The Purge: Election Year (2016)

Director: James DeManaco
Writer: James DeMonaco
Stars: Frank Grillo, Elizabeth Mitchell, Mykelti Williamson

Synopsis:
Senator Charlie Roan (Elizabeth Mitchell) is running for president to end the Purge once and for all but the new founding fathers don't agree with her and try to set up her assassination during the annual Purge sending her and her body guard Leo Barnes (Frank Grillo) out on the streets to fend for themselves throughout the night.

Review:
The Purge movie series is one of the few series that I know that can actually improve upon themselves with each release. I thought the first one was a bit silly but still wasn't a waste of my time, but then I saw the second one and was actually surprised by how much I enjoyed it, even though it did still have its problems. This one though not only was it just as enjoyable as the last one, but a lot of the narrative problems I had with the last one have actually been improved upon to make this one my favorite and actually a bit excited if they do tend to make another one. This isn't perfect, there were a few things that did make me roll my eyes but they didn't linger as much though out the film like the last one's problematic portions did.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Recommendation: See it

The 5th wave

Director: J Blakeson
Writers: Susan Grant, Akiva Goldsman, Jeff Pinkner
Stars: Chloe Grace Moretz, Nick Robinson, Gabriela Lopez, Maika Monroe

Synopsis:
An alien race shows up and starts wreaking havoc on the world in 5 different waves of attacks.

Review:
The 5^th wave is a Sci-fi film that depending on your sci-fi knowledge, or fandom of the genre, might be considered a boring re-tread or a fun adventure. I personally thought it was a fun adventure that brought me back to the days of the old alien sci-fi films. Now this movie wasn't perfect and honestly my favorite part was any scene involving the character Ringer (played by 'It follows' Maika Monroe). And I haven't read the book so I don't necessarily know what all they did and didn't do with the source material.
With it being a YA adaptation though, there is a small love triangle thing that honestly feels force and I think they should have just kept it out of the film in general. Maybe they should have developed it more or something, again I haven't read the book so I don't know exactly how much they kept or changed from it. But besides that though this movie has been done before, not necessarily within the YA adaptation genre but more in the Sci-fi genre.
This movie overall was a good time and honestly wasn't that bad of an experience.

Rating: 4 Stars


Recommendation: I'd say if you want something fresh in the Sci-fi genre then stay away, but if you want to be able to enjoy a movie full of Sci-fi tropes then you should check this out. Also, if you're wanting to stay away from this because it's a YA adaptation then please give this a look because honestly the only thing that this takes from those similar movies and books is the love triangle aspect and there's enough stuff going on around it that it doesn't stand out too much except for the couple scenes that it is involved in.

The Boy

Director: William Brent Bell
Writers: Stacey Menear
Stars: Lauren Cohan, Rupert Evans, James Russel

Synopsis:
A nanny is hired to look after a family's son that actually turns out to be a life-sized doll.

Review:
This movie falls into the category of false marketing, much like House at the End of the Street did, although not as bad. I say that because the first half of the film is much like what the trailers show us the film to be, but then by the time the second half of the film hits, its a thriller, and I think that's where people get upset with this film, much like how they were with House at the End of the Street. I personally loved both that and The Boy, and I think it's because of that reason, they're not really what they look to be, and actually surprise me.
Like I said the first half is all about the doll being possessed but through some twist and turns, the plot takes us to thriller territory and the scares fade, which I actually quite enjoyed. Of course I can see why the majority of people would be upset due to the fact that a lot of people come to these to get scared then feel ripped off when it turns out not to be scary.
Now, this movie isn't perfect and I wouldn't even say it's worth full price at this point, and the twist does offer up a bunch of questions that don't get answered, ultimately they might make a prequel explaining it like most horror movies recently. But while that's a problem, Lauren Cohan's character really is the best thing about this movie and makes the movie worth watching. The story can be considered bland, depending on your thoughts on the paranormal and possession genre as of late.

Rating: 4 Stars

Recommendation: If you are looking for a darker movie to watch in theaters right now then this would be your best bet. I'd recommend a matinee to save some money though in case you find yourself disappointed in it.