Kong: Skull Island

★★★★★ - A Review by Cameron Kanachki

"Who's winning the war?" "Which one?" "That makes sense, I guess." That's a hilarious excerpt of a conversation between John C. Reilly & Tom Hiddleston in Kong: Skull Island, an absolutely crazy film. Set in 1973, Hiddleston plays Capt. James Conrad, a former British Special Air Service tracker. He has been hired by U.S. government agent Bill Randa (played by John Goodman) to map out an uncharted territory in the Pacific Ocean known as Skull Island. They are escorted by a Vietnam War helicopter squad led by Lt. Col. Preston Packard (played by Samuel L. Jackson) & his subordinates, Major Jack Chapman (played by Toby Kebbell), Capt. Earl Cole (played by Shea Whigham), Gunner Reles (played by Eugene Cordero), & Warrant Officers Glenn Mills (played by Jason Mitchell) & Reg Slivko (played by Thomas Mann). Also joining them are: anti-war photojournalist Mason Weaver (played by Brie Larson); Harvard seismologist Houston Brooks (played by Corey Hawkins); biologist San Lin (played by Jing Tian); & Landsat employees Victor Nieves (played by John Ortiz) & Steve Woodward (played by Marc Evan Jackson). Upon arriving, bombs are dropped to map out the island, but the helicopters are attacked by Kong (motion-capture played by Terry Notary), a huge gorilla. 

After crashing, Randa's plan for coming to the island is discovered: he wanted to prove creatures like Kong exist. Conrad, Weaver, Brooks, Lin, Slivko & Nieves try to get to the north end of the island, while the others try to find Kong & kill him. Conrad's group meets with Hank Marlow (played by John C. Reilly), an American soldier who has been stranded on the island for 30 years. Marlow tells them that Kong is God to the natives on the island, & that Kong is not the evil one on the island; those are the Skullcrawlers, who killed Kong's ancestors. Now, Conrad's group must find Packard's group & stop them from going after Kong.

The cast is amazing. Jordan Vogt-Roberts's direction is excellent. The screenplay by John Gatins, Dan Gilroy, Max Borenstein & Derek Connelly is brilliant. The cinematography by Larry Fong is amazing. The editing by Richard Pearson is excellent. The production design by Stefan Dechant is amazing. The film score by Henry Jackman is excellent. And the visual effects are astounding. This is an insanely amazing film.

The Zookeeper's Wife

★★★★ - A Review by Cameron Kanachki

"Maybe that's why I love animals so much. You look in their eyes & you know exactly what's in their hearts." That's an excellent quote from Jessica Chastain in The Zookeeper's Wife, a great but somewhat flawed film. The film is based on the 2007 book The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman, which was based on the true story of Antonina & Jan Żabiński. Set in 1939, Chastain plays Antonina Żabiński, a zookeeper at the Warsaw Zoo, along with her husband, Jan Żabiński (played by Johan Heldenbergh). Berlin Zoo director Lutz Heck (played by Daniel Brühl), known for being Hitler's zoologist & for performing infamous experiments, tries to make advances towards the zoo & Antonina.

On September 1, 1939, Poland is invaded by the Nazis, beginning World War II. Soon after, the Nazis begin to take the Jews out of the city & into the Ghetto. Eventually, Antonina & Jan decide to hide some Jews in the zoo, as many of the animals have been killed or slaughtered, although they know what the consequences of defying the Nazis could be. As they hide more & more Jews, the stakes get higher, & the danger of being discovered becomes more & more imminent.

The acting is excellent. Niki Caro's direction is excellent. Angela Workman's screenplay is great. The cinematography by Andrij Parekh is stunning. The film score by Harry Gregson-Williams is amazing. The costume design by Bina Daigeler is amazing. And the production design by Suzie Davies is stunning. Although the narrative is flawed, it's still a deeply moving film about an amazing people who saved many people from imminent death.

Life

★★★½ - A Review by Cameron Kanachki

"Goodnight, nobody." That's a sad & scary quote from Jake Gyllenhaal in Life, a pretty good but flawed sci-fi horror film. Gyllenhaal plays David Jordan, an American senior medical officer on the International Space Station. Also on the ISS are: British quarantine officer Miranda North (played by Rebecca Ferguson); American system engineer Rory Adams (played by Ryan Reynolds); Japanese pilot Sho Murakami (played by Hiroyuki Sanada); British biologist Hugh Derry (played by Ariyon Bakare); & Russian commander Ekaterina Golovkina (played by Olga Dihovichnaya). They have just completed a mission to capture a probe from Mars featuring a soil sample possibly proving life beyond Earth. A dormant cell from the sample grows into a single-cell organism named Calvin. After it is revived using electrical shocks, it becomes hostile & attacks Hugh. As Calvin begins to grow in size & become more dangerous, the crew realizes the lack of oxygen on Mars kept it dormant, & that if it comes back to Earth with them, the consequences will be disastrous. The crew must try to kill Calvin before they return to Earth.

The cast is amazing. Daniel Espinosa's direction is great. The screenplay by Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick is good. The cinematography by Seamus McGarvey is excellent. The editing by Frances Parker & Mary Jo Markey is excellent. The production design by Nigel Phelps is amazing. And the visual effects are stunning. Although the direction is a bit underwhelming & the screenplay is somewhat unfocused, the cast & technical elements save the film from being a disaster & make it an overall good film.

The Room

★★★★★ - A Review by Cameron Kanachki

"You're tearing me apart, Lisa!" That's an absolutely AWFUL quote from Tommy Wiseau in The Room, the worst film of all time. Tommy Wiseau plays Johnny, a successful banker in San Francisco. He lives with his future wife, Lisa (played by Juliette Danielle). Lately, Lisa has not been faithful to him, as she has fallen in love with Johnny's best friend, Mark (played by Greg Sestero). Her mother, Claudette (played by Carolyn Minnott), & her best friend Michelle (played by Robyn Paris), are both upset at Lisa for this, stating that since Johnny provides for her, she should stay with him. Also involved are: Denny (played by Philip Haldiman), a neighbor who Johnny loves like a son; Mike (played by Scott Holmes), Michelle's girlfriend; Peter (played by Kyle Vogt), a psychologist friend of Johnny & Mark; Steven (played by Greg Ellery), a mutual friend of Johnny & Mark; & Chris-R (played by Dan Janjigian), a drug dealer to who Denny owes money. As all these subplots become unresolved, tensions between Johnny, Lisa, & Mark boil up, & they all come to a head at Johnny's birthday party.

The cast is awful. Tommy Wiseau's direction & screenplay is terrible. The cinematography by Todd Barron is atrocious. The editing by Eric Yalkut Chase is dreadful. The score by Mladen Milicevic is appaling. And the soundtrack is horrible. The reason I gave this film 5 stars is because it becomes so downright awful that it becomes a masterpiece. It's so poorly made that it's absolutely hilarious.

The story behind the film is even more bizarre. The entire story of the making of The Room was documented in the book The Disaster Artist, which was written by Greg Sestero, who played Mark in The Room. It's an absolutely fascinating book. The Disaster Artist was recently adapted into a film that will be released later this year, with James Franco directing & starring as Tommy Wiseau, & his brother Dave Franco playing Greg Sestero.

I saw The Room at an art house theater near me, which was showing it as a midnight movie. At the screening was none other than Tommy Wiseau. I met him, & it was certainly an amazing experience. At the midnight screenings, people yell at the screen & throw plastic spoons at the screen.

All in all, this is an absolutely awful movie. It's not only the worst film of 2003 (the year it was released), or the worst film of the 2000's, or the century, but of all time. But it's so bad that it defies what we consider to be bad & becomes a masterpiece in the process. It's certainly a film that needs to be seen to be believed.

Beauty & The Beast

★★★★★ - A Review by Cameron Kanachki

"You have to help me. You have to stand." That's a great quote from Emma Watson in Beauty & The Beast, an absolutely amazing remake of the classic Disney animated film. Watson plays Belle, an avid book reader living with her widowed father, Maurice (played by Kevin Kline) in the French village of Villeneuve. Gaston (played by Luke Evans), a former soldier, wants to marry Belle, but she is repulsed by him. One night, Maurice & his horse, Philippe, end up at a castle seeking refuge. Maurice is eventually imprisoned there by The Beast (played by Dan Stevens) as punishment for taking a rose from the garden. Belle eventually goes there & asks to be imprisoned in Maurice's place, to which The Beast agrees.

Belle is eventually met by some of the objects in the castle: Lumière (played by Ewan McGregor), a candelabra; Cogsworth (played by Ian McKellen), a shelf clock; Mrs. Potts (played by Emma Thompson), a teapot; Chip (played by Nathan Mack), Mrs. Potts's son & also a teapot; Maestro Cadenza (played by Stanley Tucci), a harpsichord; Madame de Garderobe (played by Audra McDonald), Maestro Cadenza's wife & a wardrobe; & Plumette (played by Gugu Mbatha-Raw), Lumière's lover & a feather duster. They explain to Belle that they, along with The Beast, were transformed from humans into objects (or in The Beast's case, a beast) as punishment for not taking in a poor beggar from the cold. After The Beast (who was a prince) refused to let her in, the beggar transformed herself into a beautiful enchantress, who realized that The Beast was ignorant. She then transformed The Beast from a prince into a beast, & also turned the people who lived in the castle into objects. The enchantress also left an enchanted rose. To break the spell, The Beast must love someone & receive their love in return before the last petal of the rose falls. If that doesn't happen, he will remain a beast forever, & the objects will no longer be sentient & become regular objects.

Belle eventually grows to care for The Beast. But time is running out, & Gaston, along with his sidekick LeFou (played by Josh Gad), are planning to kill The Beast. Now, Belle must show her love for The Beast & stop Gaston from killing him.

The cast is amazing. Bill Condon's direction is amazing. The screenplay by Stephen Chbosky & Evan Spiliotopoulos is brilliant. The cinematography by Tobias Schliessler is breathtaking. The editing by Virginia Katz is excellent. The costume design by Jacqueline Durran is amazing. The production design by Sarah Greenwood is beautiful. The makeup & hairstyling is amazing. The film score by Alan Menken is amazing. And the visual effects are excellent. This is one of the best Disney live-action adaptations yet, & it actually improves on the animated masterpiece that it was adapted from.

Logan

★★★★★ - A Review by Cameron Kanachki

"The world is not the same as it was, Charles." That's a great quote from Hugh Jackman in Logan, the best film in the X-Men franchise. Jackman reprises his role as James "Logan" Howlett, AKA Wolverine. Set in 2029, Logan is now a chauffeur. He is aging extremely fast because the adamantium in his body is poisoning him, & his healing factor is depleting as a result. He also hustles for prescription drugs in Texas. No new mutants have been born in 25 years. Logan, along with albino mutant Caliban (played by Stephen Merchant) care for Professor Charles Xavier, AKA Professor X (played by Patrick Stewart), who is suffering from dementia & devastating seizures. Logan is offered a job by Donald Pierce (played by Boyd Holbrook), chief of security for Transigen, but he refuses.

One day, Logan is asked by a nurse named Gabriela (played by Elizabeth Rodriguez) to escort her & her 11-year old daughter, Laura (played by Dafne Keen) to Eden, a place in North Dakota. After Logan reluctantly agrees, Gabriela is murdered. Logan, Xavier & Laura escape, but Caliban is kidnapped & used to track Logan, Xavier & Laura. Logan learns that Transigen was breeding mutant children in Mexico born from the female employees from the X-23 project. Upon completion of the X-24 project, the children were rendered unnecessary & were to be killed. Gabriela & Laura escaped. Now, Logan must fulfill his promise, as Laura is just like him, & take her to North Dakota.

The cast is amazing, especially Dafne Keen, who gives one of the best debut performances I've ever seen. James Mangold's direction is excellent. The screenplay by Mangold, Scott Frank & Michael Green is amazing. The cinematography by John Mathieson is breathtaking. The editing by Michael McCusker is excellent. And the film score by Marco Beltrami is amazing. This is one of the best superhero films ever made.

The Michigan Movie Guy's 2017 Oscar Predictions

Well, the best films of 2016 will be honored tonight at the 89th Academy Awards. Here are my predictions for the awards tonight, along with who I think could win & should win.

Best Picture

All of the films nominated here are excellent. But the 3 big frontrunners for Best Picture are La La Land, Manchester by the Sea, & Moonlight.

Will win: La La Land. It's been the frontrunner since it premiered at Venice in September. I don't see it losing.
Could win: Moonlight. It's considered to be a dark horse. Although I don't foresee it winning, I wouldn't be entirely shocked if it did.
Should win: Manchester by the Sea. It's the best film of the Best Picture nominees. It's my 2nd-favorite film of 2016. Out of all these films, it deserves to win.

Best Director

All of the films here were directed with excellent precision. The frontrunners are Damien Chazelle for La La Land, & Barry Jenkins for Moonlight.

Will win: Damien Chazelle. After 2014's Whiplash, Chazelle directed La La Land with amazing precision. He's almost got it locked.

Could win: Barry Jenkins. Moonlight's one of the most acclaimed films of the year, & Barry Jenkins's direction is no small part of that. He's the dark horse here.

Should win: Kenneth Lonergan. His understated direction of Manchester by the Sea is excellent. It's his best film yet.

Best Actor

All of the nominees gave excellent performances. But it's down to 2: Casey Affleck in Manchester by the Sea; & Denzel Washington in Fences.

Will win: Casey Affleck. Although the odds have fallen against him recently, I still think he wins it.

Could win: Denzel Washington. After his Screen Actors Guild Award win, he has become the frontrunner. I wouldn't be shocked if he wins.

Should win: Casey Affleck. His performance in Manchester by the Sea is one of the best I've ever seen.

Best Actress

All 5 nominees gave great performances (although I don't think Meryl Streep should've been nominated). Emma Stone's the frontrunner here.

Will win: Emma Stone. She's been the frontrunner since she won the Best Actress Award at Venice in September.

Could win: Isabelle Huppert. She has skyrocketed in the nominations recently, & I wouldn't be surprised if she won.

Should win: Emma Stone. Her performance in La La Land is the best performance of the nominees.

Best Supporting Actor

This acting category is probably the toughest of the Oscars. Every nominee here gave excellent performances. The frontrunner here is Mahershala Ali.

Will win: Mahershala Ali. His performance in Moonlight is phenomenal.

Could win: Dev Patel. His win at the BAFTAs boosted his profile.

Should win: Lucas Hedges. His performance in Manchester by the Sea is absolutely stunning.

Best Supporting Actress

This one is all but locked up for Viola Davis.

Will win: Viola Davis. She gave a phenomenal performance in Fences.

Could win: Viola Davis. It's locked for her.

Should win: Michelle Williams. She's been nominated 4 times & she gave the most heartbreaking performance of the year in Manchester by the Sea.

Best Original Screenplay

It's a close race here.

Will win: Manchester by the Sea. Kenneth Lonergan's screenplay is amazing.

Could win: La La Land. This won Best Screenplay at the Golden Globes.

Should win: 20th Century Women. This was the best film of the year, & the screenplay was one of the big reasons for it.

Best Adapted Screenplay

It's a less close race here than in Best Original Screenplay, but it's still not locked yet.

Will win: Moonlight. After competing for Best Original Screenplay at most awards, it competes for Best Adapted Screenplay here.

Could win: Lion. Its recent BAFTA win has boosted its momentum.

Should win: Lion. This was an excellent adaptation.

Best Cinematography

These nominees all had amazing cinematography.

Will win: La La Land. This is just the beginning of La La Land's onslaught through the technical categories.

Could win: Arrival. Bradford Young's cinematography is amazing.

Should win: La La Land. It has the best cinematography of the year.

Best Film Editing

This is a runaway race.

Will win: La La Land. Tom Cross looks to get his 2nd Oscar win in this category.

Could win: La La Land. It's locked for this.

Should win: Arrival. The technical achievements were outstanding.

Best Costume Design

It's a tight race.

Will win: La La Land. This is Mary Zophres's 2nd nomination in this category.

Could win: Jackie. This is Madeline Fontaine's 1st nomination.

Should win: La La Land. The costumes are absolutely beautiful.

Best Production Design

It's a runaway race.

Will win: La La Land. No one is stopping this.

Could win: La La Land. It's locked.

Should win: La La Land. The production design is amazing.

Best Makeup & Hairstyling

I don't understand why Suicide Squad is nominated here.

Will win: Star Trek Beyond. The odds are in its favor.

Could win: Star Trek Beyond. No one is stopping this.

Should win: Star Trek Beyond. The makeup & hairstyling are amazing.

Best Sound Editing

It's a very close race.

Will win: Hacksaw Ridge. The Academy tends to go for war films in this category.

Could win: La La Land. This could sweep the sound categories.

Should win: Arrival. The sound editing is excellent.

Best Sound Mixing

It's less of a close race.

Will win: La La Land. The Academy tends to go for more music-driven films here.

Could win: Hacksaw Ridge. This could sweep the sound categories as well.

Should win: Arrival. The sound mixing is amazing.

Best Visual Effects

I don't understand why Deepwater Horizon is nominated here.

Will win: The Jungle Book. The visual effects are absolutely stunning.

Could win: The Jungle Book. It's locked here.

Should win: Doctor Strange. The visual effects are just absolutely amazing.

Best Original Score

These film scores are amazing.

Will win: La La Land. Nothing will stop this.

Could win: La La Land. It's locked.

Should win: La La Land. The film score is absolutely beautiful.

Best Original Song

The songs in this category are amazing.

Will win: City of Stars. La La Land has 2 songs nominated here, but this has the best chance of winning.

Could win: How Far I'll Go. If City of Stars & Audition (The Fools Who Dream) split the vote, How Far I'll Go could win, which would give Lin-Manuel Miranda the EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony).

Should win: City of Stars. It's the best song nominated here.

Best Animated Feature

This one is almost a lock.

Will win: Zootopia. It's been the frontrunner for a long time.

Could win: Kubo & the Two Strings. Its BAFTA win boosted its momentum.

Should win: Zootopia. It's the best animated film of the year.

Best Foreign Language Film

I can't believe Elle didn't make the shortlist, let alone get nominated.

Will win: Toni Erdmann. Its odds have faltered recently, but it had the frontrunner status for a while, & I think it wins here.

Could win: The Salesman. It has become the frontrunner recently because the director, Asghar Farhadi, will not attend the ceremony due to Donald Trump's Muslim ban.

Should win: Toni Erdmann. It's the best film nominated.

Best Documentary Feature

This is locked.

Will win: O.J.: Made in America. It's been the frontrunner for a long, long time.

Could win: O.J.: Made in America. This has it locked.

Should win: I Am Not Your Negro. This was the best documentary of the year.

Best Animated Short Film

It's locked here.

Will win: Piper. This will be Pixar's first win in this category since 2001's For the Birds.

Could win: Piper. Nothing will stop this.

Should win: Piper. It's the best animated short of the year.

Best Live Action Short Film

It's a somewhat close race.

Will win: Ennemis Intérieurs. It's the frontrunner here.

Could win: Sing. It's the potential spoiler.

Should win: Ennemis Intérieurs. It's the best live action short film of the year.

Best Documentary Short Subject

It's a close race.

Will win: The White Helmets. This has become the frontrunner recently, especially since the film's cinematographer was barred from entering the United States.

Could win: Joe's Violin. It's the potential spoiler.

Should win: The White Helmets. It's the best documentary short subject of the year.

Well, these are my predictions for the Oscars! Keep an eye on my predictions, & don't forget to watch the Oscars tonight at 8:30pm on ABC!