The following is a spoiler-free review of Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, directed by Christopher McQuarrie.
In Rogue Nation, the IMF is dissolved and Ethan Hunt is being hunted by the CIA. Hunt’s mission is to prove the existence of the Syndicate, and his mission leads him to an undercover MI6-agent that he teams up with. That is the basic premise of the fifth installment in the Mission: Impossible-franchise. Continue reading “REVIEW: Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015)”
The following is a review of Self/less, a film by Tarsem Singh.
What if you could live forever? What if you weren’t chained to your body? – Self/less stars Ryan Reynolds and Ben Kingsley, two great leading men. So this should absolutely be a fantastic film. Ultimately, though, Self/less isn’t worthy of the talented actors in the film. Continue reading “REVIEW: Self/less (2015)”
The following is a review of Sinister 2 (2015), directed by Ciaran Foy.
The original Sinister film was, without a doubt, one of the scariest films of 2012. I absolutely loved that film, and that is huge for me as I’m not a big fan of horror in general. So, as you can imagine, I was really excited about its sequel, Sinister 2. Here’s the thing though, unfortunately, Sinister 2 just isn’t good. Continue reading “REVIEW: Sinister 2 (2015)”
The following is a review of Vacation (2015), a Jonathan Goldstein & John Francis Daley film.
Believe it or not, 2015’s Vacation is the fifth theatrical installment in the Vacation-series. We’ve been with the Griswolds through many memorable adventures in Vegas, Europe, and, most notably, across the United States of America. This time around it is not Clark but Rusty Griswold leading his family from the Midwest to Walley World – and, sadly, it is not as memorable as the original Vacation. Continue reading “REVIEW: Vacation (2015)”
The following is a spoiler review of the final episode of True Detective Season Two
This is the end. We’ve reached the final episode of the second season of True Detective. Though it has not been as good as the first season, I still had high hopes for the finale. Did we end on a high note, or did this season bite off more than it could chew? Continue reading “REVIEW: True Detective – “Omega Station””
The following is a review of 20th Century Fox’s Fantastic Four (2015)
Fantastic Four is the updated Marvel Comics origin story about its First Family – the Storm-siblings, the incredibly intelligent Reed Richards, and the strong-willed Ben Grimm. Together they team up to defend Earth and its citizens. But before becoming a team, they changed in more ways than one. Does the newest 20th Century Fox superhero film live up to its title? Sadly, no.
However, it did start quite well. This film is loosely based on the 2004 Marvel Comics reboot, Ultimate Fantastic Four, and you definitely see its roots if you’re familiar with the ‘source material.’ Reed Richards is a child prodigy, who is ultimately invited to study and work in the Baxter Building, and he is aided by his good friend, Ben Grimm, who, in spite of his involvement in Reed’s school project, has no real attachment to the Baxter Building.
In fact, I loved this part. There was a certain Batman Begins-feel to the film, and everything worked for quite a while. There can be no doubt, the best character in this film is Reed Richards – as he should be. Also, while I was afraid of what tone Fox was going with, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the film was less grim than the trailer made it out to be.
It is not that the film was perfect for the first hour, or so, but it ran rather smoothly. Sure, the dialogue was a bit wonky and cheesy at times – but it didn’t really hurt the film in its first half. But then things started to fall apart. I can tell you that there is a handful of comic book movie sins in this film – but no sin is bigger than the one they commit at its halfway point. Reed Richards’ reasoning for using the Quantum Gate is extremely dodgy and out of character.
After having reached the point of no return, you start to notice the film’s clear errors. The look of the ‘other dimension’ is not done well, Kate Mara is wearing what looks to be a wig for half of her scenes, and the pacing is awful. When I started to think about the villain, then the film started to be upsetting.
Victor Von Doom (Not ‘Domashev’; apparently, they chose to keep the original name after fan backlash) is obviously the villain. And I’m not just saying that because I know of the comic books. The film hits you over the head with the obvious fact that Toby Kebbell’s character is the villain. He is referred to as ‘Dr. Doom’ sarcastically – as well as ‘Adolf’ (no, I’m not kidding). Sadly, Doom is a forgettable character and his look is awful. Doom should not look like a silver-and-green mannequin.
Josh Trank, Simon Kinberg, and Jeremy Slater had a great plan for this film, but while they handled Mr. Fantastic and the first half of the film amazingly, they ultimately fall short. In the end, the pacing of the final act is what kills this film. The big battle is rushed, the villain is wasted, and Marvel’s First Family doesn’t really live up to its name. An awful reboot for the Fantastic Four.
Final Score: 4.9 out of 10 – Though promising at first, Fantastic Four completely falls apart in the poorly paced final act.
I’m Jeffrey Rex
The following is a review of the penultimate episode of the second season of True Detective, beware of spoilers.
We’ve finally reached the penultimate episode of the season. An episode which is, in my opinion, the most important episode since the season-opener. The penultimate episode had to make us care, it had to keep us entertained, and it had to convince us to worry about the characters for the very last episode. Though this season has been hit-and-miss, somehow this episode managed to tie up enough loose ends – as well as bring a gut-punching cliffhanger – to make you truly care about the end of the season. Continue reading “REVIEW: True Detective – “Black Maps and Motel Rooms””
“Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp” is available on Netflix and functions as a prequel to the 2001 comedy “Wet Hot American Summer”
Let me preface this by saying that I didn’t watch the original film when it was first released. Somehow I had never heard of the film until a few years ago. Before watching the film I considered it a potential hidden gem featuring some of my favorite actors. Then I watched it, and I didn’t love it as much as I thought I would. Don’t get me wrong, I really liked the film – but I never loved it. Somehow this prequel show made me a believer. Continue reading “REVIEW: Wet Hot American Summer – First Day of Camp (2015)”
The following is a review of “Church In Ruins” from the second season of True Detective, beware of spoilers.
“Church In Ruins” had quite a job to do for the season to still be appealing. Most critics have felt that this season has had a tough time in comparisons with its predecessor. It hasn’t been as interesting or exciting, nor as strong in performance, writing or direction. This episode had to have strong performances, and it also had to move towards an end for the season. Thankfully, “Church In Ruins” is the best episode of season 2 yet. Continue reading “REVIEW: True Detective – “Church In Ruins””
The following is a review of Jon Schnepp’s The Death of “Superman Lives”: What Happened?
For more reasons than one, this is the perfect time for Jon Schnepp’s documentary to be released. Not only is Ant-Man out in theaters in the summer of 2015 – a film infamous for the Edgar Wright-problems – but Avengers: Age of Ultron suffered from problematic quotes from its director back in April 2015. Meanwhile, Superman has not been this relevant since 1978.
Continue reading “REVIEW: The Death of “Superman Lives”: What Happened? (2015)”
I'm Jeffrey Rex 