In Ema, Director Pablo Lorraín delivers a confusing and frivolous drama that will be challenging to watch for many audiences. Ema has a unique setup, but it is a mix of weird music, unexplained conflicts, and a situation gone awry that is just a mess. I found myself intrigued with fragments of this Spanish language film, but I was also consistently lost with the plot.
 

Ema is set in the port city of Valparaiso, Chile. The film focuses on Ema, played by Mariana Di Girolamo, and Gaston, played by Gael Garcia Bernal, a couple who are on harsh terms after an adoption that fell through. Ema is a dancer and she takes a break from Gaston to recuperate after the failed adoption, but she is not recuperating in the healthiest ways. She ends up in a spiral of affairs and she falls in with the wrong crowd.

Where I became lost with Ema was its screenplay. Often, the conversations just did not add up or did not feel realistic. The scoring, the lighting and the cinematography were fine, but the screenplay lacked realism. The film seemed to be trying to present a haunting view with some weird technological tricks, and there were some positive moments, but those were brief.

As for Bernal, his talent and emotion does show through at times, but this was probably my least favorite film that he has starred in. Amores Perros (2000), The Motorcycle Diaries (2004), and Rosewater (2014) were brilliant films, but Ema is just average, despite Bernal’s emotional acting.

I will admit that I did not have the highest expectations for Ema and, again, there were some positives. But this is a film that I will give just two stars.

The Suicide Squad will make its fans forget about the 2016 Suicide Squad, a far inferior version of this story . Director James Gunn brings us a high-octane, and hysterical DC Comics hit that is a wild ride of lethal entertainment. The Suicide Squad takes the DC superhero film to a whole new level. It was utter joy, with Idris Elba playing Bloodsport, John Cena playing Peacemaker, Margot Robbie playing Harley Quinn, and Nathan Fillion playing T.D.K. The film is a recipe for unpredictable twists where the laughs will have your sides hurting.

In The Suicide Squad, supervillains are recruited by the government for a mission to infiltrate an enemy-infused island. Amanda Waller, played by Viola Davis, is the recruiter. They seem right for the job, and they may be labeled heroes for the mission, but being heroes is not their cup of tea. Not when there is Blackguard, played by Pete Davidson, or Savant, played by Michael Rooker. The film keeps you guessing whether all or only some of the supervillains will follow through with the mission, and you wonder who you can trust, with everyone being supervillains. 

The Suicide Squad has lots of graphic language and violence that doesn’t detract, but actually adds to the film, and it’s appropriate for the story. And the actors are also in just the right roles. Cena has just the right egotistical mindset, Elba has a short-fused temper, and Robbie has that innocent girl personality with a bad side to her. And all of the actors keep you laughing because we already know how funny they are from previous projects. Especially Pete Davidson as Blackguard, who we all know from Saturday Night Live and his other comedy bits. The Suicide Squad has its characters in the comedic roles that fit them perfectly.

The Suicide Squad was the most fun I’ve had at the movies this summer. Seeing the film with the giant screen and crisp sound of IMAX added to that entertainment experience. It can also be seen on HBO MAX, but I believe The Suicide Squad is worth the price of seeing it on IMAX. Three and a half stars for The Suicide Squad.

Director M. Night Shyamalan makes horror suspense films with lots of plot twists, and Old has a ton of them. It is chilling, and a fairly fun thriller flick, but not exactly what I would call amazing.

Old is set in the Dominican Republic. Gael Garcia Bernal is Guy, and Vicky Krieps is Prisca, a couple taking their children on vacation for a break from their impending divorce. The tropical resort is fancy, but the family has no idea what they are in for. They go to a deserted beach, and the couple soon realizes that their kids are aging rapidly by the hour. And it’s not just just the aging—many other bizarre events occur with the family and others on the beach.

Most of Shyamalan’s movies have been set on the east coast of the US, so it was refreshing to see this movie shot in a tropical setting. It was creative, with the growing horror on the deserted beach, and there were even a few laughs. But it was predictable, and the writing seemed lacking.

I enjoyed Shyamalan’s previous films, including Signs (2002) and The Village(2005), more than Old. Those films were original and had unexpected twists, whereas Old felt, well, a little old and predictable.

Overall, Old is fun for its easy shock value and a few laughs. And I do believe that Shyamalan has a creative mind and is capable of brilliant work. But I was not big on Old, and I would say it is just an average thriller/suspense film. This one gets two and a half stars.