Stars Jessica Rothe, Israel Broussard, Ruby Moden, Charles Aitken, Rachel Matthews, Rob Mello Directed by Christopher Landon Despite coming from Blumhouse pictures, I didn’t find Happy Death Day to be that much of a horror flick, any more than, say, D.O.A. is a horror flick. If you’re not familiar with that film, either the 1948 noir thriller or the 1988 remake, it’s about a person who discovers he’s been murdered with a slow acting poison and sets out to find out who did it. Here, Tree Gelbman (Jessica Rothe) gets murdered on her birthday and ends up in a time loop enabling her to set out finding the person who is killing her. While Groundhog Day gets name-dropped in the film thanks to its time looping conceit, the loop only starts over when Tree is murdered or dies within the day itself, waking up at 9:01 a.m. in the dorm room of Carter (Israel Broussard), a boy she met the night before. While similarities remain, her actions can vary from life to life, each subsequent ‘life’ possibly giving clues as to who the murderer is. Written by Scott Lobdell (known comic book writer of X-Men and others), the story plays fair with the murder/thriller aspect and the cues are there, with a few red herrings along the way. After all, when the movie kicks off, we learn that Tree is not the nicest person around and more than a few might be suspect of being the murderer. Rothe does an excellent job earning the audience’s sympathy as the movie progresses while the rest of the cast work equally well, some playing into the typical stereotypes of characters you’d find in a horror film set at a college. So you have characters to like and those you’d love to hate as well, but the story itself helps to elevate the cliches. That’s also thanks to director Christopher Landon, who doesn’t completely succumb to the tropes of a horror movie despite some of the more obvious set-ups. Anyone going in expecting a typical horror film is going to find something completely different, and that might actually work in the film’s favour, subverting expectations a few times over. The thriller aspects is more than in full force and the occasional bits of humour work to add to the overall presentation. It is worth checking it out. Rating: ****/5 Find the best online deals here. | Barnes and Noble | Google Play Store | Book Depository Discover more about the books here. Please Support.
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Stars Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Tessa Thompson, Cate Blanchett, Karl Urban, Mark Ruffalo, Idris Elba, Rachel House, with Jeff Goldblum and Anthony Hopkins Directed by Taika Waititi Well, that was fun. Not quite what I expected (thanks to the trailers), but it was fun in a old-fashioned space-faring Buck Rogers / Flash Gordon pulp serial kind of way. At least for much of the middle of the movie. Thor (Chris Hemsworth) finally learns of Loki’s deception that had been in place since the end of Thor: The Dark World, and together, they go in search of Odin (Anthony Hopkins), only to find Hela (Cate Blanchett) who intends to take over Asgard. In their initial fight, Thor and Loki (Tom Hiddleston) end up on Sakaar where Loki has endeared himself to the ruler of the planet, the Grandmaster (Jeff Glodblum) while Thor ends up facing the world’s champion in a gladiatorial match. Of course, Loki is happy to stay while Thor wants to return to Asgard and take down Hela. As I mentioned, that middle section is rather like a Flash Gordon adventure, instead we have a hammerless Thor having a bit of a misadventure trying to find his way back to his real mission. AND that misadventure includes brawling with the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) who has been missing since Avengers: Age of Ultron. Also along in this little adventure is a Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), a member of some Asgardian Amazons who had faced Hela before. The thing about this entry in Thor’s series of movies is Kiwi director Taika Waititi and he brings his rather cheeky sense of humour to the proceedings. While there is a lot of humour going around, the director also contributes his fair share while appearing as Korg, a gladiator Thor meets on Sakaar. Waititi was a unique choice as director for a Thor movie, having had some quiet success with his NZ films such as Eagle vs Shark, select episode of Flight of the Conchords, the very excellent and must see comedy/horror What We Do in The Shadows, and the incredibly charming and hilarious adventure Hunt For The Wilderpeople. (go find these movies, really!) His light touch and sense of humour works incredibly well with Thor, although it’s hard to judge if the action scenes might have been any different with any other director. One very glaring aspect of the movie is the production design, with it’s bright, almost neon coloured, world on display. It is almost in line with that of the Guardians of the Galaxy movies, which would suggest a corporate synergy going on. The use of colours also makes this the closest to a comic book coming alive on screen, and all that adds to the element of fun to the overall movie, particularly with the slightly dour palette tone for the Earth and Asgard scenes. Very much a far cry from the darker tones of Thor: The Dark World. Waititi keeps the pace going fairly well through the 130 minute runtime even if some scenes feel like padding. The humour defuses that quite a bit and Mark Mothersbaugh’s retro score helps as well in keeping the proceedings frothy and fun. If you haven’t seen the movie as yet, keep in mind there is one post titles scene and a post credits scene… and also keep an eye out for some stunning and surprising cameos sharing a scene, one of Interstellar proportions. That’s not counting Stan Lee’s absolutely hilarious turn. Rating: ****/5 Find the best online deals here. | Barnes and Noble | Google Play Store | Book Depository Discover more about the books here. Please Support. Stars Vince Vaughn, Jennifer Carpenter, Marc Blucas, Clark Johnson, Mustafa Shakir, Geno Segers, with Don Johnson and Udo Kier Directed by S Craig Zahler Writer / director Craig Zahler delivered the very solid Bone Tomahawk, merging the western genre with a slow burn horror. His second directorial effort is very much a grindhouse movie that may be perceived as an action flick, thanks to the title. The titular brawl is where the movie heads but like the grindhouse movies it emulates, it takes its time getting there. The movie kicks off with Bradley Thomas (a surprisingly excellent Vince Vaughn) losing his job, getting home to find out his wife (Jennifer Carpenter) is cheating on him and he has brutal temper to boot… BUT he appears to have some self control and manages to deal with this situation. He takes on a new job as a drug runner and within a few months, manages to turn his life around, he’s working on his marriage and the couple are expecting a baby. When his buddy Gil (Marc Blucas) gets involved with some Mexicans drug dealers, the run goes wrong fast and Bradey ends up in a mid-security prison. This all takes close to over 40 minutes but it establishes Bradley’s character and motivations. When the call comes for Bradley to make his way to a maximum security prison where the titular cell block is located, the movie revels in its grindhouse roots. Vaughn is almost like a revelation as he carries the movie on his broad muscle-bound shoulders. He started out as a pretty good dramatic actor with some comedic leanings, and has made a career doing a string of comedies with few dramatic turns over the last few years. His performance here is absorbing and eye-catching, thanks to that physical make-over he sports. Add to that the fight scenes under Zahler’s direction, and you’ve got an superior flick that elevates the flick above it’s grindhouse leanings. The rest of the cast are barely a blemish, all in excellent supportive turns no matter how small the role such as Don Jonhson appearing late in the second half as the warden of the maximum security prison, or the iconic Udo Kier as one of the prisoners in Cell Block 99. Overall, Vaughn’s knockout performance holds the movie together and allows Zahler to deliver a powerfully dramatic film with solid action beats. The movie lives up to its title and delivers on its promise in a near satisfactory way. The ultimate conclusion may be a divisive one but it lives up to its grindhouse roots, closing out the only way it can. Rating ***1/2 / 5 Find the best online deals here. | Barnes and Noble | Google Play Store | Book Depository Discover more about the books here. Please Support. Stars Gerard Butler, Jim Sturgess, Abbie Cornish, Alexandra Maria Lara, Robert Sheehan, Daniel Wu, with Ed Harris and Andy Garcia Directed by Dean Devlin While Roland Emmerich managed to make weather go crazy to the extremes in 2012, his one-time producing partner Dean Devlin decides to chip in on the disaster genre with Geostorm where the crazy weather caused by global warming has been brought under control by a network of satellites. That is, until someone starts a calculated sabotage scheme designed to create the titular global disaster. The production itself may have been a disaster or epic proportions with (unconfirmed, or at least I couldn’t really verify it) reports of production delays and last minute replacements suggesting mega-producer Jerry Bruckheimer taking over and bringing in Danny Cannon to direct. (not that I’d rely heavily on Wikipedia.) Neither name really appearing in any of the credits. So, who’s responsible for what is difficult to determine in what would have been Devlin’s directorial debut for the big screen. Devlin has had major success on TV with series such as The Librarians and Leverage (having directed several episodes in both series), as well as being Emmerich’s producing partner for over a decade (meeting on Moon 44 (1990) then collaborating on the likes of Universal Soldier, Stargate, Independence Day and others). Perhaps it was timing or budget (originally a reported 81 million budget), but the 2014 production with a 2016 release got… well, see reports following the above links. Plot-wise, Gerard Butler is Jake Lawson, the guy who led the project that created the satellites that hold the catastrophic weather at bay. Despite being an international effort, the US still wants to exert its might to control the system for an additional 3 years before it’s supposed to be handed over to the UN (or something) and Jake is dismissed from the project. Just as the 3 years is coming to an end, things start to go wrong and Jake is called back in to fix things. And things don’t quite go as plan. This is the kind of plot and story you might find on some SyFy or even Netflix movie of the week albeit with major stars and way better special effects than you’d get on a TV movie (Shaknado 5: Global Swarming, anyone?). While the space scenes, or on the main space station with Jake, are fine, more of the familiar action beats are on the ground with Jake’s brother, Max (Jim Sturgess), particular a standout car chase scene with Max’s girlfriend, secret service agent Sarah Wilson (Abbie Cornish). Despite being a producer on the movie, Butler seems to be phoning it in where his performance is concerned, coming alive more towards the end of the film. The rest of the cast is fine although there’s also a sense some can’t believe what exactly they’re doing in a movie like this. Not that the movie is bad, more like some of the cast are either typecast or trying to stretch their acting muscles by plying something out of their typical character base. Even Daniel Wu is playing a nerdy programmer. Only Ed Harris seems to know exactly what he’s doing here. Like those movies on cable or online streaming, this one has its entertainment value, and given its pedigree, you really do know what to expect. Kinda like fast food; you don’t mind it, you may even enjoy it when the mood is right, but it’s not some 5-star meal at a fancy restaurant. And that’s okay. It’s quite likely some of the effects sequences may permeate the web the way the storm sequences from Into The Storm (2014) has done. Rating **1/2/5 Find the best online deals here. | Barnes and Noble | Google Play Store | Book Depository Discover more about the books here. Please Support. Stars Jackie Chan, Pierce Brosnan, Ray Fearon, Charlie Murphy, Orla Brady Directed by Martin Campbell Jackie Chan has been very aware that he can’t go one without he action films forever and has been selective with his projects over the last decade or so in order to move past his Action Star status. More so in his Asian films, be it the more serious tone of his Police Story films, sharing out the action in the likes of Railroad Tigers or Dragon Blade, and even Chinese Zodiac (essentially the third Armour of God flick) and Kung-Fu Yoga (basically a sequel to The Myth). There are the voice work for animated features (from the Kung-Fu Panda series, The Nut Job 2, to the current LEGO Ninjago Movie). Here, The Foreigner is likely the most dramatic English movie he’s done, playing to his age and showcasing some depth in his performance. Teaming him up with Pierce Brosnan under the direction of Martin Campbell (Goldeneye, Casino Royale) is smart move too, with Chan and Brosnan playing off each other remarkably well in their few scenes together. Throughout the first half, it’s almost hard to separate the good guy from the bad with Hennessy (Brosnan) trying to investigate a terrorist bombing that killed Quan’s daughter (Katie Leung), while Quan (Chan) harassing Hennessy for information in increasingly dangerous ways. The flow of the story makes it clear this is adapted from a book (Stephen Leather’s “The Chinaman” and there’s a title that won’t grace any movie anytime soon in these days of cultural sensitivity). Still, this is very much a Jackie Chan production (he even contributes the end credits song) and while there are stunts and action beats, they are somewhat toned down and far more controlled than his much earlier flicks. There are a couple of outstanding hand-to-hand fights that would be major highlights. More of the dramatics are under the steady guidance of director Campbell, and he does well to keep the flow of the story going, even if there’s nothing particularly outstanding in terms of plot. It’s still an entertaining and solid thriller, and it might only disappoint those who are expecting Chan to continue doing his death-defying daredevil stunts and not getting any of them. After all, this is Chan expanding his horizons for the future and he knows he can’t keep doing those action scenes that made him famous world-wide. While it is likely he will tone down the action, it’s also likely he’ll keep doing them but at a pace that would be more appropriate for his age. how that bodes for this other upcoming projects at this time (like the confirmed Rush Hour 4 ~ and do we really need another?) remans to be seen. As far as dramatics go, he’s always put his heart and soul into his projects, and his dramatic turns have always been interesting. Rating: ***1/2 / 5 Find the best online deals here. | Barnes and Noble | Google Play Store | Book Depository Discover more about the books here. Please Support. Stars Taron Egerton, Mark Strong, Halle Berry, Edward Holcroft, Hanna Alstrom, with Elton John, Colin Firth and Julianne Moore Directed by Matthew Vaughn There’s not much I can say about this one. Director Matthew Vaughn delivers in terms of action and fun. The stars do well enough with their characters. Elton John pretty much steals all his scenes, no matter how ridiculously sill it gets. Some of the greatest hits from the previous instalments return in a somewhat diminished capacity…. … and it’s long and loud to the point of distraction. Still enjoyable at times but mood might change throughout the film. Rating: ***/5 Find the best online deals here. | Barnes and Noble | Google Play Store | Book Depository Discover more about the books here. Please Support. Stars Sullivan Stapleton, Charlie Bewley, Diarmaid Murtagh, Clemens Schick, Joshua Henry, with Ewen Bremner and JK Simmons Directed by Steven Quale It must this summer's theme as here we have another heist film, at least, in spirit. There's a horde of Nazi gold in a very secure place and this elite team of soldiers, Navy SEALS to be precise, decide to undertake this task of covertly retrieving the gold for altruistic purposes. Naturally, there is some form of resistance. Set during the Bosnian conflict, the SEAL team led by Matt Barnes (Sullivan Stapleton of TV's StrikeBack and Blindspot) decide to help a local obtain the gold for her humanitarian organisation in order to rebuild her country. Due to their previous mission where they had to 'kidnap' an enemy general, the rest of that general's men are also after them, and to solve this little problem, Rear Admiral Levin (JK Simmons) has ordered them home. This leaves the team a few days to pull off the retrieval from a vault located in a submerged village at the bottom of a lake. So going through the motions is planning the 'heist, recruiting whoever is necessary for assistance, obtaining the gear and dodging their commander before the proper heist begins. Therein lies the fun as the push and pull among the team work the problems and deal with the logistics of their covert mission come into play. The characters are mostly a colourful bunch with JK Simmons bringing the laughs as the tough, no-nonsense Admiral. Stapleton channels a lighter persona here compared to his other TV characters, but delivers with the action when called upon. The mix of characters help, although some may be viewed as cliches. Director Steven Quale, who previously helmed the disaster flick Into The Storm, handles the dramatics and the action fairly well, given that he's cut his teeth under one James Cameron. That probably also helps with the extensive under-water scenes that are beautifully filmed here. Still, coming from Luc Besson's EuropaCorp production line (the likes of Taken, 3 Days to Kill, From Paris with Love, and so many more action flicks), this is an entertaining and fun bit of escapism. Rating: ***/5 Find the best online deals here. | Barnes and Noble | Google Play Store | Book Depository Discover more about the books here. Please Support. Stars Dylan O’Brien, Michael Keaton, Sanaa Lathan, Taylor Kitsch, Shiva Negar, with Scott Adkins and David Suchet Directed by Michael Cuesta This might be some attempt at making an American James Bond like franchise, what with the 15+ books featuring Mitch Rapp as source material This origin story is was the 11th book and the fact that the books is a source material shines through in the pacing of the movie and the flow of the story. But that’s not really a fault against the movie. The movie open with Mitch (Dylan O’Brien) proposing to his girlfriend on a beach, who in no time is shot down in a terrorist attack. We skip 18 months later and Mitch has managed to train himself in MMA and firearms to highly proficient levels all the while infiltrating the same terrorist group responsible for his girlfriend’s death. Talk about commitment. When his opportunity for revenge is taken away by the intervention of the CIA, Mitch is given the opportunity to train up properly with Stan Hurley (Michael Keaton) as part of a covert team. In the meantime, there’s a little problem with some weapons-grade Russian plutonium going missing. And that’s when things really get cooking. Performance-wise, O’Brien manages to play Rapp with a stoic determination, almost an emotionless killing machines that any military unit would love to have. Whether that works for you as a viewer will have to be a personal choice. Keaton brings a little more as the no-nonsense Hurley, the kind of tough guy you hope Rapp would be, but as a noble act, they do well in their scenes together. Then we have Taylor Kitsch pulling bad-guy duties, and doing fairly well. Michael Cuesta last delivered the very solid drama Kill The Messenger, and he manages the drama here well enough, relying more on the music to underscore the scenes. His handle on the action is fairly solid too with great assist from the legendary Vic Armstrong to deliver some tight and engaging action beats be it fights or chases. The delicate balance between the two aspects however leaves something to be desired, particularly the pacing. While it is clear that certain beats have to be hit where the plot is concerned, the drama and the action are somehow separated and detached from each other, particularly with the major high-stakes set-piece towards the end. It is clear that there were some pre-production problems going on just from the story structure alone. Ultimately, the movie manages to hold itself together and deliver a reasonably entertaining time-waster, and perhaps the sequels, if any, may fair better now that the teething problems are out of the way. Rating *** /5 Find the best online deals here. | Barnes and Noble | Google Play Store | Book Depository Discover more about the books here. Please Support. Stars Channing Tatum, Adam Driver, Riley Keough, Katie Holmes with Katherine Waterston and Daniel Craig Directed by Steven Soderbergh Steven Soderbergh returns to the big screen with another heist film that crackles with some great performances from unexpected places, particularly one James Bond in particular, Daniel Craig. While the first half - that being the set-up - leaves something a little more to be desired given its pacing of going through the motions to set things up, the pay off is tons of fun once the heist gets going. It starts when Jimmy (Channing Tatum) loses his job due to the company’s fear of liability, and his ex-wife (Katie Holmes) informs him her new husband will be shifting his business to another state. It means he’ll see less of his daughter, Sadie (Farrah Mackenzie), but getting a lawyer to fight this would mean having money he doesn’t have. He ropes in his brother Clyde (Adam Driver) into a plan to rob the Charlotte Motor Speedway with the assistance of the incarcerated Joe Bang (Daniel Craig). While Bang points out that neither Jimmy nor Clyde appear to have the intelligence to actually pull off a heist, the plan seems simple enough to execute with some additional assistance. Of course you want to root for this bunch of misfits and oddballs thrown together with a few additional peripheral characters there (Seth McFarlane, Sebastian Stan, Katherine Waterston) to muddy the waters. The performances are solid with barely a bum note with Craig (being ‘introduced’ in the credits) showing off some remarkable comic timing and snarky tones, an utter far cry from the suave James Bond he’s probably become known for. Seth MacFarlane also shines through the crazy wig and moustache, continuing to prove he’s more than the voices of his cartoon characters (not that many take him that seriously; just look at the critical reviews of his new TV show, The Orville). Soderbergh handles everything else as deftly as he’s done, from the family drama to the little quirky bits of humour peppered throughout the movie, keeping the pace moving along and not letting it dwell too long on the maudlin. The entertainment level is high and the payoff is quite satisfying for this kind of heist, even when the Soderbergh brings in another major star at the last minute for the inevitable final act investigation bit. For some, it may not be the action-packed robbery one might desire, but this is very much what one would expect from Soderbergh and his stars, pure and solid entertainment. Rating: ***1/2 / 5 Find the best online deals here. | Barnes and Noble | Google Play Store | Book Depository Discover more about the books here. Please Support. Stars Ryan Reynolds, Samuel Jackson, Elodie Yang, Salma Hayek with Gary Oldman, Joaquim de Almeida, and Richard E Grant Directed by Patrick Hughes The movie’s conceit is in itself something of a gimmick. How or why does a hitman need a bodyguard? Well, what we end up with is a wannabe Midnight Run, complete with a nice little twangy electric guitar permeating through the second half of the movie, seemingly riffing on Danny Elfman’s score. Ryan Reynolds is the straight guy here, a professional bodyguard named Micheal Bryce, whose career has hit the skids when one of his clients was assassinated. Samuel L Jackson is the hyper-talkative hitman, Darius Kincaid, already in custody and is supposed to be taken to The Hague to testify against a ruthless despotic ruler, Vladislav Dukhovich (Gary Oldman). So that’s how the set-up works. When Interpol’s own officers get taken out in an ambush directed at Kincaid, Bryce gets called in by his ex-girlfriend (Elodie Yang) to deliver Kincaid to the Hague from London. Cue the shenanigans Director Patrick Hughes made the fairly excellent Red Hill before the adequately testosterone laden The Expendables 3. He continues to mange the action set-pieces here with some skill, delivering some solid chases throughout the film, a highlight being the Amsterdam sequence involving cars, motorcycle, and a speedboat. Hughes seems to also have a handle on his cast, although it may seem that corralling the likes of Reynolds and Jackson might be quite a task; they really seem to run riot and have fun with their roles. Still, the movie predictably entertains and the characters are what they are be it cliches or caricatures. It falls into the typical mismatched buddy comedy that we got lots of in the mid 80s, which also goes to say that if you want a really good version of this movie, go for Midnight Run. Otherwise, you’d be checking this out as a fan of either Reynolds or Jackson, or if you just want some time-killing entertaining action. Rating: **1/2 / 5 Find the best online deals here. | Barnes and Noble | Google Play Store | Book Depository Discover more about the books here. Please Support. |
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