Director: William Eubank
Writers: Carlyle Eubank, William Eubank (story)
Stars: Brenton Thwaites, Olivia Cooke, Beau Knapp

Synopsis: On a road trip, Nic and two friends are drawn to an isolated area by a computer genius. When everything suddenly goes dark, Nic regains consciousness – only to find himself in a waking nightmare.

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DIRECTION
The Signal is a weird science-fiction story that was probably written backwards because the final shot is a thing of beauty and everything the film does is used to set up that moment no matter what. The way the film progresses, felt like writer-director William Eubank and co-writers Carlyle Eubank and David Frigerio, were struggling finding a way to get to the huge climax. The Signal leaves the viewer with two options: You can sit back and watch the story untold or you can try to solve the mystery before the characters do. Both viewpoints will leave you disappointed because the film takes a turn for the worse in the middle. Despite the stellar performances by Brenton Thwaites, Olivia Cooke, and Beau Knapp, I am afraid nothing could have saved the second phase of the film. However, the special effects in this movie somewhere have James Cameron smiling. This is clearly the best thing about the film. Every scene in The Signal is depicted well and will blow you away visually.

Grade: C

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SCRIPT
The film begins with a road trip, following three college friends as they drive across the country to California. Haley (Olivia Cooke) is transferring to Caltech, a move that her boyfriend Nick (Brenton Thwaites), is choosing to read as a breakup. Nick has early stages of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and becomes distant to Haley because he thinks she will breakup with him when his disease becomes worse. During the awkward pilgrimage, the students receive taunting texts from Nomad, a skilled hacker whose previous pranks nearly got them expelled from MIT. Jonah (Beau Knapp), the geeky third wheel along for the ride, traces the stranger’s IP address to a secluded outpost in Nevada. One detour and a close encounter later, right out of a Paranormal Activity scene, Nick wakes up to find himself in quarantine, the unwilling test subject of hazmat-wearing scientists. As things develop, Nick suspects that the mysterious leader Damon (Laurence Fishburne), is hiding something. Part of the fun in this film is letting the events play out on their own, so without going into any specific plot details, I will say that the writing trio does do a terrific job of keeping you interested through short but concrete narratives and stunning visuals and great acting. One of the best scenes in this film comes from a brief encounter with Lin Shaye’s character Mirabelle. One of the redeeming qualities of this film is the way the characters interact with each other because the movie offers large set designs with very few people in it so it is up to the actors to fill the empty spaces. If it was not for the way the story shifts in the middle, this could be an A film.

Grade: C

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RELATED: 22 Jump Street Movie Review

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PERFORMANCES
If you do not know who Brenton Thwaities is, then you will after this year as he has five films coming up this year. Thwaities last seen briefly in Maleficient, was also the star opposite of Karen Gillian in Oculous. Thwaities is the main focus here as Nick Eastman and the results are for better than I expected. The beautiful Olivia Cooke who was the lone bright spot in The Quiet Ones, again did a stellar job here as Haley. Cooke has that natural ability to display her emotions through her eyes and body language. Laurence Fishburne as the lead researcher Damon, did a remarkable job shielding his motives behind an unnervingly ambivalent demeanor.

Grade: A

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SCORE
Composer Nima Fakharara has a score that isn’t that memorable but it serves the intensity of the film and fills the space nicely. It’s never distracting and let’s your focus stay where it needs to be, especially if you’re working hard figuring out the narrative aspects.

Grade: B

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FINAL THOUGHTS
If you want to watch a great movie this weekend, and it’s playing in your area, check out The Signal because it showcases brilliant young talent with a unique and engaging story.

Overall Grade: C+

Director: Dean DeBlois
Writers: Dean DeBlois, Cressida Cowell (“How to Train Your Dragon” book series)
Stars: Jay Baruchel, Cate Blanchett, Gerard Butler

Synopsis: When Hiccup and Toothless discover an ice cave that is home to hundreds of new wild dragons and the mysterious Dragon Rider, the two friends find themselves at the center of a battle to protect the peace.

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DIRECTION
What Dean DeBlois was able to do with the first How to Train Your Dragon was just incredible and has become big favorite of mine since then. There was some huge expectations for How to Train Your Dragon 2 and boy did Deblois deliver. The aerial shots of Hiccup and Toothless are just fascinating and absolutely beautiful. The aesthetic they create is very similar to the first film and the animation is just impeccable. There’s a compelling blend of characterization and action that DeBlois handles flawlessly in this series. He also handles the dark moments of the film really well too, which does get a bit deep for some youngsters, but serves the story so well. Everything from the story to the animation to the music came together for a full and rich experience.

Grade: A+

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SCRIPT
The story picks up not far after the events of the first How to Train Your Dragon, where dragons have fully integrated into the society of Berk, including dragon races that look like a ton of fun. Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) is on the verge of being appointed Chief of Berk (the next King essentially), but he doesn’t feel like it’s something for him. He likes to fly with Toothless and be on adventures. Hiccup, while flying on Toothless, find a new spot of land that is something they haven’t seen before. They discover that an evil is lurking, which they discover to be this menacing Dragon Master, Drago, who will kill for nothing. Hiccup feels it’s his duty to find Drago before he comes to Berk, but while flying he runs into a mysterious dragon rider that will change his life forever. Some of the story here gets a little convenient, however it’s potent in its’ presentation and even gets pretty emotional. The climax is nothing short of amazing, even more emotion and robust storytelling. This is one both parents and kids will love.

Grade: A

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RELATED: 22 Jump Street Movie Review

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PERFORMANCES
Jay Baruchel is really great as Hiccup and fully embodies that persona of a young man who’s trying to find himself, especially within this world. His interactions with his family and with toothless are just incredible. Gerard Butler is perfect as Stoick. Anytime Butler gets to use his natural accent is okay with me and he was the quintessential voice for this role. This isn’t Cate Blanchett’s best work but it’s absolutely serviceable and works well in the films most intimate moments. Craig Ferguson didn’t have a ton to do, but was magnetic when his character was there. Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, America Ferrera, Kristen Wiig, T.J. Miller and Kit Harington offer small supporting roles that were mostly used as comedic devices.

Grade: A

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SCORE
John Powell was born to score the How to Train Your Dragon series. His score for the first film is one of the best and emotional scores you’ll hear for an animated film. His score here is no different and elevates every part of the film. It’s gorgeous and captivating, especially when the film gets sentimental. The action sequences are fun and intense, which Powell works magically with his full orchestra. Go listen to this score. You’ll thank me later.

Grade: A+

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FINAL THOUGHTS
There were a lot of expectations for How to Train Your Dragon 2 and it did not disappoint. Every time we see Hiccup flying on Toothless, it’s riveting and makes me want to do that so bad. The film is just as emotional and engaging as the first one, with a climax that’s just as powerful. I cannot recommend this film more highly.

Overall Grade: A

Director: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller
Writers: Michael Bacall (screenplay), Oren Uziel (screenplay)
Stars: Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, Ice Cube

Synopsis: After making their way through high school (twice), big changes are in store for officers Schmidt and Jenko when they go deep undercover at a local college.

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INTRO
I would rather be stuck in an elevator with a person whose breath is as bad as Megan Fox’s acting, than suffer through another Jump Street. One genre of film that I personally hate reviewing is Comedy. What makes one person laugh may not necessarily make the next person laugh. Being somewhat of an entertainer with a very dark and crude style of humor, I find the writing in most comedies to be crafted in a way that forces the jokes on you and uses retired jokes until you laugh. 21 Jump Street was one of the worst movies I saw in 2012 as it suffered from a triple crown of having a bad storyline, terrible characterization and of course not being very funny.

DIRECTION
Chris Miller and Phil Lord’s 22 Jump Street is fully aware that it is a sequel. The majority of the film deals with running gags from the first film and fails to offer anything new and exciting for its 122 minute runtime. Miller and Lord should stick with doing animation because The Lego Movie was a better effort in my opinion. Miller and Lord working with a script by Michael Bacall and Oren Uziel results in repetitive jokes, nonexistent character development and offers no depiction of actual college life. Miller and Lord also have too many moments where they try to force you to laugh. For instance, there is one scene where Schmidt is fighting with a female character and the film tries harder than a rabbit trying to get some trix to be funny.

Grade: D

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SCRIPT
The picture opens with an amusing “previously on 21 Jump Street” bit before diving headlong into the new story. After a solid action sequence, Jenko and Schmidt are sent into a local college in order to locate the supplier of a drug known as “WHYPHY” (WiFi) that killed a student photographed buying or dealing it on campus. Just like the previous film, a drift between the two partners occur when one befriends another group of friends. Jenko meets quarterback Zook (Wyatt Russell) and the two instantly form a bromance so tight that will make Seth Rogen and James Franco jealous. Schmidt finds himself in a romance with Maya (Amber Stevens). Jenko and Schmidt once again not only have to crack the case but they need to address their personal issues before it’s too late. Most of the film’s humor is supposed to come from the disintegrating partnership between Schmidt and Jenko, as there partnership is equated to being a gay relationship. I found these jokes to be very unoriginal and seemed to be insulting the gay community. There was also a few jokes that dealt with rape and once again I found the jokes to be unoriginal and quite silly. A lot of the audience at the screening I went to were laughing so hard I’d thought that have read a Tyler Perry script. Maybe I am different in that I do not find rape and gay jokes to be funny.

Grade: D

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RELATED: Trust Me Movie Review

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PERFORMANCES
I know this is a comedy but at least have some characters that are not one-dimensional and useless. Speaking of useless, Jonah Hill’s character was extremely boring in this movie and had zero development at all. I can tolerate Hill in the right type of film but in the Jump Street films, his character gives me a stomach ache. Tatum was better in this movie than the first one but personally I do not think that he can play comedic roles. Jillian Hall and Wyatt Russell shined in every moment they were on-screen and was able to work well with Tatum and Hill in their scenes with them. Amber Steven’s did a wonderful job as being the Kate Upton of this film-serving as amazing eye candy.

Grade: C

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SCORE
Despite the lack of direction and script, one thing that does work well here is the music. How convenient is it, that the drug on campus is called WHYPHY, which is Work Hard, Yes; Play Hard Yes. Work Hard Play Hard just so happens to be a Wiz Khalfia song that is incredibly fitting. Music by Duck Sauce, Tiesto, Steve Aoki are also featured in this movie that balances the hip-hop and EDM style music effectively. Mark Mothersbaugh’s score isn’t featured much but works well when it’s there. The soundtrack overall is pretty great though.

Grade: A

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FINAL THOUGHTS
22 Jump Street is sadly probably going to do very well just like Neighbors.

Overall Grade: D

Director: Clark Gregg
Writers: Clark Gregg
Stars: Clark Gregg, Felicity Huffman, Allison Janney, Saxon Sharbino

Synopsis: In an attempt to sign a Hollywood starlet, struggling talent agent and former child star Howard Holloway must contend with her volatile father, a scheming long-time rival, and a producer and casting director who despise him.

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DIRECTION
Clark Gregg’s Trust Me, from the opening frame, sends us into the world of Hollywood chaos and the behind-the-scenes corruption and manipulation. The aesthetic Gregg creates feels a little bit amateur-ish and isn’t always 100 percent believable, but once the film settles, it explores some interesting ideas. These ideas are compelling but the execution of them visually, once again fall under the category of amateur. Realistically, it’s probably more budgetary issues though. Gregg’s biggest achievement was getting great performances out of the actors he rounded up. The acting is really great and brings the film solidity in many places where it felt mostly flat.

Grade: C+

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SCRIPT
The story centers around Howard, an rambunctious, talkative movie agent who’s not quite on the level of his competitor’s. He’s a former child actor who just couldn’t quite make it to the top, which parallel’s his life as an adult, which has put him on the brink. He then runs into Lydia (Saxon Sharbino), a young teen actor looking to get into the business. Lydia has a connection to Howard, despite her dad being a little cautious, and she hires him as her agent. Soon after, Lydia gets a call to be the lead actress in a big teen novel adaptation, to be directed by Ang Lee, which suddenly changes all of their lives. The story takes a sentimental turn in the third act and leans heavily on twists that feel forced and stifled. The ending is flat and gives Howard a redemptive element that isn’t justified and it’s pretty cheesy. That being said, the story showcases moral dilemma’s and how obscure it feels in a world of corruption and manipulation. Those elements are interesting and raise some fascinating questions, despite the execution being a bit muddled.

Grade: C

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RELATED: The Angriest Man in Brooklyn Movie Review

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PERFORMANCES
The performances are easily the brightest spot of the film. Clark Gregg is pretty good as Howard, a character who isn’t completely likable, a little cocky and isn’t fully aware of things happening around him. The big surprise here is Saxon Sharbino, a young actress forced into meta acting, acting that you’re acting, which is not easy to do. However, you know when she’s pretending and you know when she’s genuine, which isn’t easy to pull off. Allison Janney and Felicity Huffman don’t have much screen time, but offer solid roles when they are there. Amanda Peet has a small role as the neighboring love interest. While as a plot device, it can be a little distracting, she’s great when she’s there. Sam Rockwell, channeling is inner Justin Hammer, is fantastic and steals the show when he’s on screen. Gotta love him.

Grade: B+

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SCORE
Mark Kilian gets the nod to score here and it’s completely forgettable. There’s not much to it and while it suffices, it certainly doesn’t add any value.

Grade: C

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FINAL THOUGHTS
Trust Me raises some interesting moral questions, especially within an industry that is selfish (at least that’s how it’s made to be) and all about the money. However it’s diluted with unnecessary subplots, cheesy special effects and an ending that just doesn’t feel earned. Clark Gregg is incredibly endearing and you gotta love him, but this isn’t his best work.

Overall Grade: C

Director: Phil Alden Robinson
Writers: Daniel Taplitz (screenplay), Assi Dayan (based on the film “The 92 Minutes of Mr. Baum” written by)
Stars: Robin Williams, Mila Kunis, Peter Dinklage

Synopsis: A curmudgeonly man is mistakenly told that he has 90 minutes to live by his doctor and promptly sets out to reconcile with his wife, brother and friends in the short time he believes he has left.

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DIRECTION
The Angriest Man in Brooklyn wastes no time setting it’s mood, when the first scene of the film showcases it’s lead character, Henry Altmann, sitting in his car during rush hour with the most pissed off look of all-time. While director Phil Alden Robinson tries to keep it light, the tone is constant anger and loss of control. Robinson tries to capture the chaos of resentment and reconciliation when life is coming to an end, however it mostly becomes just a punchline. Some scenes feel lazy and he fails to capture any significance from Mila Kunis, which isn’t surprising, but hurts the films foundation. The ending was well handled though, and nails it’s poignancy, despite it not being 100 percent justified.

Grade: C

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SCRIPT
The story centers around Henry Altmann (Robin Williams), who’s an angry man and lost the happiness life used to give him. In fact, anger is his muse. Once he’s in a car accident, which of course sets him off into the right mood, he goes to the hospital to find out he’s been diagnosed with a brain aneurysm. Instead of being treated by his normal doctor, he’s instead looked at by Dr. Sharon Gill (Kunis), which is a stretch to believe in itself. At any rate, Henry is angry at his diagnosis and forces Dr. Gill to give him a timeline to live and when she panics, she says 90 minutes. As you can imagine, this would put anyone into a dramatic state of reminiscence and reflection. Henry then goes on a journey of reconciling relationships, all while contemplating ways to end his journey on his own terms. While it’s a depressing premise, it’s also compelling and makes you ponder about what your own journey would like. However, and unfortunately, that’s where the compelling nature of the story ends. The characters aren’t grounded in reality and the story moves quickly to absurdity for the sake of “humor”. While most of the jokes fall flat, Williams is naturally funny and comes out well in his rants, which isn’t really meant for humor. All in all, it the story wastes it’s premise, but does have some sentimental moments and the ending was well done.

Grade: C+

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RELATED: Chef Movie Review

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PERFORMANCES
This isn’t Robin Williams’ wheelhouse and he lacks a great script, but his natural tendencies for humor carry him far in this film. He channels his inner Lewis Black, let’s loose and really goes for it. While he doesn’t hit every note, there are few that do hit well. His despicableness draws you in just enough, and it’s also compelling to understand why he acts the way he does. Mila Kunis on the other hand is just flat out awful. She’s not believable as a doctor and her character arc with Williams is muddled and has no conviction. While part of it is a script issue, Kunis doesn’t add any value to the character. Peter Dinklage on the other hand was a bright spot. He’s not in the film a ton but when he’s there, he steals the show and is the most grounded character in the film.

Grade: B-

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SCORE
Mateo Messina actually has a descent score here and probably made some scenes feel greater than what they actually were. It’s subtle as you would imagine in a film like this, but because the film is very poignant, it does have some legs. It’s not enough to save the film or make it that much better, but it helps a little.

Grade: B

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FINAL THOUGHTS
All in all, The Angriest Man in Brooklyn isn’t the worst film I’ve seen all year but it’s certainly a disappointment. I like Williams and he’s not terrible, but the script really held back from a theme that was compelling when it was focused on him and his tragedy. What would you do if you knew you only had 90 minutes to live? Or a week? A tightened script could of done this film wonders, but as is, it’s a mess.

Overall Grade: C+

Director: Doug Liman
Writers: Christopher McQuarrie (screenplay), Jez Butterworth (screenplay)
Stars: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton

Synopsis: An officer finds himself caught in a time loop in a war with an alien race. His skills increase as he faces the same brutal combat scenarios, and his union with a Special Forces warrior gets him closer and closer to defeating the enemy.

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DIRECTION
Doug Liman’s Edge of Tomorrow is one of the bigger surprises of the year as the marketing for this film did nothing for me. However, Liman found a great blend of action and storytelling that makes Edge of Tomorrow one of the better films of the summer so far. The way he edits and pieces this story together is something I wish Michael Bay would take cues from. It’s pieced together magnificently. The action is enthralling and intense, all while serving the story and engaging you with his characters. His camera shots are creative at times and the aesthetic he creates in his war battles are like a PG-13 version of Saving Private Ryan, especially when you add in the irony of an invasion happening in France. The third act becomes a little bit average though and loses some of it’s muster, mostly due to a script issue. And the ending lost it’s potency when the final elements draw to a conclusion, but again, part of that blame goes to the script. All in all, Liman is terrific here and this film is a lot of fun.

Grade: A-

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SCRIPT
The story begins with a montage sequence setting up a future world where aliens have arrived and started a war on two different fronts. In this sequence we see Cage (Tom Cruise), a military Public Relations rep, on cable news discussing how they are fighting the war with new suits they built. With these new suits, a soldier by the name of Rita (Emily Blunt) has emerged as a hero and considered the best soldier in the suits. After Cage is ordered to the front line to help promote a big invasion, he refuses and is arrested and sent to the front line anyway. It’s not long into the invasion, which is chaotic and violent, Cage is killed and he wakes up back at the base where he was arrested. From here a “Groundhog Day” effect develops and he’s forced to figure out why he keeps dying and re-living the same day. He eventually meets up with Rita, who knows what he’s going through and together they start to take advantage of Cage’s condition, much like you would playing Modern Warfare on X-box. While the script does work much like a video game, the use of time travel is effective and alluring. Screenwriters Christopher McQuarrie and Jez Butterworth do a wonderful of blending humor with the drama that was perfectly timed. The third act however becomes very predictable, as set up earlier in the film and loses the energy the film had built up. It more or less becomes an average action film at that point, with action sequences the new Die Hard would be proud of. There’s also a slight twist at the end that cuts it’s legs from under itself and lessens the climax. Overall, it’s still very enjoyable.

Grade: B+

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RELATED: Chef Movie Review

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PERFORMANCES
Tom Cruise is pretty solid as Cage, who see’s a transformation happen throughout the film. Cage is nervous and timid but as the film progresses he has to learn to find it within himself, which Cruise showcases well. He’s funny when he needs to be and makes it feel natural in a world that wasn’t funny. Emily Blunt is pretty fantastic and carries herself like an action movie pro. Her aesthetic is badass and her chemistry with Cruise was solid. As for Bill Paxton, if he was going for weird and annoying, he nailed it. He also had a Kentucky reference, that us here locally would appreciate. The rest of the cast is fine and serve their roles well.

Grade: A-

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SCORE
Christophe Beck gets the nod to score here and while it’s more or less a snooze fest outside of the film, inside of the film it’s actually pretty effective. And that’s all the really matters, right? It adds some intensity to the film, especially in the films beach sequences. Overall though, it’s not Beck’s best work.

Grade: B

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FINAL THOUGHTS
Edge of Tomorrow is one of Tom Cruise’s best films of late. The framework and structure is unique and well handled for the most part and is still exciting, even though the final act isn’t quite on the same level. The look of the aliens is great as well and have some unique powers that are used effectively. This was a nice surprise for me and one I’d recommend.

Overall Grade: B+