the cast fire on all cylinders, everyone is doing such a good job acting wise. Chris Evans defined Captain America for the big screen and Downey Jr. brings yet a new layer to a character we assumed we already knew.

The supporting cast also delivers but we have to talk about the new players. Tom Holland as the new Peter Parker/Spider-Man is a revelation. He is considered by many to be the best Spider-Man portrayed yet, and I tend to agree. Even though his role is not huge, it will satisfy every Spidey fan out there. Chadwick Boseman portrays T'Challa, the prince of Wakanda, a country from Africa, who gets mixed up in the conflict because of some personal reasons. Boseman absolutely kills it as Black Panther, even going as far as coming up with a wakandian accent for his character, based on his own research of the African continent.

The Russo Brothers amazed everyone with how they handled action scenes in Winter Soldier and in Civil War they turn up that to 11. This movie has some of the best fight scenes in all of the MCU, with some gorgeous stunts and CGI. There is the much talked about airport scene which was teased in the trailers. That is a scene that steals the whole movie and it must be seen in the theater. You have never seen superheroes fight like this before, it will blow you away.

Captain America: Civil War presents a great script beautifully directed by the Russo Brothers with some of the best performances seen so far in the MCU, with greatly shaped characters and fantastic action set pieces. The only weaker element for me was the villain who wasn't fleshed out enough and had some cliché motivations and the fact that this movie is 15-20 minutes too long. Having said that, Captain America: Civil War is one of the best Marvel movies out there and it deserves a 9 out of 10!

The Nice Guys (2016)

Great Movie

[9/10 · 4 June 2016]

The Nice Guys is written and directed by Shane Black and stars Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe as two detectives who try to solve a case regarding a missing girl and the death of a porn actress in Los Angeles during the 70s.

I'm a big Shane Black fan ever since my childhood, with Lethal Weapon being one of my all-time favorites. After that I followed his career, and I have to say, he is a really great writer/director. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is another great movie which he wrote and directed which some might argue it brought Robert Downey Jr. back in the center of the attention, and before the whole Marvel business started. Black is great at writing buddy comedies with crime and mystery touches and The Nice Guys is one of his best works to date.

First of all, the two main actors, Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling, have an amazing on-screen chemistry. Crowe plays Jackson Healy, a by-the-book though guy enforcer type who you call when want to have someone taken care of. Crowe is now over 50 in real life, his age is starting to show, but he embraces that completely in this film. He is a little overweight and some of the action scenes he pulls might not look that believable, but he is absolutely perfect in this role. Ryan Gosling took a break from the more silent type roles (Drive, Place Beyond the Bines) which were becoming a bit too much for me and instead takes a comedic turn in this movie. He has some of the funniest lines, he gets in the craziest situations and yet there's also a dark side to him, having some drinking problems and at the same time trying to raise his daughter (Angouire Rice), who is wise beyond her years.

The story itself is not the most original and unique, it doesn't really break new ground and you can solve the mystery on your own while watching the movie. As soon as one character was introduced, I immediately put the clues together. But that's okay, it doesn't really need to do all those things. We were not promised some original concept or never before seen plot, we were promised an action comedy that offers two great characters and a very clever script.

What I truly love about this movie is how simple it actually is. It's not part of a huge franchise, it's not a CGI fest, there are no superheroes, there are no flying cars, we just follow two guys trying to solve a mystery. It really goes back to the 80-90s era, when we had some great action-comedies like the Lethal Weapon franchise or Beverly Hills Cop. It's a nice breath of fresh air with some clever dialogue, noir elements, good action and two perfect stars in the main roles. The Nice Guys is a nice surprise and it deserves a 9 out of 10!

The Jungle Book (2016)

Fantastic!

[9/10 · 22 April 2016]

The Jungle Book is the latest product brought to us by Disney and directed by Jon Favreau (Iron Man) and a voice cast consisting of Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba, Lupita Nyong'o, Scarlett Johansson, Bill Murray and Cristopher Walken. The movie also introduces Neel Sethi as a live-action Mowgli.

When this movie was first teased at D23 by director Jon Favreau, he said this was the most technologically advanced movie ever. Many eyebrows were raised, but he had all the evidence to back up his claim. This movie was entirely filmed in a studio lot in Los Angeles and it looks absolutely amazing. You can never tell what's real and what's not. I usually am against the overuse of CGI, but this time they did it right. There is so much detail in the film that you won't really tell if it's real or not. Also the animals look amazing. Sure, there are scenes where you can tell it's CGI, by the way they talk or make face expressions, but that's normal. This is a movie with talking animals after all.

Let's talk a little about the cast in this movie. Ben Kingsley plays the wise and most of the time grumpy Bagheera, who acts as a teacher for Mowgli. He was the one who raised him since he was just a baby and introduced him to the rules of the jungle. Lupita Nyong'o plays Raksha, the she-wolf who takes Mowgli in as her own son. Idris Elba is a terrifying Shere Khan, a tiger who has an agenda against humans and doesn't agree with Mowgli staying in the jungle, therefore starting a conflict with the rest of the animals. This is our first great villain performance of the year. Scarlett Johansson is okay as Kaa, but her role is not really that big in the movie, although her sequence has some important moments for our main character. By far, my favorite animal and voice role was Bill Murray as Baloo the bear. He is funny, sweet and the bond he forms with the little human cub is one that lasts for ages. Oh, and he also sings, like really good!

We discussed the voice cast, now let's pass on to the live action side. Neel Sethi, the boy who plays Mowgli, had an almost impossible task for an actor at such a young age. He acted the whole time in front of a green screen, with nothing but little hints like puppets for him to know what's going on in the scene. All this considering, he did an absolutely amazing job. He genuinely transformed into Mowgli. His emotions range go from pure happiness to absolute sadness, and he conveys that wonderfully. He is an adorable kid with a bright future ahead of him.

Also the 3D in this movie is actually good, and I am always against 3D. I usually feel it desatures the colors and also creates some fuzzy images that completely ruin the experience for my, but with The Jungle Book, this was not the case. I had to see in 3D because my theater didn't have it in other formats (plan was to see it in IMAX, but there was some technical issues) and I wasn't as disappointed as I expected to be. If you have a chance to see this in IMAX, do it. I'm sure it will totally be worth it.

The Jungle Book is gorgeously looking movie with a wonderful story filled with emotions and some superb acting by the best in the industry. What Jon Favreau achieved is nothing short of fantastic. If you had doubts about seeing this one in the theater, don't, it's worth every penny! I give The Jungle Book a 9.5 out of 10!

Bone Tomahawk (2015)

Nice Surprise

[8/10 · 14 November 2015]

Bone Tomahawk is a 2015 western-horror written and directed by S. Craig Zahler and starring Kurt Russell, Patrick Wilson, Matthew Fox and Richard Jenkins.

The story follows four men, the town's sheriff (Russell), a cowboy (Wilson), the back-up deputy (Jenkins) and a gunslinger (Fox) who go on an expedition to retrieve a group of captives from some cannibalistic cave-dwellers. The four actors really shine in this movie, giving very good performances, especially Matthew Fox as John Brooder. It's good to see Fox in such a good role, considering he hasn't done that much since the Lost years.

The movie gives us a very good look at the Old West. As the four men make their journey, we learn more and more about them and their motivations. Sheriff Franklin Hunt is a man who wants nothing more than the safety of his town and is willing to do anything to protect it. Arthur O'Dwyer is a cowboy who has a serious leg injury but still goes into this expedition, because for him the stakes are personal. Chicory is a simple-minded old deputy but with amazing loyalty for the sheriff. John Brooder is a well-dressed well- mannered gentleman who joins the ride because he is a trigger-happy gunslinger with a personal vendetta against the natives.

The script is very well-written, giving us full tri-dimensional characters. Also the dialogue and the mannerisms feel very authentic, transporting you back to the Old West. As I said in the beginning, this movie is a horror-western, and that really shows in the third act. There are some brutal, gore-scenes that will not be easy to digest (no pun intended) for those faint of heart. One slight negative about this movie is the pacing. Sometimes it feels a little too slow, but not enough so that it will ruin your enjoyment.

Bone Tomahawk is a very good movie, with an interesting premise and a nice twist on the western genre. It's a movie that could have gone wrong in so many ways, but surprisingly, it doesn't. Sporting some great characters and an intriguing storyline, Bone Tomahawk deserves an 8 out of 10!

Dave (1993)

Dave Review

[8/10 · 10 October 2015]

Dave is a 1993 comedy directed by Ivan Reitman (of Ghostbusters fame) and starring Kevin Kline who plays Dave Kovic, a man who has an uncanny resemblance to the president of the United States, Bill Mitchell, and is put in his place after he enters a coma.

This is a feel-good movie about a simple man who takes a huge role as the leader of USA, and with his generous and kind spirit tries to change things a little for the better as much as he can. Kevin Kline is terrific in portraying both Dave Kovic and Bill Mitchell. The president is a cold man, who has lost all interest in his wife, portrayed by Sigourney Weaver, even cheating on her and also involving himself in some shady business. Enter Dave, a man working at a temp agency with a heart of gold.

The cast in this movie is fantastic. As I mentioned, Sigourney Weaver plays his wife, who knows all about her husband's indiscretions and is sick of him. Frank Langella plays Bob Alexander, the chief of staff, and even though he does a great job acting in this movie, his character sometimes feels too much like a cartoonish villain. Ving Rhames plays the head of the security, who must keep an eye on the president at all times, and sometimes shows insecurity about trying to protect a clown, as he perceives Dave at first. Ben Kingsley also has a short role as vice-president Nance and he steals every scene.

Of course some of the plot elements in the movie are a tad ridiculous and this could never work, but frankly, it doesn't need to. It's just a movie with a great premise, and for the most part it works. It has the right balance of comedy, drama and character development. A perfect movie for a rainy day, when you just wanna lay on the couch with a blanket on and a cup of cocoa. I give this movie a 8 out of 10!

Shaun of the Dead (2004)

Touching Homage to the Zombie Genre

[8/10 · 4 October 2015]

Shaun of the Dead is a zombie comedy-horror movie directed by Edgar Wright and starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, the team behind the TV series Spaced and the movies Hot Fuzz and The World's End which together they form the Cornetto Trilogy.

The movie stars the titular Shaun, a man who doesn't have a clear direction in life. He doesn't like his job, he has problems with his girlfriend and his family, and must always stand up for his lazy, housemate, jobless friend, Ed. All those seem to be the least of his problems when apparently there's a zombie apocalypse taking place outside. Edgar Wright does a brilliant job directing the movie and proves to handle with great touch both humor, drama and action. In the beginning of the movie, we are presented with lots of tips and imagery that the zombie apocalypse is impending, however, since Shaun has to deal with all his personal problems, he barely notices all the signs. There's even a scene where all the news channels talk about this problem, but he just flips the channels carelessly. It's a great comedic touch considering how much it takes for Shaun and Ed to realize there are actual zombies invading.

Shaun of the Dead is clearly an homage to every zombie movie ever made, especially George Romero's movies. The script, written by Pegg and Wright, is full of references and tributes to classic zombie movies like Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead and so on. The trio of Pegg, Wright and Frost really treat the genres of movies they love with lots of respect. The same can be said about Hot Fuzz, which is clearly inspired by buddy cop movies or The World's End, who has it's roots in classic science-fiction stories.

If you're a hardcore zombie fan, this is the movie for you, but it also works great for a casual viewer, who maybe is more interested in the comedy aspect that than the horror. The movie combines excellent touches of humor with some powerful drama. There are a few strong, full of impact scenes that are clearly needed, so that the viewer will know that this is not just a silly parody. It's a real, solid movie with great performances and a funny, clever script. Clearly worth a watch, 8 out of 10!

That Thing You Do! (1996)

Fun Relaxing Movie

[8/10 · 3 October 2015]

That Thing You Do! is the first motion picture directed by Tom Hanks (who also stars in the movie) and tells the story of the band The Wonders, who during the 60's had a one-hit wonder single, That Thing You Do!

The story follows four friends from Erie, Pennsylvania who form a rock'n'roll band together called "The Oneders", who are later known as the "The Wonders". We follow along as they rise to success, promoting their new single all over the country and achieve national fame. As a director, Tom Hanks captures perfectly the style of the 60's and you're instantly transported back in that world. The clothes, the cars, the people, everything looks great to the last detail.

The main character, Guy Patterson, is the drummer of the band and it's eerie (no pun intended) how much he channels a young Tom Hanks. In fact, at first, Hanks didn't even want him in the movie because he felt he looked too much like him, but his wife convinced him otherwise. The rest of the supporting cast includes Liv Tyler, as the girlfriend of the band's lead singer, Steve Zahn as the guitar player and Tom Hanks as the band's manager, Mr. White.

This is a nice feel-good movie, perfect for a Sunday evening when you just feel like lying on the couch and enjoy a great movie. It doesn't stand out with too much, it's short and sweet. With this directorial debut, Hanks proves he's doing a great job as a director, shame he didn't more movies.

Sicario (2015)

Superb

[9/10 · 23 September 2015]

Sicario is a crime thriller directed by Denis Villeneuve who also made Prisoners and Enemy, both fantastic films.

The movie begins with a short explanation of the word "Sicario". In ancient Palestine, the word described Jewish zealots who would kill roman invaders. However, in present day, in Mexico "sicario" means hit-man. The story follows Kate Macer, portrayed by Emily Blunt, an FBI agent who is dragged in a drug war that takes place at the border of Mexico and U.S. Emily Blunt is absolutely excellent in this role, one of the best female performance we've seen so far this year. Her character is smart and idealistic, however, we can see absolute fear in her eyes when she starts to realize that she entered in another world, a very dangerous world where the rules don't always apply. I will be honestly shocked if she won't be nominated for the Academy Award. Benicio Del Toro and Josh Brolin are also excellent in supporting roles, playing characters whose motivations are not fully clear until the end of the movie.

The visuals in this movie are absolutely gorgeous, the cinematographer, Roger Deakins, did an amazing job and I can't wait to see him work again with Villeneuve in the Blade Runner sequel. We see some beautiful wide-shots of Mexico, with great lighting and colors. Also the action scenes are beautifully directed, there's no shaky cam or quick editing, everything looks perfect. There is also night-vision sequence that looks absolutely stunning.

This movie is a great take on the war on drugs, with three- dimensional characters, with solid acting from the Blunt-Brolin-Del Toro trio, fantastic visuals and a very good script. All in all, this one of the best movies of this year! A must watch! 9/10

Jurassic World (2015)

Fun, but the magic is missing

[6/10 · 10 September 2015]

Jurassic World is directed by Colin Trevorrow, who also directed the great indie movie Safety Not Guaranteed, and is a sequel to the Jurassic Park movies. Now, history as proved that the Jurassic Park sequels are not that good, the second one is only half as good as the first one and the third one is plain bad. Jurassic World is the best sequel to Jurassic Park, but unfortunately, that isn't saying much.

The action picks up 20 years later after the first one, and now the tourist attraction known as Jurassic Park is called Jurassic World. But dinosaurs have been around for so long that the audience starts to lose it's interest in the subject so the higher-ups come with a new attraction, Indominus Rex, a genetically modified dinosaur with elements from other animals. And of course, things go wrong. As one character quips in the movie: "These people never learn".

This is not a bad movie, but it's also not very good. It misses the great characters, the stunning visuals, the breathtaking imagery of the first one. This becomes a generic CGI-driven monster movie. It's fun, but it has no heart. A big complaint for me is the overuse of CGI for the dinosaurs. There are a lot of scenes where it simply looks fake. And you know that is not a good thing when a movie released in 1993 has better looking dinosaurs than one in 2015.

As far as the actors go, this movie is lead by Chris Pratt who plays Owen Grady, a former marine who now trains raptors. He does the best he can, but this tough guy, bad-ass type role doesn't really work for him in contrast with his more goofy roles from Guardians of the Galaxy or Parks and Recreation. But of course, he has some funny one-liners, and, for the most part, he delivers. Bryce Dallas Howard plays the park's manager, and I'm sorry to say, but she's not doing a very good job. Vincent D'Onofrio as the head of the security does a decent job, and the two kids, Ty Simpkins and Nick Robinson are good also, especially Ty Simpkins, who comes from his nice role in Iron Man 3.

All in all, this movie is a fun summer ride, with some nice action and suspense, but doesn't come any near the magic of the first one. I give this movie a 6 out of 10.

Flight (I) (2012)

Very Good

[8/10 · 8 September 2015]

The movie Flight is directed by Robert Zemeckis and it tells the story of Whip Whitaker, an airline pilot with a drinking addiction who saves most of the passengers on the plane during a crash.

The movie starts with our main character, we get a glimpse at his life style, he has a serious drinking and drug problem, but he is also one of the best pilots out there, who, during a crash, saves most of the people on board by turning the plane upside down. The sequence of the plane crashing is masterfully directed and a fantastic visual sequence. Robert Zemeckis proves again he is a master director. Following the crash, an investigation is launched and Whip Whitaker is struggling to stay sober, with weak success.

The movie is a tour De force for Denzel Washington, his acting is impeccable. We see a broken man, with many demons, but living in denial, always lying about his addiction. The supporting characters are portrayed by a great cast including Bruce Greenwood, Don Cheadle, John Goodman, but the one scene-stealing moment (albeit a short one) is with James Badge Dale, who plays a cancer patient.

Even though the movie is called Flight and the main character is a pilot, this has very little to do with that. This is a movie about alcoholism and what danger that is to human beings. A great character piece with great performances beautifully directed by Robert Zemeckis in his first live-action movie since 2000's Cast Away. What a magnificent return!

Southpaw (2015)

Great Performances, Weak Story

[6/10 · 8 September 2015]

As far as sports movies go, Southpaw is not really up there with the first Rocky or Raging Bull, but it's not a total loss either. Some of the better elements of this movie are the performances, especially Jake Gyllenhaal's, who's on a winning streak in the most recent years (see Prisoners, Enemy or Nightcrawler).The side characters include Rachel McAdams as his wife, Forest Whitaker as the trainer, Oona Laurence as the daughter and 50 Cent as a fight manager. They all do a decent job, but the one who really shines out is Oona Laurence.

The directing style of Antoine Fuqua is beautiful, the fight scenes look amazing, some of the best boxing fights we had on the big screen. The way the camera is positioned, you really feel you're in the ring with the fighters and that adds an intensity to the scene.

That being said, the movie really falls short in the story section. The screenplay is filled with clichés and predictable elements that you meet in every boxing movie ever made. Also the at some points, the plot becomes overly dramatic, there isn't a single touch of humor to lighten some of the movie's scenes.

If you're a fan of Jake Gyllenhaal then this movie is a decent watch, if not, go and re-watch the original Rocky. All in all, this movie gets a 6 out of 10.