june round-up

i've been meaning to write up reviews for the movies i've been watching in the latter half of june, but between research essays and baking in the sun i've kind of been slacking. so here's a quick summary, including some newer releases!

mama (2013)
punk jessica chastain and jamie lannister adopt some freaky feral kids that bring along their imaginary friend. hilarity ensues. as with any ghost story, the ghost is much more effective as a scare when it remains out of sight. both the ghost and the plot are kind of hilarious, and you can really tell that someone tried really hard to make it scary, but they both fall short of the mark. really give this one a pass, it adds nothing new to the horror genre or is even fun in that "it's so good it's bad" way.

antiviral (2012)
now this is what i call a horror movie. set in some near future where harvesting and experiencing the same illness as your favorite celebrity becomes a type of communion between fan and idol, syd, an employee of the lucas clinic, becomes infected with a deadly virus that killed off its host. i was absolutely engrossed from the first 10 minutes, unable to tear my eyes away from the screen for a moment. it does drag in some moments, but it achieves a kind of horrific fascination that is missing from the horror genre of recent memory. definitely not for the faint of heart.

dredd (2012) 
surprisingly polished action movie that left me wanting more. dredd creates a gritty, dystopic future where cops are given full power to act as judge, jury and executioner to fight against ultra violent gangs. what i liked best about this movie that it didn't try to bullshit some romantic subplot, which too many action movies fall victim to these days. the problem isn't that it tries to diversify its genre, but that it's done poorly and in an often problematic way. dredd, on the other hand, had more named female characters with significant roles than it did male characters, and lena headey is one of the most ruthless villians i've seen in a while. if you're ever in the mood for some kick-ass, no nonsense action, this is the movie for you.

red (2010)
i'm a little late to the game on this movie, but hollywood never really did do a good job appealing to my demographic. surprisingly, this movie hits all the right notes, and never takes itself too seriously. also: helen mirren sniping at dudes, what more could you ask for?

the host (2013)
before you say anything, i watched it with a couple of friends late one night for shits and mostly jake abel's angel face. terribly paced, horribly acted and miserably scripted. don't even watch it for fun, or for jake abel's face, he's not in it nearly enough to make up for the 2 hours wasted on this travesty of a movie. god, what an awful film.

breaking dawn: part 2 (2012)
i seriously only watched this for hot vampire lee pace. this movie is so terrible that it's fucking hilarious, unlike the host's miserable trainwreck. seriously, go have a couple drinks and watch this with your friends to enjoy the shitfest that is the twilight series. fuck this movie.

trance (2013)
i can't say much without spoiling the experience of this film, but holy shit. a stylish and beautifully shot film that adds a spin on the heist genre. god, the opening sequence is one of the best i've seen in a while. try not to read up too much on it before you watch it, it's better just to experience a movie like this. i have a thousand things i want to say about trance but mostly i'm so happy to see vincent cassel back on screen. he's not in nearly enough movies for my liking, even if he only plays the french asshole in all of them.

21 jump street (2012)
i kept on putting off watching this movie until now, and boy was i wrong about it. i mean, i'm not a fan of channing tatum or anything he usually stars in, or of buddy cop movies in general. except for hot fuzz, that movie stands in a league of its own. channing tatum should stick to comedy, he's a lot of fun when he's not taking himself too seriously. the script was top notch and actually had me laughing out loud at parts. it also managed to capture high school in a way no movie has managed to do in recent memory? this is now my go-to movie if i'm feeling like something fun.

red 2 (2013)
i had so much hope for the sequel of red, especially with the addition of lee byung-hyun as a ruthless mercenary. i know it's sad that i have to be glad a movie is reaching the minimum standards of decency, but i have to say how refreshing it is to see a movie where an asian character isn't a stereotype. han (byung-hyun's character) is a ruthless mercenary who just wants his money and his plane back. as for the rest of the cast, the sequel makes a parody of the characters. the way red 2 tries to fit in a romantic subplot is almost painful. just stick to the chase scenes and explosions, please.

pacific rim (2013) 
yo i don't know what you've been hearing about this film, but it 100% lives up to the hype. first of all, let me tell you that gigantic mecha robots and monsters are not my thing. when i saw the trailer for pacific rim i shrugged it off as another apocalypse monster movie. but oh my god, was i wrong. i haven't had this much fun at a movie in a long, long time. also, if you have the resources to, i actually recommend seeing it in 3D because it utilizes it not as a gimmick but an enhancement. this movie does so many things right: the cinematography, the pacing, the script and the action sequences. every scene in the movie is meaningful, and is used to advance the story forward. arguably one of the best movies of 2013. go see this immediately.