Sicario: Day of the Soldado – 2018

Score: 5,5/10

Sicario: Day of the Soldado was for me a huge disappointment. The first movie was brilliant, I loved it, I felt it right to the core. So naturally, I was expecting the same here. Unfortunately, this is not what we get. Everything is messy, it doesn’t have any sort of logic, it’s all just scraped together in an effort to capitalize on the success of the first installment and on some political happenings. It just doesn’t work well and it is obvious to me that this sequel was not planned as it should have been. Since they are gunning for a third one, I really hope we will get to see an improvement there…

The story is bad. It’s convoluted, it doesn’t flow, it’s insulting in parts. It does not have the mystery and the appeal of the original and it just seems to want to impress you without actually bringing anything to the table. It really doesn’t help the movie, it doesn’t fit the amazing action scenes and it offers no emotion at all. It seems like the director is just going through the motions. There is nothing new and original here and my God, the pacing is absolutely horrendous. I had never in my life imagined I would be so bored by a movie about drugs, cartels and the CIA… Honestly…

The characters are bad. And it’s all about the script and the way the movie is written. The absence of Denis Villeneuve is felt a lot here, and there is not one character that you can get attached to. You end up not caring about anything or anyone and that spells disaster for a movie like this. Now don’t get me wrong, despite the horrible script, the actors bring it, and that is why I have to congratulate Benicio del Toro, Josh Brolin, Isabela Moner, Jeffrey Donovan, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Catherine Keener, Matthew Modine and Raoul Trujillo for their performances.

The one good thing that in part redeems this movie, at least a little bit, are the action scenes. It is the one thing they managed to replicate from the first movie and the one thing that keeps you in the seat. The music is ominous, the scenes are powerful, there is a lot of force there, everything seems real. And this reality underlines the brutality of it all, the struggle that we can find in the real world, just outside our door. It’s gritty, it’s messy and it’s done very well. These have to be some of the best put together action scenes of 2018. What a shame that the story just couldn’t live up to them…

There is no consistency here and nothing gets explained. This is the main problem of this movie, because it is not a standalone. It follows another film, one that has already established the rules of this world. And this one doesn’t respect those rules, it actually goes against many of them. The main character acts totally different here. I mean come on, a dude that actually murdered a child in cold blood in the first movie is going to risk everything to protect the daughter of the man that killed his family? For real? Why, because his daughter was deaf? I mean come on movie, nobody buys that shit. Not to mention the ending which is infuriating to say the least. I mean yes, of course it makes sense to basically mentor the teen that shot you in the face because he wanted to impress some narcos… Yes movie, that totally makes sense…

In conclusion, Sicario: Day of the Soldado is not a terrible movie. Yes, it could have been much better, yes it has a lot of flaws, but bottom line, it is not a terrible movie. So, if you saw the first one and enjoyed it, then you should also give this one a shot. It will not be as good or as engaging, but there will be flashes of the original’s panache here and there. There are moments in this movie when you really feel that you are there, present, a part of the action. Unfortunately boredom and a very slow pacing drown out those moments and end up leaving you with a very bad taste in your mouth… Still, it’s not the worst choice for an action movie. Oh, and for the love of God, make those helicopter noises softer, they take the whole fun out of the movie…

A Wrinkle in Time – 2018

Score: 2/10

This is a perfect example of how you can turn an amazing book into a crappy movie. A perfect example on how too much of everything can end up delivering nothing at all. A Wrinkle in Time is definitely one of the worst movies from Disney and one that hopefully will serve as a warning for future studios to stop with these adaptations that try to reach too far and end up failing at every single turn. It is bad from start to finish and the fact that it lost almost 100 million dollars should not surprise anybody.

The story is convoluted and yet nothing is defined and explained correctly. I mean seriously, I finished watching this and I still have no clue about what a tesseract actually is. It might be that thing from the Marvel Universe, but I have my doubts. The point I am trying to make here is that it is totally unacceptable to have a movie like this in which nothing gets explained, nothing gets even remotely relatable. You are lost here if you haven’t read the book and that does not make for a good film. You should never assume that your audience is familiar with the books if you want to really appeal to them. Especially in a movie marketed towards families! Kids don’t read anymore! Just accept that and cater to their needs!

The characters are bland, insulting at points in their stiffness and stupidity. Nothing is relatable, not even the kids are fun. With the exception of Charles Wallace who does bring some moments of levity, everything tries to be so serious and it ends up just plain clichéd and boring. This movie is boring as a whole and there is nothing worth waiting for. The cast is full of big names and yet there isn’t a character here that makes me want to recommend this movie. A shameful display from Storm Reid, Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling, Levi Miller, Deric McCabe, Chris Pine, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Zach Galifianakis, Michael Peña, David Oyelowo and André Holland.

The special effects are the one thing this movie banked on, and yet for me, they failed miserably. Yes, the CGI might have quality in some parts, it might look beautiful even, but what’s the point? What’s the point of a world looking beautiful when there is nothing underneath the visuals? There is not emotion, no passion, nothing to make you want to explore it along with the characters. And considering the last 25 minutes are pitch black dark, I can’t say I enjoyed the overall visual experience of this movie at all.

The book was great, the book is a classic. But it came out in 1962. 1962! It’s 2018! Almost everything I saw in this movie is a cliché now, because there have been hundreds of other films focusing on subjects like this. It’s sad, I know, but it’s just boring and bland at this point. You can’t create such a movie while not bringing anything new to the table. The audiences will not bite, because they have seen it before, and done better. If you want to entertain people, do something new, bring something new to the table, offer us something we haven’t seen already a million times!

In conclusion, skip this one. It is convoluted, it is boring, it has nothing underneath the glossy polish. A Wrinkle in Time will not even be remembered as a wrinkle in time and that is truly a shame considering that the book was amazing. Maybe, some books are best left alone. Not everything works in a movie and this one is a perfect example. Skip it and you will not lose anything! Oh, and if somebody asks you to call them constantly by their full name, don’t do it, it’s annoying and stupid as hell! Do you hear me Charles Wallace, do you hear me? :))

The Cloverfield Paradox – 2018

Score: 4/10

The Cloverfield Paradox tries to be a very smart movie, it tries to shock you and to leave you confused and in awe. And I don’t know why, but it doesn’t seem to work as well as it could. I mean it starts out interesting and it leaves you blindsided in certain parts, but it ends up just being predictable and boring towards the end. Nevertheless, I don’t regret watching it and I am very curious if they will make another one in the future and, most of all, the direction they will choose to go with it.

The story is the one redeeming aspect of this movie. Not because it is amazing, but because it tries to be and thus you do get some flashes of brilliance scattered throughout. It manages to surprise you in parts, it manages to offer you something in return for your viewing. It could have been done much better, the surprises could have packed more punch, but for what it is, it does its job well enough to make you want to sit through to the end. It is something that the first 2 movies in the franchise didn’t manage to do, so there…

The characters are bland. Sincerely and utterly bland. Nothing stands out, they are not developed, they are defined poorly and they try to add to the mystery instead of explaining it. I found no empathy towards them and you can’t identify with any of their actions. It is actually dragging the story back quite a bit and I was disappointed by the casting and the performances. A shameful display from Gugu Mbatha-Raw, David Oyelowo, Daniel Brühl, John Ortiz, Chris O’Dowd, Aksel Hennie, Zhang Ziyi, Elizabeth Debicki and Roger Davies.

The special effects are decent, but nothing to speak about. They don’t have the awe element that is so badly needed in movies like this. And I know this is because of the previous two instalments. Those movies tried to pretend to be found footage shit and that is why they sucked ass. You could not sit through them without getting dizzy from the stupid shaky cam so this is why I think this one, although it is a huge improvement, doesn’t go overboard with effects. I can only hope that in the future if they do another one they will understand that you have to have decent visuals in a movie about fucking aliens!

As a standalone movie, this works remarkably well. Don’t watch this if you want to see the story from the previous two movies, because it is not that. It has connections yes, some of them forced, but you should not expect it. Watch this as a science fiction horror film and enjoy its story and its story alone. It will be more interesting that way and you will be able to find positives without the burden of the overall arc.

In conclusion, The Cloverfield Paradox is worth a watch, but don’t try too hard to fit it into the context of the franchise. That will just leave you confused and it will end up actually annoying you in the end. Watch it as a standalone movie and it can actually be fun, gripping in parts and engaging. It could have been much better, which is why it is getting a lower score, but overall, it does manage to bring something new to the story. And I do have to praise the director for getting rid of the shaky cam, not entirely, but enough to make the movie watchable. Maybe now the Cloverfield franchise will actually be known for something else apart from shit and stupid camera work…

The Snowman – 2017

Score: 5/10

The Snowman is not a bad movie by any means, but it is also not a good one. It is far too long, convoluted, and while it does manage to offer a decent amount of scares and tension, the mind-blowingly complicated plot ends up taking most of the fun away. If you like crime thriller films and you have nothing better to see, give it a shot, but only if you don’t have a better option. If you do, just forget about this one…

The story is the worst thing about this movie, by far. It tries to be deep, it tries to be interesting, it tries to surprise you, but it fails horribly at all of those things. It is boring, it is convoluted, it makes no sense in a lot of parts. It is one of the worst adaptations of a book to a movie I have ever seen from the story point and the movie never manages to recover from this, despite having strong acting and nice visuals. Speaking of the visuals, you will truly enjoy them, but at the same time, seriously, people who sleep outside in the snow without proper clothes end up dead… Seriously, I kid you not movie!

The characters are good, interesting and it is the only common point the movie and the book have. The actors gel well together and they manage to offer credible and engaging performances. And while you are not going to relate to many of the things that happen in the movie, the cast completes the story and I can honestly say that performances from Michael Fassbender, Rebecca Ferguson, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Val Kilmer, J. K. Simmons, Toby Jones, David Dencik, Ronan Vibert, Chloë Sevigny and James D’Arcy are definitely a strong point of this film that lacks in so many other aspects.

It happens very rare for me to watch a movie and be truly lost, but this one managed to confuse me to hell. It is convoluted, it tries to surprise you but ends up only making everything much more complicated than it needs to be. It is a real letdown because the book is not like this and because it could have been done much better. This is one of the main reason it had such a mediocre performance at the box office, because movies like this don’t work anymore, not in this day and age and not with modern audiences.

This is supposed to be an adaptation of a book, but it falls way way short of that. There are almost no elements from the book present here, everything is changed and everything is made much more complicated and confusing. Beside the names, there is almost nothing here that reminds you of the book and if you read it like I have, you will be scratching your head all throughout. It is truly a shame and it is one of the most infuriating aspects of this movie. A shame, because if it followed the story in the book, it would have been definitely much much better.

In conclusion, The Snowman is a movie worth seeing, but do not expect too much and, most important, if you read the book, don’t come here looking for that story. It is a completely different story. In fact, the only things from the book are the names and the overall concept, which is a damn shame, since the book is truly worth it. Nevertheless, you can watch it, because the actors to a nice job and the musical score is above par. Still, you ruined snowmen for me movie, so shame on you… Shaaaame…!

The Hateful Eight – 2015

Score: 8/10

I can’t say I am a big fan of Quentin Tarantino. I have never been and I most certainly have a lot of problems with many of his movies. So I have to say that I went into this a little bit biased. But The Hateful Eight managed to change my mind and I ended up loving it. It is harder to see than most films, but if you manage to get to the end and think about it afterwards, you will discover that the experience was totally worth it. I would see it again and that alone says a lot about the inner quality of it.

The story is a little bit convoluted, but you can expect that already from a Tarantino movie. Nevertheless, it is interesting, it has twists and it manages to keep you alert. This is a great movie for someone who likes to talk and most importantly for someone who likes to discover people through the small things they say and the idiosyncrasies they display. The dialogue is carefully constructed and there are almost no continuity errors here. A great story, and a unique one at that, which is not easy to do!

The characters are amazing, beautifully created and highly relatable. You really feel you are in the Old West and you can’t help but root for not one, but almost all of them. It is amazing to see such a talented cast at work, and the names here will leave you speechless. It is one of the most impressive casts I have ever seen, and I have to commend performances from Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Demián Bichir, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Bruce Dern, James Parks, Dana Gourrier and Zoë Bell.

The overall style of the movie is typical Tarantino. A small and almost impossible to identify silver line and a lot of hidden symbols that you have to understand in order to enjoy the experience fully. And here is my problem with this movie. Because of his style, Tarantino manages to make his films feel longer than they actually are. It is the same case here, because on a first viewing, I was almost pushed to the limit. You could argue that is because the 168 minutes running time, but I really think it’s the way everything is shot, with a lot of pauses and a lot of “art”. Too much art can hurt a movie and destroy your immersion, and I really hope Tarantino will stop doing this in the future.

The music, oh my God the music. It is by far the best thing about this movie, and although I was expecting something like this from a legendary composer like Ennio Morricone, I have to admit that he actually managed to surpass every single expectation I had. He is a true legend of cinema and any movie in the world would be enhanced by his atypical and powerful scores. It is a joy from start to finish, and especially in the open credits, the cross scene will leave you breathless… Simply breathless…

In conclusion, The Hateful Eight is definitely a movie worth watching. It tries to be a classic western and it manages to be totally different from whatever you have seen before. It moves slowly but at the same time the action makes you jump from your seat in more instances than one. Overall, I would say that it is a unique experience, completed to perfection by the atmosphere that Tarantino creates, by the amazing musical score from Ennio Morricone and by the spectacular performances of a stellar cast. Oh, and the constant swearing and racism is simply adorable. Now who doesn’t love listening to over 200 hundred swear words in one single movie? 😀