Borat Subsequent Moviefilm Film Review

Directed by Jason Woliner

Starring: Sacha Baron Cohen, Maria Bakalova

Rated R for pervasive strong crude and sexual content, graphic nudity, and language

14 years after Borat was released, Borat returns in a new film, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm. In this sequel, Borat (played by Sacha Baron Cohen) is set back to the United States with his teenage daughter, Tutar (played Maria Bakalova), so his daughter can be sold to the U.S. president, Donald Trump. While in the United States, Borat and Tutar interact with unsuspecting Americans who are unaware they are being trolled.

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm is a mockumentary film that is quite hilarious. Baron Cohen returns to form with the character that made him a household name. Baron Cohen plays the character a crude and brash to those who interact with him. It was enjoyable to revisit a character who is known to be a troll. When Borat is on screen with random people he has met, sometimes the jokes work and sometimes they do not. However, the best person Borat interacts with is his daughter.

Borat’s daughter, Tutar, is a new addition to the series. At first, I was under the impression that Tutar would slow down the film, as it is the norm when a film series add a child to the film. However, I was soon mistaken as Tutar held her own against Baron Cohen. She is also hilarious and is also a master at being a troll. The character of Tutar is a welcomed addition to the Borat series.

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm is a film with a simple premise: have two comedic actors dress up as a character and interact with Americans and exploit their buffoonery actions or statements. With a simple premise like that, it is difficult for the film to fail. Fortunately, the film succeeds in every way. The film is humorous and sticks to what it knows best, shock value. Fans of the first Borat film will certainly enjoy the brash sequel.

3/4

Booksmart Film Review

Directed by Olivia Wilde

Starring: Kaitlyn Dever, Beanie Feldstein, Jessica Williams

Rated R for strong sexual content and language throughout, drug use and drinking – all involving teens

Actress Olivia Wilde directs her first feature film, a coming of age film that features many laughs in Booksmart. Booksmart is in the same vein of other teen comedies such as Superbad, The Breakfast Club, and most notably, Lady Bird. Booksmart is very similar to other teen comedies but does stand out from the rest of the crowd due to its humor and surrealism.

Booksmart stars Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever as Molly and Amy, respectively, as two best friends on their last day in school. The friends are exceptional students with remarkable grades and are ready to go to Ivy League schools. But they realized that they could have worked hard and have fun as many of their peers have done. So before school does end, the pair decide to go to a party, starting a wild night for the pair.

First and foremost, Booksmart is hilarious. Laugh out loud hilarious. It has been a long time that I have a good laugh in a comedy. The characters are each hilarious, even supporting characters such as Principal Brown (played by Jason Sudeikis) who appears in a few scenes only. There is a hilarious scene between Molly, Amy, and Principal Brown in a car ride. It is something that needs to be seen. Booksmart is filled with many scenes like this.

The screenplay is also well written. Writers Susanna Fogel, Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins, and Katie Silberman do a outstanding job writing for teenagers who are living in 2019. The writing does not feel forced, it feels natural and seems like what young liberal women in 2019 would be saying and doing. Because the writing is so good, it can be relatable to teenagers of today, regardless of gender. Since this is relatable to teenagers to today, this is a film that can be watched multiple times and even to future generations, just like other other coming of age films have done.

The screenplay also does have a few surprises that some may or may not have seen coming. The audience is lead to believe that one scene will happen this way but it turns out another, it was well executed. The film does also feature other well done technical aspects such as a one take shot and music that seems fitting for the 2010’s.

Booksmart is a very hilarious film that features well written characters. Director Olivia Wilde directs a coming of age film that feels like a standout in the decade with many coming of age films such as Lady Bird and Boyhood, just to name a few. If I had to compare Booksmart to another great comedy, it would be Lady Bird (which both feature Beanie Feldstein). If you like Lady Bird, then you will enjoy and laugh out loud in Booksmart.

4/4

John Wick: Chapter 3- Parabellum Film Review

Directed by Chad Stahelski

Starring Keanu Reeves, Halle Berry, Ian McShane

Rated R for pervasive strong violence, and some language

John Wick Chapter 3 is the newest installment in the John Wick series starring Keanu Reeves. Reeves plays John Wick, an assassin with a bounty with a price on his head who is trying to un-excommunicate himself from an assassination organization. The entire film is Wick running from place to place trying to right his wrongs with the help with multiple characters. The entire film is also an enjoyable action film with a lead character who is a bad ass. The reason why the John Wick series is so successful is because Wick is a character who has an interesting personality.

The action and the stunt choreography is what stands out in the film. The first 2o minutes of the film consists of a very well choreographed fight in a library and a chase ensues thereafter. From the very beginning of the film to the last scene, it is filled with exceptional chases and fights and shoot outs. In the mid point of the film, two characters have a shootout against an entire force. It is a violence heavy scene filled with witty humor and is just pure action. Another stand out scene is towards the end with a fight between two characters who almost in equals. The choreography is of course well done but so is the lighting and cinematography. It was very reminiscent of a fight sequence in Skyfall (2012), in which Bond fights a henchman in Shanghai.

The film also features humor which can be a hit or miss in most non comedic films. But the humor is well done and presented at appropriate places. When the scene calls for action, we see the action. But the are many instances where humor is inserted. The humor works well because sometimes it is out of nowhere or it is a call back to the previous film. I normally do not like humor that is in action heavy films but this film does it so well, it is something that is not distracting.

Although there are many great elements in the film, there is almost some things that are unbelievable that can almost take the audience out of the film. There are many instances where a character gets hurt, which is believable, but that same characters gets back up as if he just got a paper cut. The fight scenes are great as mentioned before but it is highly improbable that a couple people can take down a hundred men, no matter how good of a killer that character is. But John Wick is an action film that doesn’t go for reasonable logic. This is not a film that you have to think but just relax and enjoy the experience.

John Wick Chapter 3 is an entertaining film and audiences will be pleased with it. From start to finish, it is filled with great action scenes that keeps the audience engaged. I highly recommend the film if you are a person who loves action film or even to the average film viewer.

3.5/4

Hellboy (2019) Film Review

Directed by Neil Marshall

Starring: David Harbour, Milla Jovovich, Ian McShane

Rated R for strong bloody violence and gore throughout, and language

While I was watching Hellboy, I felt nostalgic for the 2004 version with Ron Perlman and Guillermo del Toro as director. When the film was over, I asked myself two questions. Why was not at home watching that version and why was another Hellboy film made without del Toro as director and Perlman as the title character?

Hellboy is a remake or re-imagining of the character based off the comic book. In this third film in the Hellboy series, Hellboy (played by David Harbour) must stop the Nimue, the Blood Queen, (played by Milla Jovovich) who is seeking to destroy mankind. The thing that works best in this film is Harbour as Hellboy. Harbour does have funny one-liners here and there and does well with what he has to work with. Also, Alice (played by Sasha Lane), who is a character who can speak to the dead, is also very well with what she has to work with. But this is as far as the compliments go.

The issue with Hellboy is that it’s just so forgettable and long. The film is a two hours long but it about ten to fifteen minutes could have been cut. In the first act of the film, there is a story arc of Hellboy having to kill three giants with men from a club having to help. This story arc adds nothing to the rest of the story nor is it interesting. The fight sequence with the three giants is filled with bad CGI. Very bad CGI. This is an issue that plagues the entire film as the CGI looks like something that would be found in a PlayStation 2 game cut-scene.

In the film, Hellboy is helped by his father (played by Ian McShane) in the quest to stop the Blood Queen. But McShane’s character plays more of a M, from James Bond, character rather than a father figure. He is just there to tell exposition or give Hellboy details of his next quest. The only way you know Hellboy and McShane’s character are related by the characters actually telling the audience that they are related. For example, one would say “thanks pops” or “hello son” . This is the only way you can tell these two are father and son due to lack chemistry between the characters.

The villain’s motivations are cliche and forgettable. The Blood Queen has been dead for hundreds of years and awakens to destroy the world. It has been done before and its not interesting nor exciting. The last act consisted of the Blood Queen unleashing demons to the streets of London in a gory fashion. When a film presents violence, I usually have no problem with it, unless its done right. This film has violence and gore just to have it, the gimmick of having people ripped apart throughout the film gets boring towards the end.

Hellboy is a bland film that is filled with embarrassing CGI. Harbour is very likable as Hellboy but the rest of the film is just sloppy and messy. The very end of the film presents an idea for a sequel, but I highly doubt that will happen if this is what we got. If there were to be another Hellboy film, then we are better off having Guillermo del Toro back in the director’s chair and Ron Perlman back as Hellboy himself.

1.5/4

Pet Sematary Film Review

Directed by Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer

Starring: Jason Clarke, Amy Seimetz, John Lithgow

Rated R for horror violence, bloody images, and some language

Pet Sematary is a remake of the 1989 film of the same name, which in turn is an adaptation of the novel written by Stephen King. In this horror film, we are introduced to the Creed family who are new to a small town in Maine (of course) and freaky and odd phenomenons start to occur when the family discovers a pet “sematary” near their home. One day the family cat, dies and with the help of their neighbor Jud, (John Lithgow) the cat is brought back to life which opens up Pandora’s box.

Pet Sematary seems to follow many of the tropes that we have to come known in horror films. The family moving to a new home that seems a nice place to get away from the city. Then on the first night things start to get freaky and odd without any explanations. The mother who sees this as trouble is wanting to go home but the father is insiting the family stays. In addition to those, we get the false jump scares, for example someone or something jumps out of no where as a wink to the audience to say “hey, we are still a horror film”. It seems very repetitive and when watching this film you can tell what would come next. This is something I have an issue with most horror films, not just Pet Sematary. Now I do understand that this film is an adaptation of the 1983 novel and maybe the novel has all of these tropes that I just described. But when making the leap from the pages to screen, something has to change and I feel that this could have been changed.

The biggest crime that Pet Sematary commits is that is just too boring. It takes a good thirty minutes before the plot starts to move along. There were many instances where I was checking my watch just because of the pure boredom that was presented on the screen. I am not asking for jump scares or action for every scene, but something interesting such as character development could be nice. Although I can give props that Louis (Jason Clarke) was not a believer of an afterlife or second chances but in the end he changes his mind. That is an interesting idea that does work in the type of situation he is in.

The film also fails to explain many of the ideas presented. Louis is a doctor who loses a patient and is haunted by that patient. It is never explained why that was happening. Was it a hallucination or was it actually a “zombie”? But Louis’ child sees the deceased patient, so that raises more questions than answers. It also doesn’t add much to the plot. Directors Kolsch and Widmyer could have cut this story arc and it would not have made the film better or worse.

But a horror film’s most important job is to scare the audience. Does it do that? Well, yes but the scares are filled in a boring film with tropes that we have seen before. If you are a Stephen King fan, I suppose you can watch it just to see how this differs from the book and the 1989 film, but I highly recommend to give it a pass. This is something that should not have been brought back to life.

2/4

Shazam! Film Review

Directed by David F. Sandberg

Starring: Zachary Levi, Mark Strong, Asher Angel

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action, language, and suggestive material

Everyone at one point in their lives wanted to be a superhero. When I was a kid, I always imagined being a superhero saving the day. Shazam is a film that asks the question, what if a regular kid had superpowers? Would he use them for the greater good or play around with them for fun?

Shazam is the newest DC Comics installment in which 14 year old Billy Batson (played by Asher Angel) is an orphan who is given superpowers when shouting the phrase, “Shazam!”. When shouting this phrase, 14 year old Batson is suddenly transformed into a a grown adult with superpowers (played by Zachary Levi) . But Batson is not the only person with this type of power. Dr. Sivana (played by Mark Strong) has the power to summon the seven deadly sins but is also seeking the powers that Shazam has.

Shazam is a superhero film but it is actually a family film. Batson is trying to find his mother and is placed in a foster family. Batson feels left out in his foster family and the film asks the question, how does it feel to be left out? This is also something that the villain, Dr. Sivana also faces within his own family. The family arc in the film is very heartfelt and warming, and at time emotional as each character is likable. Batson is in a foster home along with other foster children with distinct personalities. Darla is one of the foster sibling and is played very well as lovable little sister.

But when we are not focusing on the family, we see how Batson deals with his new powers. At first, Batson does not use his powers for good but for entertainment. This is something we would all do if we all had newfound powers, well at least I would do. Levi who plays Shazam brings fun and excitement when he is on the screen. His humor is what makes this film worth watching. Shazam is accompanied by his foster brother, Freddie (played by Jack Dylan Grazer). Freddie is a comic book nerd who points out what the superhero has to go through. Shazam/Billy Batson and Freddie do have good chemistry when on screen. At one point in the film. Freddie refers Billy as his best friend and I can see the two characters best friends. But the true standout is the evil Dr Sivana.

Early in the film, we see why Dr Sivana has the motivations he has. When he was a young boy, Sivana was bullied by his brother and father and eventually causes a rift between them. He wants the powers Shazam as it something he has been seeking all his life and eventually has the demons of the seven deadly sins inside him . Dr. Sivana is not your regular villain, he is a villain who is willing to kill children and throws innocent people out of a building. He is a good villain who has a tragic backstory, so there is some reasoning on why he does what he does. But in the end, it does not justify the actions he does. The kills and the demons that represent the seven deadly sins are a bit dark for a lighthearted film.

The third act with consists of Shazam and Dr Sivana battling in at a carnival and in the city. Shazam is helped with his foster siblings in a fun little twist. Although some of the CGI is not believable. I know in a superhero film there will be CGI used heavily but there are some moments that you can tell the CGI is not done well. Fortunately this is something that is not major nor does it bring the film down.

Shazam is fun, exciting, and heartwarming. I highly recommend this film, especially if you are a comic book enthusiast. The villain is memorable and the overall theme is something we can all relate to. There is enjoyment and humor to be had, in the end you will be shouting, “Shazam!”.

3.5/4