Reviews

"THIS IS THE WORST FILM OF THE YEAR OR AT LEAST MOST DISAPPOINTING."

In 1941, Disney wasn't doing too well financially. It was the success of a short 64 minute animated movie about an elephant who could fly that would launch Disney back into the successful realm of cinema. Since then, this film called 'Dumbo' has brightened our days throughout the years, made us sing along to its original and amazing songs, and fall in love over and over with each viewing with the titular character 'Dumbo'. It was a simple story about a newborn elephant with large ears. All of the other animals and humans at the circus made fun of Dumbo, which caused his mother to protect him, thus forcing her to leave Dumbo and be locked up because she became "dangerous". Turns out, Dumbo could fly with the help of his mouse friend and became the star of the circus, eventually living a life of luxury and reuniting with his mother. It's a beautiful story for sure with a couple of thought-out, well designed characters.

All of the magic that is Dumbo, the richness, story, and heart is completely lost on Tim Burton's live-action animated remake 'Dumbo'. I feel this way about each and every single Disney live-action animated film recently too. 'Dumbo' takes it a step further though and adds a ton of unnecessary characters and story plots that are so obnoxious that I couldn't wait for this movie to end. It truly as an awful movie through and through, and I hate to say that, because I love the character 'Dumbo' so much and quite enjoy Danny DeVito, Michael Keaton, Colin Farrell, and Eva Green in everything they do. Just not here, which is unfortunate.



On the subject of Tim Burton, you can't help buy bask in his unique, dark style for filmmaking. If you watch a Tim Burton movie, you know immediately that it is a Tim Burton movie by the way he lights his backgrounds, his camera angles, and his gothic-like props and Danny Elfman score that is a mix between a sweet candy and haunted house for the most part. 'Dumbo' is no different from his previous style, where most of the film is in fact animated in the background (green screen style), but with human actors.

Burton has done some wonderful films for sure since his debut with 'Pee-Wee's Big Adventure', but a lot of his remakes of classic Disney tales or novels have been for the lack of a better word - awful. And that's what this remake of 'Dumbo' is - awful. In fact, there is a character in the film played by Alan Arkin who basically looks at the camera and says, "This is a complete disaster." It was as if he was in on the joke and was telling me what I already knew in the first 10 minutes of the film. It was the only time I felt an emotion during the entire movie, which was a disappointed laughter.





Burton also took quite a few liberties with the story as well, and I give kudos to him for being original and not making a straight shot-for-shot remake of the animated film, but I have to take those kudos right back for failing miserably at every turn here, leaving a sour taste in my mouth for a character that I have loved since the early 1980s.

In the 1941 version, the movie is through the eyes of the lovable 'Dumbo'. In Tim Burton's remake, it's told through the many eyes of new human characters, including the widowed and one-armed army vet, but now circus performer (Colin Farrell) and his two young kids (Millie and Joe), who take a liking to 'Dumbo'. The boss of the circus is Max (Danny DeVito), who runs his rough around the edges circus with his band of misfits who all take on multiple roles in his show. Meanwhile, a rich tycoon named Vandevere (Michael Keaton) and his high flying trapeze artist wife (Eva Green), hear about the flying elephant and decide to buy Max's circus and bring them to his "Disneyland" type theme park as the main attraction. Little does anyone know that Vandevere has other sinister plans for the elephant.

Where the first movie ended in 1941, where Dumbo flew at the circus, is about the 25 minute point in this bloated 2 hour affair and it feels like 4 hours getting through it all. Dumbo now can put out fires, save humans and even have people ride him like a horse in the air. Not only that, Dumbo is a side note to his own story, where the less than thrilling and at times over-the-top characters are the sole focus. This would be okay if any of the characters were liable, but none of them really are. DeVito is holding back here, although it's always great to see him on screen.



Keaton is so over-the-top and one note that you forget his character is a real person. Colin Farrell having a southern accent and not having any emotion through the entirety of the movie made me laugh and feel bad for him. Nobody is gonna believe Farrell is from the South. Then there are the two kids who are the prime focus in the film. Nico Parker who plays the young girl Millie is so bland and wooden through her role, that I thought she was just reading lines in a monotone voice instead of actually acting. The same goes for her brother in the film, but he was even more forgettable.

As for the animation of Dumbo. It's okay enough, but again, Dumbo shows almost no emotion with the exception of his eyes getting bigger in certain moments. There was more emotion in that 1941 animated film of Dumbo, than there is here, which causes you to care less for this once amazing character. It was a true let-down.



Danny Elfman's score pays tribute to some of the original songs, sans the most important one, which was unbelievable to miss out on a big opportunity like that, which is "When I See an Elephant Fly". It's not in there at all. I mean, that's the point of the movie, right? Then there was the iconic "Pink Elephants on Parade" sequence from the original, but in this remake is basically a slap in the face to anyone who made the original and to its audience.

Again, what ever magic, mystique, or fun the original 1941 film had going for it is completely lost in this remake. I'm willing to bet this is the worst film of the year or at least most disappointing. Instead of paying money to see this movie, just watch the original instead. You'll be much happier.

WRITTEN BY: BRYAN KLUGER

From the creative duo that brought us 'Klovn' and 'Klown', comes their next twisted comedy with a ton of heart called 'Dan Dream', that tells the true life story of the world's first electric car. If you've ever had the privilege to watch 'Klown', then you know about the off-beat humor of the Danish team Casper Christensen and Frank Hvam have owned since they stepped into the film world. With their silly bodily humor, they still manage to tell engaging and heart felt stories. Dan Dream is no different and has shades of 'Little Miss Sunshine' throughout. Casper and Frank, who also star in the film, have perfectly captured this small moment in history with all its glory and warts in their unique brand of of comedy that includes butts and poop.

'Dan Dream' takes place in the 1980's and follows a guy named Thorkil Bonnesen (Casper), who has an idea to make the world's first electric car. He enlists the help of an odd group of people, including Jens (Hvam) who is a smart engineer, but is not present at home, Vonsil – who is a one-armed mechanic who has a penchant for racist jokes, and Henrik – who is a flamboyant man in charge of the decorations of the car and who also carries around his pet rabbit everywhere. These four guys must now find the finding and the perfect city to make their prototype car and unveil it on the world. They find a small-town, run by an inept mayor and set out to deliver strawberries in their new electric car to the people who said it would never happen.

Of course, you can look up to see what really happened, but then that would take the fun out of everything. The script is very genuine and real, as these four men mostly let their personal lives slip away in order to finish this project. Because of this, we see their faults, triumphs, and character arcs that is completely redeeming. There is a sense of accomplishment, loyalty, and love throughout the film that just oozes the best parts of a movie like 'Little Miss Sunshine', but in this case, there is a bit of toilet humor, as when the inept mayor eats raw chicken at a fondue place.

The actors here are brilliant and really drive home their distinct personalities, and although some might be harsh and brutal, you grow to love them, because the characters themselves grow as well. 'Dan Dream' is inspiring and heartwarming from start to finish and is one of those great true stories told on film.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

For decades now, we have been clamoring for a 'Wolverine' film done right. From his first incarnation in Hulk #181 to his own miniseries in comic book form in the 1980's by Frank Miller, to the amazing Saturday Morning Cartoon, and his first appearance in a feature film in 2000 with 'X-Men', which had the song and dance man Hugh Jackman play the iconic character. He was so good at playing Logan/Wolverine, that fans immediately took a liking to him as that character and he went on to play the 'Snikt-y Snikt' character in almost a dozen more films. Besides the 'X-Men' films, Wolverine got his own set of standalone films, which may or may not have been liked by a lot of people for various reasons. Either the story was too silly or the character Wolverine was to PG for fans.

If anyone knows the Wolverine character, it's that he's a brutal, violent, hardcore rated R character, which is something we haven't seen in cinema form at least. That is until now with James Mangold's new film 'Logan', which is very much an R-rated movie, complete with blood, ultra-violence, nudity, and vulgar language. It's everything we've always wanted in a Wolverine movie – FINALLY! With the past three X-Men films, we've seen our favorite X-Men characters growing up as it served as the prequel to the 2000 film. 'LOGAN' is set in the year 2029 and the world has changed for the worst, at least for a mutant friends. This is a very bleak, dark, and violent film with some flashes of dark humor. Nobody is doing well in 2029 here, particularly Logan (Hugh Jackman) who has crawled inside a whisky bottle and has never came back out, with the exception of driving a limo for cash around town. He's old, mean, and his body is starting to fail him. When he's not driving or killing people, he takes care of Charles Xavier (Sir Patrick Stewart), who is suffering from seizures and dementia, and who lives in a rusted out, abandoned water tower. Life is not good here for anyone.

Meanwhile, a little girl named Laura (Dafne Keen) crosses paths with Logan who seems to have the same abilities as the Wolverine himself. Logan is now charged with the task of transporting this little girl to a safe haven with Charles in tow, as a group of bad guys are after her, led by Dr. Zander Rice (Richard E. Grant). It's a fairly straight forward story and it takes its time setting up these older, dying characters, as well as its new ones. 'LOGAN' doesn't mess about with side tangent plot lines or love interests here. It's balls-to-the-wall, heart breaking action and drama, which is something we've wanted for a long time now with the Wolverine character. The script is written by Scott Frank ('Get Shorty, 'Minority Report') and Michael Green ('Heroes', 'Gotham'), which these two writers have expertly added in a fair dose of emotion into these characters, but never back pedal into past films. It was a breath of fresh air. James Mangold certainly was influenced by some of his favorite old western films, as can be seen in some of camera shots, which are just fantastic.

Also, if you ever wanted to see Wolverine go berserk, you'll finally get that here on more than one occasion, complete with some long shots of Wolverine slicing and dicing the bad guys without any cuts. Simply amazing. In the past films, we've seen the characters Professor Xavier and Wolverine rather smart, witty, and put together for the most part. That's not the case here. These two characters are very sick and are not doing well mentally and physically. Jackman and Stewart give award worthy performances here, which might bring a tear or two down your face. It's that good. Newcomer Dafne Keen as Laura was also fantastic and very believable in every second she's on film. 'LOGAN' runs at about 135 minutes, which can seem a bit long, but everything is necessary here and for good reason. 'LOGAN' is the Wolverine film we've always wanted and it deserves some high recognition.

I think the vulgar wedding comedy has formed its own sub genre these days. With films like 'Wedding Crashers', 'Bridesmaids', 'American Wedding', and 'The Hangover', you have all the ingredients to make a modern audience laugh with toilet humor, vulgar language, sex, drugs, excessive amounts of alcohol, and a happy ending (pun very intended). The next on the list of this current sub-genre of wedding comedies is 'Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates', which is actually based off a real life story of brothers Mike and Dave Stangle, who took to the internet to find dates for their sister's wedding, offering a free trip. They went viral, got a ton of responses, went on national television, and had a book come out.

Is there funny vulgar language here? Yes. Are there tons of drinking, drugs, and sex jokes here? Yes. That being said, there isn't anything new or original here, and we've all seen this before, several times. Yes, there are some funny moments here and there, but the film really loses steam quickly, due to the lack of any kind of real story. Instead, it just moves from next joke to the next joke to the next joke, all which involve drinking, sex, drugs, or saying the word "fuck" a few times in a matter of seconds.

Here, Mike and Dave are played by Adam Devine ('Workaholics') and Zac Efron, who take to Craig's List to look for wedding dates for their high pitched voiced sister's wedding in Hawaii. Mike and Dave are known to be the hard party dude's who bring the fun and also destruction to every party they attend, whether it be a family party, a funeral, or friend's rave. Their father (Stephen Root) tells them they need to not be the drunk assholes like they usually are at functions and be on their best behavior, and also need to bring actual respectable dates, instead of trying to hook up with every girl they come into contact with.

Enter Aubrey Plaza and Anna Kendrick who play Tatiana and Alice respectively who are actually more ridiculous and ruthless than Mike and Dave themselves. However, the two girls play nice in order to get to Hawaii, which is when the big laughs are supposed to happen. Sure there are some funny moments with a hardcore massage with a happy ending, a lesbian scene in a steam room, and a naked drug induced scene with horses, but none of them really stick the landing in a big way. Sure, you'll laugh here and there, but it's mostly from the insane and hyper-vulgar dialogue from the actors and nothing more. Even that runs its course early on.

Aubrey Plaza and Anna Kendrick are fun enough and have great comedic timing even if their characters are unlikable for the most part. Adam Devine is turned up to 11 here as the funny man where Zac Efron plays the straight laced guy. Their chemistry is energetic and it looks like they had a lot of fun in Hawaii, which is mostly why I think everyone decided to say "Yes" to this project – a free trip to Hawaii. Come to think of it, there was a better comedy made in Hawaii, which was 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall'. Still, for a mindless summer vulgar comedy that has a tiny bit of charm, 'Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates' should satisfy you for a minute or two when it comes out on Netflix.

WAIT FOR NETFLIX!

'Captain Fantastic' is not a super-hero movie, despite the title, but again, then maybe it is as we follow the journey of a big family, both emotionally and physically, as they stick together through some tough obstacles. Directed by Matt Ross, who is most known these days as Gavin Belson on HBO's 'Silicon Valley', 'Captain Fantastic' is one of those rare films that has just about everything you'd want in an emotional drama- comedy, which is all led by the amazing talent of Viggo Mortensen. The film is a refreshing mix of 'Beasts of the Southern Wild' and 'Little Miss Sunshine' and plays to both of those films strengths, while still managing to be original, entertaining, and heart-warming. 'Captain Fantastic' sure has quickly become one of my favorite films of the year.

Matt Ross sure has created a Utopian reality with this film when it comes to raising a family in an unconventional way. If all kids were raised more or less in the way depicted here in this film, things would be better, or at least that's what Ross wants you to think. In a perfect world maybe, but unfortunately this film is quite the fantasy, which is really the only minor gripe I have with the film. 'Captain Fantastic' follows a big family led by Ben (Viggo Mortensen) and his wife Leslie (Trin Miller), along with their six kids in rural Washington State. They home-school all of their kids in the forest, teaching them everything from deer hunting with a knife, canning vegetables and fruits, to all of the social and economic issues from the past and present.

The kids know several languages fluently and can even play instruments. However, their mother has been in the city to get "help" for her bi-polar disorder, which ends unfortunately. This has Ben and his six kids on a road trip in a decked out hippie bus across country to attend their mother's funeral, despite Ben's father-in-law (Frank Langella) threatening to call the police if Ben and the kids show up, as he blames Ben for his daughter's death. On the road trip the family sticks together when others think they're weird for their intelligent yet awkward ways, including celebrating Noam Chomsky's birthday as their version of Christmas, stealing food from the grocery store, having the youngest kid (7 years old) recite the bill of rights and explain what it all means, and being up front and honest with people and each other when it comes to sensitive subjects that includes topics such a rape and death.

It sounds rough, but Ross captures this family and a very innocent and charming light. Even though the oldest son Bodevan (George MacKay) can tell you about any literary classic in detail or talk astrophysics, he has no idea how to socialize with anyone his age on a normal level, even though he has applied to all the ivy league schools and has been accepted each of them. Things get a bit serious when an accident happens that makes Ben think twice on how he is raising his kids and must make a compromise with their way of life and living in the real world for everyone's safety.

This journey is not only a physical one, but an emotional one as well, as each kid and Ben struggles with who they are and how they were raised. It's a very satisfying story to tell and to see on screen, as you grow more attached to each character with each passing minute, despite their quirks. One obstacle after another, this family really stays loyal and proves their worth to one another and society, even if it's so far- fetched that it is almost borderline fantasy. The music in the film by Alex Somers is captivating and Matt Ross captures the rugged countryside beautifully.

Viggo Mortensen along with the six kids turn in phenomenal performances, but Viggo truly shines as a realistic portrayal of a father who is trying his best, given his choices and circumstances. If only we all had a part of Ben in all of us in life. 'Captain Fantastic' is one of those rare beautiful films that is pretty much flawless.

MUST SEE!

It seems like there are a wealth of animated talking animal movies these days. With Pixar, Disney, and DreamWorks releasing 'Zootopia', 'The Good Dinosaur', 'Finding Dory' and 'Kung Fu Panda 3' recently, it only seems fair that Universal dipped their hands into the sub-genre as well with 'The Secret Life of Pets'. Universal's animation studio Illumination Entertainment brought us 'Despicable Me' and those darn 'Minions' to the big screen, which has made the entertainment business billions of dollars. It seems logical for the studio to cash in on the talking animal genre now, since everyone else is doing it, however with an already over-crowded market for these films, 'The Secret Life of Pets' may fall short of beating out 'Zootopia' and 'Finding Dory' in both the financial and critical realms. I'm not saying that 'The Secret Life of Pets' is a bad movie or anything. In fact there are some great moments that are funny and charming, but it loses itself in the second half of the film when it becomes an action-caper movie that becomes over-the-top and even drags in its short run time of less than 90 minutes.

The film really succeeds when it shows just what are pets do when we humans leave for work in the morning and go out the door. The writers and director ('Despicable Me') sure had some clever and hilarious gags that showed the special nuances of our pets that all of us can relate to, but the story revolves around Max (Louis C.K.), a terrier who has a great bond with his owner. All of that changes when his new owner brings home a new giant brown dog named Duke (Eric Stonestreet). These two dogs are basically the equivalent of Mike and Sully from 'Monster's Inc.' in both shape and personality. The two don't get along due to some jealousy issues, but the pair of dogs find themselves lost in the streets in a beautifully rendered Manhattan without collars, and are now on the run from the dog catchers as well as an underground animal rebellion known as the 'Flushed Pets', led by a psychotic ninja bunny rabbit named Snowball (Kevin Hart turned up to 11).

Max's pet friends try to search for him, including a ritzy and hopeless romantic Pomeranian (Jenny Slate), an obese house cat (Lake Bell), a hyperactive pug (Bobby Moynihan), a relaxed dachshund (Hannibal Buress), a tiny parakeet (Tara Strong), a confused Hawk (Albert Brooks), and a spry, old hound (Dana Carvey). Yes, there are too many characters here, and in fact, there are more in the film, which is one of its downfalls. There are just too many characters to juggle in this short time span and most characters just show up for a small amount of time for a few jokes and laughs, then basically disappear.

Again, the first half of the film is quite enjoyable with all of the quirks and actions of each pet getting laughs, however in the second half of the film, pets are driving human cars down the busy streets of New York and all come together in a 'Spider- Man' like scenario climax. Perhaps one of the best scenes in the film is when Max and Duke head to a hot dog factory that plays out like 'Grease' and early 40's musical movies. With most of the characters not getting enough time for care and the over- the-top action sequences once again, 'The Secret Life of Pets' becomes rather exhausting and most unfunny toward the end. Still, the film looks amazing visually with the ever so tall skyline of New York as seen through the eyes of our smaller furry friends and the score by Alexandre Desplat sounds excellent and has the Woody Allen New York vibe to it. The film is still mostly enjoyable and has some great comedic moments, but if it just stuck with a simpler story line, instead of turning into an action film, things would have flowed smoother.

WORTH A LOOK!

Taika Waititi is one name you will soon remember for a very long time if you don't already know it. Waititi is writer/director here for 'Hunt for the Wilderpeople', which is already in the top 5 BEST movies of the year, but Waititi is also an actor too. He starred in and directed the recent 'What We Do In The Shadows', as well as directed 'Eagle vs Shark' and even worked on 'Flight of the Conchords' amongst other films. He is currently directing the upcoming 'Thor: Ragnarok' film for Marvel, and it's easy to see why Marvel hired this guy by watching 'Hunt for the Wilderpeople'. Even if the premise here is similar to other films, Waititi makes the story and characters entirely refreshing and original.

If you're a fan of Wes Anderson movies and Edgar Wright movies, then you're sure as hell to enjoy Waititi and his 'Hunt for the Wilderpeople', which is funny, charming, action-packed, and very heart-warming. It could be difficult to have all of these qualities in a film, buy Waititi weaves these elements in flawlessly and even leaves you wanting to spend hundreds of more hours with these two main characters. The film centers on a young, portly teenager named Ricky (Julian Dennison), who has been in and out of foster homes since he was a baby. The child services agent drops him off at his aunt's house in the middle of the New Zealand jungle and tells her that Ricky is somewhat of a problem child. That doesn't phase her much, as Ricky settles in to his new home in the wilderness, complete with his basketball sneakers, name-brand hoodie and flashy baseball cap.

His aunt Bella (Rima Te Wiata), is a fantastic person who tells it like it is and is blunt- in-your-face. She even makes jokes at Ricky's size, but it's done in such a fashion that it really is a term of endearment. Her husband on the other hand, Hector (Sam Neill) is the opposite of Ricky. Hector is a real outdoorsman type who doesn't talk much and knows how to handle himself in the woods. After an accident, Hector and Ricky must learn to get along, but when the child protective services come back to get Ricky, the due head off into the wilderness, so that Ricky won't have to go back to foster homes or worse – juvie.

Hector teaches Ricky (who fancies himself a wannabe gangsta) how to live in the woods, which comes with great laughs, when Ricky's only goal in life is to find toilet paper. Eventually the police and even the military start looking for Hector and Ricky after months of living in the wilderness, but the two come to bond and realize they need each other to express their feelings and loneliness. There are great quips of comedy n the vein of Wes Anderson and Edgar Wright here, as Hector and Ricky come across some interesting people in the wilderness, but there is also some dramatic moments here too, where the two try to express their past sadness in the form of funny haikus.

There is an action set piece here as well, which I'm sure scored Waititi the 'Thor 3' job, and after seeing this film, he is more than capable of making the best 'Thor' film or even Marvel movie thus far. The performances by Sam Neill and Julian Dennison are phenomenal. They have such a good and hilarious chemistry and are very real people without ever getting too sappy or over-the-top, which we can thank Waititi's screenplay and direction for that. There are some excellent movie references and a ton of heart and soul into this film that make 'Hunt for the Wilderpeople' one of the BEST films in a long long time.

MUST-SEE!!

I'm just thankful that Steven Spielberg is not doing awful period pieces like his last films, including 'Lincoln', 'War Horse', and 'Bridge of Spies'. Yes, those films won Oscars, but I'm willing to bet you've only seen the once and will never see them again. I'm thankful and excited that Spielberg has returned, at least for a few films into his magical world of sci-fi, which he excels at. This time around, Spielberg is tackling the children's story of 'The BFG' or 'Big Friendly Giant', by the great author Roald Dahl ('Charlie and the Chocolate Factory', 'Matilda', 'James and the Giant Peach', and 'The Witches').

There are quite a few similarities to Spielberg's opus 'E.T.', in which a creature befriends a small kid and they go on adventures and connect with one another. Even the late Melissa Mathison, who wrote 'E.T.', wrote the screenplay to 'The BFG'. If you're looking for some of those 80's Spielberg moments, then you'll definitely find them here. That being said, iI don't think it all holds as much weight or charm as his early films did. In fact, I think this film plays more to the younger crowd than it does to the adults.

Sure, there are things for everyone, but I imagine that farting corgis will only go so far for laughs. If you're unfamiliar with the story, 'The BFG' follows a young orphan girl named Sophie (the brilliant Ruby Barnhill), who is quick on her feet and a food natured soul. There are talks about giants who eat humans in town, and one night, a giant grabs little Sophie. Fortunately for her, this giant (Mark Rylance) is a friendly giant who catches dreams and nightmares from a dream tree and delivers the good ones to humans while they sleep.

Sophie and the BFG form a friendship with his hilarious and charming dialect and language, and she teaches him some proper etiquette. Just outside his house, away from the real world, lives a group of mean old giants, who look more like barbarians, and who eat humans and especially little kids. Jermaine Clement from 'Flight of the Conchords' and Bill Hader provide some of the voices for the mean giants here and are quite funny. This world that Spielberg has created is magnificent. The vast views of the sea and green pastures, as well as the BFG's home is so much fun and full of little fun details, that it would take multiple viewings to catch everything. Everything just seems so magical about it.

Soon enough, Sophie and The BFG go to the actual Queen of England and enlist her help to take care of the bad giants. The scene where the BFG is in the Queen's castle is truly funny and will be a big hit with the kids. Ruby Barnhill is amazing as Sophie and just emulates a strong presence and confidence in her role at all times. She is charming and fun to watch on screen. I hope she sticks around for a while, because she has good acting chops.

Mark Rylance as the BFG is excellent as well, and even though it is all on motion capture, his voice work and movements are simply amazing and life-like. I just don't think there is enough emotional weight or charm that would make this film one of Spielberg's best. Still, this is a great movie and one that I would certainly watch again. And of course, when you get Spielberg, you get composer John Williams, who again, brings another great and memorable score.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Are you ready to cleanse your sins away and 'Purge' once again? Well, the movie industry certainly is with 'The Purge: Election Year'. Funny, it is an election year in the real world and with Donald Trump on the card, an actual 'Purge' might just happen. You might laugh at that notion and I do too, but it's more plausible than ever before. Writer/director of all 'The Purge' movies, James DeMonaco, actually got his start as the writer of the Robin Williams' film 'JACK', which if you look at it closely, they are all practically the same movie. Of course, I'm kidding.

These 'Purge' films have certainly grown into a political and social satire on our society today, where the 1st 'Purge' film basically just centered on a family, trying to survive the 12 hour 'Purge', where all crime, including murder is legal. It was a home invasion film at its core with a hint of a political message of how the wealthiest 1% are purging on the lower income and minorities in America. It was hinted at only. 'Purge: Anarchy' took to the streets of the big city and got bigger into the political and social messages with an actual militia full of people, trying to stop 'The Purge' by taking out the government.

The political messages were rampant, but focused on a guy named Leo Barnes (Frank Grillo), as he tried saving people through the night, in order to kill someone from his past. Cut to two years later and we are at 'The Purge: Election Year', where a Donald Trump like figure is in office who is very much for murdering and "purging" in this twelve hour period. On the other side of the fence is US Senator Charlene Roan (Elizabeth Mitchell from 'LOST'), and is running for President and is deeply opposed to the annual 'Purge'.

Her first order of business and biggest issue is getting rid of the 'Purge', due to an incident that happened fifteen years prior. Leo Barnes is now in the secret service business and is in charge of protecting Roan, but the government does not want her in office so they can keep purging year after year, and this they try and kill her. Leo and Charlene are no running thru the streets, trying to survive the night with the help of a deli owner named Joe (Michael Williamson or Bubba from 'Forest Gump') and a couple of his friends.

There are definitely a lot of moments that are eerily similar to the current election coming up in November, but DeMonaco does a good job at keeping things thrilling and darkly funny throughout. Characters who "purge" are over-the-top and ridiculous for sure, and their anger and crudeness is unbelievable, but the reward is so satisfying when they get their comeuppance. There is a ton of political talk throughout with some gruesome murders and some fairly scary and sadistic images that DeMonaco has conjured up. It's a frightening scenario for sure and DeMonaco succeeds in showing the horror around DC, which is actually the streets of Rhode Island.

The dialogue is blunt and vulgar, but at times can be silly and quite funny to lighten the mood. Frank Grillo more or less takes a back seat this time around too and while he has a couple of quick fight scenes, he isn't the complete badass that we saw in the last film. I'm sure they will keep making 'Purge' films as long as they are making money, so I expect a fourth installment in the next year or two. 'The Purge: Election Year' does a good job for what it is and continues the story and its political message in these current times. The film is entertaining enough and for fans of the other 'Purge' films will certainly like this third sequel.

RECOMMENDED FOR FANS!

There are only a few times a year where a movie completely catches you off guard and there are fewer times where a movie will be imprinted and branded into your mind forever. 'Swiss Army Man' is one of those films. It's funny, disgusting, beautiful, and simply amazing on just about every level. This is where cinema is at its best. Director and writer pair Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (known as the Daniels) have masterfully crafted a screenplay and beautifully shot film that that covers just about every aspect of being alive and human. It's almost a coming-of-age story in a weird sort of way and is full of pure, amazing life, even though there is a corpse throughout the entire film. This movie takes those small, precious, awkward moments in life and puts them flat on the table for everyone to see. It's a little bit gross and weird, but it's also amazing and beautiful. I don't think any two people could have played the two parts any better than Paul Dano or Daniel Radcliffe did. They are simply phenomenal in their roles and bring such a heartfelt performance to each of their characters, that you can't help but want to spend more time with them.

We first meet Hank (Dano) who is on a small deserted island, as he is about to hang himself with makeshift rope, when he suddenly sees a dead body on the shore (Radcliffe). After he slips and almost hangs himself to death, he walks over to the corpse only to find out that the corpse has a ton of gas still inside of it. Soon enough, Dano is riding this farting corpse like a jet ski to a bigger place where civilization might be. Hank brings the corpse with him as he tries to find help and home and figures out that this dead body has a lot of cool powers and uses, like chopping down trees, spewing up rain water, farting fire, and shooting things at super speed out of its mouth.

The body soon begins to talk as Hank props this corpses head up and pokes and prods him to get him to do things. The corpse goes by Manny and is just as innocent as a newborn. Manny is discovering life and has no idea what it's like, so Hank answers all questions from jerking off, to riding a bus, to going on a date and listening to music, to watching movies and having parents, and even re-writing the childhood classic "Everybody Poops" with actual poop inside the pages of the bible. No matter what you may feel about this movie, there will be something good you will take away with it, whether it be friendship, love, accepting yourself and others, happiness, or just a farting corpse that smiles. It's all here and on display in the most beautiful fashion.

Paul Dano and Daniel Radcliffe are incredible in these characters. Dano plays Hank with such charisma and charm, yet with a chaotic and scary side, that you are never too sure about him. You can love him one minute and be frightened of him the next. Hank has many layers to him and Dano executes each emotional layer flawlessly. Then there is Daniel Radcliffe, who might just deserve a Best Actor nomination at the Oscars this year for his role as a corpse. Even though Manny is supposed to be dead and gross, Radcliffe plays him with so much life, that he is, well – alive. I've never quite seen anything like it before.

The two Daniels have really broken the mold with 'Swiss Army Man' and I'm sure this film will be etched into the minds of cinema lovers for years to come. The soundtrack is also fantastic by Andy Hull and Robert McDowell and has a fantastical and indie element about it. This is one of the most original and fun movies of the year.

It seems like a ton of horror movies come out every year, and most times, they don't live up to their potential. There are a handful of horror movies over the last decade that really satisfy us horror fans. Films like 'The Babadook', 'It Follows', and 'The Conjuring' will still be talked about for years to come. One name in the horror genre, or at least in recent years is James Wan. This man burst onto the scene with 'Saw', which was basically genre changing and spawned a ton of sequels. Wan also made a few other horror films, all testing the bounds and pushing us into a new horror direction, while still respecting his influences.

I can easily say that James Wan's name belongs up there with the likes of John Carpenter and Stephen King. The guy knows horror and how to execute it so well that his images will continue to haunt for many years to come. I'm glad he signed on to take on the Ed and Lorraine Warren investigations some years ago and gave us 'The Conjuring' and now 'The Conjuring 2', which was previously titled 'The Enfield Poltergeist'. If you're unfamiliar with Ed and Lorraine Warren, these are two real-life people who were paranormal investigators and professors, who helped a lot of people from hauntings and possessions.

Perhaps their most famous investigation was 'The Amityville Horror', which is where 'The Conjuring 2' starts out, as Ed and Lorraine Warren are investigating the house a few months after the Lutz family moved out. It's here that Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) has a vision of something so sinister, that she makes her husband Ed (Patrick Wilson) promise that they are done with these investigations. That's when things start to go awry over in England at the Hodgson residence where things go bump in the night and then some, as the mother Peggy Hodgson and her four young kids are subjected to moving furniture, screams, and much more.

Ed and Lorraine hear of this and set out to England to help out, despite their previous promise, and then all hell breaks loose – literally. Running at over two hours, there are certain times where 'The Conjuring 2' seems like its doing too much, but there is nothing bad about the movie really. It's just that we're put through so much suspense, horror, and terror, that by the final act, we are glad it's over with. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but it makes you exhausted by the end. Director James Wan is true modern master of horror. He uses the usual horror genre tropes, but makes them relevant and fresh all over again, whether it be a child hiding under the covers while something is hovering over you, or a possessed toy, and even ghostly visions.

Most of these moments will leave a lasting and terrifying impression that will make it difficult to sleep at night, particularly a certain beastly nun. I still get shivers thinking about it. Wan also adds some comedy here, but is used sparingly, and is relegated to the time period. It was a nice breath from all the intense horror that was going on in the film. The score is fantastic and adds to every single moment of terror. It's incredible that these stories are real and that you can actually research them, and Wan does an incredible job of adapting the material and making it entertaining and scary-as-hell. 'The Conjuring 2' is a fantastic sequel and is an instant horror classic.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Another Pixar sequel is here, and this time it takes place under water with 'Finding Dory', the sequel to the 2003 hit 'Finding Nemo'. Wow, has it really been thirteen years since Pixar made $940 million off that cute orange fish? Well, Pixar is in the sequel making business these days, and with 'Finding Dory', they seem to have made an enjoyable and entertaining sequel that has some funny moments, but misses the mark on the heart and soul of the first film – not to mention the lack of creative story telling devices that the first movie had throughout. I'm sure this sequel will make a huge splash with all audiences, but the kids are more likely to eat this up than the adults.

Taking place a year after the first film, Marlin (Albert Brooks), Nemo (Hayden Rolence), and Dory (Ellen DeGeneres) are enjoying life in the reef, where Marlin is still worried about everything, Nemo is loving school, and Dory is still forgetting everything, due to her short term memory loss condition. Somehow, she remembers she has a parents (Diane Keaton and Eugene Levy), and even stranger is that she somehow remembers where they live, which is in California. Soon, she enlists the help of Marlin and Nemo, and the trio are off from Australia to California via a recognizable sea of turtles. This is where I thought the plot would thicken with adventure, but in a split second, the trio is in California, where the bulk of the movie takes place at a dreary Monterey Marine Life Institute, which is more like an aquarium, leaving the vast ocean life on the back burner this time.

Things get a bit silly and ridiculous from here on out in the form of Dory trying to enlist the help of other animals to get herself inside the aquarium. Perhaps the best addition to this sequel is in the form of a color/shape shifting octopus named Hank (Ed O'Neill), who is perfectly content being inside a tank and not in the vast ocean abyss. He's super funny in a good dry way. Other supporting characters include a near-sighted whale-shark and a Beluga whale who can't use its auditory sense very well. They are also welcome additions, but don't serve much purpose. There are some genuine moments and a decent, if not jumbled message for the kids, as well as some good laughs, but it doesn't pack the creativity nor the current that the first film had.

Visually, the film is stunning, and maybe one of the BEST looking Pixar films to date. Every nuance of sea life and underwater scene is intricate with the finest of details and fully immerses you into this world. The voice work is spot on and Ellen DeGeneres shines as Dory, while Ed O'Neill and Albert Brooks pack some good laughs. Even though, a lot of the charm and boldness of the first film is gone here, 'Finding Dory' is still worth seeing. Be sure to stay until after the credits for a great sequence involving some cameos and a trio of hilarious sea lions.

WORTH A LOOK!

What would a Summer-Movie-Season be without Kevin Hart and Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson? This summer, the two team up in an action-comedy called 'Central Intelligence', directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber ('Dodgeball' and 'We're The Millers') and co-written by actor/writer Ike Barinholtz ('Neighbors'). With so many buddy-cop action comedies out there, it's sometimes difficult to tell one of them from another. Sure, there are the greats like 'Lethal Weapon', 'Turner and Hooch', and 'Tango and Cash', but what does modern day buddy-cop action comedies hold that the past films don't? When relating this to 'Central Intelligence', it seems like the filmmakers thought it would be a lot of fun to put these two personalities together and basically let them riff off each other for a couple of hours. Throw in a some guns and a half baked plot about world security and terror, along with a message about being bullied, and you have yourself 'Central Intelligence'.

This film doesn't really pay attention to much with the actual plot at hand here, but more or less has Hart and 'The Rock' running around in comical scenes with some action to move the so-called story along. I know that doesn't sound great, but the chemistry and comedy between these two is quite funny and charming all at the same time. It's this only aspect that makes the film watchable and thoroughly enjoyable. You've seen better action scenes before in other films and you've laughed harder elsewhere too, but when these two actors come together, they make for a hilarious duo. I wouldn't be surprised if there is a sequel to this at some point.

The film starts out back in the mid-90s where Calvin Joyner (Hart) and Bob Stone (The Rock) are in high school. Calvin is the star of the school and is involved in everything from sports to theatre and is most likely to succeed. Bob Stone is a fat kid with braces who loves John Hughes and sings in the public high school shower. After a major embarrassing incident in the middle of the whole school, Bob is truly defeated and Calvin is the only one who helps. Cut to present day where Calvin is unhappy with his mediocre accounting job and Bob Stone is now 'The Rock'.

Sooner than later, bad guys and even the CIA are gunning for Bob Stone and Calvin now, and you never know if Bob Stone is an enemy of the state or the good guy, but none of this really matters here, as an excellent field of cameos pop up and the jokes between The Rock and Hart are almost endless, with the exception of when Calvin is trying to decide if his old friend is trustworthy. Again, 'Central Intelligence' isn't the ultimate buddy-cop action comedy, but it certainly has its moments. There are a ton of movie references, some solid comedy, and 'The Rock' wearing a unicorn T-Shirt. You just can't get enough of that silly fun. Stay tuned during the credits for outtakes.

RECOMMENDED!

It's not too often that we see a "coming-of-age" film that features an almost all female cast. Usually, the coming-of age movies center around boys or young men. If and when women are the center focus, it usually involves some sort of relationship or romance with a guy. Refreshingly and fortunate for us, Texas filmmaker Katie Cokinos flips the genre on its ear with 'I Dream Too Much', which focuses on a college-bound young woman who discovers herself, while staying with her great aunt in upstate New York.

The film is lighthearted and easy going, with almost nothing at stake, but the dialogue between the college girl Dora (Eden Brolin) and her aunt Vera (Diane Ladd) is quite charming and fun. It worked for 'Gilmore Girls' and works here too. Cokinos puts the romance/relationship/drugs on the back burner here, and instead tells a story of Dora, who would rather be with her friends in Brazil before college, rather than have her overbearing mother force her into law school and to ace the LSAT. To escape the hell, Dora arranges an extended stay with her great aunt Vera (Ladd), who has just suffered a broken foot and needs help around the house.

I wouldn't go as far as to say Vera and Dora hit it off very well. In fact, Vera is as cold as the bitter New York exterior at first, but it makes for some witty and funny dialogue between the two. Soon, Dora fins a few letters and diaries from Vera's famous literary uncle who has passed, as Dora begins to spark some new life into her creative mind and soul. She even has visions and dreams in the style of Jane Austen from time to time, which this movie has a ton of references too as well. It's quite a charming film with some fun characters and decent dialogue.

There are some musical and funny moments when Dora meets Abbey (Danielle Brooks), who works at the local clothing boutique, and who wants to become a famous singer and get discovered by the big time music producer who lives in town. All these characters in their own way help Dora find her creative and expressive self, and it's a joy to watch, despite that there's just not a whole lot that happens, besides some great character transformations and development, along with some solid, witty dialogue.

Eden Brolin is a newcomer to the film world and she delivers a wonderful performance. She's as cute as she is witty, and portrays a very realistic and likable young woman, trying to figure it all out. She's one to watch out for in the coming months. Diane Ladd is of course amazing here and shows that she still has that incredible talent that she's shown us for years now. 'I Dream Too Much' is a solid film that's easy to take in.

RECOMMENDED!

Nicolas Winding Refn has given us some fairly memorable images on the big screen over the years. 'Drive' might be his most successful and most main stream film to date. That film was critically acclaimed and praised by almost everyone. He followed that movie up with 'Only God Forgives' and it didn't do so well, both financially and critically. Refn and his wife even made a documentary about it, but Refn left a sour taste on the film community, at least for a little while. This might have been a blessing in disguise though, as Refn has decided to completely do his own thing from now on.

Sure, he has usually never compromised his views or style really, but with his latest film 'The Neon Demon', he does exactly what he wants, how he wants, and when he wants. The result is brilliant. Refn of course is one of those filmmakers who just passionately loves film at its purest state. He's considered one of the big fans of all movies, perhaps with a slight pension towards the bizarre and grindhouse-like style. Refn has pushed the bounds of filmmaking and story-telling with 'The Neon Demon' and has made us excited that we crossed that line with such originality and beauty. For sure, 'The Neon Demon' is a one-of-a-kind movie and dare I say that Nicolas Winding Refn is Stanley Kubrick come back to life.

Refn has made a beautiful horror film and satire all at the same time that takes a look at the fashion model world in Los Angeles. It's as if he took what we were all thinking and actually filmed it. Kubrick would have been proud of this film, as Refn perfectly framed and captured every single moment on film that told a story and meant something. The film follows a very young model named Jesse (Elle Fanning), who ends up in Los Angeles by herself, with no friends or family. She is a natural beauty and has just landed a top agency. When she's not out impressing the designers or photographers with her looks, she stays at a seedy motel run by a scum-bag named Hank (Keanu Reeves).

Jesse seems like a timid girl, but she has more up her sleeve than she lets on, and not always in the most positive of ways. Due to her natural beauty and innocence, she wins the gigs of all the top magazines, which causes the other older models to lose out on the spotlight and make them bitter and jealous, including Gigi and Sarah (Bella Heathcote and Abbey Lee). A makeup artist by the name of Ruby (Jena Malone) takes young Jesse under her wing, but there is always something off about her in her presentation and demeanor.

Through this visual paradise of elegance and ugliness, the story unfolds in a direction that you really won't see coming. When it does happen, Refn goes all out and never stops or flinches away with any of it. 'The Neon Demon' is truly a beautiful yet horrifying film for all the right reasons. The score by Cliff Martinez is fantastic as well and always adds to each moment of the movie's unpredictability and suspense.

Elle Fanning is simply fantastic here too, as she portrays someone you really never root for, but at the same time want her to succeed. Keanu Reeves provides some great entertainment and comedy too with Malone, Heathcote and Lee delivering top notch supporting performances. Refn has made an visually stunning film with one hell of a story that could be all too real in this day and age. Again, Refn would have made Kubrick proud with this one-of-a-kind movie experience.

Note to filmmakers: When you make a movie, DON'T use slow motion for over 80% of your film, especially in the horror/thriller genre. It takes the audience out of the moment, as is the horrid case with the new killer shark movie 'The Shallows'. After sleeping on it for a night, this film might be one of the worst and silliest films to come out this year. It's terrible filmmaking on just about every level. It's poorly written, poorly shot, and doesn't make a lick of sense. Blake Lively, who plays a young woman named Nancy, does a decent enough job with the material she's given, but after reading the screenplay, I would have walked far away from this film and never looked back, even if I got to go to Australia for a few weeks and film.

There's just so much wrong with this movie, it's hard to decipher where to begin, but as a charming nun/babysitter said, "Let's start at the very beginning." We first meet Nancy (Lively) as she is being driven to a remote beach to surf while she is on vacation. It is implied that she dropped out of med school after her mother died of cancer (a horrible side story full of cheese). She's being driven through a beautiful part of the forest to get to this amazing paradise view, but you wouldn't know it, because the director has Nancy texting her friend the whole time, while the screen captions are displayed largely on the screen at all times in real time.

The stupid thing about this is that the camera even shows the actual phone screen in frame as well through all of this. We just miss out on all the supposed beautiful shots and cinematography. After a few minutes of this, Nancy is in the water by herself, surfing the big waves, which is when everything become slow motion for the duration of the film. Her hair flings back with water, the waves crash down, and some average surfing maneuvers are all shown in slow motion. I'm convinced that the writer and director here only had enough material for about twenty minutes of film, but made it in slow-motion to drag it out to just over 80-minutes. I'm not kidding.

Soon enough, a big killer shark chomps Nancy on the leg, the blood starts flowing, and she swims over to a nearby small rock for safety, which is about 200 yards from the beach. This is where Nancy stays basically for the duration of the film by herself. Well not really by herself, there is a seagull she names Stephen on the rock with her, who was also injured in the shark attack. No, I'm not making this up. A few people walk by on the beach, but are attacked and killed by the shark, leaving poor Nancy stranded on the rock. Nothing seems to go her way either as she talks to herself or really us, the audience in everything that she does. It's quite annoying and everything just gets sillier and dumber all the way up to the final credits of the movie.

Do I have anything good to say about this movie? Minor things, I guess, including some good use of practical blood effects and a few minor suspenseful scenes with the shark, but that's about it. From Nancy's phone getting internet access on the remote beach in the middle of nowhere, to the seagull that always seems to have the answer, to the 'JAWS' wink where Nancy tells the shark to go screw itself as she shoots a gun - it all just falls insanely flat and makes you roll your eyes and wish you hadn't spend 80 minutes watching this movie.

We've seen quite a few movies and even TV shows that cover the Pablo Escobar story and his drug cartel over the years. Some have been great where others missed the mark. Here with 'The Infiltrator', you never really see Pablo Escobar, but only in passing as the story follows real-life US agent Robert Mazur or as his undercover name Bob Musella, played by Bryan Cranston, who is no stranger to the drug business (Breaking Bad). Robert Mazur went deep undercover to unlock and take down Pablo Escobar's drug business, along with his right hand men.

What director Brad Furman (The Lincoln Lawyer, Runner Runner) does here that makes this film stand apart from the rest in this genre, is strictly focus on the tension of going undercover in this nasty cartel business. There are some fairly intense moments of brutal killings and violence, but that all takes a back seat as we see all the moving parts come together to make this a successful operation, by showing how Mazur balances his home life, creating fake aliases and marriages, to even opening up bank accounts and becoming very friendly with the deadliest of Pablo Escobar's crew.

You'll be on the edge of your seat for sure throughout the whole film, hoping that Cranston's character isn't figured out. Speaking of Cranston, he does a phenomenal job as Robert Mazur and the ruthless businessman Bob Musella. It was almost like a return to the 'Breaking Bad' character of Walter White and Heisenberg, where one was a good family man and the other was a volatile and scary individual. It's a little more toned down here, but it works on all levels. His partner who is also undercover is Emir (John Leguizamo), who always turns in an excellent performance. Emir is the guy who takes all the scary chances here and seems a little unhinged, which also adds to the suspense of the story.

Benjamin Bratt and Diane Kruger play great supporting roles as well, but Cranston and Leguizamo shine bright here. Their struggles with keeping their separate lives from their undercover ones are rough, and you can see that it truly takes a toll on them. Oh and Olympia Dukakis makes an appearance in the film and just steals the show every time she's on screen. Put her in everything! The music choices are fun and spot on for the time period and the direction is gritty, which adds that extra layer of tension. 'The Infiltrator' is a fresh look at this overly-done story and comes highly recommended!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Paul Feig certainly has quite the resume. This writer/director/producer has recently made some of the funnier films, including 'Bridesmaids', 'The Heat', 'Spy', and let's not forget the hit TV series 'Freaks and Geeks'. Feig knows comedy and how to cast his roles perfectly. Each one of those films and a TV show are spot on hilarious with charm and heart. This same filmmaker has pretty much done the impossible, which is revamp the iconic 1980's film 'Ghostbusters'. Even before the first trailer for the movie debuted online, there was a sea of online people who trashed the film even before seeing one single frame of the film. It became a whole thing where sexism became one of the issues here.

There is a line in the film where the new 'Ghostbusters' (Kristin Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Leslie Jones, Kate McKinnon) read an online comment about themselves that references the whole female 'Ghostbusters' debate the online community seems to be having. It's a mildly funny reaction to it all, but this topic seems to come up throughout the film and feels redundant. I hate to say it too, but these online haters of the film before the movie came out might have a smile on their face come opening weekend, because this new 'Ghostbusters' just isn't that good. I'm not saying that I agree with the many people online who were boycotting this movie from the start. I'm quite the opposite in fact. I was for this movie from its inception and announcement, as I love Paul Feig and the incredibly talented cast here. They work well as a team and are quite funny with each other.

The unfortunate thing here, is that their chemistry starts and ends quickly with this 'Ghostbusters' storyline, which transfers to a mostly unfunny and jumbled mess of a film. What really makes this film not succeed is that it just moves from scene to scene with an unfunny piece of dialogue here and there and some form of physical comedy that we've seen many times before, but this time it's with a proton pack. There are no thrills or scares in the film either, other than a couple of places where the music crescendos loudly and it startles you. The encounters with the paranormal ghosts are mindless and unoriginal as well, leaving the magic and mystery of it all flat on the floor.

Even the characters themselves aren't that distinguishable from each other with the exception of Kate McKinnon, who plays an over-the-top scientist with huge glasses and a ton of goofy faces. It's very cartoony in the worst way. The rest of the characters may have just been one mind in three different bodies, all of them relaying the same thoughts and actions. The relationships between these four women just seem awkward, which is strange because one of the main themes here is friendship, but again, it all falls flat or comes across as super cheesy. What worked so well with the silliness of the original films is that the chemistry between the four Ghostbusters were organic and natural, and seemed like you wanted to be a part of their lives.

That is not the case here. Each person just seems to be an over-the-top cartoon version of themselves. Even the villain in this movie is lousy and plays more like a character from a Looney Toons episode than anything of substance. Then there is the fact that the film takes entirely too much time winking and paying homage to the original films with tons of cameos, locations, props, and other lines of dialogue, that it completely takes you out of the entire movie. At least Rick Moranis said, "No" to this movie. The visual effects too were a bore with each ghost looking exactly the same as the last one with no real emotion or thrills to them. It was as if the ghosts were unfinished in the editing room and they ran out of time. Then there is the music and the score of the movie, which is just sad and pitiful on all levels.

The new Ghostbusters song is horrendous and the score is unpleasant with zero fun and amusement to it. This all being said, there are some decent things about the film, well at least someone tried to do some decent things here. There are several moments where you can see the blue prints of an awesome movie come to be, but with each time good moment, it quickly falls flat and leaves an unsavory taste in your mouth. I mean, Feig cast Chris Hemsworth in the film as the 'Ghostbusters' new secretary, where he plays someone that would never exist on this planet. Sure for the first couple of minutes, his gimmick is comical, but it quickly loses all steam and just becomes annoying. I love Hemsworth, and I'm sure he had fun in this role, but it adds nothing to the film or the franchise.

There is the potential for a good movie hidden in here somewhere, but even the amazing cast here couldn't save it from itself. Again, there are cameos galore in the film and be sure to stay till after the credits roll, but I won't be calling these 'Ghostbusters' again any time soon.

YOU KNOW YOU'RE GONNA SEE IT!

So far there have been several good horror movies for the year 2016. Next up on the list is 'Lights Out' from first time feature film director David F. Sandberg. This is one of those movies that was actually a short film that was then made into a feature film, which is always fun to see the differences. 'Lights Out' conjures up some decent scares and even made me sleep with the light on.

The ghost/creature in the film is haunting and should cause you to think twice when you walk down the dark hallway, however, the film just relies on one single genre trope throughout the whole film, which is walking slowly in dark rooms, inspecting the surroundings only to have a hand or something jump out and scare you. It's effective, but gets old fairly fast. Still, for this first time filmmaker, he uses his camera well to notch up the suspense and tension throughout with the use of lighting or lack thereof, and keeping the shots tight and quick.

The film centers on a dysfunctional family where a recently widowed mother named Sophie (Maria Bello) is starting to lose her mind again and manifests an evil spirit named Diana, who can only be seen in the dark. Sophie's kids try to talk some sense into her, but nothing seems to work out and things just spiral downwards quickly as the movie goes on. There is a decent backstory to everything, but the best moments of this story are never followed through on. Instead, it's just replaced with more scenes of opening creaky doors in the dark and walking slowly through hallways looking for Diana.

I wish the filmmakers explored more of the backstory and had more than just one trick up their sleeve here, because that would have made this horror film one of the best in recent memory. Unfortunately, that's not the case here. Don't get me wrong, there are a bunch of good moments throughout the film, as well as some smart characters, and decent scares that you'll think of later while in the dark, but it never crosses over that horror hump into something memorable.

WORTH A LOOK!

Even at the age of 80, the iconic and prolific filmmaker Woody Allen has not lost his wit, charm, or ability to churn out film after film every year. With a little bit of 'Annie Hall' and 'Manhattan' mixed in the frying pan, Allen brings this 1930's Hollywood story come to life, titled 'Cafe Society'. It's been a while since Allen has made Los Angeles the backdrop for one of his films,and this sweet, funny, romantic film really hits all of those famous Woody Allen notes that we've come to expect over the years. It might not be the most original story, but when Woody Allen does these neurotic love stories, the characters, dialogue, and plot all come together in a cohesive and very funny manner. It's what Allen does best, and he is back in full form with 'Cafe Society'.

Allen is also known for casting big name stars in these little films and this one is no different as Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, and Steve Carell lead this amazing cast. The film follows Brooklyn native Bobby Dorfman (Eisenberg, or a would-be Woody Allen in his younger years), as he shows up in 1930's Hollywood in hopes of getting a job with his movie studio agent, Uncle Phil (Carell), who gives Dorfman a job of running errands. Phil name drops all of the actors and actresses he schmoozes with and is a master of his domain, although he is secretly having an affair with one of his secretaries Vonnie (Stewart), even though Phil seems happily married already. Phil enlists the help of Vonnie to show his new nephew Bobby around Hollywood and the two young adults fall for each other, which makes a weird family love triangle.

Soon enough Bobby moves back to New York in what seems like a joke from Woody Allen on how much he dislikes Hollywood, where Bobby takes on running the new fancy nightclub that his older gangster brother Ben (Corey Stoll) owns. In 'Annie Hall' fashion, the two lovers go their separate ways with different lives only to have their paths cross again down the road, brining up past feelings. It's all funny and sweet, which is what Allen does best. Jesse Eisenberg plays Dorfman or a younger Woody Allen to a tee, hitting all of the neurotic one liners and notes that we've seen from Allen's younger days. Even Eisenberg's body language is spot on here. Kristen Stewart brings her charm to the screen in every scene and makes you wish she would be on more period piece films. Carell plays the super busy agent very well, and also has a softer side to him than he lets on to.

Dorfman and Ben's Jewish parents steal the show though and are so funny every time they are on screen, whether they are complaining about their son being a gangster or worse, dating a non-jew. The wardrobe for the time period is always great to see and executed well here and the filming is excellent with the right amount of glitz and glamour that was old Hollywood. Woody Allen has knocked it out of the park with 'Cafe Society' and has quickly become one of my favorites in his long list of films.

HIGHLY RECOMMNEDED!

Hey now. Matt Damon is back as Jason Bourne in the new film that is simply titled, 'Jason Bourne', which teams up Damon and director Paul Greengrass once again for the spy thriller who seems to never remember who he is or where he came from. In addition to the usual losing sight of Jason Bourne, then spotting him in a big crowd, to losing him once again, the writers added HBO's 'Silicon Valley' show to the element without all of the fun or comedy. I'll get to that in a minute though.

If I remember correctly, 'The Bourne Ultimatum' solved Jason Bourne's memory loss and got to the bottom of his backstory, but here, the writers cleverly added a little more information that has been missing from his mind in how he was recruited and what just happened to his father. This time, Bourne is a little older, sporting a few gray hairs in his beard and is easily winning bare-knuckle fights overseas to make money to survive, while still having Vietnam inspired flashbacks to his earlier days with his father. New CIA director Robert Dewey (Tommy Lee Jones) and his protégé Heather Lee (Alicia Vikander) come across Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles), who hacks the CIA to retrieve a ton of sensitive information about 'Treadstone', their underhand dealings and practices, and Bourne himself, which plays out like a form of Wikileaks in reality.

Parsons and Bourne meet up to expose the secret information with the CIA on their tale as well as Dewey's right hand assassin called 'The Asset' (Vincent Cassel) to take out Bourne and then again everyone else in his way. Going back to the 'Silicon Valley' aspect, the writers have added a character named Aaron Kalloor (Riz Ahmed from the recent HBO show 'The Night Of'), who is the CEO of a social media platform called Deep Dream that has almost two billion users. Kalloor wants to keep the privacy of his users private, where Dewey wants a back door to the platform to spy on everyone using it, which all culminates on Las Vegas, where all the main players end up at a tach convention that plays out similarly to 'The Manchurian Candidate'.

The story has a ton of plot holes and doesn't really all add up even though the premise and set up could have been amazing. If you know Paul Greengrass's work, you would know that he loves to film his action scenes and fight choreography with a ton of shaky cuts every couple of seconds, giving a chaotic feeling to the intense fights and setting. Rarely it works and with 'Jason Bourne', it only works in one excellent scene. Perhaps, it's the best scene in the movie where Greengrass has perfectly staged a huge violent protest in Athens against the police with fire bombs and chaos on every street. He films Parsons and Bourne weaving in and out of all the violence, bullets, and fire bombs on foot and on motorcycle with high intensity, while also capturing everything going on in the surrounding streets and extras. It's top notch filmmaking in this action area and what Greengrass does best.

Unfortunately, the big climactic scene in Las Vegas is sub-par, as well as the rest of the big action chase scenes, which just seem redundant and less than thrilling between Bourne and The Asset. With too many shaky cam cuts every few seconds, you never get fully immersed in the action or situation. If Greengrass could film a chase scene or fight scene between two people and leave the camera rolling for more than ten seconds without cutting, it would go a long way as to truly show the talent and story to these action scenes. Instead, it's just a jumbled kind of mess. Bourne himself seems cut off this time from the whole world and lacks really any personal interactions or humanity, which was what made him so likable and relatable in the previous films.

Here, he literally only has a few lines of dialogue in the movie, where the rest of his time is trying to escape the hands of The Asset or the CIA. There really is no emotion here whatsoever as he has evolved into some form of the Terminator, but hey, even the Terminator smiled once in a while. Tommy Lee Jones does an excellent job as the villain here as he always does, where Alicia Vikander turns in a solid performance, but the script hinders her from showing a real side of humanity, but rather just a stereotypical cold and lifeless government agent.

Vincent Cassel is excellent in everything he does and has himself and Damon returning to Las Vegas again. Cassel's character is violent and brutal throughout the film and delivers a hearty villain dose to the story, but his last minutes of the film seem out of place, as he goes from calculated and intelligent to chaotic and unpredictable. It just didn't translate well, which is not his fault of course, but the scripts. 'Jason Bourne' is very underwhelming and isn't necessarily the high octane action picture you would expect. That being said, if you love Paul Greengrass's choppy style, I'm sure you'll enjoy this addition into the 'Bourne' universe.

WORTH A LOOK!

There seems to be a good movie hidden somewhere in 'Suicide Squad', but the film itself makes it nearly impossible for you to find where those good moments are. The film is its own worst enemy, because it promises something new and fresh in the first dozen or so minutes, but then nose dives into the mountain from there on out. This is certainly writer/director David Ayer's most ambitious project and I can't tell if it's his mistake or the collection of DC/Warner Bros. executives who forced the notes on him to make this film not succeed, because again, the first part of the movie gathers your hopes up for something fun. Ayer wrote 'Training Day' and 'U-571', then transitioned into directing with 'End of Watch' and 'Fury', which were both new and fresh takes on tired genres. I was hoping that Ayer could breathe new life and put the DC Comic movie franchise on the right track, but alas, that is not the case.

That being said, this is a tiny fraction better than 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice', but again, that's not saying much either. I still think one of the worst films in the comic book realm was the recent 'Fantastic Four' remake. That movie on a whole was just terrible on every possible level. It was the worst movie of the year for me. Nothing worked on that film. Here with 'Suicide Squad', Ayer and Warner Bros. had all of the perfect parts to make a great movie, but somewhere in post-production, everything was lost, which makes me just more disappointed in 'Suicide Squad', because they had a ton going for it, but missed the mark, seemingly on purpose. This concept is nothing new with having a team of "bad guys" unite to fight something worse for the greater good. Akira Kurosawa's 'Seven Samurai' paved the way for this genre, which in turn gave birth to this sub genre that spawned 'The Magnificent Seven' all the way to Marvel's 'Guardians of the Galaxy'.

Those films worked on every level of entertainment and filmmaking, where 'Suicide Squad' falls short on almost every account, whether it be the horrendous and cringe worthy dialogue throughout the whole movie, the unbelievably awful plot and relationships that are just flat out silly, to the vast amount of characters who never get any screen time other than a couple of shots of action. It was all a disappointment. Since most people won't know who or what the 'Suicide Squad' is other than big comic book fans with the exception of The Joker (Jared Leto) and maybe Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) , the first part of the film introduces us to all of the characters in a roll call style montage, each with their own flashback of their skill-set, arrest, and pop song. Sometimes, we are introduced to the characters twice, which didn't make sense.

Like the trailer, Ayer filmed these biographical sequences with the use of those neon color schemes and the right amount of fun and explosiveness that promised something different that took us out of the dreary, dark, and moody DC universe, but as soon as this segment was over, it was back to dark and brooding in a dilapidated city of no color or even citizens walking around. The characters themselves are all great and have their individuality, but it never goes as far as that really. Sure Deadshot (Will Smith) shows that not only is he the world's deadliest assassin and has a chip on his shoulder in the form of Batman (Ben Affleck), but that he is willing to do anything for his 11 year old daughter, including to show her that he is not a "bad guy". That sounds good on paper, but the execution and dialogue is covered in smelly cheese throughout and never really investigates any of this.

Jay Hernandez's character El Diablo probably has one of the better backstories, as his power is basically that of the Human Torch, but has now doesn't use his fire power anymore, due to an accident with his family long ago. Again, this wasn't explored as well as it should have been, and instead, we got awful dialogue and a terrible flashback that ended in that dreaded camera shot panning upwards with the character looking up at the camera, screaming, "NOOOOOOOOOOO". Another big problem with the film was the villain, who resembled a terrible looking Zuul from 'Ghostbusters'. The problem here is that the evil or "villain" part is never explained as to why or what it is, but is rather just thrown in there with the tired use of the sky opening up and everybody and everything being sucked up into the sky. This villain is known as The Enchantress and is basically a witch with powers who in turn has a romantic relationship with the military leader named Flag (Joel Kinnaman).

Again, she just owns this character from top to bottom. Her inner chaos and craziness is as good as her softer human side and you can tell she just wants to be accepted in some form or fashion. I'm glad she's getting her own film. Killer Croc's makeup is fantastic, but is only given some throwaway jokes here and there. In fact, the film had some reshoots to make the film funnier due to the backlash on 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice', but it was done in such a lazy manner that you can easily tell where they added the worst and cringe worthy dialogue in to try and make it "funny", which it wasn't. Other characters show up out of nowhere and never have anything to do but have some special skill that is never fully utilized or sought out. 'Suicide Squad' promises something good and different in its opening minutes, but then falls flat on its face and never recovers.

WAIT FOR NETFLIX!

Disney is knocking out some remakes to their beloved classics as of recently and it seems that they are enlisting the help of some great indie filmmakers to take the reigns of their future tentpole films and revamps. The latest being the remake of 'Pete's Dragon', which originally came out in 1977 and mixed live action with animation. It was a big hit for the studio and became universally loves by children of the 70s and 80s. Cut to present day, and we have Disney making a decent size budget live-action remake of the film with state-of-the-art visual effects and A-List talent behind the film. Not to mention a great indie filmmaker from the DFW area named David Lowery (Ain't Them Body Saints), to co-write and direct this remake.

Lowery took a big Disney character and story and grounded it very well, making it look like a great indie film with a giant dragon. There are no buildings or skyscrapers falling to the ground here, which is very refreshing. The story is straight to the point and never goes off on tangents. In fact, the film has about and 80 minute run time, so there is no time for anything else other than the story at hand, which is one of the complaints I have for 'Pete's Dragon'. Here you have the likes of Bryce Dallas Howard, Karl Urban, Wes Bentley, and Robert Redford headlining the cast, but all of them have such little screen time that there is zero character development or transitioning.

There is really no reason to care for any of the characters besides Pete (Oakes Fegley) and Elliot the dragon, who forge an unlikely relationship after Pete's parents perish in a car wreck when he's little in the forest. It's very much a story similar to 'E.T.', but without all the emotional tones or fun to it. The dragon himself is very cute and is exactly like your favorite big floppy dog when you were growing up. This dragon has green fur instead of scales and big endearing eyes. He plays fetch and chases its own tale. Soon on though, both Elliot and Pete soon realize they can't live together forever in the forest, and are split up. There's nothing new here that you haven't seen before as far as story or filmmaking, but Lowery really captures the small town life and simplicity of the entire story and characters, perhaps to a bigger degree than it should have been.

I'm not saying the movie is bad at all, but to doesn't pack the emotional punch that it was trying to get at, even though there was a ton of sequences I very much enjoyed here, including the usual Disney tropes. I know the younger crowd is going to love it for sure and there is a dose of nostalgia for the older audience as well. You can see why Disney has invested in David Lowery as a director too, since he will be in charge of the 'Peter Pan' revamp next.

WORTH A LOOK!

'War Dogs' looks good on paper and the trailer for the film sells the movie's comedy and fun moments. It seemed like the perfect project for director Todd Phillips ('The Hangover' trilogy, 'Road Trip', 'Old School') as he reunites with Bradley Cooper and adds Jonah Hill and Miles Teller to this story, based on true events about two school friends who love to smoke up and run guns for the government – some of which might be illegal. This is a very different film for Phillips from what we're used to, and unlike the trailer, the film isn't all that funny. Sure, there are some moments of small laughter here and there, due to Jonah Hill's character, but the rest is Phillips' wink to a mix of gangster movies, including 'Scarface', 'Goodfellas', 'Casino', and even a bit of 'Drive'.

That sounds good on paper, but the end result was lackluster with the 115 minute movie seeming like a three hour endeavor. The pacing is off and one scene just seems to be a repetition of the one before it. 'War Dogs' tells the true story of Efraim Diveroli and David Packouz, who were high school friends, who eventually got a government contract to supply weapons to the U.S. Army in Afghanistan with no prior experience and being in their early 20s. This film of course has a bunch of fictionalized elements, which is good, but never has anything original or fresh.

Perhaps the best scene of the film is in the trailer, where Diveroli (Jonah Hill) and Packouz (Miles Teller) are riding in the truck in the Iraq desert, being chased by people with guns. That scene was funny, action-packed, and highly entertaining. Unfortunately the rest of the film is fairly drab with some flashes of funny Jonah Hill moments. Phillips sure packed the film with winks and nods to the gangster movies I mentioned above with the same music, shots, and narration style that you see in Scorsese films. Plus, there are 'Scarface' posters everywhere in the film, along with references to the actual movie by name. I just got tiresome very fast.

It's an interesting enough story to tell, but the characters aren't that redeeming nor are they that likable throughout, particularly Jonah Hill's character, who he plays the part perfectly. Teller is also great, but isn't given much to work with. Bradley Cooper shows up for a few seconds here and there, but again, isn't given much time to really explore his character, who turns out to be the most interesting part of the movie. 'War Dogs' looks good from a technical and visual standpoint, but there really isn't anything underneath that veil.

WAIT FOR NETFLIX!

Fede Alvarez burst onto the scene a few years ago with his short film on YouTube called 'Ataque de Pánico!' It was so well received and well done that a few weeks later, Sam Raimi, Bruce Campbell, and Rob Tapert were calling him non-stop and even offered the Uruguayan filmmaker the chance to direct the remake of 'The Evil Dead', which came out 2013 to rave reviews and fan appreciation for what it was. Since then, Fede has a few projects in the works coming up, as he is one of the top new filmmakers to watch in the horror genre.

His newest film, 'Don't Breathe' is almost the complete opposite of 'his remake of the 'Evil Dead', in that it is shows almost zero gore and blood and relies on a high amount of suspense and tension throughout the film, which is indeed very successful. I was definitely fidgeting with my fingers and on the edge of my seat the entire time, as the movie goes through dark halls and corners both visually and metaphorically with some sinister twists and turns throughout. The added suspense comes with making the unnamed old man in the film blind, as three young adults plan to rob him, not really knowing who or what he is.

Even the multiple locks on the doors and bars on the windows in his run-down Detroit home are not enough clues to these kids that maybe this house is not a good idea. The young adults Jane Levy, Dylan Minnette, and Daniel Zovatto are on a house robbing spree, in order to make enough money to get out of Detroit. It's a half-baked notion and story, but it gets us into the house owned by a blind man (Stephen Lang) with a past. The problem here is that each character and most of the dialogue just doesn't make any sense and comes across as silly to where you just roll your eyes. It takes you out of the whole suspense here and there during the film.

The reasons why these kids rob houses isn't entirely clear and they don't come across as being in anyway redeeming, compared with the crimes they commit. The dialogue is also borderline cringe worthy, and when Stephen Lang finally talks, he sounds a lot like Batman's nemesis Bane, which caused laughter, rather than horror. That all being said, Fede Alvarez is a master of his camera and shooting a movie. From the steadicam one shot that moves multiple levels through the house as the robbers case the place to the slow and intensifying shots in the more suspenseful moments all work very well. The camera purposefully lets you know what props and other devices will come into play later in the film, which already gets your mind going.

Alvarez also uses a different version of night vision here when the lights go out in the basement of his home, which is utterly terrifying, and I hope that gets used in future films. Jane Levy is an excellent actress and coming from her starring role in 'Evil Dead', she has more or less to work with here, but she gives it her all and is the one character who actually has some sort of backstory. The other two actors, who again are good, just have no where to go here, thus not connecting or really care what happens to them.

And of course there is Stephen Lang, who besides his accent in the film, is one of the scariest characters of recent memory, who takes some dark turns throughout, but also has his own reasoning, which is in away – sympathetic. Oh yeah, and he's blind. The score by Roque Baños has a John Carpenter aspect to it at times and always adds to the high tension throughout. I just wish the story and the bulk of the characters weren't as silly as they came across here. Still, this is a solid and effective effort from Fede Alvarez.

WORTH A LOOK!