Kubo and the Two Strings (2016)

Suicide Squad (2016)

Everyone has seen the low ratings this film has gotten from critics. No, this film did not deserve to be bashed as much as it has been. A lower rating than "Man of Steel"? Yeah... definitely not!

This is one of the better DC films I have seen, and I believe it has the rating it has because it is a DC film. Critics love to hate DC and love Marvel.

Written and directed by David Ayer, the story follows several DC villains as they are recruited to fight an evil plaguing Midway City. The characters are fun, though it is apparent who the favorites are as they get more screen time and backstory. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but when the most interesting thing about these characters is what made them who they are, it's disappointing to not get as intimate a glimpse as some of the others. There was also a lot of emphasis on the fact that these are villains. Yet, they act like super heroes as opposed to people who are up to no good. Yes, they are a team, but as villains I would think they would have their own interests in mind as opposed to that of the greater good. 

The suicide squad is made up of Deadshot (Will Smith) the best hitman in the world; Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) the Arkham Asylum psychiatrist turned Joker's (Jared Leto) girlfriend; the boomerang wielding Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney); Killer Croc (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) a man who looks like a dangerous reptile and is treated as such and El Diablo (Jay Hernandez) a gang member who has the ability to produce fire.

Also in the film are Katana (Karen Fukuhara) who is not a criminal but is there to help the leader of the group Rick Flagg (Joel Kinnaman) keep control of the squad. They must battle Enchantress who has taken control of Rick's girlfriend June Moone (Cara Delevingne). There are a lot of characters and I'm not even done mentioning them all.

All the other characters are quick cameos or killed off for no other purpose than to prove a point. The only other notable character is Amanda Waller (Viola Davis). Davis is one of the standout performances. She is devious, powerful and fearless. You never know if you should trust her or not. Waller has gained control over Enchantress, but when Enchantress escapes her clutches she sends the Suicide Squad to defeat Enchantress. Enchantress was once worshipped as a goddess, but after being forgotten for thousands of years she decides she must destroy the human race. 

There are a lot of characters and most of them could have been written out of the story easily. Deadshot and Harley have quickly become fan favorites. Deadshot is a cool character, but it was essentially Will Smith doing Will Smith. Margot Robbie is awesome as Harley Quinn and I think that's why she's so popular. Harley is an intriguing character in her own right, but I feel as though she was underused in this film in term of her abilities. Characters keep mentioning she's crazy and she's known to use weapons such as oversized wooden mallets or boxing glove guns. Cartoony, but they are the character. Instead she is stuck with a bat and a gun (which is fine since she is known for her firearms skills) and though she does fight, there's nothing particularly intimidating about her especially since there was so much build up and even shots of what she does to some of the guards that get too close to her. She is a fun character, but mostly Margot Robbie was used for eye candy which is a shame since she proved she could do much more. 

Oddly enough I didn't find the action sequences very interesting. I found the backstories compelling and wanted to see more of what these characters were thinking and feeling. Once they were sent into battle I lost interest, gained it when they were having drinks in the bar, and lost it when they went into battle again. The final battle was okay at most. I did enjoy seeing the full extent of Diablo's powers, but overall the villains' plan was tiring and recycled. This is how many times now we've seen villains build a magnetic field that is meant to destroy the earth?

I don't feel like counting, but it's a lot and it kept the film from being as fun and compelling as it could have been. 

The BFG (2016)

Ruby Barnhill and the BFG in a scene from the film.

Steven Spielberg  directs The BFG based on the novel by Roald Dahl. Sophie (Ruby Barnhill) is an eight-year-old orphan from London who is taken from her bed in the middle of the night by the bfg (voiced by Mark Rylance). Sophie spots the bfg through the window and fearing she'll reveal his existence he takes her to his cave in giant country.

The giant, of course, is a big, friendly giant. She is scared at first and wants to go home, but after being with him for a while she is more than happy to stay with him. The other giants who live in giant country love to eat human "beans". The other giants suspect Sophie's presence so she is constantly having to hide in a moments notice.

The bfg spends his time collecting dreams so that he may blow them into the homes of children. He also collects nightmares to keep them from children, but this gives Sophie the idea to give the Queen of England (Penelope Wilton) a terrifying nightmare that will make her believe giants are real this causing her to do something about them.

Spielberg is a mastermind. He has proven he has a sense of wonder in his past films. Even now, his films aimed at children prove to be nothing short of magical.

The source material of The BFG is a little bit darker yet more childish in a way. This adaptation is more family-friendly, yet the bfg and Sophie seem more well-developed. While this film flopped in the States (apparently Americans are not fans of acronyms) over seas the film did well and will probably have more of an overall impact on those children. Changes were made to the source material, and while I disagreed with some of them, overall the film was more interesting. It's fun to see the bfg interact with Sophie. He is more child like than she is, but is wise. Sophie is a brave girl and is not afraid to do what is right.

Spielberg knows what he is doing. Although the comical moments aren't truly funny until the bfg and Sophie find themselves present in Buckingham palace. The other moments meant to make you laugh seem forced. Barnhill is a newcomer and does a fine job. She is strict, but open to feeling those tender moments. However, at times she does seem a little to strict for an eight-year-old.

Rylance is superb as the giant. He is scared of the world he lives in. He sees the world as mainly tough with children providing him his happiness. He represents the cynic in all of us.

The film is fun, and the adaptation provides more room for suspense. Sophie finds herself in danger more often than not while she was always safe in the novel. This makes the tender moments more wonderful. We have two characters who are fighting for what is right. There is more to the characters than meets the eye.

Rating: 3.5/5 stars.
Rated PG for action/peril, some scary moments and rude humor

The Immigrant (1917)

4/5 stars

Charlie Chaplin is on a boat.

Divided into two parts, the first half takes place on a boat where immigrants are making their way to the United States. This makes for funny visual gags.

The film itself is incredibly political. The immigrants catch sight of the Statue of Liberty, but are immediately roped off and pushed for actual documentation before they can get on land. This is not a happy story as they next half is titled: "Hungry and Broke".

Chaplin's character meets a female immigrant (Edna Purviance) on the ship and meets her again while grabbing dinner at a restaurant. He finds a coin which is how he planned on paying for dinner, but he discovers that he lost the coin due to a hole in his pocket and more shenanigans ensue as he tries to stall the waiter as long as possible.

Chaplin is a wonderful master of comedy. He is able to handle comedy in subtle ways. There's a moment in which the female immigrant's mother loses her money and he generously gives them his. When I say generously I mean he gives them the money, takes it back to keep some, then gives it back again. It's hilarious.

It did end awkwardly. Chaplin's character forces the female immigrant into marriage. It's meant to be funny, but nowadays it's off putting.

Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016)

Having seen 2010's Alice in Wonderland and seeing all the creative liberties it took, I knew this one would do the same. However, this film has absolutely nothing to do with its source material except that Alice steps inside a mirror. Anyway, that's beside the point. It needed to be stated. In case anyone was expecting a loyal adaptation of the novel, though I highly doubt it.

Alice Kingsleigh is back after six years in Alice Through the Looking Glass. It's predecessor got hype as it was a Tim Burton film, but it left a sour taste in many people's mouths. This film does lose some of the whimsy and some of the actors look like they'd rather be doing something else. I was surprised to see Alice get a sequel. While the first film made money, it got horrible critical and audience reviews. While I didn't like the first one, I didn't hate the sequel.

Mia Wasikowska reprises her role as Alice as she returns to Underland to help save the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp). He is dying since no one will believe his family is still alive. Alice decides to go back in time to prevent their deaths and in order to do so she must borrow Time's (Sacha Baron Cohen) chronosphere. Cohen's portrayal of Time is a little bit different from his usual shenanigans, but it seemed like he was desperately trying to fit them in somehow. The whole film is about time travel. The original cast is back including Anne Hathaway and Helena Bonham Carter. Out of all them, I felt Anne Hathaway truly wished she was not a part of this film.

The film is different from usual time traveling stories as the past truly cannot be changed in this one. However, it is not as visually appealing as Tim Burton's film. The sequel is directed by James Bobin and while I didn't mind the direction of the film, it did seem like he tried to capture the essence of Burton, but was unable to succeed. The sets are Burtonesque, but the whimsy isn't there. The original actors (sans Hathaway) know how to capture the spirit of their characters since they had played them before, but Baron Cohen seems at a loss for what to do.

Overall, I found the sequel enjoyable and I know I'm in the minority. Johnny Depp is a talented actor. There's no doubt about that, but people have criticized his performance in this film saying it's not his best. I don't disagree, but I don't necessarily agree either. His performances have started to blend in with one another. It's hard to tell the difference between his Mad Hatter from his Jack Sparrow from his Tonto. He likes to have fun, but it seems like he is tired of these characters. He is an actor waiting on his next paycheck. Alice Through the Looking Glass is better than other sequels. It is another film waiting to be watched by people who want to see other things on the silver screen. When you are presented with the same thing over and over again, there's nothing you can do, but fork over your money.

Rating: 3/5