MOVIE REVIEW: The Legend of Tarzan

In the latest retelling of the classic story of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Tarzan (Alexander Skarsgard) married Jane (Margot Robbie in a subdued yet luminous performance) went back to England, was able to claim his stake as John Clayton III aka Lord Greystroke. He is asked by an American journalist George Washington Williams (Samuel L. Jackson) to go back to the jungle where he grew up and help him investigate the illegal activities of King Leopold of Belgium that encompasses the Congo Basin. 

A trap set up by a mercenary (Christoph Waltz who have some bad intentions to help the King of Belgium) that would deliver Tarzan to Chef Mbonga (Djimon Hounson) who seeks revenge for a killing of a loved one in the past sets up a spectacular showdown between the ruthless colonizers and the locals both men and beasts.

David Yates who directed some of the Harry Potter, most notably the Deathly Hallows Parts 1 and 2 still has some of the magic touch left in bringing a beautiful jungle in the film. I saw the film in the latest 4DX format and it's well worth your time and hard earned money. The film feels a bit sluggish at times and a big factor includes Skarsgard monotonous performance, his abs though is like the only shining moment when he's in the big screen. 

MOVIE REVIEW: Independence Day: Resurgence

The highest grossing movie of 1996, the first Independence Day earned its place in movie pop culture was such a visual treat on the big screen with all the famous landmarks getting destroyed by aliens and anchored by the wit and charisma of Will Smith, who in turn became a big global box office star after the film was released. It even won the Oscar for Visual Effects as well.

Twenty years later, here comes the sequel but it came too late. A lot of things had happened: 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, the tsunami of 2004 and Typhoon Haiyan among others. The fun factor of seeing earth destroyed just got weary as well on the big screen as  movies with a similar premise and same pattern of destruction have came out among them the film director Roland Emmerich's The Day After Tomorrow in 2004 and 2009's 2012 thus erasing it's wow and novelty factor, Will Smith not returning for the sequel is heavily felt on the film's tone. Liam Hemsworth's love triangle with the daughter (Maika Monroe) of President Whitmore (Bill Pullman) in the first film and the son (Jessie T. Usher) of Smith's Captain Steven Hiller is straight out of Top Gun. Only Jeff Goldblum's dry wit saves the film from taking itself too seriously despite its popcorn appeal overtures.

However, if you are a fan of the first Independence Day, the first half of part 2 is well made. We the audience are reintroduced to the old characters as well as meeting the new ones. It's also refreshing to see acclaimed French actress Charlotte Gainsbourg star in her first big blockbuster Hollywood film. The second though, felt like an overlong Transformer film directed by Michael Bay that never made it to the final cut despite Independence Day 2's running time of 2 hours which is 25 minutes shorter than the first one. Skip the 3D, spend it on Finding Dory instead.

MOVIE REVIEW: Central Intelligence

Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart join forces in Central Intelligence, a action - buddy comedy that has been done before and yet it feels new and engaging because the two actors have excellent chemistry and impeccable comic timing not only from Hart but also from Johnson, who is more known in the wrestling world as The Rock and his action films.

The film starts in high school where Hart stars as Calvin Joyner as the popular kid in school while Johnson is Robert Weirdicht who is on the opposite end, a victim of bullying to the extreme.

Fast forward twenty years later and days before their high school reunion, the two shall meet again thru Facebook and this time - things have changed, Joyner is now  the mild-mannered and put down upon accountant in the firm that he works for while Weirdicht has changed his name into Bob Stone, has completely transformed physically and has a cool and exciting job unlike Joyner who incidentally was voted most likely to succeed. The two get into a situation that involves Stone's job and just like any other buddy action comedies - punchlines and action are thrown right into the audience.
Central Intelligence offers a fresh view though on bullying and overcoming it in all forms and situations. Add to it some excellent one liners most especially coming from Kevin Hart and a charming performance from Dwayne Johnson: the movie rises above it's genre and it's on track to becoming director Rawson Marshall Thurber's third blockbuster comedy film after Dodgeball in 2004 and We're the Millers from 3 years ago.

MOVIE REVIEW: The Conjuring 2

The Conjuring from three years ago is one of the critically acclaimed horror films in recent years with a big box office gross to match. Based on the true story of the husband and wife paranormal experts Ed and Lorraine Warren more popularly known for their involvement in the Amityville case in New York state in the seventies. The first film set a couple of years before, was focused on the Perron family of Harrisville, Rhode Island, who's home is said to be cursed by a witch who lived there in the early 19th century. Excellent acting from the cast guided by focused direction by James Wan, who also made another well-crafted horror film which is the first Insidious in 2010, is turning out to be a master of the genre. A part 2 was inevitable.

Bringing back Wan to helm the sequel and also the same actors who played the Warren couple Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga is the first step in the right direction and from there The Conjuring 2 never looked back.
The action shifts to England this time and the couple was sent there to investigate a poltergeist in a home in Enfield North London where a single  mother Peggy Hodgson played with perfection by Frances O'Connor and her four kids live. It just wouldn't live their home.
The success of the first film was easily replicated in the sequel. Aside from the lead actors, the film's charm lies in it's excellent production design that easily replicates the era and a dark moody cinematography complimented with a haunting score. The Conjuring 2 is one of the rare sequels in the genre that equals and also maybe surpasses the original. Looking forward to the Warren couple's next supernatural experience hopefully played again again by both Wilson and Farmiga.

MOVIE REVIEW: Now You See Me 2

The sequel to the 2013 surprise hit Now You See Me, it brings back The Four Horsemen (Jesse Eisenberg, Dave Franco, Woody Harrelson and Mark Ruffalo) and together with Lizzy Caplan who replaces Isla Fisher from the original as the lady in the group, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman and Daniel Radcliffe in a role completely opposite from his Harry Potter persona.

A year and a half after the first film, The Four Horseman, a group of magician entertainers who expose global corruption and evildoers are hiding from the law after doing a Robin Hood type of heist from an insurance magnet (Michael Caine). They are brought back together after when a young high tech magnate (Daniel Radcliffe) blackmails them and insists on pulling a trick to benefit him.

Those who enjoyed the first film will have a great time with the sequel. Now You See Me 2 has some elements of the Ocean Eleven films with different locations around the globe that is actually family friendly. If the first film was able about magic, the sequel is more focused showing it's technical aspect. It was great to see how some tricks were done piece by piece.

Radcliffe is a great addition to the cast and it's nice to see him back on the big screen in a Hollywood popcorn film. Most of the actors who were in the first film still has that chemistry that was a big factor in it's box office success. The heist scene involving a playing card is a pleasure to watch. The problem though is that like any other sequel, the film felt like it was going nowhere. It's running time of 2 hours and 10 minutes could have been shorter by 30 minutes.

Overall Now You See Me 2 is a passable sequel and despite its shortcomings, it will make you wish for a better third film in the series. 

MOVIE REVIEW: The Lobster

The Lobster is a film set in the near future where being single is not acceptable or an option. Colin Farrell in the best performance of his career shedding his handsome guy persona stars as David an architect whose wife left him after 12 years and therefore had to check in to a strange hotel type facility in which he has to find a partner in 45 days or else turn into an animal of his choice according to the hotel manager (Olivia Colman). David then chooses to be a lobster  because according to him "they live for a 100 years, stay fertile and are blue-blooded just like rich people".

After meeting some people with various characteristics such as the Lisping Man (John C. Reilly) and the Limpin Man (Ben Whishaw) and getting into situations that can easily end his life, he realized that he had to escape and fight the system. David joined the group of Deserters, fellow escapees who don't like what the system dictates and are proud of their single statuses in life. Led by their leader (Lea Seydoux from Blue is the Warmest Color and Spectre), David ironically falls in love with the woman the group calls the short-sighted one (Rachel Weisz) with unforseen consequences. 

This is one of the most original film in the English language in years. Greek Director Yorgos Lanthimos (Dogtooth) created a film that is certainly an acquired taste with a loud statement on society's stigma on now having a partner in life.