In honor of Liam Neeson's (Schindler's List, The A-Team) birthday yesterday, I decided to watch his most recent film.  From director, Jaume Collet-Sera (The Shallows, Unknown, Orphan, House of Wax), comes another thriller starring Neeson in a lead role.  Collet-Sera's past collaborations with Neeson have been fun to watch and well-made.  Unfortunately, The Commuter falls short of the previous collaborations.  While the cinematography and filming techniques are exciting, the storyline drags down the film and often reduces the weight of the superbly acted roles.  

Of course, Neeson brings gravitas to his role.  Ever since the release of Taken, Neeson has become an amazingly realistic hero for the common people.  From saving his daughter to saving a whole airplane full of passengers, Neeson has perfected the role of action hero.  Once again, his acting stands out in The Commuter and he is surrounded by other good performances.  Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air, The Departed), Patrick Wilson (The Phantom of the Opera), Jonathan Banks (Mudbound, Gremlins), and Sam Neill (Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Jurassic Park​) round out the cast.  Every character is unique and important to the story as it progresses.

While the acting performances are good, the writing for the film struggles to create an impact for viewers.  At first, I was entranced with the plot as it started to unravel.  However, after the first half of the film there are major plot holes that open up.  We never get any sort of background for the main character because development is sacrificed for more action at the end of the film.  We are thrown into a situation without much meaning behind the actions that occur.  This leads to a final act that is merely disorganized and lackluster.  There are certain lines in the final act that are extremely cliche of past action thrillers.  The film becomes more of a cheesy blockbuster and less of an impactful story by the end of the screening.

The Bottom Line:  The Commuter tends to sacrifice a meaningful and organized plotline for more action towards the end of the film.  Liam Neeson once again acts the part, but the story holds very little weight for his character.

Score: 5.5/10

Image credit: ​By Karen Seto / ???? from Toronto, Canada - Toronto, Ontario, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5108817

Yep, another Star Wars movie.

This time around, veteran director Ron Howard (Apollo 13) takes the helm of a spin-off Star Wars movie based on Han Solo's background.  Unfortunately, Solo: A Star Wars Story moves at a slow and often boring pace.  Unlike Rogue One, Solo grants no payoff in the end.  There is a cameo towards the end that seems like an attempt at re-creating the intensity of Darth Vader's Rogue One appearance, but the cameo falls flat without much weight in the franchise.  

As a whole, the film is less of an adventure and more of a journey to hit every beat that has already been laid out in previous Star Wars films.  Of course, these beats are important and weigh heavily in the previous films, but they are forced upon us unrelentingly.  One might say that the force is strong with this installment, but rather than providing hope for the future of the franchise, we are provided with another formulaic retelling. 

The cast of the film is decent, but there are no real standouts.  Alden Ehrenreich (Hail, Caeser!, Stoker) clearly tries to follow Harrison Ford's (Raiders of the Lost Ark, Air Force One) portrayal of the character, but the charm is missing at times.  Emilia Clarke's (Terminator Genisys, Me Before You) character is interesting, but never really breaks out.  The ending reveals that her character was mostly set up, but we never get to see how it is fully developed.  Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Man Up) voices a unique droid, but audiences can already expect a new droid based on the introductions of BB-8 and K-2SO.  My favorite character is Lando Calrissian in this film.  Donald Glover (The Martian) is spectacular in the role and it would be fun to see a solo film with him in the lead role.

Overall, Solo is just another offshoot Star Wars film.  It is neither great, nor bad.  At times, the story is too direct and the creativity that audiences got with The Last Jedi has washed away for now.  Hopefully the poor box office results do not affect the upcoming installments in the franchise, but clearly the issue has to be addressed and a new release strategy might need to be drawn. 

The Bottom Line: Solo: A Star Wars Story falls short of the creative threshold that audiences became accustomed to after The Last Jedi's success a few months ago.

Score: 6.5/10

While Blockers is certainly a comedy, the dramatic performances truly stand out to make the film meaningful.  The film was marketed as a stupid comedy full of chuckles here and there, but after viewing the film it is clear that there are deeper messages portrayed through the plot.  Parents often think that they know what is best for their children, but Blockers displays the fact that sometimes teenagers should be able to choose how to live themselves.  Leslie Mann (The 40-Year-Old Virgin), John Cena (Trainwreck), and Ike Barinholtz (Suicide Squad, Neighbors) act as "mature" adults who are trying to prevent their daughters from making rash decisions on prom night.  The immaturity of these three points out the flaws in trying to control the destiny of a younger person.

The real standout performances come from the three teenage girls portrayed by Kathryn Newton (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Lady Bird), Geraldine Viswanathan (EMO the Musical), and Gideon Adlon (American Crime).  These actresses rebel against their parents to make a point.  The character development leads each of them down a different path even after they originally decide to follow the same path.  While the first half of the film slowly unravels, the story quickly picks up to lead the characters into certain directions.  Each of the storylines are relatable and seem like plausible occurrences.  These teenagers create realistic characters even when the parents are exasperatingly over-protective.  

The Bottom Line: Blockers may not be as funny as audiences were hoping for, but the message hits the nail on the head.

Score: 6.5/10

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Before going into too much detail, it is important to reflect upon the cultural relevance that Black Panther has.  From the soundtrack to the costuming, Ryan Coogler (Creed, Fruitvale Station) gives typical comic film audiences a unique viewing experience.  With the creativity of Kendrick Lamar, the soundtrack is new to filmgoers.  This is the first Marvel film with a prominently hip-hop/rap soundtrack.  In the DC cinematic universe, Suicide Squad was a clear attempt to integrate hip-hop into comic book films.  However, Suicide Squad failed in so many other categories that audiences could not fully appreciate the soundtrack while watching the film.

​As a whole, Black Panther has heavy topics including race and gender equality.  Finally we get a blockbuster film that is not afraid to discuss these relevant subjects.  The characters are deeply influenced by the world surrounding them and their relationships to each other.  Pride versus morality is common to Marvel films, but the character developments in Black Panther are extremely realistic to American society.  Each of the characters have a background that could easily be found in the real world.

The all-star cast that portrays these characters includes Chadwick Boseman (42), Lupita Nyong'o (12 Years a Slave, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, The Jungle Book), Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out, Sicario), Martin Freeman (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey), Sterling K. Brown, Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland, Lee Daniels' The Butler, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story), Andy Serkis (War for the Planet of the Apes, The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King), and Michael B. Jordan (Fruitvale Station, Creed, Fantastic Four).  The names seemingly go on-and-on with a well-rounded and diverse cast.  As T'Challa, Boseman captivates audiences in his struggle to transition from being a prince into becoming a king.  His people depend on him and the power vacuum that is created from his father's death drives a large portion of the plot.  While T'Challa develops as a character, the film's villain has an even deeper background to portray on the big screen.  As Erik Killmonger, Jordan brings a rough upbringing into the forefront of the plot.  

The storyline behind Killmonger's transformation is somewhat formulaic to other comic book films.  In general, Black Panther often gives off the same plot lines as Wonder Woman.  The difference is the real world relevance.  Killmonger's upbringing is a story that audiences might have seen in the news before.  An abandoned child grows up through the struggles of finding his place in the world.  Overall, Killmonger and T'Challa are the perfect duo for a face-off that ends in a shocking resolve.

The Bottom Line:  While Black Panther follows the formulaic approach of most Marvel films, it uses cultural relevance to connect with a broader audience.

Score: 8/10

Image credit: ​By Ladinog78 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=59041007

If you like Spielberg's (Jurassic Park​) filmography, than I am certain that you will enjoy The Post.  The Post is a superb retelling of the struggle between the government and the press during the Vietnam War.  As a period piece set in the 70s, the setting is well-crafted and the costumes are fitting.  While the film isn't set in a time period too long ago, it is still clear that Spielberg's attention to detail forced him to use certain props and dialogues.  Every time we get to see the newspapers being printed, we get lost in the maze of the publishing facilities.  As someone who has never seen a newspaper company up close, I was astonished by the vastness of the Washington Post's offices.

As always, Spielberg brings us an all-star cast including Meryl Streep (August: Osage County, The Devil Wears Prada, Into the Woods), Tom Hanks (Forrest Gump, Saving Private Ryan), Bob Odenkirk (Nebraska), Bruce Greenwood (Star Trek), Sarah Paulson (12 Years a Slave, Carol), and countless other names.  Streep and Hanks are perfect in every scene and the other actors also seem to fit in their respective roles at all times.  Nothing seemed to stand out overwhelmingly, but it is hard to get a real standout performance from a lot of these actors because they are always great.

Throughout the first half of the film, everything flows and the script is clever.  Unfortunately, the final portion of the film runs dry because of the built-in applaud pauses.  When I saw the film, there were certain points where the audience applauded.  Depending on the moment I am usually okay with some applauding during a film, but these moments felt too formulaic.  They were preachy and at times I felt as though I was being converted into the Church of Spielberg.  Clearly, the film wanted to connect the past events with present events.  However, it is easy to make this connection without Spielberg choosing to spell it out in the last quarter of the film.

The Bottom Line: Spielberg brings another impactful past event to the big screen and capably connects it to current politics through an all-star cast.

Score: 7.5/10

From the visionary director that brought us Pan's Labyrinth comes another creepy and yet heartwarming film.  The Shape of Water is a lovely portrayal of a forbidden love between a creature and a human.  The plotline is spectacular, balancing the heavy-hitting politics of communist Russia and the United States in the 1960s and the science-fiction creature that drives the love story forward.  The tone is classy, with a jazz-inspired score that brings the audience back to the 60s.  The story is relatable to any time period, but the 60s backdrop makes it even more interesting.

Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy, Pacific Rim) never ceases to create beautiful effects for his visionary films.  The imagery throughout The Shape of Water is consistently fluid and spectacular.  There is one scene where we get to see two raindrops dance around on a bus window, acting as a metaphor for the story unfolding on screen.  There is blood and gore involved, but only the necessary amount for us to enter the world that the screenwriters have created.  This is not a film for children, but for a mature audience that can handle the darkness of a spy thriller and the nudity that comes with a full love story.  To gently push the audience through the film, Alexandre Desplat (The King's Speech, Argo, The Queen, Philomena) contributes a smooth score that juggles between intensity and charm.  The orchestral score fits with every single scene, settling and unsettling the audience at certain times.

I would go amiss without acknowledging the cast members that bring the story to life.  Sally Hawkins (Blue Jasmine) easily gives the best performance of the year with her portrayal of a mute janitor.  While she cannot talk, there is emotion behind every sign that she gives.  Alongside Hawkins, Doug Jones (Hellboy, Pan's Labyrinth) plays a fantastic sea monster.  Rounding out the cast, Michael Shannon (Midnight Special) is a scarily bigoted villain.  This is the big bad role that Shannon has perfected throughout his career.  Finally, the support for the main roles are brought to the screen by three well-seasoned actors.  Octavia Spencer (Fruitvale Station), Richard Jenkins (Step Brothers), and Michael Stuhlbarg (Call Me by Your Name​) are all great additions to the film.  Overall, this is a top-notch cast brought together to create a top-notch film.

The Bottom Line: The Shape of Water certainly deserves all of the Oscar-buzz that it is receiving because of its tender and yet unsettling approach at a love story.

Score: 9.7/10

Image credit: ​By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=54631984

After 18 films, Pixar still continues to release it's greatest content yet!  When I first heard about Coco, I admittedly had extremely low expectations for the film.  None of Pixar's recent films had felt fresh, original, or great since Inside Out.  However with Lee Unkrich at the film's helm, Coco transcends the recent films to become a masterpiece from the studio that started it's animation dominance with Toy Story.  

Coco is beautiful and full of detailed animation that is hard to fully admire through the constantly progressing storyline.  Taking place during Dia de los Muertos, the animators are burdened with creating intricate costumes for many of the characters.  With all of the pressure, the animators do a great job of creating smooth transitions and glorious settings.  One of the highlights of the artwork was the spirit animals.  These neon and often glowing animals are vivid and full of imagination.  Aside from that, the movements of the characters are fluid and there never appears to be a slip up in the film that probably took many years to produce.

Similarly to Inside Out, the storyline for Coco is full of heart and empathy.  The film centers around a young boy struggling to find himself between his passions and his family's values.  Of course, there are multiple twists and turns along the way.  We meet sensitive characters and awesome creatures that help guide Miguel towards the correct path.  While the film is formulaic, it still feels fresh because of the revelations that occur.  A nice addition to this Latin film is the soundtrack which includes mariachi tracks and orchestral Latin compositions.  For a film that centers around music, the original and compilation soundtracks mesh together well.

The Bottom Line: Coco is the greatest Pixar film to be released since Inside Out, revolving around a young boy's journey in finding himself.

Score: 9.5/10

Call Me by Your Name is a slow-burning coming-of-age story with bold direction and stunning performances.  Luca Guadagnino (I Am Love) brings out the best of Armie Hammer (The Social Network) and Timothee Chalamet (Interstellar, Lady Bird), with this realistic and yet unique love story.  The first half of the film flies by with a clever script that plays Oliver and Elio off of each other perfectly.  These two intelligent characters are fun to watch when they are alone and together.  As they often try to outsmart each other, they notice their similarities.  There is a purity in their relationship that is hard to describe on paper, but Hammer and Chalamet create the relationship with gravitas.

Focusing on passion, the film also uses an interesting soundtrack to progress the storyline.  A blend of classical music and modern indie tunes composed by Sufjan Stevens tie character thoughts to the audience perspectives. The characters are deeply intellectual and the music brings us into their world at certain instances.  The soundtrack also gives us sweet and haunting melodies to portray the romance that unravels over time.

While I enjoyed this movie, I think that there is a drop-off point between the first and second half.  The first half has a fun script that kept me engaged with the characters during my first viewing of the film.  However, the second half slows down to focus more on the intimate relationship between Oliver and Elio.  We no longer get a good amount of the crisp and engaging commentary from Elio and Oliver, which is what really built their relationship.  There is one scene towards the end between Chalamet and Michael Stuhlbarg (A Serious Man​) that is powerfully written, but aside from that there is a dramatic change in tone for the second half.  Yet, there is plenty to enjoy with these characters and I look forward to the Oscar nominations that the film will clinch.

The Bottom Line: Call Me by Your Name is a pure film filled with intimate detail and engaging characters.

Score: 9.3/10

Image credit: ​By Franz Richter (User:FRZ) - Own work (taken with Nikon D60 SLR), CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=56267295

When the Marvel team developed their cinematic universe, a lot of thought went into the order of the films and different phases for the storylines.  Five different solo hero films came out leading up to the release of Marvel's The Avengers.  Iron Man kicked off the cinematic universe with a fantastic storyline, setting up success for the future films.  The films following Iron Man were not all critically acclaimed, but the audience at least got to know each character before the mega team-up film that came out in 2012.  Unfortunately, the DC universe has only led us into a disorganized world of heroes that we hardly know anything about.

Before Justice League, the audience only got to connect with Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman.  That leaves out three crucial characters on the team.  Certain steps had to be executed in Justice League to introduce The Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg.  However, the runtime is too short to flesh out each of these new characters.  Sure we have comic books that we can read, but this universe hardly even relates to the comic books because of the liberties that the filmmakers have taken.

Another problem with the new film and its characters is that the only good DC film to be released for this universe was Wonder Woman.  Man of Steel showed us the potential that Superman has in the franchise, but the character was bogged down with a poor storyline.  I still believe that Henry Cavill (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.) and Ben Affleck (Argo, Good Will Hunting, Gone Girl, The Town) have potential in their superhero roles, but viewers have not been given a good movie to display their potential yet.  We can only hope that the franchise can pull itself together from here.

One of the standout newcomers has to be Ezra Miller (The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them).  Yet, it still feels as though Marvel beat DC to this character.  Miller's portrayal of The Flash is reminiscent to Tom Holland's Spider-Man.  He is goofy and brings light to the dark situations that Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen) has dragged the heroes into.  Ray Fisher (Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice) is also an interesting addition as Cyborg.  Personally, I do not know much about Cyborg (aside from my experience with Teen Titans), but I am intrigued to learn more about the character's origins and background. 

As a standalone film, Justice League is what I expected it to be after seeing the trailers and filmmakers involved.  It is slightly better that Batman v. Superman, a lot better than Suicide Squad, and a whole lot worse than Wonder Woman.  The storyline is dull, formulaic, and bogged down with CGI effects.  Anyone who has seen a recent DC film knows what to expect from the franchise at this point.  The heroes are interesting, but never fully explored.  One of my biggest problems with this film was the bad guy.  Steppenwolf was a pretty lame character to choose for the first real team-up film.  Hopefully the next DC team-up will give us something that makes the franchise worth it.

The Bottom Line:  Marvel still holds the upper-hand in the current superhero cinematic landscape, and Justice League shows us all of the reasons why.

Score: 5/10

Image credit: ​By Iphonedon890 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=48706570

This film is truly special and unique to Martin McDonagh's (In Bruges, Seven Psychopaths) well-crafted genre.  McDonagh's films are hard to compare with others because they come with a full serving of drama and a good amount of comedic sides.  While it might be hard to digest everything going on upon a single screening of Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, there is plenty left for our cinematic tastebuds to indulge in this film many more times.

It takes really smart writing to create such deeply dumb and interesting characters.  The trio of McDormand (Fargo, Almost Famous), Harrelson (No Country for Old Men, Zombieland), and Rockwell (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Green Mile) brings acting perfection with some of the most underrated actors of our time.  After Fargo, it seems as though McDormand had been forgotten for a while.  Yet, her portrayal of Mildred is spot-on with the dark tone of McDonagh's direction.  After the death of her daughter, Mildred has a hardened heart and is looking for her own definition of justice.  One of her targets is the police chief of the town, played by Woody Harrelson.  Harrelson brings the only respectable character to life with twists and turns that will surprise first-time McDonagh-ers.

While Harrelson and McDormand are great in their roles, my favorite part of the movie would have to be Officer Dixon (played by Sam Rockwell).  Rockwell is fantastic in his role as the dumb and conflicted officer.  His character is relevant to modern news stories, and is a portrait of many issues with America's police force.  Without going into too much detail, I will say that there are a lot of interesting aspects on this character's journey.

Of course, it wouldn't be a McDonagh movie without a thin balance between darkness and comedy.  While the script-writing is not quite as solid as In Bruges, it is damn-near close.  One-liners often dominate the film, creating an uncomfortable awkwardness in the theater.  Personally, I love when directors drag audiences into an uncomfortable tone.  Good filmmaking does not have to be happy and joyous, as long as the audience is able to ponder what they are watching and the message being sent through the medium.  

The Bottom Line:  So far, this is my favorite film of 2017 because of the solid screenwriting and intriguing tone portrayed by every single character.

Score: 9.8/10

Image credit: ​By Dixiekin - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=49330101