Year: 2018
Director: Stefano Sollima
Cast: Benicio Del Toro, Josh Brolin, Isabela Moner, Catherine Keener, Jeffrey Donovan, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Miguel Hernandez, Bruno Bichir
Plot: A terrorist attack in Kansas prompts the US government to seek CIA agent Matt Graver's help in finding the men responsible. He discovers that the Mexican cartel smuggled them into the country, and teams up with Alejandro again to start a war between the cartels by kidnapping the daughter of one of the cartel's heads. But the plan goes south real quick.
Review: I wasn't as thrilled as everyone else who loved the first Sicario, due to the fact that the plot seemed really ambiguous throughout the film, though it certainly earned points from me in terms of cinematography, direction and violence. In this sequel, the plot is much clearer though it's not without its own flaws.
Stepping in for Denis Villeneuve is director Stefano Sollima, working with writer Taylor Sheridan who also penned the original. Without Roger Deakins for cinematography, we are denied the opportunity to watch some really nice shots, though cinematographer Dariusz Wolski does a fine job in his own right, filming the action and violence very well. Sollima paces the film a bit better than Villeneuve and reveals the plot solidly, though the ending is a bit of a letdown.
Without Emily Blunt as the audience surrogate, Benicio Del Toro takes over as the hero of this story, leaning more towards white than being rather grey in the first film, though he still proves he can be ruthless as ever. Josh Brolin, being on a roll this year with Infinity War and Deadpool 2, keeps it coming strong as Graver, and like Alejandro, also shows a somewhat softer side here. Isabela Moner (from Transformers: The Last Knight) shows some promise as the cartel head's daughter.
Even though this sequel doesn't have the same level of suspense that Villeneuve generated in the first film, it still has its fair share of thrills as Sollima throws in a handful of shootouts and a disturbing terror attack in a department store at the start of the film. As mentioned, the ending is a downer as it leads to probably another instalment to end the trilogy.
In the end, Sicario: Day Of The Soldado is a strong follow up to the original. For me, it compliments the first film by succeeding where the former faltered despite being weaker where the former was stronger. Hopefully the third film will end this on a high. (7/10)
Year: 2018
Director: Ari Aster
Cast: Toni Collette, Alex Wolff, Gabriel Byrne, Milly Shapiro
Plot: After a family matriarch dies, her family experiences a series of strange and dark happenings that become more and more sinister as time goes by.
Review: Hereditary is yet another entry into the list of new age horror films that have been released in the last few years such as The Witch, The Babadook, Get Out and It Comes At Night. I'd say that Hereditary reminds me a lot of The Witch, in its execution, disturbing imagery and how the movie ends.
A family of four; Annie, a miniature artist, her husband Steve, son Peter and daughter Charlie, is a rather fractured family, even before Annie's mother Ellen recently dies. Annie's relationship with Peter is shaky and combustible, and when another death occurs, the family is even further broken. But strange and sinister events start to happen, and the family is slowly reaching a breaking point, and Annie starts to lose her mind. Or is she?
I really can't say much here, lest I give away too many plot points. Needless to say, this is one of those horror flicks that slowly gets under your skin and crawls its way into your darkest nightmares. Those of you who are expecting jump scares and loud sounds, this film is not for you. It's a disturbing piece of horror, with a pretty good payoff at the end. Director/writer Ari Aster, in his feature film debut, does well in creating a sense of dread while keeping the audience invested in the goings on. The pace is methodically slow but it somehow works in this case.
The cast perform incredibly well here. Toni Collette, Alex Wolff, Gabriel Byrne and newcomer Milly Shapiro all throw in superb performances, especially Collette and Wolff as Annie and Peter respectively. Collette puts in a tour de force performance looking terrified and distraught while Wolff is great as he slowly loses his shit. Byrne is subtle as the husband trying to make sense of things and Shapiro excels in looking tragic and strange at the same time.
The film's only flaw is the rather uneventful first half, but once the second half kicks in, your patience will be well rewarded. When there are no strange things happening, the family interactions are the film's strong point, with a dinner scene standing out.
All in all, Hereditary is a solid horror drama. I will be honest: it's not for everyone. But if you're curious and you want something different from the traditional horror fare, give this a shot. (8/10)
Year: 2018
Director: Brad Bird
Voice cast: Craig T Nelson, Holly Hunter, Samuel L Jackson, Sarah Vowell, Huck Milner, Catherine Keener, Bob Odenkirk, John Ratzenberger
Plot: When the Parr family fail to stop the Underminer from robbing the bank and causing damage to the city, they are forced to relocate and go back to being regular citizens again, until a wealthy fan of superheroes comes forward and offers Helen to become Elastigirl and put superheroes back on the map.
Review: It has been 14 years since the first Incredibles movie, and honestly I can barely recall that film now. But Pixar and Incredibles fans can now rejoice, because writer/director Brad Bird has created a sequel that will please them and non fans as well.
In this sequel, the Parrs are forced to relocate to a motel after failing to stop the Underminer (a direct follow up from the first film, in a superb action sequence at the start). A wealthy fan named Winston Deavor calls Bob, Helen and fellow hero Frozone to a meeting and proposes to make superheroes welcome to the world again. As a start, he hires Helen to put on her Elastigirl costume and do good work fighting crime, leaving Bob as a stay-at-home dad, much to his chagrin. But while Bob struggles to look after the kids, Helen faces off against a mysterious villain called the Screenslaver.
This time around, Bird does a switcheroo, where Bob becomes the house husband and Helen goes out to save the world. Helen certainly stands out as the main hero of the story, with her eldest child Violet coming into her own as well here as a teenage girl dealing with a boy problem. Jack-Jack almost steals the show as his powers start to manifest, and he has over a dozen to play with! One thing's for sure, the whole Parr family look good on screen and they really come together convincingly as a family that sticks together despite all their arguing.
Pixar's animation is top notch so I need not say much about that. But Bird certainly succeeds in upping the ante on the action sequences. There are plenty to behold here, and they come fast and hard. Each member of the Parrs, and even Frozone gets to shine in their own way here. Not forgetting of course, Edna Mode, voiced by Bird himself, making an appearance in order to help Jack-Jack deal with his abilities.
If the film has any weakness, it would be the slightly complex plot on the Screenslaver's motives, which the younger audience members might find difficult to comprehend, especially in the way it is presented. Other than that, the film is an exciting adventure all the way.
Needless to say, Incredibles 2 is an incredible movie, pun intended. (8.5/10)
Year: 2018
Director: Ron Howard
Cast: Alden Ehrenreich, Emilia Clarke, Donald Glover, Woody Harrelson, Paul Bettany, Joonas Suotamo
Plot: The origin story of Han Solo, the handsome scoundrel in Star Wars, who began as a thief for an underworld boss before becoming a pilot and marauder for a gangster.
Review: The question on everyone's minds before Solo was released was: is this film necessary? Most would say no, since the great Han Solo got a good introduction in A New Hope, and his past isn't really an interesting story that needs its own movie. And yet, here it is.
Truth is, Solo isn't a bad movie at all. In fact, it's quite fun actually. Director Ron Howard, taking over from the fired Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (who get credits for executive producers), keeps the film moving at a steady pace and sets up a handful of cool action sequences, the best being the train hijack in the first half. The script and dialogue is also mostly fun, save for a few exchanges involving Qi'ra and Dryden Voss that sound either too dull or serious.
In this story, Han Solo is portrayed as an idealistic kid who simply wants to survive and return home to his girl, only it isn't so simple when he discovers where she's been when he was away. Alden Ehrenreich makes Solo a likable hero much like Harrison Ford was back in the day, though he tries not to imitate him a bit too obviously. You won't see Ford's mannerisms in him, until maybe the final scene. Donald Glover fares slightly better as Lando Calrissian, putting his own take on the man and inserting Billy Dee Williams' performance into it as well. Woody Harrelson is also solid as Tobias Beckett, the man Solo hooks up with for a job. Emilia Clarke is alright as Qi'ra, but doesn't quite have chemistry with Ehrenreich as a love interest. Paul Bettany is rather weak as main villain Dryden Voss, being much too polite and not intimidating.
My favorite thing about Solo would have to be Chewbacca, played by Joonas Suotamo, as he hasn't changed at all in any Star Wars movie, save for who plays him here of course. Here's where we discover how he and Han first meet, and it's quite hilarious. Chewbacca is always fun to watch, and he never disappoints.
The film could use better lighting though, as many of the action sequences take place in darkness or dim lighting. And despite the fact that it's fun, Solo really adds little to the Star Wars universe. Despite Howard's best efforts, it won't be as memorable as the other films that have come before it.
All in all, Solo is a fun popcorn film, and not much more than that. (7/10)
Year: 2018
Director: David Leitch
Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Zazie Beetz, Julian Dennison, Morena Baccarin, Brianna Hildebrand, TJ Miller, Shioli Kutsuna, Leslie Uggams, Karan Soni, Stefan Kapicic, Eddie Marsan
Plot: Deadpool attempts to protect a young but dangerous mutant boy from Cable, a time travelling cyborg who has an axe to grind with the kid.
Review: With the huge success of the first Deadpool (becoming the second highest grossing R rated film in history), a sequel was inevitable. But with the exit of director Tim Miller, can this sequel outdo the original?
Well, John Wick co-director David Leitch gives it his best shot, and I gotta say, it was almost as good as the first. But to be honest, it isn't really his fault. Ryan Reynolds, star and co-writer, may have gone a bit overboard in throwing the humor around this time. Yes, you will get plenty of R rated jokes, shots at pop culture and the like. I actually dug Deadpool's jabs at the DC Universe, and even the Avengers (including a poke at Thanos haha). But there were a handful of times when Reynolds could have pulled back a bit and let some of the dramatic scenes do its work.
As far as action sequences go, Reynolds, Leitch and company got it well covered. There's a brutal one on one fight between Deadpool and Cable during a prison riot, followed by an armored truck chase sequence (arguably the best part of the whole film) and finally a group fight in the third act which allows Deadpool's X-Men buddies Colossus, Negasonic Teenage Warhead and Yukio to get in on the action. Leitch knows what works and what doesn't, and all the sequences look incredible, so hats off to him.
While Reynolds is still the main man and still capable of making the audience laugh and root for him, it is Josh Brolin's Cable that nearly steals the show from him. Brolin, fresh off of playing Thanos in Infinity War, keeps Cable straight faced from start to finish and is every bit the badass he ought to be. I absolutely welcome the notion of seeing him in more Deadpool sequels to come. Zazie Beetz is the perfect foil for Deadpool as Domino, the lady with mutant luck power, who is just as lethal as he is, and able to get herself out of danger thanks to her ability. Oh, and if you're wondering about X-Force, the team Deadpool assembles in the film as seen in the trailers, well don't get your hopes up. That's all I'll say about that.
All in all, Deadpool 2 is a fun ride despite a few drawbacks caused by a slight overabundance of comedy and maybe the wasted X-Force potential. As usual, check out the post credit scenes. (7.5/10)
