Adrift

★★★★ - A Review by Cameron Kanachki

Survival movies aren't really my thing, considering most of them feel formulaic & don't feel fresh, retreading the same stuff.

Adrift, while not completely fresh, is a really good survival film. Based on the 1998 book Red Sky in Mourning: The True Story of a Woman's Courage & Survival at Sea by Tami Oldham Ashcraft & Susea McGearhart, & set in 1983, the film follows Tami Oldham (played by Shailene Woodley), a world traveler from San Diego. She has made her way to the island of Tahiti in the Pacific Ocean. There, she meets Richard Sharp (played by Sam Claflin), a British sailor. Eventually, they start a relationship.

Eventually, Tami & Richard are asked to sail a yacht named Hazana from Tahiti to San Diego, which is Tami's hometown. At first, the journey is calm & uneventful. However, they eventually run into Hurricane Raymond, a massive Category 4 storm. They end up going straight into the hurricane.

After the hurricane, the damage to the boat is immense: the yacht is completely flooded, & the supplies in the boat are almost decimated. Richard's leg is badly injured. Now Tami must find their way back to land in order for both of them to survive.

The cast is excellent. Shailene Woodley's performance is terrific. Her character is filled with fear, despair, & anger, & Woodley portrays those emotions so well. Sam Claflin also turns in a great performance.

Baltasar Kormákur's direction is amazing. Kormákur directs with a great flourish, especially the storm sequences.

The screenplay by Aaron Kandell, Jordan Kandell & David Branson Smith is good. Although the narrative is a bit contrived, & the main romance is a bit underdeveloped, but the plot is still very intriguing.

And Robert Richardson's cinematography is fantastic. There are so many beautiful wide shots on the sea, & there's an excellent 3-minute long take that is one of the best of the year.

This is a very good film. Although it does have a few flaws, the film has a lot of great things in it, especially Shailene Woodley's performance & Robert Richardson's cinematography.

Adrift was seen by me at the MJR Marketplace Digital Cinema 20 in Sterling Heights, MI on Tuesday, June 19, 2018. It is in theaters everywhere. Its runtime is 96 minutes, & it is rated PG-13 for injury images, peril, language, brief drug use, partial nudity & thematic elements.

Tag

★★★½ - A Review by Cameron Kanachki

Picture this: 10 guys playing a game of tag for one month every year for over 30 years. Sounds crazy, right? Well, it's real. And now it's a movie (albeit with a few differences).

Tag is that film. While it's a bit scattershot at times, it's an enjoyably funny comedy. Based on the 2013 Wall Street Journal article It Takes Planning, Caution to Avoid Being It by Russell Adams, the film follows 5 life-long friends: Hogan "Hoagie" Malloy (played by Ed Helms); Randy "Chilli" Cilliano (played by Jake Johnson); Kevin Sable (played by Hannibal Buress); Bob Callahan (played by Jon Hamm); & Jerry Pierce (played by Jeremy Renner). Since, they have played a month-long game of tag every May.

Hoagie tells Chilli, Kevin & Bob that this is their last chance to tag Jerry, as he has never been tagged in the history of their game. Jerry is retiring after this year due to his upcoming marriage to Susan Rollins (played by Leslie Bibb). Rebecca Crosby (played by Annabelle Wallis), a journalist for The Wall Street Journal who is doing a profile on Bob, also accompanies them, & so does Anna (played by Isla Fisher), Hoagie's wife.

When they go to their hometown to stake out Jerry, Susan sees them & sets out ground rules for the tag game: no tagging will be allowed during any wedding activities. This, along with the reappearance of the childhood crush of both Bob & Chilli, Cheryl Deakins (played by Rashida Jones), will end up causing some challenges in everyone's quest to tag Jerry.

The cast is amazing. Helms, Hamm, Johnson & Renner are great at comedy, as they always are. But the 2 standouts are Fisher, who is hilarious because of her character's cut-throat style; & Buress, who always has a perfect deadpan style.

Jeff Tomsic's direction is good. Although there are several flaws in the direction, they're normal for a first-time director, & especially for a comedy director.

And the screenplay by Rob McKittrick & Mark Steilen is great. Although some jokes fall, most of them do land, & some characters are really well-realized.

This is an overall good comedy. Although it has several flaws, it has enough going for it to make it a solid film.

Tag was seen by me at the MJR Marketplace Digital Cinema 20 in Sterling Heights, MI on Monday, June 18, 2018. It is in theaters everywhere. Its runtime is 100 minutes, & it is rated R for language throughout, crude sexual content, drug use & brief nudity.

Incredibles 2

★★★★★ - A Review by Cameron Kanachki

14 years. That's how long we've waited for a sequel to The Incredibles. Although we understood that the best story needed to be realized & that it takes a while for that, we wanted it sooner.

Incredibles 2 was definitely worth the wait. In fact, I loved it even more than the first. The film once again follows our favorite superhero family: the Parrs: father Bob, AKA Mr. Incredible (voiced by Craig T. Nelson); mother Helen, AKA Elastigirl (voiced by Holly Hunter); daughter Violet (voiced by Sarah Vowell); son Dash (voiced by Huck Milner); & infant son Jack-Jack (voiced by Eli Fucile). They are still secretly operating as The Incredibles. After their attempt to stop The Underminer (voiced by John Ratzenberger) from robbing Metroville Bank is foiled, they are put in a motel since the Super Relocation program is being discontinued, this being the last favor being given to them by longtime supervisor Rick Decker (voiced by Jonathan Banks).

Not long afterwards, family friend Lucius Best, AKA Frozone (voiced by Samuel L. Jackson) is contacted by Winston Deavor (voiced by Bob Odenkirk), an avid superhero fan & owner of technological company DEVTECH. Lucius asks Bob & Helen to come with him to talk with Winston about superheroes. Winston & his sister, Evelyn (voiced by Catherine Keener), propose a stunt to regain the public's faith & trust in superheroes. Helen is chosen as the first person for the job, as Bob & Lucius cause much more destruction in their heroic efforts than Helen. Reluctant at first, Helen decides to take up the offer.

Bob, disappointed about not getting back into the superhero life as soon as he hoped, takes up the task of being a stay-at-home dad, which he struggles with at first, as Violet goes through heartache, Dash struggles with math, & Jack-Jack's powers start to form. Eventually, he pushes through the struggles, thanks to the help of Edna Mode (voiced by Brad Bird).

On Helen's end, she's trying to face off against someone by the alias of Screenslaver. But the issue with Screenslaver is not as it may appear.

The cast is superb. Nelson & Hunter are so energetic, & bring a lot of liveliness to their roles. Samuel L. Jackson is terrific as always. And Brad Bird steals the show again as Edna.

Brad Bird's direction is excellent. Bird still has that sense of child-like wonder in him that he has brought to the silver screen once again, along with his trademark throwback style.

Brad Bird's screenplay is amazing. The characters are well-developed, & the script is filled with a lot of sharp wit & clever humor.

The sound design is fantastic. From the sounds of explosions & destruction to the sounds of motorcycles & trains zipping by, the sounds are always loud & in-your-face.

Michael Giacchino's score is phenomenal. Giacchino's classic bombastic orchestral style is at full power here, & the music powered by vivacious trumpets is always a perfect underscore to the action.

And the animation, as always for a Pixar film, is wondrous. The attention to detail is jaw-dropping, & the world-building through the animation is terrific.

This is one of Pixar's best films in recent memory. It's one of the rare sequels that manages to top the first, & is always incredible. Yes, that pun was intended.

Incredibles 2 was seen by me at the MJR Partridge Creek Digital Cinema 14 in Clinton Township, MI on Thursday, June 14, 2018. It is in theaters everywhere. Its runtime is 118 minutes, & it is rated PG for action sequences & some brief mild language.

Beast

★★★★★ - A Review by Cameron Kanachki

In all of us, there's something yearning to be unleashed.

Beast shows us what can be unleashed & the consequences of that, becoming one of the best psychological thrillers in years. The film follows Moll Huntford (played by Jessie Buckley), a 27-year-old woman on the British island of Jersey. Terribly mistreated by her mother, Hilary (played by Geraldine James), & dubbed an outcast by the community, Moll finds herself stuck in her job as a tour guide.

On her 27th birthday, Moll is upstaged by her sister, Polly (played by Shannon Tarbet), who announces that she is having twins. Angered by this, Moll goes to a nightclub. The next morning, she meets Pascal Renouf (played by Johnny Flynn), a poacher. They are almost immediately smitten with each other. However, the community warns Moll about Pascal, as he is very mysterious.

While they start their romance, a killer is loose on Jersey. Multiple girls have gone missing & then found murdered. The people of Jersey turn their heads toward Pascal as a possible suspect, & also towards Moll because of her association with him. Moll must ponder on whether or not Pascal is the killer, & if so, whether or not she should still stay with him.

The cast is fantastic. Jessie Buckley gives the best female performance of the year so far. She plays her character with so much range, always feeling so alive & so vivid. Johnny Flynn also gives a great performance, also carrying a lot of range, but also a lot of repression in his performance. And Geraldine James is terrifically evil. She is "The Mother from Hell." She is so diabolical & so manipulative & so entertaining to see.

Michael Pearce's direction is excellent. This is one of the best directorial debuts in a while. Pearce keeps the tension high with something so small as a change in facial expression.

Michael Pearce's screenplay is amazing. The plot, story, characters & dialogue are all so intriguing, filled with so many chills, thrills & twists.

Benjamin Kracun's cinematography is gorgeous. The entire film is a visual spectacle, & it's helped a lot by Kracun's many wide-open shots of the beaches of Jersey & the open waters of the English Channel.

And Maya Maffioli's editing is superb. The film is very slow-paced, allowing the events & twists to slowly unfold, & also allowing the film to unnerve the audience.

This is one of the best films of the year. It's a spectacular psychological thriller, led by a terrific breakout performance from Jessie Buckley.

Beast was seen by me at the Landmark Main Art Theatre in Royal Oak, MI on Saturday, June 9, 2018. It is currently in 1 theater in the Detroit area: the State Theatre in Ann Arbor, MI. Its runtime is 107 minutes, & it is rated R for disturbing violent content, language & some sexuality.

Ocean's 8

★★★★½ - A Review by Cameron Kanachki

The Ocean's Trilogy, altogether, was a breath of fresh air to the heist genre. Although the trilogy had some flaws, its wit, style, & performances were enough to make it a great trilogy.

Ocean's 8, the newest addition to the Ocean's franchise, while suffering from a couple minor flaws, is one of the best of the franchise. The film follows Debbie Ocean (played by Sandra Bullock), the sister of Danny Ocean. After being in prison for nearly 6 years, she is finally on parole.

After getting back to New York, she reunites with her partner-in-crime, Lou Miller (played by Cate Blanchett). Debbie tells Lou about what she had been planning in prison: a heist at the Met Gala. The heist: stealing a necklace called "The Toussaint," valued at $150 million. The necklace is going to be worn by actress Daphne Kluger (played by Anne Hathaway). Lou is skeptical of this, saying they would need 20 people; Debbie says they would only need 7. Lou eventually agrees to this.

They hire 5 people to participate in the heist: washed-up fashion designer Rose Weil (played by Helena Bonham Carter), who will be their key to get the necklace, as she will be Daphne's fashion designer for the Met Gala; jeweler Amita (played by Mindy Kaling); street hustler/pickpocketer Constance Wong (played by Awkwafina); hacker Nine-Ball (played by Rihanna); & profiteer Tammy (played by Sarah Paulson).

Eventually, the heist is set. And what they're in for could either make them as rich as can be, or imprisoned for a long time.

The cast is fantastic. Bullock, Blanchett & Hathaway are the highlights of the cast, all exuding command & dominance in their performances. The rest of the cast also provides great supporting work.

Gary Ross's direction is great. Although there are a couple rough spots when it comes to keeping everything interesting, Ross has enough style to make up for the flaws.

The screenplay by Gary Ross & Olivia Milch is amazing. The plot is intriguing, the characters are fantastic, & the dialogue is very clever.

And the editing by Juliette Welfling is excellent. The film is edited like much its predecessors: a lot of flashy quick cuts done to perfection.

This is a great addition to the Ocean's franchise. Although it isn't perfect, it has enough great details to make into a thoroughly engaging heist comedy.

Ocean's 8 was seen by me at the MJR Partridge Creek Digital Cinema 14 in Clinton Township, MI on Saturday, June 9, 2018. It is in theaters everywhere. Its runtime is 110 minutes, & it is rated PG-13 for language, drug use, & some suggestive content.

Hereditary

★★★★★ - A Review by Cameron Kanachki

I've said it before & I'll say it again: the horror genre has become way too washed out lately. An over-reliance on poorly-timed jump scares, along with a lack of characterization, has plagued the genre. Sure, there are a few films in recent memory that have gone against the clichés, but these are only a minute amount of exceptions, & not the rule.

Hereditary is a game-changer. It has brought back ideals of classic horror, using old-fashioned dread & a few perfectly-timed jump scares to become one of the greatest horror movies of all time. The film follows Annie Graham (played by Toni Collette), a miniature artist married to Steve (played by Gabriel Byrne). They have 2 children: Peter (played by Alex Wolff), a high-school burnout; & Charlie (played by Milly Shapiro), a 13-year-old outcast.

Annie's mother, Ellen, has recently died after a long illness. In an eulogy, Annie described her as a very secretive woman. Annie eventually finds herself at a support group, where she explains more about her family history of mental illness: her mother had dissociative identity disorder, her father was severely depressed & starved himself to death shortly before Annie was born, & her brother was schizophrenic, accused his mother of putting people in his body, & then committed suicide. At these meetings, Annie meets Joan (played by Ann Dowd), who lost both her son & grandson in an unfortunate accident.

Eventually, the family starts to encounter various horrific things in their lives & in their house. But as these events continue, their lives will inevitably fall apart, & they must wonder what Ellen was really involved with.

The cast is superb. Toni Collette has given the best female performance of the year so far. Her performance is a mix of several emotions: grief, terror, anger, etc. And she pulls them off so spectacularly. She has become the new scream queen, & she better get an Oscar nomination for Best Actress.

Alex Wolff is extroardinary. He is perfect as the aloof, slackerish teenager for the first third of the film, but by the end, he becomes a vicious force of terror & anger.

Milly Shapiro is astonishing, giving what is possibly one of the best child performances of the century. She has an insane power to unnerve the audience, & I know she's definitely going to go far after this.

Gabriel Byrne is remarkable. Byrne, who has been almost completely missing from the big screen in recent memory, gives a performance that is sure to rank at or near the top of all his performances, as he is also a powerful force of terror & anger here.

Ann Dowd is terrific. Dowd, known for her role on The Handmaid's Tale, starts her performance off as sympathetic, but becomes more terrifying by the minute.

Ari Aster's direction is excellent. Aster, fairly well-known for his shocking short films, has delivered a fantastic directorial debut. Aster builds up the dread every second, leading to a complete outburst of pure, unadulterated horror in the third act.

Ari Aster's screenplay is brilliant. The plot is so engulfing, the characters are well-developed, & the dialogue is tremendous. Never does the screenplay encounter any of those recent horror clichés, & that is something to be recognized, especially in this genre.

Pawel Pogorzelski's cinematography is astounding. Pogorzelski's camerawork is very similar to John Alcott's cinematography for The Shining, with an abundance of unnatural camera movements. Also, Pogorzelski's dark color palette heightens the dread even more.

The editing by Jennifer Lame & Lucian Johnston is amazing. The film is paced very slowly, allowing the pure terror to slowly envelop & trap the audience in a nightmarish hell.

Grace Yun's production design is phenomenal. The set design, especially the set design of the house, is very creepy & dilapidated, making the set into an immersive house of horrors.

The sound design is impeccable. The sounds of the house are so creepy & terrifying, but there is one noise that is guaranteed to haunt you in your nightmares.

And Colin Stetson's score is incredible. Stetson's score is powered by ominous baritones & synths, only heightening the dread further.

This is by far the scariest film I've ever seen in my entire life. It's a throwback to the classic horror films, &, in the process, has become a new horror classic.

Hereditary was seen by me at the MJR Marketplace Digital Cinema 20 in Sterling Heights, MI on Friday, June 8, 2018. It is in theaters everywhere. Its runtime is 127 minutes, & it is rated R for horror violence, disturbing images, language, drug use & brief graphic nudity.

Upgrade

★★★½ - A Review by Cameron Kanachki

B-movies, once very popular in the 1970s, have become all but extinct in our blockbuster-heavy society. Once guilty pleasures of audiences, they are now only shown at select midnight showings.

Upgrade is a somewhat flawed, but altogether fun sci-fi thriller throwback to the classic B-movies of the 1970s. Set in the near-future, the film follows Grey Trace (played by Logan-Marshall Green), a technologically skeptic mechanic married to Asha (played by Melanie Vallejo), who works for tech giant Cobolt. One night, they are invited to the house of Eron Keen (played by Harrison Gilbertson), a tech innovator for rival company Vessel. He introduces them to a new invention called STEM, which can connect to & improve anything.

On their way home, Grey & Asha get into an accident in their AI car, & are attacked by 4 men. They kill Asha & shoot Grey in his spinal cord, making him a quadriplegic. Depressed by the murder of his wife & the loss of his limbs, Grey becomes suicidal. However, Eron visits him in the hospital, in the hopes to convince Grey to have STEM implanted in him, thereby allowing him to walk again. Reluctant at first, Grey agrees.

The procedure is successful, but Grey must keep this secret. While looking through the case files of Asha's murder, he hears STEM (voiced by Simon Maiden) speaking to him, with only Grey being able to hear STEM. STEM identifies one of the people involved in Asha's murder as Serk (played by Richard Cawthorne), & Grey goes to his house to gather info. However, when Serk gets home, him & Grey get into a fight, which Serk is winning until Grey gives STEM permission to control his body for that moment. Grey then proceeds to manhandle him, & finishes it by viciously cutting into his jaw.

Det. Cortez (played by Betty Gabriel), who is investigating Asha's murder, notices footage of Grey near the crime scene & become suspicious. But as Grey gets deeper & deeper into finding the man who killed Asha, STEM begins to take more & more control.

The cast is superb. Logan Marshall-Green is great in the lead role, exuding so much power & intensity. Betty Gabriel & Harrison Gilbertson provide some great supporting work as well.

Leigh Whannell's direction is great. Although he fumbles a few times at juggling some tonal shifts, he manages to right most of the wrongs in the end. And he sure can direct some pretty gory action sequences very well.

Leigh Whannell's screenplay is good. Although the dialogue is cheesy & the story doesn't go where we'd like it to go at times, the plot is very intriguing.

And Felicity Abbott's production design is fantastic. The futuristic sets are so immersive & look so awesome, adding to the stylish atmosphere of the visuals.

This is a good B-movie. Although it's nowhere near perfect, it provides enough fun to make it worth the price of admission.

Upgrade was seen by me at the MJR Marketplace Digital Cinema 20 in Sterling Heights, MI on Saturday, June 2, 2018. It is in theaters everywhere. Its runtime is 100 minutes, & it is rated R for strong violence, grisly images, & language.