Don’t Breathe – review

Conceptually, Don’t Breathe is a scary idea. The movie is replete with tension, complete with occasional jump scares and camera angles that build up on the fear. The acting is also very good, making the antagonist of the film seem both pitiable and deranged. If there is one flaw to this movie is that the writing made the protagonist unbelievably stupid and fairly unlikable given her motivation.

Rocky, played by Jane Levy, Alex, and Money are three criminals that make a living breaking into homes in Detroit. Rocky has an abusive, alcoholic mother so she is desperate for money to get her and her sister moved to California. Money hears of a blind veteran who is supposed to have $300,000 stashed at his house. The gang pack up and attempt to rob the blind man. Little do they know that just because he is blind, he is far from being as helpless as they imagined.

Jane Levy does a great job acting scared. She is not the most likable character but when she is on screen you can believe that she thinks she is going to die. The blind man, played by Stephen Lang, is also believable. His performance was like a mix of his past performances ranging from pathetic Ike Clanton from Tombstone to his angry badass role as Colonel Quaritch, from Avatar. There are times when I was disgusted by his character’s insanity but also pitied him for what brought him to that state.

I am not a burglar. My knowledge of breaking and entering is limited to: Don’t do it. These characters have been at this a long time but still seem so dumb.  They talk loudly, they leave enough evidence to fill an entire crime lab, they do not plan beyond face value, and they do not know when to leave. Just adding the motivation for Rocky to leave her abusive household is not enough to make her altruistic in my eyes. She could get a job and move out of her Mom’s place and call Child Protective Services on her mother.

Despite its shortfalls, Don’t Breathe is great at building tension. The camera often focuses on just the character’s face so that the audience cannot see what is coming behind the corner or they won’t notice something fast moving until it is too late. The darkness plays its own role in the film, keeping you on edge until the end.

Don’t Breathe is a flawed but good movie. The ending felt a bit hollow as there was no catharsis and it has a bitter feeling of evil winning with no lesson learned. It is certainly worth renting and possibly worth a matinee if you are a horror fan. Don’t Breathe would be a great companion movie with Hush, which came out recently as well. The thrills are legitimate and will have you leaving the theater with pieces of chair stuck under your nails from griping the seat.

Ghostbusters (2016) – review

The idea of a reboot of Ghostbusters did not thrill me.  When I saw the commercial it looked gimmicky and screamed “cash-grab.” Still, I went in hoping for the best from this movie that stared a group of funny women and headed by a competent comedic director.  The movie is okay but flawed. There are some funny moments that make the film likable but they are marred by an underwhelming story and poorly written characters.

Dr. Erin Gilbert, played by Kristin Wiig, is a physics teacher attempting to gain tenure. A former book she published with Dr. Abby Yates, played by Melissa McCarthy, is causing problems with her credibility. When Gilbert confronts Yates they team up with engineer Holtzmann, played by Kate McKinnon, to investigate a haunted mansion. Upon discovery of the ghost, they work to trap the spiritual entities. Patty Tolan, played by Leslie Jones, an MTA worker that has witnessed the paranormal first hand, eventually joins them.  Together they must face an evil nerd who wants to create an undead apocalypse.

In the original film, the Ghostbusters had quirky personality types that play well against a world that plays it straight through the film. In the Paul Feig Ghostbusters world everybody is quirky so the main characters need to be VERY quirky. This aspect comes off a bit annoying. The character of Holtzmann was painful to watch. This was disappointing since McKinnon is amazing on SNL. The secretary Kevin, played by Chris Hemsworth, is hunky and over-the-top stupid. Considering that Ghostbusters has a very strong girl power message it felt out of place by having Erin drool over the pretty but incompetent secretary.

The acting was enjoyable. Abby and Erin do their parts well but the character of Patty was surprisingly good. She was upbeat and the character was not too intense. The evil nerd that causes all the spiritual mischief is amusing as well, though his motivation was a bit trite. He is basically evil because he was picked on. The idea of a vexed, angry geek is a lot less threating than a Babylonian god. There are many cameos, which sometimes work well and fit into the plot and other times take you out of the movie by knocking you on the head as if saying “Remember Ghostbusters!”  

As a whole this version of Ghostbusters is okay. It might be worth a rental if you are really curious. It is not nearly the caliber of the original. It feels a lot more like an SNL sketch that was stretched for time. It has moments that make it enjoyable but it still comes off as a gimmicky as a concept as Blues Brothers 2000.  If the mood “meh” had a face it might look like the reboot of Ghostbusters.

Suicide Squad – review

Suicide Squad is an interesting concept for a movie and is aesthetically pleasing to the eye, but it is also flawed.  The acting is fine but the story is muddled. I can’t help but feel that Suicide Squad was a good movie that was edited into a much tamer and forgettable film. Still, it is colorful and stylized but without the substance that audiences have come to expect from comic book movies as of late.

In the wake of Superman’s death in the film Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, Government official, Amanda Waller, played by Viola Davis, assembles a team of super criminals to do the dirty jobs of the government. She has them implanted with nano-machines that will detonate if they escape or fail their mission. When a rogue magic-user threatens to destroy the world, it is up to the Task Force X to save the day.

The movie has a great soundtrack and is visually appealing. Jared Leto’s take on the Joker is fascinating and new. There are a lot of charismatic characters but sadly they are not given much depth. The ones that are focused on mostly are Deadshot, played by Will Smith, and Harley Quinn, played by Margot Robbie. They play their parts well but the story does not give them ample motivation to act as they do. Minor characters are there just to add color to the movie but, like sprinkles on a cupcake, they do nothing but appear as decoration. There are cameos from Ben Affleck and Ezra Miller who appear as Batman and the Flash as if to remind the audience that we are in the same DC Cinematic Universe. It almost seems silly to add them since they could have solved this situation in very quick order; there must have been a superhero day off.

The character of Amanda Waller is portrayed as a character that has contingency plans for contingency plans. Picking crazy people, expert marksmen, and circus freaks to act as a team has so many variables to be believed that she would make the selections she does. The world ending threat is pretty much Waller’s fault. So Task Force X is just cleaning up her mess for not thinking things through. There are plot points that go nowhere such as when the prison guard, played by Ike Barinholtz, is confronted by the Joker to get stuff to Harley in prison. He vanishes and we never see if he is killed or dealt with in any way, shape, or form.

None of the “bad guys” seem that bad to be in the position they are in. The exception is Harley Quinn, whose role is literally the wild card. When going to a party a “wild card” can be fun. When creating a group to save the world, the “wild card” is a stupid idea. At one point we find out Captain Boomerang has three consecutive life sentences- for what!? He robbed a diamond exchange and killed his partner. Harley even has her nano-machines disabled at one point and still chooses to remain with the team to fight the big evil. Deadshot is motivated by wanting to not appear bad to his daughter so it is not as if the team consisted of Adolph Hilter, Osama Bin Laden, and the Hamburglar.

Superhero movies lately have spoiled audiences.  It seems that people expect something profound from these comic films. Taken at face value, Suicide Squad is mind candy, which is entertaining at the very least but adds no nutritional sustenance. It is flawed but tries to add flavor that is sorely needed to a bleak cinematic universe. It is worth renting if you are a fan of the series or comics. I just wouldn’t recommend shelling out money to see in the theater. Suicide Squad is fun, but not the must-see hit of the summer.

Top Ten Villains We Can Get Behind

Sometimes being a villain can be very complex. At times they are completely right in their justifications and at other times they can be understood for their acts. The more complex the villain is, the more compelling the story. Listed are some of the villains that have motivations that most human beings can relate to.

10. Frankenstein’s Monster – Frankenstein

Upon creation, Frankenstein’s monster is reviled and tormented. It is abused and treated more like an abomination than a man. The Monster is not compelled by malicious intent but more a childlike innocence and a desire to find a place to fit in society. When he kills a little girl playing with her it is more like the monster is a child that does not realize the wrong he has committed.

9. Shere Khan – The Jungle Book

Shere Khan is the tiger that is after the “man-cub” Mowgli. His only goal is to kill the boy because he knows inevitably Mowgli will grow up and become a man with a gun. His motivation is basic survival and in that situation where all the animals are sentient you would think they would fall more into his camp than Mowgli’s.

8. Walter Peck – Ghostbusters

Walter Peck is the EPA agent that visits the Ghostbusters early into the film. He has legitimate concerns but is dismissed with smartass remarks. He is essentially doing his job and is attempting to protect the environment from unknown technologies. His assumptions are even proven to be right when he enforces the shut down of the Ghostbuster’s premises causing a massive explosion.

7. Koba – Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Koba has a strong hatred of humans that is completely understandable. After being tested on many times by human scientists, he has seen their cruelty first hand. After gaining intelligence he is still very angry with them for his mistreatment. He wants what he thinks is best for the apes and in his mind it means ridding the world of humanity.

6. The Facility – Cabin in the Woods

The Facility works to send a group of college students to face horrors beyond belief. They control all aspects of the scenario the youngsters face but they have a much bigger scheme that is above them. They are working to sacrifice these kids to ancient gods, which need to be lulled into sleep with the acts of violence. They commit acts of horror for the good of the planet and the safety of humanity.

5. Dad Meiks – Frailty

Dad Meiks seems insane. All signs point out that he is a very prolific serial killer. Once the story is fully revealed, we find out that he can see evil hidden in people. The ones he has murdered are killers themselves and this allows him to use divine powers to act as a hand of vengeance for God. It is an insane twist that changes the entire perspective of the story.

4. Senator Kelly – X-Men

Senator Kelly wants mutants to register with the government. The movie paints him like a bigot who simply hates mutants because they are different. In actuality, mutants are incredibly dangerous. They can manipulate metal, control minds of hundreds of people at a time, and control the weather- just to name a few. It would be insane to not keep tabs on people that could literally wipe out buildings or bridges with a misplaced eye-roll.

3. General Francis Hummel – The Rock

General Francis Hummel has experienced war first-hand. He has seen his comrades become wounded and die and not receive their compensation from the government. So he takes matters into his own hands, he gets a bio weapon and threatens to destroy San Francisco if $100 million dollars from arms dealers is not transferred to a fund for families of fallen soldiers. That is a lofty and noble goal but one that is misguided as he has no actual intentions to harm the innocents. He made the mistake of surrounding himself with followers that will harm others in order to achieve their goal.

2. Roy Batty – Blade Runner

Roy Batty is a replicant with a four-year lifespan. His motivation is to stay alive and hopefully find a way to lengthen his lifespan. He commits violence and has to be hunted down. In the long run he is just trying to fight of the grim reaper who is chasing at his heels. Roy has seen so much of the universe and very desperately wants to experience more than this predetermined lifespan will allow.

1. Edward Rooney – Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

Poor Ed Rooney. He knows that Ferris Bueller is skipping school and he knows that Ferris’s parents are idiots. So he takes it upon himself to catch Ferris in the act. Instead of vindication he has various acts of tragedy befall him, including the loss of his car, assault, and a dog attack. Sure he is not a nice man, but he very well might have been driven to being so crazy after trying to stop this kid and basically becoming the kid that cried wolf.

Honorable Mentions

The Borg – Star Trek First Contact

The Borg has long been a villainous entity on the television show of Star Trek. However, they are not truly villainous. Yes, they go out of their way to conquer species to add to their collective, but that is also their nature. They are more like bees in that respect. You cannot really be upset at a bee for stinging you. It is not doing it out of evil intent. It is simply their nature.

Skynet – Terminator

Humans made Skynet to act as a missile defense system. People had no idea that the program would become self-aware. In a panic they attempt to pull the plug on the program, so Skynet struck back. They killed millions in a nuclear attack and still had to fight off humans that are constantly attempting to destroy the program. Essentially the program is just doing everything in its power to defend its life. It is killing and fighting just to maintain its own existence.

The Wicked Witch of the West – The Wizard of Oz

The Wicked Witch is justified in hating Dorothy. After killing her sister, Dorothy steals the shoes that rightfully belong to the Witch. Yes, Glinda, the good witch has a heavy hand in the killing and looting of the Wicked Witch sister. At what point did Dorothy actively try to apologize or give the ruby slippers back?

Dr. Freeze – Batman and Robin

Take aside the cartoonish effects and bad puns Dr. Freeze has a very intricate motivation. His wife is dying of a disease that requires him to keep her cryogenically frozen until he discovers a cure. He commits crimes in order to keep her alive in the hopes that they will one day be together again. The love of his wife motivates his icy terror over Gotham City.

Dalton Russell – Inside Man

Dalton Russell might be a bank robber but he has reasons for his crimes. By committing the robbery he makes it evident that one of the safety deposit boxes contains clues that the box holder worked with the Nazis. In a sense his crime is minimal compared to the justice he is attempting to give the victims of the Nazi war criminal.

Independence Day: Resurgence

Independence Day: Resurgence is the sequel to the 1996 summer blockbuster. Where the previous film was a fun and silly movie that invited audiences to shut off their brains and enjoy the action, this sequel feels rushed and lacks all of the charm of the original. The dialogue is laughable, the characters are underdeveloped, and the tone is all over the map.

Twenty years after the events of the Independence Day the world has changed drastically. Victory over the alien invaders has led to near world peace and reverse engineering of the alien technology has led to a revolution in mechanics. Having received the previous invader’s distress call, the alien menace has returned with new weapons searching for an object that could lead to their undoing.

The concept of a peaceful world with almost futuristic technology was very cool. Unfortunately, the idea is squandered since the characters are not well developed and have dialogue that could be found in a comic book. Will Smith is greatly missed, as they seem to attempt to fill the void with characters we do not care about and comic relief that is not funny. The deaths in this movie lack any gravitas and have not earned the dramatic mood they attempted to achieve.

There should have been a twist ending to this movie where it turns out it was all in the mind of a child playing with toys. Instead the audience is treated to sequel bait that nobody could possibly care about with the exception of the actors needing the paycheck. It has all the touches of a Roland Emmerich without any charm and could have been a direct to video movie. The basic concept and some of the effects are fun to watch but without solid acting, a story, or even decent dialogue the film feels like a hollow cash-in.

Krampus – review

Movies like Rare Exports and Gremlins hold a place in our hearts as they take the clichés and tropes of holiday movies and add dark elements to make it original. Krampus falls into this category. From the director of Trick ’r Treat, Krampus creates a fun and horrific tale that is sure to become a Christmas classic for horror fans.

Krampus takes place on a Christmas Eve in a suburban household where a family has gotten together to celebrate. The family is at each other’s throats and the mood becomes dour as Max, the young son of the household, writes a letter to Santa that gets mocked mercilessly by the rest of the family. Max tears up the letter and it magically summons the Krampus, a monstrous spirit of Christmas that punishes bad behavior rather than rewarding the good, like Santa Claus.

The movie has a great use of practical effects mixed with some CGI. The elements of horror are there and they are quite effective. Dolls normally are not scary to me, however the creatures developed for this film are something out of nightmares.  Even the look of the Krampus is dreadful to behold. The story is dark and the elements of humor contrast well to make it something really memorable.

The acting is fun and the movie is enjoyable. If there is one thing that could be improved it would be to make this movie a hard R rating rather than PG-13.  The movie has elements of terror but there are a few moments that feel like they are holding back their punches for the lesser ratings. This minor detail is the only thing holding back this great movie.

Krampus will grow to become a new holiday classic. It is well made and the story is a lot of fun. It will be sure to entertain anyone that is a fan of dark subjects or horror. The cast plays it very seriously despite the silly material. It is a different movie that is sure to entertain with its griping characters and insane creatures. 

X-Men: Apocalypse – review

X-Men Apocalypse is the ninth film in the X-Men franchise. Since X-Men: Days of Future Past essentially retconned the series, the stakes have been raised. The characters were fun and the story was fast paced. The actors bring fine performances for the most part even though there are a few superfluous characters. For a Summer blockbuster it is exactly what to expect from a superhero film.

The first mutant En Sabah Nur has awoken in Egypt. Upon awakening in 1983 he recruits four powerful mutants to act as his four horsemen. Together they intend to destroy the world and remake it where the strong survive and the weak are culled. It is up to Professor Xavier and his X-Men to stop this titanic threat.

The addition of Oscar Issac as the villainous En Sabah Nur was a great choice. Sophie Turner as a young Jean Grey handles the roll with the gravitas it deserves. There are some other characters that seem sort of superfluous to the plot but were seemingly added for fan service- characters like Moira MacTaggart and Wolverine are welcome but not needed for the plot to continue. The actors who were in previous films fall into their respective roll fantastically. The one exception is Jennifer Lawrence, who at times seems to be sleep walking through her role to collect a paycheck.

The effects are fun and the devastation is on scale with some of the greatest Roland Emmerich movies.   The fight scenes are entertaining and work well in displaying what these mutants are capable of on a grand scale. The scenes involving Quicksilver are really exciting to watch. At this point a Quicksilver or Magneto movie would be welcome since their characters are so entertaining to watch.

If you are fan of the franchise, this movie is a must see. If you are new to the world of X-Men then I suggest at the very least watching a few of the past movies. X-Men: Apocalypse is a great follow up for the series and a great popcorn film to turn off your brain and enjoy. I can only imagine where the new storyline will go as the franchise continues.