Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) Movie Review

BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY (2018) MOVIE REVIEW

After numerous viewings and countless hours spent listening to their music, the time has come to review my most anticipated movie in the last 5 years. And what did I think of it? Like the song it is appropriately named after, the film Bohemian Rhapsody starts of slow and mellow before kicking it into fifth gear with the film's heartfelt and near-perfect conclusion. Although the movie does a phenomenal job handling the music and performances, critics (and myself included) are saying that Bryan Singer forgot he was making a Freddie Mercury biopic and instead opted for a film focusing a little too much on the band's rise to fame. And in all honesty, as a Queen megafan, both are just as intriguing to watch transpire.

As previously mentioned, the film opens with the band preparing to perform their set where we see glimpses of Freddie's life ending condition beginning to take effect. Cutting to 1970, we are shown Freddie's life, then Farrokh, before becoming Freddie Mercury where he visits a small club with a 3 man band "Smile" are performing. After their set and their singer leaves them, Freddie confronts Brian May and Roger Taylor about joining the band. After showing off his vocals, May and Taylor are convinced and along with their new bass player John Deacon, the band is formed. The beginning of the film does seem a little rushed, especially on a second viewing, but when you take in account all the moments and important scenes later on, you realise it is a small and forgivable critique. 

One of the many things I loved in this movie was the editing and use of the soundtrack. When you are given the opportunity to use music from such a critically acclaimed band like Queen, it becomes impossible to not have high expectations. But I can safely say that the editing and use of each song to tell its own part of the story was nothing short of tremendous. A perfect example of this is the use of the 1980 hit "Another One Bites The Dust". Not to spoil anything in the story, but this song is used when tensions start to arise between Mercury and his fellow band members. This begins a montage of Freddie visiting a gay strip-club to begin a life a sex and drugs, with the bass line of the song accompanying him through it all as Freddie begins to visualise everything he cares about. Besides this, alot of the songs in the film seem to be there for entertainment sakes which in complete honesty isn't a terrible thing but just screams wasted potential. Especially considering some scenes in the film have no score, where a song in its stead could have made for compelling and beautiful story telling. 

Now we can't talk about this film without mentioning the number one thing the movie is being praised for, the acting. When I heard that Rami Malek was going to portray Freddie Mercury, I got excited. If you haven't seen Mr. Robot, the performance he gives in that is out of this world and its a crying shame not many people knew him going into this movie. But after Bohemian Rhapsody, critics and general audiences alike will know the name Malek. Each mannerism he does while on screen really does show that Malek spent hours training for this role and it pays off in a huge way. The scenes between him and Mary are among some of the most emotional scenes I've seen in a very long time. Now this isn't to say that no one else does a good job in the film. Allen Leech does a good job being the antagonist to the band's future, each actor playing May, Taylor and Deacon respectively are great and bounce of each other naturally and it really does seem like they are more than good friends, but family.  

Overall while the script does suffer heavily from director Bryan Singer wanting to do a movie revolving around whole band and not just Mercury, the movie is still a great look into the people behind the performers. Rami Malek does an uncanny representation of Mercury and with talks already surrounding Malek regarding an Oscar, its easy to see why after having seen Rhapsody. All in all, if you love Queen's music and want to learn more about the origins of their songs and their lives, this movie is for you. However, if you want to learn more about Freddie Mercury and his growth from a young Pakistan boy to the mega star he would become, I would still recommend the movie. Because when you get right down to it, this movie embodies exactly what Queen was. Something that isn't afraid to be what it wants to be, no matter what critics may think of it. Kind of like Bohemian Rhapsody (the song) when it first released. 

OVERALL 

8 / 10

A Star Is Born (2018) Movie Review

A STAR IS BORN (2018) MOVIE REVIEW

Music and movies are often described as being one in the same. They each blend seamlessly well together and aid each other in producing a greater calibre of commercial and critical acclaim. All these characteristics can be given to the film A Star Is Born as the movie not only exemplifies the soul and essence of a movie, but what any kind of musical creation should be as well. Director and lead actor Bradley Cooper manages to capture all of this by giving the audience pure emotion and beautifully orchestrated songs, all of which is aided by the angelic voice and performance given by pop sensation Lady Gaga.  

World renowned musician Jackson Main (Bradley Cooper) for many years deals with an ongoing battle with alcoholism and depression. While struggling with this, Jack discovers and falls in love with Ally (Lady Gaga), a down on her luck musician trying to catch a break. Seeing the potential Ally possesses, Jack convinces her to chase her dream and coax her into the bright lights of fame and fortune. However as their careers begin to rise, their relationship takes a turn for the worst as Jackson's struggle with his inner demons starts to affect both their relationship and careers respectively. Being the third film adaption of A Star Is Born, the other two releasing in 1954 and 1976, the amount of pressure for this film to succeed is astronomical considering the fanbase that the original movies possess. Even worse is that the pressure for this film is increased tenfold as this is Bradley Cooper's directorial debut. And I am happy to report that the leading man has succeeded in creating a film that will be hard to forget for years to come. 

Arguably the biggest thing this film is being praised for is the performances given by our leads Bradley Cooper and even more impressively Lady Gaga. Both actor and actress give a phenomenal performance each worthy of a potential award nomination. For my money however, the standout in this film was Lady Gaga. Showing she has the chops to be taken seriously as an actress as well as a musician, the performance Gaga gives is nothing short of tremendous as the emotion shown by the pop star is as realistic as can be portrayed. Take nothing away from the other actors in the movie though as lead actors Bradley Cooper and Sam Elliot give heartfelt performances as distant brothers whom have a torn relationship. As for the writing, it was again can be desribed as an award worthy script as the writer Eric Roth, known for Forrest Gump and The Insider, has produced a beautifully written script and despite not being an original creation, Roth has managed to turn this classic movie into his own. 

Overall in a year filled with great movies, A Star Is Born might just be one of if not my favourite film released in 2018. With director and lead actor Bradley Cooper at helm, he has created a beautiful movie filled with countless scenes of emotion and unfortgetable songs that could make even the most callus heart choke up. If you ever get the chance to see the third adaption of this classic story, I highly recommend as with a title like A Star Is Born, it truly does make sense that this film has created an acting star out of Lady Gaga as I can easily see grand things in the future for the world-renowned pop star. 

OVERALL

8 / 10

Crazy Rich Asians (2018) Movie Review

CRAZY RICH ASIANS (2018) MOVIE REVIEW

In 2013, author Kevin Kwan released a novel that would launch the author into worldwide recognition. Titled Crazy Rich Asians, the novel was praised for its satirical outlook on contemporary Asia and its depiction of the differences between upper and lower class people. This would be enough to warrant the series two sequels, both of which were well received. Now five years later, director Jon M. Chu is given the opportunity to bring the highly anticipated book to film adaptation to life. Now its time to find out whether said adaptation is just as critically acclaimed as its novel counterpart.

Following the same plot as the novel, Crazy Rich Asians revolves around economics professor Rachel Chu and Nicholas Young who, completely unbeknownst to Rachel, belongs to one of Singapore’s wealthiest and most respected families. Confident that his family will approve of girlfriend Rachel, Nick arranges for her to meet his family in Singapore all while a family wedding is taking place. Now while I haven’t read the series of books myself, I have heard from numerous sources that they are quite entertaining and are best described as “guilty pleasures”. Thankfully this is one movie you don’t have to have alot of backstory to understand as, not knocking the book, but it is a simple premise. Man and woman visiting one halve’s family and it doesn’t start off well and shenanigans ensue. Despite having a plotline as common as the cold, Jon Chu does a great job at pacing the film, ensuring that the story maintains a steady speed and making sure the movie never feels sluggish and boring to the audience. 

Performance wise, there isn’t too much I can fault in this sense. No one performance stood out to me as scene stealing. All the characters, while different in their personality and attributes, no single actor or actress really owned their role and reached for that all important brass ring. As for the writing, most of the jokes seemed to work in the film’s favour. Now there were some groaners sprinkled here and there but for the most part, nearly every joke resulted in at least a chuckle. Some of these were aided by the characters exclaiming the joke, particularly those jokes involving Awkwafina and Ken Jeong, our main comic reliefs. I said earlier that there were no actors that really stood out to me but if there had to be one, it would have to be Awkwafina’s portrayal of Peik Lin Goh. She would often aid Rachel in any predicament she had to overcome and do it all while making the audience laugh, even someone as curmudgeon as myself. 

All in all, I had a good time with Crazy Rich Asians. With alot of hype surrounding the release of a film like this, I must say I was pleasantly surprised with what I was given. The movie never seemed to drag and continually made me laugh throughout. Even with a plot that was irritatingly predictable, I can’t fault the film too harshly for it as it is based off a fictional novel. So if you're a fan of the novel or just in need of a romantic fix, then Crazy Rich Asians might just be the film for you. 

OVERALL 

6 / 10

The Spy Who Dumped Me (2018) Movie Review

THE SPY WHO DUMPED ME (2018) MOVIE REVIEW

Espionage has always been one of my favourite genres of films to watch. Whether the film is taking itself seriously or not, movies like James Bond or comedies such as the Austin Powers franchise have more often than not satisfied my need for secret agent flicks. However when I think of a movie like this, ironically it is not the spy antics and jokes I’ll be remembering. It is the friendship and chemistry between our two leads Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon who end up being the driving force behind this fish out of water action-comedy.  

After one of our main protagonist’s boyfriend dumps her, she and her best friend soon become entangled in an international government conspiracy after they learn her ex-boyfriend was a secret agent. The film boasts a simple enough plot but manages to execute the story device in an entertaining and most importantly, funny manner. Using the fish out of water story arch is one that is not an unknown device to spy films, much less comedy films but with the right leads and writing, The Spy Who Dumped Me manages to tell a complete story despite its unnecessarily bloated runtime of nearly two hours. As a result of this, the movie tends to drag out jokes that both hit the mark and completely miss which ends up being a double edged sword. Sometimes a joke will work and result in laughter, other times the joke will fall flat and not work. And unfortunately, these are the jokes the editors decided to draw out. Which is a real shame as there are some great scenes sprinkled throughout the film, one of my personal favourites being the duo’s first chase scene where they encounter an Uber driver whom takes them on a hilarious car chase filled where vehicular antics ensue. 

Now although the premise for the movie isn’t anything original, the execution was done quite well. This was helped by director and head write Susanna Fogel who did a great job guiding the girls in this film how to act and as is her job, giving them great direction. As a result, Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon were easily the highlight of this comedy, having great chemistry and genuinely feeling like best friends. However not is all good when it comes to our main duo. While Mila Kunis’ character was written well, the character portrayed by McKinnon for my money was a bit too much at times. Over exaggerating most if not all scenes, her character was written to be over bearing and quickly became one of my biggest pet peeves of the film. But in terms of Kate’s performance, I must give the devil her due as she did play the character extremely well. 

Overall there was a lot to enjoy out of The Spy Who Dumped Me. Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon were the highlights of the film and were given solid scenarios to act out. Despite this, the film went a little too long nearly clocking in at two hours and by the third act, you could definitely feel it. If you’re a fan of either actress or are looking for a solid comedy you don’t have to invest too much into, this film is one you can easily enjoy. But one you won’t remember too far down the line.

OVERALL

5 / 10

The Happytime Murders (2018) Movie Review

THE HAPPYTIME MURDERS (2018) MOVIE REVIEW

When I first heard about the concept for this film, it was hard for me not to be excited. An idea like this simply screams money. Despite this however, the film is not having a good time at the box office currently raking in $10 million domestically, $30 million short of its $40 million dollar budget. Even with Melissa McCarthy signing on board in order to get some main stream credit, ironically it seems that her inclusion is one of the reasons that Happytime Murders is bombing both financially and critically. 

In a world where humans and puppets co-exist, the cast of an old 80's sitcom begin to be murdered one by one. Former cop turned private eye puppet is now forced to work together with detective Connie Edwards (Melissa McCarthy) as they try and solve this mass-murder mystery. As stated before, the concept for this film was incredibly intriguing to me and for the most part handles the story well enough, at the beginning at least. The movie starts off really strong and gave me great promise for the remainder of the runtime. Unfortunately this was not meant to be. After the 30 minute mark you quickly realise what type of movie you're in for. Repetitive humour and frankly just a boring road to the film's underwhelming crescendo. Despite these negatives, the movie does have one glaring positive. Throughout we see that, not so subtlety, that puppets are perceived as a lower class of citizen which on paper should be handled well but unfortunately feels incredibly forced and just boring. And in the end, thats what the film is. Boring. 

In terms of the humour, the film goes implements the lowest common denominator as this puppetry production relies on the use of drug and sexual humour non-stop. Good humour can balance this type of humour well and still prove to be an enjoyable experience. But when the movie expects gross out humour to work for every single joke at every single second, it becomes repetitive. And quite frankly, the movie feels ironic when it becomes as lifeless as the puppets they are trying to bring to life. 

Despite all these negatives though, I must give credit where credit is due. When you have director Brian Henson, the mind behind multiple Muppets movies, the puppetry is sure to be excellent. And for the most part, the puppets truly do feel alive and blend in perfectly in this prejudice driven puppet show. But when it comes down to it, is the movie funny? And for my money, it just wasn't. Despite the fact that it started off strong, the humour just got too repetitive for my liking and too predictable of a plot to be taken seriously as a noire murder mystery. If you are a true fan of Muppet style movies or even a fan of Melissa McCarthy, you may find some satisfaction in a movie like this. For me, it was a comedic rollercoaster. Starting off promising and on a high, but soon went down and down until it came to a complete stop.

OVERALL

3 / 10

Skyscraper (2018) Movie Review

SKYSCRAPER (2018) MOVIE REVIEW

Dwayne Johnson is easily one of this generations most recognisable and well-respected personalities in film today. With multiple accolades and film roles under his belt, Johnson has become a household name for those looking for a good time at the cinema. Despite this, every actor has that one botch in their career that they are going to look back on with despair and regret. His latest venture, Skyscraper, could very well be a more forgettable role in the wrestling icon's acting resume.   

Our story begins with our protagonist Will Sawyer as it is shown how he became an amputee through a military mission gone south. Following this, we are transported to present day Hong Kong where Will is given the job of assessing the safety of the world's largest skyscraper called Pearl. However things, of course, are not what they seem as a group of criminals infiltrate the skyscraper and look to destroy the structure by way of explosions. With Sawyer's family trapped inside the Pearl after he left the building for an errand, Will must fight his way back into the collapsing building and save his family and stop the terrorists from getting away. Now right off the bat if you think you've seen this movie before, it means you have. It's called "every generic action movie before it". Skyscraper clearly shows elements of Die Hard sprinkled with a touch of any movie where the protagonist is being framed for something they clearly did not do. What I'm trying to convey is that the movie isn't breaking any new ground. It's not winning any awards or scoring any points for originality. Despite this, I will give Skyscraper the benefit of the doubt and say it was a good choice to give the main character a prosthetic leg. During alot of the action, despite how unrealistic it is, the fact that our hero is an amputee, it makes the audience that much more invested in his crisis. Not too much more though.

Now we have an established story, how does the acting and character work hold up? Well not too well if we are being honest. At no point during the film did I feel the family was in any real danger. At no point did I really care what the villains motivations were. And when it is explained what their motivation is, I didn't care. There was no emotional attachment to any of these characters because they did not express any emotion and never felt like they were in any serious danger. A great example of this is when the Sawyer family realise they have the evacuate the building. Keeping in mind that the two children are borderline ten years old, neither of them are scared. They are not even worried one bit about what will happen if they don't escape, they simply ask what is happening and go about their escape like they were being forced to go shopping. Speaking of forced, there is a secondary side plot happening where the authorities believe that Will is the real terrorist which could not have been more of a forced plotline. There was zero reason for this to be included into the film besides the fact they needed filler to make the runtime. Lastly, the villains are some of the most generic antagonists shown on screen in recent memory. Their motivations are non-existent besides for one person who is, spoiler alert, killed off at the start of the movie. When making a good plot, you have to realise that the pro and antagonists are just as necessary as getting right as each other. This is why films like Star Wars and Dark Knight movies have become so popular. Because they have such rich characters on both sides of the spectrum. Here our main hero is a military amputee who is a carbon copy of John McClane and our main villain is someone so forgettable I don't even remember their name. Or what they look like, or like I stated multiple times, what their intention was. 

Overall, Skyscraper is not a good movie. The story makes no sense, their is no emotion given to any of the side characters. Dwayne Johnson is the only person really trying in this movie which I guess is one of the movies up sides. But besides this, this sad excuse for an action movie had one job, to entertain me. And when a movie makes me almost leave the cinema, you know it is not entertaining me or anyone for that matter. 

OVERALL

3 / 10

Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) Movie Review

ANT-MAN AND THE WASP (2018) MOVIE REVIEW

Superhero movies have truly become a grand medium in their own respect. 2018 has already produced some terrific comic book films with the likes of Deadpool 2 and Avengers: Infinity War by FOX and Marvel respectively. Speaking of Infinity War, many fans were sad to see that their favourite minuscule super hero was absent from the biggest film of the year so far. However, fans were just as pleased to see that a sequel to the 2015 summer hit was green light following its success. Now three years laters, its is time to find out whether the three year wait was worth it. 

With Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) still under house arrest following the events of the previous movie, he tries to balance being a superhero without being detected by police all while being a father to his daughter. As Lang tries to do all this, Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) proposes a new plan to Scott which involves teaming up with Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) under her new alias The Wasp as old problems in Pym’s past arise in our present. Nowadays Marvel movies are known for their impeccability of blending awe-boggling action sequences and heart-wrenching stories. Ant Man and the Wasp is no different as the story in this one revolves around loss, tragic villains and unfortunate circumstances. Returning director Peyton Reed does a great job at balancing the serious tone of action movies along with the humour of some of his previous works including The Break Up and Yes Man. Paul Rudd once again proves why he was the perfect pick for the role of Scott Lang. With his comedic chops and seemingly infinite amount of charisma, Rudd proves this by stealing every single scene he is presented with. Most of these the leading man wrote himself, as he is credited as a co-writer for the film, hence why Ant Man and The Wasp has become one of the most comedic Marvel movies to date. Following Rudd in his adventures this time around is Evangeline Lilly, who demonstrates phenomenal chemistry by being the seemingly all business type alongside Rudd’s quick witted and fun behaviour. Other standouts in the film include the likes of Michael Douglas returning as Hank Pym and the main threat of the film Hannah John-Kamen as Ava otherwise known as Ghost. 

In a film called Ant Man and the Wasp and the fact that the original was known for it, the film does a great job with the special effects. Alot of this definitely has to do with the entire premise of the movie, size manipulation. Whether Lang is growing to the size of a building or…well..an ant, the movie never lets up in the creativity department by utilising household utensils and toys as weapons. This is also done in the reserve by shrinking a car down to the size of a toy one, which is shown in the promotional material and for good reason as it is one of the many highlights in the movie. Overall, Ant Man and The Wasp truly does encompass and know what it means to be a superhero movie. Never letting up on the action and integrates the story perfectly, this pint-sized superhero sequel does everything the original achieved and in many ways, did better. 

OVERALL

7 / 10 

Incredibles 2 (2018) Movie Review

INCREDIBLES 2 (2018) MOVIE REVIEW

After 14 years, Pixar finally gave the green light to release the sequel to one of its most beloved properties The Incredibles. Despite only having one film in its now series, on its initial release, it was beloved by both fans and critics alike. Even managing to pick up two Academy awards for Sound Editing and Best Animated Feature respectively. Now with Brad Bird, director and writer of the original and many critically acclaimed films including Ratatouille and Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, its now time to found out if this ambitious sequel truly is worthy to be called super. 

Taking place where the first film left of, the Parr family is forced into a battle against the Underminer. Which they manage to cause save many lives, but in doing this allow the villain to escape. As a result, they are forced into hiding from the authorities. However Winston Deavor (Bob Odenkirk) is looking for supers to come out of the shadows and back into the lime light. His plan is to put Elastigirl into action again and prove to everyone that supers are in fact here to help and to gain the trust of everyone again. Leaving Mr. Incredible (Craig T. Nelson) at home to take care of the kids, the family must now balance out this new and reversed lifestyle. Although the trope of role reversal is nothing new, even to superhero films, Incredibles 2 does it in a way that still makes the cliche fresh and exciting to see. The animation displayed throughout the film also helps out quite a bit, exaggerating the character's emotions and reactions to these scenarios. This is particularly shown when looking at Violet and Dash as they manage to express the changes that are happening in a hilarious way by simply using their motions and facials. Even with this though, the film does suffer from sequelitis which is hard to overcome, even for a animated feature. It also does not help that the movie does have a predictable plot line and an even more predictable trope of who did it. Which ends up being exactly who you think it is.

Brad Bird truly is one of the great directors of our time. Not only can he produce incredible stories and characters but his direction of action sequences. Proven in previous films of his like Mission Impossible, his knowledge of creating exciting and story driven battles is outstanding and it excels in the Incredibles 2. Each action scene has so much colour and excitement to it that it just bursts of the screen. These scenes are backed up by an incredible score, one that makes the films feel like its own and encapsules what it means to be an animated superhero movie. 

Overall, while the Incredibles 2 does suffer from some repetitive story tropes and having to substitute fan favourites like Dash in favour of the focus being on one of the family members (which to be fair the first film suffered from as well), this sequel achieved what it set out to do. Entertain. With most of the jokes hitting their mark, having incredibly relatable characters and showing some impressive animation, Incredibles 2 without a doubt has the potential to be the best animated feature of the year like the original. Though this time around, it might not be a guarantee. 

OVERALL

7 / 10 

Deadpool 2 (2018) Movie Review

DEADPOOL 2 (2018) MOVIE REVIEW

One of 2016's most well-received comedies and biggest surprises of the year was Marvel's Deadpool. Delivering both hilarious humour and action aplenty, the film won over critics and die hard comic book fans alike. Now two years later, director David Leitch takes on the task of delivering the fans expectations to the well-beloved original. 

Continuing his life as a crime fighting, low brow anti-hero, Wade Wilson's adventures leads him to an interaction with a young boy who is being hunted down by the time-travelling cyborg Cable. With a killer on his trail and the life of a child-mutant in his hands, Deadpool must form a team of supernatural beings in order to stop Cable and protect the boy at all costs. With Deadpool 1 revolving around the kidnapping of his girlfriend and of course the origins of his powers, it was a no brainer to take the franchise in a new direction with a bodyguard angle and the forming of a team and introducing new characters to carry the franchise going forward. Which the film jokes about which was an admittedly funny moment. Personally I was not a fan of the "big brother" approach the film was going for and while I can commend the idea it was trying, for my money, it did not work in the movie's favour and actually took me out of the experience which was a real shame. Besides this though, the overall story arc and the pacing of the film was done nicely with well timed jokes and the use of surprisingly emotional montages. 

Now its time to talk about what really does matter in a film like this. The comedy. And the acting.  Once again, Ryan Reynolds has proven that he is the only man that can take on the character and persona of Wade Wilson. Throughout the movie he manages to steal the screen when he is on it, even when surrounded by humorous actors like T.J. Miller and others. The inclusion of new characters is always a welcome in any sequel and while the introduction of Domino and X-Force was one of if not the highlight of the movie, this does mean that fan favourites like Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead have to take a step back. However this does create excitement when they do appear on screen and show off their reason for being here, making the characters almost feel new again. Another aspect of the movie I loved was that in the end, there really is no true villain. While there are definitely bad people doing bad things, the overall story shows each characters reasoning for doing what they do, even Deadpool. This kind of character growth and emotional depth is something most mature-rated comedies lack and is a welcome surprise in a film like Deadpool 2. 

Despite the fact that the film does borrow alot of elements from the first film, Deadpool 2 does a great job at compensating for this with the introduction of great characters and plot points. Although some of these elements didn't hit the mark like the original, this sequel was still a great time and ultimately did what was intended. Made me laugh, and for that, I can't fault it. 

OVERALL

7 / 10

A Quiet Place (2018) Movie Review

A QUIET PLACE (2018) MOVIE REVIEW

Horror has always been one of the most difficult genres for any director to tackle. With the medium being as subjective as it is, A Quiet Place director John Krasinski had his work cut out for him. Especially considering this is the leading man’s directorial debut. However with one of Hollywood’s elite leading ladies Emily Blunt at his side, high expectations were to be had and for my money, were gladly met. 

Taking place in the not too distant future, civilisation has been overrun and completely decimated by mysterious beings. These creatures at first are seemingly unstoppable, but it is soon discovered that they are only attracted by sound; resulting in the premise for the movie which is to not make any kind of sound or else they come for you. While the overall premise for the film was quite gimmicky, the execution is what really sets it apart from others like it. From the opening sequence, the film introduces the concept and gets us invested in our family of four; making us sympathize with our four main characters and understanding the severity of this new world. 

Atmosphere is one of the key reasons a horror can flop or fly. If the tone and setting is not contrasting to the danger set in front of the protagonists, this can result in a mix of different tones as well as mixed messages being portrayed to the audience. A Quiet Place has multiple settings, but more often than not is confined to a farm and the wilderness. Two settings that are no stranger to the horror genre, but effective nonetheless; especially for a film revolving around sound or lack there of. These two landscapes open up a world of opportunities for creative and tense moments, whether it be involving sound resulting from the stalks of corn to walking up and down sets of stairs. Any action taken in the movie is met with as much caution and suspense as possible, something director John Krasinski understands and takes full advantage of. 

A Quiet Place is a crowning achievement in the diminishing horror genre. With a small but effective cast, rising child actors alongside screen veterans Emily Blunt and John Krasinski with the aforementioned succeeding in his directorial debut; A Quiet Place truly does encapsule the feeling and atmosphere of mute terror and feeds on the fear of the unknown. Even when we find out the identity of the unknown. 

Avengers: Infinity War (2018) Movie Review

 AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR (2018) MOVIE REVIEW

Many super-hero movies both past and present seem to deliver in some way shape or form. Whether it be the action, story or even special effects; these now worldwide phenomenons  have rapidly become a much watch for casual and hardcore movie goers alike. After a decade of films and a ludicrous amount of anticipation, the penultimate film from the Marvel cinematic universe has arrived in the form of a two parter, the latter being released in 2019. What we are given at the moment is one of if not the single greatest Marvel film and perhaps the greatest super-hero film created to date. 

Following the events of Thor: Ragnarok, numerous heroes are scattered throughout the world and galaxies as news has risen that the infamous destroyer of worlds Thanos is coming for Earth. This results in the Avengers being called back together, as well as several other heroes to join as one and risk everything they know and love in order to protect not only their home; but the universe with it. In order to accomplish this, they must find the Infinity Stones before Thanos does as these stones are the key to his power.  

It truly is a breath of fresh air to see a film that not only has incredible action sequences, but makes these scenes emotionally investing to the audience. While alot of movies would simply be happy with the idea of "style over substance", the Marvel films have more often than not gone that extra mile to engage you into the action and the characters. Directors Anthony and Joe Russo, whom have done sublime works in the super-hero genre with Captain America: Winter Solider and Captain America: Civil War; have easily surpassed their previous bodies of work with brilliant direction with their actors and keeping the films at a near perfect pace, which is never easy to accomplish. Especially in a film that is 2 hours and 30 minutes long that invests you with its charm and strips it all away with its emotionally draining climax.

The biggest thing that aids this films appeal is it's characters and actors; all of who have clearly been established in previous Marvel films while also introducing new characters and continuing the develop of some of our most beloved. With a cast as large as Infinity War it would be easy to just say everyone does a great job but one person in particular manages to steal the show and that is Josh Brolin's Thanos. Every time the antagonist appears on screen, the entire mood changes and makes you latch onto every word he says. All of this aura and the outstanding acting chops of Josh Brolin provides us with the best Marvel movie villain to date, something which the MCU has lacked for quite sometime. 

In years to come, many will mourn the loss of a cinematic universe that truly has transcended pop culture and has become apart of many people's lives. All of this is helped by the Infinity War's charming characters, great pacing and writing; as well as it's now iconic climax which will no doubt go down in history as one of the greatest endings to a super-hero movie ever. And this is just the beginning of the end. 

Ready Player One (2018) Movie Review

READY PLAYER ONE (2018) MOVIE REVIEW

With gaming and pop culture expanding by what seems like the hour, legendary director Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One pays homage to all these memorable films and games ranging from Atari all the way to Overwatch. Although there are a few minor stumbles along the way, Spielberg's latest action adventure romp keeps the audience engaged and ultimately entertained throughout the entirety of the film.

In the not too distant future, the creator of a virtual reality called the OASIS passes away. Upon his passing, he reveals he has left behind an Easter egg in the virtual world and sends out a challenge to all the players to find the secret, upon doing so will grant said player with his fortune. Determined to make a better life for himself and to follow in his hero's footsteps, protagonist Wade makes it his life goal to find the Easter egg and with the help of his online friends along the way, they begin seeking out this hidden fortune which not only grants the user the creator's fortune but also ownership of the virtual world. In terms of the story arch, nowadays it is definitely relate-able in terms of the whole VR aspect and with the numerous references sprinkled throughout the film whether they be subtle or not. Spielberg has always been a master at creating large scale adventure films like Indiana Jones, E.T and Jaws and just like those classics, Ready Player One's pacing is phenomenal. No character and story arch feels like it has outstayed its welcome. The film also does a great job and balancing the real and virtual worlds and creating drama in both worlds seem extravagant and dangerous to the characters. 

Despite the excellent pace and the characters it creates, one of the weaker parts of Ready Player One unfortunately has to do with the entire premise of the film. While the abundance of pop culture references are nice to see, some do seem arbitrary and more often then not seem to have more effort put into them rather then the dialogue given to the main characters. This is more than evident as when the two main characters Wade and Samantha have their first interaction it appears too forced for my liking filled with cheesy dialogue and sometimes just lazy writing when it comes down to the actual references. One example of this folly in writing is when the Iron Giant is introduced towards the climax of the movie, he is simply portrayed as a weapon to be used. However, in the original film of the same name, the robot is far from it and is pretty much the polar opposite. Aside from a few writing blunders, the acting in the film is passable with Mark Rylance's performance being one of the memorable ones in the movie.

Overall, if you are looking for a fun film filled with references a plenty, then Ready Player One is definitely the movie for you. Complete with beautiful CGI, a well-paced plot that never seems to slow down and an uplifting message at the end of the film, Steven Spielberg has managed to re-create that magic that hasn't been seen since his peak with Jurassic Park and E.T. Though the film doesn't hold a candle to his previous works, Spielberg has created a passable film for a new generation to remember fondly. 

★★★★☆