Movie Reviews from Chris

★ 1/2 out of ★★★★ Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994) Runtime: 86 minutes MPAA: Rated PG-13 for off-color humor and some nudity. Ace Ventura shows you what a monkey Jim Carrey can be. He can act like an autistic lunatic dressed up in an off-beat kiddie suit and likes to  jump on tables to humiliate his colleagues   in his office  like a four-year-old. I'm surprised this is the movie that kickstarted Carrey's career. If it was 'The Truman Show' that made his career skyrocket, I'd believe the hype a little more.  It appears to me that the only thing Ace Ventura excels in is in its comedy, mainly coming from the energetic performance of the to-be superstar Jim Carrey. His character stupidly and offensively handles a delivery package by kicking and throwing it and does ridiculous actions like using his bottom to make signs while saying, 'Can I 'ass' you a question?' that cracked me up a little. The synopsis of the film is about Ace Ventura, a priva...

★ ★ ★ out of  ★ ★ ★ ★ 3 Idiots (2009) Runtime: 170 minutes MPAA: Rated PG-13 for thematic material, some disturbing images and crude humor. 3 Idiots reaches a high point in one scene where the Headmaster Viru Sahastrabuddhe hands down his space pen to the mischievous student Ranchoddas Chanchad. Scenes like this in films show us the culmination of effort, sweat, and tears our characters have worked countless ages on. All the Bollywood presumptions are there: ridiculous, over-the-top performances, logic and physics-defying action sequences, dance scenes with characters moving scarfs around their necks and overdone 'PowerPoint Presentation' editing. 3 Idiots is a welcome and lukewarm surprise, largely avoiding these cliches that make the tone hard to take seriously, while also being a searing exploration on the education system and whether we're learning to score marks or to gain knowledge. We actually start in the present, with former students Farhan Qureshi and Raju Rastogi...

★ ★ out of  ★★★★ Black Widow (2021) Runtime: 134 minutes MPAA: Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence/action, some language and thematic material. Here I am, sitting in front of the screen, disappointed, after watching Black Widow. Black Widow just feels like a missed opportunity to expand more about the character of Natasha Romanoff, and instead swerves into a search-and-rescue mission of trained assassins held captive in the 'Red Room'.  Set after the events of Captain America: Civil War (2016) and before Infinity War (2018), Black Widow talks about its main character, Natasha Romanoff, who has to confront her past linked to a dangerous conspiracy  (long before she became an Avenger) , and in the meantime is also is being pursued by a force that will take her down no matter what. At first, we get to see two children playing with each other, while they learn the word bioluminescence, which contributes nothing to the story at all. Later, during dinner, they are inf...

★ ★ 1/2 out of  ★ ★ ★ ★ The Dark Knight (2008) Runtime: 152 minutes MPAA: Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and some menace. The Dark Knight isn't a great film as it ostensibly is. Perhaps, that is due to Christopher Nolan going autopilot in the second act, repeating Joker's schemes which dampens the menacing effect each encounter, a woefully simple premise and an overly complicated plot. Set an unknown time period after Batman Begins, Lieutenant James Gordon, Harvey Dent and Batman begin an assault on Gotham's organized crime, the mobs hire the Joker, a psychopathic criminal mastermind who offers to kill Batman and bring the city to its knees. The Dark Knight is arguably hailed as Nolan's best film. However, I can't shake off the fact that it turns into an excessive mayhem with cops and helicopters, as an excuse to not properly develop our main characters. It starts off interestingly with a tense bank robbery, ending with the first appearance of the Jok...

★ ★ ★ 1/2 out of  ★ ★ ★ ★ The Farewell (2019) Runtime: 100 minutes MPAA: Rated PG for thematic material, brief language and some smoking. Saying goodbye to a family member is an excruciating experience. The Farewell is 'based on true lie', which involves a family who finds out their grandmother is dying from Stage 4 lung cancer, although the grandmother has no clue about it. In order to cover things up, they decide not to inform Nai Nai, and instead to organize a wedding as an excuse to gather everyone to meet her for the final time. The Farewell is very true to Asian culture. It has almost everything you need - strong characters, long, drawn-out but painfully accurate family dinner conversations, cultural diversity, behind-the-stage emotional outbursts and scenic views of the streets of China. However, several scenes like Billi playing the piano or Nai Nai and the family bowing cut abruptly, which is slightly jarring. Consider Billi as your point-of-view. This character ...

★★★★ out of  ★★★★ Whiplash (2014) Runtime: 106 minutes MPAA: Rated R for strong language including some sexual references. Fletcher (right) pushing Neiman (left) to his limits, demanding him to play faster. In the last ten minutes of the film, the camera zooms into the main character's father (Paul Reiser), his face showing that he has been petrified of the monster his son has become, as his son plays the thrilling drum solo 'Caravan'. Whiplash is about a 19-year-old drummer named Andrew Neiman (Miles Teller), who aspires to be the next great musician. He enrolls into Shaffer Conservatory, one of the most respected music schools in the country, and is mentored by an abusive music teacher named Terence Fletcher (J.K. Simmons), whose sadistic and unconventional methods, fueled by Neiman's determination and persistence, push Neiman to his limits. Director/writer Damien Chazelle has produced such a compelling and captivating drama that never fails to entertain me (even if I...

★ ★ ★  1/2 out of  ★ ★ ★ ★ The Father (2021) Runtime: 97 minutes MPAA: Rated PG-13 for some strong language, and thematic material. The Father is undoubtedly well-acted, well-crafted and densely packed with raw emotions, with the amazing performances from the two lead actors, Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Colman, and seems to work without a proper narrative. I myself got very confused watching Hopkins' character realize he was in somebody else's flat and then it is revealed he is in his flat after all, or how each scene transcends into eternal madness, ending up in a hospital, with characters that change names and appearances as if they were in a spinning lottery wheel. I would have appreciated if the movie made clear which point of view it was presenting or sticking to one point of view. Other than Hopkins and Colman the other characters just revolve and are here to confuse Anthony (that's the name of his character) and the viewer more. This confusion was made on purpo...

★★ ★ 1/2  out of  ★★ ★ ★ The Dark Knight Rises (2012) Runtime: 164 minutes MPAA: Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some sensuality and language. This is The Dark Knight I've been waiting for. A movie that is subtle and explores the psychological and physical limits of a superhero, while offering tense and exhilarating action sequences.  To be honest, after a while, I was already so immersed into the experience that I had already forgotten that it was a superhero movie.  It's one of the better superhero movies you can view out there, or have a re-watch, in this era of CGI, explosions, excessive effects without a proper narrative. The Dark Knight Rises is a movie that can explain why the 164 minutes are here for and are worth it, instead of its predecessor, in which its 152 minutes offered too much psychology crap and philosophical lines that requires a PhD in Batman Studies to understand. Besides, who knew The Dark Knight Rises would be so rele...