Movie Reviews #100%!

Thor: The Dark World (2013) Review This one was not as good as the first. It has a much darker tone than the previous movie. The first "Thor" was not that memorable either but this one is even less. The director of this movie was Alan Taylor who also worked at a little TV Show called "Game of Thrones" and you can see the influence of the TV Show. It's darker and grittier. It still has the humor, although a bit exaggerated, it has good action and nice set pieces. If it weren't for the performance of Tom Hiddleston I think the movie would not have been that entertaining. We get another useless villain that I don't really have anything to say about it. He is just pointless. The movie is fun to watch but it missed it's mark to be a great sequel. Also, Alan Taylor gave us "Terminator: Genisys", which is not that bad of a movie. The second outing of The God of Thunder is not very good but it's still a fresh movie. 7.2/10 OK guys, tha

Iron Man 3 (2013) Review Hello guys and welcome back to movie reviews! Today I'm reviewing a movie that is, in my opinion, part Marvel movie, part Shane Black movie. The director, known for his dark humor that appears in his movie, it's used in this one as well. The movie works very well as a Shane Black picture but not as a Marvel movie. The surprise twist split audiences thru the middle: is it good or is it bad? For me, it was a bit of a unpleasant surprise because I've waited for the Mandarin to appear on screen for a long time. And I was not happy when the character turn out to be fake. Maybe some people like it but not me. Leaving that aside, the charisma of Downey Jr., who worked with Shane Black on "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang", is excellent, the action is great, very well done. Plus, in this one, we get a more vulnerable and exposed Tony Stark. Without the suits, he must rely on his intelligence and engineering knowledge. We get a more humanizing Tony Stark,

The Avengers (2012) Review So everyone that I know was so hyped for this movie, back in 2012. And I to as well. And we got what we hoped for. This movie was and still is the greatest Marvel movie to date. It is the dream team up that every nerd, comic book enthusiast and movie enthusiast was thinking about. It has everything. It starts off strong, with the introduction of the villain, another great performance by Tom Hiddleston as Loki, then it builds up with some introductions of the Avengers, that are very subtle and entertaining in their own way. He have some nicely done quarrels and little fights throughout the movie that are setting the stage for the ultimate battle. Superb action, an excellent and smart script, good dialogue, excellent set pieces, very good special effects, hilarious, good humor and the Hulk never looked better. And the way that Josh Whedon shows us that this team is not the ideal one, with the bickering and the quarrels between its members, a major death of

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) Review Hello guys and welcome back to Movie Reviews! Today I'm reviewing the the first avenger. So, this is the lesser of the Captain America movies, but when I say lesser I don't mean bad. This is not a bad movie. Is actually pretty great. You got very good action, a retro and old school vibe, stellar cast, great performances, awesome villain and some good humor as well. It's directed by Joe Johnston, who also gave us "Jumanji" and "The Wolfman" from 2010. And, unfortunately, "Jurassic Park III" as well. And the only decent movie from those three is "Jumanji". But with this one he does a nice job. Who would have thought that an old-fashioned Marvel movie could be so entertaining. Of course, there are some bits that don't work. The pacing is a bit slow at the beginning but the way that Steve Rogers is introduced is excellent. We get a scrawny kid who wants to join the army and fight f

Thor (2011) Review So, you can see that this movie was directed by shakespearean enthusiast Kenneth Branagh. It has that shakespearean feel to it. The son that defies his father, is cast out, returns and redeems himself. The brother that is tired of living in the shadow of Thor and tries to take the throne by killing his brother. Family dispute themes. And this style works. It has less action than other Marvel movies in the MCU but the two major action sequences are enough to be entertained with this movie. It has a redemption story which I like. Great villain and an excellent performance by Tom Hiddleston playing Loki. It has a more tempered pace with a lot of wit, humor and earthly drama. Special effects are excellent, the visuals are stunning and performances are great. This movie introduced to us other realms and worlds in the universe so it's not that "down to Earth" like others. Which is a good thing. And hey, it put Chris Hemsworth on the map. Very entertainin

Iron Man 2 (2010) Review Hello guys and welcome back to Movie Reviews! Today I'm reviewing the second "Iron Man" movie and the third entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Of course, it's not as good as the first one was but you can still have fun with it and it definitely has a lot of action. There are a few issues thou. Jon Favreau decided to get less practical and more CGI with the effects. Some look good but others, not so much. Like that stupid hologram thingy that looks so unrealistic. The plot has some holes in it, sometimes it is a bit uneven. The writing has some problems and the narrative as well. And now we get to the villain. OK, I have nothing against Mickey Rourke's performance. He is a good actor but the character is useless. You go from the villain in the first movie to this less menacing dude with a grudge. He is just a broken man who looks for revenge. I understand the backstory but make him more menacing and dangerous. Like I said, perform

The Incredible Hulk (2008) Review The second entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe was not that good like "Iron Man" was but it's definitely way better than the piece of crap that was "Hulk" from 2003. I still can't believe that movie was directed by Ang Lee. This one is directed by Louis Leterrier, the man behind "Clash of the Titans", "Now You See Me" and the first "Transporter" movie, so the guy knows his action and special effects. Of course, the combination does not work in all of his movies but in this one it does. Edward Norton was supposed to reprise his role in "The Avengers" movie but the actor can a bit difficult to work with. So they swap him with Mark Ruffalo. The action is intense, there are some bits that don't work, the CGI is good, not that realistic but good. The acting is excellent. The story could have used a bit more exposition to fully understand the whole plot. But when you here the cat

Iron Man (2008) Review Hello guys and welcome back to Movie Reviews! Today I'm reviewing the beginning of the MCU with this excellent movie based on the comic book with the same name. It began the Marvel Cinematic Universe as well as revive Robert Downey Jr.'s career. This movie is the reason why the MCU is so popular today. This movie has everything. Excellent action, very good practical and CGI effects, humor, a great villain, very good editing and directing. It's smart and made a huge impact on comic book fans. Even if you are not a comic book fan, you can appreciate and enjoy this movie. One of the best superhero movies ever made. Director Jon Favreau gives the MCU a start in the right direction. 8.9/10

Moana (2016) Review Hello guys and welcome back to Movie Reviews! Today I'm reviewing a Disney animation that, in my opinion, is 2016's "Frozen". I knew the movie is going to be fun but I had a blast with this movie. More than I expected. Lush and beautiful animation, superb lyrics and songs, very good voice acting, The Rock is excellent, funny and it appears that he can sing. The character even looks like him. The newcomer Auli'i Cravalho, amazing voice by the way, does an awesome job. The character of Moana breaks the Disney type princess and offers a new vision of a Disney female character. The story is also different from all the other Disney movies. And the songs man. Superb. The main song is called "How far I'll go" performed in the movie by the lead actress and singer but also by Alessia Cara on the soundtrack. I'm telling you, this song is going to make you forget the "Let it go" song from "Frozen". An excellent a

Manchester By the Sea (2016) Review Do you remember the hit comedy of the late 90's called "Analyze This"? With De Niro and Billy Crystal? Well if you do, then you must know that the guy that directed that comedy also directed this heart wrenching drama. Kenneth Lonergan, if you didn't know. Some people told that this was the most difficult to watch movie of the year. I disagree. Yes, it his dramatic and very emotional but with it's brittle humor the movie is watchable. The performances are amazing, from Casey Affleck and Michelle Williams to newcomer Lucas Hedges. And all three of them got Oscar nominations. Even the director and the movie got nominations. Superb movie, excellent cinematography, beautiful and emotional. Like I said, it's not that devastating and hard to watch. Most of it is dreary but the atmosphere and the excellent directing gives Kenneth Lonergan another step forward. 9.5/10 OK guys, that is all for today. Tune in for tomorrow bec

Loving (2016) Review Hello guys and welcome back to Movie Reviews! Today I'm reviewing another based on real life movie. It's about the case from 1967 called "Loving v Virginia", when Richard Loving and Mildred Loving invalidated the law of interracial marriages. The movie is directed by Jeff Nichols, who also did "Take Shelter" and "Midnight Special", two excellent movies. All I got to say about this movie is that it brings new life into an historical drama with excellent performances from Ruth Negga and Joel Edgerton, beautiful images and a real life story that tugs on your heart strings that is both painful and relevant. The movie shows how far America has come today in terms of racial equality but also depicts the struggles of a family of colored people in a time when colored meant different. An emotional and heartfelt real life drama. If you are looking to be entertained by this picture, you can forget it. But if you pay attention to the

Hacksaw Ridge (2016) Review Another movie based on a true story about the experiences of Desmond Doss, who did not want to carry any fire weapon in the second WW. The movie is directed by Mel Gibson, his 4th one, after "Braveheart", "Passion of the Christ" and "Apocalypto", all excellent and violent movies, just like this one. The way Mel Gibson directed it is stunning, great camera shots, great angles, you can see and understand everything. It deserves the Oscar nomination for directing, best picture and best actor. Speaking of best actor, Andrew Garfield does an excellent job in portraying Doss, giving an Oscar winning performance. Maybe he will forget that he got snubbed in 2011 for "Social Network". The war scene from Hacksaw is amazing and it reminded me of the beginning of "Saving Private Ryan", the scene from the beech of Normandy. An excellent, emotional and an excellent tribute to faith, valor and staying true to your own

Patriots Day (2016) Review Hello guys and welcome back to Movie Reviews! Today we are talking about the third collaboration between director Peter Berg and actor/producer Mark Wahlberg. Inspired from the tragedy that was the Boston Marathon bombing from April 15th 2013, the movie is a tribute to all the people and heroes that were part of that tragedy. Doing what Peter Berg does best with movies inspired from true events, the movie looks genuine, combining very well actual footage from the incident with movie scenes. The performances are very good and the director is capturing the essence of the movie, which not all of the based on true events movies often achieve. You can feel the emotion, the drama, the terror and all of the feelings that those people were going thru. You can empathize with them. And the fact that this happened just almost 4 years ago and it's still fresh in memory it's just outstanding. Another good job from team Berg and Wahlberg. 3 in a row. Well acte

Fences (2016) Review Hello guys and welcome back to Movie Reviews! Today I'm reviewing the third directorial effort from Denzel Washington, after "Antoine Fisher" and "The Great Debaters". The movie is based on a Pulitzer winning play, with the same name, written by August Wilson, who died in 2005 but managed to write a script for this movie. Denzel Washington and Viola Davis reprise their roles from the Broadway play, performed in 2010. Let me say that the movie is powerful and dramatic. You can see that it was based on a play by the way it was written, the way the actors performed, the camera angles, the dialogue, one scene happening in one place. Even the sets looked like it was a play. Like they've took the play from the stage and put it onto the screen. It's remarkable. Very well written, beautifully acted, with Oscar winning performances by the two leads, excellent set pieces, dramatic, emotional, tense and with a bit of humor sprinkled throug

A Monster Calls (2016) Review Do you remember another fantasy movie with a giant and a child? That came out last year as well? Directed by Steven Spielberg? Well, if you don't, I going to tell you that that movie is called "The BFG", adapted from the book with the same name by Roald Dahl. That movie was good, but not that great. This movie should have been "The BFG". It is also adapted from a novel with the same name written by Patrick Ness, who also wrote the script. It's directed by J.A.Bayona, who did 2007's "The Orphanage" and 2012 "The Impossible", two extraordinary movies. Not like "The BFG" at all, this coming-of-age tale has a darker tone, excellent visual effects, fantastical elements that reminded me of another dark tale, "Pan's Labyrinth" and superb performances. The movie feels like a dark fable with some beautiful cinematography and a very powerful performance from Liam Neeson, whose voice is

Imperium (2016) Review Hello guys and welcome back to Movie Reviews! Today I'm reviewing a rather unsettling but very good Daniel Radcliffe movie, he's third one from last year. Other two being "Now You See Me 2" and "Swiss Army Man". What can I say about this one? It is based on true events and on a story written by the real-life FBI agent Michael German, who also contributed on the script, called "Thinking Like a Terrorist: Insights of a Former FBI Undercover Agent". The story is interesting and unsettling, the movie is boasted by excellent performances led by Radcliffe, who slowly but surely sheds away his Harry Potter image by taking roles that are much more powerful, difficult and various. The way they decided to make this story into a plot feels a bit familiar. The directing is a bit clunky, those montages do not help the story at all but the whole theme of the movie gives you an "American History X" feel that is most enjoyable

Queen of Katwe (2016) Review Hello guys and welcome back to Movie Reviews! Today is sports drama based on true events. So, everybody knows that Disney knows how to do animation but they also know how to do sports movies based on true events and people. Another example of this kind of movie is "A Million Dollar Arm" from 2014 with John Hamm. This one is based on a real life story of a teenage girl by the name of Phiona Mutesi, played brilliantly by newcomer Madinga Nalwanga. Although it has the cliches of any sports drama, with the underdog story, the movie is elevated by extraordinary performances from Lupita Nyong'o and David Oyelowo, very good storytelling by director Mira Nair, brilliant execution and writing. Last year I saw another good movie about chess that was based on a true story and that was "Pawn Sacrifice" with Tobey Maguire. But that movie had a darker tone when this one has a lighter tone and it is a feel good movie. The way the director pres

XXX: Return of Xander Cage (2017) Review OK guys I said yesterday that I will review this movie on Sunday but I have a little more spare time on my hands so I said that I should make the most of it. So, the third one is it better than the other two? Well I can tell you that it's definitely better than the second one and, from my part, the first one as well. We are not treated to anything new, it's the same tired plot but with some awesome action, awesome effects, this time and some goodish acting. The stunts, of course, are still impossible and implausible, the character development is missing once again, I think it's a thing with this series. The movie is predictable, most of the time and, although I thought there is no connection with the second movie, we are "treated" with a cameo that was not that necessary. Vin Diesel is great, along with all of the newcomers Ruby Rose, she is awesome, can't wait to see what she can do in "Resident Evil:The Fina

Triple X-2: State of the Union (2005) Review So, I know that sequels are not that good as the first movie and they don't often work but sometimes there are exceptions. This is not one of them. It's not not that good, it is worse than the first one. More implausible, more stupid and less entertaining. You do not swap Vin Diesel with Ice Cube. Ice Cube should remain with the "Ride Along" movies and the "Jump Street" movies because in this one he is not good. The plot does not exist, there is no character development again, worse acting, the action scenes are boring, the CGI is even worse than in the first movie, the writing is bad, camera work is abysmal and the execution of the entire piece is just bad. At least the first one had Vin Diesel and some good, fun and stupid action. This one is just plain stupid. Why was this made? Why does it even exist? I don't know. You what happens when you hit rock bottom. There no way but up. And this movie is as ro

XXX (Triple X) (2002) Review Hello guys and welcome back to Movie Reviews! So, today is Triple X day. Besides this movie, there was another spy thriller that appeared in 2002 and that was a James Bond movie called "Die Another Day", the worst of the series. And I can't decide which one is the worst, but we are here to discuss this movie. "Triple X", along with the first "Fast and Furious" movie, which Rob Cohen also directed and "Pitch Black", launched Vin Diesel in becoming the action star he is today and is a plus for this movie. Apart from Diesel and some over the top action scenes and stunts, which are great, the movie does not offer anything else. The plot is lacking in exposition, the characters are underdeveloped, the CGI is awful, special effects as well, average acting, very bad writing and the movie is predictable. The action is good, Vin Diesel rocks but the movie does not offer anything new in the spy genre. If you think this

Moonlight (2016) Review Hello guys and welcome back to Movie Reviews! Today I'm reviewing a rather unconventional movie but a brilliant one. This is a type of story about a single person told in three stages: childhood, teenage and maturity. We are shown the struggles that this character goes thru, battling sexuality and poverty. The movie is a tour de force for director Barry Jenkins, giving us a dramatic and personal look at sort of lives that we not often see in the cinema. The performances are great, the story is remarkable and well crafted shading a light on an American reality. It's like an unconventional version of "Boyhood". The story is well crafted, like I said, but it's not that original. The way that this director chooses to execute this type of story makes it more original than any other. A brilliant movie, with an emotional and dramatic story and an excellent directing. 9/10 That is all for today guys. Tomorrow I am going to post reviews for t

Sadako vs. Kayako (The Ring vs. The Grudge) (2016) Review Hello guys and welcome back to Movie Reviews! Today we have a brawl on our hands and it's between the ghosts from "The Ring" and "The Grudge". The japanese versions, not the american ones. So, like all horror crossovers, the best example being "Freddie vs. Jason", they promise excitement but, ultimately, the execution is poor. So is this movie. We get some scary scenes with some very good sound effects and terrifying atmosphere, a couple of satisfying jump scares and a nice to average story. But the pacing is slow, some of the effects look a bit sketchy. Performances are OK, no problem there. The title promises an awesome fight but, in the end, the fight only lasts 2 minutes and it's very underwhelming and disappointing. The movie is good for a couple of scares and the build up towards the conflict is well done but, at the end, we're left with wanting more than what we originally ge

Sing Street (2016) Review Hello guys and welcome back to Movie Reviews! Today I'm reviewing another stunning musical comedy-drama, the other being "La La Land", and the title of the movie is actually the name of the band from the film. It's directed by John Carney, the man responsible for "Once" and "Begin Again" and like in the second movie, the director chooses to let the characters sing and make a video outside, which is brilliant. It has a familiar plot, but the music and the heartfelt emotion of the story can keep you invested in the movie. It has a great soundtrack, not only from the original songs played throughout the movie but also from the songs played by the band. Some funny scenes, here and there, excellent performances and even Jack Reynor, who is a 99 cent version of Chris Pratt and I didn't find him that good in the 4th "Transformers" movie, does an excellent job. I like the movie more than others because there are

Nocturnal Animals (2016) Review The other movie with Amy Adams from the director Tom Ford, who also did "A Single Man" with Colin Firth, is also excellent. It's a story in a story and a movie in a movie and the two stories blend each other very good. The movie is visually stunning, it has a film-noir feel, violent and bursting with astonishing performances from all of the cast. Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Shannon and Aaron Taylor-Johnson do an excellent job in bringing the emotion and feelings of each character. The writing is great, directing is very good and the narrative is superb. It's a tour de force done by Tom Ford and what an excellent piece of cinema it is. And the character development is very well done. 8.5/10 That's all for today. Tomorrow I'm not gonna post any reviews because I'm re watching "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" and that reviews is already posted. If you wanna check it out you can look for Novem

Arrival (2016) Review Hi guys and welcome back to Movie Reviews! So, today is Amy Adams day with two exceptional movies from last year. What can I say about this movie that has not been already said? It's amazing. It beats any other SF movie. It'n not full of cliches, it's not full of explosions and special effects and the plot is not stupid and/or confusing. The plot is intelligent, the directing is excellent, Dennis Villeneuve, the man behind other great movies like "End of Watch", "Prisoners" and "Sicario", knows how to move his camera to get the best angles. The cinematography is beautiful, the performances are amazing, especially Amy Adams and the score is superb. The movie is a must-see, delivering an experience like never before, filled with smart and heavy themes that are anchored by an emotional backstory. It's a brainy SF movie that you understand and it's not confusing. Astonishing work! 9.5/10  

A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004) Review Hi guys and welcome back to Movie Reviews! No, this is not a review of the Netflix TV show with Neil Patrick Harris, which I binged watch the whole 1st season this morning and I can tell you that TV show is great. This movie is not as great as the TV show but it's not bad either. It's actually pretty good. It is based on the novels from Lemony Snicket, mainly the 1st three books, "The Bad Beginning", "The Reptile Room" and "The Wide Window". The movie adaptation is not as nasty and grim as the novels. It treats us with excellent visual effects and an outstanding performance from Jim Carrey. NPH is amazing too in the Netflix treatment but Carrey gives this role a manic and a hilarious turn. Some of the special effects are not that great, looked a bit fake, a couple of scenes are slightly boring and the execution is a bit flawed in some departments. The performances from the supporting cast are very g

Live By Night (2017) Review Hi guys and welcome back again to Movie Reviews! I just saw the newest directorial effort from Ben Affleck. He achieved great praise, as a director, with his hat trick that contains "Gone Baby Gone", "The Town" and "Argo", which are great movies. But this one, however and unfortunately, is not that great. The movie is not bad but Affleck, who is also a producer and worked on the script as well, uses familiar themes from his other movies and that lowers the bar for this one, quality and originality wise. The cast is great, the performances are very good, the cinematography is nice and the action, although very little, is nicely done. Most of the movie is a bit boring, at times and predictable in some occasions. Don't get me wrong, I liked the movie and the shootout at the end of the movie is great. Brief but great. Affleck still has the directorial flair and the movie is well directed, well lit and good camera work. Th

Gone Baby Gone (2007) Review Hi guys and welcome back to Movie Reviews! Today I'm reviewing a movie that I've been logging to see for a very long time and it's Ben Affleck's directorial debut. And since his forth movie as a director just came out, "Live By Night", I said to myself: "I have seen the other two, "The Town" and "Argo", both exceptional movies, why not see the first?". I saw it and I loved it. This movie has it all: a tense atmosphere, incredible cast, exceptional performances with his brother, Casey Affleck, leading the pack, suspense, a bit of humor here and there, very well written and directed, dramatic and emotional. It has some very great twists as well, especially at the end. The movie is based on a novel from Dennis Lehane, who also wrote "Mystic River" and "Shutter Island", that wore also put to screen and had immense critical and financial success. The movie also brings in attention t

American Honey (2016) Review Hello guys and welcome back to Movie Reviews! Today I'm reviewing another surprisingly good movie. It's another take on the ever popular coming of age genre but this one pulls no punches. It is a different vision, a more raunchier and extreme one with some dramatic and funny scenes. It has that road movie feel mixed with some dramatic style and a bit of a comedic addition.The performances are great, Shia LaBeouf, with all his craziness, does a very good job. The guy is a good actor. Special mention goes to the girl, Sasha Lane, whose performance is raunchy and excellent. The narrative is a bit risky but it all ads up to an experience that is both rewarding and uplifting. It is a British movie that feels more american that any other american movie. It's great, extreme, crazy, the good kind of crazy, dramatic and an excellent movie. The characters, from my part, needed a bit more exposition but, overall, it's a brilliant piece of cinema.

The Light Between Oceans (2016) Review Hello fine people! Welcome back to Movie Reviews. I am your host, Tudor and today I'm reviewing a movie that really surprised me. It is based on a 2012 war novel written by M.L.Stedman. I didn't read the book but the movie is good. The story isn't something new but the way the director Derek Cianfrance, who also did "Blue Valentine" and "The Place Beyond The Pines", handles this movie is very good. The cast is great, Fassbender and Vikander have an excellent chemistry, the cinematography and visuals are stunning. The pacing is slow, but surprisingly it's not boring. The movie keeps you invested in the story with brilliant imagery and an emotional story. In my opinion the movie does not tug on your heartstrings that often. It is a good romantic drama that has a happy ending and it does not fall into all that romantic cliches. It's not for everybody but is worth a watch. 8/10  

Rock the Kasbah (2015) Review Let me say this from the start. This movie, based on a true story, has an unusual, weird and original story. It has a great cast, some of them are underused, like Bruce Willis and Zooey Deschanel. It has some funny and entertaining moments. The pace is, sometimes, a bit slow and the movie is dragging. Bill Murray plays a very used type of character and the movie tries to use that to achieve an effective comedic style, but unfortunately it fails on doing that. The writing is a bit sloppy, the editing is average, the directing is not that good and, sometimes, it's a bit boring. It's not one of Bill Murray or Barry Levinson's, who did classic like "Rain Man" and "Good Morning, Vietnam",  greatest work but, for a music and a rock'n roll lover, it's not that bad. But it's not good either. 5.9/10

St. Vincent (2014) Review Hi guys. Early reviews today because I'm busy tonight so don't have any time to post them then. Today, on the menu, we have 2 Bill Murray movies, one good and one bad to average. This one is the good one. The movie is a well made dramedy, combining the two genres very good, with some solid performances from all the cast. Of course the buddy comedy isn't something new and it has that "Bad Santa" feel, which can put you a bit off on watching this movie but I suggest you give it a chance. Bill Murray is back in full comedic mode, giving a performance that is both funny and dramatic. And a little emotional, which the movie also falls dangerously in. The supporting cast is also excellent, Naomi Watts and Melissa McCarthy doing a very good job plus the kid, Jaeden Lieberher, is tremendous. The movie is funny, dramatic, emotional and very well written. The director, Theodore Melfi, does a fine job directing and be on a lookout for his other

Edge of Tomorrow (2014) Review When I saw this movie back in 2014 I did't know what to expect. And what I saw blew my mind. The tagline of the movie, "Live. Die. Repeat", appears on the DVD and Blu-ray discs and it is based on the 2004 japanese novel entitled "All You Need is Kill", which was suppose to be the title of the movie as well. The premise reminds of the movie "Groundhog Day", which I reviewed earlier, but the way Doug Liman uses this plot is very clever. It has top action, excellent special effects, the aliens or mimics look really good, it's funny and dramatic. The performances of both Tom Cruise, who once again demonstrates that he is a genuine action hero, and Emily Blunt, whose work on "Looper", before and "Sicario" after, shows us that she can pull off the female bad ass really good, are great. The camera work is excellent and the editing of the fight scenes is done properly. It's a very entertaining sci

Groundhog Day (1993) Review Hi guys. Guess what? It's reviewing time. Welcome back to Movie Reviews. This movie I wanted to see for a very long time and finally I saw it. And I love it. The premise is funny, wacky and smart, the performances are great, especially mister Bill Murray, showing that he could be, not only a comedian but also a dramatic actor. A special shout out goes to the late Harold Ramis (R.I.P.) whose directing encapsulates perfectly the whimsical feel of this inventive plot. The chemistry between Andie Macdowell and Bill Murray is excellent and the supporting cast does a bang on job as well. It is a sweet and romantic movie, filled with funny and dramatic bits. A classic and a must see. For some, the length of the movie may be long but it never disappoints. 8.5/10

The Birth of a Nation (2016) Review This movie is better known because of the accusations of it's director and lead actor Nate Parker. But don't let that stop you for seeing this movie. It is powerful, sends a vital and emotional message, well acted and well directed. It has a story, a real story, that is familiar and has been told in other movies like "12 years a slave" and, in a more violent and unreal way, "Django Unchained". The problem with this movie is that it's narrative has some flaws and the execution is a bit sloppy and uneven. It has a slow pace and it takes a long time to build up to the mutiny of the slaves, which lasts less than 15 minutes, I think. The performances are great and Nate Parker deserves some prays for the portrayal of the character/person and for the way he tells the story. It is not '12 years a slave", which I think it tries to be, but it's not a bad movie. 7.2/10  

The Devil Wears Prada (2006) Review Hi guys. Welcome back to Movie Reviews. New week, new reviews and this is another Emily Blunt movie but a better one. It is based on the acclaimed novel by Lauren Weisberger and it shows us a more witty and funny face of the fashion industry. The movie is funny, the cast is great and the performances are excellent. Meryl Streep does a fine job and Anne Hathaway really gives the role a stand out performance. As well as Emily Blunt. Sometimes, in some particular scenes, the movie is dragging a little bit and it could be slight boring on some occasions. It's run time is a bit longer than I expected, I would have liked it to be a little shorter. Stanley Tucci and Simon Barker, before he was "The Mentalist", are great additions to the movie. It is a rare film and should be watched on more than one occasion. It is perfect for Fashion Week. 7.5/10  

The Girl on the Train (2016) Review Hi guys. Welcome back to Movie Reviews. Let me ask you question. Have you ever seen two bad movies in the same week? Not to mention the same weekend. Maybe you have or maybe you haven't but the point is that I saw two bad movies this weekend. Friday I saw "Assassin's Creed" and yesterday I saw this boring movies. Because it is boring. There is some suspense and tension, the atmosphere is perfect for a thriller but the way it is handled, it's just poorly. It's based on, and this is from the trailer, " the thriller that shocked the world" but I was not shocked, not just a little. It is predictable, boring, uninteresting and performance wise, not spectacular. Emily Blunt tries her best and so are the other actors but that is not enough to save this slow paced melodrama. 2016 has not been the year for Emily Blunt: first was that unnecessary "The Huntsman: Winter's War" and then there was this. Maybe

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) Review Personally, I prefer this version of this story than the 1971 "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" because it stays more true to it's source material. Tim Burton gives us his unique version of this story with a dark, full of quirkiness and weird style that appeals, not only to Burton fans, but to everyone, adult and child alike. I understand that many say that Johnny Depp's performance is a little bit weird and he's virtually playing a version of Michael Jackson but, for me, this is not a problem because I am a Burton, Depp and Jackson fan. Maybe this how Depp envisioned the character. The visuals are very appealing and beautiful, you can see the Burton style in those, the songs are funny and catchy and the performances are great. Freddie Highmore, whom which Depp collaborated on "Finding Neverland", is perfect for the role of Charlie Bucket. This movie gets a lot of heat but I cannot understand why

Assassin's Creed (2016) Review My God! This movie is bad, I mean really bad. Frankly, I did not had great expectations because I knew from other movie critics that this one got negative reviews. And man they were right. First of all, let's get the good things out of the way. The fight choreography is brilliant, the scenes from 1400 Spain are well made and the cast is excellent. And some of the effects are average. Now for the bad things. First of all the plot is stupid and nonsensical, the characters are underdeveloped, the camera work is all over the place and most of all is shaky cam that you cannot understand what the hell is going on. Some scenes are not lit very well. This director, Justin Kurzel, who worked with Fassbender and Cotillard on the superb "Macbeth" from 2015, decided to use the jump cuts for most of the fight scenes which was annoying. It jumped from past to present and from present to past, which made me very angry. Most of the story takes plac

Oz The Great and Powerful (2013) Review I forgot to say that I'm posting this reviews now and I'm doing it from work because tonight I will see "Assassin's Creed", review will be up tomorrow night, and I just don't have the time to post this tonight. One down, one to go. So this is a prequel to the 1939 classic and it shows us how the wizard became Oz. First of all, the movie looks similar to the 2010 "Alice in Wonderland" by Tim Burton. Why? Because one of the producers from that movie worked on this one as well. The music is done by Danny Elfman, with whom Sam Raimi worked on the Spider-Man trilogy and he is an old collaborator of Tim Burton as well. So you can see why these two movies are similar. The tone is darker, but a bit inconsistent,  the visual effects are dazzling and full of color and the movie is entertaining, with some funny moments as well. The performances of James Franco and the other cast, especially the three witches, Mila Ku

The Wizard of Oz (1939) Review In the light of the upcoming tv show "Emerald City", I went way way back in time and see the classic masterpiece. It is undoubtedly a masterpiece of a movie. It is perfect for all generations to see, young and old. It has great music, catchy songs, beautiful visuals, talented actors who gave an excellent performance and a feel of joy and, sometimes, sorrow. Judy Garland was perfect for this role and her singing voice sound so mature. It has some funny moments, filled with good humor and some levity. Victor Fleming tells a wonderful story in a unique way. Of course, now the effects are old and dated but, for that time, it wasn't the case. It is a classic that everyone should see in their lifetimes. 9.5/10 

When The Bough Breaks (2016) Review Do you remember the movie called "The Perfect Guy" from 2015? With the same Morris Chestnut that is in this movie? No!? Well I cannot blame you, it was bad. And so is this one. It's even worse. It's like that movie but the female version of it. It is boring, cliched, with a plot that has been used over and over again by other domestic thrillers, predictable and just shallow and hollow. It has nothing in terms of suspense, it is silly and the performances are wooden and not good. I don't know why I subject myself to these pieces of crap. But I'm a movie reviewer and we must soldier on. Don't watch it, it' bad and there is nothing new to see. Tomorrow night I'm going to see "Assassin's Creed", the review on that is going to be posted on Saturday. 3.5/10

Pet (2016) Review Did you know this movie existed? I didn't. So I saw it and I was bored most of the time. It has some good twists and a good ending, but not that surprising. The movie works well until it's third act when it becomes a boring who's in control of whom type of deal. The performances are good, the plot is a bit used, but with a psychological element, which ups the ante from other kidnapping type of movie. The movie is watchable, it's not that bad but I have seen better. 5.5/10

La La Land (2016) Review WOW!!! WOW!!! WOW!!! This movie blew my mind. I did not know what to expect and what I've got was truly magnificent. Great directing, awesome performances, superb music and electrifying dance choreography. This magician of a director, Damien Chazelle, who also gave us the thrilling "Whiplash" in 2014, blends beautifully the classic feel of the golden age of cinematography with the modern times. It has the look of a Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers piece, with some good, funny and heartfelt humor sprinkled throughout the movie. The cinematography is breathtaking and beautiful, the camera work is excellent and the introduction of the lead characters is brilliant. Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, on their third collaboration, other two being "Crazy, Stupid Love" and "Gangster Squad", give an extraordinary and Oscar worthy performances. We know they got chemistry but, in this one, they really shine. It breaths new air into a movie e

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016) Review Honestly, I enjoyed the first movie and I was looking forward to this one. The first 15-20 minutes of the movie are great, the opening scene is great but from then on it becomes predictable, coincidental and formulaic. The action is good, Tom Cruise does a very good job, as always, and it's good to see Cobbie Smulders in a leading role but, unfortunately, she plays a different version of Maria Hill from "The Avengers" movies. The movie turns into a road trip at some point and some of the scenes make this sequel very hard to take it seriously. It's just Jack Reacher playing house and it's just not good. It's silly, over the top, laughable and not a good action movie. The title itself is a warning and a sign. Let's hope they "never go back" and make a third one. 6/10

Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (2016) Review Hi guys and welcome back to Movie Reviews. I had to post this reviews a little early today because later I have some work to do and I'm going to see "La La Land" tonight so the review for that one will be up tomorrow evening, I think. Or it could be today, I don't know. I'm kinda slammed. We shall see. Enough of that and let's continue. Sincerely, I had no idea this movie was made until I saw it last night. It took me by surprise in a good way. It's made as a mockumentary and the idea to make it like this was brilliant. The main focus of the movie is the trio that, in reality, is known as "The Lonely Island" and it's members, Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone are playing a version of that trio. This movie takes the rock and music mockumentary to a whole new level. The songs are great, funny and, in some parts, kinda offensive, racist and vulgar, the atmosphere that the movie u

A History of Violence (2005) Review The second movie with Maria Bello in my reviews for today is a true testament on what violence really means and it's based on a graphic novel. I did not know that myself but is true. The way it was directed by David Cronenberg is amazing. The style is dark, gritty, violent and raises a lot of thought provoking questions about the nature of violence. The performances are off the charts from all of the cast but the stand out is, of course, Viggo Mortensen, fresh out of "Lord of the Rings" and "Hidalgo", roles that are far different than this one. The movie is an intense and rough crime thriller, filled with amazing action scenes and incredible score by Howard Shore, who also did the score for "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy. Nice right? The movie was better than nice, it was superb. Top notch job! The only thing that bothered me was that I did not find out what Tom/Joey has been doing: he was a secret agent? worki

Assault on Precinct 13 (2005) Review So, this movie is a remake of the 1976 classic. For me, it is a good remake and a nice action B-movie. "Safe House", from 2012, with Ryan Reynolds and Denzel Washington reminded me of this one, especially at the beginning. Of course, it's predictable, it has too much coincidences and the plot is formulaic. In some parts is a little slow and boring but it compensates with some nice action scenes and some good performances from all of the cast. In some moments they used the shaky cam technique wich takes you out of that particular scene. I did not see the original, but watching this one, I can say that they made a good remake. Formulaic and not memorable but good. If "Die Hard" is the movie to watch every Christmas, you should watch this one, not every New Year's Eve but a couple of times. 7/10

Keeping Up with The Joneses (2016) Review The second comedy with Galifiniakis it's a mix between "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" and "Date Night" but instead of Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and Steve Carell, Tina Fey we have John Hamm and Cal Gadot and Zack Galifiniakis, Isla Fisher. The premise is good but it felt outdated and familiar, the cast is great and full of talent, the action is satisfying but all of this is wasted on this spy adventure in the suburbs. The movie is predictable at times.....Oh! Did I say "at times"? Sorry, I mean all the time the movie is predictable. The action, like I said, is fun and satisfying but it gets bogged down by how they decided to handle this movie. It's an average spy movie but not the worst. 5.5/10

Masterminds (2016) Review Happy New Year everybody! I'm back with more reviews. My first reviews of this year are two comedies with Zack Galifianakis. This one has a story that, apparently, is true but I found that very hard to believe. The story is strange, stupid and wacky. It is not believable and the movie is not making me believe this story either. Maybe the director did not handle it correctly or the plot is reused from other comedies. I think it's both. The cast is great, the jokes, most of them, are good, except for those poop and fart jokes that I'm sick off. I did get some laughs from some scenes but the whole cast and this strange true story is wasted with an exaggerated amount of wacky and funny moments. Overall, it's a decent comedy but a bad movie. 6/10