Reviews

London Has Fallen is a pure Hollywood sequel at it's finest. It's predecessor Olympus Has Fallen from 2013 was such a simple blockbuster that left my brain immediately after watching it. A film that just threw at a lot of action at you and it followed the same format of director Antoine Fuqua's other filmography who's known for making action films. Olympus Has Fallen so much exceeded expectations at the box office so it only makes sense a sequel follows.

Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) is now expecting his first child and looking to resign from his Secret Service duties protecting the president. After the British Prime Minister dies, the funeral is must- attend for world leaders and terrorists launch an attack in London. It's up to Banning to save U.S. President Benjamin Asher (Aaron Eckhart) in a wild cat-and-mouse game in the streets of London.

When you think of this series, you don't think of characters but as much as anything this film is all about Mike Banning and Benjamin Asher. Banning is made out to be a bad-ass and he does very well in the action scenes. Butler is very likable and you wish the character was in really a different series. The only thing the character does is basically protect Asher so don't expect a lot of secondary elements to him. Even though I've always liked actor Arron Eckhart, Asher doesn't have much to him compared to Banning and really he is a dull President. You do have big names in secondary roles like Morgan Freeman or Angela Bassett but the script is made for Butler to do the most work.

The only thing the film does really well is depicting London as the setting. From set locations, culture, and the British people, it surely feels like London even with it being just a Hollywood film. If this film makes money, (I think it will) expect the next installment to be in another famous and glamorous city like Paris or Los Angeles. So far, the settings of these films are the main selling point.

London Has Fallen is basically what most February blockbusters are. A mindless film with some pretty good action. London Has Fallen literally falls though.

Sitting through a screening of the heist film Triple 9, the film Heat from 1995 popped into my head immediately. Heat was 1995 and directed by Micheal Mann who had his fair share of good films. Heat has it's fan for so long after so many years due to it's cast and it was well made above everything else. Triple 9 is directed by John Hillcoat who's had a nice quiet career in Hollywood. I've seen many films from many genres not work because they are too similar to something else. Triple 9 is not as good as Heat or another similar heist film The Town from 2009 but Triple 9 works well though even if doesn't have originality.

Set in Atlanta, a group of corrupt cops lead and an ex-military leader, who are known for robbing banks and heist gets blackmailed by the Russian mob to perform a difficult heist. All the same, police officer Jeffery Allen (Woody Harrelson) tries to stop this group while really realizing he's in the middle of it.

It's getting more cliché to keep putting an all-star cast together but Triple 9 is surely an all-star cast. From Anthony Mackie, Casey Affleck, Arron Paul, Norman Reedus, Chiwetel Ejiofor, you have basically everyone here. Even Kate Winslet is here playing a Russian mob leader Irina Vlaslov even if casting as Winslet as a Russian character makes not a whole lot of sense. It's very hard to make sense of who's and what relationship is to everyone at times but you have too much power not to succeed nor acting is not an issue as expected.

Maybe even more why Triple 9 works so well is because of it's action scenes. From the rough kill scenes that surprising how gruesome they are or how rough Atlanta culture is presented to us which is a surprise. It's action scenes has a lot of energy and it's shows John Hillcoat power. A film that really wants to be gritty and it doesn't come short of it. Right from the first act, you know what your getting with Triple 9 and eventually, it all speaks for itself. Much like Pretty in Pink was a cousin film to Some Kind of Wonderful, Triple 9 is the cousin film to Heat. Triple 9 will be forgotten down the road due to I don't see it having a lot of staying power but still nothing to not make note of it. A pretty good heist film even if better heist films can be found.

I tend to see him more on People Magazine while working at my local supermarket more so than I would like to but I have still always enjoyed Leonardo DiCaprio since the early 90's when he started his career. He is an actor willing to put himself in the big spots and as he has worked with famous directors like Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino or actors/actresses like Johnny Depp or Meryl Streep and Kate Winslet, it shows he is doing something right. His latest film The Revenant follows the same positives along with some similar themes of his previous work.

Based off real events and set in 1823, Hugh Glass (Dicaprio) gets attacked by bear on a fur expedition. What follows is a survival story dealing with the themes of revenge, climate issues and the stylings of a western. A wilderness film trying to showcase life in the 1800's.

DiCaprio is usually the dominant character in every movie that he is in and The Revenant is no different as this is all about DiCaprio. Using very little dialogue at times and coming from famed director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu who uses these VERY impressive close ups and single shots, DiCaprio seems to be always in your face here. From the times his character is in pain to expressing emotions, DiCaprio is top notch and he can do it all. A type of personality that DiCaprio has never played before and being that's it's such an original storyline, it is one he will likely won't play again.

DiCaprio is the main piece but this cast has more. John Fritzgerald (Tom Hardy) is Glass's enemy and a character that brings revenge into the story. Hardy plays the role so well he's almost as good as Dicaprio. Played by actor journeymen Domhnall Gleeson, Captain Andrew Murray is a character who is the next closest leader to Glass. Even in the smaller roles, there are recognizable names like Luckas Hass (so underused though) and upcoming star Will Poulter.

The Revenant is so different from what we see every Friday. The type of style that I wish we saw more of. Something that just make us look forward to more Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu films. A film that should win Oscars once award season is here especially DiCaprio.

It always has been a respectable digital platform for films but this year Netflix went up another level. With them putting out respectable TV shows on their platform like Daredevil or good comedy specials from people like Chris Tucker or Aziz Ansari, they are an entertainment platform here to stay. Even more so, it's impressive how they stuck a big named actor like Adam Sandler to sign a four film deal with them. Let's also not forgot the film A Very Murray Christmas Netflix made with Bill Murray that came out earlier in the month to celebrate Christmas.

Due to a massive snowstorm during Christmas time in New York City, Bill Murray worries that nobody will shows up to his TV show. Even with everything going on outside, guests and celebrities still find time to join Bill Murray to celebrate Christmas and to find a real meaning to the holiday.

With really no plot here and only running fifth-six minutes long, don't expect a lot and this drags a lot also. It's a holiday special that depends on how much you like Bill Murray. He is much the same in A Very Murray Christmas as he is throughout the year. He is loud, obnoxious, and of course drinking is a must. His cast includes people like Chris Rock, Amy Poehler, George Clooney and others. Expect a lot of fun singing even by Murray himself and the best singing comes from really a surprising guest.

With the type of talent here and with the excellent director in Sofia Coppola, I would rather have wanted this to be a full-length film with actual real characters. In a way though, that is asking a lot. A Very Murray Christmas is at least a respectable holiday special even if it's a bit of a disappointment. It is a special that likely is just going to be forgotten in Murray filmography years down the road.

Without a doubt, Adam Sandler's career is among the most interesting of any actors in the business. By popular choice, it's said by some that his earlier films like Billy Madison or Happy Gilmore was his prime. For me, Adam Sandler's odder and less talked about films like The Wedding Singer, The Cobbler and even the below average Men, Woman and Children are to my eye his more interesting works. When you have the awful comedies recently like the Grown Up's series or That's My Boy, it's fairly obvious that Sandler is now on a downward spiral of bad films that doesn't seem to stop. Even if only a Netflix film, the part- comedy/part-western The Ridiculous 6 is a dreadful film.

Indian Tommy "White Night" Stockburn (Adam Sandler) never knew his real family until con-man named Frank Stockburn (Nick Nolte) shows up at his Indian Camp claiming to be his real father. After Frank Stockburn is kidnapped by Cicero (Danny Trejo), White Knight goes on the road to rescue his father. Along the way, White Night meets his five biological brothers who all also go on the rescue trip. The typical Western story involves money and some type of journey and of course all in the middle of a desert.

The Ridiculous 6 no doubt counts as another bad Adam Sandler film but he's hardly the only issue here.

You have an odd casting for the "Ridiculous 6" bunch of brothers. Rob Schneider as Ramon is the Mexican brother who literally can't stop talking about his burro. Jorge Garcia is Herm who can only talk gibberish due to his mom drinking and this is quite a waste of Garcia's talent. Terry Crews is piano player Chico and he is a totally forgettable character. Taylor Lautner is the strange Little Pete who's just too odd and I don't know why we like a character like this. Luke Wilson is Danny who's character's only plot-line is that at he's fault for letting Abraham Lincoln get assassinated and it servers no point to the plot whatsoever. Even Sandler plays his role very dryly and he doesn't seem to care much about this. The acting really is not bad and it's a start at least but these characters seems so off together and it is very uneven.

Once you get past the main issues, the problems then go to the plot and the secondary characters. Again the talent is here in these secondary roles with actors like Danny Trejo, Steve Zahn, Will Forte, but the list goes on of wasted actors in more useless roles. This movie could go down in film history as a film with some of the most wasted talent. The plot itself is so basic for a Western and never goes anywhere new. The plot is also hamstrung sometimes and can't go anywhere because they try so hard to insert humor that it disrupts the plot. There is typical bathroom humor that you sometimes get in Sandler films but then you have some pretty dirty humor in this movie. When you combine bathroom humor and dirty jokes, who knows then who your main audience is? Kids wouldn't care about this and adults don't support Sandler like they once did.

Even if the Western genre isn't as popular as it once was, better Westerns can be found than The Ridiculous 6. It is a highly forgettable movie with not a laugh or chuckle to be found. Unlike most Sandler films, this had some potential but at this point in his career, he never puts himself in with good material. Let's also not forgot the four film deal Sandler has with Netflix. Three more films for our viewing pleasure are coming up!

You can write off the Star Wars series really easily. It's talked about nonstop through every decade. Your audience who are Star Wars "fan boys" are likely the most boisterous fans of any film series. Unlike many others, it's a series to whole variety of people and that's why it's made so much money through the years. It will always be one of the few series known to create trilogies so many years after the last trilogy in the series. Director, George Lucas has remastered the original films so much it has got to the point of being very tiresome. All of these things are a bit much but still I can't deny what great art Star Wars: A New Hope is. Of course, this is the Star Wars movie that started it all.

In the simplest way I can describe it, the plot of A New Hope consists of enemy and empire leader Darth Vader taking Princess Lea (Carrie Fisher) hostage. A hotshot named Han Solo (Harrison Ford), two droids named R2-D2 (who has major plans of the empire) and CP-3P0 and basically a young kid named Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) are the main keys to saving the galaxy.

At the first glance, the plot seems a lot to comprehend even if it is so original. It comes down to good characters that helps the plot work. Han Solo is exactly Harrison Ford's personality; so cocky and such a scrooge so it's hard not to like him. Luke Skywalker is really the ultimate underdog character and it's just make you wish Hamill had a career outside of this series because he brings so much to this character. Princess Lea is what a princess should be; she's sexy and much more likable then the other princess characters around. Darth Vader right from the start gives off of a vibe of an ionic villain and he's the character you want to see more of even if he is the villain. Really, even the droids have some character development where as CP-3P0 is nerdy and a clumsy fellow and R2-D2 is always willing to be in the big moments.

This classic gets even better once you realize how well it's made. For a film made in 1977, it seems so new and effects that are acceptable even now. There is action that never lets up and the third act action really is something. From the desert area where Luke grew up to the many spaceship scenes, the settings are really chosen well which is really something for film from the 70's. Even more, it has a 70's-type charm that is not dated still. Basically in a nutshell, I am saying that this first installment of the Star Wars series is timeless.

Very few films come close to what this film is. This is the type of cinema that comes around in once a lifetime for a person. Even though I am a bigger fan of the Star Trek series (please don't shoot me fan boys!), I can still can get into Star Wars quite a bit. It might be cliché to say but Star Wars is surely something special.

When watching Sisters, you really get a vibe that the leads Amy Poehler and Tina Fey have something really special going as a duo. They both have humor that is not normal for actresses. Both are willing to go the extra mile to be dirty. A duo that seems like they can work with a lot of material. Both have some really good moments in Sisters but even they can't make Sisters survive.

Katie Ellis (Fey) is a loudmouth lady who can't seem to get anything right for herself and who is struggling to raise her daughter Hayley (Madison Davenport). Her sister Maura Ellis (Poehler) is the likely the better sibling of the family who supports herself better then Katie but still, she is not married and her life doesn't seem to be going anywhere. After their childhood home is set to be put on the market, both sisters throw a party at their old house with a lot of nostalgia while family morals are learned and both find out how to better themselves. Sisters is part comedy with some drama elements thrown in.

Right from the get go, it's obvious Fey and Poehler are both meant to lead this film. They have the chemistry and are very likable but Sisters struggles to use them properly. Fey can be so unlikable at times but then she randomly goes through stretches where she is completely fine. There are some very good laughs here between them but they do run out and it seems the film wants way too much out of them. There are no supporting actors to help them. John Cena and John Leguizamo are here in supporting roles and are just so unfunny and neither produce anything to add to the story.

The plot has it's ideas but what comes together is an uneven mess. The party itself looks great and so much good effort was put into it. It's a party though that's very unrealistic at times and runs WAY too long. We never know where this element is meant to go and it doesn't seem to fully connect to the ideas of family morals and the theme of sisters. The script goes every which way and needs more focus.

Sisters is a lost cause ultimately. We just hope Poehler and Fey will be together more in the future and in something better. Even though it is more heavy, go seek out the somewhat similar like Miss You Already from earlier this year which is better. It should also be noted that with Sisters getting the same release date as Star Wars: Force Awakens, it's film fate is not looking very good whatsoever.

Before Planes, Trains and Automobiles, director John Hughes seemed to be on his way to only making high school films. Don't get me wrong, all his high school films had style and heart but something like Breakfast Club which dealt with a lot of strong issues basically showed Hughes could also move into another genre. In the best way possible, we didn't really expect the classic road trip film like Planes, Trains and Automobiles; the first different type of film he did as a director.

Two days before Thanksgiving, Neal Page (Steve Martin) and Del Griffith (John Candy) are traveling from New York to Chicago and are both trying to get home for the holiday. After their flight gets grounded by a Chicago snowstorm that strands Neal and Del in Wichita, Kansas, both go on a crazy journey to try to get home. It is a plot that would be so basic now but when this came out in 1987, it was kind of unique.

As he did with his high school films, Hughes makes Planes, Trains and Automobiles stands out mostly because of characters. Neal is a pretty high level executive who is a slimeball at times but still has a heart somewhere down inside of him. Del talks too much and makes his money by selling shower rings but again like Neal he knows what's for the best. Hughes makes two great characters that can coexist and they don't override each other. Even more so, these are great performances from Martin and Candy.

Nowadays, the road trip genre films struggle with plots that are just too far-fetched. Even though the plot of Planes, Trains and Automobiles might have too much of bad luck in it to be believable, you can still accept it more then most other films of this type. Planes gets grounded every year and people are stranded because we know how bad weather can be around the holidays. People do take buses like Neal and Del did for transportation at one point in the movie. John Hughes basically proves you don't have to be radical and overdo it in a road trip plot.

John Hughes did so many great things in his career and Planes, Trains and Automobiles is the quintessential road trip film. Very few road films have come close to it. Even though I liked Uncle Buck which came a few years later, Planes, Trains and Automobiles was probably the last great ride for Hughes as a director.

Next to the zombie genre, sports dramas are usually pretty unoriginal. They have nowhere to grow and they at times follows the same formula piece by piece. With it being America game, you see so many of these football films and really only a handful work. My All American is more of the same.

Freddie Steinmark (Finn Wittrock) is a high school football star who eventually goes on to play college football at Texas University. This is a story of Freddie's efforts and setbacks while at Texas that changes his life forever.

As someone who walked into the theater knowing nothing about this story, the plot is based off a real story of Freddie Steinmark's life. Frankly, I don't think this movie will have an audience outside of Texas. Freddie is sure a likable character even if he is single-minded about football but more times then not I asked the question "why". Why should we care so much about this guy? Why so much into his life story? He sure has a lovely girlfriend in character Linda Wheeler (Sarah Bolger) but there's no room for her to grow. Even a big name like Aaron Eckhart playing Texas coach Darrell Royal doesn't work because there is nothing is to the character and nowhere to go with it. Don't get wrong, it's a nice story but a 30 for 30 feature makes more sense for the story.

My All American evens get more cliché really once you get into the depth of the football aspect. We see football scenes that have been done so many times before. So many of the game highlights just drag. The ending really wants to really grip you even though it doesn't come close and is so cheesy. If one of the purposes of the story was to get me interested in Texas Longhorns football, then it was very far off.

This movie is easily watchable but it feels so much like a one-time watch. Really what's the point of it if you already know the story the most dramatic happening in the plot is in the third act; a third act that drags badly. My All American is one of the many sports stories we can just skip.

Even with her at times making disastrous films and even when her career was pretty much dead in the 90's, I have always supported Drew Barrymore. I grew up watching her in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and it surely put her on the map. I have found most of her comedies especially the ones with Adam Sandler to be very unfunny but still found other comedies of her's like Going the Distance and Fever Pitch to be at least watchable. Even in such a small role, her being in the first Scream was such an iconic scene for horror and herself. Miss You Already is such a nice step for her and something completely different from the usual films we get from Barrymore.

Milly (Toni Collette) and Jess (Barrymore) have been lifelong friends after Jess moves to England in her childhood. Even with different personalities, they have always supported each other. Now Miley is diagnosed with cancer and Jess having her first child, the two must bond together at such an important time.

It will always be a classic film but Toni Collette was really the unsung hero of Sixth Sense. She has been in so many roles and will always have that "mom" vibe. Her character, Milly in this movie brings so much to the table. She is a part rocker, part mom, and part cancer patient. You go through so much with this character and it is really hard not to like her even when she goes through some rough spots. Even with Barrymore bringing that same vibe that she does with every character that she plays, it is still a likable character and you root for her every step of her pregnancy. Also there are good actors like Paddy Considine and Dominic Cooper in the secondary roles.

Miss You Already works on so many levels but being set in Britain helps a lot along the way. The movie is able to use good British humor and British culture that supplements the plot and is important because this is so different for Barrymore who proved she can be effective in a movie with a British plot.

Miss You Already has a lot going for it. It makes you want Toni Collette and Drew Barrymore do more things together because they really are a nice duo. The film likely is going to get overshadowed this weekend by new release Spectre and The Peanuts Movie and that is kind of a shame.

Along with vampires and dystopian society movies derived from teens novels, zombies are another trend in the pop culture world. Sure, they have always been around including the classics of the George Romero films or the Underworld series but also now we have the massively popular Walking Dead series dealing with zombies and they are on another level in the current times. As much as any trend, who knows how much longer this will last and they already seem to be on the downside. Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse is a strange but positive addition to the zombie genre.

This is a comedic movie where Ben (Tye Sheridan), Carter (Logan Miller), and Augie (Joey Morgan) are all best friends who have been cub scouts since they were little. Now in high school and following the various high school clichés, Carter and Ben find it not "cool" anymore to be in cub scouts and want to quit. During a camping trip, the scouts encounter a zombie outbreak in their town where their scouting abilities are put to the test. If you combine every zombie film from the last ten years and every high school comedy you have ever seen, you get Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse. The horror scenes are such long scenes where pacing is never on point. Even somehow we are all supposed to believe a big bomb is used effectively as it was by the teens in one of the zombie scene. Still, the makeup is on point and film goes the extra mile using some effective close-up shots during those horror scenes. It give us no clear idea as to how this outbreak happens but it does gives us an interesting scene that gives a string of flashbacks from Outbreak from 1995. Really, no plot is ever developed but with something like this, we shouldn't expect it.

These main characters are likable especially Tye Sheridan (the kid is getting big roles in Hollywood for a reason) and chemistry is there between all of them. The movie follows the clichés of the high school films and a guy trying to win somebody over. For a film dealing with scouts, it's raunchier than you might expect and produces some pretty good laughs at times. Basically, if you are a current boy scout, you probably shouldn't be seeing this. This is such a mindless film with such basic elements with a script at times that feels like it could have possibly made by 15-year olds.

Where this film rises so high is the idea of the boy scouts. Where have you ever seen boy scouts as main characters and used in a this way like this one that is so out of left field? It's not at all a shining or positive portrayal of the scouts and it is going to be interesting to see if anything transpires from it. Basically, the scouts are depicted as lame and it gives us no reason for us to look at them positively. Even with this negative portrayal of scouts, this is quite interesting to watch. The story basically blasts a large and influential American organization.

Even beyond the issue of the scouts, I can see this film possibly having a cultural or cult-like impact. The third act has a costume design change where the main characters are wearing clothes that could be easily Halloween costumes even though the scouts organization must put a stop to that. The tone presented here has a cult vibe and through cell phones and dialogue, it really wants us to showcase the year 2015 which could really be interesting twenty years down the road. I'm very curious where the film will stand in even ten years.

The Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse is not the best zombie film of the last ten years but is still very respectable. At least, it is one of the most original films of the year. This movie is an edgy and guilty pleasure and a good time for everyone this Halloween weekend .

Now after four sequels and spin-off film, it's forgotten what a good horror Paranormal Activity from 2009 was. Originally supposed to come out in 2007 and eventually sat on the shelf for two years later, it had a Blair Witch vibe with such a memorable ending. A positive addition to the found footage genre. Once the sequels started, they had weak story- line and a cash grab vibe to them. Even though it's not without it's problems, the fourth one and it's spin-off film both stood out with originality with the fourth one having a high school vibe and the spin off exploring a rough Oxnard, California culture. Now said to be the last one, the Paranormal Activity: Ghost Dimension is a mess that somehow and someway still makes it's way to the finish line and is a positive film.

For some reason set in Christmas time 2013, the Fleege family move into a new house where they discover spooky tapes that uncovers a dark past and a demon starts to terrorize the family. So much of the plot goes back to Part Three. We found tapes in that one and young's girl are in that story as well. Every ending to these films have really ended the same and the same could be said about any found footage film ending for the matter. That found footage shooting style with these movies will never change and really except those long drawn out scenes it really added to the tension. The poster of this movie brings you back to the original Poltergeist though the plot line is not really explained. Through every act you keep asking "Why" and "Why this family and what is the connection to the main idea?".

In the middle of this rehash though are some high points. These are not exactly great characters and there is not a lot to them but the acting could be much worse. There are really not a lot of big jump scares either. You do get some good humor at times which is the most original thing in this one and something new to the series after all these years. The paranormal visuals look great and that surely goes back to editing. Even if lacking a 80's vibe to them, even the tapes in this stand out much more than Part Three tapes.

If this is truly the end, the Paranormal Activity movies should have never got this far. It always should have been a stand-alone film and it's plot didn't really need to go further. The screening I was at had so many phones out with a lot teenagers running around. This surely wasn't the original audience for Paranormal Activity at the start of the series. Even though I found Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension above average, it is best for this series to end.

Say what you want about America but money is a very big part of our society. It's a free-for-all pursuit of money and it so helps with having a good family background. If you can't afford college to get your degree or don't have a career after high school, you are on your own. It's like high school all over where you have to find yourself again.

99 Homes has many themes pertinent to today's society. From the idea of money and how to handle your money and also the banking system, it's an accurate image of our society today. Who knows how it will hold up twenty years down the road due to how society is going to change but for now 99 Home knows exactly what's going in the world now and tells it's story in a very original way.

Dennis Nash (Andrew Garfield) is an unemployed construction worker who gets evicted along with his family from his home by businessman and con-man Rick Carver (Michael Shannon). As a way of getting his childhood home back, Dennis joins Rick's business team not knowing what lies ahead for him.

As most kids after high school, I didn't have a plan for myself and college was my only option. I was lucky enough to get a good job at a grocery store that will be able to support me though college. Even though I had my differences with my hometown, growing up in one of the richest towns in Michigan had it's perks also. It's so hard and heartbreaking to watch Dennis not have money or a name to himself. He must support his mother Lynn (Laura Dern) and his son Conner (Noah Lomax) through only construction jobs. Then you have someone like Carver who's at the different end of the spectrum and doing everything right for himself but he is someone who makes his big dough from forcing people out of their own homes and in the wrong way. As we expect, Michael Shannon, always plays a determined and powerful character and he is able to captivate every character that he plays. That said, Andrew Garfield's performance is even more impressive. He is able to express through emotions the things his character is dealing with and he takes you on a ride with him. He plays a character who does not know how to save his family and who is wondering if the scheme he is involved in is the right thing to do. His morals and values are being severely tested.

Another example of the money ideas at play here is the setting. The movie is set in Orlando, Florida, with some of the biggest houses on the street sitting next to the smallest houses where the evictions happen. It is such an accurate image again of how different the concept "money" is for everyone. Some people are set for life where others are living paycheck to paycheck. This film seems to know both sides of that so well.

99 Homes is a film that the main topic is eviction and really this should have been dull ride. How this film is able make this topic interesting and thought-provoking is very impressive. 99 Homes is so off the map on this topic but in a good way.

99 Homes is a character study with Oscar quality performances especially from Garfield. It is also societal story and commentary, a story of determination and one of the top films of the year all rolled in one. There are literally are 99 reasons to go see this movie.

The Transporter series is what I consider a low-level spy series. Even though it has put Jason Statham on a career path as the action guy and it's made it's fair share of money, it's just not something I hear talked about. You hear more enthusiasm when it comes to the James Bond series or even The Mission Impossible series. Transporter is basically like Kmart to Walmart when you compared it to the other big spy series.

It's been seven years since the last one and everyone forgot the television series that came out in 2012. I don't think anybody asked for a fourth installment and this has been promoted very little. With Statham now not in the lead role and using an entirely new cast, it's put in time of post-summer and post-blockbuster season. A time where studios throw films out with no confidence in them. With Transporter Refueled, you should basically know with what you are getting going into.

In the year 2010 and in south of France, Frank Martin (Ed Skrein) goes on a wild ride dealing with saving his dad, getting caught up in a strange prostitution ring and a money plot.

Skrein is famous for leaving Game of Thrones and we will really see what he can do in a lead role as the villain in Deadpool next year. He's not bad for what he does; it's just he does everything you would expect. He can fight, has his way with women, can drive a car very well and has style. He is basically the typical hot shot action guy who the police can't catch or will never arrest. Even his father Frank Senior (Ray Stevenson) is basically just an older version of him and his character is one character to help keep this series alive. There is a character named Gina (Loan Chabanol) who is the main girl of the ring and goes through some nice development but it's not clear if we are supposed to like her or not because of the script.

As to the plot, it is really as expected; a muddled mess with no logic. The story lines go every which way and again it's form an opinion of what the boring villains of Stanislas Turgin (Anatole Taubman) and Arkaday Karasov (Radivoje Bukvic) are because it's not clear. Both guys are known for these roles with both being in the first Taken and Bukvic was in earlier year action film Run All Night. Using nice European locations and images, the action scenes are popcorn fun but kind of far-fetched. It's just a little too much watching a car driving through airport at high speeds and or nightclub scene where literally everyone passes out because of poison gas.

This series is really at a standstill. It's really depends on box office numbers on this Labor Day weekend to see if this series is going to be "refueled". Frankly, I don't see this movie making money because it's time is likely over. This fourth sequel works fine as one-time watch but there is nothing much left in the tank now. Transporter Refueled is a mindless film that you would get in September that will be forgotten once bigger films come around come Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Every once in awhile you hear of somebody getting transferred or getting a new job overseas. Growing up in an affluent Detroit suburb and where you know a lot parents working for the auto industries, it wouldn't be uncommon for a kid to move to a foreign country or the opposite where the foreigners move over here. It's culture shock filled with change both ways. As somebody who really struggles with change, the idea of moving of overseas is very out of the question unless absolutely necessary.

Those same cultural shock and changes are presented to us in the 2015 film No Escape. The Dwyer family has just moved from Austin, Texas to Southeast Asia due to the dad Jack Dwyer (Owen Wilson) getting transferred by his company. After only spending one night in town, the Dwyer family finds themselves in a coup where Americans and Jack himself is the main target.

What is quite interesting is that director John Erick Dowdle is involved with this. Dowdle is a director who's had a straight line of good horror films he's put out through the years. With the plot and big names actors, it seems as though he's now going in a different direction. The plot itself is original for sure and can find an audience. Coups of course are found throughout history but No Escape doesn't give a clear explanation as of why this is happening in the movie. Ideas of waters and some type of business greed are topics are out there and hinted at in one scene but in the end, it is just not clear. The first scene is even more of a question mark and even though it's described as a poor country with a lot of poverty, I could have really taken at least a scene or two showing local cops. Basically a group of guys who have some of The Warriors inspirations to them are losing it over water and they start a coup. I am serious here.

The sad thing really is that the movie is shot pretty well. It's really gives us great images especially it's roof scenes and you feel the culture shock. With a rape scene and some pretty intense action scenes, you can't say No Escape is not at least a little exciting. The pacing though is still all over the pace and it get tiresome when the film just can't stop throwing action scenes at you.

The lost cause in No Escape is the characters. It is nice to see Owen Wilson stepping out and playing a different role for him. The always likable Lake Bell plays the mother Annie Dwyer and it is beyond refreshing to see her get another lead role after a fantastic lead role in In a World two years ago. Action star Pierce Brosnan plays Hammond; a spy and we have no idea as to why he's in this country and he appears unevenly. We just need more characters ultimately because it is beyond depressing just watching a family with small girls stuck and scared in coup for three acts nor can they full carry this film without it sagging a little.

For what it's trying to be, No Escape surely have been much worse. That said, it might be time for Dowdle to go back to making movies about the Paris catacombs, serial killer tapes and trying to figure who's the devil on a elevator because his ideas on government are not up to his usual high standards. No Escape is only something to watch again because of how well it's made but Dowdle's other films have a much higher "rewatch" quality.

Next to the massive popular The Avengers, The Fantastic Four has the most potential as a Marvel film adaptation. You have an interesting duo as lead characters that can bring so much depth in different ways. They are superheroes that don't hide their identify and live as normal beings. Let's not also forgot the Roger Corman produced a very low budget Fantastic Four film that never got a released in 1994. When first mainstream Fantastic Four was released in 2005 from director Tim Story, we were long overdue for it and when there were two excellent Spider-Man films from Sami Raimi before that, Fantastic Four was suppose to be really something. Well it works perfectly as a popcorn film but you really want something better as a superhero film when you consider that it is the Fantastic Four and the source material it comes from.

After an attack with radiation on a space mission, four astronauts and Victor Von Doom (Julian McMahorn) all get some type of superhero powers. The four astronauts who later together create a team later called Fantastic Four. The team who's villain later is Victor Von Doom himself and who wants revenge.

Due to the plot, this is a film that has places a high value on casting as the team of characters that has to work together through most scenes. The very attractive Jessica Alba plays invisible woman Sue Storm; an actress who's acting has never been that sharp and this is really some questionable casting. Chris Evans plays Johnny Storm/Human Torch; a character who can create fire which kind of brings you back to the Stephen King adaption Firestarter and character that is so hard to like due to his hotshot attitude. Villain Victor Von Doom is only in character in the last act and actor Julian McMahorn makes the character very cheesy and not at all menacing. Besides the fact that he looks very cheap, the only superhero you can fully like is The Thing/Ben Grimm (Michael Chiklis) who you feel a lot of sympathy for due to having issues with his appearance and it is tough to watch his divorce with his wife Debbie (Lauire Holden). The divorce part of the plot could have been covered much more and it really is a question mark as to why it only had two scenes to it.

We can also say this film falls due to a bad script. The plot has no ideas in the middle and for people wanting action, well don't expect a lot of that. Even when you get action, it's lot of running around without any type direction, especially a particular bridge scene. The writing by Mark Frost and Michael France is either a lot of garbled talk that does makes for a confusing first act or that it is writing with a lot one-liners that takes a direction like it was made to be comedy. The special effects are rushed and are so very far off from what we see in superhero films of today. The Fantastic Four has some ideas no doubt but in the end it is a mess that get lost with many flaws.

The Fantastic Four is a very hard film to sit through. This movie is very different from the superhero films of today which makes it both odd and refreshing. A below average and very goofy affair.

As much as the next person, I was such a fan of Boyz n the Hood from 1991. From showing us the cultural background, to how real it seemed and it's amazing cast and director John Singleton, so many reasons can be found as to why this is a classic. An entire genre was created from it and you wouldn't have something like Juice from 1992 which came right after it. Juice is another hood drama now dealing with the rough streets of Harlem, New York City and following around teen characters.

Sure, it's a similar format for the characters. Quincy Powell (Omar Epps) is someone not into dealing with crime but he will do whatever it will take to survive. Eric Thurman (Jermaine Hopkins) is the common funny guy of the group who's your friend because he's off-putting in a good way. Raheem Porter (Khalil Kain) has a thick bone and must deal with also being a teenage father somehow. Roland Bishop (Tupac Shakur) is very menacing once he gets himself into the criminal life and goes through some very rich character development. These are characters though that we should care more about their actions and the way of life. It's not a norm to be something like a teen father while being involving in crimes. Every day you should not be worried with what's behind your shoulder. The actions of the characters are believable and it's even more so impressive when they are dealing with teens as it is.

As much as Boyz n the Hood was impressive in showing us the streets of South Central, Los Angeles, Juice is impressive in showing us the streets of Harlem, New York City. From the charm of a arcade owned by Trip (Samuel J. Jackson) to the apartments and alleyways, Juice gives a pretty accurate image of Harlem. You knew it wasn't a pretty place and this is a film that wants to show you that which makes the story more authentic.

This story can at times be lacking in plot. Still, the story is strong due little touches here and there that takes it to the top. I would take Boyz n the Hood over Juice any day but Juice is like your other not-quite-favorite cousin that you can still respect and enjoy. Juice is worth a watch again and especially today with issues like police brutality in the news. Some things never change and this makes Juice and many of the other hood dramas very relatable in 2015.

He has put himself in good roles through the years with films like the Rush Hour franchise, Fifth Element and more recently with Silver Linings Playbook but I believe that comedian Chris Tucker is really an underused actor. He is a guy who made a name for himself in the late 90's and who appears in Hollywood films every so often. I won't say his comedic style or humor is new because it's not. It has a Eddie Murphy vibe to it and is also like comedic talent Kevin Hart. Now in 2015 and when Chris Tucker feels like "old news", it's more than an odd feeling to see that Netflix has put out a live comedy film from him called Chris Tucker Live.

Produced by Tucker himself and directed by Phil Joanou, Chris Tucker gives us a pretty basic comedy show about the topics of life issues including parenting and dating, Michael Jackson and what's it's like having a religious mother in his childhood.

I have never been much to sit through a comedy show movie due to a lack of interest level and my attention span is not the best when I am only watching one guy alone. This TV-movie though never drags nor do we want it to end. With a running time of an hour and half, it is perfectly set up to not run long for it's audience. It is a film that makes you want to just have more of Chris Tucker.

To fully appreciate this comedy special, it really basically comes down to how much you like Chris Tucker. His jokes are simple but you find yourself laughing out loud. It is not really memorable in any way and really you wonder why this was put on Netflix or a TV-movie as it's labeled. Really though it's hard not to like Chris Tucker. He is a quality guy who seems like he comes from a good family. It's nice to listen to his inspirations and really he comes off a good role model.

Chris Tucker Live is basically a comedy special made for someone like me who hasn't seen most Chris Tucker films and now will want to visit them for the first time or for his die-hard fans. It is nothing to watch again but it works perfectly as a Netflix film.

I've hinted and put it out there many times before but I can say I never got much out of high school. Sure, it wasn't unbearable but it was unlikable for me anyway I look at it. When your main hobbies are film studies, writing and attending as many hockey sporting events as possible, I came to expect to being alone on most nights. Sure, I had my fair share of friends but once my friends turned to drugs, I told myself I wasn't going down that road. Still, being that these friends were always close to me through junior high, I wasn't able to totally let them go. Basically my entire high school days were spent with drugs even though I never did drugs and alcohol during those four years.

I was a straight C student with my GPA always somewhere in the 2.5 range. Considering my high school was always top in the state of Michigan and too much focused on "excellence", my grades were probably below average compared to others. That could be because I do have a learning disability but at the same time, school was just not my thing. Being at a place for seven hours every day and just not being a people person made school difficult for me. It was me usually sitting in classrooms for six periods where my interest level was pretty low.

I can say that I found most of my senior year this past year to be kind of useless. I had achieved most of my credits for graduation years prior and I was stuck in an art class and material processing class because I needed classes to round out my schedule. I found it very ironic that I liked my business law class so much even though it was pretty hard and I even got an A in the class. Sure, my grades weren't hot for my senior year at times because I was really had no experience in drawing or doing woodwork but my grades were also low because was just at an end.

I also think having a girlfriend my senior year helped with me lot. It helped from an emotional standpoint and it was nice having a person who was willing to support me when a lot of people weren't. From my first car accident, midnight drives wandering around town and to the poor matinée movies we sat through, it seemed like my best times of high school were with her in an odd way.

The point I am trying to make is that everyone has high school memories and I could go much more in depth and give you a dozen more stories but this is enough.

To fit into more my point about high school, if there's genre in film that's more cliché and without so many deep issues, it's the high school genre. Yes, you have your classics from it like any other genre but you also see so much of the same thing. Still you can find a charm in a movie like The Breakfast Club which is really like no other.

Jonathan Bender (Judd Nelson), Claire Standish (Molly Ringwald), Brian Johnson (Anthony Michael Hall), Andy Clark (Emilio Estevez) and Allison Reynolds (Ally Sheedy) have all been served detention on a Saturday morning at Shermer High School. This film is a character study which goes into depth of many characters having deep conversations about the meaning of life and high school ideas in general, all set in a school library.

Why this is such an accomplishment is because of the characters. Every one of these characters are given a background and thoughts. Andy is on the wrestling team and you can just tell at times he's just tired of being a jock. Andy wants to put himself in and talk about issues even though he shouldn't. Claire is the princess and let's her mouth get her into trouble most times. Brian is the brain who is facing too much pressure and more than he should. Bender is the rebel and who seems to find himself in Saturday dentition quite a bit. Ally is awkward, quirky and a wacko who's really all over the place. It's the Judd Nelson character who really leads this film in it's first acts but his cast-mates eventually step up near the close this film. These are characters that fit the role of people in high school. These are characters that are able to talk about things that have deep meaning for them. These are characters that are not normally in high school films or films in general.

This is a plot that's as different now as it was back then. A high school film that is set in one day and one setting. The Breakfast Club is brave and I don't see it ever being topped as the best high school film around. There's honestly too much positive to say about it.

Two or three times a year, I will to go to the theater and just sit through a Liam Neeson bad ass action film in which he throws off the mob or some other high-end action star. It all started in 2008 with Taken and I never let up after that. I won't necessarily say I have an issue with Neeson playing this type of character because he can surely do it but after a while it has becomes tiresome to the death, but I don't see these films with him ending any time soon. Not much has changed for Neeson in his latest action film, Run All Night.

Jimmy Conlon (Neeson) has been a washed-up father to son Mike Conlon (Joel Kinnaman) and who's never even seen his grandkids. After Mike lands himself in trouble with Shawn Maguire (Ed Harris), a high end mob guy, Jimmy sees it as a way to finally to be that father to his kid that he never was and will do whatever it takes to do this.

If you go into Run All Night expecting something different from Neeson, you are going to find yourself way off. The plot ,especially it's ending, is convoluted on so many levels. It's not like we've never seen this Mike character who is trying to get beyond his past faults either.

You are rooting for Mike to change his ways here. You do feel a type of sympathy for him and you really respect how he is changing his ways. The plot is impressive and thick with a lot to it. Harris is convincing and somewhat chilling in his villain role. Vincent D'Onofrio even shows up as a detective character with a large past grudge towards Jimmy. Here, it seems like he trying to go back to his famous Law and Order character but D'Onofrio will always be likable no matter what role he is in.

This plot is convincing is because it has the feel of a throwback 70's/80s action film. It is set in a rough part of New York City in what is sometimes described as Hell's Kitchen. It is set at Christmas time which makes me me think that it has some Die Hard inspirations in it. Joel Kinnaman has a personality that sure fits the rough/edgy part of New York setting of this film. He also has pretty interesting relationship with a young boy named Curtis (Aubrey Joseph) which helps drive the movie. Kinnamen's character is kind of all over the place at times but his interaction with Curtis is some good chemistry between the two and a chance for Mike to be a father figure. This is one aspect to Run All Night that could have been expanded upon.

We always go into Liam Neeson films expecting action and Run All Night has some of the most impressive scenes in the realm of the Neeson action films. From absurd apartment action scenes, mob action that's really rough and gritty to the final action scene in the woods involving a slow-mo film technique, this is some very worthy movie action. There are scenes that are very original and maybe one of the few reasons to watch this again.

Run All Night is no doubt formulaic. That said, it is very impressive when a film like this is good even when you've seen things like this so many times before and probably will again. It's nothing to literally run all night for but a good sprint will do.

Jurassic Park was a blockbuster among blockbusters. Steven Spielberg made a film that was like no other in 1993 and still like no other now in 2015. Being that it was, you would have expected a sequel or a series prior to this. Being that it was Steven Spielberg, I would had high hopes for a series back then because we trusted him in a series before. He put together three excellent adventure films in Indiana Jones series. Still though, Lost World: Jurassic Park, the first sequel was OK but some issues were found. Even more, the third sequel was even worse and didn't have a very good story. Luckily, these sequels were forgotten and the original Jurassic Park from 1993 will always have the biggest impact. Now with a fourth sequel out, this is exactly the sequel we always wanted and this one will not be forgotten.

Let's forgot that we've been hoping for this sequel for awhile. A fourth film was originally scheduled for a 2005 summer release and it eventuality took ten years to get through the cracks. The plot now has a dinosaur park opening and operating with living dinosaurs called Jurassic World. After her nephews Gary (Ty Simpkins) and Zach (Nick Robinson) come visit the island and her on Christmas break, Clare Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard), the park manger must save it from dinosaur attacks along with Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) a raptor trainer.

In all honesty, the film premise is illogical. A dinosaur park is created where twenty years before one couldn't be opened because deaths happened and you couldn't control the dinosaurs. A multi-million dollar lawsuit should have happened and ended this forever. That said, the homage to the other park through this film is still clever even though again unlikely. Jurassic World though is one cool park even if admission is probably above anybody's price range but it is the coolest amusement park in the film world. From the effects that support the rides at Jurassic World to product placement, this film makes you want go to the park and that's what an amusement park in a film should do to you.

Even more, so many theories are now out regarding these new characters and the Jurassic World universe. However you look at it, these are pretty neat characters. Claire has never been around to really care about her nephews and it's her time to impresses her sister. Owen is a blue-collar guy that has some really nice chemistry with Howard and really proves that Pratt can really play these roles after a handful of comedies from him. To think child actors would be leading this film is unsettling but Ty Simpkins and Nick Robinson have no acting issues with a relationship between them that is exactly like my younger brother and I. Even Vincent D'Onofrio shows up as security operations guy and he's given more to do surprisingly.

As much as I like Jurassic Park from 1993, I had issues with the action scenes. They look great and they were very simple which I like but they were unrealistic. Jurassic World action scenes are more in depth and you can sense the big budget that is somewhere in the $150-180 million market as reported. Still though, it uses nice ideas involving raptors that is original and uses the amusement park setting nicely. For the little ones, there is violent action but it's not like the other Jurassic Park movies weren't violent either.

As I sat in the theater with a bunch of my brother's junior high friends who all finished the 7th grade literally an hour before the matinée, this is exactly a very good way to start the summer. A summer blockbuster that everyone could enjoy and it gets us set for the next blockbusters coming up in the upcoming months. More importantly, we now have a film that is at least acceptable compared to the original 1993 film and it is a long time coming. A good time indeed I had with this film.

Note: The 3D version to the film which I saw should be avoided at all cost.

Even though I read comic books for a limited time with really little knowledge, The Avengers always stood out to me as a comic book that could be made as a film. So many superheroes and many villains for many people, and really as much as I hate to say it, it would seem like easy money for a studio. Once you got the first Avengers film in 2012, you were long overdue for another one but you couldn't take away what a great summer blockbuster it was. From directing from the always positive Joss Whedon, excellent casting, superb action, everything was running on cylinders. With what Avengers turned out to be and the money made, a sequel was bound to happen.

After Tony Stark tries to start a pacemaker program and eventually taps into artificial intelligence, Stark unleashes Altron (James Spader), a villain of mass destruction that only the Avengers are capable of stopping. This is a familiar formula for a superhero film and for Marvel in general.

I didn't go into this expecting to have issues with characters but this sequel seems to make even more light of them. Solid acting, writing to a script that supports them, chemistry between them and the biggest highlight is some of new elements to them. Hulk/Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) is trying to control his anger and really just can't. He finds a love interest in Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) which deals with the themes of being normal, how they have different powers and two very different identities. Where as I thought Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) was given nothing to do in the first movie, he was given a quality backstory that should make us look more forward to this character once the new installments come along. Hey, we even get new character in Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olson) and Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). Scarlet Witch's cap taps into energy and a person's mind. Yes, it would seem like mind powers won't be special compared to what the Avengers cast can do but in a surprise, she brings some of the best moments to the screen. Her twin brother, Quicksilver known for impressive fast speeds is ultimately going to be remembered for how this character played out in the last act in a very memorable way.

After a while, I have come to expect that superheroes films plots are convoluted and are really meant at times for comic books fans. This plot is much of the same with so much depth to it and mostly dependent on the villain character. The character Ultron has really wonderful voice work by James Spader who proves he can be a menacing character. Ulton is still very silly and not a lot background was given to him. He dazzles though in his action scenes and really like any character in this movie, he doesn't drag in any act. Ultron A memorable villain but not without issues.

Moviegoers probably come to this movie for a lot of reasons and I would expect action is one of them. Being that the budget isn't an issue and Joss Whedon has a good track record of good action movies, you can expect high flying scenes in the first part and in the last act, the action really puts this movie on top. This is the type of action that is made in a way that really would be hard to get tired of.

With two Avengers films set after this,the future looks very high for this franchise. Sure, this movie doesn't beat out the 2012 film but this is a very solid sequel. This is one of the few franchises around that I don't mind that we are getting sequels as we keep on the same road that we are on now.

As a person who's main film interest is the horror genre and as a person who sees most main horror films at the theater and on demand, I know where the horror genre stands. I admit found footage films have their issues and it is overdone but I like most of them. Sadly though, from January through at least February you are going to get studios putting out and dumping horror films on the market that they know will not make money and will have not get a good reception. You don't see horror weekly at a theater due to the fact it's a genre with a limited market and audience. A growing theme to be noted is that the best horror are the independent films or at the least the ones with the least amount of star power and budget in my eyes.

The 2014 movie It Follows has several themes. It has only a budget of $2 million and it's got a smaller release to start which later expanded to a bigger release. With a cast of people like Maika Monroe, Keir Gilchrist and Jake Weary, this is a cast of the not the biggest names. I thought It Follows might be a good horror movie. Good is not the right term for this. It Follows has you lost for descriptive words for all the right reasons.

After Jay Height (Monroe) goes on a first date with Hugh (Jake Weary) and after having a sex in his car, Jay wakes up underdressed and tied up in a wheelchair. Hugh claims that a curse is now upon her with a type of entity that will follow Jay until she passes it on to somebody else. Jay now must try to survive while many of her close friends are at her side.

One issue with horror nowadays is originality. Sure, we can find some good original horror films but stuff like The Last Exorcism or You're Next were toned down and not very good because of a lack of originality. Yes, It Follows is very original but it's such a different type of topic and substance to plot. We've had many horror films have sex scenes before but this film does it the smart way by having no nudity and not being very detailed in those scenes. It's as if the film is trying to say it's taboo for you to have sex and this entity is your punishment. You also have all those small time actors all delivering strong performances while making this plot very convincing. It's up to the audience to decide what this brilliant and uncanny plot actually is and you could literally have a several hour conversation over it.

If you go into It Follows expecting to get jump scares, you are in the wrong mindset. This film is meant to creep you out but not that way. Why is a girl with urine coming out of her walking towards us? Why is person with a nightgown on top of the roof? The idea of being tied up right after sex is unsettling. With nothing explained again about these elements, your mind is led to wander to interesting places. Not only that, but director David Robert Mitchell puts in this alternative/techno music that's just going to get under your skin. He also sets up scenes with interesting camera angles and big backgrounds that seems to be a clear inspiration from something like Halloween of 1978.

A theme some people who are taking about this movie are not touching upon is the idea of water. Jay goes to a beach house to get away from the curse. There is also an interesting above-ground pool "floating" scene. She also fights this entity in a local rec pool which might be the most interesting film scene I have ever seen. Maybe this entity comes from water? It's also not like water is a common theme in horror either. Very imaginative.

Shot around the Detroit area, this movie ultimately comes back to me. Growing up in the same general area and my dad's side of the family lived in these exact style neighborhood the film presents to us. Call it bias on my part but this atmosphere does add to strangeness level of the film because the houses are so dated with 70's/80's touches that are not at all modern. The neighborhoods seem isolated with a lack of people around. This is an atmosphere that nobody has ever seen before and because it's not like many horror films are shot in Detroit. Twenty years from now, I know for a fact I will be the guy checking out these film locations right by me.

It Follows is a film with no answers and even with getting that wider release, it's still not going to earn as much money as a big horror film. You do hope Mitchell and his cast all get more recognition because it is credit that is deserved. I do have a strong feel though that a cult following will be attached to this later on and that we will be calling this "Michigan Horror". It Follows is something we should follow because you have nothing to lose. A modern classic.

I would never say any Stephen King book is confusing. He has an easy style that's easy to read. It is true that The Stand from 1978 and Under the Dome from 2009 are both thousand pages novels and have a lot depth but with these books you have know to know what you are getting yourself into. Along with Cujo, Pet Sematary is King's simplest novel with both an easy plot and it is one of my favorite books of all times. The plot involves a family moving into rural Maine with the property right beyond an Indian burial ground with a pet cemetery and the family does not know that the both are going to tear the family apart.

Following the same plot to the movie, I've always loved the Pet Sematary from 1989. This is the type of horror to introduce people into the genre and other King's adaptations. Pet Sematary is filled with so many interesting scenarios that they are worth noting.

A) It is directed by Mary Lambert who's career highlight is sadly only this but she was a female director doing horror which is not a common thing.

B) With a cast of Dale Midkiff as Louis Creed and Denise Crosby as Rachel Creed, this is a film that led by lesser names. The biggest name you are going to find here would have to be Fred Gwynne known for The Munsters. Still, the quality of the acting is nowhere close to being an issue here anyway you look at it.

C) This is filled with some of the most bizarre and creepiest scene of child killing of child actor Miko Hughes. Hughes is a child actor who's legacy is those scenes and for his role in Kindergarten Cop.

D) Let's also not forgot the plot element involving the dead sister of Zelda which adds to the creepiness level and it tackles the concept of death quite nicely. And yes, Zelda is played by Andrew Hubatsek, a male actor which is really is something else and maybe not surprising.

E) It's quite forgotten the eerie atmosphere this film provides. One part is a lake in the back of the family's house and there is also a house that's very dated but has a nice late 80's touch. The house is off a main road where trucks are known to speed which is the site where killing happens to animals and people too. Last but not least is the "pet sematary" and Indian burial ground which involve some pretty original sets.

With the song Pet Sematary by The Ramones rolling once the credits hit, I would really go as far as to say that Pet Sematary is one of the most important horror film around. It has one central idea and also puts a lot more into the subplots. This is impressive horror indeed and one of Stephen Kings best film adaptions.