I realize there are many fans of the French original, however as someone who has not seen it, I found the Martyrs remake to be darkly entertaining if not thin on plot. The performances from Troian Bellisario and Bailey Noble are both well done.
Hellions is easily one of the worst films I’ve come across in the past few years, and only a smidge above the truly hellish Muck. I’m sure the filmmakers had the best intentions in giving a Troll-like film but unlike that one, which was bad but fun, this one is just plain bad, in spite of a decent enough performance by lead actress Chloe Rose.
The Intern has its problems for sure, specifically in the screenplay department where it is a half baked plot and gets sidetracked with semi-subplots that don’t amount to very much and are a bit too outlandish. That said, I did like the core cast, particularly Robert De Niro and Anne Hathaway who made this far more entertaining than it really deserved.
Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension is another dud of a sequel in a franchise that should’ve stopped at #3 in making for at least a endurable enough trilogy. While this entry is tolerable, it’s still really bad and tedious with little actual scares and once gain relies on jump scares more than anything.
Needless to say, Everest isn’t exactly a lighthearted adventure flick but in spite of that, and some so-so writing, the performances from the ensemble cast, Jason Clarke and Josh Brolin especially, makes it worthwhile, though for myself, I’m not sure if I’d ever revisit it. The Blu-ray released by Universal offers excellent video and audio transfers and a fine selection of bonus material.
The Walk, technically speaking, is a well done biographical drama. However, I really didn’t find Petit’s past all that interesting in spite of a nice performance from Joseph Gordon-Levitt, French accent and all. But as one would expect, the highlight of the film is the prep and actual walk across the Twin Towers.
The Visit isn’t a bad movie but any stretch and certainly M. Night’s best offering in some time but by the same token, it employs the tired found footage style and although there are some creepy moments, as a whole, it’s not anything memorable. The performances especially that of Olivia DeJonge, are decent enough.
“True Detective”: The Complete Second Season is definitely a step down from its predecessor, however, for all of its faults from a needlessly complicated storyline, substandard writing and too many characters (main ones anyway), I still found this season fairly entertaining due to the performances by Colin Farrell, Rachel McAdams and yes, even Vince Vaughn.
Hitman: Agent 47 might not be a horrible movie experience but it certainly much to be desired with a poor casting choice of Rupert Friend who seems too refined for the role while relative newcomer Hannah Ware came off fairly well. This is the type of film, despite an R-rating, destined to air on FX or FXX with some not-so-creative editing and certainly is not worth a purchase let along a rental.