Annihilation Review

Annihilation is an extremely weird sci-fi movie and I absolutely adored it. This movie is about a biologist who joins a dangerous expedition into a place where the laws of nature do not apply. Natalie Portman gives possibly the best performance of her career. She plays every aspect of her character perfectly. Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gina Rodriguez and Tessa Thompson all give fantastic performances as the rest of the team. Oscar Isaac and Benedict Wong also give great performances in small but crucial roles. Director and Writer Alex Garland did an incredible job. The script constantly keeps you intrigued and he builds the tension extremely high. Rob Hardy did a great job as cinematographer. This is a truly hauntingly beautiful movie to watch.  As for flaws, the first 20 minutes moved a bit to slow but after that it moves at a perfect pace. As a warning I will say this movie does include some extremely disturbing imagery at times. Overall I adored Annihilation and I highly recommend it for hardcore sci-fi fans.

9/10

Game Night Review

Game Night is absolutely hysterical and one of the better studio comedies in recent years. This movie is about a group of friends who meet for game nights who must now solve a murder mystery. Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams are both hilarious in this movie and have fantastic chemistry together. Kyle Chandler is great as Bateman’s brother who’s always trying to upstage him. Sharon Horgan and Billy Magnussen are really good and play off each other extremely well. Of the couples, Lamorne Morris and Kylie Bunbury get the least amount of time but still get their standout moments. However, Jesse Plemons might steal this entire movie. He is absolutely hysterical as the awkward and creepy neighbor. John Francis Daley and Johnathan Goldstein do a fantastic job directing this movie. They have a specific flair that really gives this movie a unique look. The script by Mark Perez was absolutely perfect balancing character development while making sure you were also laughing constantly. At 100 minutes this movie files by at a fast pace never slowing down. Overall I had a blast with Game Night and I highly recommend it to comedy fans.

9/10

Every Day Review

Every Day was a fun unique twist on the standard Young Adult romance genre. This movie is about a shy teenager who falls in love with someone named A who wakes up in a different body every day. Angourie Rice is great as Rhiannon who must convincingly sell that she’s fallen in love with this person who is always switching bodies. All the actors that play A including Justice Smith, Lucas Zumann, Sean Jones and Karena Evans all do fantastic jobs convincing you they are the same person in a different body. Director Michael Sucsy did a good job and brought a unique visual flair to a few scenes in particular. Jesse Andrew’s script works pretty well, although the odd decision to ditch an intriguing subplot I did not understand. At 97 minutes the movie moves at a good pace though occasionally slowing down a bit too much. Overall Every Day was a fun unique twist on the Young Adult Romance Genre.

7.5/10

Death Wish 2018 Review

Death Wish was a surprisingly well made and extremely entertaining action thriller. This movie is about Dr. Kersey, a trauma surgeon, who moonlights as a vigilante after an attack on his family. For the first time in years Bruce Willis gives a great performance.  He plays the quiet aspects of his character well while snapping when required. Vincent D’Onofrio gives a good performance playing Willis’s brother. Elizabeth Shue and Camila Morrone give strong performances in smaller roles as Willis’ wife and daughter. Dean Norris and Kimberly Elise are fine in smaller rol,es but they do not have a ton to do. Eli Roth who is known for extremely graphic violence holds back for most of the movie however, he eventually lets loose. This movie is filled with quite a few brutal kills from all sides. Joe Carnahan’s script is great and filled with the right amount of character development and humor. At 107 minutes the movie moves along at a good pace setting up Willis’ character before he lets loose. Overall, Death Wish was a big surprise and a ton of fun from start to finish.

8.5/10

The 15:17 to Paris Review

The 15:17 to Paris is an interesting film experiment and an incredible story. This movie is based on the true story of three men who stopped a terror attack on a Paris train in 2015. What makes this movie so interesting is that instead of actors the heroes play themselves. While Spencer Stone, Anthony Sadler and Alek Skarlatos are by no means incredible actors, they do a good job and their friendship feels real. The supporting cast including Judy Greer, Jenna Fischer and Tony Hale all do a decent job in smaller roles. Clint Eastwood did a great job directing this movie. It is extremely well filmed and the train scene is extremely suspenseful. The weak link in this movie is the writing. While most of the script feels real and natural there are a handful of downright cringeworthy lines that take you out of the movie. At 94 minutes the pace moves along at a good rate, although slows down a bit too much right before the 3rd act. Overall, The 15:17 to Paris was a risky film experiment that paid off with a great film despite minor flaws.

8/10

Samson Review

Samson Is a terrible Biblical Epic with a few redeeming factors. This movie is about a young Hebrew with super strength gifted by God who must protect his people. Taylor James is passable at best as the title character. He sells the arrogance well but not any of his other traits. Jackson Rathbone is really entertaining hamming it up as the main villain. All the other acting in this movie is pretty terrible and occasionally very cringe-worthy. Bruce Macdonald and Gabriel Sabloff did a really bad job directing this movie. The action sequences are terribly filmed and overly edited. The script is also extremely cliché and poorly written. The CGI is also absolutely atrocious. At 110 minutes this movie felt ridiculously overlong and was extremely boring. As for redeeming factors, the set design is really good and the music is fantastic. Overall Samson is a yet another poor example of a Biblical Epic that I cannot recommend.
4/10