Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping

★★★★½ - A Review by Cameron Kanachki

"Ever since I was born, I was dope." That's a legendary quote from Andy Samberg in Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, a hilarious satire of today's music industry. Samberg portrays Conner Friel, AKA Conner4Real & AKA Kid Conner, a rapper formerly of the boy band, The Style Boyz, along with Owen Bouchard, AKA Kid Contact (played by Jorma Taccone) & Lawrence Dunne, AKA Kid Brain (played by Akiva Schaffer). They were major influences on artists such as Usher, Nas, & Questlove, & their most famous song, Donkey Roll, was an extremely massive critical, commercial & cultural success. However, Conner overshadowed Owen & Lawrence, eventually leading to the band's breakup.

Eventually, Conner went solo Conner4Real, with Owen as his DJ; however, Lawrence left the music industry & became a farmer. Conner's first solo album, Thriller, Also, was a major success, however, his second & newest album, CONNquest, has been a critical & commercial failure, with Rolling Stone giving it a 💩 out of 4 stars, with the only positive-seeming review coming from the satirical website The Onion. In order to raise ticket sales for his tour, rapper Hunter, The Hungry (played by Chris Redd) is put on as his opening act, which fails miserably as well, forcing Conner to re-think his career, & his relationships.

Samberg, Taccone & Schaffer were hilarious, as well as the many cameos, namely Seal, Justin Timberlake, P!nk, Emma Stone & Joan Cusack. The screenplay from Samberg, Taccone & Schaffer is filled with many hilarious lines. Although the film does fall slightly short of comedic greatness, & does fall below their 2007 comedy classic Hot Rod, it is a hilarious satire of the music industry.

The Lobster

★★★★★ - A Review by Cameron Kanachki

"Because lobsters live for over 100 years, are blue-blooded like aristocrats, & they stay fertile all their lives." That's a hilariously detailed quote from Colin Farrell in The Lobster, the best film of the year & certainly the weirdest film I've ever seen. Farrell plays David, a man whose wife has just left him. The thing is, in his society, he can't be single; in fact, no one can. Because he is now single, he is taken to a hotel, where he has 45 days to find a partner whom he shares a major characteristic with, or else, he will be turned into an animal. (I know, I was just as shocked as you are right now. It's definitely odd, am I right?) David has brought his brother with him, who was turned into a dog some years prior. The hotel has many odd rules: masturbation is banned (the punishment is having your hand put in a toaster), but sexual stimulation by the Maid (played by Ariane Labed) is mandatory, guests view events promoting relationships, & they also go on hunts led by the Hotel Manager (played by Olivia Colman) for the Loners that live in The Woods; every Loner tranquilized extends your stay by one day. David's choice of animal is a lobster, for they have a long life span, they're blue blooded, & they're always fertile.

While at the hotel, David meets a Lisping Man (played by John C. Reilly), a Limping Man (played by Ben Whishaw), a Nosebleed Woman (played by Jessica Barden), a Biscuit Woman (played by Ashley Jensen), & a Heartless Woman (played by Angeliki Papoulia), notorious for her cruelty & her ability to tranquilize many Loners. While the Lisping Man & the Nosebleed Woman fall in love, David decides to go after the Heartless Woman, but that falls apart quickly due to a horrific incident.

Fed up with the hotel, David escapes & goes to The Woods & becomes a Loner, & meets a Short-Sighted Woman (played by Rachel Weisz), & the Loner Leader (played by Léa Seydoux). The Loners have equally screwed-up rules, namely stating that all romantic & sexual relations are banned (the punishment is the Red Kiss, where your lips are cut off & you are forced to kiss. A Red Intercourse is also mentioned, but not described as what occurs, but you get the idea). Eventually, David & the Short-Sighted Woman fall in love, & they must find out how to work their relationship out, as they must become totally synchronized.

This film was weird, romantic, dark, hilarious, disturbing & excellent. The entire cast was excellent, especially Farrell & Weisz. The direction from Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos was brilliant, considering that this is his first English-language film. The screenplay from Lanthimos & Efthymis Filippou is brilliant as well, & is definitely the best original screenplay of the decade so far. The editing from Yorgos Mavropsaridis is excellent. The cinematography from Thimios Bakatakis is excellent as well. And the soundtrack, filled with classical music, is astounding.

This is definitely a major satire of the 21st-century dating sites, such as Match.com, e-Harmony, & Tinder, who all try to find the perfect match for us all. There definitely won't be a film like this ever again, & nothing will top this movie for the rest of the year. It truly is the best film of 2016. It was definitely the weirdest movie I've ever seen. The film felt like David Lynch, Lars von Trier, Wes Anderson & Stanley Kubrick teamed up & made a romantic sci-fi dark comedy. But did I enjoy all 118 minutes of it? Indubitably.

X-Men: Apocalypse

★★★★★ - A Review by Cameron Kanachki

"Those with the greatest power protect those without. That's my message to the world." That is a brilliant quote from James McAvoy in X-Men: Apocalypse, the best X-Men film yet. McAvoy reprises his role as Professor Charles Xavier, who has the power to read minds, & still runs his mutant institute in New York in 1983. Raven Darkholme, AKA Mystique (played by Jennifer Lawrence), who has found a new recruit for Xavier in East German Kurt Wagner, AKA Nightcrawler (played by Kodi Smit-McPhee), who has the power of teleportation. Alex Summers, AKA Havok (played by Lucas Till), who has the ability to absorb energy & release it, has also found a new recruit in his younger brother, Scott Summers, AKA Cyclops (played by Tye Sheridan), who has the ability to shoot optic beams from his eyes. Scott takes a liking to fellow mutant Jean Grey (played by Sophie Turner), who is fearful of her telekinetic & telepathic capabilities. Also with them are: Dr. Hank McCoy, AKA Beast (played by Nicholas Hoult), a mutant with superhuman abilites & lion-like attributes; Peter Maximoff, AKA Quicksilver (played by Evan Peters), who has the power of super-speed; & CIA Agent Moira McTaggart (played by Rose Byrne).

However, they must face an epic villain: the long-dormant En Sabah Nur, AKA Apocalypse (played by Oscar Isaac), & his Four Horsemen: Ororo Munroe, AKA Storm (played by Alexandra Shipp), who can control weather; Angel (played by Ben Hardy), a mutant whose wings can become razor-sharp projectiles; Psylocke (played by Olivia Munn), who also has telekinetic & telepathic abilities; & Erik Lehnsherr, AKA Magneto (played by Michael Fassbender), Xavier's former friend, who can control magnetic fields.

The cast, especially McAvoy, Fassbender, Lawrence & Turner, was excellent. Bryan Singer's direction was great, & the screenplay from Simon Kinberg was great as well. The editing from John Ottman & Michael Louis Hill was brilliant. And the visual effects were stunning, giving way to excellent fight scenes. This is definitely one of the best superhero movies of 2016, in a year where Marvel movies have truly reigned supreme.

Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising

★★★½ - A Review by Cameron Kanachki

"They are using their sexuality as a weapon!" That hilarious Seth Rogen quote is one of a few hilarious quotes in Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, a hilarious sequel to 2014's Neighbors that almost reaches the first film's comedic heights. The film continues the story of Mac (played by Seth Rogen) & Kelly Radner (played by Rose Byrne), who are trying to sell their home, now that they are expecting another child, alongside their first child, Stella (played by Elise & Zoey Vergas). A young couple is looking to buy the home, & though Mac & Kelly are excited to buy a new home, they are told that they are in escrow for 30 days. Also, their once-again married friends Jimmy (played by Ike Barinholtz) & Paula (played by Carla Gallo) are expecting as well. Meanwhile, Teddy Sanders (played by Zac Efron) is living with Pete (played by Dave Franco) & Pete's boyfriend Darren (played by John Early). Pete & Darren are getting married, so Teddy has to move out. And also, college freshman Shelby (played by Chloë Grace Moretz), disillusioned with the fact that sororities can't throw parties, teams up with fellow college freshmen Beth (played by Kiersey Clemons) & Nora (played by Beanie Feldstein) & create a new sorority, Kappa Nu, &, with the help of Teddy, sets it up at the house next door to Mac & Kelly, the same house that Teddy's fraternity used to live in the first film. The girls' parties eventually become successful, much to the chagrin of Mac & Kelly, who try to complain to Dean Gladstone (played by Lisa Kudrow), who denies their complaint once again. Eventually, Teddy is voted out by the girls, & teams up with Mac, Kelly, Jimmy & Paula to take down Kappa Nu.

Rogen, Efron & Byrne are hilarious again, but Chloë Grace Moretz was by far the most hilarious in the film, along with Clemons & Feldstein. Nicholas Stoller's direction is solid, & the screenplay by Stoller, Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Andrew J. Cohen & Brendan O'Brie is solid as well. It does fall short of Neighbors, but it certainly is one of the funniest films of the year so far.

The Nice Guys

★★★★★ - A Review by Cameron Kanachki

"I think I'm invincible. I don't think I can die!" That's a hilarious quote from Ryan Gosling in The Nice Guys, one of the best comedies of the century, & one of the best films of the year so far. Gosling plays Holland March, an alcoholic private investigator with a young daughter, Holly (played by Angourie Rice). March seems to be down on his luck lately, namely being asked to by an elderly woman to find her husband, although an urn with his name is on the mantelpiece. March is also trying to find a girl named Amelia (played by Margaret Qualley), after being hired by a woman to find her niece, porn actress Misty Mountains (played by Murielle Telio), after noticing her a few days prior. However, she really saw Amelia, because Misty died in a mysterious car crash (crashing into a house after driving down a hill). Problem is, Amelia doesn't want to be found, so she hires enforcer Jackson Healy (played by Russell Crowe) to find March & tell him to stop looking for her. So Healy goes & finds March & breaks his arm. Healy is then approached by two men, an Older Guy (played by Keith David) & Blueface (played by Beau Knapp), who are also trying to find Amelia. They escape after being sprayed with blue dye. Healy & March meet again & decide to work together to find Amelia, eventually finding themselves in a web of lies, deceit, porn, the Mafia, pollution, & "experimental filmmaking."

This was a comedic tour-de-force. Russell Crowe & Ryan Gosling were excellent, & their chemistry is undeniably terrific. But the greatest performance of all was by Angourie Rice, who was spell-binding here, portraying well beyond her years. The direction from Shane Black was great, directing another great film after 2013's Iron Man 3 & his 2005 masterpiece Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. The screenplay from Black & Anthony Bagarozzi was brilliant. And the soundtrack is one of the best of the century. Although it does fall slightly below Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, it still is a brilliant film. I wouldn't be surprised if there isn't a better comedy this year. It definitely reached comedic greatness.

Money Monster

★★★★★ - A Review by Cameron Kanachki

"We're human beings. We're not computers. We have a conscience." That quote from George Clooney is from Money Monster, one of the best & most original thrillers of the decade. Clooney plays Lee Gates, a Jim Cramer-esque host of the TV show, Money Monster. His longtime director, Patty Fenn (played by Julia Roberts) is leaving after the day's show. IBIS Clear Capital CEO Walt Camby (played by Dominic West) is scheduled to be on the show to be interviewed about a crash caused by a glitch that cost investors $800 million. However, Camby is on a plane to Geneva. Midway through the show, Gates is taken hostage by Kyle Budwell (played by Jack O'Connell), an irate investor who lost $60,000 that he inherited from his late mother due to the crash, money he invested after Gates endorsed IBIS a month ago. He forces Gates to put on a vest filled with explosives. If Gates doesn't give Budwell any answers, Budwell will detonate the explosives. Now, Gates, Fenn & Budwell, along with IBIS PR head Diane Lester (played by Caitriona Balfe), must find the answers about what went wrong, discovering a web of lies & deceit.

The film was excellent. Clooney, Roberts, O'Connell, West & Balfe were excellent. The direction from Jodie Foster was extremely well-done, along with the screenplay from Alan Di Fiore, Jim Kouf & Jamie Linden. The editing was excellent, brilliantly assembling the film's use of real-time. This is definitely an excellent thriller.

Captain America: Civil War

★★★★★ - A Review by Cameron Kanachki

"He's my friend." "So was I." That is part of a brutally honest conversation between Chris Evans & Robert Downey Jr. in Captain America: Civil War, the greatest superhero film ever made. Evans portrays Steve Rogers, AKA Captain America, who has just been involved in a severe incident, involving him, Sam Wilson, AKA Falcon (played by Anthony Mackie), Natasha Romanoff, AKA Black Widow (portrayed by Scarlett Johansson), & Wanda Maximoff, AKA Scarlet Witch (played by Elizabeth Olsen), who had caused the incident by accidentally killing 11 missionaries from the Republic of Wakanda in an attempt to stop the theft of a biological weapon. The Avengers, save for Bruce Banner, AKA Hulk (who is in hiding), & Thor (who has returned to Asgard), are notified of the ratification of the Sokovia Accords, which will have the Avengers run by the UN. Rogers is against this, while Tony Stark, AKA Iron Man (played by Robert Downey Jr.) is for it. 

However, at the ratification of the Accords, a bomb allegedly set by James "Bucky" Barnes, AKA The Winter Soldier (played by Sebastian Stan), explodes & kills Wakandan King T'Chaka, leaving his son, T'Challa, AKA Black Panther (played by Chadwick Boseman) to take his place & go after Barnes. The differing opinions between Rogers & Stark create friction in The Avengers. Rogers believes that Sokovian villain Helmut Zemo (played by Daniel Brühl) was behind the bombing; however, he is unable to apprehend him. 

Eventually, the infighting between the Avengers divides them into 2 factions: one led by Rogers, including Wilson; Maximoff; Barnes; Clint Barton; AKA Hawkeye (played by Jeremy Renner); & Scott Lang, AKA Ant-Man (played by Paul Rudd); & the other faction, led by Stark, including T'Challa; Romanoff; Vision (played by Paul Bettany); James Rhodes, AKA War Machine (played by Don Cheadle), & Peter Parker, AKA Spider-Man (played by Tom Holland), culminating in a fight that could irreparably damage the Avengers once & for all.

The film was an action masterpiece. The acting was superb. The direction from the Russo brothers was excellent. The screenplay from Christopher Markus was great. And the visual effects were stunningly excellent. This is definitely the best superhero film ever made. Note to DC: This is how you make a good superhero rivalry movie.