Focus Review

Directed & Directed By: John Requa and Glenn Ficara

Starring: Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Rodrigo Santoro, Adrian Martinaz, Gerald McRaney, BD Wong, Brennan Brown, Rober Tyler, Griff Furst, etc.

A modern day Bonnie & Clyde is definitely needed and finally delivered. There is something amazing about when theft has a double meaning. When lust leads to love. When a criminal can be kind and put his woman on top of anyone else. That idea of ‘us’ against the world mentality has a lot of beauty. The movie is sheer poetry combined with comedy.

A battle of wits as Jess (Margot Robbie) tries to con Nicky (Will Smith) at a hotel only to have him tell her about her conning mistakes. Then she stalks and finally finds him and persuades him to take her under his wings. He agrees to be her mentor and introduces her to his boss Horst (Brennan Brown). Jess earns a place in a coveted internship in the theft world most likely.

Worldly Nicky opens Jess’s eyes to new opportunities such as having a crime companion, educator and guardian angel. Nicky saw the point of making money and finding a partner in crime makes it twice as fun. It is all in the title focus when Nicky shows Jess how to steal without being noticed and not to be stolen from. Then them focusing on what matters in life.

The cast and crew worked hard and it really shows. The directing explains a different mood each time. From sex to sensuality then pain to jealousy with the scene played out very well visually and verbally. Impeccably done.

This movie deserves a 7/10 because some unnecessary scenes, actors and unrealistic drama were added. The movie had enough action and unknown material as well as enough passion and sexiness. Less is more because more harmed instead of helped here.

However, this movie is quite enjoyable. Focus is wicked and wonderful so worth the watch. Living vicariously through this movie is one glamorous ride.

The Second Best Marigold Hotel

Written by: Ol Parker

Directed by: John Madden

Starring: Judy Dench, Richard Gere, Bill Nighy, Maggie Smith, Dev Patel, David Strathairn, Celia Imrie, Penelope Wilton, Ronald Pickup, Diana Hardcastle, Lilete Dubey, Tamsin Greig, Tena Desae.

Incredible India Awaits while Life Doesn’t

This movie is a dynamic and definitive drama that has laughing-out-loud and tear-jerking moments. This film is a sensational and sentimental sequel with a stellar cast.

It subtly and not so subtly is a life-affirming movie that shows a change must take place if one is not happy with one’s life. They cover most a vast number of issues concerning emotions such as love, travel, work, age, etc. Again, in a light hearted manner mostly and not when it is needed to make a clear point of live your life now before it is too late and the regrets of some that did not.

This movie could have been better though because the story is great the cast is great yet the script is not so great. The lines are dry and dull. The scenes are pretty clichéd at first making it hard to watch yet knowing this must get better not worse is true. This movie catches up with the story it is trying to tell soon enough and speeds up the pacing to a normal one. Then in the end it is speeded up a bit much with a few sudden surprises.

Then the writing becomes wiser than ever with superb wisdom that’s so subtle to even sense and that’s how great writing is one cannot pin point anything written before and claim it is cheesy or cliché.

The Location cannot be more on point for people in general to want to retire. The dancing and music at the end was the best better than the first couple of times during this movie. India is amazing with such vivid colors that bring vitality and earthy colors that exude energy as well.

Along with the music, plot, writing, acting and most importantly directing the story comes together beautifully. This movie is an advert for good living and good thinking. Equality, love, and respect among numerous other messages are presented in this movie.

As a film with very few errors I give it an 8/10 only because it drags on at the beginning and that would make people automatically misjudge it and harshly criticize it. It did itself a disservice with a few characters that were not needed and made no sense other than unrealistic drama just to make a story where they have enough character with enough stories that can be made and presented about them. That would have been more than enough and more real.

Aloha

Written and directed by: Cameron Crowe

Starring: Alec Baldwin, Bill Murray, Bradley Cooper, Emma Stone, Rachel McAdams, John Krasinski and Danny McBride.

Terribly Tiring Time-taker

Cameron Crowe does amazing movies. However, ‘Aloha’ is not one of them. Still great but knowing this is a Cameron Crowe film knowing what he is capable of a lot more was expected of him. This movie deserves a 5/10 because it is an average movie. Not bad or good just plain particularly with the pacing. It is definitely dreadful to be as dull as it is.

This movie lacked depth, coherency and creativity. The movie is just a mismatched mesh of gibberish pseudo-philosophical romantic notions. The plot’s passé and archaic that is far from romantic. It is really tragic and not in a ‘titanic’ sort of way but more of a pathetic or poor attempt. The movie’s heart is in the right place but it is just disorganized and feels some parts were left out whether on purpose or not.

This movie passes many ideas while not fully grasping them. It is trying to be too many things at once in a forced unnatural way. It needed have a better story line that is less predictable and not filled with nonsense irrelevant Hawaiian mythology and shallowly presented patriotism.

That is just to appear light hearted and deep as if without trying. This movie was anything but subtle, but could have been. Cameron Crowe created the organic, effortless ‘Almost Famous’. Then later on he created, ‘We bought a Zoo’ so he will surely redeem himself in many movies to come.

Confused characters that make no sense in an odd miscast, love-triangle. The love does not seem real or even present. As if the lines are just memorized and are just said with no emotion or if there is an angry seen there is no remorse, which makes it like the characters are forced to be there and not that they want to be there. That combination of love-hate was even missing from that clichéd plot and the writing is redundant. This makes it difficult to understand and even sit through this movie.

For a movie about Hawaii it sure is missing a lot of Hawaiian elements. The meaning of ‘Aloha’ is not portrayed during this movie that lacked what it means to be Hawaiian it is just a poor portrayal coming from non-natives. The title should have been ‘land of one’ yet still that would be irrelevant.

A movie about Hawaii must show more about Hawaiian people. Emma Stone should have been cast as an Expat or something not one-quarter Hawaiian. Had the word ‘Ohana’ been explained there would have more meaning to the movie as a whole rather than the random Hawaiian folklore that is continuously represented through a child. Pearls of wisdom from the young are a bit of a stretch if not far-fetched.

Frequencies

Frequencies

OXV: The Manual

Directed and written by Darren Paul Fisher

Stars Daniel Fraser, Eleanor Wyld, Owen Pugh.

The idea of predicting the future of a child based on testing their frequency which shows how lucky they will be is a futuristic element to the archaic innate need for romance. Marie’s (Eleanor Wylde) frequency is superbly high making her more lucky and more perfect almost like a robot her intelligence rules over her emotions whereas Zak is the polar opposite therefore it is dangerous for Zak to be near hear because like opposing magnets they cause the universe to react to show them they should not be together. This does not stop Zak (Daniel Fraser)  from achieving his dreams of turning his luck around and going against nature he strives to find a solution with the help of his friend Theo.

Theo’s short disappearance when Zak wanted Theo to get approval and credit of the patented frequency invention. Then Theo arguing with his father about music versus science is a vague issue and probably is a huge discussion about more because him seeming like he is going far away and will not see his dad for a while adds to the mystery and mystique of this movie.

This British gem of a movie is excellent, elegant and eloquent. This movie is similar to ‘Just My Luck’. But Frequencies or otherwise known as OXV: The Manual is more sentimental, sensual and sophisticated. The length and depth the characters go to for love despite their friends and family telling them otherwise is really romantic.

Then Marie questions how he is safe when he is with her so she finds out that he can control nature through his phone showing words that stabilize nature for him to say. Yet Marie finds out that Zak can control frequency to the point of convincing people to do anything . That frightens her on the truth of their relationship. As we worry about relationship but cannot pin point anything to blame or truly question internally or externally.

She wonders if he convinced her through raising his frequency levels and enforcing his power over her makes her feel used even when he assures her that is not the case. Only to find that Beethoven’s music stabilizes everyone’s frequency to a neutral level that makes no one have a higher frequency than another therefore no one could control anyone. When she finds her feelings for him are still the same it is happy ending indeed.

Frequencies

Frequencies

OXV: The Manual

Directed and written by: Darren Paul Fisher

Stars:  Daniel Fraser, Eleanor Wyld, Owen Pugh, Dylan Llewellyn, Georgina MinterBrown, Tom England.

The idea of predicting the future of a child based on testing their frequency which shows how lucky they will be is a futuristic element to the archaic innate need for romance. Marie’s (Eleanor Wylde) frequency is superbly high making her more lucky and more perfect almost like a robot her intelligence rules over her emotions whereas Zak is the polar opposite therefore it is dangerous for Zak to be near hear because like opposing magnets they cause the universe to react to show them they should not be together.

At school they are given scientific names Marie is known as Marie-Curie while Zak is known as Isaac Newton then Theo is Nikola Tesla because he figures the true meaning of the Nikola Tesla quote they were taught at school.That quote is “knowledge determines destiny”, which is a major life lesson to anyone really.This does not stop Zak (Daniel Fraser) from achieving his dreams of turning his luck around and going against nature he strives to find a solution with the help of his friend Theo.

Theo’s short disappearance when Zak wanted Theo to get approval and give credit of the patented frequency invention. Then Theo arguing with his father about music versus science is a vague issue and probably is a huge discussion about more because him seeming like he is going far away and will not see his dad for a while adds to the mystery and mystique of this movie.

This British gem of a movie is excellent, elegant and eloquent. A scientific yet philosophical romance movie shown in terms of an experiment which is an intelligent take on how real life is like particularly romance. It represents how romance and sex has become desensitized and sometimes love hits like a brick and the pain is unbearable. It is just an emotional roller coaster as true love tends to be. This movie is similar to ‘Just My Luck’. But Frequencies or otherwise known as OXV: The Manual is more sentimental, sensual and sophisticated.

The length and depth the characters go to for love despite their friends and family telling them otherwise is really romantic. Then Marie questions how he is safe when he is with her so she finds out that he can control nature through his phone showing words that stabilize nature for him to say. Yet Marie finds out that Zak can control frequency to the point of convincing people to do anything . That frightens her on the truth of their relationship.

As we worry about relationship but cannot pin point anything to blame or truly question internally or externally. She wonders if he convinced her through raising his frequency levels and enforcing his power over her makes her feel used even when he assures her that is not the case. Only to find that Beethoven’s music stabilizes everyone’s frequency to a neutral level that makes no one have a higher frequency than another therefore no one could control anyone. When she finds her feelings for him are still the same it is happy ending indeed.