Sicario (2015)

An idealistic FBI agent is enlisted by an elected government task force to aid in the escalating war against drugs at the border area between the U.S. and Mexico.

Director: Denis Villeneuve

Writer: Taylor Sheridan

Stars: Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin, Benicio Del Toro |

Storyline

When the drug raid worsens in the USA and Mexico border region, the USA government sent a passionate and idealistic FBI agent, Kate Macer in a mission to eradicate the drug cartel network of Manuel Diaz, who responsible for a bombing which killed the members of her team- with the help from Alejandro, a hit-man- which in Spanish called "Sicario".

Movie Reviews

Katie was very annoying as a character. I got the impression she was suffering from post traumatic stress after every second scene. This is a woman with a military background and she would completely breakdown at the sight of a dead body. 

As soon as she learns that what they were up to wasn't completely legal, she takes a complete hissy fit. One minute she wants to put an end to the whole thing and the next she wants in all the way. Yet, the other lead characters hold her hand all the way through the movie like she's relevant to the operation in some way, which she wasn't. 

The story line was was incoherent and weak. It's almost like they somehow needed to mash, shoot outs, drug cartels, the CIA and a female interest together and then came up with a story in 5 minutes.

Cinderella (I) (2015)

When her father unexpectedly passes away, young Ella finds herself at the mercy of her cruel stepmother and her scheming step-sisters. Never one to give up hope, Ella's fortunes begin to change after meeting a dashing stranger.

Director: Kenneth Branagh

Writer: Chris Weitz (screenplay)

Stars: Lily James, Cate Blanchett, Richard Madden |

Storyline

A girl named Ella (Cinderella) has the purest heart living in a cruel world filled with evil stepsisters and an evil stepmother out to ruin Ella's life. Ella comes one with her pure heart when she meets the prince and dances her way to a better life with glass shoes, and a little help from her fairy godmother, of course.

Movie Reviews

Enjoyable retelling of the fairy tale I'm sure we're all familiar with. Doesn't really bring anything new to the table, I admit. It doesn't surpass the magic of the animated classic for telling the traditional story and it doesn't surpass Ever After for a live-action updating. But it is well-directed, visually attractive, and enchanting in its way. There's an old-fashioned sweetness about it that I appreciate. The romance is especially nice. Frankly I was happy that this isn't another movie that adapts old stories with modern sensibilities. I'm glad Cinderella wasn't a Buffy clone, kicking butt and making quips along the way. I'm also happy to see the Prince is not a wimpy hipster type nor was he changed into a villain, as I've come to expect from the revisionist fairy tales we get today. So kudos to the filmmakers and Disney for daring to put out something that is unusual (for the times we live in). They proved old-fashioned storytelling is still effective and even profitable.

99 Homes (2014)

A father struggles to get back the home that his family was evicted from by working for the greedy real estate broker who's the source of his frustration.

Director: Ramin Bahrani
Writers: Ramin Bahrani (story), Ramin Bahrani
Stars: Andrew Garfield, Michael Shannon, Laura Dern |

Storyline

Around the world everyone knows that honest hard work gets you nowhere. In sunny Orlando, Florida, construction worker Dennis Nash learns this the hard way when he is evicted from his home by a charismatic, gun-toting real-estate broker, Rick Carver. Humiliated and homeless, Nash has no choice but to move his mom and nine-year old son into a shabby, dangerous motel. All is lost. Until an unexpected opportunity arises for Nash to strike a deal with the devil - he begins working for Carver in a desperate attempt to get his home back. Carver seduces Nash into a risky world of scamming and stealing from the banks and the government; he teaches Nash how the rich get richer. Living a double life, Nash hides his new boss and job from his family. He rises fast and makes real money; he dreams bigger. But there is a cost. On Carver's orders, Nash must evict honest families from their homes - just as it happened to him.

Movie Reviews

A few years back, I interviewed independent film writer/director Ramin Bahrani for his feature, "Goodbye Solo" and Ramin is a creative talent whose profound understanding of cinema and filmmaking stays with me after all these years, he's the kind of man who does his research, he does his homework thoroughly. So I'm glad that he's come back with this latest and very powerful little film called 99 HOMES In 99 HOMES, which Ramin co-wrote with Amir Naderi, actor and former Spider-Man star, Andrew Garfield plays a young father named Dennis Mash, who's struggling to make ends meet, working job to job every day so that he could provide for his little son and they live together with Dennis' mom, played by Laura Dern, in a simple house they've owned for years. Or so they think they own it, until the day that a greedy real estate broker Rick Carver (Michael Shannon) stops by and informs them that they've been evicted, that the banks are taking away their home which they could no longer pay for. Forced to move into a motel where apparently has housed many other evicted families, Dennis Mash is determined to not let his kid and his mom stay there. He ends up working for Rick Carver who takes Dennis under his wing and show him the ropes, this dirty game of real estate and foreclosure in a country that favors the fortunate few instead the needs of the many. This work changes Dennis, he becomes conflicted between selling his soul to the devil and providing for his family.

Those of you who know me well would know that I'm not a huge fan of agenda films, I don't hate them, but if a film is only about pushing a certain agenda while the story's existence is slim to none, that is usually the formula to turning me off. But 99 HOMES is not like that at all, yes it speaks the painful truth about our society today, and yes in many ways, it can be seen as exactly what Presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders has been preaching from town to town about income inequality and how the rich get richer while the poor get poorer. But believe it or not, 99 HOMES in many ways is a drama/thriller. This is about a man who's at rock bottom and climbs his way up by making deals with the devil, essentially, and that pushes him off to the edge, the film has story, it's not just an agenda. It's a well-structured, well-written story that happens to resonate with many working class families out there, but a solid story at the heart of it. There's a little bit of Oliver Stone's "Wall Street" elements and there's a bit of Sidney Lumet's "Dog Day Afternoon" in there as well.

I don't know much about housing or the dirty tricks and mind games of Real Estate but clearly, Ramin, once again, has done his homework. He knows what exactly it is that's wrong with the system and he uses that for the benefit of telling his story and in developing his characters. He also involves real people who have no acting backgrounds in this film in order to elevate that sense of feeling that this tragedy could happen to you, and me, or anybody. It's quite a gamble or a big risk when you involve real folks instead of actors but for this case, they work well in serving the story. You feel sympathy for them even more because of that.

Pan (2015)

12-year-old orphan Peter is spirited away to the magical world of Neverland, where he finds both fun and dangers, and ultimately discovers his destiny -- to become the hero who will be forever known as Peter Pan.

Director: Joe Wright
Writers: Jason Fuchs, J.M. Barrie (characters)
Stars: Levi Miller, Hugh Jackman, Garrett Hedlund |

Storyline

12-year-old orphan Peter is spirited away to the magical world of Neverland, where he finds both fun and dangers, and ultimately discovers his destiny -- to become the hero who will be forever known as Peter Pan.



Movie Reviews

Well, okay, Hugh Jackman does make a very satisfying baddie, and the three points out of 10 my daughter and I have awarded are for him alone

the movie overall is about as unsatisfying as it gets. It's much too

scary for younger children, and too tediously predictable and ridiculous for older ones and adults. Sure, the kids are cute and the special effects are amazing, but special effects alone don't cut it these days, and this movie is almost nothing but. The plot is slender and frankly daft - Oliver! meets Narnia meets Indiana Jones with a teeny bit of Peter Pan thrown in almost reluctantly. The love interests are yawnworthy, as is the sugary sentiment. Barrie would be spinning in his grave, particularly as Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital, to which he left the royalties for any version of his immortal story, got precisely zilch for this movie because it is a prequel. All in all, a shocking waste of time and money.

Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (2015)

After having escaped the Maze, the Gladers now face a new set of challenges on the open roads of a desolate landscape filled with unimaginable obstacles.

Director: Wes Ball
Writers: T.S. Nowlin (screenplay), James Dashner (novel)
Stars: Dylan O'Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Thomas Brodie-Sangster |

Storyline

In this next chapter of the epic "Maze Runner" saga, Thomas (Dylan O'Brien) and his fellow Gladers face their greatest challenge yet: searching for clues about the mysterious and powerful organization known as WCKD. Their journey takes them to the Scorch, a desolate landscape filled with unimaginable obstacles. Teaming up with resistance fighters, the Gladers take on WCKD's vastly superior forces and uncover its shocking plans for them all.

Movie Reviews

This film has everything from sandstorms and lightning to Zombies and evil henchman. Its as though the writer / director said lets throw everything into the story that we can and see what sticks, and then when it came time to edit some of it out, everything cost so much to make that they didn't want to remove it.

This means the film has a running time in excess of two hours and its a lot to digest. There is so much action that we as a viewer get exhausted watching it. The gang of kids we never really get to meet. Only Tom has a purpose, the others I couldn't even tell you their names. I guess they could have been left out the script as none of them were useful. One of them started complaining at the start, suggesting a possible conflict but them he just shut up for the rest of the film.

Then there are all the new cast members who become redundant mere minutes after being introduced. Eventually you start to wonder if some of these people could have been left out the movie to make a much tighter edit.

The sets are however outstanding. The scorched Earth is something I want to see again. You do start wondering though - if all these giant mazes are apparently around the place, with green pastures inside. Why would anyone live in the desert when they can live quite happily inside the maze?

Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015)

Dracula and his friends try to bring out the monster in his half human, half vampire grandson in order to keep Mavis from leaving the hotel.

Director: Genndy Tartakovsky

Writers: Robert Smigel, Adam Sandler

Stars: Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez |

Storyline

The Drac pack is back for an all-new monster comedy adventure in Sony Pictures Animation's Hotel Transylvania 2! Everything seems to be changing for the better at Hotel Transylvania... Dracula's rigid monster-only hotel policy has finally relaxed, opening up its doors to human guests. But behind closed coffins, Drac is worried that his adorable half-human, half-vampire grandson, Dennis, isn't showing signs of being a vampire. So while Mavis is busy visiting her human in-laws with Johnny - and in for a major cultural shock of her own - "Vampa" Drac enlists his friends Frank, Murray, Wayne and Griffin to put Dennis through a "monster-in-training" boot camp. But little do they know that Drac's grumpy and very old, old, old school dad Vlad is about to pay a family visit to the hotel. And when Vlad finds out that his great-grandson is not a pure blood - and humans are now welcome at Hotel Transylvania - things are going to get batty!

Movie Reviews

More monster characters, more amusing moments and more exciting parties have upgraded an additional star rating for the hotel this Halloween season. The animation starts off immediately from where it ended previously, progresses in a moderate pacing, filled with numerous hilarious moments though with the usual ridiculous Adam Sandler type of humors, it's not overly used and creates just sufficient amount of laughter. The message about to change and to adapt in order to fit oneself into a new environment is well simplified to cater children's understanding while the eye popping, colorful visual effects together with pop styles emerging into the story are well crafted to make young adults feel like kids. Overall, the sequel is an energetic animation compared to its predecessor, heart-warming and certainly a satisfying family goers movie to enjoy.

The Martian (2015)

During a manned mission to Mars, Astronaut Mark Watney is presumed dead after a fierce storm and left behind by his crew. But Watney has survived and finds himself stranded and alone on the hostile planet. With only meager supplies, he must draw upon his ingenuity, wit and spirit to subsist and find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive.

Director: Ridley Scott

Writers: Drew Goddard (screenplay), Andy Weir (book)

Stars: Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig |

Storyline

During a manned mission to Mars, Astronaut Mark Watney is presumed dead after a fierce storm and left behind by his crew. But Watney has survived and finds himself stranded and alone on the hostile planet. With only meager supplies, he must draw upon his ingenuity, wit and spirit to subsist and find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive. Millions of miles away, NASA and a team of international scientists work tirelessly to bring "the Martian" home, while his crewmates concurrently plot a daring, if not impossible, rescue mission. As these stories of incredible bravery unfold, the world comes together to root for Watney's safe return. Based on a best-selling novel.

Movie Reviews

Imagine if you took the movie Cast Away, stripped away all the humanity and excitement, and set it in space. You'd have The Martian. This movie is an uninspired mess full of dull performances and idiotic characters. Jeff Daniels does a great job at playing the professional idiot, Sean Bean plays the cool dude who undermines his superior, and Matt Damon plays the most annoying protagonist of all time. If you like movies consisting almost entirely of an irritating character talking to you through a webcam about mundane activities or events you've already seen, then buy a ticket immediately. 

There are literally no redeemable qualities to be found here. The script is laughably bad, the science aspects of the movie don't dazzle the eyes, and there's no tension due to Damon's terrible performance. Just when you think it can't get any worse, the film wraps up with one of the most hilariously terrible climaxes in cinema history. No spoilers, but you'd assume a scientific movie would have a basic understanding of the laws of physics. Anyway, If you like pedantic movies that serve no purpose other than to throw science at your face, without any heart or intrigue, then go see this. Otherwise, I'd advise you look elsewhere.