Caro the Movie Critic

I knew Steven Soderbergh would not have retired completely. He returned with an underrated but solid Logan Lucky  from last year which is sort of country-like version of Ocean's Eleven. But, some of his best work has been in mysterious thrillers or crime thrillers like Traffic or the underrated Side Effects . He sets certain suspense in certain frames in some movies that have some revelations creep up on you and it becomes startling and it almost feels like a docudrama at times. Now, he is a back with a thriller with a more of a horror spin, with a character trapped in a mental hospital. Even though the movie being shot on an iPhone 7 was being on a spotlight, the arc becomes a bit predictable but it's the horror tone and the performances that save the movie. It is a bit fascinating. Sawyer Valentini (Claire Foy from The Crown ) works an over-the-phone salesperson in Pennsylvania. She thinks she sees a mysterious man named David (Joshua Leonard) walking into the workplace,...

I enjoyed Pacific Rim the first time I saw it as I recognized Guillermo Del Toro's vision and was enamored by all its visuals and its glory with just robots/monsters fighting each other. It was a great theatrical experience, but at the comfort of my own home, it was all right. If there are some movies that should be experienced on the big screen, Pacific Rim would be one of them. Yet, I was not clamoring for another Pacific Rim because I thought it would fall into the same trap of concentrating on only the visuals and not much on the characters nor its story like the Transformers series. The sequel does not delve into the same garbage like its second movie of the Transformers series but this sequel has nothing new to say but something fresh to behold. Unfortunately, it is in its overlong climax but even though I did not long for aspirin after that sequel let's say it was not as headache-inducing as that ridiculous sequel,  Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen . The movie op...

I had heard very little about this movie but I knew that it had a lot of all-star talent and it is also a movie about a drug cartel. But, cartel movies vary with such curiosity but mostly in-depth in what is going on in the current world or in the past surrounding Pablo Escobar or War on Drugs. Although, we have focused on fictional and non-fictional movies surrounding drugs/drug cartels like Sicario , Scarface , Traffic, Blow and Clear and Present Danger , we have never have a movie where dark humor is put on a serious situation with a person being kidnapped during a drug situation. However, this particular movie has a intriguing subject and story, but throws it mostly all away at stylistic choices and meandering tones that cover what little of a meaty substance there is. Harold Soyinka (David Oyelowo) is a mild-mannered pharmaceutical rep for Promethium, who lives in Chicago and is married to Bonnie (Thandie Newton). Realizing that they are broke because of Bonnie's reckless...

This was a rather interesting experience for me viewing another Tomb Raider movie, but, I am guessing its was convenient to have experience with Tomb Raider  itself. I played a bit of the PC game while being young as the game was both easy and difficult to navigate through the missions. In addition to the game, I watched the two Angelina Jolie movies. I thought the first movie was ok, but the second movie was terrible with plot holes and some character issues. Now, I did not have much high hopes with another movie of this kind but I'm guessing in this time right now of a surge of female leads, I guess a re-boot was necessary. So, the result is that even though there was some hope in its nearly first-half to break the video-game curse, but, the movie tries too hard in its second half to become a video-game movie that is lacking in adventure and excitement that it does not hold as a whole. Lara Croft (Alicia Vikander) is a troublesome, but independent woman who has been waiting ...

Teenage movies or coming-of-age movies have had a strong upbringing for a realistic portrait of the young human condition as teenagers transition to young adults. Heck, I consider  Moonlight to be a coming-of-age movie and that won Best Picture. So, that win says to me that any coming-of-age story can be developed from different angles in different ways that is worth showing on the screen or read from a book. So, I have seen a movie where a character is struggling with identifying oneself because of their sexual orientation but this is in a different setting which I named earlier above. But, what was so fascinating about that movie was in its setting and conditions and how it impacted his adult life. However, it is identified in the forefront that the character we are following is a closeted person but is having trouble coming out in public in front of his friends and in public. At this time, I feel like that the movie successfully delivers a portrait of a type of potentially de...

I knew nothing going into this movie other than the fact that I recognize the three stars: Anya Taylor-Joy, Olivia Cooke and the late Anton Yelchin. All I knew that this movie was about some ploy to have two girls plan to kill Taylor-Joy's character's step-father. However, I was going in with more than an open mind because of the three lead actors. However, psychological distress in one certain character elevates this story into a territory that can be borderline risky surrounding her personality because it is all about the execution and the pay-off. In those two components, it is solidly executed and paid off thanks to two terrific performances. Amanda (Olivia Cooke) is an emotionally unstable girl who has been distant to her former friend, Lily (Anya Taylor-Joy). Lily has been paid by Amanda's mom to come to her house and tutor Amanda. However, she knows Lily has been paid to hang out with her instead of tutoring her, which the latter tries to deny. Afterwards, Amand...

Death Wish, its original film with Charles Bronson, was premiered in 1974 and had controversy afterwards regarding the support of vigilantism and exploitation of its explicit portrayal of the graphic violence, particularly a rape scene. But, the background and depth of Bronson's character is what made the movie feel more realistic and you feel for his pain as he was a combat medic because he was a conscientious objector due to the fact that his father, a hunter, taught him to use weapons. Unfortunately, his father was killed and his mother made him swear to use guns again. It makes sense in that movie even though I was against his approach to handling the situation. This is a carbon copy of the same film with not much impact or emotion and relies on the inconsistent tone and Bruce Willis' one-dimensional performance. Paul Kersey (Bruce Willis) is a Chicago trauma surgeon that lives with wife, Lucy (Elisabeth Shue), and their daughter, Jordan (Camila Morrone). Jordan has be...

To be honest, I have not read A Wrinkle in Time  from Madeleine L'Engle because a couple of priorities. But, I have heard a bit of a mixed reaction who have read the actual novel saying that the story is a bit simple mixed with a few gimmicks regarding time for a girl to search her father. After watching the trailer, I had somewhat low expectations because even though the visuals blew me away, the story did not quite interest me because of its set-up of its synopsis. It is like I have seen the story before in which a child is searching for his/her/their father. But, in director Ava DuVernay's hands, I was hoping for something quite special. Well, unfortunately, the result is visually ambitious but the overall movie falters in its narrative. Meg (Storm Reid) is a troublesome teenager who is worried about his father, Alex (Chris Pine), being missing for four years. Teachers are speculating as to why Alex is gone, one implies that he may be having an affair. Kids including Ve...

I was a bit interested in this movie to see how Jennifer Lawrence can fit in this spy genre and if the story will be interesting. We had a recent spy thriller with a female lead, Atomic Blonde , with Charlize Theron. I thought she and the action were great but I did not find the story all that convincing and it was rather more convoluted that it should have been. Here, we get another movie that feels like there is something at stake with the female character. But, right after the set-up, we understand why she has to do this but the emotional depth of almost all of the characters goes out the window and the rest of the movie becomes dull and a bit empty. After breaking her leg during a performance in the Russian ballet, Dominika (Jennifer Lawrence) cannot provide more medical support for her ailing mother, Nina (Joely Richardson) since the Bolshoi, the ballet company, will no longer pay her medical bills. Dominika's uncle, Ivan (Matthias Schoenærts), suggests that she works for...

Amdist the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements, the awards season has been delving more into the political and social issues of these movies. The conversations, arguments and comments are either understandable or ludicrous. But, during this important time, the social commentary or controversies have been surrounding mostly all of the nine Best Picture nominees. So, the question is which will win for Best Picture? Here are my predictions in the top categories. BEST PICTURE Call Me By Your Name Darkest Hour Dunkirk Get Out Lady Bird Phantom Thread The Post The Shape of Water Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Will win & Should win:  The Shape of Water Dark Horse: Get Out , Lady Bird , Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Dunkirk During the awards season, Call Me By Your Name was getting momentum but it lost a lot since the Golden Globes. However, after the Golden Globes, Three Billboards... was now jolted into the Best Picture conversation. BUT, The Sh...