Category: Movie Reviews

My personal views on Movies I go see.

Movie Reviews

Remarkable Story Telling | Review of ‘Sully’

By Cynthia Ayala

Sully starring Tom Hanks
Warner Bros. Pictures
Image Credit: IMDB

“The story of Chesley Sullenberger, who became a hero after gliding his plane along the water in the Hudson River, saving all of the airplane flights 155 crew and passengers.”

—IMDB

Sully is a remarkable film about a man who acted quick and ended up saving a number of lives. Recreating the miracle on the Hudson. What makes this film so amazing isn’t just the star power but it’s taking this event, this small (time wise) event and expanding on it in a very humanistic way focusing on who Sully was. He wasn’t just a pilot; he was a human being who made an impossible decision in a matter of moments, seconds really. And he was a very humble man who faced so much in the aftermath that no one knew about. And this film explored that through Sully’s story, it explored the aftermath and it explored everything this man was going through.
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Movie Reviews

A Wondrous Piece of Magic | Review of ‘Pete’s Dragon’ (2016 Film)

By Cynthia Ayala

Pete’s Dragon starring Bryce Dallas Howard, Robert Redford, Oakes Fegley & Karl Urban
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Image Credit: IMDB

The adventures of an orphaned boy named Pete and his best friend Elliot, who just so happens to be a dragon.

    —IMDB

What a wonderful film. It’s no surprise why critics have been praising this film. It has a very sad opening, about a boy who loses his family while in the woods. And who come’s to save him, to be his protector? Elliot the dragon of course, and he’s the perfect dragon.
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Movie Reviews

Hilariously Good | Review of ‘Ghostbusters’ (2016 Film)

By Cynthia Ayala

Ghostbusters starring Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones & Chris Hemsworth
Columbia Pictures
Image Credit: ScreenRant

Following a ghost invasion of Manhattan, paranormal enthusiasts Erin Gilbert and Abby Yates, nuclear engineer Jillian Holtzmann, and subway worker Patty Tolan band together to stop the otherworldly threat.

—IMDB

Now I know that there has been so much stupid controversy over this film but let me just say this: all of that is utterly stupid. I’ve seen the original, I love the original, and to be quite frank, while this movie may be a reboot with an all-female cast, it’s hilarious. These women are funny, they have the right chemistry with one another and they bring their own creativity to this film. These actresses are not trying to be the original cast, while their parts may mirror the original cast, they bring something new to the characters, something new to the Ghostbusters franchise. Even Chris Hemsworth‘s character is different than the original Annie Potts character from the original. They are very different because the actors are being themselves, they are bringing their own unique hilarity to the film rather than rehash what was already done spectacularly, and in my book, that’s awesome.
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Movie Reviews

Worth the Watch | Review of ‘Nerve’

By Cynthia Ayala

Nerve starring Emma Roberts & Dave Franco
Lionsgate
Image Credit: IMDB

“A high school senior finds herself immersed in an online game of truth or dare, where her every move starts to become manipulated by an anonymous community of ‘watchers.'”

—IMDB

Are you a player or a watcher? Nerve, based on the novel of the same name, is based heavily on the extreme’s some people take to be YouTube famous. But the film takes it to another level taking the control out of the daredevil and putting it in the hands of watchers, people who control the player and the game, giving them reckless dares that could cost them their lives. For Vee (played by Emma Roberts), becoming a player on Nerve is all about trying to prove herself, that she isn’t just the meek shy girl everyone thinks she is. Thrust into this game of do or die, she meets the handsome Ian (played by Dave Franco), another player in the Game who knows more than he is telling her.
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Movie Reviews

A Bundle of Love and Laughs | Review of ‘The Secret Life of Pets’

By Cynthia Ayala

The Secret Life of Pets starring Louis C.K., Eric Stonestreet, Kevin Hart, Jenny Slate & Ellie Kemper Universal Pictures Image Credit: IMDB

“The quiet life of a terrier named Max is upended when his owner takes in Duke, a stray whom Max instantly dislikes.”

—IMDB

Where should I start? As an animal lover, I adored this movie, and as a filmgoer, I loved it. This movie had a compelling story to it that also didn’t shy away from what it means to be an animal and an animal lover. Pets get lost all the time, their collars break off, they get taken by animal control, or they are just abandoned. This film touches all of this making this a dynamic movie to behold. The best part about that is that it has a lot of heart, it has a lot of strength, and it has a lot of humor in it. This film is an adventure in the eyes of lost dogs and his friends as they try to find him and bring him back home.

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Movie Reviews

Strong & Thoughtful | Review of ‘The Legend of Tarzan’

By Cynthia Ayala

The Legend of Tarzan starring Alexander Skarsgård, Christoph Waltz, Samuel L. Jackson & Margot Robbie
Warner Bros. Pictures
Image Credit: IMDB

“Tarzan, having acclimated to life in London, is called back to his former home in the jungle to investigate the activities at a mining encampment.”

—IMDB

I have to say this film touches on some tough subjects regarding racism and slavery. It’s not a terribly unique plot device, but it is one that still matters today. Why? Because the past always matters. Otherwise, no one would learn anything from it.
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Movie Reviews

A Nail Biter | Review of ‘The Shallows’

By Cynthia Ayala

The Shallows starring Blake Lively
Columbia Pictures
Image Credit: IMDB

A mere 200 yards from shore, surfer Nancy is attacked by a great white shark, with her short journey to safety becoming the ultimate contest of wills.

—IMDB

As a Jaws fan, I have to say that I was impressed with this film because the story, it was realistic…for the most part. The film follows Blake Lively as Nancy Adams, a young woman who has taken a trip to a place where her recently deceased mother went. This allows for the audience to get to know the character, giving the viewer someone to root for. She’s alone in a place that is off the map, a place known only to the locals. And she is trapped after venturing into a sharks’ feeding ground. Now sharks are aggressive creatures; they attack if they think you’re food and if you’re trespassing. Continue reading “A Nail Biter | Review of ‘The Shallows’”

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Movie Reviews

Star Trek Has Found Its Way Back | Review of Star Trek Beyond

By Cynthia Ayala

Star Trek Beyond Starring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, John Cho, Simon Pegg, Anton Yelchin, Idris Elba & Sofia Boutella
Paramount Pictures
Image Credit: Screenrant

“The USS Enterprise crew explores the furthest reaches of uncharted space, where they encounter a new ruthless enemy who puts them and everything the Federation stands for to the test.”

—IMDB

This movie made me so happy. After Into Darkness I was apprehensive about the Star Trek franchise because Into Darkness lost its way in trying to appeal to both Trekkies and the mass market. It tried too hard to be one classic (The Wrath of Khan) that it ended up being another classic (The Undiscovered Country) but with less of the heart that would have appealed to Star Trek fans because it just missed the mark, it missed the intent of Gene Roddenberry‘s work. Moreover, with this film, when I heard that they were doing reshoots after it initially wrapped up, which usually almost always spells out doom for a movie. However, you wouldn’t know it watching this film, because whatever they had to go and fix, they nailed it, and they brought back what Gene Roddenberry intended, they brought back hope, they brought back peace, and unity, and everything else that Gene Roddenberry intended when he first created Star Trek.
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Movie Reviews

Potential Floundered | Review of ‘Now You See Me 2’

By Cynthia Ayala

Now You See Me 2 starring Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Daniel Radcliffe & Lizzy Caplan
Summit Entertainment
Image Credit: IMDB

The Four Horsemen resurface and are forcibly recruited by a tech genius to pull off their most impossible heist yet.

    —IMDB

Almost as good as it’s predecessor, but the film suffers from a big problem of overreaching which seems to be a big problem with Hollywood lately, just make things bigger, bring everything in, the story comes second. Same thing happened right here. The tricks are too big, too outlandish, and yes, I know that magic tricks can be as big as a plane, but for the film purposes, the story should come first, not second, to make for a more enjoyable experience. Continue reading “Potential Floundered | Review of ‘Now You See Me 2’”

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Movie Reviews

Fun, Heartwarming But Lacking Realism | Review of ‘Finding Dory’

By Cynthia Ayala

Finding Dory starring Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Hayden Rolence & Ed O’Neill
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Image Credit: IMDB

The friendly-but-forgetful blue tang fish begins a search for her long-lost parents, and everyone learns a few things about the real meaning of family along the way.

    —IMDB

Simply adorable. Everyone’s favorite blue tang fish is back in this sequel all about her. Finding Dory is all about Dory and where she came from and how she came to meet up with Marlin and Nemo. Going back Dory’s origins, the audience gets to see Dory as the cutest animated baby in the world. I mean let’s just give the animators here a round of applause for getting some of the smallest details correct, mirroring real fish and lighting and the like, perfectly, but also they created one of the cutest little fish in the world that completely fits with the character. Continue reading “Fun, Heartwarming But Lacking Realism | Review of ‘Finding Dory’”

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