Sidd_Movie_Buff

No Escape is directed and written by John Erik Dowdle. It stars Owen Wilson, Pierce Brosnan, and Lake Bell. No escape revolves around a business man and his family's move to Thailand. Prior to this move Jack Dwyer(Owen Wilson) is offered a job in Thailand that he simply can't refuse. This leads him to move his entire family there. Soon there after a riot breaks out and the rioters plan to kill any and all foreigners. Now Jack must find a safe haven for him and his family before they to are are hunted down with no escape. No escape is an all-around popcorn flick. That is the fact that must be examined while reviewing this movie. What I mean by this is I didn't have any expectation of an Oscar winner going into this movie. i was looking for a thrilling and energetic movie. Did I get one? Not really. I'm not saying No Escape was a terrible movie there were quite a few positives. For one Owen Wilson gives it his all and for the most part his portrayal of Jack Dwyer is very entertaining. Another good performance was that of Pierce Brosnan. He was mostly the comic relief of the movie and succeeded at that. Kudos to you Mr. Bond. I enjoyed the first half of the movie a lot. There was a genuine feeling of dread and some great shots. The cinematography was excellent and gave the film a dark and malicious vibe. The score played perfectly with the cinematography adding some serious suspense. I think the thing I liked most in the first half of the movie is that Owen Wilson was a normal guy not some secret spy trained in acrobatic espionage. The first half of the movie made him vulnerable and that's why it works so well. Onto the negatives. I absolutely despised the kids. The younger one was more tolerable seeing that in a situation like that someone that young would react that way. But the 11 year old was the worst. She had to be carried everywhere and was an all-round nuisance to not only her parents but to the audience as well. Equally annoying if not more was the constantly crying Lake Bell in her portrayal of Annie Dwyer. With three central characters this irritating its hard to sympathize. The biggest negative for me was the entire second half. The movie's shaky cam rises as does the utterly unbelievable plot developments especially someone's second coming. The film tries to add depth to the rioters by giving them a half baked motivation touched upon through 4 sentences given nearing the end. It, as expected, fails due to Dowdle's unwillingness to show Americans in a bad light. I think one of the final nails in this inescapable coffin is the fact that somehow in the course of 6 hours Owen Wilson is pulling of Liam Neason level moves. But, the single worst part about the movie was the ending. It was so far fetched and unbelievable that people in my theater left before the credits started rolling. The ending relied on an inside joke that no one really cared about in the first place. Just plain bad. I had fun with the first half of No Escape and painfully sat through the second half. I recommend seeing this movie and leaving around the 50 minute mark. Make up your own ending I guarantee it'll be better that the one actually put to the film. No Escape gets a C or a 4/10. There's no escaping the fact that this movie is plain mediocre.

The Martian is directed by Ridley Scott and written by Drew Goddard. It stars Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Jeff Daniels, Kirsten Wiig and a slew of other equally talented actors. The Martian is about manned mission to Mars in which Astronaut Mark Watney(Matt Damon) is presumed dead after a fierce storm and left behind by his crew. But Watney has survived and finds himself stranded and alone on the hostile planet. With only meager supplies, he must draw upon his ingenuity, wit and spirit to subsist and find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive. Ridley Scott did it again offering one of the best science fiction movies of this century. After Blade Runner, my personal Favorite of his, and a slew of if-fie movies I wasn't sure how he would ever meet his standard. Well He did! Scott offers some of the best direction I have ever seen in a science fiction movie. With intense camera-work Scott unleashes the sheer despair of being four years away from one's family, friends, and and most of all planet, while keeping glimmers of hope through out. This works hand in hand with the awesome cinematography done beautifully by Dariusz Wolski. A true beauty technically it holds up just as well in script and acting. My personal favorite scene in the movie was second to last scene in the movie. I was terrified but enthralled. The script from this movie was brilliant. Excellent Work From Goddard made the movie gripping as well as intellectual. With actual scientific ideas to boot this movie is very hard to pull apart. It holds not only great science fiction but comedy so funny I found myself crying at the hilarity of the moment. With inside joke galore, this was a great script. Finally the acting. Matt Damon was magnificent in the role of Mark Watney, demonstrating is comic chops and his dramatic finesse. He was optimistic, funny and smart, three characteristics it takes to pull of a role like this.I enjoyed Jessica Chastain, Kirsten Wiig, Kate Mara, and Micheal Pena. I loved Jeff Daniels' somber but caring portrayal of his character. One of my favorite characters was that of Rich Pummel, played by Donald Glover. He was magnetic in the part for such a small role. My favorite character in the movie was Vincent Kapoor played by Chiwetel Ejiofor. He was highly intelligent, witty, charming and resourceful. With a tight script, direction, cinematography, acting and no glaring issues, I am forced to do this. The Martian Gets an A+. The Martian is truly out of this world.

The Gift is written and directed by Joel Edgerton. It stars Joel Edgerton, once again, Jason Bateman and Rebecca Hall. The Gift surrounds a married couple(Jason Bateman, Rebecca Hall) as they transition into a new job, new house, new neighbors, new friends, basically a new life. As they shop for furniture Simon(Jason Bateman) encounters an old acquaintance from High school, Gordon or Gordo(Joel Edgerton), with a creepy demeanor and an obvious grudge. The Gift is ****. I can't call it anything it isn't. I went into this movie with medium expectations and left with a newfound respect and awe for one person. This person is Joel Edgerton. As a director, he can't do wrong. The shots were inspired and eerie. He cut at just the right times to ensure the audience is terrified but not disgusted. As a writer, he can't do wrong. This is honestly one of the best scripts of the year and I hope it gets an Oscar nomination. It was so well written. The major player in both the direction and the writing is that no serious violence was portrayed in any scene in this movie but yet it manages to crawl under your skin and linger long after the movie's over. This is partly thanks to the excellent cinematography by Eduard Grau. Finally as an actor, CAN'T DO WRONG! He was creepy as hell but yet you some how want to root for him. He plays the role magically and was by far the best part of this movie. Jason Bateman, oh how woefully I doubted you. At first I didn't think he could pull it off. But he did. He was perfect as well. he was sly and slimy as well as awkwardly funny and relatable ( before everything goes down). Rebecca Hall in many ways was the main character. She did great. Though she wasn't as good as Edgerton or Bateman, she certainly held her own. Another great aspect of the movie was the soundtrack and the score. It fit perfectly to the subtly creepy atmosphere. Finally Since the script was so well written the viewer is left in ambiguity towards the morals of a character and I find this masterfully executed with every twist and turn being virtually unpredictable. All and all I loved this movie. Some might argue that the pacing is a bit off nut with such a short runtime. Certain things are justifiably stretched our skimmed. personally I didn't find this much of a problem. The Gift IS my favorite movie of the year so far and is a must see. The Gift gets an A+ or a 10/10. Simon says go watch this movie!

Everest is directed Baltasar Kormákur and is written by William Nicholson and Simon Beaufoy. It stars Jason Clarke, Jake Gylenhaal, Keira Knightly, Josh Brolin, and Robin Wright along with a slew of about ten thousand other equally talented actors. A climbing expedition on Mt. Everest is devastated by a severe snow storm. Basically summarizes, the entire movie in a nut shell. This movie is literally Gravity on Earth. That isn't a complete negative. Like Gravity it is well acted, well directed, and beautiful to a fault but just as thin plot wise. For this review I'm going to break one of my rules and start with the negatives of this movie. This movie is very poorly scripted. The sheer potential of a story like this is as great as the title mountain. The fact that Gravity had a razor sharp edge on its themes of guilt and depression is what sets this movie and Gravity miles apart. Though the theme of redemption and survival is present they aren't as Hard hitting as they should be. Full of One dimensional characters galore this movie treads the line between watchable and enjoyable and luckily it manages to maneuver in just the right ways to succeed at both . Part of its success is awarded to the stellar performances from the all star cast especially Jason Clarke and Jake Gyllenhaal. Clarke may very well be the only three dimensional character in the movie because of his phenomenal performance. It was magnificent. It offered a deep sense of dread to the already terrifying landscape and only upped the suspense factor ten folds. Gyllenhaal does the same but in a more minor way which did disappoint me. Another great aspect to the movie was the direction. Baltasar Kormákur sure hand approach to filming the actors and shot was spectacular and definitely deserves praise. Now on to the single best part of this movie. This part should and will win best cinematography. The cinematographer, Salvatore Totino offers the best shots I've seen in a very long time. Rivaling Gravity in visuals if only at one thing Everest's cinematography was absolutely flawless. Every shot looked better than the last but my personal favorite was the first fall from the mountain. It was intense and unforgettable. Everest is an intense thriller that doesn't let up but leaves a lot to want in terms of plot which is precisely the reason Everest Gets a B or a 6/10. This is a Thrilling Frost Bite.

The Visit is written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. It stars Ed Oxenbould, Olivia DeJonge, Deanna Dunagan, Peter McRobbie, and Kathryn Hahn. The Visit revolves around two siblings, Becca(Olivia DeJonge) and Tyler(Ed Oxenbould), on their trip to met their estranged grandparents who they never previously had met. As they reach they are given a rather straight forward rule by their grandmother(Deanna Dungan), Don't stay up later than 9:30. Since the kids do, all hell breaks loose as they view some of the strangest things humans can ever do from their elderly grandparents. Shyamalan IS a great writer/director. He crafted a highly suspenseful and psychological thriller in the Sixth Sense. A emotional thrill ride for Unbreakable(My favorite of his). And, finally a pitch perfect atmosphere for Signs. This dude knows how to make movies. Though he's had more misses than hits, but he is persistent. I got to say his persistence payed off, big time. This movie was great! I was entertained the entire time. Shyamalan placed a close to flawless script in motion with taut, suspenseful thrills that grabs hold and never really lets go. That was marketed in the trailer. What wasn't marketed was the sheer hilarity of the script. I had a feeling that this would be a spoof on horror movies and I was right. The black comedy in this movie is untouchable and is thoroughly enthralling. Along with the thrills and comedy comes with a lot of thick emotional heft which was lacking in his past few entries. Finally the script offered realistic dialogue with little to no use of modern day jump scares with a twist so powerful it'll leave you breathless. On to the performances. The comedy in this movie is entirely credited to Ed Oxenbould. His instant out burst of rap are contagious. Not to mention his grade A sarcasm and charm should definitely land his a Golden Globe nod if not an Oscar. He was Mother Julia Roberts Good. He was the best part of this movie. A close second is Dianna Dungan. She was creepy, menacing, sympathetic and sweet all rolled into one beautiful performance. Although I didn't find documentarian Olivia Dejonge as entertaining as Dungan and Oxenbould, she added a certain depth to the movie as she and Oxenbould get over their personal phobias. As for negatives I had one minor one that snowballed into a big one. It's the over exaggeration of insanity of the grandparents' part. It was tolerable at first but then became tedious to watch nearing the end as they started to resemble real horror icons. Alas it slayed a close to perfect movie. The Visit is an extremely enjoyable entry into Shyamalan's filmography that ranks up to Signs and close to The Sixth Sense. I highly recommend a watch if one is looking for a comedy and a thriller but can only buy one ticket. The Visit gets an 8/10 or an A-.This movie is truly a welcome Visit from Shyamalan and a true end of summer treat

Transporter: Refueled is directed by Camille Delamarre and is written by Adam Cooper. It stars Ed Skrien, Ray Stevens, Loan Chabanol, Gabriella Wright, and Tatiana Pajkovic. This movie revolves around a mercenary for hire, Frank Jr.(Ed Skrien), Who takes up a job to help three femme fatals in their highly planned robbery. The effect of this is Frank's father(Ray Stevens) is kidnapped and now Frank must find a way to get him back. There isn't a whole lot positive to say about this movie it was mediocre and tame compared to the original trilogy. With that said Ed Skrien does inject just enough energy into this lifeless project to keep it rolling. In my opinion the Transporter films never had much energy to begin with, its all style. Yet they are some of my favorite guilty pleasure action flicks. Why so? Statham. Call him what you will he makes any action garbage fest watchable. Therefore this movie was doomed to begin with. The writing is pretty bad but from the writer of Exodus, its not that surprising. Filled with clichés galore the whole affair is unwatchable on an intellectual level. The direction is filled with sped up, shaky action sequences that make it horrendous to look at. The acting is so middling that its hard to care about the fate's of anyone. Finally the villain is so cookie cutter its strange they weren't in on framing Roger Rabbit. All and all this was a rather terrible movie and I pray to God that it doesn't make enough movie for a sequel. Transporter:Refueled gets a D or a 2/10. No Refueling Needed, Compaction Mandatory

I Smile Back is directed Adam Salky and is written by Piage Dylan. It stars Sarah Silverman, Josh Charles, Shayne Coleman,and Skyler Gaertner. Laney Brooks(Sarah Silverman) does bad things. Married with kids, she takes the drugs she wants, sleeps with the men she wants, disappears when she wants. Now, with the destruction of her family looming, and temptation everywhere, Laney makes one last desperate attempt at redemption. This movie leaves you sore and rather agitated. Partly because that's the point of the movie and partly, just partly, because we didn't ever really care enough to keep watching to the end. This was not the case with me. I soldiered through till the very, predictable end for a few reasons. Well really one reason actually now that I think about it. But that one reason makes a definite snooze fest into a spectacle to see. I am of course referring to none other than Sarah Silverman. 2015 has been a year which yielded many surprises in breaking type cast, but Sarah Silverman's transformation into Laney, a narcissistic home wrecker, might be the most surprising. I usually don't have too much doubt when it comes to Best Actresses so it pains me to say this, Sarah isn't going to win. Though she is the best female performer of the year, its unlikely that the Oscars would give any awards to an actors first type cast break. With that being said, she was revoltingly engaging to watch, casting a disgusting yet thought provoking shadow of an average American housewife's misdeeds. It was painful to watch at times but is ultimately rewarding on a character level. More than able to inject a few snips of humor to lighten the dreary mood, Silverman shines! In terms of the other actors Josh Charles plays a sympathetic lead but I would prefer him in a courtroom. The kids were very good and churned out some great performances. Basically the Brooks family is brilliant and the rest of the cast pails in comparison. Shame but not entirely their fault. The writer is to blame for most of this movie. Paige Dylan's intentions, though noble, are rather misguided. She mistakes tears and bad deeds for character development. Though this works to some extent, offering hints of insight, the audience never gets a full perspective into the minds of Laney and the Brooks family, though we feel like we do because of some devoted performances from its leads. Another aspect that I didn't enjoy much was the sheer predictability of the whole ordeal coupled with the poor direction makes this movie a Plodding and Uninteresting mess on a behind the scenes level. I Smile Back is amiable, albeit shallow, fair with a standout performance by Silverman. it gets a C+ or a 5/10.

Steve Jobs is written by Aaron Sorkin and directed by Danny Boyle. It stars Micheal Fassbender, Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen, Jeff Daniels, and Michael Stuhlbarg. Set backstage at three iconic product launches and ending in 1998 with the unveiling of the iMac, Steve Jobs takes us behind the scenes of the digital revolution to paint a portrait of the man, his estranged family and staff at its epicenter. I honestly can't start this review without saying this easily ties with my favorite movie of the year, The Gift, for quite a few reasons. Truth be told this movie has everything needed to build a classic and uses it remarkably. Writer Aaron Sorkin has quite a few gems in his filmography which include Money Ball, Social Network and A Few Good Men. He is as versatile as he is brutal in honesty. He works wonders in this movie revealing the man behind the machine rather than the machine behind the man. Without any scenes of failure or success, Sorkin forces his audience to understand the complex and often times revolting central Character. With extremely well written confrontations between Jobs and Wozniak or Jobs and his Daughter or even Jobs and his Boss, Sorkin relentlessly demonstrates the true nature behind the tech giant. Though this movie's central family tension and the Job vs. Apple drama are enthralling, Sorkin injects just enough dry and black comedy to keep the movie from becoming an influential figure's shaming. With that being said Sorkin also understands that the enormous ego of Steve Jobs had to be exposed as a vice and plays on that brutal fact perfectly. With 4 dimensional characters, great central dramas and pitch perfect comedy, this might actually be his best work yet. Accompanying the stellar writing was Danny Boyle's beautiful direction. Through seemingly unending shots and aggressive movements the audience genuinely feels like their in Job's presence which can be very hard to sit through at times but is ultimately rewarding experience. With visible passion from Boyle, this is one powerful ride. To my common readers I mentioned a few weeks back that Black Mass had the greatest ensemble cast of the year, I was wrong. This movies cast never really stops acting to the point of absolute realism. To start Kate Winslet portrayal of real life Johanna Hoffman was as beautiful as it was naive. She brought the character alive in full force and truly demonstrated she is one of the best actresses working. I smell a nomination coming her way. I had referenced Jeff Daniel's acting last week in The Martian, well he completely out did himself. He was tender at times and shark-like in others. He drew the line between intelligence and decency and walks this tight rope carefully. Five year old Mekenzie Moss also offers an absolutely astounding performance, uttering few but heart wrenching words. Michael Stuhlbarg works wonder as well on a albeit smaller degree. Now onto the two heavy hitters. A surprise to me and my theater alike, Seth Rogan gives the single best dramatic performance of his career. As Steve Wozniak, the literal opposite of Jobs, Rogan played the role with elegance and brilliance and I wouldn't even mind the Benicio snub if Rogen won the statue. The role demanded a sweet, naive, caring and ultimately explosive performance and Rogan more than delivered making the scenes of abrasion between him and Fassbender iconic. I have been holding off that name for the entire review because Micheal Fassbender is the only thing keeping this movie from failing. He dawns the character in such a way, I can only compare it to Jake Gyllenhaal from Night Crawler and even then I don't think I could fully describe it. Filled to the brim with nuance Fassbender offers a cold, intelligent, manipulative, calculating, and over all disturbingly realistic portrayal of Steve Jobs. I really can't envision a better cast lead than him. As calm as he is diabolical, Fassbender plays this egotistical narcissist with such precision its close to horrifying to watch. Though calm through most of the movie Fassbender understands when to unleash the monster which lays in Jobs and is absolutely volcanic while doing so. Under all the deception, tyranny, and technological brilliance lays a purely adroit and masterful performance. Though Johnny Depp in Black Mass was great and Ian McClellan in Mr. Holmes was grand, neither of them embodied their characters much like Micheal Fassbender and it would be a shame and a disservice to cinema if he didn't with Best Actor. He has proved he is one of the best actors of the generation. Steve Jobs was a privilege to see on the big screen and is so far tied with The Gift as my number one movie of the year. With Deft acting, exquisite direction, and powerful writing this movie is not far from a modern classic. Steve Jobs gets an A+.

Sicario is directed by Denis Villeneuve and written by Taylor Sheridan. It stars Benicio Del Torro, Emily Blunt, and Josh Brolin. Sicario revolves around an idealistic FBI agent enlisted by an elected government task force to aid in the escalating war against drugs at the border area between the U.S. and Mexico. I adore this movie I really do so I want to get my problems out of the way before I dive head first into all the goodies. My problem with the movie was simply the pacing. For the first half of the movie the movie drags and picks up in equal measure till a bar scene which just makes the movie flawless onward. Firstly the writing was phenomenal! Taylor Sheridan demonstrated perfectly all the darkness brewing under the surface between drug cartels. He also showed that it takes both sides of the border to do these crimes.Thus demonstrating the evils of the U.S. and Mexico. Through this, it was made clear that the corruption and greed of the U.S. go hand and hand with the poverty and desperation of Mexico to the point of true unadulterated terror. Next is The one, the only Dennis Villeneuve. With mastery of the material Villeneuve painted all the characters a shade of gray before revealing their true selves. He accomplished this through beautiful camera work and magnificent shots. With the help of living legend cinematographer, Roger Deakins this movie is a technical masterwork. Just as great if not better was the acting. Emily Blunt offers some of her best work, giddily ridding the underbelly of drug busts with remarkable finesse. Her role demanded sheer brutal emotion and she more than delivered. Accompanying her, Josh Brolin does some of the best work he's done in years. Working as a bit of a comic relief and as a brutal wake up call to both U.S. and Mexican citizens alike. Heart wrenching and breaking these two fine actor's churn out the very best in each other. By far the best supporting performance I've this year was offered by none other than Benicio Del Torro. His cool and understated performance is can only be compared to Javier Bardem in "No Country for Old Men." He was as menacing as he was sympathetic and all the audience and do is sit and watch in amazement and disgust as we slowly unravel this multidimensional character. Del Torro's performance can only be called bravura. Sicario is a wonderfully dark and twisted, yet timely and poignant movie with a strong cast led by brilliant work by Del Torro. Sicario Gets an A or a 9/10.