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The Zookeeper’s Wife Movie Review (2017) | Lacked the Real Tension

There are great movies then there are the good ones. I am afraid, The Zookeeper’s Wife Movie falls in the latter category. A historical movie is supposed to put you right there up in time amongst the real characters. It has to be immensely dramatic, it has to carve out pathos, and it has to create some real tension or the audience will be able to see through it all. Even though The Zookeeper’s Wife endeavours hard to reach that greatness meter via its gorgeous plot, there is something that stops it from making it all the way up there.

Now that we have that out of the way, let me add, The Zookeeper’s Wife Movie isn’t bad at all. It has a powerful plot to take the movie chugging to fruition. It tells you a lost story of two legends who saved hundreds of lives during the Fuhrer invasion of Poland during the World War II. There are two distinctive poignant times in the movie that leave you brooding for hours if you actually stop to think. I will share them both dissecting how and why they were the most powerful moments in The Zookeeper’s Wife Movie.

Plot of The Zookeeper’s Wife Movie (Spoilers)

The movie is based on the eponymous book by Diane Ackerman and starts off with Antonina Zabinski, the protagonist, pedaling off to her daily routine to take care of her and her husband’s immensely popular Warsaw Zoo. She is a brave woman who likes to put herself in the vanguard when things go south as far as her animals are concerned. It gets proven soon when she resuscitates a baby elephant amidst the chaos of its mother or father trying to stop her from channeling a CPR. That backdrop is preceded with a quick acquaintance to Lutz Heck, played superbly by Daniel Bruhl, the head of the Berlin Zoo, who is also Hitler‘s Zoologist.

With the onset of war everything changes. The bombardment of Warsaw leaves everybody aghast as many poor caged creatures perish, and many others are left to stray. Lutz offers to save some of the rare breeds by offering to take them to his zoo. Antonina agrees without taking her husband’s consent.

Maybe that’s why I love animals so much, you look in their eyes and you know exactly what’s in their hearts.

The Devilry

Lutz Heck turns out to be a vile backstabbing bastard when he comes rampaging to the zoo killing the remaining animals considering it to be an act of mercy since the animals were bound to die in cold. The monstrosity continues with the German invasion that sees Jews driven into Ghettos.

Meanwhile, two of Zabinski’s friends seek refuge for a friend’s insect collection in the basement of their zoo. They offer to hide Magda, their friend, as well, overlooking what it could do to them if they get caught somehow. Then begins the kind charade of trying to give the victims a sanctuary to save them from the tyranny under the pretext of building a pig farm to feed the German army.

Hiding Victims

It is one of those gut-wrenching chapters in the history of mankind that cannot be condemned enough. We find a girl in trauma who is raped by two Nazi guards which the Zabinskis save. There are many others tied to a similar fate, people quaking to the thought of the torture Nazis inflict on people. Ghettos are created, people are burnt alive. Concentration camps, a surefire train to death, deliver people to their evident fate.

When Jan is trying to save as many as he could, he comes across Dr. Janusz Korczak played by Arnost Goldflam whom he beseeches to come with him. But Janusz refuses saying it would create havoc in the minds of the children he was taking care of. Watching him being transferred to a death camp alongside countless children will rip your heart out. It is hands down one of the most shattering moments you will find in The Zookeeper’s Wife movie.

When you see innocent children asking Jan Zabinski to lift them up to be put on cattle trains, I think to watch that naivety in their eyes did it for me. Their unaware eyes reek of innocence as if boarding the train was the only thing that mattered to them. No one had any idea if they were being taken to be slaughtered. But people like Jan and Janusz, who knew the real truth, putting on a smiling face was the hardest thing to do. You are almost tempted to utter out the truth in front of them, but watching those unbothered eyes who just need to follow the horde is severely heartbreaking.

The Final Climax

In an attempt to fight the good fight, Jan gets shot in the neck during the Warsaw Uprising. Two years later trying to coax the whereabouts of her husband, Antonina tries to put on one final makeup to face the disgusting Lutz Heck once again. She is willing to do whatever it takes to know whether her husband is alive. Lutz sniffs out the truth blaming her for housing resistance in her zoo. Antonina runs for home, helping everyone escape just in time before Lutz comes with an army to hunt.

On finding out the truth, Lutz Heck is mad and catches hold of her boy Ryszard. Breaking down profusely Antonina begs him to let him go. That’s that another moment of profound grief in the movie when you actually hear the shot go Bam! In that dark moment of pain, you can’t empathize for Antonina enough. Her constant imploration trying to get her kid away from harm’s way, followed by the realization of her child’s death, are immensely agonizing.

It is a relief to see Lutz changing his mind. Ryszard is still alive, but you are heartbroken enough to have lived a tortuous ending already. But it is extremely satisfying too. In the end, after the war, returns Jan to the zoo, and you feel great watching the family reunited.

The curtain falls and along with that the truth about the lives The Zabinskis saved flares up on the big screen. Hundreds of lives out of which just two couldn’t make it. The rest of them owe their lives to the selfless Zabinskis.

The movie doesn’t score well in screenplay either. Nothing really that blows you away except for the one liner I had mentioned above.

You can order the movie here:

Issues with The Zookeeper’s Wife Movie

I haven’t had the good hap of reading the book by Diane Ackerman. I am pretty sure a lot of things couldn’t make it. After watching this movie you will realize that there must have been something more and that went missing when Niki Caro, the director, was busy arraying things together for the big screen. You feel the lack of emotions in it as if something real and concrete was overlooked big time.

Was it the absence of shattering music to help put things in perspective? Was it Jessica Chastain’s struggling accent where she couldn’t play the real ‘her’? Could it be the movie dialogues? Meaning the not so powerful screenplay? Or was it the direction as a whole? You see when you try to think hard, a lot of symphonies play and they all appear to be flawed.

The movie has a contrived feel to it, that tumbles down its realism. You are not actually feeling the right emotions. For instance, when Jan tries to communicate how he has been busy out there trying to save lives, and what all things he has seen on field whilst Antonina was busy having a fun time tending Lutz and playing piano, you don’t feel the real soreness there. The drama was poorly done. Children with outspread arms, if only Niki Caro had decided to milk it more, the poetry in it could have come tearing our eyes out. But no, she just let it be nothing but a mere stare.

Then there was that weird shot of elephant being shot which couldn’t be properly depicted even from three quick snipped angles. You see Niki struggle there to get a shot.

The Final Verdict

If you overlook the moviemaking skills of Niki Caro for a while, and try to concentrate on what the movie is all about, it will surely bring tears to your eyes. The Zabinskis need to be celebrated. Their humongous feat needs to be applauded. There’s not a morsel of incertitude there! But to think The Zabinskis deserve a better flick, now that’s not at all crazy talk.

The movie is worth watching, even though it doesn’t manage to weave out what Steven Spielberg did with Schindler’s List, but hey it is still something.

You can check out the trailer of The Zookeeper’s Wife Movie here:

still of jake gyellenhaal as David in life movie

Life Movie Review (2017) | A Spine-Tingling Sci-Fi Thriller

March 29, 2017 / scottshak / 0 Comments

Life movie is yet another critical speculation of alien life form if we were to encounter one whilst prodding into the unknown. Even though the movie sends the message loud and clear that while trying to scour through uncharted enclaves, we might be endangering our whole planet in the process, what it also does is create a thrilling environment to execute its brilliant horror. If you focus on the thrilling formidable part alone you are going to simply love it. It’s climax has a badass twist which is definitely going to leave you satisfied.

While there are a lot of movies out there on a similar theme, and the concept is somehow trying to steer us towards not messing with things we don’t fathom, Life movie still remains however an edgy intriguing take on the extraterrestrial.

Theme and Plot of Life Movie

What happens when you try to understand the unexplained? The possibilities are immense when you really look at it. But that’s when you are optimistic about things. What if things begin to go south? What happens then? That’s the primal theme of the Life movie on which you find it riveted.

A six member ISS team is able to successfully capture a soil sample from Mars. Subjecting the specimen, segregating a single-celled organism from it, Hugh Derry played by Ariyon Bakare is able to bring it to life by adjusting it to an artificial atmosphere. They find it turning into a multi-celled organism pretty quick and that it reacts pretty well to stimuli. Each cell has a myocyte, neuron and photoreceptor of its own. Owing to that it’s dubbed to be all muscle, all brain, all eye. The organism is named Calvin after a school’s name.

One day due to a lab accident Calvin becomes dormant. On instigation for the fear of losing it, with the help of mild electric shock, Calvin becomes hostile and animatedly attacks Hugh. It is able to escape the cube, disintegrates a lab rat within a matter of seconds, and grows in size. When Rory Adams played by Ryan Reynolds tries to save Hugh, Calvin grabs hold of him too and despite him trying to kill it with an incinerator, it enters his mouth killing him slowly from the inside.

Following that incident Calvin escapes via a vent. What follows is sheer madness with the crew trying to fend off an omnipotent alien who is bent on killing everything it finds on board just for survival. What’s worse is the size of it keeps growing, and it’s impossible to kill.

You can order Life Movie from here:

The Metaphor of Life

Even though the concept herein is supposed to be a tad glib, you can’t help but connect it with the bigger picture. What if “we” humans are nothing but parasites like Calvin? What if we were inevitable too? All the animals, birds and plants extant today were trying its best to fend off humans, but we stuck, glued in like Calvin for survival. And we obliterated all signs of life, because all we cared for was survival.

I mean just look at it, we came along on a meteor annihilating the entire species of dinosaurs completely. We were also a result of single-celled organism that turned into variants of multi-celled ones. We swallowed the good, took everything by force and rule the planet like the next dinosaurs. In a way we are nothing but a paragon of Calvin.

Screenplay and Direction

Screenplay of Life movie is extremely poignant. At times when people stop to reflect, that’s when you come across some of the most powerful lines the movie has. At one point David Jordan played by Jake Gyllenhaal narrates an excerpt from “Goodnight Moon” by Margaret Wise Brown and it spirals you into infinity thinking.

Goodnight room. Goodnight moon. Goodnight cow jumping over the moon. Goodnight light. And the red balloon. Goodnight nobody.

Daniel Espinosa has directed the flick beautifully. I loved how there were long continuous shots of camera wherein the man behind the lens floated alongside its characters. People who went out were often shown from the vantage of people watching from the inside which was a subtle take.

There are however moments wherein it becomes really hard to concentrate because of all the red lights, you don’t know what’s going on or where’s our predator hiding. Also, actors are closely shot which populates the entire screen with their face. I think in the entire flick there wasn’t a single shot showing any actor properly which kind of made things monotonous with the camera.

The end somehow becomes predictable when you realize what is going to happen. It could have been wrapped more under clouds of doubt so that the audiences couldn’t have possibly seen anything coming.

The Final Verdict

Life movie will bring out pious horror from within. Calvin the antagonist is like a cockroach you can’t kill. The only difference being a cockroach isn’t on the prowl. Calvin is hunting and it is willing to do anything to suck life out of you for survival.

The way the movie ends it compels you to speculate which is a pretty great feeling. You can’t help but imagine what might happen next. It leaves threads open for sequels.

Life is a sci-fi thriller that shouldn’t be missed for the world.

Check out the trailer of Life movie here:

justice league dark animated movie wallpaper

Justice League Dark (2017) | Batman’s Inclusion As Pointless As His Grunts

February 17, 2017 / scottshak / 0 Comments

After seeing Justice League Dark I wasn’t surprised why the movie was chosen to hit videos instead of theaters. Magic is yet to find its place in the DC universe, even though Doctor Strange has achieved that so effortlessly without lifting a finger in Marvel. That too with a gargantuan theatrical venture. Justice League Dark only picks pace during its visceral ending where a good climax lurks, otherwise it stretches owing to its jaded plot and exhausting conversations.

Pages of Time

I was introduced to the world of Constantine by the Keanu Reeves movie first. I had heard about him before but with that infamous heroic act of his, a benchmark was set. Despite countless comics of the mouthy occult detective doing the rounds, the TV series was yet another area that had piqued my interest. Matt Ryan was a perfect pick but the story-line and the gravitas took a backseat there. He is badass! End of discussion. But the fact that DC always comes with flaky stories to bolster him, that’s what bothers me.

Even though Justice League Dark tried to show him in a cool heroic light, they tried to aggrandize him with that Justice League tag. As a result we have the World’s Greatest Detective Batman in the front-line. But given how he didn’t have a good plot to bite on, Batsy is left administering grim “Hmmmmm….” remarks which was supposed to be funny, but ends up becoming very irritating.

We get to see Etrigan the Demon origins here which was a good story per se. To cater its multiple plots Justice League Dark tried to run the Etrigan-Jason Blood plot parallel against the cardinal Ritchie Simpson and Felix Faust plot. It was good nevertheless and helped in giving the story a good side plot to bank on.

Theme of Justice League Dark

The main story starts off really well when humans all across the world begin to fall under the clutches of an incantation that forces upon them visions turning everyone into monsters. Justice League intervenes and tries to insinuate magic involvement which Batsy refuses to accept. At home, Deadman tries to overpower Batman, fails of course, but implies him to meet John Constantine.

To grab hold of him, Batman meets Zatanna only to find Constantine holed up in the House of Mystery. That’s where a team is formed to investigate the face behind all those mysterious worldly magical happenings. The team keeps expanding with the inclusion of Jason Blood who is looking for his Dreamstone, another subplot where we are told about Destiny a sinister magician’s fate.

It is up to the newly formed team then to find the root cause of the main problem, figure out and tackle paranormal and mystical inhibitions that come along their way and of course to win the occult war which the JL is incapable of winning by themselves.

You can buy Justice League: Dark here:

The Inevitable History

John Constantine is a notorious exorcist. Wherever he goes he has a history with someone. So to detour the story every time we are forced to go past a conversation where John doesn’t back down, and someone else is forced to intervene. We can see that happening with literally every character in the movie. At one point it becomes really exhausting.

All that magic puts Batman in really awkward shoes. You can’t help but feel sorry for him. Writers try really hard to still show him in a light that doesn’t degrade his awesomeness. At times they succeed, but really there are some instances that are downright vexing. Like how could a mortal like Bat sense the shrouds spirits of death around and say “Boo!” to them? And you can’t help but shake your head when they respond to that too. Batsy scares death! Newsflash!

The Final Verdict

If it weren’t for the final twist the movie carried nothing, and I mean nothing. There are conversations that bore you to death and magical fights that feel akin to a childish hocus-pocus. Apart from the out of the world feel that is hard to put a perspective to, Justice League Dark runs only because it had a curious flicker of a plot for its culmination point. That’s it.

Screenplay isn’t exciting either. At times made good by droll Constantine remarks, but that’s about it. You can still watch it if you are big Batsy fan and smirk at the thought of him playing second fiddle to a story that wasn’t his to run. Constantine fans are going to rejoice to find him do cool stuff, and own the show. Because primarily it is a Constantine movie and not what its misleading title says.

You can check out the trailer of Justice League Dark movie here:

The Red Turtle Movie Review (2016) | The Speechless Leaves You Speechless

January 30, 2017 / scottshak / 2 Comments

Whoever thought the mute can’t speak? The Red Turtle movie might be a film where no one talks but not for a second do you feel like you are watching a dead screen. Because in the background goes a beautiful score that aggrandizes an already fantastic tale of a shipwrecked man who meets a Red Turtle whilst trying to escape an island. The story is reflective of our lives, and acts as a parable for us to figure out the analogy.

One look at the animation and you feel reality taking an alluring form. It’s stunningly done, and brilliantly brushed. Every scene looks like a painting worth keeping. The turmoil in the head of its protagonists looks real, and so does all of his choices. There is humility in him, struggle, love and a fighting attitude that turns The Red Turtle movie into a learning experience.

Plot of the Red Turtle Movie (Spoilers)

If you look at the plot of The Red Turtle movie it looks like a lore, a fairy tale that we grew up reading about. To be honest it doesn’t call for an explanation only your interpretation of it, of how you choose to relate to it, take out the gist and enjoy its countless similarities to life.

It holds true for every fairy tale out there. There are no dragons, monsters and fairies in real life. Just the good and the bad things. Situations that topple your lives over with their icky monstrosity.

The Red Turtle movie is a profound journey of a man’s life where he gets stuck in a flood, then in an island, lost and alone. In his stay of entrapment, he looks for things he could use to feed himself and survive. Also he wishes to go back where he came from.

He builds a raft to set out for the sea, but fails to go the distance owing to a mysterious blow that breaks his raft. He tries again, and fails. Then again, and fails, only this time he finds the reason gawking at him with mute eyes. A Red Turtle, the likes of he has never witnessed before, is the one who is the destroyer of his dreams. The Turtle once again topples him over, before swimming away.

On returning to the island furious this time, spewing fits of anger, the man finds the same red turtle making its way to the beach. Taken over by fierce madness, he bludgeons the turtle hard and topples him over, and jumps over its chest. That image of beauty and elegance goes silent. He realizes that it’s dead. Soon he is overwhelmed by guilt.

The Beautiful Woman

One day however the shell of the turtle breaks, and comes out this beguiling woman that changes his will to go back. Smitten by her, he decides to stay on that island. They have a beautiful child and it almost seems like a happily ever after. The child grows up into a young man who learns to stand on his feet. He learns the way of the ocean, befriending turtles and knowing whatever his little world has to offer. But he is curious for more.

A tsunami hits them destroying their island in the process. Amidst chaos he finds his parents again. After a few more days of torpor, the child’s parents could read his willingness to see more of it. Thus, he bids farewell to his parents and sets out for sea. The old parents then lead the rest of their lives in that island loving each other even more until the day they pass. The woman turns back into the Red Turtle before disappearing into the sea.

Interpretation of The Red Turtle Movie

I believe there could be as many interpretations to the movie as many thoughts exist in the universe. Mine tries to look at it this way:

A man stuck in a storm is akin a cardinal adversity that life flings at you. You are alone, trying to face it with all you have got, but it drifts you away nevertheless.

When the man finds himself on an island, it is like a situation we are not comfortable with, that we didn’t ask for, but got anyway. Maybe a state of mind or a job that we are averse to, but it somehow gets us by. We always have that inbred wish to go back to a past that we came from. That could be made out with his obstinate wish to return to the sea with a raft with hopes to make it to his land. He fails incessantly at it, but he never stops trying only to realize someone or something toying with his life.

Our first reaction to anything that stops us from doing what we wish for is anger and frustration that hits the poor creature bluntly without realizing the consequence of the action. It is instantly reflective of how we choose to ignore people who are trying to help us out by stopping us from heading into the wrong direction. The island was supposed to be his destiny. But he was too recalcitrant to notice.

Reason to Live

As a result the poor thing dies. Then there is regret. We tend to burn in a hell of our own doing, our own thoughtless action only when it’s too late. To his surprise, enters a girl in his life emanating from a theatrics of a red turtle. The purity of his profound emotions rewards him with a reason to make life less painful.

All this time he wanted to run from a place he didn’t to want to be in, but then with her ingress he finds a reason to stay. The juxtaposition of leaving and staying is enchantingly managed in the movie. He experiences love and bliss. Stays and leads a happy life to give birth to a child. A child who is yet to learn the ways of the world. One of the most wonderful parts is the part where her mother stops the father from saving the child, as she believes in him that he is capable of taking care of himself. She lets him learn how to find a way when stuck.

The child finds a bottle on the shore one day. It’s analogous to us finding wonders and miracles in life, wondering all about it, wishing to see more of it. The parents then teach him everything they know. But there is more to the world. We can’t cage a bird that wishes to fly. So, the child leaves, as is the way of life, of every creature who exists on the planet who wishes their offspring to see what they have seen and more. The turtle-friends of the child were nothing but opportunities in the world that keep calling you for things you could do, and be.

The Huge Takeaways

The Tsunami is yet another nod at our unprecedented life. It keeps throwing at you obstacles that you have to fight, in the process finding each other, looking after and caring for the ones you love. Eventually all there is, is love. And that we can find only when we have nothing to worry about, so is suggested when they have the island for themselves.

When the protagonist passes away, I loved how she responds immediately to it, as if she sensed his soul leave. It is hands down the saddest bit in the movie, and brings tears to your eyes.

When we see the lady turn back into the red turtle again, we realize she was a good time. A paragon of elegance, support and grace that came into the life of the fallen, showed him that it was alright even if you are stuck somewhere, that you can make the most of it.

The red turtle was an analogy for that one person, or chance in your life that comes at a point when there are no doors open. It makes you comprehend life’s biggest lessons.

“We should be happy with what we have, and try to make the most of it.”

Life put us at a place; the nature placed us at its disposal. If we try to run away from it, we are to gain nothing but destruction. It has laid out its beautiful plan for us. It intends to make things better if we pave way for love, and not run away. There are good things for everybody. Sit tight and enjoy the ride. Your time shall come!

The Final Verdict

The Red Turtle Movie is an outstanding flick. One of a kind. The setup of course doesn’t require anybody or anything to speak up. So there’s no dialogue whatsoever. Despite of that, the movie shines through owing to its mind-boggling life like animation, its surrealism, the correlation it packs in and owing to its extraordinary pulsating thrilling music that uplifts every frame into a level your brain cannot possibly register. Awesome stuff!

I would like to place this movie in my avant garde collection, since it is so eloquent even though it’s entirely mute.

You can check out the trailer of The Red Turtle Movie here:

The Founder Movie Review (2017) | The Gruesome McDonald’s Story

January 29, 2017 / scottshak / 0 Comments

The Founder movie jumps into the detailing of how one of the most successful American dreams was built, pampered and then snatched. Did you ever stop to think that McBurger you have been devouring voraciously was once greased in dreams, fried in resilience and then eventually toppled over by a spatula of greed? That a man named Ray Kroc coveted for someone else’s dream, and then swept it away from right under their nose. No! You just want to eat that burger!

It is a biography of the journey of McDonald’s and the big role Ray Kroc plays to make it into this humongous fast food chain. But his path to success would repulse you because it plays unfair games.

Plot of the Founder Movie (Spoilers)

The Founder movie begins with Kroc trying to sell his Milkshake Makers always pushing for that one shot that would change his destiny. Always on the lookout for that big thing! That’s when he comes across the place that were to change his life forever.

A small diner serves extraordinary burgers and amazingly fast too. He gets smitten with their idea of serving food so fast and decides to pay the owners a visit. McDonald’s is run by Maurice McDonald portrayed by John Carroll Lynch and Richard McDonald played by Nick Offerman. They let him in on their secret and tell him how they run things. It’s one of the cardinal stories of how McDonald’s was dreamt and built from scratch. It is beautifully run, a tad lengthy to be honest, but crucial given the theme of the flick. You can sense how much energy, time and effort was spent in their moulding of a dream.

When that bit gets over, we see Kroc rooting for them, beseeching them to run a franchise. When they tell him they tried and failed at it miserably, he reassures them that this time they won’t. With that he signs a contract with them, and expands. The expansion rakes in more moolah and suddenly he is at the top of the world. The franchise grows however so does the dispute between Kroc and the McDonald’s. The former used to earn a meagre percentage off the benefits reaped in, which forces him to consult someone who changes his life. In comes Harry J. Sonneborn played by B. J. Novak who flings an idea that makes a wolf out of Kroc.

The Real Estate Bolster

The ravenous Kroc as suggested by Harry starts buying chunks of land by creating his own company thereby not falling under the radar of the brothers. Thus the real money begins to flow as he keeps expanding the company all over states. He names the company “The McDonald’s Corporation” without consulting the brethren and rips them off paying them 1.35 millions each taking the reins of the company entirely in his hands. He shakes on 1% of future earnings to be given to them as well however doesn’t sign on it.

With that he announces himself as the “Founder” justifying the titular movie name, gloating his win with a trophy wife Joan Smith played by Linda Cardellini by his side, who he steals away from one of his business associates Rollie Smith played by Patrick Wilson.

We see his gradual decline into this monstrous image that we expected him to be the opposite of. Business is a vile thing. It creates fiends out of human beings. That’s what the Founder proves to. The final moments see the brothers changing the name of their diner as per the contract. It’s a sad sight watching their dream tumble down like that. Also since that 1% was never actually written down in a contract, they are never really paid for it as well.

The Unscrupulous Precinct

When you try to pay attention to what Ray Kroc was all about, you cannot really blame him for what he did. He was a businessman who tasted success. He abided by the laws of business wherein he was ready to take desperate measures to stay at the top. In his own words:

“If I saw a competitor drowning, I’d shove a hose down his throat.”

If you were to justify his decisions, he seems right on a lot of points. McDonald’s lacked vision until Ray Kroc walked in. If it weren’t for him, people all across the globe might not even have heard about it. So even though his steps seemed kind of desperate and immoral, ultimately it helped in getting the job done.

But then again, he brought the original brothers to his knees which makes him demonic in a way. Building an empire by stepping on someone’s chest. It is unscrupulous of any human being to do such an inhumane act, and that’s why you can’t really come to terms with it too.

I am afraid the movie shows Ray Kroc in a little bit of bad light, but that’s the beauty of John Lee Hancock‘s project. It leaves us with questions on what we should call fair, and what not.

You can order the Founder movie here:

Screenplay and Drama

The movie scores a tad low in the drama front. The primary reason for that being that half of the time you are made to believe that it’s actually comical. But what’s happening is far more grave. It is the brothers Mac and Dick that make it sound like that, but slowly the movie steps into ghastly waters when things start looking up for Ray. With the tone of the flick it was hard to tell however.

Laura Dern is shown in a bleak light, with dramatic vibes missing in her character of Ethel Kroc. It is sad how Ray picks her out of his life and throws her away like dirt.

Screenplay isn’t that exciting either except for cliches of success going on in the backdrop that are actually pretty great. The most heartfelt moment of the movie however stays in the struggling moments of Ray when he bends down to pick a fistful of sand, and with all his heart says,

“Just be right this one time. One time.”

It makes his character instantly relatable. All those dreamers who are struggling in life, waiting for their big moment to hit them, for their right decision to happen, would empathize profusely with his state of mind.

The flick might be vexing for some who are not used to watching lengthy biographies. This is however for the visionaries, and those who wish to grasp what really goes down in a business, and also for those who wish to know the actual story behind McDonald’s fame.

The Final Verdict

The Founder movie stays uplifted owing to Michael Keaton‘s mesmerizing performance as Ray Kroc. You can see him transpire into a wicked businessman gradually which suits his persona perfectly. It is a rip off for the original owners, a story that a lot of people don’t know about. Hence, if you wish to know how it all came into existence, whether it was an egg or a hen that led the pack, this movie should not be missed for the world.

Check out the trailer of The Founder Movie here:

The Lobster Movie Review (2015) | A Satire on Human Relationships

January 26, 2017 / scottshak / 0 Comments

The Lobster Movie is a stunning satire. It is a metaphor on relationships, of how humans are always under constant peer pressure of finding that one true soul mate that has the same mental disability or defining characteristic as theirs. It is a society that’s divided into two major factions that calls shots on the relationship game – one being that of a loner, whilst the other cohort belongs to that of the couples. The Lobster movie is an unbiased therapeutic journey of David played brilliantly by Colin Farrell who stays influenced by all the rules, and takes decisions complying to set ordeals.

Direction of The Lobster Movie

What Yorgos Lanthimos does with his mammoth project is absolutely breathtaking. His choice of plot projection is simply ravishing too. He chooses to pick a monotonous mannerism to reflect on life’s bleakness. Our pointless gestures captured in one single dull tone. Every character is written in morose vibes except when they are pretending. Then there were his subtle lighting effects to assist him with his gorgeous setup.

His story chugs forward in decisive emblematic frames. There’s a reason every frame is there, silent metaphors lurking inside them. And he manages to leave you mesmerized with his product. At the end he leaves you guessing too, finally dropping a possibility of a big ‘what-if’ thus throwing you in a whirlwind of thoughts. You come out wondering, questioning, assessing and re-evaluating what the director had in his mind, and how everything sieves in to fit the bill.

Yorgos Lanthimos and Efthymis Filippou come up with this beautiful screenplay that goes hand in hand with life’s countless equations. They trace us in a way, stay comical at times and yet so profound that it is hard to shake their thought off.

We all dance by ourselves, that’s why we only play electronic music.

Theme and Comparisons

The comparisons that Yorgos Lanthimos intends to make and so effortlessly puts out there will compel you to question your life’s choices. Imagine a hotel, a mental institution of sorts, where people come out to meet their right fit. They are allotted a fixed amount of time to set their life in order, by finding a partner – a requisite to stay complete and fulfilled in a world obsessed with relationships.

“She feels nothing at all.”

The Hotel

The hotel forces upon its rules and regulations creating its very own set of theories and beliefs to establish its ordeals forcing people to act on them. People act as sheep following ways laid down by the Hotel. They have their very own idea of eternal bliss sprawled out on their brochures compelling others to think of yachts as their ‘happily everafters’. That finding a companion is the ultimate thing that needs be done. If by chance you couldn’t find a companion by the end of 45 days of hotel stay, you will be deemed unfit and turned into an animal. Animal here is a subtle wink at people who are looked at by our current societal set of mind as goners.

Loners

Au contraire to hotel’s belief, stands resistance. Rebellions known as loners (aptly named) who prefer to stay alone, dance alone in their misery. They are constantly hunted by the hotel residents as a sport. It is a way of Lanthimos implying society constantly picking on singles every now and then, turning them into animals. The juxtaposition of a world right outside that of hotel is beautifully done. You think that maybe the resistance would be the good guys, but no! Though liberal in their outlook they have their own set of regulations that take punitive measures for those who do not abide by their own laws.

“You can be a loner until the day you die. There is no time limit.”

City

City life here is another clever allusion at the world out there, where people judge you based on your relationship status. Staying single is a crime there. It works entirely on the lines of hotel beliefs. To them it is more of a preparation to set you out for sea. All the happy couples live, work and shop there. If you somehow are spotted single, cops start prodding you asking questions to establish if you aren’t an outcast, a loner which is a punishable crime in their eyes.

Then there are missions which are analogous to life’s menial purposes. Whilst the hotel is bent on hunting loners with tranquilizers, the mission of the loners is to bring chaos into the lives of those in relationships. The latter tries to open the eyes of those blinded by the concept of love. All of it is astoundingly directed.

“It is more difficult to pretend that you do have feelings when you don’t than to pretend you don’t have feelings when you do.”

With horrendous choices like the two factions, you can’t understand which one is right? Which one is the perfect one? Which one you should opt for? Because the idea of both of them are equally abysmal.

Beautiful Allegory

There are tons of allegorical slaps strewn all across the movie that makes you ponder on how things work in real life, and how pretentious we consider some things to be.

It also intelligently hints on how we are not supposed to be dependent on others for anything. This clever remark has been wrapped in the following extraordinary quote:

“Don’t expect anyone else to dig your grave for you or to carry your corpse. We’ll throw some dirt over you but that’s about it.”

That we should take matters in our own hand, always be prepared for the worst, and try to find a way without expecting someone to help us out.

Then there are numerous human emotions that come part and parcel of a relationship. Like the apparent jealousy, anxiety and distress that bothers you when you see someone talking, gifting, and caring for your partner more than you. It is perfectly shown when David goes over the top to find out if a person had the same distinctive feature as that of his love interest.

What is worth appreciating is the fact how Lanthimos uses ointments as an exemplary wink at single people in pain. How they can’t reach it by themselves, and are forced to live with it.

“He didn’t know how much it hurts to be alone, how much it hurts when you cannot reach to rub pain-relief ointment on your back, and you are constantly in pain.”

I intend to write a proper explanation of the movie in detail to help you fathom The Lobster movie completely. Keep your eyes open for that post.

You can order The Lobster movie here:

The Final Verdict

The Lobster makes for a very satisfying watch owing to its extraordinary comparisons, its dark parables and its unsettling irony. The final climax, leaves you in a cliffhanger posing a question as to what the protagonist might have really done. It leaves you to decide and that’s what a good movie should always do. Make you think for hours!

You can check out the trailer of The Lobster movie here:

La La Land Review (2016) | An Exhilarating Dramatic Musical for Dreamers

December 19, 2016 / scottshak / 0 Comments

If there’s a definition of astounding in your head, then La La Land simply surpasses it. It’s literally spellbinding! And we aren’t only going by the story here. The music, the setup, the acting, the metaphor, the screenplay, the editing, the choreography, everything has been given ample thought and scrutiny before the actual execution. And you can expect only a genius like Damien Chazelle to ace everything to perfection.

Theme of La La Land Movie

La La Land carries that quintessential dream every dreamer has. It is about not giving up even when the whole universe seems to be plotting against you. The flick is about following your dreams till the end, about you being willing to take risks and make colossal sacrifices to reach there. It being a musical is often sprinkled with gorgeous songs that are well executed and complemented by Justin Hurwitz‘s stunning compositions. Even whilst you listen to the Jazz play, you can’t help but time travel two years ago when Whiplash had showed up. Amazing exhilarating music!

Fascinating Drama (Spoilers Ahead)

La La Land will rip you apart, tear you down to a million pieces. It is so profound that it touches just the right chords. And it does so by its genteel build-up. There is that thrill of a growing relationship, the perfection that seems to have been made in the stars. It goes on like that, reflecting life, and when you are least prepared, it drops the real bomb on you. Climax becomes havocking all of a sudden. It leaves you grieving, forcing you to feel its pious pain. It ends up talking to your cheeks with those teary beads.

This is the dream! It’s conflict and it’s compromise. It’s very, very exciting!

It is when you listen to Ryan Gosling play his song “City of Stars” on the piano for the first time, that you understand the level of uprooting music La La Land packs in. It is sad, profound, soothing, and in a way really satisfying to listen.

You can check out the music here:

His character Sebastian‘s way of re-imagining a life with Mia played stunningly by Emma Stone is what gives the movie a gloomy punch. It is the most nerve-racking moment of the movie. You feel the sudden gush of emotions burst all dams when you realize Sebastian wished everything undone, unwritten and then rewritten in his memories with Mia in it. I ended up in tears. It’s really that profound.

You can pre-order La La Land movie from here:

The Chemistry

Whilst there are movies that skip the chemistry to feast its plot, we get served a perfect one here. Both Sebastian and Mia create such a beautiful world that you forever stay on their high. There are metaphors galore that Chazelle uses via his songs. Like the time when they start flying in the air, even though they were actually sitting. They dance their way into the stars and cross galaxies together. It leaves things for viewer’s imagination, and it hits just the spot.

Ryan Gosling simply steals the show. There is something about him that captivates you almost instantly. You feel his pang, if he is sad. You feel his vibes when he is happy. Even when there is nothing to show but sarcasm, you feel him there too. He brings that uncontrived flair to his work that is just remarkable! When you watch him go psyched about Jazz, he makes you reflect on things that you have been passionate about all this time too.

You could just write your own rules. You know write something, that’s as interesting as you are.

Emma Stone is an equally great performer. Twice does she go into that full-blown acting mode, whilst giving those powerful auditions. The aura that she retains and the energy that binds her makes you want to give her a standing ovation every time she slithers into that mode. With that you just know the casting for La La Land was done perfectly.

The Final Verdict

La La Land deserves all the accolades! It is a movie that makes you want to retrace your dreams, inspires you to go after them. It’s romance acknowledges that perfect key that awaits your lock. It shatters you to pieces when it tries to showcase unfulfilled possibilities. Musical lover or not, it is a movie that needs to be immediately seen. Grab some tissues before watching this beauty of a movie.

kubo and the two strings movie wallpaper

Kubo and the Two Strings Review (2016) | Bewitching Animation

November 18, 2016 / scottshak / 0 Comments

Words bereave me as I try to put this one together. Kubo and the Two Strings had me mesmerized. And not just by its breathtaking realism, but by the calm in its thoughtful direction, and the peerless work that it tagged along. Very satisfying!

The movie forever carries a hint of grim element, and is not afraid to walk across dark enclaves in order to provide us with an amazing tale of a one-eyed young boy named Kubo who is on a magical quest to find his father’s armour to defeat a wicked Moon King.

Extraordinary Animation

Looking at the animation of the movie, you can’t help but wonder – Can stop motion really reach such fascinating levels of allure? Well, Kubo and the Two Strings surpasses all! Who makes that possible? None other than Travis Knight the lead animator, also the actual mind behind exceptional movies like Coraline, ParaNorman and The Boxtrolls.

You can’t applaud Travis Knight enough. Apart from the fact that he can ace Herculean jobs as an animator, he can also direct better than most of the directors out there. So, he proves with his sharp presence of mind. The transition of frames happens through walking into a tree or a wall. And it does so with such a peaceful nimble snap that it is hard to tell if the frame had actually changed in that teensy swift scale.

What I also loved about Travis’s direction was how he imparted Kubo and the Two Strings with a charming gait. The movie is literally abounding with focus. It lets you feast on every single frame letting things percolate beautifully. You can perceive minuscule details in his frames, and that’s what makes his frames stunning to look at. Owing to that, even though Kubo and the Two Strings banks on a fictitious tale for its plot, the movie doesn’t falter at all at any point.

Plot of Kubo and the Two Strings

The story is more of a fantastical take set against the backdrop of ancient Japan. One-eyed Kubo takes care of his ill mother. He uses a Shamisen to bring inanimate papers to life. He performs in a nearby village to get himself and his mother by.

If you must blink, do it now. Pay careful attention to everything you see and hear, no matter how unusual it may seem. And please be warned, if you fidget, if you look away, if you forget any part of what I tell you, even for an instant, then our hero will surely perish.

Kubo is a storyteller and he barely knows his past. In her mother’s ephemeral jovial moments is he able to fill himself up with stories of the past. He is fascinated by tales of his father and yearns to meet him in person. But her mother warns him not to venture out when it’s dark coz that’s when the moonlight shines bright meaning the Moon King, his grandfather and his aunties might see him. His mother tells him that they are after his other eye, and that this rule be followed at all costs.

One fine day however in an attempt to rekindle with his father’s soul, Kubo ends up staying out late.

I just wish you were here, so I could talk to you, see you, find out what I should do.

A big mistake! That’s when the attack of the aunties happen. His mother pays the price for it as she intervenes just when things were about to go south. She saves him asking him to find an armour, the only way that can possibly defeat the evil Moon King.

Ensuing Magical World

As Kubo wakes from a tumultuous backdrop, he finds a monkey voiced by Charlize Theron calling out his name. He realizes that the monkey was in fact none other than a toy he used to carry around with him at all times. The talking monkey tells him that she was brought to life by his mother before she died. The only thing Kubo is left with is a strand of her mother’s hair.

This bracelet, her hair, it’s a memory. And memories are powerful things, Kubo. Never lose it.

On their quest to find the armour they find a human soul trapped inside a beetle. He claims to be working for his father Tatsu but isn’t sure because of a memory wipe out scene.

Thus the ultimate quest begins to find armour elements that are placed at unusual places, as magic and perversion from Moon King and his mother’s sisters try to stop them from achieving that goal. In a life that had reeked of loneliness almost all the time, Kubo reflects of how amazing it was for him to be a part of someone’s company, with:

I have never had a meal sitting between anyone before.

Sentient Kubo

Kubo is so thoughtful that it syncs you instantly with his feelings. His one eye can grasp little things that are of colossal import to him and you can’t applaud him enough for that.

Sometimes I would tell my mother stories about little things. Like skimming rocks across the river or catching fireflies in the mulberry fields. And when I told those stories, I could see her eyes were mostly clear. I could tell she saw me. Really saw me. I could see her, too. Her real self. Her spirit trying to fight its way out. It was beautiful.

Tiny lippy movements of the protagonist are so beautifully done that it almost makes you feel as if he is an extant creature.

You have to give it to Tatsu voiced by Matthew McConaughey who makes his character even more lovable. The story of his mother that climaxes with:

You are my quest.

and which is soon followed by:

I had seen the wonders of the universe, but the warmth of his gaze as I looked into his eyes. That, that I had never known. It was his humanity I saw. And it was more powerful than anything in my cold realm.

brings power in his story and it makes it even more warm.

Then it has that contemplative paragon of a song as well which is depicted by flying golden heron that are believed to carry the soul of the departed.

How do you see a song?

To which the reply goes:

You look.

That moon reflection, water droplets falling everything was beautifully imagined and executed.

Downsides

Trying to look at the downside, things escalate too quickly. For example you are not really prepared for a whimsical alteration, but then it happens which kind of kills the mood. And then the final bits with the Moon King doesn’t fill you up with wonder much since you are prepared for the cliched ending of the tale. There is nothing eye-candy like about it and you can’t help but wonder if the trouble to reach that grimy end justifies truly.

Also the fact that the gloom that comes right after when his parents get killed hasn’t been shown properly makes it even less plausible. The story however nibbles such drawbacks.

The Score of Kubo

What makes stop motion frames of Travis even better is Dario Marianelli‘s outstanding score. It imparts depth to his ethereal animation. It complements the actual story-line of Kubo, and gives much more meaning to it. Even when Kubo is simply walking down a forest or a desert there is always that beautiful composition playing wonders in the backcloth.

You can check out the trailer of Kubo and the Two Strings here:

Doctor Strange Review (2016) | Benedict Cumberbatch Uplifts the Uplifted

November 9, 2016 / scottshak / 0 Comments

Doctor Strange is as badass as Marvel gets. You take the inbred flamboyance of Benedict Cumberbatch into consideration and remove those palisades of expression that bind him, you take his innate knack for humour and let it flow with his perfect timing, you let him really get under the skin of a character that you so profusely adore, and lo! You have got yourself a winning movie.

Benedict Cumberbatch: The Winner (Spoilers Ahead)

Haven’t we always secretly wished Benedict Cumberbatch to portray a superhero at some point? With a diverse portfolio like that of his, that keeps getting better every day, playing a superhero for him was always on the cards. Yes, he gives you more reasons to love him every day. This time by joining forces with the Marvel golden goose that has never really missed. It doesn’t miss this time either.

When you take a good look at the movie, Benedict Cumberbatch is it. He is there in the entire movie. In every frame, in every act you can feel his strong presence. That being said, Doctor Strange is all about it too. Such a great sorcerer he is that you can’t want him enough. And so he delivers! His solo movie that runs all by his magic fuel.

Humour in the movie is just the right amount as Marvel prefers. Melodrama is superbly complemented by Benedict’s knack for it. You can’t help but feel sorry for him when you see him completely decimated by that car accident in the beginning. The seemingly torture that follows is havocking for him, and he makes you feel all of that. It is a relief when you find his life head towards a different purpose.

Characters in Doctor Strange Movie

Rachel McAdams does a great Christine Palmer, firing up that fun element whenever Strange’s strangeness is around. Scott Adkinson as Lucian gets another ephemeral yet a fairly good part with Marvel; he doesn’t go unnoticed. It is Tilda Swinton however as The Ancient One that steals the show forming the primal carver of the story. The part where she wishes to go, when time stops has been gorgeously manifested. The screenplay there reaches levels of awe.

Mads Mikkelsen invests himself well, doing a powerful Kaecilius but unfortunately gets a very limited part to prove his perversion. Chiwetel Ejiofor as Mordo looks very promising and has a bright future ahead with Marvel.

Astounding Bits

Even in those rare vexing fight scenes, Scott manages to hold everything together. The depiction of the Sanctums, and the confusion of topsy-turvy worlds have been helmed with a superlative touch. One of the finest things that happen to Strange is the Cloak of Levitation. Instantly takes you back in time to remind you of Aladdin’s Magic Carpet. Extraordinary stuff!

Steve Ditko’s original comic series has been paid plenty of tribute on numerous occasions. That scene where they fight in an Astral plane as Palmer operates on him, is so intelligently thought of that you cannot applaud the creator enough.

There is beauty in Scott’s depiction as Strange bends time to his will experimenting with the fate of an apple. The final climactic scene to force Dormammu to bow down to Doctor Strange’s bargain was one of the most brilliant ways to vanquish someone. It goes on to show how insane Doctor Strange’s powers really are. You can’t help but wonder how strong is Doctor Strange really?

You can pre-order Doctor Strange movie from here:

Direction of Doctor Strange

I have always admired Scott Derrickson’s direction. Even in a movie as powerless as Deliver Us from Evil we found him steady as a rock, working hard. He never lets his sobriety wane, and that shows in his diligent work. Thus Doctor Strange has been helmed too. Right from the point of giving us a badass perspective into the life of the extraordinary yet egotistic surgeon Stephen Strange to the point of him coming to terms with subsequent dimensions in our reality, scenes have been brilliantly directed.

Downsides

It is what follows immediately after however makes you wish there was a better visual exploration about the things we don’t know, rather than immediately getting up to speed with Strange quickly packing in powers, and heading towards unveiling the secrets of the Eye of Agomotto. It seemed as if that was the only thing left to do at Kamar-Taj. Forced!

With that awe-inspiring push into the extant multi-dimensions, Doctor Strange’s vision is something that will give you goosebumps. It makes you think of all the possibilities that stay hidden from naked eyes. Till that point of time you are gnawing at a lot of plausibility. But then it bereaves you when things kind of speed up. You don’t see the Ancient One taking Strange for a ride after he begins learning stuff, which in fact, sadly pulls off the plug from reality.

You come back wondering – it’s a comic after all. Stephen’s transformation into the superhero we think he is, gets affected owing to that, and it heads into your vantage of Marvel’s illusion almost immediately.

Doctor Strange Movie Editing

Editing, I am afraid, hasn’t been done properly either. As the movie quickly gallops towards an astral perspective, you see a lot of scenes getting chopped off mid-way, in order to move on. Viewers aren’t allowed to have a proper focus when it’s the learning hour for him.

To the point where the learning of Dr. Strange begins, the flick works seamlessly with ample plausibility. And then in order to move the story forward you see frequent time lapses making it chug at the speed of bullet.

Also, the fact that there is no calm sieving explanation of how and why laws of physics are bent in their worlds or how it all functions. I wish Ancient One had taken him for a ride explaining their ways of living, even though it would have been a spiritual sojourn, it would still have made things a tad more believable.

The Final Verdict

At the end of the day, Doctor Strange remains a character in Marvel’s colossal database. And that too one of the finest ones! MCU has been blessed with Benedict’s presence now. I guess it is time to show him crossing ways with the other Sherlock. Can’t wait for that!

With Benedict joining the elite house of the Avengers, things are endearingly heading towards the ultimate act of badassery. And Thanos wink intended.

Yes there are end credit scenes. Two of them. So you can wait if you like fitting pieces in the puzzle.

Here’s another cool article I wrote a case study on Hulk’s cardinal sedative. Check it out.

You can also check out the trailer of Doctor Strange movie here:

Jack Reacher Never Go Back Movie Wallpaper

Jack Reacher Never Go Back Movie Review (2016) | Reacher is Lost

November 7, 2016 / scottshak / 0 Comments

We have lost him! I repeat. We have lost him! Jack Reacher Never Go Back movie has forced one of the most badass protagonists to fade into vacuity. All that smug style and mannerism whilst fighting and figuring out crime has lost its shine in this garish sequel. Jack Reacher that Christopher McQuarrie had so beautifully carved in the first one has been completely obliterated. And you can’t just blame the movie’s direction for it. Somewhere the plot asks of you to hold it against the wall too.

Lee Child’s Jack Reacher

Even though we hadn’t aced the Reacher Lee Child had created by taking Tom Cruise in the vanguard, he still looked fine in the first one. Primarily because Tom Cruise had created a different grim persona altogether that held him apart from his other roles. He let Reacher stories bank on his dour comportment and McQuarrie made sure of that with his subtlety. He wanted people to fall in love with him all over again.

Edward Zwick, au contraire, let go of that ingenuity. His frames miss out on the subtlety. The story chosen doesn’t give you the adrenaline rush either. It ends up becoming just any other movie, and not what Jack Reacher truly deserves.

Jack Reacher Never Go Back Movie has taken the heroics of the super human Reacher to new lows. We don’t see his intelligence unspool much here, which kind of beats the movie’s purpose in the first place. Jack Reacher has to be complete badass. Period.

Plot of Jack Reacher Never Go Back Movie (Spoilers)

A huge conspiracy is at play. It has swallowed up and is in the process of subjugating Major Susan Turner, played by Cobie Smulders. Jack believing her, since they used to talk on phone on numerous occasions in the past, ends up trying to save the wrongfully accused Turner. Jack is being pinned on a murder of Turner’s attorney as well with whom he was seen a couple of times before. With the intent to get Turner out, Reacher reaches in and sweeps her away to figure out who is trying to play her.

Unfortunately things are strangely contrived in Jack Reacher Never Go Back Movie, giving you an impression that every set up has been placed in order to create individual scenes. That being said, it lacks a natural flair of frames that is supposed to continuously hunt for awesomeness. We don’t see much of that going on here.

Another one of the greatest bummers this movie packs in is via its subplot. A stale tale of a daughter angle! There is literally a non-existent chemistry of father daughter relationship present in the movie. It wasn’t shown or acted properly. What would really make one shake their head is the climax scene, which you see coming BTW. You know you are supposed to feel for both the characters Samantha (Danika Yarosh) and Reacher, but you just can’t. Because in the entire movie there wasn’t anything solid given to you to chew on. How could one feel for its absent drama?

Screenplay

Looking at the screenplay of Jack Reacher Never Go Back, there isn’t much in that department either. One of the coolest lines in the flick, however, gets delivered by The Hunter portrayed by Patrick Heusinger.

It’s people like us. We can never go back to the world.

That’s when you realize how odd Reacher is, and how he doesn’t fit in the normal world. Amongst other ones, most of them are laughable, the others are pretty cliched like when he is bowing The Hunter out with a final blow, he says:

Look at me! Look at me!

It lets you in on the burning wrath in him. But it gets over in a jiffy with his blow, and dies down just like the antagonist.

Bright Sides

To look at the shimmering horizon, the plot was well kept under the wraps. And everything keeps happening for a reason. It doesn’t break the order as some movies often do by jumping to different frames to vex people. It is a gradual unfurling that makes everything perceptible. When you look at the fight scenes, even though there is nothing memorable that you go home satisfied with, it still is very natural, and that’s where the flick manages to keep up.

There are some thrilling moments that are squeezed in as well. Like Jack’s disappearing act followed by him bashing a car window to warn those who follow him. Also, the unfazed jump at The Hunter in the end where they both fall off a roof. It goes on to show the colossal import of the concept of saving lives, and sacrificing himself for others without worrying about his well being or safety.

You can pre-order Jack Reacher: Never Go Back here

The Final Verdict

When you don’t go with high expectations to watch Jack Reacher 2, you will be surprised that it’s fairly enjoyable. But when you do, that’s when you begin to see its shoddiness, and how there isn’t even a pinch of subtlety in it. The movie doesn’t do anything to beckon ogles. It ends up becoming too mediocre for a character like that of Reacher’s.

Jack Reacher Never Go Back is Lee Child’s 18th book in the Jack Reacher series.

Check out the trailer of Jack Reacher Never Go Back movie here:

Pensive Thoughts on Paper | Movie Reviews and Quotes Website

Tag: movie review (page 1 of 11)

Plot of The Zookeeper’s Wife Movie (Spoilers)

The Devilry

Hiding Victims

The Final Climax

You can order the movie here:

Issues with The Zookeeper’s Wife Movie

The Final Verdict

Theme and Plot of Life Movie

You can order Life Movie from here:

The Metaphor of Life

Screenplay and Direction

The Final Verdict

Pages of Time

Theme of Justice League Dark

You can buy Justice League: Dark here:

The Inevitable History

The Final Verdict

Plot of the Red Turtle Movie (Spoilers)

The Beautiful Woman

Interpretation of The Red Turtle Movie

Reason to Live

The Huge Takeaways

The Final Verdict

Plot of the Founder Movie (Spoilers)

The Real Estate Bolster

The Unscrupulous Precinct

You can order the Founder movie here:

Screenplay and Drama

The Final Verdict

Direction of The Lobster Movie

Theme and Comparisons

The Hotel

Loners

City

Beautiful Allegory

You can order The Lobster movie here:

The Final Verdict

Theme of La La Land Movie

Fascinating Drama (Spoilers Ahead)

You can pre-order La La Land movie from here:

The Chemistry

The Final Verdict

Extraordinary Animation

Plot of Kubo and the Two Strings

Ensuing Magical World

Sentient Kubo

Downsides

The Score of Kubo

Benedict Cumberbatch: The Winner (Spoilers Ahead)

Characters in Doctor Strange Movie

Astounding Bits

You can pre-order Doctor Strange movie from here:

Direction of Doctor Strange

Downsides

Doctor Strange Movie Editing

The Final Verdict

Lee Child’s Jack Reacher

Plot of Jack Reacher Never Go Back Movie (Spoilers)

Screenplay

Bright Sides

You can pre-order Jack Reacher: Never Go Back here

The Final Verdict

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