Fedoics

I Think We're Alone Now is not the typical post-apocalyptic film most audiences are used to seeing.

After looking at the gorgeous poster and watching half the trailer to this movie, my interest grew. The further I looked into the project and the more I learned about the cast and crew involved, I was hooked.

The film is directed by Reed Morano and stars Peter Dinklage and Elle Fanning. The story follows a seemingly lone survivor of a mysterious apocalypse that stumbles upon a young girl. Throughout the film the two talk and bond, living in this quiet world Morano builds for his characters.

Dinklage's acting was quiet and subtle, very rarely talking and communicating in glances. Fanning's character is loud and full of energy. The two have great chemistry. The film's romance is similar to Lost in Translation but isn't executed as well. Throughout the film it seems they are close, but never really romantic, just surviving. If it was built upon more, execution would be better.

The cinematography in the film is spectacular. Morano's past in cinematography shines in this project. The atmosphere is built upon with the film relying on natural lighting. This has an amazing effect on the environment, giving it life and making it seem real.

There are downsides to this movie. About two thirds of the way into the movie, it seems to take a total shift in the mood and story. The ending seemed like it didn't belong, ripped out of a mid-two thousands teen dystopian book. While the ending didn't ruin the film, it still left me unsatisfied.

While the runtime of this film is just over an hour and thirty minutes, it takes its time. If you're going into this expecting a fast pace movie with quick dialogue and fast results, this movie isn't for you. If you're a fan of character studies and long, interrupted takes, you'll more than likely enjoy this movie.

Overall, I Think We're Alone Now is an experience that I haven't had in a theater in a while. It's different than most of the films in theaters this year which is refreshing. It teaches people the importance of a strong and satisfying ending and how not to do that, but also how to set up an effective and interesting universe Check it out.

Kong Skull Island is a beautiful and fun film.

I've been looking forward to Kong for quite a while. From what I saw in the trailers, the cinematography and CGI looked amazing. I was worried that the story would suffer from the focus on cinematography and CGI. Thank god it was better than I expected.

Here's the good.

The cinematography and CGI is amazing in this movie, the best I've seen from any movie this year. Each shot is fantastic and interesting and the CGI is realistic and blends perfectly with the actors.

The acting is fun to say the least. Each actor added something to the story, no one was underused and everyone had a purpose. Samuel L. Jackson and Thomas Mann stood out to me. Both of their performances were memorable and entertaining.

The story is very fun. It's what I expected but even that is good. It's a story about a group of people that go and investigate this mysterious island right after the end of the Vietnam war. When they arrive, they discover this island is not what they expected. One thing that added a lot to the overall vibe of the film is that it was in a post Vietnam war setting. It added a lot to the entertainment and set a good tone, it wouldn't have been as good as it is without the time period it's set in. The best part of this movie is easily the end credits scene.

Here's the bad.

The story isn't all that great. I understand that this movie is just trying to be fun, which is perfectly okay, but if you're going to do that you can't take yourself too seriously, and this movie did that. There were a few cheesy parts but they weren't that bad. A few jokes didn't hit with the audience and weren't that funny. The ending of the movie falls flat. The payoff wasn't all that great and happened fairly fast.

There was one character that I think took away from the overall quality of the film. John C. Reilly's character wasn't all that great. He overacted for most of the movie and acted like a cartoon. Only some of his jokes hit with the audience.

Overall, Kong Skull Island is a good popcorn movie where you can turn off your brain for a while and watch a movie with some A+ cinematography and CGI. The characters have good chemistry with each other, even if some aren't all that great. It's good to see Kong back on the big screen.

The Belko Experiment is a messed up film and it's wildly entertaining.

The Belko Experiment is an indie film that's essentially about a office building that gets shut down and the people inside are forced to kill each other.

Here's the good.

The story in this movie keeps you on the edge of your seat practically the whole run time of the movie. It's a physiological horror film that really asks the audience, "What would you do in this situation?". I was lucky enough to be at a screening of the film with writer/producer James Gunn and the director Greg McLean and most of the cast. They talked a lot about how there was no villain in this movie, which is something I loved. The people in this movie were all acting for themselves, doing what they need to do for their family or for survival. The story in the beginning and the middle is very interesting and will keep the audience entertained well after the movie is over.

The acting in this movie is, for the most part, believable and good. Tony Goldwyn, John Gallagher Jr., and Sean Gunn were the standouts of this movie. Tony was terrifying, and just as he talked about during the Q and A at the screening, his character wasn't a villain. His character was doing what he had to do to make sure he could come home to his family again, even if is terrible. John Gallagher Jr. does a fantastic job as the main character. He displays a wide variety of emotions perfectly and pulls off a really really good performance, surpassing his acting in 12 Cloverfield Lane. The real standout of this movie is Sean Gunn who did a fantastic job with his character. He has some of the best and most memorable lines in the whole film. It's amazing to see how far Sean Gunn has gone in his acting ability when compared to his role in James Gunn's Super. Everyone in the movie, including the extras, pulled off great performances.

The technical parts of this movie are very well done. I have tons of respect for this movie's use of practical effects which added a lot of horror to the movie's tone. The cinematography in this movie was impressive, keeping a lot of shots close to give off a claustrophobic feeling. The lighting in this movie is used perfectly. Towards the latter half of the movie, many action sequences were lit uniquely. A action scene lit by a neon light and fire or a flickering light, whatever the case, it built the suspense.

Here's the bad.

The ending of this film is different. It didn't really set up the ending all that well and left the audience wanting something a bit more. It didn't ruin the fun of the movie but with a better ending it could have been a lot better. For a movie to be great it needs to have an ending that leaves the audience satisfied and this movie has trouble doing that.

Overall, The Belko Experiment is a thrill ride. When the action and horror and suspense hits, it hits hard. The acting from everyone is entertaining and believable, many performances being especially good. The lighting and cinematography add a lot to the overall tone of the film which makes it a lot more effective. While the ending leaves you wanting more, you'll still be thinking about this movie for days to come.