Gold(2017)

Director: Stephen Gaghan

Cast:

Matthew McConaughey – Kenny Wells

Edgar Ramirez – Michael Acosta

Bryce Dallas Howard – Kay

Corey Stoll – Bryan Woolf

Toby Kebbell – Paul Jennings

Verdict:

“Gold” is loosely based on true events and tells the

story of Kenny Wells (McConaughey), a miner who

after spending his last dollar strikes gold in the

Indonesian jungle with the help of his partner

Michael Acosta (Edgar Ramirez). Just like that, he

goes from rags to riches and has now become the

talk of the town. McConaughey plays Wells like a

mix of Les Grossman from “Tropic Thunder” and

Mark Hanna from “The Wolf of Wall Street.” He

balances drama and comedy effectively.

McConaughey perfectly plays the jittery psychopath

that is Kenny Wells to a tee. Edgar Ramirez who

plays his partner is very suave and sophisticated and

the two of them had great chemistry. The first half

of the movie goes through Wells’ struggle of trying

to get back to the top in the mining business and

once he does its good but the movie repeatedly

jumps back and forth between him succeeding and

failing. It is a slow and dull buildup. It isn’t until the

second half of the film that we see the story become

more intriguing and new characters are introduced.

The supporting cast as a whole are fine as they

didn’t leave a big enough impact on the film. Bryce

Dallas Howard plays Wells’ girlfriend who always

seems to be shocked by everything around her. The

whole reveal of what happens to McConaughey’s

character comes at a surprise and how he copes with

it is what keeps the film in tact. If you can sit your

way through the first hour you might find yourself

intrigued for what comes next.

Grade: B-

Split(2017)

Director: M. Night Shyamalan

Cast:

James McAvoy – Kevin

Betty Buckley – Dr. Karen Fletcher

Anya Taylor-Joy – Casey

Haley Lu Richardson – Claire

Jessica Sula – Marcia

Verdict:

“Split” is directed by M. Night Shyamalan and tells

the story of Kevin, a man who has 23 different

personalities living in his head and he has

kidnapped three girls for the purpose of unleashing

the 24th personality: the Beast. Shyamalan is a well

known director for films like “The Sixth Sense” and

“Signs” which were well received. He has also made

films such as “Lady in the Water” and the horrible

adaptation known as “The Last Airbender.” It’s safe

to say that “Split” is a fantastic piece of film and

with his last film “The Visit” Shyamalan seems to

have found his footing again. The performances in

this film are all around good with McAvoy stealing

the entire movie. He plays these different

personalities to a tee and my god is he funny as well.

Some of his personalities have a very terrifying and

creepy presence to them and then you have his nine

year old persona that is just so innocent and funny.

Anya Taylor-Joy is also very good in the film as

she plays one of the three kidnapped girls that has a

tragic past that surfaces throughout the film. The

two other girls are fine in the film as they mostly

serve as filler and eye candy for the boys. Betty

Buckley plays Kevin’s psychiatrist as she attempts

to figure out his psyche and she was very good. The

only flaw with the film is that McAvoy’s character

makes a decision that any other person in his

position wouldn’t make. Also, if your looking for a

twist, there is one, it’s just not what you expect and

it makes for intriguing conversation. “Split” is a

terrific return for Shyamalan and also serves as a

great character piece for McAvoy.

Grade: A

Sleepless(2017)

Director: Baran bo Odar

Cast:

Jamie Foxx – Vincent Downs

Scoot McNairy – Rob Novak

David Harbour – Doug Dennison

Michelle Monaghan – Jennifer Bryant

Dermot Mulroney – Stanley Rubino

T.I. – Sean Cass

Verdict:

“Sleepless” is directed by Baran bo Odar and stars

Jamie Foxx as Vincent Downs, an Las Vegas cop who

gets caught in the criminal underworld when his son

becomes kidnapped by a ruthless crime boss. Going

into “Sleepless” I  was expecting a fun action movie

with Jamie Foxx as a cop and I got some of that in

this film. The cast does what it can with the script it

is given. The characters are your basic generic

people. McNairy plays your stereotypical bad guy

who looks a lot like Trevor from GTA V. Monaghan

looks like your basic female cop and she doesn’t do

much to influence the film. David Harbour is once

again type casted as a cop and he makes it

worthwhile. Foxx is the best part of this movie but

he isn’t given a lot to do. The action only comes at

the last half of the film and for the most part it is

generic. If this movie makes enough money, it sets

itself up for a sequel in the most obvious way.

“Sleepless” is a movie that does nothing more than

service its intended audience with a mixture of

action and drama.

Grade: C+

Live by Night(2017)

Director: Ben Affleck

Cast:

Ben Affleck – Joe Coughlin

Elle Fanning – Loretta Figgis

Chris Messina – Dion Bartolo

Zoe Saldana – Graciela

Chris Cooper – Chief Figgis

Verdict:

“Live by Night” is directed by Ben Affleck and tells

the story of Joe Coughlin, a wannabe gangster who

becomes involved with the sprawling life of

gangsters amidst the Prohibition. Ben Affleck has

become a notorious tour de force when it comes to

directing films such as “The Town” and “Argo”, but

with this film, he falls flat. The film can’t seem to

tell an engaging story and this is due in part on

Affleck’s script. The performances for the most part

are good except for Chris Cooper’s character. His

character at times comes off as if he was in an

episode of “Days of our Lives.” The movie isn’t all

bad though, the costume design and the

cinematography are wonderful and there is an cool

car chase involving Model T’s. The violence is also

there but at times it feels excessively forced. Also,

the pacing of the film became dreadful towards the

end and the movie should have wrapped 10 minutes

earlier. “Live by Night” is a disappointing Ben

Affleck film even if it boasts beautiful

cinematography with tremendous costume design.

Grade: C

A Monster Calls(2017)

Director: J.A. Bayona

Cast:

Lewis MacDougall – Conor

Sigourney Weaver – Grandma

Felicity Jones – Mum

Toby Kebbell – Dad

Liam Neeson – The Monster

Verdict:

“A Monster Calls” is directed by J.A. Bayona and

tells the story of a young boy named Conor who is

experiencing a tragedy and through his tragedy he

calls upon a monster to help cope with it. This film

was remarkable because of its ability to tell a kids

story at such an adult level. The performances in the

film were all around good. Lewis MacDougall was

incredible as he gave a compelling performance as

the young boy Conor experiencing a tragedy.

Sigourney Weaver was also excellent as the

grandmother and she kept the British accent going

all the way through. Felicity Jones didn’t do much in

the film but the screen time she was given

showcased her continuing talent as a multi genre

actress. Toby Kebbell was good as the boys father.

Liam Neeson was fantastic as the Monster and he

really brought the creature to life. One surprising

thing about the movie is that the journey it goes on

takes a turn you wouldn’t expect it to go and it made

for a good choice of direction. The movies use of

storytelling through cardboard animation mixed in

with the actual movie felt unique and rich. Finally,

the only thing that bothered me was that the

Monster is called upon to tell three stories and the

boy is to tell a fourth that would in turn become his

truth. I felt that to be a little strange, but

nonetheless the film was strong.

Grade: A

 

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story(2016)

Director: Gareth Edwards

Cast:

Felicity Jones – Jyn Erso

Diego Luna – Cassian Andor

Alan Tudyk – K-2SO

Donnie Yen – Chirrut Imwe

Wen Jiang – Baze Malbus

Ben Mendelsohn – Orson Krennic

Forest Whitaker – Saw Gerrera

Riz Ahmed – Bodhi Rook

Mads Mikkelson – Galen Erso

Verdict:

“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” is directed by Gareth Edwards and serves as the first in a

line of “Star Wars” anthology films. In this film, the Imperial empire has developed a

super weapon that is capable of destroying planets and a ragtag group of rebels are tasked

with retrieving the plans to this super weapon known as the Death Star. Now, I’m not a

huge “Star Wars” fan, but when the first trailer for this movie dropped and I saw that it

was going to be completely different from the episode saga, I was eager to check it out. It’s

safe to say that I found myself in enjoyment during this film. “Rogue One” is the “Star

Wars” film that I have been waiting to see. It doesn’t shy away from the merciless killing

or the destruction of planets. Felicity Jones was great as Jyn Erso. She had a cunning and

fearless approach to her character and she made for a very fragile, yet tough character. As

for the supporting cast the ones that stood out to me were Diego Luna as Cassian Andor, a

captain of the rebellion. His chemistry with Jones was very good as they butted heads with

one another. Alan Tudyk was fantastic as the android K-2SO. He was great comic relief and

made for a very sympathetic character. Donnie Yen was also great as Chirrut Imwe, a blind

man who believes whole-heartedly in the force and he as always kicked butt. Ben

Mendelsohn was good in his role as Orson Krennic, director overseeing the Death Star, I

just wish he had more to do in the film. The rest of the cast played their parts well, its just

that they were given no character development so I wasn’t able to connect with the

majority of them. Darth Vader is in this movie but only appears in two scenes. Now that

seems like nothing, except for the fact that he stole both of the scenes he was in. I should

point out that there are two characters from the original trilogy that appear in this film,

the problem with it is that they were CGI and they threw me off whenever they appeared

on screen. Also, the third act in this film is what you pay to see if for no other reason, it

puts the war in “Star Wars.” “Rogue One” is a terrific start to the “Star Wars” anthology

films and serves as a nice niche between the prequels and the original trilogy.

Grade: A-