BAMF's June 2017 Cinejourney

Familiar Actor:
Mikal Vega

True Rating: 0.1/10

This is in the same universe as Navy Seals vs. Zombies so I figured I would give it a shot. The first one was quite silly and so bad it was enjoyable. Besides that one of the actors returned here. To my dismay this one just stayed awful. There were no redeeming qualities whatsoever. It's just on big shitstorm from beginning to end. The budget is much lower than the first. The demons look terrible. The poster looks nothing like what we see and the main guys never even were uniforms. I knew it would be bad, but I was hoping it was still fun in some way. This was the first film for director Jeffrey Reyes and it doesn't set a good example from him. A.K. Waters returns to write after the previous film. Mikal Vega who starred in the first film also helped with the script. This is also the first film written by Charles Roy, Kerry Patton, and Robert Markovich. It's not a promising career for them, but knowing these movies are cheap they will still probably get work.

Familiar Actors:
Serinda Swan
William Moseley
Nick Tarabay
William Levy
Billy Blair
and
Brett DelBuono

True Rating: 1.5/10

I really like the cast here and that is why I decided to look into it. Boy was that a bad idea. Poor William Levy hasn't quite shaken his Soap Opera acting. He isn't a great actor by any means, but he can be enjoyable. I feel sorry for William Moseley who started off with promise with the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe series. It seems he has fallen far down from there. The acting is painful. The action is boring. The twists are just nonsense. Is it too much to ask for a movie with actors I have liked to be good even if direct to video. It was a huge waste of time. This is director Brent Ryan Green's only movie so far so I'm surprised he got the few good actors here. It's also the first for writer Jeff Goldberg. I do think they can improve, but as of now it just feels like a SyFy channel style pain to watch.

Familiar Actors:
Dolph Lundgren
Karrueche Tran
Chris Zylka
Rory Culkin
Anastasia Baranova
Thomas Dekker
Bill Sage
and
Shad Gaspard

True Rating: 2.3/10

The concept is basically the main thing that grabbed my attention. Plus the short was actually pretty good. This expansion of the story was painful. It was boring. The acting was awful. The kills were dry and off-screen. Dolph Lundgren's role was pointless and annoying. The twist was way too obvious and would have been much more interesting another way. I was super shocked to see Rory Culkin and Chris Zylka here. Did they owe someone money because I never see them do something this bad. Still the story is interesting enough to not be the worst thing ever, but it still is quite dreadful. Trevor (Director) and Tim (Writer) Ryan return to direct the feature length film based on their short here. It's disappointing that their skill has gone down.

Familiar Actors:
Michelle Mylett
and
Cody Ray Thompson

True Rating: 4.2/10

Cody Calahan who directed the first one returns once again with writer Chad Archibald. This time they are joined by writer Jeff Maher who has only done one other film. Now I know this may sound odd, but I have been waiting to see this for 2 years even if the first one was a bit average. I was hoping they would improve with this one. So when it finally released I checked it out! Sadly this one proved to be even worse than the first one. The timeline of this one makes no sense. It drags on and on. There is very little horror like the first one had. It also seemed to have a low budget in some spots. It didn't feel right for the most part. Though I have to say the ending was pretty damn cool. We will see if there is a third one and if it will improve. As for this one I'm greatly disappointed.

Familiar Actors:
Luke Wilson
Eddie Izzard
J.K. Simmons
Lewis Black
Kenan Thompson
Mae Whitman
Jorge Garcia
Matt Dillon
Sam Elliott
Ash Brannon
and
Jennifer Hale

True Rating: 4/10

Ah this was directed and written by Ash Brannon who also did Surf's Up and surprisingly Toy Story 2. He is also joined by a plethora of newcomers. Also Will Finn who wrote Pocahontas! This has an actually decent cast. That caught me off guard a bit. Though it's poor animation and the fact that I didn't know this was even out for the longest time doesn't do it any favors. Not to mention the fact that it's quite boring and unoriginal. Sure the voice acting is great, but nothing else works in favor of it. It had a few good moments here and there. At the end of the day you can see why this was barely heard of since it had been released. It may be a good one for little kids to get them to fall asleep.

Familiar Actors:
Antonio Fargas
Vincent Schiavelli
Jordan Warkol
and
Mila Kunis

True Rating: 4.8/10

I never heard of this one until somebody from my last job mentioned liking it as a kid. So I went out of my way to check it out and see what all the fuss was about. It wasn't awful, but it wasn't great either. It's from the late 90s, but it felt like the late 70s early 80s due to the production value. I can see why she would enjoy it as a kid though. The story is interesting enough and it has some creative ideas. It was a bit tame with the killings and such until near the end. I also noticed it had many continuity errors and some dumb things that would never in a million years make sense. Despite the many faults I still managed to stay invested until the end. It helped that the lead was quite cute. Also I had no clue Mila Kunis was going to be here! Anyways it isn't something I would recommend, but it was silly enough to enjoy a watch. It was directed by Pascal Franchot who also did Triple Dog that I honestly liked. It's written by Craig Mitchell whom I have only heard of his films.

Familiar Actors:
Zach Galifianakis
Kristen Wiig
Owen Wilson
Jason Sudeikis
Devin Ratray
Mary Elizabeth Ellis
Kate McKinnon
Leslie Jones
Ken Marino
Daniel Zacapa
Jill Jane Clements
Rhoda Griffis
James Coburn
and
Diezel Ramos

True Rating: 4.7/10

Wait this is the guy who directed Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre?! What happened? I guess it doesn't translate well with bigger stars or something. Chris Bowman and Hubbel Palmer also wrote another film that came out I sort of want to see. Hopefully it's better than this. This is also writer Emily Spivey's first movie. This didn't feel right to me. It didn't feel like an actual movie. It was pretty boring with a mostly unlikable selection of characters. I did like Jason Sudeikis and Kate McKinnon though. Also is it just me or is Kristen Wiig getting more appealing? There were a few good moments of which most included who I previously named. Everything else just fell short.

Familiar Actors:
Sean Whalen
Conchata Ferrell
Ava Kolker
Jon Gries
Brett Rickaby
Joey Graceffa
Bree Essrig
and
Elsie Fisher

True Rating: 4.5/10

There isn't much from the director or writers here. Of what they have I don't recognize. I don't know what I was thinking with this one. I thought maybe it could be interesting. What I got was a clusternut of chaos. It didn't grab my attention and too much of nothing happened on-screen. I couldn't even tell you what was happening after it was over. All I know is I was so bored. Still I managed to like some of the ideas it had, but it just wasn't good enough to be memorable.

Familiar Actors:
Morris Chestnut
Regina Hall
Romany Malco
Michael K. Williams
Glenn Morshower
Theo Rossi
Jaz Sinclair
Tom Nowicky
and
Elton LeBlanc

True Rating: 6.2/10

Director Jon Cassar is mostly known for his work on the 24 series of which I have seen only pieces. This is the first film written by Jack Olsen. There are so many of these kinds of movies these days, but I found this one still had its own share of interesting details. It really isn't as dreadful as the ratings make it seem. I thought the acting was great and Jaz Sinclair was quite mesmerizing in her role. I wasn't quite sure how this one would play out which is good. It did feel like it went on a little long though. If you like obsession movies this is a nice one in my opinion.

Familiar Actors:
Ted Levine
and
Samantha Isler

True Rating: 5.7/10

This is the only film from director Hunter Adams so far. As for writer Jeremy Phillips he has another movie of which I have heard of and plan to see. I have seen this mentioned in recent "horror" movie lists of movies I should check out so I decided to see what it had to offer. It was odd and didn't quite feel like a horror movie. Though the tale itself was actually quite intriguing. There were some rather interesting revelations throughout as well. The way they decided to end it was a nice touch. It really makes you think about it afterwords. It wasn't great though and can be confusing at times. Anyways it was a decent one time watch.

Familiar Actors:
A. Michael Baldwin
Reggie Bannister
Bill Thornbury
and
Angus Scrimm

True Rating: 5.5/10

This is the final film of the series to be directed and written by Don Coscarelli. Sadly it is also my least favorite. He wanted to get back to the roots of what made the first one scary. For me though it just failed at being all that great. It was interesting to see unused footage from the first film to tell part of the story here though. The sequence with Heather didn't feel like it made sense. Anyways it was still a decent enough watch. It just wasn't what I was hoping for going into the fourth part.

Familiar Actors:
A. Michael Baldwin
Bill Thornbury
Reggie Bannister
Kathy Lester
and
Angus Scrimm

True Rating: 6/10

This is the first of a series that Don Coscarelli started writing and directing. The one that pulled in a cult following and made it so I had to see what the fuss was all about. I thought it was pretty decent. It wasn't greatness like I was expecting it to be, but I could see why it's a cult classic. It had some cool ideas and moments. Also I loved the ending. The acting is pretty wonky, but old horror movies usually deal with that. The body double stuff was quite obvious and a tad bit annoying. Anyways it was good enough that I was happy with deciding to finally check it out. Some may find it bland though.

Familiar Actors:
Demi Lovato
Rainn Wilson
Joe Manganiello
Jack McBrayer
Danny Pudi
Dee Bradley Baker
Frank Welker
Michelle Rodriguez
Ellie Kemper
Julia Roberts
Ariel Winter
Meghan Trainor
Kelly Asbury
Jake Johnson
Gabriel Iglesias
Tituss Burgess
Jeff Dunham
Gordon Ramsay
Ashley Bell
Bob Bergen
Debi Derryberry
Tara Strong
Kari Wahlgren
Matthew Wood
and
Shelby Young

True Rating: 5.7/10

So with the failure of the first two films they decided to make another film which they deemed a reboot again. Honestly though other than the first film I did enjoy this as well as the previous sequel. I have seen all of Kelly Asbury's films and I have enjoyed them on varying levels. Although Gnomeo & Juliet was definitely a fail. This is the first film for writer Stacey Harman. Pamela Ribon also wrote Moana! Anyways the cast here is great and the types this time are amusing. I loved the Gordon Ramsay cameo. It actually kept me interested more than I had expected. I mean I wasn't expecting much to begin with. It's a cute one especially for kids and as a family.

Familiar Actors:
Alexander Skarsgård
Michael Pena
Theo James
Tessa Thompson
Caleb Landry Jones
Stephanie Sigman
Malcolm Barrett
Paul Reiser
Keith Jardine
Tait Fletcher
Derrick Barry
and
Dylan Kenin

True Rating: 6.1/10

I haven't seen the work from John Michael McDonagh, but I have heard of it. I also hear it's usually pretty good stuff as well. This one was a bit of an oddball. I liked the actors and the acting was fine. It just felt different. I'm not sure what the story had to offer and the title doesn't match with what I was expecting. Not much really happened either. Still it wasn't bad and was watchable.

Familiar Actors:
Jamie Foxx
Michelle Monaghan
Scoot McNairy
Dermot Mulroney
T.I.
David Harbour
Gabrielle Union
Octavius J. Johnson
Sala Baker
Steve Coulter
and
Kayte Giralt

True Rating: 5.5/10

I heard many people didn't like this one and the ratings were not that great either. Still I wanted to check it out for myself. This was directed by Baran bo Odar who also did Who Am I which I thoroughly enjoyed. It's also written by Andrea Berloff who wrote Straight Outta Compton and World Trade Center. I thought the story was unoriginal and there were way too many "twists". I think the acting was great and I liked the cast. There was some good action as well in spots. I found the idea of the movie was a different touch. It could have been better, but there is much worse out there.

Familiar Actors:
Dan Stevens
and
Berenice Marlohe

True Rating: 5.7/10

This was the first film for Tim Smit (Director) as well as Charlie Kindinger (Writer). It's also written by Omid Nooshin who did one other film I never heard of. So I really liked the concept of this and the two main actors have been in stuff I liked. Also the trailer looked like fun. It reminded me a lot of Doom and Hardcore Henry. The main problem though here is that it was pretty boring and didn't offer anything new. Still it was fun at times and the story was intriguing. If you don't mind first person style films I say it's worth checking out.

Familiar Actors:
Halle Berry
Dana Gourrier
Christopher Berry
Lew Temple
Kurt Krause
and
Ritchie Montgomery

True Rating: 6.3/10

I've never heard of director Luis Prieto before this. As for writer Knate Lee I have only heard of the other movies. I heard quite a bit of negativity about this one in reviews. Though to be honest I actually kind of liked it. It's very simple and straightforward. It reminded me a lot of Amber Alert just with the wonderful and beautiful Halle Berry as the lead. It's one of those feature length sort of car chase movies that keeps you interested. I thought the villains were a little low, but then again they are kidnappers so it makes sense. People in this day and age should know that anything could happen in a second of looking away. Anyways I thought it was a good one time watch. It may not be for everyone though.

Familiar Actors:
Tina Fey
Margot Robbie
Martin Freeman
Alfred Molina
Billy Bob Thornton
Nicholas Braun
Sheila Vand
Evan Jonigkeit
Josh Charles
Cherry Jones
Soledad O'Brien
Thomas Kretschmann
Sterling K. Brown
Dylan Kenin
Brandon K. Hampton
and
Suhail Aldabbach

True Rating: 6.2/10

Glenn Ficarra and John Requa are the team of directors behind I Love You, Phillip Morris and Crazy, Stupid, Love. This is the first movie written by Robert Carlock and Kim Barker. I kind of wanted to see this for Margot Robbie and Tina Fey. The acting is great and I liked the characters. It's not the best war movie I've seen, but it's an interesting and different look on the subject. It's also not as funny as one would expect from the trailer, title, and cast.

Familiar Actors:
Tika Sumpter
Parker Sawyers
and
Vanessa Bell Calloway

True Rating: 6/10

This is the first film I have heard of from writer/director Richard Tanne. I had been waiting to watch this one with my wife for awhile. It didn't quite capture the essence I thought it would. It was definitely a slice of life sort of movie. Though it's kind of hard to believe at times that this is the story of the Obamas. Honestly I think it wasn't cast right. I mean the actors are great in stuff, but they didn't capture the Obamas well enough. I don't think Parker Sawyers did the style of talking that Barack does. I mean it was still a decent romantic movie. It's just nothing like I had expected from it.

Familiar Actors:
Callum Turner
Mike Birbiglia
and
Margaret Colin

True Rating: 5.8/10

This was written and directed by Adam Leon who has one other film of which I have heard of. He is joined by first time writer Jamund Washington. This one was quite a simple story. The acting is great and the characters were interesting. It just lacked any depth to it and really went about in an odd way of storytelling. It could have been better or at least added some stuff to keep your attention.

Familiar Actor:
Shane West

True Rating: 5.8/10

This is the first movie I have seen from director Rod Blackhurst and writer David Ebeltoft. I had been so excited about seeing this one as it looked awesome. Also it was said it was going to be one of the greatest zombie films in awhile. That's something I take serious when it comes to the undead. Unfortunately it wasn't. It's not awful though. There were some interesting twists and turns. The lead was attractive. On the zombie perspective though I was highly disappointed. We barely see any and any action is usually off-screen. It's not what I wanted it to be, but it was still a decent watch considering.

Familiar Actor:
Chris Diamantopoulos

True Rating: 7.4/10

This isn't the first film from writer/director Adam Massey and co-writer Thomas Michael, but it is the first I've seen. This was actually a pretty cool movie. I didn't know what to expect going in, but I was pleasantly surprised. The villain is basically a rip-off. I won't say, but you will know what I mean. Still for a small cast with most of the screentime on one actor it kept my attention for the whole runtime. Chris Diamantopoulos really holds his own and proves he is a decent enough actor. I've never watched Man Vs. Wild, but I'm sure this captures the essence from the commercials I have seen of that. The CGI is not that great even with the production value looking quite excellent. The ending was insane and definitely wrapped the whole thing nicely. It's worth checking out anyways.

Familiar Actors:
Julie Benz
Danielle Harris
Douglas Tait
Dendrie Taylor
Toby Huss
Jennifer Blanc
Fionnula Flanagan
and
Brian Howe

True Rating: 6.8/10

This is the first film I have seen from writer/director Andrew C. Erin, although I have heard of some of his other work. As for co-writer Daniel Farrands he wrote the ever disturbing horror The Girl Next Door (definitely not the comedy) and Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers. This was quite a strange one. Julie Benz is always a pleasure to watch which she proves again here. I was disappointed with how little screentime Danielle Harris got though. The killer looked pretty cool. The idea of the whole thing is actually pretty interesting. I wasn't expecting it to end the way it did either. It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I have to say I enjoyed it.

Familiar Actors:
Reggie Bannister
A. Michael Baldwin
Bill Thornbury
Gloria Lynne Henry
Angus Scrimm
Paula Irvine
Samantha Phillips
and
Kathy Lester

True Rating: 6.8/10

Don Coscarelli once again returns to his work in the series. This time he brings back A. Michael Baldwin and Bill Thornbury. He even gets Kathy Lester for a cameo role. I thought this one was a lot of fun. It's probably even my second favorite as well. It has the second highest body count of the series. I loved the horror version scene of Home Alone. It of course could have been better. It has some continuity errors and such. As it stands it was a pretty fun watch.

Familiar Actors:
James Le Gros
Reggie Bannister
Angus Scrimm
Paula Irvine
Samantha Phillips
A. Michael Baldwin
Phil Fondacaro
Ed Gale
and
Lori Loughlin

True Rating: 6.8/10

Don Coscarelli is a man who just loves to keep at his own creations as he returns for the second part. It's kind of disappointing that they told him he had to replace one of the main actors. I think James Le Gros did a decent job in the role though anyways. Samantha Phillips as Alchemy was quite intriguing if you ask me haha. I found it kind of annoying that despite what happened in the first one Reggie seemed like he wasn't even involved which is a bit odd. It gives this a few continuity errors. It's still quite a fun installment in the series and kept me interested from beginning to end. I can really see why people enjoyed these movies. I'm glad I gave this series a shot.

Familiar Actors:
None

True Rating: 7.3/10

Besides the writer/director Can Evrenol none of the other writers have done anything else. I have seen this considered quite bloody and intense on many horror lists and sites. So I figured I would give it a shot. It's quite an insane and odd film. It's not quite as gory as I had expected, but it still had its moments. The villain was insane and it's crazy to know he didn't need make up. It makes him even more interesting. The main characters weren't quite that developed though. I thought the ending was pretty cool and unexpected.

Familiar Actors:
Benjamin Walker
Wyatt Russell
Rainn Wilson
Ron Livingston
Adam Pally
Stephanie Sigman
John Michael Higgins
Rob Corddry
Mark Rendall
and
Julie Khaner

True Rating: 7.4/10

I have seen Oren Uziel's written movies like Freak of Nature and 22 Jump Street, but this is his directorial debut. This was a unique experience of a movie. It started from finish to start. I thought that was an odd decision, but it really worked out. The acting was excellent and the characters were memorable. The story really grabs your attention and has many nice twists and turns. It shows a lot of promise for Uziel in the future. It's definitely worth checking out.

Familiar Actors:
Zach Galifianakis
Isla Fisher
Jon Hamm
Gal Gadot
Patton Oswalt
Matt Walsh
Kevin Dunn
Bobby Lee
Ari Shaffir
Cullen Moss
Massi Furlan
and
Jeff Chase

True Rating: 6.8/10

Greg Mottola directed Superbad (yuck), Paul, and Adventureland. I haven't seen writer Michael LeSieur's other films, but I have heard of them. This was the better of the Zach Galifianakis films I saw this month. Really the only reason I checked it out though is because of Gal Gadot after Wonder Woman. It was pretty funny and had a decent storyline. There were some amusing action scenes throughout. I liked the characters and the acting was great. Of course Gal Gadot was the best thing about it though. It was a nice little film, but it didn't hit greatness.

Familiar Actors:
Charlotte Lebon
and
Adel Bencherif

True Rating: 6.5/10

I haven't seen or heard of anything from writer/director Jalil Lespert or writer Jérémie Guez before, but I do look forward to more. Co-writer Andrew Bovell however also wrote Edge of Darkness which was pretty good. The story really unfolds nicely with many layers to it. I wasn't sure what would happen or the revelations that would become known. The acting was superb and the characters intriguing. Charlotte Lebon is gorgeous and fun to watch in anything. It was a pretty interesting tale and is worth the watch if you are looking for a thinking sort of movie.

Familiar Actors:
Sally Field
Stephen Root
Wendi McLendon-Covey
Max Greenfield
Kumail Nanjiani
Rich Sommer
Tyne Daly
Peter Gallagher
Elizabeth Reaser
Isabella Acres
Natasha Lyonne
Anna Akana
Kyle Mooney
Beth Behrs
and
Don Stark

True Rating: 6.8/10

This was written and directed by Michael Showalter of Wet Hot American Summer fame. It's also co-written by Laura Terruso who has only one other film of which I plan to see after having watched this. You can really feel Showalter's style here. Though it isn't as goofball as Wet Hot American Summer. That kind of comedy would have dumbed this one down. Oh how I love and find Sally Field adorable. Even more adorable here and I sure would have given her a chance myself. I mean if she would give me one anyways haha. The fantasy moments were amusing and precious. The ending was excellent and cute.

Familiar Actors:
Essie Davis
Andrea Riseborough
Kenneth Branagh
Steve Coogan
Russell Tovey
and
Tony Way

True Rating: 6.8/10

It's directed by first timer Sean Foley. It's also written by two of the stars Julian Barratt and Simon Farnaby. Farnaby also wrote the upcoming Paddington sequel. The trailer for this looked a bit bland, but the story is what caught my interest. It turned out to be pretty amusing and fun. I liked the characters and the crazy antics they got involved in. I don't think I would watch it again though. It just wouldn't be nearly as interesting. Still a one time watch is good for it.

Familiar Actors:
Omar Sy
Jean Dujardin
and
Roschdy Zem

True Rating: 6.6/10

This is the only film from writer/director Pierre Core and co-writer Nessim Debbiche so far. Co-writer Stephane Kazandjian has some other films, but I have never heard of them. I'm surprised by how much I enjoyed this one. It looked like a silly lower budgeted animation. Upon actually watching it I was amused. It actually got pretty dark at times which isn't surprising considering it originates from France. It had some decent voice actors although the better ones were in the French version. I liked the characters a lot. The animation is a little blocky, but they really got the snake movements down. It had some pretty ridiculous moments like a snake dance off, but otherwise it's good for the family and kids.

Familiar Actors:
Reggie Bannister
A. Michael Baldwin
Gloria Lynne Henry
Kathy Lester
Bill Thornbury
Daniel Roebuck
Jay Oliva
and
Angus Scrimm

True Rating: 7.8/10

Don Coscarelli returns only as the writer this time which is a bit of a bummer. David Hartman apparently has directed mostly just Winnie the Pooh films oddly enough. People may bash on me and stuff for saying this, but this is my favorite entry in the saga of the Tall Man. They brought everyone they could back which is just awesome. The new characters were pretty interesting. It was pretty action packed with the highest body count of the series. For me this is a plus when it comes to horror. The plot of this one was actually fun and different for the series. The ending was not how I was expecting things to go. It kind of gives you that ending where you think about what is really going on. I'm not sure about the original fans, but as a newcomer to the series I think this is a nice final entry to the film that boosted Angus Scrimm in the world of horror.

Familiar Actors:
Iko Uwais
and
Julie Estelle

True Rating: 7.8/10

It's written and directed by Timo Tjahjanto who did horror segments in V/H/S/2 and ABCs of Death. It's also co-directed by Kimo Stamboel whom I haven't heard of before. I was expecting a bit more action here, but the stuff we do get is pretty intense and fun. Iko Uwais is an excellent action star and continues to prove that here. I just wish he got to fight a bit more. The story was simple and it really didn't need a twist. I do think Tjahjanto had placed a few horror elements here of which I noticed however slight. Anyways action buffs may be a bit disappointed here. There is way more runtime than action. Anyways I still think it was an excellent watch.

Familiar Actors:
None

True Rating: 7.8/10

This was directed by legendary vengeance movie director Chan-wook Park whose most notable work is Oldboy. Seo-kyeong Jeong also writes after writing in his other movie Sympathy for Lady Vengeance. This wasn't my favorite of his work though as I don't think he can top Oldboy. Still it is a pretty intriguing story with quite an intricate web of a storyline. I thought the characters were interesting. The actors did a great job with their roles. There are some great twists and turns throughout. There is a bit that reminded me of Blue is the Warmest Color which I didn't mind. Though I can't say it won't bother some. I'd still say if you like the director this is definitely worth checking out.

Familiar Actors:
Melissa Leo
Zachary Quinto
Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Parker Sawyers
Rhys Ifans
Nicolas Cage
Shailene Woodley
Tom Wilkinson
Joely Richardson
Timothy Olyphant
Ben Schnetzer
Scott Eastwood
Keith Stanfield
Logan Marshall-Green
Edward Snowden
and
Donald Trump

True Rating: 8.2/10

This is directed by Oliver Stone who should be pretty well known for Scarface and Natural Born Killers just to name a few. Writer Kieran Fitzgerald also wrote The Homesman which was quite interesting. Anyways this was actually quite interesting. I don't know how much is based on fact or what not, but I like dramatizations rather than watching documentaries. I honestly can't get into most of those. Anyways the acting was excellent especially from Joseph Gordon-Levitt who seems to always capture the essence of the real people he plays. This movie makes me want to put duct tape on my webcam too haha. It's insane what the government gets away with. I definitely recommend checking this one out if you haven't seen it.

Familiar Actors:
Sigourney Weaver
Dakota Fanning
and
Carly Pope

True Rating: 8.8/10

This was a short that Neill Blomkamp released on his new production Oats Studios. He is joined by writer Thomas Sweterlitsch who is joining him on these shorts. It's too bad that his directorial entry of Aliens was canceled. This just shows how awesome it could have been. The characters were interesting and portrayed excellently. The CGI was absolutely stunning. The story was familiar and yet felt kind of new. I think my only issue is that I honestly didn't like the ending. It most definitely makes me want to see it as a feature length film or even a series/mini series. It's a must see for sure.

Familiar Actors:
Hiroyuki Sanada
Ryan Reynolds
Rebecca Ferguson
Jake Gyllenhaal
and
Naoko Mori

True Rating: 9.2/10

Daniel Espinosa also directed Safe House and Child 44 which were both excellent and intense as well. They were also underrated. Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick are the team of writers behind Deadpool, Zombieland, and a few other things. People didn't like this one that much saying it reminded them of Alien and not nearly as interesting. Personally I found it fairly interesting. They also managed to throw me off with my expectations. The acting was excellent and I liked all the characters. I even cared about all of them. Sure it reminded me of Alien, but even more so I felt like I was watching a horror movie version of Flubber lol. Anyways I think people are bashing on this too hard. It kept my attention from beginning to end.

Familiar Actors:
Dane DeHaan
Jason Isaacs
Mia Goth
Adrian Schiller
Harry Groener
and
Susanne Wuest

True Rating: 10/10

It's crazy to think this was directed by Gore Verbinski who is mostly known for family friendly films like the first three Pirates of the Caribbean films. Justin Haythe also wrote The Lone Ranger with him as well as some other films. I had been wanting to see this for quite some time. It looked insane and I really like the actors Mia Goth, Dane DeHann, and Jason Isaacs. It is hard to watch at times and others where it gets pretty amusing. The villain was excellent and disturbed. It was a very interesting watch from beginning to end. I think it's worth the watch for a different breed of horror.

Familiar Actors:
John Gallagher Jr.
Tony Goldwyn
John C. McGinley
Melonie Diaz
Owain Yeoman
Sean Gunn
Brent Sexton
Josh Brener
David Dastmalchian
David Del Rio
Gregg Henry
Michael Rooker
James Earl
Abraham Benrubi
Stephen Blackehart
Mikaela Hoover
and
Ricardo Hoyos

True Rating: 10/10

This was directed by Greg McLean who you may know as the director of the Wolf Creek films (the first of which I didn't like) and a few other horror films. He isn't the best and besides this I only liked Wolf Creek 2. It really helped that this was written by the awesome James Gunn of Guardians of the Galaxy. I couldn't see this in theaters so I had to wait impatiently to see it after since I had waited forever for it. It's just as disturbingly awesome as I had hoped. Call me twisted, but I don't care. I find these kinds of stories interesting like Hunger Games and Battle Royale. At least this one didn't involve kids. It was also interesting to see how the scenario affected the people involved. There were moments I was not expecting throughout. I wonder what will become of the way it ended. It was definitely worth the wait in my opinion.

Familiar Actors:
Gal Gadot
Robin Wright
David Thewlis
Connie Nielsen
Chris Pine
Elena Anaya
Lucy Davis
Ewen Bremner
James Cosmo
Doutzen Kroes
Danny Huston
Said Taghmaoui
Rainer Bock
Florence Kasumba
Dino Fazzani
and
Zack Snyder

True Rating: 10/10

This was directed by Patty Jenkins whose only other movie is Monster which I still need to see. It's the first film for TV writer Allan Heinberg. The story was of course created by DCU started Zach Snyder. Jason Fuchs also wrote the 4th Ice Age and Pan. This movie surpassed all expectations. This was easily the best DCU film so far. Honestly I did like love Suicide Squad because it was just too much fun and even Man of Steel. The fail though was definitely Batman V Superman because it just didn't feel right. I don't know how they will be able to keep this up. I guess we shall see with the upcoming Justice League. It was awesome to hear all the amazing reviews from critics too. Anyways Gal Gadot was perfect and adorable as Wonder Woman. All the actors and the characters they played were on point. The villains were excellent. The action was awesome and intense. The story was fun and exciting from beginning to end. The shots were beautiful and even one small moment gave me chills! Definitely a worthwhile movie if you haven't yet seen it.

Familiar Actors:
Naomi Scott
RJ Cyler
Becky G.
Elizabeth Banks
Bryan Cranston
Bill Hader
Matt Shively
David Denman
Sarah Grey
Morgan Taylor Campbell
Lisa Berry
Wesley Macinnes
Garry Chalk
Patrick Sabongui
Erica Cerra
and
Fred Tatasciore

Jason David Frank
and
Amy Jo Johnson

True Rating: 10/10

It was directed by Dean Israelite who also directed Project Almanac which makes sense. John Gatins who wrote this may be known from his work on Flight, Kong: Skull Island, and Need for Speed. Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless also wrote Dracula Untold, Gods of Egypt, and The Last Witchhunter. All of which were poorly received. Honestly though I really liked Dracula Untold. It's also written by Michele and Kieran Mulroney who also wrote Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. I loved the original Power Rangers when I was a kid. It's what I grew up with so I was so excited for this. In my opinion it didn't disappoint. It was as cheesy as it should have been and gave me a few things I was super happy to see. I don't think I would have liked it as much if it had been serious. The flaws make it more enjoyable. I really liked the new cast of characters. It was crazy how much Kimberly looked like the original. It's a pure fun, action-packed, thrill ride that really keeps your attention. There was just so much nostalgia. I was a little annoyed the had to go the superhero origin story route and wait for a majority of the movie to show the suits in full effect. Anyways I'm sure not everyone will love it, but I sure did.

Familiar Actors:
Erin Cahill
Matthew Mercer
Tony Oliver
Fred Tatasciore
and
Kari Wahlgren

True Rating: 10/10

I haven't seen anything from the director or writers here, but they have some other work under their belts. This is the newest entry in the animated Resident Evil series and it is badass. It could have been gorier, but that doesn't quite affect my enjoyment. The characters they brought in for this one were interesting. It is intense from beginning to end. The creatures were insanely cool looking. The animation is absolutely incredible. It's a different sort of story for the series. It leaves an opening for a possible sequel. I'm curious what they will bring next. These are the movies that I'm sure most people would rather watch than the live action ones. Although I enjoy those too. I do know though that these are much better.