"Blade Runner 2049" Movie Review

By: James Southworth
Rating: 5/5 Stars

In 1982, the world was introduced to Ridley Scott's "Blade Runner". This movie was a box office bomb and went unnoticed for a long time. But, as years went by, so many people were starting to love the movie and see the value in it that it became a big cult classic. Even now it's recognized as a revolutionary film which uniquely combined the genres of sci-fi and noir together. Excitement was buzzing when a sequel so many years later in "Blade Runner 2049" was announced this year. However, the results of this movie were sadly the same: it was a big bomb in American box offices, making only a little over $30 million in its opening week. In my opinion, this movie is one of the most underrated movies of the year. I also think it, too, will probably become a cult classic. With superb performances from everyone, gorgeous memorable visuals, and compelling themes about humanity, "Blade Runner 2049" is easily the best film of the year.

In this movie we are introduced to the character of "K", played by Ryan Gosling. He is the newest generation of replicants, and is also a blade runner tasked to take down old replicants. When he discovers the possibility that there may be a replicant who is part human, part robot, this sets him on a mission to find the rogue ex-blade runner Rick Deckard. This seemingly simplistic plot really gives way to some surprisingly deep themes that make you think. In its long run time, the movie begs us to consider what exactly is human versus what isn't. K, despite being a robot, still seems to have more human emotion than any other actual human character on screen- and there are many human characters we're given for comparison. It's hard to not sympathize with him as he goes on this very hard journey throughout this film discovering who he really is- and the reveal may not exactly be what the audience was expecting. But that's the beauty of it: we don't get any easy answers in this film in considering our own humanity and what it entails. The film also makes us consider how dangerous it can be to practically become God with usage of our technology. Through Jared Leto's character, Niander Wallace, we get to see what a human who is practically a god can become like- delusional, mad, and evil. In this dystopian world, audiences get an uncomfortable reminder that it can be risky to let our technology control us. This idea has been done many times before, but in this movie it's done in a new way, and I loved it.

This film also excels in its visuals. I mean, wow, what a beautiful movie. This is the third movie I've seen this year where I'd have no objection if it were nominated for/won the Oscar for best visual effects. Seriously, there's not a single shot here that isn't still ingrained into my memory, even if it's several weeks after I've seen it. There are some beautiful wide shots of the world that K inhabits, and the several other parts of the world that K travels to- my favorite visuals come from Wallace's home; all of them give off this spiritually foreboding feel. Much like the original, this futuristic world does feel in many interesting ways tangible. For every unrecognizable thing shown, there are still certain things we can identify with, such as an old Jukebox or even an product placement. There's a really cool fight between Deckard and K which turns into a visual spectacle when they go into this theatre of sorts, and that area is really utilized creatively. Director Denis Villeneuve and producer Ridley Scott worked together on this film, and both of them have quite a knack for making very memorable visuals in their movies. Having them work together makes for a film where every shot looks so breathtaking yet also so realistic, like you could live there. If it sounds like I'm gushing over the look of this movie, it's because I am. This movie should be seen just for its look alone. No other movie this year looks anything like this movie. It has its own clear identity, and that works completely in its favor.

The performances in the film, both leading and supporting, are absolutely stellar. Ryan Gosling gives the clear best performance as K. His work here showed to me yet again why he's quickly becoming one of my top favorite actors. With every movie, he improves himself in his acting craft. Many people saw him as just a pretty face at the beginning of his career (myself included), but he has become so much more. Gosling has a hard job in this movie: making his character have clear robotic tendencies while also making him relatable and human. He traverses both of these aspects beautifully, as at the beginning of the movie we see him deadpan, monotoned, and indifferent. As the film goes on, though, just one look in his eyes and you can see that K is becoming more compassionate. The scenes between him and his "lover" Joi (who is really a hologram) are some of the best moments in the film, as it's just Gosling giving so much great development to his character. For me, this may be his best performance to date, comfortably rivaling his work in "La La Land" and "Drive". It's awesome to see Harrison Ford in a more tough action role again as Deckard. I loved seeing this character back, and even 35 years after the original movie, Ford still made Deckard seem like the same type of character, but with logical changes incorporated. Even though Ford was in a bit more of a supporting role than I was initially expecting, he still had some complex stuff to work with, especially in having to deal with fatherhood. He gave just as good of a performance as Gosling, and they had impeccable chemistry together. Perhaps the most surprising performance I liked was Jared Leto as Niander. I usually think Leto goes way too over the top in his work, but here he really nailed the character, giving him a vibe that was so frightening and off-putting. He did it in a very subtle way and gave me chills. For the brief time they were on, I also enjoyed both Dave Bautista and Robin Wright's respective turns as Sapper and Lieutenant Joshi.

After the credits of this movie rolled, I just sat there in speechless amazement, absolutely awed by what I had just seen. It's not very often that a movie like this comes around- one that deserves repeat viewings, and one that will stay in your memory for a long, long time to come. There's something about this movie that not many movies have done for me in the past few years: it has that feeling of a special classic to me, something that I would want to show to future generations just to see the looks on their faces when watching it. This movie has gone severely underrated this year, and I think it will continue to be overlooked. So, please, if you haven't, go see it NOW. Not only is this my favorite film of the year- this is also one of the highest 5/5s I will ever give to any movie. It is already becoming one of my favorite films of all time. I wouldn't be surprised if it eventually reaches my top 10! There are some films that objectively have no problems to them and you do like them, even love them. But then there are films that are on a totally different tier. "Blade Runner 2049" is one of those movies. What an absolute landmark achievement in film making.

Kutless "Alpha/Omega" Album Review

By: James Southworth
Rating: 1/5 Stars

There was a time when Kutless was one of my favorite bands. "To Know That You're Alive" is one of the best songs I've ever heard, and the album of that same name is at least one of my top 20 favorite album releases of all time. For a long time, Kutless was consistently putting out great rock albums that were accessible and interesting. Things started to turn around when the band released "It Is Well", a worship album which I did actually enjoy as it had some unique worship covers and some great original songs. But, after that album, the band continued to deviate from rock and went completely with tame, cookie-cutter worship music. Their album "Believer" has some decent songs but is otherwise sort of mediocre, and "Glory" is absolutely awful. Kutless showed  promise once again two years ago with "Surrender", which put them back towards their rock roots and even had one of their best songs to date in "My Heart is a Ghost". Unfortunately, this album takes away any promise that Kutless would return to originality. "Alpha/Omega" is by far the band's weakest release to date, and follows every single cliche of CCM and worship music.

I really hate to be so harsh to a band who has so many albums I love, but my anger comes from vast disappointment. I KNOW Kutless can do so much more. Unfortunately lead vocalist John Micah Sumrall has said many times that he thinks rock music is a sign of immaturity. I don't know why he believes that, as Kutless's most mature work has come from their rock based releases, not the ones where they release worship songs that say cliched things about God. There are only two songs here I can construe as "good". In reality they are, at best, serviceable. While I've never liked how "King of My Heart" says "You are good" over and over in reference to God (Exactly what kind of truth is revealed in that?),  I do appreciate the pop/rock spin the band puts on it. It makes the song a little more energetic and interesting. I wouldn't exactly say I liked the song though, it's only good in comparison to everything else here. The only song I do honestly enjoy is "Shepherd of My Soul". It is the best song on this album. It's one of only four songs in this release that isn't a cover, and it's the only song on here with some sort of lyrical substance. It still can't compare to other monumentally superior Kutless songs. Sumrall sounds good vocally, which lifts the song up slightly above the others in the album.

As far as the rest of the album goes, it is pure, unadulteraded, CCM garbage. I am not forgiving of bands when it comes to making worship music, and I will not treat Kutless any differently. This album starts on a very boring, underwhelming note with "Your Great Name". This song is so run-of-the-mill as far as worship goes, and I've always found this song to embody a lot of problems with worship music in the modern day. "Cornerstone" is a cover that's been done to death by this point; it's a little dated honestly. This song has always bored me. Kutless does nothing new with the song, as even the "climax" they put in the song feels processed and dull.  That can really describe this whole album: it feels like this whole release was so carefully calculated to have success on the radio. This could be in part due to BEC, but then again BEC had Ashes Remain releasing a great rock album just a couple weeks ago. I hate to say it, but I think Kutless is more to blame for this. I understand wanting to have radio success so more people can hear God's word, but I can't honestly picture that many people being attracted to songs so generic. Speaking of generic, the reprise of "Strong Tower" is insulting to the rocking original, and it's completely unnecessary. It's maddening to see Kutless actually making one of their more interesting worship originals sound like every other slow, droning CCM song out there.

There is pretty much nothing to say about "You Are Love", it comes and goes without leaving a single impact. "Great Are You Lord" is probably my least favorite song on here, simply because it's the most cliched choice for a worship cover. All Sons and Daughters, the writers of the song, are the only ones who were able to give this song the weight that it actually deserves. This song has potential to be a good cover, but unfortunately as it's been covered more and more, it's been turned into a corporate worship clone which is unidentifiable from any other worship song. Kutless takes away any potential emotional heft that this song has, and instead makes it sound basic and formulaic. It's so angering to see an originally gorgeous worship anthem reduced to nothing more than an insultingly simple sing along. Not much can be said about "Your Love Awakens Me", "Gave It All", or "No Wonder". They all are radio ready CCM songs with no qualities that distinguish them. They all say some half-baked thing about God that's been said a dozen times before, reducing God to a bunch of personality traits and taking away any sort of real truth about Him.

I have actually come to like many worship albums over the past few years. Kings Kaleidoscope, Citizens and Saints, All Sons and Daughters, and even Hillsong have released some really good worship music recently. While they're jumping ahead in redefining what worship can be, Kutless is taking a back step into redundancy, appealing to the absolute lowest common denominator. I can only see people who constantly listen to Air1 and KLove really liking this, and even that might be a stretch. There's so much better worship music out there, and it's finally gaining traction, while bands like Kutless who are attempting the same kind of stuff are falling behind the curve. What happened to this band? It's looking more and more like we'll never get a truly great Kutless release again, and that really is a shame. This is one of the worst albums of the year.

Favorite Songs: "Shepherd of My Soul"
Least Favorite Songs: "Great Are You Lord",  "Strong Tower (Reprise)", "Your Great Name", "Cornerstone", "You Are Love", "Gave It All"

"Thor:Ragnarok" Movie Review

By: James Southworth
Rating: 3/5 Stars

I've said this in previous movie reviews for Marvel, and I'll say it again: Marvel is on a roll with their movies. Every single one they've released has made well over $100 million on their opening week, and they stay successful for their remaining time in theaters. The company knows how to make their audiences happy. They've established a clear formula of populating their films with likeable actors, lots of jokes, high-octane action scenes, and a few scenes with serious weight. It could be easy to get tired of the formula, and I'll admit there are plenty of times I've started to feel that way. "Guardians of the Galaxy 2" is a great example of following that formula. It's not a bad movie, but it's nowhere near Marvel's best. "Thor: Ragnarok" can be fit under that same umbrella: it is a very fun movie, and I'd certainly say it is the best of all the Thor movies.  That's all it really is though: flashy and fun, which works to the movie's advantage and disadvantage.

Let's talk about the really good parts of this movie. One of those aspects is easily the visuals. This film looks amazing. In every shot of the movie, there is something cool to look at. Asgard has a lot more screen time here, which is awesome- I'm pretty sure seeing more of Asgard is what audiences really wanted out of a Thor movie, not for Thor to go to Earth in a cliched fish out of water scenario. We got to see so much more of the world of Asgard than we did before, and that was something that was actually really exciting to see. The god Surtur looks awesome too; it is indeed a frightening entity to behold. Its look will be ingrained in my memory for a long time to come. The world of Sakaar, where a big portion of the film takes place, is also a pretty cool sight to behold. It looks like it could belong in a video game, which is just right for a place that loves to have gladiator fighting. It looks cartoony, and when Thor is in this world, it actually feels like he's jumped right into a comic book. It was a good decision for director Taika Wakiti to have the world look like this, as it contributes to the movie's light tone. It lets the viewer know that they are in for a simple and straight up fun ride.

This movie can't be talked about without discussing what is both its blessing and its curse: the movie is basically a joke machine. It's really just a comedy disguised as a superhero film. Right from the beginning of  this movie, Thor is captured by Surtur and he's telling a corpse how he ended up there in a very matter-of-fact manner. This immediately establishes that there really isn't any danger the audience needs to worry about in the movie. That remains true for the rest of the film, as when the main villain, the goddess of death Hela comes into play, even she is cracking jokes, and Thor isn't too terribly concerned about her. Even when Thor is in a situation where he is captured on Sakaar,  everyone around him, including Hulk, is making light of his situation. None of this is necessarily bad for the most part. I like how this movie exposes the ridiculousness of the worlds Thor inhabits, and even subtly makes fun of the past two movies (including a hysterical Shakespearian reenactment of a scene in "The Dark World" between Thor and Loki by two actors who I don't want to give away). I would overall more prefer what this movie gives us than the mixed up tones of the past two movies. This movie's funny, and it stays funny and light throughout.  However, there is a bit of a negative side to this as well. In the midst of the flashiness and fun, it's hard to really care about any character, as there's no gravitas to their situations. There is a great scene where Thor and Loki talk to Odin (perhaps the only scene of weight in this film), but it only lasts a few minutes and it's not talked about too much after the fact. Also, having jokes after joke can become a little too much at times. Having both Thor and Hulk practically be stand up comedians is both a good and bad thing, as well. I like both of these characters, so seeing them joke around like they're in a buddy comedy is not a bad idea. But, I also don't really see who these characters are. They don't really match up to the way they've been established in previous Marvel films. I don't think that Wakiti wanted any deep character development here. But, it would help to have a few more serious interactions between the two characters.

The performances here are all great, but not anything game changing for Marvel. Chris Hemsworth gives a great turn as Thor, as always. I like his interpretation of the character, even if he is a bit more bland when put alongside Iron Man or Captain America, who I feel are both more fleshed out characters. There are plenty of good moments with Thor, although I will always like him best when interacting with Loki. Speaking of Loki, Tom Hiddleston once again knocks the role out of the park. He is the most identifiable highlight of the movie, and is one of my favorite Marvel characters, simply because he's such an interesting anti-hero. Even in this movie that's not taking itself too seriously, there are several moments we get to see Hiddleston trying to overcome the dark parts of himself and bond with Thor. Although these moments are brief, Hiddleston brings enough good weight to them. Director Taika Wakiti actually plays a character in this movie, the rock monster Korg. When you look at this character, he just seems by appearance like he'd be a tough guy. But, that is far from the case, as he is absolutely hilarious. Some of the best comedy bits in the movie come from him. Idris Elba as Heimdall does a good job at delivering some serious moments in the movie. Heimdall is such a cool character; I wish he'd been in the movie more. Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie balances her character well between comedy and serious moments; she's one of the few characters who isn't always spouting off jokes. Jeff Goldblum playing basically himself is the best thing any movie could possibly do, and he just cracked me up here, even if his performance wasn't anything different. As far as weak performances go, unfortunately I did not particularly care for Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/Hulk. He was either constantly angry or constantly scared in the movie,  no in between. I've loved Ruffalo as this character in the past, but not so much here. Cate Blanchett as Hela is WAY too over-the-top in my opinion, there is no menace about her whatsoever. The same could be said for Karl Urban as Skurge, who the movie tried to make sympathetic but was simply played too one dimensionally for it to work.

There are definitely some problems with "Thor: Ragnarok". It surprises me that so many critics think this movie will change the way Marvel movies are made in the future, as it seems to me to be still following the Marvel formula to a tee. Now, that's not entirely bad. There are still enough likeable characters, good jokes, and wonderful visuals in this movie to make the formula at least work. If ti isn't broke, don't fix it, right? Still, the formula is becoming more noticeable, and that could be a detriment if Marvel doesn't start taking at least some risks. Despite all that, the third Thor movie is definitely the best, taking out the worst aspects of the past two Thor movies, thereby making him feel more like a natural part of the MCU. This is one I'd certainly recommend seeing with friends, as even though it does have problems, it's a fine movie and a fun viewing experience.

"Lady Macbeth" Movie Review

By: James Southworth
Rating: 4/5 Stars

It's never easy to do adaptations based around Shakespeare. The way he wrote his plays was clever and interesting, and it can hardly be replicated by anyone. So, perhaps the best thing to do is to not make a direct adaptation on a Shakespeare play, but rather do a movie based on one. That's certainly what the film "Lady Macbeth" has in mind. This story revolves around young girl Katherine, who goes into an arranged rich marriage initially innocent and happy. That happiness quickly disappears when she realizes that her husband cares nothing at all for her, and she has no way out. So, she soon resorts to desperate measures to try to have some semblance of independence by having an affair with a poor worker on her estate. Then, a much more dangerous desire in her awakens.

This movie is entirely interesting and excellent in so many ways. Let's talk about the interesting commentary this movie gives first. This movie seems to want to give out a feminist message, but it is not at least feminist in the extreme. Katherine is not a character we are meant to entirely sympathize with by any means. We do feel for her in the situation she's put in, and the very cruel upper class men and women she's surrounded by. This movie could've so easily just had men as the oppressors of the movie, but they don't take that route. Instead, they show that because of Katherine's privilege of being upper class, she can still very easily oppress lower class men and women. The movie does not once excuse the extreme measures she takes to keep her independence. Her ambition is certain Macbethian in scale, and it's interesting to think about the similarities she has to Lady Macbeth. Besides feminism, this movie is also concerned in looking at racism. Katherine's maid Anna and Sebastian, the worker she has an affair with, are racial minorities. They are the even more unfortunate victims in this film, as it shows over and over again, how both are tragically unable to get out of their respective positions. They don't have the rich privilege that Katherine does. They are hated, but unlike Katherine, they don't take vengeance on those who hate them; in fact they are meant to be more sympathetic.

This movie certainly has a lot on its mind. But, there is also a horror/thriller aspect of it that only makes me like this film that much more. An element that works to this movie's advantage is the almost entire lack of music. The movie begins with everyone singing at Katherine's wedding, but even that has a very ominous feel to it. After that, the film is almost entirely silent. This makes an action like the scratching of a chair or the knocking of a door feel deafeningly loud. I was on the edge of my seat for the majority of the film, wondering what sort of disaster Katherine would enact next. There were several moments in the movie where chills actually ran up my spine. There was one particular death in this movie that must have gone on for at least a minute. Though it wasn't violent  (in fact it was out of focus and there was no blood), the nature of the death was still one of the most legitimately dark and terrifying things I've seen out of any movie this year. I could just feel the wrongness in it; it's certainly a scene that I won't be forgetting any time soon. There is no supernatural evil here, just humans. But this movie shows that human evil can be just as frightening because of how tangible it is.

The acting in this movie is overall top notch. Of course the standout performance is Florence Pugh as Katherine. I was absolutely awed by her performance, as she effectively shifts from being a naive, insecure girl to a vengeful, menacing, dead-eyed woman. It's very interesting to watch the shift as it occurs. At first, it was refreshing to see her turning the tables on her oppressors. But, it eventually became something entirely different as she kept on doing it. Her humanity pretty much disappeared. Pugh was able to show Katherine's menace in just a simple glance or expression. I hope that a lot of people are able to see this movie just for her superb turn alone. There are some other great performances as well. Christopher Fairbank as Boris isn't really in the movie that much, but he plays his character with such a despicable menace. He really made me hate him, but there was still something oddly interesting with how much Boris despised every woman who came into contact with him. The way he said his lines was effective and impactful. Cosmo Jarvis and Naomi Ackie are both the real heart of this play as Sebastian and Anna. Their characters are a bit more subtle. You do learn volumes about them, though, in the way they interact with Katherine. They're the only ones who are able to see through her, and it's interesting to see both of them come to the realization of what a monster she is. The one performance I didn't care for much was Paul Hilton as Katherine's husband Alexander. He was just a bit bland, and overall his character was just very one-note. That could've been the intent of the movie, but I don't think Hilton portrayed him very well. As far as other problems with the movie go, there was a middle section where the movie slowed down to a screeching halt. I just wanted it to move on from that. This movie also shows Katherine retreating to nature a lot. There's not a whole lot of explanation given to why she does it, and it ultimately feels pointless.

Still, I overall can definitely say I thought "Lady Macbeth" was an excellent film. There was a quiet, subtle, building sense of terror in it that I think more horror films need. I also liked how this movie wasn't just concerned with being scary, but also offered interesting commentary about race, feminism, and what it was like to live in 19th century England. I think this movie lived up to its title, as it was very Shakespearean in how powerfully dramatic it eventually became. Florence Pugh's performance alone is enough for me to recommend this movie to anyone who is interested to see what can be done when you implement ideas from Shakespeare text into a movie.