Deadpool 2

By Emilio Frenk. 

Director: David Leitch

Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Morena Baccarin, Julian Dennison, Zazie Beetz,Leslie Uggams, Eddie Marsan, Karan Soni,  Bill Skarsgard, Terry Crews, Alan Tudyk, Brianna Hildebrand, Jack Kesy, Stefan Kapitcic, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and T.J. Miller.

Rating: Very Good.

David Leitch, director of 2017´s  “Atomic Blonde” brings “Deadpool 2” an action/comedy that brings a lot of good laughs.

The movie centers in Wade Wilson/Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) a mercenary that suffers recently the death of his fiancée Vanessa (Morena Baccarin).

Everything will change eventually for Deadpool when he meets the unstable mutant Russell Collins (Julian Dennison). The meeting takes in unexpected and akward circumstances but at the same time Deadpool identifies with the kid.

The problem is that Collins is the target of the Cable (Josh Brolin) a time travelling cybernetic soldier who seeks revenge against Collins since his family was murdered by Collins.

Now Deadpool will put together a team of mutant rogues that will call themselves “X-Force” to protect Collins from Cable, who will not stop on finding and killing the boy unless Deadpool and his team prevents that.

The thing that works from “Deadpool 2” is the fact that the essence of the first film was maintained and that is one of the reasons why the first movie was so successful and at the same time different. 

This is thanks to the screenplay written again  by Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick and Ryan Reynolds was very funny, the characters you feel in a way identified with them and the timing of the film in terms of the genre is really good.

I liked the fact that the movie didn´t suffer any radical changes and I like the fact that we see a more internal conflict in Wade Wilson here compared to the first film which I think it´s a little bit more dramatics and here we see a very comedic movie.

Another thing that I really enjoyed of the film was the way how other Marvel Comic films like Wolverine were mocked and it does work regardless of how ridicoulous might sound.

David Leitch´s directing was really good and he has had so far two great movies. First in “Atomic Blonde” and now here with “Deadpool 2”. I liked how he directed all his action sequences and coming from his background as a stunt coordinator he took all his skills and again directed very good sequences.

The use of camera choices were very good on Leitch and I like the pacing of the film that despite of being a two hour film it goes very quickly.

Ryan Reynolds is again very good in this role and he portrays not only a likable character, but at this point I consider it an iconic one.

Josh Brolin´s arc as Cable is really good in this film and he is really good as a villain. In this kind of films is very important that the villain has to be as good as your hero and here it´s a good example of it.

The only thing that people might not like is that by moments the film can be over the top in terms of the humor and not many people does like that, which is very understanding. On the other hand I don´t see this movie in another way and it would be a conventional superhero movie, but both “Deadpool” and “Deadpool 2” break with those rules and this is why it´s special.

I still think that the first “Deadpool” film is better than this one, but I did really enjoy it.

For fans of the film I guarantee you that you´re not going to be disappointed, I highly recommend it and I think you are going to have a very good time watching this fun and entertaining movie.

Book Club

By Emilio Frenk. 

Director: Bill Holderman

Cast: Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen, Mary Steenburgen, Andy García, Don Johnson, Richard Dreyfuss, Craig T. Nelson, Alicia Silverstone, Katie Aselton, Wallace Shawn, Tommy Dewey, Mircea Monroe and Ed Begley Jr.

Rating: Excellent.

Bill Holderman makes his directorial debut with “Book Club” and this can be the beginning of a very promising career.

The story centers in a group of female friends formed by Diane (Diane Keaton), Vivian (Jane Fonda), Sharon (Candice Bergen) and Carol (Mary Steenburgen) who spend their lives attending a book club.

In one of their usual meetings, Vivian will bring “Fifty Shades of Grey”. While they are beginning to read the book, the lives of the four friends will change forever and will know the true meaning of life and to cherish every single day of your life like it´s the last one.

“Book Club” is a movie that I consider very original due to the screenplay that was written by Bill Holderman and Erin Simms. Both of them wrote incredible and original characters who do have a lot of internal conflicts that were very well triggered in this film.

Besides writing the screenplay, Bill Holderman did a very good job in directing this film and I was surprised due to the cast he had at his disposal. Holderman is a very smart director who made wise decisions and knew how to get out of the best of his cast.

For a first time director he was outstanding and normally when filmmakers are directing an A list cast like this one there can be a tendency where they feel the pressure and sometimes things don´t go out that well.

In this case was the opposite and of course what really helped was the fact of having an original screenplay at his disposal that he wrote with a first time writer in Erin Simms.

You can tell that “Book Club” is a film that has a woman´s touch and it does remind me of films directed by Nancy Meyers, who is one of the masters of this kind of films and the late Nora Ephron who also made this kind of movies.

The first preview that I saw of “Book Club” I thought that it was going to be directed by Meyers but it was not the case here. I was kind of skeptical when I first saw the trailers of the film but then as always I give the benefit of doubt and I had a wonderful time.

The chemistry between Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen and Mary Steenburgen is what really makes the film and is such a joy and pleasure watching this four women on the screen.

When you see normally this kind of films the characters are normally a group of men instead of women. Here both Bill Holderman and Erin Simms broke with those rules and created a very good and entertaining film.

I cannot remember when was the last time I laughed this hard in a movie but I can say that from beginning to end I couldn´t stop laughing.

I can guarantee that you will have an amazing time watching “Book Club” and it will bring you a huge smile on your face when you watch this movie.

That being said “Book Club” is one the biggest surprises of this year. I had an amazing time watching and I highly recommend it.

Life of the Party

By Emilio Frenk. 

Director: Ben Falcone

Cast: Melissa McCarthy, Molly Gordon, Gillian Jacobs, Maya Rudolph, Adria Arjona, Jessie Ennis, Debby Ryan, Matt Walsh, Julie Bowen, Jacki Weaver, Stephen Root, Luke Benward, Yani Smone, Shannon Purser, Chris Parnell, Jimmy O. Yang, Ben Falcone and Christina Aguilera.

Rating: Average.

Ben Falcone joins forces with actress/wife  Melissa McCarthy for the third time  in “Life of the Party”  which had very funny moments. 

The movie centers in Deanna Miles (Melissa McCarthy) a mother who after she drops off  her daughter Maddie (Molly Gordon) to college  she receives an unexpected surprise  by her  husband Dan (Matt Walsh) who abruptly  asks her for a divorce since he has been having an affair with another woman.

Now an alone Deanna while she is trying to get rid of the things that had any relation with her husband she decides that she will return to college and get her degree.

Her daughter at the beginning is not comfortable with the idea but she ends up accepting the idea by welcoming her mom to her sorority. 

Noe Deanne will be the sensation of the school and will cherish the most important things in life that she didn´t had while she was married.

“Life of the Party” is a comedy with good elements and it´s a concept that we have seen before but still the movie does work.

The only thing that I have to say is that Melissa McCarthy by moments she got me in my nerves and like I mentioned in my review of “I Feel Pretty” in regards of Amy Schumer, McCarthy is also very funny and talented but in the last two movies she has being annoying.

Ben Falcone´s directing was better in this film and I feel that he and McCarthy wrote a better screenplay but still there were moments in the film that were not necessary since we already understand what is going on.

Maya Rudolph is funny here by moments but again she was annoying in most of the film. Maybe that was direction that Falcone wanted to go but sometimes I do consider it too much and for comedies you also need to be authentic and by moments “Life of the Party” lacked of that.

I liked how Ben Falcone took us to the college world and made us have a feeling of growns up how were our a college day when we were students.

I feel that Falcone has learned from his mistakes from his previous films on “Tammy” and “The Boss” where in terms of story both films were sloppy. Still with “Life of the Party” there were those moments but at least the characters were more rich and his timing for comedy improved in this film.

“Life of the Party” has very funny moments and despite of the flaws that I previously mentioned here I did enjoy the movie.

If you want to have a good time this is the movie to see if you are expecting a comedy that has good writing not so much since it lacked of it by moments. Still I give the film a recommendation.

Breaking In

By Emilio Frenk. 

Director: James McTeigue

 Cast: Gabrielle Union, Billy Burke, Richard Cabral, Ajiona Alexus, Levi Meaden, Seth Carr, Mark       Furze, Jason George, Christa Miller and Damien Leake.

Rating: Poor.

James McTeigue, director of “V For Vendetta” brings “Breaking In” a thriller that brings more laughter than thrills and chills.

The movie centers in Shaun Russell (Gabrielle Union) a woman who recently suffered the passing of her father and is travelling with her children Jasmine (Ajiona Alexus) and Justin (Jason George) to complete the sell of her father´s house.

Hours later  four criminals arrive: Sam (Levi Maeden), Peter (Mark Furze), Duncan (Richard Cabral and their leader Eddie (Billy Burke). They break in and have Shaun´s children hostage until they can open the safe that is in the house that contains $4 million dollars in it.

Now Shaun will do everything in her power to protect her children from the criminals and will do it any cost, even if it means to fight against them.

The reason why I mentioned previously that “Breaking In” had moments that were more laughable than real was due to it´s poor screenplay written by Ryan Engle, who´s body of work include movies like “Non-Stop”, “The Commuter” and “Rampage”.

The characters of the film they are not that rich enough and I feel that the movie was a carbon copy of David Fincher´s “Panic Room”, which is ten times much better than this film.

The main villain in Eddie played by Billy Burke I saw him most of the time with a stiff expression in his face and a villain for a movie of this caliber needs to be someone who wants to perform a score. I have mentioned here that you need to have an interesting villain in this film to make it work and here was not the case. 

Gabrielle Union did a decent job in her performance; you can tell that she did what she could to deliver but when poor material is involved there is nothing you can do no matter how hard you try.

I was surprised with James McTeigue who directed a great movie in “V For Vendetta” and I think he shown in the past that he knows how to direct this kind of film but here it was not the case.

His direction was not as good and the performance of the cast, specially the villains was totally unconvincing.

Another issue that I had with the movie was from the opening sequence that is in slow motion and it we don´t see the main character. I did not understand why it had to be that way when you can shoot that sequence in a normal speed

The amount of flashbacks that were used in this film were completely unnecessary and I feel that there was a lot of over explaining in this film when at some point we are understanding the plot of the film.

Regardless of the genre  it is  good to show some backstory but here the problem is that we see a lot of it to the point that we don´t care about the film anymore.  

I had some issues with the editing in this film where some of the shots were not as good and some cuts that were too fast between transitions.

I do enjoy a thriller but here the problem like I mentioned came straight from a writing point and with mediocre writing like was shown in here the chances for failure are going to be very high.

I did see potential in this film but it needed more work. If that would have been invested maybe we would have seen a different product.

That being said “Breaking In” is one of the most ridiculous movies I´ve seen from the genre and I cannot recommend it.

Tully

By Emilio Frenk. 

Director: Jason Reitman

Cast: Charlize Theron, Mackenzie Davis, Mark Duplass, Ron Livingston, Elaine Tan, Asher Miles Fallica, Maddie Dixon-Poirier and Gameela Wright.

Rating: Excellent.

Academy Award Nominee Jason Reitman reunites with  Academy Award Winners Diablo Cody and Charlize Theron in “Tully” a comedy/drama that I was very pleased with it.

The movie centers in Marlo (Charlize Theron) a struggling mother of two who is expecting a third child with her husband Drew (Ron Livingston).  

One night at a dinner party with Marlo´s brother Craig (Mark Duplass)  offers the recommendation of a night nanny who could help Marlo with her baby once is born so she can get more sleep.

At the beginning Marlo is hesitant of this idea,  but once the baby is born she ends accepting her brother´s offer and  will meet Tully (Mackenzie Davis). Marlo will not only develop a close relationship with Tully but it will lead her to a journey of self discovery that will change her life forever.  

The thing that I liked more about “Tully” is the originality of the story and the fact how Diablo cody with her screenplay combined the two genres of comedy and drama, which she is a master in doing this.  She has done it in “Juno” where she won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay in 2007 and in “Young Adult”, both of them directed by Jason Reitman.

Jason Reitman´s directing is very good and I love the way he captured the struggles and conflicts in the main characters. This movie I can tell that it has Reitman´s trademark since he likes in all his films to show all his characters in their most vulnerable and that´s why he is one of the best directors in this industry to capture this.

The opening scene where Charlize Theron´s character is doing a therapy with his son is very well shot and I loved how both Jason Reitman and Cinematographer Eric Steelberg captured that movie with both their direction and cinematography.

The chemistry between Charlize Theron and Mackenzie Davis is outstanding and it´s what it makes this film. The message of friendship and self discovery is true and powerful in a way that makes this film very original.

Another factor that took me by surprise in “Tully” was one of big twist that happens in the third act of the film. It was something that I didn´t see coming and it really worked.

The only thing  that I was not a big fan of the film was the dream sequences that happen during the film. At the beginning I didn´t understand why they had to be there but once you are watching the film you get the point of this sequences, which sometimes is a bad habit that writers put in their films and they have no meaning.

It´s good to see a Jason Reitman film after his four absence after “Men, Women and Children” and hopefully we can see more films from him soon.

Charlize Theron again gives a wonderful performance, so as Mackenzie Davis in this film that has a sweet and touching message.

"Tully” is one of the best films of this year, I highly recommend it for the originality of the story, Jason Reitman´s direction and performances.

Overboard

By Emilio Frenk. 

Director: Rob Greenberg

Cast: Eugenio Derbez, Anna Faris, Eva Longoria, John Hannah, Swoosie Kurtz, Mariana Treviño, Cecilia Suárez, Omar Chaparro, Jesús Ochoa, Adrián Uribe, Mel Rodríguez, Alyvia Alyn Lyn, Hannah Nordberg, Cynthia Méndez, Garry Chalk and Fernando Luján.

Rating: Poor.

Rob Greenberg, makes his Feature Film Directorial debut with “Overboard”, a remake of the 1987 film directed by Garry Marshall that brings disastrous results.

The movie tells the story of Kate (Ana Faris) a hard working mother of three girls who works at a pizza restaurant and as a carpet cleaner, who wants to work as a nurse.  

One day she is hired by Leonardo (Eugenio Derbez) a selfish, spoiled and wealthy Mexican playboy who treats her really bad and refuses to pay her.

Later Leonardo will suffer an accident by falling of his boat and wakes up in the hospital with no memory. When Kate finds out she will see this is an opportunity to get even and will convince the doctors that Leonardo is his husband.

Now both Leonardo and Kate will have the chance to know each other which could lead to a high potential relationship.

“Overboard” is a comedy that I consider predictable and I found it a complete carbon copy of the Garry Marshall film.

The only change that I see is in the main characters but that is pretty much it. The screenplay written by Bob Fisher and Rob Greenberg was completely empty and the characters honestly they were not even funny.

Both Eugenio Derbez and Anna Faris are incredibly talented and they have great timing in comedy but I didn´t see it here. The chemistry of them  in this film never worked and they are light years away from Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell who were very good in the original movie.

The 1987 film was sweet and touchy but it was not a good movie but I can see that it is superior than this version.

When I heard a couple of years back that they were going to do a remake on “Overboard” I feared for the worst and I was not wrong. This movie proves my point and yes, there are moments the film is funny but just a few.

If you saw previously the original film you might anticipate what is going to happen. If you haven´t you might like it and it´s totally fine.

Me personally I was not a fan of this film and I think that it should have never been made in the first place.

Again the 1987 version is a fun and entertaining movie, this one lacked of that and I feel that the dialogue between the characters was too much on the nose.

One other thing that I noticed when I saw this version is that all of the characters have the tendency to over explain things that we already know in the film and honestly it never worked.

The ending is one of the worst I have seen in a film and for a movie of this genre the audience needs to have a connection with the characters and I didn´t see it here.

Hopefully this can be a learning lesson for director Rob Greenberg and he can do a better job in his next project. I do believe that he is a director that can bring good things on the table since he has worked in Comedy Shows like “Frasier” and “Scrubs” and he does have a good timing for comedy but this was not the case.

That being said “Overboard” is one of the worst comedies of this year and I cannot recommend it for the elements that I previously mentioned.

Avengers: Infinity War

By Emilio Frenk. 

Directors: Anthony Russo and  Joe Russo

Cast: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Don Cheadle, Tom Holland, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Anthony Machie, Sebastian Stan, Tom Hiddleston, Idris Elba, Peter Dinklage, Benedict Wong, Pom Klementieff, Karen Gilian, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Gwyneth Paltrow, Benicio Del Toro, Chris Pratt, William Hurt, Samuel L. Jackson, Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright and Josh Brolin.

Rating: Very Good.

Anthony Russo and Joe Russo, directors of “Captain America: Civil War” bring “Avengers: Infinity War” the third part of the franchise that brings entertaining results.

The movie centers again in the Avengers: Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Bruce Banner/Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans), Nataha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Vision (Paul Bettany), Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and Sam Wilson/Falcon (Anthony Mackie) who will face a new threat in the figure of Thanos (Josh Brolin) an intergalactic despot from Titan who is in search of all the six Infinity stones that control the universe.

Now The Avengers will be in a race against time to stop Thano´s malicious plan that will definitely put the entire humanity at stake and they will do so with the help of Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), T´Challa/Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), Peter Quill/Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Drax (Dave Bautista), Rocket (Bradley Cooper) and Groot (Vin Diesel).

Hopefully all The Avengers and the rest of the super heroes will try to save the planet once again from Thanos, who has other plans on controlling humanity. 

“Avengers: Infinity War” is definitely a movie that entertains and both Anthony and Joe Russo directed their most ambitious movie to this date and both of them will be back for the fourth film, which is set to be released next year. 

Both of them had an interesting challenge in their hands due to the success that Joss Whedon had in his previous two films “The Avengers” and “Avengers: Age of Ultron”. This by far is superior than “Age of Ultron” and does deliver.

Compared to the other two films this one has more humor in it and this is a very good element. I found it very original to see all the marvel super heroes in this film and the production value of this film as always was very impressive.

The screenplay written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely was very good. I liked how both writers work in their scenes and the fact that in each one you see the super heroes separately until the end where they are all together.

I did like this idea but the only issue I had with “Avengers: Infinity War” was the length of the picture.

Maybe it´s because of the element that I just mentioned was the reason that it was too long but I still feel that the Russo brothers still could have delivered a movie with a shorter length.

This has always been an issue with the Marvel  movies but I understand why it is there. That doesn´t necessarily mean that it has to be like this so it could be good.

I have mentioned in the past that Marvel Studio films have really impressed in terms of their narrative and here was no different.

The visual effects were very good in this film and I liked the fact that once the movie ends you want some more despite of the length of the film. 

The ending took me completely by surprise and it was unexpected. It does work and unfortunately for Avengers fans they will have to wait for another year to the next chapter. 

Robert Downey Jr, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo and company are always a delight to see in this kind of movies and they form a very good chemistry. 

Josh Brolin plays a great villain in Thanos. He gives so much intensity to this character as most of the roles that he plays and I cannot wait to see him as Cable in “Deadpool 2”.

Again the Russo brothers made a very entertaining film that is visually striking and I am surprised of the growth this two have had since the start of their respective careers in movie like “You, Me and Dupree” and now with Marvel franchise films.

If you are a fan of this kind of films I think you will like “Avengers: Infinity War” and have a great time. In terms of story I still think the movie could have been better, I really enjoyed and I highly recommend it.

Disobedience

By Emilio Frenk. 

Director: Sebastián Lelio

Cast: Rachel Weisz, Rachel McAdams, Alessandro Nivola, Bernardo Santos, Anton Lesser, Bernice Stegers, Allan Corduner, Nicholas Woodeson, Liza Sadovy, Clara Francis, Mark Stobbart, Caroline Gruber and Alexis Zegerman.

Rating: Excellent.

Chilean filmmaker Sebastián Lelio, who brought last year´s “ A Fantastic Woman”, which recently won The Academy Award for Best Foreign Picture brings “Disobedience” and again Lelio is at the top of his game.

Based on the novel  by Naomi Alderman, “Disobedience” centers Ronit Krushka (Rachel Weisz) a photographer who returns to London to mourn her deceased father. 

She will reunite with Esti Kuperman (Rachel McAdams), who is now married to husband Dovid Kuperman (Alessandro Nivola).

Now that Ronit is back in Esti´s life, the two of them will soon reignite their passion that will lead them to a forbidden love  , where faith will  be tested at all costs.

“Disobedience” is a drama that works due to the environment of the film itself and of course the story that was really solid.

Both Sebastián Lelio and Rebecca Lenkiewicz wrote a remarkable screenplay with solid and rich characters. Another thing that made “Disobedience” very interesting is that it takes you to the world of the Jewish Community, which is rarely seen on film.

When Jews are involved, we only see themes about the holocaust and the suffering but here is different and at the same time we see two women who love each other despite of each others beliefs.

I liked how Lelio triggered the conflict of his characters and I consider this film very original since it takes place in an orthodox community like the jewish.

Besides writing the film, I love how he directed his film and captured the traditions and customs of the community. Also he directed brilliantly his cast that led to outstanding performances of his cast, specially by Rachel Weisz, Rachel McAdams and Alessandro Nivola.

The chemistry between Weisz and McAdams works at all levels and both deliver fantastic performances in this film.

The score by Matthew Herbert in the film is wonderful and with his music knew how to engage the viewer.

The third act of “Disobedience” has one of the most wonderful twists I have seen in a while and is one of the things that I really enjoyed of this film.

For people who do belong to the Jewish Community can be a touchy film and regardless of your belief please be very open to see “Disobedience”.

I have to say that this film took me completely by surprise. I loved “ A Fantastic Woman” and I saw in Sebastián Lelio a filmmaker who knows how to tell a story and he proved it here.

Hopefully we can see this film in contention for next year´s awards season and is by far one of the most impressive dramas I´ve seen in a while.

“Disobedience” is one of the year´s best film, I highly recommend it for Lelio´s writing/directing and the performances by the cast.

I Feel Pretty

By Emilio Frenk. 

Directors: Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein

Cast: Amy Schumer, Michelle Williams, Emily Ratajkowski, Rory Scovel, Aidy Bryan, Busy Phillips, Naomi Campbell, Lauren Hutton, Tom Hopper, Sasheer Zamata, Dave Attell and Dave Martinez.

Rating: Poor.

Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein, writers of  “Never Been Kissed” and “The Vow” make their directorial debut with “I Feel Pretty” and it was an unfortunate one. 

The movie centers in Renee Bennett (Amy Schumer) a woman who constantly struggles with her insecurity due to her appearance. 

Everything will change for her when she suffers a fall during a spinning class and begins to believe that she is the most beautiful and capable girl in the world.

From that moment Renee´s attitude will have an amazing turn which leads her to land a job to a cosmetics company with CEO Avery LeClaire (Michelle Williams) and eventually a love interest named Ethan (Rory Scovel).

This emotional change in Renee will represent an opportunity for her to be herself regardless of her physical appearance or going be back to her old self again, which she will try to avoid at all costs.

One of the things that I noticed in “I Feel Pretty” was that there are moments from movies like “Big” and “What Women Want”. This is one thing that I don´t mind and it´s completely valid that filmmakers use that influence towards their work.

The problem that I really saw in this film was in terms of story. The screenplay also written by both Kohn and Silverstein was flat all the times and by moments the character of Renee didn´t transmit anything to me.

I felt the film was completely predictable and when you know exactly what is going to happen in a film it stops being funny and those elements of surprise that you think a film has, they slowly vanish.

I do like Amy Schumer and I consider one of the funniest women in film but here she got me on my nerves. Yes, I admit that they were moments that she was very funny but most of the time was over the top.

Another issue that I had was Michelle Williams, who I consider her a fantastic actress but here I didn´t buy her performance. The voice that she used on her film was irritating and I understand that it was part of the character but it could have been better with better dialogue.

Going back to the screenplay the reason that it needed more work was in term of character development.

On a positive note I did like the love story between Amy Schumer´s character and Rory Scovel. The chemistry on both does work and you can tell they did everything they could but again the cast won´t save a film when weak screenplay is involved. This film did had potential but unfortunately was driven to the wrong direction and I hope that this is a lesson for both Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein.

“I Feel Pretty” is one of the biggest disappointments in comedy this season and I cannot recommend it.

Beirut

By Emilio Frenk. 

Director: Brad Anderson

Cast: Jon Hamm, Rosamund Pike, Dean Norris, Shea Whigham, Larry Pine, Mark Pellegrino, Idir Chender, Ben Affan, Leïla Bekhti, Alon Abutbul, Kate Fleetwood, Douglas Hodge,  Jonny Coyne, Mohamed Zouaoui and Mohamed Attougui.

Rating: Very Good.

Brad Anderson, director of “The Machinist” and “Transsiberian” brings “Beirut”, a both drama/thriller with interesting results.

The movie centers in Mason Skiles (Jon Hamm) a fomer U.S. Diplomat in Beirut who recently  suffers  the lost of his wife Nadia (Leïla  Bekhti) in a shooting in 1972, which also was the year the Munich terrorist attack took place. 

Ten years later Mason is still a negotiator in the New England area turned into an alcoholic. One night he is approached by Sully (Douglas Hodge) a former client of his that tells him that he has to go back to Beirut to give a lecture.

At the beginning Mason doesn´t show any interest but ends up accepting and goes. While he is in Beirut everything will change  when he meets CIA Field Agent Sandy Crowder (Rosamund Pike) and she will tell Mason that his presence is needed because Mason´s friend Cal Riley (Mark Pellegrino) is being held hostage.

Not only  Mason will be in a race against time to save his friend´s life, but also  will represent a chance for him to redeem himself.

“Beirut” is a very original thriller that reminds me of films like “Patriot Games”, “Clear and Present Danger” and “The Negotiator” due to the thematic of the film and the pacing is very similar.

The film was written by Academy Award Nominee Tony Gilroy and again crafted a brilliant screenplay with rich characters and a theme that relates to the reality that we are living today in America.

Brad Anderson´s directing was very good and I liked how he created that environment of Beirut during the Lebanese Civil War. He directed very well his cast, the way how he played with the contrast in most of the scenes were very good and he captured brilliantly a hostile environment in a difficult country like Lebanon.

Going back to Gilroy´s screenplay the other thing that makes “Beirut” work is that the character´s conflicts were very good and the way how he played with progressive complications was very interesting.

Jon Hamm´s performance as Mason Skiles is convincing at all times. It´s not the first time that he plays an alcoholic in this case since we saw that in “Mad Men” where he played Don Draper, which catapulted his career.  The reason why I´m mentioning he is convincing is that he portrays someone who has suffered so much and now all the things he has to do to save his friend´s life. I would say that so far this is one of the most complex and challenging roles that I have seen so far in his career.

Rosamund Pike as well is very good in this film and I like the chemistry between her and Hamm here. Another thing that I really liked of “Beirut” is that the film breaks with conventional rules that CIA agent falls for the main character  but here was not the case and makes it very original.

On the other side there were elements of “Beirut” that I was didn´t care too much was the fact the scenes were a little bit too long and had the tendency to over explain when I felt that was completely unnecessary  since we already got what was going on. Still I enjoyed this film.

Again I was kind of resilient when I first the trailer of this film, I still watched it and I think that does work.

hat being said “Beirut” is a very well made thriller and if you like this kind of films that plays with tension you are going to love this film.

Rampage

By Emilio Frenk. 

Director: Brad Peyton

Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Naomi Harris, Malin Akerman, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Jake Lacy, Marley Shelton, P.J. Byrne, Demetrius Grosse, Jack Quaid, Breanne Hill, Matt Gerald, Will Yun Lee and Joe Manganiello.

Rating: Average.

Brad Peyton, director of “San Andreas” works with Dwayne Johnson for the third time in “Rampage”, an action/science fiction film that brings entertaining results.

Based on the arcade game from the 80´s, the movie centers in Davis Okoye (Dwayne Johnson) a Primatologist who works in a wildlife preservation in San Diego. He has a special relationship with George, an albino gorilla who he rescued from poachers way back. 

One day Davis begins to notice that George is growing more on size and his behavior begins to change. Davis tries to find the solution and he will meet Dr. Kate Caldwell (Naomie Harris) a genetic engineer  who tells Davis that George has been infected by a Pathogen from a company named Energyne, who she used to work with.

The problem gets worse when George escapes the preservation and he will be on the loose. For making things even worse a crocodile and a wolf have been infected by the  pathogen as well. 

Now both Davis and Kate will try to find the solution to stop the animals of causing more damage before it´s too late.

“Rampage” is a film that I mentioned before that entertains since it is very well made visually. On the other hand in terms of story not so much.

Normally in films that are based on videogames there is tendency to see sloppy stories and here is no different. I believe that this is in part because stories for videogames are designed for that specific medium and not necessarily does work on film. At the end of the day the goal is to make money and movies like “Rampage” are those kind of films.

Going back to the screenplay which was written by Ryan Engle, Carlton Cuse, Ryan J. Condal and Adam Sztykiel had an interesting theme but the execution not so much. I have mentioned in this space that having more than three writers in a project can be dangerous in a way that the project may fail. Here it did in terms of story and the dialogue of the film by moments is laughable and some scenes I understand why were in the film but I feel that they could have been cut down.

Seeing Dwayne Johnson is very fun in this film, he makes this film and even though I´m not a personal fan  of his acting skills, I do admit that he is an actor with a lot of charm and he brings it in this film. The chemistry between him and Naomie Harris does work in this movie and has moments that are very fun and entertaining.

Brad Peyton did shot an impressive film and I do acknowledge that .  I think that he can be even a better director if he chooses better screenplays and also if he can focus more in directing actors as well.

Another problem that I had in the film were they villains both portrayed by Jake Lacy and Malin Akerman. I guess that Akerman was a little bit more cruel but still I was not that convinced and in Lacy´s part I felt that he was laughable the whole time. Maybe that was the goal on making them that way but in this kind of films I think you´re villains have to be as good as your heroes in order to make a project like this work. 

I understand that making films of this genre takes a lot of work but you can be better if you can focus on your story and your characters.

Still I did enjoyed “Rampage” and I had a good time but I feel that it could have been a better film for the elements that I mentioned and that´s why I give it a marginal recommendation.

You Were Never Really Here

By Emilio Frenk. 

Director: Lynne Ramsay

Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Ekaterina Samsonov, Alex Manette, John Doman, Judith Roberts, Frank Pando and Alessandro Nivola

Rating: Excellent.

Scottish Filmmaker Lynne Ramsay, brings “You Were Never Really Here”, her fourth film which brings outstanding results.

Based on the novel by Jonathan Ames, the movie centers in Joe (Joaquin Phoenix) a combat veteran and former FBI Agent who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder who tracks missing girls for a living. 

Everything will change for Joe when he is asked to rescue Nina Votto (Ekaterina Samsonov) a girl who happens to be the daughter of a New York Senator. After she rescues Nina, Joe will be in the middle of a conspiracy where politicians are involved and can lead him to his death unless he rescues Nina.

“You Were Never Really Here” is both a drama and thriller with an interesting subject in this case from someone who suffers from  PTSD. The approach that Ramsay took on this film was very interesting and she wrote a brilliant screenplay. 

You can tell that Ramsay did her research on people who suffer PTSD, where she  took it to another direction and made it in a character that is in this case a bounty hunter.

Normally in films that we see our main character suffering from Post Traumatic Disorder they are trying to deal with their emotions and basically that´s it. Here in this case the character of Joe is very complete since he is trying to deal with this situation, but at the same time he is very determined on what he does.

Joaquin Phoenix in this film again he is incredible and delivers a fantastic performance. This performance lead him to win Best Actor at last year´s Cannes Film Festival and we can see why.

I noticed in “You Were Never Really Here” influences in films like “Taxi Driver” by Martin Scorsese and “Drive” by Nicolas Winding Refn since the main characters are very similar to Joe. Also the tone and the darkness of the previously mentioned films are very similar to this one.

Lynne Ramsay did an outstanding job in her directing. Like in her films like “We Need to Talk About Kevin”, “Morvern Callar” and “Ratcatcher” Ramsay goes deep in Joe and show him as a very vulnerable character that he is dealing with a Post Traumatic disorder.

Normally I am not a big fan of using flashbacks but the way how they were used in this film works and it´s the way that they should be used in film, in this case to understand the origin of the major conflict the character has.

I admire a filmmaker like Lynne Ramsay who has shown us how brave she is in making a movie this intense since you normally see male filmmakers doing this kind of films and she did an outstanding job.

Johnny Greenwood´s score is also key to this film since it make a huge contribution, specially to the most critical scenes in this film where his music plays a major role.

One other thing that I really liked in “You Were Never Really Here” is the fact that Joaquin Phoenix´s character doesn´t talk to much and he doesn´t need to since we know what is going on in his head the whole time.

The intensity of this film it could be too much and before you watch I encourage you to be prepared and specially open since it has very graphic violence in it.

“You Were Never Really Here” is so far one of the best films of 2018, Joaquin Phoenix delivers again and Lynne Ramsay´s both her direction and screenplay are fantastic. I highly recommend for the elements that I just mentioned and again be prepared to watch this film since it´s very violent and intense.

A Quiet Place

By Emilio Frenk. 

Director: John Krasinski

Cast: Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Milicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe, Cade Woodward and Leon Russom.

Rating: Excellent.

Actor/Filmmaker  John Krasinski brings “ A Quiet Place” his third film as a filmmaker and the results are astonishing.

The film takes place after the events of 2020 and centers in Evelyn Abbott (Emily Blunt), her husband Lee (John Krasinski) and their children Regan (Milicent Simmonds), Marcus (Noah Jupe) and Beau (Cade Woodward), The family stands as  one of the few survivors of Earth´s population after the planet has been wiped by creatures known as the “Death Angels” who have the ability to attack when they hear any sound. 

Now the Abbotts are forced to live in silence and communicate each other in sign language in order to survive.

“A Quiet Place” is a movie that works at all levels. John Krasinski´s acting, directing and writing was amazing and honestly I have to say I was impressed.

I remember when I watched the trailers for the film and to be completely honest I was very skeptical towards the film. Again I gave the benefit of doubt and I was very pleased with the result of the film.

The screenplay that Krasinski wrote with Bryan Woods and Scott Beck was very original and I feel that all of them were influenced by films from Alfred Hitchcock, M. Night Shyamalan and Guillermo Del Toro, due to the level of suspense that this film posseses.

The characters are very rich and I liked the fact that Krasinski triggered the internal conflicts in every single one of the characters.

Krasinski´s directing is also superb since making a film like this where there is not so much dialogue and most of it is sound design.

Emily Blunt´s performance is really good, Krasisnki´s is very good too and the children Millicent Simmonds who portrays the older daughter and is a real life deaf child. 

Krasinski is a very smart director and he proved here with this film that I do consider it  a masterpiece in the thriller genre. He knew how to play with the most intense moments in the film, he knew how to tell a good story and it was evident that he studied this genre very well from head to toe. 

After last year´s “Get Out” and now “A Quiet Place” I would not be surprised if I see this film in next year´s awards season.

“A Quiet Place” is not only one of the best thrillers I have seen in a while, but one of the best films of this year. I highly recommend it and I can guarantee you that you will enjoy it.

Blockers

By Emilio Frenk. 

Director: Kay Cannon

Cast: Leslie Mann, John Cena, Ike Barinholtz, Kathryn Newton, Geraldine Viswanathan, Gideon Adlon, Graham Phillips, Miles Robbins, Jimmy Bellinger, June Diane Raphael, Jake Picking, Hannibal Buress, Sarayu Blue, Gary Cole, Colton Dunn and Gina Gershon.

Rating: Very Good.

Kay Cannon makes her directorial debut with “Blockers”, a comedy with a lot of sparks that brings entertaining results.

The movie tells the story of Julie (Kathryn Newton), Kayla (Geraldine Viswanathan) and Sam (Gideon Adlon); three childhood friends who are about to graduate from highschool and decide they want to loose their virginity on prom night.

Eventually Julie´s mother Lisa (Leslie Mann) finds out about this plan and tells Kayla´s father Mitchell (John Cena) and Sam´s annoying father Hunter (Ike Barinholtz) who  decides to join.

Now both parents will do anything to stop their respective daughters on loosing their virginity before it´s too late.

“Blockers” is a movie that follows the rules of a good comedy. One of the elements that I do like is the fact that has an excellent time and the characters that are involved, in this case the parents and their children are likable from beginning to end.

Both Brian and Jim Kehoe crafted a brilliant screenplay and you can tell that they were influenced in movies like “American Pie” and some of the John Hughes films from the eighties like “Sixteen Candles” and some from “The Breakfast Club” due to the characters they have both created here.

Another factor that made “Blockers” a very good movie is the fact that all of the characters have a very difficult time in trying to reach their goal. In movies like this there could be a tendency that the characters can be annoying and everything seem to look very easy in order to reach their goals. Here is not the case and “Blockers” goes back to old school comedy and I am very pleased to see a movie that is different and true to itself.

“Blockers” is one of the biggest surprises of this year. I highly recommend it and I can guarantee you that you are going to burst in laughter once you watch this movie from beginning to end.

Chappaquiddick

By Emilio Frenk. 

Director: John Curran

Cast: Jason Clarke, Ed Helms, Kate Mara, Jim Gaffigan, Taylor Nichols, Clancy Brown, Olivia Thirlby, John Flore, Lexie Roth, Vince Tycer, Andrea Blackman, Tamara Hickey and Bruce Dern.

Rating: Excellent.

John Curran, director of “Tracks”, “Stone” and “The Painted Veil” brings “Chappaquiddick”, his sixth feature film that brings positive results.

Based on true events, the movie centers in the U.S. Senator from Massachusetts Ted Kennedy (Jason Clarke) who is with his friends and family in Martha´s Vineyard. Later that day, Kennedy travels to Chappaquiddick Island with his campaign strategist Mary Jo Kopechne (Kate Mara).

After leaving a party in the middle of the night,  both Kennedy and Kopechne drive off of the Dike Bridge. Kennedy escapes leaving Kopechne in the car where eventually she will drown.

Now Ted will have to do anything in his power not only to save his reputation but to preserve the family´s name.

This accident  is well known as the “Chappaquiddick Incident”, which marks as one of the major scandals in American history and this is how it took place.

“Chappaquiddick” is a film that takes you from the beginning of the journey from the point of view of Senator Ted Kennedy. We see a man who has been struggling with the family name, since his brothers were also politicians and has the desire to step out of the shadow and make a career on his own. 

John Curran was very smart in illustrating that and this is what makes the film very interesting. He knew how to get the best out of his cast, which every single one of the members delivered outstanding performances. 

The screenplay written by Taylor Allen and Andrew Logan was very well written and went straight to the facts. The narrative in the film is very linear and the dialogue is very rich. One very interesting note is that is their feature film debut and they did an amazing job.

I can imagine that the amount of research done in “Chappaquiddick” was paramount and you can tell that both writers worked very hard in this project and the result speaks for itself.

Jason Clarke´s performance as Ted Kennedy is remarkable and he portrays him with so much realism that for moments you hate the fact that he tried to get away as much as he could but everything got out of hands and led to fatal consequences.

Another performance that took me by surprise was Ed Helms. I was surprised of how he can play serious roles and he did an outstanding job as well.

The main reason that I liked “Chappaquiddick” a lot was the fact that I didn´t know anything of the facts of the film and it was a huge learning lesson for me.

I also liked the fact that the movie doesn´t have a slow pace, which can be a tendency in this films and overexplain elements. Here it´s not the case and like I mentioned before it goes straight to the facts.

John Curran directed another great film and I know it´s still early in the year but I wouldn´t be surprised if this movie can gets some recognition in next awards season.

“Chappaquiddick” is one of the best films of this year. I highly recommend it for the directing, writing and acting which was marvelous from beginning to end.

Ready Player One

By Emilio Frenk. 

Director: Steven Spielberg

Cast: Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, Lena Waith, T.J. Miller, Simon Pegg, Philip Zhao, Win Morisaki, Hannah John-Kamen, Susan Lynch, Ralph Ineson, Perdita Weeks, Clare Higgins, Letitia Wright, McKenna Grace, Lulu Wilson and Mark Rylance.

Rating: Excellent.

Three time Academy Award Winner Steven Spielberg brings “Ready Player One”, his most recent Science Fiction/Adventure film that brings very good results.

Based on the Novel by Ernest Cline, the movie centers in Wade (Tye Sheridan) a Gunter who lives with his Aunt in Columbus Ohio and spends most of his time in the Oasis, a virtual reality world where he uses the Avatar “Parzival”.

Everything will change for Wade when the creator of the Oasis James Halliday (Mark Rylance) dies and challenges every single one of the players to find an Easter Egg which is hidden in the Oasis. Whoever is the lucky one will inherit his fortune and will have control of the Oasis.

Wade´s motives are higher in participating and he will do it with the help of Samantha/Art3mis (Olivia Cooke), Helen/Aech (Lena Waithe), Shou/Zhou (Philip Zhao) and Daito/Toshito (Win Morisaki).

The major obstacle that Wade will be facing is Nolan Sorrento (Ben Mendelsohn) the CEO of Innovative Online Industries who also wants total control of The Oasis and everything in it.

Now Wade and his “High Five” crew will be in a race against time on winning the race for the Easter Egg and have total control of the Oasis before it´s too late.

One of the things that I liked of “Ready Player One” is the originality of the film and the story as well.  Both Zak Penn and Ernest Cline adapted a very good screenplay based in Cline´s book.

Normally when the author of another source material cowrites a screenplay with another screenwriter the results are not that positive; in this case this was the opposite and both Penn and Cline crafted an interesting screenplay with rich characters who you feel for them.

I liked the fact that this movie is set in the 80´s, which I consider one of the best times not only in film, but overall in culture.

Steven Spielberg with his direction set up this world in a very intelligent an clever way. I love the direction he took towards his actors, the choices in camera were very good as well and the editing of the film also speaks for itself.

I didn´t read the novel before I watch this movie and honestly I didn´t know what the movie was going to be about. This is one of the reasons why I did enjoy it more, besides the fact that I´m an eighties lover and made me enjoy it even more.

“Ready Player One” marks a first time collaboration between Spielberg and composer Alan Silvestri, who is well known for his work in films directed by Robert Zemeckis like “Back to the Future”, “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?”, “Forrest Gump” and many others. Silvestri´s music in “Ready Player One” is engaging and creates a very unique tone in the film.

The chemistry between Tye Sheridan and Olivia Cooke is really good in this film. You feel for both characters and the love story between them is really interesting since both characters have similar conflicts and they are not annoying, which has been a tendency in this kind of films where the main characters have  similar in personalities and can be  everything but likable.

Ben Mendelsohn`s performance as Nolan Sorrento is very good and he is one of the best actors in playing this kind of roles.  He is convincing, evil but at the same time charming in this role.

The only thing that I was not crazy about in “Ready Player One” was the amount of flashbacks that were used in this movie. I believe that with two by the most we would have get what was happening.

Spielberg has the tendency of making his movies very long. I don´t mind movies that have a long length but I feel in this case it could have been shorter. Still the movie does work and is really entertaining.

Steven Spielberg again despite of the length of his film, directed a brilliant and entertaining film that people will remember for a long time.

With that being said “Ready Player One” is a very entertaining film and if you are an Eighties lover you are going to love this film that I highly recommend.

Isle of Dogs

By Emilio Frenk. 

Director: Wes Anderson

Cast (Voice): Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Koyu Rankin, Bob Balaban, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Kunichi Nomura, Akira Takayama, Greta Gerwig, Frances McDormand, Scarlett Johansson, Harvey Keitel, F. Murray Braham, Yoko Ono, Tilda Swinton, Fisher Stevens, Ken Watanabe, Live Schreiber and Courtney B. Vance.

Rating: Excellent.

Academy Award Nominee Wes Anderson brings his eight film “Isle of Dogs”. This is Anderson´s second animated feature film and again he is at the top of his game.

Set in the city of Megasaki City, Japan the movie tells the story of Atari Kobayashi (Koyu Rankin) a boy who is in a journey to find his dog Spots (Live Schreiber) after he  has been banished by Atari´s legal guardian Mayor Kobayashi (Kunichi Nomura).

Spots is been sent to Trash Island, where most of the dogs of the population are sent due to an apparent dog flu virus.

Atari decides to go to Trash Island and find his dog. In his journey he will meet   Chief (Bryan Cranston), Rex (Edward Norton), Boss (Bill Murray), King (Bob Balaban) and Duke (Jeff Goldblum), who happen to be dogs who have been sent to the island as well.

The group eventually will help Atari in his quest to find his dog and bring back all the dogs to the city of Megasaki where they belong.

Like most of Wes Anderson´s films “Isle of Dogs” is very original and you can tell that it has his touch in it, due to the amount of humor of the film possesses.

Another thing that has become Anderson´s trademark is that like in most of his work, he focuses in the meaning of friendship and relationships.

In most movies with similar themes normally are focused in humans and I like the idea that they used animals, in this case are  dogs which has never seen before.

Wes Anderson again crafted a brilliant screenplay with interesting characters and I love the fact that all of them have obstacles in order to reach their goals. Anderson is the kind of filmmaker that likes to raise the stakes constantly and this is what makes him unique.

Anderson directed a film that it´s very original and I believe that so far this can be the most challenging he has ever done since the portrayal of Japan is totally the opposite as we normally have seen it in movies and here it looks completely different that we are used to see.çNot only the look of the film is impressive, but the way how Anderson directed the cast was superb and all of them gave their voices to unique characters, specially in performances like Bryan Cranston and Edward Norton, who really good in this film. 

 From the minute the movie started I was practically engaged and I love how Anderson used the voice over in this film so we can understand the world the movie is set.

With “Isle of Dogs” I also felt that it´s a political statement, specially in times that we are living now around the world where we can see constantly the abuse of power and authority and here Anderson used his wit and humor to portray it.

Another thing I felt is  that it is a criticism towards people who are in power and how they use it to their best interests.

The score by Academy Award Winning Composer Alexander Despla which marks his fourth collaboration with Anderson, is again fantastic. The way how he compose his music to portray Japan was top of notch and every single music cue had a meaning for every single character.

Another thing that I have learned from watching Wes Anderson´s films is that you definitely  learn something new from each movie that he has done in his career and “Isle of Dogs” is not the exception.

I must say that “Isle of Dogs” is a film that people will be talking about it for quite some time and I do believe that is going to be a movie that can be in the radar for next year´s awards season.

If you are a fan of Wes Anderson I can guarantee you personally that you are going to love “Isle of Dogs”, which I consider a masterpiece and one of the best film of this year that you cannot miss.

Unsane

By Emilio Frenk. 

Director: Steven Soderbergh

Cast: Claire Foy, Joshua Leonard, Jay Pharoah, Juno Temple, Aimee Mullins, Polly McKie, Zach Cherry, Amy Irving, Sarah Stiles, Raúl Castillo, Mike Mihm and Matt Damon.

Rating: Very Good.

Academy Award Winner Steven Soderbergh brings “Unsane”,  a thriller with a very good story with interesting results.

The movie centers in Sawyer Valentini (Claire Foy) a businesswoman who just recently started a job in a new city in order to escape from David Strine (Joshua Leonard) a man who has been stalking her for quite some time.

One day Sawyer finds out in the internet about a group that provides counseling for women who have suffered from harassment. One day she visits the group in the hospital   and she signs the documents as a requirement of the facility after the session she has with the councelor.

The problem grows when Sawyer doesn´t realize that the papers she just signed force her to spend 24 Hours in the institution against her will.

A furious Sawyer doesn´t have a choice but to spend a day in the hospital. For makes things worse she has an encounter with David in the hospital; of course no one believes her and begins to have hallucinations.

Now Sawyer most figure out a way of getting out of the mental institution before she looses her mind for real.

Like I mentioned before “Unsane” is a film that has an interesting theme and in terms of story the movie does deliver.

The screenplay written by Jonathan Bernstein and James Greer was very well crafted and touched a theme that has been mentioned in film but here it was taken from a different angle and works.

The performance by Claire Foy is fantastic. She portrays Sawyer Valentini with so much realism and you feel that she has a major conflict and she is a woman who has suffered so much by the hands of a stalker.

Foy is one of the most talented young actresses right now and she has proven it again in “Unsane”.

Joshua Leonard´s performance is convincing as well. He is terrifying as David and he portrays the kind of guy that you don´t want to be around with.

Steven Soderbergh´s directing in terms of his cast was really good. You can tell that he worked with his cast in delivering convincing performances.

The major problem that I had with “Unsane” was Soderbergh´s choice in shooting this film completely with the Iphone 7 Plus. I understand his approach and that he wanted something different but in the case of a filmmaker like Soderbergh I don´t buy that. I was surprise this film wasn´t shot in the Red Camera, which he normally uses in his films and decided this approach.

It was very obvious from the beginning that the film was shot in a Smartphone and you can tell this due to the quality of the image that was involved.

This approach on shooting with an Iphone I believe if it´s either from an  independent filmmaker or for someone who is trying to do his debut film and doesn´t have to much budget.

The score by Thomas Newman it´s a very good one and brings very interesting elements on the table, specially in the scenes were the intensity grows, were he plays witht those elements and does it in a very smart way.

The ending of the film was completely unexpected and surprising I most say. To be completely honest it took me by surprise since I was expecting the typical ending where the main character has her life again. This was the opposite and it does work.

Despite of the cinematography, Soderbergh directed a very good film in terms of screenplay and his cast delivered in this film.

“Unsane” is a very well made thriller and this can be Soderbergh´s most interesting film visually speaking since he took a different approach but at the same time a risky one. I highly recommend this film, specially if you love the thriller genre.

Pacific Rim: Uprising

By Emilio Frenk. 

Director: Steven S. DeKnight

Cast: John Boyega, Scott Eastwood, Jing Tian, Cailee Spaeny, Rinko Kikuchi, Burn Gorman, Adria Arjona, Zhang Jin, Karan Brar, Ivanna Sakhno, Mackenyu, Lily Ji, Wesley Wong, Shyrley Rodrigez, Rahart Adams, Nick E. Tarabay, Sam Kalidi, Jamie Slater, Dustin Clare, Dan Feuerriegel and Charlie Day.

Rating: Poor.

Steven S. DeKnight, makes his directorial feature film debut  with “Pacific Rim: Uprising” and this second installment is light years away from it`s predecessor.

The story centers in Jake Pentecost (John Boyega), son of the Kaiju War hero Stacker Pentecost who makes a living by stealing and sealing Jaeger parts in the Los Angeles area.

His life will change when she meets a hacker named Amara Namani (Cailee Spaeny) who  recently built a Jaeger, which causes her to be arrested with Jake.

Once arrested, Jake is offered to fight against a new generation of Kaiju that threats humanity. Jake is reluctant about this opportunity but ends up accepting and will join forces with Amara, his rival Nate Lambert (Scott Eastwood) and a new generation of Jaeger Pilots.

Now humanity depends in young Jake who will try to step out of his father´s shadow and prove that he is a true hero as well.

The main reason why I mention that this sequel of 2013´s “Pacific Rim” does not work  is story wise. The screenplay also written by Steven S. DeKnight, Emily Carmichael, Kra Snyder and T.S. Nowlin needed more character development and more work.

The beauty of the first film is that you feel by the main characters Raleigh Becket, played by Charlie Hunnam and Stacker Pentecoast portrayed by Idris Elba since their internal conflict from the beginning is real and organic. 

John Boyega is a very talented young actor but here it got me on my nerves since he tried to be funny but he was annoying. He mentions constantly how good looking he is and this is not part of the screenplay.

I have mentioned many times that when you have 4 writers in a project the chances for failure are high since the writers can be susceptible of having many ideas and this proves my point.

The first movie directed by Academy Award Winner Guillermo Del Toro not only focused in the visuals, but also in story and that´s why the film works from beginning to end.

Here the problem is that DeKnight tried to focus more in a visual story and it looks that in the story part was careless.

Another issue that I had was Charlie Day´s character change from the first film to this one. I didn´t buy it from a minute and again this doesn´t work.

One positive note tha I have from this film is their visual effects of the film and the look of the film is very stricking.

Maybe since I liked the first “Pacific Rim” so much I was hoping that this could be at the same level but it´s not the case and I just hope that Steve S. DeKnight can learn from this experience. I do believe he will since he has had a very successful career in television and I´m sure that in his next project he will pull it off.

With that being said “Pacific Rim: Uprising” is one big disappointment and I cannot recommend it for it´s story and slow pace.

Sherlock Gnomes

By Emilio Frenk. 

Director: John Stevenson

Cast (Voice): James McAvoy, Emily Blunt, Michael Caine, Maggie Smith, Ashley Jensen, Matt Lucas, Stephen Merchant, Julie Walters, Richard Wilson, Kelly Asbury, Ozzy Osbourne, Mary J. Blige, Chiwetel Ejofor, Jamie Demetriou and Johnny Depp.

Rating: Poor.

John Stevenson, director of “Kung Fu Panda” brings “Sherlock Gnomes”, the sequel of 2011´s “Gnomeo and Juliet” and like it´s predecessor it brings unfortunate results.

The story again centers in Gnomeo (James McAvoy) and Juliet (Emily Blunt), two happily married garden gnomes who recently suffered the disappearance of their fellow garden ornaments.

They both decide to recruit Detective Sherlock Gnomes (Johnny Depp) and his associate Dr. Watson (Chiwetel Ejofor) to retrieve their friends who are being held captive. 

Now both The Detective, Associate and both Gnomeo and Juliet are in a race against time before their friends fall in the wrong hands. 

“Sherlock Gnomes” is a movie that like it´s predecessor you songs from Elton John, which is the most enjoyable of it. The problem is that it gets too much and I didn´t feel identified with the characters of this film.

The screenplay by Ben Zazove is very predictable and there weren´t enough elements for me as an audience to care about the characters of this film. I feel that the characters didn´t have to many motivations and most of them are annoying.

By the first act of the film you know what is going to happen and that is a huge element to alienate your audience. I didn´t see enough elements of surprise in this film and with a potential cast that it had, the filmmakers should have worked the story more.

The first film I believe is slightly superior since it´s an adaptation of “Romeo and Juliet” but of course with garden gnomes. Here the characters (Gnomeo and Juliet) had a motivation and in a certain way you felt for them.

John Stevenson is a director who knows this genre pretty well. We have seen it in films like “Shrek”, which he was part of the animation department and “Kung Fu Panda”. Both films had solid stories and you feel for the characters.

I felt Stevenson´s direction was not sharp and the result is reflected in talented actors sharing their voice to empty characters.

Again the only good thing that I enjoyed were the songs by Elton John composed by Bernie Taupin that brought  some humor in the film but that´s it.

I have mentioned that an element that you need to have for an animated film is both characters and humor. This didn´t have it unfortunately.

With that being said “Sherlock Gnomes” is one big disappointment. I cannot recommend it for the elements I´ve mentioned before and I hope that this is a good learning lesson for director John Stevenson.