Quick Movie Review

Mortdecai (2015, USA) | Rating: 2/5
I think everyone's aware that Johnny Depp has been in quite a slump lately with the movies he's been starring in: The Lone Ranger, Transcendence, and Dark Shadows. The only project that has gained any sort of success was Into the Woods, which he only had a minor role in...but a very well acted minor role! I heard this movie received poor reviews, but...I still wanted to watch it. As negative as the comments were, I didn't think the movie was that bad. Of course, it wasn't the best of Depp's career, but it wasn't boring and unfunny like Dark Shadows. There are a couple movies that this reminds me of: Get Smart, but a little less funny and Master of Disguise, but less cheesy. Depp is no John Cleese, but the movie is decent. If you skip out on it, you're not really missing anything. It's not terrible, but it's not that amazing either.



Everly (2014, USA) | Rating: 2.5/5
I've vaguely heard about this movie, but I didn't know too much about it other than it's most likely an action movie, judging the by the cover, and Salma Hayek is in it. Other than that...nothing. I asked a co-worker what she thought and she said it was watchable, but not great and I would have to agree. This movie definitely delivers a high body count, plenty of action, and a little eye candy. It's weaknesses are the story and a little bit of the pacing. The movie immediately starts off with the bad guys ending up on the floor, then suddenly random people bust through the apartment set to kill Everly. It's kinda too much to start with. I think the most interesting thing about this movie is that it brings in two different cultures together (or opposed), Spanish and Japanese, which I enjoyed. For the most part, this movie can be summed up as a decent, mindless action movie and sometimes you kinda need something like that in your life.



Come Back to Me (2014, USA) | Rating: 2.5/5
A co-worker recommended this movie to me as she knows that I enjoy horror movies and lately most of the horror movies I've been watching have been mediocre to average, excluding The Babadook. I went to this movie with an open mind, since I had no idea what it was about it and...I didn't it like as much as my co-worker did, but it had potential. It wasn't terrible or anything, but there could've been more. The movie is based on a book called The Resurrectionist, which the movie has made me interested in checking out, and the concept is kinda unique. A disturbed/traumatize young boy who has the gift to bring back the dead, but has the need to take life from a living being. There was no real surprise that the neighbor seemed suspicious and his intentions were kinda obvious too, although at times I was unsure what his goal was with these women. The characters are pretty basic. There's nothing about them that makes me care what happens to them and the antagonist is more annoying than intimidating. The best part of the movie is the conclusion. It was kind of a bold move.



Jinn (2014, UK) | Rating: 1.5/5
I checked this out, out of curiosity. I thought it was a Asian movie or something and it ended up being a film based on Middle Eastern religion or something. Nothing wrong with that or anything as the background sounded interesting. Unfortunately, the film couldn't hold my attention for too long and I had a hard time watching it. The dialogue was bland, the characters were rushed and interesting, and the plot seemed a bit convoluted and underdeveloped. I'm sure they wanted a cool fantasy, action film, but they got an awkward looking snoozefest instead.



Song of the Sea (2014, Belgium) | Rating: 4.5/5
I heard about this movie from Nostalgia Critic and seeing the animation and hearing his brief commentary on it made me very interested. I was happy to learn that it was available at my workplace, so I scooped it up and watched it. One of my co-workers said that it was a really good movie and I would have to agree. The visuals are absolutely beautiful and I just love the style of the characters and the vivid backgrounds they inhabit. It was simply refreshing to watch a traditionally animated film. The story is based on Celtic mythology and, for the most, is easy to understand whether you have a small or vast knowable about selkies (not to be confused with selfies). The characters are well fleshed out and definitely form a relationship with the audience as I found myself a little upset with the grandmother and the son Ben. Of course, my feelings changed over the course of the movie and I understood more and more why they felt and acted the way they did toward Conor and Saoirse. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend as it is a cute little film that doesn't talk down to children so families can enjoy it together.


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