Spectre

     Haven't reviewed for a while or rather I haven't posted one to the old blog for a while.  This evening I was lucky enough to see Spectre.  As the film is less than a day old I will avoid spoilers.  This one will definitely go down as one of the top five Bond films of all time.  Daniel Craig is certainly at his best here as is the rest of the cast.  Joining the adventure for this round are Christoph Waltz, Andrew Scott, Dave Bautista, and Lea Seydoux. 
     We open with a black screen and the ominous words "The Dead...Are Alive".  Now I'm hooked and they haven't even shown me anything yet.  The picture comes up and shows us a day of the dead celebration in progress on the streets of Mexico City.  What follows is a fantastic chase and some incredible helicopter acrobatics leading into the main titles.  
     The title sequence takes us on a journey through Bond's recent past. Reminding us of what has come before.  Sam Smith's theme is an alright song and fits the movie.  That said, it' doesn't feel like a Bond theme to me.  Hardcore Bond geeks will understand what I mean.
     Parts of Spectre are predictable if you have ever seen a James Bond movie.  Especially a recent one.  Bond gets in trouble for his methods.  They reprimand him and threaten his job security.  Bond does as he pleases and winds up saving the day.  We have seen these things before.  That doesn't mean we don't love seeing them.  It is the Bond formula and it clearly works.  The how's and why's of these events will be discovered when you see the film yourself. 
     Spectre, while telling a very modern day story, is all about taking us into our hero's past.  Who is James Bond?  What made him the man that he is.  In doing this, Spectre has very strong ties to it's predecessor Skyfall.  This is a first for the franchise.  While many of the Bond films have referenced past events or had recurring characters, Spectre is the first to feel like a direct sequel to the film before. 
     In addition to it's Skyfall connection, Spectre drops several easter eggs for classic bond fans as well.  The biggest and most obvious of these is Dave Bautista's character of Hinx.  The silent, nearly unstoppable henchman is clearly modeled on Robert Shaw's Red Grant character in From Russia with Love.  I will leave the rest of the easter eggs for you to hunt yourselves. 
     As always, Bond has a woman along for the ride.  Lea Seydoux's character feels unnecessary to me.  She does provide some vital plot information, however, i feel Bond could have come upon these facts in another way.  More could have been done with the character rather than letting her act as window dressing or to be put in danger for Bond to daringly rescue.
     As the villain of the piece, Christoph Waltz is incredible.  I always enjoy his work but here is at the top of his game.  One of the best Bond villains to grace the screen.  The scenes between Waltz and Craig are filled with so much beautiful tension. 
     Amazing locales, great performances, direct ties to previous films, a twist/reveal that will have you in shock until well after you leave the theater.  This is the best way to sum up Spectre.  If they would only stop using the "Bond is Back" tag line every time a new film comes out.

Riddick

     We here at Fractured Visions HQ were split about whether or not to see this film.  My partner in crime is a die hard Riddick fan and was super extra excited to see it.  I was a bit more wary because I remember the less than stellar Chronicles of Riddick from 2004.  Had I taken into account my experience with Riddick star Vin Diesel's OTHER franchise I would not have been so worried.
     Once again Diesel takes a film that makes you think "really? They made another one of those? Why?" and leaves you saying "Holy monkey snot that was pretty great!" 
     While Riddick is a stand alone piece that anyone can get into, it ties into the other films of the series very well. With events from the fourteen year old Pitch Black playing a large role in the current installment.  The expository narration could have become tedious but in this case does not.  It is handled well and Vin Diesel's voice has a soothing effect and pulls you into the story like your grandfather reading to you at bedtime. 
     This outing sees our (anti) hero facing not only the challenges of a harsh environment but also two seperate groups of bounty hunters, one ragtag and one very professional, each with their own reasons for pursuit and of course asking the eternal Riddick question "Is Riddick the scariest thing that lurks in the dark?"
     The look and tone of Riddick harken back to our introduction to the character in Pitch Black.  Director David Twohy seemed to know what the people wanted and he definitely delivers.  The action takes place on a desolate world shot in a dim nearly sepia tone style no bright colors and fancy armor in this one. The ships used in the film are very utilitarian transports though there are some very cool "jet hogs" that look like the sort of thing DC Comics intergalactic bounty hunter Lobo might ride in on. The story features a lot of suspenseful moments.  However at some places near the beginning of the film you know who is going to triumph.  The film is called Riddick after all.
     With the exception of Bokeem Woodbine, David Bautista and Katee Sackhoff, the cast is populated with mostly unknowns  (to this reviewer at least) but I hope to see more from them soon.  Everyone brought their A-game to this one and there are some great performances in this film.  Former rugby star Matt Nable brings a great presence and sense of authority to his role as leader of one of the mercenary groups.  Sackhoff brings life to what could have easily become just another bad ass sci-fi chick.  Though she is bad ass, the character of Dahl always has something waiting just behind her eyes that makes the viewer want to know how she came to be who she is.  It would have been great to see a real knock down drag-out between Riddick and Bautista's character of Diaz but hey you can't have everything.
     In closing, I say leave your worries at the door and trust in these talented filmmakers to give you a fun suspenseful ride in a universe that is explored too infrequently.  Viewing of the previous films is not necessary before seeing Riddick but could be fun especially those new to the world of Riddick.

Ghost Shark

     I watched this one for many reasons.  Mostly because of my obsession with all things shark but I also wanted to know how a Ghost Shark would work.  The answer is, pretty much like Pet Sematary.  Badly wounded shark swims into sacred cave and dies then is reborn with a thirst for vengeance.  The idea of a Ghost Shark is not the unbelievable part of this film.   Believability goes out the window when you realize that (Spoiler Alert) any water will do.      
     Even with a concept approaching ridiculousness, Ghost Shark provides some pretty creative kills.  It is also full of the mandatory Jaws references.  In this case ripping lines straight from the classic film.  The shark effects are pretty decent here with the ghost looking better than the actual shark.  Still, Ghost Shark lacks the sense of fun that Sharknado had.  It is ok as a time killer but would do better paired with similar fare like Shark Night, Bait, or the aforementioned Sharknado.

The Call

I had not intended to watch this movie.  I was there when the movie was being watched and decided to give it a try.  The reason I was going to give it a miss is the fact that I am continually disappointed with Halle Berry's work.  I think her earlier work leads me to get my hopes up too high.  The second strike this movie had was it's association with WWE films.  How good could it be right?  The answer is pretty good actually.  This story of a kidnapped young woman and the 911 operator trying to find her provides a good deal of suspense.  The film is a tight game of cat and mouse which leaves you constantly wondering how is the villain going to get away now and how can the police possibly find him.  Abigail Breslin does a wonderful job as the frightened and tormented victim.  As good as the film is though, the message of the climax is a bit muddled.  It seems like the message is about women's empowerment but honestly left the viewers asking "why would they do that?".  The only other nit I would pick involves the villains motivation.  What is it?  It is never explained why he does what he does.  In some films this ambiguity would add to the tension but here an explanation would be nice.  Over all I would recommend this one on a night when you are bored and looking for something different.

The Wolverine

A considerable improvement over X-Men Origins: Wolverine, The Wolverine is set sometime after X-Men: The Last Stand and finds a Physically and emotionally vulnerable Logan hiding from himself and struggling with his nature and past choices.  During his soul search, the reluctant hero finds himself in a very John McClane "wrong place, wrong time" situation.  While some of the themes are represented, this was not the samurai Wolverine movie I was hoping for.  Slow to start, once it gets going The Wolverine delivers a film that is true to the character.  Wolverine is a man at odds with himself.  He is constantly working to hold on to his humanity while nearly everyone and everything is pushing him closer to his breaking point where his animalistic nature will win out.  That is well represented here.  Fans of Hong Kong action films will fall in love with the train sequence. The fight scenes are exactly what you would expect, well choreographed and fast paced.  Of the six films featuring Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, this is certainly the best.  I must give credit to the filmmakers for using some lesser known villains here as well.  If you are in the mood to see Wolverine doing what Wolverine does then this is the movie for you.

Silver Linings Playbook

O.K. so I know every critic and wanna be critic has gone on and on about Silver Linings Playbook, but it really is an amazing film. The kind of amazing that has me re-thinking my outlook on life. And underneath everything is the best love story since Pretty in Pink. I know most of my friends aren't into the "mainstream films" but man you guys gotta watch this one. Incredible performances and a great story that I think will ring oddly familiar with a lot of you the way it did with me.

Star Trek: Into Darkness

I am not sure what to say about Star Trek: Into Darkness mostly because giving anything away would be doing a disservice to those who have not seen it. It continues in the tradition of its predecessor in giving us new takes on beloved characters. The action and emotion are cranked up and then the knob ripped off. All I can tell you is that you need to see this film. Admittedly I was already excited for it and had been looking forward to it since just after my first viewing of the 2009 re-boot but even a casual fan is going to love this. And for the hardcore among you there are plenty of easter eggs and references. I cannot recommend Into Darkness highly enough.