Under the Skin | Movie Review

Under the Skin... ooookkkk. Wow! Okay this is the most confusing movie I have ever seen and the hardest film I have had to review. This film is directed by Jonathan Glazer and stars Scarlett Johansson. The plot is about Scarlett Johansson, who is a mysterious seductress. That is all I will say about the plot.

Holy hell this film is artistic. Their is a lot of long takes and focus shots. Their is also a lot of Scarlett Johansson driving in a van. Speaking of the van, the scenes where she approaches the men, those men were actually unaware that they were in a movie until the director approached them after their initial conversation with Scarlett Johansson.

Another notable thing is that not one character in this film has a name. So the film is really artistic, it contains minimal amount of dialogue, with a surprising amount of character development and a really creepy element. This film is definitely one to think about for a long time.

There is not much to say about this film you just have to watch it

It's difficult to grade a film like this so I'm going to give Under the Skin

B+

I'm Jonathan and this is Movies for the People

Point Break | Movie Review

If you have not seen Point Break, you haven't fully lived yet. Point Break is a 1991 action, adrenaline movie that stars Crazy Swayze and Kung Fu Keanu. The film is about an undercover FBI Agent who is trying to catch four bank robbers known as 'The Ex Presidents'.

So of course, a film like this would be full of 90's action, questionable acting and horrible dialogue. Well yes and no. There are some really cheesy aspects to this film, but they enhance the overall enjoyment of the film. And that is why I do not think that this film could be remade even though the studios seem determined to do it anyway.

Keanu Reeves delivery of his lines is so 'surfer' like, even before he begins surfing mind you. Patrick Swayze comes across the same way but seeing as he is portraying a surfer in the film, it works a lot better than Keanu 'I take the skin off my chicken' Reeves. Not to say he wasn't bad ass, just not exactly oscar worthy. And this film has Gary Busey in it and to say he wasn't terrible is saying a lot given the circumstances.

I'm going to give Point Break

A

I'm Jonathan and this is Movies for the People

Neighbors | Movie Review

Neighbors (or Bad Neighbours) stars Seth Rogen, Zac Efron and Rose Byrne. This film is about Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne who are married and have a baby. Zac Efron and his college fraternity move next door and lets just say that 'it' goes down.

I was looking forward to this film due to critical acclaim and commercial success (it knocked Amazing Spider-Man 2 off the top spot on the domestic box office in America) and when I went in to this film, I was thinking that I might just see it as over rated. However, as a comedy, it is great and as a film in general, it is incredibly good.

Seth Rogen is naturally good as usual. Rose Byrne is so funny and finally goes all out on her Australian accent. And finally: Zac Efron. He is so good in this film. I can't believe I am saying this but Zac Efron was really good and had some great moments.

This film is really funny. The party scenes were so amazingly funny I just couldn't believe it. Rose Byrne really shines in these scenes. I just couldn't believe how incredible she was in the scenes were they were in a lets say 'war' with Zac Efron and his fraternity. Which by the way I loved Dave Franco and Christopher Mintz-Plasse as Frat guys, they worked really well with Zac Efron in many of the scenes where they just kept talking like the scene should be done but they just kept going and it was getting funnier and funnier

I have heard flaws from others that I just don't agree with. And there is also an awesome scene at the end. Oh and the baby is incredible.

I'm going to give Neighbors

A

I'm Jonathan and this Movies for the People

Non-Stop | Movie Review

Non-Stop is the 2014 action film starring Liam Neeson. This film also stars Julianne Moore, Scoot McNairy, Lupita Nyong'o and a bunch of other little known actors. The plot of this film follows Liam Neeson's character (a US Air Marshal) receiving threatening texts to transfer $150 million or someone will die every 20 minutes.

Some people like this film, some people think it is kind of stupid. I think I watched this film at just the right time and I loved it. Never has a movie given as much anxiety and yes I am talking literal panic attacks, because of the suspense that is going on.

They keep the suspense and the more frightened Liam Neeson gets, the more you realise you have digged your own nails into the palm of your hand. The acting by Liam Neeson and Julianne Moore is something you wouldn't expect from a February film. Lupita Nyong'o isn't in the film very much but when she is she absolutely kills it. They did a terrific job with the story and how they reveal everything slowly instead of all at once.



I have one problem, just one, with this film. I'm not going to spoil anything, I'll just say that once the suspense is gone and it becomes an action movie in a way (the last 15-20 minutes) it becomes kind of generic, not say that it wasn't good but just a little generic

I'm going to give Non-Stop a surprising

A-

I'm Jonathan and this is Movies for the People 

A Million Ways to Die in the West | Movie Review

A Million Ways to Die in the West is Seth MacFarlane's follow up to Ted except in this film he decided to be the star of this film alongside Charlize Theron, Liam Neeson, Neil Patrick Harris, Amanda Seyfried, Sarah Silverman and Giovanni Ribisi. In this film, Seth MacFarlane is basically sick and tired of the west. Meanwhile he is trying to get his girlfriend (Amanda Seyfried) back from Neil Patrick Harris. He also meets Charlize Theron who hates her killer husband, Liam Neeson.

The acting in this film is not bad, the actors seem like that they are having fun. They are not exactly trying too hard though but I think that style only works for Seth MacFarlane. Although I can't complain because in my opinion the performances are not Razzie worthy or anything.

The story is a little unfocused. One day Seth MacFarlane hates the West and wants Amanda Seyfried back and the next day he is over her and is having a good time. But I did like how they got past the whole 'want Amanda Seyfried back' thing because I didn't want the story to stay on that and thought it was best that the film cut it's losses and focused more on the relationship between Seth
MacFarlane and Charlize Theron which is probably my favourite part of the film and had the best chemistry in the entire film.

This is for sure a three act film. Act one is whiny Seth MacFarlane, act two is Seth MacFarlane and Charlize Theron and act three is kind of an action film... kind of... in a way. It's just that this film couldn't really decide what it was. It was enjoyable, but it wasn't very funny. It has good actors, giving half-ass performances. It has a great story one minute and a poor one the next.

Overall this is a pretty mediocre film with incredible cameos

I'm going to give A Million Ways to Die in the West

C+

I'm Jonathan and this is Movies for the People 

Edge of Tomorrow | Movie Review

Edge of Tomorrow is the latest 'Tom Cruise Flick'. The plot of the film is that aliens (Mimics) have invaded earth and Tom Cruise is forced into battle. He soon realises when he dies he restarts the day (Groundhog Day + Source Code = Edge of Tomorrow) He teams up with Emily Blunt who believes what is happening.

This film is so much fun and just an overall great movie. Tom Cruise is not the generic 'hero' who saves the world. He is a flawed character and kind of a jerk at the beginning. A lot of people say that 'The Other Woman' and 'The Call' was all about 'girl power'. Lets just say without Emily Blunt, Tom Cruise would go no where. She is strong, intelligent, does whatever it takes to succeed and is not exactly hard to look at if you know what I'm saying.

This film is very action packed. The action is terrific, the storming of the beach kind of resembles the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan except we see this scene about 10 times what with all the restarting and everything. While this whole film has terrific action, overall their are about 3 or 4 major action scenes that totally rock. Now here is probably the best part of the film that excels the quality of the overall film. This film is incredibly humorous. It is an action first and a comedy second. Seriously though, there were scenes were I was laughing well in to the next scene. Particularly a training scene/escape scene. The films ending is also really 'cool'.

I'm going to give Edge of Tomorrow

A

I'm Jonathan and this is Movies for the People

Justice League #1-5 | Comic Book Review

This may be old but I re-read my older issues of The New 52's Justice League and felt it necessary as I will be reviewing #6 and then the TPB's. The plot in these first 5 issues is mainly the team meeting and getting to kind of know each other. This also contains the tail end of Cyborg's origin, only because it crosses over with this event.

The artwork is pretty straight forward in terms of the setting. However the artist completely nailed the characters. Every single characters look impeccable. The dialogue between these characters is so witty. My favourite would be Green Lantern and Flash as they have a pre established friendship.

As the story progresses and more heroes join the team, you realise that their is an over arching story and in #4 the villain is revealed and unfortunately is younger and didn't realise the impact of this villain and by now it's common knowledge who the villain is.

There are so many panels that I could pick out from each one of these comic books and hang on my wall because they are just absolutely terrific. There is one panel that involves Green Lantern and Batman. All I will say is if you have read it, you know exactly what I am talking about. Overall this is just a really great story for the Justice League and I know it is only the first 5 issues and the story is about to get a lot more complex with Forever Evil but for know, it's a nice little story with an over arching sub plot that will eventually become the main focus

Justice League #1:   9

Justice League #2:    9

Justice League #3:  9.5

Justice League #4:  9.5

Justice League #5:  9.5

I'm Jonathan and this Comic Books for the People

Blended | Movie Review

Blended is the latest film starring Adam Sandler. This film also stars Drew Barrymore and this is the 3rd film they have collaborated on. The plot to this film is that Adam Sandler lost his wife to cancer and is raising his 3 girls alone. Drew Barrymore divorced her d-bag of a husband and is practically raising her 2 boys alone. They go on a blind date and it goes horrible. Stuff happens and they eventually end up on a trip to Africa. They are unaware that each family is there and through events that I will not spoil, they end up being forced to do everything together.

Okay, I HATED Grown Ups 2 and Jack and Jill. I also disliked That's My Boy. This film has like 14% on rotten tomatoes and 6 on IMDB. I did not have very high hopes but I decided to tag along with my cousins and see this film and I ended up really having a fun time. I may be in the minority but with expectations as low as I had, it is impossible for me to hate on this movie.

Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore have amazing chemistry. This isn't something new though. As mediocre as 50 First Dates was and as awesome as The Wedding Singer is, the one thing all three of these movie have in common is that their chemistry is incredible. The dialogue they have with each other is really fantastic and the highest compliment I can give a film like this.

The story in this film is really fun. I was interested 100%, the kids had a really good story and overall everything was really fun. However my flaws are Terry Crews character and basically a lot of the characters in Africa. They are so wacky and silly to the point of nonsense just completely silly. Another flaw is I didn't laugh very much, however I was having so much fun with the story and characters, I didn't even see the film as a comedy after a while

Overall I am going to give Blended

B

I'm Jonathan and this is Movies for the People 

Batman Superman #1 (2013) | Comic Book Review

Batman Superman starts the series that combines the two most popular DC superheroes. The plot of this story has not yet been fully fleshed but both Batman/Bruce Wayne and Superman/Clark Kent are both going through some problems.

The biggest praise I can give this issue is the absolutely mind blowing, beautiful artwork. Both characters are given a fresh new look, Superman looks younger and you can tell Bruce Wayne's mental and physical plain just on his face. The landscapes and locations make for an even more incredible visual experience that the illustrator has created for us to enjoy.

The problem I have with this is the story in that there is none yet, not really anyway. We know stuff is going down but for the most part I was just hypnotised in the amazing illustrations. However, even though I am behind on this series, I am sure the story will become more fleshed out. The funny thing is, this story came out around the time it would have taken to create it after they announced they would be making Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

I will give Batman Superman #1

8

I'm Jonathan and this is Comic Books for the People

Harley Quinn #1 | Comic Book Review

Harley Quinn #1 is yet another beginning to a DC New 52 story and it focuses on Batman villain Harley Quinn. In this issue, it appears Harley is trying to redo her life. She owns an apartment and needs a job because the tenant's rent will not cover the costs.

This story is mostly build up, but it is highly entertaining and I will go as far to say that I love this issue and will definitely be collecting the rest of these issues. The design of Harley Quinn is pretty amazing. It shows a likeable but wild character. And that is just her facial expressions. She has great dialogue and she (as she should) steals the show. She is by far the best character which is a flaw I have.

The other characters aren't really given much due to Harley's strong personality and it kind of isolates her which is a flaw because eventually this will get tired. So yes, Harley completely works as a main character but we also need more characters to match her incredible personality and dialogue. This can be easily fixed so I have hope for this only flaw I have with the issue with it otherwise being amazing

I'm going to give Harley Quinn #1

8.5

I'm Jonathan and this Comic Books for the People

The Amazing Spider-Man #1 (2014) | Comic Book Review

The Amazing Spider-Man #1 is the introduction to the The Amazing Spider-Man series but it is not a reboot. It is a continuation of The Amazing Spider-Man #700 and The Superior Spider-Man series. Otto Octavious (Doc Ock) is no longer Spider-Man and Peter Parker is back. He has to deal with everything Doc Ock has established being Spider-Man including a new girlfriend, a new company and many other things.

In my opinion, the story is absolutely amazing and everything else about this story is incredible as well, The illustrations are very detailed. Peter Parker is back, that's right he is mouthing off to his foes yet again (as mentioned by one of the bystanders). He does a lot of cool stunts and is a welcome return.

This is a thick book. It contains a few tie in stories and the edition I own comes with Inhuman #1 (review coming soon). The tie in stories definitely set up issues 2 and 3. The only flaw I have is that with it being an issue 1 it is not exactly easy for new readers to jump on to. However that is all I think is wrong with it.

I will give The Amazing Spider-Man #1 (2014)

9.5

I'm Jonathan and this is Comic Books for the People 

Sinestro #1 | Comic Book Review

Sinestro #1 is the first issue in the new series by DC in the New 52 series. The series is based of Yellow Corps leader Sinestro. It is interesting that DC are taking an approach to have villains be the main focus point of a series (Harley Quinn #1 review coming soon).

So does this issue give us a good introduction to the series. Yes it is a pretty entertaining and interesting way to start the series. This story is basically an aftermath of something I clearly have not read (I'm behind on Green Lantern, Corps and New Guardians ((I suck)).) Yes I do not proclaim to be a MAJOR expert on comic books but I do have a higher than average knowledge of comic books. Basically it is will Sinestro return to the Yellow Corps or not?

The illustrations are incredible. It looks like Green Lantern except it is not all green themed. Sinestro seems less intimidating which is good because if this is his own series, we need to be able to have some relation to this character. And we had a pretty good link with Sinestro. As issue 1 goes, it's a pretty good introduction to the series.

I'm going to give Sinestro #1

7.5

I'm Jonathan and this Comic Books for the People

The Way Way Back | Spoiler Filled Movie Review

Okay, so I have previously reviewed The Way Way Back and I know that was enough for most people because it's not a film that many people have seen. But after seeing it for the forth time in less than twelve months, I just need to talk about this film in complete spoilers and all.
So beware spoilers ahead!

So Liam James is the star of the film despite the fact it is credited as Steve Carrell first, in reality the cast list should probably go:

1: Liam James (Duncan)
2: Sam Rockwell (Owen)
3: Toni Collette (Pam)
4: AnnaSophia Robb (Susanna)
5: Steve Carell (Trent)
6: Allison Janney (Betty)
7: Nat Faxon (Roddy)
8. Maya Rudolph (Caitlin)

So basically Liam James has a special relationship with each of these characters. My favourite one is the relationship he has with AnnaSophia Robb's character. She plays the girl next door and they eventually develop into a romantic-ish relationship. The next would be the one with Sam Rockwell. He basically changes Liam James life in a way he never would have dreamed. Honourable mentions would be his messed up relationship with Steve Carell and crazy relationship with Allison Janney.

There are so many scenes in the film that just blew me away and I'm going to list them below in order:

1. Sam Rockwell steps in front of Steve Carell to say goodbye to Liam James

2. AnnaSophia Robb kisses Liam James

3. Liam James runs away after they stop at the gas/petrol station

4. The 4th of July

5. 'He's cheating on you mum' Scene and also continuing to the farewell party

Yeah I stick by my A+ grade and this is in my top 10 best films of all time!

Jurassic Park | Movie Review

Jurassic Park is a movie that came out in 1993. It is semi based on the novel by the same name written by Michael Crichton. The film stars Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Richard Attenborough and Jeff (the man) Goldblum. The plot is that Richard Attenborough owns an island that contains dinosaurs and you just know things are gonna wrong.

This film is a classic and I have been wary going in to classics due to the fact on whether I will like them or think that they are over hyped by critical and commercial success. However I can say that I absolutely adored Jurassic Park. The acting by Sam Neill and Laura Dern is great but lets all face it. Jeff (the man) Goldblum steals the show as Dr. Ian Malcolm. The children in this movie are actually not annoying (surprisingly) and the way that they get circumstantially stuck with Sam Neill gives all three characters amazing character development. Also a moment of silence for the guy who *mild spoiler* gets eaten on the toilet

This film spans 2 maybe 3 days max which doesn't leave a lot of breathing room, however when the film does slow down, it does it so perfectly that the pace of the film is near to 100 percent perfect. There was not one boring moment in the film. It kept me entertained for every second of the ride. And yes, maybe some of the scenes wouldn't have been as amazing if it wasn't for Jeff Goldbum. Like I'm talking top 10 movie characters of all time.

Okay here we go, the special effects. They still hold up today. That scene were Laura Dern and Sam Neill are in the car and they look up and you see the dinosaur for the first time. Listen, I know what I'm about say might not make sense on a technical stand point. But that is, the greatest special effects (mixed with practical effects I'm sure) shot in film history. I'm also going to compare to the recent Godzilla film that just came out. But the dinosaurs altogether and the way that they get circumstantially stuck with Sam Neill gives all three characters amazing character development get about 10 minutes screen time but it is well spaced out and the characters are so amazing that you don't even notice the short amount of screen time these beautiful creatures get.

I'm going to give Jurassic Park

A

I'm Jonathan and this is Movies for the People