Me Before You Short Movie Review

I am not generally a fan of the tearjerker genre, but since the movie was adapted from a bestselling book and starred Emilia Clarke and Sam Clafin, two actors who I enjoyed watching on Game of Thrones and The Hunger Games movie series respectively, I decided to give it a shot. The movie is a lot better than I expected, and actually quite funny.

Emilia is as different from her role as Khalessi as can be, but one wishes that she got to use a wider range of expression besides expressing either profound joy or abject sadness, like a maniac bipolar yo-yo.

By the end of the screening, I could hear people around me sobbing or see them wiping their eyes with their tissues, which made me feel like a monster because I wasn't one of those weeping into their Kleenex. Same thing happened at the screening of The Fault In Our Stars. I do cry at movies, but there's something about the sheer manipulation in such genres designed to induce viewers' tear ducts to overflow that makes me unable to shed any.

3 and a half stars out of 5 stars for me. Would recommend it as great alternative to the countless summer blockbusters sure to inundate the screens later this month.

Captain America: Civil War Short Review

I enjoyed Captain America: Civil War, even if I disagreed with the titular character ideologically. The whole plot could have been resolved with a phone call, but I'm not complaining. The best characters hands-down are Black Panther and Spider-Man, who steal every scene they are in. I can't wait to see their solo movies and that is saying a lot for the latter, because I simply loathed The Amazing Spider-Man 1 and 2. Lending Spider-Man to Marvel was a genius move by Sony; best advertisement they could have gotten.

4 out of 5 stars for me.

Batman v. Superman: short review of an overlong movie

Batman v. Superman is mind-numbingly dull, dour, overlong, lifeless and boring, with its huge gaping plot holes cutting a wider swath than the destruction wroth by its superheroes.

Particularly grating on the nerves is Lex Luthor in a role so badly mangled by Jesse Eisenberg and so annoying that I badly wanted to able reach into the screen to physically strangle him just so I wouldn't have to put up with his lunatic ranting and raving anymore.

I had no idea that one of Superman's rather large arsenal of abilities included a magical compass/radar that let him know whenever Lois Lane was in danger so he can rescue her for the millionth time.

Not even Wonder Woman's lasso could compel me to enjoy the movie, and the movie's portrayal of journalism was simply preposterous.

I can't think of a superhero movie that has ever made me feel this sleepy. Scratch that. I don't think I have ever watched a movie that made me feel sleepy. And I have seen my fair share of terrible superhero movies.

Zack Snyder, please just let other people handle future DC superhero movies in the future. Seriously Warner Brothers, what were you thinking handing the reins to the DC Universe to him?

2 out of 5 stars and I feel that I am being very generous.

Zootopia Short Movie Review

Beautifully filmed with gorgeous visuals and a highly entertaining zippy storyline with a timely inclusive theme about diversity that is neither cloying nor preachy, Zootopia is a must-watch for both kids and adults alike.

4 and a half stars out of 5 stars for me.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies Movie Review

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is only as entertaining as it is silly; when the movie abruptly switches to a serious tone in the third act zombiefying boredom sets in.

Lily James is charming as Elizabeth Bennett but her love interest Mr Darcy is played by a very wooden Sam Riley. Matt Smith as Mr Collins steals all the scenes he's in.

2 and a half stars out of 5 stars for me.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Short Movie Review

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is basically a remake of Star Wars: A New Hope, with better special effects, a more diverse cast and a bucketful of nostalgia, with tons of nods and winks to the original trilogy.

Have to say though that the good guys are all idiots even if it serves to help move the plot; if the BB-8 is so bloody recognizable, for The Force's sake keep it safely hidden in a compartment somewhere instead of letting it toddle alongside you like some stupid shining beacon broadcasting to the entire galaxy who and where you are.

Still, it's entertaining enough, so 4 out of 5 stars for me.

Short Movie Review: The Good Dinosaur? More Like The Really Bad Dinosaur Movie.

Just as Inside Out is easily the best Pixar movie yet, so is The Good Dinosaur easily Pixar's worst film.

With a disjointed, weak narrative and characters painted in broad strokes with no real depth to speak of, The Good Dinosaur waddles on a crutch of stereotypes, cliches and tired archtypes to tell its story.

Young kids might enjoy it but I highly doubt adults will, which is a real anomaly in a Pixar feature.

2 out of 5 stars for me.

The Hunger Games Movie Series Ranked

1. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire



My review of Catching Fire

2. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2



My review of Mockingjay Part 2

3. The Hunger Games



4. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1



My movie review of Mockingjay Part 1

Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 Movie Review

While not as good as Catching Fire, Mockingjay Part 2 is the second strongest movie in the quartet and provides a satisfying conclusion to a great, if sometimes uneven, movie series.

A rare YA dystopian movie that is able to grow out of its roots and evolve into a full-fledged adult war movie, it is a must-watch for hardcore fans, casual fans and even just moviegoers in general. You do need to have watched Part 1 because Part 2 continues right where Part 1 ends.

4 out of 5 stars for me.

Mr. Holmes Short Movie Review

Fans of Benedict Cumberbatch's BBC Sherlock series; if you think this movie could be the thing to tide you over until the next season, you need to look elsewhere. The pace of this movie is rather languid and sometimes rather disjointed, with, the movie is split into three different narrative strands. The only reason to watch this movie is quite simply Sir Ian McKellen, who turns in a great performance here and is the only thing propping this movie up.

3 and a half stars out of 5 stars for me.

Short Black Mass Movie Review

I have to confess, the only reason I decided to watch this was because Benedict Cumberbatch is in it. He's in a handful of scenes at the start of the beginning of the film and in a couple of scenes near the end. The real star of this movie though is Johnny Depp, who plays a menacing Whitey Bulger rather well, although it seems rather one-note at times.

Unfortunately, the movie badly wants to emulate Goodfellas, a far superior gangster movie (to this day I don't understand how it lost to Kevin Costner's Dances With Wolf for Best Picture); instead what we get is a very mediocre run-of-the-mill gangster movie.

3 out of 5 stars for me. Do yourself a favor and go check out Martin Scorsese's infinitely better Goodfellas instead if you haven't seen it before.