Reviews by BAMF

Initial Thought: I never knew about this one. I only heard of it when one of my managers said it would be playing for weekend. I watched the trailer and was kind of intrigued. It looked a bit like Evil Dead with other elements. The only problem I had is how strange the cinematography looked. Anyways I decided I would go ahead an watch it.

Characters/Acting: I'm not really familiar with too many people here. Only Gabriel Basso and Kathryn Prescott caught my attention by name and face. Other people I've seen a few films of, but they weren't recognizable to me. This in a way kind of reminds me of Super 8 which Gabriel Basso had starred in ironically. So Gabriel Basso plays one of the most likable jerks I've seen on film. You will see what I mean if you watch this. I absolutely adored Kathryn Prescott here. Gabrielle Walsh and Jacob Zacar also added to the mix with their characters. I thought they did well with their parts. If you know your directors there is a surprise cameo I wonder who will notice it.

Story: A young man suffering from amnesia must dig deep into the far reaches of his mind to remember who he is and save the love of his life before a virus that has infected him takes over. So besides having similarities with Evil Dead and Memento this has several sub-genre mixed in for extra measure. It's a mystery. It's a love story. It's to some extent coming of age. It's not extremely gory, but it's still pretty gross. It goes back and forth between time. That doesn't make it hard to follow as you can easily tell what is before and what is now. There were a few loose ends that I was hoping would be somehow explained. It didn't take away from the story. I thought the romantic aspect was quite well done. The ending was okay, but it kind of felt a little cliche.

Directing/Writing: This is the first film from both the director and the writer. It seems though that they are very inspired by Evil Dead and possibly Memento. So with all the genres mixed in and the time jumps the filmmakers still managed to keep this easy to follow. They really made a fun concept here. I think this has possibilities for a sequel. Hell the low budget Evil Dead got two, a remake, and a TV series coming.

Final Thoughts: This was pretty damn good. It was fresh yet had some familiarity with it. The acting is good. Our main characters are pretty likable. We don't get much in the way of gore, but we get a lot of black goo stuff everywhere. The story jumps back and forth, but I honestly think it was rather easy to follow. It's a different sort of horror film. So don't think of it in terms of zombies or demons. I recommend checking it out to really understand it without spoiling it.

Initial Thought: Man I swear I have been waiting over a year to see this one. The cast is truly intriguing. It looks hilarious and at the same time completely gross. I mean with a title like gravy I wouldn't expect anything normal. The waiting time is over!

Characters/Acting: This is such an interesting cast with the likes of Lily Cole, Gabourey Sidibe, and Michael Weston. Oh Man Sarah Silverman is gorgeous and adorable as always. I am pretty sure I could fall in love with her myself lol. The interactions between her and Michael Weston's characters were just so charming yet unusual. I actually liked all the characters here and the crazy quirks each of them had. Whenever someone died I was like no don't take them yet I'm not ready!

Story: It's All Hallow's Eve. A trio of costumed misfits with very special dietary requirements seizes a Mexican cantina and force the staff to engage in a late night of gaming, food and libations. The only caveat is what's on the menu. So it starts off with such a strange encounter at a corner store. It was very amusing and not at all what I had expected. The visuals and sounds are very slapstick here. The music here is so amusing given the horrid things happening throughout. I love that it soaks up the dark concept with a nice amount of humor. Nothing at all went how I expected it to go. The deaths were a mixture of unique and messed up. There is tons of blood and guts. That was such an excellent ending. I'm really hoping that there is a sequel. It could be truly interesting.

Directing/Writing: I can't say I've ever seen Psych, but I know of James Roday and I've seen a few movies of his. This is his directorial debut for film. He has written before though both for another film and his starring show. In this he directs, co-writes, and even co-stars. The other writer her also worked with him on the previous film he wrote. He was also a writer on Psych. So I'm not sure how this will be for me seeing as I never watched their previous movie or show. I'm sure they go the humor down though. They definitely had the humor! They had the gore too. They also had originality.

Final Thoughts: This was very unique and fun. It's outright gruesome, yet the humor is so strong that you won't take it too seriously. It's also very slapstick. You could really tell that everyone had fun making this. I mean with how crazy it was why wouldn't they love it. I definitely recommend checking this little gem out. I mean as long as you don't mind blood and guts. I would totally watch this one again.

Initial Thought: So this is a tough series to watch. I hate the subject of rape, but whenever the woman or people who love her get vengeance I rejoice. The first of this trilogy was really good. It was brutal, intense, and well made given the content. The second one was a not so good. Sure it gave vengeance with a strong hand, but it was poorly made and acted. So I am a bit hopeful for this one since it's a direct sequel to part one and Sarah Butler returns.

Characters/Acting: Sarah Butler reprises her role from part one. That's enough to pull my attention. Other than her I don't really recognize anyone. She still rocks it here. She is wicked and intense. I root for her every second to take down the bastards. Her new friend Marla though is definitely my favorite. Her personality is fun and intense. I really could feel and understand where they were all coming from with my own life experiences and people I have known.

Story: Jennifer returns working for a Crisis Hotline, where a serial killer is using the hotline to target rapists. Jennifer's dark past sends detectives in her direction, but is she the killer they are looking for? Man she has to deal with messed up dudes every day! It's rough out there to be a beautiful woman I suppose. I like the mixture of reality and fantasy throughout. Wow those were some pretty brutal kills! Those guys definitely had it coming though. Such disgusting little pigs. Things got a bit crazy in the end. It does leave things open in case they planned to make a fourth one.

Directing/Writing: I've never heard of R.D. Braunstein, but I have seen the poster for his other film. Of which the ratings aren't too promising. There is no credited writer so am I to assume this is all improv. If so then I should either be disturbed or intrigued. Whatever happened I found they did a good job with it. For a director with only two films one of which has a horrible rating he did loads better than the sequel.

Final Thoughts: I actually really liked this one. It's not nearly as intense or messed up as the first of the trilogy, but it sure as hell continued the story quite well. If you liked the first one this is a good follow up. Don't let part two stray you away from this as it has nothing to do with that one.

Initial Thought: I remember seeing the trailer and being intrigued by the mystery of the whole thing. I'm sure it has something to do with a dark secret and a corrupt officer. It really could be anything though. So let's see what this is all about.

Characters/Acting: I've never been a huge fan of Kevin Bacon to be honest. He is decent though. Shea Whigham is always pretty fun to watch though. Anyways the cast honestly isn't what drew me to this. Yet there are a main reason to stay. The newcomers are great and will hopefully even get better. Kevin Bacon is pretty haunting here as you aren't quite sure what lengths his character will take for something. It was definitely a fitting role for him. Shea Whigham is as I expected pretty entertaining.

Story: A small town sheriff sets out to find the two kids who have taken his car on a joy ride. Well that sounds simple enough, but it's almost certain that there is something sinister beyond. This is what draws you in. The mystery of what is going on. I wish we could have gotten a reason for why the kids were doing that in the beginning. It's kind of about discovery and coming of age in a way. It takes its time to get to the nitty gritty, but I wouldn't say it's boring. No in fact I was invested from beginning to end. I didn't expect how everything would play out in the end. It also certainly wants you to make your own decision on the aftermath of it all.

Directing/Writing: Jon Watts is going to be the one to helm the next Spider-Man film. He also did the horror film Clown a year ago (which I plan to watch eventually). If this is good maybe even sooner. If this is good it definitely gives hope for that Spider-Man film. He also wrote both this and Clown. Christopher D. Ford worked on Clown as well. He also did work on Robot & Frank. So I am having a good feeling for this now. Yeah it was pretty good. It's a bit surprising that this director will helm a Spider-Man movie though. His style is really different and not sure how he will translate that. I guess we shall see.

Final Thoughts: I thought this was pretty good. It's a bit different than what you would expect from it though. Don't go in expecting some massively intense thriller. It's more of a adventure drama with a few thrilling scenes. I do think it needed some explanations on things and it would have been even better. I do believe it's worth a watch though.

Initial Thought: I really didn't know too much about this when I first heard of it. I never read anything by John Green. I did however see The Fault in Our Stars and I absolutely loved it. It took turns that I hadn't seen coming and really changed the outlook of what one would expect from a teen film. That was enough to put my interest in this film as well.

Characters/Acting: Nat Wolff is a rising star that has proven he can put comedy and drama in the mixing bowl and shine. Cara Delevingne is an exotic beauty. She really hasn't done too much acting. What she has done honestly hasn't been too memorable. She is a beautiful model though and from what I read she does an excellent job with her performance. The other teens here are kind of recognizable and decent in previous roles. There are a couple of nice little cameos put in. Everyone here has such nice chemistry together. Cara Delevingne is definitely charming here. She doesn't have that much screen time, but her presence is known throughout. That's not just because the movie is about her. Nat Wolff continues to rise as a star in my opinion.

Story: After an all night adventure, Quentin's life-long crush, Margo, disappears, leaving behind clues that Quentin and his friends follow on the journey of a lifetime. This is a pretty unique concept. I don't think I have seen many stories that go with such a plot. This started extremely close to home for me and that kind of disturbs me a bit. Kind of an exact mixture of my early childhood with something that happened in my mid-teens. I really like the whole mystery vibe mixed in with the other genres. The little tasks and such were pretty fun to watch. I was hoping to see more of that though. It's kind of crazy how many bits in this movie reminded me of stuff I actually dealt with in my life. Everything from the first two minutes to a road trip to find the one I thought I loved. The ending was great and put a smile on my face.

Directing/Writing: Jake Schreier hasn't done too much. His only other film is Robot & Frank which was pretty enjoyable. Of course we all know this is the second adaptation of a John Green book. He makes excellent and original takes on the romantic young adult genre. Scott Neustadter is quite an excellent writer with (500) Days of Summer, The Spectacular Now, and John Green's previous adaptation The Fault in Our Stars under his belt. All of which have been fantastic and emotional. Michael H. Weber was his partner in crime for these films. With all that in mind I am expecting to be smitten by this film. As I wished so it became. I was absolutely mesmerized by this. They captured so many moments quite well. It made me think a lot about my life and how I'm not the only one to go through such things. I applaud the filmmakers here and John Green himself. It seems that all the films they have worked on together seem to play with the theme of love and twisting it in unique ways.

Final Thoughts: I really enjoyed this. It spoke volumes to me as there are many sequences that reminded me of my life. The characters were all really likable and memorable. I wasn't bored for a single minute. It has a lot of sub-genres with it which I liked to see mixed together. If you liked The Fault in Our Stars or any of the films written by Neustadter and Weber you will definitely enjoy this one.

Initial Thought: I've always loved Pixar. Even their less cared about films I still enjoyed quite a bit. When I heard of this I was really excited about the concept. The trailer was incredible and showed that we were really in for an experience. I have heard nothing but good things about this. I really don't know why I didn't check this out any sooner given the anticipation I've had for it. Anyways the delay is over.

Characters/Acting: There is a great mixture of dramatic and comedic actors here. You have many of the usual suspects within the additional voices as well. I like the way emotions are represented which is one of the major reasons for my interest here. I loved seeing different emotions personified. I really liked that we saw the different emotions of other characters as well. The representations were all quite humorous and intriguing. I wonder what would have happened had they actually gone with the 27 emotions. It is good that they choose to go the route they did with the characters. It definitely would have been chaotic and different. I think all the characters added something nice to the story.

Story: A film told from the perspective of the emotions inside the mind of a little girl. It sounds like such a simple plot. Yet when you think on it you realize how much more complex it is than that. I love how they introduce Riley's world and mind to us. It's done in such a way that is really sweet. I feel sometimes like Sadness is who is always working my controls. To see how memories work in this animated world was fascinating and unique. I always like these sort of stories. It kind of reminds me a little along the lines of Osmosis Jones or the episode of Spongebob where they show the inside of his mind (albeit the way this is done is a bit more complex). I like the embodiment of how everything works with memories and reactions. I really liked that this dealt with a serious subject and yet still made it enjoyable for all ages. There were a few heavy tearjerking scenes. The ending was absolutely wonderful. It was interesting to see the other stuff during the credits as well.

Directing/Writing: Pete Docter is an excellent writer/director. As a director the only other feature length films I've seen of his were Monsters Inc. and Up. The latter proving to be a rather emotional rollercoaster. So with that in mind I suppose it should be expected that this would be on a similar rollercoaster. As a writer he also brought us Wall-E and the first two Toy Story films. He is a great filmmaker to watch and has proven himself time and again. Ronaldo Del Carmen is a first timer at least to feature films. He picked a good team to start with. I wonder if he could be as successful without such an incredible team to be backed with. Meg LeFauve only has two other films and they are coming in the future. I'm hoping they showcase her skills well. Josh Cooley is known mostly for making fairly enjoyable shorts of existing stories. So seeing him work on a feature length story should be interesting. Michael Arndt who wrote the fantastic Toy Story 3 and Brave lends some additional story material here. It probably helped this to be even more improved given his writing talents. Simon Rich whom is known for SNL also lends his additional story material. I don't think I have seen the stuff he has written there. It is interesting though since he is mostly known for TV. Additional dialogue is also written in by Bob Peterson (one of the writers/directors of Up) and stars Bill Hader and Amy Poehler. Both of the later have never written anything for a feature film, but they are great with improv and projecting humor. With all this talent it's no wonder this was so positively viewed.

Final Thoughts: Man no wonder this has such rave reviews. This was absolutely fantastic. It really played with my emotions heh! I really wish this had been longer or that it will at least get a sequel. This is definitely one of the best Pixar films. If you are like me and waited so long to see it you should jump on the bandwagon. You won't regret it unless you are just a sourpuss.

Initial Thought: I have been following the Tremors series minus the television adaptation since part one. The first one is a classic favorite. After that though everything just went downhill. They all got pretty bad with only a few select scenes amongst them that were any good. Anyways I actually still got excited about this because after 11 years you would think maybe they finally have their shit together. So I decided I would check it out and see if they could finally make an entertaining sequel.

Characters/Acting: Michael Gross aka Burt Gummer is the only returning connection of the human characters. It would have been awesome to have Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward as well. That tends to be hard to do as time goes by though. I do enjoy Jamie Kennedy although he has made several bad choices he still oozes funny to me. So I hope he fits well here. Well he does actually fit fine with the cast as I hoped. Michael Gross is still pretty funny as the constant actor to show up for every entry. Brandon Auret still feels like Hippo from Chappie except more toned down I guess. I adored the Veterinarian woman simply because she was a hottie and badass. The acting is a bit cheesy at times as expected, but it isn't bad.

Story: The giant, man-eating Graboids are back and even deadlier than before, terrorizing the inhabitants of a South African wildlife reserve as they attack from below and above. The CGI is pretty good for a fifth installment that's direct to DVD. I do wish it hadn't all been CGI though. I would have liked a bit more gore than was given. Most of what happens is off-screen or fairly brief. For a DVD I would have expected more of that. It has some goofy moments as one should expect. I didn't see that twist coming, but I felt it was a bit tacky. I figured that was how they would take out the creature. There is a little extra after the credits.

Directing/Writing: So Don Michael Paul is the director here. He isn't known for making good movies. He is also known as a sequel director. The only film of his I saw was the surprisingly enjoyable yet unnecessary sequel to Jarhead. Brent Maddock doesn't return to direct. Instead he is noted for the story. He has been around since part one. He also is known for Short Circuit and Wild Wild West. So as a writer I've enjoyed him, but as a director not so much. John Whelpley only wrote part three of the series which isn't one I particularly enjoyed. So that isn't much of a good sign. We also have S.S. Wilson who has worked along with Brent Maddock on everything. He also directed part two of the sequels (Not good but loads better than the others) as well as part four. I'm hoping they have their skills worked out for this sequel. Well looks like they improved, but not as much as they could have given the length of time they've had.

Final Thoughts: So this actually wasn't the worst of the series. It still wasn't all that good either. It had a few good moments though. I was really hoping there would have been some different level of monster, but the route they went was still an interesting concept. At least this improved from the previous sequels. Only watch this if you are a die hard Tremors fan. Otherwise you have come to the wrong place for something exciting.

Initial Thought: To be honest I haven't had much disliking for M. Night Shyamalan. He has only made two films I've hated. This however looked to be quite ridiculous. I'm only watching this because working in a movie theater has its perks. I have to be honest I probably wouldn't have watched this as soon as I have otherwise. Hopefully the movie is better than the trailer gives it credit for.

Characters/Acting: The familiarity with the cast is pretty low given how little known actors are in it. Everyone here who I know of is fairly average. Becca was pretty plain jane. At least it was different to have the main girl want to be the filmmaker instead of the usual boy. Tyler is an okay character. His rapping scenes are a bit silly though. Why is it that any side character who has an interaction with the kids used to be an actor? That is a bit far-fetched if you ask me. I thought the best performances were definitely the grandparents though. They pulled off their creepiness well. The characters reactions to many things just felt so phony.

Story: A single mother finds that things in her family's life go very wrong after her two young children visit their grandparents. I had no idea this was a found footage film. At least they sort of give a reason for it here. Guess I wasn't really paying attention when the trailer came out. Phones don't work, but internet does. Then later there is mention of no WiFi. That makes no sense since Skype is used and it's clear. A lot of dimwitted decisions are made by all the characters. I was kind of bored with everything here. It just lacked that drive to make it enjoyable. The twist itself was just okay and could have been so much better than it was. The ending was just kind of boring. The concept may have had potential with a different director and a harder rating.

Directing/Writing: M. Night Shyamalan hasn't been doing too well lately in the eyes of movie goers. For me though I only ever hated The Village and The Last Airbender. Other than those I have been pleasantly entertained. His twists are always really good and that's his trademark. While I didn't like The Village it did have an interesting twist. It was just an overall disappointing movie. Anyways I'm hoping that he pulls together for this one although the trailer is probably the worst looking of all his movies. What ever happened to this genius? He started off strong with the likes of Unbreakable or The Sixth Sense. It's like he really doesn't care about anything besides a nice twist at the end. He has lost his entertainment value.

Final Thoughts: So once again Mr. Shyamalan has failed to impress. A lot of the time when I think a movie is going to be bad I get surprised. This time it was pretty much how I expected it to be. It really isn't all that funny. A lot of it doesn't make a lick of sense. The twist makes the rest of it feel a bit ludicrous. If you are avoiding Shyamalan keep doing so. He still hasn't picked himself back up again.

Initial Thought: I didn't really follow Mission: Impossible growing up. I actually started watching from part three and then went back to the others. Then I watched Ghost Protocol. I didn't even think any others would be made after part three. They end up surprising us every once in awhile with a new sequel. So even though this is part five I doubt this is the last we will see of IMF. Anyways this looks just plain awesome.

Characters/Acting: We have several actors returning from previous installments as well as some pretty cool new additions like Rebecca Ferguson or Sean Harris. Ethan Hunt is always a blast to watch do intense actions sequences. Ving Rhames has been around for every film. I always enjoy watching him even in bad movies. Simon Pegg has been around for every film since his arrival in part three. He is the humor of the group and definitely a delight to see every time. Jeremy Renner just makes everything even more badass. I don't care what anyone says I think Hawkeye gives heart to the Avengers on a sidenote. Ilsa Faust is a pretty cool female character. She has charm, sexiness, and is a complete badass. She is almost like the realistic British version of Black Widow. Yeah so what deal with The Avengers references. Tom Cruise just seems like he will be making action movies until the day he either dies or retires. Everybody here shared some good humor at times which was great. Sean Harris played a fun villain in my opinion. He definitely creeps me out in most of his films. He doesn't have a normal look about him so he is always perfect as a villain.

Story: Ethan and team take on their most impossible mission yet, eradicating the Syndicate - an International rogue organization as highly skilled as they are, committed to destroying the IMF. This starts off pretty intense with some badass stunts that make you feel the realism of it all. The action doesn't stray off too much. It makes itself known throughout the film. The car chase was a fun one to watch with a mixture of humor and intensity. I always enjoy seeing all the interesting little gadgets these films can create. There are several twists and turns. Many of them I kind of expected to happen, but it's always fun to see how everything plays out. I thought the ending was great and leaves room for a highly possible sequel.

Director/Writing: Christoper McQuarrie is a pretty excellent writer. He has done Edge of Tomorrow, The Usual Suspects, and Jack the Giant Slayer. I only hated Jack Reacher which I found completely boring. That also happens to be the only movie I've seen him direct. I'm hoping this attempt is way better than that was. Drew Pearce hasn't done much besides Iron Man 3 and future films, but from what he has done he is a fun storyteller to watch. So it seems McQuarrie does know his way around directing. He ended up making my favorite of the series so far.

Final Thoughts: Okay so that is pretty much my favorite of all the films in this series. The third part comes in a close second. I wouldn't be surprised if a sequel is being thought of or more this moment. The characters haven't lost any charisma. The action is still intense and fun to watch. The stunts are still gripping. You really just have to see it all for yourself. If you are a fan of the previous Missions I am highly positive you will enjoy this as well. It's truly worth checking out even for a fifth installment.

Initial Thought: I love video games. I have ever since I was kid. Obviously I started playing Nintendo games which have quite a few represented besides the typical arcade games. I thought it was a freaking awesome idea. When I saw the trailer I was even more excited. Due to pretty much working all the time I hadn't any time to go see it. Now I finally had the chance so I took it.

Characters/Acting: Well it's an Adam Sandler movie so you pretty much have a mix bag of talent with his usuals like Kevin James, both Sandler and James' families, and the horrible Nick Swardson among others. Here though we got some heavy hitters with the likes of Peter Dinklage, Brian Cox, and Sean Bean. I'm not too huge a fan of Ashley Benson, but she doesn't bother me. The rest of the people here are alright. I think Eddie and Ludlow are definitely my favorites here. They got all the good jokes and charisma. I thought Brenner was a pretty cool too, but Adam Sandler just isn't as funny as he used to be. It was definitely hard to see Kevin James as the president of the United States. Q*Bert is probably the most adorable character.

Story: Video game experts are recruited by the military to fight 1980s-era video game characters who've attacked New York. I enjoyed all the little video game references that are strewn about the whole thing. I'm quite familiar with it all even if I haven't played them all. The battles are pretty epic to watch. I mean seriously playing real life versions of video games would be so much fun. It would also be pretty freaking scary considering we don't get extra lives. The final battle is just plain epic and I actually liked the version of We Will Rock You that joined it. The ending was pretty amusing and a little disturbing. You will see what I mean.

Directing/Writing: Chris Columbus is usually a pretty fun director to watch. I mean he brought us Home Alone, Mrs. Doubtfire, and started off the Harry Potter series. He did however also bring I Love You, Beth Cooper and Home Alone 2 which weren't very good. Tim Herlihy seems to be a major contributor to the screenplays of just about every Adam Sandler comedy. He also has a role in every film he writes. I have seen all but a film he has done which isn't out yet. He hasn't written one I hadn't to some extent enjoyed. I haven't seen too many of Timothy Dowling's films, but Role Models was really funny. Though Just Go With It was pretty average. I'm hoping this is on the Role Models spectrum. It's always inspiring to have a short get made into a feature film. So I bet Patrick Jean was happy with it. I wonder how much input he had with the writing.

Final Thoughts: I don't get why this movie got so much hate. Sure Adam Sandler and Kevin James haven't been too amazing lately, but they have made some enjoyable stuff. This happens to be one of them. I do think it helps to have the talent of Peter Dinklage and the rising Josh Gad. The music is pretty fun. I have to say though this is definitely a dream movie for gamers for sure. I'm talking about the ones who appreciate good classics too. This is so underrated in my opinion.