BradWesley123's Movie Journal- July 2015

Predictable and pretty damn stupid to boot (the "twist" is hilariously random and completely unnecessary), No Good Deed is pretty much the encapsulation of ever terrible, post-2000s thriller cliches. Elba and Henson are quite good though, and clearly deserve better than they're getting here. It's also, occasionally, trashy fun, but not enough so as to warrant a recommendation.

It's not as insightful as it thinks it is, but While We're Young does explore the generational gap between Gen-Xer's and millennials with wit and wisdom, never painting broad strokes, nor coming away with any definitive answers. A winning cast, smart script, and warm visual palette help make this a winning effort.

In no way as witty or subversive as it thinks it is, or even at all, Playing it Cool is a smug waste of a decent story. There cast is fine, though most of them have very little to do, and, as previously stated, there are a couple of solid ideas here but (also previously stated) they aren't explored with any sort of interest. Also, the film is pretty visibly cheap which, while not a dealbreaker for a better movie, frequently took me out of the movie.

The Captive is pretty much Taken, but without the thrill of seeing Liam Neeson kick the shit out of vaguely Eastern European villains. Instead, we get Ryan Reynolds, who is actually pretty solid here, trying to find his long-kidnapped daughter. The cast is fine, though Kevin Durand is eye-rollingly bad as the villain, and the film looks good, anything snow-set usually gets my vote. All of this could make for an okay thriller, except there's little to no urgency displayed here; everything is done so damn casually, and with seeming disinterest, that there's really nothing here to latch onto.

It's a little to cold for my liking but, even so, The Double is a fascinating and darkly comical portrait of a crumbling psyche, and clashing personalities. On the technical level, it's an interesting movie to behold; Richard Ayoade frames the movie in a moody, ominous light that works wonders. None of the film would work with Eisenberg though, who giving a pair of winning performances.

There's literally nothing here that we haven't seen before. Absolutely nothing. Hell, even more so than in most romantic films, the reasons for the central pair not being together are incredibly, and increasingly, flimsy. However, Collins and Claflin are so charming, and have such chemistry, that I was eventually willing to let go of most of my reservations, and find some enjoyment with this one.

A thrilling quasi-history lesson, '71 is a strong effort that loses effort only when it lets off the throttle. Jack O'Connell is strong here, doing just enough character work to add some personal attachment so that the thrill have more weight. The action, as noted, is the film's selling point, and it does not disappoint.

The cast is superb, especially Chatain (as always), but Miss Julie is such a slow, meandering ride that it's honestly tough to finish. The film spends about it's entire 130 minutes arguing about one damn thing, without any real reprieve. If there was something new here, that'd be fine, but there isn't, and it's a pretty uncomfortable viewing experience.

Slow and a bit distant at times, Slow West is nevertheless a solid story filled with a number of great performances.

Nothing special necessarily, but What We Do in the Shadows is just flat-out fun from beginning to end. While it does have a few darker gags, the film is a goofy send-up of vampire flick, that is somehow better than most vampire flick. Just a wonderfully enjoyable film.

Unoriginal and, even worse, unfunny, Unfinished Business is just a dull affair. Vaughn is essentially on autopilot here, though he does admittedly wring a couple of smirks (there really aren't many flat out laughs to be found here, so a smirk is the best there is) and Wilkinson is just completely miscast, and you can see on his face that he knows it. Franco is the only one here who seems game, but even he doesn't have anything to do. The script is just a mess, and the direction completely uninspired. In short, an insanely lazy film.