BradWesley123's Movie Journal- June 2017

Anybody who has actually read these things, most of them (at least), knows that I was a, moderate, apologist for Fifty Shades of Grey; it wasn't "good", but there was enough in it that was interesting. It was shitty material handled with a certain amount of ambition (not much, but you could tell that the director was trying to make it more). Fifty Shades Darker is merely shitty material handled shittily with some terrible acting (any spark Johnson had in the original has been snuffed out), atrocious writing, stunning directorial indifference (I assume James Foley was just counting cash and/or sleeping through takes), and a truly inexplicable Chronicles of Riddick poster.

Monthly Wesley AwardWorst Picture

Not the whitewashed epic many were expecting, The Great Wall is still a massive bore, albeit a multicultural one. The story is shoddy, the effects are subpar, and the casting is off (Matt Damon should steer clear of "irish" accents in the future). There are some fun moments, as there are in most action movies, but there's not enough to overcome the bland, listless filmmaking on display.

Monthly Wesley AwardBest Costume Design- Mayes C. Rubeo

I wasn't expecting much from The Blackcoat's Daughter; I didn't particularly like Oz Perkins previous picture I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House, as it was too focused on mood rather than storytelling. While that is, somewhat, the same case, he's able to use the mood and visuals to accentuate the story, rather than telling. Daughter is an expertly crafted psychological-horror film with an excellent cast and twisty, well-executed story. Sure, most of it is style over substance, but why bother when the style is this good?

Monthly Wesley AwardsBest Picture
Best Director- Oz Perkins
Best Cinematography- Julie Kirkwood

The Free World tells a fairly common story for independent films; tortured souls coming together in an desperate circumstance, and find new meaning in each other. Within those parameters, the film is able to find a few fresh notes; the religious angle isn't one commonly explored (granted, it doesn't end up leading to much), and the characters feel genuine. That doesn't forgive it for its story problems though; the last act is too rushed and out of character from the rest of the film. That said, the leads are quite strong, and the story has some affecting moments.

Monthly Wesley AwardBest Actor- Boyd Holbrook

Pure trash, but not as fun as it could have been; When the Bough Breaks is more competently made then most of its ilk, but just as poorly conceived. It's a feature length Lifetime movie with a respectable cast and casual misogyny. In that vein, its not as over-the-top as one would like (though Jaz Sinclair's performance hits those notes quite well), but occasionally has a few quality moments. I wouldn't truly recommend it, but I will say there are worse ways to spend your time (not many, but still).

The Bodyguard is pure cheese, but it's fairly entertaining (for the most part). Most of the plot is ludicrous, as are the "twists", and nothing feels organic, but there's a goofy charm to the film, and its reasonably well-made (the scenes at the winter cabin are honestly quite good, hinting at a better film). I wouldn't say that the leads have much chemistry (the script really doesn't give them a whole lot of "romance" to deal with), but they're okay, which is something that could really be said about the film; it's just okay.

As a narrative experiment, Shimmer Lake does have some strong moments, and it's storytelling choice is certainly ambitious, but it often deflates tension and prolongs plot points that would've been better revealed. It might've led to a richer film had it simply been told chronologically; character motivations and narrative issues could've had more to breathe, to evolve (it doesn't help that the "mystery" that is the selling point of the film becomes plainly obvious very early in the film). A decent story told more complicated than it needed to be.

There are a few solid moments of humor, but Fist Fight is mostly content to stay with the R-rated studio sandbox; lots of cursing, drugs, "man up", "be more spontaneous", etc. It does actually get fun towards the end of the film, when the film's title becomes a reality; the extent that the fight goes, and the actually decent choreography within it, provide some laughs and added interest, but not enough to otherwise save a safely bland picture.

There are some very strong moments to be found in The Sense of an Ending, but so many more that are left on the floor thanks to poor plotting and general stolidness. The acting is fantastic, and the story is one that would make for a strong tale about the subjectiveness of memory, but decisions made regarding when and how major plot points are introduced lead to little emotion or clarity. While a straight-forward story may not have made for a better film, it may have allowed for some satisfying emotion; stringing important reveals along leads to an often cold and unsatisfying picture. The cast is really the main selling point of the movie, and they often save many moments that otherwise would've fallen completely flat.

It's quite well made and the cast is solid, but Silverado is mostly just an overlong, scattered and frequently bland western. It's a mostly episodic affair and certain episodes work much better than others; the one's that don't are so dull though, that they bring the whole thing down. It takes a while to get going, and even then it doesn't wholly come together. There are a few fun genre thrills to be found here, but not enough to overcome the blasé feeling generated.

Monthly Wesley AwardsBest Score- Bruce Broughton
Best Sound

An oddball dark-comedy; Mindhorn is a bit too quirky for its own sake, but it's often quite funny and, surprisingly, charming. The cast is very good and, while a bit too predictable, the script contains a lot of strong comedic bits. It may be a bit too obvious, comedies about has-beens usually are, but it works more than it misses.

Monthly Wesley AwardsBest Supporting Actor- Simon Farnaby
Best Original Screenplay- Julian Barratt & Simon Farnaby
Best Makeup

Clinical is exceptionally dull and exceptionally obvious, as well as being a truly jumbled mess. It doesn't make a lot of sense most of the time but, when it does (and that's rare), is very predictable. The "twists" are foregone, and quite unnecessary. While Vanessa Shaw is solid in the lead, there's no real character development here to latch onto. You'll watch, laugh, roll your eyes, but never care.

A bit clunky in the beginning, and intermittently throughout, but The Thomas Crown Affair eventually smooths out to become a pleasing solid caper. The plot is pretty convoluted, and director John McTiernan doesn't really seem to care that it is, but individual scenes often sing. The heist scenes are crisp, and the romantic scenes often works well do to the leads chemistry. Individually though, the acting isn't great; Russo is great, but Brosnan seems to be sleepwalking, mistaking lethargy for interesting (though, he does perk up when Russo is in a scene). Still, they work well together, and the steamiest scenes between them are memorable, and carries the movie past it's fair share of flaws.

Monthly Wesley AwardsBest Adapted Screenplay- Leslie Dixon, Kurt Wimmer and Alan Trustman
Best Editing- John Wright

I'll be honest; I didn't really know the plot of this film before watching, so I was surprised by how damn depressing it all was. Sure, it's well made with solid direction and a commanding central performance from Rachel Weisz, but it's so bleak that some of the moments just register as slog, rather than revelatory. I would certainly recommend it; its not a fun film, or even just a dramatic one, but its an important one.

Monthly Wesley AwardsBest Actress- Rachel Weisz
Best Supporting Actress- Roxana Condurache

Passengers is a weird film; tonally its a real mess, and the story feels like it was ripped apart and put back together at various points. The "twist" recontextualizes so many of the plot holes in the film, but doesn't really make up for the problems we've seen before. If the characters were stronger (the cast is, mostly, fine, but the characters aren't much), and the point was as well, then the film's plot machinations would've been acceptable or, possibly even, celebrated, but there's not enough to this film to forgive just how dull and bland so much of it is.

There are some pretty cool visuals in Assassin's Creed, as well as a few solid action sequences, but the story is just so damn dull and and so damn pedestrian. We've seen stories like this (not exactly, obviously, but the same basic outline) that a movie has to work harder to thrill, and Creed does not. The video game adaptation curse continues.

Monthly Wesley AwardsBest Production Design- Andy Nicholson and Tina Jones
Best Visual Effects

The Ticket is a pretty mixed-bag; the story is extremely predictable, and nothing is done to really change that, but it's restrained enough that a few moments really do work well. The cast is strong, especially Stevens, but the characters don't do much to stir emotions; maybe that's because we really never see them normally (no lived-in quality). There are strong moments but they are often offset by weak ones, and vice versa; its just okay.

Another trashy film in my journal (please don't shame me), You Get Me is honestly kind of fun. Obviously it's bad, but in a way that fundamentally understands what these movie are. It doesn't transcend them, but works within the confines of the genre with a certain panache. A lot of this is due to the absurd script, assured direction of that absurd script, and the Fatal Attraction-y performance of Bella Thorne, who seems to genuinely revel in this material. It's not good, but it's just bad enough.