Film reviews

Crime 101 Review

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There are crimes with purpose and there are crimes that are connected. When moving parts come together, the truth can be complicated. Accuracy is what counts! From the mind of director Bart Layton, come his newest feature Crime 101. In this film, the conflict is a revolving landscape of purposeful doorswhich open to a ride that does not stop. With the setting in California, there are many truths to unfold and a conspiracy to piece together. Overall, the story is based upon how the characters approach the scenarios. The clock starts ticking thesecond the movie starts in Crime 101.

It is an all-star cast that is just above average when it comes to pacing and flow. The film begins with a slew of meditation and mindfulness and then jumps into blindsided crimes. The invigoration caused by the conspiracy and conflict in authority turns matters into a boxing match. Layton is not afraid to throw the complex conflicts on the table and keep the tables spinning with curiosity. When one event is still in motion, others continue to arise.

The main character is a master criminal, Davis (Chris Hemsworth). He flies below the radar and maintains the lowest profile to settle the biggest scores possible. Despite turmoil, he continues to do the deeds to get the pay. There is also a real estate broker named Sharon (Halle Berry). She is pushing herself to go above and beyond to make her clientele happy until she realizes the answers she gets are shady. In addition, there is a detective that is in a bind, Lou (Mark Ruffalo). The trail of Davis and the odds of Sharon are tied together. This causes a more stressful situation for Lou because he is completely burned out and consistently on thin ice.

The film maintains its angles through strategic timing. That is where the joy is. At times, it may feel like a bore, but it is effective. When another criminal comes around it becomes instantly bonkers. The other criminal is Ormon (Barry Keoghan), a motorcyclist eager to land heists to prove he is worthy. There is another heist in the making, but how dangerous is it for all these characters to be interconnected? The question of trust is what the Tetris tactic of surprises masters in Crime 101.

Do not expect explosions but instead more in-depth trails, especially through the performances of Hemsworth and Berry. Their characters have incredible stressors hovering over them. Their feelings of immense frustration, while they’re also trying to score big, lead to a landscape that is mentally compelling. Layton creates an interesting portrait in which his characters are dealing with so much. This part of their portrayal does not come around easily, yet I felt the film was successful in making the dynamics all make sense. This was possible because the persona of scoring is based upon hiding the criminal-side and being able to handle an array of unexpected conflicts that are life-threatening and enticing. A stellar crime with thrilling aspects that keep the central conflict intact. Three out of four stars for Crime 101.

Film reviews

Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die Review

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When it comes to having concerns about how much technology is impacting our daily lives, director Gore Verbinski knows how to bring on that concept with many punches to the gut.  Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die is one-of-a-kind. It’s a story where the world is seeing its end, and it all falls back onto reliance on technology, a terror that is a fear in daily life. The level of distraction is one that I am even concerned about every day when I wake up in the morning, but Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die twists that and moves it forward with consequences that are well-written. With class and humor, the dangers of Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die do not go unpunished.

The film begins with a dinner interrupted with a man wrapped in all kinds of foil and trash. He is The Man from The Future, played by Sam Rockwell. He goes into a diner in LA and does what he can to recruit a team to fight against AI crashing down the planet Earth. The film begins with a lot of moments where it seems like a joke, but with the right continuity it all comes together to be highly calculated and witty form of genius. What fuels this is that many of the characters have a backstory before the man’s arrival upon the diner—a comedy where peril is questioned but also provides some shocking introductions.

The events have an order, and I will elaborate on a few. My mind was floating with many words of how to describe the how much of my attention was drawn on Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die. I was thoroughly invigorated while also curious as to what was creating the phenomenon to come around. Verbinski’s directing has a chronological following with Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die.

The first scenario involves a man named Mark (Michael Pena) and Janet (Zazie Beetz). They are a couple working at the same school, and Mark finds himself trying to deal with students who are possessed by their phones. This leads them seeming as ifthey are becoming angry robots with resentment. Also, the main issue is that the school has many teachers on sabbaticals. Verbinski’s creation of strange dynamics has a narrative to form an uprising. After that there is a scenario where a woman named Susan (Juno Temple) loses her son and decides to go to a facility and have him cloned, however this leads her to realizing her cloned son is more like a robot. The third scenario is a woman named Ingrid (Haley Lu Richardson) who finds herself allergic to phones and Wi-fi. Most of that is because a failed relationship of hers where her partner paid more attention to video games than to her.  AI getting the attention is at the core of the clever mystery in Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die. Distraction among prioritizing technology creates the build-up surrounding The Man from The Future and the people in the diner creating a vivid portrait where survival and logistics is reaching its ending point. It also leads to the characters being scared to utilize technology for help, as people’s obsession is what had led them to the end of the world scenario in the first place.

A masterful and creative flow of distractions coming back with more to throw out each time. This film does so with hard hits that make it a comedy fueled by ambition. Verbinski brings out the flaws of how people’s behaviors have karma to them. Their lives were devoted to devices with no human connection, but in the end their technology destroys them in immersive light.  The truth of the amount of destruction is like an airplane ride that is a first-class ticket to a mind-blowing location of laughs, realizations, and theories. 

One quote that speaks the most with this unexpected masterpiece goes, “I feel emotionally targeted!” That quote has a meaning resembling many of the perils that thrive in thisadventure. While some characterizations are flawed and overrated, it works for the comedy aspect and the genius continuity. Reality and AI are the obstacles and are the moving parts for a surreal adventure unlike no other–one with comedy, suspense, laughing moments, and screen-time with vengeance. Four out of for stars for Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die.

 

 

Film reviews

“Wuthering Heights” Review

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When there is a film directed by Emerald Fennell, there is a guaranteed dynamic which is bound to have intriguing shifts. This is certainly the case in her newest film “Wuthering Heights,” based on the novel written by Emily Bronte. This time around, Fennell utilizes her vision as a director on a romantic journey that is mind-blowing with a combination of tragedy and love. The 1800s setting in Yorkshire, England emphasizes the uniqueness of the era and differences between the higher-class and lower-class. Love is ultimately what stands in the middle of “Wuthering Heights.”

The two main characters are Cathy and Heathcliff (Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi). They have grown up together and are in love. Like the terrain in Yorkshire, the relationship tends to go up and down. Much is connected to their upbringing which stands between the connection Cathy and Heathcliff have. With Cathy navigating her own lifestyle, and Heathcliff struggling, there is a point of separation. When that occurs, there is a chance to restore what once existed, but the obstacles are risky along with destructive.

The film is compelling because of the way it is set up between the characters. Cathy is presented with the opportunity which would lead to a wealthier life where she could thrive. Heathcliff has many more hardships, so Cathy finds herself in a difficult place. She decides to marry Edgar (Shazad Latif) because she sees some future with him. However, the presence of Heathcliff pulls at her heart strings. “Wuthering Heights” creates a spellbinding drama that warms hearts with love.

Throughout the various hurdles faced by the lead characters, “Wuthering Heights” stays cinematic by keeping the relationship issues between Cathy and Heathcliff upfront. Robbie and Elordi are sensational. They make “Wuthering Heights”a dramatic ride filled with lust, power, and mixed emotions. Their performances are like a period-piece with intense dramatics and deep context. The overarching theme of soul-searching is used by Fennell to challenge audiences in “Wuthering Heights.”

Throughout my viewing experience, I found this film to be poetic. The fact that there are moments where things do not work out but still love exists was heartwarming. Through the eyes of Robbie and Elordi, the power of remaining connected is well within reach in “Wuthering Heights.” Love is lost and found in a compelling way. There is just no easy way to define why choices are made. Yet, the point of self-sacrifice is gut-wrenching in “Wuthering Heights.”

I was astonished. I was mesmerized. I was in profound thought. The realization of how much human connection can mean hit me deeply during “Wuthering Heights.” The theme of a forever-relationship taking place in the late 1800s spoke to me, especially in an era in which there were no technological advancements. Instead, only-face-to-face interactions which resulted in immersive moments of love. Fennell brings audiences on a journey that is one-of-a-kind. Not everyone may understand it at first, but the dramatics are a wild adventure that is all about love and how much it can hurt. Three-and-a-half out of four stars for “Wuthering Heights.”

Treating cinema in many forms of art!