In Your Eyes Review

     Usually, writers and directors find a style they are good at and stick with it; Joss Whedon is not one of those people. He's mostly known for his sci-fi/fantasy ventures such as acclaimed TV shows like "Firefly," and "Buffy: The Vampire Slayer," as well as one of the highest grossing movies of all time "The Avengers;" these types projects are his bread and butter, but he isn't afraid of traveling out of his comfort zone. Some of his other writing credits include "Toy Story," "Cabin in the Woods," and "Much Ado About Nothing." This time, he's written something pretty far out in left field; fortunately like almost all of Whedon's work, it's very good.

     "In Your Eyes" can best be described as a paranormal romantic comedy, but as weird as that sounds it actually works. The film revolves around two parallel individuals; a young woman in a loveless marriage living in New Hampshire named Rebecca, and an ex-con trying to get his life together living in New Mexico named Dylan. Both of them were born with something special, they can communicate telepathically and see out of each other's eyes. They have never met each other and live on opposite sides of the country, but for some reason they have always been connected. There's no way to explain it, it just is. After some time, the two develop a friendship. With no one in their lives they can be really honest with, they see this as an opportunity to get close to someone; but after a while it becomes more than a friendship. They both start to fall in love, especially Dylan. This puts Rebecca in a particularly tricky situation; choose between the man she's married to, or the man she truly loves.

     "In Your Eyes" is a strange film to say the least, but at the same time it's a beautiful film with a touching love story. One of my favorite aspects of the film would have to be the main characters, they're both very likable and you just want them to succeed. It's been a while since I rooted for the main characters the way I did for those in this movie. It also helps the actors did great jobs in their roles. One of the most notable aspects of the movie would be the writing, even though it's something different you can still see Whedon's finger prints all over the script; it manages to be sincere and heartfelt, while interjecting enough humor to keep the film lighthearted. It can get a little cheesy here and there and is somewhat text book love story by the end, but manages to keep you interested throughout. The overall plot of the movie is actually very interesting and rather original, unfortunately with that comes its biggest flaws. It's hard to explain, but it just felt that they tried really hard to make this movie unique. I can imagine Joss Whedon sitting in a room writing it thinking, "How has a love story not been told? I know, we'll tell it through telepathy." The movie just ends up coming off as little desperate for originality; but what bothered me the most is that they don't explain anything in this movie. You have these two people who have psychic links, but they never really talk about it after they discover their ability. They just use it to have phone conversations; I understand wanting to keep it somewhat mysterious, but I wish they would have at least acknowledged that it was weird and delved a little deeper into it. While "In Your Eyes" has its flaws, at the end of the day it manages to do more right than wrong. This has been the most delightful movie I've seen so far this year, as well as one of its biggest surprises. I went into this movie knowing almost nothing about it, and came out of it with a smile on my face and a warm feeling in my stomach. "In Your Eyes" is a joy from start to finish, and is a movie I already want to watch again.

Pros: Funny and sincere, good acting all around, interesting and unique plot, beautiful love story, very likable main characters. 

Cons: Can get cheesy, doesn't explain much, tries a little too hard to be original, predictable towards the end.

4/5 Stars

Archer Vice Review

     Over the years, the raunchy cartoon comedy has become a genre in itself. It started with Family Guy and lead to "South Park," "Futurama," "American Dad," and a number of Adult Swim shows have followed; but as many of these shows have came out of the wood work over the years, 'Archer" has easily been my favorite. "Archer" is an original series by FX that premiered back in 2010, it revolved around a super spy named Sterling Archer. Archer is very good at his job, he is one of the top spies in the world; but at the same time, he is an idiot with mommy issues. It doesn't help that the agency he works for (ISIS) is owned by his mother.

     For years ISIS ran covert operations all over the world, but Archer's mother Malory managed to not tell her workers one important fact. It turns our ISIS has been running its operation without the permission from the US government, so one day the FBI raids their headquarters and arrests everyone. Malory manages to pull a couple strings, and in exchange for their freedom she forfeits ISIS headquarters and all of its assets. So suddenly out of a job, the entire team starts to wonder what their back up plan it; but Archer and Malory point out that they may have a way to make more money than they would ever need. Over the years ISIS has seized quite a lot of drugs from various organizations; so they figure the only thing they can do is form their own little cartel. Now the problem is how are they going to sell a literal, not figurative, ton of cocaine?

     "Archer Vice" is a change of form for this show; the first four seasons were exclusively followed a spy format, while this fifth season has taken a lot of influence from eighties crime show such as "Miami Vice." At first it might throw the viewer, but by the end of the season it has that old "Archer" flare. Probably the best aspect of this series has always been the strange catalog of characters. Whether it be the idiotic mamma's boy, the alcoholic owner of the company, the beautiful yet unappreciated female spy, the clumsy and socially awkward accountant, the secretary with the choking fetish, the vulgar human resources director, or the insane Nazi clone scientist; every character is colorful and hilarious. "Archer" has been one of the funniest shows on TV for the past few years, its raunchy and well timed humor is top notch. I have talked to some people who have been turned off by the vulgarity and sexual innuendo in the show, so if that's something that might bother you this isn't a show you would enjoy. Probably the biggest complaint I've ever heard about this show would be the animation style, it's very strange; it took me the entire first season to get used to is. While you won't like it at first, if you stick with it you'll actually come to really enjoy it. As a whole, this show is fantastic; but concerning the fifth season, it's a mixed bag. The changing of the format has been met with criticism by many, and even I found that I didn't like it for a while. For the first half of the season, you never really know where the show is headed and what the point is. Some of the earlier episodes aren't even that funny. The second half of the season really picks up the pace but by then it might be too little too late for some. I really enjoyed this season, just like all the other ones; but I will admit this is one of the weakest. I've talked to some people who loved it and others who hated it; it just depends if you're open to change or if you want the show to stay the same. Personally, I was impressed that the people behind the show were willing to take such a big risk with changing the format. It was a bold move that could have ended in failure, but in my opinion it didn't. They have announced that they will be going back to the old format next season, which I will admit I am a little happy about. While "Archer Vice" might not have been the best season of the show so far, it was still hilarious and still one of the best shows on TV right now. 

The Raid 2: Berandal Review

     Every few years we get a movie that turns its genre on its head, something new that redefines the genre and breathes fresh life into it. Back in 2011, an Indonesian martial arts movie called "The Raid: Redemption" took the movie industry by storm; people were calling it the best action movie in over a decade. The last time we had seen an action movie of the same caliber was probably "The Matrix." What "Star Wars" was for sci-fi and "Goodfellas" was for crime, "Redemption" changed the way we looked at action movies. It raised the bar and brought a new standard to a genre that had been over saturated with lazy summer blockbusters and early in the year garbage. The movie was an immediate success; it was praised by critics as well as making 15 million off its one million dollar budget. It wasn't long before people were asking for a sequel; fortunately the director heard our pleas and production for a sequel began in 2012. After a long silence the sequel has finally arrived; and the result isn't just an improvement over its predecessor, it stands alone as one of the greatest action movies ever made.

     "Berandal" takes place almost immediately after the events of "Redemption;" our protagonist Rama survived the war in the apartments and was given a series of tapes that proves a number of cops and officials in the city are corrupt. With nowhere to go, he meets up with a detective who is head of an anti-corruption task squad. They decide the only way to keep Rama and his family safe is if he disappears, so they place him undercover in order to take out the crime families that are plaguing the area; the local crime boss and some yakuza from Japan. In order to get an in with the local crime boss, he gets arrested and thrown in prison in order to get close to the boss's son. After two years in prison, he earns the son's trust; and once released, he is invited to join the father’s organization. Tired and missing his family, Rama wants nothing more than to go home and see his family; but he realizes that he has to eliminate the crime families and the corrupt cops. After having to get his hands dirty, and seeing what these people are capable of, he soon realizes that he may be in over his head. So he sets out to complete his job, and the carnage begins.

     In short, "Berandal" improves upon its already great predecessor in just about every single way possible. It kept what made the first one a great action movie, while adding elements that make it a great gangster and crime thriller. The most immediate and obvious change over "Redemption" has to be the plot and dialog, it's substantially better. The plot in "Redemption" was rather unoriginal and somewhat predictable, and the dialog was just plain bad; they were and after thought and played second fiddle to the action. In "Berandal" we are greeted with a smart and intriguing plot along with well crafted and often intense dialog. They really brings the movie to an entirely new level. "Redemption" really was nothing more than a mindless action movie, you only watched it to see some awesome fight scenes; but "Berandal" managed to capture my attention with a surprisingly great story, and didn't let go for the entire run time. I will say that the movie is a little longer than necessary though, it could have managed to cut 10 to 20 minutes and it would have been perfect. While it's obvious that a lot of time and effort was put into this movie's plot and dialog, the action is why people will come and see this movie. The first movie became an instant classic with its action sequences, and the people behind this movie promised that they would make the action bigger and better; well I can safely say this movie will be listed alongside some of the greatest action movies ever for generations to come. The action sequences are truly amazing, and have some of the best fight choreography I've ever seen in a movie. Complemented by great performances from the actors, every action scene is just downright phenomenal. The fights are fast and furious, and will have you giddy with excitement of seeing people just get smashed; but that does bring me to one aspect of the movie I was not a big fan of. This is an incredibly violent movie, more so than needed to be. I'm not a fan of violence for the sake of violence, which this movie has plenty of. There are several unnecessarily brutal kills in this movie that I didn't see the point of; I know this isn't a problem for a lot of people, but it is something that did bother me personally. One of the most strikingly obvious aspects of the movie is that the cinematography is beautiful, and actually manages to add to the action. The camera is always where it is supposed to be, and they pull off a few nifty tricks that come out fantastic on camera. Probably the biggest and only major problem with the movie is that there are some characters that could have been flushed out more. A few characters are introduced and play a major role in the movie, but we never really get to learn about them; their back stories and personalities are ignored. This movie is first and foremost an action movie, but with so much more emphasis placed on the story, it would have been nice to see a little bit more to these characters. This is an amazing movie from start to finish; I don't know any other way to put it. There hasn't been another movie in recent years that has entranced me to the same extent as this one. I've heard rumors that the director is planning to make a third film sometime in the next few years, while it may be hard to top this movie I have faith that he will knock it out of the park one more time. "The Raid 2: Berandal" is a two and a half hour masterpiece of violence and chaos, and one of the best movies so far this year. 

Pros: Amazing action sequences, much improved plot and dialog over original, some of the best fight choreography ever put in a movie, great performances from the entire cast, beautiful cinematography, works as a gangster and crime thriller.

Cons: Unnecessarily violent, a few characters aren't flushed out, a little longer than needed.

5/5 Stars

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

         Disney has made so much money off of these Marvel movies, it's ridiculous. Of the nine Marvel movies put out by Disney, they have made almost a combined six billion dollars; making it the third highest grossing movie series behind James Bond and Harry Potter. The problem I have with the Marvel movies is that they aren't always particularly good. Other than the first "Iron Man" and "The Avengers," none of the movies have been great; some of them were even subpar. Disney doesn't really have to try with these movies to be honest, they know that they could throw just about anything together in one of these movies and they know people will go see it. After "The Avengers," Disney started with the second generation of Marvel movies. But with "Iron Man 3" (which I plain didn't like) and "Thor 2: The Dark World" (which I enjoyed but wasn't overly impressed by), I was starting to worry about the future of these movies and if the people behind them were just looking for a payday and not looking to make a good movie. Fortunately, "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" has arrived to put my fears to rest.

     Taking place after the events of "The Avengers," Captain America has become an important asset of the government agency SHIELD while at the same time is attempting to adjust to modern day life. The Captain is having trouble coming to terms with the way SHIELD operates, especially after a rescue mission that got a little sketchy. He learns that SHIELD is about to start an operation that would virtually eliminate any threats to the world's security using these giant helicarriers that could target people from the sky and eliminate them. One sday, SHIELD commander Nick Fury is attacked and almost killed; he manages to escape and make it to the Captain's apartment. He tells him that something is up and gives the Captain a flash drive with some very delicate information; just then, Nick is shot multiple times. The Captain goes after the assassin only to catch a glimpse of a legendary hitman known as the Winter Soldier. In Fury's absence, SHIELD decides to go forward with the operation involving the helicarriers. The next day the Captain is called in for questioning about the event, he says he knows nothing and leaves. Shortly after he is attacked by SHIELD agents and is wanted for withholding information. The Captain escapes, and with the help from Black Widow, is forced to track down the Winter Soldier and learn what is going on with SHIELD.

     In short, "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" is one of the best movies taking place in the Marvel universe; expanding on that, it works not only as a great superhero action movie as well as a smart and entertaining spy thriller. "The Winter Soldier" brings on an all star cast just like any other Marvel movie, and as always they deliver. Chris Evans and Scarlet Johansson are the main stars, and both give particularly strong performances. Robert Redford is also added to the cast, he adds an even higher level of credibility to an already stacked movie. One of my favorite aspects of the film would be that Scarlet Johansson is more predominately featured than in the previous movies in the franchise. Johansson has always been known for being very attractive, and because of that she's often been type cast as the pretty face; but she really is an exceptionally talented actress and that shows in this movie. On more than one occasion, "The Winter Soldier" produces some of the best action sequences you'll see in a movie all year; but it is so much more than just an action movie, the story really is great and is thrilling in its own right and brings forth some interesting political aspects we are seeing in real life. I also appreciate that the CGI in the film is much better than what we saw in its predecessor. Like all Marvel movies, the writers interject a good bit of humor in it; but unlike "Iron Man 3," it doesn't feel as forced and is much funnier. One of the best aspects of the movie has to be the villain, but at the same time it is its biggest fault. The Winter Soldier is an incredibly menacing villain; he is of equal skill of Captain America and really gives him a run for his money. He might not have the charisma of the Joker "The Dark Knight" or Raul Silva from "Skyfall," but he is still quite the badass; but the biggest problem with the movie is that the Winter Soldier is extremely underutilized. To be honest, I'm not even sure why they put his name in the title; he's arguably not even the main villain, I just wish he was in more of the movie. "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" is great, plain and simple. It's not just a great superhero movie; it's a great movie in general. Minus an underutilized villain and that it gets a little sappy when it tries to be dramatic, it does just about everything right. From the acting to the writing to the action, everything comes together and culminates into what has been one of the best movies of the year. 

Pros: Great performances from the entire cast, particularly strong performances by Chris Evans and Scarlet Johansson, awesome action sequences, great sense of humor, Johansson plays a much more prominent role, menacing villain, interesting political aspects, much better CGI than in the previous movie.

Cons: Underutilized villain, gets a little sappy at times.

4.5/5 Stars