Inside Man (2006)

Directed by: Spike Lee

Written by: Russell Gewirtz

Stars: Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster

A man named Dalton Russell (Clive Owen) sits in an unidentified cell and narrates in medias res how he has committed the perfect robbery. In New York, masked robbers, dressed as painters and using variants of the name "Steve" as aliases, seize control of a Manhattan bank and take the patrons and employees hostage. They divide the hostages into groups and hold them in different rooms, forcing them to don painters clothes identical to their own. The robbers rotate the hostages among various rooms and occasionally insert themselves covertly into the groups. They also take turns working on an unspecified project involving demolishing the floor in one of the bank's storage rooms.

Police surround the bank, and Detectives Keith Frazier (Denzel Washington) and Bill Mitchell (Chiwitel Ejiofor) take charge of the negotiations. Russell, the leader of the robbers, demands food, and the police supply them with pizzas whose boxes include listening devices. The bugs pick up a language which the police identify as Albanian. They discover that the conversations are in fact propaganda recordings of deceased Albanian leader Enver Hoxha, implying that the robbers anticipated the attempted surveillance.

When Arthur Case (Christopher Plummer), chairman of the board of directors and founder of the bank, learns of the robbery taking place, he hires "fixer" Madeleine White (Jodie Foster) to try to protect the contents of his safe deposit box within the bank. White arranges a conversation with Russell, who allows her to enter the bank and inspect the contents of the box, which include documents from Nazi Germany. Russell implies that Case started his bank with money that he received from the Nazis for unspecified services, resulting in the deaths of many Jewish people during World War II. White tells Russell that Case will pay him a substantial sum if he destroys the contents of the box.

Director Spike Lee has made a well crafted crime thriller centered around a bank heist and the negotiations made by Washington to save the hostages. The situation is reminiscent of another Denzel flick, The Taking of Pelham 1,2,3; also centered around a hostage situation. At one point, Frazier references "Dog Day Afternoon", which is also a similar film centered around a bank heist. The cinematography by Matthew Libatique is exquisite. He filmed the scenes with Russell on a Steadi-cam, to make it look like he was in control. In contrast, Frazier and his crew are hand-held, designed to display the character's confusion. The film also features a few scenes where Frazier and Mitchell are interrogating several hostages, sort of like a flash-forward sequence. There was more contrast in those scenes and less color temperature, to make it look like a flashback. Performances by the A-list actors are fantastic all around. Washington is great as Frazier, who is desperate to make Detective First Grade that he will negotiate with the ringleader of the heist, and Clive Owen as the ringleader, and he plays a nasty role as the villain.

The Boy (2016)

The Boy is a decent take on the living doll premise

Directed by: William Brent Bell

Written by: Stacey Menear

Stars: Lauren Cohen, Rupert Evans, James Russell

When the film opens, our protagonist Greta Evans (Lauren Cohen) agrees to take a job as a nanny at a English mansion, in order to escape from a abusive ex-boyfriend. She goes inside the mansion; no one is in the parlor and no comes to greet her, but she hears a rustling upstairs so she decides to check it out. She hesitantly goes up the staircase a bit and calls out again. Along the stairs is a huge painted family portrait of the Heelshires. It's clear they are a very regal family. Hearing nothing, she moves on to a room filled with old-fashioned toys. She picks one up and laughs a bit before being completely startled by a noise behind her. It's Malcolm (Rupert Evans), standing at the doorway. He's the grocery boy that comes weekly to bring produce for the Heelshires. They introduce each other, and he asks to have her help in packing the groceries away. They chat, and he's obviously already smitten by Greta, but she remains polite. We find out that Greta is an American, who has moved to the UK for the first time to work for the Heelshires.

She then meets Mr. and Mrs. Heelshire (Jim Norton & Diana Hardcastle), along with their son, Brahms. She is surprised to find out that the family's boy that she is taking care of isn't a human, but a life-sized doll named Brahms. We find out that the doll Brahms was created because the parents lost their son Brahms 20 years ago, as a way to cope with their loss. The parents of Brahms give Greta a bunch of strict rules that she must follow, like reading out loud a book to Brahms so he can hear, and playing loud opera music. And one very important rule: Never leave Brahms alone, which Greta fails to do, which leads to strange and inexpiable events that lead Greta to believe that the doll is alive.

With "The Boy", we have yet another film that uses the "living doll" plot that is surprisingly successful in movies nowadays. With hits like the Child's Play franchise, or even the Annabelle trilogy (yes they have 3 of those movies), Hollywood has proved that doll movies can actually be creepy. The movie The Boy tries to be no exception, and for aspects of the film, it can be. The doll Brahms is really creepy, the atmosphere is real tense and chilling. The film has a nice psychological tone, and the haunting piano score by Bear McCreary adds the creepy factor. With a budget of only $10 million and set constraints (the film only takes place in one location), The Boy proves to be effective in its creepiness.

Being one of the few actors in the film, Lauren Cohen does a good job as Greta. However, for most of the film, She doesn't do a lot. Greta spends a lot of the time on camera walking around and hearing bumps-in-the-night. It felt quite boring for at least an hour of the film. The film does have a very interesting twist ending that I wasn't expecting. So in that regard, The Boy is worth at least 1 viewing. It does set up a sequel, so I'd like to see the next film.

Ready or Not (2019)

Directed by: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett

Written by: Guy Busick, R. Christopher Murphy

Stars: Samara Weaving, Adam Brody, Mark O'Brien

Alex (Mark O' Brien) and Grace (Samara Weaving) are newlyweds. Grace is nervous but eager to join his family's gaming "dominion", which is how they came about their enormous wealth. The couple go for a photo-shoot prior to the ceremony, along with other members of Alex's family. Daniel (Adam Brody) is joined by his wife Charity (Elyse Levesque), who is open about the fact that she only married Daniel for his family's money. Their father Tony (Henry Czerny) is visibly disapproving of Grace, but not nearly as much as Helene (Nicky Guadagni), who shoots Grace a death glare. More approving is Alex and Daniel's mother Becky (Andie MacDowell), who tells Grace that only Alex's opinion matters. Moments later, everyone gathers for the ceremony, and Grace and Alex are married.

After they get married, Alex tells Grace that per tradition, the family partakes in a game at midnight. Alex's father Tony explains to Grace that this tradition was started by his great grandfather Victor, who made a deal with a mysterious benefactor known as Mr. Le Bail. He granted Victor and his future generations their wealth, as well as a special box, while Victor was told to give his own part in the bargain. The family passes Grace the box to draw a card from it and pick the game. Grace picks Hide-and-Seek, and she goes to hide. What she doesn't know is that Alex's family are hunting Grace down as part of a deadly game gone wrong.

This film is a darkly comic satire based around the theme of class struggles, and I enjoyed the first 2 acts of the film respectively. The film is violent at times, but the characters act in such an over-the-top way that it comes off as fun. The team behind Ready or Not put together a very creative film. Having said that, the third act of the film does feel rushed, like they didn't want to make the film longer than 90 minutes. I felt that the film would've been better if they added at least 15-20 more minutes. In regards to acting in the film, I enjoyed Weaving's performance. I think she is a really talented actress. The whole family is very eccentric and crazy at the insane lengths they go, in particular Andie McDowell and Henry Czerny as the mother and father. They give some great one-liners in the film. I liked the pacing of the film in the first two acts, but the 3rd act is a bit disappointing that I thought that the film overall was decent.

I Still Believe (2019)

Directed by: The Erwin Brothers

Written by: Jon Erwin, Jeremy Camp (Based on the book)

Stars: K.J. Apa, Britt Robertson, Gary Sinise

Plot: The true-life story of Christian music star Jeremy Camp and his journey of love and loss that looks to prove there is always hope. (IMDB)

I Still Believe is the true story of Christian music star Jeremy Camp (Apa), and it tells the story of him meeting his first wife, Melissa Henning (Robertson), who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer shortly before they married. Regarding the film's main theme, Jeremy Camp said that it "tells my story and shares what God has done amidst all the hard things I went through. It shows hope in the midst of pain."

The film is heart wrenching at times, specifically when Melissa is going through her cancer treatments, reminiscent of other films of this theme, such as A Walk to Remember, and The Fault in our Stars. K.J. Apa and Britt Robertson have great chemistry in this film, and I really enjoyed their scenes together. Some of the scenes are cheesy, but they are still enjoyable. Apa gives one of his best performances as Camp, and he did his own singing in the film. The film does have a love triangle in the film, which was a bit unnecessary, because it deflected from the main story. According to the director, "the film grapples with the question of why God allows suffering." The film got me choked up near the end, and it does have a good message of Hope.

The Great Gilly Hopkins

Directed by: Stephen Herek

Written by: David Paterson

Stars: Sophie Nelisse, Kathy Bates, Glenn Close

Plot: 12-year-old wisecracking Gilly Hopkins finds herself shuffled from foster home to foster home until she meets Maime Trotter. (IMDB)

Based on the award winning young adult novel by Katherine Peterson (Bridge to Terabithia), A feisty foster kid's outrageous scheme to be reunited with her birth mother has unintended consequences in The Great Gilly Hopkins, an entertaining film for the entire family. Gilly Hopkins (Sophie Nélisse) has seen more than her share of foster homes and has outwitted every family she has lived with. In an effort to escape her new foster mother Maime Trotter's (Kathy Bates) endless loving care, Gilly concocts a plan that she believes will bring her mother (Julia Stiles) running to her rescue. But when the ploy blows up in Gilly's face it threatens to ruin the only chance she's ever had to be part of a real family.

This film was really heartwarming, and something that the whole family can enjoy. The film deals with themes such as growing up, and having a sense of belonging to a family. Sophie Nelisse is great in the titular role, and she expresses her spunky, feisty side as the foster kid. At first, I didn't like her character, based on what she was doing to her foster family. She acted rude at first, but she did end up growing on me near the end. I did feel sadness for her character when she finds her mom, but her mom wants nothing to do with her. I thought Nelisse would be overshadowed by her A-list co-stars, but she does hold her own in this film. Other highlights in the film include Kathy Bates as the loving foster mother, Octavia Spencer as Gilly's school teacher, and Bill Cobbs as Trotter's next-door blind neighbor. 

The plot is very straight-forward, and it doesn't feel rushed. The film flows nicely for the first half, with the set-up of the characters and basic shenanigans that Gilly gets into. Once Glenn Close's character, Gilly's grandmother, shows up, however, I feel that the movie falls flat. Close's character takes Gilly away from her foster family, and about 15-20 minutes are just Gilly and her grandmother. I think the film fell flat because I missed the earlier characters. But the film did have a nice ending, with Gilly realizing the importance of being accepted by a family. This was a good film for the family!

The Films of Bruce Lee: Enter The Dragon

Directed by: Robert Clouse
Written by: Michael Alin
Stars: Bruce Lee, John Saxon, Jim Kelly
Plot: A martial artist agrees to spy on a reclusive crime lord using his invitation to a tournament there as cover. (IMDB)

"Don't think. FEEL!" - Lee in Enter the Dragon

In Bruce Lee's final film (that he was involved with), Enter The Dragon is the first film to enter mainstream success in the West. Bruce Lee plays a persona of himself as Lee, a Shaolin Temple member. Lee, a highly proficient Shaolin martial artist and instructor from Hong Kong, is approached by Braithwaite (Geoffrey Weeks), a British intelligence agent investigating the suspected crime lord Han (Shih Kien). Lee is persuaded to attend a high-profile martial arts competition on Han's private island to gather evidence that will prove Han's involvement in drug trafficking and prostitution. Shortly before his departure, Lee also learns that the man responsible for his sister's (Angela Mao) death, O'Hara (Robert Wall), is working as Han's bodyguard on the island. Also fighting in the competition are Roper (John Saxon), an indebted gambling addict, and fellow Vietnam war veteran Williams (Jim Kelly).

Enter The Dragon has some of the best philosophical statements of fighting."The art of fighting without fighting", "A good fight should be like a small play, but played seriously. A good martial artist does not become tense, but ready. Not thinking, yet not dreaming. Ready for whatever may come. When the opponent expands, I contract. When he contracts, I expand. And when there is an opportunity, I do not hit. It hits all by itself." To me, that speaks a lot about Lee's impact on martial arts, and the future that it has become. After Lee's untimely death, MMA has become very powerful for the community at large.

Really enjoyable Bruce Lee flick. One of the highlights for me was, of course, the fight sequences. Lee was real talented when it came to stunts, as when he was fighting, the camera was wide to show that he performed his own stunts. There were scenes that involved him fighting goons with nun chucks, and scenes with him fighting with sticks, but the main scenes that I enjoyed the most were when he was fighting with his fists.

For the rest of the film, the acting was decent. It's what I've come to expect from a martial arts film from the 70s'; real campy and cheesy dialogue. The film was in dub, but it was bearable to listen to, in contrast to "The Way of the Dragon"'s dub. The music fit the film, and at some points of the movie, it switched to a James Bond-esque soundtrack. Half of the time I was thinking I was watching a spy thriller.

Overall, this was a very good entry in Lee's filmography. Unfortunately, he passed away 3 weeks before the film debuted, so he wasn't able to see his incredible work. But, the film lives on in cinematic history. Really enjoyed it.

The Films Of Bruce Lee: Fist of Fury

Directed by: Wei Lo
Written by: Wei Lo
Stars: Bruce Lee, Maria Yi, James Tien

Returning to Shanghai to marry his fiancée, Chen Zhen (Bruce Lee) a student of renowned martial arts teacher Huo Yuanjia, discovers his sifu has died. During the funeral, members of a local Japanese dojo show up and insult the Chinese students. The bullying continues, with Chen fighting back, but when he discovers the truth - that his teacher was poisoned on the orders of the dojo's master - he sets off on a doomed mission of revenge. (IMDB) When I heard the plot for Fist of Fury, I thought that the story seemed a little similar to The Big Boss (1971), Bruce Lee's earlier role, due to him seeking revenge for murder. This was also the first Bruce Lee film I saw that was completely dubbed in English.

I loved Fist of Fury, a lot of improvement between this and The Big Boss. From the opening theme song (one of the best songs I've heard in a movie), to the amazing fight scenes, the movie never had a dull moment. The acting is great in this film, most notably Bruce Lee. The fight choreography by
Han Ying Chieh was quite impressive. One of my favorite scenes was Bruce Lee fighting with nun chucks. The moments where there were romantic tensions between Chen and his love was great, and not forced. I loved that at times, the film seemed like a slasher flick, when Chen got revenge on each one of the dojo, and left them hanging on a wire dead. The film also starred a young Jackie Chan, in one of his earlier roles. Jackie Chan would go on to star in the film's sequel, New Fist of Fury (1976). Overall, I think this is an awesome film. See it!

The Films of Bruce Lee: The Big Boss

Directed by: Lo Wei
Written by: Lo Wei
Stars: Bruce Lee, Maria Yi, James Tien

Cheng is a city boy who moves with his cousins to work at a ice factory. He does this with a family promise never to get involved in any fight. However, when members of his family begin disappearing after meeting the management of the factor, the resulting mystery and pressures forces him to break that vow and take on the villainy of the Big Boss.

It's your pretty standard MA film in the 1970s'. The film is essentially an audition tape for Bruce Lee. The acting in the film is pretty cheesy, but the film is enjoyable. Bruce Lee doesn't start fighting until the 45 minute mark, and when he does, it's awesome. The main reason he doesn't fight is because he has a jade amulet from his mother. However, at that 45 minute mark, his amulet breaks, and then the fun begins. When he is fighting, the camera goes wide to show that he doesn't require edits while fighting.

Good revenge story with some great action scenes. My favorite scene was near the end, when Bruce Lee faces off against a gang.  One con, the ending of the movie feels a bit abrupt. I was expecting a better ending, honestly. But the ending shows that actions have consequences. As a first time viewer of Bruce Lee films, I definitely enjoyed myself.

The Invisible Man

Directed by: Leigh Whannell
Written by: Leigh Whannell
Stars: Elizabeth Moss, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Harriet Dyer
Plot: When Cecilia's abusive ex takes his own life and leaves her his fortune, she suspects his death was a hoax. As a series of coincidences turn lethal, Cecilia works to prove that she is being hunted by someone nobody can see. (IMDB)

From Leigh Whannell, the writer behind Insidious and Saw, comes a fresh take on H.G. Wells' classic monster movie character The Invisible Man.

Elizabeth Moss (The Handmaid's Tale) stars as Cecilia Kass, an architect who is deeply traumatized by her brilliant but harmful and controlling optics engineer boyfriend Adrian Griffin (Cohen, The Haunting of Hill House). Kass manages to sneak away from his beach house in a very tense-filled opening sequence. But no place, no matter how far away, is safe from manipulative Adrian, and Cecilia knows that she will have to confront him again, only to find out 2 weeks later that Griffin has died in an apparent suicide. Cecilia feels free at the moment, and finds refuge in the house of a family friend (Aldis Hodge) and his teenage daughter (Storm Reid). However, Cecilia begins to suspect that Adrian isn't dead, as eerie instances of an unseen presence haunting and watching her every step.

With a budget of only 7 million, this was a really well-made horror film. Whannell's direction is tense, and slow-paced at some points, but leads to very effective scares. Moss gives a very good performance as Cecilia (Latin for blind), and you really feel the paranoia that she experiences throughout the movie. There's a great sequence where she's being thrown around by the invisible presence, and that scene had me on the edge of my seat. The themes in the movie, which include traumatic abuse in relationships, mixed well with the classic monster movie feel.

Again, parts of the movie are slow, so not everyone will enjoy the film. But as a fan of the director's other works, I really enjoyed this film.

The Films of Bruce Lee: The Way of the Dragon

Directed by: Bruce Lee
Written by: Bruce Lee
Stars: Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, Nora Miao
Plot: A man visits his relatives at their restaurant in Italy and has to help them defend against brutal gangsters harassing them.(IMDB)

In Bruce Lee's only directorial film, he plays Tang Lung. who arrives in Rome to help his cousins in the restaurant business. They are being pressured to sell their property to the syndicate, who will stop at nothing to get what they want. When Tang arrives he poses a new threat to the syndicate, and they are unable to defeat him. The syndicate boss hires the best Japanese and European martial artists to fight Tang, but he easily finishes them off. The American martial artist Colt (Chuck Norris) is hired and has a showdown with Tang in Rome's famous Colosseum.

This film was decent, not as good as Fist of Fury or The Big Boss, but I still enjoyed aspects of the film. Positives for the film include Lee's fighting in the film was well done. I liked that he used nun chucks to fight off goons in one scene. Chuck Norris makes his debut in this film, which was fun to see. There was an iconic scene near the end with Lee and Norris facing off in the Colosseum. I would recommend watching this film for that particular scene, although it is near the end.

As for negative points of the film, I felt that some of the pacing was slow. In contrast to Fist of Fury, the film doesn't contain any action till 30 minutes in. For the first 30 minutes, I felt that the film was trying to be a comedy. One of the recurring jokes in the film involved Lee's character Tang Lung wanting to use the bathroom, and it came across as cringe more than anything. I didn't enjoy the comedy that was in this film.

Despite the film's flaws, I still recommend seeing The Way of the Dragon if you're a Bruce Lee fan. I would also recommend watching the fight between Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris on YouTube.

The Bourne Saga Part 4: The Bourne Legacy

Directed by: Tony Gilroy
Written by: Tony Gilroy & Dan Gilroy
Stars: Jeremy Renner, Rachel Weisz, Edward Norton
Plot: An expansion of the universe from Robert Ludlum's novels, centered on a new hero whose stakes have been triggered by the events of the previous three films. (IMDB)

Tony Gilroy, the writer of the last 3 Bourne films, takes the helm to direct this 4th installment. The film is a little different than its precessedors, however, as Matt Damon is not a part of this film. He was replaced by Jeremy Renner. Apparently, the producers wanted to create a new character, but set in the same universe. By that, the events in this movie take place at the same time during the events in the previous movie "The Bourne Ultimatum", thus making this movie a spin-off to the Bourne trilogy. And while the film has elements that make it a decent follow-up to the Bourne legacy, the film doesn't quite work all that much as a stand-alone film.

Aaron Cross (Jeremy Renner) is a member of Operation Outcome, one of the Department of Defense's black ops programs, which provides its agents with green pills that enhance physical abilities and blue pills that enhance mental abilities. He is given the moniker of "Number Five" and is deployed to Alaska for a training assignment, where he meets another Outcome operative, Number Three (Oscar Isaac). Their exchange is initially intense, as Number Three questions Cross as to why he is two days ahead of schedule for their rendezvous. Cross explains to him that he had to take a shortcut through a mountain ridge after having lost his chems while pursued by wolves, along with the requisite bloodwork he draws on schedule to send back to Outcome for analysis.

Meanwhile, Jason Bourne is in New York City exposing Operation Blackbriar and the Treadstone Project, leading to CIA Deputy Director Pamela Landy (Joan Allen) and Operation Blackbriar supervisor Noah Vosen (David Strathairn) being investigated by the FBI. Upon learning of this, CIA Director Ezra Kramer (Scott Glenn), also under investigation, calls Eric Byer (Edward Norton), a retired USAF Colonel responsible for overseeing the CIA's clandestine operations, for help. To eliminate evidence of the Blackbriar program, Byer decides to eliminate all Outcome assets. He orders new meds distributed to the agents, a triangular yellow pills that unknown to them kills them within a few hours.

Cross escapes from harm's way, and runs into Dr. Marta Shearing (Rachel Weisz), who tells him that he was genetically modified to retain the benefits of the green pills without need of continuous consumption, a process they call "viralling off". Because he hasn't taken a blue pill in several days, Cross realizes that he will soon lose his mental enhancement. He then convinces Shearing to travel to Manila with him, as the pills are manufactured there, in the hopes of being able to viral off the blue pills in the same manner he did the green.

The film contains all the fun from the original Bourne films, but the film lacks Jason Bourne himself. He's only visible through photos on the walls and news screens. Also, the first half of the film does falter a little bit. The film moves at a slow pace during the first 30 or so minutes, and it does take a while to pick up the pace. That, combined with the lack of Damon, make the film less enjoyable than the others. Jeremy Renner holds his own, though, as he is great in the role of the new character. He carries the same demenor of his character from The Hurt Locker in the role, and he pulls it off. Rachel Weisz is equally good, playing his counterpart and romantic interest (?). The film has 3 chase scenes, one in particular involving a motorcycle chase through Manila. It is also nice to see cameos from other Bourne characters, such as Noah Vosen, and Pamela Landy. Oscar Isaac is great, although his part in the movie is brief. Edward Norton is also good in the film, playing the villain. The cinematography is good as well, although it lacks the documentary-style filmmaking of the previous films.

Overall, the fourth installment of the Bourne films is a decent film. Just don't expect it to shine like the other ones.

7/10

The Bourne Saga Part 3: The Bourne Ultimatum

Director: Paul Greengrass
Writers: Tony Gilroy, Scott Z. Burns, George Nolfi
Stars: Matt Damon, Julia Stiles, Edgar Ramirez, Joan Allen

Jason Bourne is once again brought out of hiding, this time by reporter Simon Ross, who is trying to reveal the secrets of Operation Blackbriar, a new version of Treadstone, in newspaper columns. Information from Ross stirs up new memories for Jason, and he must finally uncover his dark past, all while evading CIA Deputy Director Noah Vosen. He has support this time, coming from Pamela Landy and Nicky Parsons. Paul Greengrass returns to direct in the 3rd film based on Robert Ledlum's novel series. After watching the Bourne Identity and The Bourne Supremacy, I was geared and ready to watch The Bourne Ultimatum. My favorite film in the original trilogy was Supremacy, mostly because Paul Greengrass can film a movie (his shaky cam filmmaking is great), but the original Identity is equally fun. I went into Ultimatum with the same expectations as the first two. And man, was I not disappointed!

Tony Gilroy had intended Supremacy to emphasise Bourne's repentance and atonement for his murders, but felt that the released film omitted this focus. Gilroy was persuaded to write an initial draft of Ultimatum, but did not participate further, and as of 2009 had not watched the finished film. Gilroy's screenplay draft was subsequently criticized by Matt Damon. The “Ultimatum” shoot was famously hectic, with writers George Nolfi (who directed Damon in “The Adjustment Bureau”) and Scott Z. Burns called in for emergency re-writes.

According to Paul Greengrass, when discussing Ultimatum and Bourne's role in it, "Bourne is a real man in a real world in pursuit of a mythic quest. What's wonderful is that it's an oppositional story. Is he a killer, or was he made to be a killer? There is an underlying feeling that Bourne is one of us, and he's running away from "them." He's trying to get answers, and he doesn't trust them. They're all bad, and the system's corrupted. To convey that with a sense of excitement in a very contemporary land-scape is great fun. If you opened your door in New York or Paris or London or whatever, you've got to believe that whatever the story it is that Bourne's engaged in [,something] could be happening there. What attracts me to Bourne's world is that it is a real world and I think I'm most comfortable there." And that's exactly the vision that Greengrass was trying to emulate in this 3rd and supposedly last film in the original trilogy.

The film has a lot more action than the latter film. The film literally begins with a chase scene, where Damon evades Moscow police. There are numerous punching scenes, all violent and brutal, a bike chase as well as a foot chase, and a car chase scene. Greengrass once again delivers with a realistic, documentary style of film-making. The shaky camera angles are fine to me, because it makes the audience feel like they are in the film, going through the action with the characters. Damon is once again magnificent in the role. He was born for the role of Bourne (fun pun!). He plays his role with a quiet intensity that draws you in instantly. David Strathairn is a newcomer to this series as Noah Vosen, and he's definitely having a blast playing the role of the villain. Julia Stiles is equally good here, playing Bourne's partner in this film. Joan Allen is also good as this film, reprising her role as Pamela Landy. Overall, a great third film in the franchise. All of the original Bourne films are great fun!

8/10

The Bourne Saga: Part 2 The Bourne Supremacy

 

Directed by: Paul Greengrass
Written by: Tony Gilroy
Stars: Matt Damon, Franka Potente, Joan Allen

In the follow-up sequel to The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy, Jason Bourne (Damon) and Marie (Potente) are in hiding in Goa, India, trying to live a normal life and stay low from Treadstone and the CIA. However, when an assassination attempt on Bourne goes wrong, he must once again take up his life as a trained assassin to survive.

There were no plans to make a sequel to The Bourne Identity (2002) when it was conceived. Matt Damon commented, "When The Bourne Identity came out I said, 'There is very little chance we will do a second film, just because nobody on the team who made the first wants to make another movie if it can't be as good as, or better than, the first one.'" According to producer Frank Marshall, the plot for the sequel was not based on the novel The Bourne Supremacy but also by Bourne's threat in the first film to come after the CIA if it targeted him. Producer Paul L. Sandberg felt that screenwriter Tony Gilroy's deviating so much from the book was necessary "because so much of the world has changed" since 1986, when the sequel was first published. Marshall said that Gilroy thought of an idea that Bourne "would go on what amounts to the samurai's journey, this journey of atonement."

The producers replaced Doug Liman, who directed The Bourne Identity. This was mainly due to the difficulties Liman had with the studio when making the first film, and their unwillingness to work with him again. British director Paul Greengrass was selected to direct the film after the producers saw Bloody Sunday (2002), Greengrass' depiction of the Bloody Sunday shootings in Northern Ireland, at Gilroy's suggestion. Producer Patrick Crowley liked Greengrass' "sense of the camera as participatory viewer", a visual style Crowley thought would work well for The Bourne Supremacy. The film was shot in reverse order of its settings: some portions of the car chase and the film's ending were shot in Moscow, then most of the rest of the film was shot in and around Berlin, and the opening scenes in Goa, India were filmed last.

According to a June 2008 article from The Guardian, "Two weeks before [the film's] release, [Greengrass] got together with its star, Matt Damon, came up with a new ending and phoned the producers saying the new idea was way better. And it would cost $200,000 and involve pulling Damon from the set of Ocean's Twelve for a re-shoot. Reluctantly the producers agreed—the movie tested 10 points higher with the new ending"

Paul Greengrass did an outstanding job directing. At times, the film felt like a documentary, being filmed all gritty and realistic. This film was great. I really enjoyed the action sequences in this film, more than the first. I thought Matt Damon was great once again. Joan Allen was a great welcome addition to the saga, playing the Deputy Director of the CIA. She plays a good villain to Bourne. I also loved the hand-to-hand combat scene in the middle portion of the film, with Damon facing off against the only remaining member of Treadstone, the corporation from the last film. The film has 2 awesome car chase scenes, one at the beginning, and at the end, both between Matt Damon and Karl Urban. My opinion, this film is a notch above The Bourne Identity, pretty great sequel.


8/10

The Bourne Saga Part 1: The Bourne Identity

Directed by: Doug Liman
Written by: Tony Gilroy & W. Blake Herron
Stars: Matt Damon, Franka Potente, Chris Cooper

Matt Damon stars as Jason Bourne, a man suffering from amnesia who was rescued by fishermen on the Italian sea. The fishermen find 2 bullets in the back of his chest and a mini laser device on his hip, which reveal a Swiss bank account number. In Zurich, Bourne finds a bank vault, where he discovers a bunch of passports, his identity, and a huge pile of cash along with a gun. After being trailed by security, he finds a friend and love interest in Marie (Franka Potente), and finds out that someone wants to kill him. Bourne also discovers that he has martial arts skills and scours through Paris trying to uncover parts of his past life, while avoiding assassins.

Originally, The Bourne Identity is a 1980 spy fiction thriller by Robert Ludlum that tells the story of Jason  Bourne, a man with remarkable survival abilities who has retrograde amnesia, and must seek to discover his true identity. In the process, he must also reason out why several shadowy groups, a professional assassin, and the CIA want him dead. The original story takes readers on a twisted and dangerous journey into a world of deceptions and conspiracies, offering a psychological portrait of Bourne, and giving them the chance to experience from his point of view the life-or-death decisions he makes as he seeks to piece together the dangerous puzzle of his missing past.

Director Doug Liman has said that he had been a fan of the source novel by Robert Ludlum since he read it in high school. Near the end of production of Liman's previous film Swingers, Liman decided to develop a film adaptation of the novel. After more than two years of securing rights to the book from Warner Bros. and a further year of screenplay development with screenwriter Tony Gilroy, the film went through two years of production. Universal Pictures acquired the film rights to Ludlum's books in the hopes of starting a new film franchise. William Blake Herron was brought in to rewrite the script in 1999.

Of particular inspiration were Liman's father, Arthur Liman's memoirs regarding his involvement in the investigation of the Iran–Contra affair. Many aspects of the Alexander Conklin character were based on his father's recollections of Oliver North. Liman admitted that he jettisoned much of the content of the novel beyond the central premise, in order to modernize the material and to conform it to his own beliefs regarding United States foreign policy. However, Liman was careful not to cram his political views down "the audience's throat". There were initial concerns regarding the film's possible obsolescence and overall reception in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, but these concerns proved groundless. Liman found that Damon understood and appreciated that, though The Bourne Identity would have its share of action, the focus was primarily on character and plot.

Liman approached a wide range of actors for the role of Bourne, including Brad Pitt, as well as Russell Crowe, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tom Cruise and Sylvester Stallone, before he eventually cast Damon. Damon, who had never played such a physically demanding role, insisted on performing many of the stunts himself. With stunt choreographer Nick Powell, he underwent three months of extensive training in stunt work, the use of weapons, boxing, and eskrima. He eventually performed a significant number of the film's stunts himself, including hand-to-hand combat and climbing the safe house walls near the film's conclusion

I liked The Bourne Identity. I thought Matt Damon was a good choice for the role of Jason Bourne. The film has some pretty nice action sequences. I was interested by the plot of a spy with no memory being tracked. The film has a good car chase scene throughout the city. The hand-to-hand combat scenes are really impressive. The film also has a nice final shootout scene. Overall, a good film.

7.5/10

'Extraction' is an intense action flick from the Russo Bros!

Directed by:Sam Hargrove
Written by: Joe Russo
Stars: Chris Hemsworth, Rudhraksh Jaiswal, Randeep Hooda
Plot: Tyler Rake, a fearless black market mercenary, embarks on the most deadly extraction of his career when he's enlisted to rescue the kidnapped son of an imprisoned international crime lord

In an underworld of weapons dealers and traffickers, a young boy becomes the pawn in a war between notorious drug lords. Trapped by kidnappers inside one of the world's most impenetrable cities, his rescue beckons the unparalleled skill of a mercenary named Tyler Rake, but Rake is a broken man with nothing to lose, harboring a death wish that makes an already deadly mission near impossible. This movie was produced by the Russo Brothers, who gave us the incredible Avengers: Endgame, and it stars Chris Hemsworth, who is best known for playing Thor in those films. The director, Sam Hargrove, was a stunt choreographer for the Avengers films. So I was looking forward to seeing a film that involves this team, but doesn't revolve around the Avengers.

This is a very intense film throughout. The film mainly deals with a "point A to point B" scenario, but with drug lords, shootouts, and child soldiers throughout. Chris Hemsworth gives a very good performance as Rake, and he plays with the emotion of a broken man who's lost his son really well. The cinematography is beautiful, with fast-paced shootouts, sometimes feeling reminiscent of a video-game, and I loved it. The rest of the actors are really good in this film. There is a nearly 12 minute scene in the film, where the camera follows Rake and Ovi (the boy being extracted) as they are being chased by drug lords, and there are no cuts in that length of time. That scene had me on the edge of my seat, because of how intense it felt. In regards to the story, of what little there is of plot, the story is the weakest part. It just seems too generic for an action film. What makes it interesting, however, are the scenes with Hemsworth and Jaiswal. The action scenes are impressive, some of the best action scenes I've seen in a film, and the stunt work is amazing. It looked like Hemsworth did some of the stunts in the film.

The film Extraction is on Netflix, so if you have a Netflix account, I recommend it. It's a great film.

8/10

The Bourne Saga Part 5: Jason Bourne

Directed by: Paul Greengrass
Written by: Paul Greengrass & Christopher Rouse
Stars: Matt Damon, Tommy Lee Jones, Alicia Vikander, Vincent Cassel, Julia Stiles
Plot:  The CIA's most dangerous former operative is drawn out of hiding to uncover more explosive truths about his past. (IMDB)

The 4th installment of Matt Damon's Bourne saga, simply titled Jason Bourne, is the new film from director Paul Greengrass. Not counting the Bourne Legacy, this film rounds out the quartet of action films that so far, I've really been enjoying. However, Legacy was disappointing in aspects. Nonetheless, I was anticipating watching this entry of Bourne's story. At 2 hrs and 3 minutes, the film is the 2nd longest Bourne film, with the 1st being Legacy.

After exposing Blackbriar (in 'The Bourne Ultimatum'), Bourne has been hiding out in Greece for the past eight years. He engages in hand-to-hand combat with other men as a bare-knuckle fighter to make a living. In Iceland, Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles) goes to a secure location with other hackers and whistle-blowers. She gets into the CIA's mainframe servers and downloads the Black Ops files. Simultaneously in Langley at CIA headquarters, Heather Lee (Alicia Vikander), the head of the Cyber Ops Division, sees what's going on and reports it to her superiors. As Heather tries to fix the problem, Nicky looks through the classified files on the CIA's programs, starting with Treadstone. It contains previously unknown information regarding Bourne, as well as his father, Richard Webb (Gregg Henry). It turns out that the CIA had David Webb under surveillance before he volunteered for Treadstone. Nicky gets what she needs and burns the evidence. Meanwhile, Heather speaks to CIA director Robert Dewey (Tommy Lee Jones) about the situation. They suspect that this involves Bourne. Dewey fears that Bourne could jeopardize their latest program, Iron Hand. He contacts a former Blackbriar operative known only as the Asset (Vincent Cassel). He holds a personal grudge against Bourne, considering him a traitor for leaving the program and outing their actions to the world. Dewey orders the Asset to go after Bourne. Elsewhere, a convention being held for a program called Deep Dream with its founder, Aaron Kalloor (Riz Ahmed), being one of the main guests to speak. Deep Dream is meant to be a social media program intended to give consumers the utmost privacy in their activities and businesses but Kalloor has been secretly working with Dewey and the CIA. Dewey wants to use Deep Dream for surveillance purposes through Iron Hand, which Kalloor is not comfortable with.

The film has a very Snowden era feel to it. Themes of whistleblowers and hackers are seen throughout the film, giving it an espionage style as well. When we first see Nicky, she is trying to hack into the CIA in a secure hacker/whistleblower location. At one point of the film, Aaron Kallour tells Director Dewey, "privacy is freedom", giving the character a "Snowden personality". Matt Damon is great again as Bourne, this time using gadgets designed to hack into systems. Julia Stiles is once again great as Nicky. We get some new faces in this film, with Alicia Vikander, Tommy Lee Jones, Vincent Cassel, Riz Ahmed. All of these actors give great performances, especially Vincent Cassel, who plays the adversary for Bourne this go-around. Cassel and Damon have a great fight scene at the very end. There are cool chase scenes shot in this film, with locations spreading across Iceland, Greece, and even the United States.

Parts of the movie feels slow, but tension between scenes are still there. The film doesn't have the fresh ideas of the first 3 films, and it relies on flashbacks a little too much (in my opinion). While I praised the cinematography style of the second and third Bourne films, I was distracted by the style here, as it added a little too much shaky cam at times. The film is enjoyable though, but there were some aspects that didn't sit well with me. The film is definitely the weakest of Damon's quartet, but it is more enjoyable than Legacy.

7/10

Donnie Darko

Directed by: Richard Kelly
Written by: Richard Kelly
Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, Mary McDonnell, Drew Barrymore, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Patrick Swayze,

Jake Gyllenhaal plays Donnie Darko, a troubled but intelligent teenager in the late 1980s'. He doesn't get along with his family (including his real life sister Maggie Gyllenhaal), his teacher, and his friends at school. He finds comfort in meeting Gretchen (Jena Malone), who agrees to date him. He also goes to a psychiatrist, who puts him through hypnosis. His other friend is imaginary, a bunny rabbit named Frank, who prophesies that the world will come to an end soon.

Although the film was always meant to be set in 1988, director Richard Kelly admitted he felt pressured to make the setting more contemporary. However, he could not figure out how to make the story work in such a setting and retained the original setting. In an interview with BBC, Kelly said he "set out to write something ambitious, personal, and nostalgic about the late 80s". Frank, the giant rabbit, was inspired by the novel Watership Down, which was to be taught in English class after the school had censored Graham Greene, a plot point that was abandoned in the final version. Newer information has shown the costume could also have been an inspiration from a dream Kelly had.

The film has supernatural events that unfold. For example, early in the film, Donnie's room gets destroyed by an engine from an airplane, but Donnie wasn't there to witness it. The film also discusses elements of time-travel, with Donnie and a teacher talking about wormholes, and Donnie references "Back To The Future". Frank causes Donnie to commit some heinous acts, such as burning down the house of a self-help professional speaker (Patrick Swayze).

This was my first time watching Donnie Darko, and I went into it with no expectation. I ended up really enjoying myself. I thought Jake Gyllenhaal did a very good job as Donnie. He captures the emotion as well as the scare factor. In the scenes when he's with Gretchen, he is the nice and charming young man. By contrast, in the scenes when he's with Frank, he puts on an evil smile. That gave me the creeps when I first saw it. The other performances are really strong in the film. I liked that Maggie Gyllanhaal played Donnie's sister in the film. I also enjoyed the ending of the film, and its something to think about. Overall, I enjoyed Donnie Darko.

8/10

Minority Report

Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Written by: Scott Frank & Jon Cohen
Stars: Tom Cruise, Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton, Max Von Sydow

"The Minority Report" is a 1956 science fiction novella by American writer Philip K. Dick, first published in Fantastic Universe. In a future society, three mutants foresee all crime before it occurs. Plugged into a great machine, these "precogs" allow a division of the police called Precrime to arrest suspects before they can commit any actual crimes. When the head of Precrime, John Anderton, is himself predicted to murder a man whom he has never met, Anderton is convinced a great conspiracy is afoot.

The original story reflects many of Philip K. Dick's personal Cold War anxieties, particularly questioning the relationship between authoritarianism and individual autonomy. Like many stories dealing with knowledge of future events, "The Minority Report" questions the existence of free will. The title refers to the dissenting opinion of one of the precogs.

Dick's story was first optioned by producer and writer Gary Goldman in 1992. He created the initial script for the film with Ron Shusett and Robert Goethals (uncredited). It was supposed to be a sequel to the 1990 Dick adaptation Total Recall, which starred Arnold Schwarzenegger. Novelist Jon Cohen was hired in 1997 to adapt the story for a potential film version that would have been directed by Dutch filmmaker Jan de Bont. Meanwhile, Cruise and Spielberg, who met and became friends on the set of Cruise's film Risky Business in 1983, had been looking to collaborate for ten years. Spielberg was set to direct Cruise in Rain Man, but left to make Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Cruise read Cohen's script, and passed it onto Spielberg, who felt it needed some work. Spielberg was not directly involved in the writing of the script, though he was allowed to decide whether the picture's screenplay was ready to be filmed. When Cohen submitted an acceptable revision, he called Cruise and said, "Yeah, I'll do this version of the script." In that version, Witwer creates a false disk which shows Anderton killing him. When Anderton sees the clip, his belief in the infallibility of the precogs' visions convinces him it is true, therefore the precogs have a vision of him killing Witwer. At the end, Anderton shoots Witwer and one of the brother precogs finishes him off, because Witwer had slain his twin. Spielberg was attracted to the story because as both a mystery and a movie set 50 years in the future, it allowed him to do "a blending of genres" which intrigued him.

With a creative director like Steven Spielberg at the helm of this sci-fi thriller, I knew I would enjoy this gem. The film has an intriguing futuristic story, and I like the ideas that are presented in this film. The film reminded me of another Spielberg movie, A.I. Artificial Intelligence. The special effects are amazing in the film, and the visuals really captures the futuristic setting (flying cars and flying elevators). The writing by Frank & Cohen is great as well, and its not too predictable. There are plenty of twists throughout the story. The cast here is terrific as well. Tom Cruise is great in the role of John Anderton, a man racing against the clock to prevent himself from killing someone. Colin Farrell is really good here as well, portraying a Justice Department auditor. Other highlights from the acting include Samantha Morton as Agatha, one of the PreCogs, and Max Von Sydow as the director of the Precrime department. The film had a great ending too, so overall I recommend this film.

8/10

Catch Me If You Can

Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Written by: Jeff Nathanson
Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Christopher Walken, Martin Sheen, Nathalie Baye, Amy Adams

New Rochelle, the 1960s. High schooler Frank Abagnale Jr. idolizes his father, who's in trouble with the IRS. When his parents separate, Frank runs away to Manhattan with $25 in his checking account, vowing to regain dad's losses and get his parents back together. Just a few years later, the FBI tracks him down in France; he's extradited, tried, and jailed for passing more than $4,000,000 in bad checks. Along the way, he's posed as a Pan Am pilot, a pediatrician, and an attorney. And, from nearly the beginning of this life of crime, he's been pursued by a dour FBI agent, Carl Hanratty. What starts as cat and mouse becomes something akin to father and son.

Based on a true story, Catch Me If You Can is a great tale of cat and mouse. I never heard of the story of Frank Abagnale Jr before, so watching the story play out on film was great to watch (Whether the facts in the film are loosely based on the book or not doesn't matter). Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio are great in this film, especially DiCaprio. I thought he was terrific in this film, playing, essentially a con man. Whether he portrayed a pilot, or a lawyer, he played the part really good. Hanks is funny in this film, and his interactions with DiCaprio are great. I think this was their first and only film together, which is a shame because they work really well together. Also, Christopher Walken and Martin Sheen are great in the film, playing Frank's father and (almost) father-in-law, respectfully. The score by John Williams in the film perfectly set the tone for the 1960s', and I loved the choice of songs throughout. A shame that the film didn't get any Oscar recognition, as I thought it was a great film! If you like crime dramas with a mix of comedy, I recommend this film!

9/10

28 Days Later...

Directed by: Danny Boyle
Written by: Alex Garland
Stars: Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Christopher Eccleston, Megan Burns, Brendan Gleeson

After director Danny Boyle and producer Andrew Macdonald filmed an adaptation of Alex Garland's novel The Beach, Garland approached Macdonald about his concept for 28 Days Later. In an interview with Creative Screenwriting, Garland explained, "I said to him that I had an idea for a movie about running zombies. I wrote it and sent it to him and the two of us went backwards and forwards with it for a few drafts... At the point I was working on 28 Days Later I had a lot of zombie movies as well as video games like Resident Evil turning round in my head." Early influences on Garland included the George Romero films Night of the Living Dead (1968) and Dawn of the Dead (1978), which he loved as a child, but he said he had largely forgotten about the zombie genre until he played the video game Resident Evil (1996), which reminded him how much he loved zombies after "having not really encountered zombies for quite a while".

A virus originally from chimpanzees has spread throughout the U.K. 28 days later, a man named Jim wakes up in an abandoned hospital. He begins to walk around London looking for a single soul, only to find the place deserted. He ends up at a church, only to discover the humans that have contracted the virus, and have turned into rage-induced zombie-like monsters. Jim runs from the zombies and comes across other survivors, fighting for their life against the undead.

With 28 Days Later, Danny Boyle definitely re-invented the zombie genre. Gone are the days of "Dawn of the Dead" (1978), where there were slow moving zombies. In 28 Days Later, the zombies here are fast, which helps add to the dread and tension. The humans who are infected also turn rather quickly, like within seconds. Some moments in the film made me jump from how uncomfortable it was.

This is a very tense movie throughout. The cinematography in this film by Anthony Dod Mantle is fantastic. When the survivors are talking, or when the zombies (or infected) are running, the camera angle tilts to the side, which adds a claustrophobic effect to the film. Adding to that, the budget of the film is low, so the look of the film has a grainy-like texture, which makes it look like a documentary at times. Danny Boyle and his crew made a good looking film. The acting in the film is great as well, with a standout performance from Cillian Murphy as Jim. The pacing of the film slows in the second half, but still kept me interested. Overall, a great zombie film!


7.5/10

Cats

Why?

Directed by: Tom Hooper
Written by: Lee Hall & Tom Hooper
Stars: James Corden, Judi Dench, Jason DeRulo, Idris Elba, Jennifer Hudson, Ian McKellen, Taylor Swift, Rebel Wilson, Francesca Hayward

Based on the award winning musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Cats follows a tribe of cats called the Jellicles. The Jellicles must decide yearly which one of their tribe will ascend to the Heaviside Layer and come back to a new Jellicle life.

I only have two positives things to say about the film: the songs are fine. Andrew Lloyd Webber made some good music for this show. It's a shame that the songs had to be used in this film. And the actors are clearly doing their best. They have some really talented actors in this film. Why they chose this film I still have no idea.

Throughout almost all of Cats, I kept asking myself, "why did this get made?". This film is truly a marvel in cinema. I've never seen a film this unnerving to watch in my life. The CGI/motion capture is truly nightmare fuel. The human faces on the cats doesn't match, which leads to scarring images. This film was supposed to be aimed at kids, but the kids themselves will be horrified by the images. The film is also quite boring for a musical. Not a lot happens. The cats just dance and sing for almost 2 hours!

I've never thought that a film like Cats could exist. This film is a miracle, and an atrocity at the same time.

2.5/10

Final Destination 5

**SPOILER WARNING**
Directed by: Steven Quale
Written by: Eric Heisserer
Stars: Nicholas D'Agosto, Emma Bell, Miles Fisher, Ellen Wroe, Jacqueline MacInnes Wood, P.J. Byrne, Arlen Escarpeta, David Koechner, Courtney B. Vance, Tony Todd

On a business retreat, protagonist Sam has a premonition of a horrific bridge collapse, where he and his co-workers die. He manages to get some of his co-workers and boss off the bus. However, the bridge collapse happens. Soon after, the survivors get picked off one by one and Sam must find a way to stop his friends from dying. The film also features a detective who is investigating the mysterious events that occur. And Tony Todd returns in this film (which I loved).

I think this film is on par with the first one. Compared to the other 3 that came before it, this film was a breath of fresh air. It felt original, with each creative way that the characters interact with Death. It had that relatively slow pacing like the first one, slowly building up to the characters' eventual demise. I especially loved the twist ending at the end, and how the writers were able to connect the film with the original. I like that the main characters got on the same flight 180 plane as the original characters. I felt that it was a smart way to tie the films together. If there were any cons, I would say that some acting is over-the-top, but that's to be expected for a film of this genre.

Overall, a great closer to the Final Destination films! Highly recommend if you're a FD fan!

7.5/10

The Final Destination

Directed by: David R. Ellis
Written by: Eric Bress
Stars: Bobby Campo, Shantel VanSanten, Nick Zano, Haley Webb, Mykelti Williamson, Krista Allen, Andrew Fiscella, Justin Welborn, Stephanie Honore'

Directed by David Ellis, the man who made the great Final Destination 2, the film is about a premonition (again), but this time it is at a car race at McKinley Speedway. After Nick O'Bannon has a premonition, he gets several people out of the racetrack. Now, he must stop Death from killing off the survivors one by one (The same plot each movie -- sorry if it seems repetitive!).

Going into The Final Destination (Great title--does it mean it's the last one?), I was expecting more of the same fun teen slasher-like kills and a great premonition, especially since it's directed by FD2's Ellis. And while the film had a great premonition to kick things off, the rest of the movie kind of felt too repetitive. Especially given that the main character sees visions of what exactly is going to happen before it does. There's no surprise to the kills unlike the previous films. The acting in the film isn't the best in the series either. The actors are fine, but no standouts in the film, in my opinion. The kills rely too much on CGI, so it doesn't look or feel as real as the other films in the saga. However, the last act of the movie is pretty well executed. The film has a great climax at the mall.

Just for the execution of the last act and the opening premonition, I recommend watching this film (especially if you're a die-hard Final Destination fan!)

Final Grade: 6.5/10

Final Destination 3

Directed by: James Wong
Written by: Glen Morgan, James Wong
Stars: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Ryan Merriman, Kris Lemche, Alexz Johnson, Sam Easton, Jesse Moss, Gina Holden, Texas Battle


Plot: High school senior Wendy attends an amusement park with all her friends. They all decide to go on a roller coaster (with the voice of Tony Todd). Like the others before her, Wendy has a premonition of the roller coaster malfunctioning and everyone on board dying. Quickly, she rushes herself and her friends off the ride before it actually malfunctions and kills those who remain on the coaster. However, Death returns to claim more survivors, and no-one is safe. This film returns with the staff behind FD 1, director James Wong and writer Glen Morgan.

This film is as good as the first one. There are a lot of fun kills throughout the film. One of my personal favorite kills is the death at the gym. (won't go into spoilers) The acting is pretty standard for a teen slasher film, with some Disney stars in this one (Ryan Merriman was in The Luck of the Irish, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead was in Sky High). The movie has a good pace to it, and it never feels slow or boring. I liked the use of CGI in the film, with the roller coaster premonition among the best parts of the film.

A great threequel for Final Destination fans. Check it out!

7/10

Final Destination 2

Directed by: David R. Ellis
Written by: J. Mackye Gruber & Eric Bress
Stars: Ali Larter, AJ Cook, Michael Landes, David Paetkau, James Kirk, Lynda Boyd, Keegan Connor Tracy, Jonathan Cherry, Terrence "T.C" Carson, Tony Todd

The film takes place 1 year after the events of the first one, as it is the 1 year anniversary of Flight 180. Clear Rivers is the sole survivor of the events of the first one. When she witnesses a premonition of a massive pile-up on an interstate highway, Kimberly Corman manages to get several people off the highway before the collision actually happens. But Death doesn't stop as one by one, the survivors of the crash die from the plan. Kimberly must uncover the plan from Death and stop it with the help of Clear and a police officer.

Like the first, the film has a great premonition sequence. The way that David Ellis (who was also a stuntmaker) constructs the scene to include dummies for bodies is very creative. The film does have a shock value to the deaths (one in particular has to do with an apartment ladder and an man's eyeball), and there is more gore in the film compared to the original. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the kills in the film. I also enjoyed seeing Tony Todd and Ali Larter reprise their roles. I do wish Todd had more screentime, as he was one of the best parts of the film.

I enjoyed the film just as much as the first. For Final Destination fans, this is a worthy sequel!

7.5/10

Final Destination

Final Destination
Review by Alexander Hall
4/21/20

***Review may contain spoilers***

Final Destination was released by New Line Cinema in 2000. It was directed by James Wong and produced by Glen Morgan, Warren Zide, and Greg Perry. The script was conceived by Jeffrey Reddick, who originally wrote a spec script for an X-Files episode. The film stars Devon Sawa, Ali Larter, Kerr Smith, Seann William Scott, Kristen Cloke, Amanda Detmer, Chad Donella, and Tony Todd.

When teenager Alex Browning (Sawa) boards a plane headed to Paris with his classmates, he has a premonition of the plane exploding mid-air. He panics after witnessing the vision, and ends up getting him and a group off the plane. Just in time, though, as the plane actually explodes, as his vision comes true. As each of the survivors begin to get killed off, Alex must find a way to 'cheat' death's plan before it is too late, and death comes for him.

As I mentioned in the beginning, I had a blast with the first film in this franchise. When I was growing up, this film scared me, because I had a fear of planes. Seeing the plane explode made me scared of flying in an airplane, just like Jaws made people have a fear of swimming. Just the intense tension leading up to the disastrous result (the plane explosion) terrified me when I was young. The score by Shirley Walker helped to build said tension. When I was watching the movie, and the first kill occurred, it slightly disturbed me, because it looked like a freak accident. That tone stayed with the rest of the movie. By far, though, the most enjoyable kill was the bus death. It was so unexpected that I was on board with the rest of the film's deaths.

The acting in the film is pretty good all around, with strong performances from all of the actors involved. By far, my favorite character was the ominous Mr. Bludworth, played by Tony Todd. The way he conveyed his part in the film felt like Death himself. Even with his last line, "I'll see you soon". Creepy! Towards the end of the film, the pace falters a bit, as there are no deaths But, the tension still lingers through, with a surprise ending that set up a sequel.

Final Grade: 7.5/10