Wednesday, April 29, 2015

April 2015 Update

April was a slow month for new releases, but I certainly got a lot of older films under my belt. I have supplied bite-sized reviews for new films, and quick ratings for older ones.The ratings are based on a 5-Star system.
I hope you enjoy!

It Follows
5
Done with just enough stylistic hints to emulate an 80s horror film, this is a gripping tale of the classic "monster-goes-after-promiscuous-teens" movie. Based on a not-so-subtle metaphor for STDs, this is about a demon that will hunt down a victim once they have sex with the 'wrong' person. There are only a handful of true scares; instead, this is a film built on tension and impending dread. The crafty camerawork and the director's playful use of perspective helps elevate this above other similar fare. A simple and memorable film.

Get Hard
4
A buddy comedy that is full of racially charged situations and is uncomfortable in the best of ways. Both comedians do what they do best and thankfully, they seemingly stick to the script. This is not another tiresome 80% improvised comedy. The film is anchored by the performances within a well-crafted comedy script that actually combines structure and plot with hilarity. The comedy styles and jokes remain varied and the movie never feels repetitive or overlong.

Avengers: Age of Ultron
3.5
A standard sequel that brings the heroes you love, back for more action. It's fun to watch these guys back at it, but that's just it: they're 'back at it'. We've seen it before, namely in the previous instalment that was full of more glee and witty banter. This time around we have a muddled plot and odd back-stories to help make the film more mature, yet that's not why we're here. This results in a saggy middle section. After the great 'Captain America 2' and 'Guardians' two-punch last year, this is a step back to the standard Marvel fare we started out with. At least this one still delivers with varied action scenes and a great villain in Ultron himself.

Parallels
0.5
A cheap movie that would be at home on the Syfy channel. I couldn't even find a proper image for this review. It tries to slink by on having a cool Sci-fi premise, but the idea of parallel worlds is barely explored. This has all the hallmarks of a made for TV movie: lousy acting, terrible lighting, go-pro shaky-cam and a cliche ridden script. A waste of time.

Abbott and Costello in Hollywood (1945): 3
Born Yesterday (1950): 4
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953): 5
High Society (1956): 3
Attack of the 50 Foot Woman (1958): 2
Attack of the Puppet People (1958): 3
Oliver! (1968): 3
Gimme Shelter (1970): 5
Victor/Victoria (1982): 3.5
Teen Wolf (1985): 2.5
Born on the Fourth of July (1989): 4.5
Kiki's Delivery Service (1989): 4.5
Princess Mononoke (1997): 5
Lake Placid (1999): 1
Kicking & Screaming (2005): 2
Sahara (2005): 1
Barney's Version (2010): 3
A Most Violent Year (2014): 4
The Voices (2014): 3
Atari: Game Over (2014): 2.5
The Immigrant (2014): 4
The Book of Life (2014): 4

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