Reviews

Doctor Strange is the introduction of the character of the same name in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Like a lot of Marvel characters first films, we get to see how Doctor Strange becomes the wizard/superhero that we all know from the comics.

This movie looks good, and part of that is thanks to a cast that looks natural in their characters and do great performances (Cumberbatch and Swinton really stand out here). The other part is visuals, which are filled with effects that are well done overall, but also make me feel sometimes that it was just way too much. There were moments in the movie where a more minimalistic approach would've been better and it wouldn't compromise what the movie wanted to represent. They don't look cheap at least, so they're enjoyable.

The plot, while is a little cliché coming from a Marvel movie, it's enjoyable and actually rich in contend, which surprised me. Being this movie almost two hour long I expected some skippable parts, but pretty much the whole movie is entertaining, interesting and important for the plot. I only felt like Christine is an underused character that deserves more screen time and importance to the plot, put it's just fine the way it is.

There's also some funny moments in this movie that Cumberbatch really pull off well and give both the character and the movie it's own personality. I was really surprised to see them and I'm glad they made it to the final cut.

So Doctor Strange is good, and I think both comic and sci-fi fans will enjoy it, as it doesn't connect with other marvel movies. Also, don't stop watching when the credits start ;).

The Autopsy of Jane Doe is about two coroners, father and son, that have to identify the mysterious body of a woman - called Jane Doe as her identity is unknown. The movie follows the two men in the process of her autopsy, which looks like it's going to be an uncommon one.

I was really expecting this to be a thriller - and even you do -, but I would say that is more of a horror movie, and one of those that are very similar to the rest horror movies from the past years, with easy but mild jump scares, things that don't really fit but are there because they scare and writers are like 'why not?' and mindless characters that fail to be relatable because they make conclusions that no one would do in their life. Really, I would need my crystal ball to realize so much in the third part of this movies as these characters do. Also, the corpse thing looks like a promising, but it's not exploited at all. It just looks mysterious and cool, and that alone can't save this movie.

Talking about the corpse, something that caught my attention was how the woman's face looked so expressive even thought it was dead. I thought at first the face was introduced in the movie in post production, so it had to be on my mind, but I later saw it was an actress the whole time and it made sense. It's just in the details, but in the different close ups of her face you can see how she feels, you can tell when it's just a blank face or when she looks more confident and powerful, so props to her because even being a corpse she made the best acting of the whole cast.

Also cool is the autopsy itself - because there's an actual autopsy on the movie with equipment, organs and stuff, though I don't know if it's accurate to what's done in real life -, but the whole thing get's tiring after a while, and the fact that it's mixed with personal stuff of both the father and the son that end up going nowhere - and looking like filler - doesn't help.

This movie is a perfect example of a plot ruined by the continuous attempts in the industry to put horror where it doesn't fit, specially in the second half of the movie. I personally wouldn't recommend it.

Atomic Blonde sets during the cold war, when Lorraine, an undercover agent interpreted by Charlize Theron, is sent to Berlin to investigate a murder of another agent related to a list that would compromise the cover of a number of double agents.

Despite the plot seeming a little common for the genre, this movie is able to capture the essence of what an spy movie is, filling this two hour long set with twists, small details and awesome fight scenes. You will feel confused - in a good way -, as in this movie no one is genuine, yet everyone gives little drops of truth in a attempt to keep their cover, save their assess and be helpful when it comes to resolve this situation. The plot is actually developed while we watch Lorraine be interrogated after all happened, so we also discover why she end up in that situation while we watch the plot, something that at first I didn't like but ended up growing on me. Also, as you may noticed, there's a lot going on at the same time in this movie, so you maybe want to keep your eyes glued to the screen, or even watch it twice, because there's things you can definitively miss or not really get on the first view.

The movie is mostly well adapted to the late 80s and delivers some really good visuals that contrast between a predominant cold looking scenes and scenes full of neon purple or red lights. The change between predominant colors, camera movements and spaces used leave no room for boredom and make the movie flow in a nice way. The soundtrack is also good, with some big names like Queen and David Bowie. I wouldn't really paid attention to it - since it's not my style and I don't really know that artists songs - if it weren't because it kicks in the best moments possible, making some iconic scenes.

Talking about memorable scenes, Charlize Theron stands out in her performance, making Lorraine a mysterious, tough and independent woman. She also shows a range that goes from vulnerable to fierce, always being realistic. Unfortunately, she completely shadows James McAvoy performance as David Percival, who ends up being a disappointing and a plain character that should've delivered more, both in the acting and plot sides.

Atomic Blonde is not a transcendental movie, but a good movie to spend your time if you like thrillers with some action or movies inspired in the past decades.

Payton, a crew member of a spaceship designed to travel to a planet habitable by humans wakes up early from the hyper-sleep state, unable to remember he's name or where is he. As he recovers his memory by finding his belongings, he realizes that something's wrong with the ship's reactor and is decided to go and fix it. But he's not alone… This is one of these movies that has a visual style that stand out in an unique – and good - way. It reminds me of 00s horror videogames, with a mix of green and blue tinted light and an overall darkness. Apart from that, the movie sets in some parts of the spaceship, but there's no views of the outside or something that makes that the're inside of a ship believable. Sometimes it looks like there's a set of rooms, one after the other, and almost the whole movie is about going from the first to the last and back.

This movie has good characters, with a lot of personality and strong roles in the plot. Though the whole movie we can see how a squad forms not because of affinity, because the kind of need each other and they believe in Bower and his mission. If I had to pick up a favorite character from this movie it would probably be Nadia, because she's just badass.

The plot is maybe one of it's weakest points, being good in some cases and leaving holes and some others. After watching the film I found myself thinking that some things didn't really make sense or at least they didn't look right. Maybe rewatching this movie would make this better, since this movie is one of those that you can watch over and over again without getting tired. Is enjoyable, just be aware that it has some flaws.

I thought if I would recommend this movie or not, since it doesn't really stand out or anything, but it's actually enjoyable even with it's flaws, so if you like sci-fi horror movies you should watch this one.

"King Arthur: Legend of the Sword" starts from when Arthur is a child, showing how he evolves to be the legend we all know - Excalibur included. It basically has everything you would expect from a 2017 movie of this kind: terrible fate, underdog protagonist that's also kind of rebel and lots of CGI. It tries to be this 'cool take' on the series, trying to bring new elements to an old tale, and I don't think it success.

This movie also has weird editing. For most of the time is OK, but then we have moments when scenes overlap with fast scenes that try to explain how a event happens in another moment in time, which sounds cool but it looks like it tries to be too cool and ends up looking out of place. There's also some CGI moments that look cheap and I would forgive unless this movie didn't want to be impressive so hard.

Something minor that also bothers me is the fact that Charlie Hunnam and David Beckam have charming and fabulous undercuts while the rest of the characters have more reasonable haircuts for the time the movie occurs. Again, I think the movie is just trying to look cool and it isn't working.

To end up in a good note, here's what this movie does right: it entertains, it has some action that fans of good fight scenes and the first half has some well done parts.

My recommendation is to just skip this one. It isn't awful, but unless you have nothing better to do for two hours, you're not missing anything.

I guess I don't really have to talk too much about the plot in this movie. This is an average comic superhero movie where we see the roots of Wonder Woman, with it's perfect start, how-awful-things-are-when-a-superhero-tries-to-be-a-human moments and everything else. What makes it branch off and become something different - and better - is that we don't have a confident, know it all hero, more like a woman in the making, not mature but sure about her purpose and full of courage to do so.

One thing though, the special effects in this movie look really low budget and you may be surprised when you see them for the first time. This movie is a lot more than the action scenes, and you shouldn't really focus just on them, but I'm surprised to see they didn't go for a more impressive look. Also Wonder Woman goes from having zero knowledge of her abilities to be this super confident hero that looks like it's been saving the world for years. That progression should've been done better I think.

Something that makes this movie shine is how pure Wonder Woman is, and how everything around her shines. Her character is so honest and caring, follows her emotions and fights for her believes until the end. It's so good that she didn't ended up being this badass or funny type of superheroes we all know already, but still kept more than enough strength to not be a damsel in distress.

Wonder Woman is a good movie that could've been so much better, but has some things so nicely done that it's worth the watch.

I stopped watching horror movies some time ago because I think they rely too much on jump scares or easy terrifying things nowadays, but I gave this one a shot since I saw it recommended somewhere. Take that in mind while reading my review, specially if you think as I do.

Don't Breathe starts off with a trio of thieves that are basically experts into breaking into houses, getting expensive things and running away with it. They have a rule, thought: no money. Suddenly, impulse by their desires of running away from their lives, they plan on get into a n old veteran's house, who's blind but has a ridiculous amount of money. Things seem easy, but something goes away from their eyes and they end up on the most complicated night of their lives.

This movie starts slow. Not too slow, but expect something like 15 minutes of character background and set up before the plot takes off and things get interesting. I think it's a good thing since not everything has to be scares in this type of movies (like, give my heart a rest before it explodes out of my chest if possible), but worth point out.

I personally love when a horror movie has a strong bad character that leaves the protagonist(s) with only the option to run and hide, and this movie really has that. The blind man (his name is not revealed in the movie) is like the unbeatable final boss in a video game, and being blind isn't that much of a handicap for him since his always a step ahead. It also matches with the fact that he's a veteran, it doesn't look like he has superpowers. It's a well done and rounded character, I like him.

So, without further ado, here's my recommendation: watch it, it's good.

Master and Commander is a sea tale set in the 1800s, in the Napoleonic Wars. In this almost two hours long movie we follow the commander of a British ship and he's crew in a journey that reminds me of those kinda old books that are so amazing to read and immerse you in such level that I can always come back to them a be as amazed as the first time I read those lines. The plot of this movie is epic, magical and touching.

Wish I had more to say, but this movie is good at everything it does. Visuals are on point, acting is on point, no fillers and no unnecessary things. This is a movie you must see, period.

Life is like most of alien-themed movies from the last 20 years. There's a space station, there's people with interesting backstories and there's... well, the alien in one way or another. I'm sure you can expect where the plot leads. I think that it's unoriginal, but it's well written and it works, so I can't complain.

Also there's the cast. The cast is good: some known faces, some non so popular, but there's a lot of talented people, and it shows. This combined with a lot of moments that make you feel unconformable, not scared but a bit uneasy, make the movie good to watch.

The problem I have with this movie is that is really forgettable. Nothing really stands out, there's nothing innovative. It's like one of this sagas that keep using the same formula over and over again, with the difference that this movie comes out of nowhere.

I can't give it a bad rating because is not a bad movie, but isn't that good either. My recommendation is to just skip it.

This movie is set in a ship designed to make a 90 years flight to Homestead II, a new planet where humans can live in. Less than halfway through the journey, two people end up getting out of their hibernation state, forced to live the rest of their lives on the ship. But there's a bigger problem laying underneath their early wake that they'll have to face.

Thing is, even though the plot is promising I don't think it was explored enough, so this movie ends up being a "just good" movie, rounded but with nothing to impress the viewer in any way.

What they could also done is get an actor and an actress interesting enough that they make the movie interesting to watch, but we got two of the most popular personalities in a, I think, attempt to make more sells, since they pretty much do the promotion of the movie with their names on it. I'm not saying that they're not good, but Lawrence and Pratt were not good choices for a movie really needed haunting faces to save it.

Passengers is not great, but not bad really. Just a forgettable movie that's probably not worth your time.

I was surprised to see that this movie was released last year (as I'm writing this) and I didn't heard about it, taking in consideration how promising the plot is.

Split is about three girls get kidnapped by a man with dissociative identity disorder (DID) that has 23 personalities. I have to say that this movie does not represent what DID really is and how people who struggle with it are, mainly because this movie gets a bit too fantastical sometimes. It doesn't try to be strictly realistic though, so it's an awesome thriller anyway.

The movie gives you chills since the very start with an awesome acting by James McAvoy and some seriously good still scenes. The overall scenes make you have a weird feeling, something it succeeds to transfer to the viewer that you probably won't be able to describe. That makes this thriller stand out in a good way.

Maybe Split makes a unrealistic representation of dissociative identity disorder, and that can be a big turnoff, but this is a great movie nonetheless.

In Her, Theodore, falls in love with an operating system seeking to fill the empty space a failed relationship left. As simple as it sounds, watching this movie you will explore feelings like loneliness, self discovery without it being too cheesy or hard to watch.

This movie is written in a beautiful way. Common things like casual conversations and peaceful walks make this movie feel down to earth and human even though is set in a futuristic world. I also love how the future this movie sets in is not full of neon lights and cyberpunk stuff but minimalistic buildings and technology that enhances today's life.

Talking about minimalism, I would consider this movie minimalistic. From the camera work to the characters involved in the plot, this movie looks tidy and clean, and focus on the plot without bringing too much filler to it. It's worth mentioning that, despite it's minimalism you won't get bored, as the plot it's a roller-coaster of emotions that will keep you glued to the screen till the end.

Lastly, I would say that Joaquin Phoenix acting makes Theodore much more relatable, and Scarlett Johansson's voice is able to bring a human touch to one of the most synthetic think I could think of.

Her is a beautiful movie and I think a must-watch.

This movie is pretty much what you would expect: 7 men try to survive in the snow after their plane crashes, having to face nature at it's worst.

Something that makes this movie stand out is the visuals. Beautiful landscapes and close ups make The Grey delightful to the eye. But, although I liked the movie, it's pretty much a typical man vs nature movie, and brings nothing different to the genre. It's still well done, though.

The Nice Guys is a (kind of) buddy cop comedy where two private inspectors end up trying to find a missing girl in a criminal plot in the porn world.

First things first: I personally don't like when films or even books get too explicit with sex, pornography and that stuff, so I was tempted to skip this movie, but I saw potential on it and gave it a try. The truth is that this movie has really funny moments and even can make you laugh out loud. With also a good cast, this movie is definitely worth watching.

I gotta be honest here: when I started watching Drive I was expecting to see an action movie with fast racing scenes and some crime going on. What I got was something really different (and better).

Drive is about guy that's a mechanic, a stunt man (though this doesn't have a big relevance in the plot) and a getaway driver. Basically he starts getting to know his neighbor when work and love mix up. You can guess the outcome.

The driver has a charismatic personality. He's neutral, quiet, calm, almost like a robot, but not in a unrealistic way. The way this character is done and how Ryan Gosling brings him to life is the key of why this movie is so good... but it's not the only reason.

The camera work is also really good. This movie is full of slow, broad and breathtaking scenery, sometimes accompanied by an awesome retro soundtrack that sticks to you even though that genre is not your thing. It's really unique.

So yeah, I could keep saying good things about this movie, but it would be better if you just go watch it. I'm sure you'll like it.

Winter's Bone is about a girl, Ree, who has to take care to her brother, her sister and her mother, that has to face the most challenging time of her life when shes told that they're gonna loose their house. Sounds good, isn't it? Well, let me tell you in advance: It isn't that good.

If there's something clear about this film, it's that this is probably the best Jennifer Lawrence performance to date. The way she makes the viewer believe in how Ree feels, to see the realness in it, is astounding. Really, if you still doubt about her acting skills this is a way to prove you wrong.

And that's all the good about this movie, because the plot is just bad. Is frustrating how plain is in the first two thirds of the film, how it starts getting more intense in the third... and how anticlimactic is in the end. It literally left me asking "wait, is this done? This is the end?". It's a shame, but I can't find any good in this movie's plot. Such a wasted opportunity.

If you are looking through Jennifer Lawrence filmography and have some spare time, maybe watch it. If else, it's just not worth it.

Valhalla Rising is a movie that I would describe as "weird but haunting". At the first half I was thinking that maybe it wasn't a movie that I would enjoy, but I still stayed because I was expecting the overall film to be something great, and it is.

The first thing that got me was one-eye. The performance of this main character, the way he expresses without speaking or even move is something difficult to do right, and yet he does. The plot is also very implicit, and forces you to think, to suppose, to seek for a clue to really understand what's going on, and here it's really satisfying because it works so well here.

Something that I don't like so much is the special effects. There are few, since this movie takes a kind of minimalistic approach when it comes to frame and movement, but the few that are there are really unrealistic, to the point of almost make you laugh. It compensates with the good things this movie has, but I have the philosophy that if you can't make it right, just don't do it. And that could've been applied here.

Something that also got my attention while watching it is that this is a very quiet movie. Few conversations and few background music make this film have it's own vibe. Makes you feel the environment in a way you couldn't it the movie used more noise, a soundtrack or anything of the kind.

So, Is this movie for everyone? No. Is this movie awesome? I think so. I encourage you to watch it if you're not sure, you'll probably like it.

I wasn't expecting much from this film, but something cached my attention when I knew about it and I'm glad it did. The Last Samurai is a great package of Japanese culture, action scenes and self improvement.

The plot is very typical of this genre: There's two sides at war and our main character gets involved in the middle of the conflict. However, there's a twist here that I really appreciated: This movie is not about good vs bad and a guy becomes a legend, this is more about the process, the meantime, and it's something that even thought is becoming a cliché. It adds value to a film that otherwise would be just a show to make people feel impressed.

Also, this film is stunning visually. There's a lot of beautiful landscapes although the action scenes are a little bit bland, and I think it's Tom Cruise's fault, who lacks movement in fight scenes. Talking about Tom Cruise, his presence looks kind of out of place in this role, but I could be possible that it was intentional. If the purpose was to make him look like an outsider, well done. Apart from that, the cast is great, and I wouldn't complain about their performances.

To wrap up my review, this is a great movie even thought is nothing transcendental. It also gives a good key message, which is a plus. And if you like long movies you'll be pleased to sit with this one for two and a half hours.

This is one of these movies that thought it can be considered old, it never gets old.

The Machinist treats mental health problems really interestingly, and immerses the viewer into Trevor's mind in a brilliant yet sneaky way. The movie tries to deliver the vision of a man who's been better, but doesn't realize how low he is because he's gotten used to the felling, and if that's something hard to explain imagine how hard it is to pull it up in an almost two hours long movie. And this film still success at doing it.

I Wish I could say more about it, but I would kill part of it's magic. You'll have to see it, something I recommend you to do.

It can seem that this movie doesn't have much to offer since is a one hour and a half story happening inside a car. The truth is that is far from right.

Locke presents it's plot in a way that the viewer can easily empathise: a man, who's been faced with an important decision to make, gets in the car after getting out of work and starts driving to his destination. In the meantime, he makes and receives calls, some of these life-changing.

Since is a long ride, we're able to see a roller coaster of feelings, both in the calls and the time where he's alone with his thoughts, as the story slowly unfolds. While this movie has some serious wonderful acting by all the actors and actresses who give voice to the people on the other side of the phone, Tom Hardy makes an excellent job in deliver emotions, and I would say the way he express them is one of the best parts of this movie.

This is not a perfect film, whatsoever. After watching it I was left with the feeling that it missed something, like some sort of icing on the cake to make it 10 out of 10. Although this movie is about the progression and not an end product, it left me kind of cold.

Locke is probably not for everyone, since it requires you to think and pay attention to really understand what's going on, but if you're willing to make the effort, the experience will definitely be worth it.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is a great movie, and I would say better than the recent superhero movies. I'm afraid thought that the first movie set the expectations so high that is not crazy to doubt if this one was able to keep up.

Visually is as good as the first one, the acting is on point and the soundtrack is dope. The plot is fine, although it falls under the "knowing better the characters and realizing their sad and deep feelings" cliché. It leaves me with the feeling that the first one was innovative and fresh, wherever this one just reused the formula.

Apart from that, this is an entertaining and fun movie, and I would recommend it to anyone who is into superhero or science fiction movies. It doesn't disappoint.