My Review of The Shallows

        So I recently watched The Shallows and I'm here to bring you my review. So without further ado...







        Still reeling from the loss of her mother, medical student Nancy Adams (played by Blake Lively) travels to a secluded beach for some much-needed solace. Despite the danger of surfing alone, Nancy decides to soak up the sun and hit the waves. Suddenly, a great white shark attacks, forcing her to swim to a giant rock for safety. Left injured and stranded 200 yards from shore, the frightened young woman must fight for her life as the deadly predator circles her in its feeding ground.

       

        This is a pretty terrifying film. Now some people will look at this film and saw that the film looks a Jaws for this new generation who have never seen Jaws. To point that's a correct statement in the sense that there is a killer shark on the loose and it's attacking one person. That's how simple the film is and that's what stood out in the grand scheme and the filmmakers didn't really try to add too much filler material. The shark in the film looks fantastic and the just the scenery involved in the film is fantastic. Blake Lively herself does an ok job in the film, but she has the damsel in distress vibe and it just tends to be pretty annoying over the course of the film. It does build up a lot of nice suspense of what is going to happen next. The ending is a little cheap and just really stupid that it makes the whole film feel like and entire setup or an elaborate joke after building a lot of tension and having some horrifying moments. The film takes itself a little to seriously and it makes the situations in the film seem worse than they truly are. Overall this film has a lot of creepy and eerie moments with and amazing location for a film, but the story seems to simple and has one of the most annoying endings of all-time. I give The Shallows a 3 out of 10.

        So ladies and gentlemen what did you think of The Shallows, what would you rate it and what did you think of my review? Let me know in the comments section below and let your voice be heard.

                                                                                                                           Jonah Sparks

My Review of Free State of Jones

        So I recently watched Free State of Jones and I'm here to bring you my review. So without further ado...







        In 1863, Mississippi farmer Newt Knight (played by Matthew McConaughey) serves as a medic for the Confederate Army. Opposed to slavery, Knight would rather help the wounded than fight the Union. After his nephew dies in battle, Newt returns home to Jones County to safeguard his family but is soon branded an outlaw deserter. Forced to flee, he finds refuge with a group of runaway slaves hiding out in the swamps. Forging an alliance with the slaves and other farmers, Knight leads a rebellion that would forever change history.

       

        This might be one of the most boring films to come out all year. The premise of the film is a really fascinating one and it's one that needed to be told and for a little while, you begin to feel invested in the characters and what they are fighting for. After that however, the film just goes down hill and it never really gets back on track. It does a lot of time jumping and it just feels unnecessary and it tries to tell 10 different stories that all end up fitting together,but it comes overwhelming and too much exposition can really slow a film down. This is a little bit of a setback for McConaughey in the sense of the film being bad, but he does a great job and he really commands the screen when he's on it and you just feel that he was meant for the part. Gong back to the story, while it is one that needed to be told, the film last for 140 minutes and it just seems like the unnecessary material forced the film to be longer and the film and story might've been better served by being a History Channel special instead of a full-length feature film. The film does have a lot of nice set pieces and some gorgeous action scenes that flow well together,both those are few and far between. Overall this is a film that had a lot of potential and while McConaughey has a stellar performance, it is for nothing as a lack of direction and over-exposition really make this film less than special. I give Free State of Jones a 4.5 out of 10.

        So ladies and gentlemen what did you think of Free State of Jones, what would you rate it and what did you think of my review? Let me know in the comments section below and let your voice be heard.

                                                                                                                          Jonah Sparks 

Weekend Box Office Review 6-24-16 to 6-26-16/ Weekend Preview

        Here are the weekend domestic box office results for the weekend of 6-24-16 to 6-26-16 as well as my 5 key takeaways, as well as my predictions for the top 5 films at the box office this weekend. So without further ado...

Box Office Totals courtesy of boxofficemojo.com

TW	LW	Film	Studio	Weekend	# of Theaters	Total Domestic Gross	Weeks
1	1	Finding Dory	Walt Disney Pictures/ Pixar Studios	$72,959,954	4,305	$286,277,856	2
2	-	Independence Day: Resurgence	20th Century Fox	$41,039,944	4,068	$41,039,944	1
3	2	Central Intelligence	Warner Bros.	$18,241,416	3,508	$69,173,874	2
4	-	The Shallows	Sony Pictures	$16,800,868	2,962	$16,800,868	1
5	3	The Conjuring 2	Warner Bros.	$7,702,194	3,033	$86,903,628	3
6	-	Free State of Jones	STX	$7,572,206	2,815	$7,572,206	1
7	4	Now You See Me 2	Lionsgate	$5,593,399	2,745	$51,997,613	3
8	6	X-Men: Apocalypse	20th Century Fox	$2,489,881	1,679	$151,141,872	5
9	7	Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows	Paramount Pictures	$2,464,351	1,947	$77,181,906	4
10	5	Warcraft	Universal Pictures	$2,247,420	1,952	$44,003,890	3

1. Finding Dory once again took the number one spot at the weekend box office.

2. Independence Day: Resurgence had a terrible weekend at the box office as it made $9 million less than Independence Day 20 years ago while opening in 1,100 more theaters.

3. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows continues to be a box office flop and it is going to fall well short of what it's predecessor made. 

4. The biggest loser of the weekend was Warcraft as it made 69% less than it did last weekend and there was no biggest winner of the weekend.

5. I went 2 for 5 on my predictions.

Predictions
1. Finding Dory $35 Million
2. The Purge: Election Year $30 Million

3. The BFG $27 Million
4. The Legend of Tarzan $22 Million

5. Independence Day: Resurgence $17 Million

        So ladies and gentlemen what do you think of this weekend's box office totals and what are some of your takeaways? Let me know in the comments section below and let your voice be heard.

                                                                                                                           Jonah Sparks

Director Spotlight of Roland Emmerich

        Continuing the Director Spotlight segment we'll spotlight a man who has been compared to the knock off version of Micheal Bay.... Mr. Roland Emmerich. I'm going to give you his filmography, my top 3 favorite films of his and his future projects. So without further ado...

Roland Emmerich's Filmography

Year	Film	Rottentomatoes.com Score
1979	Franzmann	NA
1980	Wilde Witwe	NA
1984	The Noah’s Ark Principle	NA
1985	Joey	NA
1987	Hollywood-Monster	NA
1990	Moon 44	NA
1992	Universal Soldier	19%
1994	Stargate	48%
1996	Independence Day	62%
1998	Godzilla	16%
2000	The Patriot	61%
2004	The Day After Tomorrow	45%
2008	10,000 BC	8%
2009	2012	39%
2011	Anonymous	46%
2012	Dark Horse	NA
2013	White House Down	51%
2015	Stonewall	9%

Top 3 Favorite Films

1. Independence Day

2. The Patriot

3. Stargate

Awards & Nominations
Currently Roland Emmerich has no Academy Award nominations for directing,

Future Films
2016- Independence Day: Resurgence

        So ladies and gentlemen what do you think of Roland Emmerich's career and who would you like to see me spotlight next? Let me know in the comments section below and let your voice be heard.

                                                                                                                                         Jonah Sparks

My Review of Clown

        So I recently watched Clown and I'm here to bring you my review. So without further ado............







        A loving father (played by Andy Powers) becomes a savage killer while wearing a cursed clown costume that won't come off.

       

        This is a pretty terrifying film. Clowns can be people's worst nightmares (I personally hate them), but the clown in this film is absolutely terrifying. Now some may scoff at that statement, but the makeup on the clown and the demon itself is just fantastic and it might be some of the best makeup seen in a horror film. Jon Watts is does a phenomenal job of keeping the suspense going and keeps the story moving at a great pace that it only adds to his credibility going into him directing Spider-Man: Homecoming. In a horror film like this you expect quite a bit of heavy gore especially when someone like Eli Roth is making all the decisions behind the scenes. The film does follow along the same troupes that usually see in horror films and some of the scares aren't that great, but there are scares that very haunting and could leave some everlasting scars for people. The performances are actually quite good from everyone involved, but it's mainly because of Peter Stormare who is haunting in his own right. The film does try introduce some comical elements to it, but they just are misused in this film and it doesn't quite fit well. Overall this film has overcome a lot of obstacles to get to this point and while it does lack in some scares, it's originality and suspense keep you on the edge of your seat. I give Clown a 6 out of 10.

        So ladies and gentlemen what did you think of Clown, what would you rate it and what did you think of my review? Let me know in the comments section below and let your voice be heard.

                                                                                                                           Jonah Sparks

My Review of Finding Dory

        So I recently watched Finding Dory and I'm here to bring you my review. So without further ado...







        Dory (voiced by Ellen DeGeneres) is a wide-eyed, blue tang fish who suffers from memory loss every 10 seconds or so. The one thing she can remember is that she somehow became separated from her parents as a child. With help from her friends Nemo (voiced by Hayden Rolence) and Marlin (voiced by Albert Brooks), Dory embarks on an epic adventure to find them. Her journey brings her to the Marine Life Institute, a conservatory that houses diverse ocean species. Dory now knows that her family reunion will only happen if she can save mom and dad from captivity.

     

        This was a fun film to watch. Now the first question everyone wants to, is this film better than Finding Nemo and the answer to that is no and that's a big no. This film hist some of the same hallmarks as the first film and some of it felt really repetitive from the first film which made the film pretty predictable. Now while there are a few repetitive moments, there are quite a few storytelling elements that throw you for a loop after you would think it would go another way. This film relied on the same type of humor from the first film and it works well in this film and some the jokes are just spot on especially if you can get the joke. The old characters from the first film are great and the voice is spot and all of the new characters were absolutely wonderful and they were great additions to the Finding Nemo universe. Just like the previous film, the visuals are just so perfect and you truly get the sense that you are in the ocean and it just looks gorgeous. Like most Pixar films, they all pull at the heartstrings and this one has some great emotional moments, but they often go to the well too much and it can get a little depressing at times. Again, the film teaches a lot of lessons for both kids and adults just like the first film and they are all valuable in there own way. Overall this film at points feels like a carbon copy of Finding Nemo, but there are enough newer moments that help the film stand out. I give Finding Dory an 8.5 out of 10.

        So ladies and gentlemen what did you think of Finding Dory, what would you rate it and what did you think of my review? Let me know in the comments section below and let your voice be heard.
                                                                                                                           Jonah Sparks

Weekend Box Office Review 6-17-16 to 6-19-16/ Weekend Preview

        Here are the weekend domestic box office results for the weekend of 6-17-16 to 6-19-16 as well as my 5 key takeaways, as well as my predictions for the top 5 films at the box office this weekend. So without further ado...

Box Office Totals courtesy of boxofficemojo.com

TW	LW	Film	Studio	Weekend	# of Theaters	Total Domestic Gross	Weeks
1	-	Finding Dory	Walt Disney Pictures/ Pixar Studios	$135,060,273	4,305	$135,060,273	1
2	-	Central Intelligence	Warner Bros.	$35,535,250	3,508	$35,535,250	1
3	1	The Conjuring 2	Warner Bros.	$14,880,050	3,356	$71,055,136	2
4	3	Now You See Me 2	Lionsgate	$9,373,379	3,232	$41,085,908	2
5	2	Warcraft	Universal Pictures	$7,241,430	3,406	$38,432,955	2
6	5	X-Men: Apocalypse	20th Century Fox	$5,309,290	2,632	$146,157,126	4
7	4	Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows	Paramount Pictures	$5,251,531	3,086	$71,981,105	3
8	8	Alice Through the Looking Glass	Walt Disney Pictures	$4,290,760	1,880	$69,993,684	4
9	6	Me Before You	Warner Bros.	$3,911,175	2,645	$46,112,029	3
10	9	Captain America: Civil War	Marvel Studios/Walt Disney Pictures	$2,331,622	1,434	$401,312,591	7

1. Finding Dory took over the number spot and it even doubled what Finding Nemo made in it's opening weekend back in 2004.

2. Alice Through the Looking Glass continues to struggle and it is going to be a photo finish on whether or not it makes back a big enough profit for another film.It will however come nowhere close to catching its predecessor which made over $1 billion.

3. Captain America: Civil War continues to hang on in the top 10 for a 7th consecutive weekend. 

4. The biggest loser of the weekend was Warcraft as it made 70% less than it did last weekend and there was no biggest winner of the weekend.

5. I went 3 for 5 on my predictions.

Predictions
1. Independence Day: Resurgence $78 Million

2. Finding Dory $67 Million
3. Central Intelligence $13 Million

4. Free State of Jones $10 Million
5. The Conjuring 2 $8 Million

        So ladies and gentlemen what do you think of this weekend's box office totals and what are some of your takeaways? Let me know in the comments section below and let your voice be heard.

                                                                                                                           Jonah Sparks