EX MACHINA Review | (2015)

                Starring Domnhall Gleeson (Frank, Anna Karenina), Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis, Star Wars Episode VII), and Alicia Vikander (Seventh Son), Ex Machina tells the story of a talented coder recruited to take place in a “turing test” of sorts. The film utilizes impeccable set design and an air of mystery to create a scene that feels full of possibility, yet growingly claustrophobic as the film moves forward. It begins with the character “Caleb”, played by Domnhall Gleeson being selected as the winner of a company contest that seeks an employee to test a new product being developed by the fictional company “Bluebook”.

                The film finds its strength in its dialogue and imagery. With a film that takes place in one house, and mostly even just a handful of rooms in said house, dialogue is key. The characters discussions inform the premise of the film without being on the nose, as well as creating a sense of self wonder. What does it mean to be human? And what does it mean to be a God? The film balances a sincere level of philosophy and entertainment that is hard to come by. Performances by all of the leads are noteworthy, with Oscar Isaacs character “Nathan”, being both brilliant and terrifying in his enigmatic nature. Alicia Vikander as well balances herself directly on the line between human and machine and as a result it feels as though the viewer is being asked to take a turing test themselves.

                Ex Machina unravels like a finely woven knot, with each tug of the string getting you closer to unscrambling a mystery that seemed so complex from the start. Characters decisions are logical and practical, and Ex Machina employs writing that is appropriately as smart as the topic being discussed. It is a film whose ability to make you question your own existence is effortless, and the line between man and machine is blurred by beautifully directed scenes, artfully shot compositions and enigmatic storytelling.

Ex Machina: 9/10

►Strong characters

►Bold and challenging storytelling

►Smart in both execution and concept

Daredevil Episode 1 | "Into the Ring" Review

Following in the footsteps of other original programming from Netflix such as House of Cards, Daredevil is a dimly lit show with an even darker atmosphere. With that said, another aspect it holds in common with House of Cards is the quality. Before the title card is even shown, Daredevil is enthralling and the lead actor, Charlie Cox, is captivating as blind lawyer, and vigilante, Daredevil. 

Episode 1 follows the story of Karen Page, and a mysterious murder that appears to happen in her apartment, with Ms. Page herself being the sole suspect. One of the best ways to describe the atmosphere of this episode would be that, "It is like Christopher Nolan directed an episode of Law and Order". Deborah Ann Woll who plays "Karen Page" is both mysterious and heartbreaking in her attempts to defend her innocence

One of the best aspects of this new version of Daredevil is its pacing, which allows for intense character development without shoving all the information down your throat at once. The relationship between Foggy, Matt Murdocks partner at their law firm and best friend, is established without being exaggerated. There is no rush for you to be receiving information, and rather the fact that the audience does not have all the answers is what makes the series so captivating. This is a perfect example of a fantastically crafted narrative. Whilst the characters in the show have their own mystery to solve, the show poses a question to the viewer, "What do you think Karen Page has to hide?" 

From start to finish, it is apparent that director Phil Abraham has a clear image for this episode. It is not to focus on the fact that Daredevil is a superhero, and by all accounts you may not even consider him one. It focuses on the injustice that has overrun Hell's Kitchen following the events of Joss Whedon's The Avengers. (Though it is never explicitly said that this show is following those events, it is hinted at multiple times.) By following this approach,Daredevil shines brightly despite being one of the darker pieces of the MCU puzzle; Creating an air of mystery and intrigue that burns into your brain well past the moment the credits roll for this episode. 

Score: 10/10

LET ME IN REVIEW | (2010)

Spoiler and Blood free…..wait no theres a lot of blood.

                     Ok let me start off by saying for those of you who aren’t aware of this, Let Me in is a remake of LET THE RIGHT ONE IN a swedish film from 2008, as to why it was remade so shortly after the original is way beyond me but let us not dwindle on this fact. LET ME IN was released in 2010 on October 1st. Thefilm follows a 12 year old boy named OWEN and his life at school and home and how they dramatically change following the arrival of two new neighbors, ABBY, and a older man. Now the movie does a really good job at creating sympathy for OWEN which is something that must point out from the start, i immediately felt bad for him following the first scene in which he is shown to be bullied(this is not a spoiler). Throughout the film there is a sense of sympathy for OWEN  but at the same time the movie manages to feel slightly comedic at points. Unfortunately its difficult to go into detail without giving spoilers but the director seems to lose his tone throughout the course of the movie with a repetitive background track and desire to lose the subtly of the original in place of a more up close and personal look at the carnage done by what would be a modern day vampire. One aspect of this movie however that is particularly refreshing is that vampires are not taken in a superman esque light in the least bit in this movie and she feels more parasitic than anything else in this movie, someone leeching off of other people for help which leads to question her intentions in this film. Overall i feel like this film aimed to make a good homage to the original but fell flat in its desire to make the movie more intense which instead came off as making the film more overly dramatic and slightly comedic at points. Now while it may seem bias to say how it compares to the original in so many points, its something you have to accept when it comes to viewing a remake and overall most of these points are just in relation to this film in general, the pacing feels off at many points and the acting from the lead boy OWEN slightly awkward sometimes. The mood of scenes were often broken by the background music and unfortunately throughout the course of the movie i still felt nothing for the characters by the end which ultimately would be considered a miss for a movie.

  • Worth a view if you’re down for a refreshing take on the vampire genre from todays Twilight and such.
  • Pacing feels very off at times
  • Sympathy for OWEN feels greatly established at points throughout the movie however while i feel sorry for OWEN i don’t feel like i knew the character.
  • Director seemed to sacrifice mood for gore in this remake but if you’re into gore this might just be for you with some very gruesome scenes.
  • Generally good effort, was interesting to watch but i don’t know if i would actually call it enjoyable.

6 out of/10

The Cabin In the Woods Review | (2012)

Spoiler and “I saw it coming” free.

   Cabin in the Woods, released on April 13th, 2012 is directed by Joss Whedon and stars Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison, Fran Kranz, Jesse Williams, Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford. Now, this is a movie that is hard to review without giving anything away, however, that is the best way to see this movie, knowing nothing. Cabin in the Woods was filmed in 2009 but didn’t get a release until 2012, which personally I find to be bananas because Cabin in the Woods is hands down the best horror film of 2012 in my opinion. The movie has a way of continuing to escalate the excitement without the movie ever becoming actually too scary. It is a horror movie that is so entertaining and so creative that you don’t actually have time to be scared(a la THE EVIL DEAD).  Director Joss Whedon has a history of managing groups of characters well and giving them all enough screen time that you can actually care for the characters plight and that is just what he does in Cabin in the Woods. Be it you’re looking for a laugh, or looking for a scream this movie delivers everything, and if you do not say “WTF” at least once during the run of this movie, I will personally pay for your ticket, but by how great this film is, with its amazing pacing, fantastically creative story that builds up to what can only be described as an out of this world conclusion, I wouldn’t be surprised if you go out and get a second ticket to see it with a friend. So lets sum that up for you guys real quick.

  • Amazing story
  • Cast plays off of each other extremely well(great chemistry guys!)
  • Pacing is so good that the 95 minute run time is perfect.
  • The twists and turns of the story allow for such a creative spin on the traditional horror movie that you will never look at a horror movie the same again.

Score: 9/10