Wonder Woman

Ratings: 9.2/10

Film Class: A

Genre: Superhero Action

Stinger: No

Deal-breaker scenes (spoilers alert): 

- Existence of Ares

- Diana finally "hearing" what the male protagonist was saying to her after suffering from temporary deafness after an explosion

The main reason for reviving this blog. Girl power to the max. Gal Gadot's such a charm this movie was all about her. Yes, about Wonder Woman as well, but the highlight was Gal Gadot. She stole almost every single scene with her in it. Also packed a good dose of comedy. 

First half was pretty good, 2nd half... every fan's fantasy. The ending fight scene was a blast, one of my absolute favourites. And the twist was really unexpected. I like how there were 2 villains that Wonder Woman had to fight back to back, and the movie really reached a climax at the end. Kick-ass graphics, and having 2 gods battle it out amidst probably one of the sweetest scene in cinematic history... priceless. 

It was so good, despite knowing there wasn't a stinger... I stayed till the end of the credits. There were also cheesy parts, but the ending dealbreaker scene, with what the male protagonist said to her... that was it. I couldn't be bothered to hold back my tears anymore. 

Even though it's a rather long movie, 2hr 21 mins, I couldn't get enough of it, Gal Gadot, the action, the graphics... pow wow... pow... wow... Wonder Woman's theme song is so ringing in my head right now, and I know it's gonna stay that way at least for the next couple of days. Guaranteed satisfaction, there's nothing not to love about this film. Love, can stop a war (seemingly superficial yet such a deep quote used in the movie, among other great quotes).

Alien: Convenant

Ratings: 8.1/10

Film Class: A

Genre: Horror Thriller

Stingers: No

I'm seeing double. Though storyline and twist were not exactly unpredictable, the tension was still well built-up. And the good thing about this is that the aliens are not hidden in the shadows. We see much of them in their full glory. More gory than horror, this sequel of the classic Aliens, similar to Prometheus, brings about a more biblical flaire. It's more artistic than sci-fi-y. The pre-posted video trailers help to tie up some loose ends. I took to youtube to figure out some pretty well-made timeline vids of the alien franchise. 

The ending... was a bummer. Absolute cliffhanger, but we know what's coming... the 3rd part of Ridley Scott's alien franchise revival...

Get Out

Ratings: 9.0/10

Film Class: B

Genre: Horror Thriller

Deal-breaker scenes (spoilers alert): 

- hypnosis scenes where protagonist sinks into a hole

Creepy as f*** (pls pardon the language). I don't think there's any other way to say it. On the contrary to some reviews, I don't find it racist. Surprisingly poetic. Cinematography was a stunner, same goes to the storyline which was rather intellectual. Easily one of the best horror thrillers I've seen. The last part was bada**, even up till the last scene... not sure if it was intentional... but there was a shadow of a doubt... about who's in the car who saved the protagonist. 

John Wick: Chapter 2

Ratings: 9.0/10

Film Class: B

Genre: Action

Deal-breaker scenes (spoilers alert): 

- kill scene in the Continental dining room

- last scene of John Wick running from like literally everybody

Off-the-charts cool. Every thing one would have hoped for in the godfather of action-packed movies. Powerful villains, formidable protagonist, car chases, fight duels, lots of bullets flying around, the build up, the straight-to-the-point script and the pencil kills. John Wick is the man you employ to kill the boogieman. Period.

Logan

Ratings: 9.2/10

Film Class: B

Genre: Superhero Action

Stinger: No

Deal-breaker scenes (spoilers alert): 

- when X-24 first came on screen 

- Logan trying to give a eulogy to Professor X

Old, but gold. Raw, country-style cinematography. Doesn't hold back on the gore, and despite it all, you feel so much for the characters, not some brainless action-packed film. X-24's debut was a shocking twist, and you'll be rooting for Weapon X from start to end. Touching, comical at times, but overall a very "real" movie, not typical of other superhero genres. A league on its own.

Arrival

Ratings: 9.2/10

Film Class: A-

Genre: Sci-Fi Thriller

Wow (palindrome). Time out! Time out! My mind was blown! Though not as mind******* as Interstellar, Arrival brings the same flair of intellect to the big screens. It has been a while for a movie of this caliber to be produced, and has "forced" me out of my shadows to once again start blogging. I cannot just not recommend this. If I had known the outcome, I would still have watched it...

Arrival is about 12 spacecrafts which landed in different parts of planet Earth. Not knowing what the intention is, the US military engaged a linguistic professor's help (Amy Adams). Last I recalled, I haven't seen her in such a solemn role yet, until this movie of course. Racing against time, and other countries to break the "language" barrier, Amy Adams must use whatever weapon she can conjure, to avoid a World War with aliens. 

The chemistry of the 2 leads (+ Jeremy Renner) was electric, and the director was way too generous with the tension build up - could only take a breather at the very last scene. It's one of the few times I can literally say I was constantly at the edge of my seat, together with the eerie soundtrack, Arrival felt like a spooky alien horror movie. It was smart too, not just with the use of linguistics (deciphering of a new language) but how the overall concept links with an important element which makes it logical.

Initially I thought the opening melancholy scene was rather short, lack of character build up, lack of audiences' sentimental investment, but then I understood why. Without divulging too much, though with minimal action scenes, Arrival is sure to impress most of its audience, especially Sci-Fi fans. 

Go watch it! It's a win-win situation, it's gonna be a zero-sum game ultimately.