[Review] The Gift

I ain't gonna lie... when I saw the trailer for The Gift, I thought it looked like a crappy stalker film, verging on parody and sliding into theaters during the back end of the summer. Thankfully, I was wrong. The Gift is a well-wrought suspense thriller in every sense.

Upper class husband and wife Simon (Jason Bateman) & Robyn (Rebecca Hall) move into a sleek new house (note: the windows are huge) located in the California hills. One day while out shopping, a creeper whom we will get to know as Gordo (played by a perfectly cast Joel Edgerton, who also directs this film) approaches the couple. Turns out, Gordo is someone Simon went to high school with. Shortly after, Gordo begins sending various gifts and shows up to their home unannounced, despite not having been told their address. From here on, we just sit back (or lean forward) and see how all of this escalates.

The story is genuinely unpredictable and it adeptly plays around with expectations. The intrigue is kept at a constant--each new turning point or reveal just propels the mystery even more. Conflict also rises within Simon and Robyn's marriage. Simon wants nothing to with Gordo, while Robyn is willing to give him the benefit out the doubt. Secrets are hidden, and we don't know whether to pity or fear Gordo. The tension is so thick that it actually creates some jump scares.

In some cases with films like these, the path to the end is more interesting than the conclusion, but here the climax still presents something fierce and disturbing that will complicate feelings and possibly rub audiences the wrong way. Anyhow, the film still drives home a not-so-subtle topical message that I'm going to refrain from mentioning for the sake of not spoiling.

The Gift should be commended for containing an original, well-written script. This film isn't a remake or a reboot or a sequel, and it isn't adapted from already existing material (not that that's always a bad thing), so it's certainly a welcomed occasion.

* 8.5/10 *

[Review] Shaun the Sheep

I'll come out and say that I am not very familiar with the "Shaun the Sheep" TV series. But what I can say is that the Shaun the Sheep movie stands alone as a charming and intently detailed, standalone animated feature. It's also *gasp!* dialogue-free.

Shaun and his sheep comrades decide escape their farm for the heck of it, and in the process they end up taking a bus ride into the city. But of course, it's quite the culture shock for them. They engage in some fish-out-of-water antics, or more accurately sheep-out-of-farm antics (buying clothes, going to restaurants, unknowingly eating a hot chili pepper), and they have to steer clear of getting caught by terrifying Animal Control. Pretty soon, they realize the big city is not for them, and they attempt to escape and make it back to the farm safely.

It's essentially like an animated silent film (even a bit Chaplin-esque at times). There's a lot of energy and much focus on physical comedy, tightly coherent visuals, and an easy to follow narrative. It all works wonderfully. (Hopefully) No one is going to get bored or put off just because no words are uttered. There's heart here, too. In one of the film's simultaneously poignant and humorous scenes--Shaun gets locked away in an animal shelter, and when a family comes in looking for a pet, all the animals prop up their appearance and put on their best faces.

We can't end this without mentioning the exceptional visuals. Aardman Animations is responsible for multiple gems (including Chicken Run, and the under-appreciated Arthur Christmas), and they have another one on their hands with Shaun the Sheep. The claymation is top-notch here, and the settings display various textures of wood, fuzz, and metals. It all looks very three-dimensional and depth-filled despite not requiring clunky 3D glasses. You might catch yourself just staring at and admiring the animation--just wondering about the great skill that was needed to craft it.

Shaun the Sheep conveys a sweet and simple ending that is almost welcomely cliche: "There's no place like home."

8/10

[Review] Fantastic Four

More times than not, superhero movie reboots come off as humdrum "Okay, let's try this again" attempts as the filmmakers try to inject new life into the franchise. When news broke of an upcoming Fantastic Four, the same thoughts rang out. But on the other hand, Fantastic Four (2007) wasn't very good, so there was at least room for improvement. Then, details of the cast emerged: Miles Teller, Jamie Bell, Kate Mara and Michael B. Jordan--which left some fanatics in a ridiculous (and racist) uproar. I personally thought the casting was great, so my optimism rose, potentially anticipating an "In your face!" moment. Unfortunately, even though the cast does a solid job, the story itself is an empty slog.

Following some childhood preludes, we flash forward 7 years and meet Reed (Teller) and Ben (Jamie Bell), two best friends who have been working on a teleportation machine. They're eventually recruited by a hi-tech university, where they meet Sue Storm (Mara) and Johnny Storm (Michael B. Jordan). All of this stuff is very watchable, but we start to get the feeling that the film is going to be hella introductory and origin story-loaded. In fact, about 45 minutes pass before any semblance of superhero action begins.

A huge chunk of the duration involves the team trying to get the teleportation machine to work properly, which isn't very fun for other people to watch. Once they finally do get it to work, the crew launches into another interplanetary dimension. They stumble upon a glowy substance that explodes and gives them all their respective blessing/curse superpowers and we'll come to know them as Mr. Fantastic, Human Torch, Invisible Woman, & Thing. I won't go into detail about their superpowers, because you probably already know or don't care. The narrative is so disjointed and misguided that it's hard to imagine anyone being satisfied with this.

The movie is basically either the longest trailer in history, or it's just one gigantic first act with a catalyst that comes extremely (and loathsomely) late. In a world that is crowded with comic book/superhero films and blockbusters that go for full glory, ain't nobody got time for this.

4.5/10

[Review] Vacation

It doesn't seem like we needed this, did we? With National Lampoon's Vacation already being considered a cult staple by many, 2015's Vacation represents the lowest of the low of Hollywood's haphazard, compromising, and unoriginal decisions to pump out these smelly and wasteful remakes.

Rusty Griswald (Ed Helms) and Debbie Griswald's (Christina Applegate) marriage has hit a rough spot, and their two boys James and Kevin don't get along. Rusty, being the son of Clark Griswald (Chevy Chase) decides to take a vacation to Wally World just like old times, and the whole setup reeks of "Why in the hell are we doing this again?"

Its brand of humor is a brand of humor that warrants no laughs, from the rudimentary slapstick to the awful dialogue. At one point, Rusty walks into the kitchen and says "Kids I have exciting news!" and Kevin responds with "James has AIDS?!" I'm open to a variety of different humor but I didn't even chuckle once throughout this entire thing. When the attempts at jokes make you more angry than happy, you know something is severely wrong with the film.

So, it goes without saying that this is a completely bastardized version of its predecessor. Scene for scene, it presents its spin on the original, but the spin just happens to be the worst version of each one. And it surely doesn't help that the kids are super obnoxious and unlikable here. The film's only possible bright spot is the Chris Hemsworth sequence, but even the best parts of that were already shown during the trailers. And Chevy Chase's appearance is just sadly uninspired.

Avoid taking this ride at all costs.

4/10

[Review] Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation

M:I is a franchise that has improved with each sequel, perhaps peaking at 2011's Ghost Protocol. And no matter what you think of Tom Cruise's off-the-screen endeavors, his versatility as an action star is undeniable. Rogue Nation is a small step down from Ghost Protocol, but it still brings the slickness.

After being captured and held a tortured prisoner, Ethan Hunt (Cruise) escapes with some crucial help from a mysterious agent named Ilsa (Rebecca Ferguson). Then, through some nifty technology, Ethan contacts Benji (Simon Pegg, as expected offers some comic relief) and they team together in order to track down a nefarious terrorist organization called the Syndicate, who are trying to start their own New World Order.

In a questionable surprise, Rogue Nation seems to hold back a bit on its lofty action sequences, chases, and hand-to-hand combat scuffles, and instead provides more of a mix of deception filled espionage thriller, heists, and imaginative yet near-future gadgetry. Don't get me wrong, this is still very much an action film, but the a lot of is deployed at the very beginning and the very end. There's a fight atop theatre rafters early on, as opera music blares in the background. While intense and well-choreographed, the scene can't help but feel like that sort of thing has been done many times before. The film just isn't as fun as Ghost Protocol and it does get a little overly talky at times.

There's no shortage of a charismatic cast, though--from Cruise's physical aptitude to Ferguson's badassery. The surrounding characters are familiar faces in Alec Baldwin and Jeremy Renner, operating in their natural elements. And then there's Pegg, who manages to be the most human and endearing of them all.

Rogue Nation doesn't have the high-octane setpieces of Ghost Protocol, and it isn't as memorable as its 2015 contemporary companion Furious 7, but it's a rather solid outing for fans of this stuff.

7/10