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BLACK MASS REVIEW

Ladies and Gentlemen, Johnny Depp is back. For the first time, in a good long while, there is no cartoonish rake he's playing. For the first time since his performance in "Public Enemy," Depp is playing a layered, charasmatic Psychopath named Whitey Bulger.(Fun fact, Bulger is the real life gangster Martin Scorsese based the character Jack Nicolson played in "The Departed,") I didn't know anything about Bulger till the movie, and I have to say... even given how good the film is, I dont know that I would ever want to know more about him.  

"Black Mass," is the story of how criminal James "Whitey" Bulger  made a deal with the FBI to take down another gang, with the FBI being unaware that Bulger only did it so he could end up on top. Starring with Depp, is  Joel Egerton, Benidict Cumberbatch, Jesse Plemons, Juliane Nicholson, Peter Skarsgard, David Harbor, Kevin Bacon, and Corey Stoll. As an ensemble, they work incredibly well together with shout outs going to Skarsgard, who never fails to make a character memorable,  and to Cumberbatch, caught in between a rock and a hard place as Whitey's politician brother. My only complaints is they bounce back and forth between characters a little too much... and there are a few scenes that move a little too slowly. Other then that,  this a really good film. 

THE VERDICT

"Black Mass,: is a a fantastic film, with great story, and  an outstanding performance by Johnny Depp, and solid showings  from the rest of the cast. I give Black Mass, an A. 

THE MARTIAN REVIEW

The Martian is one of my favorite books of all time. Its incredibly interesting premise asks the question "will we ever be able to make Mars a second earth?" I don't think I have read a book that has made me really dream more about what is possible out in the universe. So when I heard that this movie was coming out I was super excited. And boy did the movie not disappoint. Here's the story.

"The Martian," is about a astronaut named Mark Watney who is believed to be dead after a horrible accident during his space mission to Mars. His crew, led by Jessica Chastain, is mortified that Mark could be dead, and are aware that they have to leave or all of them could be killed. Well needless to say, Mark lives, and must learn how to survive until he can communicate with NASA, and until they can come up with a plan to rescue him. With a cast that includes Damon,  and Chastain, Chiwetal Ejitofer, Jeff Daniels, Michael Pena, Kate Mara, Sebastian Stan, Aleskie Henrie, Donald Glover,  Sean Bean, and Kristen Wiig, it really does not put a foot wrong. It's easily my favorite movie of the year so far. Between the story, which takes us on Marks frustrating and sad journey on his own, showing us his frustrations and triumphs through his video diary, to the mortifying realization by the crew that they left their friend for dead, the acting is just incredible. The cinematography, blends the red sand clay of Mars on incredible sky lines, and the cold meticulous vast outer space, until you long for them to all get home safely. Ridley Scott the directo, marches the story through each phase like a master. Its just so good.  Run.... dont walk. You won't be sorry.

                                                                      THE VERDICT
                                     "The Martian," does not put a foot wrong. Perfectly Cast, well acted and incredibly directed. I give it an A +
         
             
                       

FANTASTIC FOUR REVIEW

NO!!!!! NO!!!!!!!!!! I feel so dirty. I defended this film. I said to my friends that we needed to not be so close minded. We needed to wait. It could be great. Well this movie, and the studio that produced it DO NOT CARE. They spit on the fans, and then they did a little dance after spitting on us, as if to say " Neener neener neener!"   It's a total cash grab!!!!! Whats the story? How did it get so bad?

"The Fantastic Four" stars Miles Teller, Jamie Bell, Michael B Jordan, Kate Mara, Toby Kebbell, Reg E Cathey and Tim Blake Nelson. To not give away the premise of the F4, and how they get their powers, They become Super humans when they return from another dimension  One, Mr Fantastic,  can stretch into anything, The invisable woman, is well,  invisable, The Human torch can fly like a speedy fireball, and one is, well, the Thing. Kind of a  solid rock version of the HULK with a better vocabulary.

Aside from the actors being wasted with a script so full of plot holes you could mistake it for a piece of Swiss cheese, the action is horrible,  and not helpful to what isn't bad in the film, namely Jamie Bell, as THE THING. Reg E Cathey plays Professor Storm, and while doing the best with a craptastic script, I never quite understood why he needed to be apart of this.  It takes an hour and a half for the Fantastic 4 to get their powers, and to be honest by then I was wondering, " Why am I still here?"Dr. Doom's villain  as a character is not scary at all, and when the final showdown happens, its in the last 10 minutes of the film, and by then, you just don't care.

                                                       THE VERDICT

Don't go see it. It will be two hours of your life you will never get back.
I give the "Fantastic Four," a D-.

STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON REVIEW

The eighties and the nineties were a huge time in the music industry. Rap and hip hop came into play and back then there really was no better and no bigger a group then NWA. The group included well known people today like, actor/rapper Ice Cube and rapper/ producer  Dr. Dre. Other members included were Eazy E, DJ Yella, and MC Ren. There has been some controversy about the film, but it did not bother me. Once I was interested in going, and once it was clear that all the other critics loved it, I knew I had to see it.  Hows the story you ask? See below. 

"Straight Outta Compton," is about how Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, and Eazy E formed the group  N.W.A. ("N" words with Attitude) Their Rap was different as it told the stories of their rough Compton upbringing, and all of their encounters with the Los Angeles Police Department. The movie also includes what happened to them after they stopped performing as a group.

 I love this movie.From the screenplay which shows how much of a struggle it was for them to get out, to the cinematography which paints a bleak existence for them all, to the acting which includes a break out performance by O'Shea Jackson, Jason Mitchell, Corey Hawkins,to the songs which were honest and sad and pounding at the same time. At 2 plus hours, it made me cry at times, and think about all the crazy things they went through, and how we are still going through some of those things today. one of the best movies of the year in my book. 

THE VERDICT

"Straight Outta Compton"is incredible, with great acting, and an amazing screenplay. I give "Straight Outta Compton," an A. 

INSIDE OUT REVIEW

Pixar is back! After what has been a few dodgy films, I was a tad skeptical coming into this film despite what the critics were saying, HOWEVER i have never been so happy to be wrong.  It was a lovely sweet film with a terrific and original story.

"Inside Out" is about a 11 year old girl named Riley. who lives a terrific life in Minnesota. She has loads of friends, and is the star on her hockey team.  But when her dad is forced to move them to San Fransisco because of work, she gets deeply depressed. We discover she has 5 emotions in her head that keep her well balanced. Joy, played by Amy Poelher, runs the place. She keeps the negativity down, and always wants Riley to have good thoughts and memories. She has to make that happen with the understanding of Anger, (Lewis Black,) Fear, (Bill Hader)  Disgust, (Mindy Kaling,) and lastly Sadness, who is played by Phyllis Smith. Sadness is constantly trying to make things sad, and it makes Joy's job that much harder. But Joy comes to realize that to make Riley truly happy, she needs to experience Sadness too, so she knows what to be grateful for. The journey that Joy and Sadness take together, looking out for one another and learning to sacrifice for each other is pretty amazing. I can safely say this is one of the best Pixar movies out there. The voice acting is superb. Included in the cast are Diane Lane and Kyle MacLachlan as Rileys parents, each of whom has their own group of emotions running their every day lives. We realize we are all connected by our feelings. There are no weak links in this film. from start to finish, each aspect is incredibly well done.

THE VERDICT

"Inside Out"is not only as one of the best films of the summer, its one of the best of the year. I give Inside Out an A

TERMINATOR GENYSIS REVIEW

I'm a huge fan of the first 2 Terminator movies, and I was excited for this one, because Jason Clarke and Emilia Clarke are terrific actors. But, ladies and gentleman, I hate to say it, the Terminator franchise is dead.  Killed by a bad script, and outlandish sub plots. 

"Terminator Genysis" starts as a rehash of the first film, with John Conner, Uber solider, sending Kyle Reese back in time to save his mother, Sarah Conner. Not telling him that Reese is his father, Conner makes sure that Kyle has heard enough stories about Sarah to want to do anything for her. Kyle witnesses John get attacked by a terminator before he leaves his time line, and finds himself in a second rehash of Terminator II, with Schwartznegger acting as Sarah Conners protector. The rest of the film is a convoluted mess about the Genysis project, and how it gives birth to Skynet's taking over the world. It also has a small role by Academy Award winner JK Simmons as the only cop in the US to have seen time travel up close, (He meets Reese in a store 30 years before and never forgets it.) and really, he's the best supporting part in the whole film.

 The acting is fine, with Schwartznegger and Simmons delivering the best parts, but holy moly the script is bad. Peppered with cliche's and some of the most awful one liners. The action is decent,  I mean who wouldn't like Schwartznegger doing his thing? And  Jason Clarke, so terrific as the CIA torturer in "Zero Dark Thirty," leaves us cold as John Conner. Emilia Clarke and Jai Courtenay, who plays Kyle Reese have little chemistry, and in the end, with a plot twist designed to tick off the die hard fans, leaves you cold. Like, "This is dead to me now," cold.  The ONLY thing I thought was ok script wise, was the relationship between Sarah and Schwartzneggers Terminator who she refers to as "Pops." He saved her as a child and in raising her for years, she grows fond of him. The relationship, though someone un emotional, ends up being the most emotional thing in the film. 

                                                        THE VERDICT

Though Schwarzenegger and Simmons are great, and the movie has a great father/ daughter relationship, "Terminator Genysis" is a huge disappointment with a bad script. "Terminator Genysis" gets a C-.