Movie Review: The BFG

This week’s movie is based on a children’s book by Roald Dahl called the BFG. I will be honest, I didn't recognize his name until I googled him. He wrote many great and slightly dark stories that I loved. Supposedly, I would watch the Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory so much as a young kid that I apparently wore through a VHS tape and two DVD's. Anyways, I hope you enjoy my review on The BFG.

The movie starts with a lady walking down some stairs towards the front door where a pile of mail is waiting. She goes to lock the door, but instead picks up magazines to read, then leaves to her room. On the stairs, under a blanket is Sophie (played by Ruby Barnhill) who goes down and locks the door and takes the rest of the mail with her upstairs. You then hear narration of Sophie talking about the “witching hour” while she puts mail into a holder, then shouts out the window at four drunk men do quiet down, as there are children sleeping. She then takes her blanket to her bed where she turns on her flashlight and begins to read her book. Shortly after she begins, she hears a sound from down the hallway and immediately turns off her flashlight and acts as if she were asleep. The orphanage owner lady opens the door and looks for anyone who would be awake, but doesn’t see anyone and leaves.

Sophie turns the flashlight back on to read, but hears something outside, and turns it off again to check on it. Sophie recites the three rules of the witching hour “Don’t get out of bed”, “Don’t go to the window” and “Don’t draw back the curtains”, doing each of them in order. After drawing back the curtains, she sees three cats had knocked over a garbage can. Just before she can head inside, she sees a giant hand reach out from around the corner and pick up the garbage can. Sophie gets scared when she sees the giants head come around, and she runs back inside and hides under blanket. The giants hand reaches in and grabs Sophie, and from here the adventure gets more fun and crazy.

The acting was really enjoyable in all aspects. The animated giants were actually done through live action animation, which brought me back to my first movie review ever, The Adventures of Tintin. I was an instant fan then, but this movie took it to a whole new level. To have the interaction between the live actors and the animated ones in the way they did was brilliant. Mark Rylance as the BFG was a perfect choice, then how the animators caught the lightest movements in his facial features were amazing. The added bright spot was young actress Ruby Barnhill. She was fresh and energetic, which made for some great on screen magic when she interacted with everything.

The story plot was filled with so many things to bring you in. Not only was it a story about two misfits finding each other, but there was standing up against bullying, believing in yourself, and so much more. It really is a story with something for everyone. There are a few parts that the very youngest of audience members might find scary, however, it really is a movie for everyone to enjoy. There was one part where the movie dragged on for a little, but it does not last long.

Overall, I recommend this movie to anyone, and you will not regret watching it. The one part that they lingered on a little too long is the only reason I would rate this move 9.3/10.

Movie Review: Independence Day: Resurgence

Some of you reading this may have been waiting a long time for this movie to come out. And for those of you who don't know, this weeks movie is a sequel of one that came out 20 years ago. Though I haven't seen the first, I heard that it's a good movie and may watch it. But anyways, I hope you enjoy my review on Independence Day: Resurgence.

The movie starts 20 years after the battle for Earth, and we find ourselves following a young pilot going through the Corridors of the White House. He then stops to look upon a painting of the heroic Steven Hiller, from the first movie. As the view pans around we find that the pilot is Dylan Hiller (played by Jessie T. Usher). We see President Lanford practicing her speech for the independence day celebration about to take place, then turns to face Patricia Whitmore (played by Maika Monroe), who congratulates her on a well written speech. They then acknowledge that Dylan is there and get ready to leave.

It then moves to their moon base where construction of an alien tech laser cannon for extra defense is going slowly. In one of the construction ships, Jake Morrison (played by Liam Hemsworth) is complaining about how slow that the construction is going, and him wanting action instead. After putting the laser up, the locking mechanism begins, only to stop as the laser begins falling. When everyone else takes off for safety, Jake stays to save the station below. Through some crazy ideas, he gets the laser back up to lock in.

The acting was not too bad, but there were some areas I feel were over done. Brett Spiner, who plays Dr. Brakish Okun, definitely had an eccentric character, and I am told that he was just as crazy in the first movie. I enjoyed his character, but there were parts I think he went overboard, or the script had him doing more unrealistic things. However, for the most part everyone else did a great job and brought the story more to life in a good way.

The story plot went really smoothly through the movie, but it made the movie seem longer than it did. The main reason I say it seemed like it lasted forever was how many times the aliens seemed to be defeated, only to find they were still alive. Probably could have taken that down by one and added some more character content. But even with the movie seeming like it took forever, the plot flowed through nicely, but slowly.

Overall,the acting was mostly good, and the story plot flowed nicely, but it felt long throughout the movie. So for these reasons, I would rate this movie 7.9/10.

Movie Review: Central Intelligence

As some of you may have noticed, this is my second blog post this week. I decided to try doing two posts this week because I couldn't choose between which one I wanted to watch, so I went and watched both. This weeks other movie is Central Intelligence, which I don't know how to describe in one sentence. But, I hope you enjoy my review on it anyways.

The movie starts back in 1996 in the boys locker room where a young and fat Robbie Weirdicht (played by Dwayne Johnson) is singing and dancing in the school shower. Soon we see the school bully Trevor (played by Jason Bateman) standing there with friends watching Robbie shower. After some cruel laughing and comments we see them rush Robbie.

Meanwhile, in the gym, they are having a senior class assembly where Calvin Joiner (played by Kevin Hart) is being honored for being student of the year, and voted most likely to succeed. As the principal goes into a cheesy talk about Calvin being his all time favorite student and giving him a trophy, the gym doors burst open. Running through is Trevor and the other guys carrying a naked Robbie and throwing him across the floor. While almost everyone else laughs, Calvin is the only person to be kind and gives Robbie his jacket to cover up as much as he can so he can leave.

The acting was over the top, over done and cheesy, and it was perfect for this movie. Kevin Hart and Dwayne Johnson made a great comedic pair. They played well off each other and I enjoyed how they made the size difference between them work to their advantage.


The story plot had me confused as to what was going on at times, but with the characters and situations it made sense as to how they didn't make sense. Of course it is a completely outrageous story line with realistic and unrealistic situations, but that is what we look for in a good action comedy. However, the message of this movie is about over coming bullies and being happy with who you are, but with a good sense of action and comedy attached.

Overall, the acting was well done for this movie, and the message was clear to see. I think that there should be more movies like this one, and that's why I would rate this movie 8.7/10.

Movie Review: Finding Dory

This week it almost feels like I am jumping back in time to when I was just a toddler. Apparently, Finding Nemo was my first movie in theaters and favorite movie as a young child. Of course, me being two, I don't remember much of back then. I still know the movie though, but because I have watched it a lot more after that. But, the past aside, I hope you enjoy my review on Finding Dory.

The movie starts with a young Dory (voiced by Sloane Murray) introducing herself to her parents, Charlie (voiced by Eugene Levy) and Jenny (voiced by Diane Keeton), as practice for when she meets other fish. They start to play a game of hide and seek, but after just a couple of numbers Dory forgets and starts playing with the sand. When she looks at her parents and sees their faces she asks them "Did I forget again?" She then gets worried about whether she will forget her parents and if they will forget her. They comfort her by saying they would never forget her.

A few weeks later we find the same young Dory asking people if they had seen her parents, as she had lost them. As time goes on she forgets what she lost, only that she had lost something. That leads us into a mini recap of the Finding Nemo story when Marlin (voiced by Albert Brooks) and Dory (voiced by Ellen DeGeneres) first run into each other. This leads us to the beginning of this story, one year later.

The voice acting was very good in most all of the movie. The way that Ellen campaigned to have a Finding Dory movie, I expected nothing but the best from her, and she gave us that. What I enjoyed was hearing a young actor be the voice for Nemo again, this time voiced by Hayden Rolence. It continued the authenticity of the original Finding Nemo to this movie. I have to say, though, my favorite character was in fact Hank, the cranky octopus missing one leg voiced by Ed O'Neil. He really rounded out the cast and brought more depth to the movie.

The story plot was a little scattered here and there, but followed the same path towards the end. The scattering of the plot made it seem better in a way, however. In a way it really helped us understand what it was like to be Dory. The only thing negative I would have to say is that it does seem a little over repetitive after a while. I understand that is how Dory remembers things, but maybe a little less would have made this a perfect movie. The animation was also very good in this movie. This is definitely one of Disney and Pixar's better animated movies, while still following the same style of Finding Nemo.

Overall, the voice acting was excellent, the story plot was a little spread out, and the animation was really good. Some things would have been changed if I were able to, but not much, so I would rate this movie 8.8/10.

Movie Review: Now You See Me 2

 

I used to do magic when I was in elementary school, but I retired after my second talent show where I made milk disappear and money multiply. That is why I first watched the movie Now You See Me and enjoyed it. When I heard they made a sequel I was really excited and I am glad I was able to watch it for this weeks review.

The movie starts out with us following a young Dylan (played by William Henderson) getting ready to watch his Dad perform his latest, most dangerous magic escape trick yet. As Thaddeus Bradley (played by Morgan Freeman) exclaims his doubts to the gathered audience and TV crews, Dylan has a moment with his Dad and syncs their watches together before he steps into the safe. We watch the safe get lowered into the ocean, and then focus on Dylan counting the seconds until his Dad reappears. When the time passes and his Dad has not come up, he starts to panic and rescuers rush into the river he was in. This is the point where Dylan starts his burning hatred towards Thaddeus.

It then goes to J. Daniel Atlas (played by Jessie Eisenberg) going under an underground subway track system. There he finds a symbol on some of the pillars and follows them to a door. In the door there is a well with broken mirror pieces inside. Atlas says that he wanted to speak with "The Eye", and a voice tells him some stuff to remember of which I cannot tell. After he is told this, he rushes back to his apartment where he finds one of the other magicians he knows from eight years ago, Lulu (played by Lizzy Caplan).

The acting was good for a sequel, but I expected a little more chemistry between the actors, so I was a little let down with that. I actually found that new comers Lizzy Caplan and Daniel Radcliffe brought fresh air to the movie. The one I was a little disappointed with was Brick Patrick, who played Chase McKinney. He had a loud and funny character at first, but after a while I grew tired and annoyed because he was playing his so extreme and cartoon like.

The plot was full of twists and turns, which was the charm of the first movie, so I expected it back in the second. However, I think they focused so much on that this time that the magic was lost a little from the movie. Then there is the fact that they focused so much on the hypnotizing part of it that I felt it took up much more of the movie than it should have, again losing some of the other magic. When they finally got back into what made the other movie so wonderful, the magic of the performances with the crowds, It was shorter than I had wanted it to be. Now with all this, I will tell you, I did enjoy the movie a lot. A couple of the twists I saw coming, but most others took me by surprise. I appreciate the touch of a more personal story going on with it as well.

Overall, most of the acting was pretty good, and the story was a little less as confusing as the things they said to hypnotize. Though there were some things that could have made the movie better, whether it be adding some things or removing them, I would rate this movie 8.5/10.

 

Movie Review: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows

I am back after taking some time off to grieve for my Aunt. It has been 3 months since she passed and there are days I find I really miss her and it is hard to think about other things. She would want me to go on doing this, and so this weeks movie, after a long wait for another post, is a sequel. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows brings back the beloved pizza eating ninja crime fighters again, but this time the title hints they might no longer be the unseen hero's.

The movie starts with the turtles moving through the sewage pipes doing whatever ninja moves they can that make them move faster. After a few minutes of this, you see them come up through a manhole to grab a pizza from a delivery driver waiting for them. It then continues along with them playing a game of keep the pizza from Mikey (voiced by Noel Fisher) and showing their names in order of Leo (voiced by Pete Ploszlek), Raph (voiced by Alan Ritchson), Donny (voiced by Jeremy Howard) then Mikey. They continue this game until they get in the jumbotron at a basketball stadium just in time to watch a Knicks game. 

As they sit back to enjoy the game, Mikey comments on how he wished they could be sitting in the seats. Leo reminds him of why they have to remain working from the shadows, then continue talking. As they are talking, they notice, sitting in the floor seats is Vernon Fenwick (Played by Will Arnett), the camera man who took credit for saving the city from Shredder (played by Brian Tee) in the first movie. They start shooting spit balls at him while he does another interview. 

Some of the acting was a little stale, but still a bit enjoyable. The people who voiced the turtles had more emotion put into their voices than some of the live actors. Brian Tee didn't have much emotion in his voice, however it made sense for him due to playing Shredder. I think one of the bright spots for the actors was Stephen Amel who plays Casey Jones. He brought some of the spunk and impulsiveness key to the character while not getting cheesy about it. I am sure his work on the CW's Arrow helped with that. If you want to know what I mean by cheesy please checkout how Stephen Farelly and Gary Anthony William playing Rocksteady and Bebop respectively.

The story plot was slowed every now and then, and some parts didn't make sense to me, making the movie get long at times. It did have a flow to it though and that was nice, however it did not make up for the out of character story line for some things, like Shedder's reason for working with Krang (voiced by Brad Garret). It really did not make any sense. I think there were just some points they strayed to far away from the original cartoon series. 

Overall, it is a good movie to go and watch for a fun cheesy afternoon with the kids. If you are looking for a good sense of nostalgia from the 80's cartoon, I say do not watch this movie. I rate this movie 6.7/10 for at least giving me a short break from reality and a few good laughs.

Movie Review: The Huntsman: Winters War

My sister is a huge fan of the movie Frozen. Nothing against the movie, but when you watch it over and over again it gets a little on the annoying side. So when I saw this week’s movie had its own version of an ice queen, I was interested to see a different point of view on this character. The Huntsman: Winters War had one bonus to it right away, no "catchy" songs that would get on my nerves after a while.

The movie starts with a narration on how you know the Snow White story from the other movie, Snow White and the Huntsman, but there was a story before. It then goes on to tell us how the story began with the tale of two sisters, Ravenna (played by Charlize Theron) and Freya (played by Emily Blunt). Freya had fallen in love with a man and is carrying his baby happily, until her sister informs her that she knows while playing chess. After the chess game, Freya and the man make a plan on leaving together. On the night of their planned departure, she sees a fire coming from the tower where her child is. She runs up there to find her love having burned her child saying he had no choice. Freya gets sad and angry, giving her the power to freeze everything around her, starting with the man she once loved. 

To get away from the memories and have a kingdom of her own, Freya leaves and goes to the northern country, turning it to a frozen wasteland. She takes children from their homes to her castle where she tells them that they are now free. There is only one rule, they are never to love, as it is a weakness. She calls them her huntsmen and starts their training. We watch as a young boy, Eric, and a young girl, Sara, grow into a well trained man and woman (played by Chris Hemsworth and Jessica Chastain, respectively). They secretly fall in love with each other, however Freya finds out with an owl made from her ice.

The plot and story line of this movie seems to be a little bit all over the place. You think it will be a movie about the war between the sisters, but then you find that it's the people against one of them, but then against both of them and then them against each other. If that sentence seems confusing to you then you understand how watching the movie felt. There was so much back story they were trying to put into it that they could not find a focus. The visuals were stunning though, and I think that made watching the movie a little easier.

The other thing that made the movie easier to watch was Chris Hemsworth's portrayal as the Huntsman. He was relaxed into the character and brought us great chemistry in his interactions with Jessica Chastain. He had good banter with the other characters he traveled with and that made the mixed up story line bearable. The chill in the acting from Emily Blunt, who is usually on point, just made us all cold to her character. Charlize Theron's over acting had me thinking that she was just there for the paycheck and not to make a good movie.

I would rate this movie 7.6/10 based on the good visuals and enjoyable performance by Chris, but the story not making too much sense. I would have made a joke about putting "Let it Go" into the movie, but that song was the part that made Frozen so annoying.