Kevin_C1 Reviews

Would You Rather (2012)

Torture Porn - Not Horror

[3/10 · 3 November 2016]

I came upon this movie one night, when I was bored on Netflix. I thought that it would be interesting given the unique plot and recognizable names in the cast. I was wrong.

The plot of the movie is pretty much this - A wealthy man has a group of poor individuals inflict pain on themselves or each other in exchange for money.

Sadly, Nothing truly interesting ever happens. The contestants slowly die off. There is nothing captivating about it. It is just a 90 minutes torture porn of people blowing off their hands and whipping each other. There are some plot twists, if you can call them that, but nothing ever comes of them, and they seem to happen at random, with no real explanation why.

Let me tell you right now.. If you're asked the question "Would you rather watch this or ANY OTHER MOVIE", please play the field, because this movie is not worth anyones time.

Don't Breathe (2016)

A Unique, Slow Burn

[7/10 · 30 September 2016]

Don't breathe kept me entertained from beginning to end. The creators are able to put a spin on this overdone genre that gives this movie an original feel to it.

The plot goes like this - A group of petty thieves learn about an old house in an abandoned neighborhood, owned by an old man is full of cash of the taking. They break into his heavily protected home and make an attempt robbing him. Not everything goes as they've planned and they end up fighting just to make it out of the house alive.

Nothing comes easy for the main heroes in this story. Most of the time they have to try two or three different things before they get the result they are looking for. This made the movie seem a lot more realistic to me.

Besides plot, The direction of this movie was very well done. The tension builds nicely and keeps you at the edge of your seat.

I would recommend this movie to anyone looking to escape reality for a few hours, and enjoy a well made thriller/horror film.

Don't Think Twice (2016)

Don't think twice takes a realistic look at friendship, success, failure, and the cost of chasing our dreams.

[8/10 · 30 August 2016]

Don't Think Twice caught me by surprise. I first heard of this movie two days before I saw it. I had never seen any trailers. No one was posting about it online. I lucked out by seeing its name at my local theater. I looked it up online and saw that it was starring two of my favorite comedic actors, Gillian Jacobs, and Keegan-Michael Key. I decided I had to see it and went in with the expectation that it would be hilarious. I was wrong. It has it's moments, but Don't Think Twice won't have you rolling over on the floor. What makes this movie shine is how well it captures real relationships and how they change, grow, and disappear.

The story focused on a small improv comedy group, who are all trying to make it big in there own way. The main thing they have in common though, is that they can get success if they can land a job on "This Weekend Live." When Jack makes it big, they all assume, (and hope) that his fame will carry the rest of them with him. They soon all realize that this is not the case in the world of show business as Jack is unable to do anything to give them exposure, without hurting his own position.

The group also believed having Jack back to do improv with them would help with exposure, but all that it did was lead to Jack taking the spotlight, as people wanted to see what they saw on T.V. Even in shows where Jack is not present, the audience is upset when Jack is not around.

Eventually, all parties involved come to the understanding that life goes on, and sometimes you have to leave people behind to get to where you want to go. It may not be the easy thing to do, but sometimes letting go is the only thing that you can do.

Don't Think Twice is a well written, real, and accurate portrayal of life as a struggling artist, and the difficulties that come along with being left behind, as well as leaving what you have, for what you've always wanted.

Sausage Party (2016)

Funny and Insightful - Pixar for Adults

[8/10 · 23 August 2016]

Sausage Party is more than just Seth Rogan and friends in animated form making obscene and offensive jokes, Sausage Party brings up many valid questions about our society, religion, and how we view ourselves.

In some ways, Sausage Party is exactly what you think it is. A silly animation movie full of raunchy jokes and laughs. If you take this movie for face value, it will still be very goofy and funny. There were times were I could not stop laughing. The pun game is out of control. Some of them will probably go over your head if you are not paying close attention.

The thing that put this movie over the top for me though, is that it is almost like a Pixar film for adult themes. The most common and blatant one is God. The movie makes a lot of comparisons to modern religion raising the question, "Does God exist?" They even through in a lot of references to how the Bible came about, and how many people believe the Bible has been changed throughout the years.

The also bring up many cultural problems with race. The different foods don't always play nice with one another and it makes for some intrigued insight on modern society.

Finally, they make a strong point about how women are punished and judged much more harshly in society. The main point is that women should not be judged harsher for being sexual when men are the same way.

Ultimately, I think the point of the movie was to not hold back and enjoy life not worrying about consequences that may or may not exist. We can't all just wait for happiness in the great beyond. Nothing is guaranteed in life. You have to live in the present.

Suicide Squad (2016)

Sadly, the best DC has to offer

[6/10 · 5 August 2016]

Suicide Squad is yet another disappointing entry into the DC Cinematic Universe. Unlike its predecessors, Suicide Squad is exciting although it suffers from a wonky storyline, cheesy dialogue, and a lack of direction.

The first thing that you will notice about this movie is that Deadshot (Will Smith) is the main character. The first shot is of him, the most time is spent on his backstory, and he appears first in pretty much every possible way. This is both a good and a bad thing. I am not a fan of changing the source material to accommodate for a big Hollywood name. It seems like Deadshot will have a large part to play going forward in future movies. The bright side of this is that Will Smith kills it in this movie. He makes the assassin very likable, and more importantly, hilarious.

Harley Quinn shares the spot light as well, and Margot Robbie does a great job with the character. She is funny and her acrobatics make for the most fun fighting sequences. Unfortunately, paired with Robbie's Quinn, is Leto's Joker, which may be the worst part of this film. The Joker is not scary, disturbing, or creepy instead he leaves you feeling second hand embarrassment for Leto. Also, in an attempt to show you how crazy The Joker really is, effects are used on multiple of his scenes. The production is crap, and it just looks tacky. The Joker in this movie is a major disappoint, in comparison to any other Joker that I have ever seen.

Although both Will and Margot do a great job, it is still a disappointment that other members of the team do not get more screen time. Killer croc, Boomerang, and Diablo all had potential to be great additions to the cast, but are barely given time to develop. Their introductions last a fraction of the time that Deadshot's and Quinn's do. They have their moments later on, but are never given a real chance to develop. It seems like they are just there to fill in the blank space and make jokes. Towards the end of the movie, Diablo plays a much bigger part, but because he was never fleshed out as a character, it comes off as very forced and out of nowhere. Katana appears later on to help control the villains, but she is completely forgettable, and completely non-essential to the plot. Slipknot makes an appearance out of nowhere and with no explanation, just to be made an example of to the rest of the squad.

The plot to the movie is very convoluted and random. The action starts quick and out of nowhere. All of a sudden the task force that everyone was against, is now up and ready for action. The plot is often moved forward by the characters stupid decisions or by things that just don't make any sense. Why was Amanda Waller's (Viola Davis) building crawling with the enchantresses minion? Why did they allow Waller to leave on her own helicopter with no superhuman protection? How did they allow Deadshot to find top-secret information all alone in the wreckage of the helicopter? Why did Flagg bring the letters from Deadshot's daughter on mission?

The same joke is also constantly used over and over. The punch line is always the same being, "We are bad guys." It gets old very quickly. Another card that DC has already overplayed in just three movies is the death fake-out. With the Joker fake out in this movie combined with Superman's inevitable return, it is just lazy writing. Overall, Suicide Squad misses the mark on it's "dark" and "disturbed" target. The film comes off as pretentious and messy. The film is a fun popcorn flick, but flops when it comes to having any meaning or heart. Suicide Squad is another stumble for DC as they try to catch up to super hero flick giant Marvel.

Bad Moms (2016)

A Bad Movie for Moms

[3/10 · 4 August 2016]

Five minutes into Bad Moms, I already knew that I had made the wrong choice. I was hoping for a silly comedy staring some actresses I find to be hilarious (Kristen Bell, Kathryn Hahn.) This was not the case, as most of the jokes are raunchy, cringe-worthy mom jokes.

The worst thing about this movie, which is obvious from the opening monologue, is that it is corny. The story is corny. The characters are corny. The jokes are corny. The only audience that might let them get away with this cheese-fest, is mothers, because they will be able to relate.

This movie has its moments, but the majority of its laughs fall flat. Particularly bad were a couple of different montages, specifically, one of the girls drunk grocery shopping. Most disappointing is how unfunny Kathryn Hahn is, it seems that every word that comes out her mouth has to do with sex.

This movie also fails to follow some of the basic rules of a screenplay. The characters speak for the writer, not for themselves. The main conflict doesn't even come up until half way through the movie.

The brightest spot of this movie is Kristen Bell's character Kiki, who is a weird stay at home mom. She provides almost all of the enjoyment you will get out of this film. JJ Watt and Martha Stewart also have funny cameos.

I would not recommend this movie unless you are a mother. If you are anything but, avoid this train wreck at all costs.

Game of Thrones SPOILERS BELOW

They also spoiled Jon Snow's death for the sake of a mediocre joke. Not Cool.

Lights Out (II) (2016)

Creative and entertaining, but not without a few downfalls

[6/10 · 27 July 2016]

Lights out is a refreshing, and imaginative new take on horror that I would recommend to any fan of the genre.

Part of what makes this movie scary is how it is all based around a very primal fear – the dark. The dark is the basis for every scare of the movie, and I would be lying if I said I didn't feel uneasy during my midnight run after the film.

Something that this movie does different than many other horror flicks, is that for most of the scares, there is not a lot of build up. A lot of the time, a scene will drag up for so long, building tension, that the scare becomes too predictable. This movie often skipped building up high- tension situations and went straight for the punch.

The origin story for Diana doesn't really make to much sense, but it is a horror story, what do you expect? It is not focused on heavily and isn't essential to enjoying the movie.

My biggest complaint about the movie is the dialogue. Often a great scare, or a dramatic moment would be ruined by really cheesy, straight forward dialogue, especially coming from the mother, or boyfriend. Sadly this rings true during the peak of movie, with some silly lines coming from the mother ruining what would have otherwise been a clever ending to the story.

What I loved most about this movie was how they took from their original short film and built on it so well. The hallway sequence from the short film is used within the first ninety seconds of the feature length film. They expand on this concept creatively using a plethora of devices to ward off Diana throughout the film. One particularly creative moment happens as Diana is approach someone firing a weapon at her.

Despite some cheesy dialogue, and weird dramatic moments, Lights out is still a creative and fun new take on horror. I would recommend it to any horror fan.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

Only for the hardcore comic fans

[4/10 · 11 April 2016]

Batman V Superman Dawn of Justice does more wrong than it does right.

I went into this movie with very low expectations. This was due to a few things, first being that I did not enjoy Man of Steel, nor have never been a big fan of director Zack Snyder. The second reason is that I had heard all the negative word of mouth about this movie. Even with my low expectations, I was disappointed by this movie.

Overall the cast performs pretty well, especially given the at times, horrendous dialogue. Ben Affleck particularly shines as a seasoned Bruce Wayne, who has changed his ways (for better or worse) after experiencing Superman's fight with General Zod. Henry Cavill does all he can with his flat dialogue and disappointingly flat character. The only other performance worth mentioned is Jessie Eisenburg as Lex Luthor. He brings an exciting new twist to the character, that gives you a "Mark Zuckerburg pushed over the edge" vibe. He was not the Lex Luthor that I grew up knowing, but it was refreshing to see a new take on the character.

This movie seemed to have many different plot lines going on at once, all of them feeling forced, and none of them being fulfilling. Many times characters acting without motivation or in ways the never would just to advance the plot. The worst incidence with occurs in a courtroom scene. When the courtroom blows up mid scene with Superman present, it is revealed that one of the witnesses had an explosive strapped to his wheelchair. The major issue with this is that Superman would have heard the bomb, or he would have heard the nervousness in this mans heartbeat. They write it off in one line from Superman, that he simply "wasn't paying attention." This is an unforgivable excuse to just push the story forward.

This movie is also filled with many forced, unnecessary moments. It is obvious how hard they are trying to hype up the other DC properties in anticipation for the Justice League. Wonder women does have some enjoyable moments in the movie, but ultimately she was not essential to the story being told. The bigger offensive is how aggressively The Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg are thrown in our face. Each character is given a random cheesy introduction scene to let us know that they are coming. They aimed for the hype that was brought on by the after credits scene of Iron Man, but marvel did a much better job in a 30 second scene involving no new super heroes.

The fighting sequences were almost disappointing, especially the titular showdown of Batman V Superman. The only really enjoyable action in the movie was the Batman breaching scenes and the few moments we got to see Princess Diana in action. The other fighting scenes, including the climatic showdown with Doomsday, felt like nothing more than a few CGI blobs running around and exploding. The closest thing I can think to compare it to is the transformer franchise.

Overall Batman V Superman Dawn of Justice was a disappointment and a poorly made film, but die hard fans of DC comics will still find pleasure seeing all the big names on one screen.