XXX: The Return of Xander Cage

     XXX: The Return of Xander Cage is directed by D.J. Caruso (Disturbia) and stars Vin Diesel (Furious 7), Donnie Yen (Rogue One), and Deepika Padukone. It tells the story of the return of Xander Cage to the world of international espionage after retiring, to find Pandora’s Box, which has the ability to take down the United States government.

     The first XXX movie holds a special place in my heart because I saw it at the perfect age to enjoy a fun, dumb action movie. By the time I saw the second one, the wit and charm was replaced by meaningless action and Vin Diesel was replaced by Ice Cube (Ride Along), one of the most egregious errors in Hollywood history. But the third movie somehow got made with the return of Vin Diesel, so needless to say I was excited to go into this movie with my brain turned off ready to enjoy a fun action flick.

     And the best part about XXX: The Return of Xander Cage is how over the top the action scenes are. From motorcycling through giant waves to free falling without a parachute, Xander Cage is back in a big way. It’s hard not to get caught up in the explosive action that is non-stop throughout the entire movie. But while I enjoy a good action set piece, I also need a slight sense of realism, which was lost on me when two characters stand stationary in a warehouse with two dozen guys raining bullets down on them, and manage to walk away without a scratch.

     I would say I enjoyed about half the actors’ performances in this movie. Samuel L. Jackson (Snakes on a Plane) is electrifying as always, reprising his role as Augustus Gibbons from the previous two movies. Donnie Yen was another stand out, bringing a great physicality to his character. And while I enjoy the charismatic Vin Diesel, I felt like the script let him down with the some poorly delivered one liners that just did not flow right. And Nina Dobrev (The Perks of Being a Wallflower) as Becky Clearidge, the comic relief in the form of a technology whiz, was cringeworthy in nearly all her scenes and I could not wait for the scene to end just so I did not have to listen to her terrible jokes any more.

While XXX: The Return of Xander Cage was not the usual trash that January produces, it still did not meet the marks of its earliest film. The action set pieces are fun and some actors really brought it, but the script, awkwardness of some of the characters, and how indestructible they all were let this film down in a big way.

When should you see it?
Redbox

Split

     Split is directed by M. Night Shyamalan (The Visit) and stars James McAvoy (X-Men: First Class) and Ana Taylor Joy (The VVitch). It tells the story of a man who kidnaps three girls while also struggling

      M. Night Shyamalan has one of the most interesting careers of any director. After delivering three great movies, his career had been on a steady decline (to put it lightly). But after The Visit in 2015, many people wondered if he was back. With great trailers, an intriguing premise, and a mesmerizing star in James McAvoy, Split looked to be a return to form.

      The highlight of Split is its star, James McAvoy. He eerily portrays quite a few of the 23 personalities inside of his mind. Had this movie followed the proper steps I could have easily seen him nominated for a Best Actor statue at many ceremonies. The physical acting on display made each different character feel authentic.

      The movie also looks wonderful. The camera is always slowly moving around adding to the sense of dread. I found out that the same cinematographer from It Follows, Mike Gioulakis, also shot this movie, which makes sense considering the tone of the movies are about the same.

      My main problem with this movie is the three girls who are kidnapped at the beginning. I have seen other films with these actresses and they delivered fine performances but here they seemed completely out of it. Their “reactions” were laughable at best and they awkwardly spoke many of their lines that nearly took me out of the movie.

      Another thing to note about this movie is that it deals with some very dark themes that I was not prepared for heading into it. His previous film was very light and fun with horror elements. While Split does have humorous moments, some of the scenes were some of the darkest things I have seen in a PG-13 movie maybe ever. Had I been prepared for the darker moments, I

most likely would have better enjoyed this movie, but some of the scenes took me out of the movie.

      In Shyamalan’s career, Split is one of his better movies because of the tone and performance of McAvoy. But the darker themes and poor performances by some of the other actresses left my liking The Visit just a little bit more.

When should you see it?
Wait a Week

Patriots Day

     Patriots Day is directed by Peter Berg (Lone Survivor) and stars Mark Wahlberg (The Departed), John Goodman (10 Cloverfield Lane), Kevin Bacon (Footloose), and J.K. Simmons (Whiplash). It tells the story of the Boston Marathon bombing and the following hours as a massive manhunt for the two bombers takes place throughout the Boston area.

     I remember being at a movie theater parking lot in McKinney while watching the manhunt take place on CNN. It was an intense standoff while waiting for the suspect to either be killed or arrested. But I did not know much about the backstory behind the event. And with Peter Berg directing, after two stand out directorial projects in Lone Survivor and Deep Water Horizon, the movie looked to be a powerful piece revolving around one of the biggest acts of terrorism on our soil in our nation’s history.

     The most interesting aspect of Patriots Day was the style of filmmaking that Berg employed. He mixed recreations of the event with actual footage from the day that was so seamless I did not even notice when he first did it. By using actual news footage, store cameras, and first person footage from people on that day, he built a narrative that felt authentic and real. It was chilling to see images of the actual bombers going about daily activities like getting milk just hours after committing an atrocious act of terror.

     Mark Wahlberg delivers a career best performance as Tommy Saunders, a Boston cop trying to get back into the good graces of the system. Wahlberg is not a typical leading man, not knowing all the answers and even getting battered, but he gives his all to the character and breathes life into a part that could have been a stereotype. While the rest of the actors deliver good performances, my only con would be that I felt some of them were miscast with some rough Boston accents on display.
     Overall, Patriots Day is a moving film showcasing raw human emotion and the power of the human spirit in the face of evil. The combination of Peter Berg and Mark Wahlberg is one of the best director/actor duos currently working and if their first three pictures are any indication, they could go down as one of the best pairings ever.

When should you see it?

Opening Night

Silence

     Silence is directed by Martin Scorsese (The Wolf of Wall Street) and stars Andrew Garfield (Hacksaw Ridge), Adam Driver (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) and Liam Neeson (Taken). It tells the story of two priests from Portugal who travel to Japan in order to locate their mentor, who is rumored to have denied the faith.

      Martin Scorsese is one of the most influential directors of all time with a wide range of films in nearly every category, from horror mysteries to crime dramas. And hearing that he was going to tackle the topic of religion instantly drew me in the moment I heard about it. And after seeing the recent performances of its leads, Silence became one of my most anticipated movies of last year.

      Silence is not necessarily an enjoyable watch. It asks a lot from us the viewer, from its nearly three hour run time to the moral dilemmas the protagonists face. Rather than give us an answer in black or white, it forces us to determine the shades of grey for ourselves, questioning the fateful decision that Garfield makes.

      Showcasing the persecution of Japanese Christians, the film hit me on an emotional level that I was not expecting going into it. Seeing what earlier believers suffered through and yet still held their core beliefs was a powerful example of faith in the direst of circumstances. And even in the silence, God is always working.

      I had very few flaws with the movie. The movie does run almost three hours, which the people I was with felt in a negative way, but I felt like the pacing was spot on and did not feel the need to check my watch even once. I noticed some technical details that were wrong, with some line dubbing off and sound effects that did not line up, which could be due to the fact that this movie was rushed into theaters.

      The performances by the three leads, along with the Japanese actors, were spot on. Whereas some of the main actors’ previous performances have relied on spectacle, they were far more subdued in these roles. The main antagonist, played by Issey Ogata, is chilling and menacing, and I would compare him to Christoph Waltz from Inglorious Basterds.

      I wish I had waited to make my top films of 2016 until after I had seen Silence, because it most definitely was one of the best movies of last year. Watching the movie I found very little wrong with it and was enthralled in the story all the way to the end.

When should you see it?
Opening Night

Worst Movies of 2016

These are the worst movies to come out this past year. I don't want to spend much time on them so I'll give a brief thought and then move on. This is my personal opinion. I think you personally should give every movie a chance, but these you may be able to turn off before the credits start to roll.

Honorable Mentions

Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, Suicide Squad, The Girl on the Train, Batman: The Killing Joke

10. Me Before You is melodramatic with many eye roll inducing moments, but is just cute enough to not drop any lower.

9. The Do Over once again proves that Adam Sandler peaked in the 90s but should have stopped making movies a long time ago.

8. Warcraft could have been the movie to make video game movies relevant but it was a huge misfire with obvious studio interference.

7. Hail, Caesar! could have been another classic Coen Brothers affair but instead insists upon itself to the point of boredom.

6. The 5th Wave is just another young adult adaptation that I honestly can't remember the plot to nor any of the main characters.

5. The Boss slogs you along with an unlikable lead and tries to make you empathize with her when she is obviously completely inept until the script decides she needs to do something important.

4. The Greasy Strangler would have been lower on the list if I had actually completed the movie, but I turned it off about twenty minutes in.

3. Incarnate had the worst special effects and acting on this list, but was not nearly as offensive as the top (bottom?) two.

2. Ghostbusters (2016) should have continued the story rather than create a new mythology while still relying on the tropes that it wants to separate itself from.

1. Zoolander 2 is a film so bad it makes the original film worse, which is one of my favorite comedies of all time. I anticipated this film for a long time, but this movie proves that some sequels should just never be made.

Best Movies of 2016

These are my favorite movies of 2016. They aren't necessarily the best crafted, but they entertained me the most. Hope this past year was as good a year for movies for you as it was for me. Comment below with your favorites that I may have left of the list.

Honorable Mentions

Manchester by the Sea, Hush, Don't Breathe, Moana

The List

10. Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping is one of the best mockumentaries I have ever seen taking down the musical documentaries that have plagued us over the past few years. From “Equal Rights” to “Finest Girl” the music itself would have been good enough. But The Lonely Island decided to add a narrative to this album that was hilarious but also surprisingly heartwarming.

9. Hacksaw Ridge tells a harrowing true story about one of the most courageous men in our nation’s history, Desmond T. Doss. While the first two acts build the characters, the final act explodes with a necessary violence inherent to war. Mel Gibson knows how to craft a good movie from the director’s chair and this movie just goes to prove this point.

8. Sing Street feels true to life and an instant musical classic that was extremely overlooked this past year. Following a situation most young boys go through (trying to impress a girl), the movie explores love, growing up, and finding yourself.

7. Nocturnal Animals is a creepy, thrilling movie that creeps under your skin and stays there. With some of the best performances of the year, it expertly maneuvers between two storylines while keeping both important and fresh.

6. 10 Cloverfield Lane allows its three main actors to lead the action without relying on spectacle until it became a necessity for the story. A movie that came out of nowhere, it made enough impact to stay with me and find itself on my list. With another movie in the Cloverfiled anthology already due out next, the anthology looks to become an instant classic.

5. The Lobster was definitely the weirdest movie I saw this past year. This future is one that I have never seen put to screen before, with rules that seem just crazy enough to possibly become a reality. Colin Farrel proved that he is a great actor despite what some of his previous movies would say otherwise.

4. Green Room is thrilling and chilling with some surprisingly great performances. With subdued violence that is just enough to make you uneasy, it knows how to bring you to the edge of your seat and then leaves you there. 

3. Captain America: Civil War is a great blockbuster in a year that blockbuster after blockbuster seemed to fail and disappoint. Drawing upon the previous entries into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it perfectly encapsulates what came before while also setting up the future and making me even more excited for the upcoming entries.

2. Hell or High Water is everything good about Westerns. It’s spin on a heist film is refreshing and new. The quality of this film can be seen in the fact that it is getting serious award consideration even though it came out in September. This movie is a thrill ride from the very beginning and ends on a haunting note.

1. La La Land was the biggest surprise and also the best film I saw in 2016. I never thought a musical would lead any best lists of mine but this is such a special film I could not deny it the respect it deserves. From mesmerizing leads to songs that you can’t help but sing along to, this movie may become a yearly tradition in my house.