In the 1980s, Wes Craven created one of the most iconic horror characters ever.  Freddy Kreuger is shrouded with mystery as a character who disturbs his victims in the dream world.  Craven was certainly a genius horror film maker whose legacy has lived on through time.  Unlike most modern horror films, A Nightmare on Elm Street moves beyond the basic jump-scare horror convention.  Rather, the film creates a mesh between reality and dream.  For me, this is a film that is more fun to watch than many other horror films.

This film stands out as a classic, but clearly has some dated aspects to it.  A lot of the effects are based on creating a creepy character.  Kreuger is made to be a repulsive creature with burn marks and other oddities.  Certainly I was disgusted by much of the character model, but some of it just seemed out right creepy.  Often, Kreuger seemed more like a pedophile than he did a killer.

I think I am going to finish up this review with a short rant on why horror films do not appeal to me very much.  The last horror film I saw in theaters was The Babadook and I loved it, but I just cannot help but notice that contemporary horror films are not made with quite as much attention to detail as other genres often are.  Most of them just go on jump-scare tangents that get boring to me after a while.  In film history, there have been many horror films that I have enjoyed because they reach a broader approach.  For example, The Shining is a brilliant horror film because it brings in a brilliant soundtrack, engaging cast, and Kubrick's amazing direction.  I just wish that the genre would turn back to its roots and strive to create better films than Paranormal Activity and Annabelle.

The Bottom Line: Wes Craven creates a memorable character that lives on in the horror genre.

Score: 7/10

Not to be confused with The Room, Lenny Abrahamson's newest film strikes gold.  Room features two actors that reach what could be the climax of their careers.  This film is basically built for at least two Oscar nominations.  First, Brie Larson should get a nomination for best actress.  She plays a mother who must guide her son through the world while being contained in a single room.  This nomination should have been given to her for Short Term 12, but maybe just maybe she will finally get it.  Secondly, Jacob Tremblay shows his talents as a supporting actor in the film.  He transforms perfectly into a character that literally cannot think outside of the box.  If neither of these nominations happen... well lets not even think about that.

Coming fresh off of making my fourth favorite movie from last year, Abrahamson shifts from quirkiness to straight drama and tension.  Like Frank, this film gives a near-complete character study for the main actors without the added quirks.  Ma and Jack are transformed before our very eyes.  Abrahamson leads our eyes to closer examination through his use of close-ups and point-of-view shots.  We are either staring straight at the faces of the characters or we are inside of the characters' bodies throughout almost all of the film.  This helps build an effective relationship between the audience and the subjects of the film.

The most intriguing part of this film for me, aside from the superb acting, is the storytelling.  Often, we are pulled into the mind of a five year old boy.  He explains to us what he sees and how he sees it.  This further strengthens the relationship of the audience to the characters.  Not only are we hearing our own thoughts on the experiences laid out in the film, but we are hearing exactly what the boy is thinking.  I found that this was a creative and immersive way of creating a film that is filled with different perspectives.

The Bottom Line: Come on, just give her an Oscar already.

Score: 9.6/10

Cary Fukunaga shows that he can combine art and acting brilliantly in Beasts of No Nation.  As a fan of his work on True Detective, I can see similarities between the two works.  Similarly to True Detective, Fukunaga brings out a surreal feeling to this film with the types of effects he uses.  The film often has a feeling of a dream, or nightmare, with its colorful palette and synthesized soundtrack.  One of the scenes shows a lot of red coloring, giving the audience the feeling that they are up close to the action and can see the blood splattering around the fields.

If you are incapable of watching blood and gore, I would not recommend this film to you.  Personally, I felt disgusted at a lot of what was on screen.  As a huge Quentin Tarantino fan, I have seen a lot of blood and gore in film, but this just felt too real.  Tarantino's films are fictional and unrealistic a lot of the time, but this film is based on things that have really happened in certain countries.  This is one of those films that I applaud, but also feel awkward about saying that I enjoyed it.  Fukunaga definitely gets the point across that the world is still full of problems which are hard to solve.

Of course, the true brilliance of this film comes out through the acting of Abraham Attah and Idris Elba.  As an innocent and lost boy, Agu (Attah's character) turns to Commandant (Elba's character) to act as a paternal figure.  Attah's emotional acting displays the transformation that the confused boy goes through in becoming a sort of leader in Commandant's army.  This is a kid that has a very bright acting career ahead of him.  I found myself drifting further away from Agu as he becomes a harsher and less moral soldier throughout the film.  Yet, I also found that I was able to connect to Commandant through Elba's performance.  Elba brings the audience into the mind of a warlord as he starts to create a bond with Agu and his young army through his use of speech.

The Bottom Line:  Fukunaga brings the audience into the life of a boy who has lost everything and transforms into a mature leader through the influence of a hard-spoken, but fatherly warlord.

Score: 9.7/10

Built around a slow-moving storyline, this film engages the audience through strong performances by Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara.  The two characters created by these actresses contrast each other, one being a lost and seemingly alone young woman while the other is an older woman who knows exactly what she wants.  Director Todd Haynes uses his talents to transform the two characters by the end of the film, putting them in positions that are far away from where they started.  Blanchett really brings out the loneliness that her character feels and Mara really brings out the youth and innocence required for her part.  

Through the cinematography of Edward Lachman, the film has a slow pace to reflect an artistic piece of film.  However, the film feels quick because whenever the artistic shots are used, they are accompanied by a dramatic score.  I would argue that this is one of the best instrumental soundtracks since Schindler's List.  The melancholy clarinet and build-up of strings give off the emotions that are often found with love.  The score acts as a superb accompaniment for the film, and I often felt that the film was accompanying the score.

Lastly, Haynes brings the audience back into the atmosphere of the 1950s.  The setting is full of older cars, older outfits, and older society.  Not only do we see the old landscape of the US, but we see the older ideologies and morals that the population valued.  At one point of the film, I even felt as if the film was shot a long time ago because of what looked like a blatant green screen background.  This did not detract from the film, but set up a more realistic feeling for the period piece.

​The Bottom Line:  Haynes creates a period piece that is artistic in direction and drags the audience back into the conservative society of the 1950s.

Score: 9.6/10

Spielberg has really delved into period pieces lately, retelling stories in a smooth fashion.  He has proven that he is capable of setting the tone for these pieces of history.  In Bridge of Spies, Spielberg takes the moviegoer back to the Cold War by portraying the time period with costuming and set designs while also portraying the distrust of civilians during the war.  Also, what better choice for a lead actor than Tom Hanks?  As always, Hanks brings justice to the story through a powerful performance as James Donovan.

The time period of the film is extremely well designed with the view of American businessmen and USSR civilians.  The set is also exactly what I would imagine to see in this time period and the film is interestingly well lit.  A lot of the scenes are filled with bright lights shining into rooms, creating a nice atmosphere.  A smooth and jazzy soundtrack also helps bring the audience into the time of the Cold War, where radio dominated a lot of media.  Thomas Newman also adds themes to the film that are easily reminiscent of his work on The Newsroom.

Of course the real attraction of this film is Tom Hanks.  Again Tom Hanks acts powerfully, giving an Oscar nomination-worthy performance.  Just his facial expressions can tell the story throughout the film.  These facial expressions are necessary, especially since some of the film has foreign languages spoken and no subtitles to accompany.  The rest of the cast similarly act powerfully, supporting Hanks's main character and adding to the overall film quality.  With acting like this, the film flies until the ending.  Like most Spielberg endings, this one comes off a bit cheesy as it revolves many of the previous issues in the film.  Still though, the whole movie is worth seeing.

The Bottom Line:  This film is very Spielberg-esque with its strong acting, fitting score, and overly family-friendly ending.

​Score: 9.5/10

This seemingly low-budget film masterfully pairs two characters together to create an unlikely bond.  When Dennis Nash (played by Andrew Garfield) is evicted from his home by Rick Carver (played by Michael Shannon) he struggles to find his footing in the world, helping Carver as a con-artist in order to provide for himself and his family.  Shannon plays a robust role as an unlikeable character, while Garfield plays a character who cannot seem to escape the clutches of Carver.  Shannon creates his character through greed, but uses logic and speech to show a new perspective.  On the other hand, Garfield hesitates throughout the film, producing the confusion and loneliness of Dennis Nash.  Both of these characters are created by two powerful actors who show that they are capable of taking on a dramatic role.

The acting is crucial since the whole film acts as a character study for the duo.  Carver starts out in a world of greed and is forced to see a new view from Nash, and Nash starts off as an evicted homeowner who is introduced into a world of greed and corruption.  Throughout the film, the powerful writing includes speeches by Carver that show his power.  One of my favorite lines was something like "America was built for winners, by winners."  This writing gets the audience thinking, showing the influence of Ramin Bahrani.  Not only did he direct the film, but he wrote a great story that gives the audience a view of evictions that isn't clear for many viewers.  Of course, this included myself.

All of the buildup of the film leads to a remarkable ending (don't worry there are no spoilers ahead).  At the very end of the film, the characters are seen for who they really are and what they really believe in.  Without spoiling the film, I will say that the end is definitely one of the most powerful endings to a film released so far this year.  Bahrani wraps up the story with an ending that conveys a message to the audience and could act as a sort of call to action.

The Bottom Line:  The film felt slow for a while, but the acting and story are worth waiting for.

Score: 9/10

In the October update, I claimed that I am not a fan of the horror genre.  However, certain horror films do pull me further into the genre, making me want to explore it more.  The Host is a film that transcends the use of constant jump-scares by using many different horror conventions.  This film struck me with its mixture of different techniques used to creep out the audience, but also to help them connect to the characters.  The main characters work very well together to form a dysfunctional family that must unite to save one of its members.  The difference in characters gives the film a comedic value at times, while staying in the horror genre.  Personally, I thought that the use of comedy and drama created a more well-rounded horror film.

Like most horror films, the soundtrack created a lot of the tension, while adding a dramatized storyline.  The music shifts from themes that could be heard in a Hitchcock film to dense string melodies.  The tenser music helps the director to create the creepy monster, while helping add to the audience's fear.  Yet, the string melodies add the emotion for the film.  Overall, Byung-woo Lee adds the right kind of music at the exact right times.

A lot of the camerawork gives the audience a view of a more terrifying world in which monsters and viruses are on the loose.  In one scene, the camera angle is tilted to the side, creating an unstable and uncomfortable feeling.  Also, slow motion is used often to create more tensity as the audience tries to catch up with the quick sea-monster.  The one thing I didn't like about the film is the actual monster.  To me, the model seemed really fake and lame.  I expected to see a bigger creature terrorizing the giant crowd of people at the beginning.  Maybe I am just too used to modern special effects though.

The Bottom Line: This film uses an odd grouping of characters, differing music selections, and creative camerawork in order to keep the story going at a good pace.

​Score: 8.5/10

Well, the site has made it through the first month!  This means that it is time to change gears for October.  I have transitioned back to school and have more free screening opportunities here in Seattle.  Therefore, there will be quite a few reviews in the coming weeks of newer films!  However, with the transition back to school, I also transition back into my school schedule.  This means that while I will still be reviewing movies on a weekly basis, I will only be doing two a week instead of three.  For now, I am going to do one classic film every month while still doing one film by a specific director and one film in a specific genre each week.

The genre films that I will be reviewing this month will be horror films.  Clearly, October is the time of horror with Halloween coming up.  This should be an interesting venture since I have never particularly enjoyed horror films.  But, I will overcome this and hopefully review some films that strike my fancy.  To go along with this genre of film, I will be reviewing a film by Steven Spielberg each week.  This is in anticipation of Bridge of Spies, a film that I am looking forward to seeing due to its cast and subject matter.  Aside from the newest Indiana Jones film, I have not seen a film by Spielberg that I did not like.  I cannot wait to delve into this month's film selection for the blog and I hope to see some more followers and comments or suggestions for what you would like to see in the future.

Highest scored movie last month: Annie Hall
Lowest scored movie last month: Exodus: Gods and Kings