Star Wars Rogue 1
9/10
A prequel to Star Wars A New Hope amd answers questions why no copies were made of the death star plans, how the death star plans were obtained and moved.
A terrific movie beginning to the end with a high stakes climax, and memorable characters, and they didn't reveal so much in the trailers which trailers have become notorious for.
Passangers
7/10
A futuristic science fiction movie with amazing sets including space and the aircraft. It has unmistakable great messages, and a high stakes terrific climax that is most likely to surprise you.
Terrific movie beginning to the end, no villain or Villains but still problems that need to be solved or removed.
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Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)
First movie of the new year. Nicolas Cage (or should I say Nicolas Coppola) barely appears for 10 seconds or so. Very disappointing.
Wild at Heart (1990)
Not as good a story as I remember, it sort of drags along, but the amusing performances and Lynchian direction save it to a large extent.
Originally posted by TheOneFirestorm
Passangers
7/10
A futuristic science fiction movie with amazing sets including space and the aircraft. It has unmistakable great messages, and a high stakes terrific climax that is most likely to surprise you.
Terrific movie beginning to the end, no villain or Villains but still problems that need to be solved or removed.
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Huh. That's some high praise. I'm still waiting to see it for cheap.
Morgan (2016)
Not nearly as terrible as the reviews seemed to make it seem, imo. Definitely not a best movie of the year or anything either. Seemed like most of the complaints were that it turned into more of a thriller instead of expanding the ideas presented and I sort of agree, but for what it was it's pretty good. Most of it is directed quite well, so Luke Scott didn't fall too far from the father tree. There were some fight scenes that got way too choppy in the editing room, but other than that it's directed pretty well and it's a pretty cool concept. It probably didn't quite reach its potential, but it's still pretty enjoyable.
Midnight Special (2016).
Home.
Good movie. Really surprised that I never heard of it. Not very flashy or action-orientated and the special effects kept to minimum, maybe that's why. But a strong cast with a good director tells a compelling story of a man on the run with his boy, wanted by just about everybody for his special abilities.
8/10
Casino Royale 8/10
The last time I saw a Bond film I was probably 9 years old, and it was when Pierce Brosnan was the actor. I checked this out on a whim and while it was a bit long, it was a thrilling and well-thought out plot. Le Chifre was a good villain portrayed by Mikkelsen, and Craig Bond was suave, charismatic, and had excellent chemistry with the Bond Lady Vesper. The two had a good working relationship, and she really humanized him as a character. Craig was a terrific bond, and the chase scene at the beginning was fast-paced, and he showed some terrific edge in H2H. Overall, a great intro to a franchise I haven't seen in years, and I'll be checking out Quantum of Solace and Skyfall soon
Moonlight 9/10
One of the films that escaped my ability to see due to being a limited release, I was able to catch a stream finally on my firestick. Normally, I try to avoid films that are considered "gimmicky" or oscar bait- but this film is well worth the hype that it received towards the closing of 2016. The film follows a shy Black kid who has a hard upbringing and a crack addict mom, and its divided into three acts following his life. Without delving into spoilers the film has a standout performances from all three period actors of the kid's life, Mahershala Ali plays as a powerful role model, and the film is a sobering and at times uplifting tale about the kid's life, his struggle with his sexuality, and just a great story. There are a few flaws I saw mainly with how they toss out some characters during the 2nd-3rd act, and I thought the ending was a little weak of a payoff. But it's easily one of the best films of 2016.
Nocturnal Animals 9/10
Yet another latecomer to the 2016 films I missed mainly due to it being a limited release. Nocturnal Animals is a complex film that follows dual-storylines about a novel dedicated to the Amy Adams lead (Susan) written by her ex, the story juggles flashbacks, imagined scenes depicted from the novel, and scenes depicting life from her perspective. The novel itself follows a man and his family being assailed by crooks, and without delving into spoilers the way the story unfolds was very well planned. At times I felt Susan's character was a ****, but the ending was shocking and overall, how the hell the writer could juggle multiple perspectives and still make a well-crafted film is amazing to me. Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, and Jake Gyllenhall all give amazing performances, and Its probably the best drama of last year!
As Above, So Below 5.5/10
Another movie I've been meaning to see and further proof that found footage can have some gems, but usually get destroyed due to the format/stylistics of the genre. The subject matter of this film intrigued me as the movie is part Indiana Jones in some areas, as the female lead Scarlet is on a quest for the Philosopher's stone and traverses the Catacombs of Paris with explorers. For the positives the subject matter was Unique to me, as it delves into the occult, Aramaic tablets, and you even catch some bits of the Knight's templar/cults and demons! There was clearly a lot of thought put into the subject matter, and the set pieces are all authentic as the film was shot in the Catacombs of Paris. All of the characters are unfortunately forgettable, and even in the end where shockingly they have to overcome past mistakes- the preceding 90 minutes is shaky cam, jump scares, and idiotic banter between the cast. There are some great scenes like a guy being sucked into a burning car/black hole, and the collapsing scenes/deaths are pretty cool. But unfortunately the ending was awful and the characters really are generic and forgettable. If you wanted a unique take on Found footage horror, this one has some great lore involved but unfortunately it falls victim to the nature of the genre.