Cop Car

Starring: Kevin Bacon, James Freedson-Jackson, & Hays Wellford

Director: Jon Watts - Rating: R - Score: 4 Stars

Now days, superheroes and remakes are all the rage, while finding something original and worth your time, takes some doing! Jon Watts however did just that, in-between making Spider-Man movies of course. Cop Car is an edge of your seat thriller that is as funny as it is exciting, and easily one of the biggest surprises I've had in a while. If we're being honest here, after reading the description of this movie, I almost passed on it, if it wasn't for Kevin Bacon, I may have, but I decided to give it a shot, and I'm sure glad I did. Cop Car is the story of two naive and unhappy children, who run away from home. On their travels, they come across every ten year olds dream, a seemingly abandoned police car, unlocked, with the keys inside. Of course the kids take it for a joyride, what kid wouldn't, but as it turns out, the cop who it belongs to is not amused. On the surface this films seems like it's pretty straight forward, and at first it is. The kids, played by newcomers James Feedson-Jackson and Hays Wellford are absolutely hilarious. I really appreciate the fact that the filmmakers used actual kids to play these roles. A lot of times, because of language or content they opt to use older teens instead, and it's just not as real. The fact that these kids are around the age of their characters, just adds to the realness of the film. On the other side of the coin, you have the police officer played by Kevin Bacon. His character was kind of a bad ass, and even though he doesn't know it was kids who took his car, he doesn't want to report it, he wants to get it back himself and is willing to go to extreme lengths to do so. Cop Car has a lot of great action scenes, funny and surprising moments, and even a pretty interesting side story going on. You have newcomers performing along side veteran performers, making an interesting dynamic, and of course you have an original story that is most definitely worth your time!

Savages (2012)

Starring: Taylor Kitsch, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Blake Lively, & Selma Hayek

Director: Oliver Stone - Rating: R - Score: 3 1/2 Stars

 

We've all seen our share of epic films that are based on the Italian Mafia, but few have done one that is based on the Mexican cartels. Additionally, this story is told from the prospected of a group outside the organization, bullied into working with the cartel. It's no secret that Ben & Chon (Kitsch/Taylor-Johnson) make the best weed in California. Everyone knows that their stuff is the stuff you want, including the Baja Cartel. The cartel go to the pair and make them a very profitable offer, but weary of getting into business with the ruthless organization, Ben & Chon turn them down, but when has the Cartel ever taken no for an answer? I very much dislike Oliver Stone. His films, especially his historical ones, are filled with conspiracy theory and inaccuracies, that people take as fact, and contribute to the ignorance of society. I gave Savages a shot however, because it is based on a novel, and we all know that films that were originally books are the best. Savages is every bit as ruthless and action packed as you'd expect it to be and beyond that it is loaded with star power. As for the story, it is what you'd come to expect from an Oliver Stone film, filled with unexpected twists and turns, but finally in a way that doesn't confuse the audience! Typically Stone's films go over the top and back around again, until no one knows what's going on, but this time, (perhaps the novels influence) the story is never hard to follow, just unpredictable, which is what you want! The filmmakers also so how manage to avoid the problem of too many cooks in the kitchen, despite the enormous cast, something I very much appreciated. The bottom line, Savages isn't Goodfellas or Casino, it isn't even close, but is a rare look inside the business of the cartels. I love how it's told from an outside perspective and that the main star power actually takes a step back for newcomers like Taylor Kitsch and Aaron Taylor-Johnson. Some parts of this film are brutal and it is quite long, especially the unrated version, but in my opinion, well worth your time.

I Am Not A Serial Killer

Starring: Max Records, Christopher Lloyd, & Laura Fraser

Director: Billy O'Brien - Rating: NR - Score: 1 Stars

John Wayne Cleaver (Max Records) has some pretty dark thoughts, he even works at a funeral home. When a serial killer becomes active is his town, people are sure it's John, and he is certainly fascinated. John decides to track the killer himself, but even he's not sure if he's going to turn him in or turn him into a mentor. This film got rave reviews, proving once again that in order to be successful in this business, you need to promote what they tell you to and completely talk out of your ass. There wasn't anything good about this film, I knew that as soon as I realized Christopher Lloyd was the man John was looking for. At this point, Lloyd is so old that he can barely walk, much less be believable as a killer! Not to mention that his mumbling has gotten so bad, it's to the point where I needed to turn on the subtitles to figure out what the hell he was saying. As for his counterpart, Max Records, is just a dull kid, and serious John Wayne Cleaver? He wasn't anything special in the Sitter or Where The Wild Things Are and things haven't changed. In my wildest dreams I wouldn't have imagined that a film with Serial Killer in the title would be as boring as this film was. Not only are the actors a joke, but there is a distinct lack of blood in this movie. All these guys seem to do is talk until the shocking ending. I'll admit they got that part right, when the filmmakers said that you'd never see it coming. That's because it really comes out of nowhere and is so beyond stupid, that you won't be able to believe that anyone would actually allow it to be put on film. I've seen some bad movies, they miss the mark for all sorts of reasons, but I Am Not A Serial Killer is just terrible in every single way possible. This isn't even the type of film that's so bad that it's funny. It's so bad, that I can't believe someone actually made this or that anyone of name would agree to star in it bad.

The Good Neighbor (2016)

Starring: James Caan, Logan Miller, Keir Gilchrist, and Laura Innes

Director: Kasra Farahani - Rating: NR - Score: 4 Stars

Ethan (Logan Miller) and Sean (Keir Gilchrist) are best friends, friends who know that Ethan's neighbor, Harold Grainey (James Caan) is not a very nice person. One night the boys are up late playing video games, when they come up with the idea to screw with the evil old man across the street. They decide to trick the old man into believing that his house is haunted, but they have no idea the kind of person they are messing with. The Good Neighbor has so much going for it, especially when it comes to suspense. A lot of films claim that they will keep you on the edge of your seat, but this one really will. I'm not a jumpy, edge of your seat type person, but this film got me. Another thing I really enjoyed was not only the dynamic between the veteran actor and the two newcomers, but how different their characters were. First, we're following this miserable angry old man, then we're seeing kids in the prime of their life, screwing around, and having fun. It's the kind of thing a lot of people don't recognize, but it is extremely hard to pull off a two parted story, when the sides are so drastically different. James Caan was of course terrific as he is always is, but so was Keir Gilchrist. This kid continues to give these tremendous performances in these little known independent films. I think he is going to be a huge star at some point, but at the age of 27, he's really beyond films like this. The Good Neighbor is a rare treat, because it has two stars that are arguably too good to be in such a small independent movie. Paired with a terrific story, thrilling action, and a unique dynamic. This is one of those rate film we're proud to label as a must see movie!

Bosch

Starring: Titus Welliver, Jamie Hector, Amy Aquino, Lance Reddick, Madison Lintz, Paul Calderon, & Sarah Clarke

Seasons: 5 (2014 - ) - Network: Amazon Prime - Score: 5 Stars

The best movies and tv shows come from books, and a series based off a series is as good as it gets! Michael Connelly has already published fifteen books about Detective Harry Bosch, meaning there is a ton of material and angles to be used, deep background and personalities on all the characters, and some amazing stories to tell! 

Harry Bosch is a L.A. homicide detective, a special forces veteran of the Iraq war, and a man who takes each case personally. Bosch is the best detective on the force and gets the biggest cases. He goes into extreme detail on every case and rules nothing out. However, his personal involvement in each case leads him to make rash decisions that often leave him under a microscope. 

Titus Welliver stars as Bosch, and I never liked him as an actor. It's not that he isn't talented, it's the fact that he's always playing the bad guy, a role he just doesn't fit. Bosch however is the perfect fit for him, as he fits the role like a glove. His previous experience playing the bad guy, helps him to mask emotion and be the toughest cop in the world when he needs to be. When I watch him I have the feeling that everything in his passed has lead up to this, a career defining role.

Welliver is paired with a couple of veterans from the hit HBO show, The Wire. Jamie Hector and Lance Reddick aren't only award winning actors, but their experience comes in the same vein of the genre as Bosch. After six years on The Wire, they are able to include their own spin on things and correct passed mistakes from the previous show, making for an incredible dynamic.

The final angle that makes this show as good as it is, is Harry's family and childhood. At it's core, this is just another cop show, but what makes it as good as it is, is the story of Harry Bosch's life. Knowing what we know and seeing the extraordinary things he is able to accomplish, with so much going against him, really makes for one compelling story.

Bosch is a cop show, but it's one that is written by an award winning novelist, produced by decades long veterans of the genre, and features a cast of award winners, that are as good as it gets. The casting for this show is terrific and the writing is phenomenal. If you love a good mystery and being part of the investigation every step of the way, you'll love Bosch. Often times these steaming shows aren't great, a lot of them are cancelled or rejected network shows, lacking in many ways. Bosch however isn't in that category, as it is the signature show of Amazon Prime and something that makes the whole cost of subscribing worthwhile.

Betrayed At 17

Starring: Alexandra Paul, Jake Thomas, Katie Gill, & Andy Fischer-Price

Director: Doug Campbell - Rating: TV-14 - Score: 2 1/2 Stars

Carleigh Taylor (Katie Gill) is a High School senior who never garnered much attention from the popular kids. That's why it comes as such a shock when the Captain on the Football team, Greg Nickels (Andy Fischer-Price) asks her on a date. The date is part of an elaborate bet, leading to a sex tape, however something unexpected happens as Greg discovers real feelings for Carleigh. Feelings that will be placed under a microscope, when the tape becomes public and Carleigh ends up dead, leaving her family seeking justice. Betrayed at 17 really comes off like a Lifetime movie of the week. Granted it's a little edgier, but it has all the markings, an elaborate conspiracy, a mother seeking justice, and of course a cast of 90s actors, who people thought were out of the game long ago. The story here happens to be a very good one, but the way it is told, slowly, from every possible angle, and in extreme detail, leaves a lot to be desired. I loved how each character has a unique background and how it all intertwines in the end, but it takes an awfully long time just to get there. The cast wasn't great, but certainly not as bad as it could be in one of these films. It was fun seeing Alexandra Paul without the bathing suit, as well as little Jake Thomas from Lizzy McGuire as a total bad ass. Betrayed at 17 is the kind of film I really want to like, it has all the ingredients, but in the end the cake comes out burnt and uneven.

Run All Night

Starring: Liam Neeson, Joel Kinnaman, Ed Harris, & Boyd Holbrook

Director: Jaume Collet-Serra - Rating: R - Score: 3 1/2 Stars

Thirty years have passed, the competition is gone, the cops are off their backs, for a mob boss and his hit-man, every thing is peaceful. Until one night, when their adult children come into conflict. One commits a murder, the other is a witness, and when one of them ends up dead, the family is torn apart with one on the run and the other on his heels. It honestly took me a while to watch this movie, because I was tired of Liam Neeson and his very particular set of skills, but his character wasn't what I expected. While not having the popularity of Taken, Neeson's performance in this film, was better than any performance he's given in an action film to date. Paired with the ultimate crime boss, Ed Harris, and The Killing's Joel Kinnaman, this movie had a cast that couldn't fail. Watching this compelling story, I couldn't help but think that this would have been an amazing ending for the Sopranos. Run All Night was surprising in the way that it was done, because it wasn't your typical mafia movie, but it wasn't an action film either. The writers very cleverly combined elements of both to combine the thrilling action of a Falling Down, with the crime story of a really good Sopranos episode. The film wasn't just about the incident and the chase and that's why it was special. They even managed to get Law & Order's Vincent D'Onofrio to play the lead detective in the case, and we all know the intensity he can bring to a role. It was a slow start and a somewhat predictable ending, but in the middle, Run All Night was so good, that I could have stayed up and kept watching it all night.

The Rover

Starring: Guy Pearce, Robert Pattinson, & Scoot McNairy

Director: David Michod - Rating: R - Score: 3 1/2 Stars

In the very near future, the government of Australia has completely collapsed. The cities are run by the military and the outback has turned into the wild west. A daring crime has just taking place, four men took out an army barracks, and only three returned, but while fleeing, they crashed their car, luckily, there is one by the side of the road. That car belongs to a man named Eric, and he really loves his car. Eric (Guy Pearce) jumps into the damaged car and chases after the men, only to lose them. He attempts to track them, when he's approached by a man claiming to be the fourth man left for dead, and Eric promises him, if he doesn't help him get his car back, the man will be dead for sure this time. The Rover certainly is a bizarre story and I honestly couldn't believe some of the place it went to, but in the end the story was really ingenious. Guy Pearce stars in his best role since Momento. I mean he really was the perfect choice for Eric and fit this role like a glove. Pearce is paired with Rob Pattinson who I couldn't stand until I saw this movie. My only experiences with Pattinson to this point had been a brief appearance in Harry Potter, and a couple of god awful Twilight movies. I honest thought he was just another one of these good looking guys, who couldn't act, but I was wrong. His character had so many dimensions to it, having to deal with a mental illness, while trying to understand conflicting emotions that he never had to deal with before. It was a tremendous performance. The film does have it's slow points and some of scenes are just sick and twisted, much better suited for a different genre, but all in all I really enjoyed this film. It was something different for a change in a unique setting. While it lacked any kind of background and the dialogue was almost nonexistent, one almost felt like you didn't really need it to understand or enjoy this film.

Ice Blues: A Donald Strachey Mystery

Starring: Chad Allen, Sebastian Spence, & Daryl Shuttleworth 

Director: Ron Oliver - Rating: R - Score: 3 1/2 stars

Richard Stevenson's novels about Private Investigator, Donald Strachey, have been described as eye opening and ground breaking. They have launched a film series and there are even talks of a television series, but what makes these different than any other detective stories, Donald Strachey is gay. The whole point of the series is to show that despite his sexuality, Strachey is just the same as every other cop turned private investigator, he has the same problems, works the same cases, faces the same dangers, there is absolutely no difference. The first film in the series, Third Man Out, didn't capture that. The film series aired on the LGBTQ movie channel, Here!, and was so far over the top and full of gay everything, that I thought the series would die right there. Fortunately, they gave the series another shot, corrected the mistakes, and the second time around, filmmakers got it right. Ice Blues is much closer to Stevenson's novels and characters than the original film was. It starts when Strachey's long time partner, Tim Callahan (Sebastian Spence) receives a large campaign contribute from an anonymous man, who is murdered right in front of him. The police come to investigate, but find no proof, not even a body, so he hires his partner, Donald Strachey (Chad Allen), who doesn't know what to think. That all changes the next morning, when the body turns up, in the couples drive way, with a note attached to it. Chad Allen was so much better in this film than in the first. In the first movie he was a gay private investigator, in this film, he's a private investigator who happens to be gay. It's a part of the story but not the main focus of everything. Ice Blues is centered on the case itself, which is what a film should be focused on. The mystery was solid, the twist in the end was terrific, I would have liked to seen some more action and better casting, but overall a very solid film, especially for one that was made for TV.

Last Rampage: The Escape of Gary Tilson

Starring: Robert Patrick, Heather Graham, Bruce Davidson, & Skyy Moore

Director: Dwight H. Little - Rating: R - Score: 3 Stars

Careful what you wish for, you just might get it, careful what you wish, you might regret it. This line sums up the film Last Rampage in a nutshell. This is the true story of Gary Tilson's 1978 escape from prison, with the help of his three sons. Tilson's sons never knew their father, but was told by their delusion mother that he was innocent, so when they were old enough, they hatched a plan to break him out of prison and it succeeded. The boys were elated to have their father back, until they saw with their own eyes exactly what he was and knew there wasn't anything they could do about it. The story here is kind of written and plays out like a lifetime movie, only with more blood and a lot more cursing than one would typically see on that network. As with all prison break stories, real or fictional, getting out is easy but what to do next is the confusing part. A lot of mistakes and good Samaritans, lead to a lot of detours and murders, even though this was a true story, nothing really unexpected happens. Unless you've never seen this type of film before, you can pretty much figure out what's next. Robert Patrick continues to be outstanding in very small, unknown film. He was the main guy in Terminator 2, spent a couple seasons on The X-Files, but besides that has been largely unrecognized and unappreciated as one of the best movie villains you could have. For a change the acting isn't the problem here, in fact, it really helps an otherwise dull and predictable story. Heather Graham and Bruce Davidson have never been better in support of Patrick and newcomer Skyy Moore, provides that empathetic character that is too often missing from films like this one. All in all this isn't a bad film, just a predictable one, that's a bit too long, and far more simplistic than I assume was originally intended. 

The Silent Thief

Starring: Toby Hemingway, Cody Longo, John Billingsly, & Frances Fisher

Director: Jennifer Cleary - Rating: NR - Score: 2 Stars

Here we have yet another example of a terrific performance wasted in an absolutely terrible film. I don't understand why certain actors continue to under value themselves and take on roles like this one. Toby Hemingway gives a tremendous performance as Brennan, a drifter who rents a room in the Henderson household. At first he seems like a normal young guy, looking for a place to stay, until it become apparent that he is obsessed with their son, Mike (Cody Longo). That's when this film turns into some strange homoerotic version of Cape Fear, but not really, because the catch is, Mike is away at college and while he's there, Brennan is hanging out with his best friend and hooking up with his little sister. Is Brennan actually gay? Does he want Mike? His life? His family? No one knows because nothing is explained! All we ever see in this film are Brennan's current actions and out of context they make absolutely no sense. This isn't one of these films where it all comes together in the end either, it just keeps getting more bizarre, but at the center of it all is Toby Hemingway. He seems to always show up to take his cloths off in bad movies, but the fact is that he's more than that guy. The part of Brennan required a wide range of emotions to be believable and Hemingway pulled it off. The only reason I even made it to the end of this awful movie was because I enjoyed his performance and was curious to see where he'd go next. It's honestly a shame that it was wasted though on just another badly written story that I guess made sense to someone.

Cheap Thrills

Starring: Pat Healy, Ethan Embry, Sara Paxton, & David Koechner

Director: E.L. Katz - Rating: NR - Score: 3 Stars

Craig Daniels (Pat Healy) is having a hell of a day. He's been fired on the very same day he's recieved an eviction notice on his front door. Content to drink his troubles away, Craig runs into an old friend from High School. Together they start catching up and run into a unique couple, a couple who starts offering them money simply for doing oddball things for their amusement. The duo agrees and even goes back to the couples house with them, and that's when things really start to get bizarre. I feel like I've seen something similar and far more serious before, but I can't place my finger on it. What I really liked about this film was that despite it's B-movie status, and obvious lack of quality writing, what goes down isn't as expected as you would think. A lot of it really was surprising and they do spare us the pain and torture of doing what is obvious. I also enjoyed Pat Healy as Craig, he's not the kind of character you'd expect to see in a movie like this, and he added an interesting dynamic to a cast that was otherwise pretty droll. Cheap Trills has a few funny and unexpected moments in it, and to be honest it was better than I thought it would be. It still however very much deserves it's B-movie status and reeks of inexperience.

Quantico

Starring: Priyanka Chopra, Yasmine Elmarsi, Johanna Braddy, Jake McLaughlin, Aunjanue Ellis, Graham Rogers, Josh Hopkins, Tate Ellington, Blair Underwood, Russell Tovey, Pearl Thusi, Aaron Diaz, Anabelle Acosta, & Tracy Ifeachor

Rating: 4 1/2 out of 5 stars

 Last year, Quantico debuted on ABC with an incredible story line and a new action star for the next millennium. The show was so innovative and original, that it jumped quickly to the top of the ratings and was easily renewed. ABC thought the show was strong enough that it could draw viewers on any night, in any time slot, but they couldn't be more wrong. Quantico's first season was one of the best seasons of television I've ever seen, but it was the kind of story that left many viewers questioning, what else could they possibly do afterwards?

In only it's second season, Quantico set two television records. The first, saw the biggest drop in rating ever between a first season and a second. The second, saw the show renewed for a third season, as it had some of the highest DVR and on demand numbers of any show ever! Quantico was renewed based solely on DVR and on demand numbers, something that is unheard of and as little as five years ago never would have happened.

The series started with a bang, a big one, as terrorist blew up New York's Penn Station and immediately blamed for it, an FBI agent of middle eastern decent, Alex Parrish (Priyanka Chopra). She's an introverted person, and she knows she's been set up, by the only people who could have, one of her classmates from her time at the FBI academy at Quantico, she graduated from a year earlier. From there, each episode is a mix of Alex on the run in real time, trying to figure out who set her up and flashbacks to her time at the academy, showing her interacting with her classmates as she tries to remember anything she may have missed. 

TV shows just aren't written this well, it just doesn't happen, and when it does, it's usually in a ten episode cable series. I have never seen a network show that was this clever and gripping. Aside from the writing, Bollywood star, Priyanka Chopra, made the leap to Hollywood in a way that hasn't been done before. While Bollywood is just as big as Hollywood, it's biggest stars have never enjoyed the same success stateside, until now. She was beyond impressive and regardless of what happens with Quantico, has a bright future ahead of her.

Season two just started streaming and it's next up on my list, but like many, I am beyond curious about what could possibly happen next. For better or worse, the mystery was solved in season one, at least that's what we believe. What could possibly be left for season two? We saw them graduate the academy and we saw the end of the case, supposedly (I'm still a bit skeptical), where does the series go for here. Quantico always struck me as that series that was one hell of an idea, but if it succeeded, and it did, how does one keep the story going and keep it going with the same intensity? Similar shows with big ideas and tremendous first seasons like The Killing, The Riches, Under The Dome, and Wayward Pines quickly fizzled out. Will that ultimately be the fate of Quantico, or will it stand the test of time?

Dying of The Light

Starring: Nicholas Cage, Anton Yelchin, & Alexander Karim

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Evan Lake (Nicholas Cage) was a legend at the C.I.A., but after years in the game, and a particularly horrible experience at the hands of the Taliban, he was diagnosed with dementia, and forced into retirement. Lake is moving on with his life when new information comes to light, that his old nemesis, a terrorist leader long believed dead, is back. Knowing their best chance to catch him is Lake, they turn to him for help, but can he keep it together long enough to complete his mission? This unbelievably was a b-movie, yet a remarkably strong performance for Nicholas Cage, who randomly had to go between C.I.A. legend and confused old man. His performance is aided by the late Anton Yelchin, playing an analyst who admires Lake so much, that he goes against orders to help him with his mission. The whole dynamic between the man at the end of his career on his last mission, and the boy at the start of his career on his first mission, really added something different, that you don't typically see in espionage films. Dying of The Light really does have a lot to like about it, but one must remember, it is an espionage film and a direct-to-video one at that. The writing isn't spectacular and parts of it are more than somewhat confusing. They also throw in a lot of Evan's flashbacks and delusions at the completely wrong times, which really did start to bother me as the film got more intense. Overall, I did enjoy this film, I thought the acting was terrific, and I loved the dynamic and chemistry between the two leading men, despite the obvious age difference. Dying of The Light certainly isn't a perfect movie, but it's still an entertaining one.

The Trust

Starring: Nicholas Cage, Elijah Wood, Jerry Lewis, & Sky Ferreira

Rating: 1 out of 5 stars

There are certain actors and actresses whom I will watch in anything they release, Nicholas Cage is one of those actors. Even in the worst movies, he always gives a strong performance and I enjoy watching him work, but even the Academy Award winning actor couldn't save The Trust. Cage plays Stone, a lifelong cop still on the bottom of the pecking order. Luckily for him, he's paired with the much younger Waters (Elijah Wood), another cop with few aspirations. Together they don't make up a team of elite crime fighters, so on their off hours, they're small time criminals, and as it turns out they're not great at that either. One day while investigating a case, they notice a safe in the evidence room and decide to bust it open, what's inside leads them into a mess of police corruption. For starters, this movie doesn't make sense! Everyone talks in riddles, it's impossible to know who is on what side, and most important of all, what's the point? If these guys are corrupt cops, why do they care so much when they discover that they aren't the only ones? They're losers who don't care about anything, until they find out there are other bad cops, then all of a sudden they are Starsky and Hutch? I love the cast, but between the riddles, the constant twists, and the strange dialogue this film was just a mess, and pretty much unwatchable. 

Mother's Day (2010)

Starring: Rebecca De Mornay, Patrick Flueger, & Warren Kole

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

From the Director of Saw 2, 3, & 4 comes an even scarier film, a story that is not only brutal, but also entirely possible. Three recently released prisoners are back to their old tricks, as they have just robbed a bank and escaped a shoot out with the police. With no where else to go, they flee to a familiar place, their mother's house, only while they were away, she lost that house to the bank and it had been re-sold. The trio stumbles right into the new owners house warming party and quickly take them as hostages. These boys are brutal, but they aren't very smart, not knowing what the next step is, they do they only thing they can think of and call their dear old mother for advice. Mother's Day is your typical film about hostages held at bay, trying to escape the brutal hold of their captors, with one exception, Rebecca De Mornay, a veteran actress of these types of films. De Mornay's is the one who raised these monsters, but she's also the voice of reason, with a cool calm demeanor, that will send a chill down your spine. Her performance in this film is what takes a simple hostage film and turns it into something deeper, darker, and more sinister. Of course a film like this isn't without it's flaws, as it is extremely predictable. They throw in all the things you would expect to see in a film about a hostage situation, and outside of the named actors you recognize, the rest of the cast, wasn't very good. That being said, I really enjoyed the triple dynamic between mother, psychopathic children, and the hostages, aside from that, this film was pretty much forgettable.

Get Out (2017)

Starring: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, & Cathrine Keener

Rating: 1 1/2 out of 5 stars

It's the new movie everyone is talking about and critics are raving about, as for me, I couldn't wait to get out...of the theater. Guess who's coming to dinner? It's a black man coming home to a rich suburban white families house for the weekend, and despite their black servants, they're extremely nice to their daughters new boyfriend, too nice, something weird is going on. Yes, something weird is going on, only Chris Washington (Daniel Kaluuya) is too stupid to realize it! He's so deeply in love with his girlfriend of all of four months, that not only can't he see what's going on right in front of his face, but he doesn't try to talk to her about it, he doesn't try to investigate any of it, he just sort of goes with the flow. People are raving about this noir thriller, when it is one of the most poorly written films I've seen in a while. Major plot holes aside for the moment, there is absolutely no character development, no chemistry between the actors, and worst of all they don't even reveal the main plot until twenty minutes before the thing is over! Yes, it's weird, yes, something is going on, but the writers don't even hint at what that is! They don't even give us a chance to figure out what it could possibly be. At first it was interesting and I was hoping there would be clues to help us figure out what might be going on, that maybe Chris would find evidence or over hear something, but no such luck. Maybe there could have been a scene without him, that gave us some insight, there was absolutely nothing until the very end, when it was all thrust into our faces and even then it really didn't make a whole lot of sense. Without giving anything away, they never answer the fundamental question, why black people? I never liked traditional noir, but at least most of the time the acting is good and you have some idea of what's going on. This film is just one big circle of confusion and to be honest with you, aside from some terrific comic relief, I hated every minute of it.

The Purge: Anarchy

Starring: Frank Grillo, Zach Gilford, & Kiele Sanchez

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

When I saw the trailer for the first Purge movie, I thought it was a wildly innovative idea and I absolutely loved it! I was so excited to see the film, unfortunately it amounted to little more than a slasher movie. The story had all the potential in the world, but they really didn't go into it, they just wanted to show off the violence and hatred people had towards one another. I was hoping they would correct this in the sequel and boy did they ever! Anarchy isn't about some family hunkered down in their home, fighting off attackers. In the second installment of the Purge, we learn a lot more about it. The pro and anti-purge factions that exist, the professional companies that make a fortune off that one night, the way the rich purge, and the main story which centers around what happens on the streets when two families are trapped outside on purge night. Two families are easy pickings until they find Leo Barnes (Frank Grillo), a man on a mission that he can only complete on Purge night. Barnes however is a man of conscience and won't complete his mission until he begrudgingly gets the families to safety, which means a wild trek through the city. The Purge: Anarchy is a wild ride through a city of ordinary people turned into killers, with home made weapons, booby-traps, and pure anarchy, just as the title promises. If you're looking for action and violence, there are a million places to turn, that's not what the appeal of this movie is. It's the idea, that crime virtually is nonexistent, except for this one night, where society turns on each other. Where almost everyone's craziest fantasy becomes reality and just how some people react. What will each character turn into when they are allowed to do whatever they want? How does society feel about this law and is the benefit worth the cost? This story has just so many directions it can go in, that why I'm not surprised to hear they're working on a fourth film. The Purge series may just be a series of action/slasher films, but this one idea puts a whole new spin on them and makes you see things through a whole different set of eyes and I for one think it's ingenious.

 

The Blacklist

Starring: James Spader, Megan Boone, Diego Klattenhoff, Ryan Eggold, Parminder Nagra, Henry Lennix, Amir Arison, Mozhan Marno, & Hisham Tawfiq

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

The Blacklist is the wildly innovative new crime drama that took network television by storm four seasons ago. The show did so well in the ratings in fact, that Netflix shelled out a ton for the exclusive streaming rights, but was it a good investment, lets find out.

Raymond Reddington (James Spader) is number one on the FBI's most wanted list. There isn't a crime that this former government agent hasn't committed, so everyone is shocked, when after years on the run, he turns himself in under the condition that he speak with Elizabeth Keen (Megan Boone), an agent who just started working at the FBI, that very day. Eventually Reddington comes to an understanding, that he will provide information about the worst criminals out there, from what he calls his blacklist, but he will only do this for Agent Keen.

On the surface this show is ingenious and was originally very addictive. The writers of this show have a way of developing the bad guy that would put Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to shame. Some of these guys have committed acts and exhibit personalities like you have never seen, but they all fail in comparison to Red. The show is extremely addicting, but it is somewhat narrowly focused for a continuous show. 

What I mean by this, is that the show features continuously running story lines and you have to see every episode to keep up, but these are such a small piece of each episode, that the series almost plays as though it were episonic. Some of these story lines run in circles and drag out throughout entire seasons, long after the audience has figured them out, as a viewer that can be quite frustrating.

All that aside, James Spader is the star and he is as good as he has ever been. Most actors come across their career defining roles early on, and its somewhat unusual for someone to find the character they will forever be associated with, after they've been doing this for decades, but much like with Anthony Hopkins and Hannibal Lechter, James Spader has found his role. Spader will be forever known as Red and for good reason.

The bottom line, sometimes the story lines are frustrating, but James Spader is as good as it gets, particularly on a network show. The writing isn't always amazing, but the character development for the Blacklist is top notch. This show is unusual in that it's more about the personalities than it is about the actual stories, but that really is the point isn't it, something different?

Skyfall

Starring: Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, & Javier Bardem

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

In a recent Ultimate Movie Review Twitter Poll, I asked you what your favorite James Bond movie starring Daniel Craig was and you chose Skyfall. For me this was a hard choice, because Daniel Craig seems as though he was born to play James Bond. All the films he's done have been fantastic, but I can see why Skyfall won. This film stands out for many reasons, most importantly it gives us a rare look into the childhood of James Bond and for the rarest of moments we see Bond scared and on the edge of possibly giving up, but you know how the story ends, he's James Bond. If you missed Skyfall, the film is like many other stories, where an old enemy reappears, but in this case, the enemy isn't looking for world domination, he's looking for revenge against his former employers, the British Government and in particular the Double 0 program. Bond films are often times so similar that we tend to rate them based on the villain and the song, well, the song doesn't get better than the gem produced by Adele, but what about Javier Bardem? He is an Academy Award winner and for good cause, this dude was one of the scarier Bond villains to come around in a long time. The others in the Craig Bond movies were some pretty bad guys, who had done some horrible things, but no one was what anyone would call truly scary, not like the villains used to be. Bardem had that special something though, that not only made him a bad guy, but that kind of bad guy that can make audiences cringe. The Bottom Line, Skyfall wasn't my pick, but it was a close second, as this was probably the most personal and emotional Bond film perhaps in the entire series. Daniel Craig is still very much at his best, Javier Bardem is a villain who will always rank in the top ten, and who better to sing a bond theme than Adele. Wheather or not you picked Skyfall, there is no question that it is one of those Bond films that won't ever be forgotten.