OJ: Made In America Review

OJ: Made In America Review

What makes OJ Simpson such a fascinating figure? It has been more than 20 years after OJ Simpson was acquitted in the “Trial of the Century” and it seems that he is as relevant as ever. Not that long ago, the FX show “The People vs. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story” aired and was a huge hit. Is it that we are fascinated with crime stories? Is it that OJ Simpson fell from a football hero to a pariah? Or maybe nostalgia is a big thing now? 

There is some truth to all of these theories but after seeing “OJ: Made in America” I realized what makes OJ such a captivating figure. OJ Simpson is a product of America and it’s indiscretions. While the 7-1/2 hour documentary is about OJ Simpson, it also touches on racism in America and the downsides of the American Dream. The film is thought provoking and haunting, and it is one of the most mesmerizing documentaries I have ever seen. 

Throughout the film, Ezra Edelman uses OJ Simpson’s story as a template to talk about America’s history of racial divide and the American Dream which is becoming successful at any cost. With video and photos, he illustrates the American Dream as OJ Simpson is pursuing fame while also illustrating America’s history of racial divide by showing the story of the racial tensions in LA since the 1960s.

In the first two parts, we see OJ’s rise to fame. OJ was born in the projects in San Fransisco. Then he becomes a football star at USC, rushes for 2000 yards in one season for the Buffalo Bills, and then becomes a spokesman for companies like Hertz. After he retires from football he even becomes an entrepreneur and an actor. 

At the same OJ is having success, tensions between blacks and whites increase due to years of racism. In the 60s, the Civil Rights Movement is at its peak and athletes like Muhammad Ali and Jim Brown are speaking on segregation and social issues. In the 80s and 90s, racial prejudice is exhibited by the LAPD (Los Angeles Police Department) as they destroy black people's homes in search of drugs that were not there. Then it seems that justice system was racial bias as the cops beating up Rodney King shown on the video were acquitted of any assault charges. 

With amazing editing, Ezra Edelman is able to perfectly contrast the world of celebrity that OJ is in with the world of Civil Rights and racism that the rest of Black America have to deal with. Edelman does this by showing footage from OJ’s perspective and then showing footage of the perspective of African Americans outside of OJ’s perspective. In one scene in part one, we see comedian Bob Hope making jokes about OJ Simpson at USC while it is being announced that Dr. Martin Luther King was shot.   

However as OJ is perusing the American Dream, he is losing his identity. When OJ is asked to be a Civil Rights Activist he refuses. To OJ, image and fame are everything to him. We see at very young age, OJ Simpson’s goal was to be famous. He even tells his friends that someday their kids will look up to him. He believed that in order for him to be successful he needed to be seen as more than just black. His motto was “I’m not black. I’m OJ”. So the more successful OJ became, the most he ingratiated himself with rich white people. He even marries a white woman named Nicole Brown.

Also because OJ was a celebrity he got special treatment from the media and LAPD which creates two sides to OJ. One is the warm and charming guy that the public sees on TV. The other side is a narcissistic egomaniac who got what he wanted because he was OJ Simpson. This lead to his abusive relationship with his wife Nicole Brown Simpson that got so bad that Nicole tells people that OJ is going to kills her.

Then in the climax, or in the third and fourth part of the film, the stories come together when OJ Simpson is charged with the murder of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. While a majority of white America thinks that he is a murderer due to the mountain of evidence against him, most of black America believe he is innocent because of their distrust of the LAPD that arrested OJ.  OJ’s defense team then decide to use the LAPD’s racist history to smear the evidence against OJ. In an ironic twist, OJ’s defense is trying to convey OJ as a black victim of a racist LAPD when OJ did what he could to not be identified as black.  

We also learn a lot from the people being interviewed in the film. These included interviews with OJ Simpson’s former friends, LAPD, and other who are somehow connected to OJ. Two interviews that really stand out are Joe Bell, one of OJ’s childhood friends, who talked about what OJ was like when he was younger and a juror who confessed that the jury acquitted OJ as payback for Rodney King. 

As someone who knew quite a bit about OJ Simpson and the trial, I was shocked how much more to the story there is. On the surface, OJ’s story is a tragedy about somebody who became a celebrity and then became an outcast. But when you look deeper his story it is the result of America’s faults. Like the title says, America made OJ Simpson.

Grade: A+

The Lego Batman Movie Review

The Lego Batman Movie Review

In the 78 year history of Batman, it seems like there is a repeating pattern with all the Batman movies. First, there was the film adaptation of the light and campy 60’s TV show, then we got the dark and gothic Tim Burton films, then the franchise was ruined by the flashy and homoerotic Joel Schumacher films, and then it was revived by the dark and grounded Christopher Nolan films. 

Now we have ‘The Lego Batman Movie’ which has a very light and silly tone like many of the films before it. But what's great about this film is that is self-aware of the previous incarnations of Batman while also being a great Batman film. 

The film focuses on our favorite caped crusader always saving the day but while also being alone. Even though this is affecting him he is too stubborn to admit this as he does not want to be seen as soft. However as the Joker is trying to destroy Gotham and as Robin is forced into his life, it seems Batman much learn to work with others. 

Like I said before, what I like the most about this film is that it is very self-aware of itself. One thing the film is self-aware off is the characteristic flaw of the Batman character. To the public, Batman comes across as cool and edgy as he can take care of any situation by himself and rapping about how awesome he is. 

But behind the scenes, Batman is sad because he is alone and fights crime to get acknowledgment from others. This is best shown as he watches Romanic Comedies like Jerry Maguire in his spare time because he desires a relationship. I think what makes this a great Batman film is the arch of Batman learning to work with others.

The film is also aware of the weird relationship between Batman and Joker as they need to fight each other. Throughout the film, Joker is trying to make Batman acknowledge that he is his greatest villain after Batman refuses to acknowledge that. While their relationship is not as complex as the Batman/ Joker conflict in ‘The Dark Knight’, it is still hilarious to watch. 

The animation is unsurprisingly amazing. Like ‘The Lego Movie’, it is very detailed and the lego characters and lego pieces move like it was made in stop motion. When Batman is flying in his Bat-plane, the flames move like actual flames except made out of lego. 

The voice acting is also really good. Will Arnett returns to play Batman after playing him in ‘The Lego Movie’ and he does a great job playing Batman as someone trying too hard to be cool. Michael Cera is pretty funny as Robin, playing someone who is dorky and naive. Zach Galifianakis is surprisingly unrecognizable as the Joker.

There are also a lot of joke about previous incarnations of Batman, especially the 60’s TV show. There is a joke about shark repellent from the Adam West TV show. In one scene, the Joker says that Superman is not a villain which is a reference to when Batman saw Superman as a villain in ‘Batman vs. Superman’. There is even a jab at ‘Suicide Squad’ when Batman says it is stupid to make villains fight other villains. 

The movie does have some flaws. There are times when jokes are thrown at the audience at a rapid pace and most of the jokes are not subtle either. At one moment, there would be a joke about how Batman has many suits and in a second there is a joke about how Robin is barely wearing pants. This is really distracting as it makes it really hard for us to focus on the main plot with a ton of joke being thrown at us. If some of the jokes were a little more subtle then I think the jokes would be less distracting.

I think ‘The Lego Batman Movie’ is a ton of fun. It is a must-see for families and Batman fans alike as it is fun and has a love for the source material. I had a blast and I think everyone will to. 

Grade: A-

Office Christmas Party Review

Office Christmas Party Review

If you just look at the title of “Office Christmas Party” you should have an idea of what to get. The movie’s main focus is getting to the Christmas Party that everyone at the office has every year. However what you might not expect is that this party might be the most insane and destructive party in movie history. 

The best way to describe “Office Christmas Party” is it’s a combination of Office Space, Project X, and Bad Santa. It is crude, loud, insane, bizarre, and destructive. However, it is also at times really funny thanks to some great performances and some really insane scenarios. But at other times the movie drags with a mediocre plot and some really lame characters. 

The story is pretty basic. Carol Vanstone (Jennifer Aniston), the CEO of a company called Zenotek, is threatening to fire forty percent of the staff of the Chicago branch as they have not made enough money. Josh Parker (Jason Bateman) and her brother Clay (T. J. Miller), the Chief Technical Officer and the manager of Zenotek's Chicago branch, then convince her that if they can partner with Walter Davis (Courtney B. Vance) then they would not let anyone go. 

However Walter rejects their offer as he feels Zenotek is not a great place to work.  The two then decide, with the help of Tracey (Olivia Munn) who is the head of technology, that they would invite Walter to their annual Christmas party to show him that Zenotek is a great place. So now it is up to everyone at the Chicago branch to throw the most awesome party ever. What they do not expect is that the party ends up turning into chaos. 

The best part of the movie is some of the performances. T. J. Miller is great at playing the manager who likes to party hard but also cares about his workers. Jason Bateman is also pretty good at playing the straight man to T. J. Miller’s crazy antics. I also bought Jennifer Aniston as the heartless and evil CEO who makes children cry. We also get funny performances from Olivia Munn, Courtney B. Vance, Kate McKinnon, Rob Corddry, and Da'Vine Joy Randolph.

I also was kind of amused by how insane the movie would go. At the party there is an ice slide, people throwing things out of windows, a guy riding a horse, and the Iron Chair from Game of Thrones. Walter even swings across the office with Christmas lights. There is even a surprise cameo from someone related to Chicago. 

The biggest problem with the movie, however, is with the story. The set up for the movie is fine but there were some subplots in the movie that I felt were either lame, underdeveloped, or unnecessary. There is a subplot around the third act of the movie about a pimp named Trina (Jillian Bell) and a prostitute that few really unnecessary. 

There is also a romance between Jason Bateman and Olivia Munn that I felt could have used a bit more development. I also thought most of the other characters were kind of lame like Fred (Randall Park) whose joke is he does not talk like a normal person. Also, some of the jokes just seemed like easy gross-out humor. 

“Office Christmas Party” is a pretty disposable film unless the premise really excites you. While it does have some funny performances and jokes, it also has a average story and some unfunny characters. If you want a film to watch around the Holidays while drink this would definitely be the film. Other than that say to yourself “Office Christmas Party” and you will know if this movie is for you.

Grade: C+

Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them Review

Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them Review

It feels so good to be back to the world of Harry Potter. 

‘Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them’ is an exciting film that gives us a new adventure in the world of JK Rowling, who wrote the script. The film is packed with chases, mysteries, fights, and lots different and creative looking creatures. Like the other Harry Potter films, it makes me want to leave the world I am in now and go into the wizarding world. Even though the film does not tell us a lot new information about the Harry Potter universe it is still a welcomed edition to the Harry Potter film series.

 

The story takes place in 1926, about 70 years before the Sorcerer of Stone, and centers on a wizard named Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne), who nurtures a collection of creatures to show that they are not dangerous to the wizarding world. One day when he is visiting New York the creatures get lose because of a mishap with a nonwizard, or muggle/No-Maj, named Jacob (Dan Fogler). 

Now it is up to Newt and Jacob to find the creatures before chaos ensues, with some help from fellow wizards Tina (Katherine Waterston) and Queenie Goldstein (Alison Sudol). At the same time, there seems to be a conspiracy involving Percival Graves (Colin Farrell). He is one of the directors at The Magical Congress of the United States and is trying to find something called an Obscurus for power. 

What stands out about this movie the most is even though it is a prequel, it does not rely on the past eight Harry Potter films. Usually, in prequels, there would be a bunch of references and callbacks to the films before it and this would distract from the main story. The biggest examples would be the Star Wars prequels and X-Men Origins: Wolverine. However in ‘Fantastic Beasts’, there aren't many call backs to the other Harry Potter films so I feel the film stands on its own.

One of the best elements of the movie is the performance. Eddie Redmayne is very likable as someone who is very naive but is also hiding something significant. I also enjoyed Dan Fogler as Jacob as he is both the comic relief of the film and our eyes through the film since he is a regular guy learning about the wizarding world as we are. Katherine Waterston is also great at playing the person who is the most focused and Alison Sudol is great at playing the sister who is alway upbeat. Colin Farell is also as good as usual, playing the obvious villain who is hiding behind the scenes.

I really enjoyed the creatures who are creatively designed and they each have their own personality. The creatures are designed like different animals except with a distant abnormal feature like a rhino with lava in his nose or a giant eagle. They even have their own personalities. There is a creature called a bowtruckle that is anti-social and there is a creature called a niffler, that looks like a mole, that like anything shiny like gold.

However the biggest issue with the film is with the story structure and the pacing. The films main focus is on the story on capturing the beasts but at the same time, it wants to focus on this subplot involving Percival Graves trying to find the Obscurus with a boy named Credence (Ezra Miller). Even though I liked the story line involving the beasts, I felt the story line involving Percival Graves and Credence was rushed. So when we do get to the climax of the film there is less weight to the situation.  

I also felt a lack the character development in the film. Other than Jacob, it does not seem like the characters really go through a character arc. Newt is the same as he was at the beginning of the movie, and whenever it seems like we about to learn more about Newt it only gives us hints. Since this film is going to be the first in a series of five ‘Fantastic Beasts’ films I do sometimes get the feel that this film is a set up for the next five movies. 

What ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them’ wants to do is bring the audience back into the Harry Potter Universe and set us up for a new series of films. While there are a few bumps, I feel that the movie succeeds. It is fun, exciting, and is full of surprises. I would recommend this film to Harry Potter and non-Harry Potter fans, as I feel the movie does not rely on the other films as I said before. I think that the real magic of the film.

Grade: B+

Trolls Review

Trolls Review

"Trolls" is a fun and vibrant film that will put a smile on your face. The film is like a sugar rush with the colorful sceneries and characters and upbeat contemporary songs. Even though the film is based on the troll toy line, the film is able to tell a cohesive story even with some logic leaps. While it is not great, Trolls still an enjoyable time.

The story is about a troll named Poppy (Anna Kendrick) who, along with every other troll, is incredibly happy and energetic. The exception is Branch (Justin Timberlake) who is  always in a negative mood and is alway afraid that they will get attacked by the Bergens, a group of monsters who can only be happy by eating a troll. However, one day, when the trolls are celebrating the 20th anniversary of their escape from the Bergens, they are attacked and some trolls are captured by a Bergen name Chef (Christine Baranski). So now it is up to Poppy and Branch to rescue them before they are eaten. 

The best element of the film is the animation. The backgrounds are very creative and the character designs look nice as well. I also really like the textures of the characters and backgrounds that have a woolen feeling to them like a toy play set. The color palate is also very bright and multicolored like Candy Crush. However, the animation shines most in the musical scenes with elaborate set pieces and energetic dance sequences. 

The voice cast is also a lot of fun. Anna Kendrick is very likable as Poppy as you buy her as a character who is both happy and optimistic. Justin Timberlake is also pretty solid at playing a grump who is always negative, even though he seems a bit miscast. Christopher Mintz-Plasse was perfectly cast as King Gristle Jr., the spoiled and lazy king of the Bergens. Christine Baranski also stands out as Chef, whoo is the evil mastermind behind the scenes. We also get performances from Zooey Deschanel as a Bergen maid named Bridget, Russell Brand, James Corden, Gwen Stefani, and John Cleese. 

I even liked the songs. The film mostly does covers of other songs like “September” and “Sound of Silence”, and is produced in the upbeat style of Glee. There are some original songs like “Hair Up” and “Can't Stop the Feeling”, which will never leave your head. Also, I think the best scene in the movie is when Justin Timberlake and Anna Kendrick sing “True Colors” by Cyndi Lauper.

However, the biggest issue with the film is the film's simplicity. Because all the characters do not have much of a personality outside of their one personality there is a lack of real emotional depth. Also, because the story is so basic and predictable there is a lack of real suspense. 

The film also at times also has a hard time of finding the right note when the tone is dramatic. There is a scene in which Branch talks about how his grandma died and it is done in an incredibly over the top way with “Total Eclipse of the Heart” by Bonnie Tyler. Instead of the scene being an emotional moment, it comes across as unintentionally funny. There is also a subplot about Bridget having a crush on King Gristle Jr., which I did not care about since it is pretty underdeveloped and I don't care about either of the characters. 

Some elements of the story are also a bit of a stretch even though the story is mostly cohesive. The idea that Bergens have to eat trolls to be happy is a very out of left field and does not really make any sense. It seems like the filmmaker really struggled to put a story together around troll dolls so they randomly came up with this concept.

Even though I like the songs I really felt a lot of the songs where out of place since the lyrics are not in the context of the movie. It works in a movie like Pulp Fiction but when you have characters randomly bursting into song and singing covers, it’s really distracting. Also, there were some very odd song choices like Mo Money Mo Problems and Clint Eastwood by the Gorillaz, which isn't even that popular. 

"Trolls" is obvious aimed more for kids in elementary school than a college student like me. It’s very upbeat, simple, and has a nice message about being happy and optimistic. However, I still had a good time watching it. If you want to see a film with real emotional depth and dark themes, this is not for you. If you want to see a film that is bright and happy, give it a watch.

Grade: B-

Ouija: Origin of Evil Review

Ouija: Origin of Evil Review

When I came into to see Ouija: The Origin of Evil my expectations were pretty low. It is the sequel to a film that was not well received and it did not help that the trailers looked incredibly generic. Also, sequels in the horror genre usually suck, look at Exorcist II or Blair Witch 2. So I was expecting to be bored or angry at this movie. I actually turns out that Ouija: The Origin of Evil is an ok horror film that actually knows how to play with it’s premise. While it definitely has it’s flaws, overall the film is a decent flick for Halloween season. 

The story starts in 1967 Los Angeles, where we see a single mother named Alice Zander (Elizabeth Reaser) who is a fake séance who scams people by making them think that they are talking to their dead loved ones. She is also helped by her two daughters, the oldest is Paulina Zander (Annalise Basso) and the youngest is Doris Zander (Lulu Wilson). One day Alice buys a Ouija board for her act but in the process invited an evil spirit into the house. Then when Doris is taken over by the spirit after she tries to contact her dad, it seems she can speak to people on the “other side”. However, once Alice uses Doris for her business and to speak to her dead husband, all hell breaks loose. 

What I liked about this movie is the setup. Normally in these movies, there would a contrived reason for why the character would unlock the evil spirits. However, in this scenario, it makes sense that our main characters would accidentally unlock evil spirits since Alice works in a business that involves spirits, even if it is all fake. Also, it is a business that has run through Alice’s family so it makes sense.

However the element that shocked me the most were the characters and the performances. At first, it seems that Alice Zander is unlikable since she is scamming people. Then it seems she is stupid for messing with evil spirits when she realizes they are real. However, she actually becomes more sympathetic because we learn that she has good intentions, as she feels it brings people inner peace to believe that they are talking to their dead loved ones. Even though we see that Alice should not mess with spirits it is understandable that she would mess with them as it allows her to talk to her husband. 

Also the character is more likable thanks to Elizabeth Reaser’s performance. I also really liked Lulu Wilson as Doris who plays a character who starts off as an innocent little girl and then turns into someone who is emotionless. I even liked Henry Thomas (who was the little boy from ET by the way) as the Pastor Father Tom who tries to help the Zanders. Annalise Basso is just ok as Paulina as see just plays your typical adventurous teenager who for some reason seems to have the same facial expression throughout the movie.

I also really enjoyed the 60’s ascetic of the film. The film’s cinematography has a very grainy feel to it like it was filmed with film strips. We also see some burn marks on the screen which also makes us feel like we are watching a film from the 60’s. The setting and costumes also look very 60’s and the music has a 60’s vibe.

However the biggest issue with the film is the lack of suspense and scares. There are a few jump scares that make you jump up a little bit but that is about it. While I did want to know what happened at the end I was not really scared of the evil spirit. I think the main reason is he never really does anything that would make you feel his dangerous presence. Until the end, all he does is help Alice and do strange things like write up random messages. 

Also it does not help that the CGI is laughably bad. When CGI was used, the people in the theater and I were laughing. There is also a romance between Paulina and some older guy which I did not care about since there is zero development for it and the romance is incredibly clique. 

Another problem is that there any many details in the ending that do not make any sense. I am not going to spoil what they are but there are strange twists that are never explained at any point through the film.  

Overall the film is a nice surprise with good characters, good performances, and a good set up. While it lacks scares, I would still say the film is entertaining enough to complete your Halloween.

The Accountant Review

The Accountant Review

Have you ever wanted to see a movie that is a combination Rain Man and Jason Bourne? Well here is the movie. The Accountant is an amusing movie that is both awesome but at the time a little confused. It has a really intriguing story and some great performances but suffers from a bit of identity crisis. When you add everything up together you get a movie that is entertaining but flawed. 

The movie is about an accountant named Christian Wolff (Ben Affleck) who is an accountant. He suffers from a mild case of autism which allows him to be very fluent with numbers but also makes him very anti-social and unemotional. While he is living in a small-town CPA office, he makes a living by being an accountant for criminal organizations. 

One day Christian takes a robotics company as a client run by Lamar Blackburn (John Lithgow). However, when he discovers that there is an inconsistency with the numbers, which involves millions of dollars, he gets suspicious. As he learns more about what is going on, more people mysterious are killed around Christian are killed. Now Christian needs to find out what is going on while we also learn more about Christian’s past. At the same time the director of financial crimes at the Treasury Department, named Raymond "Ray" King (J. K. Simmons), assigns a young analyst named Marybeth Medina (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) to track down Christian.

The strongest element of this movie to me is the performances. Ben Affleck does an amazing job playing Christian Wolff who is a math genius but is anti-social and unemotional. Throughout the movie Affleck able to play an unemotional genius and then in a second he can transform into someone who is emotionally unstable. 

J. K. Simmons is also great as the head of the Treasury Department, playing a character who has gone through a lot and ready to retire. Anna Kendrick also plays a fellow accountant, named Dana Cummings, who gets interested in Christian Wolff and also gets thrown into the mystery. Jon Bernthal (who you might recognize as The Punisher from the Daredevil Netflix show) also wonderfully plays an assassin and has an interesting connection with Christian Wolff. There are also some great performances from John Lithgow as the head of the robotics company, Cynthia Addai-Robinson as the analyst trying to hunt down Christian Wolff, and Jeffrey Tambor as a friend of Christian Wolff who taught him a lot about working with criminals. 

I also really like the story which is a dark mystery that has many twists in turn. Through Christian Wolff, we see clues of what is going on piling up until we get to the very end in which we learn what is really going on. I even enjoyed the use of flashbacks to show Christian’s past which shows how he became who he his. We see flashbacks of how his dad made him fight through his disability, both literally and figuratively. 

What also stood out was the cinematography. The film has a dark tint to it like a neo-noir which sets the tone of the film. We have the sense that we are in a city full of corruption and violence even with people trying to stop it. 

The action sequences are also some of the highlights of the film. They are shot in style of Jason Bourne, with quick jump cuts showing each hit that the two fighters lay upon each other. Except the fights are much more brutal and more bloody.

However there were some issues with the film. The biggest problem I had was the weird shifts in tone. At some point, it seems like the movie wants to be a fast paced action mystery with the gritty fight scenes involving Christian Wolff beating up bad guys. 

But at the same time, the film also seems like the director wants the film to be a disability empowerment fantasy with a message about fight through disability. At the beginning of the film, we see a young Christian Wolff trying put together a puzzle and then we find out it is a puzzle of Muhammad Ali. I think the director is trying to symbolize how Christian is fighting through his disability. I honestly feel that the grounded and fanciful tones really do not match.

There are also moments in the first half of the movie in which the pace of the film slows down and drags. Many scenes have characters going through exposition in very monotone voices way longer then they should. At someone point, I got really bored during these scenes. Also I didn't care about the Marybeth Medina subplot since so little time is spent on it.

With that being said, I still was entertained by the Accountant. I think it is a film that is both intense and engaging, but I just thought it could have been better. I know that there will some people who will really not enjoy this film because of the tone shifts and the occasional slow pacing. But if you can deal with that, I think the Accountant is a film that is worth checking out.

Grade: B