emansmoviereviews Reviews

Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)

Was Great...but not flawless

[9/10 · 18 December 2015]

The Good:

Director J. J. Abrams was able to bring to life the visual aspects of the movie that simply wasn't possible in the late 70s or 80s. Everything about the film brought about a sense of nostalgia from the original films. The cast especially was a delight to watch on screen.

Harrison Ford remained the iconic "Han Solo" that we've all come to know, and his performance will probably meet expectations. John Boyega ("Finn") and Daisy Ridley ("Rey") both possessed great on screen chemistry, and will do well in being the new lead characters. I also appreciated Adam Driver bringing to life a more complex and layered villain in the character of "Kylo-Ren". His use of the force was simply amazing! It may be safe to say that the little droid, BB-8, almost stole the show.

Overall, the actions scenes were visually great. The 3D aspect really made many of the battle scenes that much better in my opinion. The plot was also effective in continuing the ongoing saga of good vs evil. It was refreshing to see a nice blend of bits of humor, suspenseful action, and even some sentimental/emotional moments.

The Bad:

You can take this with a HUGE grain of salt (and maybe this is because I re-watched the original trilogy two days before watching Force Awakens) but this movie came off as very predictable. There was rarely a moment, or scene, or a revel that you didn't have some sense was going to happen. The film borrowed a lot of themes from the previous movies, so in a sense, it almost feels like history repeating itself.

Beyond that one of the characters, whom I will not name, came off a little unbelievable. Certain things happened with this character that simply felt rushed and underdeveloped. You'll know it when you see it.

Another issue is that while this film does a great job of paying homage to the older Star Wars films, I think that it may have spent a little too much time being nostalgic. I'm afraid that a newcomer to the series will simply miss out on maybe 60% of the references and fail to make a connection with the characters. The connection to the characters is probably the biggest source of success for this film.

The Reason:

J. J. Abrams just gets it. He clearly knows how to remaster and remix an old franchise to successfully transition a film into a more modern rendition. If you enjoyed how he remade Star Trek, then it may be safe to say that he outdid himself this time around with Star Wars.

The story is filled with funny, sad, and breath-taking moments that make this a great movie watching experience. I'll be the first to admit that every movie doesn't have to be seen in 3D. However, I highly recommend watching this in 3D or even IMAX 3D. I think you'll be robbed of the visual experience if you see it any other way.

For those of you who were wondering if it's necessary to re-watch the older movies, I'd probably say that re-watching them will give you a deeper appreciation for what the movie was trying to do. It's bridging a generational gap while also creating a path into a new story for a new generation. If you've seen all of the Star Wars films, then just re-watching episodes 4-6 will be suffice if you haven't seen them in the last 10 years. If you're completely new to this, then it may be best to watch in the "Machete order" which is Episodes 4-5, 2-3, and then 6. Either way, I think you'll have a great time watching this movie, and hopefully you don't run into any spoilers on the internet. May the Force be with you! :)

The Rating: 9/10

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Chi-Raq (2015)

​A controversial movie that deserves to be viewed by all.

[10/10 · 4 December 2015]

The Good:

Director Spike Lee manages to find some creative ways to deliver important messages throughout the film. What's great about the messages is that they're far from being politically correct. Whether you agree with them or not, you can at the very least respect its sincerity given the gravity of the issues being discussed.

It was somewhat surreal to see that many of the people in the film were actual victims of the violence that plagues Chicago. We were shown former gang members who shared their experiences, and also some of the actual mothers that have lost their children to gun violence.

Across the board, there were some solid performances given. Angela Bassett portrayed a strong force and presence in her role as Miss. Helen. John Cusack excelled in his character as a fiery, activist, Chicago preacher. Jennifer Hudson captured a small portion of what it may look like to be a parent of a victim to gun violence. Teyonah Parris (who plays Lysistrata) does a nice job in leading the film as well.

If you would like to see "The Bad" and "The Reason" why you should or should not see this film, please visit www.EmansMovieReviews.com for the entire review.

The Visit (I) (2015)

Disturbingly funny and interesting movie

[7/10 · 2 September 2015]

The Good: The most surprising thing about this movie was how it uniquely found a way to be scary, but still include funny moments throughout the film. It knew when to be funny, and when to be scary, without mixing the two together. The scary parts will provide quite a few jump- scares, and in some scenes they will simply disturb you. The young boy, "Tyler" (played by Ed Oxenbould ), will quickly become a favorite in this film with his various remarks, "swearing", and "skills". I think it's fair to say that "Nana", played by Deanna Dunagan, does a really good job of playing the crazy grandma given all the versatile things she did in the movie. For some, the plot twist in the story will be mild, but good nevertheless.

The Bad: As we've come to know from director M. Night Shyamalan (The 6th Sense, Signs), the "big twist" is to be expected. Because of that, if you're an over-analyzer of movies like me, you'll probably see the twist coming from a mile away. So in that aspect, the story is mildly predictable. (That doesn't ruin the movie though) Many of the scary scenes you'll see coming, and for the most part are not terrifying to the point that will give you nightmares. It's very generic horror and scare tactics that we've seen before.

The Reason: Okay, so here's the real deal about this movie. M. Night Shyamalan is known for having a really bad reputation for putting out movies like Lady in the Water, The Village, The Happening, and others. He started off great with The 6th Sense and Signs, but since then, audiences have been generally disappointed. Luckily for The Visit, this movie was not one of his bad films. It was disturbingly funny and scary at the same time. This film is like his "makeup movie" to audiences. For example, in a relationship, if a guy messes up and constantly disappoints his girlfriend, he may give her flowers as an apology. Now the girlfriend may like the flowers, but that doesn't mean the boyfriend is completely forgiven. Shyamalan is in the same boat. The Visit is his "flowers" to audiences. We'll take it, but he's still got a lot more work to do to make up for all the other not-so-great movies he's given us.

Take caution if you decide to see it. It's a unique movie. Not a Hollywood blockbuster by any means, but I wouldn't be surprised if many would enjoy it. To see this movie I recommend: Go in with low expectations, pay the matinée price, and go with a friend or date. (You'll want to talk about it afterwards)

The Rating: 7/10

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