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Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017)
As a movie it's OK, as a Star Wars movie it's dissapointing
I don't write many reviews but this one bothered me so deeply I felt I needed to. First the rating, yes I gave it a 6, why? Because the movie looks good and the acting is great. I don't want my disappointment to take away from the great acting which the movie had. The story was just terrible, it not only made this movie fall flat but the decisions that were made cut deep against generations of build up. The impacts and poor decisions of this movie didn't just impact this movie but so many of the story arcs that have made Star Wars great.
Let's start with just the story. We have unlimited potential story lines but the writers pick a slow speed space chase that just doesn't work. Any strategic chess game of how to escape is overshadowed by a ridiculously useless side quest. Rather than do 1 of the hundreds other ideas that have been suggested that would have quickly gotten them out of this problem the movie just plugs along to dissapointment.
Oh, there is a farmer Luke who has gone full on hipster and all but tells Rey to "Get off his lawn". What happened to Luke. This was the guy who took out a death star, saved the galaxy, and brought back Vader to the good side! Something terrible must have happened to make him this way, right? Not really, he had a moment where he thought Kylo has some evil in him, maybe I should kill this kid in his sleep. That's right, the guy who literally saw the good in the most evil guy in the galaxy thinks maybe I should kill this kid. It's not just unlike Luke, its insulting to Star Wars fans. Which leads Kylo to go dark and do all the amazing dark things that the movie then explores like who is Snoke, how he became so powerful, who the knights of Ren are, and ... Oh that's right the movie doesn't do any of this. The Force Awakens set up so many good story arcs which were not only dropped but we're deliberately written across to make sure no-one could revisit in the future.
Oh, and who are Reys parents??? Congratulations to those of you who guessed they are dead traders or something. I really hope they fix this in the future. I'll just add this to the long long list of things I hated about this story.
The one aspect of this complete mess was an interesting connection between Rey and Kylo which was heading in a great and interesting direction but like a spoiled child this gets dumped off too. This may have been the one story arc of this movie that could have saved something but rather than keeping going with light vs. Dark and the internal conflict it chooses to have a great moment just fail to deliver. I truly hope that JJ can salvage something from movie but for the first time I'm not looking forward to the next movie. I just don't care and would have been happier with a sequel to the star wars Christmas special.
Never Hike Alone (2017)
Fun way of returning to Camp Crystal Lake
Going into this knowing it was a fan made story and shortened I was sure what to expect but it delivered on a fun way of rediscovering the camp. There were plenty of throwback moments and details that made the wandering around the camp suspenseful and the movie does a great job building until Jason arrives.
The lead actor does a good job making you feel the emotion and keeping the tension up. Once Jason is there we get all the things we love about Friday the 13th movies. The interaction and battle between Jason and the lead were good and kept you in the moment.
The ending falls a little short for me and almost feels out of place compared to the explore and survive that the first 45 minutes did a wonderful job storytelling. There is a cool throwback in the final minutes that fans will love but unfortunately I think it actually takes away from how good the first 45 had been.
If your fan of Friday the 13th movies definitely check this one out and remember if you find yourself at Camp Blood "Run!"
It (2017)
IT Delivers on every level
IT is a movie that comes together incredibly tightly and brings a story that many of us know to life in a new frightening way. I enjoyed it so much that I have gone and seen it twice since it opened. While I wondered if the replay value would still be high, IT managed to bring forward even more of the subtle things that I missed the first time through.
The kids did an amazing job and by the end you felt an understanding for each of them and their place in the Losers. If anything they did such an amazing job, I'm not sure how the part II with adults will be able to top it.
Lastly Pennywise, while I am a massive fan of Tim Curry, it was exciting to see Bill Skarsgard bring this character to life. There are so many levels of complexity on display and the intricacies he portrays will certainly make this a character that will be haunting dreams for years to come.