Jigsaw Review

Jigsaw was a massive surprise and a ton of fun despite this being my introduction to the series. This movie is about a series of murders all bearing the mark of the Jigsaw killer. Law enforcement officers find themselves chasing the ghost of a killer who's been dead for over 10 years. They find themselves in a race against the clock to solve the mystery and save the victims of Jigsaw’s game before it is too late. This is my first ever Saw movie and it was nothing like I expected.  This movie is actually an extremely compelling mystery and a really fun thriller.  All the performances are perfectly serviceable for this type of movie although no one stands out. Despite there being no standout performance; I still was invested in the characters. For fans of this series, the traps are fun and unique, but not overly complicated.  At 91 minutes this movie starts immediately and moves at a fast pace rarely ever slowing down. While there is some corny dialogue and acting but it never bothered me enough to ruin my immersion. Overall, Jigsaw was a really fun movie despite occasional issues. I would recommend Jigsaw to horror fans or fans of this series.

8/10

Thank You For Your Service Review

Thank You For Your Service is one of the most difficult movies to watch. However, it is also a fantastic movie everyone should see. This movie is about the true story of a group of U.S. Soldiers from Iraq returning home and their struggles to return to everyday life. Miles Teller gives his best performance yet as the lead. He is required to consistently display multiple emotions and does it flawlessly.  Haley Bennet also does a fantastic job as Teller’s wife. She and Teller have excellent chemistry.  Newcomer Beulah Koale gives a star-making performance doing as great a job as Teller. Even Amy Schumer does a good job in a small dramatic role. However seeing her in this type of role was super distracting and took me out of the movie. This movie is emotionally devastating to watch at times and definitely a tearjerker. Other than one side plot that never went anywhere; I really had no issues with this movie. Overall, Thank You For Your Service is a near perfect movie and one you should see.

9.5/10

Only the Brave Review

Only the Brave was a good movie with great moments regardless of the misleading marketing. This movie is the true story of an elite group of firefighters, known as the Granite Mountain Hotshots, and the struggles they faced. Josh Brolin is the lead character and while he is giving a good performance; I never got as attached to his character as I wished. James Badgedale and Taylor Kitsch are fantastic in their smaller roles. Jennifer Connelly is great albeit under used. The real star is Miles Teller. He had the hardest role to play and he pulled it off perfectly. At 2 hours 14 minutes this movie moves far too slow and could've easily been shorter. The best part of this movie is the last 20 minutes and they are almost good enough to justify the cost of admission. Overall, Only the Brave has some fantastic moments, but moved too slow to keep me consistently invested despite great performances.

6.5/10

Same Kind of Different As Me Review

Same Kind of Different As Me is a very mixed bag of a movie. This movie is about the true story of art dealer Ron Hall who must befriend a dangerous homeless man in order to save his marriage. Renee Zellweger plays Hall's wife and while she does have a few good moments, I found her acting fairly weak.  Greg Kinnear fairs much better as the lead. While I didn't think he was great, he does give a good performance overall. Djimon Hounsou gives the best performance of anyone as the homeless man. The first half of this movie is just straight up boring; it took until the 45 minute mark for the movie to even start.  Also, this movie constantly gives conflicting information about the time period it is set in and it became very confusing. However, while this movie does have moments of genuine emotion, there are plenty of forced moments that had me rolling my eyes. Overall, Same Kind of Different As Me while it does have its moments, I cannot recommend to everyone.

4.5/10

Geostorm Review

Geostorm was a surprise as it was much better than expected. This movie is about a network of satellites designed to control the global climate. A series of weather disasters leads to an investigation into the satellite system.  It's a race against the clock to uncover the real threat before a worldwide Geostorm wipes out everything and everyone. To my surprise, I found the story to be very interesting. Gerard Butler gives a great performance as Jake Lawson. Jim Sturgess also gave a good performance as Max Lawson Butler's brother. The remainder of the cast gave a compelling performance.  Director Dean Devlin makes his debut and does a great job handling the drama and the action. The special effects are also fantastic, especially during the space sections. I didn't really have any issues with this movie other than it became tonally inconsistent at times. Overall, Geostorm was a massive surprise and just a really fun movie.

8/10

Boo 2! A Madea Halloween Review

Boo 2! A Madea Halloween has its moments but they don't come frequently enough.  This movie is about Madea, Bam, and Hattie venturing to a haunted campground.  The group must run for their lives when monsters, goblins, and the boogeyman are unleashed. This is my first ever Madea film and I do see the potential here. This movie can be quite funny at times when focusing on Madea and her friends. However, they are a side-plot to the main college Halloween party plot. Every time we cut away from Madea and her friends the laughter stops dead. Tyler Perry does a good job as the title character but doesn't have near enough screen time. The best part of this movie is Uncle Joe also played by Perry. He got all the biggest laughs from me. Tyler Perry also directs and wrote this movie.  While this movie is competently directed, its writing needed to be much stronger. Overall, Boo 2!  A Madea Halloween was funny at times, but didn't have near enough laughs to justify a watch.

4.5/10

The Snowman Review

The Snowman was a massive disappointment and marketed incorrectly.  This movie is about Detective Harry Hole who investigates the disappearance and eventual murder of a woman whose scarf is wrapped around an ominous-looking snowman.  First off, this is not the film the trailers advertised at all.  It is a much-publicized fact that they did not get to shoot 15-20% of the script. This shows throughout as chunks of this movie are clearly missing. The editing is confusing and downright awful.  Director Tomas Alfredson does do a good job with what’s here, but it should have been planned better so he had an entire movie.  Rebecca Ferguson’s performance is good despite being given very little to do.  J.K. Simmons as always is good, but his character has no purpose in the plot whatsoever.  Despite all this, I did not despise this movie for one reason, Michael Fassbender.  He once again proves why he is a fantastic actor by carrying this entire movie on his shoulders.  Without him, this movie would not work at all.  Overall, The Snowman is a massive disappointment saved only by a fantastic performance from Fassbender.  

6/10