Black Panther Review

Black Panther is a great movie and another fantastic addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  This movie is about T'Challa who must rise to the throne of Wakanda after his father was murdered.  He must also deal with a vengeful outsider and an old enemy who has returned.  Chadwick Boseman gives a fantastic performance as T'Challa.  He perfectly plays every aspect of the character.  Lupita Nyong'o gives a  really good performance as a spy and T'Challa's love interest.  However, she is severely underused.  Danai Gurira gives a great performance as Okoye, the head of T'Challa's Royal Guard.  She has some truly incredible moments during the action scenes.  Daniel Kaluuya gives a good performance as W'Kabi one of T'Challa's friends and advisors.  However, after seeing him in Get Out last year he was distracting and out of place at times. Winston Duke is hilarious in a small role as M'Baku, the head of a rival tribe.  Forest Whitaker gave an okay performance, but I kept getting flashbacks to his character in Rogue One. Michael B. Jordan's Killmonger is a great villain, but he does not really play a huge role until the second half. Andy Serkis returns as Klaue after a small role in Age of Ultron. He is clearly having a ton of fun playing the villain and the movie gets a boost of energy anytime he is on screen. Also returning is Martian Freeman's character from Civil War. Much like Andy Serkis, he brings a fantastic and fun presence anytime he's on screen. However Letitia Wright as Shuri, T'Challa's sister, steals this entire movie. She has tons of great lines and her relationship with her brother, T'Challa felt real. Ryan Coogler does a great job directing this movie, especially the 2nd act which felt like a James Bond Film.  He also did a fantastic job co-writing the movie with Joe Robert Cole. All the characters have real motivations and the humor felt mostly natural. As for the humor it is really funny with a few standout hilarious moments. The music by Ludwig Goransson was very good and was a good mix of traditional African and modern music.  Special mention to Rachel Morrison's cinematography and the visual effects. Wakanda was truly stunning to look at at times. The costume design by Ruth Carter is also notable. Much like the music, it was a good mix of traditional African outfits and modern ones.  The editing for the most part was really good, although an opening action sequence was a bit too choppy and darkly lit.  As for the action sequences, while I could have used a few more, what we got is quite good. The standout is a big chase sequence at the end of the second act. It was a ton of fun and easily my favorite part of the movie. The finale, while entertaining, did not feel as epic as the movie thought it was. At 134 minutes the pacing moves fairly fast although slows down a bit too long at the end of the second act. Overall, Black Panther is a great movie that despite some flaws I would recommend to any fans of the genre. 

8.5/10

Early Man Review

Early Man is a mediocre movie and a disappointment from Aardman Animations.  This movie is about a caveman, named Dug, who along with his tribe must unite against Lord Nooth and the Bronze Age to save their home. Tom Hiddleston is by far the best part of this movie. He does a great job playing Lord Nooth and his character is frequently hilarious.  Eddie Redmayne did a good job voicing the character of Dug, although he does not have much to work with.  Maisie Williams is better as the voice of Goona. Her character has the biggest character arc in the movie. Timothy Spall is great voicing the head of the tribe. However, he is severely underused. As for the rest of the voice cast including Nick Park, Mark Williams and Rob Brydon, they all do decent voice work but no one stands out. Nick Park does an okay job directing, but this is easily his worst movie in years. The screenplay by Mark Burton and James Higginson is not without its moments. There are two running jokes throughout the movie that made me laugh every time. However, so much of this humor relies on the knowledge of British Futbol that I did not understand half of the jokes. This movie is animated in claymation and while some scenes were incredible to look at, others were ugly and way too creepy for this kind of movie. At an incredibly short 89 minutes this movie still feels too long. Overall, Early Man was a mediocre movie that I can only recommend to hardcore fans of claymation. 

5.5/10

Peter Rabbit Review

Peter Rabbit was a hilarious, charming update to the classic story. This movie is about Peter Rabbit and his friends who enjoy their days stealing from Mr. McGregor's vegetable garden. However, once one of McGregor's relatives moves in chaos ensues. James Corden does a fantastic job voicing the title character. Margot Robbie, Elizabeth Debicki, and Daisy Ridley all give great performances as Peter's sisters. Rose Byrne gave a charming performance as Bea, a woman who looks after Peter and his family. Domhnall Gleeson steals the movie as Mr. McGregor's relative. He really throws himself into this role and does a fantastic job with all the physical comedy. Director Will Gluck did a great job directing this movie, especially any slapstick comedy sequence. The screenplay by Rob Lieber was perfect and frequently played against expectations. The visual effects work in this movie was incredible. There was never a point that I thought about the fact that I wasn't watching real animals. As for flaws, towards the 3rd act, the pacing does drag slightly. Overall, I had a blast with Peter Rabbit and I highly recommend it for all ages.

8.5/10

12 Strong Review

12 Strong is a good movie about an incredible true story. This movie is about the first special forces team sent to Afghanistan after 9/11 to combat the Taliban. Chris Hemsworth gives a fantastic performance as our lead. Michael Pena, Michael Shannon, and Trevante Rhodes all give good performances as Hemsworth's squad mates. Navid Negahban also gives a great performance as the Iraqi General, who was our ally. First-time Director Nicolai Fuglsig did a decent job. He does a good job directing the action sequences, but they are very standard. The script by Ted Tally and Peter Craig is serviceable. The cinematography by Rasmus Videbaek looks good, but does not have a unique style. Overall 12 Strong is a good war movie with great performances for fans of the genre.

7.5/10

Maze Runner: The Death Cure Review

Maze Runner: The Death Cure is a great ending to the trilogy. This movie is about Thomas and his friends who must break into WCKD to save their friends. I absolutely loved this movie from start to finish. This movie opens with a thrilling high stakes action sequence and never lets up. Director Wes Ball should be on every studio's wishlist. He can get more out of 60 million dollars than any director I've seen. The visual effects in this movie are truly stunning at times. However, the movie is filled with practical effects as well. This gives the action sequence a heightened sense of realism. The world building in this movie is also terrific. The world feels lived in by people that have been there for a long time. Dylan O'Brien, tragically, was severely injured early in shooting causing massive delay. Thankfully he made a full recovery and is in top form here. He gives a fantastic performance and does an incredible job with the action sequences as well. Thomas Brodie-Sangster gives an incredible performance. His friendship with Dylan O'Brien's character is easily the best part of the film. Kaya Scodelario gives a really good performance. Her character's arc has become more interesting as the trilogy went on. Aidan Gillen and Patricia Clarkson remain great villains for this series. Rounding out the huge cast are Rose Salazar, Giancarlo Esposito and Walton Goggins who are all fantastic in smaller roles. At 142 minutes this movie is extremely fast paced and never slows down. Overall, Maze Runner: The Death Cure is a thrilling emotional end to the trilogy.

9/10

The Shape of Water Review

The Shape of Water is one of the strangest movies I have seen in a long time. This movie is about a mute janitor who falls in love with an amphibious man being held in a lab during the Cold War. Sally Hawkins is really good in this movie as the mute janitor. She brings a lot to her character despite never speaking. Richard Jenkins, Octavia Spencer, and Michael Stuhlbarg all give great performances in smaller roles. However, this movie belongs to Michael Shannon. He gives an incredible performance in this movie and steals every scene he's in. Director Guillermo Del Toro deserves all the praise he is getting for this movie. This is a beautifully directed movie with incredible cinematography and set design. The effects work on the fish man, played by Doug Jones, are stunning as well. As for flaws, though this movie is way too weird even for me at times. Also, the pacing is all over the place. At 122 minutes sometimes it moved super fast and other times super slow. This made the movie feel much longer than it is. While I did enjoy The Shape of Water, overall I would only recommend it to people who know what they are getting into.

7/10

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Review

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is a fantastic movie and worthy of all the awards it is earning. This movie is about a mother who challenges the police to solve her daughter's murder by putting up billboards to taunt them. This movie is incredible from start to finish. Frances McDormand gives an amazingly emotional performance as a mother just trying to cope with the loss of her daughter. Woody Harrelson also gives a fantastic performance as the police chief who's struggling with some personal issues of his own. Peter Dinklage and Caleb Jones also give great performances in smaller side roles However, this movie belongs to Sam Rockwell's rookie racist Police Officer He steals every single scene he's in. For such a serious premise this movie is shockingly hilarious. There is almost nonstop humor throughout the entire film. Director and Writer Martin McDonagh deserve massive credit for balancing the humor and serious moments perfectly. At 115 minutes the movie moves along at a good pace never going too slow or too fast. As for flaws, I am personally not a huge fan of the abrupt ending.  Overall Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is a fantastic movie that's much more worth your time than other awards films.

9/10

Hostiles Review

Hostiles is a dark and brutal viewing experience. However, if you can stomach it you will be rewarded with one of the best Westerns in years. This movie is about a Native American hating Army captain in 1892 who is ordered to escort a Cheyenne chief and his family across a dangerous territory. Christian Bale gives an incredible performance as the Army captain. He brings a lot to what would normally be a standard character. Rosamund Pike is also giving quite a good performance as a woman who has lost everything. Wes Studi gives a great performance as the Cheyenne chief. All the other side performances are really good as well, but this movie belongs to Bale. Director and Writer Scott Cooper does a fantastic job of slowly building tension throughout. Despite its slow pace, the story and acting kept me engaged the whole time. The real standout here is the cinematography by Masanobu Takayanagi. This is a beautiful movie and some of the shots left me in awe. As for flaws, there is one subplot towards the end of the film that felt unnecessary and would have helped with the pacing if it was cut out. Overall, Hostiles is a slow-paced brutal movie. However, it is also a fantastic story that is worth your time.

8.5/10

Phantom Thread Review

Phantom Thread is a good movie, but is not without its issues. This movie is about Reynolds Woodcock, a renowned dressmaker, in 1950s London whose life is interrupted when a woman named Alma becomes his muse and his lover. Daniel Day-Lewis is fantastic as Woodcock in his supposed last role. Relative newcomer Vicky Krieps also gives a great performance as Alma. While she never quite matches Day-Lewis she comes very close at times. Lesley Manville gives a good performance as Woodcock's sister but her role is comparatively small. Director and Writer Paul Thomas Anderson does a great job directing this movie, but makes a few questionable decisions in the writing. This movie takes some turns in its 3rd act that I still cannot decide how I feel about it. It changes how you view the entire movie and it is a lot to process. At 130 minutes this movie desperately needed to be around 20 minutes shorter. Toward the 3rd act, the movie starts to drag a lot and I started to lose interest fast. Overall, Phantom Thread is a good and unique movie that is still worth watching, especially for film fans.

7/10

Darkest Hour Review

Darkest Hour is a good movie but extremely overrated. This movie is about the true story of Winston Churchill and his job as Prime Minister during WWII. Gary Oldman, despite all the praise he is getting, is just fine here. He is giving a good performance, but is mumbling so much that you can only understand half of what he says.  While the mumble is historically accurate, it became very annoying to not be able to understand half his lines. The best part of this movie is easily Lilly James. I was actually invested in her character arc and her scenes with Oldman are easily the film’s best. This movie will be best enjoyed by history buffs who will easily be able to follow the timeline of events. As for me, while I did follow the story, I did occasionally get lost. At 125 minutes this movie feels extremely long and is very slow paced. Overall, Darkest Hour is a good movie, but I found myself more annoyed by the dialogue than being enthralled in this amazing story.

6.5/10

Forever My Girl Review

Forever My Girl shocked me more than any movie I have seen in a long time. This movie is about a country singer, who after being gone for a decade, returns home to rekindle an old romance. I expected to absolutely hate this movie. To my total shock, Forever My Girl is a well-acted cute romance story okay for all ages. While this movie does have its sappy moments, especially toward the 3rd act, it never hit Nicholas Spark’s territory. Relative newcomer Jessica Rothe is a future star. She's wowed me in every movie she's been in and she's great here as well. Alex Roe gives an okay performance in this movie, but is held up by his fantastic chemistry with Jessica Rothe. However, the real star of this movie is young Abby Fortson. She's adorable and hilarious and steals every single scene she's in. As for flaws, the runtime is about 15 minutes too long and the storyline does occasionally get too sappy in the 3rd act. Overall, Forever My Girl was a sweet, innocent, romance movie that I shockingly enjoyed.

7.5/10

Den of Thieves Review

Den of Thieves is an okay heist movie with some great elements. This movie is about an elite unit of the Los Angeles Sheriff's department and their mission to take down the states most successful bank robbery crew. Gerard Butler gives a good performance in this movie, but it is nothing he hasn't done a million times.  Pablo Schreiber also gives a good performance as the head of the heist crew. The rest of the heist crew do an acceptable job but no one stands out. The best thing about this movie is the sound design. Every single gunshot in this movie sounds authentic. This makes the action sequences extremely thrilling at times. There are also a few hilarious moments that give the movie a much-needed sense of levity. At 140 minutes, though, this movie is just way too long. While the main heist itself is a ton of fun to watch it takes forever to get there. Also, the story makes an attempt at a big final twist that makes no sense and really hurts the 3rd act. Overall, I did have a good time with Den of Thieves, but this movie is too heavily flawed to give it anything but a light recommendation.

6/10

The Post Review

The Post is a great movie filled to the brim with excellent performances. This movie is about the true story of the Vietnam Papers and the fight between the Government and Press they caused. Tom Hanks, as always, is fantastic in this movie. This is my favorite recent performance of his. Meryl Streep, for once, deserves all the praise she is earning. She gives a fantastic performance bringing a sense of vulnerability to her character. Director Steven Speilberg is one of the all-time greats, so it's no shock that the directing here is top notch. As for flaws, the start is a tad too slow and took around 25 minutes for me to become hooked into the story. However, once I was this movie had me holding my breath in suspense multiple times. Overall, The Post is a great movie and worthy of all the awards buzz it's getting.

8.5/10