Plot
"NY police officer Ralph Sarchie investigates a series of crimes. He joins forces with an unconventional priest, schooled in the rituals of exorcism, to combat the possessions that are terrorizing their city".
My Thoughts
When I first saw the trailer for this film it instantly piqued my interest and I wanted to see it, what initially caught my interest was just he whole set up of the film a demonic force being released upon the life of a hardened NYPD detective who obviously will be a non believer in all of the happening going on around him until it hits "home" for his eyes to finally open. Before I go any further I want to give a special mention to Edgar Ramirez for his portrayal of Mendoza the priest I have only seen him in a few films previously (Clash/Wrath of the titans and Domino) while he was serviceable in those films he was more a supporting character with not much dialogue speaking for him, in this film he really stood out and he stood out from the rest of the cast, Eric Bana is one of my favorite actors (Really liked his role in Hanna) and he did a really good job in the role of Sargent Sarchie the NYPD detective caught into this holy struggle between good and evil, The one character i have to say that didn't really add to the film was Olivia Munn in her portrayal as Eric Bana's characters wife, i felt she was the obligatory "wife character to make the main character more sympathetic to whose with families" After viewing the film i honestly felt the film would have been the same if here character was not in the film and if it was just Bana's character and his daughter. The plot like I mentioned in the beginning caught my eye and after watching it unfold on screen I still hold most of the same enthusiasm I had before AI saw the film, my real gripe would be the beginning of the film it was kind of slow paced and didn't really set up well with the rest of the film, though it does connect with the rest of the film I just felt it was a little disjointed but overall it was a solid plot that kept me interested through out the viewing of the film. there was not much of CGI which i felt for this film was a good choice it added to the grittiness and dark tone of the film perfectly felt much more real. there was not much i did not like about this film the running time of 1 hour and 57 minutes to me was a good a length and the film didn't feel to long or drawn out the pacing was good. the film had a good amount of jump scares if you are prone to fall for these moments be warned, I liked them and it added a little to the film in terms of keeping you on your toes. Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a 30% saying "
Director Scott Derrickson continues
to have a reliably firm grasp on creepy atmosphere, but Deliver Us from
Evil's lack of original scares is reflected in its shopworn title". I disagree with most of what was said here this film was solid and met my expectations.
Rating
Solid film met what i expected 7.6/10!!!!
The second film for the month of July is "Dawn of the planet of the apes" Starring Andy Serkis, Jason Clarke and Gary Oldman.
Plot
"A growing nation of genetically evolved apes led by Caesar is threatened by a band of human survivors".
My Thoughts
I was a really big fan of Rise of the planet of the apes, the film really caught me off guard with the approach it took. it was a much more interesting and bold approach than the Tim Burton film from 2001 that starred Mark Wahlberg, that film to me was more comedic with its approach of having the actors in costumes. When the sequel was announced I was eagerly anticipating and knew from the beginning that I would see this film as soon as possible. After seeing the film I will say that this was a very good film, Unlike most critics I am not so quick to say it is exponentially better than the first film, this film was different than the first film, i say that because in the first film we had to see the set up for Caesar to see how the events in his life help shape him into the ruler he is destined to become, in this film which is set about 10 years after the events of the first film, we see that the apes have banded together and built a society for themselves to live in peace away fro m the remaining humans, I will say that the CGI in this film was superb the facial animations on the apes and the way that they moved was very well done and some of the best CGI I have seen since ""Avatar", the acting overall from the apes down to the humans was very good all around and I had no complaints in that regard, I do want to give special mention to Andy Serkis his performance was phenomenal whenever Caesar was on the screen he just oozed authority and presence and your eyes were glued to Caesars every move outstanding Job, I want to mention one other performance the character of Koba was also brilliantly done and I really enjoyed his scenes as well , the anger and rage he had toward the human race was very real and projected on the screen very well. I know most critics reviews rate this film over the first film and having seen both I will say that both films where very good and both will go down as some of the better films i have seen in their respective years But if I had to choose the better film I would break it into two categories for action I will give the nob to this film (the ending battle was epic and visually was beautiful) but from an emotional sense my nod goes to the first film, the pain and anguish that Caesar had to endure whole being locked up in that cage to me was harder to watch than anything he had to go through in this film, Like I said earlier both are great films and honestly i would be splitting hairs to say one is better than the other. There was not much I did not like about this film, I will say that the pacing in some parts was a little slow but for a film set up like this that isn't necessarily a bad t hing as a low buildup helps build character connections for the audience, One last thing I want to ad this film also did a great job conveying the suffering going on for both sided after the virus epidemic you feel for both he humans and the apes having to go through a world destroyed and mostly desolate. Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a 91% saying "With intelligence and emotional resonance to match its stunning special effects, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes expands on its predecessor with an exciting and ambitious burst of sci-fi achievement. I agree with everything they said this was a very good film and easily one of the best I have seen this year.
Rating
One of the bests films I have seen this year, really good film 8.3/10!!!!
The Third film for the month of July is "The Purge:Anarchy" Starring Frank Grillo, Carmen Ejogo and Zach Gilford
Plot
"A young couple works to survive on the streets after their car breaks down right as the annual purge commences".
My Thoughts
The very first purge film had such a great premise but was poorly executed, the setting for the whole "Purge" is really interesting and it was something new and fresh to the movie world, with an idea that to me really got me enticed, like many after seeing the first film I was hugely disappointed, not with the plot just with how restricted the film felt, the family stayed in the house the entire time and I really wanted to see an in your face approach to how people out there during the purge acted. Fast forward to this film and once I saw the trailer and saw that this film would be predominantly done with the main cast being outside and try to fight for survival I knew I was hooked. after seeing the film I can say wholeheartedly that his film outclassed the first film in every way possible and if t this is the trajectory for the rest of the films if any more in this series I hope the films keep the current format. It was so refreshing to see how people who could not afford to protect themselves try to handle this situation and fight for survival, the cast all did an excellent job in their roles (Special mention to Zoe Soul for her portrayal as Cali) she was the standout amongst a solid Cast (one more special mention to Micheal K. Williams in his portrayal as Carmelo), the one member of the cast that I did not really like was the character Liz she got really annoying after a while, the character of her husband was also annoying a overall I did not like the couple in the film . I honestly really loved the p[acing of the film and the backdrop that it had, the political aspect of this film really expands the chance for sequels in the future, I really hope another film delves deeper into the political issues with the film. Overall I did not dislike much about the film, the biggest issue was as i mentioned earlier the couple whose characters just rubbed me thee wrong way,the only other major gripe that I had with the film was the ending there is a certain tasks that one of the main characters went through the whole movie to complete and when the moment finally appeared it wasn't done and I felt that ruined the ending. Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a 55% saying "Gritty, grisly, and uncommonly ambitious, The Purge: Anarchy represents a slight improvement over its predecessor, but it's still never as smart or resonant as it tries to be". I disagree, I think the film was a huge improvment over the first film and look forward to the next film if they decide to make it, if you want to see a good action film with some suspense, a little humor and a political undertone to it this film was very good ,solid film.
Rating
Solid film much better than the first film 7.4/10!!!!
The fourth and Final film for the month of July is "Hercules" Starring the Rock, Ian Mcshane and John Hurt.
Plot
"Having endured his legendary twelve labors, Hercules, the Greek demigod, has his life as a sword-for-hire tested when the King of Thrace and his daughter seek his aid in defeating a tyrannical warlord".
My Thoughts
I am a huge fan of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, most of his films that I have seen I have enjoyed (one of my favorites from last was Snitch). When this film was announced I was highly intrigued to see the Rock play Hercules, after seeing the trailer I knew this was a film that I was going to see, After now having viewed the film I can say that I wasn't disappointed but confused. The reason I say this is t hat the film has a "Bait and Switch" feel to it, most of the scenes in thee trailer lead you to believe one thing about thew film and after seeing it a lot of the film was completely different than the trailer, sometimes that can be a good thing ass it can lead to unexpected and good shocking moments, this for the most part wasn't the case. The acting was solid The Rock did very well in his leading role and the rest of the cast did a good job and complimented him well. One element of the film I did like is the satirical way they viewed some of the ancient ways people over exaggerated things they saw when in reality it was nothing out of the ordinary, I really liked that play by the director and the writers. The fighting scenes where done really well and I also liked how they portrayed Hercules in the film it was different than some of the other adaptations I have seen in recent memory. The major problem I had wit this film was the real lack of a considerable villain in this film it again goes back to the whole bat and switch element this film had it shows you one way then out of nowhere curve ball and for me when it came to having a main villain it just didn't work and I did not like the final result in that regard. Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a 61% saying "Hercules has Brett Ratner behind the cameras and Dwayne Johnson rocking the loincloth -- and delivers exactly what any reasonable person reading that description might expect". I somewhat disagree going by the trailers I had an idea of what to expect but the film just did a complete 180 with how the plot.story played out and for me it took away from the overall experience. Overall this film was confusing and not what I expected, the rock was solid in his portrayal of the legendary hero and if you are a fan of his like I am oi recommend to see the film just go in with no expectations or expect anything to play out by how the trailers had showed.
Rating
Not what I expected, The Rock was solid if you are a fan of his I recommend to see it 7.1/10!!!!
The second film for the month of July is "Dawn of the planet of the apes" Starring Andy Serkis, Jason Clarke and Gary Oldman.
Plot
"A growing nation of genetically evolved apes led by Caesar is threatened by a band of human survivors".
My Thoughts
I was a really big fan of Rise of the planet of the apes, the film really caught me off guard with the approach it took. it was a much more interesting and bold approach than the Tim Burton film from 2001 that starred Mark Wahlberg, that film to me was more comedic with its approach of having the actors in costumes. When the sequel was announced I was eagerly anticipating and knew from the beginning that I would see this film as soon as possible. After seeing the film I will say that this was a very good film, Unlike most critics I am not so quick to say it is exponentially better than the first film, this film was different than the first film, i say that because in the first film we had to see the set up for Caesar to see how the events in his life help shape him into the ruler he is destined to become, in this film which is set about 10 years after the events of the first film, we see that the apes have banded together and built a society for themselves to live in peace away fro m the remaining humans, I will say that the CGI in this film was superb the facial animations on the apes and the way that they moved was very well done and some of the best CGI I have seen since ""Avatar", the acting overall from the apes down to the humans was very good all around and I had no complaints in that regard, I do want to give special mention to Andy Serkis his performance was phenomenal whenever Caesar was on the screen he just oozed authority and presence and your eyes were glued to Caesars every move outstanding Job, I want to mention one other performance the character of Koba was also brilliantly done and I really enjoyed his scenes as well , the anger and rage he had toward the human race was very real and projected on the screen very well. I know most critics reviews rate this film over the first film and having seen both I will say that both films where very good and both will go down as some of the better films i have seen in their respective years But if I had to choose the better film I would break it into two categories for action I will give the nob to this film (the ending battle was epic and visually was beautiful) but from an emotional sense my nod goes to the first film, the pain and anguish that Caesar had to endure whole being locked up in that cage to me was harder to watch than anything he had to go through in this film, Like I said earlier both are great films and honestly i would be splitting hairs to say one is better than the other. There was not much I did not like about this film, I will say that the pacing in some parts was a little slow but for a film set up like this that isn't necessarily a bad t hing as a low buildup helps build character connections for the audience, One last thing I want to ad this film also did a great job conveying the suffering going on for both sided after the virus epidemic you feel for both he humans and the apes having to go through a world destroyed and mostly desolate. Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a 91% saying "With intelligence and emotional resonance to match its stunning special effects, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes expands on its predecessor with an exciting and ambitious burst of sci-fi achievement. I agree with everything they said this was a very good film and easily one of the best I have seen this year.
Rating
One of the bests films I have seen this year, really good film 8.3/10!!!!
The Third film for the month of July is "The Purge:Anarchy" Starring Frank Grillo, Carmen Ejogo and Zach Gilford
Plot
"A young couple works to survive on the streets after their car breaks down right as the annual purge commences".
My Thoughts
The very first purge film had such a great premise but was poorly executed, the setting for the whole "Purge" is really interesting and it was something new and fresh to the movie world, with an idea that to me really got me enticed, like many after seeing the first film I was hugely disappointed, not with the plot just with how restricted the film felt, the family stayed in the house the entire time and I really wanted to see an in your face approach to how people out there during the purge acted. Fast forward to this film and once I saw the trailer and saw that this film would be predominantly done with the main cast being outside and try to fight for survival I knew I was hooked. after seeing the film I can say wholeheartedly that his film outclassed the first film in every way possible and if t this is the trajectory for the rest of the films if any more in this series I hope the films keep the current format. It was so refreshing to see how people who could not afford to protect themselves try to handle this situation and fight for survival, the cast all did an excellent job in their roles (Special mention to Zoe Soul for her portrayal as Cali) she was the standout amongst a solid Cast (one more special mention to Micheal K. Williams in his portrayal as Carmelo), the one member of the cast that I did not really like was the character Liz she got really annoying after a while, the character of her husband was also annoying a overall I did not like the couple in the film . I honestly really loved the p[acing of the film and the backdrop that it had, the political aspect of this film really expands the chance for sequels in the future, I really hope another film delves deeper into the political issues with the film. Overall I did not dislike much about the film, the biggest issue was as i mentioned earlier the couple whose characters just rubbed me thee wrong way,the only other major gripe that I had with the film was the ending there is a certain tasks that one of the main characters went through the whole movie to complete and when the moment finally appeared it wasn't done and I felt that ruined the ending. Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a 55% saying "Gritty, grisly, and uncommonly ambitious, The Purge: Anarchy represents a slight improvement over its predecessor, but it's still never as smart or resonant as it tries to be". I disagree, I think the film was a huge improvment over the first film and look forward to the next film if they decide to make it, if you want to see a good action film with some suspense, a little humor and a political undertone to it this film was very good ,solid film.
Rating
Solid film much better than the first film 7.4/10!!!!
The fourth and Final film for the month of July is "Hercules" Starring the Rock, Ian Mcshane and John Hurt.
Plot
"Having endured his legendary twelve labors, Hercules, the Greek demigod, has his life as a sword-for-hire tested when the King of Thrace and his daughter seek his aid in defeating a tyrannical warlord".
My Thoughts
I am a huge fan of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, most of his films that I have seen I have enjoyed (one of my favorites from last was Snitch). When this film was announced I was highly intrigued to see the Rock play Hercules, after seeing the trailer I knew this was a film that I was going to see, After now having viewed the film I can say that I wasn't disappointed but confused. The reason I say this is t hat the film has a "Bait and Switch" feel to it, most of the scenes in thee trailer lead you to believe one thing about thew film and after seeing it a lot of the film was completely different than the trailer, sometimes that can be a good thing ass it can lead to unexpected and good shocking moments, this for the most part wasn't the case. The acting was solid The Rock did very well in his leading role and the rest of the cast did a good job and complimented him well. One element of the film I did like is the satirical way they viewed some of the ancient ways people over exaggerated things they saw when in reality it was nothing out of the ordinary, I really liked that play by the director and the writers. The fighting scenes where done really well and I also liked how they portrayed Hercules in the film it was different than some of the other adaptations I have seen in recent memory. The major problem I had wit this film was the real lack of a considerable villain in this film it again goes back to the whole bat and switch element this film had it shows you one way then out of nowhere curve ball and for me when it came to having a main villain it just didn't work and I did not like the final result in that regard. Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a 61% saying "Hercules has Brett Ratner behind the cameras and Dwayne Johnson rocking the loincloth -- and delivers exactly what any reasonable person reading that description might expect". I somewhat disagree going by the trailers I had an idea of what to expect but the film just did a complete 180 with how the plot.story played out and for me it took away from the overall experience. Overall this film was confusing and not what I expected, the rock was solid in his portrayal of the legendary hero and if you are a fan of his like I am oi recommend to see the film just go in with no expectations or expect anything to play out by how the trailers had showed.
Rating
Not what I expected, The Rock was solid if you are a fan of his I recommend to see it 7.1/10!!!!
