...After Earth Movie Review...

After Earth (2013)
By Lindsey Pogue
Rating: PG-13/100 minutes

Genre:  Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi 

Starring: Will Smith, Jaden Smith
Director: M. Night Shyamalan

LP's Rating: 3/5 stars

*DISCLAIMER- Generally I wouldn't post a movie review if I wasn't super into the movie, but this particular film left me conflicted, which can sometimes be a good thing for people, so I figured, why not?

Basic Overview: A crash landing leaves Kitai and his father Cypher stranded on Earth, a millennium after man ruined Earth and therefore humanity was forced to escape. With Cypher injured, Kitai must embark on a perilous journey to signal for help. Fear is Kitai's greatest weakness and becomes the tipping point between life and death.

My Review. This is one of those movies that left me going, "hmmm." The moment it started, I wondered what I got myself into by agreeing to watch it for reasons I explain below. However, by the end of the film, I was much more engaged and was left with a muddled opinion. Doesn't that happen a lot after watching movies? Is that a sign of a good movie, that it leaves you contemplating more than when you started it? Doesn't that mean you enjoyed it? The answer is probably yes to all of those, but...still I'm conflicted. As many aspects as I liked, I disliked, and by the end I was left with a bad taste in my mouth, even if I can only try to articulate why below.

**SPOILERS AHEAD**

What I didn't like. 

No connection to the characters. My favorite character was the dead sister and the giant eagle (or maybe it's a falcon) that saves Kitai's life when all hope was lost. I nearly teared up when the damn bird died, but never really felt any connection to Kitati or Cypher who were the two main characters. Shouldn't it be the other way around? My fiance would argue that it's a movie about trying to rid yourself of emotions and thinking rationally so to act without fear. While those intentions are clear throughout the story, the delivery comes off too flat, and as a result isn't not relatable and becomes disengaging.

The Acting. While I'm generally a pretty big Will Smith fan, I found this movie to be missing something from him--personality or passion I'm not quite sure. He was so one-dimensional that I felt I didn't understand him or really like him much. He's generally such a huge personality that demands center stage. His hard-ass, detached, no-nonsense character was borderline too unrealistic for me. Someone can't be so completely in control and devoid of outward emotion, especially when they think they're child is dead or dying...right?

The dialect and names. The way Kitai spoke in general was sort of jarring. In the beginning I heard nerdy kid from the south who isn't sure how he feels. Then, when you see how's talking it's like...that was weird. In the beginning it seemed forced and unnatural, but thankfully I did sort of forget about it after a while. The character names were also very singular and difficult to keep track of. I didn't even know Jaden and Will's character names until I looked them up. 

What I liked. 

The production. The scope was huge, imaginative, and thought provoking. The cinematography was really beautiful. Plus, it was sort of filmed in my own backyard of Norther California, so that might be why it resonated so much with me. 

The concept and themes. I liked the basic story idea--a famous General who's traveled the galaxy for years forgets how to be a father and through their journey, father and son are forced to reconnect and rely on one another to survive. I also liked the fact that it was a story about facing your worst fears. How poetic that Kitai is running from a monster that hunts him because he's afraid--literally tracking by his fear--and thus Kitai must overcome his "cowardice" if he's to save his life as well as his father's. 

**Intriguing Fact. Will Smith wrote this story. I didn't know that until the end credits. Smith wrote it, and he had M. Night Shyamalan direct it, and then put himself and his son in the starring roles. It seems appropriate, actually. Smith's been in many Sci-Fi movies, including Men in Black, Independence Day, I Am Legend, and I, Robot. So, it's interesting that this movie didn't do so well. You have to wonder why. Was it because of the story--his story? How it was adapted to a screenplay? Was it the directing or the lack of connection between father and son--real life and off screen? I personally wonder if Will Smith is happy with this movie. Just something I've been musing over.

Overall. I was entertained by this movie, but I was also obviously frustrated by it. It was just...strange, and I wish it would've been better. Although I'm hesitant, I would recommend this movie to people who like science fiction. Again the basic story idea is really great actually, but there was just something lacking in the acting I think. If you're watching it because you love Will Smith movies, you'll probably be disappointed. 

...Mama Movie Review...

Mama Movie Review (2013)
By Lindsey Pogue

Rating: PG-13/ 100 minutes

Genre: Horror, Thriller

Starring: Jessica Chastain, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau

Director: Andrés Muschietti

Producer: Guillermo del Toro

LP’s Rating: 5/5 stars

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

Basic Overview:  This is a story about two young girls who's father loses his mind, takes them out into the woods and attempts to kill them. Only the two girls are saved by "Mama" who becomes the very word. She feeds them, protects them, and plays with them all the while their uncle is searching for them, hoping that they're still alive...somewhere. Well, he gets his wish. After a handful of years he finds the girls, wild and living in an abandoned house in the woods. Little does he know that the two girls are not all he brings back into his home. He and his girlfriend get more than they bargain for when they try to civilize the girls, begin to love them, and are faced with the horrors that accompany life with the two girls. As the girls begin to see that Mama is dangerous and a threat to the family, the girls must choose between the spirit that raised them and their real family.

My Review. 

I really enjoyed this movie. In fact, this is the first "horror" movie I felt as if I was rooting for the monster as much as the protagonists. I was on the edge of my seat from start to finish and found it to be an overall satisfying and compelling horror movie, which I don't typically find. I went from not wanting to watch it to not being able to look away.

Why did I like it?
It's different. I've never seen a horror movie in which I'm torn as to who I should be cheering for. Although there is a definite "bad guy" or "monster" I almost see Mama as more of a "gray" character that's in between and compelling in her own way. Yes, she was a psycho in her past life, but she's also the one who saved the girls and took care of them for so long. She's reacting toward the family as any mother would when feeling threatened.

It's compelling. The relationship between the uncles girlfriend, Annabel, and the two nieces, Lilly and Victoria is very complex and feels real. I like that Annabel went into the situation not because she truly wanted to, but because it meant the everything to the love of her life. She gave up her band, her life...so that she could try to play house with these two wild children and in the end, she was more of a mother to them than she could ever have predicted. I was rooting for her the ENTIRE time.

The ending. It wasn't a bad ending, in fact it was just more surprising than anything. It wasn't how you'd think a horror story should typically end--either everyone lives happily ever after or everyone dies. It was satisfying because it seemed to have a little bit of both. While one girl decides she wants to be with her family, the other decides Mama is her true home and she and Mama parish in happy ignorance at the end.

What I didn't like.
To be honest, I'm not really sure what I didn't like about this movie, nothing comes to mind  other than it was just so different than any other horror movies I've seen, but in a good way. There were of course instances when I was screaming, "Turn around you idiot!" or something like that, but that's a good sign, right?

My recommendation. If you like compelling, different horror movies, you probably like this. If you're more of an Exorcist fan or like Paranormal Activity, probably no so much. If you enjoy Guillermo del Toro movies, this is probably one you'll want to see and if you like to be conflicted as to who you should be rooting for, again, this might be a movie for you. Personally, I LOVE Jessica Chastain and as always, she didn't disappoint!

...World War Z movie review...

World War Z Movie Review (2013)
By Lindsey Pogue

Rating: PG-13/ 116 minutes

Genre: Action | Adventure | Horror


Starring: Brad Pitt, David Morse, Mireille Enos, Daniella Kertesz

Director: Marc Forster

Book Adaptation: World War Z, By Max Brooks (Apocalyptic Horror)

LP’s Rating: 5/5 stars

Basic Overview: A pandemic spreads throughout the world infecting billions of people, and in turn collapses armies and governments leaving everyone who's left to scramble for answers. Retired United Nations investigator Gerry Lane (Pitt) is called upon to investigate the origin and science behind the virus that’s threatening to destroy humanity itself. In order to keep his family protected, Lane agrees to traverse the world, digging up and following leads he hopes will lead him to the origin of the virus.

My Review. Although I’m an avid reader and I co-author a post-apocalyptic sci-fi book series, I’m not typically an end-of-the-world sort of reader. Movies, however, are a completely different story. When I heard they were making WWZ into a movie, and that Brad Pitt was going to star in it, I instantly thought, “this is going to be…interesting.” It was difficult for me to picture and really get excited about Brad Pitt and zombies. However, going into the movie knowing little about it, I had little to no expectations about the film, and I ended up being very pleasantly surprised by the story line. Don’t get me wrong, I like Brad Pitt as an actor. Who doesn't? But Brad Pitt and zombies didn’t seem like a believable or satisfying pairing to me. I was wrong.

Why did I like it? WWZ isn’t your typical zombie story—it has complexity, science, intrigue, and tons of on-the-edge-of-your-seat suspense and action.

It’s realistic. WWZ isn’t about a genetically altered badass or crazy gunslinger who single-handedly try to save the world nor was it about power hungry extremist. It's more organic than that. Yes, Lane is the hero of the story, but he doesn't save the world on his own, or do it with any ease whatsoever. Lane's drive is more human and relatable than say, Alice from Resident Evil (even though I love her). This movie is thoughtful and realistic in terms of what actions would be taken, the anatomy of the virus, and how and who might actually be able to get to the bottom of it and discover weakness, cures, and so on. WWZ, to me, seems feasible, which makes the story that much more frightening and realistic. It's more of a behind-the-scenes look at what the government (at least what remains of it) would do in order to stop the virus, who they’d call upon to help, how the world as a whole is affected, and so on.

Suspense. Without giving too much away, this movie is stressful—in a good way—to watch. Just when you think Lane might catch a break, that some of his team members might live or that answers may have been uncovered, the situation gets worse and the plans fall apart. Lane is forced to think of his feet and work with strangers in nearly every scene just to stay alive. Nothing in life is ever easy, right? There is little about this movie that's convenient, another reason why I appreciated it so much. All 116 minutes are a struggle and every minute of it you're hoping Lane will catch a much needed break.

The science. The more “interactions” Lane has with the infected, the more he observes. What sets them off? Who is it that they kill? Is it everyone, or…? Why? The more he sees, the more questions he has about their weaknesses and the way the virus works. Everything has some sort of weakness, right? What is the biology of nature? As a hypothesis begins to form, Lane is forced to make some very hard decisions as to how exactly he’s going to test them, making every moment up until the very end, thrilling.

My recommendation. I really enjoyed this movie, but that’s me. I’m not a fan of over-the-top horror movies like so many of them are. For a movie to be truly unsettling and considered “scary”, it needs to be plausible and this story does that for me. It makes me think…what if? I would recommend it to anyone who likes a deeper level of involvement from the audience—an action/horror film with complexity, humanity, and a character's sheer will to stay alive--if not for his family than for himself. This movie makes me want to read the book.Check it out.