Godzilla

Godzilla. The year is 2014 and Japan still laughs at us for the abomination that was Godzilla from 1998. For proof just look to 2004's Godzilla: Final Wars a film in which the giant monster fights his most famous enemies all in one movie, included in this is America's version of the beast that they call Zilla; in the film (MILD SPOILER FOR GODZILLA FINAL WARS) Godzilla literally takes Zilla out in a matter of seconds which shows that Zilla wasn't even close to being Godzilla's equal.

In America's chance at redemption they hired a small time-ish director who's directed a few movies, nothing of serious note. They hired Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Kick Ass), Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad), and Elizabeth Olsen (Silent House) to round out the major cast members. Cranston as usual kills it, Johnson did a lot better than I had expected so kudos to him and Olsen did well too, wasn't spectacular acting but it was from poor. 

Now to the real star of this movie and franchise, Godzilla. They did an excellent job at making him look huge, it sounds easy but it's not, when you first see his enemy, an eight legged winged beast called Muto, he doesn't look as big as you'd thing. When you finally see Godzilla in all his glory he towers over the Muto making it look like a housefly (exaggeration). His roar is on point, his stature is unmatched and he is the definition of monster. 

The main complaint people have with this is that the movie teases you with a Godzilla-Muto throwdown for a good hour, maybe more, cutting away from the action just as it's about to go down. It makes your mouth water, you see these glimpses and you just want to see more. You finally do, some say that the final battle isn't enough of a payoff for all the painstaking teasing but for me it was about enough. For me, it was enough to be bad ass yet still realistic (as realistic as you can get with a giant monster movie) and I was reasonably satisfied. One of the kills is just the most bad ass thing I've seen in a while, probably my kill of the year so far and without spoiling it, that kill is damn near worth the price of admission. 

Overall: I enjoyed Godzilla, I didn't love it, I thought Bryan Cranston deserved more screen time but that's forgiven. I'm really hoping that they do some sequels to this and we can get some more action packed entires to this series as this is paid homage to the 1954 Gojira in that you don't see the beast until toward the end. This has the tools to be a great start up movie if the sequels pan out well, even as a stand alone film it's good. 

Rating: 3.5/5, not sure why but I couldn't bring myself to give it a 4, it's good to see a worthwhile American Godzilla and it's a good film, I just didn't love it. 

The Amazing Spider-Man 2

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is the sequel to 2012's The Amazing Spider-Man in which Andrew Garfield(The Social Network) reprises his role as Peter Parker, the teenage superhero. 

Spider-Man 3 tried a 3 villain plotline and it failed pretty hard, this film tries to make it work. Firstly, saying this has 3 villains is almost a lie, it's really like 2 full villains. We have Electro(Jamie Foxx) who is the main bad guy, Green Goblin/Harry Osborne(Dane DeHaan) and Rhino(Paul Giamatti). The last 2 we don't get much of, we get a good amount of the Harry Osborne transformation into Green Goblin but not full villain until the climax of the film. Also they kinda force Peter and Harry's friendship, it's established they haven't seen each other in 8 years yet a few scenes later Peter referes to him as his best friend; some build up in the first movie would've helped this out a bit, kind of how the original trilogy went about it, no real gripe though, just a small missed opportunity. Rhino on the other hand gets about 10 minutes total screen time and is there pretty much to set up the Sinister Six. 

The acting in this was great, Jamie Foxx killed it, as did Dane DeHaan who is poised to be the next big actor; Garfield and Emma Stone are perfect for the roles they reprise.

This is without a doubt the most visually stunning Spider-Man we've gotten to date, his web-slinging and all around Spider-maning(not a word) looks beautiful and the fight scenes between him and Electro are truly breathtaking. 

I love that the story dove so much deeper into Peter's parents, mostly his father and Aunt May(Sally Field) gets some needed screen time and uses it to her and the audience's benefit. 

Overall: The movie was really good, Electro was damn menacing, Green Goblin has a great set up film in this and an actor that can crush it, Rhino was forced as were the Sinister Six plot points. It's easy to feel for Peter in this, with his relationship with Gwen and Aunt May, and his inner struggles as the director, Mark Webb, makes great use of the source material. 

Rating: 4/5, this will be part of my DVD/Blu-Ray collection most likely the day it's released. 

The Quiet Ones - Movie Review

The Quiet Ones is a horror movie by second time director John Pogue who also directed Quarantine 2, which I did not see. Going into this I was expected to not like it at all, the trailers for it were mediocre at best and it just didn't entice me. 

Pros: A shockingly good story, I really expected this to be a run of the mill possession/exorcism type plot but it was much more interesting than expected. Without giving too much away it deals with a professor and some colleagues experimenting with Jane, a troubled girl who exhibits paranormal abilities. As the story deepens you really start to question whether she has these abilities or not and you debate it in your head. Also the last 30 minutes of the movie when the quintessential "hell breaks loose" part of every horror movie happens, is plain awesome, the things that go down are crazy and really finish the movie out well. Speaking of finishing, the movie has an actual ending, something not seen in many horror movies these days. The acting was good, nothing special. 

Cons: It wasn't incredibly scary, it relied heavily on jump scares and threw them in at points that really didn't need them, all to get your heart racing. The movie lacks an image or phrase that is burned into your mind. 

Overall: Really not a bad movie at all, it had it's creepy moments and some more genuine scared but the lack of some true horror leaves you wanting a bit more. That being said the story is damn near the price of admission as it's intriguing and makes your mind invest itself into figuring out the end. 

Rating: 3/5, would probably buy on DVD once it randomly goes on a pretty sweet sale. 

Update!

Hi guys, wanted to let you know that I am coming back to review movies for you guys. While I'm in college it's harder to get to the theaters to see new movies so I'm gonna start a new series tonight called Netflix Nights, in which I watch a movie on Netflix and review it for you as per usual. So look for more reviews to be popping up soon!

The World's End

The World's End.

The World's End is an apocalpytic-ish comedy starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost and for the 3rd time are teaming up with Edgar Wright who have collectively done Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. Shaun of the Dead is a great comedy and one of my favorites of the zombie genre, while I enjoyed Hot Fuzz I didn't think it was up to par with Shaun. This marks the third and what some are calling the final film in the collection of Pegg, Frost and Wright collaborations.

Firstly, Pegg and Frost are on point with their performances, Pegg plays the cocky yet lovable ass who never let go of his childhood while Frost is his counterpart as someone who's thinking of the future and trying to better himself. The two together have proven that they're British comedy gold, between the Wright trilogy and Paul they've been hysterical for near a decade together. With Wright back directing it feels as if everything's coming to a head, fitting for the final installment. In this film, "robots" have replaced and replicated the people of their hometown and have discovered that Pegg and Co. are not themselves robots and go after them. Pegg's idea to continue the bar crawl is not as insane as it sounds as he, albeit drunkenly, gives a pretty solid reasoning for his plan.

Alright, but was it funny? In short, yeah it was. There were only a few times where I was laughing out loud, a lot of it was more like laughing to myself. I know that sounds like an insult, but it's not. A lot of the comedy in the film has to do with the witty remarks and banter between characters where if you fade away from the movie, you won't catch. This wasn't as funny as Shaun of the Dead, there was something really special about that film. Segue to next paragraph.

But there was something special about this one as well, it's funny, definitely but almost more importantly, it's heartfelt. Every feeling that gets projected at us that we as an audience are supposed to feel, feels very genuine and you do feel it. The anger between friends, the looking back at your younger selves and missing it, to making amends, it all feels too real. If this is the last film these 3 make together, which I hope it isn't, it'll be an oddly fitting one. There's a lot of reflection done in the film and you get the feeling that the actors and Wright did a lot of reflecting throughout filming it.

Overall: The movie is definitely funny. If you like the Pegg/Frost comedy then you'll definitely enjoy this, if you don't then I don't think The World's End will be the one to turn you on to them. I hope this isn't the last we see of these 3 together because as of now, they've made one of the funniest trilogies of non-related films ever. Wright and his actors are able to bring such emotion that's actually kind of incredible, especially for a comedy. In a way this movie is really a coming-of-age film but for middle-aged men(sorry ladies). It's a great time and I'm incredibly happy that You're Next wasn't the final movie of the 2013 summer movie season for me, and I'm glad that it was The World's End. After the movie, all you wanna do is get some friends together and crack open some beers and enjoy life, can't ask much more than that, can you?

Rating: 4/5, A Great End to a Good Summer Movie Season, Will Buy on DVD.

The Butler

The Butler.

The Butler is a film chronicling Cecil Gaines' 34 year tenure as a butler in the White House. Forest Whitaker plays Gaines who is inspired by real life White House butler Eugene Allen. We're treated to an eyewitness account to major American events dating from the Eisenhower administration all the way to the Reagan administration as Gaines serves from 1957 to 1986. The movie has an ensemble cast who all do do great jobs.

Being a historical movie, I was really hoping I'd like it, being a history buff and all. Thankfully, it delivered. Many people my find it slow and boring but just like Lincoln(yes, I just compared this to Lincoln) it's incredibly interesting and the dialogue not only drives the movie but is the focal point of it. Most of the plot and historical events are racially charged, ranging from slavery, civil rights, equal pay to the election of the first African-American president. That being said some of the oppression shown is hard to imagine let alone watch and the fact that this occurred not even 50-60 years ago is repulsing.

This is a short review because all in all, there's not a ton to say. Oprah, I believe, deserves at least an Oscar nomination for her part, she was that good. This Oscar season is shaping up to be a really good one so I don't think she'll get it but if she ever reads this she'll know I think she deserves it. One of the other surprising things about this film was the comedy, while it's not running rampant, it's there. Mostly between Gaines and two of the White House butlers, the banter the three of them share adds a lightness and comedic tone to an otherwise completely serious movie.

Overall: I can't give this much more praise than I already have, from this review and recommending it to many people, all that's left that I can do is buy it on Blu-Ray/DVD when it comes out. I'm glad to see this movie isn't being slept on and has won the box office two weeks in a row and without a ton of competition this weekend, it could win again. Flat out, see this movie, it won't change your life but being as young as I(19), it's good to see the racial tension of the 50s/60s in a cinematic way. Also the actors who played the presidents were surprisingly good, James Marsden got JFK's way with words down pat and Alan Rickman(Severus Snape for you Harry Potter fans) does a great job with Reagan. Go see this film.

Rating: 4.5/5, A Surprisingly Good Film, Will Buy on DVD.

You're Next

You're Next.

You're Next is a horror film about a home invasion. 3 masked killers, pictured in the poster above invade a home where there are 10 people, 6 of which are related, the other 4 are significant others of members of the family. There's not much to say about the movie because it doesn't give us much to say.

Firstly, the acting is abysmal. I don't mind bad acting in a horror movie when it's a B-movie and doesn't take itself too seriously(ex. Evil Dead[the originals] and pretty much an 80's horror film) but this movie is taken very seriously and the acting is distractingly bad. The only saving grace acting wise is Sharni Vinson who plays Erin. Secondly, the movie is crazy predictable, I was guessing what would happen with accuracy and the "twist" they throw in is seen from miles away.

But was it scary? Nope. I jumped at one scare and usually I'm a sucker for jump scares, they usually get me to jump but nothing in this movie was scary. The masks the killers use aren't half as scary as the film wants them to be, especially the lamb one, they became hard to take seriously. A home invasion movie is supposed to make you paranoid/scared to sleep in your house the night after seeing it and I can tell you, I'm not, at all.

For me, there were two saving graces. One, the dark humor in this was actually pretty funny, it came at the right moments and shockingly the actors had good comedic timing with it. Second, the kills were actually pretty inventive in this. I'm not talking Saw inventive but they're not your standard horror movie kills. There's one toward the end, I won't spoil it, but it's hysterical and worth probably half the price of admission. The other kills make the whole price of admission worth it.

Overall: This had the potential to be better or at least as good as The Strangers or Funny Games, two home invasion movies that were truly scary. Nothing about this was scary, I was lucky that the guy behind me in the theater didn't find it scary cause he was cracking some funny jokes and was probably more entertaining than the movie itself. I'm not really sure why this got a theatrical release, it should've been a straight-to-Netflix release, I'd say straight-to-Syfy but it wasn't as entertaining as Sharknado or Sharktopus. Nothing about this is refreshing to the genre outside of the dark humor but that's been making a comeback in horror as of late anyway. Lack of originality, lack of scares, lack of more than one not-terrible actor makes this a horrorble movie. I think we can all just forget that pun I just made, just like we can all forget this movie was made until it comes time for the "Worst Movies of the Year" lists start taking form. Don't be next to see this, seriously.

Final Rating: 1/5, An Insult to the Beloved Horror Genre.