Year: 2018
Director: Adam Robitel
Cast: Lin Shaye, Angus Sampson, Leigh Whannell, Caitlin Gerard, Kirk Acevedo, Bruce Davison, Spencer Locke, Josh Stewart
Plot: Elise Rainier returns to the house she grew up in to battle the demon who killed her mother and is now threatening her niece.
Review: The Insidious movies have no new ways to scare horror audiences anymore, but Leigh Whannell and director Adam Robitel clearly still have stories to tell in regards to psychic Elise Rainier, who uses her gift to battle evil spirits.
In this sequel, which serves as another prequel to the first movie where she encounters the Lambert family, Elise returns home to the house she lived in as a child, which is adjacent to a prison. In a backstory, we learn that her gift caused her father to abuse her, and she inadvertently caused the death of her mother by releasing a powerful demon in her basement. Now that same demon is haunting the current owner of that house. She takes her humorous yet trusty sidekicks Tucker and Specs back home, but not only does she encounter the demon, she also runs into her estranged brother and his two daughters, who are now the demon's targets.
Robitel and Whannell use some nifty yet familiar tactics to scare the audience, some which work but others seem quite predictable. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it somewhat, though I am aware that other horror fans might be more picky. Truthfully, the real attraction of The Last Key is delving deeper into Elise's painful childhood and how she was on the receiving end of abuse by her father because of his ignorance. The young Elise is well acted in this opening sequence by Ava Kolker, who is very impressive despite her brief appearance.
Lin Shaye once again nails the role of Elise, who continues to battle evil forces even as we notice how it slowly but surely takes its toll on her. Shaye's magnetic presence holds the film together through all its faults. Whannell and Angus Sampson also return to provide the humor as Specs and Tucker respectively, though they were much funnier in the last film than here. Thankfully, the trio make the film work as much as possible, as the script feels somewhat corny and lazy at times.
In closing, I have to honestly say that The Last Key would probably appeal more to die hard Insidious fans than the more cynical horror fans. Personally I enjoyed it, especially after seeing how it ended. (7/10)
Year: 2017
Director: Ridley Scott
Cast: Michelle Williams, Christopher Plummer, Mark Wahlberg, Romain Duris, Timothy Hutton, Charlie Plummer
Plot: Based on the true story of J. Paul Getty, the richest man in the world during the 70s, who refused to pay the ransom for his 16 year old grandson's kidnapping, much to the chagrin of his daughter in-law, Gail Harris.
Review: All The Money In The World already made headlines when the studio decided to remove Kevin Spacey's involvement in the film due to his sexual assault allegations and replace him with Christopher Plummer, after the film had wrapped production. As a result, director Ridley Scott had to reshoot the film with Plummer, and he did it in eight days. It is an astounding feat, considering the role is quite substantial.
This fact alone should be enough to draw audiences to watch the film, which is based on the true story of the kidnapping of John Paul Getty III, grandson of J. Paul Getty, the richest man in the world in 1973. The film revolves around the young Getty's experience with the kidnappers, the senior Getty's refusal to pay the ransom and his excuses for not doing so, and his daughter in-law's efforts to save her son, with the help of Getty's negotiator Fletcher Chase. Scott deftly flips back and forth between the three subplots and rarely wastes any time in moving the story forward, and still manages to make the entire film fascinating to watch.
Mark Wahlberg is pretty much himself in playing Chase, and it's clear he fits the role like a glove. It's predictable but it works as it plays to his strengths. Michelle Williams gets the tougher role as the desperate Gail, who has to find a way to pay the ransom to save her son, but as she accurately puts it in a scene, "I'm fighting an empire." Williams easily nails the part. Plummer scores as the elder Getty, turning in an engaging performance overall. While he may seem cold in his refusal to pay the ransom, Plummer gives Getty a sense of amiability which makes him more human than one would expect. Also deserving praise is Romain Duris as Cinquanta, one of the kinder kidnappers who tries to protect the young Getty whenever possible.
The film however is less engaging in an emotional sense. All The Money In The World feels much closer to American Gangster than Gladiator, which isn't necessarily a bad thing (I loved American Gangster more than some people). Scott may have given us a less dramatic story than I would have liked, but as far as true stories go, this one looks quite good.
All The Money In The World is a solid feature from Ridley Scott. Not one of his best, but very watchable. (7.5/10)
Year: 2017
Director: Leo Zhang
Cast: Jackie Chan, Callan Mulvey, Show Lo, Erica Xia Hou, Nana Ouyang, Tess Haubrich
Plot: A dangerous man who possesses strength and invulnerability thanks to a top secret bio project, hunts down the scientist in charge and the rest of his research. However, a cop whose daughter is terminally ill, uses the research to save her and tries to keep her out of the man's clutches 13 years later when he resurfaces and tries again.
Review: Jackie Chan in a sci-fi movie? Well, this is rather new territory for him, but certainly better than his attempts to merge his culture with other cultures recently. But honestly, I'm giving semi faint praise here.
Actually, Bleeding Steel isn't half bad. For the most part, Chan is all business and in serious mode. This isn't one of those films where he does his comedic slapstick stuff. Like The Foreigner, he's mostly serious, except for a few moments here and there. He's also the best actor in the film as everyone else either tries too hard (Show Lo) or not enough (Nana Ouyang, Callan Mulvey, Tess Haubrich). Erica Xia Hou, who plays Chan's subordinate and also wrote the screenplay, excels in a few fight sequences but is rather wooden in the acting department.
The action sequences are the highlight of the film for sure. While the opening firefight seems a bit messy in its execution, it looks quite good with multiple explosions and some good stunt work from Chan and his team. There's another sequence where Chan slides down the roof of the Sydney Opera House, which is a nice throwback to some of the crazy stunts he had done in his youth. Chan certainly hasn't lost his edge here. The rest of the action are just so-so as they come with a significant amount of CGI, which really isn't Chan's forte.
The weakness of the film is certainly the plot and dialogue, which involves a lot of corny lines and borrowed ideas from other sci-fi films. Mulvey's villain looks like a blatant ripoff of the Borg from Star Trek, and his goons are dressed like Robocop (the remake, not the original). Show Lo, who plays Chan's sidekick Leeson, is mostly unfunny in his attempts at comedy, save for a scene where he saves Chan's daughter from a group of troublemakers. Haubrich, while not excelling in terms of acting, holds her own in the action department, looking quite good in her scraps against Chan.
Overall, Bleeding Steel is a decent effort from Chan and company, but science fiction really isn't his wheelhouse. He ought to just stick to tried and true action movies he's known for. (6.5/10)
Year: 2017
Director: Rian Johnson
Cast: Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, Kelly Marie Tran, Gwendoline Christie, Laura Dern, Benicio Del Toro
Plot: While Rey tries to convince a disillusioned Luke Skywalker to train her in the ways of the Jedi, the Resistance under General Leia's leadership flees from the First Order's attacks.
Review: The Force Awakens was a huge success for the Star Wars franchise, even though some fans called it a repeat of A New Hope. Thus director of The Last Jedi, Rian Johnson had a huge task ahead of him to top that feat.
In some ways, The Last Jedi almost feels like The Empire Strikes Back, and I mean that as a compliment. But more importantly, Johnson expands on the Star Wars universe a little by introducing a few new things while making time to bring back a couple of iconic elements from the past. He deftly balances the fun factor of the franchise and the seriousness of the ongoing war, thereby making the entire experience truly entertaining.
The film is basically divided into two stories; the first featuring Rey and her training with Luke Skywalker, who isn't quite the same farm boy turned hero everyone knows from the past, and the second about the Resistance running from the First Order. This passive move from Leia's substitute Holdo doesn't go well with Poe Dameron, who enlists Finn and mechanic Rose to find a way to save the Resistance. And in between all this, Kylo Ren's conflicted emotions come to a head as he and Rey share a connection of some kind.
Everyone in the cast hits all the right notes, with veterans Mark Hamill and the late Carrie Fisher leading the way. Fisher puts in a subtle but memorable final performance as Leia, while Hamill is superb as the disillusioned Luke who has to find a way to redeem himself over failing his student. Daisy Ridley, Oscar Isaac and John Boyega continue to impress as Rey, Poe and Finn respectively, with newcomer Kelly Marie Tran providing solid support as Rose. Tran scores in a scene where she explains her motivations to Finn. Adam Driver fares better here than the last time as Kylo Ren, having much more to do and thus more opportunity to show his acting chops. Finally, Benicio Del Toro gives an eccentric performance as DJ, a criminal who helps Finn and Rose during their mission.
If there's one thing that I can complain about The Last Jedi, it's the length. Johnson gets carried away a little with an extended third act that features two battles between the Resistance and the First Order, though he makes up for it by making both of them look extremely good on screen.
All in all, The Last Jedi is truly one of the best Star Wars entries yet. Don't let the small group of haters sway you. If you're a fan, or a casual movie fan who has followed this saga from the beginning, you have to see it. (9/10)
Year: 2017
Director: Stephen Chbosky
Cast: Jacob Tremblay, Owen Wilson, Julia Roberts, Izabela Vidovic, Noah Jupe, Mandy Patinkin, Daveed Diggs, Millie Davis
Plot: August "Auggie" Pullman is a young boy who's had 27 surgeries on his face since birth due to Treacher Collins Syndrome, and has been home schooled by his mother all his life. His parents finally decide to enter him into elementary school in fifth grade, where he will interact with other kids his age for the first time.
Review: Wonder is based on the best selling novel of the same name by RJ Palacio. The movie addresses the issue of looking past one's physical appearance and recognizing the human traits underneath. While this isn't exactly an unexplored subject as far as movies are concerned, Wonder is more than just a story about a deformed child trying to fit in the world, it's also about the people around him.
Auggie Pullman, facial handicap aside, is just your regular kid who loves his family, his dog, playing video games and Star Wars. But he has never been to school with other kids, until now. Naturally, the first day is tough as the other kids just can't help but stare at him. But over time, Auggie successfully makes friends with a couple of nice kids, though not without its own hurdles. It also helps that Auggie is very smart academically.
As mentioned, this film isn't just about Auggie. There are a few separate chapters that focus on the people around him, such as his older sister Via, who has lived in her brother's shadow for years; his best friend Jack Will, who isn't as forthcoming as he should be, but eventually learns to genuinely respect Auggie; and Miranda, Via's best friend who loves Auggie like her own sibling, but has drifted apart from Via because of a lie she told.
Director and co-writer Stephen Chbosky efficiently tells Auggie's story without a dull moment in sight. Every character has a reason for being there, and nearly every interaction and conversation has a purpose. More importantly, Chbosky makes it all feel genuine and engaging, and he never makes Auggie feel pitiful, even in moments when he breaks down because some kids were mean to him. There are also a few funny moments when Chbosky attempts to highlight Auggie's love for Star Wars by having a couple of characters randomly popping up in his imagination (a certain Wookie comes to mind).
The entire cast put in solid performances. Jacob Tremblay, the wonder kid from Room (no pun intended), once again scores as Auggie. While the makeup limits his facial expressions a bit, Tremblay still turns in an engaging performance. Owen Wilson and Julia Roberts do a great job as Auggie's parents, though they are less believable as a married couple. Izabela Vidovic is superb as Via, who loves her brother dearly but trying to make her own way in the world, and finding love in the process. Noah Jupe is excellent as Jack Will, who gives a mature performance for a kid his age. Also worth mentioning is Daveed Diggs as helpful English teacher Mr Browne and Mandy Patinkin as school principal Mr Tushman.
If Wonder has any flaw, it's in the final fifteen minutes or so when the filmmakers go out of their way to tie up every loose end before the uplifting final scene, which is somewhat inevitable, but I suppose the book did the same thing. I also would have preferred Miranda's strained friendship with Via receive its proper moment of resolution, but Chbosky inexplicably left it out and asks us to assume it instead.
All in all, Wonder is a well made and engaging feel good movie that the whole family can enjoy, and even learn from. (7.5/10)
