Get Out – 2017

Score: 9/10

I am not a fan of horror movies. I have never been a fan of horror movies, although I have watched many. This is mainly because I hate jump scares, I hate them with all my being, the second reason being I can’t usually take them serious enough to get scared. And if a horror movie does not scare you even a little bit then it is clearly not doing its job. Get Out does not have a problem in the scaring department, being by far one of the most unsettling films I have ever seen. It is powerful, amazingly paced and a true revelation of 2017, being on course to being declared the best movie of the year by a lot of critics.

The best thing about Get Out is the pacing. You feel the tension growing from the first scene of the film up until the very last second before the big reveal. You feel the stress of the main character, you feel that there is something happening behind the curtains. This build up is punctuated by moments of pure terror, but not the usual in your face terror of horror films. No, here we have interesting terror that springs out of nothing. I have never been more shocked by a simple deer jumping in the middle of the road. Up until the action starts, you can find a lot of these simple suggestions that something is wrong, and this art of making you feel uneasy is simply brilliantly constructed, especially for a first time director such as Jordan Peele.

The characters are perfectly developed, and you have time to get to know their depths before the action starts. The slow build up is also present in this development, and we uncover fact after fact from the characters back story, making us get more and more involved with their motives as the story progresses. Daniel Kaluuya and Allison Williams spark on screen and the chemistry between them really makes the movie enjoyable. The supporting cast is also great and completes the different typologies present in the movie very well. The characters are one of the strongest points of the film, and that is impressive considering the usual shallow and stupid ones we get in most horror movies.

The action scenes are good, but compared to the rest of the movie they feel just a tiny bit underwhelming. The ending though is good, satisfying and in places, surprising. The story is wrapped up nicely. And speaking about the story, I have to admit that I have rarely seen a better idea put to film. It is unexpected, it is original and it manages to scare you and fascinate you at the same time. I was not expecting such a strong story, and considering it is backed up by an amazing cast, it manages to create an atmospheric horror you will never forget.

All in all, Get Out is by far the best horror movie I saw in the last 10 years and right up there with the best movies of 2017. I strongly recommend this movie, a definite must see for all horror fans and a good bet to start falling in love with the genre if you have avoided it until now. You can enjoy this film even if you hate horror, because it manages to offer you something original and not get bogged down by the clichés that usually plague the genre. An amazing movie, a movie I want to see again and again. You get out only to wish you could jump straight back in…

 

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales – 2017

Score: 7/10

Pirates, pirates everywhere. This series is a very interesting tale about how over time, even the best stories become used up and a little cheesy. Dead Men Tell No Tales unfortunately does not have the air of novelty of the first movies in the series. We have seen many of the things before, we are used to them by now and so it loses some of its charm. Don’t get me wrong, it is still a very good movie and a strong entry in the series, but it’s nowhere near the swashbuckling adventure we were used to from Captain Jack Sparrow, even though it is obviously an improvement over the fourth film.

The characters are a strong point in the movie, they are well developed and funny, especially Johnny Depp, who owns this iconic role. He lives in character and this character has actually become a part of him. You can see Jack Sparrow in other performances of Depp, which is testament to the synergy that exists between the actor and his craft. Depp is very well supported by a strong cast, and Javier Bardem as the villain does an amazing job, as does Geoffrey Rush, who is always a treasure to see on the big screen.

The action scenes are very good, the CGI is believable and well integrated in the story, offering a nice example of how to do it without going overboard. In fact I think the effects are by far the strongest aspect of the movie. We have here a blend of CGI and practical effects which have impressed viewers and critics alike, and deservedly so. You feel part of the fantastic world where the movie takes place, you are there, racing across the open see and fighting monsters you couldn’t imagine, and it’s all because of the great special effects.

It’s the shortest movie in the franchise, but it steel feels a little bit bloated at 129 minutes. Nevertheless, I have to admit it felt good to be the last ones in the theater anticipating an after credits scene and to be rewarded for it :P. You do not get bored by the movie, there is always something happening on the screen, the scene transition is fast, sometimes too fast and a little bit dizzying in fact, but nevertheless, the pacing of the film is good.

Unfortunately, this pacing can’t make up for the convoluted script. The story is, as unfortunately we have begun to expect from the Pirates of The Caribbean franchise, a weak point. Not because it is bad or not interesting or not fun, no, it is none of that and more. But it’s fucking convoluted as shit. It turns and it spins and you have betrayals after betrayals, things that happen although they can’t happen and it makes your want to rip out your hair at points. All of this makes the movie hard to watch and even harder to comprehend or accept. It ruins your immersion and it is by far the worst part of it. If not for this over bloated story, this could have easily been a 10 out of 10, based on the characters, action scenes and effects. And for me this is very sad, because we have the same problems in the 3rd and 4th movies. Hopefully, by the time they make number six they will learn that it’s better to have a simple and strong story then a complicated one that takes all the fun out of its particular scenes.

In conclusion, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales is not the movie it could have been, but it is still a strong effort, a worthy chapter in the franchise and definitely a must see for all the fans of pirates and of Captain Jack Sparrow. And seeing that it starts a little bit to return to its roots, with more swashbuckling fun than the previous two entries, I am hyped for the next movie which I hope will continue down this road. Until then, we can only wonder why is the rum always gone…?

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story – 2016

Score: 10/10

Star Wars, perhaps the biggest movie franchise in the history of cinema. And one that has managed always to impress and to bring something new and exciting. The hype was big for Rogue One and I can say this movie managed to be even better than we all expected. It’s my first 10 out of 10 here and I feel 100% behind this decision. Rogue One deserves every praise it receives and in my mind, it is one of the best movies in the franchise, actually being at the level of the original trilogy. It is an amazing experience and you can watch it again and again without getting bored. Every time you watch it you discover another detail that you overlooked on the previous viewings and that the movie brings a lot to the Star Wars universe.

Rogue One is the first movie that does not follow the main story, instead offering us an adventure on the side, taking a small piece of the universe and expanding it into a glowing example of bravery and dedication. This is one of the most amazing things about this film, it ends neatly, without leaving loose ends. In the current climate of cinema in which almost every single movie leaves teasers at the end to get sequels, Rogue One was a breath of fresh air. A complete story, with introduction, middle and an ending which, although maybe not the ending we would like for the characters, completes the circle perfectly.

The film is part of the Star Wars Anthology series, which will focus on stand-alone stories from the universe. It is an interesting move for the franchise, because these anthology movies will appear alongside future main episodes. I find this a very positive decision for the future, and Disney’s influence can be felt all over this move as well as Rogue One. The movie breaks away from many traditions of the Star Wars series, skipping the crawling intro and being generally presented to the viewers in a different, darker tone. We have no Jedi, we have no grand battles between huge forces. No, Rogue One goes to the core of the fighting, skipping the leaders and focusing on the foot soldiers, the backbone of the universe.

The characters are amazing, created meticulously and for me personally they are developed enough to be credible and engaging. Felicity Jones, Alan Tudyk and Forest Whitaker impress with their acting quality and hearing the iconic Darth Vade voiced by James Earl Jones is always a treat. The same goes for the visual effects, which are superb, well integrated in the action and not affecting your suspension of disbelief.

The music is great, Star Wars true and true, and the action is paced very well, better than in most other space operas. Overall, Rogue One is one of the best movies I have ever seen and I recommend it to all of you. It is a gem and a huge step forward for the new chronicles franchise. One of the best movies of 2016 and a movie that everybody should see, at least once. In the end, there is a rogue in each one of us…

 

The Big Sick – 2017

Score: 6/10

Hmmmmmm… The Big Sick was for many people a revelation, the best indie movie of the year and one of the best romantic comedies of all time. I started watching this movie after reading all of this and I have to admit I had very high expectations. And this is why this movie left me very conflicted. It’s not a bad movie, but at the same time unfortunately it’s not a great movie. It manages to offer a heartwarming love story and many scenes we can all relate too, but at the same time it is filled to the brink with pointless scenes that seem to be there only to make the running time longer.

The story is based on the real relationship between Kumail Nanjiani, who is also the lead actor of the movie and his wife, Emily V. Gordon, whose part is played in the movie by Zoe Kazan. This is the first film in which I see Zoe and I have to admit I was impressed with her performance, by far the best in the movie. She makes the scenes that she is in come alive and steals the show, which is impressive considering that she is in a coma for most of the running time.

The other actors do a good job, offering great support for the principal leads. The problem here is the lead actor, Kumail, who in my view is not capable of sustaining a movie, especially a movie which focuses so much on his character. He is simply not likable enough as an actor to make you like the character, and in this type of movie that can really hurt the overall feeling and drag it down.

The conflict between cultures is very well explored and the scenes with the Pakistani family are the best parts of the picture. You can feel how difficult it is for people of different cultures to adapt and interact with those around them and you understand the challenges they face on a daily basis. This interracial element makes the love story even more interesting and adorable and it is a remarkable difference from other romantic comedies. The Big Sick deserves its praise for being original and for not succumbing to too many of the usual clichés that you find in other movies of this type.

The problem with this movie and the reason it has such a low score is the length. 117 minutes is far too much, especially considering that you could easily cut 40 minutes and not lose anything relating to the main story. There are far too many scenes that are simply there with no purpose, not transmitting and not offering anything. Useless, pointless scenes that drag the movie down and make it from time to time simply unbearable. It’s boring, and considering that there is no real conflict, you feel at times that the screenwriter went out of his way just to invent tension.

In conclusion, The Big Sick is at times a good and funny romantic comedy, but it is dragged down by all the useless filler in between. A movie worth seeing if you want a dose of happiness but not re watch material. A movie of contrasts, and unfortunately, the bad indie part of it comes out a little bit too often, making us a little bit sick in the end…

Spider-Man: Homecoming – 2017

Score: 9/10

Marvel does it again. Spider Man is a character that has suffered a lot at the hands of Sony, and the endless reboots were starting to make it feel actually tedious. But then, finally, one of the lost boys came home and Marvel got the rights back, thus could introduce the superhero to their universe. It started with Civil War, and audiences fell in love with the witty Tom Holland, starting the huge hype of expectation for the first solo movie. We were all expecting a different type of approach from the previous adventures of the web slinger, and that is exactly what we got, and then some.

Spider-Man: Homecoming is a beautiful movie and a perfect example of what Marvel can do. It is the studio’s recipe for success and it has been applied so many times that people can go into the theater knowing perfectly what they will receive. The movie is integrated in the universe but not overly obsessed by it, so you do not have useless scenes that are there just to set things up. The characters are lighthearted, like in all Marvel movies, and that means you can enjoy the action and laugh without having to worry about tragedy after tragedy. It is a change of tone that has benefited Spider Man above all else superheroes, because we are talking here about the only guy that can rise in the comics to the levels of Deadpool when it comes to banter and jokes. Now we also have that in the movies, and if Kevin Feige sticks by his initial idea to make future instalments follow the example of the Harry Potter movies and cover one school year at a time, then we will be expecting many more blockbuster’s in the coming decade.

The action scenes are beautiful, with a highlight on the boat scene, which was unique and heartwarming. The special effects pop on screen and the CGI is made well, discrete but powerful. You can relate to the world of a teenager, you feel for him when he faces problems we have also faced in our lives. The blending of a normal life of a 15 year old boy and his desire to build a career as a superhero is done amazingly well and offers us a different perspective into the genre.

Tom Holland is a treasure in this movie and he plays the part of Spider Man to perfection. Marvel does it again with choosing a perfect actor to fill a role and it is only fitting that this actor stars in his first solo movie in the MCU Universe alongside Robert Downey Jr, arguably the best casting choice made for a character in the history of superhero movies. The supporting cast is good, Michael Keaton impresses as the villain and Marisa Tomei is the aunt we all dreamt of having, if you know what I mean. 😛

Spider Man: Homecoming is easily in the top 3 superhero movies of 2017 and by far the best Spider Man Movie to date. Its light, packed with action, and manages to enchant the public from start to finish. It’s a little bit too long at 133 minutes, but you never feel bored watching it. A strong entrance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, not the best but right up there. Definitely a must see for every superhero fan and a classic that future generations will enjoy. In the end, who doesn’t want to see DC’s older Batman playing a villain in a Marvel movie…?

Wonder Woman – 2017

Score: 9/10

Finally DC, finally. After the fiascoes that were Man of Steel, Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad, we finally have a movie. A movie that manages to save the extended universe and challenges for the first time the level of Marvel movies. A positive movie, a movie that manages to make you laugh and that for the first time offers us a bright and powerful imagery, leaving behind the darkness and depression of other DC entries.

Technically, Wonder Woman is impeccable, the war scenes manage to transmit the feeling of despair of those who fought there, but at the same time do not suffocate the audience with this sensation, freeing us to enjoy the monumental scale of clashes like this. The main characters seem to belong, they are inserted in the historical period very credible, and the scene transition is fluent. Themyscira has that air of mystery and it is imposing, and the battle between the amazonians and the German soldiers is one of the best scenes in the movie.

In fact, battles are the strong point of the film. They are perfectly created and accompanied by a very good musical score. Wonder Woman’s theme song is in my opinion one of the best superhero themes in the history of cinema. You live the action at full intensity, you identify with the characters and you jump from your seat for each enemy that she crushes. In fact, Diana charging the enemy lines on the front is one of the best scenes ever put into a DC movie.

The actors are chosen perfectly, with Chris Pine bringing that dose of humor that was so lacking in previous DC movies and with Gal Godot being seemingly born to play Diana. She is perfect for the role and I think that DC managed to choose an emblematic actor for the character but also for the franchise as a hole. I believe that Gal Godot as Wonder Woman will be for DC what choosing Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man was for Marvel. The supporting cast is also up to the task and they have great performances.

One of the worst things in the movie was the final battle, which comes across as a little bit forced and boring.  But maybe this is due to the length, which is an unacceptable 141 minutes. It’s far to much, especially since you could easily cut 20-30 minutes without problem. But all these things don’t take away too much, because Wonder Woman is a fascinating movie, a must see for any superhero fan. One of the best movies of the year and by far the best film in the DC extended universe. I would go far enough to say that it could easy break top 10 when compared to Marvel’s movies, which is in itself a fantastic achievement. Wonder Woman started the revolution in the DC universe and we can only hope that this is only the first step in the right direction.

(P.S. I avoided on purpose the discussion about feminism and strong female characters, because a movie is not better or worse because of this and I consider discussions about race and gender 100% useless when analyzing entertainment.)

Life – 2017

Score: 9/10

Wow! One of the biggest surprises of 2017 for me, this movie managed to set a new level of how aliens should be done in cinema. I did not expect much after seeing the trailer and the budget, but boy how wrong I was. Life is a beautiful movie, from start to finish, the visuals are pure magic and remind me of Gravity and Interstellar. It’s my first movie from director Daniel Espinosa, and after this experience I am more than certain I will keep an eye out for future movies from this talented Swede.

The story is by far the best part about Life, and it’s amazing how much you can achieve by creating dread and making the audiences uneasy. The beginning of the film is calm, relaxed and happy, the joyful discovery of new life is an experience you can share with the main characters. You think about things, you think about how you would react in the same situations, the opening act is a joy to watch from start to finish. But the most amazing thing about it is the tension. You feel something coming, you do not know what, you try to guess but you are unable. The sensation that something, you have no idea what, is going to happen, is electrifying, and it’s something very hard to come by in today’s movies. The only other movie in which I felt that this year is Get Out, another masterpiece we will tackle here in a few days.

The cast is scintillating, and the chemistry between Ryan Reynolds and Jake Gyllenhaal is obvious. Even if the movie doesn’t have time in its 104 minutes to delve into the depths of every single character, it still manages to offer compelling motivations and justifies every single act, including the passion of the scientist for Calvin. You can understand and identify with their actions, even if you do not agree with them, and that makes the movie very easily to relate to and a very familiar experience. As opposed to many other alien movies, this one does not present the new race as an unseen monster running around and mowing people down, but instead offers you a glimpse into the development of life and explains its motivations and desires, a feat that can only be applauded.

Life is original in its story, a genuine surprise in the genre and something I have not seen before. Yes, many scenes can be found in other movies, but the atmosphere and the way the story translates from act to act is truly something unique. If I have to find a flaw to the movie it has to be the environment, which is often too dark and not big enough to optimally present the awesomeness of the alien.

In conclusion, Life is one of the best SF movies of the last decade and one that you can re watch with the same enjoyment as the first time. I recommend this movie to any fan of SF and encourage you to prepare for one of the biggest twists I have ever seen at the end. A great movie, an amazing experience and another proof that always, no matter the circumstances and the actors involved, life always finds a way…

 

The Emoji Movie – 2017

Score: 4/10

The Emoji Movie is tasteless. This is the best word I could find to describe it. It is a comedy and it is animation, so that means you cannot outright hate this film. All the critics that yell about it being the worst film of the year and other stuff like that are outright fake and want only to impress the hipsters that read their reviews. The Emoji Movie is not the worst movie of the year, not even close. Anybody who sees this film will laugh, at least once or twice. Yes, the jokes are stupid, some of them maybe ridiculous, but you will still laugh at some point, it is inevitable.

The problem with this movie for me is just this, that it is a little bit funny, but nothing more. We have a bland movie, which does nothing to stand out, despite its very interesting premise, which promised much more than what we got. The universe of a mobile phone, when explored properly, can offer almost endless possibilities. You have thousands of apps to choose from, you can translate almost everything into animation. The Emoji Movie starts off with an interesting idea and unfortunately turns it into shit because of the lack of originality.

A thing that bothered me in the film were the similarities with Inside Out. We have some scenes that are actually copied step by step, like for example the falling down of the comedic relief character in the trash bin and many many more. This is where it seems for me that the movie chose the easy way, recycling ideas and motives instead of trying to find new things to offer its audiences. It is from start to finish a procession of cliches and scenes we have seen before in other movies, and this makes you want to see those movies instead of continuing with this one.

The actor list is impressing, and starting with Anna Faris, going through T. J. Miller and ending with Sir Patrick Stewart voicing a poop emoji, you have to be impressed by these names. Their performances are at a high level and I have to highlight again that it is so sad when good actors have no script to work with. You cannot identify with the characters because in the end nothing happens, and the bad guy is nothing more than a desperate attempt by the movie to mask the lack of a story.

Overall, The Emoji Movie is made for children, and you can see that. We don’t have to condemn the creators for that choice, but I can only feel regret, because the idea behind the story could have generated a far better movie. It is worth seeing for a couple of laughs, but have no expectations beyond that. Its 86 minutes make it mercifully short and thus perfect for a popcorn flick to watch with your friends. And don’t forget, we never wash our hands…

The Fate of the Furious – 2017

Score: 1/10

The Fast and the Furious saga is for me a perfect example about how you can destroy a good product by exaggerating with elements of that certain product. In the first movies of the series you could find a lot of truly interesting moments, amazing action scenes and stunts. Then, the franchise started to make money, lots and lots of money. They also started to draw in lots of different types of audiences and wanted to cater to them all, this leading into excess. Small at first, this excess transformed very rapidly into ridiculous scenes and absurd things that simply cannot and should not be tolerated in our movies. It started approximately around episode 3 and in this movie, the eight one, it has reached levels that I think are almost beyond reach for future movies.

I had only just recovered after witnessing the most idiotic scene I ever saw in a movie, and of course I am talking here about the stupid car jumping from one building to another in Fast 7, and yet here comes The Fate of the Furious and offers me, in no particular order, cars jumping over submarines, huge metal balls that destroy things while being suspended into thin air, a nuclear sub that is faster than pumped out vehicles (there is no submarine on earth capable of going faster than 50 km/h) and, as usual, absolutely no real and palpable consequences.

In The Fate of the Furious there are no consequences, nothing happens to the protagonists no matter what they do, and this strips the movie of every ounce of tension or dramatic pacing. You know nothing can go wrong, you know that in the end the good guys will win and everybody will still be alive, so all the impeccable shot action scenes are nothing more than silly stunts devoid of any meaning or importance. I know, I know, we all like action scenes, we love explosions, we love almost impossible things in movies. But here is the gist, we like “almost impossible” things, not things that are far beyond the edge of the absurd.

When you see a movie character push a torpedo with his hand to change its course, or when you see someone jumping from a plane and landing in a jeep after several seconds of hanging in midair, you cannot identify with that movie anymore. Especially since we are not talking here about a SF movie, where you can accept certain changes in the laws of physics. No, we are talking here about a movie which is theoretically set in our world, the world we also live in. And excuse me, but in my world a plane cannot land, wait for cars to get inside it and then take off from the same fucking runway, without ever making a turn. And after that scene with the 20 kilometers runway from Fast 6 I just described I can only thank God that this movie was more restrained with its airplane shenanigans.

Technically the movie is impeccable. You can find comedic scenes, positive cliche’s, there are a lot of things that can turn the experience into a positive one. And even if I am giving it a 1, I still recommend you watching it, but don’t take it seriously, take it as a comedy. If you watch this movie expecting to laugh about how bad it is, you will have a fascinating experience. The only problem I see is that so many people take the movie seriously, and you should not to that. If you watch it like a cartoon strip you will understand why The Fate of the Furious is simultaneously one of the worst and the most funny movies of 2017.

And, as usual when it comes to Fast and Furious movies, let us scream together: THAT IS NOT HOW FIRE WORKS!

 

 

 

* A lot of people requested that this blog should be in English as opposed to Romanian, so here I am, indulging them… From now on, everything is in English… Enjoy…

 

T2 Trainspotting – 2017

Verdict: 5/10

Sunt trist. Sunt trist pentru că aș fi vrut să pot să îi dau acestui film un scor mai mare. Sunt trist pentru că primul Trainspotting mi-a plăcut, mi s-a părut o operă de artă care a completat perfect cartea, sunt trist pentru că primul film chiar a meritat văzut. Și sunt trist pentru că T2 Trainspotting pare un film inutil, creat doar pentru că a existat cerere pentru el și nu pentru că povestea avea nevoie de acest capitol. Senzația de disperare a primului film este recreată perfect și de această nouă peliculă, doar că de data asta nu mai este ceva pozitiv. În timp ce ritmul primului film era antrenant și nu aveai timp să te plictisești și să te întristezi, acest al doilea nu reușește să ofere nimic în afară de un sentiment de disperare absolută comprimat în 117 minute de plictiseală.

Ce este și mai trist în ceea ce privește T2 Trainspotting este că este mult sub nivelul cărții. Ca un om care a văzut și a citit ambele filme respectiv cărți, pot spune că primul Trainspotting a fost mai bun decât lucrarea literară cu același nume, în timp ce T2 Trainspotting este mult sub nivelul cărții, Porno, pe care se bazează. Și asta pentru mine este frustrant și de neînțeles, având în vedere că avem același regizor, aceiași actori și, și mai important, având în vedere că Porno este ca și carte mult peste Trainspotting.

Toate acestea fiind spuse, nu pot să nu remarc rolurile remarcabile pe care le fac toții actorii aici. Îți regăsești cu plăcere personajele favorite din primul film și te uiți fascinat cum actorii par că nu au îmbătrânit nicio zi. Povestea este credibilă, bine construită, însă este transmisă foarte slab, scenele se succed parcă fără pasiune, nu ai momentele acelea magice ale primului film, e pur și simplu o înșiruire de emoții care luate separat înseamnă ceva, însă puse laolaltă nu ți se arată decât aidoma unei cacofonii a exagerărilor.

Dacă doriți să vedeți acest film, vă recomand să folosiți neapărat subtitrări, în ce limbă doriți. Ca un vorbitor excelent de engleză care a văzut mii de filme la viața lui, după doar 15 minute am cedat și am fost nevoit să caut subtitrări, pentru că dialectul scoțian vorbit, cu precădere de către Begbie, este efectiv neinteligibl pentru cineva obișnuit cu engleza americană. Știu că Irvine Welsh este scoțian, știu că scrie în dialectul scoțian cu specific din zona lui natală, Edinburgh, știu că folosește în cărțile sale scoțiana fonetică de multe ori și nu pe cea literară. Foarte frumos, înțeleg toate aceste lucruri, însă în T2 Trainspotting această scoțiană m-a deranjat și mi s-a părut exagerată și chiar dacă a oferit autenticitate filmului, a răpit câte ceva din senzația de imersiune pentru mine personal…

Coloana sonoră este interesantă, însă parcă mai puțin underground decât în primul film. Per total, T2 Trainspotting merită vizionat de fanii predecesorului său, însă nu vă așteptați în niciun caz la intensitatea acelui prim film. Este un post scriptum corect, care îți poate trezi nostalgii, dar în niciun caz nu este un film pe care vei vrea să îl revezi. Cu toate că, Ewan McGregor vorbind despre societatea modernă și despre inutilitatea vieții într-o cafenea este ceva ce aș vrea să văd încă și încă o dată…