MOVIE REVIEW: Don't Breathe

Don't Breathe ironically breathes life to the horror film genre devoid of supernatural beings and torture porn by delivering a solid film. It will scare the hell out of you with moments that you wish it would end but there's more to it.

Friends Rocky (Jane Levy), her boyfriend  "Money" (Daniel Zovatto) and their friend Alex (a sympathetic Dylan Minnette) live in abandoned Detroit (a perfect setting for the film) breaking into homes and stealing valuables that will be their ticket outside their dying city with dreams of moving to California for a better life. For one last heist, they planned on entering a home of a blind war veteran ( a commanding Stephan Lang) who lives with money from a settlement he got from his only daughter's untimely death. They thought they had it easy but it was a big mistake.

For a lean hour and 28 minutes, Don't Breathe becomes a thrilling exercise in suspense entertainment that will have you at the edge of your seats. Close your eyes then be relieved and then be shocked again at another twist. Believe the type on the movie poster, the movie delivers for fans of the genre.

MOVIE REVIEW: Kubo and the Two Strings

Laika Studios, known for it's dark yet beautiful stop motion films such as Coraline, The Boxtrolls and ParaNorman transport us this time to mythical Japan in Kubo and the Two Strings and the end product is one of the most beautifully and artistically made animated film in recent memory matched with an engrossing story that appeals to all demographics.

Kubo (voiced by Art Parkinson from Game of Thrones) is a simple boy who loves to tells stories in a small village accompanied by magical origami. He takes care of his mother with a mysterious past and when he encounters something that is out of the ordinary, Kubo joins forces with a monkey (voiced by Charlize Theron) and a beetle (voiced by Matthew McConaughey) to fight it and in turn discovers his true worth. Rooney Mara voices the lead characters twin Aunties and Ralph Fiennes channeling Voldemort is the evil grandfather.

Kubo and the Magic Strings joins Zootopia and Sausage Party in what is turning out to be a great year for animated films that all have strong messages beyond the drawing, rendering and stop motion animation.

MOVIE REVIEW: Ben-Hur

Remaking a film (which in itself was a remake of a silent movie) that won 11 Academy Awards and considered to be one of the greatest of all time is a monumental task and Ben-Hur of 2016 makes the grade on effort....but it falls short on other aspects.

Produced by Roma Downey and Mark Burnett, known for their Christian faith based films and TV series, Ben-Hur has the feel of TV movie written by your Sunday Pastor. It is just too clean, no edgy conflict or flawed characters that can keep you glued to your seat. Jack Huston plays the iconic titular character like a college student whose final requirement is to be a lead actor in the film. Can't blame him though since the writing is just too bland. 

The scenes on the ship during the time when he was a slave was commendable and at some point it has the look and feel of a George Miller action film. The chariot scenes though pale in comparison especially side by side with the 1959 film. Director Timor Bekmambetov has made Wanted which has some spectacular action scenes but due to most likely "creative control" of the producers, this Ben-Hur again felt like a school production with a big budget.

Morgan Freeman played his mentor and just like in Morgan Freeman fashion, he played Morgan Freeman, in a tunic and dreads that's more at par in Battlefield Earth. The only saving grace among the actors is Rodrigo Santoro who plays Jesus Christ. He has the look and most especially the expressive eyes of the Son of God. Too bad, he gets to unnaturally pop in and out of scenes to give and speak out his teachings. It ain't convincing - he deserves a better film.

MOVIE REVIEW: War Dogs

Director Todd Phillips, best known for directing comedies such as The Hangover Trilogy and Old School among them ventures into real life territory with War Dogs, a film about the Iraqi War of the second President Bush and the people who benefited from it financially.

You would not expect a comedy film coming out of it, but thanks to Phillips, he successfully transported the story of two real life best friends in their early twenties from Miami Beach who were able to avail a little known government initiative of small companies to bid on U.S. Military contracts. Put Jonah Hill, fresh from his two Oscar nods and Miles Teller a rising Hollywood commodity after his Oscar winning film Whiplash together as the BFF's then War Dogs is pure Hollywood fun that finds comedy in times of war and atrocity anchored by the excellent chemistry of the two lead actors. The film also stars the lovely Ana de Armas who plays Teller's wife and Bradley Cooper popping in and out of the film as a man with a mysterious background.

One good thing also about the film is that you will able to learn something new about the "War on Terror" as what the Bush Administration would like to say besides the usual bombing on Iraq and the quest for oil we knew from the internet as well as CNN, Fox News and BBC. Fun, entertaining and yet lessons learned: that's War Dogs for you.

MOVIE REVIEW: Sausage Party

Actor Seth Rogen and his frequent writing collaborator Evan Goldberg has done it again with Sausage Party, the first R-rated animated feature length film in recent memory that is offensive, disgusting and fortunately one of the funniest films of 2016.

Part Disney and Pixar spoof (even Academy Award winner Alan Menken wrote a song that starts the film and sets it tone with it), part stoner comedy and with a little dash of religious existentialism on the side, the film stars Rogen with his usual costar/friends Jonah Hill, James Franco, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson, Paul Cera and Michael Cera.

The setting is inside Shopwell Supermarket. Frank (Rogen) alongside with Barry (Cera) and Carl (Hill) are sausages all packed together and stacked on a 4th of July special freestanding shelf alongside with a pack of hot dog buns that has Frank's girlfriend bun Brenda (Kristen Wiig) in a package close to each other. The sausages are naturally from a crude mind are males and the buns with a vagina looking lip are females. Salma Hayek also lends her voice in the film as a taco and Edward Norton channeling Woody Allen as Sammy Bagel Jr.

As per the rest of the items in Shopwell Supermarket, the products aim to be chosen by the Gods aka the shoppers that will bring them to the great beyond that will promise them eternal good life. But when Honey Mustard (McBride) gets returned and saw the real truth, they scramble to escape and live.

Sausage Party ain't for everyone most especially for the highly sensitive and the easily offended moviegoer but look behind the crudeness and their lies an animated gem that's like an adult version of the popular Shopkins toys.

MOVIE REVIEW: Suicide Squad

Picking up where Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice left off, Suicide Squad tells the tale of the antiheroes in the DC Extended Universe and how they entered the picture when a secret government organization named A.R.G.U.S. headed by Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) enlisted the villains to help to defeat an unknown entity that's terrorizing Midway City in exchange for shorter prison sentences. Once they attempt to do something harmful, they're automatically be eliminated.

Will Smith as Deadshot leads the cast of the antiheroes that were given a temporary pass outside prison that also includes Margot Robbie continuing her gift of perfect comic timing with effortless sex appeal as Harley Quinn, Jai Courtney (Divergent)  as Boomerang, Jay Hernandez (Crazy/Beautiful) as Diablo and Adewale Akinnouye-Agbaje (TV's Lost) as Killer Croc. Jared Leto in his first film after winning an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor plays The Joker. Surprisingly the iconic DC villain has a limited amount of screen time compared to the other ones so he did not make quite an impact and it's a tough act to follow after Heath Ledger's memorable turn in The Dark Knight. Joel Kinnaman who played the titular character in the Robocop reboot (2012) is Rick Flag the guardian of the group who's girlfriend Dr. June Moone played by actress model Cara Delevingne is possessed by a spirit that turns her into The Enchantress. The scene stealer of the film though is Karen Fukuhara who plays Katana, Rick Flag's unofficial bodyguard and who's also an expert martial artist and swordswoman. Her scenes elicit fun from the audience, me included.

Written and directed by David Ayer who helmed the brilliant End of Watch (2012) and wrote as well 2001's Training Day, he was the perfect choice to do it since he knows a thing or two regarding villains based on his film credits. Points to Ayer as well for properly introducing the characters at the start for it helps to know the villains without asking for Google's help. Compared to Dawn of Justice and Man of Steel, Suicide Squad is the lightest, breeziest and most fun film of the rebooted DC movie catalog.