The Bye Bye Man Review

       

          If you think his name, he will come and screw up your life. If you say his name, he will come up and screw up your life. If you see this movie, it will screw up your life. So save yourself and don't go see this movie.

          I have never liked the premise of this movie. It's so stupid. You have this "spirit" that if you think or say his name, he will haunt you and make you do unthinkable things. If you say his name to other people, those people now have the potential to be effected by The Bye Bye Man. However you can stop him by not thinking/saying his name. 

           If you really think about it, The Bye Bye Man is basically just a virus. The only way it can flourish is by the faults of other people. When you introduce the name of The Bye Bye Man to other people, they can't think of it or else their life will get screwed up, then they can spread it to others. I don't want the villain of my movie to be a stupid virus. I want the villain to be someone/something that is actually intimidating. Not a dumb virus. 

          If you are clueless enough to see this movie (really, don't see this movie) you will see some of the worst acting you will ever see in a theatrical motion picture. They are just so bad. You will never be able to take them seriously. The main actress Cressida Bonas could not deliver one good line even if her life depended on it. You are not supposed to laugh unintentionally while watching a horror movie, but Bonas will make you life with the beyond horrendous performance she gives us. The other two leads Douglass Smith and Lucien Laviscount aren't as bad as Bonas, but they are still pretty terrible. 

          To sum it up, this movie seems like it was trying to hard. The acting was terrible. The premise is stupid. There are so many moments that make you think "This must be one of the stupidest movies I have ever seen."

 If I was in charge for putting one quote on the movie poster, that quote would be "This movie is full of stupid." 

The Bye Bye Man rightfully deserves a 2/5 

      Probably the stupidest part of the movie came when the main character was browsing the computer in a library. He was researching The Bye Bye Man. He didn't go to google.com to do it. He didn't go to yahoo.com to do it. He didn't even go to bing.com to do it. He went to search.com. This movie couldn't even afford to put a name brand search engine in their movie for literally 2 seconds! 

Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them Review

          Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is the next adventure in the Harry Potter universe. This particular adventure takes place 70years before the first Harry Potter story and follows a wizard named Newt Scamander, a very introverted wizard who has a love for magical creatures. His mission is to document all those magical creatures and expand the knowledge of these "beasts" to the rest of the wizarding world. However on this quest of his, some of his beasts escape from his magical suitcase and cause havoc in 1920s New York.
          Right off the bat, there are several things that could've been fixed.
          The first thing that could've been improved are the actual beasts themselves. There were too many beasts in this film. There were too many to keep track of. The thing I appreciate the most about the creatures that have existed in this universe is they each have their own unique trait. Those traits that you want magical creatures to have, weren't so apparent in this film. The majority of the creatures didn't seem to have a real purpose and could've been easily written out for the benefit of the film. I don't want to say scenes became "crowded" when beasts were in them but they became rather messy. There was also an overuse of CGI in the movie. There needed to be less CGI, or better CGI.
          Eddie Redmayne did a really good job at bringing this somewhat unfamiliar character to life. His performance was really unique and convincing. The problem I had was Newt stayed his introverted self the whole movie. The reason I had a problem with that is, Redmayne has charisma and that charisma was dialed down, a lot. I wish there was just one scene where Newt went full-out wizard. Just once scene where he does something dramatically different compared to what he does in the rest of the film. He was a very one note character but still enjoyable nonetheless. The character I liked more was Colin Farrell's character, Graves. He wasn't in it for that long but when he was in it, he stole the show.
          The main female protagonist was played by Katherine Waterson, and her character was such a weak character. There was absolutely no substance to her character. There was nothing. It was like watching a blank piece of paper act. It was absolutely tortuous, and was a real struggle to watch. And when someone is that bad to watch and is on screen for the majority of the movie, it heavily dampens your enjoyment of the film. There was no set up to her character, and there was no pay off in the end.
          I was really excited to see the character of Kowalski. I really liked him in the trailers. I was interested in how they were going to treat this "no-maj" or "muggle." At the first of the movie I was enjoying his character. But then they introduced a love interest for Kowalski and that didn't fit in at all. It ruined the entire flow of the movie. The movie didn't seem to have any pacing issues until she came along.
          The great thing about Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them is it's a return to the Harry Potter universe. Much like how the Force Awakens brought us back to the Star Wars world we loved, Fantastic Beasts brought us back the Harry Potter world we loved. I love this world so much. There were very subtle moments when a few notes of the John William's score were integrated into the overall score.  It was really nice to be in this world again. Even though I had quite a few problems, I loved how how we were introduced into this familiar world but with a new spin on it. I give Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them a 3/5.
       
       

Sully Review

         In 2009 a commercial airliner piloted by Captain Chelsey "Sully" Sullenberger hit a flock of birds that caused both engines to go down. The only thing Sully could do in this situation was to land the plane in the Hudson River. These 208-seconds will forever be known as "The Miracle on the Hudson."
          When I first heard about this movie I was wondering how they could turn 208-seconds into a full length-feature film. Then the trailers came out. I had no idea that there was controversy surrounding this event. After the landing, there were various investigations that said Sully could've flown the plane back to the airport rather than landing it in the river and causing danger to the 155 passengers on board. This movie is more about the investigations, rather than than the actual plane landing.
          That being said, the parts that do show the plane crash are really well done. Eastwood does a great job at directing these sequences to magnify your experience. The main issue with the sequences is, they are not shown in chronological order. The movie shows you parts of the plane crash, then goes to part of the investigation, then back to the plane crash. This movie would've benefited a lot more if it was done chronologically.
          Aaron Eckhart's performance as Harvey Dent/Two Face often gets overlooked in The Dark Knight. People always talk about Heath Ledger and seldom talk about Eckhart's wonderful performance. I was very happy to see another solid performance from Eckhart. He did a very good job at acting along with Hanks and holding his own ground. Not to mention that they had great chemistry.
          At this point it seems cliche to say "Hanks gave a fantastic performance." But the thing is, he always gives solid performances. He is constantly giving us Oscar worthy performances. I don't think he'll get nominated but, I wouldn't be mad if he does.
          These days it seems like the media tries to emphasize all the bad things that are going on in the world. So I got choked up when I was watching this movie because it was so nice to see something that emphasized the good that is in people. When disaster strikes, it brings out the best in people. Sully reminded me that within us, is the power and will to do something great. Sully is a movie about true, American heroes. We can rise up to the challenge. We can do extraordinary things.
          Sully is a movie you should rush out and see. You should see it because Hanks and Eckhart give great performances and for the overall message. I give Sully a 4/5.

Suicide Squad Review

          Without a doubt, Will Smith and Margot Robbie are the best parts about this movie.They played the best characters in this movie, Deadshot and Harley Quinn. I would be more than thrilled to see these two characters in another movie. In fact, I want to see a Harley Quinn movie now. I want to see a Deadshot movie now. They are too likable to not want to see them again. Viola Davis was really good as Amanda Waller. I wish that she will come back. Diablo played by Jay Hernandez is the only other character that you will appreciate.

          I don't think this movie is a disaster all the time. I just think it's a disaster eighty-five to ninety percent of the time. When this movie misses the spot, it misses the spot hard.
          I don't know why comic book movies have a tough time (for the most part) at making a good villain. More often than not they are really lack luster and really forgettable. This movie is no exception. You never have time to get to know this character. Unfortunately they decide to dedicate quite a bit of time to this character during the third act. And it just doesn't work. I couldn't care less about the final action scene because I didn't care for the character. I didn't even know what they were trying to do. Were they trying to destroy the world? They never made that clear. I don't know why they made the conflict on this big of a spectacle. It just didn't feel like it fit in with this movie. In fact it reminded me a lot of last years Fantastic 4 at some points. The finale just came off as some generic action piece. It was really cartoony and frankly, it didn't make very much sense. Then the villain had a random brother that possessed a random citizen guy. What I just said made no sense because it made no sense in the movie. The CGI they used on the brother was pre-2005 CGI. It was awful. There are so many other problems with this movie.
          Let's talk about the Joker. During the marketing campaign, he was used as a focus point for this movie. This movie basically has nothing to do with the Joker at all. He is hardly in this movie. You could cut out every scene with the Joker and the movie would still make sense. I bet you anything, that the only reason they included Joker was because the studio knows the Joker is very popular. The Joker has no purpose in this movie besides being a marketing tool. They wanted to fit him into the movie. They wanted to give him purpose and by doing so, they decided to cram in one of the best comic story lines, MAD LOVE (The origin story of Harley Quinn) into just 3-4 minutes of screen time by using really disjointed flashbacks that don't belong in this movie anyway. It also doesn't help that I hated this portrayal of the Joker. Jared Leto seemed like he was doing a terrible impression of Heath Ledger's Joker. I hope we never get to see this Joker again. He was a terrible addition to this movie.
          Tone was a big problem in this movie.  It felt like there were two movies jammed into one. One movie had a darker tone, the other movie had a lighter tone. The thing that pained me the most is, you can tell that there is a much darker version of this movie out there. I wish the stuck with that tone.
          This movie was a movie with no real structure to it. There are a whole bunch of flashbacks. Flashbacks that happen all throughout the movie. All of these flashbacks just don't make sense. It seemed like they filmed each scene in this movie, than inserted those scenes at random. They just didn't make a cohesive story.
           Suicide Squad is a movie that doesn't have good grasp of what it is. Even though it has standouts like Deadshot and Harley Quinn, it doesn't have enough to call it an enjoyable movie. With missteps that have to do with tone and pacing, Suicide Squad turns out to be a movie that will be forgetful and boring. I give Suicide Squad a 2/5.
     
       
       

Star Trek Beyond Review

          The USS Enterprise is exploring the deepest parts of uncharted space. During their expedition, they get attacked and crash land on this mysterious planet. The crew of the Enterprise get separated as they try to survive the evil wrath of Krall.
         This movie is celebrating the 50th anniversary of Star Trek. And it does so in the best way possible. Beyond has what you wan't from a blockbuster but, it is also paying respect to the original cast and crew. Beyond is essentially a small independent film inside a big blockbusters body. While it has action and explosions, it doesn't loose sense of what Star Trek is. You have the humor, the great characters, and a great story. You will be entertained by Beyond from beginning to end.
          The best part about this movie is the writing. Simon Pegg and his writing partner make it so this movie has a great sense of character because, the most important thing to the Star Trek movies are its characters. Everything the characters say to one another feel very organic and not forced. This movie has great character moments intertwined with the whole movie. Especially the moments between Bones and Spock. This movie knows what to do to be a summer blockbuster but, it also makes sure the characters are in the forefront of it all.
          Idris Elba does a great job playing the villain Krall but, his character doesn't have as much depth as you might want from a villain. This happens throughout the whole entire movie. You never really understand the villains motives until the end. But even when you figure out why Krall is doing the stuff he is, it doesn't pay off. Don't go into this movie looking for a great villain because you won't get one.
          There was a great new addition to this movie and that was the character of Jaylah. She was awesome. She was a great action star, she looked great, and she had some funny lines. The best thing is she never got annoying. You will come out of this movie loving this character.
          Star Trek Beyond is my favorite movie in this rebooted franchise and it is definitely towards the top on my list of the best Star Trek movies. It's a movie where each act builds on top of the previous one. The first act is good, the second act is great, and the third act is awesome. The movie gets better as it goes on. It hooks you from the begging and then it takes you on a journey that became one of my favorite films of the year.
          With the smaller character moments and the throwbacks to the original Star Trek Beyond is a phenomenal Star Trek movie. I'm going to give Star Trek Beyond a 4.5/5.

RIP Leonard Nimoy & Anton Yelchin. He went too soon.
         

Star Trek: Into Darkness (2013) Review

          Star Trek: Into Darkness is the follow up film to the 2009 reboot of this franchise. This film once again tells the adventures of the crew upon the USS Enterprise. When Starfleet suffers a terrorist attack from a mysterious personage, the crew must find this man, and bring him to justice. 

         When this movie first came out three years ago, I was a big fan of it. I believed it to be one of the best Star Trek movies. At that time in 2013 I wasn't a big Star Trek fan. Today, I have grown into a mild Star Trek fan. I love the TV shows, and most of the classic movies. So when I re-watched this movie, I very much disliked it. It didn't feel like a Star Trek film. I wasn't attached to the property in 2013 so I didn't care that it didn't feel like Star Trek. But right now, I'm more familiar with this property so it bugged me, badly, that this didn't seem like a Star Trek film. 

          If you are not a mild-big Star Trek fan like I was in 2013, you will get a kick out of this movie. It has great action, and the cast once again brings it with their portrayals of the classic Star Trek characters. If you are not attached to this property there is a very good chance you will like this movie. There is enough in this movie to make it enjoyable.

          I found it really hard to enjoy this movie. I tried to appreciate everything in it for what it was, but I just couldn't. It didn't feel like Star Trek. What I like and appreciate about Star Trek is it's simplicity. If you go back and read my review of the 2009 film, I praised it for not overcomplicating its self. Into Darkness did the opposite of what the 2009 film did. It lost the true sense of what Star Trek is. It didn't focus on the characters. Into Darkness focused on action, focused on making it a big, blockbuster epic, that it lost the true sense of what Star Trek is. 

          In conclusion Star Trek: Into Darkness had potential to be a great Star Trek film. It just didn't have the charm the 2009 film did to make it feel like Star Trek should feel. I will give Star Trek: Into Darkness a 2/5.

Star Trek (2009) Review

          This contemporary telling of the classic franchise as told by J.J. Abrams is a prequel story to the classic Star Trek tales. James T. Kirk, a member of Starfleet tries to live up to his father's legacy, but he finds it hard to do with Commander Spock forcing him to play by the rules. When time-traveling Romulan tries to destroy the federation one planet at a time, Kirk and the crew of the USS Enterprise must work together to stop Romulan, and save their captain.
          This movie does a great job at establishing and developing these characters. There is no exposition when it comes to getting to know these characters. When you first see them you know who they are and what they are like. That makes it so you will feel for these characters all throughout the movie. The movie made me feel like I have known these characters for a long time. They get you so invested, so quickly, and that leads to having a great journey. Now, a big help to this are the performances. Especially Chris Pine who played Kirk. He embodies this character, he understands who this character is. He didn't play it as a carbon copy of Shatner's original portrayal, he made it his own while keeping the core of Kirk the same.
          Not every character was well polished. The villain Romulan played by Eric Banna was very one note. When I first saw him I was enjoying his presence on screen. But as the movie went on, I was getting tired of him. He was doing the same thing over, and over again. He never changed and that lead to a bigger problem. If you don't see the villain as a serious threat, you really have no reason to cheer for the heroes. When our heroes first encounter Romulan, he immediately came across as a low level threat. So during the movie when they were trying to do something to overcome Romulan, you automatically knew that they were going to win. If a movie doesn't have dramatic tension, it is very easy to loose interest in it. I was very close to loosing interest in this movie.
          I appreciate the simplicity of this movie. It's a movie that depends on it's characters. It doesn't loose its self in trying to make it a big, spectacular, epic. A lot of movies now depend on their action set pieces rather than their story and characters. This movie did a great job at finding the perfect balance between the story, the characters, and the action. Apart from the story that has to do with Romulan, this is a great watch. It is a great movie. I'm going to give Star Trek a 3.5/5