Hell or High Water (2016)

Directed by: David Mackenzie

Written by: Taylor Sheridan 

Starring: Chris Pine, Ben Foster, Jeff Bridges, & Gil Birmingham







Hell or High Water should be marketed more in my opinion.

In this film, Chris Pine and Ben Foster play two brothers that start robbing banks.  At first, they seem to not know what they are doing, but as the film goes on, we, the audience, see that they are much more sophisticated than first identified.  As they rob banks, Jeff Bridges and Gil Birmingham take on the case to catch these men. 

I expected this film to be a comedic adventure, but there were some sentimental spots.  The two dynamic duos had great chemistry.  Pine and Foster were just like real brothers with their horseplay and insulting jokes, but they would still protect each other.  The same goes for Bridges and Birmingham, even though they weren’t brothers, they were partners and had a similar relationship.

All the characters had a significant flaw that hindered their quest, whether it’d be robbing banks or trying to catch the robbers.  As the film continued, we got to see the characters develop in relation to their flaw, which made for a compelling story.

The plot is also interesting because, true, it is your typical robbing banks movie, but there is a deeper meaning behind the film, which consists of socioeconomic status (SES) and how it affects the characters.

I recommend seeing this film if you want a couple laughs, action, and some sympathy for the various characters. 4 popcorns.

Southside with You (2016)

Directed by: Richard Tanne

Written by: Richard Tanne

Starring: Tika Sumpter & Parker Sawyers

Southside with You is a big disappointment.

In the trailer I saw, the narrator says, “see how it all started,” but I didn’t expect us, the audience, to only see the first date.

Basically this film is about Michelle Robinson and Barack Obama’s first date.  It is a lot of talking and walking around.  There is nothing about their wedding, their kids, and their road to the White House or anything else that is not their first date.  I expected a lot more.  I guess I expected a biopic, but it didn’t happen.

I heard that this is how this director’s films are.  But I didn’t know this before watching it.  If I did, I probably wouldn’t have watched it.  But if you like movies where the characters just walk and talk with there being no end goal in a short amount of time, then this is the film for you.  I, on the other hand, like there to be character development as well as a more distinguished plot with the goal of something other than Michelle saying that it is a date.  Mostly because we, audience members, already know that it is a date.

Nevertheless, the acting is phenomenal.  Tika Sumpter and Parker Sawyers were great as Michelle and Barack Obama.  They have all the same characteristics that we see on television.  I believe they were the perfect casting choice.  But that is the only positive.  1 popcorn.

Ben-Hur (2016)

Directed by: Timur Bekmambetov

Written by: Lew Wallace (novel), Keith R. Clarke, & John Ridley

Starring: Jack Huston, Toby Kebbell, & Rodrigo Santoro

Ben-Hur is wow. 

I usually do not like watching religious films about various Bible stories, but every time I watch them I always feel like becoming a better person. This film is no exception.

I’ll start with the negatives because there is actually only one.  The editing was a little all over the place.  In the beginning, the cuts seem randomly organized, but towards the end they become better sequenced.  I think the editor is mostly used to doing action sequences, because when it is a slow scene or a flashback, it isn’t as good as when it is fast paced.

As for the positives, there are many.  I liked the CGI because you could barely tell that it was even there, but it had to be otherwise PETA would have been involved.  The scenes with the horses were very well done and most of the time they were real. 

I also liked the symbolism and dialogue of the film.  One example is when you win against someone you love, you really lose.  Another is that everyone is a Roman in a Roman’s eyes.  And, of course, all of Jesus’ scenes. 

There are also a couple of stories that mix into each other that make up the plot.  There is the one about Jesus as well as the main one of Ben-Hur and his brother, Masala.  Actually, now that I think about it, there is also a third, the rise of the Roman Empire.

This film is very powerful and it is underrated in the media.  I recommend it…5 popcorns.

Florence Foster Jenkins (2016)

Directed by: Stephen Frears

Written by: Nicholas Martin

Starring: Meryl Streep, Hugh Grant, & Simon Helberg








Florence (Streep) is dedicated to music...has been all her life.  But after seeing a beautiful opera singer, she decides she wants to sing and do concerts.  Unfortunately, she is off rhythm and always flat.  Nevertheless, her doting husband St. Clair (Grant) will do anything to make her dream come true as well as protect her from humiliation.  But how far is too far?

Since this film is based on a true story, I love it even more.  Meryl Streep was hilarious and Helberg's faces contributed to this.

My favorite character though had to be St. Clair due to his love for his wife.  Even though their relationship was a little out of the ordinary, he still thought she was amazing.  After researching, he loved her even before she was rich so he wasn't a gold digger everyone!

The beginning and a little of the middle are a tad slow.  But after her first concert, the story begins to pick up and be interesting again.

Plus I loved one of Streep's lines: "People may say I couldn't sing, but no one can ever say I didn't sing."  In other words do what you love and disregard everyone's opinions of it.  It's none of your business what other people think of you.

4 popcorns.

Sausage Party (2016)

Directed by: Greg Tiernan & Conrad Vernon

Written by: Kyle Hunter, Ariel Shaffir, Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, & Jonah Hill (story)

Starring: Seth Rogen & Kristen Wiig







When Frank (Rogen) discovers the truth that food is murdered once it goes to the Great Beyond (a.k.a. out of the supermarket), he sets out to alert everyone to save themselves and destroy the monsters (a.k.a. humans).

Well this film is definitely not for kids.

When I first saw the trailer, I thought that the main character, Frank, the sausage, would have been taken to a human's home and that's how he discovered the truth.  But nope, he stays in the supermarket.  So in that case the trailer is a little misleading, but the story is better with him being in the market rather than out of it.

Interestingly enough the writers made all the food equal to their ethnicities, such as soy sauce being Asian.  So of course as in the real world, there will be some racist jokes and hatred among the different food.  But I liked the message at the end where Frank says that they all need to become united against the monsters.  It kind of relates to modern society where we all need to stand together against any problem.  Race cannot get in the way.

Also I liked how there was a variety of relationships.  It wasn't just your standard sausage and bun, which, again, also represents our society today.  Our world is reflected in a rated-R animation.

Most of the funny parts were due to the outrageous scenes that the film had.  Like you couldn't believe this was a movie about animated food.  It was still funny, but you shouldn't watch it with your kids and probably not your parents either.

3 popcorns.

Suicide Squad (2016)

Directed by: David Ayer

Written by: David Ayer

Starring: Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Jared Leto, Viola Davis, & Cara Delevinge







Despite the bad reviews for this film, I’m pretty neutral about it.  I didn’t think it was bad, but I didn’t think it was amazingly wonderful either.

Negatives:

• The Joker (Leto) is not in the film a whole lot as anticipated by the trailer 
• The villain seems odd, unexpected, and out of place.  The villain also does not have much of a background, which leads to the question of why the villain wants to take over the world.  I mean I understand the villain is “used” to power, but that doesn’t seem like much of reason.
• Clash of who the main star is.  Deadshot (Smith), Harley Quinn (Robbie), and other characters were competing for star power in the film.  It seemed as if the writer did not know who should be the main star.  Like some characters had more screen time than others, but not enough to be the main star.  It makes sense because it’s a “squad,” but it made the film awkward.
• The villain’s henchmen were terribly designed.  I understand that they are supposed to not be comparable to their human lives, but these dead blobs looked like they were just thrown together last minute.  Plus during one of the fight scenes, since the blobs all look alike; I thought that they were coming back to life after being killed.  If they had a distinguishing feature, maybe it wouldn’t have been confusing, or maybe that scene just needed better camera work.
• Dragged a little in the middle.

      Positives:

•       Even though Leto’s version of The Joker is very different than Heath Ledger’s version, it works mostly because of the chemistry between him and Harley Quinn.
•       There were a lot of backstories in play, which took up most of the film.  But I felt that they were needed for future films.  Plus I liked the backstories.
•       All the other stuff: CGI (minus the blobs), locations, character costumes, makeup, set design, and more.
•       Leto and Robbie, to me, made the film, mostly because of their love story.  I thought their acting was great and actually led me to believe they were crazy and crazy for each other.

     High 3, low 4. 4 popcorns.

Jason Bourne (2016)

Directed by: Paul Greengrass

Written by: Paul Greengrass, Christopher Rouse, & Robert Ludlum (characters)

Starring: Matt Damon, Tommy Lee Jones, & Alicia Vikander








So before I begin this review, please note that this is the only Bourne film I’ve ever seen.

After being contacted by Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles) and told that his father was involved in putting him in this program, Jason Bourne (Damon) wants answers.  He starts following the clues she left him.  Meanwhile, the government thinks that Bourne is after them and wants to destroy the project all together.  They intend on stopping and killing him before he has a chance to do so.  As Bourne continues investigating, he finds that the government is planning on investing in a new technology that will enable them to watch everyone in the world from their phone, computer, etc…

I didn’t think this was relatively creative, mostly due to Now You See Me 2, which basically has the same concept.  Well at least for the technology watching thing. 

The action was good and I was interested to see what would happen to Alicia Vikander’s character, because I really like Alicia Vikander. 

It did seem a little slow in some places, but I really enjoyed the ending.  Low 4, high 3.  But because it has Alicia Vikander…4 popcorns.

Lights Out (2016)

Directed by: David F. Sandberg

Written by: Eric Heisserer & David F. Sandberg

Starring: Teresa Palmer, Gabriel Bateman, & Maria Bello

I remember when Teresa Palmer was in I am Number 4….memories…

Well Palmer has now appeared in a horror film.  A not that great horror film.

When Rebecca’s (Palmer) little brother Martin (Bateman) begins falling asleep in school, she becomes concerned with his home and her mother.  It turns out that their mother has a demon/spirit/ghost living with them who does not like the lights on.  She also has anger issues.  Rebecca becomes determined to make her brother and mother safe.

Terrible summary, but whatever.

So what I didn’t like about this film is Diana (Alicia Vela-Bailey).  It was never determined what she was.  Technically she could touch you and you could touch her, but then she’d disappear when you’d turn on the lights.  But if you turned them off, she’d be in the same place.  Also she died years ago from light…  Like what?  So then how the heck do you kill her?  (I would tell you, but it would ruin it.) It just didn’t make sense.

Also it wasn’t clear why she was there in the first place.  She was following around her best friend, Sophie (Bello), but that was it.  Was she trying to kill her friend?  Did she want to stay in the human world?  It was just said that she was evil.  Not good enough for me, sorry.

On the positive side, apparently there was no CGI.  Diana was played by a person and did all her own stunts. 

2 popcorns.

Nerve (2016)

Directed by: Henry Joost & Ariel Schulman

Written by: Jeanne Ryan (novel) & Jessica Sharzer 

Starring: Emma Roberts & Dave Franco








Nerve could have been amazing…but they casted Emma Roberts in it.

Don’t get me wrong, I like Emma Roberts.  But for some reason, she sucked in this film.  To me, she wasn’t believable when playing the good girl.  She’s better as a rebel/bad girl.

After being rejected, Venus (Emma Roberts) is dared to play Nerve, the new game that’s all the rave.  In the game you can choose to be a watcher or player.  Feeling that she doesn’t take enough risks, she chooses to be a player.  After earning some cash, she becomes hooked and continues to play along with Ian (Franco), another player.  But when the stakes become too high and she wants to bow out, it may be too late.

So besides Roberts being sucky at playing the good girl, I thought everything else was good.  Franco and Roberts had chemistry and worked well together.  The animation worked well too that gave the audience a look into what the players and watchers are seeing in terms of the game.  And the concept it interesting and symbolic.  They always do say that technology is taking over our lives.  3 popcorns.