Hereditary (2018) directed by Ari Aster

Holy shit. I have not felt this terrifyingly uneasy because of a film in a very long time. I do not know why it took me this long to finally catch it, but I regret not seeing this in theaters. Hereditary is an astounding horror film that combines elements of psychological and supernatural terror that will keep the audience thinking for a long time. With some extraordinary performances and technical aspects, this film is one of the absolute must-sees of the year.

Every piece of this film was incredibly well thought-out and executed which upped the level of horror immensely. The performances in this film were unquestionably stellar. Alex Wolff plays Peter, the son of Annie, played by Toni Collette. These two carried this film more than anything. Wolff was able to display so much horrid fear in just his face alone in this movie's many beautiful shots. I also firmly believe that Collette deserves an Oscar for this performance as the grieving and disturbed mother Annie. She is able to portray so many different human and demonic emotions in her acting that I have not seen from a leading actress in a while. Accompanied also by the creepy Milly Shapiro and the incredible Ann Dowd, the cast throughout this movie was perfect.

The cinematography in every scene was very spacious in order to create the spooky environment of the house and areas around it. The long tracking shots gave the audience a good look at what this family lives through every day and in the more intense scenes, followed the characters to really show the full effect of their actions. In fact, the framing and choreography helped create some of the most uncomfortable shots, including the mother crawling up the walls and the cult worshipping in the treehouse. This eerie tone was also aided by the editing as well. Every shot lingered for so long in order to enhance the haunting vibe that every scene carried. Because of these elements, the film felt painfully long to sit through, but if it were a quicker film, it definitely would not have had the same effect. Director Ari Aster knew this too, of course, and did not hesitate to keep me on the edge of my seat with my heart filled with terror during the entire two hours.

Aster wrote and directed this film, which seems to be the mark of a solid film as of recently. His writing in this movie is unforgettable, as he brilliantly mixed elements of psychological and the otherworldly. All of the rising actions in this movie led to the well-hidden reveal that the recently-deceased grandma had been the leader of a demonic cult dedicated to worshipping Paimon, the King of Hell. Even though this cleared up a few of the supernatural happenings that happened to the family, it did not make the overall story any less creepy. The message throughout this film touched on mental health and family ties and cleverly examined how the loss of a loved one can affect people differently, even if the horror aspects exaggerated it. However, I feel that one might even need a master's degree in psychology to truly understand how the events of this film horrifically affected the characters.

Hereditary's motifs and hard R-rating also made its content so interesting. There was an incredible, subtle use of the blue spirit seen floating around in multiple scenes that made it that much more spooky. At first, I thought it was light from the camera, but after many experiences with the spirit, I came to realize that it was purposeful. I almost did not catch this entire part of it, but I am glad that I did. I also very much appreciated how the film was unafraid of showing its most explicit parts. There is a reason why this film was rated R and even then, some directors might shy away from truly disturbing their audience. But not Aster. The most extreme violence and gore throughout were only utilized in the most pivotal scenes, such as the death of Charlie and possessed Peter making his way to the treehouse. Seeing Charlie's decapitated head crawling with ants was almost unbearable to look at and as Peter was walking out of the house, we see many dead or naked members of the cult showing up for Paimon's reappearance. And of course, I couldn't help but shiver at how frightening it was that floating Annie was sawing off her own head.

While I typically have a slight, jumpy reaction to scares in horror films, Hereditary is the first one I have seen where I couldn't hold back my screams at a few scenes. It does not help that I was by myself at night watching it, but I am in shock at how much I was affected by this. I would recommend this film to anyone looking for a light, feel-good movie to relax to while enjoying some popcorn with the family. I'm kidding, of course. Just watch out that your mother doesn't try to strangle you or light you on fire. Hail Paimon!

My Rating: ★★★★½

Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) directed by Wes Anderson

Since its release, Fantastic Mr. Fox has over and over again proved to be just that: fantastic. This is my personal favorite Wes Anderson film as he absolutely nails his style accompanied by a charming story from Roald Dahl. With an exceptionally incredible voice cast and beautiful stop-motion puppetry, this film will stand the test of time as one of the most entertaining and original animated films ever made.

This film, at its core, is truly what Wes Anderson's style is striving to be and it succeeds. The adorable and charming, stop-motion animation not only aids in the peculiar quirkiness of the tone but creates a very interesting world for these animals. The tone of this movie was very storybook-like and had a tall tale vibe that worked so smoothly with the quick storytelling. This is truly where Anderson's style shone the most, as it worked with the story excellently. Even though this film is not exactly what happened in the original book from Roald Dahl, it still manages to be an incredibly faithful adaptation.

The story throughout this film was very well-written and utilized comedy and character development amazingly. The main attraction of this film for, as well as many others I'm assuming, is its quirky humor and fast-paced nature. The humor was incredible and provided enough substance for not only children to enjoy but plenty of adult humor too. This is also a staple of Anderson's films which worked so well here, is that he is able to incorporate adult themes and content to keep all of the different audiences plenty entertained. All of the characters in this film were great too, and very well-developed. It was interesting to see how Anderson gave the different animals their personalities and the voice actors playing them gave them so much life too. The cast, including George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Willem Dafoe, Owen Wilson, and Bill Murray, all fit their furry characters to a tee.

Other aspects that were incredible include the action, message, and visual gags throughout the movie. While this is definitely not an action film, there were many scenes of Mr. Fox and his cast of characters stealing the poultry, apples, and cider from the three evil farmers that were very well choreographed. Many of these platform-like action scenes almost felt like a Rube Goldberg machine in how mechanically mesmerizing they were. The visual gags in this film felt that same way too, as they were obviously well thought-out and created from the mind of someone who truly knew what designs they were aiming for. The message of this movie was very sweet too and will definitely bring a certain amount of warmth to any heart. Its focus was really just loving and supporting your family, no matter what you may go through as an individual. As we saw Mr. Fox struggle with what was wrong and right, he learned that no matter what he went through, his wife and son always had to come before his previous life of theft. There were also some underlying messages about the treatment of refugees and the issue surrounding low-income housing, but this was, of course, more for the adults to ponder.

Fantastic Mr. Fox will always win me over as one of my favorite animated films of all time. The story is creative, the characters are incredible, and despite its quick runtime, manages to truly make the audience feel warm inside. I would strongly recommend this movie to not only fans of Anderson's quirky directing, but for anyone with a good heart.

My Rating: ★★★★

Cloverfield (2008) directed by Matt Reeves

Godzilla may be king of the monsters and that's cool and all, but do you know who could easily kick his lizard ass? Clover. Cloverfield is my favorite monster film of all time, as it provides an engaging story with an even more engaging type of storytelling. It may also be my favorite because it horrified me at a young age, leaving an unforgettable scar on my small brain, but regardless, it is an incredibly well-made film.

This movie is highly efficient in both terror and storytelling. This is mostly due to its absolute powerhouse trio of creators: Drew Goddard, the writer, J.J. Abrams, the producer, and Matt Reeves, the director. Each of their individual talents shone through very well and worked together flawlessly. Goddard's intense but unforgettable writing pairs great with Reeves' quick and stressful directing style. And of course, Abrams' science-fiction prowess rounds everything out to make this movie incredible. The plot in this film is a very simple one, rescuing an ex-girlfriend and fleeing the massive monster destroying the city. Even though the story was fairly simple, it was very effective for the quick runtime. The biggest draw-in for me, as well as everyone I know who has seen this film, is its fantastic use of the "found footage" style. It was so eerie, and while this film is not exactly a horror movie, more monster per se, it provided such a good narrative for the characters. The best character, in fact, was T.J. Miller's Hud. Hud was the source of the entire film's humor, both before and after Clover attacked New York. His dry comedy paired nicely with all of the dramatic action occurring throughout the attack. All of the other performances by the cast, which included Lizzy Caplan, Jessica Lucas, Michael-Stahl David, and Mike Vogel, were very mediocre. No one else brought as much life to their characters as Miller did.

Details are what make a film so intriguing and the focus on technical aspects in this movie was amazing. The terrifying design of Clover and his little squirmy, monster babies was great, even though the CGI from 2008 was not as refined as it could have been now (like the final shot of The Cloverfield Paradox, which was actually the best part of that entire movie). The cinematography, while shaky and unfocused, was utilized beautifully: especially in the most gruesome scenes of the movie. It was very clever how the director of photography, Michael Bonvillain, framed the shots so that the audience could not see the bloody mayhem of the monster that was happening, and instead had to rely on the audio to provide that terror. I'm also not sure if it was intended or not, but in the final shot of the movie on the ferris wheel, you can clearly see a large pod falling from the sky into the ocean, and this focus on detail in the foreshadowing makes this film so impressive.

The only minor issue I had with this film was the treatment of the female characters. While it is not obviously apparent and all of the characters are treated fairly story-wise, I feel that Caplan's, Lucas', and the other women could have had more agency. Throughout this movie, it is always the men who are deciding on what to do next and choosing what the group's priorities are. And whenever Clover is nearby or the group had a life-threatening experience, the women would seem to have panic attacks while the men just stoically stand their ground. As a man, I would be breaking down and freaking out in a scenario like this, and I do not believe it is fair for the writing to treat the females as if they are the only ones who come off as weak. We would all be crying like babies, let's be real.

Cloverfield is a quick, but impressive feat in found-footage filmmaking. J.J. Abrams has set up an amazing shared universe with this film, and while one sequel might be better than the other, this original still stands on its own as a fantastic monster movie.

My Rating: ★★★½

Tusk (2014) directed by Kevin Smith

In 2014's Tusk, Kevin Smith delivers what may be one of the strangest creature films I have ever seen. Justin Long and Michael Parks lead the cast of this peculiar, indie-horror that I will definitely never forget. Not for its story or performances, but because it provided some of the most disturbing visuals I have ever seen. Accompanied by a ridiculous plot and strange cameos, this film is definitely worth checking out. Or maybe not? You can decide.

There were only a few aspects of this film that I really enjoyed. The practical effects used in the horrendous walrus suit that Wallace (Justin Long) was trapped in was impressive in how much it freaked me out. It was just an inhumane flesh sack that was made to be absolutely revolting by the art department, so I guess they did a pretty good job. The performances in this film were mediocre, but all of the cast did fit their characters very well. Wallace, along with his friend Teddy (Haley Joel Osment), girlfriend Ally (Genesis Rodriguez), and the obsessed captor Howard Howe (Michael Parks) were all decent in their roles. I also appreciated the connection between this film and Kevin Smith's other indie film Yoga Hosers by incorporating the characters of Colleen Collette (Lily-Rose Depp) and Colleen McKenzie (Harley Quinn Smith) into the gas station scenes.

The main issue with this film was its many unnecessary elements. This movie could have easily been a horror short film that only focused on the story of Wallace and his evil captor Howard. It was painfully evident that Smith had a small idea for what this film could have been, but did not know how to flush it out to make a more engaging, overall story (this entire movie is based on a podcast, after all). Enter Johnny Depp. His character Guy Lapointe was an ostracized homicide detective that has been hunting Howard for many years. The fault in this character is that he was so unnecessary and was only added for two reasons: 1. Depp is a close friend of Smith's and 2. Smith needed any kind of substance to make the movie interesting. This is also apparent in many of the scenes between Wallace and Howe, as Howe is monologuing for minutes at a time, blabbering about who knows what. These painstakingly predictable scenes dragged on much longer than needed and the dialogue suffered because of that.

My biggest misunderstanding of this movie is what the message is supposed to be. It sounds cheesy saying "every movie should teach the audience something," but there was nothing I actually got from the film. Besides the obvious metaphor of the maniac Howe trying to reclaim his youth by re-enacting his experience with the walrus, there were no connections to be made. Unless I am missing a crucial part of the story, I could not see what the point was, frankly. I did not care about the characters, either, because of the lack of any decent development. During the entire movie, Wallace was a cheating, manipulative, classless prick that got caught up in this perverted horror experiment. I did not care that he was tortured, cut into pieces, and turned into a walrus, which is a bad sign for the main character. And even if he changed as a character, the audience would not know because of his horrendous transformation into a walrus prevented him from speaking. 

Tusk is as disturbing as it is unforgettable. Maybe not in the best way, but the image of Justin Long as a deformed, walrus creature flopping around in a dungeon will, unfortunately, never leave my mind. Check this film out on Netflix if you dare, but be prepared to turn it off if you get easily spooked.

My Rating: ★★

Suicide Squad (2016) directed by David Ayer

In 2011, when DC Comics first introduced their new line of revamped stories called the New 52, I was beyond excited. This was my first introduction to the Suicide Squad. While the lineup was a bit different, I absolutely adored the comics. It was such an incredible cast of characters, all who contradicted each other in the funniest and most wildly unpredictable ways. Their stories were so engaging and drew me in because of their teamwork and motivations and ultimately became my absolutely favorite comic arc of all time. Now imagine a film completely devoid of any of those interesting stories or exciting characters, and you've got 2016's Suicide Squad.

Let me preface this review (probably going to be more of a rant) with the fact that I do not hate this film whatsoever. There are plenty of comic book films that have done much worse for themselves in terms of storytelling and character development. Elements of this film that I do love include the aesthetic, tone, costumes, makeup, and overall color design. The marketing for this movie was very based around a neon, graffiti-type aesthetic, which worked excellently for this movie and even settled well once it was actually released. The makeup and design in this film were great too, as seen in its Academy Award. A lot of the practical effects used fit quite nicely. One large aspect of this film that I actually didn't focus on the last time I watched it was its editing. I was actually kinda surprised at how well the quick cuts fit this tone. Even though the entire film is color-graded to make it seem more exciting than it actually is, I genuinely loved the editing. I also adore the soundtrack for this movie, even though it may seem like a loop of Top 40 hits that would be played in a Hot Topic. What I don't like about the music selection, however, is that it served no purpose in the telling of the story. It mainly seemed like the director googled "songs popular with kids nowadays" and chose an article from 2007.

I first saw Suicide Squad in theaters two years ago but I had the absolute pleasure of re-watching it recently because a friend had never got around to it (lucky him). There is nothing that I can say that hasn't already been said about this film, but here are my main issues. The introductions at the beginning of the film lasted way too long. It took up a solid twenty minutes of the film that could have easily been allocated to setting up a decent plot. From the opening scenes, it was apparent that Will Smith's Deadshot and Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn were the biggest stars of this film. However, because of that, their characters were given all of this film's focus. Not rightfully so, either. Deadshot was probably the most interesting character, but that's still not saying much. A mercenary with a daughter to protect. Fascinating. Throw in a cameo from Ben Affleck's Batman and you have a "developed" villain.

As for Harley Quinn, Robbie absolutely nails it. Along with her Clown Prince of Crime, I actually really do enjoy Jared Leto and Margot Robbie's performances as the criminal duo (minus the grills on his teeth and tattoos on his face). The issue is that her character is not source material-friendly. The way she is written is just not at all how Quinn acts in the comics, as simple as that. By the time she joins the Squad, she is over Joker and becomes her own, interesting and amazing character, but that was not the case in this movie. Joker and Harley's relationship was very misleading and became the main focus of the film, which was not its intent. This distracted way too much from the main antagonist, which is a whole other problem.

Amanda Waller, played by Viola Davis, is a mastermind in manipulation. She was able to get Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) and Enchantress (Cara Delevingne) romantically attached, which paved the way for the creation of (what was supposed to be) the main antagonist. Enchantress' brother is the main villain that these other villains have to take down. Sounds confusing? It is. The issue is that there was no reason as to why the character of her brother even existed. What were his motivations? Where was his backstory? What is even his name? None of these questions were answered solely due to the fact that the writing only included him in order for these characters to have their big, CGI showdown in the conclusion. These story points did not connect at all, and Amanda Waller's subplot did not help either. During the majority of the film, the squad is out retrieving a package that needs to be saved from this apocalyptic meltdown. The "package" ends up being Waller herself, which, again, did not make sense for either the story or the character's motivations. Between this Waller subplot, the dynamic between Joker and Harley, and the weak-as-hell, unnecessary antagonist, this film could never even find its footing in terms of direction. Having David Ayer attached to this movie does not help that, either.

Suicide Squad is the epitome of wasted potential. With an incredible cast and boundless interesting ways to take the story, it is simply one of the most underwhelming comic book adaptations to date. Props to the art department, however, for holding my last surviving bit of attention during this movie.

My Rating: ★½

Life After Beth (2014) directed by Jeff Baena

I have recently been extremely invested in horror-comedies, thanks to Edgar Wright's Shaun of the Dead. So when I came across another of that genre about zombies starring a hilarious actress from my favorite TV show (Parks and Recreation), I knew this had to be an indie film to win over my heart. However, Life After Beth greatly disappointed me in all kinds of ways. While the performances were mediocre and the story could not decide on a direction, I really just feel that there was a lot of talent wasted on this movie.

Of all the independent and obscure films of Aubrey Plaza's that I have seen, this might take the cake as the most unsatisfying. It was obvious that Plaza was only cast in this because of her dry, slightly sadistic personality, but it did not fit this character of Beth at all. I'm a huge fan of her work, but this might have been her worst performance, all because of the awful writing. The other characters that shaped the story of Beth were all poorly written as well. Zach (Dane DeHaan) was Beth's boyfriend before she was bitten by a snake and passed away, and DeHaan's performance was so bland. He really has mastered the art of appearing either stoned or sad all the time and because of that, he was not able to convey any kind of interesting exposition for his character in the beginning.

My other biggest issue with the character of Zach was that his decisions made no sense throughout the film. He did not have any motivations or reasons for wanting to be back in Beth's life after she was resurrected, given that they were in a bad stretch of their relationship. Unless this character had an underlying fetish for zombies, I do not understand why he put himself through the things that he did. And the very last scene of the film was Zach realizing he wanted to be with Erica (Anna Kendrick) all along. This scene made absolutely no sense because he had worked this entire film to be with Beth and went against the wishes of his parents, but once he had put Beth out of her suffering, he went for sloppy seconds with Erica. Maybe this was a part of the message the movie was attempting to convey, but I could not make sense of it whatsoever.

The pacing and directing were not great, either. Both of these elements had the spacey, interpretational tone going, which is typical of an indie film like this one. I am not sure what I was expecting, but I quickly got bored with it. For the amazing cast of performers in this film, they all felt very underutilized. John C. Reilly, Molly Shannon, Cheryl Hines, Matthew Gray Gubler, Jim O'Heir (little bit of a Parks reunion), and more all accompanied Plaza and DeHaan in this film, but they were so out of character. It is refreshing when a comedy actor can play a serious role (and vice versa), but the campy writing did not fit any of their characters. This also has to do with this film being indecisive about its tone. I honestly feel that it would work better as an off-the-wall comedy or a serious relationship drama, but not both, as this film sadly tried to do.

Life After Beth is an underwhelming zombie comedy that I will most likely forget about soon. This film did nothing to subvert expectations of the genre like I expected it to. While the cast and crew were vastly talented, none of it was seen and I feel they could have used their time more wisely. I would not recommend this movie unless you really need something playing in the background to help you fall asleep.

My Rating: ★★½

The World's End (2013) directed by Edgar Wright

The World's End is the final film of the Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy, released a considerable amount of time after Hot Fuzz, as Wright was working on another cult classic project (see: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World). I had seen the previous two films years ago and slightly remembered their concepts, but rewatching this trilogy has been incredible. However, this conclusion is definitely my least favorite of the three. While it is still wildly entertaining and Wright's signature style is still evident, many of the story and design elements were, unfortunately, a bit lackluster.

The best aspects of this film are what make Edgar Wright my absolute favorite director. His detail-oriented shots along with his painfully witty dialogue definitely make this film worthy of his essence. The directing was great, as expected, and there were plenty of his signature quick montages, this time with beer on tap. The pacing, however, was a bit slower than the rest of this trilogy. Even though it is hard to escape Wright's style once it is used, this film just felt more drawn-out than it should have been. The humor in this film was fantastic, as Wright wrote six wildly different characters with different lives, all dragged into this strange mess by Gary King (Simon Pegg). King's goal was to finish the epic pub-crawl that he and his friends had attempted more than twenty years before. All of the characters involved, including Andy (Nick Frost), Oliver (Martin Freeman), Steven (Paddy Considine), Peter (Eddie Marsan), and Sam (Rosamund Pike) were all varied personalities. The main element that brought all these friends back together was Gary's devotion to maintaining his youth and the childishness that came with it. It was very fascinating to see how his friends reacted to his actions, as that aspect brought out most of the humor. I also loved the focus on aliens this time around. As it was zombies in Shaun of the Dead and maniacal cults in Hot Fuzz, this film focuses on extraterrestrials that were very reminiscent of Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

Pegg plays a much different character in this than the two previous films that he co-wrote with Wright. In this, he nailed the immature "bad boy" persona that was set up very well, but I could not get over his fake, black hair. It was so noticeably dyed and that little element of the design took me away from the story, as minuscule as that sounds. Another of my biggest issues with this film was its third act and conclusion. The last fifteen minutes or so took me way out of the movie and not for a good reason. The entire premise of this movie was for these friends to finish their pub-crawl during an alien takeover in this small town. Towards the end, however, while that was still Gary's goal, the antagonists' side of the story took over too much for my liking. The scene down in the basement of the final pub went on for way too long and it introduced elements of the aliens' motivation that should have been included earlier. The aliens' goal could have been implemented into the story much better earlier on, but it was all introduced all of a sudden. Most of this dialogue was for the humor, which it worked in that sense, but it took a completely different direction plot-wise. The final scenes were a bit over-the-top too, even for an Edgar Wright piece. The setting changed as the entire world went dark during the apocalypse, and the design for everything took a complete 180. While this could have potentially set up another film, that was not the point of this trilogy.

Edgar Wright's third and final piece of this trilogy could have ended a bit better. While I still enjoyed the cast, premise, and directing style, there could have been more focus on the execution. I honestly believe that Wright does better with his style when his film has a lower budget, as this was an explosion of special effects. I would still recommend watching The World's End, however, as it is a very entertaining, apocalyptic romp.

My Rating: ★★★

The Predator (2018) directed by Shane Black

Amidst a controversy surrounding one of its cast members, Shane Black's The Predator does not fail to deliver. That is, as long as you expect a mindlessly violent creature film containing dull characters and jumbled plotlines. The action scenes were executed reasonably well and the comedy was utilized in clever ways, but unfortunately, there is nothing offered here that truly revitalizes this beloved sci-fi franchise.

This film follows the lethal alien hunter known as the Predator who crash-lands on Earth after being the prey of another, mysterious extraterrestrial. Quinn McKenna (Boyd Holbrook) is an elite military sniper who encounters the Predator in the jungles of Mexico while on a mission and is sent to a mental health hospital back in the U.S. for treatment. After Quinn's son Rory (Jacob Tremblay) discovers some of the Predator's gear, he accidentally triggers the intergalactic war between alien and humankind.

The vast cast of characters that appear throughout this film is its most entertaining aspect, but also its worst flaw. Will Traeger (Sterling K. Brown) and Casey Bracket (Olivia Munn) are among the best characters in the story. Brown plays a stern but eccentric CIA agent who is at odds with McKenna in terms of locating and killing the Predator. He is fantastic in this role and brings a lot of much-needed enthusiasm. Munn's character is a biological researcher who is taken in to aid in the hunt for the famed alien. She portrays this strong-willed scientist with incredible energy but unfortunately, her character is overshadowed by the male characters the majority of the film. Shane Black and Fred Dekker's writing on this movie did not do Munn's character her due justice in the slightest. Bracket is developed to be an extremely valuable asset in the group of characters, but the constant ridicule about her being a female and weaker than the rest was unnecessary. As the only prominent female character in the film, her treatment was not appreciated.

In addition to the decent characters, the humor in the film is handled very well and provides a lot more comedic scenes than expected. Most of the laughs stem from the group of "loonies" that McKenna is assigned with. Nebraska Williams (Trevante Rhodes), Coyle (Keegan-Michael Key), Baxley (Thomas Jane), Lynch (Alfie Allen), and Nettles (Augusto Aguilera) provide some of the funniest characters that bring light to the darkest and most violent of scenes.

The overlying issue with this massive group of characters, however, is that all of their stories are not balanced well enough. All of the subplots are aimed towards finding the Predator and putting its destruction to an end, but the motivations behind the different groups became blurry. The conflicts between McKenna's family, the CIA, Bracket, and otherworldly forces did not reach a common point. This entanglement of subplots becomes far too complicated to follow which begged the question of who was actually the predator and who was the prey? This film would have been much more engaging if there were fewer people to focus on and richer, more interesting stories between the protagonists and antagonists.

Unlike the lack of character development, there is plenty of exaggerated action. The majority of it appeared quite ridiculous and was not purposeful at all. Plenty of gunfire and explosions riddled the adrenaline-fueled scenes, but it became very mindless after the first half. However, as one might expect, it definitely brought back the masculine, 80s atmosphere. The only enjoyable aspects are the final scene and the use of practical effects. The last fight scene felt more grounded than the rest of the film and might have even been choreographed! A true miracle! Larry Fong, a frequent collaborator of Zack Snyder, and his sharp, detail-oriented, cinematography could have also aided in this. The style of the Predator creatures in the movie is impressive too. Ryan Nicholson and Tom Woodruff Jr.'s practical effects were gorgeous and just like the original film from 1987, make the threatening alien assassin much more realistic.

The Predator is a very forgettable action film, but there is no doubt that Black's reboot will be adored by fans of the franchise. The references and overall story elements are quite reminiscent of the original films, but because of its confusing plot, this installment simply misses the mark.

My Rating: ★★

Hot Fuzz (2007) directed by Edgar Wright

Expanding on the series of Wright's humorous and stylized action films, Hot Fuzz is an absolute blast of a movie. This is, in my opinion, the best of the trilogy, as it combines a riveting story with amazing performances and visuals. At its core, this movie is an old western for the modern age and every part works extremely well together.

This film truly excels in every way possible and proves that Wright's style has been refined since Shaun of the Dead. The writing of this film is incredible and provides a great story to follow along with. The pacing does not drag at all, which was an issue for the previous film and keeps the audience engaged through its entirety. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost once again shine, this time as Nicholas Angel and Danny Butterman, respectively. Pegg plays quite the opposite of a character than his previous character was and honestly, I prefer the hard-ass cop Pegg. He nails the look and feel of an elite officer and provides a hilarious contrast to the small town that he is assigned to. Frost plays a local police officer who is lazy and unmotivated, but his subtle unawareness of everything made the contrast that much more hilarious. These character developments were also aided by the action and use of violence which, I can't emphasize it enough: was astounding.

Hot Fuzz is a much more stylized and violent film than its predecessor, but it worked very well. While there was not as much of the trademark music synchronization as his other films, Wright still manages to deliver his quick, lovable style. The fast-paced "gearing-up" montages and the nature of the film especially worked with this movie. One of the main reasons I think it worked so much better in this than Shaun of the Dead was because of the plot of the movie. In the previous, the two main characters were lazy slackers who dealt with a zombie uprising, and in this one, the plot is much more centered around action, as they play two cops. There is a certain level of irony that makes the characters in the 2004 film funny with that style, but I believe it truly fits Hot Fuzz much better.

Once again, this film is full of plenty of hilarious visual gags and full-circle jokes. It is especially interesting to see how some of the jokes are continued through his films. Of course, the Cornetto ice cream cones are used to connect the movies and give the trilogy its name. One joke that I noticed watching these films back to back was Nick Frost saying "yeah boy" or "yeah Roy" in his quirky, English accent. These little details are really what make these movies so entertaining. I also loved the focus on cinematography and choreography in the action scenes. The framing and ironic use of the shots just added to the story that much more. My favorite piece about the story, though, is how it is disguised. I feel like Wright was trying to hide a classic, old-western, sheriff story inside of a police comedy and it absolutely worked. My only issue with this movie is its many concluding scenes. The last five or so minutes went by so quickly because of the multitude of "endings." While they were all for the sake of completing the subplots, I feel like Wright had too many ways that he wanted to end the film and tried to fit them all in.

Hot Fuzz is undoubtedly the best of the Cornetto trilogy as I could rewatch it countless times and still be entertained. The action, the visual humor, the framing, and so much more make this film the masterpiece that it is. If you have never seen this movie or have not been exposed to the art of Edgar Wright, do yourself a favor and watch this.

My Rating: ★★★★★

Shaun of the Dead (2004) directed by Edgar Wright

The first of the Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy, Shaun of the Dead has become an iconic staple of horror-comedy. This film not only showcases Edgar Wright's creative directing but some hilarious performances from the cast as well. Even though it is apparent that Wright's style is still developing, this movie is quintessential in the world of zombie cinema.

As far as zombie films go, this has secured its place as one of the best. The use of the horror-comedy genre is incredible and utilized well by all of the writing and the cast. Even though the majority of this film was horror, the comedy still blended in well in the dialogue and visuals. This movie also paid its respects to the older generation of undead films as well, including Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead. The most apparent similarity shared between these films are the simple plot of survival. The plot revolves around Shaun and his best friend Ed, along with Shaun's mom, girlfriend, and friends, and how they manage to survive the oncoming zombie apocalypse with humor and style. Shaun and Ed are huge slackers while the other characters seem to have some clarity in their lives, but this makes for a hilarious dynamic between the characters. Simon Pegg (Shaun) and Nick Frost (Ed) are great in their roles, and it is interesting to see how these actors work so well together, considering they did two more films with Wright. These two pave the way for making this movie such an engaging relationship comedy, which also turned out to be a trend in the other two films of the Cornetto trilogy.

Wright's writing in this movie is incredible and he works excellently at the writing/directing combo. My only issues are that the story took a bit too long to introduce the zombie aspect of it all. While the exposition was great, providing lots of humor and introduction to our characters, I feel that more of that humor could have gone towards the zombie scenes. The story also got a bit repetitive and dull after a while, but thankfully it picked up towards the conclusion. Wright's now-recognizable style also suffered in this movie a little bit. I could tell that he was still figuring out how to utilize it without letting the two tones of the movie clash with each other. It was still effective, but the film felt a bit empty towards the middle because of that conflict.

What Wright did do right, however, was practically everything else. His directing and use of visual humor is unmatched. It was so appealing to see how all of the details and running gags came full circle towards the end. The flatmate that turned into a zombie, the gate crashing down, the other group of survivors, and all of the running jokes worked so well with each other to tell this witty tale. The editor, Chris Dickens, also aided in the humorous use of worldbuilding. The quick editing, minute montages, and synchronization with the music (i.e. Don't Stop Me Now by Queen makes one of the best scenes in the film) all tell this story brilliantly.

Shaun of the Dead is a fantastic homage to classic zombie movies while providing a funny story for all audiences to follow along with. The visual gags and writing make this film worth every second, but its style still suffers a bit. However, I would still obviously recommend this movie to any fan of witty filmmaking.

My Rating: ★★★½

Searching (2018) directed by Aneesh Chaganty

Wow. I was not expecting this film to blow me away as much as it did. Searching is the story of David (John Cho), whose daughter Margot (Michelle La) mysteriously disappears one night. While the search for Margot continues, David begins a downward spiral as he would do anything to find his daughter. The performances, story, and technical aspects of this film absolutely astounded me as director Aneesh Chaganty delivers one of the most eerily relevant and intense thrillers I have ever seen.

Every part of this movie was perfectly executed: the performances, the writing, the character development, and the way this movie was told were all incredible. John Cho's performance as the father David was surprisingly amazing. Since his comedic Harold & Kumar days, I would never have expected Cho to deliver such a great, dramatic performance. Once his daughter disappeared, his acting chops really came to the surface, as he embodied this distraught and desperate father so well. Detective Vick (Debra Messing) was another very interesting character. Her sly side was prevalent the entire time, being a detective and all, but once she was revealed to be the true antagonist, Messing portrayed her evil very well. The best-developed character relationship, however, has to be between David and Margot. The way they were brought together but simultaneously split apart after the death of their mother Pam (Sara Sohn) was riveting. While they did not have the closest relationship, it was so interesting to see how much this father would go through for his daughter. These strong, parental bonds have always been a very emotional subplot to me no matter what the film, as long as it is done right.

The most compelling and original part of this movie, however, was its creative way of storytelling. Searching is told entirely through screens, whether it be an iPhone, laptop, or news footage on a TV. This technique was so wildly imaginative that I could not take my eyes off the screen. The audience sees David's every move as he is rummaging through the internet trying to solve the mystery of where his daughter went. We see him searching through Google, Facebook, and a plethora of other sites and tools that eventually aid him in finding Margot. Social media was utilized brilliantly in this film, as they actually used relevant websites and services that were realistic to our modern world. There was no pandering to out-of-touch audiences whatsoever, and while that might be a turn-off for a lot of viewers, I thought it was very clever. This was truly a revolutionary type of storytelling, and while it has been used in films like Unfriended, this film perfected the method.

The writing in this film was extraordinary as well, providing an engaging and anxiety-inducing plot. The beginning of the film did feel a bit typical, as there was a montage of exposition explaining how the mother died, but the way it was presented made up for this. Every online lead towards Margot that either David or Detective Vick had in this film was connected in one way or another. All of the plot points tied together beautifully as there were no loose ends at all; everything came full-circle for the story. This made for a very satisfying conclusion because every little detail in this movie played a larger part in the overall story. The multiple twists and turns worked so fluently and there was not a single scene that I felt was unnecessary. As the audience put together the pieces of what really happened to Margot, the tone only built more and more tension. My legs were shaking for at least the last half hour of the film because I was so anxious at what new realization I would come to.

Searching is an excellent example of how modern filmmaking should be. In order to keep the audience's attention in this day and age, films have to bring something fresh to the table and this film definitely does just that. There is no doubt that I will be seeing this breathtaking movie again, and I urge everyone to do the same.

My Rating: ★★★★★