2016 Films: #35. Lights Out

December 28th, an OnDemand rental. This film is just one of many low budget, minimalist (I have no idea if I am using that phrase properly) horror/suspense films that come out every year. There are usually some very good ones but the ratio of crap to gems is probably around 4 to 1 (that's a wild ass guess, no data to back it up). This is one of the good ones. The problem with these types of films is actually having to wade through the garbage to get to them. Sometimes you get lucky but most times not so much.

Director/Writer David F. Sandberg made this film as a short film in 2013 that went viral on Youtube and Vimeo. The full length version premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival in June and went nationwide on July 22nd. With a budget around $5 million, the film has grossed nearly $150 million worldwide and $68 million domestically (with that type of return on investment, it's a given that the market will get saturated with these types of films). The film received a 76% Rotten Tomatoes rating.

Sanberg's film is quite simple, an evil entity has been stalking woman Sophie (Maria Bello) and her family. The entity only shows up in the dark and does evil things when she shows up. The exposition is that Sophie suffered from mental illness as a kid and she befriended Diana at the institution. Diana had a skin condition that made her more or less allergic to light. While attempting to treat Diana's condition, she dies. Sophie's son Martin, sees Diana, hears his mother talking to her, he freaks out and enlists the aid of his sister Rebecca (Teresa Palmer). Diana attacks Martin and Rebecca at her apartment and that leads to a showdown at Sophie's house.

The film opens with Sophie's (2nd) husband being killed at his warehouse. Sandberg doesn't waste anytime and gets right into it. The film has an under 90 minute run time and I like that. Just start offing people. Go to it. The film is very suspenseful and has a few standard jump scares. There are a few plot issues (everyone running upstairs for example) but they're minor. I also like the fact that Sanberg adhere's to the old adage of "hide the monster." Diana is a shadow, when she's onscreen, she's blacked out and you can only see her form.

That's creepy enough for me.

However there's a scene where she's seen in black light and she looks similar to other films' evil entities of similar nature...

Diana from Lights Out (2016).

This young lady from Insidious (2010).

Even the sinister guy from the Sinister franchise (2012 & 2015).

But I can't kill a guy for that. These are all low budget films and some things are going to fall short to maintain that budget (Maria Bello is the biggest name of the entire cast and if she got paid upwards towards $1 million, that's a 5th of the budget, that's an example though). Sandberg keeps the pace flowing smoothly and the acting is adequate. If you are into the horror/suspense genre, this is a nice film to watch.

2016 Films: #34. Sour Grapes

Netflix night, December 26th. When my wife first suggested this, I wasn't interested. What do I care about wine? Then she pointed out that it was more of a true crime documentary, that changed things. The film follows the exploits of Rudy Kurniawan, an Indonesian national who burst on to the wine auction scene in the early 2000s by selling vintage wines. Rich people lost their shit.

Due to his access to vintage wine, Rudy became a hot commodity with the wealthy, snobby wine crowd. They bought his wines at auction, they partied with him and fawned all over him. They didn't seem to know much about him or how he could even get his hands on these rare vintages, they only cared that he supplied the rare vintages. This went on for a few years, until two things happened: 1) a sales of some rare vintages from the Ponsot Winery in Burgundy, France caught the eye of the owner, Domaine Ponsot. Ponsot was curious as to how Rudy got his hands on these vintages. 2) Bill Koch purchased some vintages that Thomas Jefferson from Rudy through an auction and it turned out they were counterfeit. In case the name Koch sounds familiar, Bill Koch is one half of of the Koch Brothers...

Oh, those Koch Brothers.

If there's one thing really extremely wealthy people like Mr. Koch hate more than paying taxes, it's being swindled. Mr. Koch used his considerable influence to get an investigation started on Rudy. That and Mr. Ponsot's own work started to tighten the noose around Rudy's neck. Eventually, it all came to an end in 2012 when the FBI raided Rudy's home in LA and found an orgy of evidence. All the materials you would need to counterfeit vintage wine, they seized. Rudy would be convicted in Federal Court and sentenced to 10 years in federal prison.

On of the few things I took away from this was the old proverb, "a fool and his money are soon parted." It seemed clear the Rudy was a con-artist. Keeping only a few steps ahead of creditors and receiving advances from auction houses on future sales. Rudy's victims were pretty much repulsive wealthy snobs. Some were in denial that they had been swindled. Apparently, none of them ever saw The Grifters or Matchstick Men. It's called a "long con." One of the questions the movie raises is how a did all this happen and no one found out? The main reason was that the auction house (in this case, Acker, Merral & Condit) received a high commission. Giving them no incentive to truly authenticate any of the vintages (eery parallel to the housing bubble bursting in 2007, the mortgage rating companies that gave handed out "A" credit ratings to toxic mortgages. The film The Big Short explains it much better than I ever could). Why mess with the golden goose. Screw integrity when there's too much money and prestige at stake. The last thing I realized was that you can swindle people but when you swindle the wrong person, then you're screwed. In this case it was Bill Koch. Bernie Madoff was scamming people for years until he screwed over the wrong wealthy person. Someone with influence.

2016 Films: #33. The Autopsy of Jane Doe

This was an iTunes rental that was viewed on December 23rd. My wife saw this trailer while I was traveling for work and she seemed really excited so when I got back, we planned an evening around the picture.

The film is directed by André Øvredal (if you've never seen Trollhunter, watch it, it's available on Netflix!) and it stars Brian Cox and Emile Hirsch as Tommy and Austin Tilden, father/son coroners in a small Virginia town who are tasked with discovering the cause of death of a body found at a grisly crime scene (the film opens at the crime scene and it is particularly bloody, very bloody). As the Tilden's progress through the examination, they find clues about her death that lead to more head scratching questions. As they continue to examine the body and discover the clues, things start to get weirder and weirder until things ultimately end in tragedy.

Most of the film takes place in the examination room of the mortuary that the Tilden's run and that sense of confinement adds to the tension. It's just the Tildens and the body. The film probably has a modest budget and some of the VFX reflect that but Øvredal does a really nice job with what he has. The runtime is on 86 minutes so the film is very no-nonsense and you get a lot out of it. This film is worth watching, it's got an interesting story, solid acting and a good pace.

2016 Films: #32. Hush

Part of the Netflix binge on December 17th. Hush was co-written by Kate Siegel (also the protagonist of the film) and her husband Mike Flanagan (also the director). The picture premiered at SXSW in the Spring and Netflix purchased the distribution rights.

The premise of the film is very simple. Maddie (Siegel) is a deaf writer who is currently staying in an isolated house in the woods (when will people in film learn that isolation is an invitation to a gruesome death, ugh!). Maddie is in the kitchen when her friend Sarah is attacked outside her house. Sarah pleads for help but Maddie begin deaf, can't hear her and things go south for Sarah. The killer realizes that Maddie is deaf and decides that he has found a second victim. What unfolds is a very nice cat & mouse thriller where Maddie has to fight off a killer who is pretty confident that he can murder a deaf woman.

A very minimalist film that is pretty riveting. I wouldn't say it kept me on the edge of my seat but my wife & I were hollering at the tv trying to warn Maddie of impending danger. It reminded me a lot of 1967's Wait Until Dark, where a blind Audrey Hepburn must outwit some serious dudes or die. Maddie tries to turn the tables on her assailant as she knows that once in the house, she's done for. There are some standard slasher tropes as to be expected but this is a nice little film that is worth a view (it got a very high critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes) and with a run time of under 90 minutes, you can still get to bed early, like me.

2016 Films: #31. Spectral

This Netflix film was viewed on Saturday December 17th. I decided to watch this on a Saturday when my wife was away and I should've been cleaning the bathroom. It kept showing up in every genre when I was looking for films to watch so I took a chance. The picture was originally to be released over the Summer but Universal decided against it and Netflix purchased the distribution rights.

The film is set in war torn Moldova. American troops encounter something very deadly that they can't wrap their heads around. Enter DARPA scientist Dr. Mark Clyne, a weapon specialist who might be able to identify this new "weapon." The "weapon" appears to be just mist moving independently but it's invulnerable to bullets and quite efficient at killing U.S. troops. On his first "ride along" with the Delta Force unit, Clyne eventually figures out how to spot the previously invisible force and rigs up a device so they can be seen. What they see is a mist in humanoid form. The mist pretty much makes mincemeat out the elite unit and the command is looking for Clyne to come up with something to fight the problem.

After suffering brutal defeats, eventually Clyne deduces (the clues were in front of him and he has to critically think to come up with the solution) what the creatures are and comes up with a plan to stop them. Things get a bit A-Team(y) as Clyne and the troops create weapons to track and kill the creatures that leads to a final showdown. During the battle Clyne and Fran (the CIA operative that is running the Delta Force ops) find the lab where the creatures are created (it's very sciencey but the people were once human but are now made up of a Bose-Einstein Condensate). Sure enough, the good guys win.

This wasn't a bad film. Lots of action that's well edited and the VFX are nicely done. A solid cast of actors you've seen before but may not be able to remember where you've seen them. The film clocks in at 107 minutes and it never really slows down. A good solid pace. This is writer/director Nic Mathieu's first feature film this got an 80% Rotten Tomatoes rating. Mathieu has filmed commercials prior to taking the helm of this feature and he does a really nice job. Fast paced action with a nice science fiction twist. It's worth the time to watch on a Friday or Saturday night.

2016 Films: #30. Rogue One

December 16th in Chicago. So we've been waiting on this latest installment of the Star Wars franchise for awhile and I took the day off from work to catch that 8 am showing at the nearest cineplex. The basic premise of the film is the actual theft of the Death Star schematics that lead to the events in Episode IV: A New Hope. 

Here are the main characters:

• Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones): Main protagonist and daughter of Galen Erso. Saw her mom killed by Krennic and his goons. 
• Galen Erso (Mads Mikkelsen): Jyn's dad. He's the Imperial engineer who made the Death Star work.
• Cassian Andor (Diego Luna): Rebel intelligence officer who leads the mission to get the Death Star plans.
• Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn): Evil Imperial engineer who is the father of the Death Star. It's his baby and he's very proud of it. He also travels with a badass group of guards known as "death troopers."

Also known as the goons who killed Jyn's mom.

• Chirrut Îmwe (Donnie Yen): Blind warrior who's not a Jedi but has a got a good relationship with the Force. 
• Baze Malbus: (Wen Jiang): Chirrut's pal who has a pretty kick ass arsenal.
• K-2SO: (voiced by Alan Tudyk): Imperial droid that is reprogrammed by Cassian Andor. Think C3PO but less wimpy with the knowledge of how to use a weapon.
• Bodhi Rook (Riz Ahmed): Imperial freighter pilot who defects with a message from Galen about the Death Star.
• Saw Gerrera (Forest Whitaker): Surrogate father to Jyn after her mother is killed and father is forced back into service by Krennic. He is anti-empire and fights them on his own because the Alliance think he's a bit too extreme.
• Grand Moff Tarkin: Physically played Guy Henry but was digitally enhanced to look like Peter Cushing, with the permission from the estate. I honestly thought that they  somehow were able to re-animate Cushing's corpse for the film. For a short time at least.
• Also back are Bail Organa of Alderaan and Mon Mothma (leader of the Rebel Alliance).

The film opens up with Krennic and his goons finding the Erso family on a distant planet. Erso isn't too keen on building a weapon of mass destruction so Krennic kills his wife in an attempt to persuade him. Jyn escapes but her dad is going back to work for the Empire. Jyn is rescued by Saw Gerrera and eventually is arrested and imprisoned by the Empire, she uses different aliases to hide her identity so she can't be used as leverage against her father. While on a prisoner transfer shuttle, she's rescued by Candor and brought to the Alliance High Council to assist on a mission, find Saw Gerrera. So Jyn agrees and goes off with Candor and K2SO to Jedha where it's reported that an Imperial freighter pilot has defected with information about a new weapon of the Empire. Jedha apparently was the site of an old Jedi temple that is now in ruin since Order 66.

In case you didn't make the connection between Jedha and Jedi, here's a ruin for you.

After taking part in an attack on Imperial forces, Cassian and Jyn are captured by Gerrera's faction along with Chirrut and Baze. Jyn and Saw exchange pleasantries and Saw shows her the message from her father where he tells her about the Death Star's weakness and where she can steal the plans. While in a holding cell Cassian, Chirrut and Baze meet Bodhi Rook, the defector, and spring him from his cell. Meanwhile on the Death Star, Tarkin give Krennic and chiding and wants a show of force. The Death Star's weapons are operational and Tarkin decides that destroying the city of Jedha is good enough. Cassian, Jyn and K2SO are joined by Rook, Baze and Chirrut as they escape Jedha and head to Eadu to find Galen. On Eadu, Jyn goes to get her father but he's confronted by Krennic about the security breach. Krennic executes Galen's team and out of nowhere a rebel squadron destroys the base. Jyn has a brief meeting with her dad but is forced to leave him behind.

Back on Yavin, Jyn tries to convince the council to go after the data plans and gives some speach about hope while rebel leaders discuss the merits of just quitting. Jyn says "screw it" and decides to steal the plans herself. Of course Cassian and the crew go with her. They even manage to pick up a group of volunteers to give them a hand (the amount varies depending on the scene, there were only about a dozen or so that volunteered on Yavin but there seemed like a lot more in the fight scenes). In a stolen Imperial transport (that sounds familiar doesn't it?) the team arrives at Scarif (the home of the Imperial data files and a potentially nice resort location.

Filmed in Maldives, in very nice vacation spot in real life.

In order to get down to the base the ship must submit a clearance code and go through the shield entrance (again, really familiar) to the planet's surface. Once they land, the rebels split up into groups to set up diversions to draw out Imperial forces so Jyn and Cassian can steal the plans from the data tower. Krennic arrives as things start to heat up and the rebels give a valiant effort but out of nowhere the rebel fleet arrives (more people that said "screw it" and went out there to help) and things are in full swing (again, very familiar premises). It turns out that the plans can only be transmitted when the shield is down. As the battle rages on the Death Star shows up, the shield is down and the plans are transmitted. As the rebels getting ready to make the jump to hyperspace, Vader shows up in a Star Destroyer. This leads to a seamless transition into Episode IV: A New Hope.

This film was good but not great. It was a lot of fun. There are a lot of easter eggs, some good and some unnecessary. Director Gareth Edwards does a real nice job here. Much like Abrams did in Episode VIII, Edwards sticks with the great aspects from the original trilogy. Jyn is pretty similar to Rey from Episode VIII, both female, who have a mysterious background and are quick on their feet (who knew that a major motion picture with a strong female lead would make for a good film, very weird). Solid acting all around here as if the cast and crew know that this is Star Wars and you have to be at your best. Now that we have had 2 films post prequels (both solid), those films are now viewed about as well as the plague. Let's face it, there was a lot of talent in the prequels but they were bad. Viewers were not emotionally connected to any of the main characters. That hasn't been the case in this film or in Episode VIII. The only real problem I had with any of the characters is the decision to have Whitaker play Gerrera like Frank Booth.

Remember this guy? 

Whitaker is a great actor that would have a mantle full of awards if the world was a perfect place. I don't know if it was his choice or Edwards'. It seemed a little strange to me. That's all. The other minor issue I had was Vader's first appearance. In a scene with Krennic, he just didn't seem menacing enough (Vader's final scene in the film more than makes up it, believe me). Maybe it's because James Earl Jones is well into his 80's and his voice is different than it was over 30 years ago. There was a nice scene where different rebel characters make mention that they've done some morally questionable things while fighting against the Empire. These scenes are quick and may go unnoticed but I thought it was an interesting touch. Morality can get lost very quickly in war even when it's a war against tyranny. Good writing, good dialogue. Characters meshing well (something that never happened in the prequels). Well done. Good but not great. It's a little derivative but this is the new Star Wars formula and it's working. Why mess with it. This was a fun film to watch. If you are a fan of the franchise then it is a must see. If you have cursory knowledge of the franchise, then see the film. It's a good time.

2016 Films: #29. The Good Neighbor

Saturday December 10th in Chicago. This was the first half of a Netflix double feature. This film premiered at the 2016 SXSW Festival and got a limited release in September. My wife and I were under the impression that this was a horror film but it turned out to be more of a psychological thriller considering no one got chopped up.

The film focuses on two teenagers; Ethan (Logan Miller) and Sean (Keir Gilchrist) and their "experiment" to drive their neighbor Mr. Grainey (James Caan) to the brink of insanity by making him think his house is haunted. Ethan comes up with the plan and Sean supplies the surveillance equipment. Their plan seems to be gong along nicely. They agitate Grainey at one point with a screen door that he uses an axe to destroy the door. The thing that bothers Ethan and Sean is that Grainey spends a lot of time in the locked basement, up to several hours a day. This leads Ethan and Sean to the "natural" conclusion that Grainey's got someone held prisoner down there. Ethan is always the one pushing to hassle Grainey more. Sean finds out that Ethan believes that Grainey had a hand in sending his father to jail after a domestic incident. When Sean wants to pull out of the "experiment," Ethan reminds him that he purchased the surveillance equipment and his fingerprints are all over them.

The time comes for the boys to break into Grainey's home (again) to see what exactly is in the basement after they arranged for a cop to search it but they didn't believe the cop "looked hard enough." Ethan breaks into the house, this time with a gun, and gets into the basement. When he gets down there, he's surprised to find keepsakes. He takes a bell and places upstairs on a table. Grainey sees the bell and reacts. The police show up.

This was a really good picture. Director Kasra Farahani put together a real nice film here by intercutting flashbacks, court room scenes that occurred after the 2nd break in and the original narrative itself. Each piece keeps the viewer a little off balance until the film's climax. The flashback scenes contain bits of Grainey's exposition where maybe he is the jerk that Ethan makes him out to be but other flashbacks paint a different picture. Solid acting, especially by Caan. The only real problems I had were the fact that all of the surveillance took place in the Fall when Sean and Ethan were supposed to be at school. Ethan's mom (Anne Dudek) worked nights but I doubt Ethan could've gotten away with some of his antics. Sean's parents, who we never really see, don't seem to mind that their son spends a huge chunk of time at Ethan's place either. The film has a 98 minute run time and sometimes drags a bit.

This was a really interesting and good film. An interesting ending and a bit of a message at the end. 

2016 Films: #30. Intruder

December 10th in Chicago. This was the 2nd half of a Netflix double feature night. This was my choice in hopes that it would be some sort of stalk and slash film that I enjoyed in my youth. It wasn't. In fact it was disappointing. The film has a 95 minute run time but could've used another turn in the editing room. Written and directed by Travis Zariwny (credited in the film as Travis Z), the film has some promising moments but never really hits a full stride.

This minimalist picture takes place over a rainy weekend at the apartment of the film's protagonist, Elizabeth (Louise Linton), a cellist for the Portland Philharmonic who received an admission into the London Symphony. This puts a little tension on her relationship with her boyfriend Justin. Elizabeth is being stalked rather aggressively by any one of three potential creeps.  The stalker spends a lot of time in the bedroom closet and when Elizabeth sleeps he just creeps around the apartment. He ends up doing away with Justin (whom he stabs one in the back but the body apparently didn't bleed when placed on the floor or the stalker managed to stealthily clean up the mess while Elizabeth is in the shower) and stashes the body under the bed (I'm not sure how she didn't manage to look under the bed at all, I do it at least once day looking for slippers). Eventually the stalker grabs Elizabeth and she wakes up in a basement across the street from her apartment building (I'm guessing that he drugs her, carries her body out of the apartment building, across the street and into another building without anyone noticing).

Some of the stalker scenes are ok but he never really torments her. He just creeps around until he has to kill Justin and it's time to make his move. There's also not a lot of tension in the film either which would seem crucial in a stalker film (check out 2006's Alone With Her to see a stalker film that ratchets up the tension). Maybe Elizabeth wasn't that bright. Plus the stalker identity reveal wasn't very exciting either. Zariwny presents us with 3 potential suspects but only one seemed plausible about halfway into the film. This just wasn't a very good film. It could have been better. 

2016 Films: #28. Mercy

Part of the post-Thanksgiving double feature of November 25th. This film was screened at the LA Film Festival in June 2016 and Netflix picked up the distribution rights. The picture is written and directed by Chris Sparling and the plot deals with the grown sons coming back to the family home to be with their dying mother.

Brad (James Wolk) and Travis (Tom Lipinski) are Grace's boys from her first husband. Then there's Grace's and her current husband George's (Dan Ziskie) sons Ronnie (Michael Godere) and TJ (Michael Vincent Donovan). George has been taking care of Grace ( as well as taking care of the will which are lead to believe is substantial)and he's also has more of a liking towards his own kids and doesn't think much of Brad and Travis. So there's that family dynamic. There's an early scene where George is visited by a doctor who has medication to help (?) Grace but George doesn't want any part of it. Soon all the sons are there and it's pretty uncomfortable for everyone. Once everyone turns in for the night, the sh*t starts to go down.

Masked intruders invade the home and its not clear what their after but eventually people start dying on both sides. The intruders reaffirm their fortitude (no one is going to get out alive) and press their attack. There's a bit of a twist that has to do with the death of Grace's first husband.

This is a minimalist film, no visual effects, no big names and a pretty simple story. It's not a bad film per se but there's nothing really special about it except for the ending (it came as a surprise but not Usual Suspects level) but you have to sit through 85 minutes to get to the ending. For a short film, it seem longer and the story seems to drag at times. That kind of thing is not good for a 90 minute film. Sparling also fails to shed any type of light on the death of Grace's first husband. There's video that one of the sons finds (in unrealistic fashion) but it doesn't add anything to story (it's a strange video that makes no sense at all). This a low budget film that goes for the slow burn but it fails to ignite the fuse. Take a pass unless you find yourself unable to sleep. 

2016 Films: #27. Trash Fire

This was an iTunes rental on November 25th at the house in Chicago. My wife and I had finished watching 13TH and we needed a change of pace and this is what we came up with after going through different trailers. We ended up on this because the other trailers pretty much told you the plot of the movie. With Trash Fire, we weren't quite sure what we would get, so we went down the rabbit hole.

This picture, written and directed by Richard Bates, Jr., centers around Owen (the pretty boy from Entourage) the drunken, bulimic, epileptic slacker who has no means of income yet somehow has been dating Isabel (Angela Trimbur) for a few years despite the fact that they pretty much hate each other. The two are on the verge of breaking up when Isabel reveals that she's pregnant. Owen eventually has a change of heart and the two are going to move forward and become parents. Since Owen had a weird upbringing and has been estranged from his grandmother and sister (his folks were killed and sister horribly disfigured in a fire that was allegedly caused by Owen's negligence), Isabel decides that Owen should reconcile with the only family that he has in order to become a good parent(?). So the two drive out to Owen's grandmother's secluded home (never a good idea to isolate one's self) to make amends.

Turns out the Owens grandmother Violet (Fionnula Flanagan), is a religious nut job who disapproves of Owen, his relationship with Isabel and treats her granddaughter Pearl (AnnaLynne McCord) rather terribly. After the fire, Owen took off and left Pearl in the hands of Violet. Pearl is conscious of her looks and pretty much lives as a shut in with limited social skills. The more time Owen and Isabel stay there, more is revealed about the fire and Violet's big scheme. Pearl doesn't like Owen and Violet fighting and expresses her frustration about it. When we hit the denouement, the secret of the fire is revealed, Violet and Owen clash and Pearl violently punishes Owen and Violet for fighting (they were warned). Isabel's fate is left to Pearl (good thing she was nice to her in a previous scene) and it's probably not good.

I'll be honest, this was actually a pretty good film. The dynamic between was Owen and Isabel was almost on a romcom level and sometimes unbelievable (I get that Owen is good looking and all but is he really capable of of holding onto a fox like Isabel being so emotionally distant? Plus he's a jerk to her too considering what she puts up with) but it was interesting narrative to the film. There wasn't much onscreen interaction between Pearl and Violet to show how much they disliked each other until a scene where Violet sneaks into Pearl's room with a gun and as Violet points the pistol at her, Pearl, feigning sleep, whips around and levels a shot gun at Violet. Violet smiles and leaves the room. I got the feeling that this probably happens a lot. On a stay at home Friday night, this was an fun film to watch.

2016 Films: #25. The Handmaiden

November 23rd in Chicago, IL. I happen to be a fan of director Chan-wook Park. His Vengeance Trilogy is brutal and dark (really f*cked up stuff). He did a real nice job with Stoker (although it moved a little slowly at times). Park has proven to be a solid director and I for one go out to see his films despite the fact that they may be hard to find. Since I am a Park fan, I didn't bother with viewing the trailer, I saw that it was playing nearby and went to see the picture.

Set in Japanese occupied Korea, there are four main characters: "Count Fujiwara (Jung-woo Ha)," Sook-Hee (Tae-ri Kim), Uncle Kouzuki (Jin-woong Jo) and Lady Hideko (Min-hee Kim). "Fujiwara" is no count, hes a conman who's trying to swindle Lady Hideko's trust fund. He enlists the aid of Sook-Hee, a thief, to help him get in the lady's good graces and help gaslight her into a mental asylum then split the inheritance. Hideko is the kept woman of her uncle, the very wealthy Kouzuki, a collector and dealer of antique Japanese erotica (Hideko performs readings of the works, it's an interesting scene). Lady Hideko and Sook-Hee grow closer and soon Sook-Hee begins to show jealousy towards "Fujiwara." Sook-Hee ends up confessing to Lady Hideko of "Fujiwara's" plan and talk about running away together. The time comes for Lady Hideko to be committed and suffice to say that Sook-Hee is in for a surprise. However it turns out that Hideko is playing everyone. She has a special plan for "Fujiwara" and flees with Sook-Hee (who orchestrated an escape from the asylum) with the help of her criminal family.

This is a real interesting film. Park ratchets up the tension very well. The film as a running time of 144 minutes but it never drags along. Park draws you in and takes you through several plot twists that kept me off balance. Excellent acting. Excellent cinematography and a real interesting story. The picture received a 94% Rotten Tomatoes rating and deservedly so. However, the only real issue I had was that things between Hideko and Sook-Hee got a little too graphic (to the point where I had to apologize to my wife because I didn't realize that the film went there). As a 46 year-old dude, I just felt that Park went a little too far on the sex scenes. It took a little bit away for me. The relationship between Hideko and Sook-Hee raised a few points with me: was Sook-Hee recruited because she was a lesbian (something probably frowned upon in 1930's Korea and she kind of had to have been because she seems to know what she's doing)? This is a film worth watching but be warned, it does get graphic.

2016 Films: #26. 13TH

My wife and I have been wanting to see this since it came out over a month ago but due to the fact that the subject matter was unsettling, we were looking for the right time. November 25th was the day. I thought I was prepared for the subject matter. I wasn't. This Netflix documentary is directed by Ava DuVernay and shows the inequality of the prison system stemming from a "throw away" line from the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution that outlawed slavery except as punishment for a crime. With that the prison industry boomed by imprisoning freed slaves for the slightest indistrection. The full 13th Amendment goes a little like this: "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction."

I don't know what else to say that this film should be required viewing in our school system (like that would ever happen, why teach the truth, no matter how ugly it may be). In addition to giving a history of prison inequality, the film also touches on how special interests draft the the bills that our lawmakers submit. Democracy for sale. Nice work 'Murica!

Just take the time to see this film. That's all that can be said.

2016 Films: #24. Doctor Strange

November 22nd in St. Charles, MO. To be honest, I was never into Doctor Strange comics when I was a kid. Strange has been around since 1963 and he never seemed all that interesting to me. Well that's all changed because this picture has been very successful grossing over $200 million domestically in about 4 weeks against a $165 million budget and it's got Benedict Cumberbatch. The international market will most certainly add to its haul. Marvel has hit another home run with, in my opinion, a 2nd rate character (Guardians of the Galaxy being the other, in fact I could argue that Guardians were not just 2nd rate but obscure).

The film pretty much is a remake of Iron Man. Dr. Stephen Strange is a successful and talented surgeon who's also a bit of an arrogant dickhead (a la Tony Stark). Strange survives an unsurvivable car crash (it was worse than the Bond crash in Casino Royale) and his hands are so badly injured that he can no longer operate (like most surgeons, if they can't cut, they can't heal). Strange spends all his money looking for a cure that can mend the damaged nerves in his hands. Strange's physical therapist turns him onto a guy named Pangborn (Benjamin Bratt), a paraplegic who was able to walk. Pangborn turns Strange onto Kamar-Taj, the place where Pangborn went to learn to walk again. Strange heads to Nepal (probably the same spot where Eddie Murphy went in The Golden Child) to find the the place that can restore the use of his hands.

Strange is accepted into Kamar-Taj by the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) and his training begins. His training is pretty much a series of whimsical moments (much like Stark developing his armor) where learns from his failures and gets better at his craft. He basically gets really good really fast. He learns about the evil Kaecilius (Mads Mikkelsen), a former star pupil of the ancient one who turned to evil (sounds familiar doesn't it?) and recently stole some pages from an ancient manuscript that will bring about the destruction of the world. Kaecilius then starts targeting the sanctums that make up the mystic security net and the greenhorn Strange squares off against him and holds his own. During the battle Kaecilius gets in Strange's head and he begins to question the Ancient One.

This all leads to the inevitable final battle at the Hong Kong sanctum. Strange, Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and Wong (Benedict Wong) arrive too late but Strange uses cunning guile to strike a deal with Dormammu (the evil mystic overlord that Kaecilius is into and who bears a striking resemblance to Galactus) and save the world. Strange takes the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme. Mordo however, already disillusioned by the Ancient One using dark magic, is not happy with Strange's solution and will eventually become a villain in the next installment.

This film has been well received by the critics and has a 91% Rotten Tomatoes rating. My feelings are this, I enjoyed the film. It seemed to stay close to the source material (although there was some controversy). Good easter eggs and mid/post credit scenes. Solid acting (I don't think that Rachel McAdams was all that great but her character wasn't much other than be a love interest for Strange, much like Stark and Potts from Iron Man). Solid pace and great visual effects. However, there was a lot that was borrowed from other films. I mean a lot (the already mentioned Iron Man, The Matrix and Inception are all too obvious connections). At the end, when Hong Kong is about to get engulfed in mystical destruction, the visual effect is very similar to the near apocalypse effect from  Suicide Squad, both Avengers films and so on. I get that most of these stories follow the archetype of the romance hero that dates back to ancient Greece for crying out loud. I understand that Marvel has a winning formula and they will jam it down our throats until we as a viewing public stop watching.

This is a flawed but enjoyable film. The MCU has a plan for their franchises and I am invested in their films. As long as they're entertaining, I will continue to watch the films.

2016 Films: #23. Anthropoid

This was an iTunes rental for my trip to Pomona (LAX) on November 11th. After browsing around and looking for a title, I came across this picture. It stars Cillian Murphy and it's a WWII thriller, so I pulled the trigger. The film was written and

The film takes place in Czechoslovakia during the Nazi occupation of WWII. Czech exiles (Murphy and Jamie Dornan) are parachuted into their occupied homeland with the task of assassinating Reinhard Heydrich, the head of the Nazi occupation forces in Czechoslovakia (not a nice man for sure, click on the link if you think I'm lying). After a few missteps they make their way to Prague and link up the the resistance movement. The exiles try to mingle while carrying out surveillance and planning the mission. Some of the problems they run into are falling in love and the hesitancy of the resistance leadership about completing the mission for fear of Nazi reprisals.

Eventually the order is confirmed and the mission is a go. The mission doesn't go as planned and it quickly turns into a sh*t show. They manage to wound Heydrich (he succumbs to his wounds shortly after) and flee but the Nazi's are none to happy with the attempt and brutally crack down on the citizenry. After some murder ad torture, the Nazis find out where the exiles are hiding, hunt them down and trap them in the Orthodox Cathedral of Saints Cyril and Methodius. The exiles put up a valiant effort but it's only a matter of time.

This isn't the first film about the very real Operation Anthropoid but it is the first English speaking film. American audiences don't always get to see a film like this because it doesn't involve American soldiers fighting a large WWII battle or the subject matter isn't a pet project of a well-known directer but that doesn't make the film any less important from a historical context. Solid performances by a good cast. Writer/director Sean Ellis does a fine job with the pacing and the tension. The film received a lukewarm 65% Rotten Tomatoes rating but I think it might be a little better than that. There wasn't much I didn't like about this picture. I don't know if this film has the lasting power of other WWII thrillers like Eye of the Needle or Army of Shadows but that shouldn't detract from the film's merits. It's a good film. Some people may like and some people may not. I enjoyed the film.

2016 Films: #22. Moonlight

November 20th in Chicago, IL. Written and directed by Barry Jenkins, the film is broken off in three parts to tell the story of Chiron from elementary school through early adulthood. Part one deals with Chiron (played by Alex Hibbert) as a shy and meek elementary schooler. He is nicknamed "Little" for his size and quiet demeanor. He lives with his mother (brilliantly played by Naomie Harris) and lives a tough life to say the least. He's bullied and his mom isn't around but he's befriended by Juan (Mahershala Ali), a drug dealer, who eventually looks after him and gives him a much needed male influence in his life. "Little's" only real friend is Kevin (Jaden Piner) and the two form a nice friendship. His mom is a bit of an absentee parent so he tends to seek solace with Juan and Theresa (Janelle Monáe).

Part II deals with Chiron (now played by Ashton Sanders) as a high school student. His home life is still bad, Juan is dead but he still hangs out with Theresa. Kevin is still his only friend. Chiron is targeted by a bully for being meek and possibly gay. Chiron has a sexual awakening with Kevin, his only friend, but the bully gets Kevin to beat Chiron up. It was a distressing scene to watch considering Kevin is Chiron's only friend in school. No one else gives him the time of day. The segment ends with Chiron getting arrested after taking out the bully (because they always catch the retaliatory act, rarely the instigation).

Part III is about Chiron's (Trevante Rhodes) life after incarceration. Now known as "Black," Chiron is now a drug dealer along the lines of Juan. He lives outside Atlanta and emulates Juan. He gets frequent calls from his mother, she's trying to reconcile, but also gets a call from Kevin. Kevin works at diner in Miami after a stint in jail. Chiron travels to Miami and reconciles with his mother and visits Kevin at the diner.

Normally this isn't a picture I'd go to the theatre to see but I am very glad I did because people need to see films out of their norm. This film doesn't have an end, it is an on-going story. Kevin apologizes to Chiron and the hang out together but who knows what happens after that. Life goes on. For me, Jenkins painted a picture of bleakness that probably affects an untold amount of kids all over America. There's a realism to the film that doesn't always see the light of day. The performances were excellent all around. Moonlight is a really good film that is worth watching. The film packs a lot into it's 111 minute run time but I was never bored. The subject matter may not be for everyone but if you have an open mind then check it out.

2016 Films: #21 The Ones Below

This was an OnDemand purchase of a British film that saw a May 27th U.S. release. This film received a 72% Rotten Tomatoes rating and is the story about 2 couples sharing a 2 family home. Both women are expecting but all is not quite what it seems. Kate and Justin live upstairs with Jon and Theresa live downstairs. Kate and Justin are expecting their first baby and come to find out that Theresa and Jon are also expecting. Weird huh? After a few social missteps, the two couples become friendly. Eventually Kate gives birth to a healthy baby boy and things start to get a little weird. Kate starts to slowly lose it and begins to doubt Jon and Theresa but she can't seem to convince anyone else. Without giving too much away, things don't turn out well for Kate and Justin.

I m a big fan of films where a protagonist descends into madness and The Ones Below doesn't disappoint. Clémence Poésy is very good as Kate. She seems like any ordinary, young affluent new mother who slowly goes off the deep end. Laura Birn is delightfully evil as Theresa. She starts off normal but slowly gets a little creepier each time she interacts with Kate. David Farr directed and wrote the screenplay. He does a nice job of slowly (but not too slow) ratcheting up the tension. Keep on eye on Farr to see what else he don because this was a good film. Most films these days pretty much tell you what's going to happen in the film. Not the case here. Solid acting, good pacing and all around solid thriller. Worth a look.

2016 Films: #20. Amanda Knox

Netflix viewing on October 1st in Chicago, IL. Over the last couple of years Netflix has come up with really good original content. This is just another source of new features. So it counts.

The film tells the story of the murder of Meredith Kercher, a British exchange student from the University of Leeds attending school in Perugia, Italy, and the subsequent investigation, trials and media coverage of the murder. To say that this was a sensationalist trial is quite the understatement. From the get go, this was a media circus and things broke down from there. Admittedly, I don't remember much from this except the basics (I was driving a truck for a mobile marketing firm so my television watching was relegated to Simpsons and Seinfeld reruns as they were always easy to find no matter where you were), Ms. Knox was an American exchange student living with Kercher and she was on trial for her murder.

This case took 8 years to conclude. Knox (and her then boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito) were found guilty of the murder in 2009. The conviction was overturned on appeal in 2011 and Knox returned home to Seattle. In 2013, Italy's Supreme Court of Cassation set aside the appeals decision and would find Knox and Sollecito guilty in 2014. In 2015, the same Supreme Court of Cassation that found her guilty a year earlier, ruled that the case had no foundation and both were finally acquitted. Quite a ride.

 The film centers on the media coverage of the case and the rush to judgement by law enforcement. Law Enforcement appears to have ignored certain facts and then just tried to get the murder to fit their narrative (a global police phenomenon) of the crime. The owner of the pub where Knox worked was implicated early by a vague text that he sent to Knox and his life was probably ruined (the film didn't really follow up too much on the poor guy) by the investigation. It was clear to me that neither Knox nor her boyfriend had any real motive (cui bono? "Those who benefit" in Latin. I think its a phrase Alec Baldwin uses in The Departed when discussing a murder with Matt Damon, to which Damon replies, "cui who gives a f*ck!"). Police then made up the lovers triangle that had no foundation. The evidence pointed in a few directions but law enforcement settled on Knox and Sollecito and eventually a 3rd person, Rudy Geude (who admitted to being at the scene, changed his story about Knox being at the scene and was convicted of the murder prior to the Knox trial).

The real villains here were the media. They painted a picture that was hard t turn away from, printing whatever the felt would sell the most of get the most ratings and of course not taking any responsibility. One of the journalists who covered the murder said something along the lines of "everyone was doing it." Nothing like a little journalistic integrity. It seemed that everyone wanted Knox to be guilty. Why? It was the better story. I felt bad for Kercher's family. They were being told that Knox was guilty by law enforcement and the media. How are they supposed to feel? Their 8 year journey had to just as gut wrenching as Knox's.

If you're into true crime documentaries, then this is a good watch. It's not as in depth as Making a Murder but it's no less satisfying.

2016 Films: #19. The Magnificent Seven

September 27th in St. Charles MO. For those not aware, this film, directed by Antoine Fuqua, is a remake of John Sturges' 1960 classic of the same name, But the film that started it all was Akira Kurosawa's 1954 all-time uber-classic Seven Samurai.

The year is 1879 and the venue is the western mining town of Rose Creek (it could be Arizona, Utah or even Northern California but it was filmed in New Mexico if any of that matters). The populace of ROse Creek are under the thumb of wealthy but evil industrialist Bartholomew Bogue ( Peter Sarsgaard) who burns down the church and kills a few townspeople to make sure the get the fact that he runs the show. One of the townsfolk gunned down was the good looking guy from White Collar and his wife Ellen (Haley Bennett) wants vengeance.

Ellen goes out to recruit some hired guns. The first person she runs into is warrant officer, Sam Chisolm. Chisolm isn't really turned on by the gig but perks up when he hears that Bogue is the lead villain. Here's the crew that makes up the title of the film:

• Sam Chisolm (Denzel Washington): The leader and the replica of Yul Brynner from the original.
• Joshua Farraday (Chris Pratt): The goofy, boozing gambler who has impure thoughts for Miss Ellen. He's the Steve McQueen of this version.
• Goodnight Robicheaux (Ethan Hawke): Confederate veteran, good friend of Chisolm (a black guy by the way) and sharpshooter. Hawke is this version's Robert Vaughn.
• Billy Rocks (Byung-hun Lee): Robiceaux's confidant, martial arts and knife expert. Lee is the Jame Coburn character.
• Jack Horne (Detective Bobby Goren): Mountain man.He represents Jeremiah Johnson. Who was not a character in the original. His closest match is Brad Dexter. Not really but they're both heavy set big dudes. 
• Vasquez (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo): A Mexican outlaw that Chisolm just sort of runs into whole trying to recruit another guy. He closest match would be Charles Bronson but Bronson has no equals. 
• Red Harvest (Martin Sensmeier): A Comanche who stumbles upon the group when they're camping out. Chisolm tells him that they're going to right some wrongs and kill some white people. Red Harvest is like, "yeah man! I'm in." The closest match here is Horst Buchholz. Much like Horne and Vasquez, its not a match.

The group arrives back at Rose Creek and  dispatch Bogue's henchman with relative ease while Bogue is in Sacramento. Since Bogue is in Sacramento, they have a week to prepare for his assault and they start making preparations. Robicheaux, who's seen too much killing, leaves because he feels this is a no win situation and he just can't kill anymore. When Bogue's forces arrive and attack, they're ambushed and in the ensuing shootout Robicheaux returns only die a gruesome death alongside Billy Rocks when Bogue unveils his gatling gun and sprays the town with bullets. Farraday sacrifices himself in order to take out the gatling gun. Eventually, Chisolm and Bogue square off against each other. It's here where Chisolm reveals that Bogue was responsible for the rape and killing of his sisters and mother back in Nebraska. Chisolm survived the lynching and it's payback time.

The film has had mixed reviews, much like Antoine Fuqua's other films. This was entertaining but not that great. Seven Samurai, was the first film that gave film viewers the plot element of recruiting heroes into a team to complete a mission. Sturges did a much better job in 1960 than Fuqua did here. Maybe it's because we're only supposed to care about Pratt and Robicheaux. To be fair, Fuqua did a nice job of recreating the scene that introduces us to Billy Rocks. It was a nice homage to the Coburn scene. In the 1960 version, there was an emotional attachment to all of the crew. Here it's pretty much just Denzel, Pratt, Hawke and to a lesser degree Lee. The others really just rounded the group out. Red Harvest's only purpose was to battle and kill Bogue's Comanche assassin (I knew there was a Native American in the group and I knew immediately when I saw Bogue's Native American that two we're going to fight. Too obvious). As for Vasquez, the group needed more diversity I guess. In fairness though, the original group was pretty iconic. It's difficult to match that kind of talent from the the 1960 film. 

Ellen Cullen seemed a bit too much like Mattie Ross from True Grit and since she was a ginger, she would have gotten a 3rd degree sunburn. Denzel was his usual brilliant self. Pratt had a difficult job of taking the McQueen role. It was a fine performance and he did the best he could but there isn't anyone who can match McQueen. Hawke's performance is right up there with Denzel. He played the Robert Vaughn character very well. I also liked Lee in the Coburn role. But I had no emotional connection to the rest of the group. None what so ever. That's probably the way the filmmakers wanted it? Take a close look at the poster, see how far in the background Jack Horne and Red Harvest are? You can barely make out Vasquez's face. That is intentional.

There were also a lot of elements from Pale Rider in here as well. Especially the Chisolm/Bogue showdown. Chisolm having survived a lynching is from Hang 'Em High. Speaking of lynching survival, it seemed really convenient that the first person that Ellen runs into is Chisolm. He turns the gig down until she mentions Bogue. If Chisolm was so into revenge, he probably could've tracked Bogue down. It's not like Bogue was keeping a low profile. He was a wealthy industrialist for crying out loud. Since Bogue is a wealthy industrialist, people are going to miss him when he's dead. Now Chisolm has a mark on his head. I know it's 1879 and vigilante justice wasn't as frowned upon as it is now but you can't just kill a mining tycoon and not expect repercussions (especially when the murderer is a black man, in 1879 there are people that will be all too happy to make sure the lynching does the job the 2nd time around). There are a lot of  flaws in this picture (I won't bother about the accuracy of the gatling gun or that no horse suffered so much as a scratch from all the bullets flying around) and it's those flaws that keep this film from being good. It was entertaining for sure but that's it. It just wasn't very good. It was meh. It's worth seeing if you're a fan of the original just for comparison's sake.

2016 Films: #18. Hell or High Water

September 24th in Chicago. This is a film that got some excellent buzz and more than a few people told me to see it. The film received an 98% Rotten Tomatoes rating and has grossed over $25 million against a budget of $12 million. The film went into a limited US release on August 12th and a wider release on August 26th.

Set in the bleak desolation of West Texas, Toby (pretty boy Chris Pine) and ex-con brother Tanner (the criminally underrated Ben Foster) pull off an early morning heist of a Texas Midlands Bank. The robbery is assigned to Texas Rangers Marcus Hamilton (The Dude) and Alberto Parker (Gil Birmingham). Hamilton, the old coot Ranger, is retiring (sounds a little like a certain sheriff in No Country For Old Men right?) ad this is his last case and he wants to see it through. While at a diner at another small town, Tanner knocks over another bank while Toby is flirting with the waitress.

The brothers so far have only stolen a relatively small amount from the banks. The reason is they're raising money (Hamilton deduced as much from the investigation) to pay off (they launder it at an Oklahoma Native American casino) the reverse mortgage on the farm since oil was discovered on the property. The boys' mother had died and the bank is itching to foreclose and sell it off to get that sweet oil money.

There is a historical reference you know.

There's one more Texas Midlands Bank to knock over. Hamilton and Parker are staking one out (which leads to the funniest exchange between Parker/Hamilton and an old waitress when trying to order lunch). Hamilton realizes they're at the wrong bank. Toby and Tanner hit the bank but it's payday. This being West Texas, everyone in the bank is packing and violence erupts. The brothers split up and Tanner leads the authorities in the desert for his last stand. The film ends with Toby paying of the bank and turning into a trust for his estranged sons. He's confronted by a now retired Hamilton about his involvement.

This picture is directed by David Mackenzie, an Englishman who's not exactly well known on this side of the pond. The film is very reminiscent of No Country For Old Men but it more than holds its own. The characters are gritty (there were more than a few times when I muttered to myself, "isn't he going to take a shower?") and the characters are very real and layered. My problems with the film were minimal. One being that Chris Pine is too much of a pretty boy to dirty up. He did a fine job, it's not his fault he's such a good looking guy. Another is that Bridges is pretty much reprising his Rooster Cogburn role but that's just being nitpicky. Ben Foster gives a great performance as the somewhat unhinged brother who's going to go down in flames. In a fair world, Ben Foster would have a few Oscars on his mantle for supporting roles.

There are also few messages here as well. First and foremost is the plight of the Howard farm. There's a scene where Toby and Tanner are getting the proper instructions on how the save the farm and keep a large steady flow of income coming in for Toby's boys. The banker explains that Midlands loaned their mother just enough to keep her poor. There is probably happens in real life and I am sure something along these lines happened during the Great Depression. There was a feeling that the Howard Brothers were sort of heroes sticking it to "the man." The staff and patrons from the diner were not that cooperative when asked to describe the brothers and at the end even the bank didn't seem to give a crap about identifying Toby as the second robber. Then there's the gun angle. Violence erupts and innocent people are killed when some guy decides to be the "good guy with a gun" inside the bank. Technically the bank guard tarted shooting first (he was a lousy shot considering he got the drop on the Howard Brothers) but we see a bank patron pull his gun out prior to the bank guard making his entrance. The "good guys" give chase but turn tail and run (as they should) when Tanner pulls out a machine gun and sprays bullets into their cars. I just got the feeling that the film was trying to say that police work should be left to the professionals,

This is a must see film. An all around well made film. Hell or High Water is the best film I've seen this year.

2016 Films: #17. Don't Breathe

September 10th in Chicago, IL. So I was hanging out in downtown Chicago on a rainy day and needed to kill some time while my wife was at work. I had heard about this film, it had an 88% Rotten Tomatoes rating, I had heard some good buzz and nothing else looked appealing. The film had a $10 million budget and has grossed over $82 million domestically.

There's a gang of essentially delinquents that are pulling off low to medium level burglaries in the Detroit area.

L to R: Money, Rocky and Alex

The team consists of Money (Daniel Zovatto), the standard drop out with dreams of being a big time gangster and who looks like James Franco from Spring Breakers. Rocky (Jane Levy), the tough but pretty Detroit chick who's only avenue to escape the bleakness of Detroit is crime (her home life is stereotypically awful, she wants to escape to sunny California with her little sister). She's also dating Money. Rounding out the gang is Alex (Dylan Minnette), the brains of the group. His dad owns a security company and it's his clients that they knock over and makes sure that the robberies stay under the felony limits. Alex has been in love with Rocky since grade school and is basically taking down scores to impress her (it's not working). Alex is a smart kid who doesn't need to be a criminal but love has a tendency to make people do silly things.

Let's be fair, a lot of geeky young males would take up crime to get close to her. 

After the opening heist, Money meets the fence and feels they didn't get enough money ( the economics of robbery are not a dollar for dollar trade. A $10k watch doesn't mean you'll get $10k in return. This should be taught in Robbery/Burglary 101). The fence tips Money to a score that could net them 0ver $300,000. The mark is a Gulf War veteran who came into a settlement after his daughter was killed in a car accident. After the three "case the joint," they learn that the mark (Stephen Lang) is a blind man (with a large dog) who's the sole person living in an abandon neighborhood. He also happens to be a customer of Alex's dad so it works out.

Suffice to say that the heist does not go as planned. Money brings a gun upping the ante to armed robbery and a minimum prison sentence. It also turns out that the blind man is really adept at moving about the house. Things go from bad to worse and there are some creepy twists along the way. I would go into more detail but this was a good film that is worth watching and I don't want to give any spoiler alerts. Go see the film.

Fede Alvarez, wrote and directed the picture and does a really nice job of giving the audience the sense of isolation and ratcheting up the tension. There are more than a few "trapped in a house" tropes involved but he's not looking to reinvent the wheel. I started to feel bad for the gang when they clearly get more than they bargained for. There is also a disturbing twist when Rocky and Alex try to escape through the basement (does that ever work out in film?). That leads to a really disturbing scene involving a turkey baster (very cringeworthy). Heck, the opening shot of the film is of a woman being dragged down the street (ensuring the viewer that they are in store for something interesting to say the least).

Alvarez keep the film short (88 minutes) and never goes off the rails with ridiculousness found in other films like this. Don't Breathe is very similar to the likes of It Follows (both take place in Detroit and Blue Ruin; minimalistic, gritty and intense. Alvarez is a director worth keeping an eye on (his 2013 remake of Evil Dead of nice debut). This is a film worth watching. Check it out.

2016 Films: #16. Suicide Squad

August 13th in Chicago. In only 3 weeks since it's release on August 5th, Suicide Squad has grossed over $270 million domestically. The film has more than made back its production and marketing budget ($325 million combined) with a worldwide gross of $587 million. The funny thing is that the critics don't like the film but fans love it. Fans loved it so much, they wanted to shutdown Rotten Tomatoes because they felt so strongly that the site's critics reviews were wrong (they weren't).

I can see why critics hate this picture. It's bad. There is nothing original in this film. If you want to see a good film involving Task Force X, go see Batman: Assault on Arkham Asylum.

Don't worry. Suicide Squad steals a lot from this feature.

My good friends at  Cracked.com had this to say about the film but I think the redundant plot can be properly summed up here in a way that makes me wish I was this clever...

To be fair, there were strong performances. Viola Davis really nailed Amanda Waller and I liked Jared Leto's take on The Joker (a bit more subtle than Heath Ledger's portrayal). Will Smith is good as Deadshot but Margot Robbie's portrayal of Harley Quinn is something that's up in the air. Sometimes she's good and sometimes I'm left scratching my head. Which maybe is the reaction I should be having. There are some good scenes in this film, mostly flashbacks involving Batman. Overall the film seemed rushed, a recurring theme in the DCU. They used the same sets at Batman v. Superman and had a plot piece that seemed all to familiar...

I give you the swirling portal from Suicide Squad (2016).

Ghostbusters (1984).

Avengers (2012).

Thor: Dark World (2014). Sensing a screenwriting theme yet?

X-Men: Apacalypse (2016). To be fair it's really just swirling debris. But you get the idea.

As I've said earlier, I didn't like the film. It wasn't as awful as critic made it out to be but it did not warrant fan backlash against Rotten Tomatoes either. Others have voiced better opinions that mine but here's another for good measure. With the financial success of this picture, there will be others and there's still time to make this better. 

2016 Films: #15. Star Trek Beyond

July 28th in Fairfield, CA. I will just come out and say it. I did not care much for this film. The film received great scores on Rotten Tomatoes and I understand that this is now an action franchise (as noted by the choice of director, Justin Lin). We are not going to see the science fiction film with some action from the past. That's fine. The powers that be want to milk the franchise for all its worth. It's the Hollywood way. Put in as much action as possible for younger viewers then throw in some nostalgia to suck in the older fans of series past. This is the 3rd film since the 2009 reboot and each film has gotten steadily worse.

The thing is, I never got a feeling that Kirk and pals were ever in any danger of not getting the job done. Kirk and Spock do not have the same rapport in the reboot either. Their friendship was forced upon them and us. The convoluted plot deals with both Kirk and Spock contemplating leaving the Enterprise until a distress signal calls the Enterprise back into action with the standard, it's "the only ship in the quadrant" cliche. The distress signal turns out to be a trap, the Enterprise is destroyed and the crew marooned on an unknown planet. Despite being split up, they manage to come up with a plan that involves a motorcycle (because why wouldn't it), Scottie fixing stuff with no explanation, repairing a two hundred year old starship to escape the planet and a hot female alien.

When they first meet, Kirk looks her over and totally thinks about having sex with her Given.

Then of course there are the evil aliens led by Krall. They seem to have access to great technology that allows them to monitor Starfleet transmissions and supply exposition. Oh, the two hundred year old starship that the Enterprise crew escapes in, turns out it's the ship that brought Krall and the evil aliens to the planet. See, it's the USS Franklin that went missing somehow the crew survived and has been luring ships there in hopes of finding the missing piece to an ancient weapon that happens to be in Kirk's possession in the comedic opening scene. Spoiler, the evil aliens turned out to the the crew of the Franklin and they've been turned into lizards (no explanation) but stay youthful due to a device (never shown) that can suck the life out of people (never shown, no explanation). It turns out they're really pissed at the Federation for not rescuing them. This all leads to the final battle on board the new Starfleet space mall that Kirk manages to save from the biological weapon at the very last second. Given.

The film is fast paced but the story and plot definitely take a back seat to the action. Lin abandons the sci-fi aspect of the film to go straight into hand to hand combat (thankfully the universe has a universal knowledge of kung-fu) and motorcycle stunts. Simon Pegg and five other people are credited with writing this picture. That usually means that the studio put in a lot of input and there were potentially a few other uncredited writers. It's very possible that the film had a good script to being with but it kept getting changed. The film was released on July 22nd and has grossed over $146 million domestically and $86 million world wide against a $185 million budget through August 19th. Not bad numbers but certainly good enough for a sequel. Perhaps the next installment can improve.