Reviews

Is it the worst movie ever? No.

Does it insult your intelligence? Yes.

"Project Almanac" tries to be too many movies at once. Is it a coming of age movie? Is it a time travel movie? Is it a romantic comedy? Is it a found footage film? Is it an action film? Is it a sci-fi film? The makers of this movie would have you believe, yes all of the above.

Unfortunately, it never really gains any ground in any of the sub genre's listed.

Once you get past the fact that the premise is entirely implausible, two teens find their father's old camera which leads to them discovering an unfinished project of his beneath the ground in the basement, the movie continues to trip on itself.

As is the down fall of most time travel movies, the film makers would like us to believe that certain occurrences and acts are a result of time travel, but that reality would have already incorporated their time travel so that makes it impossible.

The plot revolves around a group of 5 teenagers doing adolescent things that are superficial and irrelevant. The plot ignores the "ripple" effects of these things like media coverage and IRS investigations but then introduces "ripple" effects later in the film when love becomes involved.

It's an inconsistent and unaware plot.

Catch it on TBS or USA in a few years. Not worth the $5 rental.

Stick to movies like "Looper" and "Predestination" for entertaining and recently produced time travel movies.

The best part of "Run All Night" are the steely performances by Ed Harris and Joel Kinnaman.

Liam Neeson is solid but the previous two steal the show.

It is definitely worth a rental but not a purchase. The plot is predictable, but that's expected and doesn't derail from the entertainment value. It prevents us from becoming attached or emotionally invested in Kinneman's character's family; but we weren't really expecting to anyway were we? Fans of "Running Scared", "A History of Violence" and Kinnaman's show "The Killing" will enjoy this movie.

Were this movie made before 1999, it would probably warrant a score of 9.

However, this movie suffers from an affliction called "Shyamalan-ism" thanks to the 1999 movie, The Sixth Sense.

"Shyamalan-ism" - The condition of trying to guess twists within a movie's plot before they occur. Usually afflicts viewers after seeing "The Sixth Sense" and subsequently wanting to be the first one to "get it." To be fair, Focus isn't the first movie to be a victim of "Shyamalan-ism." Every movie directed by M. Knight Shymalan since the Sixth Sense has been a victim of it. The Oceans 11 trilogy was a victim of this, as were many more movies I'm sure you can think of.

The problem with Focus isn't that the viewer spends the entire time trying to figure out if there is a plot twist and if so, what it is. The problem with Focus is that it assumes the viewer will do this, so the writers try to "trick" the audience. However, it is done in a way that indicates to the viewer that the writers are aware of their detective skills which therefore forces the viewer to second guess his/her initial prediction and make another.

Are you focused yet? The movie screams for the viewer to focus, which plays to its detriment rather than it's charm.

Smith and Robbie have great chemistry and deliver great performances despite the over thought plot which starts as interesting and then unravels in the third act.

It is definitely worth a watch and has moments of entertaining quality.

In the end though, "Shyamalan-ism" leaves the viewer feeling unsatisfied and wanting more from the plot that is so frail it's practically a ghost itself.

Jurassic World will not win any Oscars.

Jurassic World will not be a movie you dissect among critics and marvel at it's hidden meaning.

Jurassic World is, however, a fun and entertaining two hours that satisfies every need it creates.

There is your typical 3 act presentation; however, the film launches immediately into the world it promises (pun intended) without insulting the viewer's intelligence by attempting to depict an origin story.

It's a theme park with dinosaurs. Period. Let's go! Chris Pratt is great within his role. Again, he will not win an Oscar, but he delivers a performance that makes the audience care about the character and his intentions.

Bryce Dallas Howard, BD Wong and Vincent D'Anafrio play predictable characters, but ones that are needed to make the story work and make it more entertaining.

There are several meta references to the first film which makes Jurassic World feel self aware about it's place in cinematic and franchise history.

While this movie is technically a sequel to Jurassic Park, it is better when viewed as a stand alone entry that focuses on the results a dinosaur theme park could have on the world, and not just a park.

The movie promises to be fun and exciting while delivering action scenes featuring dinosaurs and peril.

It succeeds.