The Angry Birds Movie

Considering this is a video game movie, I expected a lot worse. It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, but it's not a recommendation. Considering we've had some phenomenal animated films this year like "Kubo," "Zootopia", and "The Little Prince", this should be ashamed to be released the same year as those. That being said the plot was surprisingly good. I wasn't sure how they'd be able to make a plot out of the "Angry Birds" games, but they pulled it off surprisingly well. There were also a lot of great visual puns that gave me a chuckle. And other than Josh Gad, all the voice actors did a good job, too. But that's really all the good things I have to say about this film. Here's the bad:
First of all....Josh Gad. I find him annoying in everything. The man cannot speak without yelling everything. If you have to yell to be funny, you're not funny. You're just desperate for attention. This film also had something I hate in animated films: Pop culture references that will be outdated in 2 years. Sometimes pop culture reference can work (There's actually a really good spoof on "The Shining" that made me laugh), but most of them are just there to pander to the millennials. ("Squad goals! Insta-ham). Boy, did typing those out make me cringe! There's also a lot of really lowbrow bodily function humor that even Dreamworks would think is too far. And, I'm sorry to say, but the filmmakers felt the need to slip in some "adult humor". There were some really inappropriate joke and references that had me saying "This is a KIDS' movie?!" There's actually some borderline PG-13 humor. How was this only released with PG? If you really want to show this to your kids (I beg of you, please don't. Don't insult their intelligence) at least have the decency to filter it on VidAngel ,because, boy does this really need it. Otherwise you may get some really uncomfortable questions from your kids. My final complaint: "Time slows down/stops while a character runs fast" cliche. We've seen it before. It's not funny or clever anymore. Please let this gag die. Overall, not bad for a video game movie, but that's not a phrase that should be taken as positive.
Grade: C+  6.5/10  3/5 stars

The Secret Life of Pets

One critic's review I read said "It's a beat-for-beat "Toy Story"". I don't know what movie that critic watched, because I didn't think that at all. It has some similarities in the beginning, but by the 45-minute mark it becomes different enough, and it was clever. There was one scene in a sausage factory that I found particularly hilarious. The film does a great job of capturing the funny, quirky things our pets do. I laugged several times at the hijinks the animals got into, because I've had some of those expereinces myself with my pets. The villain,voiced by Kevin Hart, was one of the best parts. His craziness and over-the-top voice acting made him one of my favorite characters. The animals' love and devotion for their owners was adorable. Overall, I'd say this has been a great year for animation. I rank this up there with "Kubo" and "Zootopia." Will it be nominated for an Oscar? Probably not, but that doesn't mean it's not good. This is definetely worth checking out. My only complaint: It felt too short. I wanted more.
Grade: A-    9/10  4/5 stars

True Memoirs of an International Assassin

This movie wasn't as funny as I thought it was going to be, but it was still really enjoyable. It manages to be a parody of spy movies, while at the same time never being too cheesy or corny. Netflix is known for producing quality content, and this shows why. The story was really clever, (though at times it does feel like it's been done before.), the action sequences are impressive, and there are some funny lines of dialogue. I wouldn't say there are any moments in the movie that are hilarious, but there are definitely some times where I laughed. There are a few twists and moments of misdirection I didn't see coming. The acting isn't too bad. There wasn't really anyone in this movie I hated, and I liked the little bits of satire on spy movies. This isn't one of the best movies of 2016, but it's definitely worth checking out.

Grade: B   8/10  3.5/5 stars

Arrival

This isn't a typical alien movie. The plot is very cerebral. It can be hard to follow at times, because there isn't much segue between scenes. They'll explain something complicated very fast and it doesn't give you much time to process what just happened before they move on to the next thing. It's like that matg teacher who after explaining a complicated concept asks "Does everyone understand?" and moves on even if only 1 kid said "Yes." The plot has a lot of subtle forshadowing, some of which came from supposedly throwaway lines that ended up being important later on. The twist at the end was very well concealed, although I would have liked them to explain the reasons for why this twist can happen. It was brilliant, but came out of nowhere. 

Grade: B.  8/10  4/5 stars

Doctor Strange

This was amazing!!!! I went into this movie knowing nothing about the character. I kept myself completely in the dark. No comics, no animated movies, staying off IMDB Thursday night. Glad I did. There were tons of moments that wowed and surprised me, that I don't think would have had as big of an impact if I had read the source material beforehand. It was like putting Jedi in the movie "The Matrix." The visuals are so mind-bending that this is one of the very few times I would say go see it in 3D. (Unless you get headaches easily or suffer from motion sickness. Then stick with the standard version). The 3D is more than worth the extra price. The opening seen alone already feels like it was worth every penny. The movie is also very deep and thought provoking. "Civil War" was thought-provoking in a political way, and this is thought provoking in a science/psychological way. Benedict Cumberbaych does amazingly as always, but I do feel like he was typecast. He seems to be playing the "I'm smarter than you and I'm going to let you know I'm smarter than you every chance I get" character over and over. I'm worried he'll become like Johnny Depp and end up eventually becoming a parody of himself. I don't want to spoil anything, because like I said before, it's better to go in knowing nothing. I will say that I hope Marvel takes more risks with more obscure characters and that Fox finally stops being selfish and just gives them the rights to "X-Men" and "Fantastic Four" already! I want to see Tony Stark, Stephen Strange, Bruce Banner, Hank Pym, and Reed Richards have a science debate. Just make one big banter-fest movie of these characters. Just witty back and forth dialogue between them. That would be awesome! I'm excited to see how this movie ties in to "Infinity War." Definitely looking forward to seeing Doctor Strange appear in future movies. 

Grade: A-   9/10. 4/5 stars

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

If you like Harry Potter and/or X-Men, you will love this as well, because it's a combination of the two. Tim Burton was the perfect choice to direct this movie, because the creepy tone and style match the book perfectly. Some elements of the plot don't make very much sense, but that's ok, because despite it being somewhat convoluted at times, it's still very enjoyable. The only people in the cast that I think could have done better are Asa Butterfield and Samuel L. Jackson. I liked Asa Butterfield in "Ender's Game," but here, he delivers almost every line in a flat and wooden way. He couldn't sound more uninterested if he tried. (If he was even trying at all, that is.) As for Samuel L. Jackson, his role is a little too over the top. I like when actors have fun, but they can overact, and Jackson's performance in this movie is an example of that. I enjoyed the story, and especially the cinematography. Every shot is so perfectly, that it's hard not to get immerresed in this movie's world. I know that's an odd thing to praise, but it's just so well done. The plot twists are unexpected and well concealed, and overall, this movie was just fantastic.
Grade: A-   9/10.  4/5 stars

Ghostbusters (2016)

This wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, but it wasn't amazing. I could tell they were at least trying to make something good. Having the film open with the classic "Ghostbusters" theme music was a strong choice that worked in the film's favor. It took me a while to warm up to Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy's characters, because for the first half, they were just loudmouthed and annoying. But after a while, that stopped and I actually enjoyed their performances. That is one of the weaknesses of the film is the first half isn't very strong. There was a funny joke, and then they would immediately follow it up with an unfunny joke. Also the CGI in the movie made this year somehow looks worse than the effects of the 1984 version. How?! One thing I will say about the film was it at least had a sense of irony and meta. There's a part in the movie after they catch their first ghost and upload the video of it where they read comments and one says "Ain't no women going to hunt no ghosts.", an obvious jab at the mysogonistic backlash some people gave this film after the first trailer was released. At least Sony was cool about it. There's a running joke throughout the film where McCarthy's character orders Chinese food but there's always something wrong with it. This was unfunny and slowed the film down, and overall just wasted time. It's not painfully unfunny, it just falls flat. I said the first half was filled with unfunny jokes, but when Chris Hemsworth enters the picture, his performance makes up for it. He's one of the best parts of the film. He totally hams it up and I could tell he was having fun with it.  Some of the original cast members make cameos and while they are funny, they just distract. I was worried how this movie would be, because of how horrible the advertisements were, but surprisingly, it's very respectful of the original. Even the new versions of the theme music, both in score form, and the one by Fall Out Boy still feel like the orginal. Even though this won't be an iconic film like the original, they were at least trying. Overall, the film is like food from Jack-in-the-Box. Not horrible, but still pretty good.

Grade: B    8/10   3.5/5 stars