James' Movie Blog

  Bees are an integral part of our world; without them, planet Earth would not flourish. They are fighters, for sure. But what happens when you use the bee metaphor in the case or real world scenarios? You would get the feature film “The Beekeeper”, an action film starring Jason Statham, written by Kurt Wimmer, and directed by David Ayer. The movie enjoys itself with its copious amounts of action in its hour and forty five minute runtime. Although, the film does have some issues that are quite noticeable, they do not hinder the overall experience whatsoever. “The Beekeeper” is an interesting concept with its title, and a decent action film that grabs your attention to the very end. The story centers on a man named Adam Clay (Statham), who enjoys taking care of bees for an elderly lady. One day, the woman gets scammed and commits suicide, leaving Adam all alone. But he's not alone. It turns out that Adam is what's known as a Beekeeper: a special forces agent that is tasked on f...

  In May of 1999, Nickelodeon premiered a new series on the channel called 'Spongebob Squarepants', and it was an instant hit. Created by the late Stephen Hillenburg, the show proved to an animated must for those in the late 90s and early 2000's. And once the show achieved massive success, chances of a movie were inevitable. And fortunately, that wish would come true. And, in the year 2004, we got “The Spongebob Squarepants Movie”, which was also a big hit. But with a price. After the movie, Hillenburg left the show, and only served as an executive producer, and many fans consider the seasons post movie not that great. Which only begs the question: is the film that divisive? Well, it's not bad, but it's good, but it does contain some flaws, which will be discussed later on. One good thing that easily be said right off the bat, is that this movie can please everyone. With “The Spongebob Squarepants Movie”, we get an entertaining film that certainly pleases everyone u...

  It's the end of the world as we know it, and I am mildly unimpressed. Yeah, that's the main reaction of this movie here. With “Knock at the Cabin” we get a standard apocalypse movie courtesy of M. Night Shyamalan. And the result is just a big predictable mess from when we saw the first trailer. There are quite a few good things that are present here, like the production value, and the themes explored, but the overall tone and quality is not that great. It feels as if this movie took an awesome concept, and just took it to a rather bland territory. While not the worst film out there, “Knock at the Cabin” is a rather boring experience that really plays it safe with its topics. And not in a good way. The story involves a family consisting of two gay men named Andrew and Eric (Ben Aldridge and Jonathan Groff respectively), along with their young daughter Wen (Kristen Cui) going to spend some quality time at a cabin the woods. Everything goes well until four complete strangers co...

  We all like to be judgmental about everything; from the clothes we wear, to the places we go. It seems like we want to criticize everything that the world offers. Including food. Food is something that quite a lot of people take for granted, and they want to compliment themselves before they eat what is on their plate. That is where the recent film “The Menu” takes complimenting food to another dark territory. Conceived as a horror comedy, “The Menu” takes its obsession with food, and turns it into a place you do not want to go to. But it is rather fascinating while you watch it. There are a few questions that are not answered within the course of the movie, but the pacing more than makes up for by keeping the viewer engaged throughout the movie's run time. “The Menu” is a blend of suspense and comedy that keeps you on edge, and makes you really appreciate what goes on in constructing a meal. The plot involves a group of people who are heading to a remote island where special me...

  True love. It's common fact that that particular statement has been around for quite some time. And nowhere is this quote more hilariously spoken than in 1987's “The Princess Bride”, a movie that blends together both comedy and fantasy all at the same time. While not a huge hit upon release, the film has certainly gained a following. And rightfully so. Mostly due to how funny it is. Directed by Rob Reiner, with a script by William Goldman based off his book, the movie has endured and enthralled audiences for nearly 35 years. There are some minor problems present, but the overall experience is more than worth the price of admission. “The Princess Bride” is an engaging and captivating film that pokes fun at the concept of a fairy tale. The story has a grandfather (Peter Falk) proceeding to tell his grandson (Fred Savage) a story. In said story, a woman named Buttercup (Robin Wright) falls desperately in love with a man named Westley (Cary Elwes). However, he goes missing, and ...

  The 1980s were full of silly action movies that provided great fun and provided lots of entertainment that made audiences did not care what they were seeing as long as they were being entertained. It's mindless fun and entertainment. Some examples include “Rambo: First Blood Part II”, “Commando”, and “Die Hard” which were all great action flicks that defined the 1980s with energy. But there are some action movies from this time period that stick out like a sore thumb. And “Above the Law” from 1988 is no exception. This film basically shows you how to NOT make a good action film, but at same time you have to admire it for being stupid. And of course, launching the career of Steven Seagal. The movie stars Steven Seagal as Nico Toscani, a cop who used to work for the CIA and now works for the Chicago Police Department. He's rough and tough, but Nico has a dark side that does not want to get let out. One day, Nico stumbles upon a plot that involves terrorists from assassinating ...

  When it comes to video games and movies, they are generally perceived as being not that good. A factor for this can be mostly blamed on the studios who produce them; they do not not have a clear understanding of how the source material should be viewed to the general public. Which is something they have to take into consideration: appeasing both the fans of the source material, and the general audience. Companies like Fox and Universal, at least try and give fans of the game something to look forward to. But Disney? That's just not going to work out. Sure, the company might have tried putting their hands into video game adaptations with 1993's “Super Mario Bros.”, and have dabbled with original concepts revolving around video games, like with “Tron”, but for the most part, Disney has stayed away from video game adaptations. That is until Disney released their 2010 feature, “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time”, loosely based on the video game series, “Prince of Persia”. The r...

Jim Henson was a man who revolutionized how puppets were portrayed in the media. He helped create programs for television and movies that were aimed at more kid-friendly and family-friendly audiences. Things like 'Sesame Street', 'The Muppet Show', and others had a specific audience in mind. Only on the rare occasions like “The Dark Crystal” and “Labyrinth” did Henson go into more older crowd with its content. That is until now. With “The Happytime Murders”, we get an R-rated feature from Jim's son Brian that gives us a more mature look at puppets. And the end result is... bad. While it's definitely not the worst, the film is just bland, uninteresting, and more importantly, boring. “The Happytime Murders” is not what Jim Henson wanted, but also not what he needed. The story is set in a world where puppets and humans co-exist, however, puppets are mistreated and considered as objects rather than people. One puppet, Phil Phillips (Bill Barretta), is a for...

It's no wonder that Disney is one of the pioneers of animation. They practically invented the art of animation. From their cartoons with easy to recognize characters, to reinventing the fairy tale as we know it, we owe a lot to the Disney Company for transforming many childhoods with great entertainment. And that tradition continued into the 1990s when things really shook up. A new set of management, and animators with a clear vision on how to present a story, Disney eventually found a way to entertain the masses with its creativity. And in 1991, they achieved that form of greatness with their interpretation of the classic fairy tale “Beauty and the Beast”. Hailed by many as one of their finest achievements, the film is truly one of their best. From the simplistic story, to the memorable characters and songs, this film has earned quite a lot of accolades since its release. Including a Best Picture nomination, the first time an animated movie would do so. The movie is easily one...

Disney has created a whole slew of characters that a lot people recognize. From Mickey Mouse to Goofy, these and many more have become iconic in the realm of entertainment for many people. But one such character wasn't created by Disney, and that was Winnie the Pooh, originally created by author A. A. Milne. The company created several shorts with the character in question, before settling on a feature film. And that was 1977's “The Many Adventurist of Winnie the Pooh”. While it is obvious that it's just a bunch of shorts to make up a feature length production, the stories themselves are quite memorable, to say the least, With clever scenarios and a huge supply of imagination, “The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh” is a fun and simple feature that is sure to entertain most everybody. The main story has three individual shorts compiled together to create one big feature. The first involves Winnie the Pooh (Sterling Holloway), or Pooh for short, trying to get some ...

Throughout the 1950s, Hollywood saw a lot of filmmakers making quite a few movies that were made for a cheap, low budget. Mostly in both the science fiction and horror genres. Movies like “Robot Monster” and of course “Plan 9 from Outer Space” have been called worthy of films that are so bad, that they have to be seen because of their bad quality in their production. Luckily, with 2004's “The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra”, we get a fantastic recreation of all those bad films from the 1950s; from bad continuity to over-the-top acting, and a ridiculous plot, the movie is a great tribute to cheesy B-movies of the era. But maybe it does its job a little too well... “The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra” is an amazing tribute to all things schlock of yesteryear. The plot has three different groups of people, each with their own unique agenda. A scientist and his wife are searching for meteor that has landed in the mountains. An evil scientist wants to revive the titular character so that he...

Walt Disney thrived on bringing memorable stories that would, in turn, become easily recognizable among the public. By turning interesting ideas and concepts into a profit, Walt and his team of animators delivered some of the greatest animated movies ever made. And 1941's “Dumbo” is a prime example of not only delivering , solid animation, but great storytelling in the process. When watching the movie, one gets a sense of wonder at what creativity went into making this film a reality. Even after 80 years, this movie still holds up very well. Anything can happen, and that's the charm of this movie: it is not bound by studio executives, but rather creative control to let go and do whatever they want. “Dumbo” is a fantastic treat for anyone that can enjoy the modesty of why Walt Disney and his team made such a creative feature. The story has a mother elephant receiving newborn son unto the world, as she and several other animals are working for the circus. Unfortunately, ...

It seems like the whole world has gone crazy. And what better way to get rid of craziness, then go to the movies? Movies are, in my opinion, a chance to escape from the horrors of the real world, and embrace a world of fiction and make believe. Unfortunately, “The Hunt” released through Universal and Blumhouse, is not one of those movies were the chance of escapism is present. There are some moments in the film that do stand out, but the main critical problem of the movie is that it doesn't know what side to choose. The film has a loose political agenda, but it is not executed well. While “The Hunt” does deliver some solid, and decent action, as well as some good humor, it falls short on what it's trying to accomplish in the long run. The story has a group of individuals waking up in a deserted area, having no idea of where they are. Upon opening a crate, they are rewarded with weapons, not knowing on how to use them. Suddenly, shots are ringing out, and they are now b...

Snow is a very powerful enemy. For both humans and animals, snow provides a need to find shelter from the cold harshness of Mother Earth.  More specifically, trying to find warmth to counteract the cold. But to others, snow is seen as a threat. This more prominent in Quentin Tarantino’s 2015 feature “The Hateful Eight”, a long tribute to the western and the chance of seeing movies on the big screen. Quite literally. However, there are some big, glaring issues ascertain to the overall production that needs talking about. Despite this, the movie itself is quite good within its own execution. “The Hateful Eight” is a production where time is definitely a villain, but the true enemy is snow. The plot surrounds the titular eight characters stuck up in a cabin in the mountains of Wyoming, during an excessive blizzard. At this cabin, we meet our eight players. These include the following: a major (Samuel L. Jackson), a bounty hunter (Kurt Russell), a criminal (Jennifer Jason Leigh)...

Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II are quite possibly the greatest music-writing team in the history of musical theater. Together, the duo wrote some of the most renowned stage plays of all time. These include such well-known stage productions as The Sound of Music, South Pacific, and Carousel, among others. All of these productions had wonderful film adaptations throughout the years, most of which were done by studio 20 th Century Fox. But it is 1956's “The King and I” which just may be the most memorable, mainly because of Yul Brynner, who was cast in both the film version and the original stage production, giving and delivering a magnificent performance. This is one of those movies that give the viewer a rare treat to see film making at its finest. The plot of the movie revolves around Ms. Anna Leonowens (Deborah Kerr), an overqualified schoolteacher sent by the King of Siam (Brynner) to teach his many children the ways of the modern world. Once Anna starts teachi...

Disney always delivers on making a fairy nearly perfect. But what if that fairy tale turned over to the macabre, and dark side? Plus, add the the twisted side of director Tim Burton, and you got a recipe for something truly bizarre and unusual. The result? The 1993 stop-motion animated feature “The Nightmare Before Christmas”. A miss-mash of two holidays colliding, and resulting in one of the most impressive and ambitious animated features of all time. Since its inception, “The Nightmare Before Christmas” has easily gained a large following, and many have praised the feature for its creativity and imagination. However, there are some issues, albeit minor, that not a lot of people are bringing up when discussing the film. But nevertheless, “The Nightmare Before Christmas” is a fantastic film that no matter what the season is, Halloween or Christmas, this film still amazes me nearly 30 years later. “The Nightmare Before Christmas” is a revealing dark fairy tale that twists the holiday...

Who doesn't love a good scary story? A scary story gives the viewer/listener something to keep them on their toes, and their heart pounding. But what if you take those scary stories and turn it into a visual medium like movies or television? That's where our feature film “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” comes into play. Based on a series of books by Alvin Schwartz and directed by André Øvredal, the film is a compilation of some of she short stories featured in the books with a tying narrative. But the big name is Guillermo Del Toro, who could be considered a master of horror in his own right, who is both co-writing and co-producing the film. While the film does have some issues, it is quite entertaining in its own right to hopefully become a horror classic. “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” is a unique set of stories that will keep you up during the night with the lights on. Please note: this review is coming from someone who has not read the stories by Schwartz. ...

Halloween is a typical holiday where things tend to be a bit on the scary side. Then there's the Day of the Dead, a Mexican holiday similar to Halloween, but with a more remembrance and focus on those who are gone from the world. And Hollywood is known for releasing films that are focused on Halloween; not so much on the Day of the Dead. Enter “The Book of Life”, a great animated film that is perfect for the season. We need more films like this, and hopefully, in the wake (no pun intended) of this movie's release, we will see more soon. Though the film does haves some issues, they are minor to say the least. “The Book of Life” is an extraordinary animated film that will hopefully gain younger audiences to learn more about the holiday known as the Day of the Dead. The plot involves a love triangle between three people. We have Manolo (Diego Luna), a bullfighter who wants to be a musician, and Joaquin (Channing Tatum), an egotistical soldier but has a right mind for the p...