Movie Review Monday: 10 Cloverfield Lane

Welcome to another edition of Movie Review Monday!

This week's film is the 2016 thriller, 10 Cloverfield Lane, starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead and John Goodman.

I had been curious about this film after hearing some good buzz about it earlier this year. It is something unique, engaging, and fresh that presents a bold new front for franchise film-making.

We meet Michelle (Winstead) at the beginning of the movie, who gets in a car accident and is "rescued" by Howard (Goodman) and is being held in an underground bunker. Howard tells Michelle that the world outside is unsafe and he did her a favor by getting her down into the safety of the bunker. Michelle is suspicious and schemes to find a way out into a possibly unsafe world outside.

The movie is claustrophobic, intimate, and intense. Goodman delivers a great performance as a quiet, powerful, and quirky character. The thrills land each and every time, and there is this sneaking question in the back of your head the whole time of Howard's true intentions and if the world outside truly is unsafe (no spoilers!). The movie reminded me a lot of the recent movie, Room, which shared the sense of tight, up close anxiety (You can stream Room right now on Amazon Prime).

You really shouldn't go into this movie knowing too much. The reveals are half the fun but even without them, the acting and intensity of the movie are worth it. I knew that the movie exists in the same universe as it's spiritual predecessor Cloverfield (2008). Other than that, I didn't know anything about this movie. That connection can get the gears moving for you, but I honestly only knew the premise of the prior film, but now after seeing (and enjoying) 10 Cloverfield Lane, I'm going to seek out the original to get more background.

You can rent 10 Cloverfield Lane now from your favorite On Demand service or from Redbox.

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Movie Review Monday: Nightcrawler

Welcome to another edition of Movie Review Monday!

This week's film is the 2014 crime thriller, Nightcrawler, starring Jake Gyllenhaal.

The story follows Louis Bloom (Gyllenhaal), who searches for crime scenes around Los Angeles to film and sell to local news channels. The more violent and sensational, the better. From the first scenes of the movie where we meet Bloom, we immediately see him as an amoral, anti-social character who is intense and is willing to do whatever he needs to to get what he wants.

After some initial stumbles, Bloom eventually becomes very good at getting the shots he needs, going to whatever lengths he has to. The stakes increasingly get higher, and the movie does really well building the tension. Bloom is a strange character, but you can't help but be fixated by his wild exploits and behavior. Gyllenhaal carries the movie wonderfully, with only a few brief supporting roles. Rene Russo is the main supporting character we see, with her playing Bloom's local news station contact, Nina.

The film reminded me a lot of the Ryan Gosling movie, Drive, which is appropriate since Nightcrawler was produced by the same people who made Drive. Both are great, dark, character driven thrillers that you can't help but watch.

I definitely recommend checking out Nightcrawler (even if it isn't about the X-Men character of the same name). You can stream it right now on Netflix!

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Movie Review Monday: Minority Report

Welcome to another edition of Movie Review Monday!

This week's film is the 2002 sci-fi action thriller, Minority Report, starring Tom Cruise.

This is another sci-fi movie that has been on my list to check out for some time now. I rented it on iTunes for full transparency (it isn't on Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime yet) so this will be a review with that in mind, meaning is it worth paying for outright (short answer: yes).

The plot follows John Anderton (Cruise) who works in the prototype "Pre-Crime" division in Washington, DC in the year 2054. Utilizing special individuals who can tell the future, "pre-cogs", Anderton and his team prevent crime from happening and imprison the individuals for their future crime. Everything is going well until Anderton gets caught up in a conspiracy and finds himself alleged of the future murder of someone he has never met.

Minority Report is carried mostly by the performance of Cruise, and it works. They build a universe around him and give some depth on his character's personal struggles and drive. Anderton fully believes in the system he works in, until he has doubt in it and then is alleged of a crime himself. The twists and turns all make sense and add to the fun of the movie, which has some great action and a solid performance from Cruise.

This movie is certainly worth paying a few dollars for to rent. It's not the best movie or a perfect movie, but it works and is entertaining. It is also certainly of it's time. With the John Williams score and early 2000s CGI, it reminded me of Star Wars Episode II, but this movie is far better than that. Colin Farrell gives a strong turn as a skeptical federal agent in one of his earlier major film roles. It also has some substance, depth, and a dark angle to it as Anderton is a depressed, grieving, drug using cop who is compelled by a regret for losing his young son years before.

I recommend checking out Minority Report if you are looking for some unique, original, modern sci-fi. I also enjoy finding new, different stuff in the genre, so I am happy I was able to watch this movie.

You can find Minority Report on any and all of your favorite VOD services!

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Movie Review Monday: Unbreakable

Welcome to another awesome edition of Movie Review Monday!

This week's film is the 2000 thriller from M. Night Shyamalan, Unbreakable, starring Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson.

The movie surrounds David Dunn (Willis) as he begins to discover that he might possibly have superhuman abilities with the help of Elijah Price (Jackson) otherwise known as "Mr. Glass". Dunn has never been sick, has never been injured, and can sense danger when it is around him. Price bases his guidance on his encyclopedic knowledge of comic books.

In true Shyamalan fashion, there is an intriguing twist at the end, which happens in pure comic book fashion. The entire story is more focused on Dunn's personal struggles, discovery, and acceptance of his abilities. Robin Wright has a solid supporting role as Dunn's wife. Dunn's son also provides a strong push for him to accept and use his gift for good.

I have always wanted to see this movie so I'm glad I had the opportunity. It's a simple, interesting, and unique movie which holds up after over a decade past it's initial release. I like the different take on the super-powered, comic book inspired story. It also has some awesome cinematography, with very interesting framing for shots and neat camera angles. I recommend folks check this one out.

You can catch Unbreakable streaming right now on Netflix.

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Movie Review Monday: From Dusk Till Dawn

Welcome to another edition of Movie Review Monday!

This week's film is 1996's From Dusk Till Dawn, directed by Robert Rodriguez and starring George Clooney (in his first leading role) and Quentin Tarantino with Harvey Keitel, Salma Hayek, and Juliette Lewis.

Wikipedia appropriately describes this movie as a "action black comedy horror thriller", which is a clunky mouthful but accurately captures the unique mash-up of genres in this film. There is a lot going on but it all comes out as a cool movie that does its own thing versus what your typical Hollywood movie typically churns out. I would liken it to something like Shaun of the Dead, which has some great action, zombie effects, and lots of laughs.

I had heard some things about this movie so I knew what to expect with all of the genre mixing. I won't spoil things for you here, but just know it essentially starts out as one movie and then becomes something completely different towards the second half. It all just works and the movie is a lot of fun. The wonderful practical effects in the film are done by industry legend Greg Nicotero (made popular most recently with his stellar work on The Walking Dead).

If you're into horror, action, and Quentin Tarantino/ Robert Rodriguez productions, you owe it to yourself to check this one out as it is a cult classic. You'll have a lot of fun and you won't have to think too much (which is always a good thing every once in a while).

Check out From Dusk Till Dawn streaming right now on Netflix!

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Movie Review Monday: Heathers

Welcome to another edition of Movie Review Monday!

This week's movie is Heathers from 1988, which comes to us via Netflix and stars Christian Slater and Winona Ryder.

The basic premise of the classic movie is that a high school student named Veronica (Ryder) is fed up with her clique-y group of popular friends, the "Heathers", and wishes they would just go away. In comes Slater's character who has a deadly solution. It all seems like fun and games until the bodies start to pile up and the whole school is thrown into chaos. Think Mean Girls just with more guns, death, and mayhem.

The movie isn't terribly gory or violent. It is also rather cheeky and silly at times. It's a mash-up of genres for sure, a dark, comedic, thriller where Ryder is forced to deal with her problems maturely. There is a lot going on thematically but it all works. There is also cliche 80s and high school stereotypes in the movie, which is great decades apart from the time this movie came out. You have your overly dorky nerds, stupid cops, aloof parents, and dimwitted jocks. The dialogue in this movie is also pretty incredible, with zingers, one-liners, and quotables all over the place. It's a lot of fun and gives the movie its unique flavor.

My only gripe, which I totally acknowledge comes from me being in 2014 and this movie being nearly as old as I am, is that a major sequence in the film is about how the jocks are pranked and made to look like they're gay, which is apparently the worst thing in the world. It was certainly a different time back then.

I recommend this movie as a pretty solid popcorn movie you don't have to think too much about but it is certainly smarter than it looks.

You can check out Heathers streaming now on Netflix!

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Movie Review Monday: World War Z

Salutations good people!

Welcome to another Movie Review Monday! This week's film is World War Z, starring Brad Pitt.

This movie (loosely based on the book of the same name) is an interesting one for many reasons. First off, it had many production issues, creating a huge budget for the movie (nearly $200 million) as well as needing re-shoots to do the entire end of the movie over after the original cut didn't jive with the powers that be (the explanation of the original ending has some spoilers, so wait until you've watched the movie to find out how it was supposed to end).

The movie is also intriguing since it is so loosely adapted from the book. I haven't read it but I know at least that it is a journal retrospective of how the zombie apocalypse happened whereas the movie is more of a race against time action thriller. An adaptation of a book of faux interviews is difficult to be sure, but it could have been something more original with such a unique basis to pull from.

Alright, onto the movie itself. I watched the uncut version available on Netflix, which has more blood and violence than the PG-13 version shown in the theaters (check out the differences here after you watch the movie). I would recommend seeing this one since it is more of what the movie should have been. The violence gives the movie more of a tense, visceral feel that builds upon the best parts of the film.

For my actual review of World War Z; I enjoyed this movie. I enjoy the zombie genre enough and I like this different interpretation and worldwide scale to the story. Brad Pitt does well carrying the film, being in pretty much every scene. The zombies are great and I appreciate all the practical effects they used paired with CGI when it was needed. The tense action and investigative drama of the plot is engaging as you journey with Pitt's character to figure out this global epidemic.

While it could have been something completely different and original and isn't perfect, I enjoyed World War Z and would definitely recommend it. Stream it today and I hope you enjoy it as well!

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