The Cinematic Critique

Comic Con is almost here, and even before Warner Brothers takes the stage Saturday to show off their superhero properties, some announcements and early looks have already been released.

First up is the Aquaman lineup showing up in toy form (pictured above). Mera is obviously back with a look previously seen in set photos. Black Manta is also shown, showing off a fairly comic accurate look. Very interested to see how the villain’s attire pops off the actual screen. King Orm is also here in a look also similar to comics. Off all the villain costumes in recent years, I would say his is the most in danger of coming off hokey on screen. And finally we have Aquaman as we have yet to see him; wearing the original comic attire. Now, I really like the classic look, and I love Jason Momoa. However, at least in toy form, the classic costume just looks very odd on Momoa. It’s almost too bright, especially for this film universe’s use of the character. It also looks like if Jesus Christ was a superhero. Hopefully the the look will pop better in live action.

Next up is release news for Joaquin Phoenix’s take on the Joker in his own film. Recently Phoenix official signed on for the role that will showcase how the infamous villain came to be. And today we have our first bit of release info. Obviously fast tracked, Warner Bros/DC has set the film, rumored to be simply titled Joker, to be released on October 4th of next year. Warner Bros and DC must think they have something considering how fast the project is coming together, refreshing for the production of DC films of late. The fast turnaround is also interesting, though the smaller budget and ‘character-driven’ narrative probably has something to do with that. While an origin story for the Joker is not high on my interest list, the amount of talent thus far is making me more interested in this Elseworld’s project.

Fans of high quality filmmaking should know of Ex Machina, writer and director Alex Garland’s 2014 sci-fi thriller. The film follows a programmer brought to the home of his extravagant boss and inventor to test his latest invention, a humanoid robot implanted with artificial intelligence. The film catalogs their interactions, questions concerning one’s humanity, and the individual’s right to bring life into the world. Netflix’s new sci-fi horror film, TAU, surprisingly contains similar beats, focusing on the relationship of a human being and an artificial intelligent system, though playing with the dynamics in many ways, for better or wrorse

Maika Monroe is back in another horror film following successful productions such as The Guest and It Follows, playing Julia, a nobody kidnapped for the purposes of helping Ed Skrein’s character Alex’s latest project. Through a sequence of events, Julia finds herself in Alex’s home, run by the titular TAU and voiced by an unrecognizable Gary Oldman. Julia becomes friendly with TAU, helping it discover its own humanity while also attempting an escape before her deadline hits to satisfy Alex’s needs. The film attempts to satisfy multiple genres, including science fiction, horror, and drama, along with playing with both the generalities audiences seek and the mind expanding topics of intellectual movie watchers. Everything ends up being under-serviced, however, enjoyable yet surface level. While the genre elements aren’t always satisfied, the film is bolstered by stunning visuals and competent acting from its main players.

Director Federico D’Alessandro has an eye for daring visuals, from neon drenched scenes to high tech beauty, always making TAU a wonder for the eyes. Maika Monroe shows up as the actress continues to establish herself as a modern scream queen. Though the writing for the character is limited, Monroe elevates the role with little more than her presence. Gary Oldman, present only through a voice role, is fairly competent as TAU. Oldman brings sincerity and humanity to the inhuman character that arguably should have received more screen time. Ed Skrein plays second rate Nicholas Holt, though is fine overall as the films underwritten villain. The film’s biggest problems lie in its overly complicated script, failing to fully balance its genre elements and themes. 

Though TAU has a number of problems with its script, the enjoyment lies in its interesting production design and visuals, along with Monroe’s leading performance. The film is an interesting companion piece to Ex Machina in the themes it challenges, though doesn’t capture the same atmosphere as the Garland film. The Netflix release is enjoyable enough, especially for those fans of the science fiction genre. 

Solo: A Star Wars Story is the latest Star Wars prequel and is directed by Ron Howard (mostly) and written by Star Wars alum Lawrence Kasdan and son Jonathan Kasdan. The film stars Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke, Donald Glover, Paul Bettany, and Alden Ehrenreich as the titular hero. Solo: A Star Wars Story was plagued by production problems due to the release of original directors, Phil Lord and Chris Miller of The Lego Movie fame. The question to ask though - did Lucasfilm pull off another solid entry or were fans right to disregard this entry?

Solo: A Star Wars Story is unnecessary as a Star Wars entry. The film has been in development for years, even when George Lucas still held the rights. And is the film had been made years ago, it may feel both relevant and needed. However, following certain events of recent Star Wars films, Solo feels odd in its placement, while also existing to mostly answer questions most fans weren’t asking. The film fills in gaps mentioned and alluded to in previous entries, though its questionable why on needed the Solo film to answer these questions. The film also suffers from a slight discrepancy that most likely remains due to the director switch. Though the film achieves to mix the difference styles better than another recent production mishap, Justice League, its obvious some of Lord and Miller’s work doesn’t flow completely with Ron Howard’s work. 

With the negatives out of the way, there’s simply no denying that Solo is still a fun summer movie, nothing more or less. When removing the idea of necessity in its existence, the movie becomes a very well shot and acted heist adventure. Alden Ehrenreich, while never completely rising to the swashbuckling prowess of Harrison Ford, is quite suitable in the role of Han Solo, though is often overshadowed by an excellent supporting cast. Harrelson, Clarke, and Bettany provide solid work as usual, though its Donald Glover’s Lando and Phoebe Waller-Bridge as L3-37 that shine. Glover brings the swag and over the top sensibilities of Billy Dee Williams’ portrayal, though achieving to add his own flavor. And while Waller-Bridge’s L3 is going to be met with Jar Jar level controversy, the character is a lot of fun and feels like people I personal know, though her rebellious, feminist attitudes felt somewhat out of place in a Star Wars film.

The true heroes, however, are director Ron Howard and cinematographer Bradford Young (Selma, Arrival), who provide a beautifully shot and well constructed film that does truly feel like a Star Wars film. Bradford’s low light shots are done masterfully, separating Solo from other Star Wars films by appearance along, though its Howard that always makes sure Solo feels like a galaxy far far away. The film, though cliche in a number of instances, does hold some surprises (including a fantastic cameo), while also providing numerous nods to previous installments (the relationship between L3 and the Millennium Falcon was a very nice touch).

There’s no denying a Han Solo prequel was an odd one by Disney/Lucasfilm. And there are numerous times the film struggles to fully justify its existence. However, Howard and crew delivered a successful heist adventure that feels respectable to the Star Wars canon. I was never bored and enjoyed the performances of the entire cast, including leading man Ehrenreich, who deserves more work honestly. Though my expectation were low, and I will say Solo is the weakest of the newest Star Wars films, Solo exceeded expectations and delivered a very solid adventure.

God’s Not Dead?: Why Faith-Based Films Can’t Find Their Footing

This weekend sees the release of God’s Not Dead: A Light In Darkness, the third and final film in the God’s Not Dead franchise that started with the surprise success of the original film in 2014 that grossed $60 million domestically on a $2 million budget. Though faith-based films have been around since the early twentieth century, a new type of religious film-making seemed to emerge after God’s Not Dead, or at least gained in popularity: low-budget films that overly dramatized the religion. Just last year, nine faith-based films were released in wide or semi-wide release (and living in Arkansas, every one of them came to my surrounding theaters), though not all of them followed the same formula as God’s Not Dead. Nor were all of them as successful at the box office. And as we have seen this year, that outlook isn’t getting any better, as three of the four faith-based films continue the streak of under-performing domestically, including the third installment of the God’s Not Dead, tracking only for a $3 million opening weekend. So are these films performing poorly to their demographic? As a religious individual who loves films, I’m here to explain what these films can do to become relevant again:

Don’t Become Too Preachy: 

Saying a faith-based film shouldn’t include dialogue and messages relating to the religion they’re portraying may sound ridiculous, but preaching to a choir already in agreement will do nothing but alienate them. Having characters speak a sermon every time they’re on screen does little in the way of make sense or interest the existing fan base and those the film is arguably not made for. Personally I know some who ONLY go to these sorts of films, yet more recently have been warded off knowing they’re going to see the same bible verses spoken in scenarios that make little sense, with characters that become caricatures of the Christian faith. Some period films, such as Son of God (2014), get leeway because this is how they talked, however, even these films make point of only highlighting the religious side of the argument. 

Unrealistic Characters, Scenarios, and Stories: 

Piggy-backing on sermons in every piece of dialogue, many of these religious films honestly fail in providing both realistic stories presented in a realistic way. The entirety of the second God’s Not Dead film revolves around a story concerning attack against Christianity. In Arkansas. And being from a town in Arkansas that once held the record for most churches per square mile, I can tell you such an event would NEVER happen. The belief that any sort of persecution against Christians occurs in 21st century United States is laughable and conspiratorial. Professors aren’t going to fail you for believing God exists (God’s Not Dead), nor is the church going to turn on you for admitting amazing occurrences related to God (Miracles From Heaven). And again, no characters are as ‘devote’ as these films portray them as in present day. And by the way, teachers know they can’t talk about their personal religion in school, but officials aren’t going after them in the same way as in God’s Not Dead 2. 

Many Films in This Genre is Just Bad: 

The God’s Not Dead films are terrible. Many of the cheap period films are just boring. These low-budget faith-based films are mostly just not great, which no matter how devote you are is going to turn you off after a while. Many of the films set in present day are pretty bad for the reasons previously mentioned, while the period films just do not commit to their source material. Turning the story of Samson into a PG-13 film was never going to be embraced. Many of the stories fail to consider these period films need the ugliness from the actual stories, including the sex, violence, and the actual sinful actions. These films are made for cheap and they feel cheap because usually the people in front and behind the camera have no vision beyond exaggerating the ‘faith’ part of the faith-based films. 

How Can Faith-Based Films Be Saved: 

Though I seem to really be down on this genre, this genre is technically in trouble. Since 2014, there have usually been one or two faith-based films that can get actual good reviews and/or have a good box office run (which usually means getting over about $10 million domestically). And those films are the ones we should be leaning into more. My two favorite examples are The Star from last year and the recent I Can Only Imagine. Last year’s The Star was an animated film that focused on the animals around the birth of Jesus. While the film was only OK, it did remind me of the Veggie Tales films that are so popular for younger children, and honestly its much better than most generic religious films released in the past few years. The other example is I Can Only Imagine, which is blowing up the box office with $48 million domestically so far on a $7 million budget. The film revolves around arguably the most popular Christian rock song and has clearly struck a cord with both devote audiences and those just fans of the song. It also helps that even critics like it well enough. The point is, making movies that only revolve around boring period dramas and unrealistic present pieces are not the ones making the money right now. 

More so, just making a good film should always be on the forefront of people’s minds, and to do that you need good directors and good actors in these films. I like Miracles From Heaven well enough only because Jennifer Garner is great in it.  All Saints, which did not do great numbers last year, was good because John Corbett was the lead. The Everly Brothers who directed I Can Only Imagine also made the religious-sports drama film Woodlawn, which was also pretty good. The idea that making these films for little money doesn’t work when you have actors in them that plainly are good, or uninspired directors behind the camera. 

Mom and Dad is a black-comedy horror film directed by Brian Taylor and stars Nicolas Cage and Selma Blair and father and mother duo attempting to murder their children. 

Mom and Dad is another insane concoction by kinetic director Brian Taylor, achieving another level of over the top action and hilarity. Mom and Dad is very much a low budget black-comedy, but the film always knows what it is and Taylor directs it so, mainly allowing the great cast to do what they do best. Nicolas Cage has been known for his questionable acting chops, as he always seems to be on another planet for every project he’s in. However, Mom and Dad is the perfect outlet for the comically exaggerated actor. His rendition of the Hokey Pokey will forever live on as the best.

Mom and Dad’s greatest strength is that its not afraid to be horrifically funny. Just the idea concerning parents waiting to murder their children through the most barbaric ways lends itself to some wonderful moments. From keys and blenders to plastic bags and meat cutters, the parents in this film are out for blood. The comedy is ongoing, and the film arguably has a message buried deep within the bloodshed: parenthood sucks. Kids suck. Just the idea of being an adult is drastically overwhelming for many people. Mom and Dad knows that and takes it to the extremes. 

I can’t say Mom and Dad is the greatest film. It is of course low budget and parts displace its budget so. However, this film offers so much enjoyment. It provides some insane performances from Nicolas Cage and Selma Blair and giving the audience plenty to laugh at. You will know pretty quickly if this film is something you’ll enjoy, and I highly recommend people check out the craziness that is Mom and Dad. 

DEVILMAN crybaby is a Netflix original anime series directed by Masaaki Yuasa and stars the voice talents of Koki Uchiyama, Ayumu Murase, Megumi Han, and many others. The series revolves around Akira Fudo, a shy teenager who is processed by a devil, who uses his powers to fight the epidemic spread of devils around the world. The series is reportedly more mature from its original incarceration, making this anime hard R.Now I’m going to admit, anime isn’t my thing, but the entire look of this series, from the poster to the trailer to the story interested me enough to press play. So I’m looking at this from the view of a television lover and not a hardcore anime fan.

DEVILMAN crybaby is maybe the craziest show I’ve ever watched. The show is dark, grotesque, sexual, beautiful, haunting, and honestly wrong in all the mostly right ways. Its hard to explain this show because it really just exists. For someone not immediately prepared, it could be quite shocking and seen as disturbing. From the first episode there’s a level of violence and sexual imagery that I’ve never seen on the big, or small, screen. DEVILMAN is a visceral experience, both in ways that entertained and ones that made me uncomfortable. The action is great and the look of both transformed Akira and Devilman is fantastic. There’s something beyond interesting to be about The Iron Giant, a character that Devilman embodies, though a little more bloody in nature. Friendly giant that exists for the good of the people, but is still destructive in nature. The show also has a decent amount of drama, which is the standout specifically episode nine, which had both a great message and wonderful story telling. 

Where DEVILMAN has problems is in its storytelling. The show, at ten episode, about twenty minutes each, doesn’t work completely. Some plot points are disregarded or never explained, and other elements don’t make sense. DEVILMAN feels rushed, especially in the middle, but mostly picks back up towards the end. Things appear to jump from zero to sixty episode to episode, which doesn’t work personally considering how short the show is. Also, the show’s ambitions sometimes stretch the production budget, as some of the character designs and story elements feel flat on screen. The insanity of the show does off set quite a lot of these production problems though. 

DEVILMAN crybaby is truly unlike anything I’ve ever committed myself to, going from muted confusion to over the top violence, losing the story but maintaining a sense of intrigue. Elements of this show are beautiful and the pretty great action keep this show on the ground, even when things stretch too far. As a non anime fan, I feel anime fans should check this out. I think even a few non fans like me could have a deal of enjoyment in this.

3:10 to Yuma from 2007 is remake of the popular 1957 Western and is directed by James Mangold and stars Christian Bale and Kurt Russell. In light of both Bale’s new Western Hostiles and Mangold’s Oscar nomination, I thought 3:10 to Yuma would be a fun film to review. 

The film details the attempts of Bale’s character, Dan Evans, and a small group of men attempting to put Russell Crowe’s character, Ben Wade, on the 3:10 to Yuma, a prisoner train. James Mangold does his usual great work, directing a beautiful and gritty action western. The film is very much a revisionist western, taking the action blockbuster to the western genre and making a fun time of this film. There’s machine guns and entertaining shootouts, especially the final scenes. 

Christian Bale shows up and gives a sincere and troubled performance, maintaining the grit this film deserves while giving the audiences a new kind of western hero. The film chooses to highlight his character only when necessary, giving plenty of light to the whole cast, especially Russell Crowe’s anti-hero Ben Wade. Crowe gives a demanding performance, one that makes the viewer question who is the real bad guy. The film never lets up from its stellar cast, though Ben Foster’s Charlie Prince could use some more time on the screen. The film also falls into some of the action troupes, though it never distracts from a good time. 

3:10 to Yuma is a great modern western that takes an old film and injects some great direction, acting, and storytelling into it, only falling into a few of the common troupes attributed action films. Mangold and Bale do great work with their material and breathe new life into this genre. 

Runaways is Hulu’s stint in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, based on the comic of the same name and starring Rhenzy Feliz, Lyrica Okano, Virginia Gardner, Ariela Barer, Gregg Sulkin, and Allegra Acosta as children who learn their parents are supervillains straight from the pages. Along the way they discover they may have a few gifts of their own.

Marvel television is a pretty mixed bag. from great shows like Legion, Daredevil, and Jessica Jones, to pretty bad stuff like Iron Fist and Inhumans. Going into Runawys, I questioned whether the show could work as a teen-driven superhero show, and my goodness does it. Having not red the actual comics, I can only say most people I’ve talked to say while the storyline is altered, the show is very much faithful to the Runaways. What the show does is present a pretty honest representation of teenagers, doing so while incorporating the great comic book elements needed. Everyone in the show is great, from the newcomer kids to the well-known adults, with Ariela Barer as Gert Yorkes and Lyrica Okano as Nico Minoru are especially the standouts. The show echoes the California scenery and wistful teenage attitudes with grace. 

Runaways also represents the powers well. Karolina’s rainbow glow is used sparingly, but is full worth the visual, while Molly’s super strength is believable. The only issue is the featured dinosaur, Old Lace, who can communicate with Gert. While the puppetry is fantastic in some parts, others where the CGI is obvious are overdone, and take away from the effect. The show works best, however, as a character driven narrative and less as a superhero show. Runaways smartly focuses on both the drama between the kids and the parents, working through multiple plot points at once. The problems with the show come in the fact the story its chooses to focus on goes on too long for season one. 

Runaways stands as one of Marvel’s best shows. Its clean, current, and uses its cast well. The action is fun and the dynamics between the characters really drives the show. While it does go on too long in its first season, the show still fills a void for these superhero shows I didn’t realize was there: teen driven superhero stories. For that alone, Runaways is a fantastic show. Plus it has a fantastic poster.

Brigsby Bear is a comedy-drama directed by Dave McCary and stars Kyle Mooney as James Pope, a grown man abducted as a child, raised in a bunker, who now has to deal with real life. Along the way he decides to make a movie centered around Brigsby Bear, a character from James’ childhood. The film also stars Mark Hamill, Greg Kinnear, Matt Walsh, Ryan Simpkins, and more. 

Brigsby Bear is unlike any film I have ever seen. As an original story, the film works both as a bonkers comedy based on an unlikely scenario, but also as a meaningful drama looking into how we treat one another beyond our differences. The film is told from the view of an individual who has been held captive for all his life, kept from society who must learn the meanings of life. Kyle Mooney is beautifully weird but earnest in his portrayal, always optimistic and yearning for a fruitful existence. His obsession with Brigsby Bear, a character known truly to him alone, drives the narrative, allowing us to examine the wonder he experiences. Its difficult to tell what this film did for me, because its truly an experience for the individual. The same goes for any negatives. The film is well shot and acted, and the only way for me personally to gauge the film is too look at how it affected me. I don’t feel a though it went as far as it could have with the narrative, but for what it did it worked very well. Mark Hamill also makes an appearance and is all the better for it. He’s not in it for long, but he shines on screen. 

This review is short but the only way to review this film is in a personal sense. I do not want to sway other’s thoughts on the film, so I will not to indulge too many of my personal thoughts. What I can say is Brigsby Bear is a wonderfully made journey that deserves to be seen. Its a wonderful little indie film that should charm audiences if they allow themselves to given into the absurdity.

Netflix is arguably putting out the most diverse and technically best television shows right now. They span numerous genres, languages, and audience types, from anime to crime dramas to Sci-Fi. This is a PERSONAL list of MY top 5 Netflix shows of 2017. No, this will probably not match anyone else’s list, and these aren’t the BEST shows necessarily on Netflix, but these are the one I both enjoyed the most and made me excited for the future of Netflix television.

5. Mindhunter is a brutal piece of television, featuring the early stages in the FBI to interview serial killers to understand their methodology. The story unfolds slowly, both through the actual establishment of this science and the personal lives of the main characters. And though I loved every performance, nothing beats the terrifying yet charming turn by Cameron Britton, playing Edmund Kemper, the notorious serial killer. First portrayed as a emotionless, fact based yet charming character willing to help in this process, Britton takes the character to dark places that would send shivers down anyone’s spine. Very excited for this one to return.

4. Stranger Things returned for its second season this past year and man was it worth the wait. Noah Schnapp really got to show what he could do as Will, Winona Ryder was fantastic as his frantic mother again, and Millie Bobby Brown is the next big thing. The greatest part of the season though was the relationships, from the introduction of new girl Max to the greatest duo ever, Dustin and Steve. The railroad scene remains of the best of both seasons. And there were more monsters, so that was cool.

3. The Punisher has finally been given justice in his new, sleek Netflix show coming from Marvel. Continuing the story from the second season of Daredevil, Frank Castle must face a greater conspiracy, tied to not only him but a new found ally: Micro. This show is everything you would want from the Punisher: It’s violent, brutal, terrible, dark, and nasty in all the right ways. Jon Bernthal is back playing the Frank Castle we deserve, but as previously mentioned is joined by the AMAZING Ebon Moss-Bachrach, playing NSA analyst David Lieberman (Micro). Their chemistry is fantastic, and though the show stretches a little too long, the beautiful violence makes this the greatest Punisher to date.

2. Godless is a Western miniseries straight from Netflix that, though will never see another installment, doesn’t need it because this show is great. The cast is beyond incredible, with Merritt Wever, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, and of course, the star Jack O’Connell being my favorite faces. Godless does everything a revisionist Western should do. It takes a simple concept seen in numerous other cowboy flicks and turns it on its head, introducing strong women who have faced their own hardships in life. The show is also violent, wonderfully directed, and well worth the watch.

1. 13 Reasons Why is based off the popular teen novel and focuses on the suicide of Hannah Baker, and the legacy she left in the form of tapes, made for each on of her tormentors. This show destroyed me. I’m not a huge emotional person besides laughter, but there were moments this show had me in shock, nervous, angry, and heartbroken. Katherine Langford is amazing as Hannah, as is Dylan Minnette as Clay, the kid trying to understand Hannah’s suicide the most. 13 Reasons Why is important, and there’s a reason why school counselors saw a spike in teenagers coming to them for help after its debut. I couldn’t imagine the pain and heart ache detailed in the show, but watching it unfold was one of the hardest, but most exciting experiences I had in 2017.

#Horror (or HashtagHorror) is a 2015 horror film written and directed by fashion designer Tara Subkoff and tells the story of wealthy preteen girls faced with horrors of the night when a social network game and years of bullying comes back to haunt them. The film stars Chloe Sevigny, Timothy Hutton, Natasha Lyonne, and others. 

This film is a confusing mix of pop culture, art house, literal art, social media, and horror. The film feels as though its has a message concerning social media and the dangers of hurting others, but everything just feels like a weird trip that is more horrific in reality than what is actually presented for the audience. The film revolves around five girls who attempt a sleep over of the privileged, filled with uncomfortable confrontations and lies that make the audience really despise all the characters. Though I feel it is an appropriate choice to make all the girls difficult to like, there comes a point when the writer has to either evolve one or more or make a ideological choice through their characters when its this type of film. If it was just some five buck slasher, I’d saw screw it, kill them all. Its obvious though the director has a message; she just fails to construct anything in this corrupt world of pop art and wealth. These girls are just beyond terrible to each other, which in some cases is pretty accurate (though extreme) for younger individuals, but numerous times it goes beyond appropriate and becomes hurtful even for the audience to watch. The adults in the film are a mixed bag. Chloe Sevigny delivers as always, playing a hypocritical mother addicted to both alcohol and high society. She of course only wants to please her daughter and fails to realize the extent she’s wasted her own life. Timothy Hutton as Dr. White, on the other hand, is another irresponsible character that would never exist in the world today and worse makes no sense in this reality constructed by the writer/director. 

On the technical side, Tara Subkoff’s full length directorial debut is well directed, though edited in a distracting way, Of course coming from the world of fashion, this literal piece of art that is the house is crazily constructed enough to make sense and still look great. Subkoff achieves to make a better point about high class society than anything about social media or bullying, and much of that comes from the appeal of the story and elements of dialogue included. The film itself it shot well enough, including a pretty wonderful scene involving a glass-walled tennis course. The problems come in the consent hammering of the weird pop art animation that occasionally appears and is never really understood by anyone other the main characters. 

So where does this leave #Horror? Though I may have seen especially critical, this indie horror film has its moments and truly does seem to have a message. I just don’t know what that message really is or way Subkoff made the decisions she did to explain that message. #Horror is a bizarre movie that doesn’t have an identity other than being confusing, messy, meaningful, shocking, watchable art. Not exactly a recommendation, but if you’re feeling adventurous or want to experience this ‘art’ yourself, #Horror is currently on Netflix. 

The Open House is a new horror-thriller from Netflix, written and directed by duo Matt Angel and Suzanne Coote. The film stars Dylan Minnette (13 Reasons Why, Don’t Breather) as Logan, and tells the story of a mother and son who move into a house currently on the market, but find someone else might have stayed. 

The Open House is a very problematic movie, raised up by wonderful acting and decent direction but brought back down to earth by poor writing and confusing editing. The film takes place in a small, scenic town and the cinematography is pretty darn good for this $100,000 (!) budgeted venture. For what I believe are first time directing duo Angel and Coote, the look is great. And again the acting is pretty great as well. Dylan Minnette plays another misguided youth following appearances in teen drama 13 Reasons Why, fantasy comedy Goosebumps, and the much better horror thriller, Don’t Breathe. Here he gives a fine performance, though I have seen him better. Piercey Dalton as his mother also gives a good performance that is far superior to the actual film. And Patricia Bethune as a crazy neighbor was wonderfully weird and creepy. Speaking of the ‘horror’ aspect to the film, its done well enough. There are a few really creepy visuals, one involving Logan’s contact lenses, but for the most part its a jump scare parade that goes a little over the top with its violence for some reason. Its not distracting, but its unusual. 

The problems with the film, however, lie in its writing and editing. The Open House spends the vast majority of its runtime setting up this terrifying story of someone living in a house of an unsuspecting mother/son, including appearances by characters I assume we’re suppose to believe could be the culprit, and leaves us with nothing. Not to spoil much, but the person in the house is given no dynamics beyond being a creepy, unseen presence until the end were the character goes berserk for no reason. Why are they doing this? Why the violence? What is the character’s reasoning? Nothing is given a solid answer. I honestly can’t figure out where the person was even staying in the house. The ending to the film is beyond unsatisfying and leaves many plot holes. The story mostly spends its time with the mother/son relationship presented following the sudden death of the father figure. It has its moments, but nothing is really fleshed out enough and none of it matters at the end. 

I’m having a tough time with The Open House. Its a underwhelming movie, but it feels as though the under-experienced writing is to blame more than anything. The direction is quite competent, the acting is really good, and the horror is fine enough. The ending really hurts this film, as I could go along with it up until the sudden dynamic change. I was actually fine with it for the most part, its just thinking about how poorly it was constructed that bothers me. No, this isn’t one of Netflix’s best movies. But if you’re into horror/thrillers, I guess The Open House is OK as long as you don’t think about what you just saw after the final scene cuts to black.

Godless is a western Netflix miniseries created by Scott Frank and revolves around La Belle, a town made up of mostly women, and the outlaw it harbors, Roy Goode. The cast includes Jack O’Connell, Michele Dockery, Scott McNairy, Merritt Wever, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Jeff Daniels, and numerous other very talented individuals. 

Godless comes within a long line of recent revisionist Western films and television shows recently, though its focus on a town of mostly strong minded women certainly makes it unique among the fold. Thankfully though, Netflix has crafted one of the better attempts at the genre, making this sleek seven episode miniseries a joy to watch. Godless is very well directed and written, with Scott Frank creating a story that works in the present and with the use of flashbacks throughout the show. Though the narrative begins to wain towards the middle and includes a sixth episode that does little besides bridging the gap between the previous and final episodes, the story is smart, brutal, and invokes all the emotions possible. 

Jack O’Connell as anti-hero Roy Goode is phenomenal, straining the line between charming outlaw and a pain filled man. O’Connell does a great job taking a fairly well used caricature and using it to make something new. Michelle Dockery is easily as good, though I wish the series would have focused on her character more. The best performances come from Thomas Brodie-Sangster, known for his role in the Maze Runner films, and Merritt Wever, playing the town deputy and widow of the former mayor respectively. Sangster brings something to this worn out character, and always appears to have more wisdom behind his youthful eyes than anticipated. But Merritt Wever is everything I wanted from this show. She’s brash, to the point, and is not afraid to say her mind. Originally introduced as an emotionless father figure to the town, her character is giving the most life throughout the series in surprising ways. And of course, Jeff Daniels as the menacing outlaw Frank Griffin gives everything one could expect from his villainous role. 

Now, the biggest problem I could see one finding in the series is the fact the story focuses on a town of mostly women doing the work of men. Some are going to argue this is suppose to feed into some agenda Hollywood has in its attempts to be inclusive. Godless goes beyond that simple agenda though, creating a scenario that makes sense and crafts characters that would probably act in the ways they do. Parts of the show can be heavy-handed with its messages, but the show works from a brilliant concept that in others hands may have fallen by the wayside. 

Godless is fantastic. It’s sleek, very well acted, written, and directed, and achieves everything the revisionist Western has set out to do over the last few decades. The story does start to drag towards the end, but this remains one of Netflix’s best shows and well worth the subscription. 

Unbreakable is written and directed by M. Night Shymalan and stars Bruce Willis as a man who discovers a gift of incredible strength and his helped by Samuel L. Jackson’s character Elijah Price along the way. Unbreakable came long before the superhero craze of today, but does it still hold up?

Unbreakable is unique because its an original superhero film and is an origin story done very different than most origin stories. Shymalan took his time to really allow the audience to understand Willis’s character David Dunn’s viewpoint of the situation and didn’t allow the film to fall into the usual superhero troupes of today. There’s no training sequence or final showdown; Unbreakable exists to be different. There’s real emotional stakes for the characters. Dunn and his wife Audrey (played by Robin Wright) are going through marital problems while Elijah Price has to deal with this brittle bone disease. One of my favorite scenes in the film is when David’s son, Joseph (played by Spencer Treat Clark) confronts his father with a gun because no one will believe David actually has powers. In this way, and many others, Unbreakable works better as a family drama and thriller more than the average superhero tale. There’s nothing flashy concerning David’s powers and interestingly enough the film sidelines them for the most part to allow the relationships and drama to mean something. Of course, this is where the film’s biggest problem lies. Towards the end, Shymalan comes back with one of his great twists and attempts to make the full more ridiculous in nature, similar to a usual superhero tale. However, the shift took to long to occur and for me personally feels like an abrupt resolution. It makes perfect sense and works fine enough, but I wish it would have occurred sooner, or at least had more of the superhero stuff scattered throughout rather than the very end. 

Power Rangers is the latest feature about the popular children’s characters that have been featured in both comics and television. This PG-13 version is directed by Dean Israelite and stars Dacre Montgomery, Naomi Scott, RJ Cyler, Becky G, and Ludi Lin as five teens who discover the powers of the Power Rangers and have to come together and defeat the evil Rita Repulsa. The 2017 Power Rangers film went for a darker, more reality based film, but does it work in the grand scheme of things. 

Power Rangers is better than it has any right to be, which is not exactly the most positive thing to say but that’s what it boils down to. The movie is very much a representation of the modern look of teenagers, both good and bad. The film features a very diverse set of characters, realistic in the types of characters you find in the average high school but fantastical in their connections to one another. This group would never be drawn to one another, yet they appear to work fine for the most part. The film does give each character their own moments surprisingly, though it could still have taken it further. 

The acting is pretty good, though the film can’t fully decide if its realistic or campy all the time. Elizabeth Banks Rita can never be taken seriously and the makeup job is fairly poor on the character, though she works well enough as a villain. Bryan Cranston makes a nice appearance though its nothing ground breaking. For the most part the kids are find and I would like to see more of them in the future, but RJ Cyler is the real standout as the autistic black member. The guy was great in Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, and brings a level of quality to the film. The action is shot well enough, but it takes FOREVER for the suits to come out. I like a little build up in an origin story, but it was almost Fantastic Four (2015) level how long it took. The movie is also weirdly inappropriate at some points. 

Power Rangers doesn’t fully know what it is as a film, but it does attempt to do a lot which is deserving of credit. And being a Power Rangers movie in the year 2017 where everything superhero is either hit or miss, the film achieves to be decent. Its not groundbreaking nor well made overall, but for fans of the property its enjoyable enough. Its acted well enough, the action is OK, and the story is shockingly more advanced than similar movies. Power Rangers isn’t great, but its apologetically fine. 

Paddington 2 is directed by Paul King and stars Sally Hawkins, Hugh Bonneville, Brendan Gleeson, Hugh Grant, and Ben Whishaw as the voice of Paddington. The story is a sequel to 2014′s Paddington. The film revolves around Paddington being falsely locked up for stealing a priceless book. The first Paddington film was a wonderful and beautiful comedy, so can the sequel measure up? 

Paddington 2 is a joy. Its the movie the world needs but doesn’t deserve. Considering the amount of animated animals in live action world films we get like Alvin and the Chipmunks, Yogi Bear, and the upcoming Peter Rabbit (God help us), the Paddington films are a breath of fresh air that shows this type of production can be skillfully made. Ben Whishaw shines as the voice of Paddington, both childlike but mature at the same time, with amazing CGI to go with it. The character of Paddington is what really makes these films work. He’s intelligent but naive, funny but dramatic, polite but brave, etc. His motto of finding the good in people even carries over to this film which is beyond delightful. 

The supporting cast is great as well again, though it is Hugh Grant’s strange little performance revolving around a washed up actor that really shines. He’s quirky, smart, ruthless, but delightful to watch all at the same time. What also works in these films is the stories are so fun, smart, and moving. The comedy is well done, every character has a purpose, and there’s something so innocent about these films that few others currently strive for. There are some nice action scenes in this iteration, but for the most part its just lighthearted British humor and kindness along the way. 

Paddington 2 is just about perfect and personally only falters in the more ridiculous story line, though the comedy is more present than the first one. Either way, Paddington 2 is fantastic and good for any audience.

The Polka King is the new Netflix original acquired at Sundance and stars Jack Black as Jan Lewan, a real life immigrant from Poland who ran a Ponzi scheme to build his Polka empire in Pennsylvania. The film is part dramedy and part biographical film, but does it work as a piece of entertainment. 

Maya Forbes’ film is weird in some of the right ways and some of the wrong ways. Jack Black is electrifying in the role, playing another over-the-top con artist is the strangest way possible. Black takes the a confusing, interesting, but somewhat despicable character and makes him an entertaining watch. Jenny Slate, Jason Schwartzmann, and Jacki Weaver also give great performances that go above and beyond what this movie as a whole deserves. 

The problems of The Polka King lie in the story construction. Writer and director Maya Forbes delivers a pretty and well acted film, but tries to incorporate to much into the story, including the more ridiculous parts that distract from the overall dramatic elements. The film just seems to lack an identity and is beyond bizarre, which in itself is interesting considering this is a true story. Thankfully, Jack Blacks performance, along with others, makes this watchable. 

The Polka King is not a great movie, but works as a Jack Black vehicle. Its beyond strange and confusingly paced, but the commitment of the actors sells this as a decent watch, but nothing extraordinary.