Kung Fu Panda 3(2016)

Director: Jennifer Yuh Nelson/Alessandro Carloni

Cast:

Jack Black – Po

Bryan Cranston – Li

J.K. Simmons – Kai

Angelina Jolie – Tigress

Dustin Hoffman – Master Shifu

Verdict:

“Kung Fu Panda 3″ is the continuing story of Po and his Kung Fu warrior friends. The

voice acting continues to be stellar with the original cast as well as newcomers Cranston,

Hudson and Simmons. The story for this movie is very smart and sweet as it shows how

Po needs to find his inner self and possess the power of Chi. The movie shows how you

must find ones self in life. This is a movie that kids and adults will both enjoy and you can

take something from it.

Grade: B+

The Boy(2016)

Director: William Brent Bell

Cast:

Lauren Cohan – Greta Evans

Rupert Evans – Malcolm

Diana Hardcastle – Mrs. Heelshire

Jim Norton – Mr. Heelshire

Verdict:

The Boy tells the story of a young American woman who goes out to England for a job as a

nanny and then finds out the son of the house is a doll. This movie is very predictable

which is unfortunate for a horror movie. The performances in the film are fine with there

being some chemistry between the two leads. The movie relies on jump scares and dream

sequences which are its best scares. Now saying all that there is not much to the story

except that the doll is alive and it starts to freak out the nanny. The end of the film is

probably the best as it is the climax of the story and it features a twist that is quite

effective. I don’t recommend this movie for it is a recycled horror movie and not worth

your time.

Grade: D

Dirty Grandpa(2016)

Director: Dan Mazer

Cast:

Robert De Niro – Dick Kelly

Zac Efron – Jason Kelly

Julianne Hough – Meredith Goldstein

Aubrey Plaza – Lenore

Zoey Deutch – Shadia

Jason Mantzoukas – Tan Pam

Verdict:

Dirty Grandpa is the story of De Niro’s character who’s wife tragically died and in the

outcome has his grandson (Efron) take him on one last road trip. This movie is very

controversial as it may only peak certain viewers interests depending on how you handle

raunchy humor. The performances by Robert De Niro and Zac Efron are good for the both

have good chemistry and are very funny when they need to be. De Niro is the stand-out as

he went places verbally that I thought I would never see him go. Throughout the movie it

changes tones toward the end as it seems like its your goofy comedy but then it switches

gears and puts some heart into it. This movie is targeted for young audiences particularly

college kids and I do recommend it to anyone who enjoys raunchy comedies.

Grade: B+

 

 

13 Hours(2016)

Director: Michael Bay

Cast:

John Krasinski – Jack Silva

Pablo Schreiber – Tanto

James Badge Dale – Rone

Toby Stephens – Glen Doherty

David Costabile – Chief

Verdict:

This film is the actual account of what occurred in Benghazi in 2012. Michael Bay is

notorious for delivering slow-motion shots with a lot of explosions, and this movie is no

different. In this movie though, it works in the fact that the war scenes are very effective

and the explosions go along with it nicely. The performances are typical as they should be

with the exception of Pablo Schreiber who is very funny in this saddened war film. The

movie is over two hours long and during the first hour there isn’t much combat as it is the

setting piece to the actual plot as it builds up the characters and the story arc. War hawks

will love this movie as it pays tribute to its soldiers magnificently with well choreographed

action scenes.

Grade: B

Reservoir Dogs(1992)

Director: Quentin Tarantino

Cast:

Harvey Keitel – Mr. White

Steve Buscemi – Mr. Pink

Michael Madsen – Mr. Blonde

Tim Roth – Mr. Orange

Verdict:

Reservoir Dogs is the story of a bank heist that went wrong and how four men dealt with the

aftermath of it. The performances by the four actors are very good with Keitel and Roth

being the stand-outs. This movie really shows the inside of how bank robbers cope with

the stress of a failed heist and what goes on in their mind. The movie is simple as it has a

simple premise that tells it story out of order, but in a way to where you can follow it. This

film is a must for Tarantino fans.

Grade: A-

Blood Diamond(2006)

Director: Edward Zwick

Cast:

Leonardo DiCaprio – Danny Archer

Djimon Hounsou – Solomon Vandy

Jennifer Connelly – Maddy Bowen

Arnold Vosloo – Colonel Coetzee

Verdict:

Blood Diamond is the story of a diamond smuggler played by Leonardo DiCaprio and a

fisherman played by Djimon Hounsou who are pitted together to go and find a diamond

that Vandy  hid. Jennifer Connelly plays a journalist who gets involved with Archer and his

world of smuggling as well as Vandy’s world of civil warfare. The performances given by

the two leads are some of the best performances given by both DiCaprio and Hounsou.

DiCaprio pulls off this South African accent extremely well and he gives a charismatic and

heartfelt performance. Hounsou’s performance in Blood Diamond is the best he has ever

given since Amistad. You really believe him when you see the heartache in his eyes when

Archer tells him that his son is gone and you see in his eyes that it is killing him.

This movie really pays tribute to the ways of the African people and it really informs its

audience of the problem that is still going on in Africa. It’s heartfelt and real, and you

should watch it with an open mind.

Grade: A

Beetlejuice(1988)

Director: Tim Burton

Cast:

Alec Baldwin – Adam Maitland

Geena Davis – Barbara Maitland

Winona Ryder – Lydia

Michael Keaton – Beetlejuice

Verdict:

This film directed by Tim Burton tells the story of a young couple played by Baldwin and

Davis who tragically die and are stuck between the living and the dead. A new family

moves in and they are messing with their home and it makes them infuriated, so they

want to hire the help of someone who can get rid of them, so they call on Beetlejuice to

help. The performances are good with Winona Ryder and Michael Keaton especially being

the stand-out. Keaton’s Beetlejuice character is very comical and scary at the same time.

Ryder plays a girl who is the daughter of a couple who move in and try to ruin the house

and she is not your normal kind of girl, for she can see the deceased Maitland family. The

movie uses comedy and horror very well and the story is somewhat a look into the life of

someone trying to understand what it is to be dead. The CGI in the film is very outdated

but the practical effects are very effective and still look up to date. I would say that if you

want to watch a thriller with some comedy in it, this is the one for you.

Verdict: B+

Inglourious Basterds(2009)

Director: Quentin Tarantino

Cast:

Brad Pitt – Lt. Aldo Raine

Christoph Waltz – Col. Hans Landa “The Jew Hunter”

Melanie Laurent – Shoshanna

Diane Kruger – Bridget von Hammersmark

Eli Roth – Donny Donowitz “The Bear Jew”

Daniel Bruhl – Frederick Zoller

Verdict:

“Das ist gut” is what I have to say about the WWII film Inglourious Basterds directed by

Quentin Tarantino. This film has an ensemble cast and it tells the story of how the end of

the war came to be in a different point of view. The intersecting stories are so fascinating

as they tie together brilliantly at the end with Raine’s Basterds pursuing Hitler as well as

Shoshanna running a movie theater which is where she plans her attack on the Nazis. The

performances are fantastic with Waltz’ Hans Landa being the most captivating character

in the movie as he is very charming, fluent in multiple languages and is able to possess a

sense of subtlety and calmness during intense sit-downs. Melanie Laurent is also very

good playing the French Jew who is on the run from Landa as she to is calm during her sit-

downs with Landa and her finale is fantastic as it is the climax of the film. The theatre

scene is by far the  most entertaining part of the film as it shows the demise of the Third

Reich and Hitler. This film is going to be regarded as a classic and I recommend it to

anyone who likes war films and comedic films involving war.

Verdict: A

Gangs of New York(2002)

Director: Martin Scorsese

Cast:

Daniel Day-Lewis – Bill the ‘Butcher’

Leonardo DiCaprio – Amsterdam Vallon

Cameron Diaz – Jenny

Brendan Gleeson – Monk

Verdict:

Martin Scorsese once again knows how to capture a time period as he does so in Gangs of

New York. In this film Daniel Day-Lewis plays the Butcher of Five Points which is an area

that is infested with Irish immigrants and he is against immigration and he enjoys the

sport of fighting. Day-Lewis is fantastic as always playing a somewhat subtle character

who can change tone and emotion extremely well and is able to return back to form.

DiCaprio plays Amsterdam Vallon, the son of the Irish priest of the Five Points who was

murdered by Bill. DiCaprio is good as he really pulls off the Irish accent and the swagger as

a degenerate Irish immigrant who is slowly plotting his revenge against his father’s

murderer. Cameron Diaz plays Jenny, DiCaprio’s love interest who is a thief and plays hard

to get with the boys. This movie really captures its time period as it is set in the 1880s and

has a dirty feel to the scenery and features a terrific song by U2.

Grade: B

 

Django Unchained(2012)

Director: Quentin Tarantino

Cast:

Jamie Foxx – Django

Christoph Waltz – Dr. King Schultz

Leonardo DiCaprio – Calvin Candie

Kerry Washington – Bromhilda

Samuel L. Jackson – Stephen

Verdict:

This film by Tarantino is very entertaining as it puts the lead role in the

hands of Foxx who plays a slave turned bounty hunter who is taken under

the wing by Waltz’s character who is a doctor turned bounty hunter.

Django is tasked by Schultz to help him find three brothers who are

wanted and then a bond forms between the two. Once there task is

complete the film’s plot begins when Django informs Schultz that his wife

had been sent to a different slave house and the quest to find her begins.

Foxx is very good in the film being very subtle throughout the film and

funny when he needs to be. Waltz is also good being the bright spot of the

film as he is very charismatic and a caring person for he is against slavery.

The main villain played by DiCaprio is fantastic as he is extremely calm

throughout the whole film but once the s**t starts hitting the fan he loses

it and just goes insane and then is able to go back to being calm. Lastly,

Samuel L. Jackson’s character is the funniest one as he is the stingy and

griping old man who steals every scene that he is in and I’m baffled that

he did not receive an Academy Award for his portrayal of Stephen.

This film is very captivating as it captures its time period but gives it a

twist at the same time.

Grade: A