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

The new CHVRCHES album is a step away from their past discography, but rather than being a misstep it ends up bringing listeners into a new evolution of the band.  Darker subjects are explored in more straight-forward pop songs.  The production has gone up with louder stadium hits balancing against the harsh realities expressed through Lauren Mayberry's vocals.  "Graffiti" throws the listener right into the new soundscape with heavier drumbeats and louder bass.  The lyrics are far from optimistic claiming that "time to kill was always an illusion".  The next track hits the ears with a continued demand to "Get Out".  Clearly there is a rough patch that Mayberry is revealing to her listeners.

On the fourth track, a familiar voice joins Mayberry.  Her sweet choruses play really nicely along with Matt Berninger's subtle, yet catchy verses.  "My Enemy" is slow, but one of the greatest track on the record because of the strong singer combination.  To follow-up this song, CHVRCHES offers us a return to the new stadium-ready sound.  The darkness is prominent in "Forever", with sad lyrics playing along with the shimmering synthesizers.  The next track on the album is more reminiscent of the previous CHVRCHES albums.  "Never Say Die" grows into a memorable track once the layers start to build up, creating a beautiful canvas in the background of our minds.

Finally we get to hear the most debated track on the album.  Since "Miracle" was released as a single, CHVRCHES fans have complained that it is a huge misstep for the band.  I completely disagree.  This new sound is fantastic, with a booming chorus and interesting instrumentals to keep the listener engaged.  I'll admit that the song is tough to get used to at first, but it is truly a delightful listen every time it comes up.  

The second half of the album contributes a return to the early 2000s pop style.  "Graves" is a fun listen with a catchy chorus that continues throughout the track.  On the tenth track, we get another band member's voice to take over lead vocals.  Martin Doherty offers a break from Mayberry's pop soundscape with a loungey track titled "God's Plan".  No this isn't a Drake cover, but it is just as catchy as his hit!  

The band closes the album with three softer tracks to leave the listener with a less intense sound.  "Wonderland" opens up to a brighter chorus that leaves all of the darkness behind.  The track is a refreshing end to the album, which is an escape from the old CHVRCHES.  The change works for me, but other fans might struggle with the different sound.

Score: 9/10

Favorite Tracks: "Graffiti", "Get Out", "My Enemy", "Forever", "Miracle", "God's Plan", "Wonderland"

Least Favorite Tracks: "Deliverance", "Really Gone"

Image credit: ​https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/3/31/Love-I_dead.jpg/220px-Love-I_dead.jpg

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

Image credit: ​https://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMjE0ODIzNjkzMl5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwODQ3MzU4NDM@._V1_SY1000_SX632_AL_.jpg

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

Borns returns to the spotlight with his sophomore album, Blue Madonna.  His new album plays off of the falsetto themes that he introduced listeners to with Dopamine.  The new album starts with a catchy rhythmic song that features Lana Del Rey's vocals alongside Garrett's.  Luckily, Lana Del Rey does not overpower the awesomeness of Borns's voice on the first track.  After the first track, the album starts to take off with one of the lead singles that was released before the full LP.   "Faded Heart" quickly shoes off Borns's falsetto vocals with echoes and a lot of drum and string layerings to fill the background.

​The next song on the track brings some dreamy and shimmering instrumentals to pair with the vocals at the forefront.  The soundscape is large, but smooth without too much tenseness.  "Sweet Dreams" is loud, but relaxing to the ears.  This soothes us into the trippy track, "We Don't Care".  The fourth track has the most diverse instrumentals, often sounding like it has a Middle Eastern influence floating around in the background.  Everything builds up until the last second of the song, progressing us into the latter half of the album.

After a more generic indie pop track, Borns strips the instrumentals to start "Iceberg".  Instrumentals come and go throughout the song, creating an unpredictable soundscape.  After two minutes, the music opens up to bring in more melodies and guitar riffs.  The track floats us around as we wade through the unique rhythms.  "Second Night Of Summer" brings us back down to earth with some really nice high vocals from Borns.  Finally we get to my favorite track on the album, "I Don't Want You Back".  The track has a really catchy beat with a nice soundscape of resonating chords.  The lyrics are subtle, but heavy.  This is an oddball break-up song, that is far away from typical.  The beat pulls you in, and might make you snap along at times.

A short interlude leads us straight into the final portion of the album.  "Supernatural" brings us off of Earth again with distorted vocals and really odd high pitched noises towards the end.  These alien-esque vocals would be interesting to see live, and certainly explain the track's title.  Unfortunately, the titular track for the album is the blandest track.  "Blue Madonna" is draggy and does not really progress the mood of the album.  Fortunately, Borns leaves us with a fantastic final track.  The synth and piano opening on "Bye-bye Darling" eases us off of the album.  It's a nice send off that shows off all of Garrett Borns's talents as a singer.  The track is weightless, and almost sounds like something off of Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.  I'm not sure if there was any Beatles influence here, but it sure sounds like it! 

Score: 9/10

Favorite Tracks: "God Save Our Young Blood", "Faded Heart", "We Don't Care", "I Don't Want You Back", "Bye-bye Darling"

Least Favorite Tracks: "Man", "Iceberg"

Image credit: ​By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=56297403

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

Call me a hipster if you want, but I finally decided that it was time for me to get a record player.  Get ready for more vinyl reviews headed your way since I now believe that it is a superior form of music.

We'll start reviewing vinyls with one of the best releases of 2017.  MASSEDUCTION is a tough album to review because of it's varying tracks, but the flow of songs throughout the album makes it an easy listen.  "Hang On Me" eases us into St. Vincent's newest release, soothing our ears before the onslaught of craziness that ensues.  Right after the first track, we dive into a spiral with "Pills".  The song is intense, up-tempo, and pushy.  This is how any song about pills should be.  There is a significant break halfway through the song that slows it down for the listener.

The third track is a bit of a sleeper for me, but as the titular track there is still something to appreciate.  The heavier instrumentals make it sound like a Muse or AC/DC track at times.  Yet, it maintains the pop-edge with St. Vincent's vocals.  The oddities in her music might be attributed to her time working with Sufjan Stevens.  It certainly wouldn't surprise me if there was a large amount of influence from him.  After "Masseduction", "Sugarboy" hits us with the craziest vocals and instrumentals on the album.  It is extremely catchy and flies by in an instant.  I really like the sped-up instrumentals that we get to hear in the following track as well.

Finally, we come to the most catchy and attractive track on the album.  "Los Ageless" is a pop dance track, which would surely be fun to watch St. Vincent perform live.  Right off the bat, the beat makes you bob your head up and down.  Then, the beat drops into the chorus and you can't help but start to move your feet along to the effervescent vocals.  The lyrics are simple enough, yet never feel too repetitive.  The fade out leads us into a calmer track to follow up the lead hit.  "Happy Birthday, Johnny" brings us back down before the B-side of the album.  It's a softer, sadder, more nostalgic song than everything preceding it. 

It takes a few minutes for the B-side of the album to start rolling, but after a few minutes the tracks start to lift off again.  The second half of "Savior" is smooth and groovy, but it's hard to connect to the first half of the track.  We then get a ballad that builds up with "New York".  The song is a bit preachy, but full of heart and soul.  Then comes "Fear The Future", which is hard-hitting and well-placed to bring us back into the electronic/synth aspects of the album.  The beat in the background sounds like the backtrack for a rap hit, but works well with St. Vincent's vocal contributions.

As if it is a reflection on the first part of the album, "Young Lover" brings us back into the drug-infused lyrics of St. Vincent.  Drugs and pills seem to be a large theme on MASSEDUCTION.  The track opens up to a loud sound and St. Vincent's vocals soar higher than ever as she hits high notes that we hardly hear from big pop artists.  The album closes with two slower songs.  "Slow Disco" has some really nice string instrumentals, which are blissful in their accompaniment.  The deep cello addition later in the song creates a full soundscape of low and high-range instruments.  To close the album, we get to hear "Smoking Section".  This track is very Sufjan Stevens-esque.  It is poetic, calm, and builds up into something different than how it starts.  It's a fantastic close to an album that balances between chaos and smooth poetry.

Score: 8.5/10

Favorite Tracks: "Hang On Me", "Pills", "Sugarboy", "Los Ageless", "Young Lover", "Smoking Section"

Least Favorite Tracks: "Masseduction", "Savior", "Fear The Future"  

Image credit: ​By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=55533823

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