Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile is a historic drama that follows Ted Bundy's former girlfriend, Elizabeth "Liz" Kendall during the height of the Bundy murders and his subsequent trial. 

I thought that Zac Efron did a great job playing a conniving, charismatic serial killer. I thought that Lily Collins did well as Liz, I enjoyed the surprise additions of Jim Parsons and John Malkovich. Efron for me, however, stole the show. He showed some range that I've never seen from him before. His presence was the only thing that kept me locked into this movie.

In the editing, I liked how the director, Joe Berlinger, did some scenes, like Bundy’s jail interview or his behavior in court, almost shot for shot as to what it was in real life. He also wanted you to see the film from innocent eyes, from the perspective of Liz, someone who thought Bundy was innocent until the end. I understand the reasoning behind the choice of not actually showing the majority of the murders, but I feel that they missed something there with not properly depicting the heinous crimes of this particular individual.

In the end I wasn’t really satisfied with the direction of this film or the time taken to cover this moment in history. Efron fans will be able to stick with it but everyone else can skip this lackluster movie.

Dark Phoenix

Dark Phoenix is the last of the X-Men First Class prequels. The plot centers on Jean Grey, played by Game of Thrones’ Sophie Turner. During a mission she encounters an alien power that changes her into the Dark Phoenix, making her a danger to anyone around her. The X-Men must decide to either kill her or help her control her new power. 

I’m always impressed by the caliber of actor that choose to do these super hero movies. This one did not disappoint in its quality. Mega stars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jennifer Lawrence all reprised their roles from the previous films. An impressive addition was Oscar-nominated actress, Jessica Chastain. The entire cast all brought her A-Game to these roles.

I also enjoyed the cinematography. Specifically the editing, the fight sequences and the CGI. It all looked crisp and realistic. The movie was full of action and fun.

On the downside, I thought that the script wasn’t that great and that the plot was full of holes. I was hoping that this would be the movie to connect this series to the original X-Men films from the 2000s, but it didn’t. Now that I know there will be no other movies from this franchise, I find myself having more questions than when I started.

With that being said, I am a fan of this genera and I still liked what the movie. I know what I'm getting myself into when seeing these films, so I took it for what it was worth. If you are like me, and sometimes just want something easy to follow and are cool with just going with what you are given, this is the one for you.

Into The Forest

Into The Forest is a pre-apocalyptic dramatic thriller, based on the novel of the same name. It follows two sisters, in the near future, who have to learn how to survive on their own in a remote area, after a massive, country-wide, power outage. 

I found the plot to be very interesting, suspenseful and engaging throughout. It wasn’t easily predictable and keeps you on the edge of your seat. The editing and cinematography were able to capture the vast beauty and also danger of what is in the forest.

The acting was powerful and compelling from Ellen Page as Nell and Evan Rachel Wood as Eva. The character development was well done, you connect with these sisters; you feel their pain and anxieties.

I liked the themes of sticking together, family, resiliency and female empowerment.

If you are in the mood for a heart pumping, anxiety triggering film, with great acting across the board, check this one out.

Barry

Barry is a Netflix film about former president, Barack Obama. It is a snapshot of his life during his time in New York at Columbia University. 

The movie did a great job of showing the way his experiences shaped who he is as a person. I thought that the actor who portrayed, Barack, Devon Terrell, who was unknown to me, did a good job re-enacting the former president’s cadence. He was able to show him as a young, slightly naive, well-meaning person trying to figure out who he is and what he is meant to do in the world. I was also pleasantly surprised to see Ashley Judd in this movie. She played Barry’s mom and I thought that she also did a nice job in her role.

It is a bit slow moving but I found it to be interesting never the less. I’m sure that there was some creative liberties taken for entertainment purposes but for the most part, I thought the movie seemed believable.


If you are looking for a relatively honest bio-pic about President Obama, this could be the one for you.

I Am Mother

I Am Mother is a Netflix produced science fiction thriller. Set in a post-apocolipic world, a child is born in an isolated bunker. She is called Daughter and is raised by a robot she calls Mother. When a stranger arrives with some disturbing news, Daughter starts to realize that not everything is as it seems. 

I wanted to see the movie because Hilary Swank is in it. She is a fantastic actor but the character she played was hard to connect to. There was a mystery to her at first but as the film went on I couldn’t really believe what was perceived as her end goal. I wish there was some further development with her character to really understand her more. Rose Byrne was the voice of the robot, Mother. I thought that it was a unique and interesting choice for her. The main actor, Clara Rugaard, who is lesser known, did a decent job carrying this movie. The interactions between her, the robot Mother and Hilary were good. I thought that they all did well with what they had; I just think it’s tough to bring a movie to life that has such few characters and not enough meat or depth in the scrip and character development.

Additionally, the plot was interesting but slow moving. The ending left me with a lot of unanswered questions. Some additional context would have been helpful in this film. I think that this is another movie full of great ideas that fell flat at the end. Because of that, I would suggest skipping this one.

Always Be My Maybe

Always Be My Maybe is a Netflix produced romantic comedy starring, comedian, Ali Wong as Sasha Tran and Fresh Off the Boat star, Randall Park as Marcus Kim. Ali and Marcus have been best friends since childhood. 16 years after an awkward moment with Marcus, Ali moves back to San Francisco, to open one of her famous restaurants. After an unexpected visit, she re-connects with Marcus for a life changing experience. 

The plot was fun and easy to follow. The script was smart and hilarious. I liked that the cast was diverse and everyone interacted well with one another. I have never seen Ali’s stand up nor Randall’s show, but after enjoying them so much on screen, I now want to go back and watch some of their other material. The only misstep was that there were a couple of scenes with Keanu Reeves that were a bit over the top and uncomfortable to watch.

In the end, the movie was a fun and heartwarming. It was another great Netflix rom-com that brings it all the way until the final scene. Though predictable, I still enjoyed the movie and would definitely recommend it as a fun date night film.

The Hate U Give

The Hate U Give is a drama featuring, The Hunger Games, Amandla Stenberg, Regina Hall, Russell Hornsby, who I know from the TV shows, Lincoln Heights and Seven Seconds, Insecure’s Issa Rae and rapper, Common. When Starr Carter, played by Amandla, witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend, Khalil, at the hands of a police officer, she must make the decision of staying quite or standing up for what’s right.

I thought that the plot was very relevant and heartbreaking. The character development was strong and the script was well written and honest. They talked about gang mentality, snitching and how to break the cycle of negativity in one’s community. I also liked the touches on the issues of code switching, which is very real for people of color. Code switching is how one must act differently in front of their community vs outside of their community and how that affects a person’s ability to be their true self in either setting.

There was great acting across the board but I really connected with Amandla’s character. I thought that she did a wonderful job bringing this person to life. The only issue I had was that I thought that Russell Hornsby, who played Maverick 'Mav' Carter, Starr’s father, was typecast. I’ve seen this character from him before, multiple times. It would have been nice to see something else from him, but I thought that he still did well in the role.

Overall, this one is heavy and hard to watch at times, but is one that I think young adults up to adults should see, especially in the current climate.