MAMA
I'm not a fan of horror films, but I must say that Mama pleasantly surprised me. This is largely due to its strong performances and writing, with a story that's actually well told and worth telling. And yes, it is scary. Although the scariness does subside in the third act, the script makes up for it by telling a satisfactory conclusion, and fulfilling itself as a good movie in general. However, it may not be scary enough for some true horror fans, and the CGI effects, which become quite prominent, are unfortunately just not good, distracting somewhat from what would otherwise be some great sequences. Still, its focus on story and characters over scares and gore is something that is actually quite admirable.Grade: B
THE LAST STAND
The Last Stand, Arnold Schwarzenegger's return to the leading role in an action film, is by all objective accounts a very bad movie. The story is nonsensical, the dialogue is mind-numbingly bad, and all of the performances outside of Schwarzenegger (whose mere presence elevates the film) and Knoxville (who surprisingly fulfills his comic relief duties well) are either mind numbingly uninteresting, or annoyingly over the top. Still, the primary action sequence in the film, which takes way too long to get to, is at least well staged and entertainingly over the top. However, this one sequence is quickly undone. It's not boring, but there's very little, outside the action and Schwarzenegger himself, that's good.
Grade: C
WARM BODIES
I had very low hopes for this movie, but it really outdid my expectations. It's likable characters and funny script won me over, and helped me to ignore the fact that it ignores almost every rule of the zombie genre. Once you accept that, it's easy to simply sit back and enjoy the films quirky story and clever dialogue. There are still some frustrating moments, the zombie dialogue is meant to sound like it's a struggle for them to form words, but ends up sounding more like they just have sore throats. However, it's still a fun little film that you'll chuckle about, but won't really stay on your mind for very long.
Grade: B
THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES
The Place Beyond the Pines is a film with several flaws, but one which, when taken as a whole, is able to easily overcome these flaws. It's a very unique film with a story structure that is jarring, although in retrospect really works well for the story. The performances are mostly outstanding, Gosling and Cooper especially, although there are a few performances that are noticeably weaker. As well, it is a film that is perhaps slightly longer than it needs to be, as there are some moments that feel unnecessary and draggy. Even still, this is a wonderful film that will stay with you for a while, despite its flaws.
Grade: A-
UPSIDE DOWN
If there's one thing I respect in this film it's the world building. The world it creates, nonsensical as it is, is very cool, and the great visuals add to this, with some shots that are beautiful and truly take advantage of the concept. Of course, the ambitious concept creates many plot and logic errors. Most of these are pretty simple and understandable, but there are a few that are so stupid that it distracts you just trying to comprehend how somebody could come up with something THAT dumb. Still, it's admirable that this film was made on as low a budget as it was, just go in expecting some cute moments, and some really dumb moments.
Grade: B-
JOHN DIES AT THE END
John Dies at the End is a weird movie, but in a lot of ways its just not weird enough. The first two acts of the film, when you don't understand anything that's going on is the best, as that is when the movie really gets to play with your mind. However, it's almost disappointing when things start to become cohesive. It's still wonderfully weird, mind you, but it makes some kind of sense, too. However, the film is only based off of the first third of the book of the same name, and it shows. The film really does feel like its not a full story. The true revelations, though, are the two leads, Chase Williamson and Rob Mayes, whose David and John are so fully developed, and full of brilliant and realistic reactions to the weirdness going on around them. While the film maybe doesn't live up to its potential, these two keep your eyes to the screen, and keep you actually invested in the events of the film.
Grade: B
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