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Cooties (2014)
Cooties (Spoiler Free)
Cooties was directed by Jonathan Milott and Cary Murnion and stars Elijah Wood, Rainn Wilson, and Alison Pill.
When a struggling horror author substitutes at a local elementary school, a mysterious virus breaks out among the students. The virus turns the children into blood thirsty monsters, trapping all the teachers inside the school.
This film falls under the risky Horror Comedy genre. This genre is very difficult to master, because the film's two sides are very challenging to combine and balance. Cooties counts on the absurd nature of the film to add to the comedy side, but however it still lacked some needed comedy from the actual characters.
The main character in the Cooties was Clint, who is a struggling author writing about a haunted boat while living in his mom's attic. He is played by Elijah Wood, best known for his role as Frodo in the Lord of the Rings, and is tons of fun for the audience. He balances witty humor with a general likable nature. However when the story tried to develop the character, it was in a deep way that didn't suit this movie at all.
Rainn Wilson played Wade: the school's gym teacher. Wade was a very unique character and the audience is drawn to his general ridiculousness as a character. Wilson perfectly balances the constant and hilarious bickering with Clint (Wood) and a crazy attitude towards the insane story. He was also the most constant character in the film. There was only one moment when the script tried to develop his character, but it kept true to side the audience had seen from Wade (Wilson) earlier.
Lucy is the stereotypical ever-positive school teacher, and is played by Alison Pill. This character comes across as annoyingly positive, but this seemed to be done deliberately by the director. Of all the characters she has the most prominent arc: She is very positive throughout the entire beginning of the film even once the school is launched into chaos, but about halfway through that all changes. There is a scene when she finally snaps and loses it, but afterwords she is a much more determined and motivated character. The audience can really connect better with her after her transformation, because she isn't being as annoying as before.
The action in this film was surprisingly good considering it falls into the horror genre. Horror films typically over use shaky camera and quick cuts to try and confuse the audience. Their directors have this idea that if the audience is confused and has no idea whats happening, then they'll be scared. Cooties steps away from the use of quick cuts, but instead gives the audience wide shots of the action. This increased the ability of the audience to enjoy the action in this film.
Unfortunately, this film is not as funny as it could have been. It seems to rely too strongly on the craziness of the plot, instead of comedic moments. Although there is some humorous dialogue, there wasn't enough to balance out the horror. A lot of the comedy fell to the side characters. All of these characters were just stereotypes or gags. Their humor mostly came across course and halfhearted. Although most of the side characters were a failed portion of this movie, one side character managed to be one of the funniest parts of this film: Rick the parking guard.
This film mixes crazy with horror and turns out to be a ton of fun for the audience. Over all this movie is fun to watch and enjoy without taking it too seriously. Cooties gets a 7.0/10
Straight Outta Compton (2015)
Straight Outta Compton (Spoiler Free)
Straight Outta Compton is directed by F. Gary Gray and stars O'Shea Jackson Jr, Corey Hawkins, and Jason Mitchell. During a tense time in racial equality, a group of boys from Compton in Los Angles, California, starts a music group called NWA. Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, and Eazy-E lead this group to the forefront of the music industry. They rap about their hard lives on the streets and the unfair treatment they receive. Their music causes controversy everywhere and they revolutionize the Hip Hop genre.
Although the actors in this movie were relatively unknown, they managed to pull the audience into the film and play their parts very believably. The characters, however, were hard to connect to individuals, because there was a large cast. But the three characters that stood out were Dr. Dre (Hawkins), Ice Cube (Jackson), and Eazy-E (Mitchell).
Corey Hawkins played Dr. Dre, who acted as middle ground between the two extremes of this movie: Ice Cube and Eazy-E. His acting was very convincing and there was never a moment when the audience didn't believe the character was real. This character also had the most dramatic arc in the film. The audience can clearly see him develop from a homeless street kid into a very successful music artist. Everyone loves an underdog and this adds to the audiences' appreciation of Dr. Dre (Hawkins).
Ice Cube was one of the extremes in this movie. He was played by O'Shea Jackson Jr.: the actual son of Ice Cube. Being related to his character really helped his performance: Not only did he look the part, but his mannerisms and expressions deepened the character for the audience. However this was a very confusing and ill- paced character. The script never seemed to decide what type of person Ice Cube (Jackson) was, and it kept changing personalities until it was hard to understand or relate to. One scene he would be calm and reserved, but the very next scene he would be raging and violent.
The other extreme character in Straight Outta Compton was Eazy-E played by Jason Mitchell. Mitchell's acting throughout the film was by far the best and most heartfelt. His character had a very clear motivation and drive: his desire for money. This was a breath of fresh air from the confusing characters in the film like Ice Cube. Once the group takes off, Eazy-E (Mitchell) gets lost in a world of contracts and lawsuits, but his pursuit of money always remains strong. However, this money seeking side of Eazy-E (Mitchell) causes him to come across as greedy and unlikable to the audience. The script tried to address this in the character's arc, but the finishing of the arc felt rushed. Because of the rushed ending, the audience never really got a chance to connect with the character.
The tone of Straight Outta Compton can be summarized in one word: Intense. Any scene with police officers in it was extremely high-strung and had the audience breathless. The tension in those scenes poured out of the screen and wrapped the audience up and didn't release them until the end of the scene. The best parts of this film were the intense scenes that took the audience's breath away.
The film had one major error: It's run-time. This film would have been more enjoyable and left the audience on a better note, if it had cut its 2 hour and 27 minute run-time to an hour and a half. In the first hour, the film focused on the creation and popularity of NWA and how the public responded, but after that it became joyless drama that wasn't engaging for the audience. The last twenty minutes of Straight Outta Compton was very enjoyable and it tried to wrap up the story. Unfortunately, the ending felt rushed and didn't cover some plot points from the beginning of the film. If the film had avoided the boring drama that took place in the middle of the film, it would have been more interesting.
The surprisingly good acting and the intense tone made this film a highlight, but the way the film dragged on and made it hard to connect with each character dragged down the film. Straight Outta Compton gets a 7.0/10 stars
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
Mad Max: Fury Road (SPOILER FREE)
Mad Max: Fury Road is the forth installment in the Mad Max franchise and is directed by George Miller, who directed all of the previous Mad Max movies. This movie stars Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, and Nicholas Hoult.
In a post apocalyptic world where water and gasoline are scarce, Furiosa (Theron) kidnaps a crazy warlord's "wives" to set them free. She is pursued by hordes of the warlord's followers, called War Boys. Along the way, she encounters Max Rockatansky (Hardy) and together they struggle to escape with the newly freed wives.
Full of nonstop action and mind-blowing practical effects, Mad Max: Fury Road was an incredible film. George Miller returns to continue the franchise at age 70 and still creates a thrill ride of a movie. The director's use of practical effects, caused the movie as a whole to be elevated. Visually, this movie was perfect. There wasn't one flaw. Audiences were pulled into the world of Mad Max and didn't relax until credits rolled.
This movie should have been titled "Furiosa: Fury Road (and Mad Max is there too)", but audiences got Mad Max: Fury Road. Charlize Theron as Furiosa was the backbone of the of this film. She the most interesting and driven character in the film, even more so then the title character. Charlize Theron perfectly displays the Furiosa's desperate drive for freedom. Female audiences finally have a strong female bad-ass character that doesn't take crap from anyone. But the writing for this character doesn't form her as a stone cold killer. There is a scene where Furiosa breaks down and Charlize Theron is given a chance to express all the rage, depression, and conflict that has built up inside her character. Furiosa is a breath of fresh air in the action genre.
Tom Hardy takes over the role of Max Rockatansky from Oscar Winner Mel Gibson. There was a lot of anticipation to see if Hardy could live up to the shadow cast by Gibson. Although Max wasn't the main focus of this addition to the franchise, Hardy delivers a convincing performance that stays true to the character created by his processor. Max's character in the movie acts as great support for Furiosa and deepens her for the audience. The main attraction for Max in this movie is that he is a familiar character that fans of the previous Mad Max films can recognize and root for.
Nicholas Hoult plays the War Boy Nux in this film. Hoult's character is a new and innovative idea: the audience gets a clear view of the enemies Max has been fighting for all these movies. Nux (Hoult) had a great development as a character and we could see him change throughout the film. Hoult managed to display conflict inside his character with very limited dialogue. He created a whole new side of the villains that the previous Mad Max films couldn't.
Mad Max: Fury Road is a masterpiece of practical effects and amazing stunts. The action in the movie is unparalleled. George Miller created the most intense and reckless action packed film of 2015 so far. Where most movies settle using CGI and green-screen to create their action, Fury Road uses amazing stunt work and actual explosions. The movie is essentially one giant chase sequence, but a chase has never been filmed so well. All the driving is shot from beautiful wide shots including all the important elements to the scene. Even during the brawls, the movie hardly had any "quick cut sequences" that change the shot. Better yet, shaky camera was avoided entirely in this film. The audience is sucked into this brutal world of chases, gun fights, and brawls, because the entire film is enhanced by the high quality action.
Although the action was perfect, this movie as a whole isn't faultless. When you break down the story, there is no real plot. Granted the action of this movie manages to overshadow the lack of story in this film, but under it all the plot is still missing. The entire plot is based on Furiosa (Theron) taking a wrong turn. That is it. This movie was insane. There were War Boys jumping onto cars while swinging chainsaws and blind people shooting twin machine guns. The craziness of this movie can be a negative thing for some audience members. The audience that disliked the previous Mad Max films, won't find much if any joy from Fury Road. It stays true to the roots of its franchise as well as tops it off with more insanity.
Mad Max: Fury Road is an amazing film whether you are a returning fan of the franchise or a newcomer and gets a 9.0/10 stars.
American Ultra (2015)
American Ultra (SPOILER FREE)
American Ultra is directed by Nima Nourizadeh and stars Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Topher Grace, Connie Britton, Tony Hale and Bill Pullman. This is a fun self aware action movie centered around a pothead. Although the plot sounds strange, even border-line crazy, this movie uses this as an asset creates a unique movie that stands out in whitewashed action movies.
Mike Howell (Eisenberg) is a pothead that suffers from anxiety attacks and works at the local gas station. He is trying to find a way to propose to his girlfriend, Phoebe Larson (Stewart), but it turns out Mike is actually a government agent. The government sends in their best operatives to eliminate Mike, but his training kicks in and goes on the run from the government.
This film pays tribute to the Bourne Trilogy, but takes the story and makes it a whole lot crazier. The entire movie takes place in a single small town, (except for a couple of flashes to the CIA's Headquarters in Langley), and it gives the movie a local feel and that is inviting to the audience.
Jesse Eisenberg expertly portrays the main character in this film. There was a general sense of doubt surrounding Eisenberg's ability to play a convincing action star. He manages to convince the audience that he is the panicky stoner, but in action scenes Eisenberg looks stiff and kind of awkward. The editing tried to hide this, but there were times where it leaked through. Eisenberg's awkward and gawky self was perfect for all of this movie except for action sequences.
Phoebe Larson (Stewart) didn't add much to the plot, but she was very believable as Mike's (Eisenberg) girlfriend. There was never a moment when the audience didn't believe they were dating. Although Kristen Stewart still hasn't proved she can act extremely well, her representation of Phoebe sets her a part from her earlier work (mainly the Twilight Movies).
The villain in American Ultra is Adrian Yates played by Topher Grace. Yates is in charge of the CIA team trying to take out Mike Howell (Eisenberg), unfortunately the writing for this character made him utterly incompetent. His dialogue was supposed to be funny, but mostly just came across as annoying and stupid. It was hard for audiences to take the movie seriously when the villain was a total screw up. Maybe if the Yates (Grace) had been written in a more threatening or capable way, the danger of Mike's (Eisenberg) situation would have been felt by the audience.
The action in this movie was disappointing. Because of Jesse Eisenberg's inexperience in action movies, the action scenes for the most part were filmed in a series of quick cuts that tried to hide the stunt double. The action was fun and enjoyable, even if it was hard to understand what was happening during the sequences. Other than that the action was brilliant. There were many scenes which got the audience very excited and even surprised them at times. Something that really added to the film, was the venerability of the main heroes. Unlike movies like Die Hard or Terminator, the main hero didn't leave his fights unscathed. Audiences connect with humanity and the director did an excellent job of showing this in Mike (Eisenberg).
The weaknesses of this film can be found in side characters. Although the two main characters were well developed and had great chemistry, the supporting cast was a disappointment. Not only did the supporting actors not have any chemistry, but they were poorly written. Connie Britton's character was very inconsistent through the whole movie and the script couldn't seem to decide what her role was. Another useless character was Tony Hale's Pete, who was a CIA agent in the film. He was suppose to be comic relief in the movie, but he (like Topher Grace) just came across as annoying. He didn't add to the movie at all and if he hadn't been included, the movie would have been better off. The most useless and underwhelming character in this movie was Bill Pullman. His character just showed up at the end of the movie to wrap things up. He had no explanation for his appearance and just left audience members mostly confused.
Although the plot seemed generally uneven with useless and annoying characters, American Ultra was a fun loose action film that was enjoyable to everyone. The craziness of this movie just added to the chaos and it was enjoyable for audiences even if the action was visually confusing. American Ultra gets a 6.0/10 stars.
Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015)
Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation
Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation, is the fifth installment in the franchise and hasn't lost any of its previous thrills. This addition to the Mission Impossible franchise was directed by Christopher McQuarrie and stars returning actors Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg, Jeremy Renner, Ving Rhames as well as newcomer Rebecca Ferguson. This is without a doubt the best fifth movie in a franchise ever, (Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back was the third movie in that franchise despite being episode five).
When the CIA shuts down the Impossible Mission Force (aka the IMF) Ethan Hunt (Cruise) goes rogue to reveal the Syndicate: an evil criminal organization acting as an Anti-IMF. Along his way he works with fan-favorite Benji Dunn (Pegg) and a mysterious woman Ilsa Faust. Together they must fight against the Syndicate, while trying to avoid the CIA operatives hunting them.
This movie perfectly balances suspenseful thrills and breakneck action. The story keeps the audience on the edge of their seats from the beginning till the credits roll. There was a lot of doubt surrounding this movie, especially considering Tom Cruise is growing older and plans on continuing to make action flicks. Cruise proves everyone wrong as he resumed his role as IMF agent Ethan Hunt. He was as energetic as ever continuing his trend of doing almost all his own stunts. In this film we got to see a very different side of Ethan: A much more reserved and secretive man. This development was hinted at in the previous film Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol and it adds a nice connection for audiences.
Simon Pegg returns for his role as the hilarious computer genius Benji Dunn. As always Benji's character is clever and thoroughly fun to watch. He creates a nice relatable character for the audience to associate with. In a movie full of highly trained spies and assassins, Benji is a normal guy who is amazing with technology. He randomly blurts out things throughout the movie that the audience is thinking. Where this very human character made a nice connection for the audience, there were moments scattered throughout the film that would have been enhanced if Benji had done something to effect them. Mostly, Benji served as comedic relief and occasionally seemed like a damsel in distress.
Speaking of damsels: Rebecca Ferguson was outstanding in this movie. She played the female equivalent of Ethan Hunt: Ilsa Faust. She succeeded in being the most mysterious and interesting part of this film, in a movie about a mysterious criminal organization. Not to say the story was uninteresting, but Ilsa really captivated the audience from her very first appearance. The audience was always engaged and excited whenever she was on screen. This is because not only the character, but also the great dynamic energy between Cruise and Ferguson.
The action in this movie was very impressive and thrilling. With the trailer showing as much as it did, there was a general sense of worry that the audience had already seen all the best sequences. Thankfully, the very prominent plane sequence from the trailer didn't have a real impact on the story or movie as a whole. Nevertheless the scene was still very intense and fun. This movie also has the best motorcycle chase scene possibly to ever be on screen (others include Terminator 2: Judgement day and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade). It was filmed in a breakneck exhilarating way to keep the audience on the edge of their seats and breathless. In general the fight sequences were filmed in a wide shot, so that you could see and understand what was happening. That being said, there were a few fight scenes when the film reverted to a series quick cuts making it hard to grasp what was happening, but these were limited. Filmmakers usually rely on this method for action scenes, because actors don't do their own stunts and the cuts hide the fact that a stunt double is in the actor's place. Because Tom Cruise insists on doing his own stunts, these "quick cut" action sequences are minimized and audiences reap the benefits of more intriguing action scenes.
The most obvious missing element from Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation, is a threatening villain. This is true for all of the previous Mission Impossible movies, the closest the franchise has come is Philip Seymour Hoffman's villain in Mission Impossible III. The villain in the fifth movie succeeded in being hatable and down right infuriating, but he wasn't ever intimidating: The lead henchmen were more threatening than him. The lack of a frightening main villain was easy to miss, because the real villains were the Syndicate as a whole.
This film was exhilarating and very enjoyable for returning fans of the series or newcomers that haven't seen any of the previous films. All the characters masterfully work together to create a fun spy thriller full of breathless action and a compelling story. Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation gets a 8.0/10 stars.
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015)
Meh from U.N.C.L.E
Man from U.N.C.L.E is directed by Guy Ritchie, and stars Henry Cavill and Armie Hammer, and this movie is based of the hit TV show with the same name. When a mysterious criminal organization get their hands on a nuclear weapon, America and Russia are forced to team up. They both send their best agents to work together and save the world. America sends dashing young smooth talking CIA agent Napoleon Solo (Cavill), whereas Russia sends cold hearted killer KGB agent Illya Kuryakin. Together they most learn to work together and save the world.
This movie takes its audience back in time to the Cold War. Visually, this movie is stunning, from the beautiful set pieces, to the costumes, even the music. Even the actors themselves were easy on the eyes. The movie successfully captured the tone and look of a 60's spy movie, however it fails to have any real content. This movie is a very shallow and uneven attempt at a spy thriller. Throughout the story, it seemed fun and self aware, which were the best parts of the film, but then it tried to get serious. The serious and drama-like parts in the movie seem odd and out of place in the 60's spy movie. Perhaps these scenes would have been better if the story wrapped up the open ends they left: Like Illya's rage fits. Several times the KGB agent goes into fits of uncontrollable rage where he smashes anything or anyone close by. Unfortunately, the story never explains why or even tells how Illya is dealing with them. Other than that, Hammer's character was very interesting. He pulled off the thick Russian accent extremely well, considering he is American.
Speaking of Americans, CIA agent Solo (Cavill) managed to charm his way into the audiences heart. From the cool demeanor he keeps in the intense opening action scene, to the charismatic way he talks his way out of problems, Solo truly is the American Bond. As amazing as Henry Cavill is in this role, he might have been the wrong choice. When a man who is literally Superman trying to talk his way out of a situation, it really suspends the audiences disbelief. If Agent Solo had been given just one more action sequence, it would have saved the character. The action in general in Man from U.N.C.L.E left something to be desired. From the trailers the movie looked to be a non-stop thrill ride of action, but we got something very different.
The opening scene was amazing visually and really excited the audience for what is to come. However this first scene was never topped. The opening chase was the greatest action sequence in the whole movie, including the gun fight between the heroes and the criminal organization. That gunfight seemed to be a very interesting and awesome action scene, but it was hardly distinguishable through all the quick cuts and weird transitions. If it was supposed to be a tribute to its 60's roots, it didn't add anything to the film, but actually ruined a perfectly good action scene. Thankfully, the film avoided shaky camera work except during a chase sequence where it is used in a way to add something to the film. Although the movie steered clear of shaky camera, they did do lots of quick cuts that made it hard if not impossible to see what was happening. In general the action left something to be desired.
Another shortcoming for Man from U.N.C.L.E, was its lack of a compelling villain. Although Elizabeth Debicki has an outstanding performance as the mastermind Victoria, the character herself was weak. She never showed a human side for the audience to connect to or relate with. The audience never once feared for the lives of the heroes. Perhaps if the villain had been or fleshed out, the danger would have seemed more real.
Although its action and plot left something to be desired, the film was fun to watch and a great throwback to the 60's. It was a film that generally left its audience saying, "meh". Truly a beautiful film, but it suffered from unfocused writing and mediocre action. In the end Man from U.N.C.L.E receives a 7.0/10 stars.